I recently received an email from a Viaktor Pingin telling me that he thought I was doing a great thing for bands on the scene. For that, I have to say thank you, Viaktor! It always feels good to be appreciated for my 12 years of writing this column. Anyway, Viaktor also wanted to introduce me to his band, Dark Matter. So, I clicked on his link, which led me to the band’s ReverbNation page, where I heard the tracks “Sane,” “One Day,” and “Flesh.” These songs had a Ministry meets Rammstein sound with a twist of Rob Zombie. Personally, I liked it. How can you hate something that was so incredibly interesting?
According to their bio, Jersey City’s Dark Matter formed back in 2004 by Pingin, who used music to help him get through some unstable moments in his life. He began writing songs that would eventually become the backbone of the Dark Matter project. Soon he had enough material to record his first demo, Intergalactic Cannibalism, which really showcased the band’s raw, aggressive energy, with in-your-face vocals. Pingin would combine that energy with a mix of riffing guitars and a blend of metal and industrial beats. Eventually, he decided to make Dark Matter a live act, and personally selected other musicians and friends from local acts to help him embark on his musical journey. After honing in on his craft, Pingin released his second demo CD in 2007. The disc contained new songs with incredible hooks, which paved the way for the band’s seven-song EP in 2010.
Now, I’m not sure if he currently has a live lineup since there are no other names on the website other than his. So, I can’t really tell you if you’ll be seeing Dark Matter live anytime soon, but he should be getting this band up and running as soon as possible. This scene is about to pick up! You should, however, give Pingin and his Dark Matter a listen now by logging onto reverbnation.com/darkmatter10.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
I just got done watching the new music video from my boys King Kelly. These guys are absolutely amazing! The video is for their brand new song, “It’s Like A Dragon Horse,” off of their upcoming EP, Pinched By The Firehorses. The video is so retro that it reminds me of something that I would’ve seen on MTV when they used to play music videos. Do you remember that? Probably not! Anyway, check out King Kelly’s brand new video for “It’s Like A Dragon Horse” at youtu.be/rFq0Hmt2QDc or log onto facebook.com/kingkellymusic.
It looks like the boys from BoundAlive have found a replacement for their recently departed longtime bassist, Jorge Avila. The new guy’s name is Keith Benicaso, and there wasn’t really much to learn about him, so I’m not really sure if he’s played with anyone else locally. Help me in welcoming Keith into BoundAlive by logging onto facebook.com/boundalive.
And finally, I hate to toot my own horn in my own column, but my band BlackOcean recently played a power-packed performance at The Saint in Asbury Park, sharing the stage with Audio Machine, Lower The Veil, and New York City’s Panzie*. I have to admit that I was really proud to be a part of this amazing lineup. The Saint was super-packed with a star-studded crowd, including That Metal Show’s Don Jamieson, members of Scarlet Carson, Facelift, cast members from Project: American Studio and the Old Bridge Metal Militia. This show was so successful that there’s even talk of this lineup doing a regional tour together. If you missed this show, you truly missed out! Don’t worry, though! You can catch Lower The Veil, BlackOcean, Bone Devil, and Panzie* at The Bone Yard in Atlantic City this Friday night (3/1). Trust me, it’s worth the trip!
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the Author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
2/28—Single Bullet Theory/Mother—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/1—Lower The Veil/BlackOcean/Bone Devil/Panzie*–The Bone Yard, Atlantic City, NJ
3/1—Long Gone Day/Bastard Brigade/Darrow Chemical Co./The Accelerators —Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/1—Ghosts Of Eden/PUi—Irving Plaza, NYC
3/1—Atom Strange—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
3/2—Aurin/40 Below Summer—Championship Sports Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ
3/2—Thanatotic Desire—Le Grand Fromage, Atlantic City, NJ
3/2—Borgo Pass—Whoville, Bethpage, NY
3/2—Black Summer/PUi—Irving Plaza, NYC
3/3—Darkness Descends/Seas Of Wake/That Of A Lion/Hail Harbor/Prominence/Forbidden Territory/Collapsing From Within/Saeculus Novus—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
3/7—Mobile Deathcamp/Knollwood—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/8—Dead Fish Handshake/Queensrÿche—Bergen PAC, Englewood, NJ
3/9—InDisguise—Jimmy’s Place, Allentown, PA
3/9—Rockitfest 2: Sinners/Fevervein/Gas NYC/DMZ/The Dirty Stayouts/The Unknown/Fistacuffs/Peacefire/Ogre/Sardonica—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/9—When Winter Fell/Brand Of Julez/Dead Fish Handshake/Machine Elves—Dock Street Underground, Staten Island, NY
3/10—Poc/ Modern Superstar/Jaded Past/Spider—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/10—Atom Strange/D.A.D./Panzie*–Webster Hall, NYC
3/16—Cyperna/Eyes Of The Dead/Eye Of Anubis/Gyre/Negative Sky/BluntGuts/Mass Punishment/Stagger/Darkness Descends/Scars Of Envy—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/16—Star Killer/Panzie*/Resolution 15/JennCity/Dead Rocking Horse—Bowery Ballroom, NYC
3/17—Stellar Corpses/Darrow Chemical Company/Bad Whoremoans/Zero—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/22—Kosmic Daydream—Hat City Kitchen, Orange, NJ
3/23—Wrath Of Killenstein/Ixion Lux/Division 1.1/Eve Disaster/Ashes Of Your Enemy—Roxy and Dukes Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
3/23—Dead Fish Handshake/Statik Silence/Gathering After Ashes/Crewman Number Six/Moises Christopher—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
3/24—Venus Vegas/Casualty/Long Gone Day/XNY—Sullivan Hall, NYC
3/24—Close2Death/Pocketful/Pyramada/Perception/Vextion/Black Tooth Grin/DJ Var Lynn After Hours/Last Call—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/30—Dead Fish Handshake/New Theory/Beyond Visible/Gathering After Ashes/Reach—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
