Japanese supergroup, The Last Rockstars, is comprised of four of Japan’s biggest rock stars – Yoshiki (X Japan), Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel, Vamps), Sugizo (X Japan, Luna Sea), and Miyavi. The group announced their formation at a live event in Tokyo on November 11th, 2022.
The band played their first live show on January 23rd in Tokyo, Japan at Ariake Arena. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available below.
The setlist was as follows:
"The Last Rockstars"
"6 Or 9" (Hyde song)
"Messiah"
"Here's The Love"
"Beneath The Skin" (S.K.I.N. cover)
- Sugizo and Miyavi Guitar Battle -
- Sugizo Violin Solo
"Folly"
"Hallelujah"
- Yoshiki Drum Solo
- Yoshiki Piano Solo
"Born To Be Free" (X Japan cover)
"Honey "(L'Arc-en-Ciel cover)
"Up And Down"
"Bang!" (Miyavi song)
"Red Swan" (Hyde song)
"Psycho Love"
Encore:
"Shine"
"Glamorous Sky" (Hyde song)
"The Last Rockstars"
, and now they have three upcoming "Live Debut" shows scheduled for New York and Los Angeles. A second New York show at the Hammerstein Ballroom was added last month.
The group most recently announced a label deal with Virgin Music Group, who will partner with the group for the release of new music in 2023. The band's debut single is the self-titled anthem "The Last Rockstars (Paris Mix)". The video for the single accumulated an impressive 1.7 million views within a week of its release. Check it out below.
Live dates:
February
3 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
4 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
10 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium (SOLD OUT)
All of the members are stars in their own right. Yoshiki, leader / drummer of the legendary X Japan, has been named "one of the most influential composers in Japanese history," and has sold over 50 million albums.
Hyde is a vocalist, record producer, and actor. Best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel since 1991, he is also the lead vocalist of Vamps and has a solo career.
Sugizo is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989. He officially joined X Japan in 2009 after coming on board as a touring member in 2008.
Miyavi is a guitarist, vocalist, record producer, and actor known for his finger-slapping style of playing guitar. He has been active since 1999, first as guitarist for the now defunct Visual Kei rock band Dué Le Quartz, and then as a solo artist starting in 2002. In 2007, he became a member of the rock supergroup S.K.I.N. In 2014, Miyavi appeared in the movie Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie, and went on to undertake smaller roles in American productions such as Kong: Skull Island and Stray.
Germany's porno metallers Electric Callboy have shared a new video along with the following message:
"Here we go! We had some unreleased footage from our original video shoot for 'Pump It' and we decided to make another music video for the 'Pump It (Velvet Remix)'! Enjoy..."
Electric Callboy released their new studio album, Tekkno, on September 9th, 2022 via Century Media Records. They will release the Tekkno (Tour Edition) on March 24th. Below is the official live video for "We Got The Moves", taken from the record.
Tekkno (Tour Edition) is available for pre-order in the following formats:
- Ltd. 180g. ultra clear-red splattered Vinyl (limited to 1.000 copies / band exclusive)
- Ltd. 180g. yellow-black marbled Vinyl (limited to 500 copies / band exclusive and CM Distro)
- Ltd. 180g transp. light blue-lilac marbled Vinyl (available at all outlets) - Standard CD Jewelcase
Finnish extreme metallers Anzillu – whose sound is punctuated by buzz-saw guitar riffs delivered with equal amounts of dexterous shredding and pummeling anthemic brute force – have released their debut album, Ex Nihilo, upon the masses. Thrashy, intense, infectiously catchy with melodic undertones and shout-along choruses, this album is seismic and relentless.
“We’ve been working on this album for a good three years,” explains guitarist Jesse Kämäräinen. “First demoing and arranging the songs, then recording and mixing it at Sonic Pump Studios with Nino Laurenne (Amorphis, Wintersun, Lost Society, Lordi) and lastly working towards the release with M-Theory Audio. Finally, the day is here and we get to see how people will receive it. I've made some albums in my time and I'm proud of all of them, but this one I'm proud of the most. It took the most work and it paid off. In a certain way, the stars were aligned.”
“As for the new single ‘Mental Graveyard’, I think it's the strongest song on the album. It’s the best song I've ever written, hence I chose it to be the lead single for the album. If you only want to listen to one song from us, it's this one,” cites Jesse. “I wanted to try my limits when writing this song and to do something atypical. I'd like to think I succeeded. Lyrically the song is about quitting a toxic relationship and realizing your own value. It has a lot of personal experience behind the lyrics, but I hope everyone in the same bad situation will realize that there's always better options out there.”
Ex Nihilo artwork and tracklisting:
"Needles (On My Nerves)"
"Mental Graveyard"
"Trumpets Of War"
"The Cleansing Flame"
"Discordia"
"Dauntless"
"Splinter In The Mind’s Eye"
"Vultures"
"Ex Nihilo"
Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY have released the official music video for their new single, "Out Of Pocket". Check it out below.
Speaking about the new track, BLACK STONE CHERRY frontman Chris Robertson said: "'Out Of Pocket' is a song born out of that exact feeling. The song was what I personally, and I think a lot of us, felt over these very trying last couple of years. Facing your demons, knowing that you have to come out the other side stronger than before."
Last October, BLACK STONE CHERRY drummer John Fred Young told Loud TV that he and his bandmates started working on the follow-up to 2020's "The Human Condition" album last summer. "I think there's about eight songs right now that we had done, and we're gonna go back in in December and finish up the rest," he said at the time. "So [it's] a really, really cool situation.
"We've got our own theater back in Glasgow, Kentucky, where Ben [Wells, guitar] lives. We do our home shows there; we do it every two years at Christmas. So we recorded the drums in this big, beautiful theater. And they just sound incredible; even with me playing, they sound incredible. And we're going to my house to do vocals and guitars. So, [it's] really cool, man. I think people will really love the songs and the playing.
"We recorded 'The Human Condition' in 2020, and when we were doing that, everything with COVID, it was really starting to rise up," John added. "And we got done with that record two days before our state locked us down. So we were lucky to get that done. But I think probably next year, early next year, we'll have a new record out."
As for the musical and lyrical direction of the new BLACK STONE CHERRY material, John said: "The first seven or eight [songs] we had done are really… The lyrics on them are very heartfelt and great. The music is really heavy, but also there's the BLACK STONE CHERRY ballad or two, so… I can't give away too much [laughs], 'cause I don't even know what the other ones sound like yet, 'cause we haven't really finished those."
Last August, Robertson told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern" about the band's upcoming LP: "We've got nine songs completely written and about seven more that we've gotta write lyrics and stuff to. But we've been at it, man. And it's good. It's heavy. It's melodic. I think it's gonna be a great record."
Regarding the lyrical inspiration for BLACK STONE CHERRY's new songs, Chris said: "It's crazy because the songs we write… Obviously we write songs that are fun — like 'Blame It On The Boom Boom' and 'White Trash Millionaire' — a lot of fun stuff, but we also write some more serious songs.
"It's different, man," he continued. "We've been writing and stuff. And it's crazy. For me right now, the stuff that's kind of coming out is a lot related to my dad passing, a lot of understanding how to deal with this loss and grief and just learning to live through it.
"The serious songs we write are stuff that we've either witnessed or we've lived or whatever," Chris explained. "Other than a song like 'Rain Wizard' or some of the stuff we wrote that was more folklory, everything we've written is something we've lived. So there's a hell of a lot in the well now. I went a really long way of saying that, but the well is very deep now of things to write about."
BLACK STONE CHERRY's seventh studio album, "The Human Condition", was made available in October 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.
In June 2021, BLACK STONE CHERRY announced the departure of bassist Jon Lawhon. He has since been replaced on the road by Steve Jewell Jr., the guitarist from the Glasgow, Kentucky band OTIS.
The digital-only release of an expanded edition of "The Human Condition" was made available in August 2021.
FALLING IN REVERSE has released the official music video for the band's new single "Watch The World Burn". The clip, which was directed by Jensen Noen, includes a scene (around 2:08 mark) where a Sebastian Bach lookalike gets hit in the head by a falling laptop, an apparent nod to the recent war of words between FALLING IN REVERSE frontman Ronnie Radke and the former SKID ROW singer.
Just hours before FALLING IN REVERSE was supposed to appear at the WIIL Rock festival last September at Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, Illinois, Radke and his bandmates scrapped their performance because their laptops — which the musicians use to "run" their "show" — were lost. At the time, Radke said in a video message that he and his bandmates had "no other option" because "as a band in 2022, you need your laptops. It's like driving a car without an engine."
A couple of days later, SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk, who has been a vocal critic of rock bands using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows, blasted FALLING IN REVERSE for canceling the concert, writing on his social media: "How much longer are fans, promoters , media, just going to accept the epidemic of live rock shows… not really being live? Paying your hard earned money to see a band play 'live' that's not truly live?!" In response, Radke wrote: "@EddieTrunk so you wanna talk hella Shit about laptops but go watch kiss lip sync, Steven Tyler plays the piano then half way through the song he stands on top of piano while it sill plays yet here we are acting like they all don't use tracks you fucking idiot. Literal moron". He also shared a video of Trunk introducing Bach's solo band at a performance, and he included the following message: "@EddieTrunk introducing @sebastianbach using tracks, both idiots talking Shit about me using tracks can't make this shit up." A short time later, Bach fired back, writing: "Wow dummy are you trying to say that you believe that I use tracks on stage? @EddieTrunk how f****** funny is this". Radke then responded: "There's a fake audience cheer in your intro tracks and also fake drums the fuck you mean? that shit isn't real you are using a fake audience cheering as you walk out on a fucking track hence you using tracks."
Things escalated further when Bach tweeted "Watch what happens when track bands call real musicians idiots", prompting Radke to write: "The fuck is your bitch ass gonna do? You disrespect an entire generation of people after you that use synths laptops and backing tracks all while using a fake audience on a track as you walk out, fuck you and fuck Eddie trunks bitch ass". Sebastian later added: "It's always so much fun to show someone what the world was like before the internet existed get f****** ready. Virtual reality is so much fun until you have to deal with actual reality. In your face. Can't wait to meet you in person. Name the time and the place and I will introduce you to rock and roll in person man".
Radke addressed his feud with Bach in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said: "I stand my ground and I just stand by what I believe in. [Sebastian] was so rude; he's rude. Some prominent people in music DMed [direct messaged] me. It made me feel a lot better. I don't wanna call them out. But they were on my side. Even some famous wrestlers — some huge legendary wrestlers — hit me up too. And they were, like, 'He's always been an asshole.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean?' I didn't know this. I had no idea. He was, like, 'Yeah. Look.' And he shows me his screen[shots]. I'm, like, 'God, he's so rude to a lot of people. Oh my God."
Regarding how the war of words between him and Bach began, Radke said: "It started because I said I couldn't play a show 'cause our laptops are like our engine, and I stand by that. Our biggest song is almost multiplatinum, and it was No. 1 on the radio, and 60 percent of the song is literally a rap beat. Am I supposed to, like… They don't understand that; they just don't get it. It's not like SKID ROW or MÖTLEY CRÜE. Even MÖTLEY CRÜE — Nikki Sixx came to my defense, man. I think that's super cool. He defended me too."
"For anybody that's a dinosaur that doesn't understand what I'm saying right now — that's literally a dinosaur — every single band that you heard in the past 20 years has laptops. KISS — I mean, all these older bands have laptops.
"We use laptops," Ronnie confirmed. "I will not go on stage without a laptop. It has a click track to keep the time. It has rap beats that we cannot perform without. Our biggest song, fans will be very let down if we don't play 'Popular Monster' or 'Voices In My Head'. It's just a new mix; it's like a different way to operate. So it is — it's like the engine. Without it, we can't operate. We're the part of the engine, and it helps. I mean, yeah, I can sing a cappella; it's not gonna sound as good. I don't know what they want from me. I think they're just mad. I don't know. They're mad."
According to Ronnie, "all" his fans had his back when it came to the Bach feud. "I'm, like, 'Bro, if you think I'm faking it, just go on YouTube and watch any video. Tweet me a video where it looks like I'm faking it.' And nobody can," he said. "There's no faking it. We're not faking it. We need our rap beats. We need our synths. We could have, like, 25 people on stage, if that's what makes Sebastian Bach happy. I'm sure nobody else would care. Six different fucking keyboard players. Let me get two more buses on tour, which will cost 250 thousand dollars, and their pay and hotels, just so Sebastian Bach is, like, 'That's real.'"
Radke went on to clarify that his lead vocals are always one hundred percent live. "I dare anybody to go try to find a video of me ever lip syncing," he said. "From 2005 all the way to now, you're not gonna find it. I refuse to lip sync. I'll just cancel the show if my voice is gone or something. I would never do that. It's not about the money. And that's why people get mad that I cancel shows. I'm not gonna lip sync. So I challenge anybody to try to find a video of my lip syncing. You can't. And some people, they'll call me out and say, 'You are.' And I'll be, like, 'No, that's my vocal.' And then it's like a huge compliment for me, 'cause I'm proud of being able to sing, and stuff like that, live. You can tell. If you've been doing this a long time and been to a lot of shows, you can tell the difference. It's just usually people on the Internet that say that — nobody at the shows."
Back in 2019, Bach weighed in on artists who use pre-recorded tracks at their live shows, saying that "it's becoming very rare" to see bands "not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running." The former SKID ROW singer told Consequence Of Sound: "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have. And I still don't. I'm not going to for this tour. I feel like I'm one of the last people. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way'?”
"I just did this cruise, called the Legends Of Rock cruise, and there were all older bands — like KANSAS and Edgar Winter," he continued. "These guys come onstage and destroy you with their musicality. None of these bands on this cruise used tapes. And KANSAS, I was hanging out with that dude with the eyepatch [guitarist Rich Williams], and he said, 'I tell people, 'Come see this while it still exists,'' because it's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."
Asked why he thinks artists using pre-recorded tracks live seems much more prevalent nowadays, Bach said: "Because everybody films everything on their phones, and then posts it all. That's the reason. Nobody wants to jump around too much and then hit a bad note, and then have it be posted on the internet, and people say, 'He's not singing it like the record.' Well, nobody is jumping around when they're on the record. So, you can either freeze or sit in a chair — that's how you make a record — and if you want to do that, it's going to be a pretty boring show."
He went on to say: "Most performers say, 'Singing is too hard.' I'm not from that school. I've done four Broadway shows — I don't transpose the keys down; I can still hit all the notes. I might not hit them all just like the record on any given night. I might not be as good as I once was… but I'm good once as I ever was. [Laughs]"
Bach previously defended KISS against claims that the band is using pre-recorded tracks during its farewell tour. "I listened to Paul Stanley sing his ass off LIVE," Sebastian tweeted after witnessing KISS's concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. "I have seen way more obvious use of backing tracks than with KISS… KISS is not lip syncing," he added. "There are too busy putting on the greatest rock show you will ever see."
In July 2020, Bach accused FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho of using pre-recorded lead vocal tracks during live performances. The former SKID ROW frontman initially claimed Jericho was "miming to a tape" at FOZZY concerts in a social media post. In response, the wrestler-turned-rocker insisted that he had "never mimed anything ever" and challenged Bach to a "singoff" with "no effects, no tuning, no bullshit", saying "Bas is a great singer...but I'm better".
In the months that ensued, Bach brought up Jericho's alleged lip syncing on several occasions, most recently in January 2021 in an interview with The Aquarian Weekly. Asked specifically about his feud with Chris, Sebastian said: "I have an open mind about everyone. If I read on Blabbermouth.com [sic] that some band says, 'We're the future of rock 'n' roll and we are the next thing after THE ROLLING STONES,' I think, this must be incredible! What have I been missing out on? So, I checked out one video during which the singer was 100% miming to a tape on stage at The Rockpile in Toronto. I thought to myself, 'That's weird, that's not the next ROLLING STONES.' So, I watch another video where he was opening up for NICKELBACK in an arena and, again, he's miming to a tape. You can go watch it for yourself. Then someone said, 'Here's a clip of him singing live. Legit, bro.' And it's him miming to a tape again. It's crazy obvious. It is not my opinion, it's fact. It is not me starting a fight. But don't tell me what singing live is, 'cause I have never used tape. I don't even know how to do that."
NORMA JEAN has released the official music video for the song "1994". It's comprised of footage spanning the entirety of the band's career.
"1994" is taken from NORMA JEAN's ninth album, "Deathrattle Sing For Me", which came out last August via Solid State Records.
"If you film your band for 20+ years and never do anything with it, you end up with a box full of VHS and hi-8 tapes like what happened to me," says singer Cory Brandan. "Instead of making that expensive documentary you were always hoping to make, just make a three-minute music video instead."
NORMA JEAN invites an intense level of intimacy on "Deathrattle Sing For Me". The group plunges into unparalleled emotional depths, as if their very existence depended upon the catharsis these 13 tracks promised.
"This record was really about banding together," observes Brandan. "It embodies the camaraderie of our brotherhood in NORMA JEAN. At the time, we needed something to do, and we wrote these songs for our own souls. The record was necessary to keep me alive in a very literal sense. It's a deeper place."
The band unearthed a searing signature style on "O' God, The Aftermath" in 2005. They struck up a creative partnership with iconic producer Ross Robinson on the seminal "Redeemer" (2007) and "The Anti Mother" (2008). The latter notably boasted appearances by Chino Moreno of DEFTONES and Page Hamilton of HELMET.
Following the acclaimed "Meridional" (2010),"Wrongdoers" (2013) represented a critical high watermark with a 9-out-of-10 score from Rock Sound and 9-out-of-10 score from Outburn. On the heels of "Polar Similar" (2016),they reached another level on "All Hail" (2019). In a perfect 5-star review, New Noise Magazine raved, "'All Hail' is yet another momentous accomplishment on their part," while Kerrang! attested, "'All Hail''s ambition and execution is worthy of worship." Along the way, they toured with everyone from ROB ZOMBIE and KORN to MASTODON, LAMB OF GOD, and more. During 2021, they recorded what would become "Deathrattle Sing For Me" with longtime collaborator Jeremy SH Griffith. They nodded to inspirations as diverse as ALICE IN CHAINS' "Dirt", THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' "Siamese Dream", and the sample-and-riff onslaught of WHITE ZOMBIE's "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume 1".
Next month, NORMA JEAN will hit the road on a headline tour with support from FIRE FROM THE GODS and GREYHAVEN.
Progressive rock band, The Contortionist, release a new box set, Retrospective: Live From Atlanta, today. The box set boasts three double LPs comprised of recordings from the band’s 2021 live-stream performances. The three live streamed performances cover every facet of the band’s career, including a full album performance of the critically acclaimed full-length Clairvoyant, as well as an entire set focused on the band’s heavier catalog.
Featuring over 30 tracks, the impressive package is a limited-edition set, with only 1,500 copies available worldwide. It comes housed in a 12x12x2 embossed box and features translucent acetate overlay alternate covers for each of the three live stream sets. Each live stream set comes pressed on 12” 180g double vinyl in a beautiful gatefold package. Fans can purchase the box set here.
Guitarist Cameron Maynard says, “When we initially conceived this project, our objective was to give something to our fans amidst the inability to physically perform to a live audience. As it turns out, we were so happy with the end result that we thought it would only be appropriate to release in a more tangible way. We have always wanted to release a box set like this, and after seeing some original ideas for the art, we knew it had to be done.”
Keyboardist Eric Guenther adds, “Although the motivation for this project was born out of uncertainty and cancellations, the opportunity to perform and create the definitive musical artifact for this band’s history became a silver lining. To me, this is years of work finally realized, and thanks to our fans’ response, we were able to make this project timeless with a proper release. This is the best representation of The Contortionist to date, and to us, the recording that defines the identity of this band and how we sounded in the first 10+ years. Thanks to our fans for making this band real. Also, we can’t wait to share what we have been working on.”
The band is also releasing two videos from the live-stream performances for tracks “Clairvoyant,” and “Geocentric Confusion.” Watch below.
Tracklisting:
Set 1: The MNRK Heavy Set
"Early Grave"
"Reimagined"
"Follow"
"Geocentric Confusion"
"Flourish"
"1979"
"Integration"
"Thrive"
"Solipsis"
"Language I: Intuition"
"Language II: Conspire"
Set 2: Clairvoyant Album (Full Performance)
"Monochrome"
"Godspeed"
"Reimagined"
"Clairvoyant"
"The Center"
"Absolve"
"Relapse"
"Return To Earth"
"Monochrome (Pensive)"
Having recently announced their signing to Century Media Records, with a debut album on the way, Predatory Void are now giving fans a new standalone single, "*(struggling..)". Stream the track here, and watch a video (by Jeroen Mylle, and shot in the workshop of painter and visual artist Sven Verhaege) below.
Predatory Void comments: "'*(struggling..)' is about how we slowly begin to decay from the inside, trapped in a flesh prison, experiencing pain and longing for a release. Physical agony follows, amplifying despair and misery, and there is no escape."
Predatory Void came to be when guitarist Lennart Bossu (Amenra, Oathbreaker) found himself writing material that wasn't really suited for Amenra. Lennart gathered a group of likeminded people living in the area of Ghent (BE) - including the versatile vocalist and tattoo artist Lina R - and soon after, the band was born, with Tim De Gieter (bass; Amenra, Doodseskader, Much Luv Studio), Thijs De Cloedt (guitar; Cobra The Impaler, ex-Aborted), and Vincent Verstrepen (drums). Predatory Void played their first show at the renowned Soulcrusher Festival (NL) alongside artists such as Ihsahn, Envy, Cave In and Heriot, creating a buzz within the scene. With an album's worth of material already written, they signed to Century Media Records for their worldwide debut.
With this signing news, Predatory Void revealed their plans to perform said debut record - Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being - in full at Roadburn Festival 2023.
The band comments: "We feel privileged to be granted the opportunity to present our debut album, 'Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being', in its entirety at Roadburn, one of the institutions that set the standard in the world of underground heavy music. The album contains some things that will be difficult to recreate live elsewhere, so this will definitely be a unique occasion. It will also be one of our very first live shows ever, so we can't imagine a better and more exciting start for a new band."
Stay tuned for more news about Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being coming soon.
Predatory Void lineup:
Lina R - vocals
Lennart Bossu - guitar
Tim De Gieter - bass
Thijs De Cloedt - guitar
Vincent Verstrepen - drums
Swedish rockers, Creye, will release their new album, III: Weightless, on February 17. Watch a video for the new single, "One Step Away", below, and pre-order/save III: Weightless here.
As with their last album, II, this new album sees the band’s songwriting and playing jumping by leaps and bounds to put them at the forefront of the Swedish melodic rock scene. With an album and live EP as well as multiple gigs under their belt, this lineup of Creye has truly gelled and that cohesiveness shines through on III: Weightless. Fans of the band's previous work certainly won't be disappointed and will also be thankful that the band has managed to evolve while staying familiar.
After releasing the Straight To The Top EP in early 2017, Creye signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers and released their self-titled debut album in October 2018. After announcing that August Rauer would be the new frontman for the band in late 2018, Creye toured in Sweden and Europe in 2019, including appearing at Melodicrock Fest, Frontiers Rock Sweden, and the Rockingham Festival. Creye regrouped in the studio in late 2019 to start working on the follow-up album to their self-titled debut. The plan was to refine and improve their songs and approach. The band’s strong determination to achieve this goal shone through on what would become their second album, II.
With III: Weightless, Creye's evolution as a premiere band in the Swedish melodic rock scene continues unabated.
III: Weightless tracklisting:
"Glorious"
"Air"
"One Step Away"
"The Game"
"Spreading Fire"
"Weightless"
"How Far"
"In The Shadows"
"Stay"
"Dangerous"
"Pieces"
"One Step Away" video:
"Air" video:
"Spreading Fire" video:
- Produced by: Jacob Gustafsson
Lineup:
August Rauer - Lead Vocals
Andreas Gullstrand - Lead Guitar
Fredrik Joakimsson - Rhythm Guitar
Joel Selsfors - Keyboards
Gustaf Örsta - Bass
Arvid Filipsson - Drums
SKID ROW singer Erik Grönwall has shared his cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Painkiller". The track, which features Love Magnusson on lead guitar and Erik Modin on drums, was produced, mixed and mastered by Jona Tee.
Erik, who made his recording debut with SKID ROW on the recently released studio album, "The Gang's All Here", spoke to The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show about how he has been accepted by the band's fans since he joined the group earlier this year as the replacement for ZP Theart. He said: "There's so many different types of fans. I've realized that… 'Cause when we did the show in California, [some] people came up to me after the show, and they were, like, 'Sebastian [Bach], you've still got it.' [Laughs] Yeah, that happened. Then you have the fans who still think that Sebastian is in the band, and then you have the fans who know the whole story."
Erik went on to say that he isn't bothered by the fact that some fans are still clamoring for a reunion of the band's classic lineup.
"I understand the fan perspective of wanting the original lineup — I understand that — because I'm a Bon Scott guy myself," he explained, referencing AC/DC's late singer. "But I think that people are really excited about this new album, and I feel like even the people who want the original lineup are actually starting to approve."
He added: "When I joined this band, I realized that it's such a privilege to have people so interested in the band, talking about the band, discussing everything. A lot of bands would kill for that, and that's a privilege. You have all these people talking about SKID ROW and they like that singer or they like that song or they like that era, and that's just incredible, having people so excited about it or hating it. [Laughs]"
Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT singer Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by Theart, the South African-born, British-based singer who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.
"The Gang's All Here" arrived in October via earMUSIC. The group recorded most of the LP in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.
Grönwall, who auditioned for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life", joined SKID ROW in January 2022. Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years, played his final gig with SKID ROW in February 2022 before being officially given the boot.
Grönwall was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. with whom he recorded four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020) — before exiting the group in October 2020.
In September 2021, Grönwall announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant. "Some anonymous wonderful human being somewhere in the world donated his/her blood cells so that I could get a second chance at life," he told Headbangers Lifestyle in January. "Sometimes I can just get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It's so beautiful that one person who is not connected to me in any way wanted to do that for me. He/she doesn't know that the blood cells were for me. It's completely anonymous."
In September 2021, Grönwall released his cover version of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.
In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.
The official music video for the song "Drowning Emotion" from VENAMORIS, the project featuring legendary extreme metal drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, FANTÔMAS, TESTAMENT, MR. BUNGLE, MISFITS, DEAD CROSS) and his wife Paula, can be seen below.
"Drowning Emotion" is taken from VENAMORIS's debut album, "Drown In Emotion", which will be released on February 10. The LP was recorded and produced at Ritmo Studio by Dave Lombardo. Drum overdubs were recorded at Studio 606. It was mixed at Ritmo Studio by David A. Lombardo and mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering.
"Drown In Emotion" features guest appearances by Tyler Bates (JERRY CANTRELL, MARILYN MANSON),Roberto "Ra" Díaz (KORN, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES),Jack Gibson (EXODUS),George Pajon (BLACK EYED PEAS, CAIRO KNIFE FIGHT) and Tim Stewart (LADY GAGA, DAMNAGE).
Track listing:
01. Let Me Be
02. We Fall
03. This Is Me
04. Crimson Tears
05. Misguided
06. Drowning Emotion
07. I Love It
08. In My Silence
09. It's Gone
10. Tell Me How You Know
11. Oceans
12. So Good
Founded in 2021 by what can only be called, astral influence, VENAMORIS was launched a result of some persistent persuasion on Dave's part. The 57-year-old musician, who is in charge of drums and production on the record, explains: "Several months after meeting Paula in 2010, she hesitantly shared with me her past decade-long career as the lead backup singer for Wayne Newton. She later played me some of the demos she recorded throughout the years, and I was floored by her sonically soothing, rich tone and natural, instinctive ability to harmonize. I was determined to persuade her to return to her creative self. It's been a deeply gratifying journey witnessing this music come to life."
Canadian-born singer/songwriter Paula Lombardo, who performs vocals and piano for this project, bursts with vulnerability and intimacy, addressing a broad scope of emotion: anger, healing, pain, hope. It's evident that VENAMORIS was founded out of love, passion, communication, respect, and trust. One person thriving in music encouraged the other, who had abandoned music to find their way back. It is the result of many late nights with too much wine, and even more truth laid bare: an aural couple's journaling generously shared with the world.
Last month, Dave collaborated with his wife on a "love song" called "The Gift". On December 19, the Cuban-born musician shared an Andy Wallis-created video for the track via his YouTube channel, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "A romantic love song for the holiday season, written by my wife and I."
"The Gift" was written and recorded by Paula and Dave Lombardo and was mastered by John Golden of Golden Mastering.
During a recent question-and-answer session with the readers of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Lombardo was asked if he would have joined SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's new band had he been approached about it. He responded: "I knew that was coming. I am, right now, working on too many other projects and I wouldn't be able to accept. New DEAD CROSS, MR. BUNGLE… the pandemic put a lot of stuff on hold, so we need to play some catch-up there. Besides that, he's got Paul Bostaph [playing with him], and I don't think he would have the need to ask me."
Lombardo was also asked if he would play with SLAYER again if the band reunited and wanted him to be part of the lineup. He said: "I don't think that's ever going to happen. But, yeah, I'd listen to whatever it is they had to say. That's it. You can't go any further than that."
Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.
Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.
SLAYER played its last-ever show in November 2019 at The Forum in Los Angeles.
Canadian bashers, Sven Gali, have released a music video for "Monster", a track from their new album, Bombs And Battlescars, due this spring (details to follow).
The song was produced by Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), and the video was produced by AP Media LIVE.
In other news, Sven Gali have confirmed their appearance at the upcoming Sound Of Music Festival, taking place June 11 - 18 at Spencer Smith Park in downtown Burlington, Ontario (Canada). Lee Aaron will also be performing at the fest. Details here.
Sven Gali lineup:
Dave Wanless – Vocals
Andy Frank – Guitars
Shawn Minden – Bass
Sean Williamson – Guitars
Dan Fila – Drums
"We're all affected by addiction, either as the addict or somebody that loves an addict and wants to see them get help," says singer Jon Ricci. "The world is more connected and yet more isolated than ever. Drugs, alcohol, sex, pain, social media, success - We're all addicted to something and we're often alone with our thoughts and problems, when what we really need is a conversation and support. We turn inward when what we really need is to reach out and to be reached out to. Filthy is a look inside those addictions, how they can take over our lives, and what can happen when we try to go it alone."
Dark Tranquillity performed at Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival in August 2022 on the Sophie Lancaster stage. Professionally-filmed video of the band's entire set can be viewed below.
The setlist was as follows:
"Identical To None"
"Transient"
"Monochromatic Stains"
"Forward Momentum"
"Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)"
"The Dark Unbroken"
"Atoma"
"The New Build"
"Final Resistance"
"Phantom Days"
"The Treason Wall"
"Encircled"
"ThereIn"
"Lost To Apathy"
"Misery's Crown"
New England's premier metal band Dead By Wednesday have released their brand new animated stop motion music video for their single "Mars In Exile." The drummer's 8-year-old son, Orion St. Lawrence, inspired the story & concept, and designed the building brick band characters. Viewers can also see some of the footage he originally shot with real building brick figures projected on the screens during the guitar solo.
The video was directed by Sal DelGreco, who also did all of the voice acting. The animation was done by Paul Stamper. The single is taken from their brand new album Capital Conspiracy, released June 24, 2022 on Mindsnap Music / Salt of the Earth Records. This new album from DBW is a total lesson in authentic musical aggression and was produced by Nicky Bellmore (drummer & producer of Dee Snider, Corpse Grinder, & Jasta). DBW’s album is available in stores as well as anywhere music is streamed or downloaded. Capital Conspiracy also hit # 1 on the nationally renowned NACC Top 30 Loud - Hard Rock Radio Charts.
In addition, DBW announced their debut European Tour starting April 1 and ending April 16, dubbed The Sick As Fuck Euro Tour 2023. Dates and venues to be announced soon.
Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of the debut album, Seven Worlds, from Transworld Identity (T-ID) on March 17.
T-ID is a new Finnish/English rock band featuring vocalist Mila Bosa, guitarist Mika "Lamppari" Lamminsivu, keyboardist Juha "Junnu" Kinnunen, bassist Kasperi Kinnunen, and drummer Lacu Lahtinen.
A single and video for the track 'Everything Must Burn' is out today. Watch the music video below, and pre-order/save Seven Worlds here.
T-ID's music draws inspiration from the core foundations of hard rock music, showcasing that feel-good factor that will get your adrenaline flowing.
After honing her skills as the frontwoman of a hard rock covers band, Mila Bosa wanted to take a new direction with her musical career by singing original songs and subsequently formed Transworld Identity. To help her fulfill her musical vision, she has been joined by a stellar cast of bandmates.
Drummer Lacu Lahtinen is a showman behind the kit, who has spent time in Hanoi Rocks and vocalist Michael Monroe's solo band. Since 2008, Lacu has been part of one of Finland’s biggest bands, Popeda (who recently announced their disbandment). Guitarist Mika "Lamppari" Lamminsivu was a founding member of Baby Green and, later, progressive rockers Technical Justice. He has also played with Michael Monroe and Dave Lindholm. Keyboardist Juha "Junnu" Kinnunen's resume includes gigs with many big names, including a long stint with Finnish rock legend Muska Babitzin. He has also played alongside Marco Hietala and Ryan Roxie. Bassist Kasperi Kinnunen, despite his young age, is a very accomplished multi-instrumentalist. Aside from being keyboardist Junnu's son, Kasperi is also known for his other band Metallileka and the multiple musicals he has been in.
The Nordics have an established track record of producing top-notch hard rock and metal music and Finland's Transworld Identity continue that fine tradition.
Seven Worlds tracklisting:
"Everything Must Burn"
"Play & Pretend"
"I'm Such A Liar"
"Part Maroon, Part Indigo"
"Time"
"Starchild"
"Seven Worlds"
"In For The Long Haul"
"Livin' On The Run"
"I Never Lost My Faith"
"Roseate"
"Everything Must Burn" video:
Lineup:
Mila Bosa - Vocals
Mika Lamminsivu - Guitar
Lacu Lahtinen - Drums
Juha Kinnunen - Keyboards
Kasperi Kinnunen - Bass
Finnish progressive metal band Sum Of Seven released a new single and music video ''The Monster…The King'". The track is released in collaboration with Inverse Records. Pick it up via digital platforms found here.
Guitarist Ari Lempinen comments: "In the song 'The Monster…The King' we wanted to give more room to the instruments to tell the story supporting the vocals. The song flows with tasty solos and tight riffs in synergy with Marko’s vocals and dances between succulent blasting and a relaxing respite. The music reflects the atmosphere of the lyrics, which dive deep into a dreamlike space where the monsters and kings within us are in juxtaposition. The music video features the skilled breakdancer Jose Granados aka Bboy Kalaco who interprets the mood and the message of the song with his skillful moves."
Check out the video below.
Line-up:
Ari Lempinen: Guitar, backing vocals
Esa Lempinen: Keyboards
Rasmus Raassina: Drums
Harri Annala: Guitar
Miika Erkkilä: Bass
Marko Loukamaa: Vocals
The Convalescence is a five-member symphonic deathcore band formed in Toledo, Ohio in 2011. The Convalescence blends black metal / horror theatrics with intense death metal style blast beats and shredding guitar, along with brutal slamming breakdowns and catchy melodies. Since their inception, they have amassed an impressive discography including five full-length albums, and have toured extensively across the planet. The latest from them is the single “No Survivors” featuring Scott Ian Lewis of Carnifex, accompanied by a claymation music video. Vocalist Keith Wampler details the single and the upcoming album:
“The single is one of the hardest-hitting songs we’ve ever released. The lyrics and video were inspired by the Alien films, and having Scott doing some nasty guest vocals really helped give it the brutality we were looking for. We played it live throughout our recent European Tour and absolutely loved the energy it brings to the stage. We’re looking forward to this one being a part of our live show for many tours to come. This new album is basically like one big horror movie, song by song each one tells a story. Each one is brutal in its own way.”
The Convalescence expects the album will be received well by the fans, as they do their very best to step things up on each record. They worked with producer Jason Suecof on this one at Audiohammer Studios in Florida, who has worked with most of their favorite bands (The Black Dahlia Murder, Carnifex, Deicide, Job For A Cowboy) and they were beyond stoked he was down to do the recording with them. In their opinion, they’ve created the heaviest The Convalescence album so far. The full-length was mastered by Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy) and is expected for release summer 2023.
In live news, The Convalescence will be hitting the road this coming March for the "No Survivors Tour" with support from Casket Robbery and Ignominious. Confirmed dates are as listed:
March
10 - Jackson, MI - The Music Box
11 - Toledo, OH - Main Street Bar & Grill
12 - New Haven, IN - Carl's Tavern
13 - Louisville, KY - Mag Bar
14 - Overland Park, KS - Vivo Live Events
15 - Tulsa, OK - The Whittier Bar
16 - Fort Worth, TX - The Rail Club DFW
17 - San Antonio, TX - Bonds Rock Bar
18 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
19 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
20 - Pensacola, FL - The Handlebar
21 - Sanford, FL - West End Trading Co.
22 - Murfreesboro, TN - Crossroads
23 - Knoxville, TN - Brickyard Bar & Grill
24 - Lakewood, OH - The Foundry
25 - Chesterfield, MI - Diesel Concert Lounge
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