Guitar icon Zakk Wylde has debuted the official video for his new single titled "Sleeping Dogs" from his forthcoming solo LP. "Sleeping Dogs" will also be available as an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre-order the album on iTunes will get the single immediately. An additional pre-order bundle is also available offering a "Book Of Shadows II" CD signed by Zakk plus a 17"x11" poster. Limited to 1,000 bundles.
Zakk Wylde will release "Book Of Shadows II" on April 8 via Entertainment One Music (eOne Music). Zakk's first solo release in 20 years is the highly anticipated follow-up to 1996's "Book Of Shadows", a classic album Wylde released between his work with Ozzy Osbourne that has since become a fan favorite. "Book Of Shadows II" was recently named as one of the "Most Anticipated Metal Releases of 2016" via RollingStone.com.
Wylde has been feverishly working on new material since he wrapped up BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Unblackened" spring tour last year. All songs on "Book Of Shadows II" were recorded and produced at Wylde's home studio, The Black Vatican, where several of Wylde's recent releases were made. The artwork was created by Wylde and longtime collaborator John Irwin.
As fierce and diverse as his work in BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and as large as his accomplishments as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne have been, "Book Of Shadows II" offers an even richer look into the spirit and psyche of one of the most beloved pillars of the hard rock community. Brand new tracks like "Sleeping Dogs", "Tears Of December", "Darkest Hour", "Harbors Of Pity" and "The King" are bold proclamations of intense feeling and powerful catharsis.
Zakk Wylde's powerful pipes, mayhem-inducing charisma, mischievous humor, and instantly recognizable pinch-harmonic driven blues based histrionic guitar shredding have made him the world's most beloved American guitar hero.
Keeping up with his road dog reputation Wylde has accumulated over the decades, he is treating 2016 no differently. Having just wrapped up a successful stint on the 2016 Axes & Anchors cruise, Wylde wasted no time in announcing his participation in the 2016 "Generation Axe" tour featuring Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi.
"Book Of Shadows II" track listing:
01. Autumn Changes02. Tears Of December03. Lay Me Down04. Lost Prayer05. Darkest Hour06. The Levee07. Eyes Of Burden08. Forgotten Memory09. Yesterday's Tears10. Harbors Of Pity11. Sorrowed Regret12. Useless Apologies13. Sleeping Dogs14. The King
Speaking to the Phoenix New Times, Zakk said: "For the 'Book Of Shadows II' record, we ended up having about 40 basic tracks we put down. It's an immersive-type style for BLACK LABEL. You know, acoustic, piano, but electric guitar in there as well."
Released in 1996, and reissued by Spitfire in 1999 with the bonus disc containing "Evil Ways" (the Japanese bonus track from the album's original release), "The Color Green" and "Peddlers of Death" (an acoustic version of a track that appeared on BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Sonic Brew"), "Book Of Shadows" showed a different side of Zakk's songwriting output, with Wikipedia describing it as "an introspective and mostly acoustic [effort] recalling many of the lighter moments from his previous project, PRIDE & GLORY, as well as classic folk rock artists such as Neil Young."
Zakk Wylde is no stranger to showing the lighter, introspective side of his music, having previously released two BLACK LABEL SOCIETY albums of stripped down material. "The Song Remains Not The Same" came out in 2011 and included acoustic versions of songs originally released on "Order Of The Black" and 2013's "Unblackened", a live acoustic album that was recorded live at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles-based rock band, Cage9, has released their new video, “Everything You Love Will Someday Die”, the first single from their upcoming album Illuminator, out June 10th via EMP Label Group, the label founded by Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, distributed by eOne in North America, and SPV in Europe. The video can be seen below.
Cage9 main man Evan Rodaniche had this to say about the track. “This song is dedicated to my father, who passed away about a month ago after a two year battle with cancer. But even when I first wrote these lyrics at the onset of his terminal diagnosis as a sort of comforting mantra, in the back of my mind I believed my dad was indestructible. I never thought I’d be adding an “in loving memory” dedication at the end of this video. But then he was gone. And that’s what this is all about. We spend our modern lives wrapped up in our first world problems, completely disconnected with the natural cycles of the planet around us."
He continues, "We shot the video DIY with a couple Canon DSLR cameras, a black sheet in our rehearsal room and about forty non-actor friends, fans and family who showed up one sunny Los Angeles afternoon in 2015 to mouth the lyrics to a song they’d never heard. We aimed to bring home the message that no matter who you are, we’re all in this together. “Everything You Love” is also the track that caught David Ellefson’s attention and ultimately inspired him to sign us to EMP. After a few conversations with our A&R guy Thom Hazaert, he brought it to David, and he got it. The rest is history."
Says Ellefson, "Cage9 is definitely the real deal. When I first heard “Everything You Love Will Someday Die”, it instantly struck me as the closest I've heard to a song with a true Metallica/Megadeth core, with the radio accessibility to really connect with a modern rock audience. And with the band's history, and everything they've accomplished, they were a perfect fit for what we are doing at EMP."
Rodaniche continues, "As for the song, itself, it's a little bit of old school thrash mixed with something more melodic and a little piano and acoustic guitar wankery to push it over the 6 minute epic-metal-song mark. (Yes, there’s a radio edit.) I was the 14 year old kid running around with a worn out cassette of Peace Sells in his Walkman, so having the dude that brought us pretty much THE most recognizable bass riff of my, (and half the planet over 30’s) youth, dig our band is a HUGE honour.”
“Cage9 originated in Panama where I grew up playing in a band yet having pretty much never experienced famous bands performing live to learn from, not to mention any of our idols like Megadeth or Metallica. This definitely makes getting this chance to work with David in a mentor/label situation that much more amazing. Very excited to be releasing our new album Illuminator with EMP this summer."
Eventually the band moved to Los Angeles, and with no outside help, has released almost 100 songs over six albums (including one in Spanish), sold 25,000 plus physical copies worldwide, toured the US (over 50 dates last year alone), Japan and Central America, as direct openers for Ozzy Osbourne, Bad Religion, Seether, In This Moment, and have also shared bills with Sevendust, Hellyeah, Karnivool and many more.
Band mastermind Evan Rodaniche (who writes and produces all Cage9 material) also spent a few years on guitar with sci-fi metal purveyors Powerman 5000 and helped co-write, record, mix and produce their last few albums along with ex-Flyleaf singer Lacey Sturm’s new solo album, Boy Hits Car and more. The quartet now includes San Diego native Brian Sumwalt on drums, Michigan transplant Matt Borowski on guitar, and Leslie Wyatt on bass and backing vocals.
The new album is currently available for pre-order from empmerch.com, and iTunes, with the single.
Reject The Sickness have released a music video for “My Agony”, featured on their new album, Chains Of Solitude, released last November via Mighty Music.
Guy, frontman of Reject The Sickness, comments on the video: "The video of “My Agony” was made by Malika Maria AtwOrk (Malika does visuals on bigger live shows). The lyrics of the song describes the inner fight of a trauma after molestation. The video shows the mind-struggle of the victim. Pain, suffering, hope, redemption, revenge..."
Reject The Sickness is a five-piece band from Belgium that has been shredding metal since 2010. Their songs are a mixture of punching death-melodic guitar riffs, progressive characteristics and a slice of core. The music is perfectly balanced between melody and brutality. The lyrics are about confused and abused teenagers and all the anger and emotions that go hand in hand with that horror. Guy, the vocalist, works as a social worker and his job inspires him to write fictional stories about outcast youth and how they get back at society and at their molesters.
The band chose to record Chains Of Solitude themselves, in their own studio. This way they had the luxury of trial and error and could take time for the recordings. The mixing and mastering was done by Jochem Jacobs at Split Second Sound in Holland. "We really liked his work and sound for Textures, Crimson Falls, Scarred, … The fact that we could communicate in the same language was a huge advantage. He did a great job and we would like to thank him for that."
Tracklisting:
“Intro”
“Chains Of Solitude”
“My Agony”
“Only Darkness Is Real”
“Depravity”
“Psychopath”
“Alone”
“Heaven Turns Black”
“Hopeless”
“Seedless”
“The Fire's Burning”
“Only Darkness Is Real” lyric video:
“Hopeless” video:
Line-up:
Jannick Govaert - Drums
Pepijn Desmet - Lead Guitar
Guy Vercruysse - Vocals
Floris Desmet - Bass
Ruben Van der Beken - Guitar
Canadian rock icon Lee Aaron has released an official video for the title track of her new album, Fire And Gasoline, which is now available worldwide. Check it out below.
BraveWords scribe Carl Begai recently spoke with Canadian rock icon Lee Aaron, who released her new album Fire And Gasoline on March 25th. Following is an excerpt from the interview that does not appear in the feature story.
"Sometimes I think it's a miracle I haven't lost my voice after all these years in rock n' roll and having bad monitors," says Lee. "I finally caved about a month ago and bought myself a set of in-ear monitors. I used them for the first time on a weekend away in Saskatoon and Regina, and it was like 'Where have you been all my life?' (laughs). It's so nice because with music that has powerful guitars, a lot of the time I wasn't hearing the nuances in my vocalizations. No with the in-ears it's like 'Man, this is amazing...' The funny thing is I always stay after the show to sign autographs or take pictures with the fans - meeting the fans is one of my favourite parts of performing - and at those two shows I received extra comments on how good the vocals sounded. I'm so glad I took the plunge."
"There's no guessing. When you're in a rock band the guitar player starts turning up a little bit two thirds into the set, the drummer plays louder, the bassist turns up, the whole sound system gets turned up, and before you know it your ears are shutting down. There have been some nights where I've been guessing and really hoping I'm actually hitting the notes, so the in-ears are a nice thing to have."
Go to this location to check out the BraveWords feature story.
The official music video for "The One", a brand new song from the Japanese teenage girl pop metal band BABYMETAL, can be seen below. The clip was filmed on December 13, 2015 at Yokohama Arena in Japan.
"The One" is taken from BABYMETAL's second album, "Metal Resistance", which will be released on April 1 via RAL/Sony Music Entertainment in the U.S. and earMUSIC in Europe.
"Metal Resistance" features songs that have already been performed live, as well as many never-been-heard-before new songs. Following their previous album, "Metal Resistance" features both songs performed as solo songs, and as a group. "Amore -Aoboshi-" and "No Rain, No Rainbow" is performed by Suzuka Nakamoto (a.k.a. Su-Metal), and "GJ!" and "Sis. Anger" are performed by Yui Mizuno (a.k.a. Yuimetal) and Moa Kikuchi (a.k.a. Moametal). BABYMETAL will kick off the 2016 world tour with a headline show at the world-famous Wembley Arena, U.K. on Saturday, April 2, making history by becoming the first Japanese artist to headline the legendary venue.
The track listing for each "Metal Resistance" format is as follows: CD and limited box set including CD + exclusive T-shirt:
01. Road Of Resistance02. Karate03. Awadama Fever04. YAVA!05. Amore06. Meta Taro07. From Dusk Till Dawn08. GJ!09. Sis. Anger10. No Rain, No Rainbow11. Tales Of The Destinies12. The One (English version) 2LP: Side 1
01. Road Of Resistance02. Karate03. Awadama Fever Side 2
01. Yava!02. Amore03. Meta Taro Side 3
01. From Dusk Till Dawn02. GJ!03. Sis. Anger Side 4
01. No Rain, No Rainbow02. Tales Of The Destinies03. The One (English version) Of the new album, BABYMETAL mastermind Kobametal stated: "As prophesied by the Fox God, a new album will be released on April 1st, 2016, also known as the Fox Day.
"Since the release of BABYMETAL's debut album in 2014, we have been racing across the globe non-stop on our world tour. Through the last tour, I have come across people from all over the world and have had the chance to feel that miraculous moment when everyone came together via BABYMETAL.
"Our new song 'The One' contains lyrics that speak of uniting the world, or a crowd favorite at concerts, 'Road Of Resistance', that never fails to bring our fans together. Every BABYMETAL song makes up this extraordinary story.
"I continue to believe that the songs of BABYMETAL continue to push them forward to discover new possibilities.
"All I can say right now is for all of you to wait patiently for the coming of the Fox Day."
Established in 2010, BABYMETAL is the offshoot of the Japanese pop idol group SAKURA GAKUIN that performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and heavy metal.
BABYMETAL's members admit that they had never listened to metal before joining the group. The girls wear gothy schoolgirl costumes, do choreographed dance routines and bang their heads violently.
Many heavy metal fans have been reluctant to embrace BABYMETAL — which also includes producer Kobametal and a backing band of corpse-painted virtuosos — with some Internet forums calling them "the definition of a gimmick", "awful" and "metal for hipsters."
"World Of Confusion", the new video from Swedish sleaze rockers TOXICROSE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Owe Lingvall of Village Road Film. The song is taken from the band's debut album, "Total Tranquility", which will be released on May 16 via City Of Lights/Rock It Up. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Juanjo Castellano and can be seen below.
"Total Tranquility" track listing:
01. World Of Confusion02. Silent End Of Me03. Killing The Romance04. Sinner05. We Own The Night06. Reckless Society07. Clarity08. Because Of You09. We All Fall Down10. Total Tranquility
Formed in 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden, TOXICROSE consists of Tom Wouda (GEMINI FIVE), Andy and Michael Sweet (both ex-LIPSTIXX 'N' BULLETZ) and Goran Imperator (ex-SEXYDEATH). The band's debut five-track EP was released in late 2012. The CD was co-produced by Michael's brother, Martin Sweet of CRASHDÏËT.
Says a press release: "There is no compromising or limits in the world of TOXICROSE. Powerful vocals combined with aggressive guitars , grand melodic synthesizers and dark, emotional lyrics. With their catchy, melodic, epic metal anthems and shocking look, they are unstoppable!"
Finnish modern metallers, Volymian, will release their debut album, Maze Of Madness, worldwide on April 15th via Canadian label Maple Metal Records. The band have released a video for the album track “Line of Fire”, filmed by Mad Motion Pictures of Helsinki. The clip can be found below.
Volymian was founded in 2008, and the band went through various member changes before settling down with the sextet that recorded Maze Of Madness. Most recently, vocalist Markku Kuikka (Status Minor, The Ragged Saints, Kenziner) joined the band in 2015 for the new album. Previously the band had recorded three EPs with a different vocalist. Maze Of Madness was recorded at Artlab Studio, Helsinki, and produced by Volymian. The album was mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Primal Fear, Epica, Amaranthe) in Denmark.
Jacob Hansen shares his comments on the album: "Volymian is great! I’m very impressed with the performances and song writing. Excellent stuff they’ve got going."
The album cover artwork was designed by Satu Velasco.
Tracklisting:
“Breathe”
“Line Of Fire”
“Inside Out”
“Under A Million Stars”
“Maze Of Madness”
“Empty Room”
“Damnation Of Love”
“Ring”
“Indifferent”
“Wasted Years”
“Line Of Fire” video:
Teaser:
Volymian is:
Markku Kuikka - vocals
Timo Mikkonen - guitar
Juha Raisanen - guitar
Ville Velasco - drums
Petri Hampinen - bass
Robert Leksis - keyboards
"Love's Gone To Hell", the new video from German metal queen Doro Pesch, can be seen below. Filmed in superior locations such as the renaissance castle Bückeburg, Doro showcases herself in the video production in some incredibly impressive scenes in a way you've never seen her before.
Doro states: "'Love's Gone To Hell' is a magical song, a big anthem — and for myself it's on the same level as the all-time favorites 'All We Are', 'Love Me In Black' and 'Für Immer'."
Doro will release "Love's Gone To Hell" as a single on April 1 through Nuclear Blast.
With "Love's Gone To Hell", Doro has created another outstanding power ballad, which doesn't only gleam with a great piano intro, heavy guitars and a fantastic melody, but also with tons of emotion and a chorus, which captures your ears and your heart from the word "go."
"Love's Gone To Hell" will be released in two formats on April 1 and can be pre-ordered now.
The "Love's Gone To Hell" six-track maxi single will also contain — in addition to three versions of "Love's Gone To Hell" (radio, single and demo edit) and the duet with Lemmy — two live tracks: "Rock Till Death", featuring Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN) and "Save My Soul". Both live tracks deliver a great insight into the long-anticipated DVD called "30 Years Doro - Strong & Proud", which will be released in June via Nuclear Blast. It features the Doro anniversary shows in Wacken and Düsseldorf, including spectacular tracking shots as well as sonic perfection. Additionaly, the DVD contains tons of terrific and previously unreleased bonus material.
"Love's Gone To Hell" limited-edition vinyl single:
Side A
01. Love's Gone To Hell
Side B
02. It Still Hurts (duet with Lemmy Kilmister)
"Love's Gone To Hell" six-track maxi single track listing:
01. Love's Gone To Hell (radio version) 02. Love's Gone To Hell (single version)03. It Still Hurts (feat. Lemmy Kilmister)04. Rock Till Death (live)05. Save my Soul (live)06. Love's Gone To Hell (original demo version)
Doro is looking forward to her upcoming "Rock Meets Classic" tour, on which 'Love's Gone To Hell' will be premiered live. Doro will hit the stage across 16 German cities and Switzerland as a special guest. In late autumn, the "Love's Gone To Hell" tour will follow, when Doro will rock fans in Germany and half of Europe with her band.
"Reign Supreme", the new video from Detroit, Michigan's WALLS OF JERICHO, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "No One Can Save You From Yourself", which will be released on March 25 via Napalm Records.
WALLS OF JERICHO frontwoman Candace Kucsulain recently told Toxic Online about "No One Can Save You From Yourself": "It's been a long time since we've put out a record, but not that much has changed. We are still pissed, it's still heavy as shit, maybe a bit more than before, and it still rips! We have a unique energy on stage, something we've worked hard on for the past 17 years, and with all the time between records, it helped us realize what was important to us for our live shows. So through that, we focused on a record with our live show in mind and made a record that represents us and the energy we create. Lyrically, a lot of shit has gone down in my life, and this record you can feel the pain, darkness and chaos. It's a soundtrack to all of it."
Regarding the "No One Can Save You From Yourself" album title, Candace said: "We have been doing this for a long time, and you never stop finding a reason to fight. We feel that real change can't happen until you look inside yourself and own up to your part. We are our own worst enemy, and that can apply to life limitlessly. It's about progress not perfect, but once you know the difference, there's nothing left to do but take action."
"No One Can Save You From Yourself" track listing:
01. Intro02. Illusion Of Safety03. No One Can Save You From Yourself04. Forever Militant05. Fight The Good Fight06. Cutbird07. Relentless08. Damage Done09. Reign Supreme10. Wrapped In Violence11. Anthem12. Beyond All Praise13. Probably Will
WALLS OF JERICHO released a demo version of the song "Relentless" in 2014.
Norwegian symphonic extreme metal act Cretura will release their new album Fall Of The Seventh Golden Star on CD and digital April 8th via Wormholedeath / Aural Music Group. A video for “Funeral Roses” is streaming below.
Tracklisting:
“Past, Present, & Future”
“Reign Of Terror”
“Grand Warfare Through Dark Ages”
“Voices Of Hunger”
“Funeral Roses”
“Northern Winds”
“Pray For A Brighter Tomorrow”
“Når Lyset Dør”
“At The 11th Hour”
“The Pale Horseman & The Hunter Of The Sky”
“The Last Song Of The Earth”
Danish hard rock band Statement and their record label Mighty Music have rush released a new music video to sympathize with the victims from yesterday’s attacks in Brussels.
“Heaven Will Burn” was originally meant to be released next month, but the band and their record label felt the urge to release it right away, as this song is all about what should not have happened yesterday.
Says Niels Larsen: “When do we learn from the mistakes of humanity? Yesterday’s tragedy is a horrible example of the ignorance of religion. Imagine we could all live in peace, under the same sun, moon and stars. Imagine people would use their common sense. No one wants to see the world go up in flames.”
Michael H. Andersen, CEO Mighty Music states: “Hard rock and heavy metal is an international language and often misunderstood to be violent. We do not believe in violence and in innocent people getting killed – we believe in peace and we believe the Western World is a World for people that choose to live our way of life. As equals. Men and women, black and white”.
"Heaven Will Burn" is the title track of the band’s upcoming album, to be released via Mighty Music/Target Group on June 17th. More details to follow.
Italian symphonic metal band Constraint has inked a deal with Atomic Stuff Promotion to promote its debut album 'Enlightened By Darkness', released on February 12th.
Constraint is an Italian symphonic metal band born in 2011. They started playing Nightwish, Epica and Evanescence covers (at the age of 15-16), then they began writing their own music and developing their own style. Their first demo, called Illusion Of A Dream, was published in 2012.
Enlightened By Darkness is a great team effort. That's how it could be summarized in a few words. Authors of a fine symphonic metal, with lyrics about philosophical and psychological themes highlighted by the opera-style vocals of singer Beatrice Bini, with their first studio work Constraint show great care and attention to details, excellent arrangements and fantastic melodies, sharpened by guitars and keyboards that create a heavy but at the same time in-your-face sound.
Tracklisting:
“Behind The Scenes”
“Talking Dumbs”
“The Ending Of Time”
“Illusion Of A Dream”
“The Birth”
“Breathing Infinity”
“Enlightened By Darkness”
“Autumn Hymn”
“Oniria”
Progressive metal titans, Intronaut, have released a new video for "Sul Ponticello". The ominously heavy track comes off of the band's newest effort, The Direction Of Last Things, which was released last year via Century Media. The art driven video can be viewed below.
Intronaut are currently on a headlining tour in North America, accompanied by Scale The Summit and North. A full list of remaining dates for the tour can be seen below.
Tour dates:
March
22 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog
23 - Houston, TX - Walters
24 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
25 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
26 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
27 - Charlotte, NC - Rabbit Hole
28 - Washington DC - Rock And Roll Hotel
29 - New York, NY - Marlin Room at Webster Hall
30 - Boston, MA - Middle East
31 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz
April
1 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
2 - Detroit, MI - Loving Touch
3 - Chicago, IL - Reggies Rock Club
4 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
5 - Winnipeg, MB - Goodwill
6 - Regina, SK - Exchange
7 - Edmonton, AB - Skylite
8 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
9 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
11 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile
12 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
13 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill
Finland’s psychedelic folk rock shooting stars Hexvessel are on tour across Europe with New Keepers Of The Water Towers. The band have released a video for the song “When I’m Dead”, taken from their third studio album, When We Are Death, released via Century Media in January.
Singer Mat McNerney comments on the new video and the tour: "Nature prevails. We never die, we just change our form. We're billion year old carbon on a journey through space on an ancient rock. As we leave our beloved Finland, heading out into Europe on tour, this video represents our view of the universe and our strong connection to the cycle of life and death. It's an existential question that only the forest can answer. You must go on a journey into space to know this. Where will you be when I am dead?"
On Friday, March 25th a new online single of the video track will be released, containing the track “Shaman You”, taken from the limited US edition of the album.
Scarblade is a Greek female-fronted heavy metal band, founded in May of 2012 in Athens as Ruthless Steel. Their debut EP, titled Die In The Night, came out in 2013, and included four tracks that can be labeled as traditional heavy metal, inspired by such classic acts as Judas Priest, Warlock, Riot and Accept.
After several live shows and two compilation appearances, in 2015 the band changed its location to Gothenburg, Sweden, and as the lineup changes followed as well, the band changed their name to Scarblade.
The debut album The Cosmic Wrath, scheduled for release on May 13th, has been produced and recorded at the Aspiotis Studio by George Aspiotis, known from cooperation with acts such as Warlord, Spitfire and King Dragon.
Watch the "Die In The Night" video below and stay tuned for updates.
Brisbane, Australia’s Caligula's Horse have released a new music video, for the track “Turntail”, featured on the band’s third record, Bloom, released through InsideOutMusic last October.
Filmed at GC Studios on the Gold Coast, Caligula's Horse further collaborated with one of Australia's most promising video clip filmmakers in Adrian Goleby, who also worked on the band's videos for “A Gift To Afterthought” and “Firelight”. The aim was to create a video that was uplifting, but also one that conveyed a strong political message.
In “Turntail”, a dancer is brightly coloured but trapped in darkness by an external force, and her own fear. She grasps her restraints, fighting against them, and learns to control and harness that fear. The colour gradually returns to her as she stands against the outside force, free and powerful.
“Turntail” has a message of rebellion, of fighting for freedom, of standing your ground against an oppressor. In Australia, we are engaging in an act of utter cowardice by our treatment of refugees. This is a song of courage, and the most courageous act in a time like this is compassion.
Caligula's Horse frontman, Jim Grey says of the video: ““Turntail” is exactly what Caligula's Horse is about - It's powerful, energetic, melodic and forthright - this is a song about taking a stand, about fighting for freedom in whatever way you can. Considering the atrocious political climate in Australia and worldwide, I don't think we could be releasing this single at a more appropriate time."
Watch the new video below.
Bloom tracklisting:
“Bloom”
“Marigold”
“Firelight”
“Dragonfly”
“Rust”
“Turntail”
“Daughter Of The Mountain”
“Undergrowth”
“Turntail” video:
“Firelight” video:
Trailer:
Bloom follows 2011's debut Moments From Ephemeral City, and 2013's dark narrative concept album The Tide, The Thief & River's End.
"Bloom is very special to all of us - it's an album full of colour and life, vibrancy and energy, but one that breathes in and out with a natural ebb and flow," says lead vocalist Jim Grey. "It's exactly what we hoped to achieve with Caligula's Horse. To us, this album has a life of its own."
The band posted a special video message, telling you a little bit about the album and introducing the band:
Glenn Danzig's NSFW (not safe for work) video for his cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "N.I.B." can be seen below. (***Warning: The clip contains partial female nudity.***) The track is taken from Glenn's covers record, "Skeletons", which came out last November in North America via Nuclear Blast Entertainment/Evilive Music.
A labor of love that dates back to 1979, "Skeletons" sees Danzig pulling back the curtain behind his influences with a collection of ten covers spanning artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, ZZ TOP, and AEROSMITH to BLACK SABBATH, THE TROGGS, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, and more. Recording intermittently between 2012 and 2015 in Los Angeles, he reveals the bone structure for his own style.
"These are my skeletons," he affirms. "You may or may not know that I dig these songs. You could say that some of this music is the actual basis and skeleton of what I listened to growing up — ultimately informing the kind of music I like. It's the foundation. If you took Elvis and SABBATH out of my life, I probably wouldn't be the Glenn Danzig you know! I'm glad both sides are represented on this record."
Among the tracks, he takes Presley's "Let Yourself Go" from the film "Speedway" and transforms it with a swinging distorted stomp and bluesy vocal crescendo. "I thought it was a song I could do something really cool with," he says. "It's also something that I didn't think anyone would necessarily expect. When you tell them you're going to do an Elvis cover, they expect something they know. Not a lot of people know this one. It's actually on the ''68 Comeback Special', and it's worth going back to."
He also "Danzig-ized" SABBATH's "N.I.B.", beginning with just guitar, vocals, and half-beat drums bolstered by ominous church bells. Meanwhile, AEROSMITH's "Lord Of The Thighs" grows exponentially heavier in his hands with a swell of pinch harmonics and robust riffing.
"People might be surprised I like that second AEROSMITH record, 'Get Your Wings'. There are tracks on there, especially 'Lord Of Your Thighs', that stand out to me. However, if you hear theirs and then you hear ours, ours is much heavier," he grins.
A rousing cover of THE LITTER's "Action Woman" opens a window into his pre-punk and garage roots, while Danzig brings a blast of intensity to ZZ TOP's "Rough Boy", turning it into a metallic freight train. "I always thought it was such a great song," he continues. "I wanted to make it more linear and run all the way through."
THE TROGGS' "A Girl Like You" becomes a punkified juggernaut in his hands with its fuzzed-out guitars, pounding drums and the trademark Danzig sing-a-long choruses.
He captures the rebellious spirit of the sixties outlaw biker films with a punked-out take on "Devil's Angels" from the "Devil's Angels" soundtrack complete with his old school MISFITS Dallas Arbiter Jumbo-Fuzz Pedal. Then, Danzig adds a countrified spark to "Satan" from "Satan's Sadists", which, he assures, "You might be surprised, but I didn't change any of the lyrics. I didn't have to!"
Danzig's interpretation of "Crying In The Rain" from THE EVERLY BROTHERS instantly captivates. Accompanied only by piano, guitar, and tympani, he accomplishes the mission of making it more "ethereal, sparse, dark, and haunting."
Ultimately, "Skeletons" sparks the next phase for Danzig. Helping catalyze his next full-length offering, it's yet another revolution. "I hope people dig it," he leaves off. "I also hope it gives everybody a little bit of insight into the music I listen to and maybe an insight into how I did the songs. If you enjoy it, that's great."
"Skeletons" track listing:
01. Devil's Angels (DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS cover)02. Satan (theme from "Satan's Sadists")03. Let Yourself Go (ELVIS PRESLEY cover)04. N.I.B. (BLACK SABBATH cover)05. Lord Of The Thighs (AEROSMITH cover)06. Action Woman (THE LITTER cover)07. Rough Boy (ZZ TOP cover)08. With A Girl Like You (THE TROGGS cover)09. Find Somebody (THE RASCALS cover)10. Crying In The Rain (THE EVERLY BROTHERS cover)
The "Skeletons" cover artwork, featuring Glenn and model Kayden Kross in "Skullface," can be seen below.
According to Glenn, the full skull makeup which he wore for the first time since his MISFITS days nearly 40 years ago for the "Skeletons" photo shoot was inspired by legendary singer-songwriter David Bowie.
"One of my favorite covers records is David Bowie's 'Pinups' and I wanted to do a take on that and the record is called 'Skeletons' so I decided I'd do the skull face," he told OC Weekly.
Frontiers Music Srl will release "Ghost Of Graceland", the new album from Swedish hard rockers TREAT, on April 15.
The official video for the "Ghost Of Graceland" title track can be seen below. Building on the success of their last album, 2010's "Coup De Grace", hailed by both fans and critics as a masterpiece, TREAT has put together an album packed with reflective, soul-searching songs dressed in devilishly seductive yet hard-hitting melodic rock. "This is where we are today, as a band, as musicians, songwriters and individuals. It's a statement: this is us in 2016," says TREAT's main songwriter and guitarist Anders Wikström. "Ghost Of Graceland" was produced by longtime TREAT fan and respected writer/producer Peter Mansson and co-produced by Anders Wikström, showcases a band with a thirty-plus-year career, that are hungrier and more energetic than ever! To achieve the organic, pure, bold, (somewhat) cocky, contemporary sound with melodies and choruses to die for that they were going for, the band took a step back. Wikström explains: "It's a musical as well as a personal soul searching. We traced us back to our roots, the music and the heroes that got us dreaming back in the '70s: KISS, VAN HALEN, SWEET, DEEP PURPLE and UFO. An era where music and musicianship really mattered and rock 'n' roll was a matter of life or death." TREAT got in the time machine and retrieved all that restless energy. But "Ghost Of Graceland", with all its delicious, action-packed and hook-laden melodic rock that could soundtrack a party, also sees a band that reflects on their personal lives. Robert Ernlund (vocals), Anders Wikström (guitars and backing vocals), Patrick Appelgren (keyboards, guitar and backing vocals), Jamie Borger (drums) and new bass player Pontus Egberg (KING DIAMOND, LION'S SHARE) are a powerhouse. Pontus replaces the band's songwriting partner Fredrik Thomander, who has also been performing live with the band since 2013.
"When we started working on this album and in need of a permanent replacement on bass, Pontus was the only guy we had in mind," Wikström says. "He's a good friend of ours and a fantastic musician and live performer. He and Jamie just blow the roof off together on this new album!" "We're doing what we love. We're proudly flying the flag for hard and melodic rock. Honestly, this is a very, very good TREAT album," adds Wikström.
Experience TREAT live at Frontiers Rock Festival in Trezzo Sull'Adda (Milano) on April 23. "Ghost Of Graceland" track listing: 01. Ghost Of Graceland02. I Don't Miss The Misery03. Better The Devil You Know04. Do Your Own Stunts05. Endangered06. Inferno07. Alien Earthlings08. Nonstop Madness09. Too Late To Die Young10. House On Fire11. Together Alone12. Everything To Everyone
TREAT is:
* Robert Ernlund - lead vocals* Anders Wikström - lead guitars and background vocals (lead vocals on "Together Alone")* Patrick Appelgren - keyboards, guitars and background vocals* Pontus Egberg - bass guitar* Jamie Borger - drums
Sweden's Methane have released a new music video for their song “Blood, Sweat And Beer” from the band's single, “Spit On Your Grave”. “Blood, Sweat And Beer” is Methane's second video after releasing “Hang Me High” in 2014.
The video is a montage of behind the scenes home clips and live videos from Methane's tours and shows to date. Including scenes from Sweden, Norway and even the band's last tour in the US (where the Methane played at the Rage of Armageddon Festival in New York City), and clips with friends of the band like Tony Portero of Whiplash.
"I always loved those old MTV thrash metal videos with behind the scenes shots. I am really psyched how the video is turning out, it's dirty, hard and alot of fun to watch, it shows our personalities”, says Tim Scott (bass, vocals). "We also have a full length release recorded that we will be unleashing later this year."
Methane spent February touring in Sweden with Cryonic Temple and now the band is getting ready for a new tour this spring. The Spit On Your Stage tour will be passing through Sweden, including a headlining slot at the Metal Inferno Fest in Kramförs and on to Norway and Finland. Methane has recorded a full album and plans a new US tour shortly after the album’s release later in 2016.
"We are still discussing our option with the album release and hope to have more clarity about the details of that real soon, we are really excited about the things happening around the band right now and are not in any hurry to just jump into something. If we release it ourselves or through a label remains to be seen. We have a few offers bit like I said we aren't forcing the issue." - Tim Scott
New Jersey metal titans, Fit For An Autopsy, have released a brand new music video for their track "Hollow Shell”, taken from their latest LP Absolute Hope Absolute Hell.
Directed by first time collaborator Bobby Bates, the video is the second one the band has released since the visually stunning video for the title track "Absolute Hope Absolute Hell" was released last year.
The band set out on The Fury Tour supporting label mates Unearth and will play select dates through early April. Fit For An Autopsy will then set out on The Coffin Dragger Tour supporting Thy Art Is Murder for the majority of the spring, click here for all tour dates.
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Zakk Wylde
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