Swedish black metal masters, Dark Funeral, have released a new live video for “Beast Above Man”, taken from their latest opus, Where Shadows Forever Reign. The video was filmed in Rome, Italy at Orion Club on December 20, 2019, produced by Dan Blasterio, Blasterio Films.
The band comment: "Ave! We have played hundreds of shows around the world supporting our last album, Where Shadows Forever Reign. Here's a piece from of one of them. Next up is the sold out Nordic Metal Cruise, followed by a headline show in Israel, before we begin the festival season for real. We hope to see you all during the selected shows we are doing this season. And in between the shows, we will return to the realm of the shadows to work on material for a new album. New darkness awaits. Hail Satan!
Tour dates:
February
8 - Nordic Metal Cruise - Finland/Sweden
April
18 - Gagarin - Tel Aviv, Israel
May
9 - Incineration Festival - London, UK
June
11 - Metal Frenzy Festival - Germany
26 - Tons of Rock Festival - Norway
Archspire bassist Jared Smith has shared a bass play-thru video for the song "Remote Tumor Seeker," which is taken from the band's 2017 JUNO-Nominated release, Relentless Mutation.
Archspire recently partnered up with Sheet Happens to release the full bass and guitar transcription for their latest full-length, Relentless Mutation. The Printed & Digital Books come with an instant download pack containing the Print-Ready Guitar Book PDF (eBook) and the Complete Guitar Pro files. Purchase the transcription here.
Additionally, Archspire have recently made both national and international headlines for being the perfect musical template for the creation of Artificially Intelligent death metal.
Dadabots is special artificial intelligent (AI) software that creates music. The software, developed by Berkley College of Music graduates Zack Zukowski and CJ Carr, is built upon a "recurrent neural network" that receives data and then uses it to interpret musical sequences on its own. Simply stated, the software teaches itself how to compose music based on the work of an existing band as its data-set.
After several failed attempts at creating stable, listenable death metal, the creators turned to the music of Archspire, which ended up being the perfect template to generating metal tunes via artificial intelligence.
"The neural net we used listened to 'Relentless Mutation' over and over again," explains Zukowski. "All raw audio, no tabs, no midi. It generates what it thinks it hears and tunes itself until it begins to intimate the sounds from the original album. After generating, it randomly stitches the audios together, refills the buffer, and streams it with ffmpeg. Repeat."
He continues, "The remarkable part is the high quality-to-shit ratio. We tried this with 100 albums and found that Archspire's music made for the most interesting bot. Zero curation was necessary. Everything it generates sounds good to us. You're hearing everything it makes. Our theory is the faster the blast beats, the more stable the net. Archspire is absurdly fast - they are basically machines. So far, we haven't found anything that works better."
Archspire adds, "We've been hearing about this 'AI that's trained on Archspire writing death metal' over the past few weeks. Well, here's the thing: We actually aren't surprised about this. We've been utilizing very similar technology to write our music this entire time. The program we've been using? It's called T.O.B.I. It stands for:
Technically
Outrageous
Boner
Inducer
"Tobi has been part of our writing process since 2009, and while you may notice that he takes on a physical form as guitarist in the band, rest assured under those tight fitting clothes, he's more machine than man."
Batten down the hatches! Swedish sea pillagers, Ye Banished Privateers, will capsize your ship with their third single, “Rowing With One Hand”, from the upcoming album, Hostis Humani Generis. Along with an atmospheric audiovisual, Ye Banished Privateers present another snapshot straight from the pirate capital Nassau.
In the cinematic video, the Swedish pirates prepare the great escape from court and fight for their freebooter rights, clashing with the upscale bourgeoisie. Unmistakably folky, charming and with a bunch of drunken humour, Ye Banished Privateers draws you into their maritime universe. “Rowing With One Hand” presents the hard life of pirates on the wild ride through the ancient times.
This intense sing-along hymn and its catchy rhythm lets the listener take part in the ferocious side of the pirates and lets them flee in a cheerful frenzy from the clutches of decency. They find their way in the storm, setting course for the next adventure and keep fighting for their rebellious freedom.
The savage beast from the north, Ye Banished Privateers, returns with their enthralling fourth album, Hostis Humani Generis, out February 7 via Napalm Records. The new full-length is the most authentic of pirate manifests – with more than enough audacious atmosphere, sing-along hymns, folk tunes and foul rambling to secure the band’s unique position in the genre. These Swedish marauders of the sea take you through the ups and downs of pirate life!
Ye Banished Privateers on Hostis Humani Generis: “It is with great pride that we present to you our fourth full-length album - Hostis Humani Generis! Over the course of 13 songs (well, 15 if you get the deluxe box) we tell the immersive story of a delinquent pirate crew, the downfall of the pirate republic of Nassau, and the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. We are immensely happy that the time has finally come to share this with you all, and we really hope you like it as much as we do!”
Artwork by Eliran Kantor.
Tracklisting:
“No Prey, No Pay”
“Hush Now My Child”
“Blame The Brits”
“Capstan Shanty”
“Elephant’s Dance”
“Swords To Plowshares”
“Flintlock”
“Parting Song”
“Rowing With One Hand”
“A Swinging We Must Go”
“They Are Marching Down On High Street”
“Death Of Bellows”
“Why The Big Whales Sing”
Oceanhoarse, the Helsinki-based ambassadors of heavy metal, have released a video for the song "Maze Of Death". Despite its violent riffling and intimidating ferocity, the track actually has a positive message behind the lyrics.
"The title sounds gloomy, but the song is actually an ode to life," guitarist Ben Varon says. "It seems like everyone is in such a hurry these days, as if life is just a game one needs to play through as efficiently as possible. But maybe, just maybe, it's worth checking out some of those dead ends in this maze too, instead of just running towards the finishing line. 'No rush to find the exit sign!'"
Oceanhoarse will begin it's first European tour this Sunday, February 2nd in Hamburg, Germany supporting Nightwish bassist / vocalist Marko Hietala. The tour schedule is as follows:
Before Monuments embark on their extensive spring tour, the band announce the release of their track and video for "Animus". It is the first song and video featuring Andy Cizek on vocals and a reintroduction of drummer Mike Malyan as full-time members.
"Hey Y'all', We're excited to show you our new track 'Animus'. Lyrically, this song explores overcoming anxiety. Embracing your burdens and letting them flourish into a positive driving force. Thus, these demons became my 'Animus'. Thanks for listening," states Andy Cizek about the track.
After playing two shows in India, the band will be touring Europe with their friends in Heart Of A Coward. In April, they will head back to North America with Skyharbor and Vespera.
U.S. heavy metal warriors Ironflame have released the official video for "Blood Red Cross," the second single from forthcoming album Blood Red Victory. The video was recorded by Ralf Stadler at 7er Club Mannheim, DE on September 11, 2019.
Recorded, performed, mixed, and mastered by D'Cagna (with guitar leads by Lukas and Scott) at Sacred Sound in Martins Ferry, OH from December 2018 through February 2019, Blood Red Victory finds Ironflame once again brandishing their trademark approach to soaring, triumphant heavy metal hymns. Regarding its subject matter, D'Cagna states, "There is a recurring theme of victory in the lyrics for this album. Some songs have an air of chest-out confidence; others are about overcoming adversaries or even adversity itself. Most have been written from a 'we/us' perspective, which makes the listener feel like, 'We're in this together.'"
Clocking in at ten tracks in just over 50 minutes, Blood Red Victory is sure to be a heavy metal favorite in 2020. As with past efforts from Ironflame, the disc will be a must-have for diehard fanatics of heavy metal's true legacy.
Tracklisting:
“Gates Of Evermore”
“Honor Bound”
“Seekers Of The Blade”
“Blood Red Cross”
“On Ashen Wings”
“Graves Of Thunder”
“Grace And Valor”
“Night Queen”
“The Serpent And The Throne”*
“Horns Held High”*
Rubikon is back after four years with The Record, out this Friday, September 20, via Round Hill Records. A video for the new single, "Lost September", can be seen below.
Rubikon is more than a band, it’s a true brotherhood. Five friends who love making music together, and they have a hell of a time doing it.
The Record brings the band back to the basics, creating songs that are just good. At the same time elevating their sound into full-tilt overdrive with their high-energy, in your face, heavy rock melodies. The songs expand on their signature sound but they are tighter and hit harder; there’s a wider dynamic range and a more experimental approach in bringing in a variety of instruments such as pedal-steel guitar, baritone saxophone, and even a banjo and mandolin.
For the recording process, the band assembled at Sienna Studios in Nashville (formerly Quad Studios where they recorded Delta), working with engineer-mixer Tim Brennan (Steven Tyler, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson). The Record features the usual Rubikon suspects – Jae Sims (vocals), Josh Gruss (guitars), Dave Raymond (guitars), Hugh Eaton (bass), and Doug Arsham (drums and vocals) – but also includes guest spots from Elisha Hoffman (mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar), Drew Belk (pedal steel), and Randy Leago (saxophone). The album was recorded live (the band admits to a handful of overdubs) and was mastered by Alex McCollough (Robert Plant, John Prine, Amanda Shires).
The result brought Rubikon’s distinctive style to such hard rock bangers as “Blood On My Hands”, the first single (video below), and a song about taking personal ownership of how we interact and treat people in todays’ world. “What does the time ripple of an insult or an outburst of anger do to a person?” asks Sims. “’Blood On My Hands’ is a celebration of our differences, but at the same time a warning to one’s self about what our personal actions need to look like.”
Listeners will also find a new classic rock leaning side of the band on songs such as the pedal-steel laced “Devil’s Footsteps”, which showcases a mellower side of their songwriting. “It deals with the loss of innocence. A time forgotten. Something you look back on and long for,” says Sims. “For me, it also touches on the vicious cycle of addiction and the internal battle not to follow in the devil's footsteps.” All of the songs on The Record weave stories that meld together to create an intense musical mixture of hard rock riffs, rootsy rhythms, and soaring melodic vocals.
After three full-length albums, a couple of EPs, and some serious time crammed into a van/RV touring the country and playing with such bands as Disturbed, Black Label Society, Damageplan, Sevendust, Shinedown, and Nonpoint to name a few, The Record finds Rubikon in a more experimental place, but the constant elements remain the same: five friends who love making music together, playing for their fans, and having a great time doing it.
As singer Sims notes, “Rock n' roll never dies. We want to restore a little organic humanity back into music. No frills, just rock. No genres, just good songs.”
Tracklisting:
"Broken Hearts"
"The Gun"
"Blood On My Hands"
"Graves"
"Devil’s Footsteps"
"Lost September"
"Burn Down The Farm"
"The Record"
"Under The Stone"
"Money"
"Fools"
CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer has released a compelling, high-energy music video for "Hype", the raucous, heavy, second single from his sophomore solo album, "Rise". The song and video speak directly to life in our current culture.
"'Hype' reflects the over-stimulation, endless information and clever deception that we are bombarded with in today's society," explained Keifer. "Computers, devices, Internet, news, social media, politics, television…all coming at us from every angle around the clock. It's becoming harder and harder to separate reality from illusion. The song and video mirror the world of overload we are all living in and its exhaustive effect. Not all aspects of the information age are bad or even new, for that matter, but the sum of it all, amplified though today's technology, at times can really make us feel like… 'All in overload about to blow the height of a new low - Scream like hell drown out all this hype.'"
The Vicente Cordero-directed video for "Hype" — written by Tom Keifer and Savannah Keifer — can now be viewed below.
In touring news, Keifer and #keiferband (Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Kendra Chantelle, Jarred Pope, Kory Myers) will continue the "Rise" tour throughout 2020, bringing their potent, high-energy show to a city near you.
"Rise" was released in September via Cleopatra Records. Produced by Tom, Savannah and Kyle O'Connor, the disc scales renewed sonic heights. From the tasty slide work that stamps "Touching The Divine", the nontraditionally arranged, heavy, dark jam of "Untitled", the breakneck thrust of "All Amped Up" to the tender coda of "You Believe In Me", "Rise" signifies the ongoing evolution of the CINDERELLA frontman as a person, songwriter, and bandleader. It's the aural portrait of an artist who, to borrow a phrase, is still climbing
"When this band came together, we all felt a bit like broken souls, each with our own unique story," Tom explained. "If you ask anyone in the band, they would all say this band came along at just the right time. Every human who walks this planet faces challenges and extreme adversity they have to overcome. As a band, we feel fortunate to be able to face those things together. There is a piece of every band member in the 'The Death Of Me' as well as throughout the entire 'Rise' album."
The common thread to each song on "Rise" is the intuitive interplay between each member of #keiferband, a tight but loose collective that's spent the last six-plus years on the road honing their live craft together in support of Keifer's critically acclaimed 2013 solo debut, "The Way Life Goes". "Rise" is the studio-bred equivalent of a band just now realizing the full scope of its powers.
"We were trying to capture the feeling of what people have witnessed live with this band," Keifer explained. "There's an off-the-rails, real live feel to 'Rise' — and that's what we were going for. It shows a real kind of angst and reckless abandon that we tried not to polish too much. And when we pull it back on the ballads, it's more about the emotion, the soul, and making people feel something in a different way."
"To me, the perfect rock and roll record is perfectly fucked up," Keifer said with a hearty laugh. "You try to make each record interesting and different. I don't ever want to make the same record twice, even though there's a common thread between them. Everything doesn't have to be perfectly in place, but there is a balance you try to strike. Sometimes there may be something about it that's technically not 'right,' but there's a vibe, an energy and an attitude to it that I always try to preserve."
Warning: This isn't your father's thrash metal. Epicenter is a modern thrash metal band that is taking a slightly different approach to the game. They're based out of Southern New Hampshire and have become a dominant force in the metal community. They like to take the familiar thrash metal sound and inject flavors of jazz, funk, hardcore, prog and more.
Check out the band's video for the new single, "Counterweight", below:
Epicenter has already toured the US and played countless shows, but they're not stopping now. Check out their upcoming dates here.
Epicenter lineup:
Michael Lentine - Vocals
Jared Towne - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Ryan Burke - Guitar, Vocals
Peter DeChellis - Drums
Steve Foley - Bass, Backing Vocals
UK death metal powerhouse, Viscera, have premiered a music video for their new song "Immersed In Ire". The track is from the group's forthcoming debut album, Obsidian, which will see a March 6 release via Unique Leader. Watch the clip below.
Obsidian sees the band, which features a veteran lineup that includes ex - Sylosis and Heart Of A Coward vocalist Jamie Graham as well as former members of Martyr Defiled and Abhorrent Decimation, immediately establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in extreme metal. The nine track effort showcases all of the fearless brutality, thrilling technicality, and song writing maturity that one would expect from musicians of their pedigree.
The album was mixed and mastered by Michael Leo Valeri (Brand of Sacrifice) with artwork being provided by Shindy Reehal (Ingested, Harbinger).
Two leaders of hardcore industrial music, Tim Skold (ex-Marilyn Manson, Shotgun Messiah) and Nero Bellum (Psyclon Nine), combine forces on this debut album for their brand new project, Not My God! The pair are no strangers to working together, having both served as live band members for the other’s projects - Skold as the guitarist for Psyclon Nine and Bellum as the keyboardist for Skold.
However, Not My God marks their first artistic collaboration, writing and recording together on a studio album. The self-titled release features 13 all new compositions and while some might brand this release as industrial, Skold and Bellum have crafted a majestic new take on electronic music that showcases experimentation while perverting pop sensibilities.
The duo also teamed with renowned video director, Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films, for a video for the lead-off single “Fiction”, which can be seen below.
Not My God will be available on digital platforms everywhere as well as on digipak CD and a very limited (only 300 made) 2LP clear vinyl pressing via Cleopatra Records starting February 14. Order here.
Progressive sludge metal outfit, Hyborian, will release their sophomore effort, aptly titled Volume II, on March 20. A music video for the second single, "Expanse", can be seen below:
The conceptual record picks up where their debut record left off and is accompanied by a 224-page sci-fi novel, The Traveller, which was penned entirely by Hyborian guitarist/vocalist Martin Bush.
A summary of the book is as follows: "The universe is filled with beginnings. Life springs anew in a constant cycle of birth and rebirth, billions upon billions of beginnings, intrinsically linked, each influencing the beginnings that will come after. Every ending is in and of itself a new beginning; what once was, by the very act of ending, becomes the beginning of what is to follow. This particular beginning begins at the end; the end of everything. The universe is dying. It is in the final stages of passing out of existence, which is a beginning as well, the beginning of what comes after. The cycle continues, cascading in an unending series of births and deaths, all linked, each one shaped by the beginnings that preceded it.
"The universe is dying, but it will begin again."
To celebrate the release, Hyborian will be performing an album release show on March 20 at The Riot Room in their hometown of Kansas City, MO, in which they will be supported by label-mates The Lion's Daughter. The event will be sponsored by 98.9 FM.
CrashDïet have released a music video for "Crazy", a track from their latest album, Rust. Order the album here, and watch the video below.
Rust is the band's first studio album in six years and is the follow-up to the 2013 effort, The Savage Playground. It also signifies the first album to feature the band's newest member, vocalist Gabriel Keyes, who joined the band in 2017.
Rust was produced by Martin Sweet (apart from two tracks produced by Eric Bazilian and Chris Laney) and mixed by Chris Laney, who previously worked with CrashDïet on their 2005 critically acclaimed debut, Rest In Sleaze.
Album artwork by Christel Mentges.
Tracklisting:
"Rust"
"Into The Wild"
"Idiots"
"In The Maze"
"We Are The Legion"
"Crazy"
"Parasite"
"Waiting For Your Love"
"Reptile"
"Stop Weirding Me Out"
"Filth & Flowers"
Los Angeles-based industrial / hard rock outfit Davey Suicide's thunderous new album Rock Aint Dead was released last Friday (January 24, 2020) via Out Of Line Music / InGrooves along with a brand new music video for the single "Animal" featuring guest vocals from Gustav Wood (Young Guns).
Featuring 13 tracks of their signature blend of arena rock, sleaze, and industrial music with a theatrical edge, Rock Aint Dead was mixed and produced by Charles Kallaghan Massabo (Falling In Reverse) while being mastered by Shawn McGhee (Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Hellyeah). The album includes guest appearances from Telle Smith (The Word Alive), Hyro The Hero and Lexus Amanda (Blacklisted Me).
Davey Suicide were recently seen touring across the West Coast on a mostly sold-out jaunt with Static-X and Wednesday 13 in December and previously have appeared across North America and The UK with acts including Combichrist, Twiztid, Wednesday 13, Doyle and Saliva; in addition to festival performances at Rocklahoma, Shiprocked and many more. Stay tuned for additional appearances to be announced in the coming weeks.
German epic metal pioneers, Equilibrium, performed at Summer Breeze 2019 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany on August 17. WDR Rockpalast has released professionally-filmed footage of the band's full performance. Watch below.
Setlist:
"Prey"
"Born To Be Epic"
"Waldschrein"
"Karawane"
"Heimat"
"Renegades - A Lost Generation"
"Rise Again"
"Heimat"
"Johnny B" (The Hooters cover)
"Blut Im Auge"
"Apokalypse"
A Life Divided have released a video for "Confronted", a song from their upcoming new album, Echoes, out on January 31 via AFM Records. Watch the clip below, and pre-order the album here.
Tracklisting:
"Hello Emptiness"
"Dry Your Eyes"
"Addicted"
"Confronted"
"Enemy"
"Rock ’N’ Roll Star"
"Far"
"Anybody Out There"
"Push"
"Servant"
"The Ordinary"
"Circles"
"Forevermore" (Digipak Bonus)
Vocalist Robin McAuley (MCAULEY SCHENKER GROUP), guitarist Reb Beach (WINGER, WHITESNAKE), bassist Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, THE END MACHINE, ex-DOKKEN), and drummer Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR. BIG) have joined forces in BLACK SWAN, a new band project signed to Frontiers Music Srl. Their debut album, "Shake The World", is a delightful romp of powerful hard rock that is not simply the sum of its parts, but a powerful rock and roll machine. It will be released on February 14 on CD, LP and digital formats.
The official music video for the second single from "Shake The World", a track called "Big Disaster", can be seen below.
The genesis of BLACK SWAN was sparked by a conversation between Pilson and Frontiers president and head of A&R, Serafino Perugino, who wanted a project that would not only showcase McAuley's vocal prowess, but have a mighty musical backbone to stand skyscraper tall behind him. Thus, the initial seeds were planted and Pilson ran with it from there. "Shake The World" was tracked at Pilson's home studio in Los Angeles and is a showcase of both the musical talents of the instrumental players in the band as well as McAuley's powerful voice. The four members got BLACK SWAN off the ground by exchanging ideas back and forth and then bringing all the songs together. The final result is something fresh, very heavy, but still intensely melodic and it's certainly not DOKKEN, nor WINGER, nor MSG, or some combination thereof, but its own unique animal. As an example, one of the songs was written by Pilson right after seeing the QUEEN movie "Bohemian Rhapsody". "I came home and I sat down at the grand piano and pretty much wrote exactly the chorus that we have, just coming straight [from] the movie. It is a bit QUEEN-like."
Continues Pilson, "It's amazing, incredible music. Wait until you hear everybody's playing and singing. It's beyond — way beyond."
Adds McAuley, "This is really exciting for me to read: BLACK SWAN announces the release of 'Shake The World', the first offering from the band on the Frontiers label.' I've known Jeff for some thirty years and we have a history of performing together on MSG 'Unplugged', in addition to being great friends, musically and socially. When he asked me to do this and collaborate with Reb, I didn't have to think too long with my response. Initially he wasn't going to play bass on this, but Reb and myself soon changed his mind, lol!!! Bringing Matt into the mix was a great decision. His powerful energy and style is unmistakable on this album. Overall, it is a very powerful blend of styles and writing. Reb is truly an amazing guitarist and songwriter. Jeff captured my vocals the way I like to sound. Probably the best vocal sound I've had... ever!!!! Such a great and creative studio experience for me. This is kick-ass, powerful music on an album full of great songs. If you love strong melodies and BIG choruses, BLACK SWAN won't disappoint!! It's time… 'SHAKE THE WORLD'!!!"
Beach says: "When Jeff approached me to do this, I was so excited because I loved writing 'Erase The Slate' with him for DOKKEN. I also played in the band with Jeff for four years, and we worked so well together, writing and live too. He is as good as it gets when it comes to a rock musician, a great songwriter and an absolute joy to work with. I came in with riffs, Jeff arranged them into a song by adding his own parts, and then Robin wrote the lyrics, and knocked it out of the park with the vocals. I am pretty particular about singers, and Robin's voice is so slammin' that I wouldn't want anyone else. Matt came in with his huge drum sound, and we had a great sounding band. Very exciting stuff!!"
The second video from LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton's new solo EP — a cover of the PEARL JAM hit "Black" featuring vocalist Mark Morales — can be seen below.
"The early '90s were such an important and vibrant time for rock music in general, and I feel like 'Black' is one of the great songs from that era," Morton says. "Our approach in covering it was to present a super stripped-down version, sticking the essence of the song. It's got a very lonely feel to it and Mark Morales delivered an absolutely incredible vocal performance."
"Ether", Morton's second solo offering, was released this month via Rise Records. The primarily acoustic EP is comprised of three original tracks and two covers that showcase Morton's diversity as a musician.
As with Morton's solo debut, "Anesthetic", released last year, 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 Morales. The EP is made up of three original songs and two covers that once again showcase Morton's diversity as a musician.
Said Morton: "Once again, I've had the great pleasure of working with some amazingly talented artists and friends to assemble this collection of tunes, all of which feature a strong acoustic guitar component. Inspired by the acoustic sets I had the opportunity to perform last spring and summer in support of 'Anesthetic', I began writing some new songs to reflect that more mellow vibe."
"Ether" track listing:
01. All I Had To Lose (featuring Mark Morales)
02. The Fight (featuring John Carbone)
03. She Talks To Angels (featuring Lzzy Hale)
04. Love My Enemy (featuring Howard Jones)
05. Black (featuring Mark Morales)
"Ether" was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM).
Morton recently wrapped a handful of intimate acoustic shows in the U.K. as a three-piece with Morales and guitarist Joe Harvatt.
Industrial rockers STABBING WESTWARD have released the official music video for "Cold", from their first collection of new music since 2001. The "Dead & Gone" EP was made available on January 3 and it contains three brand new songs ("Dead & Gone", "Cold" and "Crawl") and two remixes ("Dead & Gone" and "Crawl").
STABBING WESTWARD released an EP in 1992, followed by four studio albums between 1994 and 2001. The band achieved its first certified gold albums with both 1996's "Wither Blister Burn & Peel" and 1998's "Darkest Days". After STABBING WESTWARD disbanded in 2002, frontman Christopher Hall formed THE DREAMING, with whom he recorded three albums. Hall and keyboardist Walter Flakus reformed STABBING WESTWARD in 2016 to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, and they have continued to perform.
in 2016, STABBING WESTWARD released a re-recorded version of the song "Plastic Jesus" on the "Cold Waves V" compilation. Another track called "Home in You", which was originally written for the band's 2001 self-titled album, was made available in 2017 via the "Cold Waves VI" compilation.
STABBING WESTWARD's current lineup includes Hall, Flakus, THE DREAMING's Carlton Bost on bass, and former ORGY drummer Bobby Amaro.
In a new interview with Regen Magazine, Hall stated about the "Dead & Gone" EP: "This is the first time since the early days of the band that Walter and I were able to write together without any outside influence. When we worked on THE DREAMING material, I know Walter was aware he was stepping into a preexisting project and he felt inclined to fit into the vibe of the band. It was a much different writing experience than starting from scratch on all new material knowing it's going to be a STABBING WESTWARD album. So, while 'Rise Again' was the first step to rebuilding STABBING WESTWARD, it was still THE DREAMING. The one song that came out of that album as a fairly pure STABBING WESTWARD song was 'Alone'. It was Walter's music and my vocals, just like the old days.
"When we started writing these new songs, we realized that we had a lot of ghosts to deal with first. There were many conversations about what exactly constitutes a STABBING WESTWARD record. What would fans expect from us? Which version of STABBING do we draw from? 'Ungod'? 'Darkest Days'? I know a lot of fans were nervous it would be even more pop than the self-titled. All the old pressures and insecurities of being on a major label and fighting for a spot on alternative radio were still lurking in the closet. All those things had become part of our subconscious writing process.
"I think one of the biggest hurdles for us was realizing how free we were and then learning to let go of all that baggage. We had this rare opportunity to make music purely for us. I know that sounds easy, but it was actually pretty fucking challenging. In the end, we both just looked back on what music inspired us to do this in the first place; forget all the twists and turns and detours fate had dealt us, and try to remember all the way back to the very beginning — two guys who loved early WaxTrax! industrial music and figure out how we could recapture that love and still be us."
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