Today we will tell you about Doro Pesch, a singer, and songwriter who greatly influenced the female Metal world and earned the nickname "Metal Queen". (Photo: Fullmetalhipster.com) 1. She was born on June 3, 1964, in Düsseldorf, Germany, as Dorothee Pesch. 2. She is an only child who absorbed music at home from an early age. Her first musical memory is of herself at age 3 singing Little Richard's song "Lucille". 3. At the age of 10 she began to play the piano and sing. By this time she was already exposed to glam rock and bands like "T. Rex", "Sweet" and "Slade". 4. At the age of 16 she overcame tuberculosis which endangered her life. At that point, she decided she wanted to devote most of her time to music and singing. (Photo: kickassforever.com) 5. She started her career singing in garage bands on the local Düsseldorf underground music scene and already in 1980, she joined her first band "Snakebite". 6. Her first recording as a singer was a demo that included 7 songs and was meant to market "Snakebite" to the record companies. 7. After the breakup of "Snakebite" in 1981, Doro moved to garage bands like "Beast" and "Attack". 8. In 1982 she formed "Warlock" with Peter Szigeti, Rudy Graf, Thomas Studier, and Michael Eurich. (Photo: Musicscore.ms) 9. "Warlock" soon signed its first recording contract with "Mausoleum Records". 10. In 1984 the band released their debut album "Burning the Witches". Doro served as a singer and participated in the writing of the songs. 11. Already at this point Dorothy attracted the attention of the fans and the press and became the spokesperson and symbol of the band. 12. The voice and stage presence of Doro led "Warlock" to success in the metal scene of the '80s, which at the time was almost completely dominated by men. 13. The band's success leads it to the arms of the international label "Vertigo", with which they released their second album "Hellbound", in 1985. Doro participates in writing all the songs on the album. 14. In 1986 the band released their third album "True as Steel" and on August 16, 1986, Doro became the first woman to lead a metal band at the "Monsters of Rock" festival, which was the most important European metal festival of the '80s. 14. After completing the tour to promote the album "True as Steel", Doro moved to New York, where she recorded the album "Triumph and Agony" with "Warlock", which became their fourth and final album, released in 1987. (Photo: https://bravewords.com) 15. It was the band's most successful album, which won the gold status in Germany and even entered the Billboard 200 charts in the US. The album features drummer, Cozy Powell. 16. At the end of "Warlock"'s tour in the USA in 1988, Doro remained the only German in the band, after all the other original members retired and were replaced by American musicians. 17. In 1989, while Doro was busy writing material for the band's next album, she lost a lawsuit against the band's former manager and was barred from using the name and rights of "Warlock". 18. From that date onwards she started releasing albums under the name "Doro", starting with the first album "Force Majeure" from 1989. 19. Here second album "Doro", released in 1990, was produced by none other than Gene Simmons. 20. Doro did not give up, she continued the legal battle for the name "Warlock" and eventually regained the rights in 2011. 21. In 2012 she released her 12th album "Raise Your Fist", which includes the songs "Revenge" and "Victory", apparently related to her victory in the legal battle. 22. The album also includes the song "Hero", which was dedicated to Ronnie James Dio, who passed away in 2010. 23. Doro also participates in the 1999 tribute album "Holy Dio: Tribute to Ronnie James Dio" and performs the song "Egypt (The Chains Are On)". 24. Doro is the first heavy metal artist to perform a "drive-in" concert during the Covid-19 crisis. 25. Doro is also known for her duets with singers and musicians from the metal scene, including: Motörhead, "Saxon", "Dio", "Scorpions", Udo Dirkschneider, and more. 26. To date she has released 18 studio albums as a solo artist and with "Warlock". "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Editor's Choice... And this time "Faith No More's" sixth album "Album Of The Year" was released on June 3, 1997 You are probably familiar with the cliché: "It does not take much to move you" so we will take it and make avant-garde use of it here and now. We will momentarily and deliberately ignore the whole album which is excellent and an unequivocally provides the incredible thrill that this band causes us and we will refer to one song, only one song! For us, a masterpiece... maybe not a crazy symphony, not extravagant riffs, or complicated chords, maybe not varied and complex dynamics but there is one... just one small sentence, one sentence that makes us fall to pieces and a tear down some drops in the corner of our eye: “Smiling with the mouth of the ocean, And I'll wave to you with the arms of the mountain” Just click on either links Spotify, Apple Music, and choose the song "Ashes To Ashes", or just click below... Jon Hudson caresses the guitar strings softly with Mike singing the first verse in a deep voice and then with a big roar the chorus enters and just tears you to pieces. Imagine yourself floating in the air over the ocean with a huge smile, with your hands spread to a side where the sea and you are circling a huge green and gray mountain range. You probably think we are hallucinatory but that's what's amazing about music, we feel, experience, and drift where we want and we don't care what it looks like or what it means, now it's our world and we are present in it !! It can end here but since we must provide more let's have a few details (because we are addicted to this band). Writing the album was far from easy. The members were deeply involved in their own projects and rarely in the same place at the same time. In fact, by this point "Faith No More" already felt like a band slowly drifting apart. Mike Patton was living in Italy, Roddy Bottum was busy with "Imperial Teen", Mike Bordin was playing with "Black Sabbath", and Billy Gould found himself trying to piece everything together. Much of the album was created remotely and recorded during a brief period when all five members managed to gather in San Francisco. Looking back, several members admitted they weren't even sure the album would be completed, which makes the final result all the more impressive. The song we referred to above is a good example, it is one of the first songs written for the album. The four band members wrote the music and sent it to Mike who was in Italy at the time. Mike immediately wrote the lyrics and sent them back to the other friends. Gould said it was one of those songs that has an instant click and the pieces are aligned together like magic. (Photo: allmusic.com) And don't think this album only has one great moment. Far from it. It's packed with brilliant and emotional gems. "Stripsearch" feels like it could have been written during Patton's earliest days with the band and remains one of the most beautiful songs in their later catalog. "Last Cup Of Sorrow" is powerful and unforgettable, "Helpless" showcases the band's adventurous side, and "Mouth To Mouth" brings an entirely different flavor, partly inspired by musical influences Billy Gould absorbed during a trip to Albania. Perhaps because of everything happening behind the scenes, "Album Of The Year" carries a strange sense of farewell. Not an official goodbye, but the feeling of a band that still knows the magic is there, yet isn't quite sure where the road leads next. Looking back today, it's difficult not to hear that uncertainty woven into the music. The album received harsh criticism from some reviewers upon release and was the last album the band released until the seventh album, "Sol Invictus" which came out 18 years later. We still love this record. For us, it remains an essential part of the extraordinary catalog of one of the most original, fearless, and emotionally powerful bands rock music has ever produced. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On June 3, 1970, "Deep Purple" released their fourth studio album "In Rock". This is the band's first album in the successful MKII lineup, which included Ian Gillan as lead singer and Roger Glover as bassist. "In Rock" is considered a groundbreaking album that defined the "Hard Rock" and "Heavy Metal" genres and is without a doubt one of the most important and influential in the development of the above genre. This album is so important that even an entire book has been written about it: "Wait For The Ricochet: The Story of Deep Purple In Rock". The story of the album and it's becoming so influential, began somewhere in 1969. After the release of her third album, "Deep Purple" decided to make a fundamental change in its musical direction. During a tour of the band in the US, keyboardist Jon Lord, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and drummer Ian Paice met and discuss the band's future. The three unanimously expressed their desire to take the band in heavier directions. They all knew that the singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper won't be able to “deliver the goods” in the new musical direction the band is aiming for. After searching for a suitable singer and bassist, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover were both selected in June 1969, both of whom were members of "Episode Six". Since "Deep Purple" was still committed to several performances in the MKI lineup, the last of which was scheduled for July 4, 1969, the members of the new band, which was initially formed secretly and without the knowledge of Simper and Evans, met to exchange writing ideas. The newly formed band entered the studio in the summer of '69 to record the song "Hallelujah". During the rehearsal, Nick Simper thought he was still a part of the band. He asked to find out when the song would be recorded and then he found out that Roger Glover had already recorded the bass roles in his place. Due to the embarrassing incident, the band members asked the band's management to issue a formal announcement about the replacement of Simper and Evans. In September 1969, the band recorded, during a performance at the "Royal Albert Hall", an album called "Concerto for Group and Orchestra". The album was recorded together with the "Royal London Symphony Orchestra" and was the first album in history to combine compositions of a symphony orchestra with a rock band. In October 1969, the band re-entered the studio to record their new album. Ritchie Blackmore noted that he would have had to take matters into his own hands, otherwise the band would have continued to play with symphony orchestras forever. Indeed, this time everything sounded different, and finally, the long-awaited change in the band's style emerged. The sounds that emanated from the studio were heavy, rough even shrill, yet they had an amazing harmony and a perfect melody. Even the name of the album was carefully chosen to make a clear distinction between the classical orchestral days and the new era. "Deep Purple" was announcing: "We are a rock band and you can see this from both the cover and the title of the album". The album opens up with "Speed ​​King" in an atomic explosion. A huge, huge, rolling noise of bombastic drums, squeaky guitars, and pumping bass mixed together, when beneath all this clutter, hustle and bustle a soft, caressing "carpet" of keyboards. And like the silence that prevails after the "bombing", this mighty thunder of musical instruments fades away and we are left with the same soft and caressing carpet of John Lord's church keyboards, which becomes a short keyboard mini solo that leads us through a cold, dark corridor into the mighty song. Then all of a sudden, the door opens and a bright light emanates and dazzles the eyes, and the song opens with a guitar-bass-keyboard-triangular riff, with bombastic drumming of Paice and the roars of Gillan, and there is nothing that sounds like that at the time !!!! By the way, the famous riff was written on Glover's bass when he tried to emulate "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix. It is not clear why this amazing 1:30 minute-long intro was cut in all versions of the album which can be found in the various streaming apps. It's just neutering of the song and of "Deep Purple's" bold statement, to the world of music, notice! not only have we changed our style of music from end to end, but we have come to give you a head start with something new and powerful that is not heard before. In light of the importance and perfection of this crazy opening, here is a YouTube version of the full song, which includes the same intro: By the way, this is the band's first song for which Gillan wrote lyrics. This is Gillan's homage to the rock 'n' roll songs he grew up on, as the lyrics are a collection of excerpts from famous rock 'n' roll songs including Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley. Immediately afterward comes "Bloodsucker" with the bluesy riff played at a fast pace. This is the last song written for the album and features Gillan's famous scream at the end of each verse. Gillan played a key role in making this album a breakthrough in the hard rock and metal genres. We are not just talking about the powerful voice, the endless range, and the unique singing style, but mainly about the courage and daring that are shown to sound different. Until then singers mostly sang, after which they were no longer afraid to roar and scream. It is interesting to note that the song was re-recorded by the band for the album "Abandon" from 1998, in a lineup that included guitarist Steve Morse. The new version of the song was given a slightly different title - "Bludsucker". In 2017 a clip of the band performing the song at the "Hellfest" festival was released. The third song that seals the first side of the vinyl is the masterpiece "Child In Time". A song that more than 50 years after it was written still sends chills through our whole bodies. A song that is a musical miracle "above nature". What virtuoso music from all the members, especially Lord, what a true and moving song of their age. Just a perfect song. This song is an anti-war protest song referring to the Vietnam War, which is also one of the band's greatest works of all time. The song opens with a slow, soft keyboard playing by John Lord and is slowly built up, rising to a climax followed by a jam session which includes a virtuoso guitar solo by Blackmore and from there returns for Lord's quiet and jazzy keyboard playing, Which again increases until the mighty climax at the end. The song features one of Gillan's best vocal performances which demonstrates his immense abilities and his wide vocal range. It is highly recommended to listen to Gilan's voice during the live performance of the song in the "Made In Japan" album, to understand the undisputed greatness of this legendary singer. Lord's famous keyboard riff in this song was greatly influenced by the song "Bombay Calling" by the American band "It's a Beautiful Day". The song was included on the band's debut album released a year earlier, in 1969. For those unfamiliar with the song, it is very worth listening to here because the resemblance is simply amazing. There are no weak songs on this album, it maintains a high level throughout. "Flight of the Rat" opens up the second side of the vinyl and features simple, basic and so classic hard rock riffs and long solos by Blackmore and Lord, with Glover holding everything tight with his steady bass playing. Later in the song, a funky part of Blackmore and everything stops abruptly for two seconds to start all over again. And if all that wasn’t enough, the song ends with a short Ian Paice drum solo. The piece evolved during rehearsals from a humorous adaptation of Glover to the classic piece "The Flight of the Bumblebee" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. "Into The Fire" has a heavy and metallic riff that is slightly influenced by "King Crimson" and includes a slow and bluesy guitar solo by Blackmore and Gillan's famous scream which is actually also the chorus "Into The Fire". Glover intended to place here a warning sign against drug use. "Living Wreck" is the result of a joint composition by all the members. The riff of this song will undergo a musical metamorphosis and land almost a decade later in the "Scorpions" song "Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep)". Lord plays the Hammond here through a Leslie speaker which gives the keyboards a slightly different sound from other songs on the album in which he plays through a Marshall amp-like in the song "Hard Lovin 'Man" for example. Blackmore plays the solo here through the octave effect. Indeed it is impossible without the "pearl" that ends the album "Hard Lovin 'Man", with Glover's galloping bass and John Lord's stunning keyboard riffs simply shining in this song. Blackmore said he performed the second guitar solo to annoy one of the sound technicians in the studio. He noted that he had deliberately rubbed the guitar up and down the neck to produce disturbing sounds, until the same technician was sure Blackmore was going crazy. It is worth mentioning that this is the first song out of two on the album produced by the super producer "Martin Birch". Birch also produced the song "Flight of the Rat", with all the other songs being produced by the band itself. Birch's work on these two songs was liked by the band and it will lead to Birch's fruitful collaboration with Deep Purple which will last until 1976. Before the end, we must mention the song "Black Night", which was not part of the album itself but was recorded during the album's sessions. It was released as a single and was a great success on both sides of the Atlantic. The song was included in the expanded editions of the album and had many cover versions including "Metallica" and Bruce Dickinson. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On June 2, 1986, "Queen" released their 12th studio album "A Kind of Magic". Few albums in "Queen"'s catalogue are as closely associated with a specific cultural moment as "A Kind of Magic". Arriving in the aftermath of the band's legendary "Live Aid" performance and drawing heavily from their work on the 1986 film "Highlander", the album captures a group that had fully mastered the language of arena rock. It is not "Queen"'s most adventurous record, nor their most consistent, but it remains one of the defining statements of their later career. Six out of the album'snine songs on the album appeared in "Highlander", although in different versions so some concider it as an unoficoal soundtrack for the film. In addition, The opening track - "One Vision" was featured in the film "Iron Eagle" a year earlier. Produced by "Queen", Mack and David Richards, the album balances cinematic ambition with radio ready songwriting. The result is a record that often feels split between soundtrack grandeur and stadium spectacle, yet that tension gives the album much of its personality. The album opens with "One Vision". An atmospheric synthesizer introduction, crafted by Brian May, is abruptly shattered by a crushing guitar riff that immediately announces the album's larger than life ambitions. While synthesizers remain a key part of the arrangement, they never overshadow the song's muscular rock foundation. Roger Taylor's thunderous drumming and John Deacon's rock solid bass work provide a formidable rhythmic backbone, amplifying the track's weight and helping transform it into one of "Queen"'s most powerful opening statements of the 1980s. The title track "A Kind of Magic" remains one of "Queen"'s most recognizable singles of the decade. Originally written by Roger Taylor for "Highlander", it was reshaped into a vibrant pop anthem by Freddie Mercury, whose vocal performance transforms a clever concept into something genuinely memorable. The heavier, rockier alternate version of the song was played during the end credits of "Highlander". "One Year of Love" reveals a different side of "Queen". Written by John Deacon, the track leans heavily into contemporary adult pop and soul influences, replacing Brian May's guitar with lush keyboards and expressive saxophone lines by Steve Gregory. "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" finds "Queen" venturing into territory rarely explored elsewhere in their catalogue. Written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, the song draws heavily from Motown and soul influences, blending a danceable groove with layered vocal harmonies and a polished pop production. Written by Mercury and Deacon "Friends Will Be Friends" delivers one of the album's strongest arena anthems. It is one of the last of Mercury's piano ballads, built around a simple piano progression and an enormous chorus. The song which did not feature in "Highlander" recalls the communal spirit of earlier "Queen" classics like "Play the Game" and "We Are the Champions". The album reaches its emotional peak with "Who Wants to Live Forever". The song was written by Brian May after viewing an early cut of "Highlander" and sung in the album version as a duet between him and Mercury. Its orchestral arrangement arranged and conducted by Michael Kamen, gradually expands around one of Mercury's finest vocal performances, moving from quiet reflection to heartbreaking grandeur. If there is a track that fully embraces the film's mythology, it is "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)". Written by Brian May, the song is among the heaviest moments on "A Kind of Magic", driven by crushing guitar riffs, lead guitar lines, bends, tapping, slides, and an atmosphere of unrelenting menace. Dialogue excerpts from "Highlander" are woven into the arrangement, blurring the line between rock song and cinematic soundtrack. May's ferocious guitar work dominates the track, delivering some of the album's most aggressive playing, while Freddie Mercury adopts a commanding vocal presence that perfectly complements the song's dark character. "Don't Lose Your Head" features singer Joan Armatrading and takes its name from a line spoken in "Highlander". It is heavily rooted in mid 1980s production trends with synthetic textures and drum machine. The closing "Princes of the Universe" delivers one final burst of theatrical excess. Ut is the film's theme song and the only song on the album for which Mercury received sole credit. Built around aggressive riffs, dramatic tempo changes, and powerful vocal from Mercury, it is showing "Queen" returning to their hard rock roots. Brian May's guitar work is particularly impressive here, shifting effortlessly between razor sharp riffing and soaring melodic leads. By 1986, "Queen" were no longer the progressive risk takers who created masterpiece albums in the 70s. They had evolved into masters of scale, writing songs designed for stadiums, cinema screens, and global audiences. The album may lack the consistency of masterpieces such as "A Night at the Opera" or "News of the World", but its finest moments remain among the strongest recordings of the band's later years. For Listening Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

This album stands out to us as it blends rawness, power, and aggression with outstanding melodies and lyrics. We might even consider it the best "Foo Fighters" album. This is the band's seventh album, "Wasting Light," released on April 12th, 2011. This episode of The Foo's picks up after the band's spectacular performance at Wembley Stadium, marking the final show of their previous album's tour. Despite being a band that has released six albums, performed at the Grammys, and topped the charts, they felt the need for something different, especially with a leader who prefers unconventional approaches. Prior to this, the band recorded a number of songs composed during their tour for a compilation album called "Greatest Hits." The compilation featured only two new tracks: "Word Forward" and "Wheels". Why is this important? Because for these recordings, the band brought in the renowned producer Butch Vig, indicating a new direction... In this episode, Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl reflected on their performance at Wembley and the achievements made with their state-of-the-art studio. He felt it was time to revisit the past, drawing inspiration from his work with Nirvana 20 years ago. Alongside Butch, he aimed to create a unique album that would immediately resonate as a Foo Fighters' creation, similar to how Metallica's black album stands as a landmark in their discography. Although the band, with six albums, had nothing to prove, something drove Dave to take a different approach. After establishing their headquarters, "Studio 606," where the last two albums were recorded, Dave chose to record this album in his own home. As our readers know, building a basement studio and recording there is a favorite pastime of Dave's. This time, he introduced two significant new elements! First, he chooses to record the entire album using analog methods, avoiding computers, Pro-Tools, and any digital assistance. The recordings are done as they were in the past, using reel-to-reel tape, where what enters the console is directly captured on the reel. This may sound straightforward, but it's not. Nowadays, nearly everyone uses familiar software for recording, which offers incredible flexibility, enhancement capabilities, and allows artists to create music at home with a computer, instead of spending a fortune on a recording studio. However, some argue that this approach diminishes the authenticity of the work due to the high potential for manipulation. For artists working with acoustic instruments, this impact is significant; you can take a single chord played on a guitar and create an entire song from it. Let's pause this intriguing debate of digital versus analog and note that this approach demands a great deal of effort from the band. We will explain shortly why... (Photo: Soundonsound.com) Secondly, Dave chose Butch to produce the album because no one understands the analog console better or has been more integral to Dave's history. Their collaboration promises to be extraordinary. Butch, who produced Nirvana's "Nevermind" album, is skilled in analog recording techniques and even knows how to edit reels with a razor blade—a rare talent. Dave not only wanted Butch as the producer but also sought his help to create a raw album. This album aims to blend the Foo Fighters' style with the raw, unpolished rock 'n' roll vibe of the '90s. It will embrace the imperfections and complexity of analog recordings while maintaining a contemporary sound, avoiding a dated feel. Does that sound complex? Just listen to the album and you'll find it's quite simple. In summary, Dave decided to produce a documentary about the album's recordings, and you are invited to watch the film "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth," where the last twenty minutes recount the album's story. Dave assembled analog equipment with all the essential components, including acoustic elements, a special chamber for vocals, a dedicated room for drums, a console, and tape reels to establish an appropriate technical setting for the recordings. Notably, this was the same equipment the band used to record the albums "There Is Nothing Left to Lose" and "One by One" at Dave's home in Virginia. He also installed a control unit for the studio in a tent in the garden of the house to manage the studio operations. The band members, now joined again by Pat Smear, the guitarist who originally started with them and left in 1997, have begun work on the new album. The recording process took 11 weeks, dedicating each week to a single song. Initially, Dave and Taylor Hawkins would lay down the foundational elements with drums and the main riff. Then, Chris Shiflett and Pat would join in, with bassist Nate Mendel completing the bass line, and finally, Dave would add the vocals. The guitars have crafted a three-dimensional sound for the album, with Dave playing the core rhythm centered in the mix, Chris contributing his sharp and melodic sections, and Pat enhancing the rough and aggressive tones. Once a song was ready, everyone would perfect their parts and proceed to recording. Since the process was entirely analog, there was no margin for error, requiring everything to be flawless. Taylor, known for his honesty and humility, admitted facing significant challenges during the recording. As with the first album, he struggled with consistency, experiencing similar difficulties here. He shared that he had to practice each song for many hours until he felt competent, and even then, he lacked confidence until he listened to the final recording and felt satisfied with his performance. It's hard to accept that he is no longer with us and part of this incredible band, whose future remains uncertain. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin) This album features several significant musicians, not necessarily prominent stars in the music industry, but important figures in Dave's life. One of his idols is Bob Mould, the guitarist and singer from the 1970s hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü. His voice is heard in the chorus of the song "Dear Rosemary," and he also plays guitar on the track. Another familiar voice is Krist Novoselic, the bassist from Nirvana, who appears in "I Should Have Known." Butch noted that this was the first time Krist had been in the same room with Dave and Chris since the recording sessions for "Nevermind." It was crucial for Dave to have Chris involved in the album, both to add his unique touch to the song (which was the most challenging to record) and to connect Dave's past with his present. "Miss the Misery" includes Fee Waybill, a good friend of Dave's and a singer and guitarist from another 1970s hardcore punk band, The Tubes. Dave invited him because he felt Fee's voice was perfect for the song's background sounds. Keyboardist Rami Jaffee, who was part of the band's touring team at the time and is now a regular member, also contributed his talent to the album. Additional contributors include violinist Jessy Greene and percussionist Drew Hester. An intriguing story from the recordings involves the album's final mix. Although we aren't recording experts, we understand that the mixing phase involves setting the volume for each instrument in the song to ensure everything fits together seamlessly. Since everything was analog—including the mix console, which was not only analog but also manual—four people had to operate the console simultaneously to create the mix. This process gave each song a unique sound, enhancing the album's live and raw performance feel. After completing each song's mix, they would listen to the final product in one of the band members' cars, believing that if it sounded good there, it would sound fantastic on a regular system. The atmosphere during the recordings was entirely different from before, and you can sense it right from the first song. This is evident in the remarkable documentary, where all the band members gather with their families at the Grohl family's "holiday village." While the children play in the pool and the women enjoy small talk, good food, and drinks, the band members are in the recording studio. There's a touching moment when Dave had to write lyrics for "Dear Rosemary." His daughter kept asking him to come swim with her, so he quickly wrote the lyrics, posted them for Bob in the singing booth, went for a swim with his daughter, and then returned to the studio to finish the song. We could easily write an entire article about every song on this album, but this time we'll focus on a few key highlights. Right from the opening track, "Bridge Burning", you are hit head-on with everything this album represents: massive guitars, aggressive drums, and explosive energy. The song was written during a period when Dave Grohl felt he was closing the door on certain chapters of his past and moving forward without regrets. "Rope" was the album's first single and features one of Taylor Hawkins' most impressive drum performances. Lyrically, it deals with feelings of being trapped and the struggle to break free from cycles that keep pulling you backward. "Dear Rosemary", featuring Bob Mould of "Hüsker Dü", reflects on the memory of a relationship that refuses to fade away, while the combination of Grohl's and Mould's voices gives the song a particularly bittersweet sense of nostalgia. "White Limo" is probably the wildest moment on the album. It is an unrestrained explosion of punk and hard rock that emerged from a spontaneous studio jam. The song's entertaining video even featured Lemmy from "Motörhead", a perfect match for its chaotic spirit. Behind "Arlandria" lies one of Grohl's most personal stories. The song takes its name from the neighborhood where he grew up in Northern Virginia, while also serving as a tribute to his mother, Virginia. The line "My Sweet Virginia, I'm the same as I was in your arms" operates on two levels at once: it is both a direct reference to his mother and a nostalgic reflection on the place that helped shape who he became. "These Days" also hides remarkable emotional depth beneath its instantly memorable chorus. Grohl has described it as one of the most personal songs he ever wrote, dealing with the realization that life can change in a single moment and that loss is an unavoidable part of it. Over the years, it has become one of the band's signature songs. "I Should Have Known" is undoubtedly the album's most painful moment. Although Grohl has never explicitly stated that it was written about Kurt Cobain, many listeners view it as an emotional reflection on their relationship and the feelings that remained after Cobain's death. The presence of Krist Novoselic on the track makes it even more moving and adds another layer of meaning. The album closes with "Walk", which quickly became one of "Foo Fighters'" biggest anthems. Beneath its enormous chorus lies a simple yet powerful message about falling down, recovering, and finding the strength to stand up again. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting conclusion for an album born from the band's desire to return to its roots, prove that it was still hungry, and once again create genuine rock and roll without shortcuts. This album features 11 intense and captivating songs that will make you fall in love with the band and their music all over again. The album reached the top of the charts, marking the Foo Fighters' first album to hit number one on the Billboard 200 and earning the band four Grammy Awards in 2012. This time, you are invited to see the album! Upon the album's release, the band performed the entire album live from start to finish at "Studio 606," and the event was filmed and streamed online. The show captures the album's energy, so we recommend both listening to and watching the album below. But if you still want to just listen to the album on Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On June 2, 2023, "Foo Fighters" released their 11th studio album "But Here We Are". Some albums are written to entertain. Some are written to survive. "But Here We Are" is the sound of "Foo Fighters" trying to live through unimaginable loss. Not metaphorical loss. Not rock star heartbreak dressed up as poetry. Real loss. Brutal loss. The sudden death of Taylor Hawkins in 2022 shattered the band in a way that permanently changed its identity, and during the making of this record Dave Grohl also lost his mother Virginia, one of the central emotional figures in his life. The weight of both tragedies bleeds through every second of the album. What makes this record so devastating is that it never hides behind nostalgia or stadium sized optimism. "Foo Fighters" spent years becoming one of the safest major rock bands in the world. Their albums became polished, reliable, almost invincible. "But Here We Are" destroys that illusion immediately. This is not a band trying to sound strong. This is a band trying to hold itself together. That emotional collapse begins with Dave Grohl himself. For the first time since the band’s earliest years, Grohl plays all the drums on the album. Under normal circumstances that detail would feel like trivia. Here it feels heartbreaking. Every snare hit, every frantic fill, every explosion of cymbals carries the absence of Taylor Hawkins. Grohl is not trying to replace him. He knows that is impossible. Instead, the drumming feels like a conversation with grief itself, as if he is physically reconnecting with the role he once abandoned because the person who eventually took that place is gone. That reality changes the way the entire album feels. When "Rescued" opens with chaos and panic, the song no longer sounds like a typical "Foo Fighters" single. It sounds like someone trying to process shock in real time. Grohl’s voice cracks under the repetition of “Is this happening now?” because the album understands something terrible has happened that still feels unreal. The guitars surge forward almost mechanically, as if movement itself is preventing emotional collapse. "It came in a flash / It came out of nowhere / It happened so fast / And then it was over." Those lines carry a painful realism. On March 25, 2022, Hawkins traveled to Bogotá, Colombia with the band for a scheduled performance, only for the day to end in tragedy when he was found unresponsive in his hotel room. The suddenness of that loss reverberates throughout the album, but nowhere is the initial shock captured more vividly than here. Grohl's repeated plea, "I'm just waiting to be rescued / Bring me back to life," transforms the song into something larger than a tribute. It is the sound of someone whose emotional foundation has collapsed. The loss of Hawkins is presented not only as the death of a bandmate, but as the loss of a brother, a creative partner, and a source of joy. The song captures that terrifying moment when grief first arrives and the world no longer feels recognizable. What makes "Rescued" so powerful is that it becomes the thesis statement for the entire album. Every song that follows can be heard as part of the same journey. The despair of "Under You", one of the most painful songs Grohl has ever written. On the surface it sounds upbeat, almost bright, powered by huge melodies and familiar alternative rock energy. But underneath that momentum is devastation. The lyrics describe the unbearable normality of grief, the horrible experience of walking through familiar places after someone is gone. The song’s energy becomes tragic because it sounds like the band trying desperately to recreate normal life while fully understanding normal life no longer exists. Unlike the direct emotional outpouring of "Rescued" or "Under You," "Hearing Voices" approaches grief from a more psychological angle. It feels like the point where shock begins to transform into reflection. The immediate disbelief that drives "Rescued" has started to fade, leaving space for something equally painful: living with the memories. If "Rescued" captures the moment loss arrives and "Under You" captures the struggle of moving through a world without someone, then "Hearing Voices" captures the haunting aftermath, when the people we have lost continue to exist in our thoughts long after they are gone. The song's most heartbreaking moment arrives in its closing section. As the arrangement gradually falls away, the energy that has driven the track disappears, leaving Grohl accompanied by little more than guitar and piano. The production suddenly feels intimate, almost isolated. Repeating the line "Speak to me, my love," Grohl sounds less like a rock frontman and more like someone reaching across an impossible distance. The title track "But Here We Are" deepens that wound. The guitars are heavier, colder, less concerned with hooks. Grohl sounds emotionally exhausted throughout the song, and the repeated phrases feel trapped in cycles of disbelief. There is anger inside, but it is buried beneath numbness. "The Glass" captures the agony of separation. Built around one of the album's most beautiful melodies, the song finds Grohl confronting the invisible barrier that now exists between himself and the people he has lost. The repeated refrain, "I had a person I loved and just like that, I was left to live without him," is among the most devastating lines on the entire record. There is no poetic disguise, no attempt to soften the pain. One of the album's most moving moments arrives with "Show Me How." Built around shimmering guitars and a hazy, atmospheric arrangement, it stands apart from the raw urgency that dominates much of the record. Yet its emotional impact is no less powerful. The song features vocals from Dave Grohl's daughter, Violet Grohl, and that decision transforms its meaning. Throughout the album, Grohl is surrounded by loss. Friends are gone. Family members are gone. Memories linger everywhere. But on "Show Me How," the focus quietly shifts from what has been lost to what remains. Hearing father and daughter sing together introduces a sense of continuity. Life continues. Love continues. Family continues. Next comes "Beyond Me," one of the most melodic and delicate songs on the album, where Dave Grohl's lifelong love of "The Beatles" can be heard clearly. The vocal harmonies, melodic transitions, and dreamlike atmosphere that surrounds the song often evoke the band's later period, particularly in the way pain and hope coexist within the same piece of music. Within an album largely dominated by grief and loss, "Beyond Me" offers a quieter moment of reflection. Rather than a cry of anguish, it is the voice of someone trying to come to terms with the fact that some things remain beyond understanding and beyond control. Everything builds toward "The Teacher", the emotional center of the record and arguably the most vulnerable piece "Foo Fighters" have ever released. Written largely about Grohl’s mother, this over 10 minute epic piece abandons conventional structure almost entirely. Beginning with fragile guitar and subdued vocals, it gradually expands into a torrent of grief, culminating in a cathartic cry of "goodbye" before dissolving into waves of distortion and noise. It drifts through noise, repetition, distortion, and emotional breakdowns that feel unresolved on purpose. The escalating guitars sound suffocating, while Grohl’s vocals move between exhaustion, confusion, and desperate release. The album closes with "Rest," one of the most haunting songs Dave Grohl has ever written. Built around whispers, fragile vocal layers, and an almost ghostly atmosphere, the song feels less like a performance and more like a farewell. Throughout the track, Grohl sounds emotionally drained, as if the weight of the album's grief has finally caught up with him. The repeated lines, "Rest, you can rest now" and "Rest, you will be safe now," are particularly devastating. Whether directed toward Taylor Hawkins, Virginia Grohl, or both, they carry the tenderness of someone finally granting peace to the people he loves. There is no anger left, no desperate search for answers, only compassion, acceptance, and release. As the song gradually swells into a final eruption of sound, it feels like the emotional conclusion to everything that came before. After an album spent wrestling with grief, "Rest" feels like the moment Grohl finally stops fighting it, allowing himself to say goodbye while carrying the memories forward. "Rest" becomes a blessing, a goodbye, and a promise that those who are gone can finally be at peace. "But Here We Are" is not simply a comeback record or a tribute album. It is the sound of friendship, family, memory, guilt, exhaustion, and love colliding in public. It captures the terrifying reality of continuing forward after losing people who helped define your identity, and because of that, it may be the most human album "Foo Fighters" have ever made. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 02.06.1978 “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.” That was the famous line written by music critic Jon Landau after witnessing a performance by Bruce Springsteen in 1974. A few years later, that prediction became reality when Springsteen released his third album, "Born to Run", which sold millions of copies and transformed "The Boss" into one of the biggest names in rock music. But not everything was perfect in Springsteen’s world. After discovering that the publishing rights to his songs were controlled by his manager Mike Appel, Springsteen entered a bitter legal battle that effectively put his career on hold. Between July 1976 and June 1977, he was unable to record or release new material while fighting to regain control over his work and secure his future as an artist. Only after the courts restored his rights did he begin focusing on his next project, his fourth studio album, "Darkness on the Edge of Town", released on June 2, 1978. Springsteen brought Jon Landau into the studio as a producer, and it quickly became clear that his enforced break from recording had not been spent sitting idle. During that period, he wrote close to one hundred songs. Some of them found homes with other artists, including "Because the Night", which became one of Patti Smith’s signature songs, and "Fire", which turned into a major hit for The Pointer Sisters. From roughly seventy remaining songs, Springsteen selected only ten for the final album. The result was a darker, more reflective, and more demanding record than "Born to Run". Springsteen deliberately stripped away some of the grand romanticism of its predecessor and focused on songs that felt leaner, tougher, and emotionally direct. He wanted the material to remain disciplined and focused, allowing its themes and messages to come across as clearly as possible. While writing the album, Springsteen drew inspiration from numerous outside sources. The struggles of ordinary people against powerful external forces became a central theme, influenced by novels such as "The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, western films like "The Searchers" directed by John Ford, and country artists such as Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie. Even the emerging British punk rock movement left its mark, as Springsteen embraced a rawer and angrier sound than the one heard on "Born to Run". Springsteen opens the album with "Badlands", a powerful anthem about the working man and his determination to resist the frustrations and disappointments of everyday life. Driven by one of the most memorable choruses of Springsteen’s career, the song urges listeners not to surrender their dreams despite the obstacles standing in their way. The guitar riff was heavily inspired by "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by "The Animals", a band Springsteen greatly admired. "Adam Raised a Cain" follows with one of the album’s most intense moments. Using biblical imagery drawn from the story of Cain and Abel, Springsteen explores the complicated relationship between fathers and sons. Beneath the religious symbolism lies a deeply personal song reflecting his own struggles with his father and the emotional scars that relationship left behind. In "Something in the Night", Springsteen captures the frustration and bitterness that often accompany broken dreams. The song can also be viewed as reflecting the difficult legal battle that preceded the album. At one point he sings, "Well you're born with nothing, and better off that way / Soon as you've got something they send...", expressing the feeling that success often attracts forces determined to take it away. One of the album’s finest moments is "Candy's Room". Built around a tense and explosive arrangement, the song tells the story of a mysterious woman who represents both desire and escape. The exact inspiration behind the character remains unclear, though various theories have linked her to artist Karon Bihari or photographer Lynn Goldsmith, both of whom were associated with Springsteen during this period. With "Racing in the Street", Springsteen delivers one of the greatest songs of his career. On the surface it appears to be a song about cars and street racing, but beneath the engine noise lies a heartbreaking story about people searching for meaning in lives filled with disappointment. The song captures the American dream in decline, where freedom and escape become temporary remedies for deeper emotional struggles. "The Promised Land" provides a more optimistic perspective. Influenced by the songwriting traditions of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, it tells the story of an ordinary man who refuses to abandon hope despite the hardships surrounding him. The song's harmonica-driven arrangement and uplifting message make it one of the album’s emotional high points. In "Factory", Springsteen once again turns his attention to the working-class experience. The song paints a vivid portrait of a laborer who sacrifices his health, happiness, and energy to provide for his family. It serves as one of Springsteen’s most direct tributes to his father and the generation of blue-collar Americans who carried similar burdens. "Streets of Fire" offers a darker look at loneliness and alienation. Its narrator struggles with emotional isolation and inner demons, searching for connection while remaining trapped within his own fears and regrets. The album concludes with "Prove It All Night", a passionate declaration of commitment and perseverance in the face of adversity, before arriving at the title track "Darkness on the Edge of Town". One of Springsteen’s most powerful songs, it tells the story of a man who has been pushed to the margins of society but refuses to surrender his dignity. Rather than chasing success or acceptance, he chooses to confront life on his own terms, standing proudly in the darkness beyond the city lights. Although the album did not produce major chart-dominating hits, its reputation continued to grow in the years that followed. Critics praised its maturity, honesty, and emotional depth, and NME selected it as its Album of the Year for 1978. As mentioned earlier, only ten songs out of the seventy written during this period made it onto "Darkness on the Edge of Town". Many of the others eventually surfaced on later albums such as "The River", "Nebraska", and "Born in the U.S.A.". In 2010, Springsteen finally opened the vaults and released "The Promise", a double album collecting many additional recordings from the sessions that produced "Darkness on the Edge of Town". Nearly five decades after its release, "Darkness on the Edge of Town" remains one of Bruce Springsteen’s most important artistic statements. Stripped of the romantic optimism that defined "Born to Run", it confronts disappointment, responsibility, and survival head-on. It is the sound of an artist growing up, facing reality, and emerging stronger because of it. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On June 2, 1972, "Pink Floyd" released their seventh studio album "Obscured by Clouds". There is a tendency to treat "Obscured by Clouds" as little more than the bridge between "Meddle" and "The Dark Side of the Moon". History has not been particularly kind to it. Created as the soundtrack to Barbet Schroeder's film "La Vallée", the album arrived after the band's earlier soundtrack work on "More", "The Committee", and portions of "Zabriskie Point". Schroeder, impressed by their contribution to "More", specifically approached "Pink Floyd" to provide the music for his new film about two travelers searching for spiritual enlightenment in New Guinea. What makes the project particularly fascinating is its timing. While recording at Château d'Hérouville in France, the band were already developing ideas that would evolve into "The Dark Side of the Moon". The sessions for both projects effectively overlapped, with Floyd stepping away from their emerging masterpiece to quickly compose and record music for Schroeder's film before returning to the album that would change their career. Yet among longtime "Floyd" devotees, "Obscured by Clouds" has earned a very different reputation. It is widely regarded as one of the band's most underrated and slept-on releases, a remarkably consistent collection of songs that rarely receives the recognition afforded to the albums surrounding it. More than a soundtrack, it serves as a brilliant and surprisingly upbeat bridge between the exploratory psychedelia of "Meddle" and the legendary commercial and artistic peak that followed. The opening title track, "Obscured by Clouds", immediately announces a different approach. Rather than easing the listener in with extended experimentation, the band delivers a focused instrumental built around synthesizers, layered keyboards, and a muscular groove. David Gilmour's guitar work cuts through Richard Wright's atmospheric textures, creating a sense of movement that carries directly into "When You're In". The transition between the two pieces is seamless, and together they form one of the strongest instrumental openings in the band's discography. The mood shifts dramatically with "Burning Bridges", one of Richard Wright's finest contributions to the "Floyd" catalog. Built around gentle acoustic guitars and lush keyboard arrangements, the song possesses a warmth that would become increasingly rare in later years. Wright's melodic sensibilities bring a sense of optimism that perfectly complements the album's unusually bright character. That warmth continues with "The Gold It's in the...", a straightforward rocker by "Floyd" standards. Driven by an energetic rhythm section from Nick Mason and Roger Waters, the song demonstrates how effectively the band could operate when they abandoned grand ambitions and simply focused on momentum and groove. The first genuine masterpiece arrives with "Wot's... Uh the Deal?". Gilmour delivers one of the most understated vocal performances of his career, floating through a melody that feels simultaneously comforting and melancholic. Beneath its acoustic surface lies a recurring "Floyd" obsession: the passage of time and the quiet disappointment of adulthood. Its elegant arrangement and emotional honesty make it one of the finest hidden treasures in the entire "Floyd" catalog. The album's title track may open the record, but "Mudmen" arguably provides its emotional centerpiece. Expanding upon motifs introduced earlier, the instrumental allows Gilmour's expressive guitar phrasing and Wright's keyboards to do the storytelling. There is a cinematic quality to the composition that reminds listeners of the album's soundtrack origins, yet it functions perfectly as a standalone piece. Side two begins with "Childhood's End", one of the most overlooked songs the band ever recorded. Written solely by Gilmour, it combines a driving rhythm with lyrics contemplating mortality and the relentless passage of time. The soaring guitar work points directly toward the style he would perfect on later classics. In "Free Four" Waters disguises reflections on death and inevitability beneath one of the catchiest arrangements "Floyd" had recorded to that point. The contrast between the upbeat melody and the song's dark lyrical content would become one of his defining songwriting traits throughout the 1970s. The gentle "Stay" returns the spotlight to Wright, whose understated vocal performance and elegant keyboard work provide another reminder of how essential he was to the band's chemistry. The song's dreamlike atmosphere feels suspended in time, creating one of the record's most intimate moments. The album closes with "Absolutely Curtains", perhaps the clearest reminder of its soundtrack origins. The instrumental passages gradually build toward a haunting vocal chant recorded from the Mapuga tribe of Papua New Guinea. In lesser hands the piece might feel disconnected from the rest of the album, but here it functions as a fittingly mysterious conclusion to a record built on atmosphere and transition. What ultimately makes "Obscured by Clouds" so compelling is not any single song, but its consistency. Unlike the conceptual monuments that followed, this is a remarkably relaxed album. It lacks the sweeping ambition of "The Dark Side of the Moon", the emotional devastation of "Wish You Were Here", or the political fury of "Animals". Instead, it succeeds through craftsmanship, melody, and mood. It may never enjoy the cultural stature of later releases, but among dedicated fans its reputation has only grown over the years. It is highly regarded as one of the band's most slept-on and consistently rewarding records, it captures "Pink Floyd" at the precise moment they were evolving from psychedelic explorers into one of rock music's defining artistic forces. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

There are some albums that we are just scared to think about the atmosphere that surrounded their creative process. Albums that had to meet expectations and success, continuity, and musical genius. Unlike the business world where expectations and pressure are the daily routines, in the world of music, you have to be inspired to create and you have to be satisfied with the result... This is the story of "Adore", the fourth album by "The Smashing Pumpkins", which was released on June 2, 1998 The insane success of the previous album, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", gave "Smashing" the official "stamp" as a significant influence on the alternative rock world of the 90s, and established its status as a successful international band. But as in many stories and reviews, we have written, also in this case things began to take a different turn and instead of a bright and rosy reality everything became dark and gloomy. At the end of the tour of the previous album, the prominent man and leader of the band Billy Corgan overwent a difficult period. As a matter of fact, it wasn't just "difficult", because looking from the outside it is hell on earth !! The tour and the three successful albums played him completely, he felt musically drained and his creative part went through a process of suppression and shutdown. His best friend in the band and his writing and creative partner, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, was addicted to drugs and alcohol and reached the point of no return, leaving Billy Corgan no choice but to fire him out of the band. More than that, Billy Corgan's marriage broke up, when the divorce process did not go well. In addition, he lost his mother who died of cancer. How can one even rise from such turmoil when his starting point is already very low from the beginning? (Photo: Yelena Yemchuck) If you have read our reviews of the band's three previous albums, you probably know that their creation has taken a heavy price on Corgan, which was on a verge of a nervous breakdown and in one case even made him think of suicide. Many rock stars in Corgan's position would have probably succumbed to drugs, alcohol, or even taken more extreme measures, to calm their minds a bit and cast out their inner demons. But luckily Billy's case was different... Before the band went on to record the album, they release two significant songs, the first was "Eye" which was specially recorded for the soundtrack of David Lynch's film called "Lost Highway". The second song called "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" was specially recorded for the movie "Batman & Robin". In both cases, Corgan wanted to break the classic rock pattern of bass/drums/guitars and travel in sweeping electronic districts. And indeed, both songs were massively influenced by electronic music and heavily used as electronic elements. By the way, the second song even won a Grammy, and maybe that's also what pushed Corgan to choose the direction of the next album. The band members put together about 30 demos for the album. After several shows the band made in the summer of 1997, they met with producer Brad Wood who had previously worked with Corgan, at some studio in Chicago, to start recording the album. The situation deteriorated very quickly and the dynamics quickly changed from group effort to individual. Corgan was not happy (again) with the contribution and creativity of the rest of the band, and the producer did not contribute to Corgan's confidence or inspiration, this time either, so after six weeks Corgan decided to stop the recordings and change the atmosphere. The entire band changed location and moved to Los Angeles, where they resumed work on the album, this time with Corgan being the sole producer and lead singer. The band rented a house in the city to strengthen the ties between them and bond a partnership. But even this attempt did not succeed when the sessions became heavy and slow, the technical side overshadowed the work and required a lot of time and fuss. The drums were also a challenging part, without a dominant and leading drummer like Chamberlain, the band recorded some of the songs on electronic drums, and some of the songs were recorded by several different drummers including Matt Cameron ("Pearl Jam", "Soundgarden") and Joey Waronker (Beck). Even the legendary producer Rick Rubin Came to help and produced one song (which eventually was not included in the album). In short, a complete mess. Corgan said he wanted to address a wider audience. To satisfy the fans who have already matured, but also appeal to those younger ones. So he decided to use electronic elements, acoustic elements (lots of pianos), and very little distortion. While Corgan may have consciously decided to go in that direction, we are inclined to believe that he was just droned in there, by all the tremendous chaos going on. We believe that this album reflects exactly all the sorrow and pain that surrounded its creative process. It's an album that screams pain and conveys sadness, from the moving and chilling opening song "To Sheila" to the rocking instrumental section "17" that seals the album. If you ask us, the very choice to open the album with such a melancholy song is meant to convey a message about what happens next and the upheavals that Corgan's soul went through. And think about it, how many alternative rock albums do you know with such a quiet opening? (Photo: Facebook official) So Corgan and friends decided to put the heavy guitars and thunderous drums aside, replacing them with synthesizers, drum machines, acoustic guitars, and lots of pianos. How much? At least five of the album's 16 songs are led by piano. The vibe of this album exudes more dark and electronic than alternative rock. You could even say that the two singles released from the album initially, "Ava Adore" and "Perfect" are the only ones that somehow come close to rock, in terms of rhythm and atmosphere. The album received positive reviews from critics but failed in public opinion. It went straight into second place on the Billboard 200, but a week later it totally crashed and failed miserably. The two singles "Ava Adore" and "Perfect" were unsuccessful and received little airing on radio stations. In order to try to promote the album, the band released two more singles, "Crestfallen" and "To Sheila", but these also did not succeed on the radio stations and were removed very quickly from broadcast rotations. Corgan claimed he was to blame for the result and that he was wrong when he told the public that the band intended to release a "techno" album, creating a misconception. He noted that if he had told the public that this was "Smashing's" acoustic album, then the album would have been a huge success. Despite the reviews and the lack of success, despite the melancholy and gloomy atmosphere, we actually really like this album. It has songs that penetrate the heart and soul, it has exciting and chilling moments. Listen to the opening song "To Sheila", to the howling guitars that remind us of "Minimal Compact" in the song "Daphne Descends", listen to Corgan's cries of pain, especially with the word "Fallin" repeated towards the end of the song "Once Upon a Time", to "Tear"'s psychedelic keyboard sound (a song that was the first choice for the "Lost Highway" movie but rejected in favor of "Eye", or to "Crestfallen"'s piano and Corgan's singing, or the modern requiem in the 8-minute piece "For Martha" that Corgan dedicated to his mother. There are quite a few albums whose power comes from the heartbreak, whose cry comes from the silence, and whose melancholy can encourage us in difficult moments. "Adore" is one of them. Without making comparisons he easily joins our family of depressive and sad albums, like "Mercury Rev's" "Deserter's Songs", Beck's "Sea Changes" and more, a series of albums that we tend to pull out at specific moments in life and draw physical and mental strength from, so we can get back on track of the bumpy ride on the life's railroad... Still, we will leave the decision to you in this case... Click for YouTube Playlist "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Noam Asulin Release Date - 2.6.2017 I got to know "Unleash the Archers" at the end of 2017, just a few months after the release of their fourth album "Apex". Before reviewing this great album, let's get to know the band a little. Coming from Vancouver, Canada, "Unleash the Archers" plays power metal and includes Brittney Slayes (vocals), Scott Buchanan (drums), and Grant Truesdell (guitars and unclean vocals), Andrew Kingsley (guitars), Nick Miller (bass). The band was formed in 2007 and so far has released five albums. "Apex" is the band's fourth album and is a turning point in their career, as this album has won a good production compared to the band's previous albums, mainly thanks to the band moving up to a well-known record company. This is a concept album that tells the story of an immortal man, 1000 years old. He was cursed to obey the instructions of whoever woke him up. In the opening track ("Awakening") a character named "The Matriarch" wakes him up and demands that he find and bring her four sons to life. She plans to sacrifice her sons to an entity greater than herself, in order to have an immortal life of her own. She also promises the immortal to set him free in case he brings her sons in time. This whole part of the story is told in the first four songs. In the next four songs the immortal search and finds the sons of "The Matriarch". In the fifth track "The Coward's Way" finds her political son, in "Falls Walls" he finds the cult leader, and another in the song "10,000 Against One". All three are quite despicable so the immortal does not show any caring towards them. The fourth son ("Earth and Ashes") is a kind-hearted man who wants to live with his family and he befriends the immortal, but when the time comes to return him to his mother, the immortal does not spare him either. In the ninth track "Call Me Immortal" "The Matriarch" gets what she wants, but does not keep her promise and instructs the immortal man to go back to sleep, until someone needs him again. In the last track, he goes back to sleep on the mountain "Apex" from which he came from. Interestingly, the Japanese version of the album includes a live cover of the song "Queen of the Reich" by "Queensrÿche". Most of the songs on this album, are very melodic and with distinct speed and power metal characteristics. Although this is an hour-long album, with long songs that reach even 8 minutes, it is a sheer pleasure to listen to from start to finish. In my opinion, the solos are amazing. I consider this album to be one of the best power metal albums of all time. This album shows off everything Britney has to offer. She sings so well that there are times when you don't believe these voices are coming from her mouth. The production is polished and proves that it can upgrade the album on several levels. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Please join us for 46 trivia facts about the singer and artist Alanis Morissette, who has been crowned by The Rolling Stone magazine as "Queen of Alt-Rock Angst". (Photo: singersroom.com) 1. She was born in Ottawa Canada on June 1, 1974, as Alanis Nadine Morissette. 2. She has a twin brother named Wade who is 12 minutes younger than her. He is, also in the music business. 3. She started writing songs at a very young age. She noted that she wrote her first song at the age of nine. 4. In her youth and twenties, Morissette suffered from depression and eating disorders - anorexia and bulimia. 5. Alanis Morissette is vegan. 6. Already at the age of 10, she starred in the Canadian TV series "You Can't Do That On Television". 7. With the money she earned from the TV series, Alanis recorded her first single "Fate Stay With Me" in 1989. 8. In 1991, only at the age of 17, Alanis released her first album - "Alanis". A hugely successful pop/dance album in Canada, it has been compared to the American Debbie Gibson and even served as the opening show for Vanilla Ace. 9. In 1992, Alanis was nominated for the Canadian Juno Awards in three categories. That same year she released the album "Now is the Time" in which she tried the dance-pop style, but it failed and her contract with the record company was not renewed. 10. In 1993, Alanis moved to Toronto in an attempt to seek her fortune in music. She later moved to Nashville but even, in this case, her efforts did not bear fruit. 11. In frustration, Alanis decides to move to Los Angeles, where she met producer and author Glenn Ballard. The connection between them was immediate and after a 30-minute session, they had already started recording songs in his home studio. 12. The first song the two wrote together for the album was “Ironic”. 13. One of the defining moments in the relationship between Alanis and Ballard was during the writing of the song "Perfect" which was written and recorded in just 20 minutes. Alanis improvised the lyrics to the sounds of Ballard's guitar playing. At this point, the "dam broke" and Alanis began writing the song "Jagged Little Pill" at a dizzying pace. 14. All the songs on the album were recorded in one or two takes at most. 15. The song "You Oughta Know" from the album featured Flea on bass guitar and Dave Navarro on guitar. 16. The song was written by Alanis about her relationship with actor Dave Coulier. 17. The song "Hand In My Pocket" was written by Alanis in just one hour. 18. The album "Jagged Little Pill" was released in 1995. Alanis was then only 21. It was a huge success with sales of over 33 million copies. 19. It also nominated Alanis for six Grammy Awards, of which she won "Album of the Year", "Best Female Rock Performance", "Best Rock Song" and "Best Rock Album". 20. At that time she was the first Canadian singer to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. 21. After the release of the album, Alanis embarked on a worldwide tour. Who accompanied her as a drummer in this round was none other than Taylor Hawkins, known from the "Foo Fighters", drummer. 22. In 1998 Alanis recorded "Uninvited" - a theme song for the movie "City of Angels". Anyone who has not listened to the unplugged version of the song has never heard pure beauty before. 23. Later that year, Alanis released the album "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie", for which she also wrote the songs in collaboration with Glenn Ballard. 24. The tour intended to promote the album was sponsored by MP3.com and Alanis received, among other things, stock options in the company under the contract signed with it. She sold the stock options a year later for $ 1.5 million. 25. In 1999, "Uninvited" won two Grammy Awards for "Best Rock Song" and "Performing the Best Vocal Rock for a Woman". 26. That same year Alanis released the acoustic album "MTV Unplugged". 27. Back in the same year, Alanis appeared in the role of "God" in Kevin Smith's "Model" and also performed the song "Still" from the film's soundtrack. 28. In 2000 she went on a world tour during which she also made two appearances in Israel. 29. In 2002, Alanis released her third international album, "Under Rug Swept". It was the first international album in which she did not collaborate with Glenn Ballard. 30. Later in 2002, Alanis released the set box "Feast on Scraps" which included, among other things, eight unofficial songs from the recordings of "Under Rug Swept". 31. In 2003 Alanis appeared in the play "The Exonerated" on Broadway. She played the role of a prisoner who was sentenced to execution and released after being proven innocent. 32. In 2004, Alanis released her fourth international album - "So-Called Chaos". 33. That same year she hosted the Canadian Juno Awards Ceremony. 34. In 2005 Alanis released an acoustic version of "Jagged Little Pill" with Glenn Ballard. (Photo: Williams & Hirakawa) 35. That same year she released a compilation album that included recordings that had not been released on her previous albums including a performance of Seal's song "Crazy". 36. Back in that year, she wrote and recorded the song "Wunderkind" for the soundtrack of the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 37. The year 2005 was busy for Alanis who also received American citizenship that year. 38. In 2009 she appeared in the fifth season of the series "Weeds". 39. In August 2012 the album "Havoc and Bright Lights" was released. That same year, Alanis performed at Nokia Hall in Tel Aviv. 40. In 2017, her manager admitted that he stole from her during all those years a huge sum of about $ 5 million. 41. On July 30, 2018, she performed again in Israel, this time at Live Park in Rishon Lezion. 42. Alanis appeared in an advertisement for the fashion company GAP. 43. She starred in an episode of "Sex and the City" and even got to kiss Sarah Jessica Parker in one of the scenes. 44. She also appeared in the play "Monologues from the Vagina". 45. In 2004, Alanis announced her engagement to actor Ryan Reynolds. After a long period without marriage the two separate, but today she is married to rapper "Mario Souleye" and a mother of three. 46. ​​In July 2020, Alanis released her ninth album after an eight-year hiatus - "Such Pretty Forks in the Road". 47. In June 2022, Alanis released a different and special album called "The Storm Before the Calm". An album that includes 11 instrumental pieces that take the listener on a journey between silence and storm. She created the album together with the electronic duo "Darkside". "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

The biggest disaster in the history of the music industry. The master recordings of over 100,000 albums, including Nirvana's "Nevermind" were lost in a huge fire. On June 1, 2008, a huge fire consumed parts of "Universal Studios Hollywood", Los Angeles, California. Universal stated at the time that the fire destroyed only an amusement facility of the "King Kong" movie as well as a safe in which copies of old videos were stored. Investigations by the New York Times reveal that more than 100,000 album masters, some of them masterpieces, were lost in a June 2008 Universal Studios fire. But an article published on 2019 in the New York Times magazine, shows that in the same fire that occurred 11 years earlier, masters of 118,230 albums including about 500,000 songs and albums that are considered classics and assets also caught fire. According to an investigation by the New York Times, "Universal" hid information that the fire broke out in a building numbered 6197, which contains a safe of audio masters. The New York Times refers in its article to a confidential report of Universal Studios from 2009 detailing its estimates of the damage caused by the fire and the amount of masters lost during it. Universal's secret report which reached the New York Times magazine, lists the works of the artists whose recordings were apparently lost forever in the same fire, and below is an unrepresentative sample of those artists: Elton John, "Lynyrd Skynyrd", Eric Clapton, "the Eagles", "Aerosmith", "Steely Dan", Iggy Pop, the Police, R.E.M, "Nirvana", "Soundgarden", Hole, Beck, Tom Petty, Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King, "Mamas and the Papas", Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, "the Carpenters", Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin. According to a New York Times article, Universal workers at the time made many efforts to diminish the extent of the damage caused by that fire, in order to avoid embarrassment. The results of an investigation by the New York Times are very disturbing. It is not clear how the assets of music, are stored so carelessly and without proper means of protection, and how original materials that are part of the historical heritage of music are not preserved in a way that will allow future generations to enjoy them as well. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website