Sammy & The Circle have released their latest Lockdown Sessions video, this time covering Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth". Watch below.
Says Hagar: "OK folks here you go... 'For What It’s Worth'! Buffalo Springfield had so much talent in one band. This song is one of our favorites. We really had a blast doing this one and experimenting with visual overdubs."
Everyone remembers their first time... What was the first album you bought? What was the first concert you attended? Everyone has an answer to these questions, including Rock & Roll Road Trip's Sammy Hagar. Check out this video from AXS TV:
BON JOVI was among the artists that performed during the "Rise Up New York!" virtual telethon Monday (May 11) to raise awareness and funds to help New Yorkers whose lives have been dramatically impacted by COVID-19.
The one-hour benefit presented by the New York-based poverty fighting organization Robin Hood, and iHeartMedia, saw Jon Bon Jovi and his bandmates play "It's My Life" while in isolation.
Hosted by Tina Fey, "Rise Up New York!" brought together bighearted New Yorkers with one common goal: to raise funds for Robin Hood's relief and recovery efforts to help fellow New Yorkers rebuild their lives as the city moves towards recovery and beyond. One hundred percent of donations raised are deployed directly to the organizations on the frontlines who are providing support for food, shelter, cash assistance, health and mental health, legal services, education and more. To date, Robin Hood has raised over $115 million toward relief and recovery efforts since the onset of the pandemic in New York City. In addition to tonight's telethon, over $44 million of the funds were already raised through the Robin Hood Relief Fund and over $1.5 million has been raised through Robin Hood's "Relief Corps," including Gwyneth Paltrow, Karlie Kloss, Katie Couric and New York's sports teams, who launched GoFundMe fundraisers to engage their networks.
Robert De Niro opened the show with a call to action for the five boroughs to rise up, saying: "Our city is under attack but we've been here before. In the last 20 years - both 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. You can take your best shot but you cannot break our spirit."
Host Tina Fey addressed the audience from an empty 30 Rockefeller Plaza to remind New Yorkers how even the smallest donation counts: "If you had breakfast today, you are better off than two million of your neighbors who woke up hungry."
Other musical performances included Mariah Carey's rendition of "Through The Rain/Make It Happen" and Sting's "Message In A Bottle".
CEO of Robin Hood, Wes Moore, stood in his former Bronx neighborhood to address the community's dire needs and share Robin Hood's 32-year-history of helping in the midst of catastrophic crises.
Longtime supporter of Robin Hood, entrepreneur, philanthropist and three-term New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg spoke to the needs of New York's most vulnerable and the financial hardships the city faced in the wake of crises like Hurricane Sandy and 9/11.
The benefit closed with governor Andrew Cuomo surprising viewers by introducing a special performance of "Miami 2017" by friend Billy Joel, which took over 13 of Times Square's iconic digital billboards. At the same time, the Empire State Building debuted a choreographed lighting spectacle that will repeat at 9 p.m. ET every night throughout this week.
"Rise Up New York!" was executive produced by Alex Coletti Productions and John Sykes, president of Entertainment Enterprises at iHeartMedia, along with talent producers Casey Patterson and Rick Krim.
STATIC-X has released the official music video for "All These Years", the second single off its upcoming album, "Project Regeneration Vol. 1". The song features lead vocals by late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static. Directed by STATIC-X's current vocalist Xer0 — rumored to be DOPE frontman Edsel Dope — and co-directed by Matt Zane, the clip is a campy narrative set back in the 1970s in the bedroom of a young Wayne Static, who comes face-to-face with his future rock star self through his black-and-white television.
"It's very challenging to represent someone in a music video who is no longer alive, but that was something that we really wanted to do and I think it came out great," says drummer Ken Jay. "These are some of Wayne's last works, so we really wanted to make this video all about him and to continue to celebrate his life and legacy. What better way to do that than through a fun, fictional story about how Wayne was inspired to become the legend that who he became through STATIC-X."
STATIC-X's seventh studio album, "Project Regeneration Vol. 1", was scheduled to be released on May 29, but has been slightly delayed due to manufacturing shutdowns amid the coronavirus crisis. The LP will now be available across all streaming platforms and physical CD on July 10 and vinyl on August 14.
"The album is 100% complete," says bassist Tony Campos. "We are just waiting for the manufacturing to resume. We have been given word that all is finally in production, so we are excited to get this out to the fans."
"Project Regeneration Vol. 1" will reportedly feature 12 brand new STATIC-X tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup of Campos, Jay, and guitarist Koichi Fukuda.
Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old Static, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.
Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".
The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.
Eluveitie returned to the main stage of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in summer 2019 to celebrate their blend of folk music and Gothenburg-style death metal. Footage of the band performing the songs "Call Of The Mountain", "Deathwalker" and "Worship" can be seen below:
Eluveitie are scheduled to make their awaited return to North America in fall 2020 for an extensive tour that will kick off in West Palm Beach, FL on September 21 and will culminate in Houston, TX on October 25. The band is doing a victory lap run of the territory in support of their 2019 record, Ategnatos, that’s available now from Nuclear Blast. Tour dates listed below. Purchase tickets here.
“It's been way too fucking long and it felt just great to finally come to North America in September and October last year! But that simply was not enough!,” says the band’s multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Chrigel Glanzmann. “Our last studio album Ategnatos perhaps was our most intuitional album and it definitely marked one of our most creative stages ever. And our last 12 months - the first half of the Ategnatos World Tour cycle - also manifested that: We were constantly evolving ourselves, refining our performance, reinventing our shows! And in that sense - and that spirit! - we cannot wait to come back to North America and to fucking prove every single word of that! Our music is our lives, the stage is where we belong and YOU ALL are the ones to give us the chance to do what we love! It's time to give back what we can! So don't miss this - we'll all share unforgettable moments!”
Tour dates:
September
21 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kelsey Theater
22 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
23 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
24 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
25 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
26 - Reading, PA - Reverb
28 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theater
29 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theater
30 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial
October
1 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
2 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
3 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
4 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
6 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s
7 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
8 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
9 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
10 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
11 - Calgary, AB - The Palace
13 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
14 - Seattle, WA - The Neptune
15 - Portland, OR - Bossanova
16 - San Jose, CA - The Ritz
17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater
18 - Anaheim, CA - City National Grove
19 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red
21 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
23 - Dallas, TX - Canton Hall
24 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
25 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
Sojourner recently released their third single, “The Event Horizon”, and their new album, Premonitions, via Napalm Records. The band have now released this vocal playthrough video for "The Event Horizon":
Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Here Comes Revenge" on June 11 at Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands can be seen below.
METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour has played more than 130 shows across the world since its 2016 kick-off.
Last November, drummer Lars Ulrich told The Mercury News that the trek could last through early 2020.
The San Francisco Bay Area metal giants have been touring in support of their latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016.
With dates already locked in through the fall, Ulrich was asked if he is tired of touring yet. He replied: "We have the luxury, and we are very fortunate, to be able to set a touring schedule that works really well for us. We kind of set boundaries. We have a two-week rule, so that after two weeks we come home and see our families and kids and get a sense of San Francisco. So, for about a decade, we've had a really good setup in terms of how we balance all of it. It takes longer to play the same amount of dates. But the good news is that our chances for not losing our minds — or for playing all the shows, physically, mentally — are much higher, because we have a pace that we feel is at the right level for us. So, it's good. We still have to go to Australia. We still have to go to Japan. We have a couple of other things planned after Europe."
Pressed about whether there is any chance the tour will reach into 2020, Lars said: "This may just dip into the beginning of 2020."
While holed up in isolation, French metal band Arcania has put their time to good use by working on new material, including the new quarantine-Inspired song and video “Lockdown,” debuting on the band’s Facebook page today.
A new Arcania album was originally in the works for this year. Sadly, after months of speaking with a label partner, the band’s record deal fell through due to the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have decided to turn this frustration unto a creating process,” says guitarist/vocalist Cyril Peglion. “Rather than recording our new album, the idea came to compose a new song while everyone’s locked at home. Every member tracked his parts without any rehearsal, and this is the result.”
The “Lockdown” single will be available via all digital platforms on June 10. The video is available today on their Facebook page:
Vancouver rock 'n’ roll tribe Rebel Priest has a new music video out for their hit “Sleeping Like A Hangman”.
According to the band, the song is about “addiction to the thing that can’t be controlled, relinquishing that control and understanding that we are in the noose” set with powerful guitar riffs and smooth bass lines making a heavy and raw tune that will get fists raised in the air.
“Sleeping Like A Hangman” comes from the November 2019 album R’lyeh Heavy released on Scrape Records that can best be described as “a visceral vision of a call to a past secular-religious god with many different facets of an ancient pantheon”. With utmost confidence, Rebel Priest quotes about the album:
“We’re excited about this one; it's a culmination of what we’ve been doing since the beginning. Doing our sound, our way; it was quite an in-depth recording process for us this time ‘round and we think the fans will take notice! This is a step above the rest!”
Orders of the album are available here in various formats, including CD (digipak), Limited Edition Vinyl (various colour options) and merchandise bundles.
"Elm St.":
"Electric Lady" video:
Rebel Priest launched a Japanese tour on October 8, which will include an appearance at Kappunk, the annual Tokyo punk festival.
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has checekd in with a new video from quarantine, performing the Billie Eilish song "Bad Guy" with Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra "Chile" Diaz.
Says Charlie: "Ra and I always loved this tune and wanted to do a remix of it. We added some crunch, some funk, some groove. We like all different forms of music so if ya don't like anything, keep it to yourself. Thank you to Andy Lagis and Dima Levanchuk for mixing and editing, and to Billie Eilish for the song."
American metal quartet, Seven Spires, have released this new video, featuring an acoustic performance of "Silvery Moon", a track from their sophomore album, Emerald Seas, out now via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch the clip below, and order the album here.
Emerald Seas is a theatrical concept album, and is the prequel to the story of their debut full-length, Solveig. The album follows a lone sea captain on their quest for eternal life while being hunted by an ancient beast and struggling with loneliness, sacrifice, alcoholism, and the unexpected weight that comes with achieving one’s goals. Seven Spires’ signature blend of melancholic beauty and emotional brutality on Emerald Seas is the sonic manifestation of the silent emptiness that chills one's insides when staring across bleak, open waters.
Seven Spires continue Frontiers' tradition of identifying and signing the most promising young talents to ensure that the future of hard rock and metal music is in good hands.
Tracklisting:
"Igne Defendit"
"Ghost Of A Dream"
"No Words Exchanged"
"Every Crest"
"Unmapped Darkness"
"Succumb"
"Drowner Of Worlds"
"Silvery Moon"
"Bury You"
"Fearless"
"With Love From The Other Side"
"The Trouble With Eternal Life"
"Emerald Seas Overture"
"Bury You" video:
"Drowner Of Worlds" video:
"Succumb" video:
Lineup:
Adrienne Cowan - Vocals + Keyboards
Jack Kosto - Guitar
Peter de Reyna - Bass
Chris Dovas - Drums
Alestorm has just released the third single from their upcoming album, Curse Of The Crystal Coconut, out on May 29 via Napalm Records. “Fannybaws” tells the story of the fearsome pirate who killed the mighty terror squid and fought against the Vikings - wearing nothing but a tiger pelt! The melding of rhythmic guitar riffs and Captain Chris Bowes’ raspy voice, both underlined by smashing drums, will channel your inner swashbuckler faster than you can say arrrggh!
Accompanying the new single, Alestorm have delivered a third official video in support of Curse Of The Crystal Coconut - decked in their adored tumultuous pirate fashion, of course. Lift your eyepatch and see for yourself - sail the seas with the great “Fannybaws”.
Alestorm on the new video: “Oh wow! The history of Scotland is full of tales of mighty pirates, and none were as feared as the legendary Phann'aig Bhall (otherwise known as "Fannybaws" in Lowland Scots). I hope we've done his epic seafaring legacy justice with this song, and we hope you all enjoy singing along with it. Meet yer dad and smell yer maw!”
Breaking the stereotypical portrayal of pirates as the lone wolves of the sea, on Curse Of The Crystal Coconut, Alestorm will be joined by Ally Storch of Subway to Sally (violin on the entire album) and Captain Yarrface of Rumahoy - amongst others! The variety of tracks featured on the album will satisfy even the pickiest adventure seeker and the wildest pirate parties out there. “Chomp Chomp”, featuring vocals of Vreth of Finntroll, may make you never want to enter the open waters again, but will definitely invite you to dance along to ravishing melodies. The catchy rhythm of “Pirate Metal Drinking Crew” makes the track yet another foot-stomping anthem in the assortment of these treasure-searching marauders. However, don’t take their rage too lightheartedly, as once they unleash the “Pirate’s Scorn” and its brutal riffs, there may be no coming back...
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Alestorm album without their unique sense of humor - this, and much more, can be found on the party-smashing “Treasure Chest Party Quest” or the surprising “Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship”. Although the Curse Of The Crystal Coconut may remain a mystery for now, one thing is for sure - it will make you throw all the conventionalities aside and join this humorous pirate crew on their most fierce and grim journey so far!
Curse Of The Crystal Coconut will be available in the following formats:
- Wooden Boxset (including Mediabook, exclusive 7’’ Single, Track Stems on USB Stick, Pendant, Flag, Postcards)
- 2 CD Mediabook - including 16th century interpretations of all songs
- 1 CD Jewel Case
- LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- LP Gatefold Red Vinyl
- LP Gatefold Gold Vinyl
- LP Gatefold Purple Vinyl
- LP Gatefold Silver Vinyl (Napalm Records US Store exclusive)
- Music Cassette + Walkman Bundle in Pirate Bag Red (strictly limited to 250)
- Digital Album
- Digital Deluxe Album
"Treasure Chest Party Quest"
"Fannybaws"
"Chomp Chomp"
"Tortuga"
"Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship"
"Call Of The Waves"
"Pirate’s Scorn"
"Shit Boat (No Fans)"
"Pirate Metal Drinking Crew"
"Wooden Leg Pt. 2 (The Woodening)"
"Henry Martin"
“Tortuga” video:
“Treasure Chest Party Quest” video:
Alestorm are:
Christopher Bowes - vocals, keytar
Gareth Murdock - bass
Mate Bodor - guitar
Peter Alcorn - drums
Elliot Vernon - keyboard
British rock band, Vega, will release their new album, Grit Your Teeth, on June 12 via Frontier Music Srl. Pre-order the album here and watch a video for the track "Don't Fool Yourself" below:
Buckle up and hold tight, Vega are back with the album of their career. Grit Your Teeth will take you to screaming highs and gritty lows. It'll keep you coming back for more.
Says the band's lead singer and frontman, Nick Workman, "Selfishly, we've taken a few risks by recording an album, that, first and foremost, we can be proud of. Don't try and tag it with any sub-genre of rock or metal, just enjoy it."
"Nick's right, says Vega's keyboardist, James Martin. "We set out to do something different on this album. We wanted to stand out from the rest of the pack."
"The band agreed on making a more modern sounding and edgy record," reflects Vega's drummer, Martin Hutchinson. "I think we definitely achieved that."
"I think it's our best album yet," adds guitarist Mikey Kew.
If the last album, Only Human, was a commentary of what was going on our lives. The new album is very much a reflection of those times and the outcomes. It's a very positive album in its overall message, but it also has a lot of dark moments. It was very therapeutic for the band to write and record the album.
Vega's love for love rock from the 80's and early 90's shines through without rehashing it. Their inspiration comes from the 80's and 90's (they even have a Miami Vice drum roll), however, the album also draws inspiration from other places, and dragged into 2020.
Vega wrote the album from January 2019 until they started recording in August 2019. The album was recorded in an industrial unit in York with the Graves Brothers who have previously produced Asking Alexandria. That is more the "metal" side of the album and was a perfect fit for Vega as they wanted to blend melody and hooks with power.
"Joe and Sam Graves did a great job producing the album. They knew exactly what the band were trying to achieve," says Workman. Tracking finished by September 2019. Mixing and mastering was completed before Christmas.
Says Vega's bass player, Tom Martin, "This is stadium rock for 2020."
Tracklisting:
"Blind"
"(I Don't Need) Perfection"
"Grit Your Teeth"
"Man On A Mission"
"Don't Fool Yourself Again"
"Consequence Of Having A Heart"
"This One's For You"
"Battles Ain't A War"
"Save Me From Myself"
"How We Live"
"Done With Me"
"(I Don't Need) Perfection" Video:
"Grit Your Teeth" lyric video:
Lineup:
Nick Workman (Vocals)
Martin Hutchison (Drums)
Marcus Thurston (Guitar)
Michael Kew (Guitar)
Tom Martin (Bass)
James Martin (Keyboards)
Finnish one-man acoustic black metal band Nobody is set to release a debut album Atmosfear on June 26th via Inverse Records. The first single, "Stronger Than Blood", has been released today and the official video can be viewed below.
Mastermind Tuomas Kauppinen comments: "'Stronger Than Blood' is a musical journey inside the mind of a great manipulator, who can persuade children to turn against their parents and brother against sister - just by wielding the power of his personality. His method is dissimulation and his object to become a God. This piece is a study, thereby, of religion."
Nobody is a Finnish black metal artist who combines acoustic and fusion elements into his music. He has toured extensively in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, France and Belgium. He has also published three short story collections and one dramatic play touching on the themes of the occult.
October 2019 saw progressive thrash and speed metal overlords Evil Invaders release their first live album + DVD via Napalm Records. Surge of Insanity – Live in Antwerp 2018 is the band’s ultimate hometown takeover, recorded at the Trix Zaal in Antwerp in 2018, and immortalizes their incredible high-octane live phenomenon in sound and vision. With Surge of Insanity – Live in Antwerp 2018, the band’s trademark sound – nestled in between death, thrash, progressive touches and traditional heavy metal – has reached another heady and exciting dimension that is second to none. Evil Invaders are the ultimate expression of aggression – an unstoppable roller coaster ride of tempo switches and twists from start to finish.
Due to self-quarantine concert restrictions, Evil Invaders recently streamed the DVD under the flag of their label’s highly acclaimed #NapalmSofaSeries. But to keep you heavy while being locked down at home, the band has now unleashed a blistering live clip of “Victim Of Sacrifice”!
Frontman Joe comments: “‘Victim Of Sacrifice’ is the first track on our first release (EP) back in 2013. It was one of the first songs I ever wrote back in the day and ‘till today it has always been in our live set. It’s the last track we play live and as soon as that bass intro is done all hell breaks loose. All the energy that we have left just bursts out as soon as this song ends and personally I usually lose my mind completely. You can probably see that in the video haha!”
The first live album by Evil Invaders is out on 6-page CD digipack and DVD, the 2LP Gatefold will also include the full DVD. Order here.
Few songs carry the messages of hope, love and resilience as much as the classic hymn "Amazing Grace." Upon Wings has released a special version of "Amazing Grace" with music by Seether guitarist Corey Lowery.
The song and music video were recorded and filmed while under quarantine.
Frontwoman Anne Autumn Erickson says she was inspired to record "Amazing Grace" after noticing how the song was lifting the spirits of those impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"'Amazing Grace' is such an iconic song, and it's a song of hope," Erickson says. "I had no plans to record it, but as the coronavirus situation progressed, I felt inspired to do so, seeing how it became an anthem for those on the front lines. Corey did a great job with the music and really made the song come to life. It's a difficult time for people across the world, and I hope this song offers some comfort."
Upon Wings' "Amazing Grace" will be available for free download via the band's website at UponWings.com for the month of May, and listeners are encouraged to donate what they can to their favorite charity. The song will also be available on digital outlets, such as Apple Music and Spotify, soon. Anne will also be posting a chat about the new song on her podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
"Amazing Grace" will be included on Upon Wings' upcoming EP, which will be released incrementally throughout the year. The new EP will also feature production from Kevin Jardine (Uplift Productions) and Brett Hestla (Creed, Dark New Day).
The upcoming EP marks Upon Wings' follow-up to their debut album, Afterlife. Erickson is a classically-trained vocalist who was inspired to start a band after hearing the operatic vocals of Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford. Lowery plays guitar in chart-topping rock band Seether and has performed in Saint Asonia, Eye Empire and more.
Legendary rocker Alice Cooper has released a new single, "Don't Give Up". Produced by Bob Ezrin using remote technology, the song is a spontaneous reaction to the challenges facing us all right now.
Cooper felt the need to talk directly to his fans from isolation in his home where he is working to finish his upcoming new album. It is Alice's shout-out to keep our heads high, stay strong and fight back together.
Says Cooper: "'Don't Give Up' is out today. It's a song about what we've all been going through right now and about keeping our heads up and fighting back together. And whatever you do — don't give up."
Just two weeks ago, the rock icon invited fans to participate in the video that Cooper and his bandmembers were filming separately during quarantine. Over 20,000 have responded, holding up signs and messages of unity, using words from the lyrics.
The official video for "Don't Give Up" was uploaded to Cooper's official YouTube channel and can be viewed below.
A strictly limited "Don't Give Up" seven-inch vinyl picture disc will be released on August 14 on earMUSIC.
This past March, Cooper told Rolling Stone that he would use the downtime from having his North American tour postponed to work on new music.
"While our management is working to reschedule the postponed shows, I'm going to finish work on my next album, which is nearly done," he said. "At least now I won't be squeezing in vocal recording sessions on days off, between shows. I don't like a lot of time off, as anyone who sees my schedule already knows, but a little extra time at home can be re-energizing."
Cooper's latest release — the six-track "Breadcrumbs" EP, described as a tribute to the garage-rock heroes of his hometown of Detroit — was released in September via earMUSIC.
"Breadcrumbs" featured covers of Bob Seger's "East Side Story", the MC5's "Sister Anne", Suzi Quatro's "Your Mama Won't Like Me" and MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS' "Devil With A Blue Dress On", plus a reworking of "Detroit City" from 2003's "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" album, titled "Detroit City 2020", and a new song co-written with Wayne Kramer, "Go Man Go".
GREY DAZE, the Phoenix-based rock band that birthed one of the most recognizable voices in modern rock music, Chester Bennington, has released a new single, "Soul Song", and an accompanying video, which was directed by Bennington's son Jaime.
"Soul Song" is the fourth single to be released from GREY DAZE's forthcoming album, "Amends', due on June 26 via Loma Vista Recordings. It follows previously released tracks "Sometimes", "Sickness" and "What's In The Eye".
"Having Jaime involved in the recording of 'Soul Song' meant so much to all of us," explains GREY DAZE co-founder and drummer Sean Dowdell. "It was one of those full circle moments where we remembered meeting Chester at an even younger age than Jaime, and to now be recording with his son… it was a highlight of recording 'Amends'. Jaime is a burgeoning filmmaker so when he offered to do this video, well, we couldn't think of a better way to present this song."
Jaime Bennington explained his vision for the video: "This music video is about my spiritual connection to the other side and my literal experiences with the elusive and, at times, incomprehensible presence of my father after death. 'Soul Song' is about the many ways in which we come to enlightenment, into knowledge, and the many ways we fall away from it. This is my personal experience with that."
"Amends" is the origin story of one of modern rock's most recognizable voices and also a full circle moment among friends. The album is the fulfillment of a planned GREY DAZE reunion that Chester had announced prior to his untimely passing. The remaining bandmembers — Dowdell, Mace Beyers (bass) and Cristin Davis (guitar) — along with Talinda Bennington (Chester's widow) and his parents, made it their mission to see the project through with assistance from Tom Whalley, the founder of Loma Vista Recordings and former Warner Bros. Records chairman during LINKIN PARK's tenure at the label. Dowdell, Beyers and Davis selected the tracks from the band's mid-'90s, but largely unknown, catalog and re-recorded the music in 2019 to accompany Chester's re-mastered vocals. Produced by Jay Baumgardner, several musicians leant their time and talent to the album, including KORN's Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer, Page Hamilton (HELMET), Chris Traynor (BUSH, HELMET, ORANGE 9MM), LP (Laura Pergolizzi), Jaime Bennington, Jasen Rauch (BREAKING BENJAMIN), Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.) and Ryan Shuck (ORGY).
"Amends" is available in a variety of collectible formats with several iterations available exclusively via the band's web site. The CD comes as a 16-page case-bound book; a first pressing, ruby red vinyl variant exclusive to the band's webstore; and a numbered deluxe edition featuring both a CD and LP, which includes the first ever disc tray designed for vinyl, a 60-page book with never-before-seen photos, 180-gram red and white splattered vinyl, and a collectible set of band memorabilia dubbed the "Grey Daze Archive."
The day has finally arrived: Paradise Lost give their new gem, Obsidian, to the world today. Under the circumstances of the last months, the new masterpiece of the band became something like a sign of hope for music fans all over the worlds, the previously released singles a soundtrack for these difficult, uncertain times.
These days, the British legend from Halifax is the drug that numbs the pain, the lover that takes away the sorrows, the story that craves to be told. But of course, everyone spins his or her own story in the turbulences of life. But the most important: a new chapter begins. And that's what gives us hope in difficult times like this.
To mark the occasion, the band released a video for "Darker Thoughts", a mesmerizing and gloomy piece of music. The unique style of the video is also due to the restrictions of Covid-19. Whereas Nick's performance parts were shot pre-lock-down, video producer Ash Pears from AshTV had to finish the video with random filmed bits.
Nick Holmes states: "Musically, this is a song of 2 halves and was originally written as an intro towards the end of the Obsidian writing process. As a result, it's one of the more spontaneous songs on the album. Lyrically, it's a song about choosing the wrong path - failing to look before you leap, and dealing with the consequence of dubious decisions."
Obsidian... dark, reflective and black: it’s a pretty decent description of the music that Paradise Lost have been making over the last 32 years, even though this most resilient of British metal bands have stoically refused to be pinned down to one easily defined formula. Powered by a lust for creativity and a stout devotion to haunting heaviness, Paradise Lost have defied the odds by coming back stronger than ever over the past decade.
Nick Holmes comments about the new album: "One of the most eclectic albums we have done in some time, we have miserable songs, sad songs, slow songs and faster songs. Did I mention miserable?"
The sixteenth Paradise Lost studio album, Obsidian, eschews its immediate predecessors’ gruesome, myopic approach in favour of a richer and more dynamic deluge of black shades. From the deceptive elegance and dual atmospheres of opener "Darker Thoughts" through to the crushing, baroque doom of war-torn closer "Ravenghast", Obsidian reveals a band in masterful control of a broad array of vital ideas. Most noticeably, the record boasts several songs that draw heavily from the much-loved, Kohl-encrusted days of ‘80s gothic rock: in particular, newly-minted Paradise Lost anthems‚ "Ghosts" is a guaranteed dancefloor-filler at any discerning goth nightclub.
Obsidian tracklisting:
"Darker Thoughts"
"Fall From Grace"
"Ghosts"
"The Devil Embraced"
"Forsaken"
"Serenity"
"Ending Days"
"Hope Dies Young"
"Ravenghast"
Watch for the new BraveWords feature on Paradise Lost and Obsidian, coming soon.
Today (May 14), Finland's Apocalyptica streamed a special concert, presented by Genelec, via Youtube, Facebook and Twitch. You can now watch the full performance below:
On,April 25, Apocalyptica live-streamed an hour-long set live from their rehearsal room. Watch below:
Swedish metallers AVATAR have debuted the official music video for their new track "Silence In The Age Of Apes", which serves as the lead single from their eighth full-length, "Hunter Gatherer", due out August 7 via Entertainment One (eOne). Continuing to smash the boundaries between band, theater troupe and cinematic masterminds, the band also has revealed their new wardrobes alongside the stunning visuals for "Silence In The Age Of Apes", a ready-made anthem for the modern age searching for a collective meaning amidst the savagery of technology. From the very first riff of the explosive lead single, listeners will find a darker, futuristic, and entirely new version of AVATAR. Their bold manifesto, "Hunter Gatherer", is an unflinchingly ruthless study of a clueless humankind’s ever-increasing velocity into an uncertain future, furthering the reach of the band’s always expanding dark roots. The forthcoming album is the darkest, most sinister version of the band yet, with deep studies of cruelty, technology, disdain, and deprivation.
In 2019, AVATAR reunited with producer Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT, ANTHRAX) at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles, California, where the foundation for each song on "Hunter Gatherer" was laid with the band performing altogether, as they'd done only once before, on "Hail The Apocalypse" (2014). The old-school method of playing as one in the studio, more akin to how they are on stage, captured the essence of AVATAR. Recorded entirely to two-inch tape, "Hunter Gatherer" exhibits everything that makes AVATAR standouts in the vast, rich landscape of heavy metal's past and present.
Track listing:
01. Silence In The Age Of Apes
02. Colossus
03. A Secret Door
04. God Of Sick Dreams
05. Scream Until You Wake
06. Child
07. Justice
08. Gun
09. When All But Force Has Failed
10. Wormhole
Late last year, AVATAR singer Johannes Eckerström told Loudwire about the lyrical themes covered on the upcoming album: "I'm trying to put across certain emotions that maybe, myself as a lyricist, maybe I wasn’t comfortable with in the past. Saying there’s something wrong over there is different than turning a finger and pointing it at yourself. It takes some maturity to start to do that and maybe revisit places I was at in the past and shine a more honest light upon it. It's full of those things that I have never done before, we have never done before, and thus it's completely different again."
He added: "There is no joking around with this, and it pulls us back into reality. It deals more with darkness, sadness, detachment, alienation and the anxiety of thinking of the world at large. It's all these things that don't necessarily fit into the 'let's write this love letter to heavy metal and share our inside joke that we call Jonas The King.'"
AVATAR's live album, "The King Live In Paris" , was released in May 2019 via eOne. The 11-track set was recorded at the 2018 Download Festival in Paris, France.
The group's most recent studio album, "Avatar Country" , came out in January 2018.
Last fall, AVATAR completed a North American tour as the support act for BABYMETAL.
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