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With their second album, 2004's confusingly named Nine, Sweden's Platitude achieve the remarkable feat of concocting a body of songs that is unquestionably rooted in heavy metal, undoubtedly steeped in progressive rock, and yet, remarkably, still quite palatable for pop consumption. Indeed, even as they firmly plant both feet (or 14, as it were) in those normally quite challenging styles, the septet never loses sight of each song's commercial potential. Of course, whether this well-meaning intention will actually translate beyond the more open-minded metal and progressive audiences remains to be seen, but it's definitely great fun to hear angry guitar riffs, machine-gun drumming, and the often pyrotechnic solos of Daniel Hall and Gustav Kollerstrom (fit for both thrash and power metal) combined with such catchy choruses and melodic synth lines. This seemingly conflicting meeting of opposites is first unveiled by head-scratching opener "Dark Mind," but it's especially on aggressive singles like "Trust," "Oblivion" and "Catch 22" that the formula reaches combustible thresholds -- said synths recalling neo-progressive legends Marillion as much as they do new wave romantics Ultravox, amazingly enough! The more extensive (though no less immediate) "Avalon Farewell," on the other hand, finally sees fit to stretch beyond the six-minute mark (evoking memories of mid-period Diamond Head and other more traditional metal acts in the process), but still manages to steer clear of typical prog rock's smorgasbord of embellishments with its still relatively simple arrangement. Yet another great set of singles in "Endless" and "Starlight" (plus a hidden track) bring the album to a close, and prove that Platitude may really be onto something here. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide
Nine Inch Nails, guitarist sued
Wisconsin security guard claims Aaron North "intentionally and violently" injured him when he threw a microphone stand into the crowd.
Ten months after he allegedly took a microphone stand to the head at a Nine Inch Nails concert, a Wisconsin man has sued the band and its lead guitarist, saying he was "intentionally and violently" injured.
Aaron North
Mark LaVoie, a resident of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, alleges he "was struck in the head by a cast iron microphone stand which had been intentionally thrown into the audience by the lead guitarist of Nine Inch Nails, Aaron North," according to the report, which was filed in late June. LaVoie was working security at the concert at the Alliant Energy Centre and was posted between the crowd and the stage, the complaint said.
North, a guitarist known for having a penchant for wreaking havoc onstage during his concerts, allegedly injured LaVoie "intentionally, violently and without a just cause." The mic stand toss "knocked [LaVoie] unconscious, [he] fell to the floor, and was bleeding from a large laceration on the top of his head."
LaVoie, who claims he suffered "serious and permanent injury" in the incident, is seeking an undisclosed sum of damages from the band, both compensatory and punitive. He named North individually in the suit.
To bolster his case against North, LaVoie cited another outburst by North, this one available on YouTube. The video shows North performing at a Hard Rock Café and using a mic stand to smash a glass case containing a guitar previously played by Stevie Ray Vaughn and removing the guitar from the case.
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