On June 16, former FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell performed the group's classic song "Replica" with the the house band at Frankie's Pizza in Sydney, Australia after his DJ set. You can now watch video of his appearance below.
Last September, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.
Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after guitarist Dino Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's long-awaited new LP, "Aggression Continuum".
Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.
"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."
Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: "I'm done. I haven't spoken to Dino in three years. I haven't spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I'm just moving forward with my life."
In October, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."
In explaining his reasons for starting a fundraising campaign, Cazares said that all donations would go toward covering newly incurred production costs involved with the making of "Aggression Continuum", including re-recording the drums, guitars, bass and keyboards, as well as production by b>Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN) and Cazares, and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM). Burton's original lead vocals, which were recorded in full in 2017, remain on the new version of the album.
FEAR FACTORY's fundraising campaign marked the first public activity from the band since it completed a 2016 U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.
"Aggression Continuum" was released on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Bell's ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS project released its second full-length album, "Apocrypha", last October via Dissonance Productions.
Louisville rockers Tantric will release their new album, The Sum Of All Things, in July through Cleopatra Records. BraveWords is premiering new video for “Living Here Without You”.
“Living Here Without You” was chosen as the album’s first single because of the rapturous reception it received at Tantric live shows, and it’s easy to hear why. The song paints a moving portrait of a love that entangles the soul and produces a powerful sense of yearning when taken away. Shifting back and forth from the sparse atmospheric verses to bombastic choruses, the song’s musical dynamics echo the push-pull dynamic of romantic passion and set the stage for Ferreira’s resonant vocals. The band also shot a breathtaking new video with award-winning video director Vicente Cordero (Industrialism Films) that brings the album’s cover art to vivid life.
The Sum Of All Things is the superbly crafted, dynamic new studio album still fronted by vocal powerhouse Hugo Ferreira; the band's latest batch of songs reveals incredible new depths with memorable melodic hooks and poetic lyrics.
Special bonus tracks include newly supercharged recordings of the band's massive hit singles "Breakdown" and "Down And Out". The album is svailable as a digipak CD or in a special 2 part vinyl package with the full album on colored vinyl PLUS a bonus 12" single. Preorder the CD and LP at Cleopatra Records. Pre-save here.
Tracklisting:
“Alone”
“Walk That Way”
“Twisting And Turning”
“Can’t Find This”
“Living Here Without You”
“Take Me I’m Broken”
“The Words To Say”
“Compound”
“Pushover”
“Ten Years”
“The Sum Of All Things”
“Breakdown” (Bonus Track)
“Down And Out” (Bonus Track)
"Whiskey & You" (Bonus Track)
Throughout April, some of the world's greatest guitarists came together to raise money and celebrate the music of legendary guitarist and composer Jason Becker, who has been living with ALS for over 30 years and continues to compose and record music.
The virtual event, hosted in part by DragonForce guitarist Herman Li, included three components:
1) A livestream telethon-style fundraiser on Twitch: special guests appeared on Herman Li's Twitch channel (twitch.tv/hermanli) to play, jam and participate in fan-generated challenges with all money raised going directly to Jason's medical trust.
2) Artists donated signed guitars, merch and other rare items which will be sold via a special Reverb shop to benefit Jason. Details TBA.
3) Three of Jason's most important guitars will be auctioned off later this year, including the guitars seen on the covers of Perpetual Burn, Speed Metal Symphony and the original "Numbers" guitar played by Eddie Van Halen. Details TBA.
Musicians participating in the fundraiser included: Marty Friedman, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, Mark Tremonti, John Petrucci, Kiko Loureiro, Tosin Abasi, Nita Strauss, Orianthi, Devin Townsend, Dave Ellefson, Michael Angelo Batio, Guthrie Govan, Tim Henson, Alex Skolnick, Albert Lee, Matt Heafy, Zoltan Bathory, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal, Satchel (Steel Panther), John 5, Gus G, Nili Brosh, Jason Richardson, The Dooo (YouTube), Jared Dines, Ola Englund, Steve Terreberry (StevieT on YouTube), Tyler Larson (Music is Win on YouTube), Cole Rolland, Thomas McRocklin, Rusty Cooley, Mattias IA Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), Sam Totman, Chris Broderick, Lari Basilio, Sophie Lloyd, Federico Mondelli and Fabiola Bellomo (Frozen Crown), Alex Lee (Holy Grail), Stevie Salas, Elliot Easton, Mika Tyyska, Daniel Dekay, N&M Creation (YouTube) and more TBA.
The clip below is footage from the livestream featuring Li and Devin Townsend chatting and jamming.
Li issued the following statement regarding the fundraiser: "I've been a huge fan of Jason Becker since I was young, and it's one of the biggest honours of my life to be able to help organize this tribute and raise money for him. I still have a Jason Becker poster in my studio in London. It's been very inspiring to see everyone coming together to celebrate Jason."
Jason Becker says, "I am so grateful for all the love and support everyone has given to me and my family. As far as selling my guitars being sad, and that I shouldn't have to do it, I just want you to know that isn't how I feel. It makes me happy to see others playing my music. I feel good about passing on my guitars, thinking they mean something to others. I can't play them now, but other folks can. That's a good thing. And, I want myself and my family not to have to worry about money, if possible. Thank you for all the love, I send it right back to you."
San Antonio, Texas hard rock band Kingdom Collapse has released the official music video for their single "Unbreakable" today. The single has already received early love on Octane's Test Drive with Jose Mangin stating "This is going to be a big time Octane future hit. I can already freakin’ tell.” In addition, the single has also been picked up by the Adrenaline Workout, Kickass Metal and New Metal Spotify Editorial Playlists.
Relevance. It is one of the most innate human desires; to know that we are not alone and that others go through the same struggles. This is why Kingdom Collapse is carving out their spot in the rock world. They seek to give a voice to people who share similar troubles and crave relevancy in an apathetic world.
The world responded to a relevant theme of betrayal when their first single, “Suffer,” amassed over 5,000,000 YouTube views and 900,000 Spotify streams organically. The group’s 2020 hit radio single, “Uprise,” broke into the Billboard Mainstream Rock Top 40 as well as the Mediabase Active Rock charts for 9 weeks straight. “Uprise” went on to become Sirius XM Octane’s #1 Most Played song for two consecutive weeks and has since accumulated over 1,600,000 Spotify streams, tipping the band’s total stream count over 3.5 million.
The group features Jonathan Norris on vocals, David Work on guitar, Aaron Smith on bass and Elijah Santucci on drums. Together, with a mutual vision, they are bringing their shared experiences to the masses and looking to help as many people as they can with a feeling of solidarity.
The band’s 2021 follow-up radio single, “Unbreakable,” is an anthem that is emotionally honest and relevant to today's times. Written and produced by lead singer, Jonathan Norris and mixed/mastered by Chris Mora of War Horse Recordings, it sends a positive message to listeners by teaching that even life’s hardest moments can be a benefit. Norris writes, “‘Unbreakable’ comes from a lyrical standpoint of looking back at various struggles that life has thrown at you and coming to realize that those struggles ultimately made you stronger. We’ve all been there, and it’s about finding the silver lining in the midst of dark times.”
Kingdom Collapse has been playing stages across the US and has already shared the stage with the likes of 10 Years, From Ashes To New, Cold, Red, Saliva and many other hard rock heavy-hitters. In May of 2021 the band signed with one of the leading booking agencies in the industry, Dynamic Talent International, and will be announcing more tour dates soon.
Greece's prog power Illusory are sharing their new music video for the heroic rhapsody “Ashes To Dust” in support of their third album Crimson Wreath released on May 21 via Rockshots Records. Illustrious actor/director Grigoris Valtinos is the leading man in the story, which exemplifies the essence of a fable across a path walked by the bravest and honored by the scholars of the world. This short film is about an epic manifesto, a darkening day to come and everlasting hope.
"Achilles! The greatest hero in Homer’s Iliad. A human war machine in the flesh. He was the inspiration for this specific song and this is the first time we actually pass the borders of Epic Metal. So much power engaged with melody as it was meant to be. Warriors shouts, battle vibes, seismic rhythm section, twin guitars, screaming high melody notes… and finally a glorious shivering narration from Mr. Grigoris Valtinos, a world-renowned famous Greek theatrical actor and director. It was such a huge honour to have him on board." adds the band.
Having opened for such legendary acts Blue Oyster Cult, Warrel Dane, Geoff Tate, and Gus G, Illusory's new album Crimson Wreath is the next step in their widely praised evolution to follow 2016's Polysllabic (7hard/7us) and 2013's The Ivory Tower (The Leaders Records).
Melodic, riffy, cerebral, and complex Crimson Wreath is a very emotional and melodic release, yet heavy and strong at the same time. Both new fans and ones who have been listening to the band for years will indulge themselves in this latest offering of classic, progressive, epic, and thrashy performances. Lyrical themes found on Crimson Wreath are mostly anti-war, but the full length also includes a thematic unit consisting of three songs that deal with human loss.
"The band is thrilled! When we look back, from the first minute to the last one, from the moment we pressed record on the very first drum takes to the album wrap-up, we can’t stop thinking about all the things we set and done during those long hours of arranging every little album detail. “Crimson Wreath” has become a member of our discography and our most recent brainchild. And we are totally proud of it!"
Crimson Wreath tracklisting:
"Besetting Sins"
"Acedia"
"Crimson Wreath"
"Immortal No"
"All Shall Fade"
"All Blood Red"
"The Voice Inside Me"
"S.T. Forsaken"
"Ashes To Dust"
"A Poem I Couldn’t Rhyme"
An Opus Of Loss And Sorrow:
"Pedestal I: Past Forever Last"
"Pedestal II: The Isle Of Shadows"
"Pedestal III: Agony’s Last"
"Fortress Of Sadness"
Los Angeles hard rockers Slizard have premiered a music video for their new song "Will You Still Be There" taken from their self-titled debut album. "Will You Still Be There" is a rock ballad, and the video was produced by Raj Kavaserri of Pink Cactus Films, West Fargo, North Dakota.
Slizard guitarist Pat "Buzz" Belrose has commented that the video features "stunning visuals to match the darker lyrics of the song.”
Their self-titled debut album was released on May 28 via Mega Metal, a sublabel of Canadian label Maple Metal Records.
The band was formed in 2019, and features LA singer Liz Fawcett on vocals, Pat "Buzz" Belrose on guitars, bass & vocals, and Todd "Toad" Resmen on drums.
Singing sensation Liz Fawcett has been described by a few LA music industry reps as a "badass" singer that has an instantly recognizable voice. Pat "Buzz" Belrose has previously played guitar for LA bands Spoiled Rotten, & World Jungle who were popular acts, especially on the local LA scene in the 90's, but has also recorded two albums with Canadian metal band Jade in the mid-80's. Buzz currently also has his own band appropriately named BUZZ ZA.
The Slizard album cover art is designed by well-known Finnish artist Jan Yrlund, of Darkgrove Studios, Tampere, Finland.
Slizard is produced & mixed by Chris Wood, a 3-time Grammy Award nominated L.A. producer, & mix engineer. Chris Wood has worked with a variety of artists in multiple music genres, but in the rock world most notably with Slash, Lenny Kravitz, Vivian Campbell guitarist of Dio & Def Leppard.
The album is mastered by Chris Crerar at Metalworks Studios (Guns N' Roses, Rush, Triumph) in Toronto, Canada. John Belrose (Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac) is executive producer for this album.
Tracklisting:
"Monsters"
"Mr. Hyde"
"Caught Up In The Gears"
"Crack The Whip"
"Skinwalker"
"Watch N' Listen"
"Vampire Zombies"
"Runnin' Towards The Zombies"
"Madness Of The Queen"
"Neverland"
"Down By The River"
"Spooks In The Trees"
"Broken Dreams"
"Will You Still Be There"
"Slow Motion Suicide"
THE DEAD DAISIES' current lineup made its live debut last night (Wednesday, June 23) at Boca Black Box in Boca Raton, Florida. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.
THE DEAD DAISIES' current lineup includes Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) on bass/vocals, Doug Aldrich (DIO, WHITESNAKE) on guitar, Tommy Clufetos (BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE) on drums and David Lowy (RED PHOENIX, MINK) on guitar.
THE DEAD DAISIES' latest album, "Holy Ground", was released in January. Recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse, the LP is the band's first to feature Hughes, who joined the group in 2019 as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).
Drummer Deen Castronovo announced his exit from THE DEAD DAISIES in January, two days after the band's publicist revealed that Clufetos will rejoin THE DEAD DAISIES when they hit the road in support of "Holy Ground". Clufetos previously toured with THE DEAD DAISIES in 2015.
In an interview with "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show", Hughes spoke about how he came to be involved with THE DEAD DAISIES. He said: "They wanted someone in, and they were asking me [in early 2019] if I would be interested in doing this. And I've been doing the 'Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple' [shows] for a couple of years, and I thought it would be appropriate for me to take a break from that and do something other than [that]. And I got together with the guys and we had a play. I've known Doug a long time. And it just fell together beautifully. It's a beautiful piece of music."
Hughes told "That Jamieson Show" about the lyrical themes covered on "Holy Ground": "Since I've been clean and sober now almost 30 years, I think in PURPLE, in the '80s and '70s, I wrote about fiction. Then, when I got sober, the more time I have under my belt, and the years I have under my belt, I'm really, really honing in on life — what happens between life and death: fear, no fear, love, faith, hate, giving. And THE DEAD DAISIES album is one story after another.
"So the album is self-explanatory," Hughes added. "It's about autobiographical stuff. I do write stuff about what happens in my life. But I think people will hear it and they will relate to it, because they're probably going through the same [stuff] — whether it's fear or happiness or sadness or whatever. I'm a 'feelings' kind of dude."
THE DEAD DAISIES will embark on a full U.S. tour in the late summer/early fall. Support on the "Like No Other" trek will come from the "rock and roll comedian" Don Jamieson.
Journey - who's lineup currently includes singer Arnel Pineda, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Randy Jackson, keyboardist/singer Jason Derlatka, and drummer Narada Michael Walden - have released their new single, "The Way We Used To Be".
Stream the single via your preferred platform here, and watch the official music video for the song below:
Journey recently issued the following update: "We will be performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, NV on September 18. Tickets available Friday, June 25th at JourneyMusic.com!"
For more than a decade, Famous Underground has consistently shunned musical trends in favor of holding the metallic hard rock torch high, as evidenced by “The Dark One Of Two,” the new music video premiered exclusively by BraveWords!
Frontman Nick Walsh on the video:
“In putting this video together we had to be rather resourceful. We managed to pool the live portions from some fan footage that was collected from our last show pre-pandemic. The one thing I did know going in was that I didn’t want some ZOOM video in which we looked like we should be in the fucking Brady Bunch!”
“The Dark One Of Two” is available on all digital music providers here.
“What I love about our songs is how they usually tell tales of conflict, but they also have resolve,” adds bassist Laurie-Anne Green. “One of the things that keeps my interest with this band is how over the years the sound has kept evolving, I feel that we are now playing some of our best material.”
Walsh acknowledges the public’s tolerance for inauthenticity has kept him singularly focused on ensuring he projects his true musical identity in every note of the five-song In My Reflection, available June 25. “Fans, critics and most people can smell through bullshit. As an artist, my job is to make sure I’m comfortable creating it and presenting it,” he says.
While the musical relationship between Walsh and Green dates back more than two decades, the former’s history in music is even more extensive, having fronted the Juno Award winning Canadian hard-rock band Slik Toxik. Following the group’s demise, Walsh immersed himself in a myriad of projects, running the gamut from owning a recording studio, working in film and television, and touring North America with Classic Albums Live.
Walsh and Green had worked on projects together in the past, and in 2011 decided to form Famous Underground. They released their debut album independently that same year, which was subsequently licensed for world-wide release in 2013. Leaning upon a veritable number of classic influences from the world of hard rock and heavy metal, Famous Underground’s take no prisoners approach to music reaffirms guitar-driven rock music is far from dead.
“Famous Underground is my passion project. It’s music that comes from my soul,” Walsh explains. “I am grateful that the band share my vision and end up owning it themselves - that's what I call real.”
Following the release of a digital 45 in 2017, the band, which also includes guitarist Darren Boyd and drummer Desche Sparboom, amassed 14 songs for a full-length album that was originally due out in 2020. Not surprisingly, the pandemic disrupted those plans, sending Walsh and Green back to the drawing board in some respects. After all, the dynamic vocalist has a unique perspective on the music business, having cut his musical teeth on the “old” model of record companies being the gatekeepers to success, through disruptors like Napster and file-sharing, up to the present day of music on demand.
“It’s remarkable to watch how technology shifts the industry so quickly,” says Walsh. “It’s so important to stay on top of how the landscape is evolving. We wanted to ensure we were going about the release of this new music in the right way, rather than dropping all 14 songs with no fanfare.”
"The Dark One Of Two"
"Corrupted"
"Until The End"
"Ultra Mega"
"Like An Animal"
"Corrupted":
One of the most notable facets that time has brought to Famous Underground is a sense of maturity and life experience. Although those facets of life might have been missing during his tenure in Slik Toxik - through no one’s fault - Walsh embraces the opportunity to have gained valuable insights and observations over the last 30 years. It has given him a world view that could not be artificially manifested. There is a polished, intense rawness to the songs featured on In My Reflection that is both similar and dissimilar to anything Walsh has done in the past. However, he might not have arrived at this critical junction in his career without the benefit of the experiences he’s lived through.
“Back in the early days of Slik Toxik, we were singing about reaching for the brass ring, women and partying; all pretty typical stuff for guys in their late teens and early 20s,” Walsh says. “I couldn’t get away with writing about that shit now. I’m more interested in writing about the world around me and the human condition; the struggles within; duality; and the world around us. I’m a big believer in the whole yin/yang thing and how important it is to find balance in the world.”
Famous Underground is:
Nick Walsh - Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Laurie-Anne Green - Bass Guitar
Darren Boyd - Lead Guitar
Desche Sparboom – Drums
Chaos Doctrine came down on the metal world like the hammer of Thor in February this year with a shredding track called “Black Friday Bedlam”, featuring Swedish metal legend Jörgen Sandström (Entombed, Grave, Torture Division, Krux, The Project Hate) on vocals. If you watched the lyric video, you would have caught a peek at the title and artwork of the band’s second album, set for tomorrow, June 25. It is called And in the Beginning… They Lied.
Throughout history, the human race has been fed much destructive doctrine and had the truth deliberately hidden from it – all in the names of politics, of religion, of wealth and power. Ancient knowledge was burned at grand scale and relegated to mythology, and its proponents persecuted to near extinction. The result is that humanity is a species scarred with amnesia. We have giant gaps and anomalies in our conscious history caused by the suppression of the actual truth, which has severely stunted the progress of civilization in general.
Chaos Doctrine’s debut album painted Moses in front of a dystopic landscape, hinting at the ultimate result of blind obedience to doctrine. The band’s subsequent EP, The Chaos Chronicles Volume I, continued the theme by placing a modernized Baphomet in front of the Tower of Babel. The cover for And in the Beginning… They Lied becomes the prequel to these tales to capture the album’s story graphically. At the center is a tree, a well-known symbol of the original sin, but also of knowledge. Within the tree is the great serpent – outcast as the heretic by some but revered by others as holy and wise. The tree and the snake intertwine with the human DNA sequence, placing a spotlight on our contested origins and purpose as a race. Finally, fading behind the tree are mechanized versions of the feathered serpent, widely interpreted as a dragon – god to some, demon to others.
The band also gives us four tracks to explore these themes.
Intro “And In the Beginning” kicks off the madness with monologues clearly set to interrogate. New single “Blood Serpent God”, premiered by BraveWords, explores both familiar stories of human sacrifice in pre-Columbian South America, and the less familiar tale of how documented history was rendered myth. “Christ Church Horizon” spits hate at lie mongers abound, while outro “…They Lied” wraps up the album with the same rage that the intro started.
Tracklisting:
“And In The Beginning…”
“Blood Serpent God” (feat. Anna Hel)
“Black Friday Bedlam” (feat. Jörgen Sandström)
“Harlot”
“Nocturna Mors”
“Father Grigori”
“The Rite”
“Christ Church Horizon”
“…They Lied”
“South Of Heaven” (Slayer cover)
Greek melodic metal masters, Nightfall, recently premiered the official music video for the song "Martyrs Of The Cult Of The Dead (Agita)" via OnlyFans. A censored version of the video can now be seen below.
The original video, which was created by Antoine de Montremy, can be seen for FREE, here.
Vocalist Efthimis Karadimas commented, "We are honored to have our 'Martyrs of the Cult of the Dead,' aka 'Agita,' being made by Antoine de Montremy, the producer of Chris Holmes' documentary 'Mean Man' (official selection in 2020 Hollywood Gold Awards, Florence Film Awards, Orlando Film Festival and FMX) and his fabulous team. The video is based on 'Agita' lyrics and it represents the struggle with depression through its personification in female form (the word "depression" is a female noun in the Greek language). OnlyFans premiere has been chosen to avoid problems with YouTube's strict policy towards nudity and violence. Especially the latter. This is not a porn video."
Video director Antoine de Montremy added, "In pure Nightfall fashion, approaching this video and the song's concept has been quite a challenge: Efthimis already had a very precise vision for 'Agita' and we wanted to honor both the song and its message. Opening up about depression and its very solitary struggle is quite a brave move in nowadays so well polished metal world. Introducing female metaphors and pushing all boundaries was the only path to illustrate this inner struggle between love and hate, comfort and fear, joy and despair. Blessed with Hanna and Fanny's outstanding performances - embodying all feelings human mind can experience - and thanks to the greatest filming crew ever, we are happy to unleash the fury of Agita to the world!"
German/Celtic death metallers, Suidakra, will release their new album, Wolfbite, on June 25 via MDD Records. The band has released a video for the track "Vortex Of Carnage", which can be viewed below:
The band recently issued the following update: "Wolfbite pre-order starts today. We've promised you that we will start the pre-order of our album #14 this weekend. Guess what? Here comes the link to a very strong limited mega bundle package including our own red-wine here. To all of you that live outside the EU and don't like red-wine, we also have a cool package for you here."
Check out a new unboxing video for the limited edition mega bundle package below.
After more than 25 years of history and more than 13 studio albums as well as worldwide tours, can a band reinvent itself or even release the unexpected? Well, Suidakra may not reinvent themselves completely in 2021, but on their new album Wolfbite they create a mixture of all their past musical work and a fresh breeze, which gives the impression that the band has risen from a fountain of youth.
Wolfbite is bursting with power, uncompromisingness and joy of playing. The collaboration with Aljoscha Sieg (Eskimo Callboy, Vitja, Gestört aber GeiL), which is certainly untypical for die-hard fans, results in a breathtaking, lively sound, which from the very first note makes any scepticism about whether Suidakra still sound like Suidakra in 2021 evaporate. With the proven concept story from the Realms Of Odoric cosmos, lyrically and visually realised by Kris Verwimp, of course, Suidakra 2.0 presents itself in a form that even old fans probably wouldn't have dreamed of.
With Wolfbite, Suidakra succeed in travelling from the past into the future and surely present one of THE albums of the year 2021.
Tracklist:
"A Life In Chains"
"The Inner Wolf"
"Darcanian Slave"
"Faoladh"
"Crossing Over"
"Vortex Of Carnage"
"Resurgence"
"Redemption"
"A Shrine For The Ages"
After recently signing with Napalm Records, Norwegian power trio Bokassa are fully charged up and ready to set everything ablaze on their upcoming album, entitled Molotov Rocktail, out September 3 via Napalm Records.
The follow-up to Crimson Riders (2019), released during their tour with Metallica, displays their trademarked brand of stoner punk at its best throughout all 11 tracks. Today, the band kicks things off with their raucous first single “Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)”, during which the three-piece unites heavy stoner rock riffs with melodic singalong choruses, alongside an energetic music video. Norway’s most exciting export and Lars Ulrich’s “new favorite band” brings the noise and delivers energy like The Bronx, Red Fang, Billy Talent and Queens Of The Stone Age. Hundreds of thousands of streams and fans across the world can attest: Bokassa are on their way to becoming the elite of stoner punk!
Bokassa adds: “‘Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)’ was one of the first tracks written for Molotov Rocktail and a single candidate from the get go because of its crunchy riffage and affective hook. As with ‘So Long, Idiots!’ our protagonist has become more and more disillusioned with the world, and tries his best to avoid it, while existing comfortably in his own bubble. We also think it may be the only song that includes the word ‘Didjeridon’t’?”
Watch the music video for “Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)” below.
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
"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"
"Careless (In The Age Of Altruism)" video:
Bokassa are:
Jørn Kaarstad - Lead Vocals,Guitar
Bård Linga - Bass, Vocals
Olav Dowkes - Drums, Vocals
Italian metallers LACUNA COIL will release a new live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", on June 25 via Century Media.
A live version of the song "Veneficium", which originally appeared on LACUNA COIL's latest studio album, "Black Anima", can be seen below.
Says vocalist Cristina Scabbia: "'Veneficium' is the painful and fierce scream that rises from the darkness. Another day has born and has new hope in it, the poison inside has been defeated and a new refreshed and healed life can start again."
"Live From The Apocalypse" is the fruit of an unprecedented time. Unlike previous live efforts the Italians, under the yoke of the pandemic, cleverly devised a way for their devoted fan base to hear and see them on stage by organizing a special livestream event performing their latest album, "Black Anima", in its entirety, in September 2020. This very special show will now be released on vinyl and CD as well as a digital album. The physical album formats come with a bonus DVD featuring the footage of the original live stream.
"Live From The Apocalypse" will be available in the following formats:
* CD+DVD digipak
* Gatefold 2LP+DVD and LP booklet
* Digital album
The vinyl version will be available in the following colors and limitations:
* Black vinyl, unlimited
* Neon yellow, limited to 300 copies worldwide, available at CMDistro EU
* Red vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, only available at EMP
* White vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at the band's official store
* Silver vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at Century Media U.S.
* Orange vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at Revolver
"Live From The Apocalypse" track listing:
01. Anima Nera
02. Sword Of Anger
03. Save Me
04. Now Or Never
05. Reckless
06. Through The Flames
07. Apocalypse
08. Black Feathers
09. Under The Surface
10. The End Is All I Can See
11. Veneficium
12. Black Dried Up Heart
13. Bad Things
14. Layers Of Time
15. Black Anima
16. Save Me (Apocalypse Version)
By all accounts, this was no ordinary gig. Even though LACUNA COIL was in its hometown of Milan — at the famed Alcatraz Club — there were no fans to greet them. No roar of anticipation; no claps of adulation; no interaction with the people who had become deeply involved in and had a profound love for LACUNA COIL's music and live shows over two-plus decades. The livestream energy was different. It had to be. With hearts on their sleeves, cameras rolling, and the world tuning in online, LACUNA COIL brought "Black Anima: Live From The Apocalypse" to life.
"On one hand, it felt awkward to play for a huge empty room," says vocalist Andrea Ferro. " But on the other hand, it felt great to finally reconnect with our fans at home and with the people working behind the scenes. A lot of people enjoyed the show — it was definitely a one-off event loaded with a lot of emotions and feelings. 'Live From The Apocalypse' is an opportunity to offer a new release to our fans while the COVID-19 crisis is still a real thing, affecting them and us. The live album represents a unique moment in our career (and life) that will be forever remembered as that one time when we literally 'rose from the Apocalypse.'"
LACUNA COIL recently announced the release of its very own tabletop (or better yet, concert floor!) party game, Horns Up! The game itself takes place at a LACUNA COIL show, where each player must fight his or her way to be the first to reach the stage. There will obviously be many "friendship-threatening" actions challenging the opponents. LACUNA COIL band members will be an active presence in the game: they are depicted on the Stage Cards, and each of these will have consequences on the whole audience! The pre-order campaign is live worldwide and as the number of requested copies rises, the project will become more developed, with new events and new expansions. Shipping is available worldwide until November 2021. Pre-order your copy here.
Comedian Dave Chappelle joined FOO FIGHTERS on stage last night (Sunday, June 20) at Madison Square Garen in New York City to perform a cover version of RADIOHEAD's "Creep". The event, which followed FOO FIGHTERS' warm-up club show at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, on June 15, marked the band's first full-capacity arena concert since the beginning of the pandemic.
Chappelle, who was in New York City to premiere his new documentary, "Dave Chappelle: This Time This Place", at the Tribeca Festival, previously sang "Creep" live several times over the years, including with Bradley Cooper and Lenny Kravitz, and with John Mayer.
Other highlights of FOO FIGHTERS' concert at Madison Square Garden included drummer Taylor Hawkins swapping places with frontman Dave Grohl for a rendition of QUEEN's "Somebody To Love" and the band performing its cover version of the BEE GEES' "You Should Be Dancing".
As was the case at the Agoura Hills show, protesters gathered outside Madison Square Garden to voice their objection to the venue's proof-of-vaccination requirement.
FOO FIGHTERS first headlined a sold-out Garden in February 2008 on their "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" tour, returning to rock the venue for another sell-out show in November 2011 on the "Wasting Light" tour. Most recently, the band sold-out two nights at The World's Most Famous Arena in July 2018, on their "Concrete And Gold" tour.
Last November, Chappelle was the host of the "SNL" episode which featured FOO FIGHTERS as the musical guests.
French death metal up-and-comers Akiavel have unveiled the grizzly second video from their recently released sophomore effort, Væ Victis, issued April 23rd, 2021. “Comrade” is based on the notorious and truly horrifying serial killer: Andrei Chikatilo. Chikatilo - also known as the Butcher of Rostov, the Red Ripper, and the Rostov Ripper - murdered at least 52 women and children in the '70s and '80s.
To pay homage to the victims, Akiavel incorporated both true elements of the crimes and their own children into the video and the song.
Vocalist Auré comments on the track: "When I decided to write on this killer I knew it wasn't going to be easy... He is for me one of the most violent monsters. Above all, he targeted children…
When I was in front of my blank page, as I did for the other songs, I was watching reports on Andreï Chikatilo. It hurt me a lot. I was angry too.
I'm a mom. I couldn't help but think that it could happen to anyone...Then I had an idea. If our children could be their voices. I wrote a chorus to make it easy to sing. I wanted us not to forget these poor victims...When the song was written, I hugged my son very hard against me. I had tears in my eyes. I asked him if he wanted to participate in a tribute to the missing children. He immediately agreed. We did the test and it gave me chills.
For the video clip, I printed the real photos of the victims and the real search notices. I hope we have respected their memories. While denouncing the atrocities of this monster, we do not forget the victims."
Væ Victis is a concept album that explores the darkest and most depraved spaces of the human psyche. Further evolving their sound, Akiavel takes a radical approach to their musical assault, consuming the listener with dizzying maelstroms of chaos. Væ Victis embodies the word “death,” putting forth an intrusive battery of blistering guitars, pummeling drums, and scathing vocals that culminates in one of the most robust death metal records the genre has seen yet.
Væ Victis is available on CD, with limited edition signed and numbered vinyl pressings. Order yours now at this location.
Tracklisting:
"Frozen Beauties"
"Bind Torture Kill"
"Zombie"
"Needles From Hell"
"Comrade"
"Medium"
"The Lady Of Death"
"Pentagram Tattoo"
"Mommy I'm Capable"
"Matrimonial Advertisements"
The Two Minutes To Late Night crew are back with a new video.
"It is the year 2005. The Cybertronic Spree have teamed up Two Minutes to Late Night to bring you a cover beyond good, beyond evil, beyond your wildest imaginations (which was also in the third act of Boogie Nights for 20 seconds). This is our 43rd bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon. Become a Patreon patron today and get access to exclusive rewards like patches, t-shirts, even custom songs! Plus, you get to see every cover we make before it publicly premieres."
This cover features:
- Arcee, Hot Rod, Unicron, Rumble, Shockwave, and Quintesson from The Cybertronic Spree
- Courtney Cox - The Iron Maidens
- Chris Hornbrook - Poison The Well, Greg Puciato
- Stephen Brodsky - Mutoid Man, Cave In, Old Man Gloom, New Idea Society
- Jordan Olds aka Gwarsenio Hall
DEATHRIDERS, the band featuring featuring Neil Turbin (ANTHRAX) on vocals, Jonas Hornqvist of guitar, Richard Svard on bass, and Matt Thompson (KING DIAMOND) on drums, has released its debut single and video produced by KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden. "Never Surrender" is taken from the DEATHRIDERS' upcoming debut album, "The Metal Beast". The video was edited by Jimmy Kay of The Metal Voice and was shot on location at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas and Sonic Train Studios.
Turbin stated: "The new song 'Never Surrender' combines power, melody, neoclassical and thrash in a way that I didn't have the opportunity to sing like I did on [ANTHRAX's] 'Fistful Of Metal' and 'Armed And Dangerous'.
"I can't wait for everyone to hear our new album. The album is so diverse — there are many tracks leaning on the thrash side but there are also many tracks which are melodic and technical as well.
"DEATHRIDERS packs a punch with a brilliant team of high-precision players."
ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Turbin, Joey Belladonna, Dan Nelson and John Bush — over the last 40 years, with guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group's studio albums.
Turbin performed and recorded with ANTHRAX on the original demo recordings and the band's debut album, "Fistful Of Metal". He wrote the lyrics to all songs on that LP with exception of the cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen", and also has writing credits on five of the seven songs on the band's "Armed And Dangerous" EP, as well as two songs on "Spreading The Disease".
Ottawa’s brutal duo, Deformatory, has crafted a maniacal and unconventional approach to extreme metal that has garnered the devotion of fans worldwide ever since their debut EP, A Prelude Of…, in 2011. This year, they are releasing their third album, Inversion Of The Unseen Horizon, with a sci-fi concept that picks up where 2016’s Malediction left off. Over time, as members joined and left the band, their sound has been reworked and redefined.
Deformatory explains further: “Initially, there were so many different ideas and flavours trying to get crammed into Deformatory that it never felt locked in. It’s safe to say that the new songs, especially for this album, are the closest Deformatory have ever been to truly sounding like itself.”
When asked what fans can expect from Deformatory, they reply: “No frills. No bullshit. Just straight-up death metal. The goal is to leave people wondering what the hell just happened. A maniacal frenzy.”
The lyrics for this album are partly inspired by The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker’s and guitarist and vocalist Charlie Leduc’s own interpretation and expansion of the Hellraiser mythos. This is the foundation block that helped to propel the entire concept, which was uniquely crafted and independently developed. The single and final track on the record, “Beyond The Abhorrence” starts to draw a conclusion to the predicament of an evil race of inter-dimensional light devourers find themselves in.
A sonically relentless death metal experience, Deformatory is recommended for fans of Morbid Angel, Origin, and Hate Eternal.
The music video for “Beyond The Abhorrence”, which was created by Riivata Visuals (who did the recent “Disruptor” music video for Fear Factory) can be viewed below:
Inversion Of The Unseen Horizon will be released on September 3. Pre-order on Bandcamp.
Tracklisting:
Chapter I – Inception: The Cyru’xilean Nexus
“Within The Astral Abscess”
“Behold, The Apex Of Decay”
“Engineering The Wvrmhorde”
Chapter II – Incursion: The Prototypal Eschaton
“Summoning The Cosmic Devourer”
“Masticated By An Infinite Shadow”
“In The Embervoid Where Dead Stars Reign”
Chapter III – Inversion: The Horizontal Reflection
“Deciphering The Archetype”
“Impaled Upon The Carrionspire”
“Beyond The Abhorrence”
India-based metal trio MIdhaven has revealed the first single, “Primal Song", from the forthcoming Of The Lotus & The Thunderbolt concept album, scheduled for release on July 8. Watch the video for “Primal Song,” which premiered yesterday via Rolling Stone India to coincide with the Summer Solstice, below.
The three-piece Mumbai-based band fuses traditional metal with progressive and modern rock to create earth shattering, heavy music with soaring guitars, operatic vocals, guttural growls and war track ready drums, polished off by deeply fascinating lyrical concepts.
“Of The Lotus & The Thunderbolt is extremely complex and revolves around concepts of time and rebirth,” the band says. “We follow the single but universal soul on its journey to realization, with symbolisms that are deeply rooted in the collective Indian subconscious. They are curated in a manner wherein each song appears as though it’s a chapter in a book, conveying individual meanings that when heard together form a holistic understanding of the universe.”
The melancholic and anguished tracks “Codeman” and “Para Brahman” focus on the existential search for “the reason why,” while the screams and cries of the past echo through “Primal Song” with its rage-induced lyrics and grimy vocals, conjuring images of man’s animalistic need to maraud and destroy. “Zhitro” and “Mahakaal” are the heavyweights of the album, ushering in Indian elements of dark, experimental sounds that are at once groundbreaking and heavy. Riddled with references to the ancient past, “Mahakaal” is the running theme of the album - consuming the world we exist in.- and an homage to Shiva, the Hindu god known as the Destroyer.
Of The Lotus & The Thunderbolt’s artwork, brought to life by prolific indie artist Gaurav Basu (aka Acid Toad), reflects the theme of the album, presenting a gorgeous visual representation of the album’s concept. The record was mixed and mastered by ARIA nominated and internationally renowned Australian producer Forrester Savell (Animals As Leaders, Make Them Suffer, Karnivool), who adds a touch of polish and refinement while not straying far from the raw, analog recording process.
Of The Lotus & The Thunderbolt tracklisting:
"Para Brahman"
"Primal Song "
"Codeman"
"The Immanent Effervesence Of Sorrow"
"Zhitro"
"Mahakaal"
"Bhairav"
"Primal Song" video:
Formed in 2012, MIdhaven grew quickly with the launch of their first release, the 2013 EP Tales From The Tide. The trio soon became one of the first major signings of an Indian metal band to a worldwide record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), which release MIdhaven’s debut full-length, Spellbound, in 2014. Like Of The Lotus & The Thunderbolt, Spellbound was also a concept album and featured re-recorded tracks from Tales From The Tide. MIdhaven has been nominated for the VH1 Sound Nation awards in the category of Best Metal Act, performed live on VH1’s Indian Music Diaries, and was nominated for Radio City’s Best Metal Live Act in 2015.
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