A Round up of Nigerian Rock Music in 2014

Compliment of the season readers, we hope you and yours the very best of the yuletide. May we all be good, gooder and goodest as we celebrate xmas to the fullest.

In our article around this time last year, on The Journey of Nigerian Rock Music, (So Far), we anticipated and professed a greater glory for the Nigerian rock fans and bands in the year 2014 and beyond. The year has actually turned out to be one where beautiful melodic songs have been churned out from bands and  have gone through our ear holes and given us that air of better things to come in less time, and in contrast to what we all anticipated would take at least 10 years to sit well within us. The year did not just start on the right note but on a rather augmented one, with the Metal and Romance rock concert/party which took place in early January in Lagos, then to the #LoveRocks valentine concert in Enugu to the Rock with XTsamurai gig, not to forget the Rock Alive concert which somehow seems to be the biggest that took place. We’ve seen a good number of rock concerts (not the Star trek rock concert featuring Wizkid, Phyno and co) but concerts featuring real rock bands and artists with “No Jollof Music” or “NO Djs” but heavy, overdriven and distorted guitar riffs, growls, drum rolls, screams, all on underlying melodic guitar or piano chords.

If the history of Nigerian rock music is to ever be written, it would be right to say that it actually started from this year. As much as the quality of live rock performance in Nigeria took a step further, the quality and quantity of songs released this year alone is worth setting up an award ceremony for the genre.  Almost every song released this year has its own unique flavor, sound, lyrical depth/delivery and unique technicality. We can of-course quite comfortably create a playlist of both foreign and local rock songs and listen to the local songs more often than not which in itself tells us of a genre that is ready to break bounds  in the country and stand on the hills of its own creation. We’ve compiled every one of them here for our readers including their download links, if you missed any, find them here and give your ears the perfect xmas present.

*Note: They are not sorted in any order.

**Zainab Sule –Fire Down Below

Download Fire Down Below by Zainab Sule here

**The Rising Rain – Redemption

Download Redemption by The RisingRain here

***Phrance – Ocho  -

Download Ocho by Phrance here

**1 last Autograph – All or Nothing

Download All or Nothing by 1 Last Autograph here

**Clay ft 1 Last Autograph – Down

Download Down by Clay ft 1 Last Autograph here

**The RisingRain – God Complex

Download God Complex by The RisingRain here

**Threadstone – God Heal Nigeria

Download God Heal Nigeria by Threadstone here

**Stage One – Bigger

Download Bigger by Stage One here

**FootPrint5 – Need

Download Need by FootPrint5 here

**FootPrint 5 – Mighty to Save (Hillsong Cover)

Download Mighty To Save by FootPrint5 here

**FootPrint 5 – Back To You 

Download Back to You by FootPrint5 here

**Prodegalous ft 1 Last Autograph – Bring Back

Download Bring Back by Prodegalous ft 1 Last Autograph here

With the force all the bands and emerging ones are putting into the music, 2015 will be an even better year. At-least four to five albums will be dropping next year from bands like Threadstone, FootPrint5, The RisingRain, Zainab Sule, and Clay as well as singles from the newly signed band, Nathmac and The Lime and we are all looking forward to all of them.

Finally, this would be the perfect moment to add this. The first ever confluence of almost all the rock bands and artist as well as emerging rock bands in Nigeria will be taking place next year on the 3^rd of January, 2015 at the Metal and Romance: Dominance rock party/concert at Bheer and Hugz Lounge, City Mall, Ikeja, Lagos. It’s definitely a concert of its own kind you don’t want to miss. Let’s meet you there.

Thanks for reading and we once more, wish you a merry xmas and a prosperous, rocky and blissful 2015. \m/
Check out for our next post on the Top Ten Nigerian Rock songs of 2014 and please feel free leave your comments of any song(s) you feel we left out or what you think of the list.

Read More

Its here again!! METAL AND ROMANCE: DOMINANCE

ATTENTION ROCKHEADS!

GUYS, ITS HERE! GET READY FOR ANOTHER ROCK PARTY!

RocknationNG is celebrating by featuring the signature of the most awesome rock bands in Nigeria.

The most sought after Rock party, METAL AND ROMANCE: DOMINANCE will take place on January 3, 2015, Saturday. It will be held at Bheer Hugz, Ikeja City Mall, Lagos. Admission fee is FREE!

The stage will be headlined by:

¤ ''All or nothing'' rockers, 1 Last Autograph

¤ ''I am Nigeria'' rockers, Threadstone

¤ Footprint 5

¤ The RisingRain

¤Stage One

¤ +234

¤ Nathmac

¤ Clones

¤ The Queen of Rock, Clay

..... and many more.

There are also other things to be offered and all sorts of entertainment such as games and pic trivia....there are also bars to buy your favourite drinks

You don't want to miss this! 

Sources: @9jaSchoolOfRock

Read More

Birthday Boy. The RisingRain's Pianist celebrates Birthday today

We at NRM wishes Ebuka Onuchukwu, a member of the band, The RisingRain, all the best as he celebrates his Birthday today. Rock On Brother.

Read More

SONG REVIEW: God Complex by The RisingRain

God Complex is a song, complex in everything that makes it unique, beautiful, and a mind blowing piece of art. In its complexity, The RisingRain, delivered every lyrics, rhythm and mix of different elements and genres of music in the simplest of ways no one could imagine. this is a song you'd wonder what and how the inspiration fell into their heads, a song with a mix of four different genres......Pop drumbeats, House music kind of guitar strumming in the bridge, guitar riffs in the verse and solo, and a cap/crown of trance genre in the chorus.

God complex is a song about someone with high ego, high-self esteem, about those who think of themselves as gods and believe everything they do is right and everything they say is final, about people who care less of people around them.

 "You word is law; you are the right one sure” from the second verse summarizes the entire song.

The RisingRain did a real great job in this song that according to them was quite a complex thing to do, "trying to derive and achieve different sounds from contrasting genres and putting them all in one pot." This is a bang from them after the successful release of #Redemption. Azonto, Etighi, Moon Walk, break dance and all of Michael Jackson’s stunts and dance steps will all be good choice if you’re actually looking for dance steps to hit and roll with on this song. It song should be rated as 6 stars out of 5 stars. Go to the download link below and listen.

Read More

The RisingRain set to release second single from Their upcoming E.P

The RisingRain is set to release another single from their much anticipated E.P. titled #GodComplex. After the release of #Redemption which attained success in media both online and radio stations, here's a new one to be released on the 30th of October, 2014. the band hinted on their official twitter and facebook page that's its a combination of rock, pop, house and trance genre, something they said is completely "out of the box" Well, we are as excited about this as they are and we just cant wait any more to hear yet another great piece of art from this band from the East. The art work which was released yesterday is also complex in its simplicity. Great artwork there!! \m/

Read More

SONG REVIEW: Redemption by The RisingRain

With the quality sounds and in-depth lyrics coming from the Nigerian rock bands and artists, the genre may as well arrive at its destination in the country’s music scene in an even less time than estimated.The RisingRain’s first single from their upcoming E.P. of three songs titled #TheNewBeginning is a song typical of rock with the basic elements; deep lyrics, soothing guitar riffs, beautiful minor-pentatonic acoustics guitar chords, militaristic-plus-gothic-kind-of drumbeats crowned with vocal texture that stands in-between, beautiful, croaky, husky, quavering, etc. (There isn’t a perfect way to describe sound, is there?)The title, “Redemption” at first, sounds churchious and puts the tired-of-Nigerian-rock-bands-being-gospel kind of listeners in a bit of a drawback but after giving the song some ears, its multifaceted lyrics could be “applied to any circumstance” according to the band……be it someone seeking redemption from God or their other half.“things you’ve done for me, and all I put you through, you looked right through all this, to a me you always knew” from the second verse sounds purely like a contemporary gospel line but could as well fit into a song written to a partner.In all, this song written, produced, mixed and mastered by the quintet band is a ten for it’s everything and for the final mixing and mastering, on the vocals particularly. Give it a listen and thank me with a hug later. The artwork also, is quite creative and out of the ordinary. It’s an old, classical handwritten letter, written to who we do not know. Rock on guys.twitter: @therisingrainfacebook: /therisingrainPurevolume.com/TheRisingRain Reverbnation.com/TheRisingRain

Read More

NIGERIAN ROCK BANDS/ARTIST OF 2014

We assembled a list of Nigerian contemporary artist some years back on this blog, which saw some bit of criticism and thumbs up. We are back on this one for 2014, but this is far more than just Nigerian contemporary artists but those that have taken the step a bit further.  Here is an updated list of Nigerian rock bands , they’ve all been doing pretty well, written great and better songs with lyrical depth than those in “Niaja Jamz & Dancehall”(Wonder if that’s even a genre in music), graced lots of stages and their songs have seen quite unfortunately, minimal airplay. We hope that radio stations will give them a run for their hardwork with more airplay and acknowledgement. Here are they:

FOOTPRINT5

Ever since the release of their E.P. of two songs, “Need” and the awesome cover of Hillsongs United “Mighty to Save”, the five man band, Footprint5 have been a really wonderful and great band every Nigerian rock fan should raise the rock sign for. The House on the Rock, Benin rockers has been touring virtually every HOTR branch church but they are yet to climb a stage in Enugu branch – which I hope they do soon. Though, their vocals may not seem to be there yet in live performances, as we’ve gathered from a very reliable source and a good friend from their visit in Port Harcourt but their guitar skills is jaw dropping. They are currently working on their Album to be released later this year

www.reverbnation.com/footprint5

www.twitter.com/footprintfive

www.facebook.com/footprintfive.rock

ONE LAST AUTOGRAPH

There is one thought that should keep the Nigerian rock fan overwhelmed and enthusiastic, which is the beautiful names these rock bands pick for themselves. Little is known about this band but provided it’s a rock band and they are Nigerians. What the heck? They are ours and deserve a place here. It is also exciting to know that these guys are working on a single which has been completed as at the time of writing this and will be released soon.

www.twitter.com/1lastautograph

ZAINAB SULE

The self proclaimed queen of Nigerian soft rock. Yeah you heard that right and it’s a well deserved title. Rocking all the way from the capital city, Abuja she has been in the game for as long as say 20.........and…”I don forget o” but hey! She is as great in personality as her music is. She has toured and played in lots of concert both local and foreign and has some wonderful guitar playing tricks under her fingers.

www.zainabsule.com

www.reverbnation.com/zainabsule.com

www.facebook.com/zainabsuleofficialpage

www.twitter.com/zainabsule

THE RISING RAIN

After their #LoveRocks2014 Valentine concert, they’ve been so much anticipation about their second E.P. which was announced even before the concert. We’ve anticipated to an extent, we individually “decipated” are they boiling or cooking stone in the studio? Na waoh!! Well we recently confirmed that the E.P. titled #TheNewBeginning is ready and we will be teased soon with a release of a rehearsal cover version of Uncharted by Sara Bareilles before the real thing hits us. We just can’t wait as they are the only full setup band out there in Nigeria, that’s a Christian but not a Gospel band. (Meaning – Their members are all Christians but their songs are not gospel songs like that of Hillsong, Footprint5, Newsboys etc) We had to add that for those who can’t differentiate between the two.

www.reverbnation.com/therisingrain

www.twitter.com/therisingrain

www.purevolme.com/therisingrain

VIVEEYAN

She is a singer, songwriter and a 400 level law student of the University of Ibadan. She does (types reluctantly)…RnB, Pop, (types enthusiastically) country, alternative and rock music. Jack of all trade you’d say but atleast “Naija Jams” is not included. She recently did a cover of  “Let Her Go” by Passenger and “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry. Her vocal texture can make a stoned-hearted dude fall in love again. Go check her out.

www.vozempire.com/download-music-let-her-go-cover-viveeyan

CLAY

If the guys are not careful in this business, they will be thrown off the cliff by these ladies. This is another lady her vocal texture and diction can keep you stuck to your music device. She is more of a pop rock artist – a Katy Perry kind of artist. It may seem like a cliché but they sound similar even as she claims to be more punk than pop. She has played in lots of concerts already and she is a joy to watch.

www.reverbnation.com/clayrocksu

www.facebookcom/clayrocksu

www.clarocksu.clay

www.twitter.com/clayrocksu

PHRANCE

This gospel rocker hit the Nigerian rock scene with his single “Ocho”, though not his first release but Ocho went mad on social media for weeks and attracted to him even more fans. The South-South born rock is another dude with great songwriting skills who is working really hard to get to the top.

www.facebook.com/phrancerocks

www.twitter.com/phrancerocks

THREASTONE

If you think you are a Nigerian and claim to be a rock fan and you don’t know these guys, my brother, you are a learner. They are the only band to have released a full album, signed to a major record label(Loopy Music), and won lots of awards to complement their hardwork.  We came across them some time ago at RCCG, their performance was electrifying. These gospel rocking artists paved the way for our generation of rockers after ROOFTOP MC.

Currently working on their second album, which we think is their reason for not been socializing much with their fans on social media (which is not a reasonable excuse anyway), we hope to see more and better of these top rocking dudes.

www.facebook.com/threadstonerox

www.reverbnation.com/threadstone

www.twitter.com/threadstonerox

IYKE ONKA

Oga boss, where have you been since o? After he released his first album, signed to a foreign based record label, we have not heard from the record producer, song writer, and multi – instrumentalist  for a while now. Did he go AWOL? We don’t know. We hope that whatever has kept him in whatever/ wherever he is, better be good or should let him go, because we need him and his soul-lifting songs.

www.facebook.com/iykeonkamusic

www.iykeonka.com

www.twitter.com/iykeonka

XTSAMURAI

This rocker has released about 3 great songs and has graced many stages with his magical fingers in Nigeria. He has worked and shared same stage with the likes of Florocka, Ese Peters, Threadstone, etc. He has an upcoming concert on the 27^th of September, 2014 with other rockers in lagos. We hope we’ve picked out tickets. Of all his songs, his greatest is the Shine in my light featuring Florocka. Give it a listen.

www.facebook.com/XTsamurai

www.reverbnation.com/xtsamurai

www.twitter.com/xtsamurai

RICHEEE RAWK

Richard Juwah aka Richee Rawk is a former founding member of the now defunct Nigerian rock band, Blacsmith. He released an E.P. titled “demigod of Rock”. He will be performing his song “Tribute to an African lady” in the upcoming rock concert with XTsamurai.

www.facebook.com/richeerawk

www.reverbnation.com/richeerawk

www.richeerawkonline.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/iamricheerawk

PEACE DOUGLAS

Peace Ufuoma Douglas, a native of Delta State is a hard rocker and has released two singles the second being the politically inclined “Stop Corruption” which talks about politicians and their corruption. We hope to see more of her in the future though as little is known about her or seen.

www.facebook.com/peace.douglas

FLOROCKA

From his name alone, we should know what a hard rocking dude he should be. A gospel rocker and presumable one the very best there is. The multi – instrumentalist, singer, Songwriter and record producer is a sure joy to watch sing or play. His power inspiring songs always, will take you deep into worship.

www.twitter.com/florocka

www.reverbnation.com/florocka

www.facebook.com/florocka

NATHMAC:

Nathmac is an alternative rock artiste,that started in lagos nigeria in 2010,he has performed with fellow rock artistes like clay,threadstones,footprint5,and other fantstic nigerian rock artiste.He is set to release his acoustic EP, titled DIARY OF A WANDERER.

www.reverbnation.com/nathmac

www.twitter.com/thenathmac

Read More