Swedish death metal veterans, Deranged, will release their new studio album, Deeds Of Ruthless Violence, on March 27 via Agonia Records. Pre-order the album here, and watch a video for the track "Deeds Of Ruthless Violence", below.
The video was filmed by Tobias Ankarbranth and Elis Edin Markskog of Wheelmust Production.
"It's death metal like it was meant to be", says drummer and mastermind Rikard Wermén, who's been in charge of the band's steering wheel for nearly thirty years. "No gimmicks, no costumes, no stage show, no make up, no bullshit. Just straight up ruthless metal the violent and intense way."
Born in Sweden in 1991, Deranged are seasoned veterans of the death metal scene. The band's name was derived from a horror movie, and likewise horror became the main source of its artistic inspiration and lyrical expression. Contrary to its roots, Deranged distincts itself from other Swedish bands that started their journey around 1990's, and encompasses a different approach altogether, with a nod towards American death metal. Their sound is faster, technical, with several deathgrind and groove elements.
Deeds Of Ruthless Violence is Deranged's tenth studio album and first one to feature new vocalist, Johan Bergström (Visceral Bleeding). It was recorded at Berno Studio (Amon Amarth, The Crown, Witchery) in Malmö. The album's artwork keeps the same aesthetics as its predecessor, and was created by Mike Hrubovcak (Grave, Six Feet Under, Sinister).
Album formats:
- Digipak CD
- Limited slipcase CD with glossy sticker
- Black LP
- Transparent red LP with smoke splatter
- White LP with cyan blue splatter
- Digital
- T-shirt + download code
Tracklisting:
"Necro-Bulimia Interfering Afterlife"
"Engulfed By Hate I Stab To Kill"
"Level Of Lividity"
"Carnal Provision For The Rotten Masses"
"Through Stages Of Putrefaction"
"Carried In Pain, Released By Torture"
"Quarantine Required For Living Entities"
"I Send You Half The Kidney I Took"
April 10 will see the release of FM's twelfth studio album, Synchronized, via Frontiers Music Srl. To no one’s surprise, it is another top-notch album that will keep the band’s status as one of the premiere melodic rock entities firmly in place. Today, the band has released a music video for the new song, "Broken". Watch below, and pre-order the album on CD/LP/Digital here.
Founded in 1984 when singer Steve Overland and his brother, guitarist Chris (both formerly of Wildlife) teamed up with drummer Pete Jupp (ex-Wildlife and Samson) and bassist Merv Goldsworthy (ex-Diamond Head and Samson), the guys were soon joined by Didge Digital on keyboards and by December of that year they had secured a recording contract with CBS/Portrait and headed to Germany for a run of dates with Meat Loaf.
Further tours with Tina Turner, Foreigner, and Gary Moore built their momentum and on September 8, 1986 FM released their debut album Indiscreet (featuring the hugely popular single "Frozen Heart") to great critical acclaim. The year ended on a high with FM supporting the white-hot Bon Jovi on their Slippery When Wet tour.
For the next nine years, FM consolidated their position at the forefront of British melodic rock, touring extensively as headliners and also joining bands such as Status Quo and Whitesnake on tours to promote releases such as 1989's Tough It Out, 1991’s Takin' It To The Streets (with Andy Barnett on guitar replacing the now-departed Chris Overland); 1992’s Aphrodisiac and what was to be their 'final' album, 1995's Dead Man's Shoes with new recruit Jem Davis (Tobruk, UFO) on keyboards.
In 2007 - after a 12 year sabbatical - FM were persuaded to return to the stage for a 'one-off' headline performance at a sold-out Firefest IV at Nottingham Rock City. The rapturous reception from the fans at Firefest led to FM quickly making the decision to record a new album and following a return to Firefest in 2009, in March 2010 FM released their much-anticipated sixth studio album, Metropolis, with Jim Kirkpatrick replacing Andy Barnett on lead guitar.
The band haven't stopped since! Headline tours both in the UK and overseas, Special Guest slots touring with the likes of Foreigner, Journey, Thin Lizzy, Heart, Saxon and Skid Row, festival appearances including Download, Planet Rockstock, Sweden Rock, Graspop, Steelhouse Festival, Frontiers Rock Festival, Ramblin' Man Fair and in 2018 their first-ever live show in the US at Melodic Rock Fest 5.
When not touring, FM have been busy in the studio and since their 2010 'comeback' album they have released 2013’s Rockville and Rockville 2, Heroes And Villains in 2015 and Atomic Generation in 2018 along with Indiscreet 30 - a re-recorded version of their debut album - and The Italian Job live CD/DVD.
Tracklisting:
"Synchronized"
"Superstar"
"Best Of Times"
"Ghost Of You And I"
"Broken"
"Change For The Better"
"End of Days"
"Pray"
"Walk Through The Fire"
"Hell Or High Water"
"Angels Cried"
"Ready For Me"
"Broken" video:
"Synchronized" video:
Lineup:
Steve Overland - Vocals and Guitars
Merv Goldsworthy - Bass Guitar
Pete Jupp - Drums
Jem Davis - Keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick - Guitars
Psychedelic forest folk band Hexvessel has released a new single and video, "Phaedra," from their forthcoming record, Kindred, that's out April 17 from Svart Records.
Directed by Canadian filmmaker Justin Oakey, the video to Hexvessel’s "Phaedra" is a dark and chilling, atmospheric movie in its own right.
Central to the Roman epic tale of Phaedra, with its Greek tragedy, both song and video include themes on the law of nature that governs human behavior, our animal spirit; the idea that through death and rebirth we restore the cosmic order. Singer/Songwriter Mat McNerney says “In this song, Phaedra is my totem heroine, icon of the human spirit. We are wild animals and our place within this universe is to live and die according to nature’s rules. It’s no mistake either that Phaedra is also mentioned in two of the greatest transcendent musical works of all time; Lee Hazlewood’s ‘Some Velvet Morning’ and Tangerine Dream’s Phaedra album. Phaedra is at the deep heart of Kindred, and she is both divine and human decorated with blood. The only divine law that is not flawed is that we all must return to nature. We all must die!”
Brought to screen by Canadian film-maker Justin Oakey (who has previously collaborated with Ulver), “Phaedra” is the fifth time the band has collaborated with this Newfoundland- based director. Justin Oakey directed the videos for I Am The Ritual and Sacred Marriage. Mat McNerney & Kimmo Helén created the soundtrack to the short movie The World Is Burning (2013) and also the full-length feature film A Fire In The Cold Season (2019) which has just received Canadian distribution and had a premier in Reykjavik, Iceland on March 12 and premieres in Tampere, Finland on March 21. Justin Oakey’s close to nature style and affinity between Newfoundland and sub-arctic Tampere, Finland, where Hexvessel is based, make them “kindred” partners in sound and film.
Blues-laden psych-rock and progressive structures harken back to King Crimson, giving way to dark earthen balladry reminiscent of early Nick Cave and the doom-laden atmospheres of Dead Can Dance. The band returned to their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic No Holier Temple, which fused Hexvessel’s folk roots with an occult undercurrent, with the new album mastered by John Davis (The Killers / Gorillaz / Led Zeppelin / Lana Del Rey) in the UK. Through ‘Kindred’s’ 10 song rites of passage, Hexvessel cover Coil’s Fire Of The Mind live from a mental institution and delve into the Druidic sacrificial swamps with songs like Bog Bodies, which conjures the deep Lynchian night with muted trumpet and foggy rhodes piano. Adorned by cover artwork by artists Thomas Hooper (who has worked for Neurosis, Converge and Doomriders) and Richey Beckett (who has created work for Metallica, Foo Fighters, Robert Plant), ‘Kindred’ is an album which calls you on a journey, both intimate and richly enlightening.
Kindred is Hexvessel’s fifth album, and a return to Svart Records, where they released their debut album Dawnbearer to critical and cult acclaim 10 years ago. Hexvessel was formed by English/Irish singer/songwriter Mat McNerney in 2009 after he moved to Finland. Also known for his work with Beastmilk (now known as Grave Pleasures), The Deathtrip, guest spots with Carpenter Brut and Me & That Man and his earlier work with Norwegian black metal bands Code & Dødheimsgard, McNerney is a both highly eclectic and critically acclaimed musical artist. Across the years, it is McNerney’s work with Hexvessel which has been his most brave, exploratory, honest and impossible to categorise, unique and idiosyncratic in a world all of their own.
Tracklisting:
"Billion Year Old Being"
"Demian"
"Fire Of The Mind "
"Bog Bodies"
"Sic Luceat Lux"
"Phaedra"
"Family"
"Kindred Moon"
"Magical & Damned"
"Joy of Sacrifice"
WDR Rockpalast has uploaded professionally-filmed footage of Blind Guardian, performing the Somewhere Far Beyond album track, "The Bard's Song - In The Forest", live at the 2016 edition of the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Watch below:
Blind Guardian's new studio album is expected in the first half of 2021. Hansi Kürsch told Loud TV: "The real production for the album will start around April, and what we have in mind is mixing in November. So, I would guess that this album will be released in the first half of 2021"
Professionally filmed footage of Metallica performing "Of Wolf And Man" at Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy on February 14, 2018 can be seen below:
Metallica's next performance is the sold out April 15 date at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile. Find the band's tour itinerary here.
The band recently introduced The Metallica Vinyl Club with the following message:
"As huge music fans ourselves, it’s been super exciting to see the resurgence of vinyl and how much enjoyment we all get collecting, exploring and connecting with other fans mining for lost treasures. Those of us who love the look, feel and sonic warmth of vinyl are sorta in our little exclusive club, so with that in mind we thought it would be fun to start adding to our collections on a regular basis.
"The 2020 Vinyl Club Subscription will bring you rare cuts, demos & rough mixes, and live rarities; who knows what we’ll dig up! Obviously they’ll all be cuts that have never been released on vinyl before.
"Sign up before Tuesday, March 31st to be part of the inaugural club!"
Subscription Contains:
- Four vinyl records including rare cuts, demos & rough mixes, and live rarities; who knows what we’ll dig up!
- 33 ⅓ rpm (small hole) 7” vinyl
- Digital Download Card
- Personalized Membership Card
- Select releases (not all four) throughout the year will include additional collectibles; this could be anything from exclusive stickers to picks, or even posters
Sweden's Amaranthe made their first appearance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in the summer of 2012. Watch the band perform their song "Hunger" at the show, below:
Amaranthe have entered the studio in Denmark to start working on the recordings for their new album... entering the country just one hour before the Danish borders were closed due to Coronavirus concerns. The band, now in quarantine, issued the following statement:
"By now, some of you know that we will start the recording of our new album today, Monday 16th. It is an odd feeling to continue operations while large parts of the world is at a lockdown, and the music industry is suffering greater than most other businesses - but we find it extremely important to soldier on, as we refuse to be beaten by this disease. It also means that we are effectively isolating ourselves, as everyone should as much as possible.
We were set to travel to the studio on Sunday 15th, but as the Danish government decided to lock their border with only hours notice, we had to make a very sudden and daring escape from Sweden into Denmark, ending up at an utterly deserted Copenhagen train station about one hour before the lockdown. We were quite literally the only ones making our way INTO the country, while everyone else was trying to get OUT. As you can no doubt imagine, people think us mad.
Many of you are now in voluntary or involuntary isolation, and we will try our best to entertain you with regular updates from the studio! The album, already in this early phase, is something we feel incredibly strongly about, and we think you will no doubt know what we mean when you get to hear it later this year.
Stay safe, wash your hands, keep your distance from the elderly and the sick - spread the love, not the virus!"
Amaranthe and Beyond The Black have announced they will kick off a joint European co-headline tour in Munich, Germany on November 13. Amaranthe guitarist / founder Olof Mörck has issued the following statement:
"Hot on the heels of our fantastic tour with Sabaton, Amaranthe are now incredibly enthusiastic about playing full-length sets all across Europe this fall! We will share the bill with our German comrades-in-arms Beyond The Black, so expect a full evening of ponderous melodic metal set to satisfy even the most fastidious connoisseur of the heavy arts! You can expect a lot from our shows on this run; a completely novel visual experience, a pristine new set list - and quite a bit of NEW music! Don't miss this absolute titan of a tour, when it stops by a city near you this autumn!"
Beyond The Black fronter Jennifer Haben adds: "We're thrilled to join forces with our friends in Amaranthe for the biggest headline tour both bands have ever played. Beyond The Black and Amaranthe together is a perfect fit and we're more than ready to make these nights huge!"
Dates are as follows:
November
13 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
14 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle I
15 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
20 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
21 - Bordeaux, France - Rock School Barbey
22 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz II
23 - Madrid, Spain - Mon Live
25 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
26 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena
27 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
28 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
30 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex 457
December
1- Milan, Italy - Live Club
2 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Metropole
4 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
5 - Zlín, Czech Republic - Masters Of Rock Café
7 - Vienna, Auatria - Arena
8 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
9 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
11 - Geiselwind, Germany - Event Hall
12 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
13 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Ronda
15 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
16 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
17 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
18 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben Fryshuset
Northtale have released an official live video for their song, "Time To Rise".
Says the band: "We hope everyone is staying safe during these crazy times! Since we know you’re gonna be at home and we can’t really play live for the foreseeable future, how about we show you a little bit of what our Japan tour was like? Watch the new live video for 'Time To Rise' below!
"Thanks to director Jason McNamara, who shot and edited this (not to mention hanging and driving us around) over the 2 nights we performed in Tokyo at Evoken Metal Fest last September!
"And finally, thanks to Yama for bringing us to Japan, Ryo and our label King Records, Makoto Suzuki at ESP Guitars / ESP Guitars JP as well as KORG and Pearl Drums for all the support!"
Northtale's Welcome To Paradise album is available via Nuclear Blast Records. Order here.
"Welcome To Paradise"
"Higher"
"Follow Me"
"The Rhythm of Life"
"Time To Rise"
"Way Of The Light" (Bonus Track)
"Shape Your Reality"
"Everyone's A Star"
"Sirens' Fall"
"Bring Down The Mountain"
"Playing With Fire"
"If Angels Are Real"
"Even When"
SLIPKNOT recorded a session at the BBC's legendary Maida Vale studios in London, England on January 26. 120 fans witnessed the band play a six-song set consisting of the tracks "Unsainted", "Psychosocial", "The Devil In I", "Duality", "Disasterpiece" and "Wait And Bleed".
Audio the entire performance aired on February 9 on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show". Video footage of the "Unsainted" and "Duality" renditions was uploaded last month to the BBC Radio 1 YouTube channel and has now been followed by clips of the rest of the set.
Last month, SLIPKNOT announced the 2020 edition of the "Knotfest Roadshow" tour, produced by Live Nation. Joining them on the trek will be special guests A DAY TO REMEMBER, UNDEROATH and CODE ORANGE.
Last year's "Knotfest Roadshow" saw SLIPKNOT play to the biggest U.S. crowds in their history, hitting 30 cities across North America throughout the summer. This year, "Knotfest Roadshow" 2020 is scheduled to begin in Syracuse, New York on May 30 and hit a further 15 cities before culminating at The Woodlands, Texas on June 25.
SLIPKNOT is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "We Are Not Your Kind", which came out last August. The disc sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.
Ayreon have shared another performance from the band’s upcoming Electric Castle Live And Other Tales release. Watch “Amazing Flight” below.
Says Arjen Lucassen: “Here is the final preview from the Electric Castle Live release for you. Are you ready for this Amazing Flight in Space? Just watch this cool Hippie dude (me!) wipe the floor with that uncool Barbarian :-) And what a band! Oh... some friendly advice for your parents out there... please tell your kids not to follow the bad example of this crazy Hippie and his naughty water-pipe!"
If the bedrock of progressive rock is to throw caution to the wind and to indulge your wildest musical flights of fancy, then Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a modern-day titan of the genre.
On April 10, Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group release Ayreon - Electric Castle Live And Other Tales, a 3 LP/2CD+DVD/BD set of last year’s spectacular live performance of the third Ayreon album ‘nto The Electric Castle. Over four nights at Tilburg’s 013 venue (the scene of Lucassen’s Ayreon Universe series of live shows in 2017) Lucassen, his band and one of modern progressive music’s most emphatic of casts celebrated the 20th anniversary of ‘Into the Electric Castle’ in front of 12,000 adoring fans from 64 different countries who had flown in from around the world.
“Because it was the 20th anniversary of the album, and we’d just remixed and re-released it, we figured it was the perfect moment to perform this live”, says Lucassen. “The Ayreon Universe shows were such a fantastic experience for everyone involved, and I’d had loads of requests for more live shows, so we decided to perform the entire ‘Electric Castle’ album back at the 013, and also play one track from each of my side projects billed as ‘Other Tales’.”
Released in 1998, Into The Electric Castle is your classic tale of an epic quest. Set in “no time and no space”, it tells the story of eight individuals who are guided by a mysterious voice and tasked with finding the mysterious Electric Castle. The original album features amongst others Fish (the Highlander), Lucassen (the Hippie), Edwin Balogh (The Roman), Anneke van Giersbergen (the Egyptian), Damian Wilson (the Knight) and Edward Reekers (the Futureman), all of whom repeated their performances for the live spectacular.
Also, among the 22 musicians and singers who made up the impressive cast list were long-time Lucassen collaborators Thijs Van Leer (Focus), Simone Simons (Epica), John Jaycee Cuijpers (Praying Mantis), Marcela Bovio and musicians Joost van den Broek, Johan van Stratum, Marcel Singor, Ferry Duijsens, Bob Wijtsma and Ben Mathot. Star Trek actor John De Lancie (Q) appears as the narrator.
Having made a name for himself in the 1980s with Dutch hard rock bands Bodine and Vengeance, and with his first solo album in 1993, it is with Ayreon that Lucassen has truly made a name for himself as a composer of unbridled imagination and creativity.
Having set out his stall with the first two Ayreon albums The Final Experiment (1995) and Actual Fantasy (1996), as a creator of vivid musical works built around some of the finest talent in the prog and rock worlds, everything seemed to align perfectly with 1998’s Into The Electric Castle.
“I poured my heart and soul into it”, says Lucassen of the original album. “Investing everything I had both financially and creatively, and enlisted the best instrumentalists and singers I could find in the world at that time. When making the album I was unconstrained by any musical or stylistic boundaries and incorporated many of my favourite musical styles. ‘Into The Electric Castle’ received an overwhelmingly positive reception from both the press and the fans. This firmly established the Ayreon name, making Ayreon the perfect project to pour all of my time and creative energy into.”
Although best known as a studio-based musician, Lucassen slowly countered his fear of performing live when he first joined long-time collaborator Anneke van Giersbergen for some live dates in 2015, before tackling the more elaborate theatre staging of his 2004 Ayreon album The Human Equation in Rotterdam over four nights the same year (on which he served as special advisor). He went even further in 2017 when he appeared on stage with his star-studded ‘Ayreon Universe’ shows at Tilburg’s 013.
“I get absolutely crippling stage fright”, he says. “Up to the night before the Tilburg shows, I was having dreadful panic attacks. But it’s all for a good cause!”
Creating a live show for Into The Electric Castle seemed like the logical next step, and the four 2019 shows were a resounding success, captured for posterity in Ayreon - Electric Castle Live And Other Stories. In fact, it all went so well, that Lucassen is taking the show to headline the prestigious German progressive rock festival Night Of The Prog in June of this year.
“I just love recording my various projects in the studio,” he concurs, “but I’m not a live performer. I’m the guy who comes up with the ideas, sees the big picture, and puts it all together. So, I’m glad that so many incredible musicians helped me bring my music to the stage.”
Multiple formats are available for pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
CD1:
"Welcome To The New Dimension"
"Isis And Osiris"
"Amazing Flight"
"Time Beyond Time"
"The Decision Tree"
"Tunnel Of Light"
"Across The Rainbow Bridge"
"The Garden Of Emotions"
"Valley Of The Queens"
"The Castle Hall"
"Tower Of Hope"
"Cosmic Fusion"
CD2:
"Robby Valentine"
"The Mirror Maze"
"Evil Devolution"
"The Two Gates"
"Forever Of The Stars"
"Another Time, Another Space"
"Shores Of India"
"Ashes"
"Out In The Real World"
"Twisted Coil"
"Kayleigh"
"Pink Beatles In A Purple Zeppelin"
"Songs Of The Ocean"
DVD:
DVD 1: Full show (2:28:37)
DVD 2: Extra’s
Behind the scenes (1:48:28)
Extended Interview (1:32:24)
Audio: DD 2.0 and DD 5.1 surround
Blu-ray:
The same content as the 2 DVDs
Audio: DD 2.0 and DTS-MA 5.1 surround
Mark Morton of Lamb Of God stopped by Guitar World Studios to perform an acoustic version of "All I Had to Lose", from his solo album Ether (Rise Records). Watch below:
As with Morton’s solo debut, Anesthetic, the guitarist enlisted the talents of various musicians and vocalists to bring his songs to life. Ether features appearances by Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage, Light The Torch), John Carbone (Moon Tooth) and Mark Morales (Sons of Texas), who is also a member of Morton’s live band. The EP is made up of three original songs and two covers that once again showcase Morton’s diversity as a musician. Ether was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Gojira, Trivium).
Tracklisting:
“All I Had To Lose” (feat. Mark Morales)
“The Fight” (feat. John Carbone)
“She Talks To Angels” (feat. Lzzy Hale)
“Love My Enemy” (feat. Howard Jones)
“Black” (feat. Mark Morales)
Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the signing of Paralydium to their rapidly expanding roster. The band’s debut album, Worlds Beyond, will be released on May 8. Pre-order the album here, and watch a video for the song "Finding The Paragon" below.
It’s fair to say that there are few bands that can or will match Paralydium's delivery of melodic, rhythmical, and powerful songs. Their album, Worlds Beyond, will showcase this very claim.
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.
"The writing process for this album started soon after our first release back in 2015,” says guitarist John Berg. "When the songs really started to come together, I began to feel that they had a certain interplay with each other which got me thinking on making this a conceptual album. The real challenge was to integrate all the elements, put the pieces together. As a result, the outcome is something more than just an ordinary album, just wait and you will see. Our music crosses many borders in terms of styles, so we believe that Paralydium and Frontiers will be a great team.”
Tracklisting:
"Enter Paralydium"
"Within The Sphere"
"Synergy"
"Finding The Paragon"
"Crystal Of Infinity"
"Awakening"
"The Source"
"Into Divinity"
"Seeker Of The Light"
"Finding The Paragon" video:
Lineup:
John Berg - Guitars
Georg Härnsten Egg - Drums
Jonathan Olsson - Bass
Mikael Blanc - Keys
Mikael Sehlin - Vocals
BUSH has released the official music video for its hard-charging new song "Flowers On A Grave". The single will be featured on BUSH's upcoming album, "The Kingdom", due out this summer. The Jesse Davey-directed clip features an electrifying BUSH performance of the pensive and pummeling track, all shot in one take.
"Flowers On A Grave", co-produced by Erik Ron and frontman Gavin Rossdale, is off to a great start at radio, having been on Active Rock radio's "Most Added" New Track list for the last two weeks in a row.
"We are really proud of 'The Kingdom'," says BUSH vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Gavin Rossdale. "It's as if all roads traveled over the last few years have gotten us to this point. We look forward to this cycle — old fans, new fans, likeminded people who are searching for their kingdom."
BUSH and BREAKING BENJAMIN recently announced their big summer U.S. major market shed tour. The trek will also feature Canadian hitmakers THEORY OF A DEADMAN, who are enjoying their recent No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with their latest smash, "History Of Violence".
The pensive and pummeling "Flowers On A Grave" is the dynamic follow-up to BUSH's cinematic "Bullet Holes", heard by audiences all over the world atop the end credits to the international blockbuster "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum". Produced by Tyler Bates, "Bullet Holes" will also be featured on "The Kingdom".
BUSH's last effort, 2017's "Black And White Rainbows", was crafted after Rossdale went through a divorce with pop star/reality TV judge Gwen Stefani in 2015.
BUSH's current lineup also includes guitarist Chris Traynor and bassist Corey Britz.
The group, which broke up in 2002 but reunited in 2010, has released three albums since reforming.
LAMB OF GOD has released the music video for "Memento Mori", the opening track on the band's forthcoming self-titled album, due May 8 via Epic Records. Fans were able to unlock a 10-second teaser of the song through an eerie Instagram Story filter released by the band over the weekend.
The follow-up to "VII: Sturm Und Drang", "Lamb Of God" marks LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band last July as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.
"Lamb Of God" was recorded with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) and includes special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).
Executed from a narrative treatment written by vocalist D. Randall Blythe, the "Memento Mori" video features the band (guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, drummer Art Cruz, and Blythe) performing the unrelenting album opener. Lyrically and visually, the message of both the song and video are extremely topical, offering hope at a time of societal and personal upheaval.
"There is a vast amount of indisputably real and depressingly negative occurrences happening across the globe," Blythe explains. "Currently, at the forefront of everyone's mind is the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is a very real concern, and proper precautions need to be taken by EVERYONE in order to protect those most at risk — the elderly, infirm, and immunocompromised. It is indeed a scary time, but in this hyper-connected age with its 24/7 never-ending news cycle of atrocity, outrage and lurid click-bait headlines (not to mention ill-informed lunatics running amok and spreading misinformation and panic on social media), it is all too easy to lose sight of the fact that life is still carrying on, and good things do in fact still happen.
"Months before the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, I wrote 'Memento Mori' as a reminder to myself to not be consumed by the omnipresent electronic harbingers of doom that surround us — cellphones, computers, and television screens," he continued. "While these devices can be useful tools, and it is important to stay informed, it is equally important to remain engaged with the real, physical world we with live in, not just digitally filtered representations of reality. I wrote the narrative music video treatment a few months ago to illustrate how warped and myopic our mental states can become when we fail to remain engaged with that reality — if all you pay attention to is catastrophe, then soon you will begin to see monsters everywhere you look. The actual monsters we used in the video are Sinisteria, a local Richmond, Virginia haunted house/dark performance troupe I met on the street at our annual Krampus Nacht parade. Richmond has a strong tradition of loud music and weird costumed monsters working hand in hand to make salient points (we are the birthplace of GWAR, after all), and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Music has always been there for me, raising my spirits during hard times, and it is my hope that this song's positive message will do the same for fans of our music right now and beyond. The release date for the tune was set a good while ago, but the timing seems eerily prescient to me now. So enjoy the song and video, and then remember to step away from the screens for a bit — real life is waiting for you. We only get one shot, so don't waste this day. Everyone be well, keep a cool head, take care of yourselves, and take care of EACH OTHER."
Regarding the music, guitarist Mark Morton adds: "I had been sitting with the music for the intro and the post chorus for quite a while. I was trying to develop those two parts as separate songs altogether and was a little bit stumped, particularly with the intro piece. Me, Willie and Josh Wilbur (producer) were doing demos in the studio and the idea came up to try to mash those parts into the same tune and everything just took off. It was one of those times where once I knew what we were trying to do, the riffs just kind of fell out of me like they were writing themselves. It's always a crazy feeling when that happens. Vocally, Randy heard the intro and said he instantly got a throwback SISTERS OF MERCY-type vibe from it and he took off from there."
"Lamb Of God" track listing:
01. Memento Mori
02. Checkmate
03. Gears
04. Reality Bath
05. New Colossal Hate
06. Resurrection Man
07. Poison Dream (feat. Jamey Jasta)
08. Routes (feat. Chuck Billy)
09. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
LAMB OF GOD will join forces with MEGADETH for a North American tour this summer and fall. The 55-date trek will be split into two legs, the first of which kicks off June 12 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, and wraps August 1 at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. The second run launches October 2 at iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida, and runs through November 13 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
Motörhead performed at Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany on November 12, 2014. Rockpalast broadcast the performance, and have released this footage of the band performing their classic, "Overkill".
Watch "Ace Of Spades" from the same concert, below:
Motörhead Spirits recently announced their Gold Award win at The Spirit Business prestigious Rum & Cachaça Masters 2020, for Motörhead Premium Dark Rum in the "Rum Aged 7-12 Years" category.
Uncompromising, iconic and innovative - three of the values at the core of legendary rock band, Motörhead now extend beyond the stage with their range of high quality & unique spirits, the result of a close collaboration with the band.
"We work really hard on all our drinks and are ready to take on anyone - that’s always been the Motörhead way," says Mikkey Dee.
Originally released in November 2018, Motörhead’s rum has already sold over 100,000 bottles globally and is currently available in more than 15 markets worldwide.
Motörhead Premium Dark Rum is crafted with high quality and taste in mind; a product of the finest selection of Caribbean Reserve Rums, it has been aged for eight years in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a smooth, dark brown rum - full-bodied with notes of chocolate, arrack, vanilla and a spicy finish. Enjoy it like Lemmy - by mixing a double shot with cola or dare to drink on the rocks as a sipping rum - it’s the drink of choice for anyone Born To Raise Hell!
The Motörhead Spirits range also includes Motörhead Vödka and the Motörhead Single Malt Whisky and are available to purchase from Amazon, Masters of Malt & The Whisky Exchange.
Professionally filmed footage of Metallica performing "Fade To Black" at Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy on February 12, 2018 can be seen below:
Watch "Helpless" from the same concert, below:
Metallica's next performance is the sold out April 15 date at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile. Find the band's tour itinerary here.
The band recently introduced The Metallica Vinyl Club with the following message:
"As huge music fans ourselves, it’s been super exciting to see the resurgence of vinyl and how much enjoyment we all get collecting, exploring and connecting with other fans mining for lost treasures. Those of us who love the look, feel and sonic warmth of vinyl are sorta in our little exclusive club, so with that in mind we thought it would be fun to start adding to our collections on a regular basis.
"The 2020 Vinyl Club Subscription will bring you rare cuts, demos & rough mixes, and live rarities; who knows what we’ll dig up! Obviously they’ll all be cuts that have never been released on vinyl before.
"Sign up before Tuesday, March 31st to be part of the inaugural club!"
Subscription Contains:
- Four vinyl records including rare cuts, demos & rough mixes, and live rarities; who knows what we’ll dig up!
- 33 ⅓ rpm (small hole) 7” vinyl
- Digital Download Card
- Personalized Membership Card
- Select releases (not all four) throughout the year will include additional collectibles; this could be anything from exclusive stickers to picks, or even posters
Cryptex, who signed with Steamhammer/SPV in early 2019, have released a new single with a must-see atmospheric video displaying all of the band’s artistic virtues for the song, "Haunted". The video was directed by Jonathan Noor and Steffen Flügel of Freakshot. Check it out below.
Cryptex consists of Simon Moskon (lead vocals, piano/keys), André Jean Henri Mertens (lead and rhythm guitar) and Marc Andrejkovits (bass). Diverse session-drummers as Simon Schröder, Luca Ahlers and others complete the lineup. The band's style covers a wide musical range, consisting of rock, alternative with slight folk attitude and prog-art. The result is an impressive mixture of sensitive and powerful symphonic compositions. The release of their third album, Once Upon A Time, has been announced for May 8th.
The band were founded in 2008 by frontman Simon Moskon. March 2011 saw the arrival of their debut album Good Morning, How Did You Live?. Their second album Madeleine Effect was released in April 2015. Recently the EPs Rain Shelter Sessions Part I-III (October 2017) and Part IV - VI (March 2018) were released.
Furthermore, Cryptex is known for their energetic and remarkable live shows. They were able to prove their ability as a live band as support for acts like Pain Of Salvation, Threshold, Alice Cooper, at prestigious festivals like German Kultrock Festival, Metaldays in Slovenia and the 70000 Tons Of Metal (US), as well as several headliner tours.
Olly Hahn (head of Steamhammer) has great confidence in the new SPV signing: "We are very delighted to be able to engage Cryptex for our label. Both their musicality and artistically issues are out of the ordinary in this music genre. I am very excited about the release of the new album. First hearing impressions are amazing!"
Simon Moskon and his bandmates are also thoroughly optimistic: “We’re convinced that SPV is the perfect label to take the next steps with and turn Cryptex into a national and internationally acclaimed act.”
Smackbound is the new hard rock/metal band from the robust and acclaimed Finnish music scene, who will release their debut album, 20/20, via Frontiers Music Srl. Due on May 8, hard rock and metal fans can expect powerful, driving songs, impeccable musicianship, and stunning vocals from this exciting new band. For a taste, check out the newly released single/video, "The Game", below.
Stream "The Game", plus three other singles, and pre-order/save the album here.
On what to expect from their debut album, singer Netta Laurenne says, ”It is a versatile album with music for all moods. The songs are melodic and have a great drive. We are trying to clear out the clutter from our hearts and heads and hope that the same process will happen to everyone listening to the album. It is all about energy in this world and we are trying to keep that energy alive and moving so that it would reach the listener and have a true impact and a connection with them. More on the musical side, everyone invested their own talent to the album. Teemu played great riffs and solos, Rolf banged the drums like no tomorrow and Vili and Tuomas played some pretty awesome stuff as well. I poured my heart into the lyrics and tried to sing the songs with grace."
Continuing on about the making of "The Game" music video, Laurenne says, ”I had this vision for years about using clay and making these human statues. I once saw a picture with a person with clay on their face and basically took the idea from there. It never really fit anywhere before this song though. Once I had sung the song and was listening to it, I realized that this is where the idea was meant to be used. It is honest, brutal, ugly, and beautiful at the same time. It shows us, in a way, without any status or ego. And in this song, that is very important because it is a song about every human beings' longing to be loved. It tells about the hide and seek, fear of getting hurt, and the bravery of trusting love. There is also a side to the story which probably all of us have experienced: the letdown, the heartbreak. Opening up to someone only to be brutally broken. Love can be like a Trojan horse, but can we really ever afford not to let it in? The video was shot in Helsinki by director Owe Lingvall and basically we were just laughing our asses off rubbing clay on each other. It was also kind of humbling for us to be half-naked with one another, back to back, listening to this song about vulnerability. I hope we managed to make something good."
Smackbound's story started back in 2015 when singer and actress Netta Laurenne founded the group. You may have heard her before on guest spots with Amorphis, Lordi, Black Sun, and Elvenking. She is a classically trained singer who has also studied pop/jazz and folk singing. And yes, she is also an actress. Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari was the first to join the line-up and soon followed Rolf Pilve on drums, Vili Itäpelto on keyboards and Tuomas Yli-Jaskari on bass. Collectively, they have experience in well respected metal bands like Wintersun, Stratovarius, The Dark Element, and Tracedawn. The band immediately started writing their own songs, but to get their live chemistry flowing, founded a cover band Run For Cover, to be able to play gigs right away and turn Smackbound into a well-oiled live machine.
The band launched with a string of successful singles and videos including the debut “Drive It Like You Stole It,” the energetic “Wall of Silence,” and "Run”. All the singles will be included on the band’s debut, 20/20.
The album was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios, produced by Tuomas Yli-Jaskari mixed and mastered by Jesse Vainio (Sunrise Avenue, Apocalyptica, Poets Of The Fall).
Tracklisting:
"Wall Of Silence"
"Drive It Like You Stole It"
"Close To Sober"
"Run"
"The Game"
"Those Who Burn"
"Hey Motherfuckers"
"Troublemaker"
"Date With The Devil"
"Wind And Water"
"The Game" video:
Lineup:
Netta Laurenne - Vocals
Teemu Mäntysaari - Guitars
Rolf Pilve - Drums
Vili Itäpelto - Keyboards
Tuomas Yli-Jaskari - Bass
Dynazty have released a video for "Waterfall", a song from their upcoming new album, The Dark Delight, out on April 3 via AFM Records. Order the album here, and watch the new clip below.
Formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 2008, Dynazty has since released six albums in a mere 10 year window. Straying from their early days of ‘80s influenced hard rock, the band has developed and refined their sound into something that merges the modern metal scene with the past, crafting something wholly unique.
Today the band is comprised of highly respected and sought after musicians, active on the metal scene in more than one way. Bassist Jonathan Olsson can also be seen in both Lindemann and Pain, guitarist Love Magnusson and drummer Georg Härnsten Egg frequently tours with rock legends such as Dee Snider and Joe Lynn Turner. Guitarist Mikael Lavér has been featured with both Lindemann and Joe Lynn Turner, while singer Nils Molin can be heard and seen around the globe with the ever rising star of fellow Swedish band Amaranthe.
Singer Nils Molin says about the album: “We pulled out all the stops, pulled no punches and held nothing back on this one. The Dark Delight is the complete vision of what this band has always wanted to be.”
Tracklisting:
"Presence Of Mind"
"Paradise Of The Architect"
"The Black"
"From Sound To Silence" (Feat. GG6)
"Hologram"
"Heartless Madness"
"Waterfall"
"Threading The Needle"
"The Man And The Elements"
"Apex"
"The Road To Redemption"
"The Dark Delight"
"The Shoulder Devil" (Bonus Track)
Canadian-American rockers PALAYE ROYALE will release their third album, "The Bastards", on May 29 via Sumerian Records. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Lonely", can be seen below.. The track features some of the most honest and heartbreaking lyrics ever written by frontman Remington Leith and the accompanying clip, which he also directed, is a perfect reflection of the difficult and deeply personal topics addressed by the song of childhood abandonment, mental health issues and drug use.
Remington says: "'Lonely' is about the mental and physical abuse I endured as a child. Growing up, I went through so much shit and at points felt so low I couldn't see a way out. It has affected me deeply throughout my life but I want the world to know that no matter what you're going through, if I can make it out on the other side, so can you."
PALAYE ROYALE has been teasing "The Bastards" since last year. Surrounded by a utopian world created by the band, "The Bastards" is set in a place that is a reflection of their own lives, but in a mythological sense.
Emerson Barrett says: "It takes place around the island of Obsidian and it's set in 1888. In short, it's a world that started off with intentions where the island encouraged free thinkers and artists to exist and, as everything does in life, eventually it becomes this political power and evil toxicity that comes with everything. To remain a true individual in the society, you must wear a gas mask."
Musically, the album is an enormous step up for the band. It is, in turn, dark, lush, angry, vulnerable, caustic and warm. From the grandiose Bond-theme-esque "Tonight Is The Night I Die" to the darkly jarring "Anxiety", from the quietly heartbreaking refrain of "Lonely" and the massive fuzzed up, distorted guitars of "Nightmares (Coming Down)", "The Bastards" demonstrates just how far the band have expanded their writing and musical dexterity, rounding out their already accomplished arson with flourishes of electronics, metal beat-downs, drum-and-bass beats and haunting string arrangements. There are singles on the album, luminous highlights, but it’s also a piece of work that works beautifully when listened to as a whole. That, despite the fact that it was recorded in a variety of locations.
Sebastian Danzig states about the recording process for "The Bastards": "We rented an AirBnB in Joshua Tree, one in London, and we kept on going in little areas and writing new sections of the album. It's crazy — we thought the album was done in March of last year, and we did the heavy stuff in Joshua Tree. We wrote 'Little Bastards' a week before the album was supposed to be mixed and mastered."
Lyrically, the album addresses a number of important issues, prevalent to today's youth — struggles with mental health, the gun violence epidemic, substance use as a means to escape a difficult reality and parental abandonment all play a part in the album's rich lyrical tapestry.
Remington adds: "We need a little honesty and a little truth. The world is getting so tainted by everyone trying to be so fucking perfect and so goddamn PG and trying to walk this line of not trying to offend anyone. People need to be themselves, just for 20 minutes at least."
"The Bastards" track listing:
01. Little Bastards
02. Massacre, The New American Dream
03. Anxiety
04. Tonight Is The Night I Die
05. Lonely
06. Hang On To Yourself
07. Fucking With My Head
08. Nervous Breakdown
09. Nightmares
10. Masochist
11. Doom (Empty)
12. Black Sheep
13. Stay
14. Redeemer
15. Lord Of Lies (Bonus track)
PALAYE ROYALE will hit the road next month for "The Bastards" North American tour next month, beginning in Sacramento on April 17 and hitting a further 25 cities before culminating in a hometown show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on May 29.
Australian metal destroyers AVERSIONS CROWN will release their fourth studio album, "Hell Will Come For Us All", on June 12 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by the band while engineering was handled by Matt Shorter at Heliport Studios. The album was mixed and mastered by Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio, with additional mix engineering and vocal production by Steve Seid. Eliran Kantor was enlisted to help paint the story that would be echoed throughout the album.
The music video for the first single, "The Soil", was directed by Third Eye Visuals and can be seen below.
The band comments: "We're excited to be able to release the first taste of the new music we've been working on. The sound of AVERSIONS CROWN has grown and matured, and I feel this is our most focused album to date."
"Hell Will Come For Us All" track listing:
01. The Soil
02. Born In The Gutter
03. Paradigm
04. Caught In The System
05. Hell Will Come For Us All
06. Scourge Of Violence
07. Hymn Of Annihilation
08. Sorrow Never Sleeps
09. The Final Judgement
The particular sci-fi, melodic sound that erupts from "Hell Will Come For Us All" is of a high intensity that still remains deeply captivating and listenable. The melodies, choruses, and atmospheric leads pull you in and quickly pummel you with crushing blast beats and maddening guitar work.
AVERSIONS CROWN is currently on the "Human Target" North American 2020 with headliners THY ART IS MURDER. Also joining them on tour is FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, ENTERPRISE EARTH, UNE MISÈRE and EXTINCTION AD.
Øâåöèÿ
Deranged![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
Âåëèêîáðèòàíèÿ
Ôèíëÿíäèÿ
Ãåðìàíèÿ
ÑØÀ
Ìåæäóíàðîäíûé
Íèäåðëàíäû
Êàíàäà
Àâñòðàëèÿ
