Black Star Riders frontman Rick Warwick recently released two solo albums. The electrifying When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues) and the beautifully acoustic Hearts On Trees were released as a double CD on March 4th via Nuclear Blast.
A new live video for “Psycho”, from Hearts On Trees, can be seen below:
With one album, When Patsy Cline Was Crazy… showcasing his electric rock and roll side. The other disc, Hearts On Trees, veers towards the more tender stripped-back songwriting, influenced by both Americana and, more importantly, his Northern Irish roots.
Warwick comments: “Hearts On Trees and When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues) were written by myself and my good friend Sam Robinson, both albums depict our experiences of growing up and coming from the Greater East Belfast area, not only experiences that have happened to us but historical references and stories that have been told to us by friends and family... in saying that both albums translate those experiences on to a global scale that hopefully anyone geographically can relate to.”
The release boasts an array of acclaimed musicians with guests such as; Joe Elliot (Def Leppard), Damon Johnson (Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders), Andy Cairns (Therapy?), Billy Morrison (Billy Idol), Nathan Connolly (Snow Patrol), Ginger Wildheart (The Wildhearts), Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers), Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses, The Dead Daisies).
Tracklist and formats as follows:
Double CD
CD1 When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)
“The Road To Damascus Street”
“Celebrating Sinking”
“When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)”
“Toffee Town”
“That’s Where The Story Ends”
“Johnny Ringo’s Last Ride”
“Gold Along The Cariboo”
“The Son Of The Wind”
“If Your Not Gonna Leave Me (I'll Find Someone Who Will)”
“Yesteryear”
Bonus Tracks:
“Ghost Town Road”’
“The Whiskey Song”
“Tank McCullough Saturdays” (Alternative Version)
CD2 Hearts On Trees
“Presbyterian Homesick Blues”
“Tank McCullough Saturdays”
“Psycho”
“Hearts On Trees”
“Said Samson To Goliath”
“Way Too Cool For Snow”
“Schwaben Redoubt”
“The Year of Living Dangerously”
“Disasters”
“82”
Bonus Tracks:
“Love Owes”
“I Can See My Life (From Here)”
“The Ugly Truth”
“Hell Or Highwater”
“Eight Bells”
“Schwaben Redoubt” video:
“When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)”:
"Eye Of Chaos", the new video from ONCE HUMAN, the band featuring former MACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, can be seen below. The song is taken from ONCE HUMAN's upcoming album, "Evolution", which will be released on January 20, 2017 via earMUSIC/eOne.
"Evolution" is not just the title of ONCE HUMAN's sophomore release, it's an armor-plated declaration. Having made waves with their 2015 debut, "The Life I Remember", the band have dramatically progressed beyond the melodic death metal sound of that release into something more complex, emotional, distinct, and devastatingly heavy.
"Having been focused on recording, producing and developing bands, I had not picked up the guitar out of passion for twelve years but as soon as I started writing with Lauren [Hart, vocals], I fell in love with what we were making, and I wanted to play in the band and get back on stage," states Mader, whose name will be familiar to metalheads not only for his production and/or mixing work on records from the likes of GOJIRA, FEAR FACTORY and DEVILDRIVER, but also as the original guitarist in MACHINE HEAD, and his late-'90s stint in SOULFLY.
"Our first record was getting the ball rolling, but now it's as if we're a totally different band. We really found our sound and our identity, it's quite unique and I think what we're doing is really on fire."
Armed with this track and the eight others comprising "Evolution", ONCE HUMAN intend to build on the groundwork laid down by the two tours they did in support of their debut, and make it damn clear that this is a band to be taken seriously.
"It's only been a little more than a year since we put out our first record, but we were so driven by the new sound that we forged that we needed to get back into the studio and capture it," Mader explains. "It was also important to prove to people that this is a real band. It's not just a project I felt like doing on a whim, this is a band that's going to have a full career, and now we're really getting started."
"At The Edge Of The World", the new video from MESHIAAK, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's debut album, "Alliance Of Thieves", which was released on August 19 via Mascot. The CD was recorded at GREEN DAY's Jingletown Recording Studios in Oakland, California.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, MESHIAAK features veteran extreme metal drummer Jon Dette, who has played with SLAYER, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT and ICED EARTH, alongside TERAMAZE guitarist Dean Wells, former 4ARM frontman Danny Tomb and bassist Nick Walker.
Wells says: "We went with keeping the sound as band-orientated and organic as possible, but with using a lot of modern technology.
"It's a blend of old and new because we recorded to two-inch tape for the drums through an old Neve desk, but the rest of the album was produced in my home studio.
"We also went with a mixer named Jacob Hansen who is known for a lot more progressive music. But I think the combination really gives MESHIAAK a new and fresher sound than most traditional thrash albums.
"And so we've tried to create something fresh among the guidelines of traditional metal and thrash with some progressive elements, although at the same time we wanted to make music feel like when we first discovered bands like MEGADETH, METALLICA, MACHINE HEAD... even ALICE IN CHAINS and SLIPKNOT."
Wells adds that the progressive overtones in MESHIAAK's music come largely from his interest in other musical genres not typically associated with an extreme metal band. He says: "I have a lot of influences outside the metal world such as TOOL and DREAM THEATER, and a lot of guitar instrumentalists as well like Guthrie Govan and Joe Satriani.
"At times, I had to be brought back into line to keep things metal and exciting. I think that's what makes MESHIAAK unique — the melting pot of influences we have. Perfect soundtrack for punch-ups with your mates."
"Alliance Of Thieves" track listing:
01. Chronicles Of The Dead02. It Burns At Both Ends03. I Am Among You04. Drowning, Fading, Falling05. At The Edge Of The World06. Last Breath Taken07. Maniacal08. Alliance Of Thieves09. Death Of An Anthem
California heavy rockers HIGH ON FIRE have released their new music video for the song "The Black Plot". Directed by visionary art freak Skinner (MASTODON) and visual effects team Hey Beautiful Jerk (RUN THE JEWELS, NINE INCH NAILS), the clip is an animated tour de force and a wild psychedelic fantasy epic.
"I wanted to make an animated short film with Hey Beautiful Jerk, I just didn't know how completely crazy it would get," says Skinner. "At first I thought we should do a real simple story with action fights to wear down the timing a little bit. But then I thought, fuck it, here's a super complicated story with a million characters and it's off-the-wall crazy and shit. Wanna do it?"
"This has definitely been the most challenging and the most rewarding project in the history of Hey Beautiful Jerk," adds the team of Mark Szumski and Gina Niespodziani. "Creatively, we did not make many concessions and we really pushed ourselves to see how far we could take this thing. It worked."
"The Black Plot" is taken from HIGH ON FIRE's latest album, "Luminiferous", which was released in June 2015 via eOne Music. The CD was recorded at Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studios with producer Kurt Ballou.
HIGH ON FIRE's celebrated albums "Snakes For The Divine", "De Vermis Mysteriis" and the aforementioned "Luminiferous", have just been issued on cassette for the very first time via eOne. The cassettes were released as a limited-edition bundle pack.
HIGH ON FIRE will tour North America this fall as direct support to Sweden's MESHUGGAH. The trek will kick off on October 11 in Atlanta, Georgia and run through November 6 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Universally recognized as one of the most potent acts in music today, HIGH ON FIRE creates molten heavy metal that merges primal fury and aggression, blackened bombast and hall of fame heaviness. The group's seventh studio album, "Luminiferous" is a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume, delivering calculated catharsis as a volcano of revolving riffs and hailstorm of thundering drums combine to beam a blazing spotlight towards the future of modern metal music.
"We're doing our part to expose The Elite and the fingers they have in religion, media, governments and financial world downfall and their relationship to all of our extraterrestrial connections in the race to control this world," comments HIGH ON FIRE vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike. "Wake up, it's happening. All while we stare at a socially engineered lie we think of as normalcy. Unless we wake from the dream, there will come true doom."
Brujeria will release their fourth full length album, entitled Pocho Aztlan, on Mexican Independence Day (September 16th) via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Today, the band has debuted a very NSFW video for the track "Plata O Plomo".
The term "Plata O Plomo" was popularized by Mexican and South American drug cartel leaders such as Pablo Escobar and translates into "silver or lead?". Meaning, "take the money (bribe) or take a bullet".
Pocho Aztlan is now available for pre-order in various formats and bundles from the Nuclear Blast web shop. Fans can also pre-order the album digitally via iTunes, Amazon and Google Play and receive the song "No Aceptan Imitaciones" instantly.
Pocho Aztlan tracklisting:
"Pocho Aztlan"
"No Aceptan Imitaciones"
"Profecia Del Anticristo"
"Angel De La Frontera"
"Plato O Plomo"
"Satongo"
"Isla De La Fantasia"
"Bruja-"
"Mexico Campeon"
"Codigos"
"Debilador"
"California Über Aztlan" (Dead Kennedys cover)
"Bruja-“:
"No Aceptan Imitaciones" lyric video:
Pocho Aztlan is the band's first release since Brujerizmo was released in 2000 via Roadrunner. It was recorded over the course of many years and at several studios around the globe. The end result was mixed by Russ Russell (Napalm Death, The Expolited).
Aside from headlining their own tour along Cattle Decapitation this October, Brujeria were recently added to the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest bill on September 24th at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, CA. Find Brujeria’s complete live schedule at this location.
Brujeria is:
Juan Brujo - Vocals
Fantasma - Vocals, Bass
Hongo - Guitar, Drum Programming
El Cynico - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Hongo Jr. - Drums
Pinche Peach - Vocals, Samples
Pititis - Female Vocals
A Kuerno - Guitar
Sangron - Backup Vocals
Guero III - Backup Vocals
UK progressive act TesseracT have released a new music video for their track titled "Hexes”. Directed by George Laycock (Blacktide Phonic/Visual) and conceptualized by vocalist Daniel Tompkins and bassist Amos Williams, this is the second music video the band has released from their most recent LP, Polaris, which came out last year.
"Hexes represents a vivid dream and distant memory," says Tompkins. "One of holding onto the secrets between two people; a history shrouded in secrecy. To maintain the intimate and personal nature of the concept, we knew that we needed a video director that didn't simply understand the lyrics but someone who could connect to the intensity of the music, and was willing to work closely together in creating the right visuals.
"On first contact with Blacktide we knew that we had found the right team. The video was shot over four different locations scattered across the UK including Leicester’s National Space Centre, where we filmed some striking footage from inside a replica of the Columbus module from the International Space Station; shot in the early hours while the centre was closed to the public. Without a doubt Hexes is the most cohesive and impactful video we have made to date and we're extremely proud of the end result."
To coincide with TesseracT touring the US with Gojira this month, Kscope will be releasing a 2-disc tour edition of their studio album Polaris on September 16th.
The new 2016 edition of Polaris will be released with a bonus second disc Errai which features four re-worked tracks from Polaris – “Survival”, “Cages”, “Tourniquet” and “Seven Names”. The tracks have been re-imagined by the band’s long time live producer and sound engineer Aidan O’Brien. Along with the new song interpretations the cover art of new edition of Polaris has been given a 2016 make-over by artist Dan Mumford. “Survival” (Re-imagined) is streaming below.
He says on being asked to work on the project, "I've been lucky enough to contribute to various bits of TesseracT material since the Perspective EP back in 2012, but it was a thrill and an honour to be asked to have a much more involved role in working on reimagining four of the tracks from Polaris. Being given the chance to offer my interpretations of the songs at the core of these wonderfully nuanced and complex arrangements, as well as the chance to work closely with such talented musicians, was hugely exciting and I'm extremely proud of the results. It's still unmistakably TesseracT, but from an angle I think a lot of people won't have heard before."
TessaracT vocalist Dan Tompkins comments, “It's been fantastic to re-visit & re-work the vocals to some of the Polaris tracks from a different angle and with the benefit of time and space. The normal process of writing TesseracT songs starts with the creation of the music followed by the lyrical content; this time Acle and Aidan have stripped away the music and re-created the songs based around the vocals. As a result this has allowed much more breathing space between both and also highlighted much more detail in the performance.”
The Polaris Tour Edition will be released as a 2 CD set, with Errai being released as a stand-alone 180g heavyweight clear vinyl with enclosed download code.
TesseracT dates with Gojira:
September
21 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
24 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
25 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
26 - Orlando, FL - Plaza Live
27 - Tampa, FL - Ritz Ybor
29 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
30 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
October
1 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live!
3 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
4 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theatre
6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
7 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
9 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
10 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
13 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
14 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
16 - Minneapolis, MN - Myth Live
17 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Ballroom
19 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
20 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
21 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
22 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
23 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
"All The Reasons You Live", the new video from the influential and iconic heavy metal band DIAMOND HEAD, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's first album of new material in eight years, which was released on April 22. Titled "Diamond Head", the disc features an exciting new talent in singer Rasmus Bom Andersen.
In 2014, DIAMOND HEAD invited London-based, Danish-born Ras to join the band. Together they completed a European tour, which included appearances at Hard Rock Hell and Headbangers Open Air in Germany. The spark of creativity led the band to start working on the new album in January 2015.
Brian Tatler, founder of DIAMOND HEAD, said: "When we began talking with Ras about making a new record, he said we should write the songs as a band just like DIAMOND HEAD did at the beginning of our career. There's no substitute for writing together in the same room. We spark each other off and create something far bigger than we could have done individually."
Brian continued: "Ras has certainly renewed the energy within the band. I had no interest in doing another record, but after working with Ras on the European tour, that all suddenly changed. I wanted to make a record with him. He's a confident singer and he's not trying to fill anyone's shoes."
Speaking about the new DIAMOND HEAD album's musical direction, Brian said: "This new album has an echo of the early albums, but I always try to push our music forward somewhere new if possible."
Rasmus added: "All in all, this album was made with the band’s first fans foremost in mind, from start to finish. We wanted to write songs that would have ties to the best parts of the all the previous albums. We feel we have achieved what we set out to do and we hope everyone will hear and feel the DIAMOND HEAD spirit through this new eponymous record."
In general, the album lyrics focus on political and environmental themes, specifically warning that our world is in many ways leaning towards self-destruction. The opening and closing songs encapsulate these themes, while the body of the album explores subtopics in more depth, along with songs dealing with lighter subjects that aren't so heavy on the heart.
In a recent interview with EonMusic, Andersen recalled his "ruthless" approach to songwriting for "Diamond Head". He said: "I came in with some fresh ears, and almost like a producer, picked out the best bits. So when Brian said, 'Here's a lot of riffs, what do you think?' I was, like, 'That's fantastic, that's DIAMOND HEAD', or, 'That doesn't tie to DIAMOND HEAD, so let's run with these ones and see what else we can do.'
"I was quite ruthless. Brian came back to me after that conversation and said, 'That took a lot of balls for you to tell me that.' We ended up with this checklist to write this album according to."
Andersen added: "It really helped us to nail down what's going to make it to the album, and what's not going to make it to the album. It just made the politics of writing together as a band a really easy experience."
"Diamond Head" track listing:
01. Bones02. Shout At The Devil03. Set My Soul On Fire04. See You Rise05. All The Reasons You Live06. Wizards Sleeve07. Our Time Is Now08. Speed09. Blood On My Hands10. Diamonds11. Silence
"A Wannabe", the brand new Owe Lingvall-directed video from PAIN, the Swedish metal band led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Peter Tägtgren, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "Coming Home", which was released on September 9 through Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2011's "You Only Live Twice" features cover artwork by Stefan Heilemann.
Since the beginning of his career in the early '90s, the Swedish allrounder has enjoyed diving into the extreme and has grown to be an untameable force. But this is exactly what makes him so fascinating. Taboos, creative stagnation, or genre boundaries have never existed in the world of the forty-six-year-old mastermind. And, of course, Peter Tägtgren wandered the same unexplored paths when the time came to forge "Coming Home", the eighth studio release of the industrial institution PAIN. However, the path was long and winding and therefore, the writing process for the follow-up of "You Only Live Twice" wasn't all fun and games, but Peter Tägtgren is well prepared for the fight:
"Sometimes you pull your hair out and lay sleepless all night long, because you can't figure out this one chorus or don't know how to finish a certain song," admits the singer and guitarist."That's just me: When I dive into it, there's no ending in sight. It's a self-destructive mechanism. But I want perfection — or I don't want it at all."
Therefore, it is no wonder, that PAIN delivers a revolutionary mix of styles on this new release — bizarre alternative metal meets electronic melodies — and, in addition, the band weave some spectacular orchestral arrangements into the tracks on "Coming Home", without risking any cheesy moments or overloading the songs. The result is ten highly addictive hymns with massive depth and experimentation. With the orchestrated portions, PAIN entered a new era and seeked assistance from CARACH ANGREN's Clemens "Ardek" Wijers, who added some magical final touches to Tägtgren's bombastic songwriting. But the album also has time to breathe with beautiful acoustic guitar intros appearing hand in hand with stormy moments, showing the band at the zenith of their creativity.
"Coming Home" includes drummer Sebastian Tägtgren, Peter's seventeen-year-old son who delivers an impressive guest appearance on the title track as well as SABATON's Joakim Brodén who joins the team for some typically raw warrior vocals on "Call Me".
But a PAIN release wouldn't be a typical masterpiece without some thought-provoking topics and tales: On the callboy-singalong "Call Me" and "Final Crusade", the band crawls through the deepest corners of society and the human mind, while "Absinthe-Phoenix Rising" is based upon an incident in Leipzig during PAIN's tour with NIGHTWISH, where the band was attacked and beat up after leaving an Absinthe bar. And of course, lovers of mystery and conspiracy theories also get their money's worth with "Black Knight Satellite". "Nikola Tesla, who invented the lightbulb, electricity, and other stuff, thought that he heard beeping sounds from space," Tägtgren elaborates of the track's inspiration, "It was around the year 1899 and it seemed like a message to him, a hidden code. He was the first one to discover it, but in the 1950s, when humans started to go into space, they heard the same noises and found out: There is some signal from a satellite out there… but it isn't ours. And as they started their research, they found out, that people had been talking about this phenomenon for around thirteen-thousand years. The story of this so-called 'Black Knight Satellite' is very fascinating to me. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. But it definitely inspired me to write these lyrics."
PAIN will hit the road for a full European headline tour this autumn. The band will join forces with the German gothic metal outfit THE VISION BLEAK.
"Nihil Sine Causa", the new video from French modern metallers ETHS, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, which was released on April 22 via Season Of Mist.
Commented ETHS guitarist Stéphane "Staif" Bihl: "We are really glad to present you the first clip from our new album 'Ankaa' for one of our favorite tracks, which is called 'Nihil Sine Causa' — nothing without a reason.
"We deeply thank former ARKAN singer and celebrated actress Sarah Layssac and Jon Howard of THREAT SIGNAL for their contributions and investment. Heartfelt thanks go of course also out to Robin Levet and the entire EZDA Films team, Stephanie Capellini, Yann and Marseille's best rock bar La Maison Hantée for all the work accomplished — without forgetting Olivia, the dancers, and all the extras who really gave everything! I sincerely hope you will appreciate this clip as much as we took pleasure in the making of it."
"Ankaa" manages to keep the essence of ETHS, guided by Bihl, who also produced the album. Yet with new frontwoman Rachel Aspe and other changes in the lineup, there are new elements in the sound of the French act. The new album sounds more diverse and generally a touch darker. Electronic patterns find as easily a fitting place as a beautiful Arabic chant by guest vocalist Sarah Layssac (ARKAN). For this recording, former SOILWORK and current MEGADETH drummer extraordinaire Dirk Verbeuren stepped in and delivered a massive-yet-intricate pounding.
"Ankaa" track listing:
01. Nefas02. Nihil Sine Causa03. Amaterasu04. Seditio05. Nixi Dii06. Vae Victis07. HAR108. Sekhet Aaru09. Kumari Kandam10. Alnitak11. Alnilam12. Mintaka
ETHS in 2014 released an EP, "Ex Umbra In Solem", with Rachel Aspe. The EP's title track was a new song recorded, produced and mixed by ETHS guitarist Staif Bihl. It was backed by three classic ETHS tracks, recorded live on October 24, 2013 at the Divan du Monde in Paris, mixed by Nikhertz at Studio Phantom. Last but not least, the EP included three songs from the "III" album, re-recorded with Rachel's vocals.
ETHS in 2012 recruited Virginie Goncalves (KELLS) and Nelly Wood-Hasselhoff to handle lead vocals at the group's shows following the departure of Candice Clot.
Aspe made headlines in France in November 2012 when she performed the SYBREED song "Emma-0" on an episode of "La France À Un Incroyable Talent", the French reality television series which is part of the global British "Got Talent" franchise. Her death metal vocal styling stunned the judges and crowd before going viral and being seen by millions of people.
"It has always been my goal to be part of a band," Aspe told Rock Overdose. "One of the reasons I went to this TV show was to find one. [The show] was [taped] three months before I met ETHS, and [it originally aired shortly] after Candice left the band. So things came very fast for me. I had a job and it was hard to work on my vocals so quickly. I didn’t expect this success for the video; many bands contacted me, I did some [guest appearances] since that. People are continuing to share and comment on it."
Clot played her final show as a member of ETHS on October 13, 2012 at L'Arcade in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, France.
The official music video for "A Thousand Years", a song from British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), can be seen below. The track is taken from Blaze's eighth solo album, "Infinite Entanglement", which was released on March 1.
In an interview with Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada's The Metal Voice, Blaze stated about his new album: "I had this idea to write my own book. I had a story that… kind of coming from the character from 'Tenth Dimension' [Blaze's 2002 album] that I really wanted to do. And we started work on it, and we had too many songs for one album. And I thought, you know what? When I did 'Tenth Dimension', I had to keep that down to a certain amount of time because I was working with a record company; I had deadlines to meet. I thought this time… I think this is a really big story. And so, I started thinking about it like 'Dune' and 'The Lord Of The Rings' and something like that. I thought if I was gonna do exactly what I wanted to do, then I would do it in three albums. Well, I am my record company, so I can do what I want to do. So I'm doing it in three albums. And this is my first studio album — full metal studio album — for four years, and it's part one of a trilogy. And the story is told across the three albums. And so far, it's turned out really, really well. And the first few people now have got their pre-orders delivered, and they're really enjoying it. The feedback I've had is great."
Blaze also spoke in more detail about the story that is covered on the trilogy. He said: "It's about a man who does not know if he is human. It's his personal journey, and he is on a mission to discover one of the new Kepler planets. You know, Kepler discovered all these new planets. It's set a hundred years in the future, and he's on a spaceship and it's how he deals with the fact that he will be one of the first people ever to live for a thousand years because of advances in technology, and how he deals with that. And the question is: is he human or not? And that's it in a nutshell. And the story expands from there. And we discover a lot of different things — first, his emotions and how he feels, but also why he's there and how he is reacting to the circumstances. And everything is not what it seems. He's been chosen for the mission, and we find out why. And that's part of the overall story. So it's a kind of mystery horror, in a way, set in space, and this is part one of it. So I'm hoping that you'll like the rest as well."
According to Blaze, he intentionally made "Infinite Entanglement" so that fans of his music can listen to the album and enjoy it without having to be familiar with the entire story. He said: "That is how I started with the whole idea. I had to do something that I would enjoy. So I really wanted to do something more in the 'War Of The Worlds' style and in the 'Operation: Mindcrime'. I wanted it so, as a listener, you can enjoy each song without knowing the story. But if you want to look at the sleeve notes, if you want to get deeper in it, then you'll see the connections. You don't have to listen to all the songs to know the connections. And the order of the songs isn't in a way that you have to play it from start to finish either. And you won't really know where all of the songs fit until that third album comes out and it explains to you the whole story and all of the details."
Asked if he already has a timetable in mind for the release of the second and third albums in the trilogy, Blaze said: "We have half of album two, we have half of the songs ready for that, and we have some of the music and one of the songs for album three. So we kind of have the ending and a bit of the middle. So, as we're going along on tour, and I'm writing the rest of the story, then we'll come up with the rest of the songs."
He continued: "What I've enjoyed with this one is having the liberation of not having to connect everything to reality or directly to me, to be able to use somebody else's emotions and somebody else's thoughts, and have more than one set of eyes to look at the world through. That's been really liberating, and I've enjoyed it very much."
The 53-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to join MAIDEN, with whom he recorded two studio albums — 1995's "The X Factor" 1998's and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group.
Bayley released a career-spanning double-disc collection, "Soundtracks Of My Life", on October 31, 2013.
The year is 2024... for several billion years the universe has been governed by forces of equal strength and gravity, and equal parts good and evil. But times are about to change with the discovery of a previously unknown massive black hole in our solar system that threatens to devour everything that ever was and ever will be.
As the spiral of dark matter and darkness continues to rotate and close in on the fate of existence; hope is not lost with the unveiling of The Ashen Bridge; a gateway to salvation created in the dreams of the young; the innocent children of the world that know no selfishness, only love.
When they cry out for help at the brink of destruction; somebody actually listens; her name is Anuviel.
Saecred Spirit is a musical adventure from one of Sweden’s best kept secrets. It is an exciting journey that tells the story of Anuviel - a female emissary of light from a parallel world very close to ours that has been made aware that humanity is on the verge of destruction. The truth is even more disturbing; she soon finds out. The world has been dying for a very long time, burdened by the cacophony of tormented souls and the dissonance of species longing for a home of love and warmth.
Anuviel is a harbinger of life; a guardian of the very essence of time and space, and as such, a being that is eternal; keeper of the secret key made of sound that opens the gates that lead from The Ashen Bridge to any place in the universe. With such power, comes great responsibility and great danger; so she has to hide her inner light - veil her eyes, from forces that want nothing else than darkness to reign.
Faster than any light or thought, Anuviel - is a messenger of hope and strength. Her own sacred steed is a unicorn with the ability to sing and enlighten the world that unity of spirit brings the gift of music. It is time to listen and build strength for what is about to come…
Saecred Spirit is:
Anuviel - vocals, keyboards
Lars Chriss - guitars, drums (Lion’s Share, Seven)
Andy Loos - bass (Glory, Lion’s Share, Seven)
Jeff Paris - backing vocals (Mr. Big, Vixen, Y&T)
Photo by Tallee Savage
Video filmed and edited by Mats Vassfjord
Album, single artwork and graphics by C.A. Beckston (Blekkmark Design Studio)
ROCK WOLVES, the new all-star trio featuring Herman Rarebell, Michael Voss and Stephan "Gudze" Hinz, will release its self-titled debut album, on October 28 via Steamhammer/SPV in all territories except Japan. The video for the band's first single, "Rock For The Nations", was shot near Hanover in mid-June and can now be seen below. Rarebell describes ROCK WOLVES' material as "classic rock music, powerful but not too heavy."
This diversity of ideas and the band’s almost boundless musical enthusiasm is reflected in every one of the eleven songs on their debut release. Straight rock numbers like the first single, "Rock For The Nations", the shuffle groove-driven "Surrounded By Fools", the fast-paced "Out Of Time", and "The Lion Is Loose" with its haunting live qualities, but also "I Need Your Love", which brings to mind the likes of AC/DC and BAD COMPANY, are thoroughbred rock tracks that go directly to the listener's gut and legs, as well as — like all ambitioned rock music should — touching on painful subjects.
"Instead of delivering tanks and arms all over the world, Germany should concentrate on exporting good rock music," Rarebell explains the message of "Rock For The Nations". The lyrics on "Surrounded By Fools" with their warning of unscrupulous politicians are no less critical. Rarebell says: "Let's not be dazzled by their colorful election campaigns. Those politicians can easily end up bringing war to their countries."
Naturally, no diverse rock album would be complete without two or three more quiet numbers with less controversial subjects. In "Nothing's Gonna Bring Me Down", ROCK WOLVES have succeeded in recording a strikingly contemporary ballad which could have been penned in the same or a similar manner by Lenny Kravitz. Talking of which: the original version of the deeply melodic "What About Love" was written by Jim Vallance, but celebrated its greatest success in 1985 with HEART, who topped the Billboard chart for an impressive 18 weeks with the song.
"Our new version has been given the blessing by Jim Vallance himself. His only comment was: 'Your version is even better than my original, so go for it,'" remembers Rarebell.
"Rock Wolves" track listing:
01. Rock For The Nations (3:46)02. Surround By Fools (4:03)03. Out Of Time (3:31)04. What About Love (3:28)05. The Blame Game (3:19)06. Riding Shotgun (3:26)07. Nothings Gonna Bring Me Down (3:05)08. The Lion Is Loose (3.33)09. I Need Your Love (3:33)10. Lay With Me (3:30)11. Inside Out (3:09) (iTunes exclusive bonus track)
As the former SCORPIONS drummer, Rarebell was instrumental in recording classics such as "Lovedrive", "Blackout" and "Crazy World" between 1977 and 1996, and looks back at a successful stint as the manager of his own recording company Monaco Records. At the moment, he is a member of guitar legend Michael Schenker's group TEMPLE OF ROCK, where Rarebell met Voss. Since the 1980s, Voss has caused a stir with acts such as MAD MAX and CASANOVA, has worked with Michael Schenker and is also involved in TEMPLE OF ROCK as a vocalist, songwriter and producer. The third ROCK WOLVES member is Hinz, founder member and bassist of H-BLOCKX and hence a representative of the 1990s rock generation. So here we have three illustrious names, three decades, and three artistic careers with similar but by no means congruent influences. The material of the upcoming ROCK WOLVES album was produced by Voss at Münster's Kidroom Studio and at the Principal Studios in Senden.
New Wave Of British Heavy Metal veterans TYGERS OF PAN TANG will release their new, self-titled album on October 21 on LP, limited picture LP, CD and through all digital services.
The video for the album's first single, "Only The Brave", can be seen below. The track was released as a seven-inch vinyl EP with the exclusive B-side song "What You Say" (only be available on this EP). The vinyl is limited to 500 copies.
Much has been written about the role the TYGERS played in the establishment of the movement and about the comings and goings within the band, but it is safe to say that the current lineup brings a creative stability and a shared camaraderie that will keep them together, playing live and making records for some time to come.
The year began the signing of a new record deal with Scandinavia's premier rock and metal label Mighty Music, giving the band the opportunity to record the material they had written and honed in a burst of activity in late 2015. While the band were happy to produce themselves at The Blast Studio in Newcastle, they knew that the mix needed a fresh pair of ears.
Mighty Music CEO Michael H. Andersen recommended Søren Andersen of Medley Studio for the mix of the album. Having heard and been impressed by material recorded and mixed by Søren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Mike Tramp), the TYGERS sought out his services. Søren was only too happy to work with a band whose credentials were so firmly established. For the mastering, Harry Hess of HAREM SCAREM fame was the perfect man for the job.
Leaving the music in his capable hands, next stop for the band was South America. Having no idea what reception they would receive they were overwhelmed by the fierce dedication of the fans in Brazil and Columbia, who, in many cases, had waited years for an opportunity to witness the live show. From South America to Europe without a breath and then on to North America where they headlined Chicago's Ragnarokkr Metal Apocalypse.
Said Robb Weir, founder and guitarist of TYGERS OF PAN TANG: "Once in a while in a band's career comes a special time, a period where you feel it's all finally coming together and that time I'm proud to say is now! The new TYGERS album is finished, done and dusted and ready to unleash our 'Tygertastic,' audience. You're gonna love this one, it's a monster."
"Tygers Of Pan Tang" track listing:
01. Only The Brave02. Dust03. Glad Rags04. The Reason Why05. Never Give In06. Do It Again07. I Got The Music In Me08. Praying For A Miracle09. Blood Red Sky10. Angel In Disguise11. The Devil You Know TYGERS OF PAN TANG is:
Iberian extreme metal act Noctem have released a video for “The Submission Discipline”, a track from their new album Haeresis, due out September 30th via Prosthetic Records in North America, The UK and Europe, and through Art Gates Records in Spain.
Haeresis consists of ten brutally punishing tracks which conceptually delve into the dark history of Noctem's home country of Spain. Complimenting cover artwork, as seen below, was completed by Seth Siro Anton (Septicflesh, Moonspell, Behemoth) and depicts an epic and grotesque display of obscene torture extracted from the Spanish inquisition (1.500 A.C.).
Haeresis tracklisting:
"Through The Black Temples Of Disaster"
"Auto-Da-Fé"
"The Submission Discipline"
"Blind Devotion"
"The Dark One"
"Haeresis"
"Whispers Of The Ancient Gods"
"Conjuring Degradation And Morbidity"
"The Paths Of The Lustful Abandon"
"Pactum With The Indomitable Darkness"
"Through The Black Temples Of Disaster”:
Noctem, consisting of Beleth (vocals), Exo (lead guitars), Ethell (rhythm guitars), Varu (bass) and Voor (drums), self-recorded and produced Haerisis earlier this year at Firework Studios in Valencia before sending it to Sweden's Necromorbus Studio for mixing and mastering by Tore Stjerna (Watain, Valkyrja).
The band collectively proclaimed; "This record is proof that a band like us can keep evolving with time. It looks, sounds, smells and tastes different from anything we've ever done while keeping our original essence in every track. We're sure that any fan of extreme metal will be satisfied with this new opus."
Last month (August 2016), San Diego metallic-hardcore trio Poison Headache played their first live shows as a group, appearing at the Brick by Brick (San Diego, CA) and Chain Reaction (Anaheim, CA) with Rotten Sound. For fans that missed these two special dates, footage from the Chain Reaction performance is now online. Watch "Rot With Me" below:
Poison Headache has announced additional live shows for fall 2016, supporting Killswitch Engage and Noisem in San Diego, CA.
Tour dates:
September
14 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick (with Noisem)
October
13 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues (with Killswitch Engage)
"Shifts", the new video from Swedish purveyors of dark progressive rock/metal KATATONIA, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's tenth studio album, "The Fall Of Hearts", which was released on May 20 via Peaceville. The follow-up to 2012's "Dead End Kings" was recorded at Stockholm's Studio Gröndahl & Tri-lamb studio, and was produced by Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (OPETH, IHSAHN, DEVIN TOWNSEND) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (SWITCHBLADE, THE OCEAN, GREENLEAF) brought in as engineer. The dramatic-yet-desolate artwork was created by longtime KATATONIA designer and illustrator Travis Smith.
"The Fall Of Hearts" track listing:
01. Takeover [07:09]02. Serein [04:46]03. Old Heart Falls [04:22]04. Decima [04:46]05. Sanction [05:07]06. Residual [06:54]07. Serac [07:25]08. Last Song Before The Fade [05:01]09. Shifts [04:54]10. The Night Subscriber [06:10]11. Pale Flag [04:23]12. Passer [06:25]
KATATONIA spent the past four years since the release of "Dead End Kings" touring the world, as well as expanding its fanbase through two special albums on Kscope, the sister label of Peaceville. 2013 saw the release of "Dethroned & Uncrowned", which exploded the core of the songs on "Dead End Kings", creating new moods and textures. In 2015, they released the live acoustic album and concert film "Sanctitude". Both releases illustrate the band's journey toward this, their current more progressive sound.
"The Fall Of Hearts" is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel "Mojjo" Moilanen and with the addition of their recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (TIAMAT), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album, KATATONIA will continue to push their musical boundaries beyond their roots in the metal scene while drawing in new fans from across the musical spectrum like peers such as OPETH and ANATHEMA have also done, cementing KATATONIA's place as one of the most revered and cherished of all bands in the world of modern heavy music.
KATATONIA comments on "The Fall Of Hearts": "This album is probably everything we unknowingly ever dreamed of to release. It's a bleak but adventurous journey through our elements, we haven't held back, we have pushed to get forward and backward in the ever spiralling night of our musical legacy."
Portland rockers RED FANG mess with the wrong comic book collectors in the band's new video for "Shadows", which debuted via Funny Or Die this morning and can be viewed below.
"We had the pleasure of working with Whitey [McConnaughy] again on another music video," the band's singer/guitar player Bryan Giles commented of the "Predator"-like clip. "It was a crazy adventure through the woods in rural Oregon. It has stunt men, real firepower and some great explosions! We had a blast on this one."
The video is the sixth to pair RED FANG and director McConnaughy; the first clip from the partnership was 2010's "Prehistoric Dog", which saw the Portland-based band challenge a local role playing troupe only to suffer the consequences. The most recent video from the band and McConnaughy is the 2013 clip featuring Fred Armisen and a horde of beer-thirsty zombies in "Blood Like Cream".
"Shadows" is taken from RED FANG's new album, "Only Ghosts", which will be released on October 14 via Relapse. The disc was produced by Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with SLIPKNOT, SEPULTURA and KORN, among many others. The effort was recorded earlier this year at Robinson's Venice, California studio.
In a recent Revolver magazine interview, RED FANG bass player Aaron Beam joked that the experience of working beachside was "pretty miserable," later adding that working with Ross encouraged the band to take a different approach to recording. "He really digs into the meaning behind the songs so that when you're recording, you're doing it with conviction and purpose," he said. "It's less about the little technical things. He's more concerned with getting a performance and focusing on what you're trying to give the world by making this music in the first place." Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL, MELVINS) mixed the album. "Working with Ross and Joe on this record was a huge leap forward for us," said the band. "The process was very challenging and rewarding, and I think we're a better band for it. This album expresses exactly where we're at. We're super proud of it and can't wait for people to hear it!"
RED FANG kicks off an extensive fall tour on September 26 with a month of European tour dates followed by another month of U.S. dates. Labelmates TORCHE will open on both runs, with WHORES joining the U.S. dates.
"Only Ghosts" track listing:
01. Flies02. Cut It Short03. Flames04. No Air05. Shadows06. Not For You07. The Smell of the Sound08. The Deep09. I Am a Ghost10. Living in Lye
With the release of Nosound's new studio album, Scintilla, the band is pleased to be able to premiere its new video for the song "In Celebration Of Life," taken from the album, featuring guest vocals from Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh.
Giancarlo Erra explains how the song is a collaboration with and tribute to music fan Alec Wildey: "The track was probably among the first tracks written for Scintilla, it was inspired by an artist and well known member of the fellow prog community, Alec Wildey. Those who knew Alec know what happened and I'm not going to delve into details, but it really was a tragedy that shook everyone.
“He was a big fan of Nosound and our Kscope label mates, in the past Alec contacted me to see if we could work together, but I was always too busy, this time I felt particularly hit by the situation, for personal and musical reasons, so I wrote the track and recorded it all quickly in my studio as I wanted Alec to be able to hear it. His lyrics fitted perfectly the music and the message we wanted to send. His reaction to the song was, and I suspect will always be the highest point in my personal career, with my music I felt part of something bigger and beyond me.
“Although it was a very difficult time when we decided to collaborate, paradoxically we created a celebration of life song. As I always say the beauty of music is to transform something negative into something positive, transform pain in beauty, anger in happiness, desperation in hope."
Erra continues on how Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh became involved: "This uplifting anthem to life immediately struck a chord with Vincent. I played him the song without saying anything about all this, and he liked it immediately. When I told him about Alec, his emotional and moving reaction told me that he too was somehow linked to that situation, and we instantly knew that we were going to work together on this track. Anathema and Nosound were two of Alec's favorite bands and we know now that wherever he is, he's enjoying the track he worked on with me and Vincent.
For the video we wanted to tell a story, but one that everyone can interpret in their own way: there was a lot of thought put in as to how to leave it open. So, while I'm not going to reveal my personal story, I encourage you to look at the details and enjoy the song we wrote in celebration of life, something we should all remember to do every day."
Inspired by personal upheaval and a desire for change, Scintilla is an emotionally complex and musically direct work, presenting a stripped-down set of compositions that mark a major departure from Nosound's trademark symphonic lushness and production precision. Taking in influences from post rock, shoegaze and alt-singer-songwriters, the album imaginatively utilizes a mostly organic and acoustic sound palette.
On October 21, WOVENWAR, the band featuring the talents of Jordan Mancino (drums), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar) and Josh Gilbert (bass) of San Diego, California based metal act AS I LAY DYING, and Shane Blay (vocals) of OH, SLEEPER, will release its sophomore album, "Honor Is Dead", via Metal Blade Records. More aggressive and fluid than its self-titled predecessor, "Honor Is Dead" was written with contributions from all members, while the music for "Wovenwar" was mostly written before Blay joined the band. The results speak for themselves, capturing a group that sounds truly unified, and hungry.
For a first preview of "Honor Is Dead", a concept video — created by Hipa — for the first single, "Censorship", can be viewed below.
For "Honor Is Dead", WOVENWAR chose not to converge at the same studio to lay down the record, taking advantage of modern technology instead by recording their individual parts in convenient locales across California, Alabama and Texas — which was not without its downsides.
"Recording separately across multiple states at different times with a mixing engineer bouncing between multiple countries made things very tricky," Hipa admits. "Luckily we've all made records before and everything ended up working out."
Expanding upon the ruthlessly catchy melodies and hooks of their debut, "Honor Is Dead" makes for a listening experience with real depth, and a broad emotional range. Driven by a darker lyrical theme, the album's eleven tracks hit with devastating force.
"Honor Is Dead" track listing
01. Confession02. Censorship03. Honor Is Dead04. Lines in the Sand05. World on Fire06. Compass07. Stones Thrown08. Cascade09. Silhouette10. Bloodletter11. 130
Before "Honor Is Dead"'s release, WOVENWAR will embark on a North American tour with SOILWORK, UNEARTH, BATTLECROSS and DARKNESS DIVIDED this October/November.
Having recently announced the release of a brand new single “21st Century Fascism”, out October 1st via Grindscene Records, one man extreme metal wrecking machine Foul Body Autopsy has unleashed a killer new music video.
Just six months since the release of Perpetuated By Greed, Tom Reynolds, under his pseudonym Foul Body Autopsy is back with this new single which he states is a continuation from Perpetuated By Greed, the single is "about the rise of the extreme right wing within modern mainstream politics."
“21st Century Fascism” was produced by Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir) and features artwork by Alan O'Neill of Zonument.
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