★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Regular readers of Soul Drift will know that Illuminatus were one of the local bands I took a shine to when I was at University. I think they are a fantastic live band, but I’d not heard any (good quality) studio versions of songs until now. Recently I have been loving Spotify, and I think it is great that the band have put their brand new EP on it to stream.

The EP has to be one of the most beautiful pieces I have heard in a long time, and I love the way that the artwork compliments the music perfectly (check out their MySpace to see the full piece). All three of the main songs are atmospheric and epic, which evoke strong emotions on every listen. You get your money’s worth as well, since all four tracks are over five minutes long. My favourite on the EP is without a doubt the title track. That’s not to say the others aren’t brilliant, but ‘The Rising Tide’ captured my heart when I first heard it live. The intro and the soundscapes throughout, accompanied by Julio Taylor’s harrowing screams, never fails to give me goosebumps. It is an incredibly powerful track and I believe it is the band’s masterpiece.

The EP ends with an amazing acoustic version of ‘Wargasm’, which first appeared on their Aborted Revolutions EP in 2005 (which is also available to hear on Spotify). It has a certain Spanish feel to it and really shows off Julio Taylor’s vocal talents.

Overall the EP is beautiful and brutal, thought-provoking and meaningful. I highly recommend it! As I mentioned above, you can stream the EP on Spotify but you can purchase it on iTunes and other digital download sites, or you can buy the limited edition CD version from the band’s official webstore.

MySpace

The upcoming album by Paradise Lost, Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us, is fully streamable on their MySpace page until this Friday (September 25th). I am only three tracks in, but I’m enjoying it so far! The album will be released in the UK on September 28th.

The new Katatonia album, Night Is The New Day, is due to be released in the UK on November 2nd. It is an album I am really excited about! It is also an album that Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) has spoken very highly of (I know they’re good friends but I trust his judgement!).

Katatonia have launched a mini-site specifically for the new album, which can be found here. The mini-site includes audio samples, downloads, album information, pre-order links, interviews, art gallery, plus all the studio diaries from the recording session. I love the music on the the splash page!

The band have also given fans the opportunity to receive a free download from the album, entitled ‘Forsaker’ – the only catch is that you have to sign up to the Peaceville Mailing List. It is well worth it, though!

Plans for the new Smashing Pumpkins album were announced on September 16th. Recording for the new album, which will be entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, began on September 15th. However, it is not going to be a conventional record, as the album will feature 44 songs which Billy Corgan plans to release gradually. The first song should be released around Hallowe’en of this year, with each new release coming shortly after. Not only that, but each track will be completely free, no strings attached.

There is more information about the album, and also information about collectors item EPs and an eventual deluxe box which will be available to purchase, on the official website.

In some ways it all seems very interesting, but in other ways I am quite sceptical… mainly because I’m still annoyed about what happened when I saw them live and the fact that the band is now just Billy Corgan. Anyone else have thoughts on this announcement?

The Smyrk are very different to any of the bands I have featured on Soul Drift thus far. The band – who hail from New Haven, Connecticut – are a wonderful fusion of hard rock and R&B. The band have even penned a new sub-genre to describe their unique blend of music, labelling themselves ‘Motown Metal’. The element of the music that stands out most to me is the vocals of Doron Flake; I absolutely adore his soulful voice.

The Smyrk formed in 2003, when Doron Flake joined forces with the instrumental trio of guitarist/bassists Nick Logan and Ari Sadowitz, and drummer Chris Barone. Their debut EP, Monsters on Maple Street, was self-released in 2005 and garnered a lot of praise. After circulating their music around the internet and playing over 300 shows in the Northeast, the EP caught the ear of Incubus bassist, Ben Kenney. The Smyrk then toured across the country and were invited to record at his home in 2006. This was where their album, New Fiction, was born. On top of this, in October 2007, the band was chosen as one of the top six bands out of 4,000 to compete in MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout.

The Smyrk announced their breakup in July 2008, but this was short-lived because in January 2009 they announced their reformation with new member Alex Marans who plays keys, bass and sings. They have recently posted brand new songs on their MySpace page, and I’m sure there will be details about their next album surfacing very soon.

Recommended Listening: Every song on their MySpace!

Official Site | MySpace