From the dusky crypts of Doetinchem, on all fours, a slimy creature called Jasper crawled forth towards Nijmegen. It would become his new base of operation. Armed with a voice appreciated only by a select group of enlightened ones, he performs there with his band neWax. In the mean time he attempts to study the continent of North America, because one has to admit ‘you got to know your enemies’.

True, these businesses may not interest the reader less because as this concerns an introduction to a Lord Of Metal, this should be about music and the preferences of yours truly. About those preferences we shall remain enigmatically vague in order to keep the illusion of objectivity alive. Jasper appreciates creativity and originality. Without those there can be no music. He is therefore in favour of musicians that do not settle for the set standards. Heavy music as a genre has most certainly proven its right to existence; however, a lot of bands can not. Plagiarizing, nothing improving, lazy musicians shall therefore have to beware for this reviewer. For them his personal wheel of fortune will not point in the direction of a place among the fine bands of this world. For any musician that does not belong to this lowly pattern there is mercy, sometimes even praise and the sounding of trumpets. These right kinds of musicians are luckily not nearly alone in heavy music and they make it the fascinating way of musical expression it is. For heavy music remains to intrigue Jasper probably until the end of his time, and that is something not many earthly creations will ever do.

This month, Jasper proudly presents the following items:

reviews:

interviews:

Favourite albums 2009:

1. Coalesce - Ox
2. Baroness - The Blue Album
3. Converge - Axe To Fall
4. Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect
5. Kylesa - Static Tensions
6. Cobalt - Gin
7. Burnt By The Sun - Heart Of Darkness
8. Goatwhore - Carving Out The Eyes Of God
9. Tombs - Winter Hours
10. Paria - The Barnacle Cordious