Italian digital/metal innovator arottenbit unveils the second advance single from their new album, “You Don’t Know What Chiptune Is”, set for release on October 4th 2024 via Time To Kill Records.
arottenbit commented: “A chaotic excursion from 95 to 246 BPM. Urban and forest landscapes, in a quest for pure pleasure, deliberately ignoring all the risks that might be encountered along the way.
Speedcore and techno intertwined with the established hardcore punk and sludge metal approach that distinguishes every POST-CHIPTUNE track by arottenbit.
A Game Boy used as a true musical instrument, not as a gimmick or aesthetic whim. A gaming console pushed to its limits and transformed into a nightmare-grinding machine.
A journey into the darkest instincts and hidden desires. You know you like it”.
“You Don’t Know What Chiptune Is” is a bold exploration of the chiptune genre, pushing the boundaries of 8-bit music with an experimental and innovative approach. Each track on the album is a unique specimen, meticulously crafted to showcase the versatility and depth of chiptune sounds.
The album is characterized by its inventive use of 8-bit sound chips, evoking the essence of vintage gaming consoles like Game Boy. arottenbit skillfully manipulates these sounds to create a wide range of textures and atmospheres. The lo-fi, raw quality of the 8-bit era is preserved, while contemporary production techniques enhance the overall listening experience.
“You Don’t Know What Chiptune Is” is ideal for both long-time fans of chiptune and those new to the genre. It should appeal to listeners who appreciate the intersection of retro gaming culture and modern electronic music, offering a fresh perspective on what can be achieved with 8-bit sounds.
With “You Don’t Know What Chiptune Is” the project challenges preconceptions and showcases the expansive potential of chiptune music. This album is a testament to the creativity and innovation within the genre, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the cutting-edge of 8-bit music.
Upcoming arottenbit tour dates:
18 Oct – FR – Marseille – Le Molotov
19 Oct – FR – Paris – Backstage By The Mill
20 Oct – FR – Nantes – Le Ferrailleur
22 Oct – UK – London – Academy 2
23 Oct – UK – Manchester – Satans Hollow
24 Oct – UK – Glasgow – Cathouse
26 Oct – IR – Dublin – Grand Social
28 Oct – UK – Bristol – Exchange
30 Oct – NL – Eindhoven – Effenaar
31 Oct – NL – Amsterdam – Melkweg
02 Nov – DE – Cologne – Club Volta
03 Nov – NL – Leeuwarden – Neushoorn
04 Nov – DE – Hamburg – Logo
06 Nov – DK – Copenhagen – Stengade
07 Nov – SE – Gothenburg – Valand
08 Nov – NO – Oslo – Goldie
09 Nov – SE – Stockholm – Kollektivet Livet
11 Nov – PL – Wroclaw – Lacznick
12 Nov – DE – Berlin – Gretchen
13 Nov – DE – Dresden – Chemiefabrik
14 Nov – CZ – Prague – Cross Club
15 Nov – CZ – Brno – Kabinet Muz
16 Nov – HU – Budapest – Turbina
17 Nov – AT – Vienna – Szene
18 Nov – CH – Monthey – Pont Rouge
19 Nov – CH – Zurich – Exil
Biography:
“Like Atari Teenage Riot playing some Melvins”, they said.
From the violence of hardcore punk concerts to the heaviness of sludge metal, all the way to the hallucinatory state of certain dawns spent dancing at the worst techno afterparties with a pounding bass.
In an opulent age where everything is consumed quickly, arottenbit blends genres using an obsolete tool, an old NINTENDO GAME BOY rescued from the trash. A children’s toy, now used to awaken the nightmares of adults.
If punk taught us that you don’t need to know how to play an instrument to make music, today we learn that you don’t even need to own a musical instrument to make music!
From 70 to 240 bpm on a heavy and furious journey, encompassing all the influences that a metropolis can offer during its darkest nights.
arottenbit is an electronic music project born in 2008 by Alessandro ‘Otto’ Galli (FOH Sound Engineer for Messa, Deafheaven, Pallbearer, Truckfighters, Bongzilla, Fuoco Fatuo).
Playing solo with a 1989 NINTENDO GAME BOY or accompanied by hardcore punk drummer Guido Montanarini (PARADISE LOST, IMPLORE, THE SECRET), he soon found himself opening for some of his favorite bands like MELVINS, ATARI TEENAGE RIOT, THE BODY, MELT BANANA, AUTHOR & PUNISHER, FULL OF HELL and performing at major international festivals like ROADBURN 2022, HELLFEST 2022. He organized the largest DIY 8-bit festival in world history “MILANO CHIPTUNE UNDERGROUND” at the famous squat MACAO in Milan (with over 2000 attendees!), and embarked on three European and UK tours as the opening act for the Italian band MASTER BOOT RECORD (BLOOD MUSIC, METAL BLADE RECORDS). All of this without ever releasing an album, relying on the unique impact of his live performances and the word of mouth from friends and music industry professionals.
DED is back with a ferociously gritty new single "Rockstar". The accompanying music video can be seen below.
"Rockstar" is a welcome return for DED, which released its second full-length album, "School Of Thought", in October 2021.
DED ain't got no time for that rock-star bullshit, and the song makes that point with razor sharp riffs, industrial crunch, and Joe Cotela's guttural vocals, which will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
The band is also revitalized by signing with indie powerhouse UNFD, home to ERRA, CROSSFAITH, IN HEARTS WAKE, INVENT ANIMATE and more.
"In a way, our new song 'Rockstar' could serve as the 'anti-rockstar' mentality anthem," says Cotela. "I'm not going to drop examples or point fingers about this topic to pigeonhole it. But I will simply say that I am personally drawn to and enjoy genuine and authentic music created genuine and authentic people. I have always been connected with stoicism and humbleness in all facets of life. To be clear, I am not against success, certain aesthetics, making money or becoming popular, if it is done correctly. Music is sacred to me — it's my community, my religion, my vessel, my friend, my psychologist at times, and my safe place of artistic expression to get lost in. I respect it and appreciate it too much to watch it be exploited and used cheaply like it is sometimes by certain people with cringe vibes."
He continues, "The boys gave me some of the grooviest and heaviest music that we have ever done in DED for me to get down on and I couldn't be more confident and proud of this unfiltered direction of our band. We have been away for a while but we are definitely back and we are bringing hell with us."
Having burst on to the scene with their debut "Mis-An-Thrope" and its follow-up, "School Of Thought", Phoenix band DED takes no prisoners. The band embodies elements of nü metal, hardcore, punk, and rock with pop sensibilities, hooks, and choruses, cloaked in some of the most dense and guttural sounds you'll hear. DED's unexpectedly soulful music is about bringing hope, relief and self-awareness, often speaking to and about the young generations that are contending with many deeply embedded issues in today's society. Rather than the nihilistic, anarchical hellraisers DED might seem to be upon first glance, they're actually mythical heroes desperately trying to save society, not take it down. Joe Cotela (vocals),Alex Adamcik (guitar),Kyle Koelsch (bass),and Matt Reinhard (drums) are building a community by offering comfort in times of despair.
With "Mis-An-Thrope", DED took the rock world by storm, generating over 25 million streams making several Billboard chart appearances, including No. 1 on the Alternative New Artist chart and No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums chart. Singles "Anti-Everything" and "Remember the Enemy" reached Top 20 at Active Rock Radio with SiriusXM's Octane naming DED "Artist Discovery Of The Year" and "Anti-Everything" landing in the station's Top 10 for 2017. The band were also nominated by Loudwire for "Best New Artist". "Anti-Everything" also made impressive strides at servicing appearing on Spotify's U.S. Viral 50 twice and various playlists across Apple Music, Amazon and Pandora. The band also toured with KORN and STONE SOUR.
They followed with "School Of Thought". Touring-wise, DED lit up festival stages, including Aftershock, Louder Than Life, Rocklahoma, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range and ShipRocked and have toured with IN THIS MOMENT, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, and more. They also enjoyed their highest charting radio hit with "Kill Beautiful Things", which was Top 15 and the second longest-running song on the airplay charts in 2022, with four million streams and 1.7 million YouTube views.
CROSSBONE SKULLY has teamed up with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist and founding member Nikki Sixx on the track "High On You", a song about romantic obsession with an anthemic shout-it-to-the-heavens chorus. The song and its artwork — designed by Mark Wilkinson (IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST) — nods to the plight of "Crossbone Skully", the central character in a parallel mythology developed by the band's founder and frontman Tommy Henriksen. His story is unfolded in CROSSBONE SKULLY's upcoming debut album "Evil World Machine", set for release on November 22 via Better Noise Music. The narrative will also expand in a forthcoming graphic novel and animated film, "Thing #1", due in 2025, which features voiceovers by Sixx.
"CROSSBONE SKULLY is doing something visually unique while blending kickass riffs and great songwriting with this project," says Sixx, who played bass on "High On You". "I'm excited for them and can't wait for everyone to experience it."
Henriksen (who's also the guitarist and musical director for Alice Cooper's band and member of HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES) says of the track: "'High On You' shows the taste of young, pure love…the type that gets you hooked on the bug! Love is an everlasting drug!"
"Evil World Machine" was executive produced by the legendary Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who emerged from retirement just for this project.
"Evil World Machine" is a rock concept album that echoes similar dystopian visions such as David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars" and "Diamond Dogs".
Henriksen enlisted a sterling group of supporting musicians for the album, including guitarist Tommy Denander, keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, JOHN MAYER, SEAL),bassist Chris Wyse (HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, ACE FREHLEY, THE CULT, OZZY OSBOURNE),drummer Glen Sobel (ALICE COOPER, HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES),the late UFO bassist Pete Way, mixer Olle Romo (MUSE, BRYAN ADAMS) and producer/mixer Mike Plotnikoff (AC/DC, AEROSMITH).
Spoken-word appearances appear throughout the album from A-list actor/musician and fellow HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES bandmate Johnny Depp as the voice of "The Sorcerer", Alice Cooper as "The Bringer Of Light," Joe Perry as "Big Bad Bone Crusher", Nikki Sixx as "The Crooked Crow" and Kane Roberts as "Alpha Watchman."
"Evil World Machine" track listing:
01. Evil World Machine
02. The Boom Went The Boom (feat. Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD)
03. Money Sex Or God
04. Flip The Bird
05. Everyone's On Dope
06. The Sin Eater
07. Ima Bone Machine
08. Let's Bust The Trust
09. High On You (feat. Nikki Sixx of MÖTLEY CRÜE)
10. I Am The Wolf
11. I'm Unbreakable
12. The Last Night On Earth
13. Misfits Of The Universe
CROSSBONE SKULLY is:
Tommy Henriksen: Vocals
Anna "Blackthorn" Cara: Guitar
Sam "Bam" Koltun: Guitar
Chris Wyse: Bass
Alex "Thumper" Boch: Drums
Grammy-nominated progressive heavy metal mainstays SPIRITBOX have unleashed the cinematic music video for their latest single, "Soft Spine", following its highly anticipated release earlier this month. The video arrives during the band's current North American tour with KORN, adding a visual exclamation point to one of the heaviest tracks of the year.
The "Soft Spine" video takes the band's aggressive energy and transforms it into a stunning visual spectacle. Featuring a dramatic fight scene, the Orie Mcginness-directed video sees goddess-like frontwoman Courtney LaPlante presiding over a brutal battle between cloaked warriors in an otherworldly arena. Epic visual effects bring the carnage to life, while the band performs in various ethereal locations throughout the arena, amplifying the video's cinematic feel.
LaPlante steals the spotlight, not only with her commanding vocal performance but also with multiple striking looks that deliver both face and fashion, complementing the video's hard-hitting intensity.
"Soft Spine" is yet another testament to SPIRITBOX's unstoppable momentum, and the accompanying video raises the stakes for heavy music visuals. Fans can catch the band live as they continue touring with KORN, before heading to Brazil and Mexico City for stadium shows with BRING ME THE HORIZON later this year.
For many artists, a meteoric rise can often mean a sudden plateau. However, for SPIRITBOX, there appears to be no end in sight on their near-constant ascent to the top. Formed in 2017 in the picturesque yet isolated region of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, by vocalist Courtney Laplante and guitarist Mike Stringer, SPIRITBOX would fully cement themselves as a household name in the summer of 2020 with the release of their blistering breakout single "Holy Roller", along with a host of other captivating singles shortly after, resulting in a media firestorm of hype.
With new and existing fans eagerly watching their next move, SPIRITBOX exceeded every expectation imaginable in 2021 with the release of their genre-defining debut studio album "Eternal Blue" via Pale Chord/Rise Records. "Eternal Blue", which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, kicked open the doors of the heavy metal scene and rewrote the genre's playbook with 12 stunning tracks that incorporated everything from djent and post-metal to infectious synth-laden pop sensibilities and cinematic arrangements, brought fully to life by the inimitable Laplante's ethereal and commanding vocal performances.
The album cycle for "Eternal Blue" saw SPIRITBOX not only grace the covers of esteemed music publications such as Revolver, Alternative Press, Rock Sound and Kerrang!, among many others but would also solidify the band as one of the most in-demand groups in live music today with their one-hundred percent sold out, first-ever headlining tour in support of the album which saw ticket sales over 40,000. The band would also share the stage with seasoned metal veterans such as LIMP BIZKIT and GHOST and win "Best International Breakthrough Band" at the 2021 Heavy Music Awards.
In 2022, SPIRITBOX secured highly coveted spots at numerous major U.S. rock and metal festivals and were nominated for two Juno Awards. SPIRITBOX would also round out their current lineup with the inclusion of drummer Zev Rose and bassist Josh Gilbert in addition to releasing their sonically experimental EP "Rotoscope" in June of that year as well as a cross-genre collaboration with dubstep artist Illenium for the track "Shivering".
During another whirlwind year for the band, including a U.S. tour with SHINEDOWN and PAPA ROACH, SPIRITBOX wrote and recorded their critically acclaimed EP "The Fear Of Fear", released in November 2023. The EP features the single "Jaded", which was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. In the same month, the band would make another genre-bending splash with a high-profile collaboration with rapper Megan Thee Stallion for a remix of her song "Cobra".
Whatever comes next for SPIRITBOX, one thing is for sure: expect the unexpected and a firm commitment to creating wholly authentic music with passion, purpose, and constant evolution.
Marilyn Manson will release his twelfth album, "One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1", on November 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. The new album is available now for pre-order in a variety of formats with accompanying apparel at this location.
Coinciding with the album announcement is the release of Manson's latest single, "Sacrilegious", along with an accompanying music video directed by Bill Yukich.
"One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1" track listing:
01. One Assassination Under God
02. No Funeral Without Applause
03. Nod If You Understand
04. As Sick As The Secrets Within
05. Sacrilegious
06. Death Is Not A Costume
07. Meet Me In Purgatory
08. Raise The Red Flag
09. Sacrifice Of The Mass
Last month, Manson released two new songs, "Raise The Red Flag" and "As Sick As The Secrets Within".
Marilyn performed "As Sick As The Secrets Within" live for the first time during his headlining concert on August 3 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Manson returned to the stage August 2 for his first live performance since before the pandemic at the kick-off concert of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's summer arena tour. The show at Hershey, Pennsylvania's Hersheypark Stadium marked Manson's proper gig since the completion of his fall 2019 headlining tour.
Joining Manson on his current tour is his new touring band, consisting of returning members Tyler Bates on guitar and Gil Sharone (ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) on drums, alongside the latest additions, Reba Meyers (CODE ORANGE) on guitar and Matt Montgomery (a.k.a. Piggy D.; ex-ROB ZOMBIE) on bass.
"As Sick As The Secrets Within", which was recorded and co-produced with collaborator Tyler Bates, marked Manson's first release via his new deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
The news of a partnership with Nuclear Blast came in May, just weeks after rumors suggested that Manson had already completed work on a new album.
Prior to the arrival of "As Sick As The Secrets Within", Marilyn hadn't released new music since his 2020 "We Are Chaos" LP.
Manson's 30-date arena/amphitheater tour as the support act for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH wrapped up on September 19 in Houston, Texas.
Over the past three years, Manson has been embroiled in a series of court battles and has been accused by several women — most notably "Westworld" star Evan Rachel Wood — of sexual, emotional and physical abuse.
Manson, who has denied all the allegations, has countersued a number of his alleged victims and judges have dismissed several of the abuse lawsuits against him.
Before launching last month's tour with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, the 55-year-old musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, had been off the road since the final August 18, 2019 date on the "Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies" joint tour with Rob Zombie.
In 2022, Marilyn confirmed he was dropped by his record label, Loma Vista Recordings, and talent agency CAA after he was accused of sexual assault.
Manson has consistently denied sexually assaulting or abusing anyone, claiming that his "intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners".
Manson's first release through Concord imprint Loma Vista was "The Pale Emperor" in 2015.
"We Are Chaos" debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart.
Fan-filmed video of SEPULTURA's entire September 25 performance at The Warfield in San Francisco, California can be seen below (courtesy of the TJ YouTube channel).
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Refuse/Resist
02. Territory
03. Kairos
04. Phantom Self
05. Attitude
06. Means To An End
07. Breed Apart
08. Guardians Of Earth
09. Mind War
10. False
11. Choke
12. Escape To The Void
13. Kaiowas
14. Dead Embryonic Cells
15. Agony Of Defeat
16. Troops Of Doom
17. Inner Self
18. Arise
19. Ratamahatta
20. Roots Bloody Roots
The Brazilian/American metallers kicked off the North American leg of their massive "Celebrating Life Through Death" farewell tour on September 17 at the Concord Music Hall in Chicago, Illinois. The band is playing a career-spanning set that honors SEPULTURA's 40 years of existence. Joining SEPULTURA on this momentous tour are Florida-based death metal veterans OBITUARY, iconic New York hardcore pioneers AGNOSTIC FRONT, and São Paulo, Brazil's death/thrash metallers CLAUSTROFOBIA.
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser and vocalist Derrick Green were asked about their plans for after the completion of the band's ongoing 40th-anniversary "farewell" tour. Andreas said: "I don't know, and it feels great. I want to study acoustic guitar, and to create instructional material on the SEPULTURA music. I've done small things here and there, but not a complete overview of my guitar playing and writing. I will decide when the time comes, but right now it is time to celebrate the moment."
Derrick added: "I want to do a lot more with the TV show I'm working on, 'Highway To Health'. I've also been interested in doing voiceover work in animation or commercials. Musically, I'd like to do something outside of metal with more singing, but if somebody approaches with something I think is intriguing, I'm definitely open to that, because I never want to step away from music."
Asked if Andreas and Derrick will still work together in the future, Kisser quipped: "Nah. We only talk to each other by contract. When the contract is done, we're done. [Laughs] No, of course there are a lot of possibilities. I would love to work with Derrick outside of SEPULTURA. We have the idea for a reggae project on the cards, which we have a great name for. The comfort zone is the worst thing that can happen to an artist. It would be boring to stop SEPULTURA and do something else that is SEPULTURA-like."
SEPULTURA's new touring drummer Greyson Nekrutman officially replaced the band's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February.
SEPULTURA kicked off its farewell tour on March 1 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the band's debut performance with Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.
The 22-year-old Nekrutman is one of the most explosive young players in the drumming world, having garnered a legion of fans since bursting on to the international music scene just a few short years ago.
SEPULTURA announced Eloy's departure on February 27, explaining in a statement that he was leaving to join "another project", with Eloy later confirming that he is the new drummer of SLIPKNOT.
The news of Eloy's exit from SEPULTURA came just two months after the band announced it would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024 by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.
In SEPULTURA's statement, the remaining bandmembers expressed their shock over Casagrande's departure, saying they were "taken by surprise" that their now-former drummer would "abandon everything related to SEPULTURA" less than a month prior to the start of the tour.
VENAMORIS, the project featuring legendary extreme metal drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, FANTÔMAS, TESTAMENT, MR. BUNGLE, MISFITS, DEAD CROSS) and his wife Paula, has signed with Ipecac Recordings, prepping a 2025 sophomore release, with a glimpse of what's to come with today's release of the entrancing track "In The Shadows".
Paula Lombardo states: "'In The Shadows' is a song that arose from real-life feelings. The pulsating drum wholly evocative of marching forward even when internal unrest is still close at hand. It is a call for self-acceptance with the heaviness of a life well lived."
Dave Lombardo added: "VENAMORIS is such an intimate project for the two of us. To have our sophomore album in Ipecac's exceptionally skilled hands is a dream realized. We are estatic to be a part of this audacious label."
VENAMORIS captures the essence of a sound that is alluring and deeply emotional, blending sultry vocals with mesmerizing instrumentation to create an enveloping experience that is as hypnotic as it is emotionally charged. Like a whispered secret, there's something seductive yet provocative about the noir-tinged songs they create. Brooklyn Vegan, describing an earlier single, adeptly said VENAMORIS has "PORTISHEAD-meets-David Lynch vibes."
Founded in 2021 by what can only be called, astral influence, VENAMORIS was launched a result of some persistent persuasion on Dave's part. The 59-year-old musician, who was in charge of drums and production on VENAMORIS's debut album, 2023's "Drown In Emotion", explained: "Several months after meeting Paula in 2010, she hesitantly shared with me her past decade-long career as the lead backup singer for Wayne Newton. She later played me some of the demos she recorded throughout the years, and I was floored by her sonically soothing, rich tone and natural, instinctive ability to harmonize. I was determined to persuade her to return to her creative self. It's been a deeply gratifying journey witnessing this music come to life."
Canadian-born singer/songwriter Paula Lombardo, who performs vocals and piano for this project, bursts with vulnerability and intimacy, addressing a broad scope of emotion: anger, healing, pain, hope. It's evident that VENAMORIS was founded out of love, passion, communication, respect, and trust. One person thriving in music encouraged the other, who had abandoned music to find their way back. It is the result of many late nights with too much wine, and even more truth laid bare: an aural couple's journaling generously shared with the world.
During a question-and-answer session with the readers of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Lombardo was asked if he would play with SLAYER again if the band reunited and wanted him to be part of the lineup. He said: "I don't think that's ever going to happen. But, yeah, I'd listen to whatever it is they had to say. That's it. You can't go any further than that."
Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.
Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.
Last weekend, SLAYER played its first reunion concert at the Riot Fest in Chicago. Joining Araya and Bostaph in the band's reunited lineup are guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt.
Rome, Italy-based electronic metal project, Master Boot Record (MBR), today drops their latest single, "RAM." The gripping new track comes by way of the band's Hardwarez full-length, set for release on October 11th via Metal Blade Records.
Elaborates multi-instrumentalist and MBR mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love), "'RAM' is powerful anthem merging the raw intensity of classic heavy metal with the shimmering allure of retro-futuristic synths creating a sound that is both nostalgic and groundbreaking with epic solos featuring lead synths and guitars playing at unison."
Hardwarez sees multi-instrumentalist and MBR mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love) aurally exploring the duality of technology and humanity in nine intense and incandescent tracks. The LP, which follows 2022's Personal Computer and 2020's Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of Love, an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over fourteen albums in just a few years.
The album title merges the term "Hardware" with "warez," also known as The Scene, more commonly known as the scene of cracks and pirated software which has been influential to Love in terms of crack and keygen music. While Love also organically began listening to electronic music, acid techno, industrial and synth pop, he also "grew up in the '90s through all the grunge, nu-metal and industrial scene."
Old-school metal as well as '80s and '90s movies and video games - and music from these - also play a role in Love's musical DNA. His years of music and computer fanaticism is all manifested in Master Boot Record and Hardwarez. "What I'm doing with this album and to an extent with previous ones, is to mix the sounds of cracks, keygen, demoscene and video game-inspired chiptune with heavy metal and classical music using hardware and computers to produce it."
Hardwarez will see release on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color vari
Multi-platinum rock band HINDER has released the official music video for its latest single, "Live Without It", a soulful showstopper about letting go and moving on, taking the lead. The new track's titular phrase has become a mantra for the band's current journey — capturing the yearning to break free from emotional numbness. HINDER's deft storytelling reveals a band unafraid to lay everything bare, face the darkness, and come out the other side renewed.
Lately, HINDER are feeling the intensity of a new energy. Nearly two decades into their career, the band hasn't just endured as a fixture of modern rock — it's evolved. The versatile Oklahoma City-based quartet creates emotionally compelling rock, from hard-hitting anthems to subdued, contemplative ballads. Now the band is looking to the future.
HINDER's story begins in 2001, when Cody Hanson (drums),Joe "Blower" Garvey (lead guitar) and Mike Rodden (bass) met and activated their musical chemistry. The 2005 hit "Lips Of An Angel" from the band's debut album "Extreme Behavior", since certified three times platinum, topped the charts and remains a radio mainstay. Powerful lead vocalist Marshal Dutton joined them in 2015. Throughout their discography, HINDER has embodied an ethos of defiance and tenacity through gutsy lyrics, rousing melodies, and soaring choruses. Each album in their musical journey has reflected a progression, from the grittier early days of "Take It To The Limit" to the more introspective and exploratory energy of their most recent album, 2017's "The Reign".
The band started 2024 strong, with a series of sold-out shows and live performances with CREED, THREE DOORS DOWN and DAUGHTRY. The band's vigorous live shows and blend of catchy hooks with raw, emotive lyrics have earned them crossover appeal and a loyal global fanbase.
HINDER emerges from the storm more focused and resilient than ever. With a renewed sense of purpose and drive, and still never afraid to take risks, HINDER is poised to continue forging its legacy as one of rock's most enduring and dynamic bands. The band members' resilience and adaptability have kept them at the forefront of the modern rock scene for nearly two decades, and they will continue — in fact, they're just getting started.
2024 North American tour dates:
Sep. 29 - The Big E - Springfield, MA
Oct. 01 - The Queen - Wilmington, DE
Oct. 02 - The SERVPRO Pavilion - Doswell, VA
Oct. 05 - Tulsa State Fair - Tulsa, OK
Oct. 20 - HWY 30 Music Festival Texas - Fort Worth, TX
Nov. 14 - Backroads Saloon - Bartonville, IL
Nov. 15 - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort - Mount Pleasant, MI
Nov. 16 - Castle Ridge - Centralia, IL
Nov. 22 - The Banyan Live - West Palm Beach, FL
Nov. 23 - OCC Road House & Museum - Clearwater, FL
Dec. 19 - Rhythm City Casino & Resort - Davenport, IA
Dec. 20 - Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort - Larchwood, IA
Dec. 27 - The Star Concert Hall - Branson, MO
The shadows grow deeper as Veil Of The Serpent returns with their latest offering, "Deliverance", a relentless onslaught of heavy metal fury ripped from the forthcoming EP, Gallery Of Sin III.
Gallery Of Sin III marks the final, blood-soaked chapter in Veil Of The Serpent's harrowing trilogy, set to culminate in the release of the complete Gallery Of Sin album this November. Over the past three years, the band has crafted a tale of terror and torment, and with this EP, they push the limits of darkness to new, terrifying depths. The EP drops October 11, just in time to drag listeners into the abyss as the nights grow long.
Forged in the fires of Germany and the United States, "Deliverance" is a brutal manifestation of the band’s signature blend of crushing riffs, venomous vocals, and a suffocating atmosphere. It's a track that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go, offering a glimpse into the relentless horror that Gallery Of Sin III promises to unleash.
To plunge fans deeper into their world of nightmares, Veil Of The Serpent has released a haunting new music video for "Deliverance". Drenched in the same horror aesthetic that fans have come to expect, the video pays homage to the eerie mood and retro style of 1982 horror film, Halloween III - Season of the Witch.
Living Gate will unleash their debut full length, Suffer As One, on October 25 via Relaspe Records. Today, the band shares the official music video for the opening track, “To Cut Off The Head Of The Snake”. Watch the video, created by Jaak De Digitale, below.
The band, featuring Aaron Rieseberg (YOB,) Lennart Bossu (Oathbreaker, Amenra,) Wim Coppers (Oathbreaker, Wiegedood,) and Levy Seynaeve (Wiegedood,) surfaces from the underground to release one of 2024's most unrelenting, old school death metal records. Pre-order Suffer As One on LP/CD/Digital here. Pre-save here.
Suffer As One tracklisting:
"To Cut Off The Head Of The Snake"
"Internal Decomposition"
"Destroy and Consume"
"A Unified Soul"
"Massive Depletion in Eb Minor"
"Suffer As One"
"Ones and Zeroes"
"Hunting Maggots"
"Atoms and Particles"
"Overcome, Overthrow"
"CQC"
New Jersey’s symphonic metal band, Everdawn, unveil their new single and accompanying music video, “Another Lifetime”, out today via Frontiers Music Srl. Stream/download the single here, and watch the video below.
The band comment on the track: “Many of us feel the constant fear that we are straying from our path, or that the journey set before us is not the one we're meant for. We may feel afraid we are not strong enough to face the battles ahead or we feel anxious that we are veering away from the life we want. This song is about fighting inner demons, challenging our insecurities or preconceived notions and rising above. Trust nothing but yourself to achieve what you want in life, following your own footsteps. Realize: you are exactly where you are meant to be and who you are meant to become.”
Everdawn is a female fronted symphonic metal band based out of New Jersey. The band was originally created in March 2014 under the moniker Midnight Eternal, counting founding members, Boris Zaks, Richard Fischer, Dan Prestup and Mike LePond.
In early 2016 the band signed deals first with Intromental Management and later Marquee/Avalon (Asia) and Inner Wound Recordings (Europe/North America) for the release of the self-titled debut. The album was engineered by Eric Rachel (Skid Row, Symphony X) and the mixing and mastering was handled by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, Jorn). The impressive artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani, Delain).
The band commenced on a North American tour, as support of prog-veterans Queensryche and toured Europe as support for the avantgarde-kings of Therion on two amazing and lengthy tours that took the band to another level. It was suddenly a name to be reckoned with, even after only one album.
After a few changes in the line-up and the inclusion of the amazing voice of the young and very talented Russian born, Canadian singer Alina Gavrilenko, who brought a full-blown energetic vocal approach into the new songs of the band, the name was changed into Everdawn, to signal a fresh beginning.
Today, House Of Lords release "Taking The Fall", the third single from their upcoming twelfth studio album, Full Tilt Overdrive, out October 11 via Frontiers Music Srl. Recorded and produced once again by the band’s singer and mastermind, James Christian along with keyboardist Mark Mangold, Full Tilt Overdrive does not change nor alter the band’s winning formula but instead offers an inspired and credible album that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best albums from the band’s repertoire.
Frontman James Christian on the story of the song: "In 'Taking The Fall,' the protagonist faces a wrongful accusation of homicide. With his girlfriend mysteriously missing, the only clues left behind are a single shoe and a key, deepening the haunting uncertainty of her fate."
This is an album that will be remembered as one of the strongest ever from the band. House Of Lords has toured relentlessly in Europe and the States becoming a true staple of the hard rock scene on both continents. The band plans to bring the new songs on stage soon.
House Of Lords is now formed by the legendary singer James Christian – the sole member who appeared on all the band’s albums - guitarist Jimi Bell, who has been with the band since their return with World Upside Down, the charismatic keyboardist and songwriter Mark Mangold (Touch, Michael Bolton, Drive, She Said) along with Swedish drummer Johan Koleberg (Lions Share, Ignition, Therion). This is the same lineup that appeared on the previous album Saints And Sinners. however they are now definitely more gelled and have produced a more focused and extremely ambitious new album with no weak points.
House Of Lords stands for superb hooks and majestic atmospheres that bring back the memories of their stellar debut album, monumental guitar riffs, and a production to die for. All these ingredients you will find in abundance on Full Tilt Overdrive, especially with songs such as the 9-minute epic closer “Castles High” and the lead single “Bad Karma”, not forgetting “Taking the Fall” which has a nod to the band’s biggest hit “Can’t Find My Way Home” and the riveting title track.
"Crowded Room"
"Bad Karma"
"Cry of the Wicked"
"Full Tilt Overdrive"
"Taking The Fall"
"You're Cursed"
"Not The Enemy"
"I Don't Wanna Say Goodbye"
"Still Believe"
"State of Emergency"
"Castles High"
"I Don't Wanna Say Goodbye" (Acoustic Version) Bonus Track Japan
"Bad Karma" video:
"Crowded Room" visualizer:
House Of Lords debuted in 1989 with the release of their self-titled album, a record that is still regarded as one of the best arena rock releases of the 1980s. The colossal sound, the soaring vocals of Christian, and the instrumental capabilities of the band (which featured ex-Angel and Giuffria keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, along with luminaries Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright, and Ken Mary), were reminiscent of such frontrunners as Whitesnake, Deep Purple and Van Halen and immediately brought the band to the attention of the mainstream music media and the masses of '80s hard rock fans.
With their sophomore release, Sahara, House Of Lords had considerable radio and video chart success with their cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home." After a tour with Nelson in 1991, the group disbanded, eventually coming back together with a new lineup (featuring original members Giuffria and Christian) in 1992 with Demon's Down. With the change in musical cli
Queen have released the official live video below, featuring the band's performance of debut album track, "Son And Daughter", filmed at London's Hammersmith Odeon on December 24, 1975.
Queen recently shared a 3D unboxing video for the collector's edition of their upcoming Queen I box set, out on October 25. Watch below:
Queen recently released a brand new music video for "The Night Comes Down", a timeless track from their debut album.
The video features classic images of Queen from the early 1970s, but following a collaboration with an artist specializing in AI, some of those images have been given a whole new dimension. Hopefully, the end result is a sense of what it was like being around the band as their extraordinary journey began.
“The Night Comes Down” is the first single taken from Queen I, a remastered, remixed, expanded 6-disc box set of the band’s ground-breaking debut album, Queen, and one of the earliest of the band’s recordings to ever appear on an official release. The track is released physically on 7” on October 4 , shortly ahead of the anticipated Queen I box set release on October 25.
Among the band’s legendary tracks, Brian May’s tenderly nostalgic confessional pointed gracefully towards Queen’s future. The glinting guitars of the opening herald a display of Brian’s innovative and layered style, set to become a key element of Queen’s dramatic, grandiose, and orchestrated sound.
Between Freddie Mercury’s exquisite falsetto, John Deacon’s rippling bass, Roger Taylor’s attentive percussion and Brian’s deeply sensitive playing, the young band were here discovering a voice all of their own.
Physical 7” single is set for release on October 4. Pre-order here.
"The Night Comes Down" 7” single tracklisting:
A: "The Night Comes Down" (2024 Mix - Single Version)
B: "The Night Comes Down" (Backing Track)
Over half a century since its release and a vital chapter in the band’s story, Queen’s self-titled 1973 debut album has been remixed and restored by Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson to sound the way the band always wanted it to. A new tracklisting, alternative takes, demos and live tracks have now been added to create the most complete version of this pivotal work. This is the very first time that a Queen album has ever received a new stereo mix.
The 6CD + 1 LP Queen I box set contains 63 tracks with 43 brand new mixes, comprising the original album with its intended running order restored, intimate fly-on-the-wall audio of Queen in the studio, demos, rare live tracks, and previously unheard recordings from Queen’s first-ever live performance in London, August 1970. Absent from the 1973 release, the song “Mad The Swine” has been reinstated to its original place in the running order. A 108-page book containing handwritten lyrics and memorabilia accompanies the release.
“This is not just a remaster,” writes Brian May in the CD sleeve insert notes, “this is a brand new 2024 rebuild of the entire Queen debut album, which, with the benefit of hindsight, we have re-titled Queen I.”
May continues, “All the performances are exactly as they originally appeared in 1973, but every instrument has been revisited to produce the ‘live’ ambient sounds we would have liked to use originally. The result is “Queen“ as it would have sounded with today’s knowledge and technology – a first.”
“Queen I is the debut album we always dreamed of bringing to you.”
Queen began life in early summer 1970, but took their first steps in the studio after vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor recruited bass guitarist, John Deacon, in July 1971.
“The first three years were really faith and fumes,” says Roger Taylor. “We were penniless but we had a lot of belief in ourselves and a lot of energy.”
While Queen struggled for recognition, their music and stage act were developing. If their previous band Smile were a band for the late 1960s, then Queen’s sound and image was about the here and now and tomorrow. Their songs were already filled with huge riffs, choral harmonies and classical flourishes.
After John Deacon’s arrival, Queen secured a production, song publishing and management deal with Trident Audio Productions. Having heard the band’s demos, the company’s owners, brothers Norman and Barry Sheffield, agreed to fund the recording of Queen’s first album, which they would then shop to potential record companies.
The Sheffields also owned Trident Studios, a state-of-the-art facility in London’s Soho, which had been used by Elton John and The Beatles and was rarely available to young, unsigned bands. Trident’s popularity was such that the studio was usually fully booked during the day, meaning Queen could only record during what was known as ‘downtime’, those rare moments when the studio was empty, usually at night.
Queen began work on the album in May 1972 and spent the next four months living a fractured, nocturnal existance. Evenings would be spent waiting around Soho until the studio was ready. An exhausted Queen would emerge from Trident several hours later.
“We’d work through the night and usually until 7am when the cleaners came in,” recalls Brian. “It was us just grabbing little bits of time.”
Says Roger: “You know, we just came in there right after Bowie had done Hunky Dory and Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and he did both of those albums back to back, two great albums. So, we were very pleased to be there, but when we were there, we’d arrive at three in the morning and then go on, for all the hours that we could grab. It was just a grind. I wouldn't say it was soul destroying because we were quite confident. We had a sort of innate, gentle arrogance, you know, we thought we were good and quite different.”
Queen recorded the album with Trident’s in-house co-producers, John Anthony and Roy Thomas Baker. Both were staunch advocates of Queen and had been instrumental in the band signing with Trident. However, the group quickly ran up against the studio’s rules and regulations.
Says Brian: “Although we had great technology around us, we really didn’t have much freedom to use it. We were regarded as the new boys who didn’t know anything, and nobody really wanted to listen to the way we wanted to do things.”
While relatively inexperienced, Queen already had a clear musical vision. However, the huge guitar and drum sounds they heard in their heads proved difficult to recreate at two o’clock in the morning and on the studio’s in-house perspex drum kit rather than their own.
Says Roger: “They had this very dead drum sound, and it was never the sound we wanted. They had a drum booth, and it was a well known sound. It was kind of American. Very dry, quite fat, dead sound, which is not what I wanted. I wanted to hear the drums resonate, to hear the sound of the drum. I didn't even have my proper kit in there. It was a bit rough really. So the album never sounded as we wanted it to.”
“We wanted everything to sound like it was in-your face,” says Brian. “We had this incredible fight to get the drums out of the booth and into the middle of the studio and put the mics all around the room.”
But that wasn’t Trident’s way. “I remember saying to Roy Thomas Baker, 'This isn't really the sound we want,’” continues Brian.”And he said, 'Don't worry, we can fix it all in the mix.’ And I think we all knew it ain't going to happen." Now in 2024, it has been ‘fixed in the mix’.
Queen’s frustration was compounded by the fact that the songs themselves already displayed the breadth of Queen’s ideas and vaulting ambition. “Keep Yourself Alive”, was like a rallying cry, cueing up the likes of “Doing All Right”, “Great King Rat”, “Liar”, “Modern Times Rock’n’Roll” and “Son And Daughter”.
Meanwhile, Freddie’s imagination had free rein on the biblically-inspired “Jesus” and on “My Fairy King”, where the singer (who was soon to assume the stage name ‘Freddie Mercury’) sang about “horses born with eagles’ wings” and implored “Mother Mercury, look what they’ve done to me.”
“I never knew where some of those lyrics came from,” says Roger. “But Fred was like a magpie. He had a very sharp brain.”
Crucially, this new 2024 Mix version of Queen I now includes “Mad The Swine”, a song absent from the original LP after a difference of opinion between the band and one of its producers. It is now reinstated to its rightful place as the album’s fourth song, in between “Great King Rat” and “My Fairy King”, just as Queen wanted it to be in 1972.
Despite the restrictions imposed upon them at Trident, the band still managed to break the rules. Brian’s composition (and the box set’s first single), “The Night Comes Down”, blueprinted that layered acoustic and electric guitar sound that was soon to become part of Queen’s signature. But the band insisted on using a recording from De Lane Lea Studios rather than attempt a new version at Trident. They smuggled in their demo multi-track tape in a newly labelled ‘Trident’ box in order to mix the song for the album.
CD2: De Lane Lea Demos – 2024 Mix explores Queen I’s fascinating pre-history, with brand new 2024 mixes of the demos the band recorded preceding their album. In the summer 1969, Brian and Roger’s pre-Queen group, Smile, had recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London’s Kingsway. Two years later, the company opened a new complex in Wembley and needed a band to help them test the mixing desks and the sound quality of the different rooms.
Brian and Roger volunteered Queen, and the band spent time at the studio between November 1971 and January 1972 – “a massive thrill,” Brian recalls. They were repaid with a five-song demo, overseen by De Lane Lea’s chief engineer Louie Austin, and containing “Keep Yourself Alive”, “The Night Comes Down”, “Jesus”, “Liar”, and “Great King Rat".
“The demos we made at De Lane Lea Studios were closer to what we dreamed of,” explains Brian. “Nice open drum sounds and ambience on the guitar. That was much more the way we wanted it to go.”
“We were young and had total blind faith in what we were doing,” says Roger.
Although these demos were intended to be hawked around to procure a recording contract, the band says Brian, always felt the performances had more spontaneity and sparkle, as well as the benefit of more natural sounds compared with the final album versions. As, the only surviving copies of the mixes of the demos are on scratched acetates, here for the first time, these self-produced recordings have been restored and remixed from the original multitracks.
CD3: Queen I Sessions, and CD4: Queen I Backing Tracks, take the listener behind the scenes at both Trident and De Lane Lea studios.
CD3: Sessions collate completely different and 100% previously unreleased versions of the songs on the album. Newly created using out-takes from De Lane Lea and Trident. They feature some false starts, guide vocals, backing tracks and alternative takes, including spoken-word segments in which the members of Queen can be heard chatting and joking (“It was you Bulsara!”) and occasionally expressing their frustration. Many of the takes are built around acoustic guitar, the electric would have been added later, which gives a different feel to these versions.
CD4: Queen I Backing Tracks offers mixes of the songs from the original Queen album without lead vocals.
Queen pitched the De Lane Lea demos to several record companies but didn’t sign with any, hence their deal with Trident. The album was pretty much completed in 1972. But Queen and their producers were still arguing about the mix right up until the last day, so much so that the band chose a mix of “Keep Yourself Alive”, created with Trident’s assistant engineer Mike Stone, rather than one of the earlier versions. Mike would go on to engineer the next five Queen albums.
Trident pitched Queen’s debut to labels, and eventually signed the band to EMI in the UK and Elektra in the US. Elektra’s founder, Jac Holzman, attended Queen’s date at London’s Marquee club on April 9, 1973. The box set’s book includes an entry from Roger’s diary about the gig: “Went down a storm… Jac Holzman liked it!” Holzman circulated a memo to his staff declaring, “I have seen the future of pop music, and it’s a band called Queen.”
Queen’s debut wasn’t released until July 13, 1973 in the UK and September 4 in the US, increasing their frustration. Queen were “hugely ambitious and unashamedly so,” said Roger Taylor, and had progressed rapidly over the previous twelve months. The LP’s sleevenotes implied as much with the curt note: “Representing at least something of what Queen’s music has been over the last three years.”
EMI issued “Keep Yourself Alive” as a single a week before the album’s UK release, but radio play proved hard to come by. Someone was listening, though.
CD5: Queen I At The BBC, begins with “My Fairy King,” in a slightly different version recorded for DJ and early Queen champion John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show Sounds Of The Seventies in February 1973, five months before the LP’s release. As no-one had heard their album yet, the band took in backing tracks and added new vocals and other overdubs for this first session. This was the first time Queen’s music had been broadcast anywhere in the world. Three further BBC sessions are preserved here, with new versions of all of Queen I’s songs broadcast by the BBC between February 1973 and April 1974.
What CD5 ‘Queen I At The BBC’ and CD6, ‘Queen I Live’, demonstrate is how these songs grew and developed away from Trident Studios.
CD6: Queen I Live distills the best performances of the first album’s songs from Queen’s triumphant March 1974 headline date at London’s Rainbow Theatre, plus several previously unreleased tracks added. These include the first official release of “Hangman”, a Free-inspired Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon composition that was a mainstay of Queen’s early live shows, but was never recorded in the studio. This performance of “Hangman” comes from a show at the San Diego Sports Arena on the last night of the band’s US tour in March 1976.
The final songs on ‘Queen I Live’ revisit the historic moment Queen became Queen. Among the 108-page enclosed book’s many never-before-seen artifacts is Roger’s handwritten invitation to Queen’s first ever performance in London: “A private showing on Sunday August 23 [1970] at 7:30pm at Imperial College… lecture theatre A, level 5,” he writes.
Two songs from this historic show, “Jesus” and a cover of the Spencer Davis Group’s 1967 hit “I’m A Man”, have been retrieved from cassettes in the archive, and are the earliest Queen recordings in existence, even pre-dating John Deacon’s arrival in the band.
The final track on the original Queen album is the urgent-sounding one and a quarter-minute instrumental snippet of “Seven Seas Of Rhye”. The finished song wouldn’t appear until Queen II, and became a UK Top 10 hit. In a sense though, this abbreviated version’s frantic rhythms, hammering piano and orchestral-sounding guitar captures the spirit of Queen’s debut: it’s the sound of a restless, determined young band eager to take the next step.
Èòàëèÿ
Arottenbit![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
ÑØÀ
?
Êàíàäà
Áðàçèëèÿ
Àâñòðàëèÿ
Èñïàíèÿ
Ãåðìàíèÿ
Âåëèêîáðèòàíèÿ
