After wrapping up a successful North American tour opening for Zero 9:36 and their latest single “Plastic Heart” crashing in to the Top 40 at Active Rock radio, Florida rockers Fame On Fire have released the acoustic performance of their latest single.
The band - comprised of Bryan Kuznitz (vocals), Blake Saul (guitarist), Paul Spirou (bass), and Alex Roman (drums) - released “Plastic Heart" (Acoustic) as a streaming exclusive after fans experienced it live during their recent tour stop in Colorado Springs. The band was forced to play acoustic after their drummer Alex was diagnosed with pneumonia and had to miss a few shows to recover. As fan reaction to the live acoustic version grew, the band decided to record it officially leading to its release worldwide.
The video for the performance can be found below, and the song is available via all streaming partners here.
“We wanted to show the other side of the song, the acoustic version hits different - it’s actually more of a sad situation than a fuck you situation when someone just up and leaves and completely changes who they are leaving you feeling empty,” explains Fame On Fire.
Orange County's Bleed the Sky have announced that their new vocalist is Rudy Flores. The band released their brand new single, "Rot In Flesh", today along with an accompanying music video.
"The lyrics of 'Rot In Flesh' represent the choice to overcome negativity from one's own toxic thoughts and others trying to bring you down. Sonically, this song hints at Bleed The Sky's new direction and what people can expect from our upcoming releases. This is just the beginning. We are very excited to show you what else this new line-up has to offer," says the band.
Stream/download "Rot In Flesh" here. Watch the video below:
The North American Siege 2022, featuring Arch Enemy and Behemoth, plus special guests Napalm Death and Unto Others, landed at The Eastern in Atlanta, GA on April 22.
Arch Enemy have shared this recap video, stating: "Thank you, Atlanta for kicking off the weekend with Arch Enemy and Behemoth! Now that’s Heavy Metal!"
On April 23, the tour hit Charlotte, NC at The Fillmore Charlotte. Says Arch Enemy: "Charlotte, we couldn’t have asked for so many crazy fans to have fun with us, thank you so much!"
On July 29, Arch Enemy will release their 11th studio album, Deceivers, via Century Media Records. For fans that can't wait for the record's release, the band is now offering a new 7", "Sunset Over The Empire" (due out May 20) - with the title track also appearing on Deceivers.
Arch Enemy's founder and chief songwriter Michael Amott comments: "I am thrilled that we are releasing our next single 'Sunset Over The Empire' not only digitally everywhere as usual, but also as a physical 7" vinyl record. I'm a big fan of the vinyl format myself and I think this killer looking 7" will be a nice collector's item as it's a limited run. The B-side is an instrumental we've never released before on a record, and the A-side is one of my fave tracks off our new upcoming album Deceivers!"
Pre-order "Sunset Over The Empire" here, where the 7" is available in the following versions:
- white vinyl (limited to 1000 copies; available via CM Distro Europe)
- transparent orange vinyl (limited to 500 copies; band exclusive)
"Sunset Over The Empire" tracklisting:
"Sunset Over The Empire"
"The Judging Eyes"
A collection of 11 tracks that are ruthlessly catchy and mercilessly violent, Deceivers stands toe-to-toe with the highlights of the band's storied catalogue. Pre-order the album here.
Deceivers tracklisting:
"Handshake With Hell"
"Deceiver, Deceiver"
"In The Eye Of The Storm"
"The Watcher"
"Poisoned Arrow"
"Sunset Over The Empire"
"House Of Mirrors"
"Spreading Black Wings"
"Mourning Star"
"One Last Time"
"Exiled From Earth"
"Handshake With Hell" video:
"Deceiver, Deceiver" video:
"House Of Mirrors" video:
Arch Enemy lineup:
Alissa White-Gluz - Vocals
Michael Amott - Guitars
Jeff Loomis - Guitars
Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass
Daniel Erlandsson - Drums
Billy Howerdel releases his debut solo album, What Normal Was, on June 10 via Alchemy Recordings/Rise Records/BMG.
The A Perfect Circle co-founder/guitar player has simultaneously released a video for “Poison Flowers” (see below), with the Rizz (from Vowws)-directed clip offering both an aural and visual preview of what’s to come on the 10-song, self-produced collection.
“This is me stepping back into my early teen self and making the record I would’ve made if I had the means and the knowledge when I first picked up a guitar—just in 2022,” Howerdel explains. “It’s that moment as a kid when you hear a record, close your eyes, and go somewhere else. That was the time I found my lane, so to speak.”
Pre-save What Normal Was here. Album pre-orders for the June 10 release will be available soon.
What Normal Was tracklisting:
"Selfish Heart"
"Free And Weightless"
"Ani"
"Beautiful Mistake"
"The Same Again"
"Poison Flowers"
"Follower"
"Bring Honor Back Home"
"EXP"
"Stars"
"Poison Flowers" video:
The album news is accompanied by the announcement of a summer tour, kicking off on June 11 in Ventura, Calif. The six week trek includes an appearance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and two shows where Howerdel finds himself on the same bill as his APC bandmate Maynard James Keenan, who will be performing with Puscifer on June 12 at the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles) and July 1 at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre (Rochester Hills, Mich). Tickets for all headlining dates are on-sale this Friday, April 29 at 10 AM, local time. For tickets and ticket info, including VIP packages, please visit billyhowerdel.com.
Tour dates:
June
11 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Music Hall
12 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre *
14 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
15 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
16 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post
18 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
19 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
21 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
22 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
24 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café
25 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
26 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall
28 - Chicago, IL - Cabaret Metro
29 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
July
1 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Amphitheatre *
2 - Toronto, ON - Axis Club
3 - Montreal, QC - Café Campus
5 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
6 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
8 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
9 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
10 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
12 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
14 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
15 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall – Inside Downstairs
16 - Dallas, TX - The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
17 - Austin, TX - Emos
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
* with Puscifer
New Jersey-born and Los Angeles-based vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Billy Howerdel has quietly asserted himself as an alternative music auteur whose knack for massive hooks believes a keen emotional understanding and sonic acuity. Devoting his life to music after witnessing Pink Floyd live, he acted as something of a behind-the-scenes journeyman, working as an in-demand touring and studio tech for the likes of David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, and Nine Inch Nails.
Striking up a friendship with Maynard James Keenan when Tool opened for Fishbone (for whom Billy served as a tech), he occupied a room in a North Hollywood cottage with Maynard. Billy founded A Perfect Circle with Maynard in 1999. The group’s seminal full-length debut, Mer de Noms, went platinum and made history as the “highest Billboard Top 200 bow for a rock band’s debut.” They followed it with the platinum Thirteenth Step [2003] and gold Emotive [2004]. The group made their return with 2018’s Eat The Elephant, marking their fourth consecutive Top 5 debut on the Top 200.
In between, Billy’s music has also appeared in video games and on the big screen. During 2008, he made his first solo statement under the moniker Ashes Divide with Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright. In the next decade, the album quietly pervaded as a cult favorite with millions of streams and the odd sold out “reunion” show. On his 2022 proper full-length solo debut, What Normal Was [Alchemy Recordings/Rise Records/BMG], he inhabits a space that’s reverent of his past, present, and future all at once. After all of these years, songs, and shows, Billy is ready to introduce himself.
Humans, you have waited long enough! The day is finally here! As of today, your Lords and Masters Gear unleash their latest aural masterpiece. Taken from their forthcoming album, The New Dark Ages, Gwar is pleased as piss to debut the song “Mother Fucking Liar”. Watch the visualizer below.
“This song is for anybody who’s sick of all the pieces of shit talking out of both sides of their mouth. Motherfuck a motherfucking liar,” says vocalist Blöthar the Berserker.
The New Dark Ages chronicles Gwar's adventures in the Duoverse, where the band rediscovers old powers such as Blóthar’s terrifying Berserker Mode, and encounter new allies, such as the murderous maven known as The Cutter. Along the way, they battle the living monuments of a lost cause and armies of undead soldiers who Rise Again to fight a New Civil War.
Pre-order The New Dark Ages here. The album will be released on CD/digital on June 3, and vinyl and cassette on September 16 via the band’s own Pit Records.
The New Dark Ages tracklisting:
"New Dark Age
"Blood Libel
"Berserker Mode
"Mother Fucking Liar
"Unto The Breach
"Completely Fucked
"The Cutter
"Rise Again
"The Beast Will Eat Itself
"The Venom Of The Platypus
"Ratcatcher
"Bored To Death
Death Whistle Suite:
"Temple Ascent"
"Starving Gods"
"Deus Ex Monstrum"
"Mother Fucking Liar" visualizer:
The album concept is tied to a companion graphic novel, “GWAR In the Duoverse of Absurdity,” which will also be released by Z2 Comics on June 3rd. In the graphic novel the band are sucked off into an alternate universe to do battle with their evil twins and the specter of rogue technology.
Upcoming Gwar tour dates are listed below.
May
19 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere’s*
20 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant* (PointFest PreParty)
21 - Wichita, KS - TempleLive*
23 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep
24 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater
26 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
27 - Chico, CA - Senator Theatre
28 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
29 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
31 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center
June
2 - Destin, FL - Club LA
3 - Chattanooga, TN - The Signal
4 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
5 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
7 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
8 - Green Bay, WI - EPIC Event Center
10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
11 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
12 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
14 - Hampton Beach, NH - Wally’s
15 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
16 - Providence, RI - The Strand
17 - Reading, PA - Reverb
July
29 - Tilburg, NL - 013
31 - Berlin, DE - SO 26
August
2 - Munich, DE - Free and Easy Festival*
3 - Essen, DE - Turock
4 - Wacken, DE - Wacken*
5 - Makowice, PL - Pol’and’Rok Festival*
8 - Dover, UK - The Booking Hall
9 - Brighton, UK - Chalk
10 - Bristol, UK - Fleece
12 - Catton Park, UK - Bloodstock*
13 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront
14 - Leeds, UK - Key Club
16 - Glasgow, UK - Garage
17 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy
18 - London, UK - The Dome
Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of the Simon & Garfunkel classic, "The Sound Of Silence". Check it out below.
Johansson: "This cover of the Disturbed version of 'The Sound of Silence' by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel is dedicated to my friend Christian Sundberg, who is no longer with us. A great friend, father, brother and son who left us too early."
Johansson previously shared his cover of Gary Moore's 1986 classic "Out In The Fields". Check it out below.
Mongolian rock band, The HU, is currently on the road in the US with their Black Thunder Tour with a series of headlining dates. It kicked off in San Diego, CA on April 16 and ends in Mexico City, MX on May 31.
Fan-filmed video from their April 19th show in Tucson, AZ can be viewed below.
The tour will continue to tease new music from The HU’s highly anticipated sophomore album, due later this year from Better Noise Music. The album was recorded in their homeland of Mongolia over the last several months, during which, the group gave an update from the studio to fans via their YouTube channel here. Fans can also expect special previews of the project with live performances of new songs that the group originally premiered on their North American 2021 tour. See a new Q&A with The HU discussing the album and touring below.
This past fall, The HU headlined a tour through North America after joining Halestorm’s headlining tour, where they reunited with frontwoman Lzzy Hale, their special guest on “Song of Women” from their #1-charting debut album THE GEREG. In addition to those tours, The HU also performed a slew of high-profile festival dates including Austin City Limits, Outside Lands, Rocklahoma, Inkcarceration and more, with the Austin-American Statesman giving a rave review for their ACL set, writing, “File this one under noise you didn’t think you needed. The eight-piece Mongolian band The HU plays its guitars with bows and man buns, with backing “whoa” chants and punishing drums…It’s music built on tradition with an eye on the past.”
Those dates coincided with The HU’s appearance on Metallica’s Special 30th Anniversary Black Album Reissue Covers Project, for which they covered the legendary band’s “Through The Never”. They appeared on the tracklisting alongside some of the biggest names in music - Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Yo-Yo Ma, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, J Balvin with the Neptunes, Weezer, and many more - who offered their own renditions of Metallica’s songs that originally appeared on the iconic LP.
The band is excited to share more news on new music and further touring in the coming weeks on their social media channels and encourage everyone to give them a follow so they don’t miss out on anything.
Tour dates:
April
21 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
22 - Indio, CA - Coachella
23 - Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre
25 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
26 - Bend, OR - Midtown Ballroom
28 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
29 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma
30 - Bozeman, MT - The ELM
May
2 - Fargo, ND - Sanctuary Events Center
3 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
4 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman
6 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
7 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theatre
8 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
9 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
11 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
13 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
14 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
16 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
17 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
19 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
20 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
21 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
22 - Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome to Rockville
25 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City
26 - Little Rock, AR - Little Rock Music Hall
27 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre
28 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Buzzfest)
29 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion (BFD 22)
31 - Mexico City, MEX - Lunario
See a full list of the band’s upcoming live shows and find ticket information here.
Q&A With The HU:
Q: Can you tell us which songs from the upcoming album will be performed on the “Black Thunder” tour, why you’re excited to play them and how they represent a new chapter for The HU?
The HU: "For the “Black Thunder” tour, we’re excited to be performing songs from our new album including “Mother Nature,” “Tatar Warrior” and “ShihiHutu.” We have been working hard on our second album and hope to have it ready soon. It will be focused on showing the unique qualities of The HUnnu Rock genre and consists of many new songs that reinforce the different aspects of it. So far we’ve been getting positive response from our fans and we can’t wait to perform all of our new songs for them."
Q: What inspired you to call the tour “Black Thunder”?
The HU: "We originated in Mongolia and through our music we try to make our fans feel the freedom and energy of the spirit of our vast land and high mountains. Likewise, the “Black Thunder” name is inspired by the unique scenery that can only be seen in Mongolia in which the thunder rumbles right before the rain in the high mountains, the number of clouds in the sky and the force of the lightning are heard, and seen many, many miles away We tried to communicate the energy and feeling you would get experiencing that and hence we named the tour “Black Thunder”."
Q: A Coachella performance is a prestigious booking since the festival has always stood for musical integrity. Can you discuss what it feels like to be performing at Coachella for the first time in your career? Are there any other artists you’re excited to see performing on the day you play?
The HU: "It is such an honor to be part of Coachella. We’re more than thrilled to be included and it has always been our dream to be performing on that stage representing Mongolia for the first time. We feel that it’s a great opportunity to meet with many of our loyal fans and artists that we love. There are so many talented great artists playing on the day we perform and for the rest of the festival, and if we get a chance, we would love to see all of them."
Q: You’ve performed in many cities in North America. Can you tell us what it’s like to play for audiences here and how they might be different from ones in Europe?
The HU: "We’ve toured many cities and several continents and met with so many awesome people. Every place has its own characteristics that can be felt through their greetings, hand gestures and chants before, during and after the concerts. In that regard, we would say the biggest differences that we can recall would be the amount of people who would sing along and who’ve memorized the lyrics. Each continent has different accents on singing in Mongolian and we love all of our audiences and their uniqueness."
Q: What is your favorite part about touring North America? Do you guys ever have the time to explore cities on days off (restaurants, museums, etc.) and if so, what has that been like?
The HU: "Our favorite thing about touring in North America is visiting different places and meeting people. Not only do the restaurants and establishments differ, but each one of them has a unique style. On our days off, we’ve had a chance to taste the most amazing barbecue in Texas, Asian fusion mixed with Mexican spices and sushiritto, etc and explore around everywhere we go. Like their cuisine, Americans are always willing to go the extra mile to make people feel welcome and accepted - we’ve had many people guide us through their cities and towns."
American heavy metal band Lords Of The Trident have announced the next single from their newly released studio album, The Offering. Fans can check out the new music video for "Champion" below.
Talking about the "Champion" video, vocalist Fang VonWrathenstein comments: "I grew my hair out during the pandemic, and I'm still not quite used to it, so you'll see me accidentally headbanging into an open flame during the first few seconds of the song. I barely noticed! Afterwards, I asked the guys - "Hey, do you smell something burning in here?"
The new album from Lords Of The Trident, The Offering, was released independently on April 1, 2022.
With The Offering finally released worldwide, Lords Of The Trident have spared no time to engage with their fans through a new campaign that puts their loyal supporters first. Last week, at the overwhelming behest of the fans, the band launched a 30-day Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising the funds to press The Offering on vinyl.
To announce the Kickstarter campaign, the band partnered with self-proclaimed Crypto pioneer 'John Parkingspot IV' to release the video seen below:
The Kickstarter for the vinyl fundraiser (which has already reached its initial goal!) can be found here.
"The first week after we released The Offering was INSANE - we had over 54,000 Spotify streams of the album alone, and the question we kept getting over and over was, 'Can I get this on vinyl??' I'm happy to announce today that we're opening up a Kickstarter pre-order for vinyl copies of the album. We're also offering SUPER soft hoodies, enamel pins, pogs (yes, really!) and more. Check out our announcement video for more info and the link to the campaign!"
Lords Of The Trident have also announced the first wave of their 2022 tour dates. The band's return to live shows this year began with an epic album release show on April 2, where they were joined by none other than Grant Truesdell of Unleash The Archers. See below for the band's upcoming live shows, and expect to hear more announcements very soon.
Dates:
May
28 – Cincinnati, OH – Urban Artifact Brewing
29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
Alcatrazz guitarist Joe Stump's instrumental solo record, Diabolical Ferocity, is out now through Lion Music. Check out a guitar playthrough video of album track, “Sneak Attack”, below.
John Steel (the band named after the literal English translation of guitarist Ivan Stalev) are a Bulgarian traditional heavy metal band that are well known in their home country.
Having released two previous albums featuring Blaze Bayley and Doogie White respectively, they are now forging ahead with their third record Distorted Reality featuring none other than Iron Allies frontman David Reece (also ex-Accept, Bangalore Choir, Bonfire).
This will mark the first worldwide release for the band.
Ivan Stalev offers the following comment:
"We are very excited to make this partnership with Global Rock, it is our first label signing and with David Reece on vocals we have delivered a great powerful classic sounding heavy metal album."
Vocalist David Reece adds:
"I am very pleased to be part of the latest John Steel album, The guys have an undying hunger for metal and it shows on this album how truly talented each one of them is, I am also very pleased that Global Rock will be handling this latest release, giving the album a worldwide release so everyone can hear what I am talking (and singing) about!"
The physical edition of the new album will also include, as a significant bonus, the two previous John Steel albums, making this a great overall package featuring three legendary vocalists.
Tracklisting:
“Black Demon”
“Distorted Reality”
“Woman Of Ice”
“Dante’s Retribution”
“Evil The Spell”
“Messiah’s Day”
“Rise From The Dead”
“Fallen Angel”
Fan-filmed video of ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell's entire April 22 solo performance at Aztec Theatre in San Antonio, Texas can be seen below.
His setlist was as follows:
01. Atone
02. Them Bones
03. Psychotic Break
04. Sea Of Sorrow
05. Brighten
06. Cut You In
07. My Song
08. Siren Song
09. No Excuses
10. Black Hearts And Evil Done
11. Had To Know
12. Angel Eyes
13. Between
14. Check My Brain
15. It Ain't Like That
16. Down In A Hole
17. Got Me Wrong
Encore:
18. Would?
19. Man In The Box
20. Rooster
Cantrell kicked off his "Brighten" solo tour on March 24 at the Palace Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Jerry's band for the tour consists of Tyler Bates (guitar), Greg Puciato (backing vocals), Gil Sharone (drums), George Adrian (bass), Michael Rozon (pedal steel) and Jason Achilles (keyboards). The set includes songs from Cantrell's latest solo album, "Brighten", along with favorite hits from Jerry's catalog.
To make this tour even more attractive for fans, Jerry recently announced special VIP event packages at each show that offer fans tiered selections of exclusive experiences. These experiences include a meet-and-greet and photo opp with Jerry, personal autographed items of your choice, premium merch items, and at the top tier, a signed official "Atone" Gibson JC Signature Acoustic guitar. The guitar includes a letter of authenticity. Packages start at $100 all the way to $5,500, which includes the Gibson guitar.
"Brighten" came out last October. The LP has received praise from critics, including Kerrang!, which called it a "vivid, contemporary self-portrait of one of the most distinctive voices in hard rock. A long-overdue show of individual brilliance." Classic Rock proclaimed it "his best yet. The work of a songwriter who is happy within his life, it spans a broad arc of styles." The Sun commented: "A rich, organic album... 'Brighten' is brilliant."
"Brighten" is Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years. Co-produced with film composer Tyler Bates and Paul Fig (longtime engineer), the LP got its beginnings just before the pandemic hit. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on select bass tracks, Puciato contributing to backing vocals and drummers Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney). Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) handled the mixing of "Brighten".
Jerry's new effort marks his first full-length release since "Degradation Trip", the epic solo album he made in 2002 with future METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.
Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two previous solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".
ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they take on The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", complete with some classic bloopers that were too good to leave out! Watch below:
A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:
ENVY OF NONE, the new band from Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, has released the official music video for the song "Never Said I Love You". The track is taken from ENVY OF NONE's self-titled debut album, which arrived on April 8 via Kscope.
According to Curran, the "Never Said I Love You" video, a Blacktide Phonic/Visual Production, "really captured the spirit of the song. It's very cinematic and I love all the moody cityscapes. The main character is very free spirited, and the video loosely follows the narrative in a subtle way. I love the picking of the flower petals: 'He loves me, he loves me not? Isn't that what life's all about …wanting to be loved or accepted?"
On the song, Andy continues: "'Never Said I Love You' is a very special one for me and Alf. It had been kicking around for a while in a demo form and the bed track always felt like it had so much potential. When we wrote the backing tracks, we were certainly feeling it had some punk/pop overtones. I think we were channeling late '80s Britpop vibrations, and I came up with the lyric line 'I Never Said I Love You', again inspired by bands like THE CURE, DEPECHE MODE, THE SMITHS and ULTRAVOX who all wrote about broken hearts on the dance floors around the world. So I thought it was time to re-introduce that theme but with something that was more upbeat.
"When Maiah and I spoke about this, she liked that lyrical hook and ran with it. The icing was Alex coming in and in the 11th hour adding the awesome middle section that sounds like pedal steel and the acoustic guitars in the chorus just elevate it to the next level.
"My initial thought lyrically was more of a 'back off, I never said I love you.' Kinda like, 'hey we're just friends,' but I love how Maiah turned that into something much different."
Wynne adds: "This song had great energy from the beginning.
"Everyone connects and interprets music from their own unique perspective.
"When I heard the line 'I Never Said I Love You', I thought of it more from the point of view of someone who never had the chance to tell the person they love how they felt before it was too late. Maybe a bad fight in a relationship that never had a resolution, or a casual fling that never became a serious relationship despite deeper feelings being there, or friends with romantic feelings that never became lovers.
"When I wrote and arranged the rest of the lyrics and vocal melodies for the song I wrote it with that sense of connection, tension, loss, and longing in mind."
Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of RUSH, he's been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there — taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years, Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is ENVY OF NONE.
"Envy Of None"'s 11 tracks — which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock — throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.
However, it was only when Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is — by the admission of her own bandmates — what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making.
"I sent over an early version of the song 'Shadow'," explains Curran. "When I played what she'd done back to the others they were like, 'Who is this crazy talented person?!'"
The album's first single, "Liar", was released in January. Its industrial beats, driving fuzz bass and atmospheric guitars concoct a seductive swirl indeed — thrilling in ways closer to the darker art rock of DEPECHE MODE, NINE INCH NAILS and A PERFECT CIRCLE than anything these musicians have been known for prior.
"Maiah became my muse," says Lifeson. "She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like 'Liar' and 'Look Inside'. After hearing her vocals on 'Never Said I Love You', I felt so excited. I've never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she's special, it's because she's really fucking special."
"One of my favorite things about these songs is the intimacy of them," reveals Wynne. "It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like 'Enemy', and then tracks like 'Kabul Blues', that sound completely different to anything else."
The album closer, "Western Sunset", which was penned by Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It's a highly emotive piece of music to honor a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.
"I visited Neil when he was ill," says Lifeson. "I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There's a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book."
Fan-filmed video of DARK ANGEL's entire April 22 performance at the Hell's Heroes festival at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas can be seen below.
DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin was unable to make the Hell's Heroes show and was replaced at the gig by Laura Christine, wife of DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan.
DARK ANGEL is continuing to work on material for its long-awaited comeback album. The band's first CD since 1991's "Time Does Not Heal" will feature the lineup that has performed sporadic live shows since reuniting in 2013: Hoglan, Durkin, Eric Meyer (guitar), Ron Rinehart (vocals) and Michael Gonzalez (bass).
This past February, Hoglan said during a Twitch livestream from his home that he and his DARK ANGEL bandmates were "in the process" of making a new album. "That's actually one of the reasons I can't be doing TESTAMENT stuff this year. Because, [with] DARK ANGEL, we are writing a record, we are moving forward," he said. "Just a week and a half ago, two weeks ago, I just had Mr. Eric Meyer from DARK ANGEL in this room. We were jamming it out, we wrote a new DARK ANGEL song.
"I've been moving forward with writing. We have gigs coming up, so this year, it won't be heavily, heavily, heavily DARK ANGEL, but now that my schedule's open, I can commit a little harder to some DARK ANGEL gigs," he explained. "We do intend to be in the studio before the end of this year. So I have a lot of work ahead of me, and so does Jim Durkin. He's been sending over songs, riffs, stuff like that, [which has been] super exciting. We're all of the same mindset of making this just the most absolutely kick-ass DARK ANGEL record that we can."
DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — 1989's "Leave Scars" and the aforementioned "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.
ÑØÀ
Fame on Fire![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
Íîðâåãèÿ
Øâåöèÿ
Âåíãðèÿ
Ìîíãîëèÿ
Áîëãàðèÿ
Âåëèêîáðèòàíèÿ
Êàíàäà
