Reviews
Metal to Infinity - September 2007
This awesome 4-piece outfit is poised to unleash its unique brand of hard hitting music. Their music and their live performance are without precedent and defy comparison.www.powermetal.dk - Wacken Metal Festival - August 2007
Backstage, there's a press tent show case with Australians Tourettes (formerly Tourettes Syndrome). The four songs aired from their forthcoming album, 'Treason Songs', and in particular the intense performance by front woman Michele Madden impresses greatly. The album will be out in October - should be worth your pocket money. The five-track pre-listen I've got with me here is all blistering material, that's for sure! Buy by the millions. (Thomas: 90/100)
Actually I had planned to check out Dimension Zero at the Party Stage, but Thomas lured me into staying for the Tourettes performance, and am I glad I did - this definitely turned into one of the highlights of the whole festival for me! I'm impressed with the general performance of the band, as mentioned before carried by front(amazon)woman Michele, who is so turned into the thing that it's almost scary. To begin with it doesn't seem very serious with musicians dressed very casually and wearing slippers, but as soon as they begin playing, it's obvious that they mean business, and damn they can play: tight, fast, precise and generally ass-kickin'! A CD that'll be a must for me when it appears.
Cheers cunts (to put it in Michele's words)! (Claus: 92/100)
Metal Hammer Magazine UK - March 2007
www.lordsofmetal.nl - October 2006
Eye catcher is without a doubt the charismatic front woman Michele Madden. The band centres around her not only visually, but auditory as well. Her vocal eruptions in the form of grunts, screams, squeals and many, many more will scare the shit out of most male counterparts. The musical basis for her antics is laid by sturdy, industrially tainted hard rock packed in eleven varied songs....... If the band keeps on getting chances to play live and to work on their reputation on this side of the planet, who knows how big they can get. Their music should be the right tool to force a big break.80/100
www.randommagazine.co.uk - October 2006
Listening to Tourettes Syndrome is a lot easier than frantically trying to describe them.... To cut a long story short Torettes Syndrome have created an album (sick sense) that draws on a massive range of musical influences while in no way sounding like any of them. Stand out tracks "Good Morning" and "R.F.S." perfectly showcase both sides to the bands persona but in no way overshadow the other nine songs on display here.My initial response to "Tourettes Syndrome" was to laugh at loud. I had no idea that a band could fulfill quite so many cliches. But thank God I persevered because "Sick Sense" is an exceptional album with a lot of very good tracks!
4 stars
www.metal-observer.com - October 2006
If you'll accept the somewhat disturbing imagery, she's got the balls to be a hard and mean vocalist.
7/10
Kerrang Magazine August 2003
"Anger, frustration, disappointment, tragedy, loss, depression... Tourettes return and
it makes uneasy listening. The quartet hit the nail on the head through, throwing
choruses that bleeds hooks into the usual downturned fray. More of that please."
Drum Magazine Setempber 2003 - Steve Anderson
"Metal has always been the most sexist of styles. Alright sit down outraged new aged
bangers and take a look around the mosh pit. There's a reason the chicks are hanging around
up the back. Way too much testosterone.Contrary to a recent Novocastrian
punter's belief, lead vocalist Michele Madden dosen't have a dick. But by Satan
she do got balls. Can anyone name the number of metal bands with a solitary
chick out front? Don't think so. Michele Madden and Tourettes are bringing
something new to an old game.Listen to Detestimony and you may learn something
about originality."
Blunt Magazine August 2003 8 - Matt Reekie
"Sydney industrial hidebeast Tourettes emerge from the caverns of the underworld to unleash their second disc of out of control mayhem, Detestimony. That wonderfully androgynous blood curdling growl from Amazonian vocalist Michele Madden is back and from the opening strains of "Stand", it's obvious the band has extended it's pallet. Different from their debut, Detestimony relies less on flat out aggression and more on original tunes and fantastic interplay between the electronic and metal sides of their sound. The excellent production is pushing things to a new level, so don't be surprised if some of their ideas are adopted (read: ripped off) by other bands hitting a creative dead end."
"Tourettes vocalist Michele Madden is quite frankly Australia's greatest
metal superstar."
Drum Magazine June 2003
"Madden is one rockin' lady. Tall tattooed and downright sexy.
Tourettes are a kettle of fish all of their own. Launching their new EP
Detestimony, the Annandale Hotel was packed with rabid punters. The crowd lapped
it up and the band reciprocated giving it their all on stage."
Brag Magazine 2003
"Local forces of evil Tourettes have sprung an interesting release on
us...Opening track Stand is fucking amazing, a hard, spiky rant that shows off the
band's rythmic capabilities and enormous energy."
U Turn Magazine - Phil Hempenstall
"This album will rip your head off.... Impressive to say
the least."
Kerrang Magazine 2002 Readers Poll
Female Pin up
- Kylie Minogue
- Kelly Osbourne
- Gwen Stefani ( No Doubt)
- Michelle Madden ( Tourettes )
- Cristina Scabbia ( Lacuna Coil )
Rollingstone Magazine 2002
"Tourettes manage to nail it...chugging and sinuous, gutsy and cool."
Australian Metal Guide
"it's hard to say if the band was named for the disease, or the disease was
named for the band! Eclectic and challenging Sydney unit creating an
amphteamine, apoplecti hybrid of metal, industrial noise, punk and other extreme
elements with arguably the most intense, brutal and aggressive female vocals of
all time. Their Talking Heads cover has to be heard to be believed."
Blunt Magazine 2002
"Blending harsh electronics, big guitars and some of the scariest female singing since
Yoko Ono's Why, this debut album from Sydney four piece Tourettes totally blew me away."
Kerrang Magaine 2001
The band are going to sign as soon as guitarist Ashley Manning's broken arm heals, an
injury he sustained during a heated argument with hard-as-nails vocalist Michele
Madden about Ozzy Osbourne!"
Revolver Magazine 2001
"I'd be hesitant to assume the voice on here is hume, let alone choosing
between a guy or a girl. Michele is in possession of a set of vocal chords that
I'm sure some secret arm of the FBI would be very interested in scrutinising
under a microscope for some kind of aural warfare."
Revolver Magazine October 7, 2000
"To my embarrassement , at first I thought the singer was a guy but then
realised she was a girl. I was amazed by her vocal abilities. Her voice is
remarkably deep and she captured that death metal roar perfectly."
Interviews
Revolver Magazine
Ashley: " You're never really sure where she's coming from, she's the classic
front person." Ross: " She's not really a woman."
"We're not into Black Sabbath. We want to make that very clear!" asserts
Ashley." Michele is way into them," interjects Ross. " She actually says
prayers to Ozzy."
Drum Magazine
What are the best things about the Aussie metal scene?
Michele: "Best? When it's on there is nothing finer. The fans are unreal. It's
the reason for everything."
Blunt Mag March 2003
Blunt : Anything else to say to Blunt readers?
Michele: "Yeah! Call my name when you come....Michele Madden.....oh.....Michele Madden
...etc....etc"
Blunt Mag August 2003
Michele on Girl Bands "You've got your ripped fishnets, your $300 pair of destroyer boots, you fall off the stage, and Ken West offers you and your fuckin' underage buddies a spot on the Big Day Out! I've been busting my fuckin' chops with my boys for the last three years and Ken knows who I am, everyone knows who I am. I'm that big cunt you don't want to fuck with. But I won't play chick shit."