Portland’s extreme metal force, Vitriol, recently re-released their Antichrist EP. The record is available on all digital platforms, and in an exclusive vinyl version. A new video for the lead track, "The Sun Named Moon", can be viewed below.


“Vitriol's first introduction to the public was in 2012 by way of a three song digital release entitled Antichrist EP. Nearly a decade later we have decided to reach back and offer our most formative material with a proper look and sound. Remixed, remastered, and featuring newly recorded vocals, our goal was to let our fans see what we were through the lens of what we are now,” states vocalist Kyle Rasmussen.  





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Antichrist EP tracklisting:


"The Sun Named Moon"
"Antichrist"
"Death, Become Me"


"The Sun Named Moon" video:





Vitriol will be supporting death metal legends Dying Fetus on their US tour in October accompanied by Terror and Brand Of Sacrifice.





October (with Dying Fetus)
26 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub Concert Hall
27 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
28 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
29 - Columbia, SC - The Senate
30 - Greensboro, NC - Arizona Pete’s


November (with Dying Fetus)
1 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
2 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
4 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Music Hall
5 - Indianapolis, IN - Emerson Theater
6 - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere’s
7 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
9 - Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation
10 - Columbus, OH - Skully’s Music Diner
11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall
12 - Reading, PA - Reverb
13 - Rochester, NY - Anthology
14 - Albany, NY - Empire
16 - Manchester, NH - Jewel Music Venue
17 - Providence, RI - Fete Ballroom
18 - Hartford, CT - The Webster
19 - Patchogue, NY - Stereo Garden
20 - Asbury Park, NJ - House of Independents





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It is with sincere regret that British rock icons, Magnum, are having to postpone the scheduled European shows in October and November 2021.


Due to changing developments in various countries in the EU caused by Covid, the shows’ promoters and organizers realized that there was no guarantee that the shows would or could take place. They have therefore all decided to reschedule the shows to the dates shown below.


The band sincerely apologize for this continued rescheduling but, this is outside of their control. Tickets will remain valid for all shows.


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Norwegian power trio Bokassa will release their new album, Molotov Rocktail, this Friday, September 3 via Napalm Records. Their eclectic and catchy mix of stoner, sludge, metal and catchy punk rock has earned them die-hard fans all over the world, as well as hundreds of thousands of streams across all platforms.


Bokassa are fully charged up and ready to set everything ablaze on their upcoming new album, revealing the new single and video for “Hereticules” today - a final taste of what’s to come on Molotov Rocktail. “Hereticules” balances melodic choruses and punishing guitar riffs, Bokassa’s crisp, dense production and a punishing breakdown that’ll leave listener’s necks sore for days!


Bokassa adds: “”Hereticules” is one of our favourite songs on the record. From the hardcore punk intro, the sludgy lead riff, the big bombastic horn and choir filled rock chorus to the punishing metal breakdown outro it’s quite a ride for the listener. Such a wacky genre fused song deserves a wacky video with choreographed dance moves. So that’s what it got!”


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Hailing from Trondheim, Norway, hard rock trio Bokassa have recently made a name for themselves with their brand of hard-hitting, melodic, catchy punk and stoner rock, right from the first full length, Divide & Conquer (2017). During the Worldwired tour with Metallica, the band released the critically acclaimed Crimson Riders (2019). On top of this, the Norwegians were nominated for the prestigious Spellemann-Award as Breakthrough of the Year in 2020. Now, Bokassa are ready to enter the next explosive chapter with their exciting new album, Molotov Rocktail.


Vocalist and guitarist Jørn Kaarstad’s unmistakably raspy voice and crushing guitar riffs hit satisfyingly hard with the snappy drumming and fat bass tone of drummer Olav Dowkes and bassist Bård Linga. Songs like “Herticules” effortlessly pull off the transition between melodic choruses and punishing breakdowns, while the title track “Molotov Rocktail” is two minutes of pure stoner punk paradise with its dense songwriting and dynamic production. The album closer’s intro riff (“Immortal Space Pirate 3 Too Old For This Sith”), meanwhile, could be lifted straight off a classic Behemoth album. On Molotov Rocktail, Bokassa’s daring but cohesive tightrope act of singalongs and neck breaking grooves is highly contagious – mixed and mastered by Machine - the powerhouse from Trondheim misses no chance to entrance the listener with every second of runtime.





Molotov Rocktail will be available in North America in the following formats:


- CD Digipak
- 1 LP Gatefold Pink - limited to 300 copies worldwide
- 1 LP Gatefold Black
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Freelude"
"So Long Idiots!"
"Pitchforks R Us"
"Hereticules"
"Low (And Behold)"
"Godless"
"Molotov Rocktail"
"Burn It All (P.T.S.D.E.A.D)"
"Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)"
"Code Red"
"Immortal Space Pirate 3 Too Old For This Sith"


“Burn It All (P.T.S.D.E.A.D.)” video:





"Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)" video:





Bokassa are:


Jørn Kaarstad - Lead Vocals,Guitar
Bård Linga - Bass, Vocals
Olav Dowkes - Drums, Vocals


(Photo - Kenneth Sporsheim)





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Acclaimed British rock group ASKING ALEXANDRIA will release its new full-length studio album, "See What's On The Inside", on October 1 via Better Noise Music. The official music video for the disc's first single, the poignantly powerful, guitar-driven "Alone Again", can be seen below. A raw, emotional, introspective rock anthem, the track was co-written by all five members and offers a fitting first sampling of the full-length LP. Tapping into a renewed sense of creative energy, the band is more aligned than ever and rediscovered their love for songwriting and making music together during the recording sessions for this album.

Of the single and the new album, founding member and lead guitarist Ben Bruce said: "'Alone Again' and the rest of this album is the result of us reconnecting and falling back in love with why we started this band in the first place. No frills or cheap tricks, just the five of us playing our instruments as hard and as loud as we can! At some point in our lives, we all feel lost and confused as to who we are and who we want to be, and I think this song will really unite all of us in that sense. We are so excited to share, not only this new song with you all, but our new album. We went back to our roots as musicians and really wanted to reignite that passion and love for rock and metal music. METALLICA, LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, AEROSMITH, AC/DC….all the greats that we fell in love with as kids have greatly influenced this new album and we couldn't be more excited!"

In the early months of 2021, all five members of ASKING ALEXANDRIA found themselves hunkered down in a house in Franklin, Tennessee to write and record their new album. It was the first time in over a decade that all were together in the same studio. Armed with a new sense of dedication to themselves and to their fans, they went back to their roots and pulled inspiration from some of their earliest influences and musical heroes. With time to reflect on their journey thus far they began preparing their next steps forward as a band.

Beyond its moving lyrics and soaring melodies, "Alone Again" is a rally cry and a statement of a group of artists who are here to stay and ready more than ever to be heard.

As the band prepares to put this new body of work out into the world, reintroducing themselves as a creative collective armed with a new sense of clarity and purpose, they will also be reconnecting with fans on the road. Earlier this month, they were announced to join A DAY TO REMEMBER on their "Re-Entry Tour" throughout North America. The tour kicks off on September 28 in Rochester, New York and goes until November 6 in St. Augustine, Florida. The band will also be playing at a select list of key festivals this fall.

Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington's cover version of METALLICA's "My Friend Of Misery" can be streamed below.

Washington performed his rendition of METALLICA's "My Friend Of Misery" in July during his at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. He was joined on stage at the gig by METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo.

Washington's cover of "My Friend Of Misery" is one of more than 50 songs which are included on METALLICA's massive new covers compilation called "The Metallica Blacklist", which features artists' takes on "Black Album" songs.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of METALLICA's self-titled album, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified LP is receiving its definitive re-release on September 10 via the band's own Blackened Recordings. Remastered for ultimate sound quality, The Black Album remaster will be available in multiple configurations including 180-gram double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3 CD expanded edition, digital, and limited-edition deluxe box set (containing the album remastered on 180-gram 2LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a METALLICA lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card).

Much more than a mere tribute album, "The Metallica Blacklist" celebrates the enduring influence of this musical milestone with one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived by the METALLICA team: An unprecedented 53 artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album cut.

"The Metallica Blacklist" offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to METALLICA — and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes. "The Metallica Blacklist"'s 53 tracks find singer songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more… and for 50+ good causes: Profits will be divided evenly between charities of the artist's choice and METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation.

"The Metallica Blacklist" is a fitting and limitless homage, one that features bands who've shared stages with METALLICA alongside artists who are younger than the original album. It's a truly staggering, at times mystifying assemblage of musicians, dozens of whom have little to nothing in common other than the shared passion for the music that's united them for this album: 1 Album. 12 Songs. 53 Artists. Unlimited Possibilities.

"The Metallica Blacklist" will be available in formats including digital, four-CD and a limited-edition seven-LP vinyl pressing.

All profits from "The Metallica Blacklist" will be split evenly between the All Within My Hands foundation and 50+ charities chosen by the artists who play on the album. All Within My Hands was founded by the band in 2017 as a way for the entire METALLICA family to give back to communities that have supported the band by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.

With the excitement for the new album increasing and as the band gets ready to hit the road in support of their new album, Marching In Time, Tremonti has released a live music video for the crushing album opener.


The live video version of “A World Away” opens with a musical intro before switching into the driving metal riff that kicks off the upcoming album. The video was recorded live in Orlando, FL and features live vocals and instrumentation that gives fans a taste of what they can expect when Tremonti heads out on tour.  


Marching In Time is scheduled for global release on September 24 via Napalm Records and fans who pre-order the album digitally will receive instant downloads of “A World Away,” “Marching In Time” and “If Not For You.”


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Watch the live video for "A World Away":





Mark Tremonti is no stranger to storytelling. Throughout his years with top-charting bands Alter Bridge and Creed, and most recently his solo band, Mark has never strayed from his love of writing memorable songs. With the upcoming fifth album, Marching In Time, the band looks to continue this trend while exploring their love for heavy music, drawing from current events from the last year to form the basis of each song. While its predecessor, A Dying Machine, was an overall concept album seeped in darker sentiments and story, the vibe of Marching In Time is different – emerging as a charging rock/metal offering that takes the listener on 12 individual journeys. Marching In Time is now available for pre-order.


From the driving drum beat of opener “A World Away” to the epic closer “Marching In Time,” the new album is a reflective look at the world around us today. Tremonti’s unmatched musicianship bleeds through the album, showcased on tracks like “Thrown Further,” “In One Piece” and the thought provoking “Would You Kill.” Alternatively, the band displays their softer side on pensive tracks “The Last One Of Us” and “Not Afraid to Lose.” Epic title track “Marching In Time” tells the story of a father having a child during a global pandemic and how he prepares for life during that time – something Mark Tremonti recently experienced in his own life – while upcoming single “If Not For You” shows the evolution of the Tremonti sound in 2021.  Marching In Time was produced longtime friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette – the producer Mark has worked with exclusively since 2007.


Marching In Time will be available in the following formats*:


- CD Digipak       
- Digital Album   
- 2LP Gatefold Black       
- 2LP Gatefold Marbled White / Black + Bonus Track (Band Store Only – limited to 500)
- 2LP Gatefold Sun Yellow + Bonus Track (Band Store Only – limited to 500)
- 2LP Gatefold Crystal Clear + Bonus Track (Band Store Only – limited to 500)
- 2LP Gatefold Pink Transparent (Napalm Mailorder Only – limited to 500)
- Die-Hard Edition: 2LP Marble Transparent Black + Guitar Pick + Print (Napalm Mailorder Only – limited to 500)   
- Deluxe Box: Flag, Wristband & More! (Napalm Mailorder Only – limited to 500)


*Additional formats will be available via individual retailers





Marching In Time tracklisting:


"A World Away"
"Now And Forever"
"If Not For You"
"Thrown Further"
"Let That Be Us"
"The Last One Of Us"
"In One Piece"
"Under The Sun"
"Not Afraid To Lose"
"Bleak"
"Would You Kill"
"Marching In Time"


"If Not For You" live video:





Tremonti will hit the road in advance of the release of Marching In Time, starting on September 3 in Pryor, OK at Rocklahoma with longtime friends Sevendust. The tour will make stops in Kansas City, MO, Sayreville, NJ, Flint, MI and Joliet, IL, to name a few, before wrapping on September 26 in Orlando, FL. Tremonti is also going to be a part of the recently announced tour with Daughtry and Sevendust that will run through November and December. All tour dates, ticket information and VIP packages can be found here.





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A hymn to simple pleasures and universal emotions, QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor's new solo single "We're All Just Trying To Get By" arrived on August 19. Building on more than half a century in music, both inside and outside QUEEN, this achingly beautiful ballad is a classy curtain-raiser for Roger's first solo album in eight years, "Outsider", due for release October 1. The song was conceived in the dark depths of lockdown but taps into brighter feelings, musing on the communal bonds and survival instincts that unite all creatures great and small, even in times of division and isolation.

"We're All Just Trying to Get By" is a gorgeous piece of dreamy pop with a sweeping widescreen melody, a radiant glow, and a quietly profound, ultimately uplifting message. Couched in luxuriant liquid guitar and ambient seagull effects, Roger's wry lyric marvels at how every living thing on Planet Earth, from mighty mammals to tiny insects, from humans to microbes, ultimately has the same aim: to survive, to thrive, and to co-exist as harmoniously as possible.

Like a David Attenborough TV series condensed into three transcendent minutes, "We're All Just Trying To Get By" feels like a healing balm for the senses after more than a year of pandemic anxiety and socially distanced separation. The song's underlying philosophy is inclusive, humane, and quietly optimistic.

"I tried to highlight the great things in life," Roger explains. "It's the simplest statement, really. It's what every life force on Earth is doing: just trying to get by and proliferate and exist. That's all we are trying to do, from plants to animals to humans, trying to survive. For all our troubles and everything, every sort of life is all just trying to get by. Also, of course, we are in the middle of a bloody pandemic... I mean, even the coronavirus is just trying to get by too!"

Roger's inspired choice of vocal guest on "We're All Just Trying To Get By" is KT Tunstall, the much-feted Scottish singer-songwriter whose prize-winning career includes multiple Brits and an Ivor Novello award. A late addition to the song's recording process, KT adds bluesy, grainy counterpoint to Roger's soulfully husky sighs, a delicious blend of voices that bridges musical genres and generations.

"The track was all finished and it was suggested it might be nice if we got KT involved," Roger recalls. "I love what she did, I think it really adds to the track. And she's very clever. I think people forget that she was really the pioneer as far as I know of looping, the looping technique which obviously Ed Sheeran is brilliant at and has made very popular. But I remember her doing it, what, 15 years ago? Fantastic. She's a very talented singer and musician and it's lovely to have her on the track. It's a very nice partnership."

For her part, Tunstall was thrilled at the invitation to collaborate with a songwriting legend and inspirational icon. "It was the coolest surprise, Roger, getting in touch during lockdown and asking me to lend my vocals to this great and meaningful song," she says. "What a pleasure to work with such a brilliant writer and musical hero."

Following the single's release, Roger and his band plan to launch the "Outsider" album in grand style with a 14-date U.K. tour in October. Promising a setlist of solo career tracks old and new, plus some crowd-pleasing QUEEN classics, this is great news for the music-starved masses as we finally emerge from enforced hibernation. Nature is healing, the seasons are changing, and soon we can come together again in shared celebration. We are all just trying to get by.

"Outsider" track listing:

01. Tides

02. I Know, I Know, I Know

03. More Kicks

04. Absolutely Anything

05. Gangsters Are Running This World

06. We're All Just Trying To Get By (featuring KT Tunstall)

07. Gangsters Are Running This World (purple version)

08. Isolation

09. The Clapping Song

10. Outsider

11. Foreign Sand (English mix)

12. Journey's End

Legendary progressive rockers YES — consisting of Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood — have unveiled the video for "Dare To Know". It marks the second single and video from their upcoming album "The Quest", due out October 1 on InsideOut Music/Sony Music and produced by Steve Howe.

"'Dare To Know' presents a guitar theme played within many different arrangements, with different chord structures and altered textures," says Howe. "The 'idea' mentioned in the first verse gets described later as an awakening to the subtle goings on within our bodies and mind, all geared to nature's scheme of things, all fluctuating and rearranging according to the principles of life, as we know it. The centrepiece leaves the orchestra alone to elaborate and develop the way the theme is heard, then augments the closing minutes of the song as it rests, with an acoustic guitar cadenza."

Much of the music for "The Quest" was "written in late 2019 with the rest in 2020," says Howe. "We commissioned several orchestrations to augment and enhance the overall sound of these fresh new recordings, hoping that our emphasis on melody, coupled with some expansive instrumental solo breaks, keeps up the momentum for our listeners."

"The Quest" was recorded across the globe. The sessions took place in the U.K. with Howe, Downes and Davison, while White and Sherwood got together in the studio in the U.S. "Billy Sherwood and myself did all the rhythm sections, bass and drum, in America," says White, "down in Los Angeles at Uncle Studios, where he works a lot. It helps when you've got a good place to work," Alan laughs, "and Billy's really good on the recording desk, so we got things down relatively quickly. I spent quite a while studying the music before I went down to L.A. so I was prepared."

YES recently revealed the first track to be taken from the album — "The Ice Bridge".

White commented: "I'm extremely proud to be a part of this music and believe the video graphics are outstanding. A collaboration of many talents coming together to produce 'The Ice Bridge'. I hope our fans/audiences will appreciate the creativity put forward. I'm pleased to share it with the world and hope everyone will enjoy the ride."

Howe added: "'The Ice Bridge' opens the album in the dark and moody key of C minor, aided by the orchestra. The rolling bass part kicks things into gear as the vocals and guitars start a winding journey through the various structures till the breakdown happens, where ice breaking is heard."

Davison was working with Downes on "The Ice Bridge" (Davison/Downes), looking at the dangers of climate change. He explained how he sets about collaborating with his bandmates.

"Usually what happens is each member is left to write their respective parts and put their stamp on things," he said. "Geoff sent me a selection of exciting and often gorgeous snippets he had created and made it clear that he wished I experiment freely and develop as needed. This in turn gave me the confidence to take on the vocal role — lyrics, vocal melody and harmony, how the vocals are presented and uniquely phrased — but all the while striving to stay faithful to Geoff's initial ideas."

"Jon's vocals are fantastic," added Downes, "He's really come into his own as a YES vocalist. This time he's started to get the writing side together and working with the other musicians has been developmental for him. I think he's hit a rich seam on this one."

"The Quest" is also now available for pre-order on various formats, including a limited deluxe box set that features a gatefold 180g 2LP on exclusive colored vinyl, 2CD+Blu-ray digipak (featuring 5.1 mix and backing tracks), 36-page perfect bound booklet, enamel pin badge, 60x90cm poster, slipmat and hand-numbered certificate of authenticity, all house in a rigid lift-off box.

Containing 11 songs, eight on the main CD with three extra tracks on a bonus CD, "The Quest" will also be available as limited 2CD+Blu-ray artbook, 2CD digipak, gatefold 2LP+2CD and as a digital album.

"The Quest" 2CD digipak track listing:

CD1:

01. The Ice Bridge 7.01

02. Dare To Know 6.00

03. Minus The Man 5.35

04. Leave Well Alone 8.06

05. The Western Edge 4.26

06. Future Memories 5.08

07. Music To My Ears 4.41

08. A Living Island 6.52

CD2:

01. Sister Sleeping Soul 4.51

02. Mystery Tour 3.33

03. Damaged World 5.20

The cover artwork was designed and created by the band's longtime collaborator Roger Dean.

For half a century, YES has been the definitive band of the progressive music genre, the band by which all others are judged. Their groundbreaking albums of the 1970s set the standard for the genre and influenced countless others who followed in their wake.

The current lineup of YES was completed in 2015 when Sherwood replaced founder member Chris Squire, at Squire's insistence, as he bravely fought a losing battle with leukaemia. Since then, YES has concentrated on touring with their Album Series tours, each featuring a classic YES album in its entirety. During this period, YES has released three live albums, "Topographic Drama - Live Across America" (2017), "Yes Live 50" (2019) and "The Royal Affair Tour: Live In Las Vegas" (2020).

Photo credit: Gottlieb Bros

The heavy metal 'n' roll dark madcap visionaries collectively known as AVATAR are ambitious, Swedish rock sorcerers of the highest order. They smash the boundaries between band, theater troupe, and cinematic masterminds with a series of celebrated albums and videos, and the immersive world of Avatar Country, a fantastical land where metal rules supreme.

In keeping with their customary larger-than-life-ness, the band is back with not one but two brand new songs.

AVATAR has shared the official music video for "Going Hunting", directed once again by Johan Carlén, and fan track "Barren Cloth Mother".

The black-and-white animated visual for "Going Hunting" features a giant insect as its protagonist, faceless men in suits, the band performing, and much more in its storyline. It's a glorious and cinematic visual, which is expected from the band.

In other news, AVATAR has also announced its signing with a new label. They are now part of the Thirty Tigers roster and have launched their own Black Waltz Records imprint.

"Since the early '60s, Swedish children have grown up reading Lee Falk's 'The Phantom'," the band says. "According to legend, The Phantom has the strength of 10 tigers. Thus, AVATAR now has the strength of three Phantoms and are therefore finally unstoppable. Thirty Tigers are innovators and we are very excited to have signed with them. It's good to work with such forward thinking people who truly understand what it means to be an artist in this millennium."

AVATAR continues: "This calls for a celebration, so to commemorate this occasion, and the tour we're just about to embark on, we've chosen to tear up some eardrums with 'Going Hunting' and 'Barren Cloth Mother'. Both songs tell about inner and outer darkness in their own ways. We keep sailing over dark oceans, staring down into the abyss. These songs, as great as they are, are just a taste of what's yet to come."

AVATAR will return to the road in the U.S. this September as one of the first European metal bands to return to the United States tour circuit after the COVID-19 lockdown, with MAGIC SWORD and TALLAH in tow. The trek kicks off today, September 1, in Albany and runs through October 18 in Seattle. The "Going Hunting" tour continues in Europe in January 2022 in the U.K. and wraps in Sweden in March. The band will make a few main-stage festival appearances this year and next — Hellfest, Aftershock, Louder Than Life and Blue Ridge Rockfest, to name a few.

AVATAR is:

Johannes Eckerström - Vocals

Jonas Jarlsby - Guitar

Tim Öhrström - Guitar

Henrik Sandelin - Bass

John Alfredsson - Drums

Groundbreaking, genre-defying instrumental trio ANIMALS AS LEADERS has dropped a brand new track, "Monomyth", its first in five years. The band also announced today that it has signed a new deal with world-renowned independent powerhouse Sumerian Records.

"Monomyth" comes accompanied by a high-concept music video directed by Telavaya Reynolds and featuring choreography by Tlathui Maza / Nohbords.

Speaking on the band's new release, guitarist Tosin Abasi shares: "'Monomyth' is part fever dream, part ritual. Its imagery represents man's ceaseless attempts to translate transcendent ideas into movement. The conflation of struggle with meaning. Pain with significance. The ultimate failure of distilling perceived patterns in the world into knowledge."

It might sound strange to associate "storytelling" with instrumental music. But ANIMALS AS LEADERS jettisoned the rules, limitations, and boundaries of conventional rock music from the start. Armed with palette-expanding eight-string guitars, rich synths, and pummeling percussive grooves, the trio is beloved by metalheads, aspiring virtuosos, jazz fanatics, and casual listeners alike. As Pitchfork observed, "ANIMALS AS LEADERS have walked the tightrope between sheer technical virtuosity and actual emotional resonance." Even without vocals, this is intimate, myth-making music.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS began as a solo outlet for Abasi, whose creative partnership with classically trained guitarist Javier Reyes and Berklee-educated drummer Matt Garstka is built on a shared love of everything from fusion to technical death metal. Garstka graced the cover of Modern Drummer in 2015. In one of his many appearances on their cover, Guitar World named Tosin among the Guitarists Of The Decade. Rolling Stone featured him as part of their "Young Guns" series. The Chicago Tribune declared him "the closest thing prog-metal has to an Eddie Van Halen." Kerrang! included their album "Weightless" among its Best Albums of 2011. "The Joy Of Motion" entered the Billboard 200 at No. 24 in 2014, and "The Madness Of Many" cracked the Top 20 in 2016. Now more than a decade into their career, a quick look at the bands they’ve toured with demonstrates the consistently diverse appeal of ANIMALS AS LEADERS. It’s a list that includes KORN, DEFTONES, THRICE, MESHUGGAH, UNDEROATH, TESSERACT and CIRCA SURVIVE, as well as major festivals with the likes of LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and SLIPKNOT.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS offer more than clinic-ready musicianship and proficiency. A focus on mood, texture, and emotive power elevates the material past any preconceived notions, resulting in a fascinatingly unique phenomenon, with an unlikely and profound appeal across multiple sub-genres and over 200 million career streams to date.

Trivium's Matt Heafy recently guested on The Jasta Show, hosted by Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, and during the interview Heafy revealed the status of his long-planned collaboration with Emperor frontman Ihsahn. Check out the interview below.


Heafy: "During this (lockdown) I was able to finally finish my black metal record with Ihsahn from Emperor. He's been producing and co-writing that with me for about 11 years, and it finally comes out in the middle of next year, which should be fun.


It used to be called Mrityu, which I got from Ashtanga yoga, it means the concept of life and death, same thing as the ouroboros, same thing as the Japanese Enso, the idea that life and death are always symbiotic with each other. I didn't really know what to write about lyrically, and I was talking to Ihsahn because I've always loved Scandinavian mythology, Norse mythology, and Swedish mythology, I wish I could write about Thor and Jörmungandr, I love these stories. He's like, 'Yeah, but Matt, those have been done a lot, and you have your own rich history to tap into with your Japanese side...' And then a lightbulb went off, I was like. 'I need to just write about that.' I started writing all the lyrics about Japanese stories because that's something that hasn't really happened. 


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There isn't really a band that writes about Japanese folklore or the Shinto gods and goddesses and fictitious stories of Japanese history. So I changed the band name to Ibaraki, which is actually Trivium's mascot - an easter egg in there - and the entire project is Japanese-themed. The art, the lyrics, I'm actually singing in Japanese, Ishahn's on the record, Nergal's on the record."





Trivium - Matt Heafy (vocals, guitar), Corey Beaulieu (guitar), Paolo Gregoletto (bass), and Alex Bent (drums) - have announced that they will release their tenth album, titled In The Court Of The Dragon, on October 8 via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in autumn 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. Pre-orders are live here.


The band has also shared the new song "Feast Of Fire", which is joined by an official music video. Watch it below. The footage was filmed at the band’s HQ - The Hangar in Orlando, Florida - and shot by director John Deeb.


"There's always that one song you aren't expecting when you begin writing a new album," says Gregoletto about the song and, in turn, sharing an inside look at the band's songwriting process. "It could be a riff written on the spot in the rehearsal space, a lyric that pairs just right with a melody, or in the case of 'Feast Of Fire,' sitting right there in front of us in the middle of a demo that Corey brought in. We were well into pre-production at Full Sail when we all decided that something about the demo we had tracked was good but could be even better. Our producer Josh Wilbur even had in his notes: 'Bridge is special, maybe so special it needs its own song.' We tore the song apart and began again on the spot."


He continues, "We went into this album knowing we had time to consider everything and anything that came about during this period, and if need be, we could start again if it didn’t feel right given that no touring was on the horizon."


Further pulling back the curtain, he says, "I had the words 'Feast Of Fire' written in my running list of notes for lyric ideas that I try to amass before we record. Something about the phrase stuck out to me. It felt like the missing piece of the story we were trying to tell with this album, a climactic moment, and a real centrepiece for the narrative."


He finishes, "After all these years I’m still blown away at how a song can really appear out of thin air and take the album to a place you weren’t expecting. Those are the moments we are always looking for when making a record."


The album cover is an original oil painting by French artist Mathieu Nozieres (@mathieunozieres on Instagram).


"While the music of In The Court Of The Dragon was taking shape, we knew we needed epic artwork of the type that you might see on the wall of an important museum from a long dead renaissance master," says Heafy. "After extensive research, we found one of the few living artists who is capable of creating artwork like Caravaggio and Gentileschi - painter Mathieu Nozieres. Mathieu took our song title and created an original oil painting on canvas unlike anything we could have ever imagined. It's so staggeringly breathtaking and epic and it looks like what the song and album sounds like."





The oil painting, which is also featured in both videos, is on display at the UK's Bloodstock Festival from August 11 - 15 in the on site RAM Art Gallery. This marks the painting's first public showing. The first 100 fans to view it in the gallery will receive a free poster of the image.


Last month Trivium shared the album’s title track, "In The Court of The Dragon", which features an epic intro composed and orchestrated by Ihsahn (Emperor) and is accompanied by an official short film music video directed by Ryan Mackfall. Watch below.





In The Court Of The Dragon tracklisting:


"X"
"In The Court Of The Dragon"
"Like A Sword Over Damocles"
"Feast Of Fire"
"A Crisis Of Revelation"
"The Shadow Of The Abattoir"  
"No Way Back Just Through"  
"Fall Into Your Hands"  
"From Dawn To Decadence"  
"The Phalanx"


"Feast Of Fire" video:





"In The Court Of The Dragon" video:








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While chatting with fans virtually as part of this year's GalaxyCon, SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor was asked if there is a specific genre of music that he would still like to tap into that he has not yet pursued with any of his projects. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I definitely want to do a jazz album at some point. I talked about it in a couple of different interviews and stuff. But I definitely have a certain style of jazz that I kind of gravitate towards more — like a dirtier size of jazz; the whiskey jazz is what they call it… I definitely still want to do a darker acoustic album. I don't write stuff like that all the time, and the reason I don't do that is because it's so easy for me; I can write that shit in my sleep. I like tripping out on all the genres that I grew up listening to and trying to create some amalgam hybrid that is exciting and kind of pops and gets people into the stuff that I was listening to. Other than that, I don't know, man. I've done it all."

Taylor previously discussed his desire to make a jazz album during a December 2018 appearance on RadioVegas.Rocks's "Chaotic Radio". At the time, he said: "I've actually been thinking about doing something like this — putting together a quartet or a quintet and doing a jazz album, like a dark jazz album, [and] recording it live in a room. It won't sell shit. It would really just be for my own fucking personal collection… 'Cause I love jazz. A lot of people don't realize that — I listen to a lot of '40s and '50s jazz. And there is this… the haunting stuff that [Billie] Holiday would do, the older stuff that Charlie Parker would do, when he was really fucked up — that would be the stuff that I would be closer to. And I've got, actually, jazzy versions of some of my own songs that I would love to try. Probably something like 'Prosthetics' [by SLIPKNOT], I think would be really, really cool. And then 'Bother' — I've got a really cool jazzy version of 'Bother' that could be really cool."

Corey, who is fully vaccinated, was forced to call off his appearance at a Michigan pop culture convention a week ago after testing positive for the coronavirus. Taylor first shared the news in a video posted on August 20 on the Facebook page for Astronomicon, the event where he was scheduled to appear that weekend. The 47-year-old musician spent a few days quarantining at a Denver hotel after his diagnosis before returning home.

Taylor completed the latest leg of his solo tour in support of his 2020 album "CMFT" on August 19 in Denver.

Ronnie James Dio's former wife and longtime manager Wendy Dio spoke to Brazil's Kazagastão about a possible return of the hologram of the legendary metal singer.

"[The hologram] was well received sometimes, sometimes not; it all depends on the people," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "The problem with the hologram, and it's great — and I won't say never again — but it costs so much money, you can only go into certain venues because of the height of it and the size of it. It's too expensive to travel, so therefore we couldn't come to Brazil, couldn't come to South America, couldn't go to Japan, couldn't go to Europe with it. So it limits you so much.

"So we are going out next year in March — the DIO band will go out again — but this time I found an ISO film, a 17-camera shoot, there's an ISO one of Ronnie only. So we took that, and we're making this with special effects. So it won't be a hologram — it'll be a film of Ronnie himself with the DIO live band and special effects. So we're working on that. And that we can take anywhere. So we're hoping to come to Brazil next year."

Last month, Wendy told Ultimate Classic Rock that the Ronnie James Dio hologram was "on hold. I don't know if we're going to do that again or not," she said. "We went out, and we tried it — we did it.

"There's still talk about doing the hologram," she continued. "I don't know. I think that there's so much more that's come along developing-wise [as far as technology]. I just think that the fans would prefer to see Ronnie as being really Ronnie instead of a hologram."

Dio died in 2010 at the age of 67 from stomach cancer. The singer's hologram was created by a company called Eyeillusion and made its debut at the Wacken Open Air festival in August 2016 in front of more than 75,000 fans.

The Dio hologram production uses audio of Ronnie's live performances from throughout his career, with the DIO band playing live, consisting of Craig Goldy on guitar, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Also appearing with them are Owens and LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan.

Two former DIO guitarists have publicly expressed their doubts about the Ronnie James Dio hologram. In December 2019, Tracy "G" Grijalva, who played for DIO from 1993 through 1999, said that the hologram "looks creepy" and resembles "a puppet." Nine months earlier, Doug Aldrich, who was in DIO between 2002 and 2006, told XS Rock that "Ronnie would probably not" like the hologram. "He would probably be, like, 'This is not what I signed up for.' A hologram? It's not really what he would want to be. I'm just guessing, you know, that it's something that Wendy thought about and she decided that Ronnie would be fine with it. But I knew Ronnie well enough to know that he was very particular and he would prefer for them to let him just die and be in peace."

After the "Dio Returns" tour's initial seven-date run was completed in December 2017, Ronnie's hologram underwent some changes before the launch of the 2019 leg of the trek, which took place in May and June of that year.

The "Dio Returns" 17-song set consisted of seven tunes sung by the Dio hologram — the rest featured Owens and Logan separately or together — and encompassed material from Dio's lengthy career, including his earlier days in RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH.

A few years ago, Wendy told Patch.com that critics of the Dio hologram were "entitled to their opinion. I just ask that people come and see the show first before criticizing," she said. "We got a lot of flak in the beginning but I think more and more people are getting used to it. It's for the fans. It's for the fans who would love to see Ronnie back up on the stage and the ones that never got a chance to see him. I think Ronnie would approve. If anybody saw the 'Sacred Heart' tour in 1986 we tried to make a hologram then. We had Ronnie in a crystal ball hanging from the stage talking through it. Also he was an innovator in music, so why not be an innovator in technology."

Last year, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick, who toured with Ronnie on two separate occasions a decade and a half apart — in 1992 when Dio fronted BLACK SABBATH and again in 2008 when Ronnie was the singer of SABBATH offshoot band HEAVEN & HELL — offered his opinion on the Dio hologram on Twitter, writing: "I don't believe in those hologram shows. It would be one thing if the artist was still alive, chose not to tour for whatever reason, gave his or her approval & maybe even had a hand in the process. But Dio had no say." Skolnick also added a thumbs-down emoji as a way of voicing his disapproval.

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman said in a 2016 interview that he had mixed feelings about concerts featuring the Dio hologram. He said about the prospect of seeing a holographic version of Ronnie: "It makes me sad. I'm always happy to hear any music from anybody that's left us, that we've lost. But I don't know… The hologram thing, to me, it almost isn't letting the dead be dead." He added, "It just seems weird... Is there a difference between a hologram and a guy dressing up like Ronnie James and doing it?"

Tonight (Tuesday, August 31), HALESTORM kicks off a series of headline dates and a set at Rocklahoma prior to a co-headline run with EVANESCENCE beginning November 5 in Portland, Oregon, running through December 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Earlier today, HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger shared a few photos from the road on Instagram, and he included the following message: "Our first day back in the bus and on the road was spent chilling in Cleveland. Beautiful town!

"This will be a unique run. We're not hanging out with anyone. No guests. No bars. No restaurants.

"The goal is to get to the end of the tour without testing positive. So… it's time to keep the bubble tight.

"We walked to the water front and walked back to the bus. Staying masked up around everyone. It's weird times. But the rock shows must go on! So come see us.

"Stay masked up and safe. We'll hug and hang out in safer times."

HALESTORM is scheduled to play the following shows in the next couple of weeks:

Aug. 31 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fairgrounds

Sep. 01 - Lewiston, NY - Art Park

Sep. 03 - Bonner Springs, KS - Azura Amphitheater

Sep. 04 - Camdenton, MO - Ozarks Amphitheater

Sep. 05 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma

Sep. 08 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, US Cellular Center

Sep. 09 - Danville, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Festival

Sep. 11 - Nashville, IN - Brown County Music Center

Sep. 12 - Mansfield, OH - Inkcarceration Festival

Earlier in the month, HALESTORM released a new single, "Back From The Dead". The track is taken from the band's upcoming fifth full-length album, due in 2022. The video for "Back From The Dead", directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, the features frontwoman Lzzy Hale and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

HALESTORM's new music is once again being produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who first helmed the band's 2017 effort "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" and was previously described by Hale as the group's "fifth member."

HALESTORM's latest EP release was last year's "Halestorm Reimagined", a collection of the band's reworked original songs as well as a cover of "I Will Always Love You", the love ballad made famous by Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton.

Lzzy and her brother Arejay formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".
























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A post shared by Joe Hottinger (@thejoestorm)

During a recent appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael discussed how he has been keeping busy during the pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Over the break [from touring], I realized that I was on the couch doing nothing. Before I got sober, one of the things that stopped me from getting sober was the brain telling me, 'Oh, man, if you stop, you're not gonna be creative. You're not gonna enjoy doing this.' And then the universe spoke up and was, like, 'Motherfucker, you haven't written shit in four years. What the fuck are you worried about?' … But then once I got sober and started…

"It's a double-edged sword being that sensitive musician that you could feel everything — probably more than most people feel," he continued. "You're definitely overly sensitive to all of the stuff that's going on around you, and unless you have an outlet for it, it's hard to channel. But thankfully, I've got music — I've got the bass, I've got the guitar — and was able to put those feelings into music during last year. I wrote — I think I'm on song number eleven right now from writing last year. And [it's been] incredibly therapeutic; just a hell of a purge.

"At the end of the day, whatever happens with these songs, they've already fulfilled the purpose that I went into it with, [which] was to get through all the stuff that I was feeling last year and use that as therapy," Kael added. "And hopefully at some point it'll get out there somehow where the stuff that I went through will help other people going through the same kind of stuff. But as of right now, those songs have fulfilled the purpose that I went into writing last year, and everything else from here on out is a bonus. So, it's a hell of a record to listen to in the car while I'm driving around [delivering stage-played bass guitars to people who have ordered them]."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH performed for the first time in a year and a half on August 20 at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa.

The band recently entered the Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada to begin recording its new album for a 2022 release. In addition, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has commenced re-recording its debut LP, 2007's "The Way Of The Fist", for its 15th anniversary.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's upcoming album will be the group's first with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook last year. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2", which came out last fall.

Shortly following their live BluRay/DVD Die Letzte Schlacht debuting on the German album charts at #4, Feuerschwanz are announcing their new studio album, Memento Mori. The new album will be released on December 31 via Napalm Records and will continue the success story of the medieval rockers from Germany / Franconia.


Memento Mori, the follow-up to the successful album Das Elfte Gebot (#3 German charts), sings about great adventures, past battles and outstanding heroic deeds in typicalFeuerschwanz fashion. Feuerschwanz manage to stay true to their trademarks, and at the same time, venture musically into new realms.


Feuerschwanz on the new album: “You take nothing with you to your grave, except your coffin... Memento Mori is the direct successor to Die Letzte Schlacht! The world of Hauptmann Feuerschwanz is in flames, overrun by the living dead and scourged by religious zealots... All of this sounds frighteningly real, even in Anno Domini 2021, so it's time to defy the storm once again and celebrate life. Let's live here, let's live now - until death sharpens his knife!”


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As a special highlight, some versions of Memento Mori will feature a bonus CD with seven cover songs by Manowar, Amon Amarth, but also O-Zone, among others.


Memento Mori will be available in the following formats:


- 2CD Mediabook + 40 pages booklet
- 1CD Jewel Case + 20 pages booklet
- Digital Album
- Digital Deluxe Album


Pre-order here.





2CD tracklsiting:


Disc 1:
"Memento Mori"
"Untot im Drachenboot"
"Ultima Nocte"
"Rausch der Barbarei"
"Krampus"
"Feuer & Schwert"
"Das Herz eines Drachen"
"Rohirrim"
"Am Galgen"
"Hannibal"
"Skaldenmet"


Disc 2:
"Blinding Lights"
"Warriors of the World United"
"Twilight of the Thunder God"
"The Bad Touch"
"Dragostea Din Tei"
"Square Hammer"
"Der Graf"


A few days after album release, Feuerschwanz will go on an extended tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They will be accompanied by fearless heavy metal kings Warkings.


Feuerschwanz are:


Hauptmann Feuerschwanz - vocals, guitar
Johanna von der Vögelweide - violin, hurdy-gurdy
Rollo - drums
Jarne Hodinsson - bass
Prinz Hodenherz - flutes, bagpipe, vocals, guitar
Hans der Aufrechte – guitar


(Photo - Nikolaj Georgiew)





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Metalium have released a new single, entitled "Never Surrender". Henning Basse (vocals), Matthias Lange (guitars), Chris Caffery (guitars), Tolo Grimalt (guitars) and Michael Ehré (drums) pay tribute to their late bandmate and friend, Lars Ratz, with this song.


Don Airey (Deep Purple) - who already played keyboards on the band's album Hero-Nation - Chapter Three in 2002 - and bassist Jens Becker (Grave Digger), who is a close friend of the band, both joined them. Miquel A. Riutort mixed and mastered the song.





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"Never Surrender" is the first collaboration of the remaining Metalium band members since they announced their split in 2010. There were rumours of a possible reunion floating around, but in the end, it was sadly just a rumour.


Lars Ratz, who founded Metalium in 1999 in Hamburg, Germany, and released eight studio albums and two videos with them, sadly passed away on April 18, 2021, as a result of an ultralight aircraft crash on Mallorca, Spain.


Listen to the single here, and watch a lyric video below:





Lineup:


Henning Basse - Vocals
Matthias Lange - Guitars
Chris Caffery - Guitars
Tolo Grimalt - Guitars
Michael Ehré - Drums


Guest musicians:


Jens Becker (Grave Digger) - Bass
Don Airey (Deep Purple) - Keyboards





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Indian hard rockers Girish & The Chronicles (GATC) have released an official video for their new single, "She's Heavy Metal". The song is taken from the album Rock The Highway, released in April 2020 via Lions Pride Music. 





Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the signing of Girish & The Chronicles to the label for a multi-album deal.


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The band’s singer Girish Pradhan says, "Frontiers is home to some of the most legendary artists, some of whom we actually idolized as kids and it is a truly wonderful feeling to be a part of this family. We had hoped for this for quite some time and we had no idea that we would be the first Indian band to do this! We really look forward to creating some crazy albums together and adding to the legacy!"


GATC plans to head to the studio very soon to start the recordings of their third record which is expected to be released in early 2022. Girish concludes: "We are very excited for this. We have already started making demos and they sound KICK ASS! As always, we want to take this album to the next level. It will have all the musical elements that we love to hear, in our day to day lives, which of course revolves around good old Rock 'n Roll. From the Sunset Strip to NWOBHM and more. Our audience can expect some great anthems!" 


Girish continues, "We are a hard rock/melodic rock/heavy metal band. We like making the kind of music that we grew up listening to, which revolves around the '80s. However, we do like including a song or two that may have a very different vibe. Could be in the form of a progressive song or maybe a riff that has a bit of "India" in it. All in all, we think of it as a roller coaster ride with the meanest in-your-face songs to beautiful ballads. We feel no matter how dedicated we are to the art, we still should not stop ourselves from exploring more, but without losing the essence of what we truly love."


GATC has released two albums, their debut Back On Earth on Universal Music India and the more recent Rock The Highway, which was released independently outside of India as well.


For the uninitiated, you can hear what the band sounds like via the below music videos.








Coming from the city of Bengaluru in Sikkim, India, GATC are known for their soaring, powerful vocals, biting guitars, thunderous bass, and pounding drums, staying true to the authentic ‘80s heavy metal/hard rock sound which they grew up with. Many rock outlets, listed GATC’s "Rock the Highway" on their list of top Top Rock/Metal Albums of 2020 and the group has gained a cult following with '80's and '90s hair metal and hard rock aficionados.


GATC is also well known in the Indian rock scene for electrifying live shows and have toured across the nation and beyond. The group has supported bands ranging in variety from American alt rockers Hoobastank to Finnish rockers Poets of the Fall to German thrashers Destruction. Additionally, the band has been part of various leading music festivals in India consistently. They also recently toured with/backed ex-Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler during his performances in India. Vocalist Girish Pradhan is also part of the international metal group, Firstborne, which is led by Chris Adler, James Lomenzo and Hugh B. Myrone. He has also toured the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and other territories with his other side projects in the past. In their 11 year existence, they have been credited by many fans for bringing the classic hard rock culture back in India and are an inspiration to many new and upcoming bands in the scene.





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