UK alt-metal upstarts, Vexed, instantly turned heads and took names with the release of two recent standalone singles - including the fearsome “Elite” featuring Thy Art Is Murder’s CJ McMahon - creating a palpable underground buzz and giving fans a hefty sample of what to expect in the future. Now, the wait is over - the crushing Hertfordshire foursome have resurfaced with the announcement of their aggressive and uncompromising debut full-length, Culling Culture, out May 21 via Napalm Records.
With their devastatingly heavy first output, Vexed underline their refusal to be pigeonholed into sonically conformist categories. Their instrumental dagger is sharpened by unrelentingly adept, technical prowess, gripping you with assertive swagger and hyper-focused brutality. 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”.
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. Their first single, “Hideous”, along with a captivating official music video, not only serves as a first taste and vicious wake up call, but also showcases that anger can either destroy you or provide real strength. With this offering, Vexed prove the latter.
Vexed on their first single: “It gives us great satisfaction to share with you our Grindhouse inspired music video for our debut single, 'Hideous'. Fueled by the feeling of ‘seeing red’ and having to decide how to react in moments of betrayal and rage, do you let your blood boil over or sit and wait for the killing instinct to pass?”
Watch the official music video for “Hideous” below.
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
Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy uploaded the clip below to his official YouTube channel along with the following message:
"Stephen Pearcy and his Ratt Bastards are 'Back For More' in rehearsals for upcoming...."
Pearcy's guitarist, Erik Ferentinos, recently appeared on The Classic Metal Show. During the interview, which can be heard below, Erik was asked, are there any plans in the works for the Pearcy band, or you being involved with Ratt in any way in 2021?
Ferentinos replied, "I can tell you officially that Stephen Pearcy is going to go back out and play solo shows in 2021. We're more accustomed to doing smaller stuff anyway, and that's pretty much all we're gonna hope to get involved with. Potentially maybe some drive-in stuff in the spring… But we wanna play, and people wanna see shows. We'll take whatever we can get, as far as getting out there."
"I'm just happy that (Stephen) is willing to go out at his age — he's in his 60s and he's not scared to go out there and play. He's chomping at the bit to get out, and I like that. So we're definitely planning on doing shows. We're gonna do a record... I think he may be pausing the Ratt thing this coming year. He's going to go solo. And I don't know, maybe we'll see a reunion with the real dudes, which I think they should do. They're not getting any younger."
Pearcy recently released a video for his cover of Duran Duran's 1981 hit, "Girls On Film". Check it out below:
In one of music's most unexpected match-ups, industrial rock mainstays HEALTH have remixed "Broken Dreams, Inc.", the fast and furious song by the socially outspoken, multi-gold and platinum punk rock band RISE AGAINST. You can check out the remix below.
Musically, the original version is an aggressive and pointed musical diatribe, while the HEALTH remix is the sonic antithesis, with its hypnotic, dark and moody tones and Tim McIlrath's urgent vocals cloaked in a sense of foreboding.
"Broken Dreams, Inc." speaks to today's changing landscape of American society, the opportunities that are available to some but not to others, the people who are able to benefit versus those who get left behind, who suffer and end up as casualties. How do we level the playing field to everyone can have a real chance at attaining the American Dream?
"We didn't really know what to expect," said McIlrath, of the remix, "but were all blown away by it. I was super impressed by the way they made the song their own. They found melodies in it that I didn't anticipate, and they found some of the bone, the skeleton, and rearranged it; it worked and was really cool."
RISE AGAINST — rhythm guitarist/vocalist McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, guitarist Zach Blair and drummer Brandon Barnes — is known for its explosive live shows, and its outspoken, socially conscious lyrics that speak to the mood of our times: the environment, economic injustice, forced displacement, political corruption, voter registration, animal rights, and interpersonal relationships, all delivered with big, chunky riffs and melodic post-grunge hooks. RISE AGAINST has amassed five top 10 albums on Billboard's Top 200 chart, and six top ten singles on its Hot 100 chart. The band's gold-certified single "Savior" alone has accumulated nearly half a billion streams.
Suzi Quatro, the 70-year-old pioneering female rocker who burst on to the scene in the 1970s, will release a new studio album, "The Devil In Me", on March 26 through SPV/Steamhammer. The official music video for the disc's first single, the title track, can be seen below. The artwork for the single was created by famous Brazilian neo-pop artist Romero Britto.
The reasons for Suzi's remarkable creative explosion: on the one hand, the lockdown, which kept her from her usual touring life in spring 2020, and on the other another collaboration with her son Richard Tuckey, which had already worked out extremely well on her predecessor album "No Control".
Says Suzi: "Starting spring 2020, almost one hundred of my shows were canceled, and Richard would also have been on tour with his band had not all concerts been canceled or postponed. So I said to him, 'We should make the most of our free time, write new material and allow ourselves to be inspired by the things that are currently going on in the world.'
"I already knew that Richard and I make a brilliant team; after all, 'No Control' had been a major success and a very special recording for us. Although I would never have thought that we'd be able to surpass it. But everybody who's heard 'The Devil In Me' and all the people who had worked on the previous album have told us, 'This album is even stronger.'"
"The Devil In Me" presents Suzi's full range of musical diversity plus a number of surprises. From rock tracks such as "The Devil In Me", "Get Outta Jail", "Motorcity Riders" and "Hey Queenie" to fairly unusual numbers such as the pub atmosphere-inspired "Loves Gone Bad", with its intimate mood, or "In The Dark", which is accompanied by elegant piano and provocative saxophone sounds, Suzi presents herself from a whole range of different aspects.
Suzi says: "Richard wanted this album to have a through line, so that you could put any track on, and it just fit… He also said he wanted this album to be as important and groundbreaking as my first one. So that is how we approached this project, and that is what we accomplished."
Calyces, the hotly-tipped new Greek prog / groove metal quartet, have unveiled a new live in-studio session. It features three tracks from their 2020 debut LP Impulse To Soar: "False Awakening", "Ego Dries Up the Ocean", and "Those Flames Are Dancing Wild".
The band comment: "It was about time to shake the dust off our shoulders, after a long period of stay at home due to the pandemic. We are happy to present you our first live performance after the release of Impulse To Soar. From the familiar setting of Studio U217, an 18 minute live set, featuring material from the debut, showcasing the on-stage dynamic of the band and filling the gap until the circumstances allow for a proper live show. Κeep the faith!"
Impulse To Soar blends prog metal in the way it was shaped through the 2000s, with the finest elements of classic progressive rock from the 1970s, but all with a very 2020 twist. Low-tuned heavy riffs meld with a barrage of polyrhythmic attacks, atmospheric passages, and full-on groove, melody, and energy. A scintillating and invigorating first step onto the scene.
Additional flair and artistry was provided by Jørgen Munkeby (Shining) with a saxophone solo on "Unfair Labour" and of Chrysa Tsaltampasi (Spineless, Bella Fuzz) with vocals on "Beyond Sight". Mastered by Grammy award-winning engineer, Alan Douches (Mastodon, Kvelertak, The Dillinger Escape Plan) Impulse To Soar was recorded in various studios around Athens with these carefully selected collaborators in order to achieve the band's desired natural, organic sound. Human substance intertwines with artistic complexity to create a thrilling and exhilaratingly impressive debut full-length.
A new vehicle has formed; a metaphor for rebirth and new shape of life. Calyces - the sepals that form a protective layer around a budding flower - is a fitting name for this most exquisite and yet powerful of groups. Forming in 2018, the quartet is comprised of ex-Tardive Dyskinesia vocalist Manthos Stergiou, drummer Alexis Stavropoulos, guitarist Giannis Golfis, and bassist Stelios Tragos, all of them already key members in the bands Insect Radio and Revenge Of The Giant Face.
The stunning artwork for Impulse To Soar was painted by Maria Stergiou, the vocalist's sister.
Tracklisting:
"False Awakening"
"Ego Dries Up The Ocean"
"Those Flames Are Dancing Wild"
"Parasites"
"The Great Void"
"Wired Crown"
"Unfair Labor"
"Home"
"Beyond Sight"
"Uneven Loops" (Bonus Track)
"We're Lost, But It's OK" (Bonus Track)
Coming May 7, the release of the brand new Save The World album, Two. Frontiers will also reissue their debut album, One, on the same date. First single and music video from Two coming on March 18, but you can check out two music videos from the band's debut below.
Save The World pens emotionally charged songs with rich, melodic choruses, playing music that forgoes genre conventions in favor of a signature sound that’s modern, anthemic, and refreshingly dynamic. The band features chief songwriter Dan Tracey (Alan Parsons) on guitar, vocals, keyboards and Robert Wright on bass, vocals, keyboards, Taurus pedals, percussion, and drums.
Two tracklisting:
"Camera Obscura"
"Bones"
"Miss Muse"
"Defenders Of The Faith"
"Daphne Blue"
"When Amanda Hits The Stage"
"Man On An Island"
"Longer"
"Denslow Park"
"Automaton"
"Illuminati"
"Who's That Girl"
One tracklisting:
"Bleed"
"Comic Con"
"In Pieces"
"Circus Maximus"
"This Little Pill"
"Let Love Win"
"I Wish"
"Black Pearl"
"Cecilia Weiss"
"Princes & Thieves"
"Cern"
"The Light"
Paralydium have released the Quarantine Sessions video below, featuring a performance of the song "The Source", featured on the band’s debut album, Worlds Beyond. Order the album here, and watch the clip below:
Initially known as "The Paralydium Project”, the band hails from Sweden and is an epic progressive metal combo founded by guitarist John Berg with a vision to create an innovative mixture of hard hitting heavy riffs, textured landscapes, and powerful grooves. Their sound takes you through space and time for an experience beyond the borders of your mind. With influences ranging from Symphony X and Pagan’s Mind to Seventh Wonder and Dream Theater, Paralydium have created their own sound and expertly crafted melodies into a ‘best of both worlds’ sound.
Tracklisting:
"Enter Paralydium"
"Within The Sphere"
"Synergy"
"Finding The Paragon"
"Crystal Of Infinity"
"Awakening"
"The Source"
"Into Divinity"
"Seeker Of The Light"
"The Source":
"Crystal Of Infinity" lyric video:
"Within The Sphere":
"Finding The Paragon" video:
Lineup:
John Berg - Guitar
Georg Härnsten Egg - Drum
Jonathan Olsson - Bas
Mikael Blanc - Key
Mikael Sehlin - Vocals
MyGrain have released a video for "The Nightmare", the opening track of the band's fifth album, V, available via Reaper Entertainment. Created by Timo Honkanen from death.illustrated.net, the video animations together with singer Tuomas "Tommy" Tuovinen's performance capture the feeling of the song perfectly.
The band states: "We're proud to finally present the visualization for the furious and hard hitting opening track 'The Nightmare' from our new album V. The video was shot and created by our visual mastermind Timo Honkanen | death-illustrated.net. Also special thanks to our long time friend Toni Salminen | metalscope.fi for additional camerawork! So, without further ado, let's kick off this wintery week with 'The Nightmare', MyGrainiacs."
"The Nightmare"
"Out Of This Life"
"Summoned Duality"
"The Way Of The Flesh"
"Haunted Hearts"
"The Calling"
"Game Of Gods"
"Stars Fading Black"
"Fathomless Freefall"
"Waves Of Doom"
"Haunted Hearts" video:
"Out Of This Life" lyric video:
MyGrain are:
Tuomas "Tommy" Tuovinen - vocals
Teemu Ylämäki - guitars
Joni Lahdenkauppi - guitars
Jonas Kuhlberg - bass
Janne Mikael Manninen - drums
New York/New Jersey metal formation, Tombs, has released a music video for the song "Secrets Of The Black Sun", taken from 2020's full-length, Under Sullen Skies. The video, which was created by Aimed and Framed, can be seen below. Order the album here.
Tracklisting:
“Bone Furnace”
“Void Constellation”
“Barren”
“The Hunger”
“Secrets Of The Black Sun”
“Descensum”
“We Move Like Phantoms”
“Mordum”
“Lex Talionis”
“Angel Of Darkness”
“Sombre Ruin”
“Plague Years”
Italian Gothic metallers, Cadaveria, have released an official music video for their new single, “Divination”. Stream / download the single here, and watch the clip below.
Produced by Morbid Vision Italy, this opus, freely inspired by the Candomblé ritual of reading the Buzios, was shot in a loft in Turin and along the Dora Baltea river banks in North Italy.
The clip was filmed and edited by Marçelo Santos. Photography by Marçelo Santos. Camera assistant: Albo Giolito. Editing assistant: Cadaveria herself. Main character: Monica Tomaino. Make up: Jacob Angel.
Mascot Label Group / Provogue will be releasing a new album featuring previously unreleased material from the iconic blues-rock master, Gary Moore. How Blue Can You Get will be released on April 30. Pre-order here, and watch a visualizer for the song "In My Dreams" below.
The album contains four originals, and four songs previously recorded and made famous by classic bluesmen like Elmore James, Sonny Thompson, Memphis Slim and BB King. Out on Ltd. Orange Marble LP / Blue LP / Deluxe CD Box.
Says the label: "It's our hope that current and future generations of music fans discover and re-discover Gary Moore, revelling in the artistry of not just a great guitarist, but a supremely talented musician. Back to the future with Gary Moore."
Tracklisting:
"I'm Tore Down"
"Steppin' Out"
"In My Dreams"
"How Blue Can You Get"
"Looking At Your Picture"
"Love Can Make A Fool Of You"
"Done Somebody Wrong"
"Living With The Blues"
The At The Movies project - launched by Pretty Maids guitarist Chris Laney due to the COVID-19 pandemic - caught fire over the course of 2020, and project has now moved on to movie soundtrack covers from the '90s. Check out "When You Say Nothing At All” from the 1999 British-American romantic comedy Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant
The core At The Movies players are:
Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork) - lead / backing vocals
Linnéa Vikström Egg (Therion) - lead / backing vocals
Chris Laney (Pretty Maids) - guitars
Allan Sørensen (Royal Hunt, Pretty Maids) - drums
Morten Sandager (Pretty Maids) - keyboards
Pontus Norgren (HammerFall) - guitars
Pontus Egberg (King Diamond) - bass
Drum-cam footage of MACHINE HEAD drummer Matt Alston performing the song "Bulldozer" with his bandmates during their January/February 2020 North American tour can be seen below.
The British-born Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT) and Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) joined MACHINE HEAD in time for the 25th-anniversary tour for the band's classic debut, "Burn My Eyes", which kicked off in Germany in October 2019.
MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn spoke to France's HEAVY1 about how the new members landed the gig. "We were doing auditions for a while, and Vogg's audition just fucking blew my mind — it was so fucking tight and fucking accurate," he said. "He sent over [a recording of] 'Imperium' as his first song just as a test. We always had all the dudes do a sound test, just to make sure the levels are good and stuff. I was, like, 'Oh my God! This dude is playing 'Imperium' better than I can right now.' [Laughs] It was crazy. And we ended up talking. Super-nice guy. Matt, same thing. We flew him out, jammed with him, and he killed it."
Each show on MACHINE HEAD's latest tour was described in a press release as "a three-hour musical extravaganza," comprised of two parts: part one features a battery of MACHINE HEAD's modern classics, such as "Imperium", "Halo" and "Now We Die", featuring Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern performing alongside Kiełtyka and Alston. Part two features "Burn My Eyes" played in its entirety for the first time ever, with original drummer Chris Kontos and guitarist Logan Mader joining in.
Asked how all the musicians are getting along and whether they are traveling together, Flynn told HEAVY1: "We're all in the band together — we all live together. The band's all on the bus — all six of us. And it's a great ride, man. Everybody is very respectful; everybody knows their role and just kind of doing it here and enjoying it. Everybody is out here having a blast. It's so nice to have people who are in a positive frame of mind, 'cause it wasn't like that in the past. And now it is, and it's fucking awesome."
Kontos left MACHINE HEAD before the release of the band's second album, 1997's "The More Things Change", and was replaced by Dave McClain.
Mader contributed to two MACHINE HEAD albums, the aforementioned "Burn My Eyes" and "The More Things Change", before exiting the group and being replaced by Ahrue Luster and, later on, Phil Demmel.
McClain and Demmel both left MACHINE HEAD in October 2018.
METALLICA performed its classic song "For Whom The Bell Tolls" live from its Northern California headquarters as part of this year's BlizzCon, the first virtual version of Blizzard's games convention.
Like many events in 2020, BlizzCon was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Blizzard took its fan event and game showcase digital with BlizzConline.
"We would love to be there this year, but obviously can't be, so here we are, and this is for you," frontman James Hetfield told the virtual audience prior to his band's rendition of the "Ride The Lightning" track.
Since there is no in-person convention this year, Blizzard is making the entire event free to watch. The livestream is available on GameSpot's channel on YouTube, as well as on Twitter and Twitch, among other mediums.
Twitch, which has fallen under scrutiny in recent months by record labels represented by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America), replaced METALLICA at the end of BlizzConline's opening ceremony with generic royalty-free music to avoid a DMCA takedown. The band's appearance was ominously preceded by an onscreen message noting that "The upcoming musical performance is subject to copyright protection by the applicable copyright holder."
METALLICA previously performed at the 2014 edition of BlizzCon.
Finnish metal band BLIND CHANNEL has won "Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu", the country's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, and will now compete against 40 other acts in the Eurovision finals, due to be held in Rotterdam this May.
Speaking to Eurovision.tv shortly after their victory, BLIND CHANNEL said: "We can't wait to play to hundreds of millions of people, so we can turn them to the dark side too! We're gonna have one night of perfection tonight, because when Monday comes we have to get back to the grind to make sure we deliver the best show in Rotterdam that we can!"
Formed in 2013, BLIND CHANNEL plays heavy rock with fresh pop elements, dual vocals, electrifying energy and a massive crossover potential. The band claims to be inspired by ENTER SHIKARI, 30 SECONDS TO MARS and the early works of LINKIN PARK.
BLIND CHANNEL had its first live appearance in 2013 in its hometown of Oulu. Their career started out with a bang, as they won two big band competitions and impressed audiences all around Europe with their hyperactive live show and scored a recording deal with Ranka Publishing.
Workhorses from the start, the band has already performed on hundreds of club and festival shows all over the globe. They've graced the stages of Wacken Open Air, Sziget and Weekend festival, to list just a few, and garnered new fans on successful tours in Europe with bands like HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, SIMPLE PLAN, AMARANTHE, SEVENDUST, ALL THAT REMAINS and the band's heroes — ENTER SHIKARI.
BLIND CHANNEL released its debut single, "Save Me" in 2013. In October 2014, a four-track EP, "Foreshadow", followed and the band got already noted by the Finnish nationwide radio station YleX. Preceded by the album's first single "Unforgiving" in June 2015, the band started work on their first album, "Revolutions", in October 2015. The LP dropped in September of 2016 to rave reviews from both audiences and the media.
Preceded by the earworm single "Sharks Love Blood", BLIND CHANNEL's second album, "Blood Brothers" (2018), was produced by the acclaimed Finnish producer Jonas Olsson (AMORPHIS, THE OCEAN). It, too, managed to reap universal praise. The singles "Over My Dead Body", "Timebomb" (feat. Finnish DJ great Alex Mattson) and "Fever" have taken over several prestigious international rock and metal playlists. To cap a monstrously successful album cycle, the band was nominated for the Emma Award (Finnish Grammy equivalent) in the "Rock Album Of The Year" category in 2019.
The band not wanting to mess with a winning formula, BLIND CHANNEL's latest album, "Violent Pop", was produced, again, by Jonas Olsson. Several of the songs were mixed by the man behind the biggest VOLBEAT hits and the AMARANTHE sound, the Danish sound wizard Jacob Hansen. The LP was released in March 2020 via Ranka Kustannus (Finland) and Out Of Line Music (internationally).
The world hasn't seen a metal band win the Eurovision Song Contest since fellow Finns LORDI shocked the audience with their brand of horror metal in 2006, providing the winning song "Hard Rock Hallelujah". In 2008, TERÄSBETONI represented Finland in the Eurivision Song Contest final with the track "Missä Miehet Ratsastaa".
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they take on Alice Cooper's "Poison".
Toyah captioned the video: "It’s Poison running through your veins..... Nothing more to say!"
Watch Robert & Toyah's renditions of the Black Sabbath classic “Paranoid”, and Metallica's "Enter Sandman", below:
Italian doom deathsters Tethra has released a new lyric video for the track "Dying Signal", taken from their latest album Empire Of The Void, released via Black Lion Records. The concept around this work focuses on the duality between what is hidden inside the depths of the human soul and the vastness of sidereal space, both empires of the void.
"'Dying Signal'’s lyrics are a metaphor for the progressive deterioration of human relationships in modern society," explains Tethra vocalist Clode. "The models imposed by TV, social media and consumerism brought to excess is taking away the ability to stop and reflect, because nowadays we are all so interconnected that each of us expects almost immediate feedback from the other, and for this, it’s not always easy to be able to argue properly about a personal opinion. Sometimes it is easier to shout your own reasons without listening to the others. This is one of the heavier and 'in-the-face' songs of the new album Empire Of The Void, but it manages to keep our melodic and dark side intact."
Tracklisting:
"Cosmosgenesis"
"Cold Blue Nebula"
"Gravity Pt. I Ascension"
"Gravity Pt. II Aeons Adrift"
"Gravity Pt. III Ultimo Baluardo"
"Empire Of The Void"
"Space Oddity" (David Bowie cover - CD only)
"A Light Year Breath" feat. Gogo Melone
"Dying Signal"
"Ison"
With the release of their single “Georgiana”, the Tennessee quartet Naked Gypsy Queens stake their claim as the new heavyweights of rock & roll’s modern-day renaissance. Rooted in amplified blues, hard-charging grooves, and dual lead guitars, the band builds upon the larger-than-life sound of their heroes from the 1960s and '70s, keeping the flame burning for old-school hard rock while using their own 21st century fuel. Having just been signed to Mascot Records, the band’s forthcoming EP is slated for release in late 2021.
Formed while all four members were still in high school, Naked Gypsy Queens built their audience the blue-collar way: by plugging in, turning up, and playing out. They cut their teeth on the classics — the Rolling Stones, MC5, the Allman Brothers, and Pink Floyd — and funneled those influences into their own songs, creating an original sound that was loud, aggressive, and filled with supersized hooks. After developing a loyal following in their hometown of Franklin, TN, they set their sights on Nashville, quickly becoming one of the city's premiere rock acts before any of the bandmates had turned 20 years old.
"Our goal was to become the baddest live band around," says frontman Chris Attigliato, who shares guitar duties with Cade Pickering. "We were loud. We were a band you had to see onstage. It started to become a cult thing, with lines forming around the block at some venues. We weren't trying to achieve the highest number of digital streams; we were just doing what we wanted to do, and making the music we wanted to make. As it turned out, we were pushing some buttons, too."
Showcasing the chemistry between Attigliato, Pickering, bassist Bo Howard, and drummer Landon Herring, “Georgiana“ was recorded in Detroit with studio veterans Marlon Young, Al Sutton, and Herschel Boone - the same team that helmed Greta Van Fleet's chart-topping Anthem Of The Peaceful Army. Legends like Alice Cooper and MC5's Wayne Kramer stopped by the studio throughout the tracking process, strengthening the bond between Naked Gypsy Queens and the rock icons who came before them.
"We've got an older sound, mixed with something new," says Howard, who remembers stumbling across Attigliato and Herring in the basement of the boys' Tennessee high school, bashing their way through Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" with beyond-their-years skill. "From the first time I met these guys, I knew I had to play with them. I knew we could make music that drew in other people our age, while still appealing to those who grew up with this kind of music."
“I was already a fan of the Naked Gypsy Queens when I saw them play in Nashville last February,” adds Mascot Label Group US President Ron Burman. “However, after seeing them play live, all I can say is WOW! Their unbridled, raw, youthful energy blew me away and confirmed the fact that we had to sign them! They embody all of the attributes that define rock & roll. We expect huge things from them in the future!”
With a sound that reaches across generations, Naked Gypsy Queens bridge the divide between the genre's past and future, creating timeless rock & roll for the modern world. Led not only by Chris' soulful howl, but also the sonic punch of a taught rhythm section and the interlocked riffs of two lead guitarists, Naked Gypsy Queens are royalty in the making.
Vocalist Jorn Lande (Avantasia, Masterplan, Allen/Lande) recently released a new single, "Faith Bloody Faith". The song was Jorn's entry into the battle to be Norway’s contribution for the European Song Contest 2021 and took him to the final, which aired on February 20th. He has checked in with the following update:
"We kept the Faith! We rocked! And we came VERY close! Thank you for all the support, you rock! The best of luck to TIX in the ESC 2021!"
As of last week, 'Faith Bloody Faith' had over 300K streams, went into Norway's Top 100 and the Viral Top 50 on Spotify.
Check out the official video for "Faith Bloody Faith" below. The song is available via Spotify here.
Fuzzrd presents “Monster Carnival”, the lead song from the band’s upcoming debut studio album. The track sets the tone, opening innocently enough... and then all hell breaks loose!
“It’s about struggling with debauchery,” says singer and guitarist Brett Petrusek. “You can be a pretty happy-go-lucky dude but sometimes you find yourself in a very dark place, like you’re turning into a werewolf. This song is about finding somebody who recognizes your dark side and embraces you for it.”
Leave it to Fuzzrd to find the bright side of Armageddon. The Minneapolis band has a knack for documenting searing personal experiences, strapping them to turbo-charged guitar riffs, and creating kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll in the process. The result? Tales of obsession, devotion, and redemption – all sung from the crater of a live volcano. And there’s room for some humor too. Asked about the band name (pronounced “Fuzz-erd”), lead vocalist / guitarist Brett Petrusek laughs and turns evasive: “It has six letters, just like the six knobs on an old Marshall amp. It’s actually kinda goofy, but we all need some goofy right now.”
The album is in many respects light and dark. There are pulverizing powerful tracks like “Razor”, the anthemic “Life Turned Black”, and “Viral Connection” which features Mark Slaughter providing guest vocals, guitar work and an outro solo. Petrusek offers dryly, “A dark, twisted little snapshot about retrospectively looking back at your first love.” The soul-baring approach reaches a peak on “Demons”, Petrusek’s gut-wrenching account of learning about the father he had never known. “I recently found my brother, who I never knew I had. We talked and in 35 minutes I learned more about my dad than I had ever known before.” You can hear the sheer emotion in Petrusek’s vocal, recorded on the first - and only - take. He offers, “I’ve become a lot more comfortable letting out my personal thoughts and not second-guessing myself. Being my own therapist and putting it into words. Tapping into the stories that already exist – that’s what makes it more real, more genuine.”
Bassist Robert Berg sums it up a bit differently sharing, “You get these catchy, sing-a-long choruses, but the lyrics are pretty stark and disturbing,” he laughs. “If Black Sabbath and Motörhead took Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, rolled them into a joint and smoked it today, you’d be in a cloud of Fuzzrd.".
Fuzzrd were ready to unleash the beast in 2020, but then COVID-19 intervened. Amid the crucible of 2020, the band was determined not to let a pandemic go to waste. Fuzzrd decided to record their new tracks with producer/engineer Jeremy Tappero, who has made countless records in Minneapolis and is best known for his recent work with Soul Asylum (and a longtime ally and collaborator of Petrusek and Berg from their days in Downtread).
They’re stoked about the work-in-progress. “We’re all having so much fun with it,” says Savage. “I hate to say we’re taking advantage of the pandemic, but the down time has really been important for the band’s chemistry. This is a different way of doing a band. We haven’t even played a show yet! But we’re really loving what we’ve got.”
2021 marks an inflection point for Fuzzrd and all the rest of us. A chance to rip off old bandages, turn the page, and confront what’s really important in life. You might as well find a soundtrack that perfectly captures the moment…and crank it up damn loud.
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