Featuring the powerhouse rhythm section from legendary space lords Monster Magnet, The Atomic Bitchwax plays balls-to-the-wall rock 'n' roll that smashes space rock and proto-metal into a towering celebration of the riff. The New Jersey power trio (aka TAB) will release its seventh full length LP, Force Field, on December 8th via Tee Pee Records. A new video for "Houndstooth" is streaming below.
Recorded at the Freakshop in Keyport, NJ , mixed at The Panic Room in Ocean, NJ and mastered by Alan Douches (Chelsea Wolfe, Tombs, The Obsessed), The Atomic Bitchwax's high energy, scale-based guitar mangling hits astronomical levels on Force Field, with full stack amps pushing out dangerous levels of blown-out metallic mayhem. An awe-inducing tumult of head-down forward drive and top tier hard rock, Force Field mashes Sci-Fi and Hi-Fi, rocketing The Atomic Bitchwax into the outer reaches of the modern day heavy music universe.
Tracklisting:
“Hippie Speedball”
“Earth Shaker (Which Doobie U Be)”
“Alaskan Thunder F*ck”
“Shocker”
“Crazy”
“Fried Dyed And Layin To The Side”
“Shell Of A Man”
“Houndstooth”
“Tits And Bones”
“Humble Brag”
“Super Highway”
“Liv A Little”
STONE SOUR has released a 360-degree performance video of the song "Taipei Person/Allah Tea", filmed live on June 29 at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. Check it out below.
"Taipei Person/Allah Tea" is taken from STONE SOUR's latest album, "Hydrograd", which was released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER. The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of eighteen songs from which fifteen made the CD.
STONE SOUR singe Corey Taylor confirmed in a recent interview that the band has begun working on material for the follow-up to "Hydrograd". "We've already been writing some stuff, and it's actually kind of… It looks like it's darker — [there are] some really cool, darker ideas," he said.
During the same chat, Taylor said that he was still overjoyed at how "Hydrograd" turned out, less than six months following the LP's release.
"We were so stoked about this album that we put our money where our mouth is — we wanted to go for it with everything that we had," he said. "We knew we had the songs, we knew we had the talent, we knew we had the attention. So let's go for it.
"To me, not only do I think it's the best work that we've ever done, but I also feel like we could put this album up against anybody, and not only would we stand our own, we would beat a lot of the shit that's out there, just because of talent, content, quality, everything — everything," he continued. "Even if this album hadn't sold well, which it did, I would still put this up against anything because of how proud I am of it."
STONE SOUR recently announced a new North American tour for early 2018. The new dates include a co-headline tour with HALESTORM and special guests THE DEAD DEADS, set to commence on January 27 in Abbotsford, British Columbia, followed by a string of headline shows with support from RED SUN RISING and THE DEAD DEADS, which get underway February 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Myles Kennedy has released the official video for the title track of his debut solo album, "Year Of The Tiger". Directed by Dan Sturgess, the clip is based on a concept created from a discussion between Kennedy and his manager. The video follows a reflective Kennedy as he travels through the memory of the loss of his father in 1974 — the year of the tiger.
"Year Of The Tiger" will be released on March 9, 2018 via Napalm Records. The effort was helmed by ALTER BRIDGE's longtime producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette.
The acclaimed singer/songwriter known for his work with ALTER BRIDGE as well as SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS recently completed the highly anticipated record, which is available for pre-order in various bundle configurations at this location.
On "Year Of The Tiger", Kennedy embarks on his first venture as a solo artist by embracing musical elements and influences he hasn't explored until this point in his career. His appreciation for the blues and acoustic based music can be heard throughout the 12-song concept record inspired by the loss of his father when he was a child.
The multi-instrumentalist played lap steel, mandolin, banjo and bass in addition to the guitar on the record. This shift in instrumentation helped create a new sonic canvas that some might consider a departure from the high gain wall of sound Kennedy has been associated with. Examples of this can be heard throughout the record, from the hypnotic drone of the title track, to the intricate finger style approach of "Haunted By Design" and "Ghost Of Shangri La".
"Year Of The Tiger" is a personal story framed in a new context from an artist willing to take chances. It's also a story that took decades to summon up the courage to tell.
"Year Of The Tiger" track listing:
01. Year Of The Tiger
02. The Great Beyond
03. Blind Faith
04. Devil On The Wall
05. Ghost of Shangri La
06. Turning Stones
07. Haunted By Design
08. Mother
09. Nothing But A Name
10. Love Can Only Heal
11. Songbird
12. One Fine Day
"Year Of The Tiger" was described by Kennedy in a recent interview with Metal Wani as "probably the closest thing to a full-on concept record that I've ever written. I mean, the story is congruent throughout the entire... It basically tells a story from start to finish, and it documents when my father passed away when I was a kid and basically what happened after that with my mom, my brother and I — it tells that story," he said. "So it's a full-on concept from start to finish."
"Year Of The Tiger" is actually the second solo album Kennedy recorded, having previously completed a full-length record's worth of material over a several-year period beginning in 2009. Although that album was mixed in early 2016, Myles "decided not to move forward" with the project because "I'm kind of a firm believer that songs can have a shelf life with an artist," he told Metal Wani. "And what happened was I'd been chipping away at the solo record for quite a while when I had time. Obviously, I was very busy playing with ALTER BRIDGE and touring with that, but in my spare time, I was chipping away at this record, so when I actually documented it and finished it, I had to step back and look at it with a fresh perspective and say, 'You know what? You've gotta be honest with yourself as a writer. Is this where you are now? No. And is this what you want to represent where you are now? No.' That was a hard decision for me to make, because there was a lot of work that went into it. Not just work, but time and money, and I just felt like, regardless of that, I had to scrap and start over. So I started writing again late last year, early this year, and, fortunately, I had plenty of ideas to draw from."
Kennedy eventually wrote a fresh batch of music for "Year Of The Tiger" but ended up "totally re-recording" one song from his scrapped first solo album. "I basically just used the demo [version of the track] and rebuilt around it," he said. "So a few people [close to me] were happy to hear that, 'cause it was one of their favorites from that record. The content suited the record that I just completed, the 'Year Of The Tiger' record, perfectly, so it definitely will see the light of day this time."
Asked how "Year Of The Tiger" compares to the musical direction of Kennedy's abandoned first solo disc, he said: "'Year Of The Tiger' definitely has much more of a blues-based vibe. Though I started the first record wanting to keep it more acoustically based… Sometimes you get in a studio and you have all these… With multi-tracking, with Pro Tools and all the toys available, it's kind of like the sky is the limit as far as what you do from a production standpoint. So songs that started out very acoustic-based and very stripped down then grew into something different. So what I tried to be very aware of on 'Year Of The Tiger', and Elvis as well, my producer, was to kind of tie our hands and keep things limited as far as how many tracks we could use. We went straight to tape for the majority of the record. So it was really just the idea of 'less is more' and trying to take that approach to making the album."
Saying that "Year Of The Tiger" sounds like "Myles Kennedy," the ALTER BRIDGE frontman went on to reiterate that people "who've heard it have commented that there's definitely more of a blues-based vibe on it. The instrumentation is certainly somewhat of a departure. I tried to veer away from any sort of high-gain wall of sound. There's plenty of resonator guitar, mandolin… there's even banjo, a lot of lap steel. So it's definitely different from what I've done."
"Year Of The Tiger" will feature a guest appearance by drummer Zia Uddin of THE MAYFIELD FOUR, a group Myles descries as his "first real national touring band" back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
ALTER BRIDGE is expected to take most of 2018 off from the road while the bandmembers focus on other projects.
Writing for the follow-up to 2016's "The Last Hero" will begin next year, with tentative plans to release the effort in 2019.
Israeli progressive folk metal masters ORPHANED LAND will release their new studio album, "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs", on January 26, 2018 via Century Media. Jens Bogren once again took over mixing and mastering duties of what turned out to be the band's best and biggest production so far.
"Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" features a guest appearance of guitar virtuoso Steve Hackett as well as guest vocal appearances by no other than Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN) and Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES). The great album artwork was created by Valnoir.
The official video for the new song "Like Orpheus", featuring guest vocals by Kürsch, can be seen below.
Kürsch comments: "What a marvelous song. I heard it and fell in love with it immediately. What keeps me so thrilled about it is this perfect blend of different musical cultures and the constant wave of emotions these guys have woven together in a stroke of genius. This song, as all their works, is a strong statement for humanity. I am really proud to be a part of such a fantastic family. All is one!"
ORPHANED LAND's Kobi Farhi adds: "It is a little bit hard for us sometimes to release only one song, especially as there is a whole concept album to follow. But if we have to choose one song to start with, it'll be 'Like Orpheus'.
"In Greek mythology, it is told that Orpheus's singing was so beautiful, that even the stones and the earth fell in love with his voice, to a point that the earth was open and that's how he ended up going down straight to hell. At the chronology of the concept of our story, this is the story where the hero leaves Plato's cave for the first time, and it is the first time he exposed to the light, to the new truth of all the shadows he considered to be the truth before. Being overwhelmed from this revelation, he describes the world and his feeling with singing, and his singing is so beautiful that he is like Orpheus himself in a way.
"We are so happy to feature one of the most humble gentlemen on the planet, a real rock star and a simple beautiful soul — Hansi Kürsch from BLIND GUARDIAN. Hansi is such a singer, he and his singing is literally like Orpheus.
"The story of the cave of Plato and the use of Orpheus are just allegories. In this video clip, we chose to tell the true story of some metalheads from the Middle East. Their daily lives is some sort of a cave, their culture, the way they dress and their customs may give an impression that they are utterly different, while the truth is that they escape to the same world, the world of metal, while they never met each other and cannot start to imagine how similar and one they are.
"On a personal note: Metal today is still considered as Satanism in many societies and countries, especially in the Middle East and it is still banned in many countries from our region. Metal is one of the best co-existing communities we ever get to know, so all of you metalheads out
there — think about those metal heads from the Middle East, cause they are here to stay!"
"Like Orpheus" is available as a digital single on all download and streaming platforms and also as instant-grat track on iTunes and Amazon. All physical formats of the new album "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" are also available for preorder now.
"Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" track listing:
01. The Cave
02. We Do Not Resist
03. In Propaganda
04. All Knowing Eye
05. Yedidi
06. Chains Fall To Gravity
07. Like Orpheus
08. Poets Of Prophetic Messianism
09. Left Behind
10. My Brother's Keeper
11. Take My Hand
12. Only The Dead Have Seen The End Of War
13. The Manifest - Epilogue
The release of "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" will be followed by an extensive European tour in early 2018 with IN VAIN, SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE and AEVUM.
Italian death metal/deathcore stalwarts, The Modern Age Slavery have released a video for “Miles Apart”, a track from their forthcoming album Stygian, available via Innerstrength Records on November 24th. Check out the clip below, and pre-order the new album here.
Coming almost four years after the release of 2013's Requiem For Us All (Pavement), the level-jumping blast of intensity on the band's Innerstrength debut is the result of miles logged and the already dynamic songwriting honed to a fine point.
The band released the following statement about the new album: "With this new album we tried to make another step forward in the evolution of our sound: what you'll hear it's a quite obscure atmosphere delivering a sullen and evil experience, yet keeping the heaviness of the death metal matrix that marked our music in the previous albums. The lyrics are all inspired by a common theme, from which the name Stygian and the correlated artwork come from, discussing the questionable matter of the human evolution leading men to a slow but inevitable mutation into a being that lost his mind and compassion devoured by greediness and will to power. All the pieces of the puzzle are perfectly pondered to create an album made of passion, of anger, and real emotions. This is the The Modern Age's album!"
Tracklisting:
“A Stygian Tide”
“Miles Apart”
“Prelude To An Evolution”
“Regression Through Unlearning”
“Sandblasted Skin” (Pantera Cover)
“The Hollow Men”
“The Place We Call Home”
“The Reprisal Within”
“The Theory Of Shadows”
American power metallers Sonic Prophecy are set to unleash their third full length, Savage Gods, via Rockshots Records on January 19th.
Featuring 10 fist pounding tracks rooted in traditional heavy metal melded with the symphonic beauty of power metal, Sonic Prophecy capture the excitement and sound of such bands as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween, Hammerfall and Kamelot while blending other musical styles to arrive at a sound all their own. The band's new music video for the first single "Night Terror" can be viewed below.
Vocalist Shane Provstgaard comments: "We think our fans will love this album! Savage Gods, as a record, basically combines all of the things I think people liked about our previous releases and then moves us forward into new areas musically and lyrically. For our fans, there will be no mistaking this is Sonic Prophecy, but we definitely cover some new exciting ground on this record."
Savage Gods follows Sonic Prophecy's 2015 sophomore release Apocalyptic Promenade (Maple Metal Records), an album that combined the melody and beauty of symphonic power metal while maintaining the crunch, drive and power of traditional metal plus their 2011 debut A Divine Act Of War, which had its music placed in the television series Rock n’ Lock, the video game Volgarr The Viking and movie Danny Trejo's Vengeance.
The upcoming release lyrically covers many topics, from quests and medieval wars, to mechanized genocide, to the dangers associated with extremist ideologies. Broadening and stretching their musical palate, Savage Gods will give fans an adventurous listening experience. It's an album that combines melodic hard rock, driving heavy metal, and chest pounding anthems in a way that is uniquely Sonic Prophecy.
"This is pure heavy metal with driving guitars, thundering drums, and some of what I feel is my best vocal work to date. With songs "Night Terror, "Unholy Blood" and the album title track, we’ve really laid down a brutal sonic backdrop, along with keeping the melody, which is important to our music." adds vocalist Shane Provstgaard
“Savage Gods” is available for pre-order on Amazon along with single “Night Terror” available for download on iTunes and Amazon.
Following Savage Gods release, Sonic Prophecy has plans to hit the road and tour across North America, Europe and beyond. The band has performed with Tyr, Alestorm, Ratt, Cinderella, Accept and Sabaton.
Tracklisting:
"Savage Gods"
"Night Terror"
"Unholy Blood"
"Dreaming Of The Storm"
"Man The Guns"
"Walk Through The Fire"
"A Prayer Before Battle"
"Iron Clad Heart"
"Man And Machine"
"Chasing The Horizon"
"Night Terror" video:
Sonic Prophecy is:
Shane Provstgaard - Vocals
Darrin Goodman - Guitar
Sebastian Martin - Guitar
Ron Zemanek - Bass
Matt LeFevre - Drums
On November 9th, keyboardist Matt Guillory - better known these days for working with Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie's on his solo albums - released his first ever solo track called "Inside". The track features Guillory teaming up with James LaBrie bandmates Marco Sfogli (guitars), Peter Wildoer (drums), and former Amaranthe vocalist Andy Solveström on screams.
Guillory posted the following update:
"Friends: Thank you for the overwhelming positive response to my debut single. I've always been more comfortable in the background, so the idea of putting myself out there was quite terrifying -- but I'm so happy to hear that you guys are digging it. I do have to say that this would not have been possible without these amazing guys backing me up; Marco Sfogli, Andreas Solveström, Ray Riendeau, and Jesper Sunnhagen. Stay tuned because I have a music video dropping soon!"
The video is available below.
"Inside" is now available via Amazon and iTunes.
During a BraveWords interview in 2016, James LaBrie discussed the possibility of recording a new solo album. His previous solo effort, Impermanent Resonance, was released in 2013:
“I think it’s just a matter of Matt Guillory, myself, and all the other guys making time to get together,” says LaBrie. “It really is a band and me and Matt are really passionate about keeping the same players of the last 10 years. Matt and I have talked and we agree that we definitely have to do another one, we have to follow up Impermanent Resonance with an album that is just as killer. I think it’ll be better. It really is a matter of being able to sit down and put the time and focus into it that it deserves. But yeah, I do believe there will be another one. I really want to do another solo album before I say ‘I’m done, I don’t want to do this anymore…’ or ‘I don’t want to perform live anymore.'”
Masked horror metal band Terror Universal - featuring current and former members of Ill Nino, Soulfly, Upon A Burning Body and Machine Head - recently announced the release of their upcoming debut full-length album, Make Them Bleed, out January 19th via minus HEAD Records.
Today, the band is giving fans a taste of the record via their new slasher flick-inspired music video for the nightmarish earworm, "Dig You A Hole", a Film/Facer production directed by Wacy Jahn. The video thoroughly showcases what Terror Universal is all about - fright-inducing, unforgettable heavy metal mosh-anthems.
"It's like a mini-thriller video," Massacre tells Billboard. "It's about a psychologist or someone who's manipulating his victims into doing the killing for him, about how he manipulates a person to do the dirty work - a serial killer type of vibe. And he gets (the victims) to dig their own hole. The whole thing is just really disturbed and pretty ugly and grotesque at times - which is exactly what we wanted. I really dig this first introduction to the band."
Read more of the interview at Billboard, and check out the "Dig You A Hole" video below.
Pre-order Make Them Bleed via Bandcamp, or via the band's brand new PledgeMusic campaign. PledgeMusic pre-order incentives include: digital download cards, signed CDs, limited edition posters, t-shirts, stickers, limited edition blood-splatter vinyl, signed gear (including a guitar, drumhead and drum sticks), one-on-one music lessons, and more!
Tracklisting:
“Welcome To Hell”
“Passage Of Pain”
“Dig You A Hole”
“Dead On Arrival”
“Through The Mirrors”
“Your Time Has Come”
“Make Them Bleed”
“Into Darkness”
“Spines”
“Piece By Piece”
Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen has released a video for her solo version of "Feliz Navidad". Check it out below.
With Christmas only being less than three weeks away, earMUSIC and former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen have announced the release of a very special version of "Feliz Navidad": the Barbuda Relief And Recovery Charity Version.
This September, the Caribbean island of Barbuda has been hit by the category 5 hurricane Irma. The whole population of 1,800 needed to flee their homes in order to survive. Tarja, who has recorded the main part of her vocals for her recently released winter album "From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)" on said island and has a very close relationship to the place and its inhabitants, decided that now is the time to help.
Together with friends and fellow musicians such as Michael Monroe, Doro Pesch, Tony Kakko (SONATA ARCTICA), Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE), Marko Saaresto (POETS OF THE FALL), Timo Kotipelto (STRATOVARIUS), Simone Simons (EPICA), Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL), Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE), Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH), Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN) and Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Tarja created a new version of the Christmas carol "Feliz Navidad".
All incomes generated will be donated, with earMUSIC doubling the amount.
Tarja explains: "The tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda has been devastated by Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm recorded in history to sustain over 200 km per hour winds for 24 hours. Around 90% of the nation’s structures and vehicles have been destroyed. Irma passed over Barbuda early on Wednesday, 6th of September 2017, as a Category 5 hurricane. Barbuda is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. The island is now a near-deserted disaster zone. Almost all of its 1,500 residents were relocated to the sister island of Antigua. Critical facilities including roads and communications systems were ravaged, with the recovery effort set to take months or years.
"I have had a home in Antigua, Caribbean for quite a few years now. I have friends there, but mainly, I have seen how the locals live and how unprepared they are for this magnitude of destruction.
"I had just finished recording my winter album 'From Spirits And Ghosts' in Antigua before the hurricane hit the Caribbean. I was already immersed in Christmas feelings at that time and immediately it came to my mind that the people of Barbuda will have a very dark Christmas this year and in the years to come. I wanted to find a way to give them hope for a brighter future. So Christmas gave me the perfect excuse to call some dear friends and ask them to help me raise some funds for the people in Barbuda.
"We are going to donate all incomes generated from the version of 'Feliz Navidad' we recorded, and my record company earMUSIC will add a similar amount on top of it for the charity. When the time comes, I will personally make sure the donation is given to the right hands.
"I thank you all my friends Michael, Doro, Tony, Elize, Marko, Timo, Simone, Cristina, Joe, Floor, Hansi and Sharon from the bottom of my heart. I am very glad and honoured that you could be a part of this. Your voices will give hope and they will be heard.
"We need all of you to spread the word in order for fans and music lovers to get to know about this charity project. Is time to get together and to share our passion for this good cause. You can review the music style, production, sound or the performance of the ones involved, but this time the focus should be in a different place.
"Dear fans, I really hope that together we can make a change. If you are not used to download music or if you don't collect vinyls, it shouldn't stop you from helping. Do it this time for the people in Barbuda. Please share this song with all your friends and relatives and ask them to do the same.
"We wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of our hearts."
"Feliz Navidad" will be available as download and stream on December 8. Limited to 1,000 copies worldwide, a very special seven-inch vinyl single will be made available exclusively via Tarja's "Official Store For A Dark Christmas".
Track listing:
Side A
01. Feliz Navidad (Barbuda Relief And Recovery Charity Version)
Side B
01. Feliz Navidad (Album Version)
"Miracle", the new video from Marty Friedman, can be seen below. The song tells the story of the former MEGADETH guitarist's personal journey from an everyday kid to virtuoso through a series of candid home videos and photos from the Friedman family.
"Once you've grown up in this complicated world, it;s easy to forget the simpler times that were so important in making you who you are now, as well as the people in your family who put up with all of the loud music, smoke and noise coming from your bedroom, and all the other B.S. that you put them through," says Friedman. "With this video, rather than looking at how much of a goofy kid I was, I hope that it inspires you to think about your own family or whoever was closest to you when you were just starting out in the world."
"Miracle" is taken from Friedman's latest solo album, "Wall Of Sound", which was released on August 4 via Prosthetic Records. Produced by Friedman, engineered by Paul Fig (GHOST, RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS) and mixed by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, OPETH, SEPULTURA), the disc "expands and destroys any conventional notions of instrumental music," according to a press release. Legendary QUEEN producer Mack came on board to handle the mixing on two tracks, "Streetlight" and "For A Friend", which Friedman proclaimed was "an honor for me, for sure."
Marty's new CD was recorded in part at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and was previously described by Friedman as "a way more intense version" of its predecessor: "deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive."
Like "Inferno", Friedman's new album features several guests, including prog-thrashers MUTOID MAN, Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian avant-garde jazz-metal outfit SHINING and Jinxx of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES.
Swedish black metal band Grafvitnir have announced the December 15th Carnal Records release of new album Keys To The Mysteries Beyond. A promo video for the album's opening track, "Nidhögg," is available below.
The driving force behind the band is, and has always been, Occultism and the never-ending quest for the enigmatic emerald of Lucifer. Just like razor sharp claws of a Werewolf move and twists against whirling moonlit Night Skies, the ice-cold blades of Occultism will tear the illusion of the demiurg's false Creation apart and fiercely widen the cracks and crevices to the ancient kingdom of Beyond.
With the band's fifth album, Grafvitnir are back from the frostbitten shadows of Scandinavia to eternally ignite the concealed spiritual Fire of the descendants of the Serpent, and to obtain the ancient Keys To The Mysteries Beyond.
Tracklisting:
“Nidhögg”
“Keys To The Mysteries Beyond”
“Vargavinter”
“Crossing The Abyss”
“Eternity’s Glistening Black”
“Journey Into Storms”
“Unleash The Storm Of Nothingness”
“Eye Of Lucifer”
“Whispers Of The Primordial Sea”
“Glimpses Of The Unseeable”
"Resurrection", the new album from legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker's MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST project, will be released on March 2, 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The disc, which was produced by Michael Voss-Schön, was recorded in four different locations over a five-month period and features guest appearances by METALLICA's Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schön along with contributions from three original MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) singers — Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley — plus Doogie White, who plays with Michael in MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK. Also appearing on the album are musicians Steve Mann (guitars, keyboards), Ted McKenna (drums) and Chris Glen (bass).
The official video for MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST's new digital single, "Warrior", featuring impressions of the studio recording process, can be seen below.
"Warrior" is one of two album tracks on which all of the four lead singers appear. It was composed by Schenker while the lyrics were written by Michael Voss-Schön.
"When Michael Voss-Schön showed me his lyrical and vocals ideas, it instantly came to my mind that all four singers should be involved," Michael Schenker looks back and adds: "I'm really fascinated by the result. It's really interesting how the different voices complement each other. 'Warrior' is really heavy but at the same time ear-friendly and catchy!"
"Michael Schenker played the basic riff of the track to me and I immediately had the expression 'Warrior' pop into my mind," says Michael Voss-Schön. "On the next day, the first raw version of the song was created; my vision was to let the four voices sound like the four musketeers!"
According to Schenker, "Resurrection" contains all brand new songs, including "Warrior", which he previously described as "really, really good and really powerful."
The studio album will follow the release of "Michael Schenker Fest Tokyo", a concert recording filmed in August 2016 at Tokyo, Japan's International Forum, which was made available this past March via Inakustik.
"It was so funny when [Gary, Graham and Robin] all had to sing their lines and we were shooting behind-the-scenes footage, to see them how they get on," Michael recalled. "You can actually see it on the ['Michael Schenker Fest Tokyo'] DVD already, but it just continues to be as if these people have been together forever."
Michael added that he is celebrating his music career and life itself with MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST. "It seems like everybody's celebrating their life and their career at the same time," he said. "But it's all the most popular music of Michael Schenker, and the best I can do at the moment is to have Gary and Graham and Robin and now [with the addition of] Doogie White."
Frontiers Music Srl has just released the new album from PRETTY BOY FLOYD, titled "Public Enemies".
The official music video for the song "Feel The Heat" can be seen below. "Public Enemies" is exactly what'd you expect from these seasoned Sunset Strip veterans — a fun record meant to be played at maximum volume to help you forget about your worries, of which we all have plenty these days. PRETTY BOY FLOYD's Kristy Majors says: "Staying loyal to our 1980s roots, 'Public Enemies' is a true follow-up to the classic 'Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz'." Not too long ago, when rock was about having a good time, letting your hair down and creating chaos and anarchy, four guys got together in Hollywood and formed a band. New York City guitarist Kristy Majors hooked up with West Coast frontman Steve Summers and laid the foundation for their dream band. They worked, wrote songs and played and played and played. The band chose the name PRETTY BOY FLOYD because it seemed to describe them — four tough teens armed with guitar licks and teenage angst who set out to conquer the world.
As the new millennium rolled in, new music fans began to wonder what they had missed back in the heyday of '80s and early '90s sleaze rock. A whole new breed of young fans who weren't born when the band first emerged began to discover their music. The original fans from back in the day and the new fans found common ground — a love of PRETTY BOY FLOYD's music, sleazy shows, and fun times. Never mind what the critics think, or what trends may have come and gone. Having outlasted many of the critics who cried "they'll never make it," PRETTY BOY FLOYD continues to record and tour the world winning over news fans both young and old. "Public Enemies" track listing:
01. S.A.T.A.02. Feel The Heat03. High School Queen04. Girls All Over The World05. American Dream06. We Can't Bring Back Yesterday07. We Got The Power08. Do Ya Wanna Rock09. Run For Your Life10. Shock The World11. Paint It On12. 7 Minutes In Heaven13. Star Chaser14. So Young So Bad PRETTY BOY FLOYD is:
Kristy Majors - Guitar, Background VocalsSteve Summers - Lead VocalsJK Famous - Bass, Background VocalsJimmy Mess - Drums, Background Vocals
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's music video for the song "Wolf Named Crow" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "No Cross No Crown", which will be released on January 12 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. It will be made available on CD, digital, vinyl, and cassette formats.
States bassist Mike Dean: "'Wolf Named Crow' started with a couple of riffs Pepper was sitting on for a while. We learned those and collectively came up with a bridge on the spot and it fell together naturally. It reminds me of a new take on 'Wiseblood'-era C.O.C. and Reed [Mullin] played some very-original-yet-very-Bill-Ward-inspired fills. It's easily my favorite track on this record."
In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup DOWN, Pepper Keenan reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalls. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking about ten or eleven months ago." Recording in North Carolina with longtime producer John Custer, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY cut "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year. "We took our time and didn't put any pressure on ourselves," Keenan says. "I'd go up from New Orleans and we'd do four or five days at a time, just hacking away at it. It was fun because we did it like a demo, but in a studio. We were writing and putting it on tape at the same time. We took what parts we thought were great from the old days and weren't scared to go backwards. It kinda wrote itself that way." Some of these new jams sound like could've easily been on "Wiseblood" or "Deliverance", two of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's most revered records. On "No Cross No Crown", beefy Southern stompers like "The Luddite", "Little Man" and "Forgive Me" are interspersed with melancholy guitar interludes like "No Cross", "Matre's Diem" and "Sacred Isolation" — just like SABBATH used to do in the '70s. "We started doing that on 'Deliverance'," Keenan points out. "My theory on that is that if you're trying to make a record flow, you need to break it up a little. When you need a breather, write an interlude. I like writing those mellow pieces just to space things out and make the next thing come in heavier." The album's iconic title comes from a recent tour stop in England. "We were playing this old church from like the 1500s that had been turned into a performing arts center," Keenan recalls. "The dressing room had stained glass windows and one of them showed this poor fella being persecuted. Underneath it said, 'no cross no crown.' So I just took that idea. We're not trying to be on a soapbox, but we used it as a catalyst to write songs around." Which is to say that "No Cross No Crown" has a lot less to do with politics or religion than its title implies. "I think everyone needs to get away from that mindset in general," Keenan offers. "It just seems to be a mess out there nowadays. We need to get back to being humans and taking care of each other and simple things like that. For us, the terminology 'no cross no crown' is a theme. It's mentioned in like three songs throughout the album. We just weaved it through as we went." "No Cross No Crown" stands as irrefutable proof of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's ability to overcome. "CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and the prior records I've done with them didn't just go away," Keenan observes. "It's an honor to be back out there and have an opportunity to do it again in a real way and not some washed-up reunion thing. Even before we wrote the record, we were out there for a year seeing there was a demand for it and that there was a void that we could fill. That's been CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's deal from day one. We're not chasing anybody around. We're not gonna worry about what the new trends are. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is CORROSION OF CONFORMITY." "No Cross No Crown" track listing:
01. Novus Deus02. The Luddite03. Cast The First Stone04. No Cross05. Wolf Named Crow06. Little Man07. Matre's Diem08. Forgive Me09. Nothing Left To Say10. Sacred Isolation11. Old Disaster12. E.L.M.13. No Cross No Crown14. A Quest To Believe (A Call To The Void)15. Son And Daughter
In advance of the release of "No Cross No Crown", CORROSION OF CONFORMITY will join BLACK LABEL SOCIETY for a mammoth North American live takeover. The tour begins December 27 in Denver, Colorado and will wind its way through nearly four dozen cities, the journey coming to a close February 27, 2018. Additional support will be provided by EYEHATEGOD and RED FANG on select shows.
Photo credit: Dean Karr
Prosthetic Records post-black metal group Nullingroots recently released their five track album, Into The Grey. Do not let the number of tracks fool you - Into The Grey is a massive display of spacious sound and introspective discovery. Into The Grey is available online in "grey on grey" splatter vinyl and digipack CD formats. Orders for the album are available here.
Today, the band is following up on the release with a new live, in-studio video for their track "Subsistence".
Originally the project of sole member, Cameron Boesch, Nullingroots was formed in 2014 in Southern California. A debut, self-titled album was released shortly thereafter, which extracted Boesch's post-black metal style from his previous band, Solus, and incorporated lush, gazing atmospheric elements.
Cameron Boesch released two more Nullingroots full-lengths before assembling his band, comprised of Deacon Blue Batchelor, from the folk band Andrew Jackson Jihad on drums, and guitarist Alex Haddad. Shortly after, the three began writing Into The Grey. Self-produced, mixed and mastered by Jack Shirley at the Atomic Garden Recording Studio, Into the Grey is an expansion of Boesch's vision. Everything is intensified; from the brutal opening track "Subsistence", to the somber passages in "The Morning That Killed The World", to the title track ending opus.
Nullingroots have taken what many call blackgaze to new heights and levels, releasing one of the finest albums of 2017.
The Viking sails have been set – 2018 will be under the sign of the dragonhead. Uncompromising, combative, epic – the new LEAVES’ EYES! One of the most successful bands in the symphonic metal genre returns with its seventh album, ready to live up to the public’s high expectations.
The brand new official music video, filmed for the album’s title track, is available now.
Again, the band has worked with director Rainer “Zipp” Fränzen and the result is another authentic Viking story which perfectly underlies the song’s epic spirit.
The new LEAVES’ EYES album “Sign Of The Dragonhead” will be released on January 12th.
Fan-filmed video footage of AGNOSTIC FRONT's entire November 24 concert at Gorod in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.
AGNOSTIC FRONT's eleventh album, "The American Dream Died", was released in 2015. The disc, which was produced by MADBALL singer Freddy Cricien and engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Miner (H2O, TERROR), features guest appearances by Cricien, Toby Morse (H2O) and Lou Koller (SICK OF IT ALL).
In an interview with RockSverige.se, AGNOSTIC FRONT singer Roger Miret was asked at what point the American dream died. "You know, that's just a statement from me," he responded. "I'm just stating that, little by little, this country is leaning towards losing its values, Americans are losing their constitutional rights. You see it happening, and it's no secret; it's out there and you can see what's going on."
He continued: "The main focal point to why we call the record 'The American Dream Died' and how this all started is the collapse of the housing market. When that collapsed, and you saw what followed with the banking collapse and then the world's banks collapsed. Everything went to hell all over the world pretty much, and that's when I clearly was making that statement, but it followed through."
Roger added: "It's a little bit of everything. You watch all of the corruption on all these higher levels. Police corruption and all this police violence going on. Everything just escalated. I'm not saying the American dream when it comes to cars, apple pie, baseball… it's all there and anybody can come to America. You can buy a home, but you won't own it for 30 years. America is a beautiful country, but the government is just so corrupt, it's destroying your dreams."
Miret's autobiography, "My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts & Glory" — written with Jon Wiederhorn — was released in August.
In a 2015 interview with Invisible Oranges, Miret stated about AGNOSTIC FRONT's three-and-a-half-decade-long career: "I think the secret to our longevity is that we're true, we're real, we're passionate about what we do. And people want to relate to that. Nobody wants to be a part of something that's not genuine. I think that's why people gravitate to us and is the secret to our longevity and success. We're genuine people, the band's genuine, we have genuine stuff to say. At some points it can be controversial, but you know what? Some people don't want to be confronted because the truth hurts. And that confrontation is sometimes important because you get people talking. And if I sometimes have something to say, and I back up everything I have to say for sure, most of it is true-life experiences. I like a good challenge. I like people to ask me stuff and I like to be challenged. And I'm not ignorant. I'll take whatever the challenge is and get the best out of it and I'll learn something from it. I'm not a hundred percent right, I'm not all your answers, but I'm willing to accept when I'm wrong and learn something from it. That's what hardcore is all about."
We Came As Romans have released a video for "Wasted Age". The track lives on the band's fifth album, Cold Like War, out now via SharpTone Records. Watch the clip below.
We Came As Romans remain on the road with I Prevail this fall. They also have a handful of headline dates, as well. All WCAR tour dates are here.
The self-titled debut album from Lione/Conti will be released on January 26th. The first video from the album, for the song "Ascension", is available for streaming below. Pre-order the album here.
Alessandro Conti is the voice of the Italian power metal band Trick Or Treat and in 2011 was tapped as the voice of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody (Ascending To Infinity and Prometheus).
Fabio Lione is the original and defining voice of Rhapsody, fronting the band from 1995 until his departure in 2016, having voiced all the band's albums to date, including the classics Legendary Tales, Symphony Of Enchanted Lands, and Dawn Of Victory. Lione is currently reunited with former Rhapsody members Luca Turilli, Patrice Guers and Alex Holzwarth on the Rhapsody Reunion tour. Fabio is also known for his work with Angra, Kamelot, and Eternal Idol.
Now, for the first time the two voices of the Rhapsody universe, and longtime friends, have joined together for the new project Lione/Conti, continuing the show the same power metal passion that has defined each vocalist's career. Teaming up with DGM guitarist/composer, and producer, Simone Mularoni who composed and produced the album, these songs have a heavier and definitive power metal vibe.
"I think that 'Ascension' is the perfect song to introduce the sound of this new project: great melodies and solo and a catchy refrain. It is the opener of the album, so for the first time people can hear me duet with Fabio. We also recorded a video for this one where we spent a day together with Fabio and Simone with a big green screen. When I saw the final result, I just said "WOW!!!" it's really impressive, I'm sure people will like it," says Conti about the song and video.
"I had a very good time in the studio with Simone Mularoni. We have known each other for years and there is a strong connection between us. So everything was cool, relaxed and fluent. Together we have finalized some vocal melodies and ideas and I think we did a great job in the studio. We spent 2 days together recording and thinking about ideas, and then Alessandro came into the studio to work on his parts. In general we are really happy about the result and the sound of the album," says Lione.
Mularoni adds, "It's been really challenging but also very rewarding writing songs for 2 singers like Fabio and Alessandro. But together we crafted a very inspired and fresh melodic album, with epic moments and also fast/in your face stuff! All the process was smooth and working with these great friends and professionals, it was really a blast."
DEAD CROSS, the Southern California outfit featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS) and singer Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE), has released a music video for the song "Church Of The Motherfuckers". The clip is described in a press release as "a visual rebuke of organized religion."
"We are not capable of understanding aspects of molecular genetics, let alone the universe," said DEAD CROSS bass player Justin Pearson of the Michael Panduro-directed video. "I'd rather not fill in the blanks with outlandish oppressive morals, offensive social politics, and patriarchal garbage. In the year 2017 AD, some humans still think there is a god."
The band, which also includes guitarist Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), recently announced it will head to Europe next summer, already confirming a June 17 performance at Download Paris. More dates will be announced soon.
The self-titled debut album from DEAD CROSS was released on August 4 via Ipecac Recordings. The effort was helmed by producer Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, DEFTONES, SEPULTURA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others, and was mastered at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California.
Patton told Rolling Stone that he got involved with DEAD CROSS after reaching out to Lombardo to see if he could release the band's album on Ipecac. After getting a text from the drummer asking him to join the group, "my jaw dropped," the singer said. "I was like, 'Who, me? Hmm …' And I think it took like all of 30 seconds, but in a sarcastic way, I'm like, 'Yeah, of course. I can do this. Are you sure you want me?' So I kind of second-guessed him a little bit. And he said, 'Man, you'd be our dream vocalist.' And then it was just a matter of logistics. I decided to record it here in my basement, which is fitting. It shouldn't sound too polished."
Regarding DEAD CROSS's musical direction, Patton said: "To me, it is a traditional hardcore record. It is very pointed, direct and visceral. Like, I wasn't going to play keyboards, add samples or any kind of orchestration. It was like, 'Yo, just go for it.' In some ways, it reminded me of stuff that we had collectively all grown up with and loved when we were like teenagers — bands like the ACCÜSED, DEEP WOUND or SIEGE, stuff that was just brutal, uncompromising and right to the point. I was listening to all those bands again before this came to be, so it was already back infused in my blood. And now I got a chance to do a pencil-in-your-eye record."
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