American progressive metal act, The Contortionist, has released a new music video for the track “Reimagined”. Directed by Erez Bader, it is the first music video from the band from their forthcoming LP, Clairvoyant, due out later this year. The video is available for streaming below.
“Clairvoyant is the product of not only months of writing and recording dozens of song ideas over the last year, but also a definitive creative artifact outlining the artistic confluence of the six members of The Contortionist for our past and future endeavors,” says keyboardist Eric Guenther.
“Collectively, we're feeling proud, apprehensive, but ultimately excited to finally have this record speak for us as a meticulously sculpted voyage into our musical psyche. On album and stage, between the art's presentation, zealous and even forceful sonic immersion, and interpretable lyrical and visual metaphor, we are attempting to bring the listener deeper into the world and musical language of The Contortionist. “Reimagined” struck everyone simply as the most truthful and sincere place to start in this new universe.”
"Reimagined" is available on all streaming services today and is available as an iTunes Instant Gratification track, meaning, fans who pre order the LP via iTunes receive "Reimagined" as an instant download. The cover art and tracklisting can also be found below.
The Contortionist will release Clairvoyant on September 15th via Entertainment One Music / Good Fight Music. The new LP is the follow-up to Language, the genre defying LP that continues to garner critical acclaim. Clairvoyant, which reunited the band with producer Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, Through The Eyes Of The Dead), takes the best elements of The Contortionist’s past and reshapes them as the band follows their individual creative muses toward the future.
“Monochrome (Passive)”
“Godspeed”
“Reimagined”
“Clairvoyant”
“The Center”
“Absolve”
“Relapse”
“Return To Earth”
“Monochrome (Pensive)”
“Reimagined” video:
The band just wrapped up a European tour with Periphery and are currently playing some intimate UK headline shows before their first ever Download Festival performance on Friday, June 9th. This fall the band will support Between The Buried And Me on the Colors Ten Year Anniversary Tour. Click here for all tour dates.
Infectus 13 have released the second in a series of tributes to some of their favourite bands that influenced and inspired them throughout their own careers.
This time it’s Black Sabbath's “After All (The Dead)”, off of the 1992 album, Dehumanizer. Although everyone in the band were originally hesitant to record any songs featuring Dio, out of respect for his unique style and talent, they decided that he has been such a huge influence on everyone involved, that it would be criminal not to pay tribute to the greatest singer and lyricist of all time. The band, again, tried to stay very respectful of the original recording.
The song was mixed by Jörgen Kristensen of Dead Awaken, at Wide Awake Studio in Sweden. This song sees the return of John Gallagher of Raven on bass.
Since these songs will no longer become bonus material for the album, they will not be available for sale. They are simply the band, playing some songs from some of their favourite artists, and putting them on YouTube for people's enjoyment.
The tribute/cover songs were originally meant to be used for bonus material for their debut album, Last Rites, but due to numerous delays because of health issues suffered by Sid Falck, the most recent a back fusion surgery, the band decided to go ahead and release them to their YouTube channel one by one, while Sid recovers and the band can return to the studio to finish recording the last few songs.
All the drum tracks for these tracks were recorded during downtime between 2013 - 2016.
For those living in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, where the new video has been blocked, an alternative version of the video
with just a static cover picture can be found here.
The band previously released their take on Mötorhead’s “The Hammer” (streaming below). This song also features a guest appearance by Raven’s John Gallagher of Raven on bass.
GREAT WHITE's video for the song "Big Time" can be sen below. The clip was filmed in Yucaipa, California and was directed by Todd E. Braley.
"Big Time" is taken from GREAT WHITE's new album, "Full Circle", which was released on June 2. The effort sees the band re-teaming with its original producer, Michael Wagener. It's an honorable nod to their first EP, "Out Of The Night" (Aegean Records, 1983) and debut self-titled full-length record (EMI, 1984). Wagener, is, of course, the legendary producer behind ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, METALLICA, OZZY OSBOURNE and a slew of other rock gods.
"Full Circle" was recorded in January and February 2017 at Wagener's Nashville-based WireWorld Studio. The album's packaging includes a must-have companion DVD called "Making Of Full Circle". Rockslide Entertainment (produced by Todd Sadowski) captured the band developing the songs in the studio — a never-before-seen band access.
Much like 2012's "Elation" (Frontiers) the core songwriting team of Mark Kendall, Michael Lardie and Terry Ilous worked heavily alongside Audie Desbrow and Scott Snyder.
In total, the ten songs on "Full Circle" range from the gut-punching "Give It Up" to the bass-heavy "Cry Of A Nation", the easily embraced, more acoustic "Let Me In" to the dynamic "This Is The Life".
"Full Circle" track listing:
01. I'm Alright02. Movin' On03. This Is The Life04. Let Me In05. Moonshine06. Cry Of A Nation07. Give It Up08. Big Time09. Never Let You Down10. I've Got Your Back
This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Dan McNay on bass, Tony Montana on guitar and Dicki Fliszar on drums.
GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall recently told the "Music Mania" podcast about Terry Ilous (also of XYZ): "He's a blues-rock singer. He's like Ian Gillan meets Paul Rodgers meets Glenn Hughes or something, and a little bit of Steve Marriott. So when he was filling in, I kind of fell in love with that right away, 'cause that's kind of the school I come from. So I know his strengths, and that is in the power region of his voice."
He added: "We didn't really want a [Jack Russell] clone. We wanted the Mach II — kind of like the way DEEP PURPLE brought in [David] Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, and they made one of the best albums of their career, apart from that first 'Machine Head' record; I mean, nothing's gonna beat that. But I really felt 'Burn' was a super-strong record and the songs were just amazing. So the more play with Terry, the more we write, it just keeps getting better. And I'm looking forward to doing the next one. I think we could keep beating the last one, you know what I mean?"
The official music video for "Everybody Needs A Little Trouble", a brand new song from MR. BIG, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth studio album, "Defying Gravity", which will be released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl. The effort will be available at traditional retail and all digital service providers, as will a deluxe edition version with CD and bonus DVD that features music videos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new album. The album will also be made available on vinyl in the coming months.
"Defying Gravity" deftly showcases that patented MR. BIG blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of opening cut "Open Your Eyes" to the harmony-laden wonderment of "Damn I'm in Love Again" to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of "1992" (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international No. 1 smash "To Be With You") to the barnburning slide-blues closer, "Be Kind". Overall, "Defying Gravity" is prime evidence that the only thing MR. BIG remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence. Original members Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band's 1989 self-titled debut, 1991's "Lean Into It" and 1993's "Bump Ahead") for an intensive six-day recording session in Los Angeles. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on "Defying Gravity" due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop. "It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson," says Gilbert. "Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the '80s and '90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on 'Defying Gravity'. We basically played live in the studio.
"Over the years, we've all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it's still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I've worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record… both melodically and on the face-melting stuff." MR. BIG is gearing up for the launch its latest worldwide tour, which starts May 31 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Potowatami Casino. "2017 is filling up quickly with tour dates all around the world," proclaims Gilbert. "I can't wait to play the new songs, and, of course, our favorites from the old days, like 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy', 'Just Take My Heart', 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind', 'Wild World' and 'To Be With You'." "Defying Gravity" track listing: 01. Open Your Eyes02. Defying Gravity03. Everybody Needs A Little Trouble04. Damn I'm In Love Again05. Mean To Me06. Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)07. Forever And Back08. She's All Coming Back To Me Now09. 199210. Nothing At All11. Be Kind
The official video for the song "Fire To The Sun" from JORN can be seen below. The track is taken from the vocalist's brand new studio album, titled "Life On Death Road", which was released on June 2 via Frontiers Music Srl. Easily one of the greatest rock singers of the 21st century, Norway's very own giant Viking warrior Jorn Lande's vocals are resoundingly strong once again on his ninth original studio album, "Life On Death Road". This absolutely brilliant new album sees Lande attacking the microphone with rejuvenated vigor, accompanied by a new band and a bigger and stronger sound. "Life On Death Road" took several months of hard work for the songwriting vision to come together. Jorn needed to take the music to a new level to push the concept of the band further than it has ever gone before. The result is a record that is deep, strong, full of groove and powerful with anthemic songs aplenty. Songs like "Man Of The '80s", "Love Is The Remedy", "Life On Death Road", "Insoluble Maze (Dreams In The Blindness)", and "The Slippery Slope (Hangman's Rope)" capture the essence of Jorn as a singer, songwriter and lyricist. Jorn says: "It's easily one of the best albums I've ever recorded. This was all about putting the right people together for the right result, and about taking the necessary time to work more thoroughly and in depth with the material we chose for the album.
"The older I get, the more I feel it is necessary to listen to my heart and look for that genuine and honest feeling that made me take interest in music in the first place.
"Back in the '70s and early '80s when I grew up, people and music were more free and so the presence of feeling and soul came more naturally and was expected from an artist or a band. This is the energy and craftmanship we've been looking for, but still keeping a pulse on the modern times we live in.
"'Life On Death Road' is an original album that is pretty much summing up the last 40-50 years of rock and metal and has become a hybrid modern heavy rock album without losing those tasty elements of a good aged wine. Regardless, we're all products of our time, and the feeling, soul and symbioses we've achieved for this album is a rarity in today's music world, so in that sense this album is a true old school sailors' 'tall ship adventure.' From start to finish, it took us nearly three years to finalize and I'm really proud to say that this album is the proof that classic albums can still be made." The album also marks the debut of a new lineup of very experienced and gifted musicians around the Norwegian singer. On bass is Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, KISKE/SOMERVILLE) who needs virtually no introduction to European heavy metal fanatics. On keyboards and production is Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, REVOLUTION SAINTS), who already joined JORN for the recording of his last covers album, "Heavy Rock Radio" and was the glue that helped Jorn to create the feel and the direction for the new album. Francesco Iovino (PRIMAL FEAR) is on drums and Alex Beyrodt (PRIMAL FEAR, VOODOO CIRCLE) handles guitar. Truly a recipe for a roaring success! Jorn had no desire to do "just another" JORN record. The aim was to do the best record possible and it took almost two years of writing, arranging, and producing before wrapping this all up. The performances are thunderous across the board and you can hear the urgency of these songs in Jorn's singing! Jorn's catalogue is getting too long to include in brief overviews and his innovative and creative skills as a vocalist and music visionary have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide while being a frequent entrant on sales charts around the world, including Billboard. Worth a mention here though are his years fronting MASTERPLAN, whom he recorded three albums with. He has also recently collaborated with the world's biggest online gaming company, Riot Games, providing vocals for the virtual band "PENTAKILL" in the game "League Of Legends". Claimed to be the biggest-selling Norwegian musical export since the pop band A-HA, Jorn continues his rock crusade and there are no signs of him slowing down and "Life On Death Road" is a magnificent testament to his abilities! "Life on Death Road" track listing:
01. Life On Death Road02. Hammered To The Cross (The Business)03. Love Is The Remedy04. Dreamwalker05. Fire To The Sun06. Insoluble Maze (Dreams In The Blindness)07. I Walked Away08. The Slippery Slope (Hangman's Rope)09. Devil You Can Drive10. The Optimist11. Man Of The '80s12. Blackbirds JORN is:
Jorn Lande - VocalsAlex Beyrodt - GuitarsMat Sinner - Bass Alessandro Del Vecchio - KeyboardsFrancesco Iovino - Drums
Sólstafir have released a video for “Silfur-Refur”, the opening track of their new album, Berdreyminn, out now via Season Of Mist. The video is available for streaming below.
Sólstafir are not like any other band. Their sixth album, Berdreyminn, underscores this statement. As its title "a dreamer of forthcoming events" aptly describes, the four Icelanders have taken their already impressive evolution one step further. The band has continued to amalgamate haunting melodies, psychedelic phases, as well as strong undercurrents of classic rock and hard rock with echoes of their metal past. Yet Sólstafir’s focus is not on style but pure emotion.
Berdreyminn is eclectic by a conscious choice to make feelings audible and transform taste as well as texture to sound. Genre borders are not broken but simply ignored. Musical influences are gathered from a wide range of sources, re-arranged, and woven into new patterns. Melancholy, longing, anger, joy, pleasure, pain, and other emotions are fuelling and fulling this album.
Svart Records recently announced the signing of Hallatar. The first fruit of this union is the band's debut album, No Stars Upon The Bridge, which is based on the lyrics and poems of Aleah Starbridge, and is tentatively slated for release this fall. The album cover art by Fursy Teyssier can be seen below.
Hallatar have released a video for “Mirrors”, the first single from the upcoming album. The band describe the song as “one is one of the darkest and slowest song on the album for sure”. Watch the video below:
Although a brand-new name, Hallatar features among its ranks Swallow The Sun and Trees Of Eternity guitarist Juha Raivio, Amorphis vocalist Tomi Joutsen, and former HIM drummer Gas Lipstick. In fact, one could see Hallatar as an extension of Trees Of Eternity, whose massively acclaimed debut for Svart, Hour Of The Nightingale, served as the swansong of vocalist Aleah Starbridge.
Juha Raivio explains the genesis of Hallatar: "After the death of my beloved and my life partner Aleah Starbridge last April, I have been gathering writings, lyrics, and the poems of Aleah to keep them safe and close to my heart. About one month after the world came down on the blackest day of my life on April 18th, I knew I needed to pick up the guitar and try to create something or I would be truly destroyed. And something did arrive out of the darkness, and I wrote the music for the Hallatar album in a week's time. I don’t have much memory of this week, not a memory of a single day of writing the music. But all I remember when going into this abyss of the writing process was a promise to myself that whatever music would come out, I would not touch or change anything of it afterwards. What mattered was that the music would stay forever as an absolute truth of those moments as they came out. I asked my good friends - and amazing musicians - Tomi Joutsen and Gas Lipstick if they would want to record this music with me, and both of them said yes without even hearing a note of it. I am forever grateful to both of them for sharing this road with me; even the weight of the process has not been easy to carry, or will be."
Adds Gas Lipstick, "I am grateful and very honored to be asked to join this band. Juha is a dear friend of mine since many years ago, and when he told me about his vision for Hallatar and asked me to join, I said yes instantly - I just had to be part of this amazing journey. I had never heard a single note of the music before I gave my 'yes' because I didn't need to. Juha has been one of my favorite songwriters already for years, and I knew that Hallatar will be a very deep, personal, and one-of-a-kind story which I wanted to help him to bring alive."
Continues Tomi Joutsen: "I have known Juha from the year 2007, when we worked together for the first time. A couple years ago, I had the privilege to meet Juha's life partner, Aleah Starbridge, who was such a beautiful person, inside and outside, and had an angelic voice out of this world. Aleah lent her voice on the latest Amorphis album, and we called her 'the whispering ghost.' When I heard about Aleah's passing last spring, it came as a total shock and heartbreaking news out of the blue. When Juha asked me if I would want to be part of this album and carry Aleah's flame with him, I didn't have to think twice. When everything has been taken, all that is left is the music. The sorrow strips us naked and leave us humble - this is how it sounds like."
Concludes Raivio, "What we recorded was a raw moment in time honoring the memory, lyrics, and poems of Aleah Starbridge with all its pain, beauty and darkness. There are no stars left upon the bridge to light the way anymore, but the music will always be a dim light, even in the darkest of the night."
German metal legends Primal Fear have released an official live video for “Rulebreaker”, featured on their new live album/home video, Angels Of Mercy - Live In Germany, out now. The video is available for streaming below.
2016 was a very busy year for Primal Fear. Following the release of their latest killer studio album, Rulebreaker in January, the metal warriors embarked on a world tour which shattered all the previously held records for shows played in one year by the band.
“We started in Europe with 11 countries and recorded the concert in Stuttgart for the album and video, which is Primal Fear’s first Blu-Ray release. We continued in the USA and Canada, Japan and for the first time, Australia. Then we played some wonderful festivals in the summer, continued touring in 10 countries in South and Latin America and ended the year with more shows in Europe. It was a fantastic experience for the band and we want to thank every single fan who joined us on this great journey!” says bassist and co-founding member Mat Sinner.
Vocalist and co-founding member Ralf Scheepers adds: “With a handy cam in my suitcase, I have recorded on multiple occasions many behind the scenes shots and funny, candid moments. We recorded an entire show right at the beginning of this fantastic world tour and it gives you an insight to the Primal Fear live experience on stage. You will find a lot of bonus material such as video clips and different additional surprises, so we can easily say that we are very proud to deliver this package to you…please enjoy and do us a favor: CRANK IT UP!”
The last tour unleashed the best Primal Fear performances since the band formed in 1998 - a consistently great mix of power, ambition, and enthusiasm filtered through the talent of these insanely great players! There is undoubtedly magnificent performances on this release, with great sound and video quality. This live album offers a barrage of metal anthems in their full glory that will please any headbanger! If you are a metal fan you, then you must see this in all it’s power and glory!
The package is available on CD/DVD and Blu-Ray with vinyl and a limited edition special box set in the works as well.
Tracklisting:
CD:
“Countdown To Insanity”
“Final Embrace”
“In Metal We Trust”
“Angel In Black”
“Rulebreaker”
“Sign Of Fear”
“Seven Seals”
“Angels Of Mercy”
“The End Is Near”
“Rollercoaster”
“The Sky Is Burning”
“Nuclear Fire”
“When Death Comes Knocking”
“Metal Is Forever”
“Fighting The Darkness”
DVD/Blu-Ray:
“Countdown To Insanity”
“Final Embrace”
“In Metal We Trust”
“Angel In Black”
“Rulebreaker”
“Sign Of Fear”
“Seven Seals”
“Let There Be Drums”
“Angels Of Mercy”
“The End Is Near”
“Rollercoaster”
“The Sky Is Burning”
“Nuclear Fire”
“When Death Comes Knocking”
“Metal Is Forever”
“Fighting The Darkness”
“Running In The Dust”
Bonus features:
“The End Is Near” (Videoclip)
“Angels Of Mercy” (Videoclip)
“When Death Comes Knocking” (Videoclip)
“King For A Day” (Videoclip)
“Strike” (Videoclip)
“Chainbreaker” (Live At Master Of Rocks)
Rulebreaker World Tour 2016 (documentary)
“Rulebreaker” video:
“The End Is Near” video:
“Metal Is Forever” video:
Primal Fear are back on the road promoting Angels Of Mercy. Currently confirmed dates are listed on the flyer below.
Primal Fear lineup:
Ralf Scheepers - Vocals
Mat Sinner - Bass
Tom Naumann - Guitars
Alex Beyrodt - Guitars
Francesco Jovino - Drums
PROPHETS OF RAGE, the supergroup featuring members of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, PUBLIC ENEMY and CYPRESS HILL, has released a video for its new single, "Unfuck The World". Directed by Michael Moore — who previously worked with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE on the "Sleep Now In The Fire" video — it juxtaposes politically charged footage with shots of the band performing live.
"Unfuck The World" is taken from PROPHETS OF RAGE's self-titled debut album, which will be released on September 15. The disc was recorded with legendary producer Brendan O'Brien who has done notable work with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE.
Moore stated about the video in a press release: "I am thrilled to once again be working with my old friends and comrades in the struggle for a just world. PROPHETS OF RAGE is the right band saying the right shit at this very critical moment. This music video is our collective battle cry against those who seek to harm the innocent and the powerless. I am proud to have directed this video and I ask all who see it do their part to unfuck this world. ALL HANDS ON DECK!"
"Prophets Of Rage" track listing:
01. Radical Eyes02. Unfuck The World03. Legalize Me04. Living On The 11005. The Counteroffensive06. Hail To The Chief07. Take Me Higher08. Strength In Numbers09. Fired A Shot10. Who Owns Who11. Hands Up12. Smashit
PROPHETS OF RAGE guitarist Tom Morello told Billboard that the members of PROPHETS OF RAGE have set a very high bar for the material that they want to release. "The goal is a simple one: The music has to be devastating," he explained. "In all these interviews, we talk a lot about the politics, but the cornerstone is that the music has to be devastating and we have to not just be competitive with our legacies, but in [2017], it has to be something that goes beyond that and is very authentic, unapologetic and contemporary."
Even though PROPHETS OF RAGE does not feature RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE frontman Zack de la Rocha, the group plays classics like "Bulls On Parade" along with tunes by PUBLIC ENEMY and CYPRESS HILL.
"I think the music of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is more relevant today than it was when it was written," Morello told Cleveland.com. "And we give a lot of credit and honor to Zack at every show because his lyrics are brilliant."
PROPHETS OF RAGE made their live debut in May 2016 in Los Angeles.
"Train Song", the new video from former PANTERA bassist Rex Brown, can be seen below. The song is taken from Rex's debut solo album, " Smoke On This", which will be released on July 28 via Entertainment One (eOne). The disc will be the first time in Brown's career in which he will serve as both lead vocalist and guitarist in a band.
Directed by Justin Reich, the "Train Song" clip was filmed in Nashville and features Brown alongside guitarists Lance Harvill and Joe Shadid, drummer Johnny Kelly and Caleb Sherman on keys and lap steel.
"Smoke On This" track listing:
01. Lone Rider02. Crossing Lines03. Buried Alive04. Train Song05. Get Yourself Alright06. Fault Line07. What Comes Around...08. Grace09. So Into You10. Best Of Me11. One Of these Days
Brown wields a six-string guitar as confidently as he wore the bass in PANTERA and DOWN. His engaging voice crackles with easygoing spirit and truth-telling power. It's a crunchy drawl that's down-to-earth, grippingly relatable, charmingly welcoming, and gritty, somewhere between the achingly resonant spiritual shamanism of Tom Waits and the instantly recognizable everyman AM radio vibes of Tom Petty and THE HEARTBREAKERS.
After a season away to gather his wits about him, rediscover his own roots, and assemble a group of players ready to help him execute his vision for the days ahead, Rex Brown re-emerges with a semi truck's worth of rock n' roll tunes as honest and sincere as they come. The new album is the sound of the man's own truth, forthright and ego-free. As he likes to say, "You're only as good as your word and your word better be good."
Rex's solo album is full of mojo and the force of character, determination, and nerve. He tracked lead vocals, rhythm guitars, and bass, working with his primary collaborator and old friend Lance Harvill, a Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter, on the album's songs. "Lance was and is my main man on this. Everything we did was finely tuned, both musically and brotherly."
Drums were tracked by Christopher Williams, himself no stranger to diverse tastes, from funk music to punk. His talent has been utilized by country music star Lee Greenwood, the reconstituted BLACKFOOT and most recently, power metal legends ACCEPT. The album was produced by New Yorker-turned-Nashville-transplant Caleb Sherman, a multi-instrumentalist with work on records by LITTLE BIG TOWN and PORTER BLOCK, among others. "Caleb produced the project from a musician's standpoint," adds Brown. "Not just a typical producer's standpoint, which was something I definitely needed. Between Caleb and Lance, we were a force to be reckoned with. They really pulled out the best in me." Peter Keyes, known for his work with LYNYRD SKYNYRD, can also be heard on a few tracks. All bass tracking came from Rex himself as well.
"My motto these days is 'Shake some shit up,'" Brown declares. "I've had my ups and downs, like anybody in this business. I wanted to feel like a true artist again, where I can write and record songs without worrying about any of the bullshit. This is just something else I'm doing for fun, man. And musical freedom. Fun has to come into it or I'm not going to do it. I've had a tremendous career and now I feel like I'm twenty-five years old again. This has given me that freedom I needed."
"I've got so much more in me," he enthuses. "I'm just getting my feet wet."
Brown previously described his solo album as "a rock and roll record. It's not your standard fare or typical metal thing," he told Metal Hammer magazine. "I was always a big [LED] ZEPPELIN fan and even though it has its little fringes of it... It's a new journey that sounds like anywhere from FOGHAT to old Tom Waits. I'm a child of the '70s and I love those kind of songs."
After leaving DOWN in 2011, Rex went on play with KILL DEVIL HILL, which has released two albums so far: "Kill Devil Hill" (2012) and "Revolution Rise" (2013).
"Condolences", the video for the title track of WEDNESDAY 13's seventh solo studio album, can be seen below. Released today (Friday, June 2) via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the follow-up to 2015's "Monsters Of The Universe" was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with Wednesday 13 and guitarist Roman Surman on the 2010 MURDERDOLLS album "Women & Children Last". The artwork was created by Travis Smith (OPETH, KATATONIA, NEVERMORE) and can be seen below.
"We weren't trying to do a really long, IRON MAIDEN type of song — it just came out that way," Wednesday 13 said. "It wasn't forced and I think it's awesome! It's one of the first songs I wrote for the record.
"The title 'Condolences' came from when David Bowie passed away; I kept seeing 'Condolences, sorry for your loss.' I realized how powerful that word was, so I picked my guitar up and started writing the riff for it; I had the chorus instantly."
He added: "We shortened the song for the video — we cut two minutes off of it. But it's still a really, really dark song. And I think we captured that vibe in the video. It's definitely the strangest thing I've ever done — I filmed my fake funeral. I had all my friends there, putting flowers on a casket; it was really weird! I had a wreath that said, 'In Memory of Wednesday 13.' I'm the priest in it, doing my eulogy, and I'm also inside the casket, like I'm being buried alive. When we filmed the video, the director, Matt Zane, said, 'This reminds me of TWISTED SISTER 'Burn In Hell' or 'Captain Howdy'. And I was like, 'Holy shit, it does! I didn't even realize it."
"Condolences" track listing:
01. Last Rites02. What The Night Brings03. Cadaverous04. Blood Sick05. Good Riddance06. You Breathe, I Kill07. Omen Amen08. Cruel To You09. Eulogy XIII10. Prey For Me11. Lonesome Road To Hell12. Condolences13. Death Infinity
Wednesday 13 told Creative Loafing that "Condolences" may be his darkest and heaviest album to date. "The campiness is kind of gone off of this record," he said. "It's definitely heavier, and definitely the best-produced sounding thing, I think, I've ever recorded. A lot of people go, 'He's serious now!' Well, I'm 40 years old now. I'm growing with the music, my band, everything, and this record definitely has some experimenting with different sounds and things. The sense of humor is still always there, but maybe not as campy as it's always been, and sometimes that comes off more serious."
Regarding the subject matter covered on "Condolences", Wednesday 13 said: "The theme is death, and it comes from everything from the point of view of a killer, the point of view of being killed, and the whole record ends with the title track 'Condolences' and that's like the funeral."
He continued: "It's just a dark, weird record, kind of inspired by basically everybody who seems to be dropping around us. I kept seeing, 'Condolences, sorry for your loss,' and I saw that, and I themed the record around what's in the air right now."
Australia's NORTHLANE has released a video for its new single, "Solar".
Lifted from the band's critically acclaimed fourth album, "Mesmer", the song is a groove-laden, multi-layered prog journey that showcases the incredible vocal talent of Marcus Bridge, whose range and dexterity has proven unparalleled.
The video, directed by long-time collaborator Jason Eshraghian, was premiered via Twitter Wednesday morning.
"Mesmer" was released on March 24, with no forewarning and completely blindsiding fans and the industry alike.
Since it dropped, "Mesmer" has been streamed over 5.38 million times. The album was received with a raft of acclaim, shaping NORTHLANE into one of the most successful Australian heavy music exports today.
"Mesmer" was recorded throughout September 2016 in New Jersey with acclaimed producer David Bendeth (BRING ME THE HORIZON, PARAMORE, A DAY TO REMEMBER).
The rest of 2017 will see NORTHLANE take "Mesmer" to all corners of the globe, starting with appearances on the main stage at Download festival (U.K.) and Hellfest (France). The band will also appear at Vainstream Rockfest (Germany), Jera On Air (Netherlands), Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium), Dissonance Festival (Italy), Rock For People (Czech Republic), Resurrection (Spain) and many more.
Prior to "Mesmer"'s arrival, NORTHLANE's last full-length studio release was 2015's "Node". A split three-track "Equinox" EP with IN HEARTS WAKE — featuring all ten members of both bands — came out last year.
"Node" was the first NORTHLANE to feature Bridge, who joined the band after the departure of longtime frontman Adrian Fitipaldes. Adrian left the band unexpectedly in 2014, citing health issues.
Newly reunited metal band EIGHTEEN VISIONS has released a video for the new song "Live Again". The clip was directed by Michael R. Garcia. "Live Again" is taken from EIGHTEEN VISIONS' comeback album "XVIII", which came out on June 2 via Rise Records. EIGHTEEN VISIONS was scheduled to take the stage for the first time in ten years last night (Friday, June 2) for a record-release show at The Observatory in Orange County. "XVIII", the reunited and reenergized band's first new album in over a decade, is both mission statement and battle cry. It's a blistering, dense, and diverse album. Recharged and newly partnered with Rise Records, EIGHTEEN VISIONS sound liberated from the expectations of the outside world and driven only by their own personal and artistic directive. This is the album promised by the raw alchemy of every other EIGHTEEN VISIONS record. The unrelenting force and unashamed ambition that fueled every stylistic incarnation of this always evolving and never boring band: it's finally fully realized in the sound of "XVIII".
The album was made at home in Orange County, with U.K. transplant and multi-instrumentalist producer Mick Kenney at the helm. His close relationship with the guys in the band (vocalist James Hart, guitarist Keith Barney and drummer Trevor Friedrich) lent itself to the most fully realized recording in their discography, emphasizing every strength of EIGHTEEN VISIONS' unique arsenal. Among the album's many highlights is "Live Again", a moving tribute to bassist Mick Morris, who passed in 2013; "Picture Perfect", a super-heavy, dirgy assault on fakery and wolves in sheep's clothing, dripping with menacing melody; and "Fake Leather Jacket", a Molotov cocktail tossed at the music industry, threatening and staunchly confident. "XVIII" track listing:
01. Crucified02. The Disease, The Decline, The Wasted Time03. Underneath My Gun04. Live Again05. Laid To Waste In The Shit Of Man06. Oath07. Spit08. Picture Perfect09. Fake Leather Jacket10. For This I Sacrifice
Radiation Romeos have released a video for “Monstertraxx”, a song from their self-titled debut album, out now. The new video is available for streaming below.
Radiation Romeos is a new band formed by the singer Parramore “Perry” McCarty, best known for being the frontman of legendary US metal act Warrior and famed Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens' solo project, Atomic Playboys (in fact, the inspiration for the name Radiation Romeos came from a line in the song “Atomic Playboys").
Musically, the band moves in a melodic hard rock direction with solid, metallic edges thanks to the production of Michael Voss (Phantom 5, Casanova, Michael Schenker), who also contributed to the songwriting. In the studio, Parramore sang all vocals with Dag Heyne handling guitars, Jogi Spittka on bass, and Gereon Homann laying down the drum work with gusto.
Perry says: “Radiation Romeos started when producer Michael Voss contacted me in San Diego through Facebook. A few days later we had the record agreement with Frontiers, so the Radiation Romeos album was soon under way. Our goal was to write great melodic rock songs. The album “spans the globe” from the title track, power rockin’ Radiation Romeos to some songs with a bit more grit like Castaways. All the way to a beautiful ballad, “Like An Arrow”. Something for everyone, if you will… The recording was so much fun and exciting for me. I couldn’t wait to get up the following day to work on the next song! Michael is a wonderfully professional person with endless talent and the musicians super cool guys and top players!”
Parramore McCarty's career in music started when Robbin Crosby of Ratt gave him his start singing in cover bands. His first major label album was Fighting For the Earth on Virgin Records in 1985 for the legendary heavy metal band Warrior. Steve Stevens' Atomic Playboys followed in 1989 on Warner Bros. Records. Then he returned to Warrior and also started gigging in the LA area with Metal Freqs and Monster Traxx.
Radiation Romeos tracklisting:
“Radiation Romeos”
“Ocean Drive”
“Bad Bad Company”
“Mystic Mountain”
“Like An Arrow”
“Promised Land”
“Castaways”
“Ghost Town”
“Til The End Of Time”
“On The Tight Rope”
“Monstertraxx”
“Monstertraxx” video:
“Radiation Romeos” video:
“Castaways”:
“Like An Arrow”:
“Ocean Drive” video:
Band lineup:
Parramore McCarty - vocals
Dag Heyne - guitars
Jogi Spittka - bass
Gereon Homann - drums
FILTER's music video for the song "Mother E" can be seen below. The track comes off the band's current album, "Crazy Eyes". Frontman/mastermind Richard Patrick commissioned an epic clip for the compelling cut.
FILTER has always been about defying expectations and making strong statements. Patrick has sounded off on many timely topics of late, none more powerful than the statement "Mother E" makes about anger and hate in people's hearts.
"'Mother E' is the sound of what I call 'real-life horror,'" he said. "People that show up at a pre-school, movie theater or church firing a semi-automatic (to somehow silence the voices in their heads) scare me more than some movie monster. Real-life horror is what makes me write many of FILTER's songs." The haunting video was directed by Polish director Lukasz Pytlik.
"When we first talked with Richard about making the video for 'Mother E', I immediately saw the song's potential to tell a story that is not only brutal and unforgiving but also one that carries a message and is full of emotions," explains Pytlik.
"When working on the script, I knew that I had to make it about a subject that I could relate to. As a history buff, I wanted to tell the story of what happened during WWII when the Russian army was supposed to be our ally and free Poland from the Germany's occupation. What happened was not what was supposed to. Many of the Russian soldiers, raped, mutiliated and even killed Polish women. That was our canvas for the rape-and-revenge story we tell in the video. BUT: is it truly happening or is it happening in someone's tormented mind? That's up to viewers to decide." This fall will likely see the FILTER DVD/album release "Crazy Eyes Of America" — a recording done in 2016 of the band's powerful live show.
Eskimo Callboy, the modern metal six piece from Castrop Rauxel, have released a video for “The Scene”, the title track of the band’s upcoming album, out on August 25th via Century Media Records/People Like You Records. The new clip can be found below.
The band have kicked up a lot of dust, not only in their native Germany, but also internationally. Their latest two albums landed in the German Top Ten Album Charts, We Are The Mess (2014) at #8 and Crystals (2015) at #6, they toured Europe with the likes of Callejon, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch and Asking Alexandria and played high profile festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze, Open Flair and Nova Rock. Moreover, Eskimo Callboy already toured countries such as Japan, Russia, China and South Africa and played a full US tour with Deuce and Kottonmouth Kings.
Tracklisting:
“Back in the Bizz”
“MC Thunder”
“The Devil Within”
“Banshee”
“The Scene” (feat. Fronz)
“VIP”
“Shallows”
“Nightlife” (feat. Little Big)
“X”
“New Age”
“Frances”
“Rooftop”
“Calling”
“The Devil Within” (Acoustic) (feat. Tobias Rauscher)
“The Scene” (feat. Fronz) video:
The band will only play selected shows and festivals during the summer and prior to the album release.
June
14-16 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Nova Rock
16 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
July
4-6 - Hradec Králové, Czech Republic - Rock For People
20-23 - Kiev, Ukraine - Faine Misto Festival
August
3-5 - Lustenau, Austria - Szene Open Air
5 - Horb am Neckar, Germany - Minirock Festival
25 - Gränichen, Switzerland - Open Air Gränichen
A performance video for IN THIS MOMENT's new single, "Oh Lord", can be seen below. The clip was filmed at this year's edition of the Carolina Rebellion festival, which was held May 5-7 at Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. "Oh Lord" is taken from IN THIS MOMENT's new album, "Ritual", which will arrive on Friday, July 21. The band's sixth studio album will be released by Atlantic Records in partnership with Roadrunner Records and is available for pre-order now.
All pre-orders will be joined by an instant grat download of "Oh Lord", with additional instant-grat downloads becoming available in the weeks leading up to the album's release. Exclusive pre-order bundles, which include custom IN THIS MOMENT branded rosary beads, are available now at the band's webstore. Produced by longtime collaborator — and multiple Grammy Award nominee — Kevin Churko (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, OZZY OSBOURNE), "Ritual" sees IN THIS MOMENT pushing their inimitably dark sound forward with a provocative sense of pervading doom and metallic blues power.
Highlights include a dramatic reimagination of the Phil Collins classic "In The Air Tonight" as well as "Black Wedding", a walk down the aisle of musical madness that sees lead singer Maria Brink sharing the mic with legendary JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford. "It's like we're going into the next realm," says Brink. "I had a conviction of feeling empowered in my life and with myself. I always write from a personal place, and I needed to share that sense of strength. I've never been afraid to hold back. Sometimes I can be very suggestive. However, I wanted to show our fans that this is the most powerful side of myself and it's without overt sexuality. It's that deeper serious fire inside of my heart." "When fans hear this, I want them to feel the music, whether they take away sadness, anger, or happiness," adds lead guitarist Chris Howorth. "As a kid, I remember listening to records and putting them on repeat over and over again. I'd love for the world to listen and absorb this as a piece of work." IN THIS MOMENT will herald "Ritual" on a major North American tour, beginning June 20 at Peoria, Illinois's Limelight and featuring support by such like-minded bands as MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, VIMIC, LITTLE MISS NASTY and STARSET. As if that weren't enough, IN THIS MOMENT is also set for two exciting support dates, joining AVENGED SEVENFOLD on June 19 at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan's Soaring Eagle Casino and PAPA ROACH on June 23 at El Paso, Texas's Streetfest. The upcoming dates follow the just-wrapped "Half God Half Devil Tour", the nearly sold-out trek marking IN THIS MOMENT's first full-scale live assault since serving as special guest on last year's blockbuster "Return Of The Dreads" tour with KORN and ROB ZOMBIE. The band's own hugely successful "Black Widow" headline tour included a wide range of sold-out shows and stage-stealing festival appearances.
"Ritual" track listing:
01. Salvation02. Oh Lord03. Black Wedding (feat. Rob Halford)04. In The Air Tonight05. Joan of Arc06. River of Fire07. Witching Hour08. Twin Flames09. Half God Half Devil10. No Me Importa11. Roots12. Lay Your Gun Down
Bay Area technical death core metallers, Rings Of Saturn, arrive back on the scene to release their fourth full length studio album Ultu Ulla on July 28th via Nuclear Blast Records. The alien death core quartet present an entirely new and esoteric proposition to heavy metal.
Rings Of Saturn mastermind Lucas Mann discusses the album title: "The album name, Ultu Ulla, means "Time Immemorial" in Sumerian Cuneiform. Ultu Ulla (Time Immemorial) is about aliens transcending space and time and uncovering an ancient incomprehensible entity that threatens the fabric of universal existence."
Today, the band releases the first single of the album, "Inadequate". Watch the music video below.
Order your copy of the album digitally on iTunes and Amazon Music and receive a download for "Inadequate" instantly! http://nblast.de/RingsOfSaturnDigital
The album is be available in the following formats from the Nuclear Blast web shop::
- CD Jewel
- Mint Green Vinyl (Limited to 300 worldwide)
- T-shirt bundle ( T-shirt + CD + Poster)
The album is also available in the following formats from the official Rings Of Saturn merchandise store:
- CD Jewel
- T-shirt, Zip-up Hoodies, Sweatshirts, & Hat Designs
- Womens leggings
- Vinyl
- Extended Album Artwork Banners
- All-Over Prints
Pre-order Ultu Ulla in the format of your choice as well as merchandise here.
The hallucination inducing cover artwork was completed once again by Mark Cooper of Mind Rape Art. Made-up of a 3-piece painting that continues the story from the 2-piece artwork from Lugal Ki Em. Cooper fuses the band's musical and conceptual ideas forming a piece of art that embodies the complexity of the bands music.
Mark Cooper comments, "The general idea was to create a scene where gods from beyond time and space are invading 3D-reality and taking over. They are chaotic beings that can take any form at will and manifest anything with their imaginations."
The guitars, bass, and synth tracks for Ultu Ulla were completed at Mann Studios. The drums and vocals were recorded in Florida at Krikbride Studios. Mixing, mastering, and production was completed by Studio 344 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Tracklisting:
“Servant Of This Sentience”
“Parallel Shift”
“Unhallowed”
“Immemorial Essence”
“The Relic”
“Margidda”
“Harvest”
“The Macrocosm”
“Prognosis Confirmed”
“Inadequate”
“Inadequate” video:
Rings Of Saturn are:
Lucas Mann - guitars, bass, synth
Ian Bearer - lyrics, vocals
Aaron Stechauner - drums
Miles Dimitri Baker - guitar
On August 25th, French metal force Dagoba will release its seventh studio album, Black Nova, as a cooperation of Jive/Epic for France and Century Media for the rest of the world. The music video for the first single, "Inner Sun", is available for streaming below. The single is now available for download across all digital platforms.
Formed in 1997 and inspired by 90’s American metal greats such as Pantera, Machine Head and Fear Factory, Dagoba quickly expanded their furious sound with dark, symphonic and industrial elements culminating on what is to become their strongest album to date, Black Nova.
Shawter - singer, guitarist, composer and leader of Dagoba - helmed the recordings of Black Nova, which took place at Eagle Black, his own studio in Marseille, whereas Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica, Heaven Shall Burn) took care of mix and mastering. Black Nova sounds massive with rich dynamics, towering riffs, vigorous shouts and infectious melodic choruses all over the place. The equally powerful artwork was created by Seth Siro Anton (Septic Flesh).
Black Nova tracklisting:
“Tenebra”
“Inner Sun”
“The Legacy Of Ares”
“Stone Ocean”
“The Infinite Chase”
“The Grand Emptiness”
“Lost Gravity”
“Fire Dies”
“Phoenix et Corvus”
“Vantablack”
US power metallers, Cellador, have released a video for the song “Break Heresy”, taken from their new album Off The Grid, out now via Scarlet Records.
Meticulously crafted at the helm of founding member, songwriter, and producer Chris Petersen, the long awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed Enter Deception is finally here, setting the bar even higher and faster on its trademark brand of steroid injected, high intensity power metal music.
Spiked with a unique ferocity and infectious melody, this is an album not for the feint hearted. Within its audible depths the band continues the high energy power and speed metal of its previous album, while adding more clarity, more focused vision, and a cohesiveness never before achieved in its songwriting until now.
Off The Grid was mixed and mastered by Peter Rutcho at Damage Studios (Havok, Revocation, Vomitron, Armory) in Southbridge, MA with artwork created by Colin Marks at Rain Song Design.
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The Contortionist
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