"Legion Of Lies", the new video from ACT OF DEFIANCE, the band featuring former MEGADETH members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar), alongside ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner, and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass), can be seen below. The track is taken from ACT OF DEFIANCE's debut album, "Birth And The Burial", which will be released on August 21 via Metal Blade Records.

"Birth And The Burial" track listing:

01. Throwback02. Legion Of Lies03. Thy Lord Belial04. Refrain And Re-Fracture05. Dead Stare06. Disastrophe (A New Reality)07. Poison Dream08. Obey The Fallen09. Crimson Psalm10. Birth And The Burial

Pre-order the album at MetalBlade.com.

In a time of endless sub-genre classifications being thrown at bands, ACT OF DEFIANCE cut to the quick, offering 100-percent in-your-face, uncompromising metal. "If you invited fans of all kinds of metal — from thrash to Scandinavian metal to modern American metal — and had them all in a mosh pit, ACT OF DEFIANCE would be their soundtrack," asserts Broderick.

Having a deep-seated respect for each other, Broderick and Drover share a very complementary writing style, instinctively getting where the other is coming from.

"Shawn knows metal inside and out," says Broderick. "He's always been a metalhead, so we come from the same musical background, and we get that world. We didn't really talk about what we might do next until after we had both left MEGADETH, and we were like, well, we came up with all of these great riffs for MEGADETH that were never used, so we decided to use some of those for the basis of what we were going to do with ACT OF DEFIANCE. Out of that spawned a burst of creativity and a lot of newer material, and it was all really exciting and what we really wanted this band to be."

Drover is very much on the same page, believing the two have a special chemistry that goes beyond their musical collaborations. "Having the same vision of what we want to do musically, from a business perspective, and in terms of what we want to achieve with this band, is a really important factor," he says. "It means we can concentrate on making the best music and we can and look at the overall picture, instead of squabbling about who should get more songwriting credit and unimportant crap, which often leads to the demise of so many bands. As far as we are concerned, the body of music we create is what matters."

While Bachand is better known for his work on six rather than four strings, coming into the band he stepped up straight away, impressing Broderick and Drover with his adaptability and playing style. "I'd met Matt many times before and he's a great guy and an all-around great musician," Chris says. "He plays bass like a bass player, which was awesome for me, because when I demoed the songs it was pretty much laying down the bass just so it had some lower notes and then moving on! But he came in and he spent the time and made them into really nice bass lines that added an extra dimension to the songs, which not all guitarists can do, and he really gets what we're trying to achieve with this band."

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place with Henry Derek Bonner, who was recruited following an extensive search. Determined that the band needed to be fronted by a vocalist who was not limited to the standard practice of screamed vocals or clean vocals, they demanded versatility, and Derek delivered. "We started from a list of I'd say 30 vocalists, and we worked that down to a shortlist, and we sent everyone on that a demo to lay some vocal tracks over, and when they all came back we knew Henry was our guy," Drover enthuses. "He can do the super-heavy, growling vocals, he can do the really melodic clean vocals, but he can also do everything in between, and he has the ability to really build and shift within that range," adds Broderick. "The other really cool thing I really like is that his really heavy singing still has pitch to it. There are these really melodic lines even in his heaviest vocals."

It takes only one exposure to "Birth And The Burial" to become abundantly aware that this is not the sound of a bunch of guys screwing around. Kicking things off with first single "Throwback" they throw down the gauntlet, the track erupting in a cascading lead before launching into a breakneck thrash attack, sounding very much like four guys ready to fight, its massive chorus only upping the ante. The merciless intensity displayed is a mode they return to often, "Thy Lord Belial", "Dead Stare" and "Disastrophe" particularly upping the adrenaline and sure to cause mosh pit carnage. However, groove and dark melody are as important as flat out riffing, kicking up plenty to inspire mass headbanging and fist-in-the-air excitement, and they also have their more brooding, atmospheric moments, "Poison Dream" and "Obey The Fallen" possessing a somberness alongside their compelling sonic violence. Fans of Broderick's previous work are aware of his incredible talent when it comes to shredding, and on "Birth And The Burial" he unleashes some of his most breathless and compelling soloing to date, finding the perfect marriage between technicality and melody.

"I really loved the luxury of being able to look at the rhythm behind the solo and have it support the kind of soloing I wanted to do," he says. "What I really like to do is listen to the rhythm and imagine what I want to hear, whether it's a harmonic, rhythmic kind of sixteenth note kind of thing, or a melody that is really haunting and eerie. After I flesh some of that out I let my inspiration take me as I'm creating the solo. I've never been one to typically improv a solo and say that's it, and I wanted every one on this record to really have a life of its own."

Thematically, the band explore their own personal experiences, focusing on some of the harder truths, the aggression of the music the perfect vehicle for expressing such sentiments. "'Poison Dream' is about somebody being consumed by a dream of fame or power or money, and how they will sacrifice anything to get that, while 'Legion Of Lies' is about a person who is constantly casting out negativity and betrayal and trying to deceive those around him, but we hope that fans will take these lyrics and put their own personal meaning to them," Chris says. "You never want to make them so specific to any particular situation, and I think a lot of these experiences are really relatable."

The album title is lifted from the anthemic closing track of the same name, focusing on a person burning their bridges with friends and those they have worked with in past, and asking them to look for forgiveness before it's too late. "The line 'you reap what you sow, the birth and the burial' — to me, that really sums it up, because what you do in life will reflect in the time that you die, and I thought that was really cool in the way it tied into the record," Broderick says.

With recording split between three studios in three different states, Broderick handled vocal and guitar production at his own Ill-Fated Studio in Los Angeles, Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, REVOCATION, MUNICIPAL WASTE) worked with Drover tracking the drums in Dexter's Lab in Milford, Connecticut, while Bachand laid down his bass at ManShark, in Southampton, Massachusetts. While the band had a lot of work to do, when they headed into the studio things ran very smoothly.

"We had pretty much everything demoed by the time we started recording," Chris says. 'We would change things as we were doing the final takes, but for the most part we knew exactly what we were playing, and from there it was a case of making sure we got really good takes." With artwork courtesy of Travis Smith (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and their logo and emblem the work of Van Williams (formerly of NEVERMORE and currently of GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS) the band focused on ensuring every element of their presentation had meaning to it, wanting to offer fans the proverbial full package, and they have every intention of being around a while.

"I want ACT OF DEFIANCE to be a hard working, heavy metal road-dog band, and we really do have what's almost a blue collar sensibility and perspective," Drover states plainly. "We know we are going to have to earn this and that we can't rest on what any of us have done previously, and that is something we are more than willing to do. Believe me."

Band photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Swedish death metal veterans GRAVE have completed recording their new album, "Out Of Respect For The Dead", for an October release via Century Media.

Three years have passed since the release of GRAVE's last opus, "Endless Procession Of Souls", that was followed by a European headlining tour together with SONNE ADAM, the release of the vinyl-only "Morbid Ascent" EP and another tour with labelmates ENTOMBED A.D.

Since fall 2014, GRAVE has been working on the follow-up to "Endless Procession Of Souls". And it has turned out to be one of the angriest and most evil albums of the band's career.

A track from the new CD, "Redeemed Through Hate", can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

GRAVE is:

Ola Lindgren - guitar, vocalsMika Lagrén - guitarTobias Cristiansson - bass, vocalsRonnie Bergerstål - drums

Swedish rockers GRAVEYARD will release their fourth full-length album, "Innocence & Decadence", on September 25 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was recorded at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, Sweden with Janne Hansson (ABBA, THE HIVES, OPETH) and Johan Lindström (TONBRUKET).

"Innocence & Decadence" will be released in various formats (vinyl look digipak, digital download, black/clear/splatter/orange/green/bi-coloured vinyl as well as a t-shirt/CD bundle). Pre-order your copy here.

The official trailer for "Innocence & Decadence" is available below.

Commented the band: "Got a new album coming your way in September called 'Innocence & Decadence'. It's gonna be an album filled to the rim with a little bit of this — and for all of those who might wonder or worry, there will be quite a lot of that on it as well.

"We've had a great time recording the album at the 'gemytliga' Atlantis Studios in Stockholm together with Janne Hansson and Johan Lindström. And after kinda being away from our daily routine as a touring band and the thrill of a new album on its way... we wanna leave you with.

"Good to be gone, great to be back and let there be September!"

Find the stunning cover artwork for "Innocence & Decadence" below.

SLIPKNOT performed Tuesday night (August 4) in Mansfield, Massachusetts without the band's bass player, Alessandro "Vman" Venturella, who was rushed to a hospital two days earlier just six songs into the group's concert in Hartford. According to reports, Venturella was at the venue for last night's concert and played bass from behind the stage, but did not join his bandmates during the show.

Fan-filmed video footage of the Mansfield gig can be seen below.

Speaking to Mistress Carrie of the Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts radio station WAAF on Monday (August 3), SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor stated about Venturella's condition: "I can say that Alex is okay. We're being told that it was a dehydration problem that led to… Basically, he just kind of lost consciousness. The doctor said he's okay. He's been discharged from the hospital. He's gonna need plenty of rest, but we are not planning on canceling any shows. So, right now, we're just kind of looking at… basically, trying to balance what we need to do for the fans against what we need to do for Alex's health. We're just kind of playing it by ear right now. Luckily, we [had] a day off [on Monday], so he [could] kind of get some rest and get some fluids and everything. He's got a whole regimen that the doctor wants him to do and make sure he's taking care of himself. But the good news is that he's okay, [and] he's feeling better. And it just comes down to making sure that you take care of yourself."

SLIPKNOT guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson reportedly handled most of the bass duties on the band's latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", with some help from Venturella and former touring bassist Donnie Steele. Taylor spoke to the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast about how SLIPKNOT eventually decided to hire Venturella to finish out the record and join the band on the road. He said: "[The way] Vman [came into SLIPKNOT] was a little different [from the way drummer Jay Weinberg did], because we had a couple of people that we were looking at and that we had actually worked with, and it just wasn't vibing. Nothing against them technically — it just wasn't vibing. And I think Jim was actually the one who said, 'For now, let's bring Vman in. He can handle it.' 'Cause the dude is a ripper. A lot of people don't know that. We met him through MASTODON, so we've known him a long time, and Jim knew just how good he was. So he came in, and he just started handling it. And he's so easy to hang out with. He's such a great dude. And it just got better and better and better and better and better. And the question got brought up towards the end of the album. It was, like, 'What are we gonna do live?' And we were, like, 'What do you mean? He's coming with us.' It was a slower burn for him, because we had tried a couple of other people. But it worked so well that it was just, like, 'Okay, this is it.' And then it was trial by fire, 'cause now you're jumping out of the airplane. The first gig was Knotfest in front of 25,000 people. That was their first gig. But it came off, man, and it's just gotten better. It never gets easier, but it's gotten better."

SLIPKNOT's original bassist Paul Gray passed away in May 2010 from an accidental overdose of drugs.

SLIPKNOT's "Summer's Last Stand" tour kicked off on July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida and is scheduled to hit Holmdel, New Jersey on Wednesday night (August 5).

Fan-filmed video footage of FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's July 28 performance at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg, Sweden can be seen below.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM singer Eric "A.K." Knutson told From Hero To Zero last month about the band's forthcoming follow-up to 2012's "Ugly Noise": "We're working on a new record now, and most of it's been done… actually, some at Mike's [Gilbert, guitar] house, some at Steve's [Conley, guitar] house, some at my house… So it's actually coming along very nicely… We go home [to Arizona] in a couple of weeks [following the completion of the European tour], and I finish the vocals for the new record, which we don't have a title for yet. The new record has songs that sound like they came from the '80s, some songs that sound like they came from the middle of our career, and some songs that sound like they're brand new, and they're all on one record together. So it's kind of difficult to come up with a concept or a name for it. So we're not quite sure what we're gonna do there yet. But the music is basically done; I just need to go home [and] finish vocals, and then we come back to Europe for another four or five weeks, and hopefully have the album out before the end of the year."

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM last year parted ways with guitarist Edward Carlson and bassist Jason Ward and replaced them with Steve Conley and Michael Spencer, respectively. The band also recruited SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner after Kelly Smith left the group in November 2014 to focus on caring for his family.

Spencer stated about the new FLOTSAM AND JETSAM material: "There's a great, old-school thrash vibe going on with the direction of the songs and what originally influenced the band, mixed with a little of what we like about today's sound, in metal."

"The Ride Majestic", the tenth studio album from Sweden-based melodic death metal experts SOILWORK, will be released worldwide on August 28 via Nuclear Blast.

In preparation for the CD's release, SOILWORK has created a two-part mini-documentary inviting fans and newcomers alike to take an inside look at the band's history. Check out part two below.

Joining SOILWORK on tour in support of the effort will be new bassist Markus Wibom, formerly of Helsingborg hardcore group HEARTS ALIVE. Wibom replaces longtime bandmember Ola Flink, who has amicably left the group to focus on other endeavors. Wibom has been a personal friend of the band for many years and has previously toured with SOILWORK as a guitar tech and lighting designer. Wibom made his live debut with SOILWORK in Stockholm on April 30. Vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid states: "We all, sooner or later, come to a crossroad in our lives when our focus of being fueled by the past is just as strong as our visions of the future and we have to make that incredibly hard decision. Where do I go now?

"Flink will forever be a symbol for SOILWORK and of all we were and still are about. That being said, we all could sense that he eventually would come to the above mentioned crossroad. He understandably and respectfully chose to step down. "So, where do WE go now? Let me introduce you to one of the finest and most stand-up people I know: Markus Wibom. He's been a longtime friend and is an overall multi-instrumental amazing musician. He's been with us before, on past world tours. He's also an amazing character and I couldn't think of a better person to fill Flink's shoes, which indeed are very big… literally. (Markus's shoe size is actually even bigger, if anybody wants to know)

"Anyway, as much as I will miss Flink, I'm just as excited to tour the world with one of my absolute best friends.

"Thank you, Flink; you will forever rule. Thank you, Markus, for taking this on. I know you will blow people's minds, once the world tour of 'The Ride Majestic' commences.

"Please give Markus a very warm welcome, everyone!" Wibom adds: "It's a great honor and a true pleasure to play with such skilled musicians and amazing people! It's going to be awesome to share the stage with those guys after all these years on the road together, and with the new record coming up — it absolutely kills!" Catch Wibom out on tour with SOILWORK on the band's upcoming European headline tour, dubbed "The Tour Majestic", with support from HATESPHERE. The European dates will follow SOILWORK's upcoming U.S. tour with SOULFLY, DECAPITATED and SHATTERED SUN.

Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, LOADED, WALKING PAPERS) is currently at Jupiter Recording in Seattle, Washington laying down tracks for a new studio album. Joining Duff for at least some of the sessions are longtime DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED bassist Jeff Rouse, former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin and STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga.

A couple of video clips from the studio can be seen below.

Speaking about his recent three-song EP, titled "How To Be A Man", which features a guest appearance by former GUNS N' ROSES axeman Izzy Stradlin, Duff told the Rock It Out! Blog: "I had a really good time just creating… I've played on a bunch of Izzy records over the last fifteen years, and it was just really nice to be in the studio with him for a couple of days. I really trust whatever he does. If he says, 'I've got a bridge. I've got a part,' I know he's got a part. It's not, like, 'Oh, let me hear it.' It's, like, 'Okay, he's got the part. Good. That's taken care of.' And, yeah, I'd like to do more music with him — always; for the rest of my life."

"How To Be A Man" is a companion piece to McKagan's new book, "How To Be A Man (And Other Illusions)", both of which were released on May 12. The EP also features contributions from ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell, STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga and drummer Taz Bentley.

The "How To Be A Man" book is the follow-up to McKagan's critically acclaimed New York Times best-selling memoir "It's So Easy (And Other Lies)".

Among the topics in the book are communication in relationships, albums men should listen to, and world travel tips such as "Don't smoke crack on a leased private jet — the smell gets into everything."

McKagan said that the book is a spinoff of a column with the same name that he wrote at Seattle Weekly for five years. He described the book as "a how-to guide of things I've learned about life — being a dad, being a husband and being in a rock band."

Video footage of L.A. GUNS performing the song "Wheels Of Fire" on July 31 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below (filmed by Jake Perry).

The current lineup of L.A. GUNS includes singer Phil Lewis (GIRL, TORME), guitarist Michael Grant (ENDEVERAFTER, ASSASSINS), drummer Steve Riley (W.A.S.P., STEPPENWOLF) and bassist Kenny Kweens.

L.A. GUNS announced in September 2014 that bassist Scotty Griffin and the band "decided to part ways," adding that the group was welcoming back Kenny Kweens as Scotty's replacement.

Several hours after his exit from L.A. GUNS was made public, Griffin took to his Facebook page to refute the band's claim that the split was amicable. He said: "I was kicked out, plain and simple. Or, as it was exactly worded, 'Phil has decided the band is going to move forward without you.'"

He added: "Why it was posted as 'Scotty Griffin and the band have decided...' is beyond me. I was never part of this decision. I never knew this decision was being made, and I never wanted, nor ever said I wanted to leave L.A. GUNS."

Due to "extenuating circumstances and musical differences," guitarist Stacey Blades announced his departure from L.A. GUNS in December 2012.

Blades played on four L.A. GUNS albums: "Rips The Covers Off" (2004), "Tales Trom The Strip" (2005), "Loud And Dangerous: Live From Hollywood" (2006) and "Hollywood Forever" (2012). He also authored a book, "Confessions Of A Replacement Rockstar", which was published in 2009.

L.A. GUNS' last studio album, "Hollywood Forever", was released in June 2012 via via Cleopatra Records. The CD was recorded with legendary producer, and old friend, Andy Johns, who had previously worked with LED ZEPPELIN, THE ROLLING STONES, CINDERELLA and VAN HALEN, and who collaborated with L.A. GUNS on their previous three albums.

Juan Croucier (RATT), Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE), Mike Moore and Toni Aleman have joined forces in a new project called RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER. The band will exclusively play songs from the RATT catalog.

Having solidified the core of RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER (lead vocals, bass and drums), Juan and Pete set out to find the right guitar players for the group. After extensive auditions resulting from hundreds of submissions, they found two very talented guitar players in Mike Moore and Toni Aleman. Sharing the same passion, commitment and vision, they have been diligently rehearsing a set of over eighteen songs.

"We have left no stone unturned," said Croucier. "We've been working long and hard. It's all about the live show. We take this very seriously. Mike and Toni are simply killing it! There is a unique chemistry between the members of this band that is often so elusive. Our attention to detail has culminated in a fresh, energetic and modern twist on RATT's classic catalog of songs. I believe that anyone who loves RATT will really enjoy this band too. I can't wait to get out there and bring it to the people. After all, they are the ultimate judges of our art."

RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER will begin performing in September and is currently booking shows.

For more information, visit RattsJuanCroucier.com.

Seattle’s number one rock band, The Guessing Game featuring Jeff Rouse (Duff McKagan’s band LOADED, FOZZY) is releasing their new album Destroy It All  on Guessing Game Music, August 20th.
 
The single “Death Valley” will be the first to hit the airwaves blowing the minds of the masses, according to a press release. With the aggressive sound of this new album, The Guessing Game is ready to take their place in the vanguard of the international rock scene. Fueled by the ferocious vocals of Jeff Rouse, and driven by the onslaught of heavy guitar riffs, the band has been winning legions of fans with its uncompromising stage show.

 
“Sometimes art imitates life. The Guessing Game has been the saving grace in mine,” explains Jeff Rouse, vocals/guitar. “Shawn, Kathy, Gary and Keith lifted me up and once again followed me down a path that I needed and wanted to explore.” In 2013, Rouse had sought out long time Seattle rock luminaries Kathy Moore (Brad, Satchel) Gary Westlake (Peter Frampton, Flight To Mars) Keith Ash (Star Anna) and Shawn Zellar (Redneck Girlfriend).
 
Jeff Rouse: “Destroy It All is a testament to what we have become as a band and what 5 people can do emotionally, artistically, and cinematically in once again a very short time.”
 
Pre-order’s get a $1 discount (so basically a free song) and they will be able to immediately download the song “Royal Blue”. 
 
For more details visit Facebook.

 

Vancouver-based Test Your Metal Records is proud to announce its next signing of Kelowna, BC's leading death metal architects, Gomorrah. 

Already sharing the stage with such bands as Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Archspire, Ancients, Striker, Origin, Beyond Creation, King Parrot, Ninjaspy, KenMode, Bison BC, The Agonist, Fuck The Facts and creating a strong following in their home province and the Okanagan Valley, the brutal death metal band will be releasing their yet to be titled second full length on the label in 2016 to follow up their independently released 2013 debut album, Perception.

Gomorrah recently released their summer single "A Disaster's Nightmare" with the support of a music video, which can be viewed below.

Gomorrah is for fans of Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, Decapitated, Bloodbath, and Necrophagist.

"Gomorrah's new album is going to rip the death metal scene apart! Technical, punishing with enough groove and melody to keep any listener captivated!  Look out for their new album coming out in early 2016!" comments label founder / owner Grant Truesdell.

Gomorrah, formed in the Okanagan valley of British Columbia originally as a black metal outfit in 2006 has now grown into an assaulting brutal groove and technical death metal band ready to unleash their boundary-pushing extreme sound in their upcoming, yet to be titled, second full-length in 2016 on Canadian label Test Your Metal Records to follow their 2013 Perception LP and 2011 Rome EP.

Guitarist Bowen Matheson: “We have stepped up the quality of everything: the pre production process, the writing, structuring, lyrics, individual performances, mix and master have been improved. The combination of all those improvements translates to a major difference between our previous recordings and the single 'A Disaster's Nightmare' as well as this forthcoming full-length. Improvement, through effort and time.” 

A Disaster's Nightmare by Gomorrah

Gomorrah:

Connor Bartley - drums
Jeff Bryan - vocals
Bowen Matheson - guitars

Photo by Sheldon Dent

RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, has been rejoined by singer Darren James Smith. Darren's first shows back with the group will take place on September 6 and September 10 in California, followed by a tour of Japan that begins on September 15. RED DRAGON CARTEL will take the rest of 2015 off from touring to hit the studio and start recording. The second album from RED DRAGON CARTEL will be ready for release in the first few months of 2016.

Earlier in the year, Smith told "The Shoe With Miles Schuman" Internet radio show about RED DRAGON CARTEL's infamous debut live show in December 2013 at West Hollywood, California's Whisky A Go Go, which was widely panned due to Darren's out-of-tune vocal delivery and seemingly inebriated state: "None of us were ready for that show. We all met in Vegas, we had, maybe, four days rehearsal, we rehearsed the night before until about 4 a.m., got up at 7, drove to the desert, got to L.A. around 4 in the afternoon, or sometime early in the afternoon, and there was fans there and paparazzi from the minute we got there. So it was overwhelming. And the amount of time I had — us being the headliner — until we were on, and just the lack of sleep, and really not knowing what my job really was. Nobody in the band, not even Jake, nobody told me what my job was. It was just, 'Go and do it.' So… I don't know what people want. I just thought they wanted kind of Ozzy and stuff like that, and they wanted a party, they wanted to have fun, but that's not what they want. And at the end of the day, man, on my own terms… I mean, I just said, 'Okay, if they don't want that, I'll do it the other way.' I didn't realize that people would think I'm trying to upstage Jake. I was not; I was just doing what I do. But I got a handle on it. And there was no feeling between me and the band. The next day, I just came back to the drawing board, and then that was that. The very next night, I changed the rules a bit and everything was fine. But, I mean, we just played there [again in November], we'll call it the 'scene of the crime,' and we had a great show, like a phenomenal show. [And there was] not word about it. So we were talking about it afterwards, and it's, like, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to us, was that I set myself up to fail. Because it was nonstop talk. And we do a perfect show, [and there's] not a word about it."

Regarding the negative Internet criticism he received about the first Whisky show, Darren said: "Everybody's a warrior or a soldier when they're sitting on their couch, scratching their balls. I mean, people are so tough and brave when they're in the comfort of their own home, but half these people making comments have never stood on a stage. And the ones that have stood on a stage… A real musician wouldn't shit on a fellow musician. So the way I look at it is, if you've got something to say about a fellow musician, well, you're just a douchebag. [Laughs]"

He continued: "I'll be honest with you, I don't read or any of that shit. I never go online and read about it… I mean, in the beginning I did and it was very hurtful stuff, and it did affect me, but at the end of the day, I know what I'm capable of, Jake knows what I'm capable of, and things have changed. And I get no complaints now. But at the end of the day, I'm still doing this for me. [There are] people out there that still don't like me, but you can't be liked by everybody. You can't go through life trying to please everyone. It's futile."

Asked if thought he "redeemed himself" in the eyes of Jake's fans since the first Whisky show, Darren said: "Less than 24 hours later I did. And I really don't care. And as far as redeeming myself, I'm more comfortable on stage now than I've ever been, and I just had to figure it out for myself. And, like I said, as a band, we were not prepared to play the Whisky. I wish we had done some warm-up shows here and there and figured it all out. I hadn't been on stage fronting a band for that long, for the length of a show, which is also exhausting, I found out [laughs], thus the treadmill before I go on tour. But I had to figure things out for myself. And I'm human, and I'm fallible, and I'm capable of making mistakes, just like every human being is. And the people that were really cruel about it, I could give a flying rat's fuck about it — I just don't care — but the people that like it? You know, cool. Cool. That's great. I'm gonna do it regardless if people like it or not. This is what I'm born to do. This is what I do."

RED DRAGON CARTEL recently played several shows with former JONES STREET singer Shawn Crosby. Rounding out RED DRAGON CARTEL's touring lineup were bassist Anthony Esposito (LYNCH MOB, ACE FREHLEY) and drummer Jonas Fairley.

Crosby made his live debut with RED DRAGON CARTEL on July 9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Prior to hooking up with Crosby, RED DRAGON CARTEL was fronted by Canadian singer Paul D'Eath (CITIZENS UNITE, MUSHROOM TRAIL), Chas West (Jason Bonham, LYNCH MOB, 3 LEGGED DOGG) and Michael Beck.

Beck made headlines in April when he sang the lyrics to Osbourne's "Now You See It (Now You Don't)" while the rest of RED DRAGON CARTEL played "The Ultimate Sin" at their first show together in Miami, Florida. Beck later blamed the mixup on the fact that he "had no monitors at all" and he "couldn't hear anything."

RED DRAGON CARTEL in March announced the departure of bassist Greg Chaisson, who exited the group because he could "no longer take any more time away from [his] regular job."

RED DRAGON CARTEL's debut CD sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 69 on The Billboard 200 chart.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's setlist includes new material like the singles "Feeder" and "Deceived", as well as major hits from Jake E. Lee's glorious past: "Bark At The Moon", "The Ultimate Sin" and "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel" (all originally recorded by OZZY OSBOURNE), as well as "Shine On" and "High Wire" (BADLANDS).

Video footage of RED DRAGON CARTEL with Darren James Smith performing in Dayton, Ohio:


RED DRAGON CARTEL (featuring Darren James Smith) 2014 promotional photo:

Former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young and vocalist Sherri Klein, working together under the official moniker of Jeff Young & Sherri, have posted live performance footage of a new original song entitled "Go Funk Yo Self". Check it out below.

They have also issued the following update:

"Alright Las Vegas! We need you all to come out and sing along and dance with us!! This Friday night, August 7 at The Lounge at the Palms! Think James Brown meets 'Crosstown Traffic' on this one... and it goes a little sumthin' like this right hee-ya! We're looking' around at each other like crazy cuz it's the first time we ever played this live!" 

For information and updates on Jeff Young & Sherri go to this location.

Set to kick off their headlining North American tour this week, Finnish melodic death metallers Insomnium have announced a live replacement for vocalist/bassist Niilo Sevanen. 

The band comments: "Last Saturday we got unexpected phone call while driving to Gothoom Festival in Slovakia. Unfortunately, serious illness had taken place in Niilo's close family. We all felt devastated but somehow we were still able to pull through the show. However, due to these unpredicted circumstances, there was no way Niilo could have been able to leave his family behind and attend the upcoming US tour. Family is the most important thing and always comes first. We were left with two equally bad options. To cancel the tour altogether or to go and try to find replacement for Niilo in couple of days notice. We had already invested considerable amount of money on this tour and whole tour personnel had made commitments to take time off from other work to do this tour. At the same time we felt really bad about thinking about financial side of things while one of our best friends was going through terrible family tragedy. After series of emergency meetings we decided to go and look if there would be anyone that could help us out. All things considered, 50% original line up would be better than no line up at all. We also did not want to let down all the people who had already bought the tickets. Most importantly, we did not want to give up. So we went and wrote to all our friends on the state side and asked if anybody knew anyone. The response and the number of people who wanted to help us out overwhelmed us. Several talented individuals were ready to step in with short notice. We are eternally grateful and humbled by this response and it only shows how dedicated and compassionate people in US metal scene are. After numerous encounters we came across Mike Bear (Artisan, Prototype) who will be handling growling and bass duties on this tour. Mike Bear comments 'It's a huge honor to be able to help out Insomnium as they embark on their first headline tour of North America. I've been to their shows each time they've visited the U.S. over the years, and the performances and energy are something I hold in my mind as a benchmark to bring to this coming tour. All agree these are unfortunate circumstances. Though I am excited to play with the band, I will keep Niilo and his family in my thoughts and I hope all of you will as well. As a fan of the band I can tell you, the set lists that have been put together are amazing. I hope to see everyone out there in support of this tour. See you all soon!' It does break our hearts to go out on tour like this. Insomnium has always been about solidarity and unity. However, we are left with no other choices. Otherwise you would not be reading this statement. We hope that you will welcome Mike Bear and Nick Cordle (stand-in guitarist for Ville) with open arms. Moreover, I hope you give thumbs-up for both Markuses for their headstrong attitude to go out and make this tour happen no matter what. It goes without saying that these guys will put on a hell of a show every night. We can only hope that you will do the same and support us during these difficult times. We will make up this in the future and will come back only stronger.”

Ready to embark on their first US headlining tour, Insomnium have announced a split 7" with Omnium Gatherum, who will be direct support on the trek.

This release is double A-sided (meaning, each band has their own front-cover side) and contains one track from Insomnium, "Out To The Sea" (which previously appeared on the now sold-out Shadows Of The Dying Sun deluxe CD box-set edition), and one track from Omnium Gatherum, "Skyline" (which will appear on the band's new album due out February 2016).

Featuring artwork by Olli-Pekka Lappalainen (who previously created designs for both bands), this tour exclusive 7" is limited to 500 copies and available at all shows while supplies last.

Tracklisting:

Side A
“Out To The Sea” (Insomnium)

Side A
“Skyline” (Omnium Gatherum)

 

 

Tour dates:

August
9 - Montreal, QC - Heavy MTL Festival
11 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
12 - West Springfield, VA - Empire
13 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
14 - Albany, NY - Bogie's
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
16 - Westland, MI - Token Lounge
17 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes
18 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
19 - Winnipeg, MB - Zoo Cabaret
21 - Edmonton, AL - Pawn Shop
22 - Calgary, AL - Nite Owl
23 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room
24 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
25 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
26 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
27 - Los Angeles, CA - Whiskey a Go Go
28 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
29 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
30 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red

September
1 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
3 - Louisville, KY - Expo Five
4 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
5 - Toronto, ON - Garrison
6 - Ottawa, ON - Ritual
7 - Quebec, QC - Le Cercle

Insomnium return to headline in eastern and southern Europe in October. The band are bringing fellow countrymen Wolfheart along as special guests. The tour kicks off from the Baltics and consists of 18 shows.

Tour dates:

October
6 - Tallinn, Estonia - Tapper Club
7 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
8 - Vilnius, Lithuania - New York
9 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
10 - Budapest, Hungary - Club 202
11 - Cracow, Poland - Fabryka
13 - Bucharest, Romania - Colectiv
14 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5 Club
15 - Istanbul, Turkey - Garajistabul
16 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Eightball
17 - Athens, Greece - Kyttaro Live
19 - Pescara, Italy - Tipografia
20 - Milan, Italy - Legend Club
21 - Ljublijana, Slovenia - Gala Hala
22 - Zagreb, Croatia - Mochvara
23 - Trencin, Slovakia - Piano
24 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum
25 - Rostock, Germany - Mau

 

Victoria Purcell of RAMzine.co.uk conducted an interview with vocalist James LaBrie of progressive metallers DREAM THEATER before the band's July 21 performance at MetalDays festival in Tolmin, Slovenia. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the shorter songs that were included on DREAM THEATER's 2003 self-titled album:

"Each and every time we go out and we do an album, we just feel that there's something that, necessarily, as any artist would want to achieve, is to be saying something slightly different, but at the same time maintaining, or retaining, your identity musically. With the shorter songs, we just thought… it's always something that we've always experimented in throughout our entire career. With each and every release, there's always some songs that are, evidently, quite shorter than what we've come to be known for, which is slightly longer songs, or epic pieces put together. But with the self-titled album, yeah, there were a few [shorter songs] in there, and as well, there are some absolutely very lengthy songs — 'Illumination Theory' being one of them, [at] over twenty minutes. But that's been what's really been the hallmark of DREAM THEATER — is that we like to incorporate… we like to be very diverse in the way that we compose the music."

On the fact that DREAM THEATER fans still buy physical product from the band:

"We've been very, very fortunate in that [regard], because our fans do [still buy our releases]. And it's almost like a collector's item — they do still buy the albums, whether it's CD format, whether it's getting it from the various sites legally through digital downloading, or whether they wanna wait for when we do our box set, like our releases in the big jewel-cased LPs, or just the LP release. We're very fortunate in that sense, because that's the kind of relationship we've always had with our fan base, and so they continue to want to buy into it. But, by any stretch of the imagination, it's not what it used to be. We still are affected by the current events, as to people being able to download music for free, which I am totally not in agreement with. I'm absolutely not. Because, at the end of the day, it's licensed material and it's stuff that we put a lot of time into. And it's no different than somebody walking into a grocery store and feeling like they don't have to buy the groceries that they need. But what about all the people that went into making that available to the point where you can access it. We all work for what we feel is naturally to be paid for."

On DREAM THEATER's plans for the rest of 2015:

"We finish up this tour August 3, and we go home. Three days later, I'm in the studio recording vocals for the new album. And then the other guys will be finishing off all the other little pieces and layering the tracks and stuff like that. But, yeah, so that will be what I'm doing. And then, come September, I do the Arjen Lucassen thing, 'The Theater Equation', in Rotterdam [The Netherlands]. There's four shows being played, and it's to bring to stage 'The Human Equation' album that I did with him [as AYREON] in 2004. Pretty much all the shows are sold out; there's, like, a hundred tickets left for the one matinee on a Sunday. And it's amazing, all the production and the process is quite detailed and entailing a lot of rehearsal, so it's gonna be an amazing production. So I'm doing that in September — the 18th, 19th and 20th in Rotterdam. And then… The other guys, I'm not sure exactly. I think Jordan [Rudess, keyboards] is doing some orchestral thing. But, basically, then we're gonna be promoting the album that will be coming out, and then we'll be supporting that. So there will be, probably, from October to January, we'll be starting to focus on the new album and then, at the same time, it'll be a little quiet and [we'll be] kind of chilling out and getting geared up and ready to hit the stage again for another year or so after that."

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Grace Jones, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins and Jesse Hughes comes the next round of stars for the forthcoming epic loud and dark fairytale "Gutterdämmerung".

First up to face the hounds of hell is Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as the legendary MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy, whose comment about the film is: "If you don't like it…fuck off!"

Joining Lemmy will be the leader of the most beautifully brutal and punishingly precise band on the planet, SLAYER's Tom Araya.

Lemmy will play a crazed general leading the "Armour Cavalry" during a dark explosive moment for the two heroines of "Gutterdämmerung".

As a mysterious messenger of darkness, Tom Araya will be "bringing the light" by setting the silver screen on fire with a truly primal performance.

Even more stars are to be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the big reveal of "Gutterdämmerung"'s earth-shaking cinema trailer.

"Gutterdämmerung" is a new rock 'n' roll / film / gig concept from the mind of Belgian-Swedish visual artist Björn Tagemose. "Gutterdämmerung" is part rock show part immersive cinema experience featuring some of the biggest rock names on the planet.

Much in the tradition of classic movies of 1920s Hollywood, the film is mostly silent but instead of a lone piano a live rock band of rock express the emotions and action whilst special effects from the film explode to life all around the audience. Think of a deafening rock 'n' roll version of Secret Cinema taking place in hell and you might just begin to have an idea of what "Gutterdämmerung" is.

Tagemose has assembled the greatest cast in the history of rock movies; Grace Jones, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins (who co-wrote "Gutterdämmerung"'s script) and EAGLES OF DEATH METAL's Jesse Hughes are just the first names to be announced with more truly legendary rock 'n' roll names to be revealed in the coming weeks.

This spectacular film will tour with its live band and a live narrator at the end of 2015/early 2016.

The visual artists whom have worked on "Gutterdämmerung" boast clients from Vogue to Louis Vuitton to Vanity Fair, giving the film a look and feel of the classic arts, beauty and high-end fashion.

The film is set in a world where God has saved the world from sin by taking from mankind the Devil's "Grail of Sin"… the Evil Guitar. The Earth has now turned into a puritan world where there is no room for sex, drugs or rock 'n' roll.

From up on high in heaven a "punk-angel," Vicious (portrayed by Iggy Pop), looks upon the world with weary bored eyes. Behind God's back, Vicious sends the Devil's guitar back to earth and sin in all its forms returns to mankind.

An evil puritan priest (Henry Rollins) manipulates a naive girl to retrieve the guitar and destroy it. On her quest to find the Devil's Grail Of Sin, the girl is forced to face the world's most evil rock and roll bastards. Throughout her journey, she has a rival in the form of a rock chick determined to stop her from destroying the instrument.

Björn Tagemose is a Belgian-Swedish director and visual artist. He is mainly active in the arts and the rock and fashion industry. He is also the founder of the artist collective "shoottheartist."

Björn Tagemose's artwork is part of the permanent collection of the famous Groeninghe Museum in Bruges and has been on show in the Paris Louvre, FOMU Antwerp and Stockholm Kulturhuset. Shamelessly playing loud rock music even when working for posh fashionistas, Björn Tagemose has throughout Europe earned the nickname "the rock and roll director."

Thomas Jensen (pictured), founder of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, tells Billboard.com in a new interview that the event is continuing to survive despite its 26 mostly money-losing years.

Known as the largest heavy metal festival in the world, Wacken boasts attendance of 75,000 with minimal corporate sponsorship. In addition, the festival doesn't sell VIP access or upgrades and all purchases are for the three days without a single-day ticket option, something the organizers did away with a decade ago.

Even though this year's edition of Wacken Open Air sold out within 12 hours and tickets to the 2016 event are already long gone, Jensen says that the money will be used "to pay last year's debt," including salaries to the festival's paid crew of 2,500.

Jensen tells Billboard.com: "We're surviving. Every year is a challenge and this one will be hard — I don't think we'll lose money, but the profit will be eaten. But we have to get the best experience for the fan. If we're not doing that, we're not successful. It's as simple as that."

Wacken Open Air is held in Wacken, a farming village with 1,800 residents that sits 50 miles northwest of Hamburg.

Read more at Billboard.com.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was interviewed for a recent episode of the "Metal Brainiac" podcast. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether his disillusionment with the American rock scene and his appreciation of the Japanese pop sounds coincided with his desire to leave MEGADETH:

Marty: "[They] absolutely [coincided], and it was definitely a big catalyst to leaving MEGADETH. Not that I disliked MEGADETH — I absolutely loved every second of it. We had done some great things, especially, I would say, in the first half of my ten years of being in the band. Then, after that, our popularity was still really good, but I found the music that we were making wasn't exciting me as much as the stuff I was listening to. And that's kind of dangerous, as an artist — you find yourself not excited about what you're doing, but excited about what you're listening to and what you're going out and buying. You feel like you're lying — you're going on stage and you're making money playing this stuff, but meanwhile, you're really excited about the stuff that these other artists are doing and these other artists are playing, and kind of wishing that you were in these other situations, regardless of whether you're gonna make more money or less money, or whatever — more fame or less fame. Just strictly on a basis of what you like. And you have to be honest with yourself as an artist and take risks. And so, I just thought, I'd rather be playing music I really, really enjoy than just collecting a paycheck."

On whether he had conversations with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine about this before he left the band:

Marty: "Well, sadly, I didn't really talk about it much until I had already decided that I'm gonna go. Not that I was gonna go to Japan. I decided that I was gonna quit the band and, all of a sudden, I'm, like, 'I can't take it anymore,' and I politely explained that 'I'm just not being used here of my potential,' and, 'I really need to leave the band and reconsider what it is I wanna do musically.' Possibly had I explained things to them prior… No, I don't think it would have changed anything, come to think of it."

On whether he ever really considered returning to MEGADETH:

Marty: "Well, you know, for the longest time, it was just the farthest thing from my mind ever. Ever since I did [my latest solo album] 'Inferno', I've done so much stuff in America than I'd never done before, and then I started to really get a grip on what people think of MEGADETH's stuff that I did. And I hadn't forgotten about it, but I really had no idea the kind of impact and the enthusiasm that the fans of that era actually have. I'd never really seen it with my eyes, because I kind of got sidetracked so deeply in Japan… I was kind of oblivious about the long-lasting effect, and the record company [Prosthetic Records] definitely told me… Of course, it sounds like they're blowing sunshine up my skirt. But they really said, 'Look, some of the stuff that you did with them is really legendary, and people really have embraced it.' So doing promotion for 'Inferno', when that came out, I got to kind of feel firsthand that people really, really love it. And as much as I don't really like to think nostalgically and go back and redo something that I've already done, I considered it, and I would still consider something — like an event with MEGADETH — because the fans would love it; for no other reason than that. But the main 'but' is it has to be done absolutely right. It has to be done really cool, really special, really well, well organized. Everybody has to be on their shit. They have to look great, play great. The thing has to be conceptually great, the staff has to be really fantastic, and management, and it has to be done a thousand percent proper in every possible way, or it just is not gonna be done. When that day happens, I'll be happy to listen to an offer. And I'm still in great friendship with everybody in the band. So it could happen. But it's certainly not at the top of the list of anything that I would do. I would never consider it before, but I would consider it now, only because I'm hearing firsthand what people think in America of it."

Friedman has announced his first tour of North America since 2003 — a 21-date headlining run that will kick off September 9. The trek marks the latest leg of Friedman's ongoing world tour in support of "Inferno", his solo album that so far has seen him complete a record-breaking tour across South America; perform extensively in Europe with acts such as Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE), ARCH ENEMY and KREATOR; and play multiple high-profile gigs in his current home country of Japan, including a set at the country's largest heavy metal festival, Loud Park.

The upcoming North American leg of the "Inferno" tour will start in Friedman's former hometown of Baltimore and wrap up on the West Coast on October 3. Support will be provided by the Los Angeles-based extreme shred outfit EXMORTUS.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has announced the first-ever SOUL STATION concert at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California on September 11.

SOUL STATION is a ten-piece coalition of some of today's leading musicians paying tribute to an era of great soul music.

"We're living in a time of being fed canned pre-programmed backing tracks and lip syncing in place of the electricity and passion of real live R&B," says Stanley. "When I was a boy, before I ever saw THE WHO or LED ZEPPELIN, I saw Solomon Burke and Otis Redding. I saw THE TEMPTATIONS and all that music is part of the foundation of the music I've made. SOUL STATION is my chance to celebrate it for a night that's real, live and faithfully recreates the sound with the respect it deserves. Whether it's THE STYLISTICS, THE DRAMATICS, THE TEMPTATIONS, SMOKEY AND THE MIRACLES, BLUE MAGIC and on, these songs, arrangements and sound just blow you away." To clarify further, he adds: "I don't play guitar in the band and we don't do a single KISS song. That's not what this is about," Stanley continues. "It's magical to hear those songs played right and we're making magic."

Tickets for the show will go on sale beginning 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT/noon PT today, August 4 at Ticketfly.com.

Stanley's legendary band members will include: Rafael "Hoffa" Moreira (guitar, backing vocals), Sean Hurley (bass), Alex Alessandroni (keyboards), Ely Rise (keyboards), Eric Singer (drums, backing vocals), Ramon Yslas (percussion), Nelson Beato (backing vocals), Crystal Starr (backing vocals) and Ayana Layli (backing vocals).

Video footage of a SLAYER fan from State Of The Fart performing a "hand-fart" version of the band's classic song "Raining Blood" at last weekend's Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

Written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King for SLAYER's 1986 studio album "Reign In Blood", "Raining Blood" is one of only three tracks on the LP that is longer than three minutes, having a running time of four minutes and seventeen seconds. The song closes out "Reign In Blood" with a minute of rain sound effects.

Eccentric singer, songwriter and pianist Tori Amos covered "Raining Blood" on her 2001 album "Strange Little Girls". SLAYER guitarist Kerry King later admitted that he thought the singer's version of the track was odd. "It took me a minute and a half to find a spot in the song where I knew where she was," he said. "It's so weird. If she had never told us, we would have never known. You could have played it for us and we'd have been like, 'What's that?' Like a minute and a half through I heard a line and was like, 'I know where she's at!'"

Revocation continue their series of lyric videos with fellow guitarist and director/animator Nick Hipa. The latest, "The Blackest Reaches", is streaming below:

Revocation will hit the road for a headlining tour this September and October. The tour features support from Cannabis Corpse, Archspire, and Black Fast.

This is Revocation's first headlining tour following the release of their latest album, Deathless. The tour is scheduled to kick off on September 3rd in Providence, RI, with the opening acts joining the package the following day in New York, NY at the Studio at Webster Hall. On October 3rd, Boston fans will be treated to a huge hometown show to bring the run to a close.

Tour dates:

September
3 - Providence, RI - Dusk (Revocation only)
4 - New York, NY - Studio - Webster
5 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
6 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
8 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
9 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
10 - Columbus, OH - Ace Of Cups
11 - Cave In Rock, IL - Full Terror Assault Fest (no Archspire)
12 - Fort Worth, TX - Rail Club
13 - Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington
14 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog
16 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
17 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
18 - Los Angeles, CA - Mystery Box
19 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro
20 - Portland, OR - Analog Cafe
21 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
22 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room
24 - Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop
25 - Regina, SK - Riddell Center
26 - Winnipeg, MB - Windsor Hotel
27 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater Studio B
29 - Detroit, MI - Shelter
30 - Toronto, ON - Hard Luck (no Cannabis Corpse)

October
1 - Ottawa, ON - Maverick's (no Cannabis Corpse)
2 - Quebec City, QC - La Source (no Cannabis Corpse)
3 - Boston, MA - Great Scott (no Cannabis Corpse)

 

Prosthetic Records presents Laurestine, the second full-length album by So Hideous. Out October 16th via Prosthetic, Laurestine is a masterpiece of sound and feeling that delivers on past promises and confirms the New York City band to be a true leader in its field.

Before Laurestine there was the debut album Last Poem/First Light, a 2013 self-release which wowed the underground with its balance of blackened angst and rich musicality, and with its use of an actual orchestra an choir in the recording process. Comparisons to Envy, Celeste, and composers like Arvo Part and Ennio Morricone abounded, the term "post-metal" appeared to be the only phrase broad enough to encompass the band's unique mix of black metal, post-hardcore, and orchestral elements.

Laurestine now shows the quartet - guitarist and main composer Brandon Cruz, bassist and vocalist Chris Cruz, guitarist Etienne Vazquez, and drummer Danny Moncada - building upon what it began and outshining expectations yet again.

Like it's predecessor, Laurestine was recorded at The Wild Artic Recording Studio in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with producer Dean Baltulonis (Lucero, Sick Of It All, Modern Life is War) and, like its predecessor, it features actual orchestral and choral tracks recorded by The First Light Orchestra, consisting now of thirty members - brass, strings, and vocalists, recorded at Little Field Performance and Art Space in Brooklyn, New York, by Chris Montgomery (Mumford And Sons, Lily Allen).

An absolute feast for the ears, "cinematic" is the word for Laurestine. The album plays like a score to an unseen film - one continuous ebb and flow of intensity,  swelling and receding, from fragile interludes to raging storms. Sonically dense yet crystalline, each musical layer contributes to the emotionally scorching whole.

Brandon Cruz - by day a music teacher at a New York City school - names Max Richter, Hans Zimmer and Mono as three of the inspirations fueling Laurestine. Cruz reveals that the album is based on a story of one man's post-mortem experience, an  interior journey in the seven minutes after dying during which the brain is said to be still active. Ascending toward an afterlife, the man is guided through this limbo state by a woman named Laurestine, made to reflect on the past and prepare for the unknown to come.

On various levels, Laurestine's lyrics and music connect to tell this story. In reference to the seven-minute space between life and death, the number seven dominates - the seven tracks are riddled with 7/4 and 7/8 time signatures. The songs' lyrics are written in the voices of both the protagonist and his guide - these two narrators lead the listener on an unforgettable tour through anguish, melancholy, and ultimate triumph.

The first taste of  Laurestine can now be experienced via the clip below. Hear a short excerpt of album closer "A Faint Whisper”, along with views of the artwork by Italian illustrator Daniele Serra (Shining SW).

(Photo: Dean Chooch Landry)

Phoenix, Arizona-based death metal quintet, Vehemence, is preparing to return to full-time deployment this year, with new tour dates coming together around their anxiously awaited first new album in over a decade, Forward Without Motion, confirmed for release through Battleground Records in October.

The outfit's first new album since Metal Blade Records' 2004-released Helping The World To See, Vehemence comes storming back to the death metal circuit with a crushing new album which will surely see the band regaining their traction within the scene after their time off the grid. Forward Without Motion is the culmination of years of hard work and the collective desire to write the best songs and capture the best performances.

Working on the songs off and on for several years between 2007 and 2011, Vehemence began a methodical, painstaking tracking process for the new record between 2012 and 2014, the album's guitars, bass, and vocals being recorded at the home studios of guitarists Bjorn Dannov and Kyle Moeller, with the drums being recorded at Villain Studios in Phoenix. When listening to Forward Without Motion, one will discover the refreshing sounds of a band creatively reborn and seasoned by experience. The album flows with a relentless, throat grabbing energy that never flags and begs for repeated spins. This cohesive power is nowhere more apparent than in the strength of the instrumental and vocal performances, which slash and hammer their way out of the speakers with a passion rarely found in the cold, mostly lifeless corpses that are most modern death metal recordings.

With the underground death metal scene now extremely primed for the re-arrival of Vehemence, Forward Without Motion will be released through Battleground records on October 23rd. The record will be issued on 180-gram black vinyl 2xLP in a gatefold package with a free download, limited to 300 copies, as well as a digipak CD version and all digital platforms. The band and label have proudly issued Forward Without Motion's tracklisting and cover art by Hal Rotter/Rotting Graphics (Atriarch, Inherit Disease, Barghest).

An official video for the LP's opening track, "I Don't Want To Look Inside," will be issued alongside CD, LP and digital pre-orders on August 23rd.

Forward Without Motion tracklisting:

“I Don't Want To Look Inside”
“Imagining The Loss”
“Murdered By The Earth”
“Jim The Prophet”
“In The Shadows We Dwell”
“A Dark Figure In The Distance”
“It's All My Fault”
“She Fucks Like She's Alive”
“There Are So Many Reasons To Give Up On Religion”

Vehemence has also announced a home-area record release show for Forward Without Motion, set to take place Saturday, October 24th, one day after the record's official release. The free gig will see the band headlining Yucca Tap Room in Tempe, Arizona, with support from labelmates Lago, as well as Sorrower and Through The Earth. Additional regional and widespread tour actions from the band will continue to be announced through the coming months.

Quebec metalcore band Cardinals Prid has announced that they will release their second EP, Those People Will Never Die, on September 4th via New Damage Records worldwide. Recorded by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio in Lancaster, PA (August Burns Red, Texas in July), Those People Will Never Die follows Cardinals Pride’s 2012 breakout EP, Priorities. In anticipation of their latest EP, the band has just unveiled a lyric video for the single “Refracted” (see below).
 
Those People Will Never Die will be available to pre-order via New Damage Records on Friday August 7th. Fans who take advantage of the pre-order will receive “Refracted” as an instant grat track.

Established in 2010 in Quebec City, QC, Cardinals Pride is comprised of Paré, Mathieu Guay (vocals), Didier Archambault (guitar), Nicolas Doiron (guitar), Antoine McNulty-LaSalle (bass) and Nicolas Sénéchal (drums). Since the release of their EP Priorities in 2012, the 6-piece have played over 140 shows and along the way have built a name for themselves as one of Canada’s best new metalcore acts. Their latest EP, Those People Will Never Die will be the bands first release with New Damage Records.
 
“We are beyond excited to join the New Damage Records family,” Paré adds. “They are incredibly hardworking people and it feels good to have the support of such a great team. Also, their roster is filled with amazing bands and it's a nice feeling to see our name next to theirs. We are looking forward to seeing where this partnership will lead us.”

Those People Will Never Die tracklisting:

“I’m Alright”
“Bearers”
“Boundaries”
“Refracted”
“Centuries Apart”
 
“Refracted” lyric video:

 
In support of their latest EP, Cardinals Pride has just announced a mini-tour for Ontario and Quebec with Hamilton’s Prophets, which kicks off on September 3rd. Cardinals Pride will also appear at this year’s Envol et Macadam and KOI Festivals.  
 
Canadian tour dates with Prophets:

September
3 - Hamilton, ON - Doors Pub *
4 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee’s (Homesick)
5 - St. Catharines, ON - Detour Music Hall
7 - London, ON - The APK
8 - Ottawa, ON - Café Dekcuf
9 - Montreal, QC - TBA
11 - Quebec City, QC - Envol et Macadam Festival
23 - Saint-Hyacinthe, QC - L’Anti *
24 - Kingston, ON - Overtime *
25 - Sarnia, ON - Trinity Lounge *
26 - Kitchener, ON - KOI Music Festival

* - no Prophets

(Photo: Kurt Cuffy)

Cinematic progressive metal/film nerds Opensight have revealed the final details for the launch gig for their upcoming EP, Ulterior Motives.

The concert, in conjunction with Chaos Theory Music, will take place on September 4th at The Black Heart in Camden, London. Headliners are the post-metal soundscapes of Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster (who are launching their third album), and opening the show are the hotly-tipped progressive metal act Sumer.

More details here. Tickets are available here.

Ulterior Motives tracklisting:

“Alibi”
“The Chase”
“Vanishing Point”
“Ulterior Motif”
“Antagonist”

Trailer:

The release date for physical and digital versions is set for September 4.

Opensight are:

Ivan David Amaya - vocals/guitars
Genia Penksik - guitars
Danni Stanner - bass
Redd Reddington - drums

 

In the second of a three-part playthrough video series of fan requested singles from their latest album, Eye Of Providence, The Agonist guitarists Paco Jobin and Chris Kells play "I Endeavor”.

In the first clip from GuitarWorld.com, guitarists Danny Marino and Paco Jobin take listeners through "A Necessary Evil”:

The Agonist is gearing up for their heavily anticipated performance at the Heavy Montreal Festival in Montreal this weekend just before joining Epica and Eluveitie on September 8th.

The Agonist released Eye Of Providence back in February via Century Media Records.

 

 

Eye of Providence tracklisting:

"Gates Of Horn And Ivory"
"My Witness, Your Victim"
"Danse Macabre"
"I Endeavor"
"Faceless Messenger"
"Perpetual Notion"
"A Necessary Evil"
"Architects Hallucinate"
"Disconnect Me"
"The Perfect Embodiment"
"A Gentle Disease"
"Follow The Crossed Line"
"As Above, So Below"

"A Gentle Disease” video:

"My Witness, Your Victim” video:

"Gates Of Horn And Ivory" video:

Trailer:

(Photo: Pazit Perez)