"So mom, what do you want to do today".
"I want to sing in your band".
"But mom, it's an extreme metal band"
"I can handle that, I've been screaming a lot at you when you were a naughty little kid, remember?".

This could be the story behind grindcore band Grindmother, formed out of a Canadian mom-son duo plus the latter's Corrupt Leaders band mate Tyson Apex on drums.  It sure is a weird sight to see but the 68 years old Grindmother has a damn brutal troath. Check it out... In 2017 they'll be hitting the road. I really hope they'll make it to Europe one day. 

Crossover music, or the fine art of blending seemingly irreconcilable genres, has always been one of my weaknesses. I usually don't care what styles they blend. I immediately became of a fan of Anthrax & Public Enemy, the whole 'Judgement Night' soundtrack, the opera metal of Therion. Hell, I even love The Soft Pink Truth's electronic adaptations of old black metal songs. But this is something I could never have imagined.

Zeal and Ardor produce some of the strangest crossover things I've heard in awhile. They blend black metal with negro spirituals. Negro spirituals are songs composed by African slaves in the United States. Back then, slaves weren't allowed to have instruments so they accompagnied their chants with hand claps and drumming on everything they could get their hands on. Now, this mysterious Zeal and Ardor project threw some brutal black metal into the mix and the results are nothing short of fascinating.

Besides the black metal influences, reminding me of anything between Impaled Nazarene and Children Of Bodom, there are those powerful chants, nudging towards old blues, soul and gospel. Furthermore, there's a decent slab of electronics, making this a fascinating musical journey.
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Check it out!!!

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You should never write an article when you're hungry, that's what I learned today. When Serge asked me if I had another 'Rik's Rarities' ready for publication today, I told him "I will". But then I realized that I was still in bed. It was noon, it hadn't eaten, not even a cup of coffee.

​So I rushed to my living room and searched the interwebs for something strange. Suddenly, there was a Motorhead burger playing guitar and that evil, evil McDonalds clown was yelling weird things at me. It was surreal. I didn't want to listen, I just wanted to eat this band.

Anyway, their name is Mac Sabbath. They cover Black Sabbath in a weird theme-restaurant kind of way. They tag their music as "Drive Thru Metal" and they're funny as hell. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm really, really, really hungry...

Welcome back to Rik's Rarities. Today I'd like to show you something that was sent to our Tsu profile. The band is named Taparako, they hail from La Paz, Bolivia and play "Drunk Punk Death Fucking Metal....". However, once in awhile they'll also try out other stuff, like country, black metal and everything they feel like, as you can hear on their album on bandcamp (click here)​

The video that was shared on our Tsu profile, made me decide that it was time for another Rik's Rarities entry. Country rock and black metal don't often fit together this well. Apparently, the video isn't complete yet, but it still made me smile. Enjoy...


​Rik

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As some of you may know, it's Wrestlemania season, with the show of shows coming up. But we all know that stuff is for pussies and that real man smash each other's faces in with chairs, do elbow-drops and throw each other through tables. Well, even that is for pussies. Try playing some badass metal while you're getting smashed with a kendo stick. Then we'll speak again.

Here is Eat The Turnbuckle, the bloodiest mess you've seen since GG Allin. Eat The Turnbuckle is the most electrifying band in sports entertainment (yeah, I know). Fans are allowed to bring weapons to the show and the band will use them like the ultimate opportunists (yep, again) they are.They truly are the Kings Of Strings (I can do this all night long).

Here's a video, enjoy but clean up after you're done...

A few days ago, during one of those massively boring staff meetings at Merchants Of Air, founder Serge asked if anyone had a decent idea for a new series. The 'Songs With Stories' are doing great and it's fun to have a returning theme of articles. While has asked that, Serge looked right at me, probably because nobody else was there. In fact, I'm the only one who ever gets invited to these meetings. I wonder why.

Anyway, that night we invented "Rik's Rarities", a new series where I guide you through the weird and bizarre underground of the music industry. Prepare to see and hear some stuff you never knew existed. Original, hilarious or out-of-the-ordinary acts, like the one I'd like to introduce right now. The band's name is 'Surf Sabbath', which obviously smells like Black Sabbath being covered by The Shadows, right? Well, listen and smile. This is awesome.

Apparently, Surf Sabbath is somewhat of an alter ego for The High Breaks, a surf band from Burlington, Vermont (USA). According to what I can find on the internet, one day the band members got the idea to make a few Black Sabbath covers in their usual surf style. Soon after, this ep was arranged, recorded and released. I'm not sure what will happen next but if The High Breaks ever tour Belgium, I might go watch and secretly hope for one of these songs...


​Rik