Now that I look back, I was quite busy during my university years.
To be honest, it hasn’t changed much since then, but what did change was the amount of activities one can give a f**k about. School lectures at the University of Economics were immovable roadblocks in my calendar (not that I attended that many), so the whole schedule was built around them and I was lucky that my work at Prague Philharmonic Orchestra was really flexible and my office hours were subject to negotiation with Mr. Riehle on a weekly basis – and was ever-changing thanks to the somewhat chaotic nature of both involved parties. Therefore, when something interesting (or fun) happened, I was usually ready at a moment’s notice, never minding daytime or day of the week. I might even have skipped the lecture block if it had worth my time (which was fairly cheap and insignificant back then). And because there were many interesting things happening around me at that time, I also developed this unhealthy habit of storing sleep deficit over the week and paying it off at the end of the week with a proper koala sleep.
I had just joined the university when I found an open music journalist position from Topzine.cz. I knew a thing or two about writing and I thought I knew a lot about heavy metal. I wrote a mock article, sent it to the newsroom, not forgetting to not-so-humbly mention that I’m also a musician, festival planner and a former roadie. So much for modesty. Obviously, they had no choice but to accept me. My new editor-in-chief quickly became my mentor and partner in mischief and it felt like Ozzy’s Crazy Train from the very beginning.
I ended up backstage the very first night and soon found out that Mastercard is nothing compared to a press card. It opens a magical world of free concert tickets, music business contacts and great music, as well as parties and free booze. Priceless. The job wasn’t paid at all, but I still felt rich compared to my fellow students when I was attending five arena shows a week. Of course you always need to get back home sober enough to finish the article, so that it may get published the very next morning, but working late slightly drunk with ear fatigue is something one can get used to. Nevertheless, it requires a tremendous amount of determination, endurance and general sense of responsibility to finish the task when all you want is to doze off. I had it easier than others due to the fact that I was still living in Kladno, so it was either catching the 1AM train or sleeping on someone’s couch, waking up all wrecked with the carefully thought-out sleep deprivation model completely f****d up, which inevitably led to switching into forced koala sleep mode the very next night, plan or no plan. And missed deadlines, which is a big no-go.
The Topzine management quickly found out that I was up to no good, so they gave me the liberty of attending approximately five events a week of my own choosing on, provided I gave them a significant portion of verbal diarrhoea. Since people were actually reading it and I was not a bad pageviews hunter, it seemed like a good bargain. Being on good terms with my editor-in-chief granted me priority access to promoters and press accreditations and over time I built my little private network of backstage passes.
I enjoyed this kind of life so much that when there was a tiff between my fellow scribblers and the greedy website owner, I decided to join their rebellion and found a new shelter under the wings of Musicweb.cz. What little experience I head determined me to get more involved in the day-to-day business and rudimentary management. I quickly found out that I do more good out in the field than in the office and that all these responsibilities that come with babysitting writers with serious drinking problems is really just something that distracts me from my true goals. My industry contact network expansion slowed considerably, I was suddenly correcting and planning articles more than writing them, and, worst of all, there were less and less parties.
Therefore, I quickly stepped back from the leading position (I use this tactic quite often, since it’s virtually impossible to be the supreme leader of everything and I already have a band and myself to manage), otherwise, I would’ve had quit much sooner. So I was back to writing, but the original enthusiasm was slowly fading away.
The inevitable: Burnout
In time, your live show perception changes and the magical arena atmosphere is not as appealing as it used to be. You still ultimately fight to death with others over the big satisfaction-guaranteed acts, because you’d suffered so much disappointment while hunting for an interesting fresh blood act in some of the worst piles of the outer rim. On the lowest local level, your friends are constantly inviting you with high hopes of positive press mentions and exposure, and you’re slowly running out of excuses. In addition, you evolve to an overly-critical listener. Your bar is set higher than the sky, because you visit only the best of the best and you put in your mouth even some untouchable rock legends. I still feel bad that I slept through most of Steve Vai’s performance with the G3, while most of the crowd was staring in pure awe. Perhaps the dosage of virtuosity was simply too much to bear after 50 minutes of Satriani or perhaps the whole guitar solo act idea starts to sound really hollow after visiting wild shows like Sabaton couple of times a month.
As I mentioned earlier, album reviews are ultimately bound to become the kind of necessary evil you want to avoid at all costs. There’s no place for fun under jester’s mask and definitely no place for criticism if you want to survive in the music industry long-term. A lot of times, you end up re-playing an album for the tenth time, desperately looking for anything unique and worth mentioning. And, of course, there’s always that CD your friend gave you to make him rich and famous and you bite your teeth over it for more than six months now, still hesitant (and frightened) to write the first paragraph.
Note to bands: Two months is a good period to keep asking about the mighty review of
your epic masterpiece. After that, quit nagging. Your friend doesn’t want to hurt you, but if you push him hard enough, he most definitely will. Better losing a promo CD (he would’t have bought it anyway) than getting bad press. Or just lame mixed-up-feelings press in case the guy has no spine, is in deep, hopeless love with your singer, or just loves having you around and is secretly hoping that you’ll one day come see his show in return. You have been warned.
Back to the miserable burnout-journalist arockalypse: Both live and studio has lost its vibe by now and you feel that this is the end of the line; you’ve seen everything, heard everything and you feel like there’s more music in the world than you originally bargained for. Yes, I’m talking about you, mindless female fronted Nightwish clone mk. 666, I mean, how many of you can exist on the same plane of existence, before the world collapses from your collective lack of songwriting skills?
See? You’re sitting in front of your stereo, listening to the Number of the Beast, tears barely in check, babbling like an old man whose musical taste stopped evolving somewhere in mid-eighties. You’re finished.
Fortunately, if you’re a compulsive talker like me, there’s still a third option, that keeps the wheels rolling and to my taste, it’s also the most rewarding one.
A trip to the stars
The only part of the music journalism that is both ever-changing and ever-challenging is the sacred ritual of doing interviews. For a little dreamy-eyed boy with his very own little band, there is an additional dimension to it; you can ask about live on the road, gear, songwriting process, music business – the list goes on. There’s that magical window of opportunity once all questions on the list have been asked and you can discuss just about anything. Most of the guys are amazing personalities and their opinions and stories always left me deeply touched. Even though my diploma thesis has the keyword “music marketing” in its very title, I learned way more from artists than I could possibly have ever read in all the books in the world. With great rock heroes, you feel the bond between the stage and the crowd, the shared love for music and the naked artist’s soul shimmering somewhere in the haze. In the end, the connection is all that matters.
Of course there are pricks and those fueled by pure greed and/or an unending lust for fame, but it’s a lot less common than I originally expected. Some of the guys just play the heavy as part of their role and are actually very pleasant-to-be-with personalities once the curtain is down. No one is exactly devoid of extravagancies, but the passion for music is there, deep in their very souls. On a local level, the dickhead’o’meter beeps a lot more. I seldom wonder if being a freaking diva makes you unsuccessful or if your frustration from underachievements manifests in this kind of behaviour. Anyway, I developed a habit of jumping at every opportunity to get a big name in the press room (no serious danger) and with smaller ones, I was usually the one offering the interview after a trust-building beer or few.
Once again, I was very lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Interviews weren’t that much popular amongst my fellow scribes and I can’t really blame them. It takes a lot of time to listen to the recording (unless you’re Rita Skeeter and have the Quick-Quotes Quill at hand) and there’s less space for creativity when the deed has already been commited. Moreover, some feel plain intimidated by the prospect of talking to these godly entities in a foreign language. I mean; “what would they think if I used incorrect tense or didn’t understand them, right? I would look like a savage and I’d be a complete and utter embarassment.”
They wouldn’t obviously give a damn, but the fright is quite common nontheless. Howevet, if you’re able to climb up the stage and make a fool of yourself, you totally have what it takes to embarass yourself in front of genuine rockstars.
I don’t personally recommend doing written interviews. True, they’re easier to publish, but you also put all the unexpected out of the equation. You get rehearsed answers, sometimes with the unpleasant PR department stench and, unless the artist is really excellent at writing, you often fail in your side mission to capture the personality. That means less experience points upon quest completion and I’m sure you want to play 100 % synchro to collect all the achievements.
Visual contact works best. If you’re unable to meet face to face, Skype or Facetime works nearly just as well.
Worst case scenario – you have to pick up a phone and talk your way through it. It’s a bit of a challenge to focus on just the voice, the sound quality is mediocre at best and if your wide gesticulation is of no use.
Most of the time, you give your number to the label and they call you back at their convenience. I guess that’s fair, for you probably wouldn’t like to answer calls from some drunk scribblers in the middle of the night either. I remember I had a call with Kai Hansen, who was supposed to call me around 2 p.m. I carefully planned that I’d arrive at the university, find myself a cozy little classroom and have a great listening experience. Well, Kai is not called “Master of Confusion” for nothing. It wasn’t even 1 p.m. when I received a call from an unknown german number. You can’t simply hang up when you have Kai Hansen himself on the phone. So I picked the phone up, got off the train at the next station, trying to communicate over the wall of engine rattle through my shitty phone with barely functioning speakers. Kai was patient and didn’t mind tracing back every once in a while when the sound quality was poor. And after the initial embarassment, I was having the time of my life with one of my legends.
Note: If you can have a say in it, do the interview after the performance rather than before. The guys are relaxed and exhilarated, so it’s a perfect time to fire your question. Also, do consider grilling the support band while the main act is on stage. You can thank me for this free party ticket later.
The show takes a lot of preparations, and loads of things can screw up, so it’s not unusual that the interview gets changed or is cancelled entirely. Most often due to a logistic problem; tourbus didn’t arrive on time, guys haven’t been yet picked up at the hotel, et cetera. You also risk that the guys will be tired, suffering mild stagefright and generally less responsive, which doesn’t usually happen after a victorious act. The life of the touring musician is hard, so you have to respect that and play the hand you’re dealt.
I once had an appointment with the magnificent Tobias Sammet himself before an Edguy show. I was waiting in gleeful expectation at the backstage entrance, when the promoter told me that Tobias is sick as hell, lying in his tourbus deathbed, mustering all the strength to pull out the evening performance. I was given Eggi Exxel to the questioning ring istead. After some mandatories, we started chatting about different kinds of beer and it was in the end a very pleasant interview, just not the one I was expecting to have with the jovial frontman, whom I’ve been anxious to meet for a very long time.
I watched the gig a moment later and I carefully observed Tobi. He must have felt like a total piece of crap but he was somehow able to recover a bit and he gave an amazing performance despite his illness. True, he wasn’t running all over the place, that would be a suicide. He was more like a panther – making just the necessary movements with utmost precision, conserving whatever power he had left to last until the big finish. He probably wasn’t able to make his way back to tourbus on his own, but he made another stand the very next day. Then the sickness eventually took its toll and Edguy had to cancel two gigs. I tell this tale to show how demanding being a touring professional is. So, if the artist does not seem to be sparkling with raw energy, be considerate and cheer them up.
I never felt that being the chronicler and loremaster of metal hitstory was my destiny, I wanted to live by the artist’s creed instead of just writing about it. But I considered this path as a good entry point to the big game. Had I played it better, it might have evolved differently. There were various opportunities to get my foot in the door indeed, still, I had no music of my own making, at least not anything of decent quality, so the timing was definitely wrong. I got back to the rehearsal room, quit the music journalism altogether and started working more on my playing and songwriting. There was much to learn, my time was running short and getting all the experience and equipment was a costly endeavour. So I conceded to doing my daily paid job and I started preparing to make some shaped noise with my signature on it.
To sum it up, here’s the list of articles I wrote during my brief career in music journalism.
Some of them have been slightly changed by the editorial staff over the years (and some of them even republished, to my great surprise).
However, the majority of them is still intact.
Musicweb.cz era (December 2011 – December 2014)
HAMMERFALL PROVEDLI NEUVĚŘITELNOU PERSONÁLNÍ ROŠÁDU
GUARDIANS OF TIME SE PO ROCE VRACEJÍ DO EXIT-USU
MADE OF METAL: NEDĚLI SI ROZDĚLIL TROJLÍSTEK ZE SKANDINÁVIE
MADE OF METAL: HAGGARD BODOVALI S HODINU A PŮL DLOUHOU SHOW
MADE OF METAL: PÁTEČNÍ VEČER PATŘIL LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY
MOR 2014: O GRANDIÓZNÍ FINÁLE SE POSTARAL SEBASTIAN BACH
MOR 2014: HELLOWEEN ZABODOVALI U FANOUŠKŮ PÍSNĚMI NA PŘÁNÍ
MOR 2014: PÁTEČNÍMU PÓDIU VÉVODIL TANK
MOR 2014: ANIMÁLNÍ NEURVALOST VS. TECHNICKÉ MISTROVSTVÍ
DEMENCIA MORTALIS PŘICHÁZÍ S DEKADENTNÍM ALBEM THE END IS NIGH
MASTERS OF ROCK 2014: ZBĚSILÉ BANDY A ŘÍZNÁ HUDBA
MASTERS OF ROCK 2014 BUDE VE ZNAMENÍ NOVINEK A SPECIALIT
ALESTORM SE V NOVÉM VIDEOKLIPU PROPILI K JÁDRU SVÉ EXISTENCE
GAMMA RAY A RHAPSODY OF FIRE ZABODOVALI V RETRO MUSIC HALL
GAMMA RAY: ARMÁDA NEMRTVÝCH SE DALA DO POHYBU
VAN CANTO OVLÁDLI SVÝM RAKKATAKKA METALEM PRAŽSKÉ MEETFACTORY
VAN CANTO: RAKKATAKKA METAL SE VRACÍ DO PRAHY
CARPATIA CASTLE DEBUTUJE ALBEM LAUDANUM
DEMENCIA MORTALIS POKŘTÍ V ROUDNICI NOVÉ ALBUM
OSMÝ ROČNÍK WINTER METAL ATTACK PŘINÁŠÍ PORCI TVRDÉ MUZIKY
RAW ROZVÍŘILI VODY DOMÁCÍHO METALU SINGLEM STAND
CHRISTMAS METAL SYMPHONY DO PRAHY PŘIVÁLA ŠESTICI FRONTMANŮ
CHRISTMAS METAL SYMPHONY: VÁNOCE LETOS UDEŘÍ O TÝDEN DŘÍVE
GOTHIC METALOVÉ KAPELY SPOJILY SVÉ SÍLY NA ŠŇŮŘE GOTHIC LUX BOHEMIAE
HEAVY ROCKOVÍ ORCHID VYDÁVAJÍ ALBUM THE ZODIAC SESSIONS
POWERWOLF ZNESVĚTILI PROSTORY RETRO MUSIC HALL
XANDRIA OHLAŠUJE ZMĚNU NA POSTU ZPĚVAČKY
POWERWOLF VÍTĚZÍ NA VŠECH FRONTÁCH. DOKÁŽE JE VŮBEC NĚCO ZASTAVIT?
NIGHTWISH POTVRZUJÍ NOVOU SESTAVU
PAVLOV’S DOG SE PO DVOU LETECH VRACÍ NA ČESKÁ PÓDIA
CD: TEZAURA NA SVÉM DEBUTU NAMÍCHALA ELIXÍR RŮŽOVÉHO METALU
GYMPLFEST KLADNO: V HLAVNÍ ROLI SE PŘEDSTAVÍ MIRO ŠMAJDA
ROZHOVOR S NEONFLY: DRUHÉ ALBUM BUDE TVRDŠÍ A VYVÁŽENĚJŠÍ
BENÁTSKÁ NOC 2013: NIGHTWISH JSOU ZPĚT A V PLNÉ SÍLE
BENÁTSKÁ NOC 2013: VESEC SMETL NÁPOR ŠVÉDSKÉHO KOLOSU SABATON
ROZHOVOR S JOAKIMEM BRODÉNEM: RÁDI DĚLÁME KONCEPČNÍ ALBA
MOR 2013: POSLEDNÍ VEČER ZAVRŠILA TÉMĚŘ TŘÍHODINOVÁ SHOW
MOR 2013 – SOBOTA: KDYŽ DVA DĚLAJÍ TOTÉŽ, NENÍ TO TOTÉŽ
MOR 2013: PÁTEK PŘINESL SPOJENÍ METALU S ORCHESTRÁLNÍ HUDBOU
MOR 2013: ČTVRTEČNÍ VEČER SI ROZDĚLILI DVA VÝBORNÍ FRONTMANI
BASINFIREFEST 2013: POSLEDNÍ FESTIVALOVÝ DEN PATŘIL TVRĎÁKŮM
BFF 2013: SOBOTNÍ VEČER BYL PŘEHLÍDKOU SKVĚLÝCH FRONTMANŮ
BASINFIREFEST: PÁTKU KRALOVALI GRAVEWORM A WITHIN TEMPTATION
RHAPSODY OF FIRE: TVŮRČÍ DUO SE ROZPADÁ – UŽ ZASE
BASINFIREFEST SI PRO FANOUŠKY PŘIPRAVIL OPRAVDOVÉ PEKLO
AWRIZIS ZVEŘEJŇUJÍ SINGL FEEL WHAT I HAVE TO FEEL EVERY DAY
VYSTOUPENÍ TODAY IS THE DAY VE VOPICI SE NEUSKUTEČNÍ
NIGHTWISH OHLÁŠENI JAKO HEADLINER BENÁTSKÉ NOCI
TRADICE JMÉNEM METALFEST: PROLEŤME SE PŘEDCHOZÍMI ROČNÍKY
AUTOGRAMIÁDA NAZARETH: A PŘECE SE DOČKALI
ZE SKUTEČNÉ LIGY NA BASINFIREFEST. KDO PROŠEL SÍTEM?
CD: THY SYMPHONY VLOŽILI DO NOVÉHO ALBA SPOUSTU ENERGIE
BELTINEFEST BOHEMIA: JAK PŘIVÍTAT JARO NÁLOŽÍ FOLKMETALU
SKUPINĚ POWERWOLF FESTIVALY NESTAČÍ, VYRÁŽÍ NA KLUBOVÉ TURNÉ
CD: NOVÁ DESKA UNBORN VÁS VRÁTÍ ZPĚT DO REALITY
ROZHOVOR S RADALFEM Z CRUADALACH: RESPEKT JE KLÍČEM KE VŠEMU
CD: AVANTASIA VYDALA ŠESTÉ ALBUM THE MYSTERY OF TIME
HELLOWEEN&GAMMA RAY: TAK STEJNÍ A PŘECE ODLIŠNÍ
POWER METALOVÁ SMRŠŤ SE ŘÍTÍ NA MASTERS OF ROCK
MASTERS OF ROCK PŘEDSTAVUJE HEADLINERY
VAN CANTO SE PROBÍRAJÍ Z LETARGIE
BELTINEFEST 2013: SVÁTEK NEJEN PRO POHANY
HELLOWEEN&GAMMA RAY: JEDNA ŠŇŮRA VLÁDNE VŠEM
DEMENCIA MORTALIS: MOHUTNÁ PÁRTY OTŘÁSLA ROUDNICÍ
Zemětřesení na WMA 2013: 6,6 stupňů Richterovy škály
Demencia Mortalis slaví sedmé narozeniny
WINTER METAL ATTACK: SEDMÝ ROČNÍK NA DOHLED
DRAGONFORCE: NINTENDO METAL SE VRACÍ DO ČR
SKLIZEŇ 2012: JAK SE PĚSTUJE REGGAE NA JAMAJCE?
AMBERIAN DAWN KOMPLETNĚ PROHÁZELI SESTAVU
CD: SAGITTARI POJMENOVALI ALBUM PO MASOVÉM VRAHOVI
KAMELOT ZBROJÍ, PRAHA SE ZAČÍNÁ TŘÁST
HELLCATS: HOLKY, CO TO RÁDY TVRDĚ
ARAKAIN: VÝROČÍ VYVRCHOLILO TRIUMFÁLNÍ OSLAVOU
JORN: KRÁL SE VRÁTÍ NA KONCI LISTOPADU
ARAKAIN: XXX BEST OF TOUR SE BLÍŽÍ DO FINÁLE
NIGHTWISH MĚNÍ ZPĚVAČKU. NOVÁ ÉRA NADEŠLA
UNBORN PŘICHÁZÍ S KLIPEM, KTERÉMU NELZE UNIKNOUT
RHAPSODY V MATRIXU: TURILLI ODKRÝVÁ ROUŠKU TAJEMSTVÍ
CD: NEONFLY DODÁVAJÍ S OUTSHINE THE SUN ENERGII ROVNOU SLUNEČNÍ ERUPCI
THERION: POSLEDNÍ ALBUM, POSLEDNÍ TURNÉ… CO BUDE DÁL?
LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY: DO NEKONEČNA A JEŠTĚ DÁL
MANOWAR PŘIPRAVUJÍ NA ŘÍJEN KRÁLOVSKÝ TROJSKOK
TEMNÝ GOTHIC UDEŘÍ V DOBĚ LETNÍCH RADOVÁNEK
G3 SATRIANIMU EVIDENTNĚ NESTAČILA
ROZHOVOR S NEONFLY: TISKOVÁ KONFERENCE NA MOR
G3: TŘÍKRKÁ KYTAROVÁ BESTIE VYRÁŽÍ SMĚR PRAHA
MOR 2012: POSLEDNÍ DEN ZAVRŠIL ŠVÉDSKÝ TRIUMF
MOR 2012: SOBOTNÍ VEČER SMETLA INVAZE Z FINSKA
MoR 2012: Pátku vládl německý power metal
MoR 2012: Čtvrteční show stála a padala se zpěváky
Black Tusk a Okkultokrati ukážou Sedmičce, co je to underground
MASTERS OF ROCK 2012 ZAVRŠÍ V ČERVENCI SVOU PRVNÍ DEKÁDU
BASINFIREFEST: PEKELNOU VÝHEŇ UKONČILA STUDENÁ SPRCHA
BASINFIREFEST: ZÁVĚR SOBOTNÍHO VEČERA PATŘIL TĚM NEJTVRDŠÍM
BASINFIREFEST: PÁTEČNÍ PEKLO ANI PIVO NEZMÍRNILO
PRAGUE CITY FESTIVAL: KDE SI NECHAT PROPLATIT ZAKOUPENÉ LÍSTKY?
CD: XANDRIA VYDALA SYMFONICKÉ I ÚDERNÉ ALBUM NEVERWORLD’S END
CD: NOC MÁ S HEAVY PASSION A JEJICH THE WILDEST DREAMS MNOHO PODOB
EVANESCENCE V PRAZE: SÓLO PRO AMY LEE
BLACKMORES NIGHT: MINSTRELOVÉ MÍŘÍ NA SLAVKOV
Metalfest 2012: To nejlepší na konec
METALFEST 2012: PRSA SE NEKONALA, ZATO TEKLA KREV
METALFEST 2012: PÁTEK ZAŽIL MOKRO, CHLADNO, ALE I SPOUSTU DOBRÉHO METALU
GOTHIC JARMARK PRAHA: METAL, MÓDA, TANEČNICE
ROZHOVOR S EVANESCENCE: AMY LEE JE PERFEKCIONISTKA
ROZHOVOR S DANIELEM MŸHREM: NA PODZIM VYDÁVÁME EP
MICHAEL SCHENKER ZE SEBE V RETRU VYDAL TO NEJLEPŠÍ
EPICA: ANI MISTROVSTVÍ JI NEZASTAVILO
GOTICKÝ JARMARK ZNETVOŘÍ HNED DVĚ METROPOLE ZA SEBOU
MICHAEL SCHENKER JE ZPĚT A V PLNÉ FORMĚ
MASTERS OF ROCK 2012: ZNÁME HEADLINERA
ARAKAIN S LUCKOU ROZPÁLILI KLADNO NA 66,6 STUPŇŮ
BASINFIREFEST 2012 ZAZÁŘÍ VŠEMI BARVAMI METALU
ARAKAIN & LUCIE BÍLÁ: VYPRODAJÍ I KLADNO?
METALFEST 2012: PIVO, POT A MEGADETH
THEATRES DES VAMPIRES LAČNÍ PO KRVI PRAŽANŮ
RHAPSODY OF FIRE JSOU NA TURNÉ. JEDNA ZASTÁVKA PATŘÍ I ČR
DRAGONFORCE SE NAUČILI HRÁT POMALU
RIMORTIS VYRÁŽÍ S EAGLEHEART DO PRAHY
ALESTORM: APRÍLOVÝ ŽERT SE VYMKL KONTROLE
SABATON DOBOJOVALI, JEDNOTKA BYLA ROZPUŠTĚNA
POWERWOLF SJEDNOCUJÍ VĚŘÍCÍ A ANTICHRISTY
DAWN OF HEATHEN WARRIORS: ZATROLLÍME, UVIDÍME
DISKUSE O KLUBOVÉ SCÉNĚ: POJĎTE RO(C)KOVAT DO ROXY
FINÁLE SOUTĚŽE ROCKPRO: KDO POKOŘIL MATRIX?
HAVRANÍ KŘÍDLA PŘINESOU DO PRAHY NOVOU VLNU MELODIC METALU
CANNIBAL CORPSE DOPLŇUJÍ SESTAVU BASINFIREFESTU
NIGHTWISH REVIVAL PRAHA: MONSTRÓZNÍ ABSOLUTORIUM
SLUCH A TVRDÁ HUDBA: JDE TO DOHROMADY?
NIGHTWISH REVIVAL TO V PRAZE ROZJEDOU S ORCHESTREM
SALAMANDRA ZA JEDEN BŘEZNOVÝ VÍKEND DOBUDE OBĚ NAŠE METROPOLE
LACUNA COIL POSÍLÍ JUBILEJNÍ BASINFIREFEST
MY OWN STORY & STAY SUBWAY: VYRÁŽÍME NA PARTY
CRUADALACH BUDOU V BŘEZNU VÉVODIT SOUMRAKU HAVRANŮ
OVERTURES POTILI KREV PRO POLOPRÁZDNÝ EXIT-US
RUNNING WILD: NOVÁ PLAVBA SI ŽÁDÁ NOVÉ ALBUM
RHAPSODY: PŮL ROKU PO ROZCHODU. JAK TO VLASTNĚ BYLO?
EPICA: DVOJITÁ RÁNA PRO LHOSTEJNÉ
Topzine.cz era (February – December 2011)
Pouštní prostitutka Molly Hatchet rozpálí české publikum hned dvakrát
Rimortis předvedli v Exit-usu divokou speedmetalovou jízdu
Rimortis a jejich Zvony fantazie rozezní v listopadu pražský Exit-us
Rockeři Pavlov’s Dog v Praze představí comebackové album Echo & Boo
Nejhorší pivo vaří v Americe, říká basák Edguy Eggi
The Yardbirds míří do Teplic. Bez svaté trojice Page, Beck, Clapton
Edguy během pražského koncertu v rozpálené Vltavské hýřili vtipem
Mr. Big svým koncertem předvedli Praze, že i bez zpěváka se dá hrát
Van Canto: Nemáme tušení, zda byl festival v Praze vyprodán kvůli nám
Out of the Dark festival potvrdil status metalové akce podzimu
Stát po boku nejlepších světových bubeníků je zážitek, říká Miloš Meier
John Kelly o Kelly Family: Bylo by skvělé se s rodinou zase sejít na pódiu
Jak naladit kytaru. Naučte se mít zvuk nástroje jako rocková hvězda
FOTO: Comeback Kelly Family? Elfenthal naladili Prahu na vlnu rockové opery
Souboj techniky a ega. Kdo byl nejlepším kytaristou 80. let?
Uječený zpěv ovládl metal 80. let. Podívejte se na Ozzyho éru
Edguy vyráží na dálniční turné 2011. Koncert zažije Praha i Zlín
Alice Cooper málem umřel, na svět přišla Metallica. To byl americký metal 80. let
Recenze: Nová deska Unborn zabije posluchače příjemným utrpením
Out of the Dark Festival Tour míří do Prahy. Nejen chlapi vládnou metalu
Zimní Masters of Rock 2011 nabídne hutný metalový program. Vstupenky zde
Within Temptation: Mateřská zpěvačky nebude, turné ano! To zahrnuje i Prahu
Metalová provokace 80. let: Znáte tajemství sprostých nálepek na deskách?
Porta Inferi: CD Another World vezme posluchače do jiného světa
Pirát Dani Evans z Alestorm: Před koncertem se snažím zůstat střízlivý
Takto vypadal britský metal v 80. letech. Vraťte se s námi do doby zrození Iron Maiden
Fotky: Apocalyptica vystoupila na Sychrově. Takový koncert zámek ještě nezažil
Daniel Mÿhr: Vždycky budeme znít jako Sabaton
V Německu mám pocit, jako bych hrál pro své sousedy, říká Kai Hansen z Gamma Ray
Charles Cave z White Lies: Nejvíc mě ovlivnil Steve Harris z Iron Maiden
Svátek hudby 2011: Buskeři vyrazí do ulic, navzdory nesmyslným vyhláškám
Ohlédnutí za Metalfestem 2011: Jízda na plechovce a hektolitry piva
Iron Maiden ovládli festival Sonisphere 2011 hudbou, efekty i obřím maskotem
Apocalyptica v Sychrově symbolicky zahájí letní prázdniny 2011
Fotky: Sobotu na Metalfestu 2011 ovládlo pekelné vedro. A také Saxon a Cradle of Filth
Fotky: Metalfest 2011 má za sebou první den. Zahráli Accept, Rage a Kataklysm
Asia se vrací ve své legendární sestavě. Na mušku si vezme Plzeň
Metalfest 2011 v Plzni se blíží. Těšte se na Cradle of Filth nebo Accept
Hudební festivalové ceny 2011 začínají. Obhájí Xindl X a Divokej Bill prvenství?
Uriah Heep ve Vltavské ukázali, jak vypadá správný rockový koncert
Powerwolf exkluzivně pro Topzine.cz: Problémy s církví bohužel nemáme
Riverside v pražské Chmelnici ukazáli, jak hrát rock rukama i nohama
Blue Effect pokřtí v Lucerna Music Baru dvojnásobné DVD
Arakain jako správní rockeři pokřtili novou desku whiskou
Riverside odstartují své výroční turné v pražské Chmelnici
Koncert Children Of Bodom: Poznejte slovo fuck na tisíc způsobů
Mike Terrana: Bude to futuristické, zvláštní a tvrdé
Tom Hess rozšiřuje řady Rhapsody Of Fire
Martin Ledvina by chtěl dělat desku s Michalem Davidem
Uriah Heep v Praze oslaví čtyřicítku a představí nové album
Blackfoot v Praze: Jediný koncert ve střední a východní Evropě
Mike Terrana: Symfonie pro bicí srazila Prahu do kolen
My Own Story se po odmlce pořádně rozjíždí
SuperStar je super prostředek, jak se zviditelnit, tvrdí Michal Šeps
Nové album skupiny Škwor Drsnej Kraj přináší silné texty i melodie
Salamandra – Pavel Slíva: Fesťáky jsou v pohodě
Salamandra v Exitu Chmelnice nebyla aprílovým žertem
Within Temptation okupuje s novým albem přední příčky žebříčků
Salamandra bere klub Exit Chmelnice útokem
Škwor se těší na koncerty venku
Rhapsody of fire uzavírají ságu
Avantasia vydává živé album The Flying Opera
Strahovskou 007 se přehnala smršť v podobě tří T
Arakain restartuje na Homo Sapiens..?
Wishbone Ash – Andy Powell: Jsem závislý na koncertování
Wishbone Ash to rozjeli v Retro Music Hall
Magnum vystoupí v rámci The Vistitation Tour 2011 v Praze
Children of Bodom vyráží nakazit Prahu
Arakain přichází s Homo Sapiens..?
Radiohead přicházejí s novým albem, The King of Limbs vychází už tento týden
Iron Maiden míří na český festival Sonisphere
Miloš Meier odstartoval originální turné bubenických workshopů
Zemřel irský kytarista Gary Moore