Revenge Radio

I know it’s the intention of this blog to delve into past releases/material, but when you learn who is playing in this relatively new band you’ll understand why a post was deemed necessary. Princess of Mars features some mighty fine personnel from two amazing bands that demand your attention – we’re talkin’ the guitar prowess of Rita Blazyca and the drumming of one Rat Scabies – I’ll be damned! No doubt you’re familiar with the later, but perhaps the former name is not ringing any bells. Rita Blazyca is best known as the guitarist for Die Cheerleader, a UK band whose 1995 release Son of Filth was backed and produced by Henry Rollins. Since the band called it a day Rita is reported to have played in numerous bands, however it wasn’t until 2004 that she got in touch (via the Die Cheerleader website we’ve been running since 1999) to let us know what she was up to:

“I am now finally in a band that totally rocks my world we are called ‘PRINCESS OF MARS’. I can say with my hand firmly on my heart I am currently making the best music I have ever been involved with…. Now with Princess Of Mars I got the second best drummer in the world!, from probably the best punk rock band in the world (The Damned), and a new female singer to rival any one who ever picked up a microphone, the bass player is of another planet..!!”

At that time the line up consisted of:
Rae Black – Lead vocals
Rita Blazyca – Guitar + backing vocals
Rat Scabies – Drums
Adam – Bass

A demo (pictured above) promptly arrived in the mail featuring the following tracks:
1. His Masters Voice
2. Judgement Decay
3. Goodbye Glorious

I didn’t hear much from Rita after that and assumed the band had ended, however I was pleased to learn recently that the band have just set up a Myspace page where you can hear all three tracks from the demo (‘His Masters Voice’ has been retitled ‘Morning Star’) – which saves me from trying to track Rita down again to get permission to post the songs on this blog! Visit the myspace page to hear the tunes and download the track ‘Judgement Decay’.

Räuberhöhle – ‘Casio Destroy Toy’ (mp3)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Räuberhöhle sent in her 2000 CD-R release ‘Knallerbsen und Sprengkörper’ for consideration for a compilation I put out years ago. The demo featured four tracks of what would probably best be described as ‘riot beats’, in a style not dissimilar to Julie Ruin and Le Tigre. Armed with various Casios, kids toys that go beep and a riot grrl spirit, I found Räuberhöhle hard to resist. ‘Riots Not Diets’ was selected for the comp, which also appeared on one of the LadyBomb cassette compilations.

I hadn’t checked out Räuberhöhle’s website since 2001, and it seems a lot of great stuff has gone on for Räuberhöhle since then. Her tunes seem to be put together with more sophisticated equipment now, so the sound is more electronic and clean than the kitsch Casio sound of the demo. I have to say I’m not much of an electronica fan and I find the idea of ‘happy hardcore’ a bit strange! But I thought this might be neat trip into the past, one of the tracks on this release ‘Casio Destroy Toy’ has had a massive reworking for a forthcoming release (and can be heard on Räuberhöhle’s myspace page) so it’s interesting to hear how much her sound has changed.

If you dig Räuberhöhle please check out the website where you can buy mp3s from her past three releases (This demo no longer appears available) and the myspace page for tour dates.

1. Casio Destroy Toy / 2. Little ppl Pray / 3. Ghost Busters / 4. Riots Not Diets

Download Casio Destroy Toy by Räuberhöhle

Redsands – ‘Devious’ (mp3)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This is another demo received for the radio show some time in 2001-02. I have a feeling that if Redsands had managed to stay together they could have made quite an impact on the Aussie metal scene. This release received airplay on Triple J’s metal program of the day (and quite a few spins on my show too!), but from memory they broke up prematurely, yet amicably in 2002 due to disagreements about the musical direction the band should take.

The liner notes on the demo indicate the band’s contempt for music categories and labels: ‘The true essence of music is to do what you feel and let that guide you. We are metal and we aren’t metal. What is metal anyway and who really gives a fuck? We are Redsands, these are our sounds.’

Vocalist Simon Calabrese later took up vocal duties for ‘melodic death metal’ band Daysend in 2003, performed on their record ‘Severance’ and left the band in 2006.

Title: Redsands / Cat#: RED001 / Format: CD
1. All Is Well / 2. Devious / 3. Benefit

Download Devious by Redsands

The Jains – ‘This Is It’ (mp3)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Jains are a two piece, in the tradition of the White Stripes, from Milan, Italy. This demo was originally sent to me back in 2002 for a compilation CD that never eventuated. The catchy opening track ‘This is it’ which was selected to appear on the comp, has since been re-recorded along with ‘Fixation’ for The Jains debut album ‘Kill the Ghost’, released on Tube records in 2005. The record has received many reviews on Italian websites (which I can’t read!) but doesn’t appear to have received attention outside of Italy, despite the songs being in English. DEMOlition was one of the more impressive demos I received during my radio days. Amongst all the nu-metal clones, the simple stripped back feel of The Jains demo was a welcome relief. The Jains certainly have something that captured my attention and it’s cool to see that they’re still together, nearly five years on.

1. This is it / 2. Fixation / 3. Seems So

Download This Is It by The Jains