Music
Press
To billion parsecs of Norwegian Gargamel already chroniqué in our pages, here Gargamel!, with a point of exclamation, please, which translates inter alia the enthusiasm of the chronicler when one asks him to write some lines on the new album - the fourth - of this at the very least whimsical floridien group. Gargamel! chose the extremes, alternation between the minefield and the field of daisies... a mined field of daisies, all things considered.
Exploiting contrasts, the music of the group often combines croonés verses and refrains vomits ("Da Devil's Bawlz", "Cold & Twitchy"), while proposing completely unexpected digressions inside certain titles ("Rainy Day Fun Book "," Dad Didn't Expect Supper") which is not without pointing out Shaolin Death Squad, in more concise. Between two storms, Gargamel! propose the poetic ones and refreshing interludes like "Eat out of my Butt" or "Find the Prostate" which finish drawing up the portrait of this group, supplemented by the presence of sounds worthy of the best synthetizers of the golden age of Bontempi.
Called Mandaddy, vocalist of its state, has strong similarities with Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)... at least when it sings, since the overshrill or cavernous howls also form part of its register, rather extended and extremely controlled in addition. In this exercise, it evokes Mike Patton most virulent. Handling humour in a style which generally does not lend itself to it (attention, one howls, is not necessary to laugh with us), Gargamel! will appear familiar to the tolerant amateurs of Frank Zappa or Mr. Bungle.
If the formula tends to be blown somewhat on the end, the unit remains very largely advisable with the fans of Faith No More or System Of A Down, equipped with a developed direction of humour. Once again, and it is from now on almost a habit, the puff of fresh air arrives to us of a small American local group.
- Progressia.net
Gargamel's third release, The New Tenderness, will please faithful fans and bring in a whole slew of new ones. The cd artwork is so good that the entertainment starts before hearing the first tune. Surprises await and will hit you with the opening track, 'Hey Everybody'. After getting your mind right and bracing yourself for noise, 'Hey Everybody' is a perfect reminder that no one should think they've got Gargamel's number. Swank, sexy, equally spooky and funny; this tune is a new road trip must. The New Tenderness indeed. Understand, that this recording is no less intense than their previous work, it's just that the dynamics are much more effective. The subject matter is still dark but conveyed with far less of the usual profanity. For those that miss that sort of thing, Gargamel's live shows continue to give good doses.
Mandaddy's vocalizations have always boggled the mind yet The New Tenderness shows him reaching even greater technical heights. The balance between singing and screaming is more discriminate. When the screams come with this latest recording they hit harder than ever, yet overall, this album is more fun to listen to than the others.
The entire band has harnessed this odd mixture of aggression with suave overtones. 'Little Milk Belly (upgrade)' shouldn't be sexy, but what can you do? Gargamel's new take on this original track from Revulva is a complete re-working that fits perfectly in its new skin. Professor Knuckles weaves between slick harmonic guitar fills to metal chords of gut busting crunchy goodness. Also, Mandaddy sings better than ever and sounds colossal on 'Little Milk Belly'.
The New Tenderness shows all of these musicians in top form. Highlights include Webb's unequaled ownership of 'Daddy Needs Money', Crazy Hector's eruptive lines on 'Grim Reaper' and his slap funk freak-out on 'Chowder Cough' gets your booty shaking. As always, Servobeonic Man brings out the laughs, yet his supreme ability can't be overlooked. He works within a spectrum of fathomless dimensions and could easily be a one-man encyclopedic example of what the keys can do.
Gargamel's formidable live shows are such a free-for-all that the chance to hear Professor Knuckles' studio work is a treat. 'Hey Everybody' and 'Little Milk Belly' offer particularly impressive nuances that might get lost live. 'Failure Machine' shows that there probably isn't a musical genre that he can't handle.
- Any Good Music?
Hailing from Orlando, this high profile band continues to receive region-wide acceptance. They have won awards from JAM magazine, and the Orlando Weekly's "Orlando Music Awards" (the Hard Edge category should almost be renamed the Gargamel! award). Drawing on many musical influences - Rock, Rap, Jazz, Funk, and even Reggae - these seasoned musicians provide a sound and live show that both entertains and mystifies. Gargamel!'s sophomore CD, "touch my fun", contains 12 fine examples of their ability to blend aggression, melody, and dark humor. The guitars wail, the vocals shred, the keys/samples soar, the bass plunders, and the drums keep it all under control.
- Connections
Gargamel! is one hell of a sick, perverted, one eyed monster. If you were to clone Cradle of Filth and the Back Street Boys into one new O-town boy band, you would have Gargamel! No sh#t. I gotta admit, I'm a big fan of Gargamel! The New Tenderness is Gargamel's third CD, and picks right up where Touch My Fun left off. From the very first song, "Hey Everybody" Gargamel! kicks it off with their trademark perverted porno style musical circus. Servo is witty and insane on keyboards while Mandaddy is wild and intense. Crazy Hector holds down an excellent bottom end while guitarist Professor Knuckles brings a variety of guitar styles to the table. The guitar has a reggae funk rythym one second and then bam, right into a nice chunky metal riff while Mandaddy start screaming like a man on death row. And Web is supposed to hold a consistent back beat to all this madness. Job well done. Gargamel! is from Orlando, but is unlike any band that has ever come out the cheese ball O-town. I can't believe they're not signed. Damn suite and ties. Well, OK I can believe it, but what the f#ck! Gargamel! is at the forefront of the new underground metal movement. The New Tenderness is a solid release of poetic songs of perversion and destiny. This is a band destined to tour the states and represent Florida in a big way. Go see this band live and laugh your ass off to the infamous perverted melody. Compare musically to Mr. Bungle, Dog Fashion Disco, and Stryper, well maybe not so much Stryper, but ya get the idea. - UDTV
Discography
Revulva
Touch My Fun
The New Tenderness
Fields of Happy
First Date Music 2009 E.P.
plus a few live bootleg recordings, a remix cd, and a live video compilation DVD.
Photos
Bio
Gargamel! does one thing and they do that one thing very well. And that thing is rock! Be it live on stage or on one of their CDs, Gargamel! rocks and rocks hard! And they rock in ways no man nor beast has ever heard! For over a decade Gargamel! has been touring throughout Florida and the Southeast, turning curious onlookers into rabid fans. Gargamel!’s music refuses to be pigeonholed by any one genre. Though the focus may be on hard rock and metal, heaping doses of jazz, funk, ska, reggae and some stuff that doesn’t even have a name yet is thrown into the Gargastew. Live, Gargamel! are in their element. Known for their extremely energetic shows and amusing antics a Gargamel! show is experienced, not just watched. From the guitar and bass interplay of Professor Knuckles and Crazy Hector, the pounding drums of Mas, the digital insanity of Servobeonic Man and the vocal acrobatics and psychotic presence of Mandaddy, no one leaves a Gargamel! show unaffected! They throw a lot of influences into their mix, but if one listens closely they can hear a lil’ Faith No More, Oingo Boingo, Frank Zappa, Bad Brains, King Crimson or Morbid Angel, and that could be just one song! They won the Best Metal Band category in the Orlando Music Awards almost every year it was held and have also won similar accolades across the state. From winning Best CD and Best Alternative Band in Sarasota to Mandaddy winning best Metal Vocalist 2 times at the Orlando Metal Awards, Gargamel! have earned kudos across the board. They’ve shared the stage with such national, like-minded acts as GWAR, Nonpoint, Anthrax, and Skindred as well as original “indie” acts like Tubring, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and Mushroomhead. What’s left for Gargamel!? More rocking of course!! No matter what, no matter where, Gargamel! will continue to rock! It’s just up to you to show up.
"Gargamel!'s story reflects a rare occurrence: a group of musicians, incredibly far left of center, stayed true to their often disturbing ways and found the world coming around to their way of thinking." - Katie Ball - Any Cool Music?
Gargamel! creates music that crosses the boundaries of a multitude of musical styles to produce a cohesive modern rock sound unlike any other. The band’s well polished, high energy live performance, featuring lead singer Mandaddy’s dramatic vocal abilities and hilarious frontman antics, has earned the group a large and diverse following throughout the state of Florida. Gargamel! play their music with surprising precision and always with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Their incendiary and amusing live show floors audiences each and every time.
"Some performers swear that they'll never conform, as they posture 'just so' to the public. The members of Gargamel! prove time and again that they are simply not capable of compliance. Such brutal honesty and first-rate musicianship has garnered respect. They have a huge following throughout Florida and have won the Orlando Weekly Hard Edge award so many times it should be renamed the Gargamel! award. Their newly diversified fan base indicates they've developed some disturbing form of sex appeal as well."
Katie Ball - Any Cool Music?
"Gargamel! has their own vocal acrobat in the form of the maniacal Mandaddy. Imagine a zoo run by Frank Zappa with a monkey house built from Iron Maiden albums" - Conor Mitchell, Gainesville FL Sun.
Recent Accolades:
Reader's pick for "Best Metal Act": 2003, 2004, 2006 in the Orlando Weekly's "Best of Orlando" edition.
GARGAMEL! has shared the stage with such nationally known artists as GWAR, Anthrax, Dog Fashion Disco, Tub Ring, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Genitorturers, Mushroomhead, Nonpoint, Bad Acid Trip, Skindred, and Skeleton Key, to name a few.
CD Reviews:
After listening to "The New Tenderness", I still think Gargamel is one of the best unique bands I've ever heard. They really do a good job constructing their songs, going from mellow and smooth to heavy and pissed off. When you come across a band who doesn't fit into any particular genre, you've found something original. Gargamel is without a doubt, one of those bands. Although the CD contains only 9 tracks, Gargamel never fails to surprise you. There's a little something extra you'll find on there. That is if you buy the CD. Afterall, anyone in there awkward mind would.
-TEEBAG
One look at the cover of Gargamel!'s "The New Tenderness" shows the band hasn't lost their warped sense of humor. One listen to the record shows not only haven't they lost their sense of humor, but Gargamel! also hasn't lost the superb musicianship that they've shown in the past. The Garga-boys retain their mixed bag of musical styles ranging from Latin ("Hey Everybody") to hard-edge ("Grin, Reaper", "Daddy Needs Money", "Face Hugger") to soulful funk ("Chowder Cough"). Although the album is an eclectic blend, it works, and Gargamel! is one of the few bands that can pull this off. We're sure the band wouldn't have it any
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