London-based rock trio, Black Orchid Empire, have unveiled the epic video for their second single, “God Is Awake”.
“This story is a prequel to the video we made for “Come In” – we wanted to show the origins of the crazy soap-box character and how he was driven to insanity. Most people aren't born crazy, something in their life changes them. It explores the idea that violently shaking someone's world up could send them on a descent into obsessive madness – a complete breakdown of their personal reality. Seeing the incredible actors Anto Sharp and Terry Wood bringing it to life was amazing – those guys totally killed it.” - Paul Visser (vocals)
Black Orchid Empire burst onto the scene with their powerful and melodic debut single “Come In” earlier this year. Having performed alongside heavyweights such as Biffy Clyro, Skunk Anansie, Feeder and Editors, the band are thriving in the resurgent British rock scene.
Winners of Emergenza UK, the band includes previous members of highly-acclaimed groups Queen Adreena and Cape Fear, and is poised to be one of the breakthrough acts of the year. The full length album is on it’s way.
Swiss avant-garde extreme metal titans, Schammasch, have released a new track, "Metanoia”, from their upcoming triple-album, Triangle, which is set for worldwide release on April 29th via Prosthetic Records. Watch the new video for "Metanoia" below.
Marking the third album in their discography, Schammasch's newest epic, Triangle encompasses 100 minutes in its entirety, with three distinct 33-minute movements differing in atmosphere and style and each representing the three stages of the album's strong concept – Part I: The Process Of Dying, Part II: Metaflesh and Part III: The Supernal Clear Light Of The Void.
This unique concept is visually represented through a series of four inventive photographs packaged as a bold triple-gatefold, limited-edition 3LP set and a 3CD set with imagery realized by acclaimed photographer Ester Segarra (Watain, Behemoth) and graphic designer Valnoir (Alcest, The Black Dahlia Murder). Rarely is such a grand musical and aesthetic feat accomplished within the bounds of extreme metal.
Pre-order's are now available which include a 3CD set (limited to 2,000 copies worldwide) as well as a triple gatefold vinyl 3LP set (limited to 666 pressings worldwide), reserve your copy in North America or UK / EU.
In this rare video, Metallica perform “No Remorse”, from their 1983 debut studio album Kill ‘Em All, live at Metal Hammer Festival at Freilichtbuhne Loreley in St. Goarshausen, Germany on September 14th, 1985:
On April 15th, Metallica will release deluxe reissues of their classic albums Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning.
In a lengthy interview posted via Metallica’s official website, frontman James Hetfield speaks with Steffan Chirazi about the upcoming Record Store Day release and about the reissues. A couple of excerpts follows:
Steffan Chirazi: So, back to more of the things from the Kill ‘Em All era that you’ve stumbled upon while putting this release together. Has it all been wine and roses? Has there been some comfortable stuff, or have there been some moments and memories where you’re thinking that maybe you don’t want to put them in there?”
James Hetfield: “No. No, there hasn’t at all. At least for me. Letters from people that we know that lived it and were there, great. I think the idea of having people writing their memories of the time is great too, because everyone’s got a different reality of how it was for them, and it’s great to share those because I forgot lots of stuff. So we have all got our own memories, and it’s been piecing this puzzle of how it was back then. So the more people you have involved in it, the better. Obviously, because this Master Of Puppets book is happening along with this, it’s kinda easy to get into that mode, digging up memories, interviewing people, and all of that stuff. It’s kinda all happening at the same time, which is great, and God, the sound quality of the vinyl remastering is unbelievable. You know, Greg [Fidelman] was blown away by the test pressing and how much better it sounds, and this isn’t just me blowing smoke here.”
SC: Oh, I’m excited to hear it.
JH: “And all the old stuff, some of the outtakes. We have the equivalent of the FBI working on this stuff trying to find things from back then. You know, “somebody’s gotta have this,” and after the years and years of not thinking about it, you go “wait a minute, there’s gotta be a different version of this when we recorded it. Did we only record it once and that was that? What happened to all this other stuff?” So little things are showing up from the old studio. For example, “here’s the microphone you sang Kill ‘Em All on.” Are you kidding me? So I now have that here at the studio.”
SC: Let me ask you sonically, of the Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning, of all the songs you were listening back to as things were being remastered, what were the ones that you wished you could sneak in and maybe redo or remix?
JH: “That stuff used to bug me a lot more, say 20 years ago listening to "Seek And Destroy”. Like they’re playing "Seek And Destroy" from the album at the Shark Tank as the [San Jose] Sharks come out. And there’s the guitar sound. And I'm thinking “oh, no, wish that it could be fatter and heavier,” but that’s how it was. Why would I change that? Why? That was where our heads were, that’s where we were sonically. That’s as good as we got it, and could have got it. So there you go, why would you change that? It’s the sound that is a part of the feel, is a part of the history, a part of the time.”
SC: One of the things I always loved about that Kill 'Em All, especially when I first heard it, was it was supper toppy and it was super punky. It wasn’t about speed, it was about attitude.
JH: “Right. Yeah, it was definitely not over-produced. You could say that.”
SC: So that was down to not being over-produced more than looking for a vibe, then.
JH: “God, we didn’t think about it. We might have said, “hey, we like how this sounds,” put on Discharge or something and they go “OK, we can do that.” I’m sure there were greater, more experienced minds in there that thought we knew what we were talking about but we didn’t. By Ride The Lightning and for sure by Master Of Puppets we had more of an idea what our sound should be and could be. You know, Ride The Lightning, it was night and day after Kill ‘Em All, learning that “wow we can do this?” and sonically making a huge leap.”
Metallica are streaming "Creeping Death" from the remastered edition of Ride The Lightning. Remastered by Howie Weinberg At Howie Weinberg Mastering in Los Angeles, CA.
Check out complete details of the Kill 'Em All - Deluxe Remastered Box Set here. All details of the Ride The Lightning - Deluxe Remastered Box set can be found here.
Metallica's recently announced headlining concert at Minneapolis' brand new US Bank Stadium on August 20th has completely SOLD OUT. Presale fan club tickets were made available earlier this week, followed by this morning's public on-sale, which sold out in less than 10 minutes.
Metallica's show in Minneapolis will be the first rock concert at US Bank Stadium, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings, as part of the opening weekend festivities.
Avenged Sevenfold will provide direct support, marking one of only a few shows the hard rock band will play in the country this year. Volbeat will open the show with their unique blend of rock, metal, and rockabilly.
In celebration of this year’s Record Store Day, on April 16th Metallica will be releasing a special exclusive CD titled Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, Metallica! The artwork for the upcoming release can be seen below.
The nine-song set was recorded live at Le Bataclan in Paris, France on June 11th, 2003 and Metallica are donating all profits to victims of the attacks in Paris in 2015.
Tracklisting:
"The Four Horsemen”
"Leper Messiah”
"No Remorse”
"Fade To Black”
"Frantic”
"Ride The Lightning”
“Blackened"
"Seek & Destroy"
"Damage, Inc.”
"Let All The World Believe", the new video from the Minneapolis, Minnesota hard rock/industrial metal outfit AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's fourth album, "Tango Umbrella", which was released on March 25 via Napalm Records. The cover artwork was created by Sam Shearon. Comments AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE's Chad Hanks: "'Tango Umbrella', sonically, feels like a combination of 'The War Of Art' and 'The Feeding'. It's a logical progression for us, as we continue experimenting with different feels, sounds, vocal styles, etc. It's heavy in every way possible, and I really think our fans are going to love it. We made the record we wanted to hear, and I feel like we definitely achieved that."
AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE's sound remains firmly rooted in catchy alternative metal, the NWOAHM, with industrial influences and groovy heaviness. "Tango Umbrella" track listing:
01. Let All The World Believe02. Drowning Under Everything03. Perfectionist04. Sacred05. I Will Have My Day06. A King Among Men07. Suffer Elegantly08. Antidote09. Prolific Catastrophe10. Down And Depraved
AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE released the "Shoot" EP in July 2013. The disc was recorded by Don Debiase at Studio D Productions in Cleveland, Ohio and was mixed by Dave Fortman at Balance Productions in New Orleans, Louisiana.
AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE split in August 2009 and reformed two years later.
Northern Germany's infernal extreme metal duo, Mantar, have released an official track video for “Praise The Plague”, a song featured on their forthcoming album, Ode To The Flame, out on April 15th via Nuclear Blast. Check it out below:
About the album artwork, the band states: "Actually we discussed the possibility of having no cover at all. We kinda liked the idea of boycotting the need of any so called "art" which bands try to get people's attention with. The theme of the record is so one-dimensional and obvious that we decided to skip artwork and just put the title on the record to make it look more like an old book. A manifest, a challenge. We don't want people to speculate about any meaning. The meaning is clear: kill, destroy, fuck shit up."
Regarding the album title: "The title Ode To The Flame is chosen in tradition of the debut record, Death By Burning to maintain the cleansing power of fire as the key theme. Fire is able to reset anything and will erase this planet one day from any plague that's been around. Furthermore it's obviously an ode to passion and iron will. Ode To The Flame isn't dramatic, it's drastic. By all means."
Tracklisting:
“Carnal Rising”
“Praise The Plague”
“Era Borealis”
“The Hint”
“Born Reversed”
“Oz”
“I, Omen”
“Cross The Cross”
“Schwanenstein”
“Sundowning”
Audio snippets:
“Schwanenstein”:
In-studio video teaser:
Ever since their inception in 2013 and the release of their first album in 2014 the band has been recognized as one of the hardest working in the German extreme metal underground. Melding the most sinister elements of styles like black metal, doom and punk, representing unfiltered pure primal rage, Mantar have proven to be one of a kind. Their extremely intense live shows have been seen all over the world and have blown away unaware audiences with their unconditionally tight and brutal performances. Mantar is a pure evil elemental force captured by only two uber passionate artists that strife for ultimate raw sonic power.
Inner Wound Recordings will release symphonic/film score metal band Ravenia’s debut album, Beyond The Walls Of Death, on April 29th in Europe and North America. A video for the album track “We All Died For Honor”, directed by Markus Nieminen, can be found below.
The sound of Ravenia is characterized by the massive orchestrations and the beautiful and emotional vocals from Armi and can be described as a mix between composers like Two Steps From Hell and Hans Zimmer, and metal bands like Nightwish and Epica.
Beyond The Walls Of Death was mixed by Nino Laurenne (Wintersun, Battle Beast, Ensiferum) at Sonic Pump Studios and mastered by Svante Forsbäck (Volbeat, Sonata Arctica, Apocalyptica) at Chartmakers. The album artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Korpiklaani, Apocalyptica, Leah).
Beyond The Walls Of Death tracklisting:
“For Those We Forsakened”
“Into Oblivion”
“We All Died For Honor”
“There Is But One Path”
“In Silence”
“When Darkness Reigns”
“The Fallen”
“We Stand As One”
“We All Died For Honor” video:
Ravenia is:
Armi Päivinen - Vocals
Samuli Reinikainen - Guitars
Veikko Ringvall - Drums
Toni Hintikka - Bass
Ville Koponen - Violin
Erkki Lasonpalo - Violin
Janne Ahvenainen - Viola
Juuli Ilmonen - Cello
Tommi Laitinen - Contrabass
Denmark’s Helhorse will release their new self-titled album on May 13th via Spinefarm Records. The band have released a music video for the album track “Hell Of A Ride”, streaming below.
Since 2011, Helhorse have purveyed their instantly identifiable brand of sludgy yet rocking metal, leaving a firm footprint in the Danish metal scene. Now, with the backing of multi-national metal powerhouse Spinefarm Records, these Danes are poised to go places.
On stage channeling the subtlety and restraint of a rhinoceros with a PMS, Helhorse are a live act not to be missed. Steadily gaining ground and taking over stages ever bigger since the days of their debut album For Wolves And Vultures (2011) Helhorse have not lost a step over the years. They’re a veritable asphalt paver running over you, halting, backing up and running all over you again, with a sound that’s both true to its chemically induced influences and refreshing in its groove.
A sweat-drenched symbiosis of Alice In Chains and grungy High On Fire intense enough to burst at the seams, Helhorse the album is the apex of the Copenhageners’ careers this far and its eponymous name par for the course for the group’s no-nonsense image – an album that defies naming, pigeonholing and further explanation.
Tracklisting:
“Carry Your Own”
“Among The Wolves”
“Fortune Favours The Bold”
“I”
“The Blood Boiler”
“Hell Of A Ride”
“II”
“Raise The Black Flag”
“III”
“My Haven / Your Hell”
“No Fucks Given”
“Hell Of A Ride” video:
Says the band: “May 13th is going to be a huge day for Helhorse and a day we have longed for. The creation of our third album has by far been our most challenging yet, truly a product of blood, sweat and tears. But it also marks our greatest artistic triumph so far. We are extremely proud of this album, the songs are deeply personal, honest and the sound of Helhorse firing on all cylinders. So strap in kids – it’s gonna be a hell of a ride.”
Helhorse are:
Mikkel Wad Larsen – Vocals
Aske Kristiansen – Vocals
Stephan C. Krabsen – Guitars
Jakob Møgelvang – Guitars
Theis Roed Thorgersen – Bass
Jesper Bergstedt – Drums
Hammer Fight, the whiskey-drinkin', beer guzzlin' bros who spawned from New Jersey, released their Napalm Records debut, Profound And Profane, on March 25th. The band’s new video for the album track “Good Times In Dark Ages” can be found below.
Hammer Fight brings a sound that many kids these days may have missed; hard rockin' metal. Versatile enough to share the stage with the most extreme death metal acts to classic hard rock bands and everything in between, Hammer Fight are ready to make an impression on the today's heavy music scene.
Profound And Profane tracklisting:
“Picking Up Change”
“Target Acquired”
“Into The Dark”
“Good Times In Dark Ages”
“Gods Of Rock N’ Roll”
“Low & Broken”
“Private Stock”
“The Ultimate Sacrifice”
“Cell Mates”
“West Side Story”
“The Crate”
“Cult Of Conceit”
After three albums and several European tours, Phazm has delivered a unique mixture of shuffled blast-beats, occult and sharpened riffs, virtuoso guitar soli and scary possessed vocals. They return with a new album, deeply inspired by old-school black metal and Ásatrú.
Scornful Of Icons is out now via Osmose Productions. Check out a new video for the album track “Howling For You”, streaming below.
Tracklisting:
“Ginnungagap”
“Ubiquitous Almighty”
“The Soothsayer”
“The Godless Pope”
“Howling For You”
“Conquerors March”
“Scornful Of Icons”
“Never To Return”
As they close out their last week of their extensive 8-week-long North American tour, Savannah, GA’s Black Tusk have unveiled a music video for their “God’s On Vacation” single from their latest album, Pillars Of Ash (January 29th, Relapse). Check out this NSFW video, directed by Alixandra Petrovich, below:
Since their formation over 10 years ago, Black Tusk have established themselves as one of the hardest working bands in rock. After four full-lengths, numerous splits and EP's and thousands of shows under their belts, the punk/metal power trio was faced with an immense and unexpected tragedy in late 2014 when founding bassist/vocalist Jonathan Athon passed away after a motorcycle accident in his hometown.
Now, as a testament to his profound and lasting legacy on the heavy music scene, the band, which also features guitarist Andrew Fidler and drummer James May with Corey Barhorst now on bass, are releasing Pillars Of Ash, the culmination of three brothers-in-arms' blood, sweat and tears, and is Black Tusk's finest accomplishment to date.
Pillars Of Ash tracklisting:
“God's On Vacation”
“Desolation Of Endless Times”
“Bleed On Your Knees”
“Born Of Strife”
“Damned In The Ground”
“Beyond The Divide”
“Black Tide”
“Still Not Well”
“Walk Among The Sky”
“Punk Out”
“Leveling”
Album stream:
Black Tusk tour dates are listed below.
March
29 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
30 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
31 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar
April
1 - Indianapolis, IN - 5TH Quarter
2 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
3 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
Philadelphia’s Nothing have released a music video for “Eaten By Worms”, a track from their sophomore LP, Tired Of Tomorrow, due for release on May 13th via Relapse Records. Watch the new video below.
Tired Of Tomorrow will be available on CD / LP / Deluxe 2xLP (with two bonus tracks) / Cassette / Digital. Physical pre-orders and bundles are available via Relapse.com here, and digital downloads can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp at this location.
People often wonder why Nothing are so damn loud. In the case of many artists, the volume stems from a preoccupation with negativity, misanthropy and the human condition. But while Nothing's attitude lines up with these ideas, their personality isn't one that the band picked from a list of clichés. It's one moulded by their own experiences, from family troubles and personal tragedy to a string of bad luck that Murphy's Law would balk at. And that volume, rather than a selling point, is the only way the band has been able to translate the difficulty of real-life events into musical form.
Tired Of Tomorrow is a record born out of a chain of events that forced frontman Domenic Palermo to drastically re-think and re-shape his perspective about both life and music. Borrowing from personal memoir and external works alike, Nothing have worked the deepest influences of their youth and maturation into a package that's ultimately at its most relevant in the present day.
Tired Of Tomorrow was originally set for release via Collect Records, until the band discovered that the label had been funded by the now-infamous hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli, whose roster subsequently dissolved under the weight of the unsettling controversy surrounding him. Though the album was written before the Shkreli debacle, Palermo sees those events to only have strengthened the sentiments and ideas behind Tired Of Tomorrow, rather than confuse its message. It's a mess to think about, but as always, the contradictions and paradoxes of the kind Nothing harnesses ultimately lead to the greatest revelations, and the band's personal and tragic path has nonetheless led Nothing to produce deeply heartfelt and inspiring music. Whichever way you want to look at it, you can't deny that Nothing feels good.
The band’s 2014 debut LP Guilty Of Everything, a record inspired largely by the events surrounding Palermo’s incarceration in 2002 following an aggravated assault charge (to which he pleaded self-defense), garnered widespread critical acclaim. After having toured relentlessly across North America and Europe, playing with the likes of DIIV, Merchandise, Torche, Failure, Hum and many more, Nothing will announce tour dates for 2016 imminently.
Tired Of Tomorrow tracklisting:
“Fever Queen”
“The Dead Are Dumb”
“Vertigo Flowers”
“ACD (Abcessive Compulsive Disorder)”
“Nineteen Ninety Heaven”
“Curse Of The Sun”
“Eaten By Worms”
“Everyone Is Happy”
“Our Plague”
“Tired Of Tomorrow”
Monstrance, featuring former Carcass guitarist Carlo Regadas, vocalist Tony Glover (ex-Devoid), bassist Aleksandar Kokai, drummer Nicholas Barker (Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Testament, etc.) and rhythm guitarist Steven Hargraves, have released a new video for the track “Karma After The Storm”.
Carlo Regattas explains: “OK, here's something of a surprise for you guys. This is the original vocal for "Karma After The Storm". We were asked by a particular label to try a deeper vocal style, something more guttural, so we gave that a try and the results are what you hear on the original video (also below). This vocal mix is the one that is preferred by the band, what do you guys think?”
“Karma After The Storm” (Original Vocal Mix):
“Karma After The Storm” (album demo):
Monstrance have also released a new teaser video, featuring excerpts of the demo track “A World On It’s Knees”. Watch below:
A previous teaser video can be seen below:
For more information and updates go to Monstrance's official Facebook page here.
Monstrance is:
Carlo Regadas - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Nicholas Barker - Drums
Tony Glover - Vocals
Steven Hargraves - Rhythm Guitar
Aleksandar Kokai - Bass
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.
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