13/06/2010

Mind Assault recently joined in the World Cup frenzy by finding a proper use for the Vuvuzela… funneling bucket loads of Bavaria!  Give us a loud "Oh Yeah!" in true Dime style! 

It’s no secret that Mind Assault has always loved beer, and we are now so very proud to be sponsored by Holland's Premium Beer, BAVARIA!!! “YAY!” screams we.  “NO!”  groans our collective livers… So next time you see us at a festival or gig, come up and have some beer with us! http://www.bavaria.com/ 

As some of you might know, Mind Assault is busy working on a free downloadable EP. We are super excited about it. The EP called ‘Metal Rites’ will consist of 6 tracks hitting 35 minutes.  You may recognize a few titles from our more recent live shows: ‘Die Rejected’, ‘Volksmoord’, ‘Retaliate’, ‘Dark Continent’ and ‘Vrede Deur Bloed’.  The title track, ‘Metal Rites’ will be heard for the first time only with the release of the EP. One thing we can promise is that it will be a whole lot more heavy than most of our previously released material… We’re also working with an internationally renowned artist for the visual side of the forthcoming release, but that, friends, is something you will have to wait and see.  In the meantime, check out a bootleg video of "Die Rejected" played live at Ramfest 2010 on our YouTube page HERE! 

Speaking of Ramfest, we will perform on the Ramfest stage at the legendary OPPIKOPPI, Sexy.Crooked.Teeth Festival in Limpopo Province being held the 6,7,8 August 2010! We hope to see and party with all you crazy people of the North!! Link: http://www.oppikoppi.co.za/

19/01/2010

Mind Assault on a roll...

Well, 2010 is already one third of it's way complete and before you know it, World Cup would have come and gone, leaving the year half done in no time at all.
Mind Assault has been using the time well.  Although the band has been relatively quiet on the live front, except for a mammoth show at Ramfest, we have been incredibly active behind the scenes.  This is our sixth year and we'd like to end it with another release.  We'd also like to offer you guys a fresh take on Mind Assault next time you see us live, so as to keep appearances as special as ever.  This means that we are churning out loads of new material!  Sadly, though, It also means that we will not likely be playing much in the way of smaller shows throughout the year, as busy tracking schedules are keeping us away from rehearsal time.  Fear not!  You can be rest assured that Mind Assault will appear at some of your favourite festivals this year.

Ramfest was a treat.  It was great to come and see the Mind Assault hordes out in force.  Well done to you guys who successfully managed to trash the scaffold barrier during our set.  It was dislodged from three out of four of its anchors and closing a meter gap between it and the stage to barely a hands breadth. Well done!  Next time we want to see it torn out altogether.

Check out live videos at our YouTube page

For those of you who have not noticed, another member has been adopted into the Mind Assault family tree: Bavaria Beer!  We are very pleased to announce that we are now representing this fantastic brand of quality beer in the Western Cape.  Our relationship with Bavaria will be yielding some very exciting results and opportunities also for our fans in the near future, so if you like beer, keep an eye on the Mind Assault pages.

Also in the family news: The legendary Jackson Guitar is celebrating 30 years of making some of metal's finest instruments.  To mark the occasion, Patrick has recently acquired a beautiful black RR3 V-shape to replace his outdated Performer Series.  Just in time for recording, too!  Those Seymour Duncan pick-up's are going to mark one hell of an improvement.
Be sure to look out for some 30th Anniversary Jackson T-Shirts at the shows – if you missed out at Ramfest.

Ok, so that's about all we have to say for now.  Keep safe, and keep metal, and we will see you all next at WinterFest'10 on 31 July.

19/01/2010

It’s a Brave New Year…

 …and it is filled with many great opportunities and challenges.  Will Mind Assault survive year number six?  Will we survive the recession, and the parasites who have flocked to seek dominion over our local scene?  Will we survive BEE, World Cup and Eskom?  Will we survive Zuma or Zille, or global climate change?  You have always been able to count on Mind Assault to pull through or to risk our lives trying – and 2010 will be no different.  Ok, it might be a little different in some ways.

For those of you who have been following the band for some years now, you will have noticed that we took 2009 very slow with regard to gigs.  Now having entered 2010, we feel that this was a positive step for a few reasons.  The two main reasons is that it gave us a chance to take a step back and really look at the metal scene that exists in South Africa today, compared to what existed (or did not exist) when we began our adventure in 2004, and it gave us a chance to make some room for the hordes of younger metal bands that have exploded onto the scene in the last 2 years or so and to watch them grow.  Both of these reasons are very close to our hearts, and have given us the opportunity to re-evaluate our position in SA metal, and given us time to think about our future responsibilities to SA metal.

We have decided to continue keeping a lower profile on the gig-circuit for 2010, and into the future indefinitely.  Mind Assault and some other bands now have to make space for young talent to flourish, and to ensure a future for SA metal in a broader sense than ourselves.  We are very happy with this realization because it has benefitted us as well.  Mind Assault has written more new material in 2009 than we have in 3 years prior, and in 2010 we will try to double this.  Our gigs have had a harder felt impact in the last 18 months than they have for the first 4 years, and our creativity and stamina is more than it ever was.  The most exciting news for us (and hopefully you) is that Mind Assault will be returning to the studio in 2010 with vigor.

 

So with all this said we can now tell you that this band is a survivor.  Furthermore, what has not killed us has made us stronger, and we will share that strength in our music and our friendships, and in whatever other shape we may.  If there is anything that can still be counted on, it will be the same thing that you have been able to count on for the last 5 years: You can count on Mind Assault… and our commitment to keeping heads banging and the flame of metal burning bright!

 

Make sure you catch Mind Assault live.  Heaven knows, we need the cash!  The shows will be few and far between, but we guarantee that each one will be memorable.  First appearance in 2010 is at Ramfest on the METAL4AFRICA STAGE on Saturday 27 February.

You can also catch us at M4A WinterFest’10 (details to be released) and later in the year we will do our best to visit cities that have been neglected in 2009, such as Port Elizabeth, Joburg, Pretoria and Bloemfontein.  We also have our sights fixed on re-visiting Namibia this year, so keep your eyes on this space for developments.

New shirts have been selling very well since Whiplash Festival in December.  Check them out and order now!  You can order these shirts and also copies of our album “Stigma” direct from us or from www.subterania.co.za for speedy deliveries.

Support www.metal4africa.com and the projects that they carry out.  If there is a beacon of hope for SA metal, this is surely it.