Niki N. Phaser » Chester Benington

Mike Shinoda Teases LP Fans

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:16:42 +0000

In a recent blog post on his official website, Linkin Park/Fort Minor member, Mike Shinoda gave fans an update on LP’s new LP. The band had their first meeting of the year, regarding the evolution of their future album, expected to be released, sometime in the summer/autumn of this year. It will be their fourth and the follow-up to the successful Minutes to Midnight. The MC seems happy with the way things are going and emphasizes a lot on the new direction of their recent songs. He even talks about initiating a new genre with this one, so the pressure to not repeat themselves seems to be really off. He also teases the army of fans, waiting for any new information: “I was going to tell you guys the working titles…but I changed my mind”, he writes. Though not a concept album, the new material is, so far, tied by “some thematic threads”, the producer also admits. Five songs are almost confirmed, with another 15-20 being worked on, a batch from which the final tracklisting is supposed to be picked. In earlier reports, there was talk of a more electronic sound, Blade Runner-inspired, but, as we all know, an album has many gestation periods, so we’ll just have to wait and hear.

Blink 182 Visit The Old Continent Next Summer

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:28:24 +0000

Mark Hoppus has announced that Blink 182 will be touring Europe for a few weeks, during the summer of 2010. No exact dates or locations have been published yet, but in the following months, everything will be revealed. To be sure that you are not missing anything, check the band’s official site for future information. Since the band reformed, there has been talk of a new album, but there is still nothing certain. Drummer Travis Barker has been working on his solo record, which will feature, among others, RZA and Chester of Linkin Park and Dead By Sunrise. It will be out next year, under the title Mr. Barker’s. Mark Hoppus has been in the studio also, producing a lot of new bands, while Tom DeLonge’s side project, Angels and Airwaves is about to release a new album, Love, and also an experimental movie of the same name. The first single, Hallucinations, has been released as a free download, as will the entire record. However, some sources state that the band will be working on a new Blink 182 album before touring Europe in 2010. Their last one was released in 2003.

Album Review : Dead by Sunrise – Out of the Ashes

Niki N. Phaser — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:21:56 +0000

The thing with Dead by Sunrise is that you can either listen to it as Chester Benington’s side-project and compare it to Linkin Park, you can also listen to it as Julien-K without Ryan Shuck on vocals, or you can clear your mind of all these faces and names and enjoy a new rock band. And, truth be told, it’s not at all difficult to enjoy Dead by Sunrise’s debut album, Out of the Ashes. The overall feeling you get from this first studio effort by these guys, is that you are listening to some classic rock’n'roll album, something old school, but still alive and kicking. Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell is the first thing that comes to mind, but Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet is not too far either. I’m not entering sound issues when mentioning these albums. I’m just trying to say that Out of the Ashes has everything you would want from a rock album. It might not become your favourite, but you will respect it.

First of all, there is the rock out side, the fast and the heavy, stylized punkish tunes that rely on riff energy and Benington’s screamer abilities. Debut single, Crawl Back In, with its feel good beer party riff, is pretty much what I mean. The grunge-inspired lyrics of inner pain, self-loathing and confusion spawn a bit of an oxymoron in here, because you don’t really see drunk crowds shouting “Dont wanna loose my innocence”. Just as energetic, we can name Inside of Me and Condemned, both of which have that action flick vibe, suitable for the scene where the hero decides to take his ruthless revenge on those who wronged him: “Come on beat me, I’m not a man, Condemned”. The highlight of this punk aesthetics is the less than three minutes long, My Suffering, which has catchy melodic vocals on its otherwise dirty chorus. Chester’s pop voice and rock voice meet up on this one.

And speaking of his pop voice, what would a rock album be without its ballads… Out of the Ashes‘ strongest points are the softer tunes and from these, I have to go with Into You and Give Me Your Name as the best. Second single Let Down doesn’t… let down, either. Tracks like these have that classic value, that I was talking about earlier, while still benefiting from modern producing and interestingly manipulated guitars. Keyboards, synths and programming are also used to great effect (there are moments when Give Me Your Name will remind you of Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks) , though they never overshadow the guitar work.

There is also an anthemic side to Out of the Ashes, but, if you know your Chester Benington by now, you’ll guess that these are no ordinary anthems. For example, opener Fire, though sounding very stellar, is actually about death: “When I look to the stars I know just were you are, Your looking down upon me”. The last track, In the Darkness, sounds just as grand, but this time the dramatic overtones are in tune with the lyrics: ”I want to cut through my skin, And pull you within”. The rock craftsmanship is definitely there with Dead by Sunrise and it should be, because these guys are no rookies. Hopefully, we’ll hear a follow-up to Out of the Ashes sometime, because this is one side-project that…

CRAWL BACK IN LET DOWN ALBUM MAKING OF

Linkin Park – In Pieces : All in One

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:57:25 +0000

If you are a bit familiar with the history of Linkin Park, you would know that their 2007 album, Minutes to Midnight, was a crucial moment in the band’s evolution. A big difference from previous albums was that they got more in touch with their inner pop child and the result was several softer songs like Leave Out All The Rest, Valentine’s Day or In Pieces. This is a song where Chester Benington really exhibits his pop voice. There is no nu-metal screaming, just a lot of vulnerability and that “wounded soul’s power”, displayed in some of Linkin Park’s best songs. In fact, the whole track, lyrically speaking, sounds like a love song, but in LP style, which means plenty of imputations and emotional accusations like “There’s truth in your lies, Doubt in your faith, What you build you lay to waste”.

Musically, In Pieces represents a fortunate combination of numerous elements from distinct genres. The song is built on what sounds like a celesta riff. There are hip-hop synth beats and atmospherics effects courtesy of Mr. Hahn, but you also get real rockin’ drumming, both intense and complex. The vocals, as I said, are soft and quite balladesque. The second verse is punctuated by some Clashy guitar hits and speaking of guitars, Brad Delson’s solo really takes you back to some 80′s hard rock, something like AC/DC or Motorhead even. It’s a shame that Linkin Park didn’t saw a single in this one, but they certainly haven’t ignored it live.

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

Linkin Park’s Chester Benington is shaping up new band

Niki N. Phaser — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:16:41 +0000

Linkin Park’s frontman Chester Benington is finally releasing an album with his side-project, Dead by Sunrise, comprised of Julien-K and ex-Orgy members. Talks of a non-Linkin Park project have been circulating even before Meteora days. This time, it’s the real deal. Benington revealed that Dead by Sunrise will release an album entitled Out of Ashes in September. The sound will be dramatically different from Linkin Park, mainly due to the absence of Mike Shinoda, who, Benington considers, “has created our signature sound“. There will be no hip-hop influences on this one, just straightforward rock. The album will have ten tracks, as this reminds Benington of the memorable records of the 60′s and 70′s. A possible first single is a track named Crawl Back In, for which they will be shooting a video around the beginning of August. As for gigs, the nu-metal icon announced through Twitter a series of surprise Dead by Sunrise shows, adding “They will be short sets. And no one will know when or where they will be”. The one hint he gave was “So if anyone wants to see us doing these performances you’d better try to get to the LP shows this summer”. Their first official offering (through their Myspace page), entitled Morning After, is quite promising.