A new Irish brewery is launching this beer in these days.
They are indipendent and they need some help to spread their name.
Even if the name is not related in any way to heavy metal, I think
that every metal fan should ask only for a pint of MetalMan at every concert,
so that could be OUR beer !

Metalman Brewing is a microbrewery being established in Waterford in 2011.

The name of the brewery is inspired by a navigational aid on the Waterford coast. The figure of the Metal Man was erected in 1823 after a military transport ship called the Sea Horse was wrecked off the Tramore coast, resulting in a significant loss of life. The Metal Man stands on one of three pillars overlooking the bay, his purpose to guide seafarers, and keep them on their true course. We hope that our beers will do the same for you!

Good Luck!

A videoclip for the song “God Fearing Lunatic” has been compiled by Syphor recently.
I say “compiled” instead of “shoot” because the video is a composition of various footage
excerpt from news and reportages about the wars that are fought in the name of “religions”.

Check it out.

A few years ago, while I was talking to a luthier/guitar tech,
I asked him if it was possible to reach the power, high output and definition of
an active pickup with a passive pickup, as lots of people would not change their
favourite pickup for an active one, even if they would like to achieve the pros of having one.
Well, he said, basically, it can be done adding a battery powered preamp in the electronic of the guitar, between the pickup and the volume potentiometer.
I said “maybe we should try” , but two weeks later I just bought an
EMG 81/85 set and I forgot the question.

Today, Seymour Duncan has replied to that old question, releasing the
“Blackouts Modular Preamp” .
That is amazing. Means I can turn my passive JBs, my 59s and my
Dimebuckers into active pickups, just by adding this module, SOLDERLESS,
by replacing the volume pot with this Modular Preamp.

This is an excerpt from the page on SD website :
“The genre-defining crunch and wail of modern heavy rock guitar often comes from active guitar pickups, which have a built-in, battery-powered preamp epoxy-sealed into a stark black casing. It’s a distinctly modern sound married to a patently modern look. Now, for the first time, you can make any pickup an active pickup, even pickups with a more traditional look.

Seymour Duncan has taken its award-winning, low-noise Blackouts™ balanced differential preamp out of the pickup and integrated it with a high-quality volume pot. Blackouts™ Modular Preamp is an ingenious way to get that high-gain, active guitar sound with any passive four-conductor pickup. Simply by swapping a volume pot for a Blackouts Modular Preamp volume pot, you can get active pickup performance with a more classic look. “

Some people say the passive pickup will not keep its “personality and
character” , and will just turn into a Seymour Duncan Blackout.
Well, you only know if you try. Maybe some comparison test will help,
and I’m sure the community will start flowing on that way and there
will be lots of informations and videos.
I was looking for the price anyway, but seems it’s not in the shops yet,
even in some forum people
talk about 75 USD. A little bit expensive.
We’ll see.

I’m too happy, I bought a new 7 string guitar. It’s an Esp Ltd M 207 model, a pretty good guitar discontinued from 2003 ( as far as I could find on internet ).
The guitar’s previous owners didn’t care too much about maintenance, or they just didn’t really want to play a 7 string guitar, they bought and then forgot it somewhere, cause time has left his sign on the axe.
The electronic was fully gone, oxidated I suppose, there was dust and dirt everywhere and some chips and dings here and there on the paintwork and there were horrible, very horrible stickers over all the back of the guitar.
I have proven myself my ability in giving life back to things, because after a weekend of hard work, the guitar
is rebirth.
Here some pictures.
This is what the guitar was like. A closer shot will give a better idea. Poor bridge.

And dust and dry sweat made a layer over all the fretboard.

Stickers on the back and some missing paint !!!

I have removed all the hardware and cleaned with a brush and a wet cloth.
Then I have started working on the stickers removal, and it has taken a couple of hours!
I removed the neck pickup, as this guitar will have a configuration with the sole bridge pickup,
I have ordered a Seymour Duncan Distortion. Every cable and the potentiometer have been replaced.

This is the guitar now.

Pretty good job huh?
I’ll post some clip as soon as the new pickup arrives : )

Well guys, I LOVE to watch documentaries about the making of an album, because the truth is that every musician dreams to be in a studio and record an album.
So, as it’s too late for a video ( we didn’t think about it when we were recording - but we’ll surely do for the next one ) I’d like to write about how we did “Stained Glass Blasphemy”, due to be released on the 4th of February 2011.
When I joined Syphor, they already had some finished songs, Zombie Moon, Into The Grace Of Death ( originally Crucified ), Darkness. So the project was to record a demo to be used to get gigs. First thing an organizer or a promoter asks you when you’re tryin to have a spot on their stage is “can I listen to something guys?”. We had only crap recordings done during rehersals with a camcorder, so it was well worth to re-record the songs properly.
Another thing is that Dan joined the band right after me, and he changed almost all the lyrics and the vocal lines of those songs, so they turned into brand new songs.
We started to talk about recording, but it was difficult to choose HOW and WHERE. We didn’t have very much quids to spend for that, and with small money you have crap recordings even in a proper studio.
I was doing a lot of tests and demos of my own stuff on my little home studio, if a computer with a bunch of VSTS and plugins, an audio interface and 2 mics can be called home studio. At the end we decided to give it a go. It was for free, after all.
We started recording guitar guide tracks, with the agreement of recording just the drums in a studio, because it was the only thing really difficult to record at home.
So Jay had to record all his part to allow us to start recording ours.
Then we found a free weekend ( almost a miracle for 5 guys with families ) to meet together at my “studio” and start layering guitars and bass. The chosen song for the first attempt was Zombie Moon, the one we all knew better because we used to jam on that when the line up was complete, to grow up our feeling.
Daragh recorded his rhythm parts on my guitar, because he came on friday after the job and he couldn’t bring his one. The Ibanez RG7321 went thru the PODXt and after a couple of hours to find the right sound,
Daragh started recording. At the beginning it was difficult. We were ALL in the same room, someone farting, someone drinking, joking…Not the best environment for concentration.
Then Daragh found his way and the confidence started flowing, and the notes, too.
A few takes after, we were listening to the first rough version of Zombie Moon, featuring a demo guitar guide track, a drum and a proper guitar track. Didn’t sound too bad, anyway…
END OF PART 1

Good news just arrived in the mailbox this morning.
This is a note released from the guys in
Crunch Metal Production that are in charge of the Wacken Metal Battle Ireland
organization, that will allow the winning band to play at the famous Wacken Open Air Festival:

“Hi there,

Wacken Metal Battle Ireland “

yeah…best wishes guys…to US !!

Syphor will play an album launch gig at the Academy 2 in Dublin.
Killface and Cursed Sun will also hit the stage.
Entry fare : 10 Euro ( and get a copy of Stained Glass Blasphemy for free )

HI. The first album from Syphor is almost finished and we will have the pleasure to make a launch gig on the 4th of February 2011, in Dublin.
Stay tuned for more details.

oh…and…Happy New year

…has born.
Check out new band myspace to listen the first demo songs.
Silentcide is a new project and I hope we’ll have new stuff on a monthly basis. Check this site and band’s myspace for all the news.