The official music video for the song "Ögoblick Av Nåd" from Swedish melodic death/doom metallers OCTOBER TIDE, featuring ex-KATATONIA members Fredrik and Mattias Norrman, can be seen below. The track is taken from OCTOBER TIDE's sixth studio album, "In Splendor Below", which will be released on May 17 via Agonia Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Winged Waltz" was mixed and mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén at Tri-Lamd studios (BLOODBATH, KATATONIA, BREACH, CRAFT). It was produced by Alexander Backlund from Nailvillage Studio (THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT, LETTERS FROM COLONY) and OCTOBER TIDE. Tomarum av Christine Linde created the cover artwork.
With a history tracing back to the epicenter of melodic death metal in Sweden, OCTOBER TIDE has come a long way and has generated a spark that is strongly felt in the energy of the scene. "In Splendor Below" is the latest addition to the band's vibrant discography of guitar-driven, emotive death/doom metal art. It packs some of the most authentic and unique compositions from the capable hands of founding member and longtime KATATONIA guitarist Fredrik Norrman, his brother and guitarist Mattias Norrman (ex-KATATONIA), vocalist Alexander Högbom (DEMONICAL), bassist Johan Jönsegård (LETTERS FROM THE COLONY) and drummer Jonas Sköld (LETTERS FROM THE COLONY, THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT). While Fredrik prefers for the music to speak for itself, he finds the new album "a bit more aggressive, a bit more death metal, and with an overall colder feeling than previous records."
The band is planning a tour in support of the new album in November and December of 2019. In the meantime, they will perform at In The Grip Of Winter Festival (NL), Exit Festival (SRB) and MetalDays Festival (SI).
The official music video for the song "King Of Fools" from HEAVY AS TEXAS, the aggressive metal project featuring acclaimed guitarist Marzi Montazeri and vocalist Kyle Thomas — otherwise recognized as members of Louisiana-based metal pioneers EXHORDER — can be seen below. The track is taken from HEAVY AS TEXAS's self-titled album, which was released on April 19 via Crunchy Western Records.
Montazeri says about the track: "In 'King Of Fools', we find the reigning despot accompanied by mirth and sensuality even though his march finds him in the complete wreckage of his metaphorical kingdom. His once powerful domain is now a crumbling shadow, his rule now over no one but his diminished acolytes. Truly, he is a King of Fools as he fades away from us to face the inevitable nothingness of his being."
Adds Thomas: "Although I always feel lyrical meaning is subjective, we all fear being taken advantage of and made to look like a fool. This song captures the insecurity of what it's like to be greatly valued or admired in public, but thieves and detractors have their way behind the scenes. Sometimes only his queen can make the king feel safe."
For the album, HEAVY AS TEXAS tapped renowned drummer Anup Sastry (Marty Friedman, Jeff Loomis, SKYHARBOR) and notable engineer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Collier (KORN, PRONG, WINDS OF PLAGUE) on bass. Currently, the Houston, Texas-based band's lineup is rounded out by full time members Lenwood Sonnier on bass, and James Goetz on drums.
The HEAVY AS TEXAS album was produced by Montazeri, with mix and mastering duties by Collier.
Montazeri says: "I started this project simply because I wanted to perform new music but wasn't able to sing and play complex rhythms at the same time. So I thought, I'll stick to my strengths — the guitar and writing songs! I brought in a vocalist that would fit it perfectly — the one and only Kyle Thomas! As soon as Kyle joined, everything musically fell into place."
Heavy metal fans may also recognize Montazeri for his contributions to various projects featuring Philip Anselmo throughout the years, as well as his performances with the annual "Randy Rhoads Remembered" events at NAMM. Vocalist Kyle Thomas is also recognized for his time with TROUBLE and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY.
ALICE IN CHAINS' new Peter Darley Miller-directed video for the title track of the band's latest album, "Rainier Fog", can be seen below.
"In a world where things are becoming increasingly serious, with 'Rainier Fog' we have continued our long tradition of making asses out of ourselves in videos," says drummer Sean Kinney. "So for all of you that were raised bottle-fed, this one is for you. Mission accomplished."
"We had a great time working with Peter Darley Miller again," says vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell. "We made 'AIC 23' in 2013 with him, which was amazing. We had a blast making the 'Rainier Fog' music video, which continues the northwest theme of the record. We hope you enjoy it and have a laugh."
"The band's maternal instincts were spot on," says Miller. "It was a kind and loving environment. I felt special."
Miller's "AIC 23" followed 2009's tongue-in-cheek "Black Gives Way To Blue" EPK and the legendary "Nona Tapes".
On May 20, ALICE IN CHAINS will launch an international headlining tour that will take them to Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, London, the Netherlands, Paris, Brussels, Luxembourg, Zurich, Prague, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Russia and Greece. They'll return Stateside in time for the summer's hottest tour, a co-headlining run with KORN that kicks off July 18 in Austin, Texas. The band has also announced that it will perform a special hometown show to close out the "Rainier Fog" album cycle on Friday, September 20 at the WaMu Theater with special guests CITY AND COLOUR.
British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have released a professionally filmed video of the band performing the song "Flight Of Icarus" live on their ongoing "Legacy Of The Beast" tour. Check it out below.
MAIDEN's 2019 North, South and Central America tour comprises 44 shows in six countries, which, combined with the band's 2018 European dates, means that by the end of this tour, the group will have taken the "Legacy Of The Beast" show to over one and three quarter of a million fans around the globe.
The band's triumphant first leg of the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour opened in Europe last year to outstanding critical acclaim, not just by the 750,000-plus fans who came to see the show but right across national press and rock media, including The Times (UK) newspaper calling it "an extraordinary show filled with world class theatrics… a masterclass in performance and staging."
IRON MAIDEN opened its concerts on the trek with "Aces High" and continued with "Where Eagles Dare". Other notable tracks aired during the set included the Blaze Bayley-era classics "The Clansman" and "Sign Of The Cross", as well as three additional songs that were performed for the first time in years: "For The Greater Good Of God", "The Wicker Man" and "Flight Of Icarus".
The concept for the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour was inspired by MAIDEN's mobile game and comic book of the same name and the stage set design featured a number of different but interlocking "worlds" with a setlist covering a large selection of 1980s material with a handful of surprises from later albums to add diversity.
"The Ritual" is the latest offering from Polish melodeath outfit Vane. This video fills in one of many gaps in the story from the band's acclaimed 2018 Black Vengeance album - here we find out what happened to the courtesan from the track "Spilling Guts" after she betrayed the protagonist of the story. Her reward turned out to be quite grim; as she was sacrificed to the Voodoo spirits in a carefully depicted ritual. Lush production value and a careful attention to authentic period aesthetics means that this video rivals anything you've seen on the big screen.
"In the video for 'The Ritual' we wanted to focus on the storytelling aspect of what Vane is about," says the band. "There is a story behind every song we've made so far, and this time it's a fairly interesting one, as for the first time we delve into the realms of voodoo magic. The darkness and grit set the mood for the whole video, as you watch the story unveil itself highlighting certain parts of the lyrics and explaining their meaning, by visualizing the poetic layers of the song."
With "The Ritual", Vane delivers an undeniably brutal track with musical nods to Decapitated, Lamb Of God and In Flames, alongside powerful vocals and thematic content that mixes the best of melodic death metal....with pirates!
"Tethered", the new video from ARCH/MATHEOS, the project featuring founding FATES WARNING members John Arch (vocals) and Jim Matheos (guitar), can be seen below. The song is taken from ARCH/MATHEOS's second album, "Winter Ethereal", which is being released today (Friday, May 10) via Metal Blade Records.
In progressive metal circles, the names of Jim Matheos and John Arch are spoken with due reverence. With the former having been a driving force in FATES WARNING for 35 years, and the latter the original frontman of that band, they also have a single seminal work under the ARCH/MATHEOS banner, 2011's "Sympathetic Resonance". In 2019, they have reunited to follow that record up with "Winter Ethereal", a more stylistically varied and perhaps deeper collection that explores a lot of sonic territory over the course of nine immersive tracks. "This stems from both of us trying to step out of our comfort zones a bit, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes being pushed," states Matheos. "Having worked together so many times, it would be easy to fall into the same way of doing things, and I think we were both interested in exploring some new areas." Arch concurs and adds: "Each song is notably different from the next, and nothing sounds repetitive. It is not a concept album, but somehow after a full listen from start to finish, there does seem to be continuity between the songs that I can't describe. At over an hour long, I think the fans will agree that it is a full listening experience."
Upon completion of "Sympathetic Resonance", the duo neither declared it a one-off work nor planned on making a follow-up, and rather than force anything, they waited for the right timing to present itself, opening the door for a sophomore release. Having commenced writing for the record in the spring of 2017, nothing included was at any point destined for a FATES WARNING record, and everything was penned specifically for ARCH/MATHEOS. This contributes to the record's distinctive feel, and had it not come so naturally, there would be no "Winter Ethereal".
"The way we work together is no pressure, no deadline, at least until we get close to recording," says Matheos. "We allow ourselves a lot of time and flexibility to see if we even have anything to say. That's first and foremost. We start by writing, and if things start shaping up and we're excited and inspired, we keep going until we're confident that we'll be able to do a whole record."
Rather than reform the full lineup of the first record — made up entirely of FATES WARNING members — this time around, the duo favored mixing things up with a variety of contributing musicians.
"We decided that it would be a good idea to use a different lineup and hopefully avoid a lot of the confusion created around the first record," Matheos says. "At the same time, we didn't want to give the impression that we were forming a new 'band' that would be touring/recording beyond this current record. With that in mind, I thought it might be an interesting idea to have a few different rhythm sections across the record, to give things a different feel and sound under the familiar top layer of vocals and guitars by John and I."
This lineup comprises both present and former FATES WARNING drummers and bassists — Joey Vera, Bobby Jarzombek, Joe Dibiase and Mark Zonder — plus other noted musicians, such as Steve DiGiorgio (DEATH, TESTAMENT), CYNIC's Sean Malone, and renowned drummer Thomas Lang.
While not a concept album, Arch asserts that "anyone who takes the time to read the lyrics will probably connect with a recurring theme touching on the mysterious weight or flight of human emotion that leaves us with more questions than answers." In the context of the title, rather than referring to the season, "Winter" was chosen for having "certain connotations sometimes associated with it, such as isolation, a withering to rebirth", and with "Ethereal" meaning "not of this world, or otherworldly", there came a "meaningful marriage between the two words that best summed up the theme of the album". For the most part, Arch's lyrics come as a reaction to the music Matheos presents him with, letting the thoughts and feelings evoked dictate the direction. Enjoying listeners making their own interpretation of his lyrics, he typically does not go into detail about specific tracks, but as an example of the direction he was drawn, he references "Pitch Black Prism" and the many influences that went into shaping it.
"The impetus for this song started with seeing images of dolls left behind at the schools and homes near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster," he says. "Many weeks of research into the personal accounts and survivors' testimonies led me deeper into curiosity. I was halfway into the song when I stumbled across a documentary called 'The Russian Woodpecker', which inspired a larger twist on the direction of meaning. However, it wasn't until I saw a post from a Chernobyl survivor named Yuri, who was one of the musicians employed by the Russian government sent with his bandmates and a ballet dancer into the heart of the disaster to entertain the dying, that the song became complete."
Making the most of contemporary technology, almost all collaborators tracked their parts in their respective home studios, while guitars and vocals were laid down at Matheos's studio, with him handling the production. Working this way was conducive to creativity and a process that was most agreeable to both Arch and Matheos.
"For me, having the freedom and drive to work in isolation is one of the things I like best about recording," says Matheos. "It allows me to experiment, and often fail, without feeling inhibited or constrained. That said, John offered a lot of encouragement, whether remotely or in person, and pushed me into directions I wouldn't normally go."
Matheos was similarly supportive when it came to Arch laying down his parts. "I really enjoy the studio situation, mainly because it feels like home," the vocalist states. "It is a low-key relaxing environment, Jim is behind the console, and I'm behind the mic, and no one is pushing anyone. Whatever creative differences we have, we work out with compromise. I appreciate Jim's patience while I'm tracking vocals because it can be brutal at times. It's also cool because I get a front row seat watching Jim track his guitars, sometimes late into the night till we both run out of gas. We are longtime friends, and a couple shots and laughs at the end of a long day make for some good memories."
One thing is certain, with "Winter Ethereal", fans of ARCH/MATHEOS will feel that the long wait endured for new music has been worth it. The natural manner in which it all came together makes it all the more special.
"Sometimes after being away from something for a while and having life experiences to draw from, you feel you have something to say or offer. Music has always been the best medium for me to express what sometimes words alone cannot, and the timing for this record was just right," Arch asserts. When it comes to the words he would most readily apply to the album, he immediately goes to "unpretentious, emotionally driven, and, sometimes, the hard truth. 'Sympathetic Resonance' had many of these elements, but I think 'Winter Ethereal' does it with more breathing room, giving the listener time for reflection."
Video footage of PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS rehearsing the song "Photographic Taunts" live at Anselmo's Nodferatu's Lair can be seen below. The clip was shot and edited by Mike Holderbeast and was recorded and mastered by Stephen Berrigan.
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS will continue their 2019 worldwide live takeover with a month-long European tour. Set to commence on June 20 and run through July 20, the trek includes appearances at a host of prestigious festival appearances, such as Graspop Metal Meeting, Hellfest, Roskilde and Dynamo. The band's latest journey follows their recent Australian tour with Housecore labelmates KING PARROT.
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS — now featuring Anselmo with guitarists Stephen Taylor (SUPERJOINT) and Mike DeLeon (FLESH HORDER, BEING KILLED), drummer José Manuel "Blue" Gonzalez (SUPERJOINT, WARBEAST) and newest recruit Derek Engemann (SCOUR, ex-CATTLE DECAPITATION) — released the critically acclaimed "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" full-length last year via Anselmo's own Housecore Records. The disc was the follow-up to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' debut, "Walk Through Exits Only", which came out in 2013 to mostly positive reviews.
Speaking about the lyrical themes covered on "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue", Anselmo told Desde El Underground TV: "I take [mental illness] really seriously. I mean, look no further than what happened to my guitar player from PANTERA for me to be very, very concerned with mental illness. So I would say for people to talk to each other, love each other and put love first. And if you put love first, things normally work out. It can't happen every time, but, hey, man… You've gotta stay tight."
Anselmo went on to say that he is not immune to the effects of mental illness. "I guess being injured — my entire career being plagued with injuries — it ends up fucking with the brain a little bit," he explained. "And there's so many different levels to it. Sometimes you can just wake up and it's [snaps fingers] like that. Sometimes it'll take a small thing to put you over and you're in a dark place. But, for me, I think, with the band I have, the good guys I have and the love that they show me, back and forth, the friendship that we have, it helps a great deal. Plus writing the music and getting to perform the stuff, it helps a lot with coping, man, and just dealing with stuff."
He added: "I always say, as a person, just like everybody else… Human beings are one step away from disaster, no matter what, so it's kind of up to the rest of us to watch each other's backs, help each other up when we're down and just make sure we don't take that one step too far."
On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.
BLACK EARTH — the project featuring former and current members of ARCH ENEMY performing material from the latter band's first three albums live on stage — recently released "Path Of The Immortal", a collection of remastered tracks from those early LPs. The disc, which was made available exclusively in Japan on March 20, includes two brand new songs, "Burn On The Flame" and "Life Infernal", which were recorded at the end of 2018 at Sweden's Studio Fredman with producer Fredrik Nordström. You can now watch the official Kazuaki Kimura-directed music video for "Burn On The Flame" below.
"Path Of The Immortal" track listing:
01. Burn On The Flame (new song)
02. The Immortal
03. Dead Inside
04. Bury Me An Angel
05. Stigmata
06. Sinister Mephisto
07. Demoniality
08. Transmigration Macabre
09. Angelclaw
10. Bridge Of Destiny
11. Life Infernal (new song)
12. Beast Of Man
13. Dark Insanity
14. Diva Satanica
15. Pilgrim
16. Black Earth
17. Silverwing
18. Time Capsule
19. Fields Of Desolation '99
Speaking to Japan's "Masa Ito's Rock TV" in February, ARCH ENEMY guitarist and main songwriter Michael Amott explained how the new music came about. "Together with Trooper Entertainment, we've put together a compilation of our favorite tracks from the first, second and third album that featured these guys — with Johan [Liiva on vocals] and Chris [Amott on guitar] and everything," he said. "And we've put together a compilation album of that '90s material. It's been remastered here in Japan. I actually attended the mastering session last week, and it sounds incredible. It really brought the old tracks… it gave them a new life. And then we actually recorded two new songs in Sweden. So we've been quite busy with that."
He continued: "It's quite complicated getting everybody together to do that. But we wrote these two new songs. I wrote one with Chris, and then I wrote one myself. They're called 'Burn On The Flame' and 'Life Infernal' — two brand new tracks that are kind of in the style of what we used to do, I think. And they turned out really amazing too. We actually went back to Fredrik Nordström's studio, Fredman, where we made the first three records. So we worked with the original producer. And he mixed it, and it sounds really powerful — very cool."
According to Michael, the BLACK EARTH recording sessions turned out to be a "very, very strange" experience, "because we just picked it up where we left off. After about an hour or so, we were doing the same kind of jokes and the same kind of chemistry," he explained. "And the sounds as well. I was thinking maybe it was gonna sound very different. Also because of us — we all progress and change over the years, and develop. And also Fredrik, of course. He had a new studio now, with some different equipment. But actually, he just managed to get that old-school sound. And it was a lot of fun. Kind of a little bit nostalgia."
ARCH ENEMY recorded three albums with Liiva: "Black Earth" (1996), "Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999).
Liiva was replaced by German singer Angela Gossow as ARCH ENEMY's lead vocalist in 2000. Gossow exited the band in 2013 and was succeeded by former THE AGONIST frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, while remaining as the group's manager.
Christopher Amott first left ARCH ENEMY in 2005, only to return to the group two years later. His second, and apparently final, departure came in March 2012.
BLACK EARTH completed its first Japanese tour in May 2016 and will return this coming May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Burning Bridges".
"When we did the tour in 2016, the reaction was incredible — we had so many sold-out shows, and [we got] very, very strong feedback and a lot of love from the Japanese audience," Michael told "Masa Ito's Rock TV". "So that was really an incredible time for us and a wonderful experience — one of the highlights of my career, I think. So we decided to come back and do it again three years later. And now we're doing it in more cities. So we're looking forward to visiting these places and bringing the music to the fans that normally maybe could not travel to Tokyo or to Osaka to see a show."
Mighty Music recently signed Danish symphonic metal act Ethereal Kingdoms. BraveWords is premiering the debut video and single for “Heartchamber”.
“Heartchamber” tells the story of a broken connection between two people, however when we have forged a bond to someone, it doesn’t break just that easily. It grows inside our chests, and we may remain in each other’s hearts for ages - sometimes for better, but often for worse. Like lost ghosts, we walk inside the chambers of each other’s hearts, even if we are the cause of each other’s misery. Despite the bond being broken, the connection is still strong through the pain and heartbreak that inevitably follows in the trail of romance. We bleed because we loved. Somehow, it is beautiful in all its destructive glory. A beautifully bittersweet glistening tale of love and loss.
The story draws on connections to the tales told in the band’s 2018 dual singles “Beginnings” and “Endings”, and the voice of the wrongdoer is embodied by Sofia Schmidt’s emotional vocals, featuring award-winning singer-songwriter Amalie Skriver on backing vocals.
“Heartchamber” is taking from their upcoming debut album, due for release this fall.
Lineup:
Sofia Schmidt: Vocal, compositions, arrangements
Christian Rasmussen: Guitar, composition, arrangements
Jakob Holm: Bass
Jon Elmquist: Drums
In a new ad supporting Apple iPhone XS, Megadeth’s classic Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good track “Last Rites / Loved To Death” is used as the soundtrack to the commercial. Check it out:
The ad description reads: “Earth. Shot on iPhone by Camp4 Collective, featuring stunning images of nature from around the world. Don’t mess with Mother.”
Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, who also plays in Altitudes & Attitude with Anthrax bassist Frank Bello, spoke about the progress being made on Megadeth's next studio album, during a recent interview on Detroit radio station 101 WRIF with Meltdown.
During the chat, which can be heard below, Ellefson stated, "We were obviously planning to do the Ozzy / Megadeth tour, and now that that's been pushed back to next year, in a way, probably opens up a perfect window for us to really get in now [and focus on the new album]. All things happen for a reason, so I think on the Megadeth schedule, it's probably maybe good timing, actually, to just go right in, and we're gonna definitely be really hunkering down now to get that going. Because we have some of our own shows in August that have been on the books — there's actually a few more coming in now — there's Rock In Rio, and that's early October, and then there's the MegaCruise."
"As much as we were hoping to have a record out this year, looking at how the Dystopia timeline was where we were working on it early in 2015, we started doing some shows later that year, we put out a heavy track, 'Fatal Illusion', and then the record dropped in early 2016. So, in this case, sometime probably early 2020 is my thought that that's probably when the record will be ready to come out."
In other news, Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has announced the release of Sleeping Giants, a companion LP to be released July 5th on CD / Digital, and August 30th on LP, on Combat Records, in conjunction with his upcoming memoir More Life With Deth, in stores July 16th via Jawbone Press. Co-written with Ellefson’s business partner Thom Hazaert, More Life With Deth is the follow-up to Ellefson’s celebrated My Life With Deth, and delves deeper into the later stages of Ellefson’s career, as well as a thorough exploration of the earliest days of Megadeth and beyond.
Sleeping Giants, featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Altitudes And Attitude, Marc Rizzo, Escape The Fate) , will be a retrospective featuring several new tracks recorded by Ellefson and Hazaert, plus a collection of demos, and unreleased material, from F5 and David’s other projects, including the unreleased demo “If You Were God”, featuring John Bush (Anthrax, Armored Saint), plus several unreleased demos featuring House Of Lords / Giuffria vocalist David Glen Eisley. The CD version will also include a second bonus disc, featuring a compilation of EMP and Combat Records artists.
Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with additional production from Icon guitarist John Aquilino at the Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Sleeping Giants is tentatively set to include a multitude of guests including: legendary MC Daryl “DMC” McDaniels, who shares vocals with Hazaert on the title track, Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Flotsam And Jetsam), Steve Conley (Flotsam And Jetsam, F5), Ethan Brosh, Bumblefoot, Dave Sharpe and Opus Lawrence of Dead By Wednesday, Mark Tremonti, Juan Garcia (Abbatoir, Body Count), Illias Papadakis (Memorain), Dave McClain (Machine Head, Sacred Reich), a remix by Game Of Thrones star Kristian Nairn, and more.
Check out a teaser video of the title track:
Pre-order Sleeping Giants on CD, LP, and in bundle configurations at this location.
Says Hazaert, “David and I were in Tampa for PBX - Playback Independent Music Expo, and had just finished an amazing run of Basstory, where I ended up performing with him, and several of our friends including Bumblefoot, and Dave Sharpe and Opus from Dead By Wednesday. We capped it off with an amazing all-star Basstory jam at the Brass Mug in Tampa with Dirk Verbeuren, Troy Sanders from Mastodon, Jason Bieler of Saigon Kick, Head from Korn, Kyle Sanders from Hellyeah. It was insane. So, we went into a local studio, Mastersound in Tampa, with the Dead By Wednesday guys, and ended up writing and tracking 'Vultures'.”
He adds, “David had all these other amazing instrumental songs, and parts, laying around, that I had always loved, and we just ended up getting a bunch of guests to play on them, polished some of them up, I wrote lyrics, laid down vocals, and the rest is history.”
Says Ellefson, “I love to collaborate and It’s timely and fitting to work up these song ideas with my friends, and get to break out and release some of these great demos and oddities from over the years, the stories behind many of which are told in the book. And to be able to include many of the EMP and Combat artists, I think it really brings another dimension to the stories we’re telling in More Life With Deth.”
Adds Hazaert, “It truly was just writing and making music from the purest place of writing and making music… like, buddies in the garage jamming on songs. And while everyone knows him as a bassist, David is such an incredible guitar player, and songwriter, and I love that we can finally showcase that. And to have a bunch of our friends who are IN the book play on it, and for me and David to collaborate the way we did. I think it’s really special. And, at first, we really didn’t know what to do with it, or if we would even do anything with it, for that matter. We’d discussed the idea of releasing the new tracks as singles, then an EP, and then we came up with the idea to create a sort of “island of misfit toys”b-sides, with all this killer stuff David had been involved with over the years, and it really all just kinda fell into place.”
Tentative Tracklisting:
"Vultures"
"Sleeping Giants" (ft. DMC)
"Hammer Comes Down"
"Vultures" (Kristian Nairn Remix)
"If You Were God" (ft. John Bush)
"Deadman Rise"
"I Fall"
"Bleeding"
"Why Can’t We Die"
"Dying on The Vine"
"Faded"
"Undeniable"
"Feel Your Pain"
"Out In The Rain" (ft. David Glen Eisley)
"Voices" (ft. David Glen Eisley)
The official music video for "Sour Days" from the Swedish skate-punk band MILLENCOLIN can be seen below. The track is taken from the group's ninth studio album, "SOS", which was released on February 15 via Epitaph. The follow-up to 2015's "True Brew" was recorded at the group's own Soundlab Studios in Örebro, Sweden and was mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. It was produced by vocalist/bassist Nikola Sarcevic and guitarist Mathias Färm, with all artwork and photography created by Ohlsson.
Says Sarcevic: "We're a band truly formed from respect and understanding for each other and our passion for rock music. If you ask us, this is the best job in the world."
"SOS" track listing:
01. SOS
02. For Yesterday
03. Nothing
04. Sour Days
05. Yanny & Laurel
06. Reach You
07. Do You Want War
08. Trumpets & Poutine
09. Let It Be
10. Dramatic Planet
11. Caveman's Land
12. Carry On
MILLENCOLIN will embark on an extensive European tour this spring, with stops lined up in Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy during April. They've also confirmed an appearance at Slam Dunk in the U.K.
There's a moment each night on DISTURBED's current arena tour when the music stops and lead vocalist David Draiman calls for the house lights to be turned up. He looks out at the packed-house crowd and asks, "By a show of hands, how many of you have dealt with the demons of addiction or depression or know of someone who has?"
Night after night, the result is the same: the majority of those in attendance — including the four bandmembers standing on stage — raise their hands.
It's an incredibly powerful moment as the band and audience bond over the heartfelt message that follows: "Take a look around this arena," Draiman tells the emotional crowd. "You are not alone. Being taken by addiction and depression is no one's fault. It's not something for you to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. We're in this together."
That's the driving point behind the inspirational new video for DISTURBED's No. 1 rock radio hit, "A Reason To Fight". The video, which was directed by Rafa Alcantara, sees the two-time-Grammy-nominated band (Draiman, guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist John Moyer) working to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with addiction and mental health.
Fans and critics alike have applauded the band's efforts and uplifting live shows, which include giant screens that flash phone numbers for the National Addiction Hotline (800-662-4357) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255).
The band is also inviting fans to join the conversation and show others they're not alone in the fight via the "You Are Not Alone" campaign.
"Through the strength and support of our extended family, we can make a difference to those who fight this war," says Draiman. "We must continue to be their allies, their hope, their added source of strength. We must continue to give all of them a reason to fight."
The video for "A Reason To Fight" features moving testimonials from concert-goers who talk about their own struggles with addiction and/or depression and their appreciation for what the band is trying to achieve.
"I know people who've battled addiction and have seen it in their face — the shame they have — feeling they've let themselves and others down," says Donegan. "We wanted to write a song with a positive message for people in that situation to stay hopeful and not give up the fight, as challenging as it may be. It's an everyday struggle, but there can also be a light at the end of the tunnel."
DISTURBED recently announced a much-anticipated second leg of arena shows set to begin July 21 at the Mankato Civic Center in Mankato, Minnesota. The band is touring in support of new album "Evolution" (Reprise Records), which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, as well as No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Prior to the upcoming North American tour, DISTURBED will head overseas for an international run that kicks off April 18 at La Riviera in Madrid, then travels to Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, France, London, Glasgow and Manchester. They come back home for festival shows in Columbus (Sonic Temple Art & Music Fest) and Oklahoma (Rocklahoma), then back overseas for another slew of dates, including multiple concerts in Russia.
The official music video for a new AS I LAY DYING song called "Redefined" can be seen below. The track features a guest appearance by AUGUST BURNS RED frontman Jake Luhrs.
AS I LAY DYING vocalist Tim Lambesis commented: "I want to thank @jakeluhrsabr for doing vocals on Redefined with me! It was so much fun having him over at my home studio and I got to engineer his vocals myself. He is a true pro with incredible range!"
AS I LAY DYING's 2018 single, "My Own Grave", marked the first fresh music from the band since it issued its sixth album, "Awakened", back in September 2012.
In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — in December 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.
In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released the aforementioned new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.
November saw AS I LAY DYING complete its first U.S. tour in five years and the band followed it up with a European run of shows.
The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since guitarist Nick Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.
ALEXISONFIRE has premiered the official video for "Familiar Drugs". The bandmembers once again teamed up with Michael Maxxis, who directed their personal favorite ALEXISONFIRE video for "The Northern" and CITY AND COLOUR's "Fragile Bird", "Thirst" and "Lover Come Back".
"Everything came together really fast," says Wade MacNeil. "Maxxis flew into Toronto with a crew of four people, found the plainest room he could and shot us on VHS tape and cellphones in a day. We were all really drawn to the vibe of old punk documentaries and videos from the '70s and '80s. We asked for a lo-fi, no-bullshit performance video and that's what he delivered."
Says Maxxis: "I thought it would be cool to put a very normal woman in this tight space with ALEXISONFIRE performing. She represents the withdrawn and disinterested sales force that is out there moving product to make a buck — regardless of what it is. She doesn't give a shit about this band or their music — maybe she even thinks it's stupid. There's no passion there, so she stands miserably in the background. A nice metaphor for life, I think."
In other news, ALEXISONFIRE has announced very special support acts, personally selected by the band, for its upcoming June headline shows. The tour kicks off in London (U.K.) on June 1, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, and wraps up in Toronto at Budweiser Stage for two consecutive nights, the first of which is sold out. One of two dates at each The Wiltern in Los Angeles and Terminal 5 in New York are also sold out.
The featured support acts are CHASTITY and CHILD'S POSE in London (UK), ANGEL DU$T and DRUG CHURCH in New York City, DRUG CHURCH and THE DIRTY NIL in Los Angeles. In Toronto, GLASSJAW and THE DIRTY NIL will perform the first night at Budweiser Stage, with QUICKSAND and MONEEN filling in as support for the second night.
Says George Pettit: "These are all bands we know and respect, and think are rad. Make sure you come early!"
Spawned out of the wastelands of dubstep and industrial metal, this hyper-aggressive collaboration between Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and Kaosis is set to unapologetically divide the global metal audience. Love them or hate them, Kaosis have arrived.
Kaosis recently signed a deal with Atypeek Music in France. Atypeek is well known for breaking new cult bands, and were responsible for helping launch Monster Magnet’s debut album, Spine Of God.
Released on April 15th, the single "Hitech - Lowlife" conjures up images of James Cameron's Terminators battling in a war-torn futuristic soundscape; but the inspiration for the track is far more human. The collaboration between Cazares and Kaosis was fluid and completed over several file sharing sessions.
"Dino was sent the basic drum progressions, and a week later we had these heavier than god guitar tracks," says Kaosis drummer Dvoid. The accompanying music video was directed by Xen and features Cazares appearing as a hologram against the backdrop of an '80s sci-fi throwback theme. Ending with an unexpected plot twist, the narrative of the music video features an isolated person seeking violent refuge in a virtual reality of torture, violence and rape.
"I think most people will take this video the wrong way," admits vocalist Xen. "There are positive questions being raised in the narrative. Our sound is about breaking down barriers; not re-enforcing stale stereotypes. Atypeek 100% supports our bold new vision for metal and that means a lot to us and our fans."
"Carving The Voices", the new video from Norwegian extreme metal formation GAAHLS WYRD, fronted by renowned vocalist Gaahl (GORGOROTH, WARDRUNA), can be seen below. The song is taken from GAAHLS WYRD's debut album, "GastiR - Ghosts Invited", which will be released on May 31 via Season Of Mist. The disc was recorded last year at Solslottet Studios in Norway with Iver Sandøy (ENSLAVED).
Those who are expecting a blasting black metal offering are in for something unexpected. Even though "GastiR – Ghosts invited" is firmly rooted in extreme metal, Gaahl's vocal delivery on this record is something out of the ordinary and the first class riffing in combination with the excellent musicianship is bound to take you places you've never been before.
Gaahl is known as one of Norway's most-talked-about and respected extreme metal musicians. His work with TRELLDOM, GORGOROTH, WARDRUNA and GOD SEED has been widely regarded as some of the best the black metal scene has had to offer.
Under the moniker GAAHLS WYRD, the vocalist assembled some of Norway's finest metal musicians. The band consist of Ole Walaunet (THE BATALLION, GOD SEED, GRIMFIST), Frode Kilvik (KRAKOW, AETERNUS) and Kevin Kvåle (HORIZON ABLAZE). This highly qualified bunch recently toured a finely selected, career spanning repertoire from Gaahl's time in TRELLDOM, GORGOROTH and GOD SEED to great acclaim.
"GastiR - Ghosts Invited" track listing:
01. Ek Erilar (05:34)
02. From The Spear (04:37)
03. Ghosts Invited (04:23)
04. Carving The Voices (07:26)
05. Veiztu Hve (06:41)
06. The Speech And The Self (05:02)
07. Through And Past And Past (02:59)
08. Within The Voice Of Existence (05:25)
GAAHLS WYRD is about to embark on a European tour with TRIBULATION, UADA and IDLE HANDS.
Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY have released a music video for their song "My Last Breath". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Family Tree", which came out in April 2018. As was the case on 2106's "Kentucky", the BLACK STONE CHERRY members opted to produce and track "Family Tree" at David Barrick's Barrick Recording in Glasgow, Kentucky, the same studio where the four-piece recorded its eponymous debut.
BLACK STONE CHERRY said in a statement: "We're so pleased to share our new video 'My Last Breath' today.
"This video is incredibly special and personal for not only ourselves, but to so many others around the world! The fact that so many people opened up their hearts and shared some of the most emotional and personal messages on camera is what makes this so touching, vulnerable, and in our opinion, one of a kind.
"We truly hope this song will resound in your hearts and in your souls, and stir up that overwhelming, yet beautiful thought: 'If all I had left was my breath, here what I'd spend it on.'"
BLACK STONE CHERRY is in the middle of a 27-date U.S. tour in support of "Family Tree". The trek includes festival stops at Rocklahoma, Thunder Mountain Music Park and the Tail Winds Music Festival.
BLACK STONE CHERRY vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson told Germany's Rock Bottom about "Family Tree": "I've always considered a record to be a snapshot of the band's life from the conclusion of the [previous] record until the time they put the newest record out. So there's an eight-month period in there where you're finishing up touring the previous record… 'Cause you evolve and change as people every day. And I think that's why none of our records have ever been the same. They've always brought something different each time. I don't know, man… It's just like a snapshot of who we are. So if you listen to 'Family Tree', that's the perfect representation of who we were when we were making that record. We're different even now. But those songs… We don't write songs just to write songs. Every song has a feeling or a meaning behind it — whether that be just rock and roll in general or whether it be a song like 'My Last Breath' that talks… the whole song is kind of me talking to my little boy. All the songs mean something. It's not just a song to be a song."
Sylent Storm, ripping traditional heavy metal from Medford, USA have premiered their video single “Patriots Of Metal”, taken from self-titled EP (2018).
Following in the footsteps of bands such as Cauldron, Enforcer and Night Demon, Sylent Storm goes back to the sound of classic heavy metal that is reminiscent of the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They released their melodic and catchy self-titled debut in December of 2018.
The video for “Patriots Of Metal” aims to give watchers a sense of nostalgia, an urge to pound their fist, bang their head and have fun with catchy, exciting-sounding metal again.
“[It’s] exactly how I feel. Heavy metal is timeless and placeless, to me. We are all in a worldwide family brought together by the love of this one thing that’s important to us. I am patriotic toward heavy metal the way a person can be patriotic to their country. They will bravely fight for it and stand up proudly to those who oppose it. It’s our call to arms, sort of rallying the troops.” - Jym Harris (vocals)
Sylent Storm has confirmed several live dates where fans can expect an engaging performance, but for those unable to make to see them live, a tour edition cassette will be released, which includes “Patriots Of Metal” and bonus live tracks. A full-length album has been confirmed with a planned release late in 2019.
Californian death metal pioneers POSSESSED will release their first full-length album in over three decades, "Revelatons Of Oblivion", on May 10 via Nuclear Blast.
Today, the band has unveiled the disc's second single, "Shadowcult", with a live clip from its performance at the Bloodstock Open Air festival.
POSSESSED frontman Jeff Becerra comments: "We had such a fantastic time at Bloodstock. The audience was on fire and we could just feel the excitement in the air. While England has always been an exciting place for POSSESSED, this concert felt extra special. Very much looking forward to our next trip across the pond."
"Revelations Of Oblivion" was recorded at NRG studios and Titan Studios with Becerra as executive producer and Daniel Gonzalez as co-producer for the album. Mixing and mastering was handled by Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN, BLOODBATH) at Abyss Studios in Sweden. For the artwork, the band enlisted Polish artist Zbigniew Bielak (PARADISE LOST, DIMMU BORGIR, DEICIDE, GHOST, GORGUTS) to create a piece that brought back the notion of true fear that was once associated with the idea of evil.
Said Jeff: "Working with Peter was a fantastic experience. We put a great deal of thought into who we wanted to produce our new album. Since we hadn't made an all-new material release in well over 30 years, it was essential that we found the right person. Peter's name kept coming up over and over, and after speaking with my bandmates they all really liked Peter as he is more organic, and somebody we felt would fit in well with our process."
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Chant Of Oblivion
02. No More Room In Hell
03. Dominion
04. Damned
05. Demon
06. Abandoned
07. Shadowcult
08. Omen
09. Ritual
10. The Word
11. Graven
12. Temple Of Samael
The cover artwork can be seen below. Also available is the official visualizer for the song "No More Room In Hell".
Back in 2017, Becerra told Antihero Magazine that the band's upcoming studio album, which will be their first full-length effort since 1986's "Beyond The Gates", would contain "some really fucking good death metal. I'm really happy with a lot of the tracks," he said. "I'm collaborating with [new POSSESSED members] Daniel [Gonzalez, guitar] and Claudeous [Creamer, guitar]. We're working together hard to create something that we really like. We're hoping that translates well to other people and beyond. We're hoping people like it. If they don't, then fuck them."
Regarding the musical direction of POSSESSED's new material, Jeff said: "Well, it's me. I'm still me. I would say…it's very POSSESSED-y, but it's not so dated. I think as much as I love the first three albums, they're a little dated, so we're trying to bring it back into this century. We're not going to over-produce it or do anything but straight death metal. It's just what I want to play and what the band wants to play."
Becerra remains the only member from POSSESSED's classic lineup, which dissolved entirely in 1987 after the "Eyes Of Horror" EP.
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