During a new appearance on the "That Metal Interview" podcast, TESLA frontman Jeff Keith was asked for his secret to keeping his voice in such magnificent shape. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'll tell you one secret. We started dropping things down to — instead of in E, the key of E, we dropped it to E flat. On particular songs, where I sing really high — I don't even know how I hit the notes back then in the '80s and the '90s — but I think they can drop as low as… there's E flat, and then you can drop as low as D. And on a couple of songs we drop down to the D tuning, so I can sing the same melody but dropped down a whole step. And from what I understand, you can't drop any lower than that, or the strings are so loose [that they are too floppy to play]. So, we just dropped some keys, and then we tried it on a couple of songs and when we even dropped down a whole step, I still can't quite hit the notes [on some songs]."

He continued: "Once again, I don't know how the heck I hit them notes way back then, but all I know is from 'Into The Now' [2004] on, I started thinking about, 'Hey, I've gotta watch out what key we're doing it in, because next thing you know, I sing something that I can't go out there and do it night after night live.' I mean, it is 37 years later, so… [Laughs] So, with 'Forever More', 'Simplicity' — all that stuff — I just started keeping in mind, 'Hey, whatever you write, you've gotta sing it night after night.' Back in the '80s, and stuff like that, I wasn't thinking about it. You just do 20, 30 takes of something, pick the best out of it and go, 'Hey, there you go. That's great.' But I never had the thought in mind of, 'Hey, you've gotta go out there night after night and sing it.' And back then, I could — thankfully — but today, it's, like, 'Hang on a second.' I'm gonna turn 65 in October. It's, like, 'Hang on now.' I'm starting to fill out forms for Medicare and all that stuff. [Laughs] So [I've gotta] be careful with what melodies I come up with, because I've gotta be able to do it night after night."

Keith is not the first high-profile rock singer to admit to having trouble hitting some of the notes that he was able to reach several decades earlier. In October 2022, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn that it was important for him to come out and almost apologize for the fact that he and his bandmates were tuning down because of his voice. "Maybe it's wrong for me to think this way, but it's a little bit of a pride issue; you're proud that you don't have to tune down 'cause you could do it in the original key," he said. "And there's something to be said for that; it feels good to be able to say that. But then I realized everyone tunes down except for maybe a select few — very select few. And those few are bands that don't sing in a super-high register. The bands like STRYPER that sing in a very high register, belting…

"See, the vocals for STRYPER, and this isn't to put us on a pedestal, but they're unique in the sense that not only are they high, but they're chest-belted vocals," he explained. "They're not [makes growling sound]; they come from here [puts hand over chest], not from here [puts hand over his throat]. That makes it a little bit more difficult to pull off. So when we dropped the key down a half step, I felt like, 'Wow, okay, this is a little easier.' I can get through the show a little easier and not have to strain or struggle so much.

"You've got all the vocal coaches out there watching right now, saying, 'Oh, if he took lessons, he'd be able to do it again.' That's bullcrap," Michael said. "It makes me laugh sometimes when you hear these guys say, 'Oh, yeah, 'cause he's singing wrong.' No, I'm not singing wrong. I get my vocal cords checked every year. I've never had surgery; I've never had nodules. They tell me my vocal cords look pristine. I'm not singing wrong. If I was singing wrong, they would not look pristine. So my problem lies with just aging. Your vocal folds, as you age, they start to stiffen, and there's not a darn thing you can do about that. Your muscles, they change. It's just part of life. You deal with it the best way that you can. You stay in shape; that's important. Take care of yourself, of course. But also, I've got post-nasal drip really bad. And I'm always clearing my throat; it's a real thick post-nasal drip. My doctors who scoped me have said, 'We've never seen anything like it.' It's almost like glue on my vocal cords continuously, and that keeps me from being able to sing at the best of my range and at the top of my range. But they also said that they think it's protected my vocal cords as well. So I'm definitely singing right. I'm blessed to still have the voice that I have. Is it what it once was? No."

Four years ago, IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson said that he takes pride in the fact that he and his bandmates perform their songs in the original key. "We don't detune, like some other people do," he said. "We don't do any of that. I suppose if one day we have to, we have to, but we don't have to do it now, and I think the songs sound better as a result of it. They're meant to be played in that key."

Back in 2014, QUEENSRŸCHE's Todd La Torre said that the fact that he sings the band's songs in their original key is one of the reasons he has been able to win over so many of the QUEENSRŸCHE fans following the departure of original frontman Geoff Tate.

"We don't drop-tune," he said. "When I first got in the band, [the other guys in QUEENSRŸCHE] said, 'Hey, if you want us to tune down a half a step, if it's easier for you, don't be afraid to ask us.' And I said, 'No. I wanna do this the best way that I can to represent the songs the way that they really go, and if it's a struggle for me, I just have more work to do for me. But let me keep trying to do this.' So I think the fact that those old songs weren't being played [in the last few years with Geoff in the band]… I mean, some of them were played, but a lot of times they were tuned down or songs were not played in their entirety, like 'Roads To Madness'; we play that song in its entirety. We play 'NM 156' in its entirety. And those fans, they really love hearing that. So the fact that that wasn't happening, and then when I came into the band, it started happening, it really kind of made it easier, I think, for fans to kind of rally around and go, 'Awesome!'"

ATREYU will release a new EP, "The Moment You Find Your Flame", on August 18 via Spinefarm, hot on the heels of the recent EP "The Hope Of A Spark".

Inspired initially by ideas brought by guitarist Dan Jacobs, the lead single "Gone" is an arena-ready rock anthem that yearns for a lost love and laments the personal failings that brought about the relationship's demise. Live performance footage in the lyric video is credited to Christian Lawrence and Micala Austin.

ATREYU has also announced "The Beautiful Dark Of Life" album, due later this year as part of the EP series delivering the final chapter of the "Seasons Of Life" concept along the rollercoaster of human existence.

"The Moment You Find Your Flame" EP, produced by longtime collaborator John Feldman, reflects the struggle in recognizing one's self-worth and it touches on internal battles, self-doubt, and insecurities that can overshadow one's perception of their own abilities. The band has found its own flame, a metaphor for their soul-baring introspection and providing comfort and catharsis through music in the face of universal emotions that unite us all.

"We draw strength from each other and give each other the space and support to be the best, most creative person we can be," Jacobs explains. "And together, right now, that makes us the best band we've ever been."

The EP and the band encompass five friends who came together to create music for themselves, for each other, and for the thriving community that has forged around it. They are bonds born of time, of joy and sadness, of success and hardship and most importantly, they are born of an openness that allows five unique creative personalities to unite in something far stronger and far bigger than the sum of its talented parts.

"'The Moment You Find Your Flame' is the path you've set out on to recovery. You've followed the glimmer of hope and potential, and the way forward is beginning to reveal itself. But it is still only a little flame. It needs nurturing still," said bassist/vocalist Porter McKnight.

"Everything that we have put out to this point has built up to this moment," concluded Jacobs. "Something special is happening with ATREYU right now. We can feel the creativity and collaboration when the five of us get in the studio. We can feel the confidence we all give each other when we stand on stage together. And we can see it in the audience when they're losing their minds. They're having as good a time as we are ourselves."

"The Moment You Find Your Flame" track listing:

01. Good Enough
02. Immortal
03. Gone
04. I Don't Wanna Die

ATREYU will join IRON MAIDEN in Calgary on September 28 at Scotiabank Saddledome, Edmonton on September 30 at Rogers Place, and Vancouver on October 2 at the Rogers Arena.

The band will perform at California - Is For Lovers, Rocklahoma 2023 and the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in the fall ahead of the Canada dates.

ATREYU ushered in a new movement in heavy music. Their music seamlessly intertwines with formative experiences for a diverse legion of dedicated listeners, many of whom started their own bands. They've broken into the Top 10 in the Billboard 200 more than once; two of their albums, "The Curse" and "Lead Sails Paper Anchor", are certified gold with two million albums sold worldwide and an encompassing 600 million streams. Their most recent album, "Baptize", has clocked 65 million streams alongside a Top 10 at rock radio hit with "Warrior" featuring Travis Barker.

Where once the band was heralded as the early innovators of the nascent metalcore scene, their place in heavy music's diverse and boundary-breaking scene has never felt more relevant, with inspirations of pop-punk, hardcore, thrash, '80s rock, and more melding into a unique and varied sound that has never felt more relevant than in today's increasingly genreless world.

With a 20-year career and eight acclaimed albums in the rear-view mirror, ATREYU in 2023 is focused only on the present and the future, and a mission to continue shaping and defining the rock and metal scene, just as they have always done since their emergence from Huntington Beach in Southern California.

Frontman Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Porter McKnight and drummer Kyle Rosa are one of the most respected names and potent forces in heavy music, and their live show is one of the most heralded on the touring circuit.

According to Westside BID, legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi was presented with a life-sized sculpture of a prehistoric fossil named after him.

Palaeontologist and heavy metal fan Mats Eriksson had previously discovered the 469-million-year-old fossil of an eel-like marine vertebrate in Russia and named the new species Drepanoistodus Iommii after his rock hero.

Mats was invited to Birmingham, England from his home in Sweden to present Tony with a life-sized model of the fossil, specially made for the occasion by sculptor Esben Horn. Tony had previously enjoyed a Facetime chat with Mats on the BLACK SABBATH bench in Birmingham at the end of 2021.

Mats and Esben were invited to the Velvet Music Rooms in Broad Street to present Tony with the sculpture of the fossil.

Tony said of the meeting: "It was great to meet Mats and Esben today and receive an amazing replica of the Iommi fossil. And thanks to Mike Olley and Steve at Velvet Music Rooms."

Iommi had previously said: "It was a real shock to hear that a fossil's been named after me. I've had a bit of abuse from my friends about it who've enjoyed calling me an old fossil, but I think it's great, a real honor.

"This has to be the weirdest thing that's ever been named after me but I'm really proud of it and I wanted to thank Mats and his team in person for being such brilliant fans."

Mats, who has been a fan of BLACK SABBATH since he was a boy, said he was thrilled by his team’s discovery of the fossil, and it was great to combine his love affairs of nature and music.

Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID, said: "I’m delighted we were able to set up a meeting between Tony, Mats and Esben, and present Tony with the model of the fossil named after him.

"Tony is one of Birmingham's greatest rock heroes and this is a fantastic gesture by Mats, and Esben, to honor him in this way. He is now officially an old fossil!"

Rock met rock as legendary Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi was presented with a giant sculpture of a prehistoric...

Posted by Westside BID on Thursday, July 6, 2023

A punch in the face is coming right at ya’ in the form of Rockin' Engine’s Altered By Evil EP, out July 7th. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location. For a first taste, check out the "Monsters Under Your Bed" video.





Altered By Evil is the third studio offering from Canada's Rockin' Engine, and fans will notice huge musical growth as it's more technical and refined, but punchy and heavy as hell. After the release of 2020’s The Wretched And The Damned, the band knew exactly what direction they wanted to go in - and buckle up, because they are taking listeners on a rock n’ roll road trip. Altered By Evil is creepy and dark, full of horror, while also creative, fun and theatrical.




“Altered By Evil is a tribute to everything we love about horror movies and serial killer documentaries. There’s a fascination behind the love of the macabre and the grotesque that we wanted to explore with our lyrics and expose different nuances of some classic works of art. With this record, we’re bringing the audience into a fantasy world of monsters and evil spirits, with a dash of historical elements that makes the listening experience even more interesting,” says Rockin' Engine.





Tracklisting:


"Carnival Of Evil" 
"Day Of Wrath" 
"Liber Ex-Mortis" 
"Monsters Under Your Bed" 
"Psycho Path" 
"Room 185" (ft. guest vocals by Stef Jomphe of Insurrection)





For further details, visit Rockin' Engine on Facebook.


 

"I Want To Know What Love Is", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Juke Box Hero", "Urgent" plus five more Top 10 hits. Recently, FOREIGNER, the band behind these iconic songs, announced the launch of their farewell tour. Today, FOREIGNER announces the farewell tour companion album, "Farewell - The Very Best Of Foreigner", available at FOREIGNER tour stops and independent retailers.

A must-have collector's album, this limited-edition stunning gold vinyl features FOREIGNER's greatest hits produced by Mick Jones with Jeff Pilson. Only 5,000 individually numbered albums are available. When they're gone, they are gone for good!

The tour is set to launch today, July 6, 2023, at Atlanta's Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, the area's largest outdoor venue. For the first leg of the U.S. Live Nation tour, FOREIGNER will be joined by LOVERBOY, one of the 1980s biggest hit-makers. The spectacular show will thrill audiences with stellar performances of more than 20 combined chart-topping songs. Tickets are going quickly, available at LiveNation.com.

Jones continues to elevate FOREIGNER's influence and guide the band to new horizons with his stylistic songwriting, indelible guitar hooks and multi-layered talents. Lead singer Kelly Hansen, one of rock's greatest showmen, has led FOREIGNER into the digital age, inspiring a whole new generation of fans. Bassist Jeff Pilson; Michael Bluestein on keyboards; guitarist Bruce Watson; Chris Frazier on drums, and guitarist Luis Maldonado provide an unprecedented level of energy that has resulted in the re-emergence of the astounding music that speaks to FOREIGNER's enduring popularity.

FOREIGNER has an extraordinary streaming and radio audience, and in June 2023, PBS TV featured the band's epic "Double Vision" 40-year celebration concert during Pledge Week.

With more Top 10 hits than JOURNEY, as many Billboard Top 10 hits as FLEETWOOD MAC, and just one less than THE EAGLES, FOREIGNER is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million. Responsible for some of rock and roll's most enduring anthems, including "Juke Box Hero", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Feels Like The First Time", "Urgent", "Head Games", "Say You Will", "Dirty White Boy", "Long, Long Way From Home" and the worldwide No. 1 hit "I Want To Know What Love Is", FOREIGNER still rocks the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard Top 200 album success. Streams of FOREIGNER's hits are approaching 15 million per week.

"Farewell - The Very Best Of Foreigner" track listing:

Side A:

01. Feels Like The First Time
02. Cold As Ice
03. Long, Long Way From Home
04. Hot Blooded
05. Double Vision
06. Head Games

Side B:

01. Dirty White Boy
02. Urgent
03. Waiting For A Girl Like You
04. Juke Box Hero
05. I Want To Know What Love Is

Photo credit: Karsten Staiger

Saint Agnes have released an emotional live video for their poignant new single, "This Is Not The End", a tribute to Kitty A. Austen's grief for her late mother. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album Bloodsuckers, out July 21 via Spinefarm. Stream the single and pre-order Bloodsuckers here.


"I really wanted to write a song directly about my grief to have on the album, but it was just too difficult for the longest time," says Austen. "I was so raw and broken that I struggled to put myself in the place I needed to be in to get it done. But I did get there. The song was written and recorded as the very last thing on the album at the eleventh hour. It's a tribute to my mother and the depth of my love for her. Then for the video we recorded a live piano version of the song at Rockfield Studios, it was a very vulnerable but special moment for us as a band."







Hailing from the UK, Saint Agnes are all about honest lyrics and intense vocal performances, plus rage-fueled music intended to give a voice to those closer to the fringe than the center. With its violent riffs, venomous vocals, and punk attitude, the title track single serves as a no-holds-barred introduction to the Bloodsuckers album.


Vocalist Kitty A. Austen comments on the single and video, saying, "I wrote 'Bloodsuckers' when I couldn't take it anymore - when I decided to stop allowing people to crush me, to diminish me. I took my rage and my pain and used it as fuel and I burned. We are not defined by what has been done to us. We decide who we are. We choose who we want to be. We are whole. We are worthy. The video is an introduction to Team Bloodsuckers. Join us."


As much gang as band, Saint Agnes seek to empower those who've been battered and bruised yet refuse to lie down, and it's a thread that runs deep within Bloodsuckers - SA's first album for Spinefarm and the follow-up to 2019's Welcome To Silvertown, issued on the band's own label.


From the title track onwards, Bloodsuckers is a genre-jumping body of work, taking in elements of metal, punk, industrial, and grunge, without being bound by any specific style; the 11 tracks here come straight from the source, largely self-produced and mixed (NIN collaborator Sean Bevan lends his mixing and production skills to "Follow You"), and this self-contained approach provides an extra emotional weight throughout, with doom trap provocateur Mimi Barks further fuelling the chaos on the short, sharp shock that is "Body Bag."


Created in the months following the unexpected and untimely death of Kitty's mother, Bloodsuckers explores a number of themes, including mental illness, pent-up rage, undying love and, of course, grief; from the trash-metal howl into the night that is "Bloodsuckers" right through to broken ballad, "This Is Not The End," a poignant reflection of Kitty’s still-raw emotions, this is a call to outsiders everywhere...


Concludes Kitty, "Creating this album gave me a reason to get to my feet at a time when I really wasn't sure if I could. I've tried to put everything I've been feeling into it, all the pain, the rage, the grief, even the unexpected moments of beauty and belief. I hope it makes you feel less alone. I hope it makes you feel bigger, badder, and stronger. We might be damaged but that doesn't mean we're worthless. This is a record for the defeated, the crushed. We might be broken but that doesn't mean we're not whole. Bloodsuckers forever, Saint Agnes forever."





Tracklisting:


"Bloodsuckers"
"Animal"
"I Mean Nothing To You"
"Outsider"
"This Is Not The End"
"Follow You"
"I Am"
"At War With Myself"
"Middle Finger"
"Body Bag" (Feat. Mimi Barks)
"Forever And Ever"


"Bloodsuckers" video:





Lineup:


Kitty A. Austen - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Jon James Tufnell - Guitar, Vox, Bass
Andrew Head - Drums
Ryan Brown - Bass


(Photo - Rob Blackham)

With charting at #21 in the German album charts, and formidable performances at Wacken Open Air, Full Force Festival, ArcTanGent and recently as headliners at the renowned Euroblast Festival, The Hirsch Effekt have impressively established themselves in the German progressive metal landscape.


Three years after the release of their album, Kollaps, the band marks their return with the official announcement of the the release of their upcoming full-length, entitled Urian, out September 29 via Long Branch Records.


Today, in conjunction with this announcement, the band released their new single, "Agora", alongside a brand new video. "Agora" is the second single from 'Urian', following up the release of album's title track. Find both below.




The Hirsch Effekt comments: "During stay at a vacation home in 2021, we developed a number based on a short guitar riff with acoustic guitar and electric bass. You can tell that Ilja and Nils listened to 'Californication' a lot when they were young: 'Road Trippin' was definitely in the back of their minds at the time. When Ilja's cello parts came in, however, 'Agora' drifted into another, almost Celtic atmosphere.


In terms of content, it is a very personal, autobiographical song. 'Agora' not only reflects finally arriving in the age of crises, but also a literal and genuine, humane tightness. Triggered not least by the pandemic, which lasted throughout the entire album writing phase and influenced everything, and all the lockdowns and isolations that went with it."


The Hirsch Effekt, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Nils Wittrock (i.a. vocals, guitars), Ilja John Lappin (i.a. bass, vocals) and Moritz Schmidt (drums), plays an extremely variable style of music, as well as combines various elements to the utter peak of sophistication.


The end result is nothing less than a homogenous and enormous sound monster, nearly beating your speakers to death. Although the very first impressions coalesce into an epic, aggressive, and sinister sound, there is a specific personal touch and frankness in the German lyrics. They signify authenticity and closeness and stand out as a counterpart to the musical periphery.





Pre-order/save Urian here.





Urian tracklisting:


"Agora"
"Otus"
"2054"
"Urian"
"Stegodon"
"Granica"
"Blud"
"Eristys"


"Agora" video:





"Urian":





The Hirsch Effekt are:


Nils Wittrock (Guitar, Vocals)
Ilja John Lappin (Bass, Vocals)
Moritz Schmidt (Drums, Vocals)


(Photo - Vol Vincent)

James Rivera's Metal Wave will release their debut album, New Wave Gone Metal, on July 28 via Massacre Records. Pre-order the album here, and watch a video for a cover of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" below.


James Rivera sunk his teeth into selected songs by some of the greatest bands of the new wave/dark wave era, and turned them into something more metal.


Rivera's love for metal is undeniable, but his heart is also beating for the darker side of music, especially for new as well as dark wave and goth music - and James Rivera's Metal Wave's debut album, New Wave Gone Metal, perfectly combines the best of those genres.




The band puts its own mark on selected classics and thereby invents a new genre: Metal Wave.





Tracklisting:


"Black Celebration" (Depeche Mode)
"Love My Way" (The Psychedelic Furs)
"Lovesong" (The Cure)
"Shock The Monkey" (Peter Gabriel)
"Black Planet" (The Sisters Of Mercy)
"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (Tears For Fears)
"Bela Lugosi’s Dead" (Bauhaus)
"The Killing Moon" (Echo & The Bunnymen)
"Pet Sematary" (Ramones)
"Rain" (The Cult)


"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" video:





"Black Celebration" video:





"Love My Way" video:

Finland's Chaoszine caught up with Vended vocalist Griffin Taylor - the son of Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor - being interviewed following the band's show at this year's Tuska Festival in Helsinki on June 30th. Check out the interview below.


On receiving praise from Corey Taylor for finding his own path in the music business:


"He's my father. He loves seeing the man that I've become and the strides that we (Vended) take to do the shit that we do. He has seen since back when it was just me and Cole (Espeland / guitars) in his basement and we were doing cover songs, and growing from that to being a five-man band. It's been a long five year road, but it's been fucking interesting and fantastic. It's been great seeing my Dad side-stage nodding his head to the shit that we do and giggling his ass off. I love it."










In November 2022, Vended released an official video for crushing new track, "Overall", which you can stream here. A music video can be found below.


Regarding the new song, frontman Griffin Taylor informs: “'Overall' is a song about getting trapped in your own head and having your thoughts self-sabotage you. And how sometimes YOU are the only person who can help yourself get out of that headspace. “I salt the wound myself” has a double meaning; you either feel the pain from bad thoughts, or you lean into it and embrace them."

Hardball is an emerging punk/grunge act from Vancouver, BC, Canada, who are set to release their debut self-titled album in July. The deadly trio of seasoned musicians is eager to play something that is uncommon these days and the new album delivers something that is reminiscent of the ‘90s with a modern twist amidst the punk and grunge rock chaos. The second single is “NRA”, which captures huge-sounding drums, and over-the-top-heavy, layered guitars. To them, the vibe is also very important and resulted in rerecording some sections many times trying to get the energy exactly how we wanted.


According to Hardball, the single is musically just supposed to sound completely bonkers. Drums going completely ape all over the place, obnoxious riffing, and big low-tuned power chords, the heavily distorted bass guitar holds down the main riff. Lyrically, it is an anthem about gun control. Not really even with a coherent position on the matter. Calling it NRA despite not directly having anything to do with the NRA, was a humorous take to them. 


Vocalist/guitarist Scott Budgie explains more:




“I guess what I’m trying to say is that the US has major social problems that have led to regular shootings. I don’t like it, and I can’t do anything about it. But, I’m going to shout about it the way a scared, confused child might. I think listeners will recognize that we’re not a nostalgia act, there is a clear influence from contemporary punk and hardcore that shows through. I think people will recognize that this is original and genuine music.”


Hardball is composed of former Poles frontman and Vancouver local Scott Budgie, as well as Okanagan residents, drummer Jeremy Head also of The Motion Picture, and bassist Jamie Black. Their self-titled album is a joint production between recording engineer Matt Roach of Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, BC (Baptists, Misery Signals, Comeback Kid) and mix engineer Felix Fung of Little Red Sounds in New Westminster, BC (Needles//Pins, Girlfriends and Boyfriends, Mode Moderne).


In support of the album, Hardball is setting out on tour this August with appearances throughout Western Canada.


Hardball's self-titled debut album is out July 21. Pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


"Just A Tree"
"Worried As Shit"
"NRA"
"In The Mail"
"Me And You"
"Chili"
"Talk To Me"
"Ian’s Song"
"I/O"
"Open Air"


"NRA":





"Worried As Shit" lyric video:





Dates:


August
4 – Vancouver, BC – 648 Kingsway
6 – New Westminster, BC – Bully’s Studios
9 – Nelson, BC – Kootenay Co-op Radio
10 – Edmonton, AB – The Buckingham
11 – Calgary, AB – TBA
12 – Oliver, BC – Firehall Brewing
26 – Salmo, BC – Hogkegger Fest


Album Recording and Live Band Lineup:


Scott Budgie - Vocals, guitars
Jeremy Head - Drums, guitars, synth, backing vocals
Jamie Black - Bass, backing vocals


(Photo - Kaila Hald)

Vacation House Recordings has announced the official reissue of Necrobreed, the 2017 album by French death metal grindcore masters Benighted.


The official reissue, licensed by Season Of Mist is a VHR Deluxe Vinyl with matte laminated sleeve, 2-sided insert, black poly-lined inner bags all assembled in a plastic overbag. Poster and sticker will be added for customers who preorder. It comes in 300 copies Limited Edition: the first 100 copies are Super Marble/Splatter (promo picture) and will be followed by two other versions (100+100). Preorder at vacationhouserecordings.com.







A press release states: “Necrobreed is a savage and powerful album that contains pretty much everything one might want out of a record of such nature: extremely heavy down-tuned guitar riffs, blasting drum-beats played at constantly high-speed rhythms, over-the-top vocal performances and some really nasty and morbid themes running throughout the album's track listing.


“The songs on the first half of the album are truly amazing, and even though it could do better with a shorter, even more explosive runtime, the album is definitely one of the better metal releases so far. This band is about rattling the calcium right off your fucking teeth.”

Dirkschneider, featuring former Accept singer Udo Dirkschneider has shared pro-shot footage performing his former band’s classic “Balls To The Wall” live from Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium on June 18.





U.D.O. / Dirkschneider live:




July
14 - Balingen, Germany - Bang Your Head!!!*
21 - Pförring, Germany - Open Air Pförring


August
12 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas del Rock*
17 - Moravský Krumlov, Czech Republic - Rock Castle Open Air
20 - Vallamand (VD), Switzerland - Rock The Lakes


September
16 - Tuttlingen, Germany - Beast of Rocks @ Stadthalle


October
7 - Würzburg, Germany - Keep It True Rising III @ Posthalle*
22 - Linz, Austria - Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Tabakfabrik
29 - Salzburg, Austria - Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Messezentrum


* as Dirkschneider


Get tickets here.


U.D.O. / Dirkschneider are:


Udo Dirkschneider - vocals
Andrey Smirnov - guitar
Sven Dirkschneider - drums
Fabian Dee Dammers - guitar
Peter Baltes - bass

Hard rock band Artifas has released the official music video for single "The Dark." The single is from their full length record Reflections.





The band announced that they will be hitting the road with Silvertung this summer on The Summer Meltdown Tour. The tour kicks off on July 7 in Huntsville, AL at Shagnasty's.




An event page with all currently available information for each show can be found on the band's Facebook page. Find your city, RSVP to the appropriate event page(s), share the flyer with your friends, and let’s get ready to have your faces melted off.





Dates:


July
7 – Huntsville, AL – Shagnasty’s *Artifas only
8 – Sevierville, TN – The Gym
9 – Leitchfield, KY – The Red Bird
11 – Overland Park, KS – Vivo 
12 – Council Bluffs, IA – Maloney’s
14 – Cadott, WI – Rockfest
16 – West Allis, WI – Rockstar Saloon
17 – Madison, WI – Crucible
18 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Otis’ Tailgators
20 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere’s 
21 – Columbus, OH – The King Of Clubs 

Rolling Stone magazine has shared a few outtakes from its feature article with MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars, based on an interview that was conducted in early May in Mick's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Among the revelations is Mars's claim that the last time the band really talked was the premiere of "The Dirt" movie in 2019.

"Nobody spoke to me in 2022 [during CRÜE's 'The Stadium Tour' with DEF LEPPARD]. A lot of the time felt like I was just playing by myself. You know how you can be in a crowd of people and still feel alone? That's how I felt that whole tour. I felt used, sad, and inferior. When we played the last show [in Las Vegas on September 9, 2022] I felt relieved. A lot of the pressure was gone. But I was very emotionally wounded. They weren't just shallow wounds. They were deep ones; the kind you can't get over."

Mick went on to say that he hopes to never talk to his bandmates again. "I think all of us would be okay with that," he said. "And I don't just mean me with them. I mean them with each other. I don't plan on having a funeral. If I did, I think maybe they'd show up for that just out of courtesy. But for me, there's no funeral. There's no nothing."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE last October as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he has since filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting. In his lawsuit, Mars also alleged that he was the only bandmember to play 100 percent live on their most recent tour, claiming bassist Nikki Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour."

Mars said that when he refused to sign the papers reducing his share of touring royalties to only 5%, the band commenced an arbitration. His original filing said the group took it to arbitration "rather than a public lawsuit so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years."

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE last summer that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

Last month, MÖTLEY CRÜE filed new legal paperwork asking a judge to send the band's dispute with Mars into arbitration, where CRÜE's attorneys said it belongs. In the filing, the attorneys said several different entities have been created over the years to handle varying aspects of the band's business affairs, including touring and recording, and those agreements contain binding arbitration clauses. Therefore, they argue that all grievances that might come up among members must be handled in private arbitration, instead of airing them out in public courts. CRÜE is also asking the court to strike several statements Mick made in his suit, particularly provocative assertions about ex-bandmates that include claims of substance abuse and physical violence which they call totally irrelevant to Mick's case. They believe he included them purely "for purposes of character assassination."

In response to MÖTLEY CRÜE's latest filing, Mick's lawyer, Ed McPherson, told TMZ: "This is yet another attempt by bullies to hide the truth!"

Back in 2021, Wise Blood turned summer into a nuclear winter when we released Radiated Remains, the blistering EP from Indianapolis thrashers Graveripper. Two summers later, Graveripper return with their debut LP of crypt-crushing black thrash, Seasons Dreaming Death.


Radiated Remains (mastered by Toxic Holocaust’s Joel Grind) introduced a band fusing thrash and black metal with wicked speed and a pit-stirring mentality. From the first vicious riff of lead single “Into The Grave,” Seasons Dreaming Death launches a 33 minute ballistic assault. 


Graveripper vocalist/guitarist Corey Parks has a two word summary of the album’s songwriting approach:




“Refined Expansion,” Parks describes. “Double down on what resonates with us, but also introduce some new arrangements, ideas, themes, and influences. With this being a full-length record there was a lot more room to do that. We introduced more Teutonic thrash worship that teeters on the line of death metal. We also took this as an opportunity to prove we can really play some straightforward malicious black metal riffing as well. All while keeping the overall sonic goal of sewing black and thrash together in our own unique ratio.”


While Seasons Dreaming Death is being released in the middle of Wise Blood’s “Summer Ov Thrash”—launching 5 high-speed albums in 4 months—the title is actually a reference to the incoming crawl of autumn.


“[The album title] is my take on Halloween/Samhain,” Parks confirms, “the day of the year where the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest.”


Graveripper will wake the dead when Seasons Dreaming Death unleashes hell on August 25, 2023. Available on Vinyl, CD, Cassette, and Digital from Wise Blood Records. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Into The Grave”
“Ripped And Torn Apart”
“Divine Incantations”
“Seasons Dreaming Death”
“Premeditated”
“An Influx Of Fear”
“Resist Against The Light”
“Red Skies”
“And I Curse Reality”
“Only Coldness”

WITHERING SCORN, the new band featuring former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover and his brother, and fellow ex-MEGADETH member, Glen Drover, along with former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN, will release its debut album, "Prophets Of Demise", on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.

WITHERING SCORN was formed in 2020 by Glen and Shawn, who previously played together in MEGADETH, as well as in EIDOLON. The pair have teamed up once again for their latest musical offering and are joined by DiBiase, who played with FATES WARNING for 14 years on multiple records and world tours, and Basse. The potent combination of these four incredibly talented musicians joining forces has given birth to an uncompromising heavy metal record in the form of "Prophets Of Demise".

In a new interview with Lana Teramae of Metal Express Radio, Shawn was asked if it's harder for new bands to make a name for themselves than it was in the pre-social media days. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Of course it's harder. So many people say, 'Well, you've gotta have more of a social media presence.' Well, we all do that. Everybody and their grandmother has a Facebook page and an Instagram page and all this stuff. And look, it gets the word out. And if you can get followers, that's really great. But are those followers actually going out and buying the music? That's a real important point of what we're talking about. Getting recognition is one thing — if a lot of people become aware of what you're doing, that's really great. But if it's just in passing and they're not supporting what you're doing, they're not taking stock in their bands, which that's commonplace now. A lot of these younger kids, this is how they were brought up. I'm not saying anything negative about it; it's just the reality of what it is now. You can listen to 30 bands today — I can go on Spotify or whatever and find 30 new bands today that I've never heard in my life or 30 records that I've never even heard. But once I've listened to it, am I gonna go out and buy 30 CDs? Probably not, from those bands. So you get the recognition, but at the end of the day, if they don't take stock in the band and go see your concert or buy your merch and buy your record…"

He continued: "Anybody can make music now and put it out on YouTube. It doesn't mean you're a signed artist; you're not a signed artist. That's not to say that it's a bad thing.

"We live in different times now. I'm telling you — you wish you grew up when I grew up. When I grew up, everybody supported the scene. We all went to concerts. We weren't on our phones, 'cause we didn't have phones. Our primary source of entertainment was music. So you supported the bands.

"Everything's changed now. Music now is secondary. It's almost background music to video games, in a way. It's not the same as what it was. And that's okay. So you try to adapt and overcome with these times. Really, you try to do the best you can and just try to remain positive and keep your eye on the prize.

"For us, we have the affordability and the accessibility to write new music and record it and release it. So that's a great thing for us; it's a huge advantage," Shawn added. "But we don't have any preconceived notions of thinking we're gonna be playing stadiums in two months. It's not happening. And that's not why we're doing it. We're doing it because we love the music, at the end of the day."

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".

Glen Drover left MEGADETH at the end of 2007 and was replaced by Chris Broderick, who previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

According to Billboard, the title track of METALLICA's "72 Seasons" album has topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. It is the second song from "72 Seasons" to land at No. 1, several months after "Lux Æterna" began its 11-week reign at the top spot in December 2022.

"72 Seasons" is the 12th career No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Airplay for METALLICA, which first topped the chart in 1996 for eight weeks with "Until It Sleeps".

"72 Seasons" sold 146,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marks the band's 12th Top 10-charting album, of which eight have reached the top two.

"72 Seasons" had the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since TOOL's "Fear Inoculum" arrived in September 2019 with 270,000 equivalent album units.

"72 Seasons" was released on April 14 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, it is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

In the seven years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".

METALLICA's "M72" world tour launched in late April in Amsterdam. The trek sees the band playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

Opening acts include Floor Jansen, EPICA, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

METALLICA promises fans who purchase a two-day ticket that they won't see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning the band's 40-plus-year career.

Photo credit: Tim Saccenti

Italian hard rock band, Hand On Heart, have released a lyric video for their debut single, "Roses". On July 15 the song will be available on Spotify and on all the other music platforms worldwide.


"Roses" is the first song taken from the band's forthcoming debut album, which they are currently recording.







Hand On Heart lineup:


Gianluca Niccoli: Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Alessandro Moschini (ex G.L.A.S., ex H.A.R.E.M.): Bass
Christian Evans: Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Sergio Leonetti (ex G.L.A.S.): Drums

Holy Moses and their label, Fireflash Records, have released video footage of the band performing "Invisible Queen" - the title track of the band's new and final album - live at Rock Hard Festival 2023. Watch below:





2023 marks the final chapter in the long history of Germany’s legendary thrash metal act, Holy Moses, celebrated with the album, Invisible Queen, released back in April, and a last run of live shows.







Tracklisting (bonus album guests in brackets):


"Downfall Of Mankind" (Feat. Marloes Voskuil – Haliphron)
"Cult Of The Machine" (Feat. Bobby Ellsworth – Overkill)
"Order Out Of Chaos" (Feat. Diva Satanica – ex-Nervosa / Bloodhunter)
"Invisible Queen" (Feat. Ingo Bajonczak – Assassin / Bonded)
"Alternative Reality" (Feat. Tom Angelripper – Sodom)
"The New Norm" (Feat. Chris Staubach – Courageous)
"Visions In Red" (Feat. Rægina – Dæmonesq)
"Outcasts" (Feat. Leif Jensen – Dew-Scented)
"Forces Great And Hidden" (Feat. Gerre – Tankard)
"Too Far Gone" (Feat. Jens Kidman – Meshuggah)
"Depersonalized" (Feat. Daniela Karrer – Headshot)
"Through The Veils Of Sleep" (Feat. Ryker’s)


"Cult Of The Machine"





"Invisible Queen" video:





Tour dates:


July
5-9 - Trutnov, Czech Republic - Obscene Extreme Festival
13-15 - Torgau / Entenfang, Germany - In Flammen Open Air
25-29 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Tolminator


August
2-5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
11-13 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
15-20 - Kiel, Germany - Full Metal Cruise X Part I


November
18 - Zwickau, Germany - Club Seilerstraße


December
8-9 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Eindhoven Metal Meeting
16 - Übach-Palenberg, Germany - Rockfabrik Club
27 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle (final show)

Blessed Curse are excited to present the music video for “Subspecies”, the next sample of the Nor Cal group’s next album. Filmed by Kenji Tsunami at Tsunami Films (Hatchet, Tegmentum) the band’s first music perfectly captures the trio’s venomous thrash metal perfectly as the band rip and shred through a classic performance-based breakdown of the track.


“It’s been a long time coming but we could not be prouder to have our first official music video in the books. The process was smooth and straightforward working with Kenji Tsunami - we got on stage and rocked out for 3 hours. The end result was exactly what we were going for and felt right for this project and song,” explains drummer Derek Bean. “While we were new to the music video process, we utilized some insights picked up here and there to be as prepared for the video shoot by simulating the playback setup in a rehearsal room in Sacramento the week prior.  That definitely helped.”


“’Subspecies’ is one of our more groove-oriented songs with a heavy emphasis on the backbeat providing a solid pulse to the riffs.  Being a different feel than the other songs on the album thanks to the triplet-based grooves, there is almost a more solid link to older BC material which utilized a similar approach.  This, along with the subterranean bloodthirsty creature story, the song serves as a great choice for our first official music video.  There is a definite contrast to the first single ‘Throne of Bones’ which is bludgeoning sonically compared to ‘Subspecies.’  Intended to be this way, there is a lot of ground covered with both of these songs which represent what BC is about pretty thoroughly.”




Vocalist/guitarist Tyler Satterlee adds, "’Subspecies’ is about the idea that when daylight falls, evil crawls out... In this case evil comes in the form of creatures that live in underground caves and as the sun descends, awaken to hunt children in local villages for the sole purpose of eating them alive before the sun rises.”


"Shooting our first official music video for ‘Subspecies’ in Oakland, CA was an eye-opening experience from the moment we loaded in our gear onto the soundstage! From camera angles, to lighting, to ‘acting’ and miming to the song, to previewing takes, everything was brand new to us but also very fun,” furthers Tyler. “Once editing was being finalized, seeing ourselves in an actual music video format was a dream come true after so many years waiting to do a video. We couldn't be any happier with the end result hope all the headbangers out there enjoy it too, cheers!"





“Subspecies” follows up the “Throne of Bones” and “Street Freaks” lyric videos, both created by Raf Orteaga at Ecliptic Visions (Ayreon, The Absence, Hecate Enthroned)


All three digital singles (available at all streaming and download platforms) are from the new full-length, Pray For Armageddon, to be released on Friday the 13th of October. Anticipated because it’s been six long years since Blessed Curse released the Beware Of The Night EP, and 11 since the group’s full-length self-titled debut. Productivity and output haven’t been the band’s forte, but their core metal belief and dedication are and the band has played all over Northern California plying their trade and fans continue to support and anxiously await more new music.


Pray For Armageddon is available for pre-order featuring ten new songs for release on CD, Digital, and for the first time the band’s music on vinyl with 300 transparent orange copies being pressed. Pre-order here.


Pray For Armageddon was produced by the band and recorded, mixed and mastered by Joe Johnston at Sacramento’s Pus Cavern Studios (Will Haven, Silversun Pickups, Dance Gavin Dance) and once again features the cover art of Marc Sasso (Dio, Morbid Angel, Halford).





Tracklisting:


“Pray For Armageddon”
“Beheader”
“Subspecies”
“Lock Me Up”
“Skinned Alive”
“Street Freaks”
“Into The Dark”
“Aftermath”
“Graveyard World”
“Throne Of Bones”


“Throne Of Bones” lyric video:





“Street Freaks”: