POWERLINE A.D.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 
Judas Priest

Powerline A.D. talks to Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton about the classic metal album British Steel and the experience of performing it in its entirety on this year's tour. <MORE>

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EXCLUSIVE Q&A 
HEMME
Christy Hemme Looks Past Wrestling And Modeling To Success In Rock Music

HEMME (left to right): Garrett Whitlock, Tim Miller, Eric Friedman, and Christy Hemme

TNA wrestler and one-time Playboy cover girl and model Christy Hemme met with Powerline A.D. recently in New York City for an exclusive interview to discuss the music of her rock band, HEMME. Hemme, whose band’s debut EP can be purchased on iTunes, talked at length about her music and about how much work has gone into it. To read the interview, click here.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 
Orange Sky

The heavy sounds of Orange Sky often link to the complicated landscape of the band's home country of Trinidad <MORE>

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EXCLUSIVE POWERLINE A.D. Q&A:
18-Year-Old British Pop Singer Pixie Lott

Kent, England’s Pixie Lott has been the subject of quite a bit of critical praise of late, including a very positive feature about her in The Sunday Times of London. As Pixie prepares for the June 8th UK release of her great debut single, “Mama Do,” she has agreed to an exclusive e-mail Q&A with Powerline A.D. The results can be found here.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Raven Rejuvenated

It's hard to ever forget Raven. Even if you haven't listened to them in years. The NWOFBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) band leaves such an impression on the listener.  <MORE>

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Sacred Oath's Broken History Has Finally Led to a Promising Future

Sacred Oath helped define the term Power Metal in the 80s. As short as the band's career has been, they made a big impression and lot of fans —or, as the band has always called them, Oathbangers. Now, with a recently released self-titled album, they are re-energizing the name Sacred Oath.

Part two (THE HISTORY) of a two-part interview now posted here.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
The Trews Get Their Brand Of Rock N' Roll Right

A good straight-forward rock n' roll band is hard to find. Look no further. Here are The Trews...<MORE>

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Keeping Up-to-date with Guitarist Dan Lorenzo

Dan Lorenzo has accomplished a lot over his 25-plus year career in music: the heavy metal band Hades, the alternative metal band Non-Fiction, the contemporary hard rock of The Cursed, solo albums, and a regular column for a popular New Jersey weekly. <more>

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Los Angeles' Carbon 9 Ready for 2009 Launch

When I think of Los Angeles rock, I automatically have images of glam bands and the Sunset Strip. But there is so much more than that. Take Carbon 9 for example... <MORE>

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The Best of 2008

Powerline A.D. is proud to present its second-annual Best of list. As 2008 was our first full year of operation (the blog and Web site having been started in July 2007), we have a full 366 days (2008 was a leap year, lest you forget) of material to wade through to pick our selections for the Best of 2008. Without further ado, here are our picks for the cream of the crop for the year that has just ended. <MORE>

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EXCLUSIVE Q&A:
Yngwie's Perpetual Flame

Guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen has always been respected for his amazing ability to completely conquer the guitar as an instrument. His career has lasted through many strong accomplishments and personal lows. Through all of this, he has persevered and has become as the title of his new album, Perpetual Flame, suggests. He is an everlasting icon.

Read interview here.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Turrigenous: Prog-Thrash That Has What It Takes



Once you listen to the New York band Turrigenous, you will be impressed with their technical acuity as much as their heavy metal intensity. <MORE>

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LIVE REVIEWS
Michael Schenker Returns to NYC, Armed and Ready

Review by Pat Prince
If you were to browse through some Michael Schenker fan sites you will believe that this was his greatest show ever, and his original singer Gary Barden was — in the words of one site — "outstanding."
Truth is, I've heard Schenker play better...

To read Powerline A.D.’s review of the concert, click here.

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PJ Harvey and John Parish Are Masterful In Manhattan

PJ Harvey and John Parish brought their roadshow in support of their collaborative album A Woman A Man Walked By to New York City’s Beacon Theatre on the night of June 9th. And the dynamic duo put on a very memorable show, indeed. To read Powerline A.D.’s review of the concert, click here.

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DVD REVIEW 

Emperor —
Live @ Wacken 2006

Live @ Wacken 2006 is the culmination of nearly a decade of desperation by a fanbase who, above all else, feel that the end of the influential symphonic black metal masters Emperor came far too soon. To read Powerline A.D.’s review of the DVD, click here.

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ON OUR DAILY BLOG:

Kid British (above) make Madness contemporary.

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WHAT POWERLINE A.D. IS LISTENING TO:

Patrick Prince
1. Cursive - "From the Hip"
2. The Thermals - "The Body The Blood The Machine"
3. Titus Andronicus - "Titus Andronicus" 4.  Les Savy Fav - "Let's Stay Friends"
5. Built to Spill - "Keep it Like a Secret"

John Curley
1. Oasis - "Dig Out Your Soul"
2. Various Artists - "Nationwide Mercury Prize 2008 Album of the Year"
3. Waikiki - "I'm Already Home"
4. Howling Bells - "Into the Chaos" (single)
5. The Kills - "Live Session "
(iTunes Exclusive)

Ray Hogan
1. Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scott's
2. Amon Amarth - Any and all
3. Hatebreed - "For the Lions"
4. Bob Dylan - "Together Through Life"
5. Forbidden - "Forbidden Evil" (Real old but real good)

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CD REVIEWS

Chimaira
"The Infection"
(Ferret)

I recently used Chimaira as the deal breaker on attending the Music as a
Weapon tour when it came through Connecticut. Can't stand Disturbed. Wanted to see Killswitch Engage. Don't mind Lacuna Coil. I was ambivalent about this Ohio band, who I'd seen open for Killswitch around the time it's previous disc, Resurrection, was released.

Silly me. Were I given a chance to see the same show after hearing The
Infection, I'd be there without hesitation. The disc is, in many ways, like Lamb of God's Wrath in that it's the sound of a career band hitting stride. Chimaira has been together a decade now — a long time for a band that has crafted its sound on intensity — and this collection of tunes reflects a band that is comfortable but not complacent. The disc but not be a pivotal point in the band's career but it captures the metalcore veterans in really strong form.
"The Venom Inside" is the disc opener and the song itself opens with the
requisite/cliche slow boiling guitar build-up, which of course leads to an
opening burst of aggression. It's a device that's been (over)used at least since Metallica perfected it with "Battery."

That's a small criticism because the fifty-something minutes that follow are
uniformly strong. Duck for cover when the band whips up a momentum as it
does on "Coming Alive." On this tune and others, singer Mark Hunter and
drummer Andols Herrick push themselves very hard, which forces the rest of the band to maintain ferocity resulting in all around concentrated
aggression. Even the doom-paced "The Disappearing Sun" has a focused
intensity that makes it sound more propelled than plodding. "Destroy and
Dominate" has a near math metal complexity, with guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt Devries stacking the sledgehammer riffs high. Given my reaction to the opening instrumental passage, I'm not sure why I keep replaying closing instrumental "The Heart of It All," which is all about the slow and clean-toned guitars and goes on for more than 10 minutes. It's a highlight on a disc that places Chimaira among the best of the metalcore era.

GRADE: B+

Review by Ray Hogan

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Amorphis
"Skyforger"
(Koch)

Finnish multi-genre act Amorphis have had an unpredictable and fascinating career. Their roots began firmly entreanched in a slightly progressive death metal sound for their first few albums. <MORE>

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Hatebreed
"For the Lions"
(Koch)

A cover songs project is almost always a sign that a band is either in a holding pattern or, even worse, creatively spent. For a band like Hatebreed, the normal rules don't apply. <MORE>