|
live
|
|
NEW LIVE SHOWS
> Please refresh your page for the latest update <
> 2008 <
In August 2008 TERMINATRYX
will be supporting two international acts performing
live in Cape Town within a single week!
|
 |
TERMINATRYX
album
launch
-
CAPE
TOWN Seats are limited for this once-off double feature spectacular - booking essential. Booking opens from 1 July at The Labia Theatre (021 424 5927) - or e-mail for more info (info@flamedrop.com). TERMINATRYX CDs and merchandise will be on sale, and the first 10 CDs sold comes with a WILDFIRE Tattoo or Piercing Voucher. The Labia is a licensed venue and drinks from the bar can be taken into the theatre. The
TERMINATRYX
album
was
released
by
ENT
Entertainment
in
May
2008
-
if
your
record
store
does
not
stock
it,
demand
it! |
TERMINATRYX
Gauteng Album Launch Pix
For pix of the 30-31 May Gauteng album launch by Trevor Charles Miller, check out the TERMINATRYX
Facebook Group
and pix by Dr. Death at the
Zeplins Gallery
TERMINATRYX Live at ROAR
FRIDAY 6 JUNE
Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town - upstairs from Gandalf's
A melting-pot of Metal genres from all corners of South Africa:
TERMINATRYX
Industrial-Metal
(Cape Town)
EREBUS
Black Metal
(Johannesburg)
CONTRAST THE WATER
Metal
(Durban)
Facebook Event Link
TERMINATRYX ALBUM LAUNCH DATES
|
TERMINATRYX Album launch shows are set for May - July 2008: Please
Note:
The
show
at
Zeplin's
Rock
Shack
has
been
switched
to
ZEPLIN'S
THE
CLUB
Flamedrop- & VanniePadaf Productions will host the co-operative Gauteng shows •
Friday
30
May
@
ZEPLIN'S
THE
CLUB
-
384
Pretorius
Street,
Pretoria |
> 2007<
 The
Cabinet
of Dr.
Caligari
Blog
review
by Something
Wicked
Magazine
Editor
Joe
Vaz
Saturday, November 17, 2007: Having missed last year's HORRORFST Finale of Terminatryx and Lark's original, live soundtrack to Nosferatu, I made damn sure I didn't miss this year's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I'd only ever seen snippets of the film on YouTube and, like all 70+ year old black and white silent movies it looks cheesy, corny and quite silly. But all that changed on the 31st of Oct 2007. Watching a classic like Caligari in a darkened theatre with a live 21st Century soundtrack suddenly brings back the scale of this picture. What
a
fucking
masterpiece
-
instead
of
giggling
at
the
screen
I
found
myself
suddenly
entranced.
Hanging
on
every
(written)
word.
The
score,
composed
and
performed
by
Paul
and
Sonja
from
Terminatryx,
Sean
and
Fuzzy
from
Lark,
and
The
Crackpot
Realist
was
beautifully
pieced
together,
altogether
haunting
and
kickass
with
a
combination
of
acoustic
and
electronic
sounds
with
vocal
contortions
supplied
by
Sonja
and
one
of
The
Crackpot
Realist's
collaborators.
What
they
manage
to
achieve
is
to
completely
revitalise
this
classic. For
the
first
time
I
found
myself
completely
enthralled
by
a
silent
movie
-
marvelling
at
the
stylistic
approach
to
the
film
making,
finding
the
obvious
inspirations
of
such
great
genre
directors
as
Tim
Burton
and
Sam
Raimi. |
T
E
R
M
I
N
A
T
R
Y
X will be joining K . O . B . U . S at MERCURY LIVE on 13 October 2007 
|
Sadly WITCHFEST 2007 planned for Saturday 29 September, Pretoria, South Africa has been canceled... See www.witchfest.co.za for details |
|
For
the
2007
South
African
HORRORFESTFor
updates
&
news
on
the
European
trip
&
Nosferatu
performance
at
the
HorrorFest,
> 2006 <
> 2005<
|
TERMINATRYX LIVE CONFIGURATION
for the
DREAM COLLECTOR TOUR 2003
 |
MALCOLM (guitar) - SONJA (vox)
PAUL (bass & backing vox) - RONNIE (drums)
( front ) :
BRETT (guitar):
pix by H.J. Blom
[ for more pix, check out the gallery ]
| The
entire
TERMINATRYX
performance
from
the
Dream Collector Tour has been edited. Contact Paul on f8paul@yahoo.com for info on obtaining a VHS, CD-Rom or DVD copy. |
| THE
CALL When around September 2003 the call came from Alter Ego with the offer to fulfill the task of opening act for German Darkwave gods Diary Of Dreams (together with locals Mr. Barleycorn), the pros and cons had to be weighed. Christina had just informed the band that her model work commitments would prevent her from being an active member of the group. This wasn't too great a blow as Sonja covered all the lead vocals in any case, Christina's additions not instrumental in the bands overall sound. (She is however still a great fan and may appear as guest on some of the recordings).
Pragmatically the bliss & drag factors of this live undertaking had to be considered. Having over a decade's live experience and touring Europe with VOICE OF DESTRUCTION, Paul knew that whatever can go wrong, usually does. This in mind, TERMINATRYX took the leap and confirmed their involvement with the DREAM COLLECTOR TOUR 2003, using it as a live sampler. Plans to launch into the live arena were only etched for somewhere in 2004. This opportunity put the recording process on hold and shifted the focus of the master plan. With Christina no longer involved, Sonja was merely going to maintain her role as lead vocalist, the task of backing vocals falling on Paul. Recruiting another female backing vocalist was discarded due to logistics and just another factor that can go wrong. After rehearsals it was also deemed unnecessary - the only factor it would enhance being a visual one of an extra lady - but, six people on stage was also just too much.  BATTLE
PREPARATIONGuitarist Tom had to travel to the USA exactly over the mid-November tour period. For the live scenario TERMINATRYX could hardly just have Sonja on vocals, Paul on bass & back-up vocals with a backtrack… Recruitment of a full live band kicked in and the choices were fairly obvious and swift. Brett (good friend of Paul & Sonja) was approached to fill in on guitar. As bizarre luck would have it, there was a chance that he also needed to be in the States over the same period! It was a maybe, though. But, he got so into the idea he discarded the trip and splashed out on a Jackson guitar and a Behringer V-Amp2. Having mainly been an acoustic player (but an extreme metal fan) and always had the dream of playing live, it was a hard offer to pass up. Besides his 6-string abilities, Brett was instrumental in keeping the band's spirits high when enthusiasm faded. Before Brett's 110% commitment, Malcolm (Grämlich guitarist and old friend of Sonja) was called in, in the event that Brett had to fly abroad. If Brett didn't have to go, then there are two guitars - which became the case. For live drums, friend & Grämlich co-member Ronnie was called upon. All agreed without any contracts having to be signed. With the shows about two months away, the band knew better than to rest on their laurels. Practice space was booked at one of the very few rehearsal spaces in Cape Town for around twice a week (a huge gap in the market), with extra time thrown in for less amplified, close quarter interaction in getting the songs down. The set-list had to be selected from over a dozen tracks. Favourites, most appropriate and completed songs were considered. Science-Friction would be the intro, followed by We Come In Peace, flowing into Sleepwalkers, punching into CONsume and blasting through Tabloid Android, only to be wound down by the closing hardcore ambient instrumental Absinthminded.
For the samples and programming the obvious choice was to play it off disc - but the unstable nature of the format was too risky, holding the danger of skipping and all other possible disasters resulting in sheer embarrassment - everything that can go wrong… Paul then asked Brett whether they could utilise his Mac laptop, playing the tracks from its more reliable hard drive. Paul constructed a 25-minute track, each of the songs' backing tracks linked with ambient sound FX, movie samples and digital bridges to ensure a constant flowing episode without cuts and stops. At the rehearsal rooms the Mac held up fine without any glitches - problem is, if the power source is interrupted and the mains get disconnected, skipping may occur when the computer switches to battery power… The TERMINATRYX songs do not feign to be super-complicated tracks, but the unconventional structure of the compositions and rhythmic approach (Paul originally a drummer) posed more difficulty than expected from the outset. Time was all that was needed, so none was wasted. The quintet plugged away until the night before the first show in Cape Town to iron out any creases. A lot of time, energy, frustration (and money) went into making this first live introduction as memorable as possible. But even if you know all your notes and hit them, the technical realm can still fail you…and will. There was no time for planning onstage theatric devices and no lighting engineer to trigger specific thematic requirements. A final technical rider and questions were sent to Alter Ego three weeks prior to the first night, but never reached its destination - technical unreliability and a set-up for disaster? Possibly, but not. 
D-DAY
- Saturday 8 Nov. 2003 Leading up to the shows, the last two weeks were a tense ball of anticipation, preparation and last minute necessities. Flyers were printed, First Fix sampler CDs still had to be made together with its special limited edition zip bags etc. (only making it to the Gauteng dates). With the band & equipment at the Mercury Live in Cape Town at 4 o' clock the afternoon as instructed, TERMINATRYX was only up for sound-check at around 8! After the equipment set-up there were just a few minutes left for a check. The house engineer got edgy when Sonja's vocal FX pedals had to be sorted, leading to an unsatisfactory compromise that happened at every venue of the tour. The distorted FX pedal had to be removed from the loop, eliminating the essential diversity in vocal attack and leaving it with a uniform, constant delay effect - not the way it's 'sposed to be. Sound-check was over in a flash and they wanted the band on at 9:30. Ha! It was around 8:45 and everyone still had to go home, get dressed and get back in time. No time for dinner, that's for sure - a Jack Daniels had to do. The band was back at 9:15! Sonja couldn't warm up her voice, Paul didn't re-check if his bass was tuned, but the unit pulled it off. No-one had a clue what TERMINATRYX sounds like (expecting a Gothic endeavour), so it was quite a daring feat to come on first as the heaviest band of the night. The rush of the day didn't leave any time for nerves and TERMINATRYX took the stage for the very first time with conviction and intent. But, the audience (not full capacity yet) listened intently, many really getting into it with no "boo's" or disdain. From the outset the plan was to infiltrate those in the Gothic / Darkwave community who may have a wider musical sense and harder taste. It seemed to work, as full-on Goths were getting down to the sound! 
click
for
details
on the
FIRST
FIX
cdON THE GAUTENG FRONT Logistically the Durban show was too impractical for the TERMINATRYX members, so it got bypassed. Brett, Sonja, Paul and Ronnie were flying up to Gauteng on Wednesday 12 November to catch the Hartebeespoort Dam party. The party got canned so they were stuck in the hotel for two days more than necessary, making the best of it by acclimatizing, chilling and enjoying each other's splendid company. Malcolm and his girlfriend drove up early Thursday the 13th, making good time by arriving that same night. Accommodation plans fell through, so the band booked themselves into the hotel for the duration - better in the long run, all centred as opposed to scattered about in different lounges across Gauteng. 
With
no rehearsal
space,
the
members
got
together
in room
319
for
an acoustic
jam,
just
making
sure
everybody
still
has
it together.
Luckily
the
hotel
was
only
a few
km's
from
the
venue,
the
Boulders
Mall
in between,
where
most
breakfasts
were
had.
Cabin
fever
fractionally
kicked
in at
times,
but
at least
the
rooms
had
TVs.Sting. Midrand. Friday 14 Nov. 2003. Again it was the long wait that led up to a rushed 10-minute soundcheck, much to the band's annoyance, but soundman Danie did the best he could under the circumstances. This night the venue didn't fill up entirely and as the second song rolled in all monitors disappeared, making the entire experience a frustrating guessing game, not sure whether the entire system took a dive. Much cursing followed the show. It was found that the monitor pre-amps kept on tripping. Everything that can go wrong… Regardless, there were many people in the audience who really got into the band, buying CDs on the strength of a show which the band felt was lacking, their sound not represented as it should've been. Same venue. Saturday 15 Nov. 2003. The helpful guys from Mr. Barleycorn had the same sound problems and took it upon themselves to bring amps for onstage monitoring - without the back-tracks most of the members are lost, but especially both bands' live drummers who need to follow in order to have the rest of the band members follow them in turn. Even with the amps brought in, things wouldn't quit crashing. Again there was a mere 20-second soundcheck and besides Sonja's vocal FX compromise, Paul's bass guitar wouldn't make a peep - cables switched, pedals bypassed etc. - eventually the guitar's canon output was used, but only worked through the distortion pedal used for Paul's vocals in stead of the Metal Zone and Hyper Fuzz pedal combo for the authentic TERMINATRYX sound. (The bass guitar is the instrumental focal point in TERMINATRYX, the proper set-up comprising of 2 bass outputs: the jack output passing through the two FX pedals, while the canon output delivers a constant clean bass sound). Compromise. Four perfectly fine guitar cables simply wouldn't work. With the makeshift monitors sorted, suddenly it wouldn't co-operate! The speculation is that the mains plugs for were insufficient for the pedals' power supplies. By then it was believed that the club was jinxed, and TERMINATRYX was on in 15 minutes! At least now the band knew what to expect, no sound surprises, and brought their outfits to the venue, knowing there wouldn't be time to head back to the hotel. The place was packed to capacity, the entire dance floor in front of the stage filled to the front. With just vocals and backtrack coming through the monitors (in a limited capacity), the three guitarists had to try and hear themselves coming through the PA, bouncing back from the bar and absorbed by hundreds of bodies. The laptop held up, the band members didn't throw onstage tantrums when things fucked up and conducted themselves professionally under these tense circumstances. The crowd was amazing, reacting very positively to something they'd never heard before, also making this clear afterwards. TERMINATRYX entered into the live arena with no expectations or illusions and exit the other end satisfied with their performance and many ideas on how to tackle it next time. Stay tuned to find out when that next time will be. - DJ Hova
AFTERMATH > TERMINATRYX made their live debut with a well established and respected European act / > got acquainted with fellow countrymen Mr. Barleycorn / > had a tumultuous "holiday" / > got their particular style, sound and attitude exposed to a large alternative audience in one go / > accomplished something as a unit which they were on the verge of turning down / > had a blast regardless of all the hitches, logistic nightmares and cost incurred - accumulative costs which could've funded the pressing of a vast amount of CDs COMMENTS [ randomly noted after the shows ] † "Your music is totally different." † Some young lads (three or four of them in a Death Metal band with Gothic undertones) had the stunning Sonja sign their ID books for them ! † "It's so cool to finally have a woman doing something like this!" † Brett asked a girl outside the Sting venue (waiting for her lift) whether she enjoyed the show. She was right in front of Brett's stage position the entire night, but didn't recognise him! Her reply: "I didn't like the first band (Terminatryx), but I like Mr. Barnacle. Diary Of Dreams is great!" |
[ check the gallery for more pix ]
HOW THE LIVE SET-UP CAME ABOUT
The October 2003 Pre-Tour Press release
| Unexpectedly,
while still in the process of completing the first TERMINATRYX recordings, the
Alter Ego Record Company approached the group with an offer that would
be very hard to pass over.
European Darkwave masters DIARY OF DREAMS were set
for a countrywide tour of South Africa in the first half of November 2003.
SAT.
8 / 11/ 2003 |
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