Legendary rock band JEFFERSON STARSHIP released an EP, "Mother Of The Sun", via Golden Robot Records in August 2020 and now the band has shared the music video for the EP track "Setting Sun".
"Setting Sun" features David Freiberg on lead vocals and is highlighted by slide guitar by Jude Gold. The bluesy rock anthem penned by Cathy Richardson and David Freiberg tells the story of a fugitive on the run.
JEFFERSON STARSHIP features founding singer/multi-instrumentalist David Freiberg (who was also in JEFFERSON AIRPLANE during the band's final year), longtime drummer Donny Baldwin (who joined JEFFERSON STARSHIP in 1982 and also played and sang on many hits of the band's STARSHIP era), lead singer Cathy Richardson (whom Kantner recruited in 2008), 25-year member Chris Smith on keyboards, and lead guitarist Jude Gold, who joined in 2012.
The current lineup of JEFFERSON STARSHIP is dedicated to breathing new life into this timeless music in their live shows. Massive hits such as "Jane", "Miracles", "White Rabbit", "Somebody To Love", "Volunteers", "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" continue to reverberate in pop culture all over the world. Whether in the studio or on tour, the five members still enjoy pushing sonic boundaries, passionately trying to change the world, and staying true to the original spirit of all things JEFFERSON STARSHIP.
The seven tracks on "Mother Of The Sun" include two songs co-written by original JEFFERSON STARSHIP/JEFFERSON AIRPLANE members — "It's About Time", co-written with Grace Slick, and another co-written with Marty Balin. The collection also features the return of original JEFFERSON STARSHIP member Pete Sears, who plays bass on three tracks.
"Paul Kantner was our bandleader and the visionary who kept JEFFERSON STARSHIP going through so many eras," says Richardson. "He inspired so much about this record, from the messages in the lyrics to the title and album art to the collaborative process of creating music as a band with some of his original muses — Grace, Marty and Pete. 'Mother Of The Sun' is dedicated to PK."
British heavy metal legends SAXON will release a covers album, "Inspirations", on March 19 via Silver Lining Music. The 11-track effort contains some of the superb classic rock songs that influenced Biff Byford and the rest of the band. The LP's third single, a cover of "Paperback Writer" by THE BEATLES, can be streamed below.
"I saw THE BEATLES on TV for the first time in 1963," enthuses Byford. "It was a very inspirational moment for me to think maybe I could be in a band."
"Inspirations" was recorded at Brockfield Hall, near York in the U.K., which was built in 1804 and holds the largest collection of paintings by Yorkshire's impressionist artists — the Staithes Group. For Byford, recording "Inspirations" all together within such a rich historical environment was a major ingredient of the project. "The warmth and feel of 'Inspirations' had so much to do with being together in this magnificent place and doing it 'old-school' style," Byford explained. "This is how many bands back in the day —including some of the ones covered here — made such great albums, so it just felt really good to be able to do this somewhere like Brockfield Hall."
From the super-charged melodic romp of THE BEATLES' "Paperback Writer" to their freeway mad take on Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free", SAXON show their love and appreciation with a series of faithful, raw and ready tributes. Maintaining a firm eye on the old-school way using Marshall cabs, Marshall amps, real drums and produced by Byford with Jacky Lehmann recording and mixing, SAXON approach the likes of MOTÖRHEAD's "Bomber" (with added whistle!), AC/DC's "Problem Child", BLACK SABBATH's "Evil Woman" and a raucous DEEP PURPLE's "Speed King" with refreshingly warm, unfiltered, "vintage"-sounding renditions.
"We wanted to do an album based on our influences, the songs and bands that inspired us to write what we did and still do," continued Byford, "and it was also interesting to see what my voice could do as I haven't sung many of these songs before."
Byford does, indeed, take on some new vocal challenges, which he duly smashes on the likes of THIN LIZZY's "The Rocker". The net result is that whether cranking up a heavyweight take on LED ZEPPELIN's "Immigrant Song" or throwing down AC/DC's "Problem Child", SAXON does a supreme job of entertaining both themselves and their audience throughout Inspirations.
"We didn't want to change any of the songs too much, just play them more like SAXON," concluded Byford, "and we also think it's very important to have — and share with the fans — some fun in these dark times."
You want even more proof of the validity behind that statement? Wrap your ears around their sparkling take on TOTO's "Hold The Line" and consider SAXON's "Inspirations" a mission accomplished.
"Inspirations" will be made available on vinyl, CD, digital formats and limited-edition D2C products.
After a string of chart hits and live triumphs, one of rock music's most exciting new bands DIRTY HONEY is keeping the momentum going with the April 23 release of their self-titled debut full-length. The Los Angeles quartet has dropped a new single, "California Dreamin'", with a news feature and video that premiered today via Rolling Stone.
A bold opener with towering chorus hooks and slipshod grooves, "California Dreamin'" features smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks. Lyrically, the single puts a different spin on the idea of California as the promised land: vocalist/lyricist Marc LaBelle drew on the tough times he faced after moving west in the early 2010s to craft a bittersweet cautionary tale that hints at personal and emotional turbulence.
"Lots of people come out to California, chasing a dream, and sometimes, people just don't make it," said LaBelle. "California isn't always the 'land of milk and honey,' dreams don't always come true here, and that's the perspective this song and video take. The video is a dream through California that showcases the good, the bad and the ugly."
DIRTY HONEY — LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone — planned to record the album with producer Nick DiDia (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, PEARL JAM), who had produced the band's 2019 EP; but the day before the band was due to fly to Australia to track the album, Los Angeles entered lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and traveling was off the table. Still keen to work with DiDia, they came up with a Plan B: record the full-length at Henson Studios in Los Angeles studio with DiDia beamed into the proceedings via the magic of modern technology.
Having to switch gears delayed the start of recording slightly, although this extra time ended up being a boon. DIRTY HONEY rented a rehearsal space and demoed the album's songs in advance, meaning the tracks were in good shape when DiDia came onboard. "If we had gone when we were supposed to in March, we wouldn't have had as many songs," Smolian says. "We did a lot of rehearsing and got tighter as a band. Except for Marc's lyrics, everything was pretty much written by the time we got into the studio, there really wasn't a lot of, 'Let's try this, let's try that.' It was more about capturing takes."
Adds drummer Corey Coverstone: "Because of the pandemic, we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I think it really made a difference."
The DIRTY HONEY album does sound effortless and captures the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics and energy of the band's live sound. The collection boasts airtight songwriting that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock 'n' roll. LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rock's best vocalists on "The Wire", while the gospel-tinted "Another Last Time" is a midtempo, organ-fueled album-closer bursting with soul.
Although the pandemic has thrown some obstacles in the way, DIRTY HONEY knows that pushing through those tough times will only help them come out stronger on the other side. "When you finally come through on those moments, that's where the real magic comes in," Notto says. "What makes all of our songs fun to play and listen to is we don't allow ourselves to stop short of getting the best possible results out of each one of them."
In fact, if anything, all of the four band members are determined to better themselves going forward. "As a guitarist, I'm always inspired by the everlasting pursuit of the perfect riff," Notto adds. "I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that we've already made. We weren't looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. It was more about, 'Oh, you thought that was good? Hold my beer.'"
Hot on the heels of two highly acclaimed albums, Midnite City return in 2021 with their third album Itch You Can’t Scratch, on May 28th. With new label Roulette Media in tow, as well as new management and booking agent, the band are back looking and sounding better than ever with a new array of songs that will melt your face, so strap yourselves in for the ride of your life. It’s all about the good times!
“Atomic”, the second advance single from the forthcoming album Itch You Can't Scratch, is out today. Midnite City says: "'Atomic' sums up what this band is all about in under four minutes. It's a song about forgetting your problems, living for the minute and having a damn good time whilst you're at it! If ever the world needed some escapism and positivity, it's right now. So all aboard for the party of the year!"
"Crawlin' In The Dirt" was the first single taken from Midnite City's upcoming album, Itch You Can't Scratch, which is set for release on May 28th via Roulette Media Records.
Pre-order Itch You Can't Scratch now at this location.
For further details, visit Midnite City on Facebook.
Granny 4 Barrel continues to shock and rock with the brand new track, “The Art Of Deception”.
G4B’s first release since 2019, the song and its accompanying video prove once again that the “Matriarch of Metal” is without question one of the most incendiary artists on the scene today.
Despite all the obstacles presented during the Covid-19 pandemic, Granny (aka Terry LeRoi) managed to link up with longtime producer/collaborater David Bendeth and create a slew of new material, including a cover of Ronnie James Dio’s “Stand Up And Shout” under the name “LeRoi XIII”. The track featured performances by Will Hunt and Troy McLawhorn (Evanescence), Aaron Pauley (Of Mice & Men), and guitarist Sammy Boller. The cover was met with rave reviews and is currently generating hundreds of thousands of streams/views with all proceeds being donated to Dio's SUAS charity.
All of that wood shedding and hard work from 2020 has paid off with a forthcoming string of new singles throughout 2021, the first of which is “The Art Of Deception.” And while this powerful track most certainly rocks, it’s the music video that puts it over the top:
The video was shot in an old castle on the Hudson River called “Greystone Court.” Master videographers David Brodsky and Allison Woest from My Good Eye Visuals did a breathtaking job capturing the dark essence of the track. Brodsky explains “We shot filming in super-slow-motion, we were able to capture our stellar cast’s interpretive dances, bringing the song to life visually and expressively. It was a remarkably entertaining shoot and we’re all quite proud of the result.”
LeRoi explains, “The character of Granny is inspired by horror movies, villains and anti-heroes. If you take a closer look inside, there are psychological components to this alter ego that give it depth. It’s the perfect vehicle for me to express my disdain for stereotypes and intolerance. But it also gives me equal satisfaction on the theatrical and musical side.” Terry continued “Granny’s extended family (the fans)relate to not only the sheer visual insanity of G4B but in grand heavy metal fashion there’s an element of danger that says I really like this but I’m kind of afraid of it as well! (laughs) They embrace the idea of a surrogate witch-like metal Granny who kicks ass, loves them equally but doesn’t hesitate to dish out scathing proclamations against evil and injustice. Granny 4 Barrel succinctly delivers the message “Never judge a book by its cover!”
"Writing this track with David Bendeth was a great experience,” explains LeRoi. “We delved into darker waters and were able to explore and stretch out musically and vocally. I believe we hit upon a theme a lot of folks can relate to “The Art Of Deception” begs the question, ‘Who do you really trust?’ Your leaders…your friends? Beware infiltrators among us - they are wolves in sheep‘s clothing!’ It’s an honor to share this menacing track with all of the rock ‘n’ roll children!”
First breaking onto the scene with the track “Freak Flag” G4B then toured extensively and received heavy rotation on terrestrial and satellite radio with the track "Nitro Sexy". Most of the singles were accompanied by outrageous videos, including “She Likes Guns" which was directed by the one and only Stormy Daniels. Now Granny 4 Barrel is ready to take 2021 full-on with hands down their best work yet– the first strike being a can't miss with “The Art Of Deception.”
Atlanta, GA hard rock heralders Pistols At Dawn has shared details of their forthcoming debut EP Nocturnal Youth which they’ll self-release on May 7.
The EP was recorded with producer Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins, Matchbox 20) and mastered by engineer Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More) and features four heavy-hitting electrified tracks that exemplify their uniquely powerful sound.
Tracklisting:
"Voices"
"Crown"
"Now Is The Time"
"Gone Black"
Pistols At Dawn has unveiled the instantly memorable melodic debut single “Voices” with an up-close-and-personal music video highlighting their intense live presence.
“‘Voices’ is a song about trying to quiet the voices in one’s head and the voices around us,” explains Pistols At Dawn in a joint statement. “We live in a world where everyone has a voice, and it can be hard to find the real truth. It's about focusing on self-reflection and drawing a line in the sand to weed out all the nonsense. The video for the song is all about intimacy--it’s meant to bring the listener up close so they can see and feel our emotion and expression as we expel the voices through our playing. Connection is everything to us, and we want our listeners to see and feel what we feel. Raw emotion and passion—that’s how we connect.”
Pistols At Dawn was originally formed in 2015 but disintegrated after the tragic passing of guitarist Mike Buffa in 2018. The band reformed in 2019 with founding members, drummer Adam Jaffe, guitarist Devin White and bassist Billy Sullivan while adding Tommy Richardson on guitars and VH1 Rockstar Supernova finalist Chris Pierson on vocals.
Taking inspiration from universal hard rock acts such as Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed, the quintet headed to Cock The Walk studio in their hometown of Atlanta with Tomei in early 2020 to record three new singles that displayed their heart-pumping, radio-ready sound which they released later that year.
For further details, visit Pistols At Dawn on Facebook.
Escape The Fate have dropped "Unbreakable" from their seventh studio album Chemical Warfare, due April 16 via Better Noise Music. Stream or download "Unbreakable" here.
With an infectious chorus about resilience, the track, accompanied by an epic animated lyric video from Toon53 Productions, continues the group's momentum of high-energy, empowering releases leading up to the full LP.
Like the rest of the songs on Chemical Warfare, "Unbreakable" was produced by John Feldmann (Blink-182, Panic! At the Disco, The Used) and co-produced by the band's lead guitarist Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft.
"'Unbreakable' is about finding power in your life rather than just trying to fight your way through circumstances," the band said. "There's a theme of triumph and being victorious over the things that used to control you in this upcoming album."
Chemical Warfare, the band's forthcoming, seventh studio album, slated for an April 16 release, was produced with John Feldmann (Panic! At The Disco, 5 Seconds Of Summer, The Used) and co-produced by the band's own Thrasher. It continues the showcase of the band's unique skill of redefining genre and blending it with their signature hard rock sound, delivering an arsenal of driving bangers and melodic ballads. The critical acclaim of newly released singles with Blink-182’s Travis Barker and violinist Lindsey Stirling are a testament that Chemical Warfare is the sound of a band at their most powerful, most resilient, and most comfortable in their own skin.
Tracklisting:
"Lightning Strike"
"Invincible" (feat. Lindsey Stirling)
"Unbreakable"
"Chemical Warfare"
"Erase You"
"Not My Problem" (feat. Travis Barker)
"Burn The Bridges"
"Demons"
"Hand Grenade"
"Ashes (Broken World)"
"My Gravity"
"Walk On"
WarCall stands for all the fights we are fighting on a daily basis. It represents the struggle in life, the challenges we have to rise to. We get called to war every day and it is up to us to step up and face our fears. The DIY Canadian quartet heeds this mantra, consistently pushing boundaries with their fast, dramatic metal music. Their forthcoming endeavour, the first of two EPs to be released in 2021, Dead End Pt. 1 embodies that drive.
The lead single and music video from this EP is “The Chase”, which follows the narrative of vengeance, a man becomes unhealthy and takes pleasure in making his neighbor suffer. He sinks into a bottomless abyss that leads to his own downfall. The band explains their experience creating the song:
“The Chase is straight up, in your face WarCall. It is the last song we wrote and recorded for the album. The video was really fun to shoot, in the few weeks of 2020 when we could have a social life and see each other. Epic day. We played the song live, in the barn, with a real PA and everything. Over the 12 takes, we were really sweaty and exhausted at the end! The actors and the director were really into their roles and the band was following along, beer-drinking and helping the best we could, but mostly, enjoying the day.”
Instead of waiting for a full length to be done, WarCall is releasing two EPs, the first as Dead End Pt. 1 making it the fifth release from the band, which will be followed up with Dead End pt. 2 later this year, both were written, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered entirely by the band. The first part is in-your-face, old-school-inspired metal, whereas the second part will be more progressive and atmospheric.
Totally authentic, with a wide range of influences ranging from old school death metal to classic rock, WarCall is recommended for fans of Motörhead, Metallica, and Dissection.
BraveWords is premiering the video for “The Chase”; check it out below:
Dead End Pt. 1 will only be released digitally on April 23, 2021 via Plan B Music.
L.A.'s Witherfall are celebrating the release of their new album, Curse Of Autumn, with the launch of another cinematic video for an edit of the epic "...And They All Blew Away." The video was directed by Brendan McGowan and produced by Zev Deans. Check it out below.
"So, this is a total edit of this song," the band says. "For those who dare, there is a 15+ minute version on the record that is by far the most progressive thing Witherfall has ever written and features an incredible drum performance by the legendary Marco Minnemann as well as an amazing display of eclectic bass techniques by Anthony Crawford. Going into the songwriting of Curse Of Autumn, we always want to try and outdo ourselves with certain tracks and this goal was to write a song that took the listener on an unparalleled musical journey. This abridged version is set to cinema by UnholyRoman and is shrouded in mystery much like the meaning of the song. For those that dare, the full version can be found via the link in the description."
Curse Of Autumn is released today (March 5th), with the US vinyl available April 2. The album was produced by Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards) for Ravencraft Productions, Joseph Michael (vocals, keyboards, also in Sanctuary) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, also in Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards). For the recording and mix they teamed up with Jim Morris (Savatage, Iced Earth, Kamelot, Death) while Tom Morris took over mastering duties.
The album art is once again another hand painted masterpiece by the legendary Kristian Wåhlin, the fourth painting in the Witherfall series.
Apart from the digital album, the following formats are available, please note that the luxurious Gatefold 2LP is coming with a poster and etching on Side D:
- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Gatefold black 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Autumn Amber (transp. orange Vinyl) 2LP via CM Distro Wholesale and Onlineshop
- 200x Gatefold Ghost White (creamy white Vinyl) 2LP via EMP and Nuclear Blast
The US is carrying the following formats:
- CD Digipak
- Gatefold Fall Forest Green (translucent forest green Vinyl) 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Tempest Frost (coke bottle clear Vinyl) 2LP via Revolver Magazine
- 200x Gatefold River Orchid Bloom (orchid Vinyl) via the CM US Onlineshop
- 300x Gatefold Last Scar Blood Red (deep blood red Vinyl) 2LP
Tracklisting:
"Deliver Us Into The Arms Of Eternal Silence"
"The Last Scar"
"As I Lie Awake"
"Another Face"
"Tempest"
"Curse Of Autumn"
"The Unyielding Grip Of Each Passing Day"
"The Other Side Of Fear"
"The River"
"… And They All Blew Away"
"Long Time" (Acoustic Version)
"The Other Side Of Fear" video:
“As I Lie Awake” video
"Another Face" lyric video:
Witherfall are:
Joseph Michael - Vocals/Keyboards (also in Sanctuary)
Jake Dreyer - Acoustic and Electric Guitars (also in Iced Earth/Demons And Wizards)
Anthony Crawford - Bass (Chon, Shalmor, Allan Holdsworth, Justin Timberlake, Kirk Whalum)
Marco Minnemann - Drums (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steven Wilson, Tony Levin, Jordan Rudess, Necrophagist)
Alex Nasla - Live Keyboards
Melodic death metallers Númenor release their new album, Draconian Age, today via Elevate Records. It is available via all digital platforms and on CD. The opening track "Make The Stand" features Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch, making it his first duet with a black metal singer.
The style of the Númenor is a mix between epic, power and heavy metal of the '80s and '90s, and the Scandinavian black / death metal scene of the '90s. Influences include Iron Maiden, Rhapsody / Luca Turilli, Blind Guardian, Bal-Sagoth, Covenant, Arcturus, the first Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child.
A few words on Draconian Age directly from singer Marko:
"We started to record Draconian Age at the end of 2018 and concluded at the end of 2020. Draconian Age is the first album made for Elevate Records and was preceded by a single with 4 tracks. Furthermore, for the second time we used a cover carried out by the artist Dobroslav Bob Zivkovic which was originally published as a front cover and rearceropropertine of the book The Lord of the Rings in 1984. The sound of Draconian Age turned out to be more aggressive than before although at the beginning we thought of proceeding in the direction of the previous albums with the first two written songs and recorded: 'Feanor' and 'Mirror Mirror', but with the rest of the songs we explored some new musical horizons, especially with 'WhereThe Battle Rages On' and 'Twilight Of The Gods'.
Furthermore, every single track of the disc was strongly influenced by the sound of 'Make The Stand', the opening track with Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian to the solo voice. However, every song has something special such as 'Hall Of The Mountain King' or 'The Final Days Of Frost', which turned out to be a real black metal track. During some moments of the writing process we were strongly influenced by Norwegian or Swedish black metal bands: Immortal, Emperor, Old Man's Child or even Dissection. From our point of view this was our full-length full-length as we spent a lot of time to every single detail. However, we are convinced that this album will be remembered in a particular way for the participation of Hansi Kürsch as lead vocalist in the opening track make the stand, which surely, given the first results, will become one of the biggest and most important songs of the band."
Check out Draconian Age via digital platforms here.
Tracklist:
"Make The Stand" (feat. Hansi Kürsch)
"Hall Of The Mountain King"
"Fëanor"
"Mirror Mirror (A Robe of Stars)"
"Arkenstone"
"Where The Battle Rages On"
"Twilight Of The Gods"
"The Days Of Final Frost"
"The Last Of Wizards"
"Númenor"
Pop star Kesha has shared a video of her wearing a VOIVOD t-shirt.
The singer, who celebrated her 34th birthday on Monday (March 1), took to her Facebook page the following day to post a six-second clip of her sporting a shirt from the legendary Canadian metal innovators. She wrote in an accompanying message: "Animals I love u thank u so much for all the birthday messages!! I miss u".
Back in 2011, Kesha said that she did not see herself as an average pop star because she loves the rock 'n' roll lifestyle too much.
She said: "I'm not a submissive, perfect pop princess, that's for damned sure. I do think I have a rebellious, metal-loving rock chick inside of me.
"I've always loved rock 'n' roll. It's about subversion. I'm talking to millions of people around the world about having sex freely, getting drunk and partying. It's fun for me to be riding that line of appropriateness."
Shortly before the release of her last studio album, 2020's "High Road", Kesha told Billboard that BEASTIE BOYS' "Licensed To Ill", QUEEN's "Jazz" and Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" were among the albums that influenced her. "My brain is a wild place," she said.
A little over four years ago, Kesha was photographed rocking a 1988 METALLICA "Damaged Justice" tour t-shirt while leaving a Miami hotel.
In 2011, Kesha made a guest appearance on Alice Cooper's "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" on a song called "What Baby Wants".
"I met [Kesha] at the Grammys," Cooper told Billboard, "and I immediately looked at her and went, 'This girl is not a pop diva. She's a rock singer.' She would much rather be the female Robert Plant than the next Britney Spears."
Animals I love u thank u so much for all the birthday messages!! I miss u ☯️??
German modern metal outfit Venues have released the NSFW video for their new single "Rite Of Passage." The thumping and monumental track is very personal — exploring the relationship with one's father while sonically erupting into a chorus made for arenas.
Venues will release their new album Solace, on August 27 via Arising Empire. The album will be pressed on limited colored vinyl, as well. Pre-order Solace here.
From the depths of their deepest crisis, Venues emerge victoriously, welcoming two new members: clean vocalist Lela and guitarist Valentin. When former vocalist Nyves quit the band mid-tour, following the release of their pivotal debut Aspire (2018), the modern metal crew was shaken to the bone. Despite this situation, the remaining members refused to give up and tirelessly searched for new talent.
Following guitarist Constantin witnessing a performance of Lela at — of all places — a Steel Panther show, the band found their new clean vocalist.
Venues entered the studio with producer Christoph Wieczorek (Annisokay) to record Solace, who coated their massive sound with a metallic alloy of remarkable precision.
"We wanted to be more metal," the band's Robin comments. "There were some pop sensibilities of Aspire that we wanted to replace with rather the opposite." Melody and punch-drunk heaviness, metal and alternative rock, zeitgeist and authenticity, barbed choruses and unleashed creativity: With their soaring sophomore release, Venues fulfill every single promise they made on Aspire.
"2020 showed all of us how much the band is helping us keep our sanity,” Robin muses. "Almost the whole band went through minor or medium crises since the release of our debut. Relationships went sour, things ended and began. In times like these, our second album was the light at the end of the tunnel. Something we all could look forward to. Our music held our heads above water."
It's a leap, going from Aspire to Solace, and it's a logical one. 10 songs. 10 exorcisms of negative energy. 10 lifesavers.
Progressive metal power force Odd Dimension have released a video for the song Escape To Blue Planet, taken from their third album, The Blue Dawn, which will be released on March 26 on Scarlet Records.
This is how the band commented: “‘Escape To Blue Planet’ is a song that well represents the mood, the sounds and the dynamic range we wanted to express with this album, from intimate atmospheres to powerful progressive rhythmic figures. We wanted to literally host the listener in our musical dimension! This new chapter of the story tells about the escape of the two main characters Markus and Eloise from their homeland Axtradel to an unknown planet they see far away from their spaceship in a shining blue, destined to become the homeland of their newborn sons. To do this they leave their mission, and as The Ruler says in the mid part of the song, they will eternally pay the price for this action. We are very excited to release this first official video anticipating this record and we can’t wait for the whole album release on March 26th!”
The Blue Dawn is an intriguing existential sci-fi concept-album in the vein of Rush’s 2112, which is beautifully portrayed by the cover artwork of none other than renowned artist Gustavo Sazes (Angra, DGM, Firewind, James LaBrie).
Tracklisting:
“Mission N°773”
“Landing On Axtradel”
“The Invasion”
“Escape To Blue Planet”
“Solar Wind”
“Life Creators”
“The Blue Dawn”
“Sands Of Yazukia”
“Flags Of Victory”
“The Supreme Being”
Shavo Odadjian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN), Phil Demmel (VIO-LENCE, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Jason Christopher (Corey Taylor, ex-PRONG) and Brandon Pertzborn (HO99O9, Corey Taylor) have joined forces to record a quarantine cover of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' "Dead & Bloated". Check it out below.
Christopher shared a video of the performance on his Instagram and wrote in an accompanying message: "I hope you enjoy watching this as much as we enjoyed making it.
"I would like to thank the homeys: @jayruston For taking time out of his busy schedule to do this sweet mix, @rarebirdlit for the studio, @dirtyern12 for making this rad video, and @ra_diaz for the company. And my brothers in arms: @phildemmel @shavoodadjian @brandonpertzborn . I love you guys so much and thank you for absolutely crushing this!! I hope we did @stpband justice".
Hired gun Christopher has spent his musical career as an unsung hero, playing an important live role for many influential bands and artists who need a bassist or guitarist.
Jason's a left-handed guitarist who plays a regular guitar upside down and back to front. Not being able to afford a left-handed model in his teenage years, it's testament to his tenacity that he made do, "figuring it out for himself." Not only a gifted musician, Jason has turned his hand to writing about his life and experiences of "making it" in the industry. In 2018, he released the first instalment of his engaging work, "The Rogue To Nowhere", part one of a three-part novella series documenting tales of growing up in Woodstock, New York and moving to Los Angeles, California in search of his musical dream.
Japan's Unlucky Morpheus recently released a cover album entitled Loud Playing Workshop, which features covers of instrumenals from Steve Vai, Dream Theater, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen and more. They have released an official video for their take on Raacer X's classic instrumental "Technical Difficulties". Check it out below.
The track is taken from Racer X's Technical Difficulties album, released in 1999. It was written by guitarist Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big) and drummer Scott Travis (Judas Priest).
They previously released a cover of Malmsteen's "Far Beyond The Sun", Dream Theater's "The Dance Of Etrnity", and violinist Jill's performance of "Eruption" in tribute to Eddie Van Halen.
Tracklist:
"Far Beyond The Sun" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
"The Dance of Eternity" (Dream Theater)
"Into the Arena" (Michael Schenker)
"Hundreds Of Thousands" (Tony MacAlpine)
"Scarified" (Racer X)
"Eruption" (Eddie Van Halen)
"For the Love of God" (Steve Vai)
"Technical Difficulties" (Racer X)
"17th Century Chicken Pickin'" (Chris Impellitteri)
"Since its release, Holy Ground has been kicking butt from one side of the Planet to the other, thanks to you guys," says The Dead Daisies, in regard to their new studio album - the first to feature vocalist / bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath).
"With 'Chosen And Justified' about to blast off, we thought we'd do something a little different... Beam me up Scotty!"
"Space: the Final Frontier. This is the story of the Starship – Chosen And Justified. Its mission: to explore strange new worlds seeking out new planets for mankind to inhabit. To boldly go where no one has gone before!
Don’t ya just love Star Trek…
The Earth has become uninhabitable, due to man’s stupidity of course, the environment and everything on the planet is pretty much cactus so we must find a way to survive. Determined to save the human race from extinction, the band and its fans blast off from Earth to join a fleet of spacecraft, which is led by the flagship Chosen And Justified. Its mission, to search for a new place to hang out. After years of hibernation, the fleet’s computer awakens everyone when a new world that has an atmosphere fit for humans is discovered. They name the new planet Holy Ground; there is no looking back."
Brazil-based animator Val Andrade has released his latest Iron Maiden cartoon clip featuring "The Man Who Would Be King" from The Final Frontier, originally released 11 years ago in 2010. Check it out below:
A selection of Andrade's previously released Iron Maiden-based cartoons can be seen below:
UK thrashers Solitary have revealed their new video "Catharsis", from the album The Truth Behind The Lies, available now on Metalville Records. Following on from the powerful call-to-arms of "Abominate" and the dark defiance of "I Will Not Tolerate", the cold fury of "Catharsis" shines an unflinching spotlight on the plight of the homeless in modern-day Britain. A feast of uncompromising riffs and irresistible hooks, "Catharsis" is yet another highlight from one of the most consistently excellent thrash metal albums of recent years.
Speaking about the new video, Solitary frontman Rich Sherrington said, "'Catharsis' deals with the debilitating state of anxiety, but the lyrics lent themselves really well to the homeless crisis that we wanted to highlight in the video. It's an issue we feel passionately about, and people need to see 'the truth behind the lies' - who'd have thought the UK government would misquote and distort the figures to mask the actual reality of the situation?"
As well as highlighting the ongoing problem of homelessness in the video for "Catharsis", Solitary have also contributed a track to the charity compilation album Moshin' The Roof On Vol. 2, organized by the UK Thrashers group and featuring the cream of UK thrash. Find out more here.
The Truth Behind The Lies artwork and tracklisting:
"I Will Not Tolerate"
"The Dark...The Resilient"
"Abominate"
"Homage To The Broken"
"The Truth Behind The Lies"
"Catharsis"
"DTR (Dishonour True Reality)"
"Spawn Of Hate"
Vancouver’s Anarcheon have unveiled a new stand-alone single “Bloody Merry”, which is our first look at the dark path the band is currently exploring. Multiple line-up changes over the past few years have put the band into an experimental phase, in which they are pushing their creative boundaries. One of the things that are setting Anarcheon apart is their bassist taking up main songwriter duties, leading to heavily groovy riffs with a focus on the bassy low end.
The new direction that “Bloody Merry” alludes to is also leading towards a new EP, slated for release later this year entitled Scary Tale. Both the single and the EP give off a creepy and groovy vibe, taking the listener through a vampiric journey into the dark side of Anarcheon. They explain further:
“Our single 'Bloody Merry' is about the longing and aching for blood through seduction. Making people succumb to the seduction or be my next meal. Though this is a fairly newer song that we wrote we wanted to release it as a single before our EP came out. The song sets the tone for the EP Scary Tale nicely and prepares you with a little taste of crimson liquor.”
A little spooky, a little melodic, and completely creative, “Bloody Merry” is an excellent starting point for new fans to be enticed by the heavy, horror-themed, passionate metal that Anarcheon flaunts while current fans can enjoy the new, yet familiar direction the band is headed in.
Vampirism, harmonies, and emphasis on the low end are key for Anarcheon, who is recommended for fans of Sepultura, Carcass, and Thy Art Is Murder.
“Bloody Merry” will be available to stream and download as of March 5th on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.
"Frôðr" is the opening song of King Of Asgard's fourth full length album Svartrviðr, which will be released as double LP, Digipak CD and download version on May 28, 2021. It is the first of no less than eight epic tracks which honour the first wave(s) of grim and black Nordic metal, while at the same time refining the massive sound of King Of Asgard. Preorder/presave the album here.
"The first single of our forthcoming album Svartrviðr is called 'Frôðr'. It's a typical King Of Asgard tune in classic epic length and with all our traditional ingredients,” remarks bass player and spokesman Jonas Albrektsson. "The song represents our sonic vision of a sacrificial ritual, a glimpse of an ecstatic trance through a one-eyed point of view. The Old Icelandic word 'frôðr' means a 'sage' or a 'wise' a as noun. We give sound to the myth of the threefold death and self-sacrifice through which the god Óðinn finds the runes while hanging from the world-tree, pierced by his own spear. It is a symbolic suicide to gain knowledge and unlock secrets. In order to visualise the sound of 'Frôðr', we recruited Jimmy Johansson from Super Lino Puro Productions, who provided brilliant images to the lyrics of 'Frôðr' that now flicker in front of your eyes. Enjoy!"
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