R.I.P Sophie Lancaster

You kind of get used to hearing news stories about people’s intolerance to others and to be honest you become desensitized to a lot of it, however I’ve kind of found this story hard to forget, if you’ve not heard the story of Sophie Lancaster before it’s important to understand the situation surrounding her death.

Sophie was killed by two idiots who kicked her in the head while trying to protect her boyfriend who was also attacked; apparently the couple had been walking through a park when a gang of 5 lads mocked them for being “Goths.” 3 of the gang attacked Sophie’s boyfriend and knocked him to the ground, Sophie was then kicked & stamped in the head repeatedly by the other two lads while cradling and protecting her boyfriend.

Sophie' Mother has Lanched this short animated film highlighting the inccident called Sophie: A Dark Angel on what would have been her 23rd birthday, people gatherd on the day and released twenty three black balloons in here honour. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the charity can visit http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/.

People’s constant intolerance to other people astounds me; in fact some of the articles and news stories I have heard regarding the incident in a lot of ways have been a bit insensitive. This “goth” tag seems to be put on anyone who likes metal and looks slightly alternative and it really annoys me. What doesn’t help is when so called journalist play with these tags, here is what the urban dictionary defines the word Goth.

Goth -Someone who likes the darker side of things.

They usually listen to death metal and goth music, such as Dismember and Bauhaus. Marilyn Manson is NOT goth. He's just...weird. Real goths are not depressing and suicidal like the posers you see at Hot Topic. Goths are fun to be around and aren't afraid to laugh at themselves every so often. They don't worship Satan and aren't evil despite what some ignorant people might say. Goths don't all dress alike either. They like to create their own unique style. Goths are also very intelligent and creative. A lot of them are writers and artists. Goths DON'T envy the popular people. They are what they are because it makes them happy. Goths would rather stay who they are and be among the so called "freaks" than be like everyone else and be popular. They understand that there are more important things in life than popularity, and usually succeed in life while the popular ones don't become much of anything.
If someone becomes "Goth" because they couldn't get any friends or are depressed and angry all the time, they are most likely a poser.

this article reads like it was written by some blonde bimbo from the east coast of America whos probaly only ever had a conversation with people from the same background as her, hows it feel when someone stereo types you, cunt!

I'm on a full on rant now, sorry

sIMo

\m/

The Day we all Die

Ive had to stop recording the album, it hardly seems worth it now, we must fight to survive!

Ive sent this to the other survivors today:

More and more Survivors are joining the fight and things are gathering momentum for the night looks like there could be a war on the horizon, but how do we combat them?
On Friday head down to Drakes, dress as one of them crazies it’s the best way to sneak passed them, their aggressive but dumb as hell. We’re going to need to check you for infection when you get here, it’s just a precaution but if we’re going to beat this we’ve got to be able to get rid of any chance of the infection spreading.

Saturday we fight back!!! we need combat gear and weapons, lots of weapons! Doesn’t worry the drink will make you stronger, we’ve got the old man mixing up a cocktail of cure and adrenalin, and I’ve had some it makes you feel like you can take on elephant.
Signs are beginning to show as we slowly edge toward Armageddon. Last week there was an article in the champion about swine flu on the rise, the lies are starting and the UK is starting to crumble, I will try and contact you again but the web is unsecure, look for the man and the sandwich board for more information.

http://www.sa-da-ko.com/

I pray this is taken seriosly!! Im going to scope out the safe house tonight and look for places to hide, the man with sandwich board will be the key!!

Seven Tips to Stay Alive During a Zombie Infestation

1. Pull your shit together!

If it’s a zombie infestation, the cops, firemen, and ambulance men will all be rather busy, or dead. When the first zombies are seen, the police will take them to hospitals. Do not lock yourself in your apartment and wait for the police to save you. Do not cooperate with the authorities. They know nothing about zombies, as they believe that zombies are a myth.

2. Get armed

You do not want to face zombies and be unarmed, even if they are not so smart or quick or powerful, they will be too dangerous to fight bare handed. Firearms are good, but you should also have some side weapons you can use if you run out of bullets, or if they get too close. Anything’s good: knives, swords, axes or even poleaxes if you know how to use one properly. Blunt weapons are also good, but you must wear protection goggles and a mask, or something to protect your face from the splash.

3. Get armored

You must try to protect your body as much as you can, especially the neck, arms and legs. These are the most exposed parts to bite. You can find lots of body armor from army surplus shops, or even martial arts and hunting shops. Jeans also offer good protection from bites.

4. Leave town

If the zombie infestation caught you in a big town, you must leave immediately. It’s one thing to face 10 zombies, but another thing to face 10000 zombies. Best thing is to go to the country. Farms are quite easy to defend, and the open spaces won’t let you get caught by surprise.

5. Gather supplies

Gather as many supplies as you can. Everything from bottled water to gas – you will need it. And it won’t be hard to do it…if everyone’s dead it won’t be stealing! Best thing is to get a truck and start looting the largest stores in the area. Don’t go into big towns, and don’t start looting until you are 100% sure there won’t be a zombie attack, let alone a big one! You don’t want the authorities to stop the attack, nor do you want to end up in jail for looting.

6. Barricade

Some barbed wire and a whole bunch of gas filled bottles can do wonders when defending your resort from a zombie attack. Also, alarms are a very good idea. You can make them yourself (some cans and pots on a wire) or get a real one, motion sensors and everything (see number 5 for looting tips – Gas and Generator required).

7. Search for survivors

After you have enough supplies, and your home and the surroundings are safe, you should start searching for survivors. Even if you are the only one of your group still alive, you’ll end up going mad if you remain alone. Start with the small towns around you. It will be quite easy if you have a zombie proof car. Just go to the town limits and honk. If zombies are there, they will head in your direction and you can just leave; alternatively you will recognize the survivors and can form a group. Safety in numbers!

Powered by Sa-da-kO : The metal way to stay alive!!

Just a bit of a Sa-da-ko Update

Ok, so we are about midway thru recording the album at the moment things are in full swing, I still can’t issue a release date though but what I can tell you is that we still aiming for the end of October.

Which brings me on to the weird bogs I’ve been posting, we are currently organizing a small gig in our home town for Halloween so I apologies if the blogs are a bit random, but it’s just my attempt at viral marketing.

We’ve got quite a lot planned for the night including zombie related prizes, cheap drinks and a few surprises, as soon as I can say more Ill post it on here.

What about this bloody video?

Ah I’m glad you asked, we gathered together just before the weekend to see our 2nd to last draft, all is looking great and were really happy with the results, it’s just down to Tim at Dunloe productions to do the final tweaking and we can start rolling it out and show everyone the fruits of our labor.

Rauri from The Dept of Design is still away sunning it up in a far away land, which means we’ve had to bite our fingers patiently for our photographs, I have planned to meet him next week and go through the pics with him, as you can probably guess the next couple of week are going to be rather busy for Sa-da-ko.

Anyway that’s about it for now, can’t really give you much more info as a lot if it is a bit hush hush.

TA TA!!

Sa-da-ko & The Dept of Design

We are still hard at work at the moment in Aku Studios adding guitar tracks to the album, while J tunes up the old axe, I thought I would do a bit of an update.

Well to be honest we are running a little behind schedule, we are now looking to launch around Halloween, fingers crossed!! The album is really coming together and it’s all starting to sound amazing so much so it’s probably the greatest thing we’ve done so far and finally it’s good to see the fruits of the last 8 months finally coming together.

So that’s the audio coming together what about the visuals?

Well Tim from Dunloe productions is still working hard on editing the video for “rEd” and we are currently in talks about a 2nd video for another track off “zero one”, we’ve seen 2 drafts on the video and its all starting to come together quite nicely, we are really keen to show other people what’s been going on behind the scenes but at this stage I’m going to have to slap your hand like a naughty child!!

Other visual shenanigans, such as photos and a few bits of art work are currently being helped along by the guys over at the Dept of Design, in fact last week we gathered together all of our belongings and headed out over to a place near Churchtown just as the sun started to head down. The weather wasn’t great but I think it helped a long nice shoot and really added to the drama of the area.
Below is a selection of shots taken on the day, they are pretty raw and haven’t really been touch up yet but it gives you an idea of what we see before it goes to the next stage.

Sa-da-Ko ago-go!!

Picture the scene…

Its 12 noon in a sleepy sea side town in the North West, the old folks have bought ice creams and are enjoying the sun, then from out of nowhere, a van appears and the silence is shattered by the sound of molten metal!!!!

We have overtaken a nightclub decked out like a ski lodge for the afternoon, and we are here to make a noise!!.

Moments later the slavering horde appears, 60 metal hungry monsters all there to be part of something........ Something horrible!!

As you may have guessed already I’m talking about the video shoot for the song “red” (or aka) from the album Zero one, after months of planning filming began at around 12:20 on Saturday the 8th Aug, we arrived in full attire and set the stage for what has been for me the highlight of this year’s work with Sa-da-kO.

Once all the release forms had been filled in and the liability forms had been scribed we pretty much let the guys rip each other to bits while we rocked out the only way we know how.

It was a day that was filled with alcohol, lots of hellyeahs and brutal energy that couldn’t have been created without the help of the Sa-da-kO brood. We met a lot of awesome people and had a lot of fun and just wanted to say again a big thanx from all us to all of our new friends and old ones who appeared on the day.

I’ve put a load more pictures on the facebook fan page and of course I will keep you all updated on the filming as we go on.

Hellyeah
\M/

Marketing a Metal Band

Different bands have different ways of coming up with promotional strategies. Many bands take a look at how their favorite successful band is promoting itself... then borrow some of those tactics to apply to their own marketing campaign.

There's nothing wrong with that. It's perfectly acceptable to model the steps others have taken to move up the ladder.

However, you do run the risk of blending in with the mass of bands trying to get ahead.

SlipKnot

Mushroom Head

To stand out, you must take a fresh approach and do something different from what everyone else is doing. But you don't have to reinvent the wheel. In fact, I suggest that you still borrow successful marketing techniques -- only you borrow them from non-music fields. Good ideas are everywhere. Sometimes, the best ones are not in the obvious places.

Here's an example. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is one of the biggest and most successful rental car companies. Enterprise became successful because it catered to a specific niche within the industry -- insurance replacement vehicles. If you're involved in an accident or your car goes into the shop, you need a rental car to drive until yours is fixed. And that's the type of rental upon which Enterprise built its empire.

So what high-tech marketing technique do you think Enterprise uses to get that business? The answer: donuts. That's right, employees from local branches regularly visit repair shops in their area and bring free donuts for the shop workers. It's simple, it's cheap and it keeps Enterprise at the top of the list when repair shop customers need rental cars.

So what high-tech marketing technique do you think Enterprise uses to get that business? The answer: donuts. That's right, employees from local branches regularly visit repair shops in their area and bring free donuts for the shop workers. It's simple, it's cheap and it keeps Enterprise at the top of the list when repair shop customers need rental cars.

Ok Donuts arnt the most metal of all items but you get the idea tho, so from now on, be on the lookout for marketing ideas from any and all sources -- hair salons, dentists, dance troupes, fast food joints, plumbers, you name it.

Looking at the music industry for new ideas is fine. But don't overlook the wealth of ideas you can borrow from other industries as well.

Sa-da-ko, Self fund or chase the Deal?

So can Sa-da-ko be self sufficient, by that I mean can a band fund it’s self and become in essence its own record company, business and distribution Agent?


To be honest this isn’t a new concept and a vast majority of bands actually do this, or at least start this way, examples include French Prog /Death Gojira, Uk’s Panic Cell, Ted Maul and dare I say U.S.As vomit inducing rock crooners Creed.



The tools available have grown and become more available; you can download Social networking “bots” that scan, add friends and schmoose your new pals like some cocaine crazed idiot at a party. Units (downloads or cds) can be sold via eBay, CDbaby, ITunes etc and marketing/ advertising can be easy as sending your myspace friends a spam fritter via a silver tongued message.

As the internet & web marketing becomes more and more accessible and bands/Artists are more aware that Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites are making music reach further parts so in theory bands themselves now can distribute and sell their music on a small basis without the need of a label.

Sounds good eh?

Well actually this has led to a number of negative effects within the music industry.
One knock on effect is that labels are holding back development deals; it seems that labels & distribution companies have been burned in the past by signing up bands with huge hits and plays on the MySpace counter however once the bands start hitting the road they lack the longevity of a lot of their peers. (This could be why we have had the likes of Glastonbury Festival & Download festival with a lot of older more established artists on the bill.)


This coupled with the credit crunch means that labels aren’t just looking for “the next big thing” but they are now looking for “the next sure thing”


How do you get your band signed or at least How to get signed?

You used to be able to get label interest from a demo, but not anymore, protools make everyone sound amazing so it seems the only way to ensure genuine label interest is build your facts and figures.

• How often do you tour?
• Where do you tour?
• How many gigs?
• Of the gigs played how many cds were sold?
• How much merch was sold? How many friends on myspace? How many plays? How many cds sold via myspace?
• What was your initial outlay?
• What advertising of cds merch & gigs have you done?
• What media/radio websites have you appeared on?
• What reviews have been received?
• Who have you played with
  

So it seems it all has to go this way do whether we do decide to approach labels or whether we go alone, the ground work has to be the same doesnt it, so where do we go from here?


Well I’ve just made my check list & Sa-da-ko launches around October so only time will tell, I will keep adding more about the industry as I go on ,but message me on Sa-da-kO page myspace or twitter if you have any views on what I’ve written here or you have any hints of tips from your own experiences.

Until then laters

\m/
sIMo

Happy Endings?? Hell No!!

Now I’ve watched a few good horror movies in my time, I’ve also watched some damn awful ones but every so often I come across a film that makes me shit my pants. Not because it’s scary (honest!) but mainly because the ending of the film is just not what I expected.

Pulse



Although a remake I actually prefer this to its original “Kairo" it hit a few bad reviews but I think there is something here that makes it stand out from the, let’s be honest, pretty poor remakes of some of its J/K-horror siblings.

The Mist


Based on Stephen king’s book by the same name, The mist is set as you would imagine in a sleepy town, A mist is spotted on the horizon and soon after a whole eco system of bizarre creatures decent on the townsfolk.

Audition


Basic instinct amped up 8000%, I didn’t look another women in the eye for 3 weeks after watching this movie

I urge you to see these movies, if you already have let me know what you think…..

Meet the Family

So the last couple of weeks have been kinda insane!

Aku Studios is officially open!! This is my home recording studio based around a Pro tools HD2 rig and digdesigns lovely C24 desk, set in the rolling slums of my hometown, The plan is to specialize in rock/metal & Hardcore help out struggling local bands but more importantly it will become base camp for SA-DA-KO।

The SA-DA-KO line up is now complete and I can now confirm the members of the next evolution of the beast to be...

· Jim Arnold (Zero) –Vocal Hauntings ,Scriptings and Throat Bleeder .
Vocalist and front man for The Stendohlm Syndrome, Jim has built a lot of experience over the last couple of years as a producer/MC and has, through determination, a lot of respect locally. As well as being a notoriously ferocious front man, Jim is also the co-founder of SA-DA-KO and hand crafts some of the sickest vocal lines and lyrics I have ever heard,

· Steve Simpson (sIMo)- Axe Grinder General & Backing Haunts
Co-founder and generally a nice guy (also the guy who writes this blog hehe)

· James Dean (J)- Blade Sharpener and Chunk Leveler
Original rhythm guitarist of SA-DA-KO, during SA-DA-KO’s time of rest, Deano has spent a lot time sharpening his claws with the likes of The Stendohlm Syndrome and Derby based metalcore band Colonel Blast, J likes his riffs fast, His chords sick and his bacon raw!

· Rob Morris (Rob)- Sub Aquatic Noise Generator and Demolition
Rob has been involved in the local metal scene for some time playing with bands such as Flatliner and as featured in the local press regularly। Robs determination to make SA-DA-KO grow musically and professionally is evident when you meet him; if Rob was a part of SA-DA-KO’s body, sonically Rob would the preverbal foot that will kick you in the balls!
· Greg Jones (Gregzilla),- Stabbing Tech and Metronomus Horriblus
This drummer was first witnessed playing with the Liverpool based metal crew Sordid, When we first witnessed this guys playing we instantly knew that he was born to become part of SA-DA-KO, with beats and grooves that swing like a blade on chains and fills that are sicker than a night on the town with Oliver Reed, Jack the Ripper and R Kelly!

SA-DA-KO is starting to breathe life again and it seems every time we visit her she becomes more & more powerful, to a point that even we didn’t visualize.........

The futures bright, The futures terrifying!!

Apocalyptic Future

So I’ve been going on about these t-shirts for a while and they’ve finally arrived!!!!

So here it is......
Sa-da-ko vs Akumink T-shirts are a totally limited edition range of T-shirts from the Canadian T-shirt legends, specialising in Japanese influence and horror themes the team have created a complete series of designs that complement our music.
Just like the Japanese monster movies Sa-da- kO assaults using audio attacks and Akumuink battles using an array of visuals and together they obliterate the cityscape.
At the front of these stunners we have the logos entwined in battle, at the back we have the marks of devastation left behind.
1st Combo......shukkuttsu:


2nd Combo.......Skeleton Key:


Knock out Blow........Impaled:

All T-shirts are available from, upcoming Sa-da-ko Shows, Web site and other outlets

Work Starts on the new album in two weeks keep up dated constantly on twitter..... www.twitter.com/sadako01

Video Shoot

Ok weve been talking about a music video for ages and ive manged to talk a video director into helping us out, hes had a lot of work and projects and recently released an indie film uder the name distant shores.

You can check some of his work on www.myspace.com/7t8

Anyway hes agreed to help us out, themewise I think were going to go for a final fantasy meets horror typ of look and feel for it, mainly j-horror that sort of thing.

Weve spent the week scouting for locations and stumbled across this...

The place was pretty cool and had a saw type of vibe, it seems to have been an old mill in the past but is ideal for what we have in mind, so much so i practially shoot an intire sd card full.

I think this ideal but were gonna check this one last place just in case its better. while looking for locations I stumbled across a cool site http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/ which hasnt got anything to do with the film but is an urban exploration site, this means its just a site filled with people who look for derelict industrial areas like this, if you get chance check it out its pretty cool.

Im going to create a folder on our facebook page so you can see some more if you would like to.

for now laters....

ALBUM COVERS!!

I posted some CD cover designs on the Myspace ages ago but thought I would put some up on here...

I like kinda like the top image and I think this is the one we are gonna go with, hey if some has any better ideas let me know.