A fiar percentage of our readers are from the US and other countries around the world, and since things are relatively quiet on the Tool front (at least until the next issue of Revolver comes out), I though it might be a good idea to try and introduce some of our overseas guests to some of our best Australian bands. I’m not talking about AC/DC, Silverchair or Wolfmother, I mean genuinely good Aussie bands. I’m going to talk about three of my favorites, so sit back and enjoy!
The first band I want to mention are a local Adelaide band that I’m sure man of our Australian readers are quite familiar with. The Mark of Cain have been around for over 20 years, and in my opinion are the best live band in Australia. Their sound is described as a mix between Big Black, Joy Division and Helmet. The Mark of Cain were at their height of popularity in the late 90s and it may surprise some readers to hear that they are still going strong, though live shows and tours are few and far between these days. This is largely due to the fact that their drummer is ex-Helmet/Tomahawk/Battles skinsman John Stanier.
TMOC have just recently been in the recording studio working on their next album, which is expected to be released independantly later this year. Long time fan Henry Rollins is also expected to make an appearance on this album.
For those of you who want to check them out, visit their website or Myspace page. My favorite albums are This is This and Ill At Ease.
Cog are a band that many Fourtheye and Tool fans are familiar with, and there are probably many that consider them to be Australia’s answer to Tool. There are undeniable similarities between the music of the two bands, though many differences as well. I consider Cog to be much mellower than Tool, and I find the vocals a little grating at times. Having said that, i still enjoy their work, and their latest album Sharing Space (produced by Undertow producer Sylvia Massey) is probably their best to date.
Cog are currently touring around Australia, and I’m planning to see them when they hit Adelaide. You can hear some of their music at their Myspace page.
Front End Loader are another Aussie band that have been around for a while. This quirky hard rock outfit have been taking it easy for a while now, but have just released a live CD Laughing With Knives, and are playing live shows once more. Their last tour missed Adelaide, which was a bit disappointing, but hopefully next time they’ll pay us a visit. The guys are one of the best live bands around, and their drummer Pete is in my opinion Australia’s best drummer. His talents are well and truly wasted playing in Regurgitator, and FEL’s use of rhythm is the perfect showboat for his skills.
Once again, these guys have a Myspace page with some tracks you can listen to.
There are many other Aussie bands out there worth checking out, these are just the ones I enjoy the most. Off the top of my head other bands worth checking out are Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus and Bloodduster. I also have a soft spot for a couple of bands that are no longer with us – Christbait and Magnacite.
There are plenty more good bands out there, if you know of any more good Australian bands our readers should know about, then let us know why in the comments below.