Progressive heavy metal vehicle, Interloper, have returned to present their debut, full-length album Search Party, which will be released on June 11 via Nuclear Blast Records. Pre-order the album here.
Today, the band releases the music video for the second single, "Search Party". Watch the animated music video, created by Tony Simone of Zen Beast Media, below.
Miles Dimitri Baker comments, "I am thrilled to have the title track for our record out! I feel it’s an amazing song to follow up the first single off this record. I think it does a great job of showing some of the diversity song to song that you can expect to hear on this record. 'Search Party' is one of my favorites on the record. I feel that the structure, melodies, and progressions in this tune were so beautifully done. I hope you all enjoy the title track off of our record Search Party as much as we do!"
Aaron Stechauner states, "This is my favorite Interloper song, and really my favorite song I’ve ever been involved with. I actually think it’s the best one on the album, alongside its sister song 'Cheshire'. When I listen to this song it doesn’t even feel like I’m listening to my own band… it feels like I’m listening to a song that one of my favorite bands wrote. One of those legend bands like Opeth or Gojira or Meshuggah. Not from a sound sense, more so from an emotional place. It’s kind of surreal to call it my own. That probably sounds a little dramatic or maybe even a bit pretentious, but it is a genuine feeling. I’m pretty anxious to see what people think about it because I probably care about people loving it as much as I do more than any other song."
Andrew Virrueta comments, "This song is one of my favorites off of the record. In my opinion, it's one of the tightest songs compositionally and this song, I think, sets the stage for the rest of the songs following its completion. 'Search Party' definitely sets a benchmark for me to meet throughout the rest of the album's writing process. I hope you all fall in love with this song like we did!"
The deep cohesiveness of Interloper’s writing process for Search Party allowed for a creative project with no real boundaries or restrictions. The album was produced by the band and Joey Virrueta. Drums were recorded at Big Bad Sound LA by Jack Ruley and Zach Fisher, with the mixing and mastering completed once more by Andrew’s brother Joey Virrueta.
The album artwork was created by Caelan Stokkermans.
Tracklisting:
“Pathkeeper”
“Bound To Fall”
“Moonlight”
“Dreamlands”
“Drift”
“Search Party”
“The Wishing Well”
“Idle Years”
“Thank Cheshire”
“Baring Teeth”
“Rio” (Duran Duran cover)
Sweden's Seventh Crystal will release their debut album, Delirium on May 14 via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch a music video for the single "Déjà Vu" below, and pre-order/save Delirium on CD/Color LP/Digital, here.
Seventh Crystal, a new rock band from the fertile Swedish music scene, was put together by singer Kristian Fyhr. Initially, Kristian wanted to pursue a solo project, but when the songs started to take form, he realized he wanted to involve more musicians. So, he moved to vocals only and brought in Johan Älvsång (Pinstripe Conspiracy, Lamashtu) on keyboards/piano and Olof Gadd (Osukaru) on bass as the first key pieces, and then recruited Anton Roos on drums and Emil Dornerus on guitar to complete the lineup.
Seventh Crystal's music can best be described as arena hard rock with melodic rock influences. The band comments, “We would describe the band’s music and sound as an “intelligent” hard rock, but still very melodic. Our songwriting is very varied. We like to write songs in a pop style and then "beef" them up and make it rock. We're big admirers of everything from Cheiron Studio and Max Martin to Behemoth and Iron Maiden. So our influences come from a lot of different bands and music. But we kind of end up in the modern hard rock and arena rock sound, since that's where we have our common roots. When it comes to the songwriting, it is usually one or two of us who write the basic idea. But then each member adds their own touch and flavour and what comes out is the heavy, intriguing and exciting sound of Seventh Crystal!"
If you love the new wave of Scandinavian hard rock embodied by bands such as One Desire, H.E.A.T., and other bands who bring a huge sense of melody to modern rock, then this band is going to be right up your alley.
Tracklisting:
"Say What You Need To Say"
"When We Were Young"
"Broken Mirror"
"Delirium"
"When I'm Gone"
"Should've Known Better"
"So Beautiful"
"Time To Let It Go"
"Déjà Vu"
"Bright And Clear"
"Hope It Will Be Alright"
"Déjà Vu" video:
"When We Were Young":
"Say What You Need To Say" video:
Lineup:
Kristian Fyhr - Lead Vocals
Johan Älvsång - Keyboard/Backing Vocals
Emil Dornerus - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Olof Gadd - Bass/Backing Vocals
Anton Roos - Drums/Percussion
Italian technical death metal heavyweights, Hideous Divinity, have released a visualizer for “Delirium Trigger”, from their new EP, LV-426, out today via Century Media Records. Watch below:
The concept of the LV-426 EP is a sub-narrative of the second Alien movie, directed by James Cameron. Hideous Divinity states, “We chose to concentrate on the story of Rebecca ‘Newt’ Jorden, the six-year old girl rescued on the alien infested planetoid LV-426 by Ellen Ripley. We live the story from her point of view, a mixture of childhood’s happy life and memories cut off by the alien attack.”
The EP includes two brand new Hideous Divinity tracks (“Acheron, Stream Of Woe” & “Chestburst”) and a smashing tech-death cover version of Coheed And Cambria’s “Delirium Trigger”. Like its predecessor Simulacrum, the EP was produced by Stefan Morabito at 16th Cellar Studio, where he refined the band's signature sound consisting of bone-crushing riffs, superb drumming, and frightful vocals. Also, the EP features a stunning Alien-themed artwork by Colin Estrada.
LV-426 tracklisting:
"Acheron, Stream Of Woe"
"Chestburst"
"Delirium Trigger"
The successful NDH-/Metal-newcomer SCHATTENMANN took a comparatively „long“ break after releasing their album „Licht An“ (2018) and the debut album for AFM „Epidemie“ (2019). Probably they had to cope with the fact that their second album entered Official German Album Charts on #32, before they could go back to normal.
While taking their timeout the German band around bandleader and mastermind Frank Herzig has been everything else, but not inactive. So the group is ready and raring to go again and has got a great new single onboard that comes along with a new videoclip to rough up the music scene.
The song „Choleriker“ really is a very special milestone for the band – singer Frank explains why: „This single really means a lot to us and we are unusually nervous upfront this release. For the first time ever we created the video for a song all by ourselves. Name it… script, location, equipment, filming, and even the videoediting – all is 100% SCHATTENMANN and thus we are absolutley curious about the feedback on our new baby.“
With this song the band have got their fingers on the pulse of the age, Frank Herzig has got some detailed thoughts about that: „With this song we highlight an aspect of human, that probably everybody knows something about to a specific degree. It’s an issue, that we have to deal with, especially during a pandemic we live through at the moment. We often feel, that people are a lot more nervous, hitting the ceiling and their inhibition threshold seems to be lower. On top of that the rising number of domestic violence delicts during Covid-19 crisis, give cause for serious concerns and call for more reflection.“
Only one question remains open – what is there left to expect from SCHATTENMANN in the near future?
THUNDERMOTHER released their new single and video called "You Can't Handle Me" on the AFM YouTube channel - an song that could look like that, if it was a picture: dancing and gracefully stomping around like a self-confident and self-determined woman in a sweaty rock club - pretty close to that. With a groovy beat and cutting rock riffs, the music finds a way into your ears and body! It will make you wanna move and rock out.
On top of that, THUNDERMOTHER is playing the "biggest smallest concert" at Olympiastadion Berlin - this is THE live event in May, and probably also of the complete year.
STAR FM Berlin, concertVR and Swedish Rockband THUNDERMOTHER are inviting a very special group of fans on May 4th, 2021. A group of people that we all talked about a lot, but that has suffered under a lack of support: this concert is for that forgotten Covid-19 heroes – nursing staff, shop assistant and many more important sustainer of everyday life!
For all the people, that can't physically take part concertVR offers a concert stream in Virtual Reality on May 11th in cooperation with Ticketmaster (also available as Stream without VR glasses).
Get your tickets for the "once-in-a-lifetime" event here:
https://www.ticketmaster.de/event/416469
It's time again for intense Brachialromanticism! German rock band LETZTE INSTANZ are releasing their 14th studio album called „Ehrenwort“ on September 10th 2021.
So let's start right off with the first single and title track, that's coming out today and accompanied by an emotive and vital performance clip. Almost adjuringly, "Letzte Instanz" give a musical perpetual word of honour for a common futue. Sophisticated guitar riffs go hand in hand with the well-known balance act between romantic violin and heavy drums.
Their album can be pre-ordered and streamed now:
https://afm.fanlink.to/LetzteInstanzEhrenwort
Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY have released the official music video for their song "The Chain". The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "The Human Condition", which came out last October via Mascot Label Group.
"The Human Condition" was produced by the bandmembers themselves and tracked in BSC bassist Jon Lawhon's recording facility, Monocle Studios. The release was completed mere days before the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed and as events progressed, it became apparent that the album the band was completing featured lyrics that were eerily prescient.
"There was a real urgency and fear of the unknown during those sessions — it was a scary time," recalls drummer John Fred Young. "Every song on this album tells a story of the experiences we all go through — our happiness, our struggles, and how we have to adapt."
Guitarist Ben Wells says: "With this one, we cranked up the amps, the drums are in your face, and there are some really heavy riffs. After 19 years and seven albums, we wanted to prove that we still kick ass. This album feels like a rebirth."
Adds Lawhon: "When I listen back to this record, I feel all these different emotions. We started when we were teens, and life has taken its course, especially now. Through it all, your heart and your perspectives change, but one thing that hasn't changed is our connection as friends."
BLACK STONE CHERRY vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson discussed the band's new disc during an episode of "Cherry Chat", also featuring SHINEDOWN. Speaking about the making of the new LP, Chris said: "We were literally finishing [the] record right when all the stay-at-home stuff came down [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. We were scheduled to go back in on a Monday, 'cause we were taking weekends off. We worked through the weekend and finished everything up, because come Monday, you couldn't do shit anymore, man. We got really lucky that it came down that close. But now we're sitting here with a record, finishing to get it mixed, and you can't go tour, you can't do shit."
He continued: "Our monitor engineer, Jordan [Westfall], came down and engineered the whole record, and we decided to have him mix the thing, man. He took the record home with him to his studio to mix and fucking killed it, man."
Robertson also talked about the inspiration for BLACK STONE CHERRY's new album, saying: "The last record we did, 'Family Tree', it was way more 'jam band'-y and kind of classic rock-oriented, to where the new record is nothing like that. The new record, it's funny — when Jordan was mixing it, we were, like, 'Hey, man, when you reference it, make sure you reference your all's last record" — referring to SHINEDOWN's "Attention Attention" — "and a bunch of other records, man, because the last couple of records we've done haven't been necessarily in the same kind of genre, per se, as what you guys do. We haven't been in that heavy rock category on the last couple of releases we've done; we've done more of a blues-oriented thing. And it's been a lot of fun, man. But with the new record, we decided to kick the shit back up a notch again. And it's awesome, man."
Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has checked in with the following update:
"Marco Minnemann (drums) invited me to write something short for what he refers to as the Snowball project, where different artists contribute small sections of music to create a kind of snowball effect. This led me to a new conceptual idea of creating short prog pieces available as NFT, audio/visual experiences. Stay tuned for more info about this! Here is my first offering."
Rudess later uploaded a second clip:
"Had a great time as a duo with Marco Minnemann, but now with the addition of Randy McStine, the prog has reached the next level!"
Rudess recently checked in with the following announcement:
"Just announced! I will be performing live May 20th at Caffe Lena in Saratoga, NY and at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA on June 25th, 2021 as part of my A Chapter In Time Tour! I’ll be playing tracks from my new album, as well as other originals and covers. Some of the dates will offer Live Stream options for those who can’t attend in person.
The official music video for "Desert High", the latest single from ZZ TOP frontman Billy Gibbons, can be seen below. The track is the second single from Gibbons's third solo album, "Hardware", which will be released on June 4 via Concord Records. The LP was recorded at Escape Studio in California's high desert, near Palm Springs, and was produced by Gibbons along with Matt Sorum and Mike Fiorentino, with engineer Chad Shlosser providing additional production.
Sorum, veteran of GUNS 'N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER and THE CULT, also serves as "Hardware"'s drummer and was joined in the album's core band by guitarist Austin Hanks. The same Gibbons-Sorum-Hanks aggregation recorded "The Big Bad Blues", Gibbons's earlier solo effort for Concord and winner of the Blues Foundation's Blues Music Award.
In contrast to "The Big Bad Blues" and "Perfectamundo", Gibbons's debut solo album, almost all of the "Hardware" repertoire is original and rock-oriented with eleven of the album's twelve songs written by Gibbons, Sorum, Fiorentino and Shlosser. The sole exception is "Hey Baby, Que Paso", originally recorded by the TEXAS TORNADOS. The album's title is a tribute to legendary recording engineer the late Joe Hardy who worked with Gibbons and ZZ TOP dating back to the mid-1980s. Sonically, the album was influenced by the high desert circumstance of its recording. Says Gibbons: "The desert settings, replete with shifting sands, cacti and rattlesnakes makes for the kind of backdrop that lends an element of intrigue reflected in the sounds created out there."
"Stackin' Bones", one of the album's standouts, features a guest appearance by LARKIN POE, with whom Gibbons has been familiar and friendly for quite a while. He initially met them through the good offices of Tyler Bryant, husband of LARKIN POE's Megan Lovell; he had toured extensively with ZZ TOP in the past. LARKIN POE also shared a bill with Billy at New York's "Love Rocks NYC" benefit in 2019 and the "Hardware" collaboration grew from there.
While a truly broad spectrum of approaches is notable on the album's hard driving tracks there is, to be sure, no mistaking the remarkable tone and growling vocals that are hallmarks of Billy Gibbons's artistry. Elements of traditional hard rock, neo-metal, country rock, new wave, blues and even surf music make "Hardware" difficult to categorize and it would be a fool's game to do so. In fact, "Desert High", the album's last track, is a spoken-word piece accompanied by a sinewy guitar that evokes the legend Graham Parsons, whose death 48 years ago took place very close to where "Hardware" was recorded.
Billy sums up the album's ecumenical construct: "We holed up in the desert for a few weeks in the heat of the summer and that in itself was pretty intense. To let off steam we just 'let it rock' and that's what Hardware is really all about. For the most part, it's a raging rocker but always mindful of the desert's implicit mystery."
Angelo Nguyen is an independent guitar player, singer, video producer who loves rock music, and shares his work on YouTube. All production in the music and video is handled by him, with help from his partner Katie Carrigan. They live in the midwest, and are, so far, producing videos as a hobby, out of love for the craft of music and video creation.
To learn more about Angelo Nguyen, visit his Facebook page.
Iconic Canadian hard rock band Triumph released "Fight The Good Fight" on their 1981 album, Allied Forces. The official live video, filmed January 6, 1987 at Metro Centre Arena in Halifax, Nova Scotia, can be enjoyed below.
Frontiers Music Srl will release the debut album, Vagabond, from Germany's Sonic Haven on May 7. Pre-order in North America here, and in Europe here, and watch a lyric video for the track Back To Mad" below.
Sonic Haven is a new metal band conceived and fronted by vocalist Herbie Langhans, one of the most gifted metal singers of the current European metal scene. The band joins Frontiers Music Srl's ever expanding roster of metal bands.
"In the past few years, I didn't write that many metal songs, so that's why I was really on fire with Sonic Haven to do it again. ;-) I like classic, traditional and melodic metal with hard rock elements and sing-along parts, so my goal was to write an album that gives you a good feeling. You know, that makes you smile, that gives you goosebumps, that gives you power! I think it's the perfect album to rest a bit in the Sonic Haven," says vocalist/songwriter Herbie Langhans. "For most of the songs, I wrote and recorded demos (for two tracks, Carsten [Stepanowicz, guitars] recorded the demos and wrote the songs), then I sent it to everybody and everyone recorded their parts at home. In Sonic Haven, it was important for me to have musicians that can record at home in a good quality. And they also bring a lot of cool ideas and their own style to the music. So that's why it's so easy to work with these guys. It is just our first album, but it already worked like clockwork!!!"
On what kind of album he wanted to make with Sonic Have, Langhans says, "a very traditional metal album that's up to date sonically and lyrically. It's about life, friendships, pain, today's society, dreams, relationships, family. I wanted to write an album for the fans 'cause I am really sure that a lot of people feel the same when they read the lyrics and compare it to their life situations. I wanted to write an album for everybody."
Of the first single, the title track to the debut album "Vagabond", Langhans says, "It's about people in our society that are different, but in a good way, in a creative way, like musicians, artists. Often these people are not accepted, or people smile at them, like 'come on guy, you wanna do music for living? Pah, just do a normal job from 9 to 5 and stop dreaming'. I would say NO, never stop dreaming. You are a great singer, guitarist, painter, photographer or whatever, just do it and try to make your dreams come true. Don't listen to those boring people with their boring jobs and their boring life. And especially this last year, a lot of artists feel like Vagabonds ...not accepted, not relevant, no support."
Langhans' voice has gained him international recognition, both as a studio singer and as a member of the bands Avantasia, Voodoo Circle, Sinbreed, Beyond The Bridge, and recently Firewind. He has put together a really outstanding lineup of talent for Sonic Haven, including André Hilgers (Bonfire, Rage, Silent Force) on drums, Carsten Stepanowicz (Radiant) on guitars, and Dominik Stotzem (Beyond The Bridge) on bass.
Their debut album was recorded and produced by Herbie himself with none other than Sascha Paeth (Avantasia, Kamelot, Beyond The Black, Sascha Paeth's Masters Of Ceremony, etc.) handling mixing and with Miro adding his special touch on orchestrations.
Herbie had previously stated about Sonic Haven, "I am happy to announce that I am back with a new metal band called "SONIC HAVEN". For the last few years, a lot of fans have asked me if I will do something again in the style of German melodic power metal. The answer is YES and here we are with a great line-up and an amazing album in the works. Can't wait to release it, and especially to hear what you think about it! With the support of Frontiers Records we hope to create something big...now we need your support to METAL ON with us!"
Sonic Haven is eager to unleash their power metal fury on the world!
Tracklisting:
"Vagabond"
"Back To Mad"
"Nightmares"
"Keep The Flame Alive"
"End Of The World"
"The Darker Side"
"I Believe"
"Save The Best For Last"
"Blind The Enemy"
"From White To Black"
"Striking Back"
Brazil-based animator Val Andrade has released his latest Iron Maiden cartoon clip featuring "For The Greater Good Of God", from the band's 2006 album, A Matter Of Life And Death. Check it out below:
A selection of Andrade's previously released Iron Maiden-based cartoons can be seen below:
After exploding on to the scene with their debut album, The HellenBacks are coming out swinging as they reveal details for the first single and video from their much-anticipated third album, III, set for a spring 2021 release.
Acclaimed frontman Jimmie Romero and his all-star band will unveil “Pleasant Doom” on Friday, April 23 on all DSPs, and BraveWords is premiering the accompanying music video that he describes as “an outward manifestation of internal scars.” Watch the clip below.
According to Romero, he and the group decided to release “Pleasant Doom” as the debut single because it “encompassed the entire concept of the record.”
“This album is a concept record with a story to tell,” he explains. “Each song builds upon this story and ‘Pleasant Doom’ summarizes it perfectly by exploring the initial attraction to toxicity masquerading as beauty and the personal growth and recovery necessary to ultimately say goodbye to something, or someone, that would ultimately lead you to your doom. The music is very progressive and complex which fans will gravitate towards.”
The record’s mature and sophisticated sound stems from the caliber of musicians who performed on it. In addition to The HellenBacks lineup, which includes guitarist Michael "Doc" Ellis (formerly of Love Hate and Ratt), and drummer Al Serrato (formerly of JetBoy), special guests guitarist Todd Kerns (Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators), bassist Sam Harman (Void Vator), bassist Barry Barns (Count 77), and guitarist Dylan Dice were also called in to round out the album.
“It was truly a pleasure to work with this level of musicianship throughout the entire recording process,” said Romero, who produced, mixed, and mastered the album at his recording studio Stay Vintage Studios in Las Vegas, NV. “Not only did the musicians offer a variety of different sounds and experiences to the project but they each lent a unique perspective that was invaluable to the overall outcome of the record.”
To support the release of the single, The HellenBacks also unveiled a video that was filmed at The Whitney Theater in Las Vegas, NV. Romero, who produced and directed it along with Assistant Director Natalie Castillo, explains that the video is his vision “of what we would all look like if life tattooed our experiences on our skin. The mask people wear to hide the darkness that lives within each and every one of us.”
In addition to producing and directing music videos, Romero has also written and directed major motion pictures including the short film The Whiskey Man & The Rider, in which he also appeared in alongside Kerns, as well as starred in Linewatch with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Occupation: Fighter.
The HellenBack’s III is slated for a late spring release. Artwork, tracklisting, and the "Pleasant Doom" video below.
Tracklisting:
"Do What You Do"
"Are You Really There"
"What I’d Do To You"
"Pleasant Doom"
"So They Say"
"Blue Day"
"In Two Full Moons"
"Death Kiss"
"World On Fire"
"The Haunted"
"Evil Like You" *
"Stay In The Light"
"Love Breeds Love" *
"Town We Call Home"
* features Todd Kerns
"Pleasant Doom" video:
The HellenBacks have released two albums to date. Their debut album Vampires Of The Desert was released in 2017 and received critical acclaim. The band’s sophomore record Harsh Environment was released a year later and also received rave reviews from fans and critics alike with BraveWords saying they “deliver swampy, bluesy, rock n' roll.”
For more information about The HellenBacks, head here.
The End Machine have released a music video for "Dark Divide", featuring footage taken from the filming of their two music videos earlier this year. The track is featured on the band's recently released sophomore album, Phase2. Watch the new clip below:
The End Machine features former classic Dokken lineup members George Lynch and Jeff Pilson, with the awesome singer Robert Mason (Warrant, Lynch Mob) on lead vocals. Classic Dokken drummer Mick Brown handled drums on the first album, but is now retired, so in his place behind the drum kit is none other than his brother Steve Brown.
Phase2 is available on CD/Ltd. Ed. Color LP/Digital. Limited Edition Crystal vinyl is available exclusively from the Frontiers' U.S. and EU webstores. Limited Edition Red vinyl is available exclusively for the U.S. market and will be available through all physical retailers there. Limited Edition White vinyl is available exclusively for the EU market and will be available through all physical retailers there.
"The Rising"
"Blood And Money"
"We Walk Alone"
"Dark Divide"
"Crack The Sky"
"Prison Or Paradise"
"Plastic Heroes"
"Scars"
"Shine Your Light"
"Devil's Playground"
"Born Of Fire"
"Destiny"
"Crack The Sky" video:
"Blood And Money" video:
Lineup:
Robert Mason - lead and background vocals
George Lynch - guitar
Jeff Pilson - bass, keyboards and background vocals
Steve Brown - drums and background vocals
UK alt-metal upstarts, Vexed, will release their debut full-length, Culling Culture, on May 21 via Napalm Records. The band have just released one of their most ruthless offerings yet: the gut-punching, absorbing third single, “Misery”.
On their third offering, the four-piece fluctuates between grooving, ethereal leads and destructive, airtight riffs, technically adept drumming and vocalist Megan Targett’s undeniably dynamic, haunting vocal power. As their new music video clearly refers to absolution via its striking visual content, the track’s lyrics reflect a reckoning with the past, mirroring the intensely personal themes of the upcoming album.
Vexed on the new single: “Anxiety is a demon powerful enough to posses anyone and can leave the strongest of us feeling helpless. 'Misery' is an inner monologue of an anxiety riddled mind constantly overanalysing and catastrophising. Taking inspiration from a spectrum of genres, this track is a true musical representation of how drastically our thoughts can change from one moment to the next, often ending in confusion and 'Misery'.”
Watch the new official music video for “Misery”:
Facing very personal experiences, Culling Culture is a tribute to hate, betrayal and anger, whilst also reflecting post-modern society with strikingly honest songwriting and heavy groove. Moreover, for as confident as they are musically, Vexed is as poignant lyrically. The title of the album, Culling Culture, and portions of its contents deliver the band’s unfiltered response to the world’s latest social phenomena of public ostracism, “cancel culture”.
Unrelenting lead vocalist Megan Targett’s vicious vocal assault blending venomously low growls, soaring cleans and razor-sharp rap-like deliveries (see “Fake” and “Weaponise”) is backed by the pure technical proficiency of bandmates Willem Mason-Geraghty (drums), Jay Bacon (guitar) and Al Harper (bass). The warning instrumental “Ignorant” prefaces the record’s menacing atmosphere and provides a flawless basis for smashing wake up call “Hideous” and fiery, threatening tracks “Fake” and “Narcissist”. Ghostly “Aurora” and disrespectfully heavy album-closer “Lazarus” showcase Targett’s multi-faceted clean vocal delivery while clashing otherworldly auras with resonating, melodic rhythms. “Epiphany” blends both, offering a bold message of moving past self-loathing, while superciliously weighty offering “Weaponise” seethes between violent hatred and ambient darkness.
Pre-order Vexed’s debut album Culling Culture here.
Culling Culture will be available in the following formats:
- 1-CD Digipak
- 1-LP Gatefold Vinyl (Black)
- 1-LP Gatefold Vinyl (Orange transparent, strictly limited to 100 copies)
- 1-CD Digipak + T-Shirt Bundle
- Digital Album
Bodom After Midnight have released their highly-anticipated three-track EP, Paint The Sky With Blood, via Napalm Records. Today was meant to celebrate the manifestation of a brand new metal era for Bodom After Midnight, but now pays tribute to their incomparable frontman, guitarist and creative visionary; Alexi Laiho.
The EP, recorded in the band's native Finland, was intended to be followed by a full-length album later in the year, but now embodies a whole new meaning and remains the only work by Bodom After Midnight. Paint The Sky With Blood is undeniable evidence of the late Alexi Laiho's artistic spirit and his extraordinary musical skills, together with his talented bandmates Daniel Freyberg, Waltteri Väyrynen, Mitja Toivonen and live keyboardist Vili Itäpelto.
Not only do the band's final recordings arrive in full today, but the matching visualizer for "Payback’s A Bitch" is also revealed. Watch below.
"Like ourselves, Alexi was beyond stoked about these songs and anxious to get these out, so we are happy that we can fulfill his wish. Needless to say, we are honored and proud to be a part of his very last creative work and to unleash it the way he wanted it. It’s time to let the beast out of the cage one more time as a celebration of Alexi’s music, legacy and the man himself." - Bodom After Midnight
The heavy title track “Paint The Sky With Blood” sets the stage for the 14-minute EP of the same name, and is strikingly reminiscent of early-Children Of Bodom elements while also adding exciting modern influences into the fold. Second stunner "Payback’s A Bitch" and its massive riffing are on a quest for retribution, delivering a hard-hitting, second to none offense. The interplay of Alexi Laiho, guitarist Daniel Freyberg, drummer Waltteri Väyrynen (Paradise Lost), bassist Mitja Toivonen (ex-Santa Cruz) and live keyboardist Vili Itäpelto is not only a testament to the band's extraordinary musical ability, but also showcases their skill in deftly incorporating a variety of genre influences.
Closing cover track, "Where Dead Angels Lie" is an absolute triumph – originally performed by Swedish extreme metal outfit, Dissection, the track shines as a timeless classic with a new edge. Eerie riffs and vocals alternating between menacing murmurs and characteristic guttural, distorted vocals stay faithful to the original while branding this version with an undeniable Bodom After Midnight punch.
Paint The Sky With Blood is available in the following formats:
- 10" Spined Sleeve Oxblood
- 10" Spined Sleeve Inkspot Ox/Black
- 10" Spined Sleeve Black
- Deluxe Box
- 1 Digipak Mini CD
- Digital Album
Paint The Sky With Blood tracklisting:
"Paint The Sky With Blood"
"Payback’s A Bitch"
"Where Dead Angels Lie" (Dissection Cover)
Alternative metal/rock trio Dear Mother, featuring former Delain members Joey Marin de Boer (drums) and Merel Bechtold (guitars), have released their fourth official single, "Invincible". Check out the official video below.
Dear Mother's forthcoming debut album is entitled Bulletproof. It will be released on July 16th. It is available for pre-order here.
The tracklist is as follows:
"Vertigo"
"Means To No War"
"12 Years In Exile"
"The Ones Below"
"An Eye For An Eye"
"A Soul For Hire"
"Symbiose"
"Satellite"
"Fade In"
"Heart"
"Invincible"
"Palace"
"12 Years In Exile"
"Symbiose"
"Satellite"
Dear Mother is:
David Pear Hruska - vocals
Merel Bechtold - guitars
Joey Marin de Boer - drums
Finland's Frosttide have checked in with a new video along with the following message:
"Last year we lost one of the greatest metal guitarist and composers of our time. There is no denial that Children Of Bodom 's work has influenced and inspired us as musicians. Felipe, together with Juho, Joonas, Paul and Whispered's Mikko Mattila recorded this tribute to Children Of Bodom in memory of Alexi Laiho. Rest In Peace, Alexi."
Felipe Munoz (keyboards): "Children Of Bodom helped me go through very difficult times during my youth and their music plays a great part of my music influences. The news of Alexi's passing had a great impact on me and I felt that I had to pay tribute to him and the band by recording one of my favourite tracks from their discography. I was very fortunate to have these great musicians and friends to join me in this project. I hope you enjoy this tribute as much as we did recording it.
Thank you Alexi and all the members of CoB. Without your music, my life would be very different from what it is today."
Line up:
Felipe Munoz - keyboards (Frosttide)
Juho Patinen - vocals / guitars (Frosttide)
Mikko Mattila - guitars (Whispered)
Joonas Nislin - drums (Frosttide)
Paul Thureau - bass (Frosttide)
Canada’s four-piece thrash power metal outfit Lycanthro has a new album in the works, Mark Of The Wolf and the first taste is the single “Crucible”.
Mark Of The Wolf is a combination of old and new songs; back in 2017, Lycanthro released a four-track demo that received great feedback, but the quality left something to be desired. Three of those four tracks “Crucible”, “Into Oblivion” and “Ride The Dragon” are included in this new offering. Old fans will enjoy the improved production and new fans will be sucked into the mythos of the band.
The album will undoubtedly be received well due to the variation of elements James Delbridge (vocals/guitars), David Shute (guitars), Carlo Cote (bass), Nathan Shuman (drums), and Forrest Dussault (guitars) bring forth. They explain their methods in their own words:
“We mixed a couple of different influences and genres in different songs, different stylistic and lyrical tones, and even a few different instruments to add a new dimension to the sound. We always believe in diversity within your genre and we hope that the fans will appreciate that. We tried to add as many diverse elements as possible so that different listeners can get something out of the music, while still being under the power metal umbrella.”
“Crucible” is the first glimpse at an enthralling and diverse listening experience boasting something for everyone in terms of melodic metal. There are soaring high vocals, epic guitar solos, lots of harmonies, heavy chugging riffs, a few odd instruments, and even a breakdown or two.
Lycanthro formed in 2016 after Delbridge’s previous band broke up; he has always had an affinity for wolves, which inspired the name. According to him, the band sounds apt like “wolves eating a dragon’s carcass”.
Recommended for fans of Judas Priest, Saxon, and Blind Guardian, BraveWords is premiering “Crucible”; check out the visualizer below:
Mark Of The Wolf is out on June 4, 2021 via Alone Records. Preorder on Bandcamp and Big Cartel.
Tracklisting:
“Crucible”
“Fallen Angels Prayer”
“Mark Of The Wolf”
“Enchantress”
“In Metal We Trust”
“Into Oblivion”
“Ride The Dragon”
“Evangelion”
A short video of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer Ivan Moody and guitarist Andy James playing the EXTREME hit "More Than Words" can be seen below.
Moody shared the clip via his Instagram, writing in an accompanying message: "Out of key and not giving 2 shits. #morethanwords #thisisnotacover #matteroffact #imnotsureishouldpostthis #fuckit #imsooutofkeyandiloveit #sorry @andyjamesguitar #didntthinkthisthrough #definitelynotourvibe #shitsandgiggles #inthekeyofyuck".
The original black-and-white video for "More Than Words" became an MTV staple and received one of pop's highest honors — being parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. In June 1991, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"We were trying to push ['More Than Words'] to the record company," EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt told RollingStone.com. "We were on tour trying to call them and tell them, 'Listen, whenever we go to sing this song, we get drowned out by the audience. We're not telling you it's something special; they're telling us.' This was pre-'Unplugged'. And they were like, 'Where are we going to put this? Rock stations aren't going to play it, and it's too adult-contemporary. You guys aren't that.' And we just said, 'You've got to do it.' And we pushed and we went to the president of the label, and basically — I think I was in his office one day and I threatened to quit the band if he didn't at least give it a shot as a single. Later we got a call saying, 'All right, we're going in. We'll test it in a market.' They tested it in Denver, I believe. We're like, 'Great, it's never going to happen. They're just doing this to appease us so I don't quit the band.' Because I had a bit of a fit. So then our manager calls and goes, 'What the fuck you doing reaching out to the president of the label? You crazy?' And we got into a fight with him, so they at least did what they said what they were going to do. They tested it. And we're like, 'All right, we're going back to the studio.' It ends up being like No. 8 [on the station's call-in show] the first day. On a rock station, getting phones. So then the next day it's climbing; by the end of the week, it was No. 1 by Saturday. So they call us — the manager calls us — 'Don't get your hopes up. They still want to test it in one more place.' They still wouldn't believe it. So we were excited because I remember we went to MTV and we performed. They wanted us to perform on MTV with an audience, just about 30 or 40 people. And because of 'More Than Words', we said, 'We're a rock band. We don't want to just sit there and play the ballad,' because we asked them, 'Can we play some of the rock stuff acoustically?' Coincidentally. Not to say that we invented 'Unplugged', the show, but something happened format-wise because months later, almost a year later, the show popped up. Ironically enough, we were never asked back to play the actual show. Which was bizarre for us, because we actually had some unplugged stuff, purposely."
Regarding the original video, EXTREME singer Gary Cherone said: "We shot the video in the middle of a tour, I think. What we did musically, [directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris] got visually — black and white, no bells and whistles. The other guys were basically just hanging — we shut off the amps. So they got it. That was all them, to their credit. Turn off the noise. And the lighter was cute, and the dog. But I thought the visual did not take away from the music, and I think that's one of the reasons the video does not get old."
Last October, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it officially parted ways with guitarist Jason Hook back in February 2020 during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by James, the renowned British virtuoso who is featured on "Broken World", a song that appears on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's latest album, "F8", was released in February 2020.
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