Greetings people of CD Maximum-land,

I thought it was about time to post a new blog... so here it is!

You may have guessed from this blog's not-so-subtle title that Loucifer Speaks needs you... and this applies to all of you! Yep, we're all about equal opps here!

First of all, I'd like to get the attention of all of you Metal and Rock fans out there... Please take note of the following link... visit it, save it in your favourites, send it to your friends, and please chat with us about all things Metal/Rock and Random on the forum...

This was issued to everyone on the Loucifer Speaks Mailing List... and I thought I'd post it here too (since it does mention CD Maximum!).

Loucifer Speaks is a Metal / Rock Webzine and Forum. It's updated (almost) weekly with new reviews and / or interviews and the forum is home to some interesting characters who know a thing or two about Metal... and who won't bite unless asked... or unless you're tasty!


www.LouciferSpeaks.com

I wasn't really too sure about what to write in this Newsletter - so much has happened on the site that it's hard to keep up!

Canobliss Competition - The competition is still running, but the closing date is creeping up on us pretty quickly (time flies, eh!). If you're interested in entering the competition (and winning yourself a rather awesome CD!) then pop along to the Loucifer Speaks website and click on the Competitions tab (and then click on the thing that says "Canobliss competition").
But, be quick because the closing date is 10 November 2008.

Podcasts - we now have a weekly podcast... this basically just gives me the excuse to play at being a DJ for 30 minutes a week and play some decent tunes!

New Reviews - we have some new reviews ( as you might expect!).
Check out the site to read about Black Water Rising, The Vala, Status Quo, A Dead God, Godsized, Snake Eyes, Siren's Gate and Metallica!

Brand New Interview! - There's a brand new interview with Pagan Metallers Theudho!

Loucifer Speaks Badges - You can now help us to promote the site by wearing one of our lovely Loucifer Speaks badges! You can either buy them from the website (at the cost of 50p! Just click visit the site and click on the Shop button) or join our Street Team and get them for free! To join the Street Team, just drop me a line at lou@louciferspeaks.com.


Other sites that we think are rather good...


I just thought I'd take moment to fill you in on some other sites that I think are worth visiting!

SoulSnake - http://soulsnake.proboards82.com - Excellent horror site with loads of cool features!

CD Maximum - http://www.cdmaximum.com - Metal / Rock community... kinda like MySpace, but better.

Slippery When Wet - http://megschatbox.proboards.com - Brand new general chat forum... and it's named after a Bon Jovi album! What more could you ask for?

No, I'm not just making a random reference to the band Poison... well, I am... but who cares?

I'd like to begin this blog with an apology. I feel that a big "I'm sorry" is owed to all of you lovely people out here in CD Maximumland. The truth is that I haven't logged into my CD Maximum account for quite a few months... and I feel a bit ashamed. I feel especially bad because the guy who runs this site has put in a tremendous amount of effort so that folk like you and me can use this fantastic resource. I guess I feel a sort of kinship here because I also run a music site (although without the same degree of technical know-how... I just throw things together and kinda hope for the best!) and folks like us do stuff like this, not for any money, but for the love of music (namely metal!). So, basically, that's why I have returned to these shores - to offer my support and discover new and exciting music in the process.

Before I go any further I'd like to thank DC for all of his hard work. THANKS!

Now, on with the show...

A lot has happened in the few months when I've been MIA. Loucifer Speaks has, in my opinion, gone from strength to strength and we're now including videos on the site... and a weekly podcast (which gives me the oppornity to play at being a DJ for 30 minutes a week!). We've also really put a lot of work into the forum and have added some band-dedicated boards... which are lovely.

Anyway, I think that's enough for one blog... for the moment anyway, as I've forgotten what the other things I wanted to mention were! 

Oh, and if anyone does happen to notice that I haven't logged in for a long period of time, please feel free to email me at lou@louciferspeaks.com and give me a swift virtual kick up the arse. Ta!

Thanks for reading,

Lou 

The following article was written as a response to the title "The demise of rock: What happened?" on a site called Helium.

Here is the link to my original article. Please visit it so that my article will be rated higher

My Article:

The demise of rock - What a joke!

I'm going to write about rock as if the name "rock" also includes all of it's and metal's sub-genres. The bands that fall within these sub-genres are extremely varied but, while it may seem strange to throw them all together like this, I will do so for the purpose of this article.

The overall quality of rock has not changed - it's just that it seems that the people who complain about it are not willing to look beyond what is played on the radio, the videos on MTV or featured in the major magazines. If you just look at those sources, then the genre is going to seem bland and over-populated with bands that all sound the same. Personally, I don't think this is any different to any other time in rock's history. There will always be (and there has always been) bands that mimic each other's sound and look, bands that deserve the spotlight and those that don't and there will always be bands that are amazing, but never get anywhere.

The simple fact of the matter is that to find something worth getting excited about, you need to look a little deeper and with the Internet and sites like MySpace, Reverbnation and CD Maximum finding new and interesting bands couldn't be easier. Why not go to some local gigs? They're cheap, you're supporting the local scene and you never know when you might find a real diamond in the rough!
There are also plenty of fanzines and webzines around (I should know, I run one and write for a couple of others!) that dedicate massive amounts of time and effort to let their readers know what's worth listening to... In their opinion, of course.

Rock hasn't suffered any great demise - people are just too reliant on the mainstream media.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of bands out there that are covered by the mainstream media that completely deserve the exposure - but they are not the be all and end all of rock.

There will never be another band like The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin or Guns N' Roses - and that's a good thing! These bands all have their places cemented in rock's history and they're still amazing, but what would be the point in having another set of bands that sounded exactly the same?
I apologise for generalising, but it appears that those who complain about rock's demise are those who are looking for replacements for bands that have already existed. It's not going to happen. It shouldn't happen. Get over it.

Next time you're on the Internet why not check out one of the sites I've mentioned in this article? I'm even going to get the ball rolling by recommending a few bands...

If you're into Symphonic Black Metal check out Vesperian Sorrow and/or Agathodaimon. Both bands are astounding and I can't even describe the feelings I felt when I first listened to them. Or, if you're looking for pure Black Metal, check out Orion or Sammath. If you prefer your black metal to be mixed with Death Metal check out Devilish Impressions, Artisian, Crionics or Vesania.
I suspect that most of you won't be into extreme metal in any shape or form, so why not check out The Chris Pierson Band (check out "Debris"), Stone Carpet, Iron Giant or Thirty 2 Life (check out "Gagged and Bound")?

All of the bands mentioned can be found on MySpace and most can also be found on either Reverbnation or CD Maximum.

There is plenty of good rock music out there, and there's always going to be people out there who want to create it. All you need to do is spend a little bit of time to discover it. You'll get an awesome feeling when you find something you truly love, much like buying a decent piece of vinyl.