Sixtoys started quite a long time ago in 1998 as a bunch of friends wanting to make music together. Influences reached from rock through punk-rock to metal. They recorded a couple of demo’s with the help from some friends and played quite a lot of shows in their neighbourhood.
The first real MCD ‘Copy, paste & repeat’ (6 songs) was recorded in 2003 at Studio 195 (Hol), released that same year through the French label Craze Records and distributed in Belgium through Funtime Distributions. They learned a lot and built up a nice fanbase though extensive gigging in Belgium and touring countries like France, Holland, Italy and Austria.
In 2005 the well known Belgian Indie label Funtime Records showed interest in releasing a full cd together. This cd would also still be co-released by Craze Records. After a line up switch in november 2005, Hannelore left the band and Jonas joined them, they started recording in the famous DeStudio in Asse. Quite a heavy move that forced the band to strike back with full power.
And strike back they did! 'Forbidden War', recorded with the help of producers Jimmy Turbo and Dirk Miers of DeStudio started a new chapter in the bands life. While still retaining that Sixtoys punkrocking spirit, the beginning in their change of sound is clear to hear on the record (which was, by the way, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music NY).
Right now, Sixtoys are working on a new full-length album, on which they will continue to expand their horizons musically - check the new stuff out on Funfest 2008! A new Sixtoys release is planned for early 2009.
From: www.concreteweb.be/
Band : Sixtoys
Album title : Sins And Sounds
Label : Funtime
Distributor : Suburban
Release date : 28/10/2008
Release : CD
The foundation of this Aarschot area based Belgian band goes back to 1998, when a bunch of friends (with influences from Rock to Punk Rock and Metal) wanted to begin making music together. With the help of some friends, they recorded a couple of early demos and started playing gigs in their neck of the Belgian woods.
A first "real" mini-album, titled Copy, Paste & Repeat, was recorded in 2003 at the Dutch Studio 195, and it was released that same year through French label Craze Records. In Belgium, it was distributed by Funtime. Touring for the release took the band all over Belgium and outside the Belgian borders to France, Holland, Italy, and Austria. During 2005 Funtime expressed its wish to release a full-length album with the band, which ensuid in the departure of former lead singer and guitarist Hannelore, as she felt she could no longer give the band her 100% devotion, and preferred to give someone else that chance to proove himself (or herself). The band eventually chose for guitarist/ backing singer Jonas Vandenbroek to complete the line-up (further consisting of lead singer/ guitarist Jelle Janse, bassist/ screamer Peter Mulders, and drummer Peter Daems). After breaking in the new man into the new material, the guys entered De Studio with producers Jimmy Turbo and Dirk Miers to record Forbidden War (then mastered by the renowned Alan Douches at his New York West West Side Music studio), which was released in April 2006 in a co-operation with Craze Records. A video was shot for the album's track The Great Escape", and during the Summer the guys did an acoustic set in their hometown, as well as a lot of "normal" shows elsewhere in the country. In January of 2007 bassist Peter decided to broaden his horizons and joined Confuse The Cat, with whom he went on a German/ Italian/ Slovenian tour a little later.
Broadening their horizons around the same time where also the other guys in Sixtoys, who felt that after dabbling in Screamo/ Emo Punk for so long, it was time for some changes, to incorporate some of the additional influences they'd been soaking up in the most recent years. They took off some time from touring in support of Forbidden War, and went back into the rehearsal room to jam out some new ideas, the result of which (writing new songs is apparently a tedious job for this band) was eventually recorded with a working title of Vince Black at GamStudio in July of this year (with Jimmy Turbo again at the helm as producer and mixer) in the form of 11 very nice songs which are indeed different from what the band did in the past. Overall, one might say the guys now move rather into an Alternative Rock field, as opposed to the Emo surroundings they were in before! Somehow the material is groovier than before, although I'm sure that, when you're listening to both albums in a row, you'll find matching points between the two. It's just that...the Punk side of things has now been dropped for a more Rocking thing, and with an emphasis on interesting intertwining guitar work as well! Overall things are still very energetic, but there's also a couple of calmer passages (check the great vocal opening of "Words Prophets Say" – and the wacky bass solo passage in same song – and the ending of album closer "A Toast, To Stagnation", which also has a significant violin inclusion courtesy of one Stijn Verdonck), and the use of vibraphone (which at first I mistook for xylophone) in the track "Prayer For The Damned" played by one Pieter Verreyken. Vocal contributions (where not from Jonas or Peter) on four songs come courtesy of Jeroen Berger and Bob Demarsin (no previous band connections known) and "A Toast, To Stagnation" (weird song titles, by the way...or what do you feel when hearing "A Toast, To Revolution" – the album opener, "A Tale Of Friends And Other Odd Fortune", "Code Name: Vince Black", or "Guns Out! Guns Out!"?) sees renowned singer Anton Walgrave (formerly with The Same, he's released 3 solo albums since 2000 and contributed to several other artists' works) contribute his vocals.
For anyone expecting to find a continuation of this band's 2006 album, Sins And Sounds may well be a disappointment...but if you're somewhat broadminded, you will certainly appreciate the progress/ evolution this quartet went through! If you're just getting to know the band, and like their current material, a negative surprise may come when looking up the band's older material, or not...it all depends on your personal disposition, really! Find out about the music by surfing to myspace.com/sixtoys. Regretfully, there's only one track off the new album (alongside two off the debut full-length and one off the debut mini-CD – an additional song off the mini-CD can be found at www.sixtoys.be, and will show once and for all where these guys come from musically).
87/100
Tony.
From:
www.disagreement.net
SIXTOYS 'sins and sounds'
Sixtoys from Belgium started about five years ago with their EP Copy, Paste & Repeat, which was a prime example of melodic punk rock. Their female vocalist left the band shortly thereafter, which made the band turn into a harder direction on the following Forbidden War, a record that lacked the qualities of the debut. Their second longplayer Sins And Sounds has become a compromise between their preceding releases.
Brutal mosh parts still surface, but not as frequently as before. More emphasis has been put on melodies, which can be heard on the wonderful choruses with expertly arranged choirs. Especially A Tale Of Friends And Other Odd Fortune and Razor Teeth become instant favourites. Most songs are very dynamic and engaging. It might only be a coincidence, but the vocals remind me of Anthrax circa State Of Euphoria, where they fully into their humorous phase. Some tracks (Words Prophets Say, Prayer For The Damned) have kept a harder edge and would also have fitted on the predecessor. If you prefer the band’s tamer side, you should check out the nice Guns Out! Guns Out! or wait until then end when the CD closes with the catchy and relaxed A Toast, To Stagnation, one of their best songs yet.
After the disappointing Forbidden War, Sixtoys have gained some ground again. They are not as perfectly poppy as on their debut EP, but that is history anyway. The compact running time should encourage people to spend some time with suspenseful mix of punk, emo and a little hardcore. Sixtoys have never been as varied as today.
8/10
