Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD have released the video for the title track of their upcoming studio album, "Synchro Anarchy". The clip was created by Syl Disjonk of 5600 K Productions and can be seen below.
VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin comments: "After coming back from the European tour with GWAR at the end of 2019, we took a break and got back together in early 2020 to record some new ideas and improvisations. After finishing one of these sessions, while untying my running shoes, I had a flash of a rhythm where I would skip one beat every bar. I told the band I had an idea and walked towards the drums but I stepped on one of my shoelaces, missed a step and almost fell on the drum kit.
"Everybody laughed, then I played the beat, which Chewy [guitarist Daniel Mongrain] recorded and named 'Away's Shoelace Incident'. This gave Snake [singer Denis Bélanger] the idea to write about these strange timings where somebody would stop to tie up his shoe only to be closely missed by a flying wheel of a car. At one point Snake had shorten the title to 'Shoelace' but I noticed in his lyrics the words 'Synchro Anarchy' and told him it would be a great name for the song.
"When we were done recording the songs, we all thought it would also be a good title for the album. It is really representative of the planet we live on and the way we had to build the LP out of snippets of ideas like a huge puzzle.
"For this single, we asked our good friend Syl Disjonk, who did the videos for 'The End Of Dormancy' and 'Kluskap 'O Kom', to film the band and work his magic. So here it is, the title track of the new album. Enjoy!"
"Synchro Anarchy" will be released on February 11 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by Langevin.
"Synchro Anarchy" track listing:
01. Paranormalium
02. Synchro Anarchy
03. Planet Eaters
04. Mind Clock
05. Sleeves Off
06. Holographic Thinking
07. The World Today
08. Quest For Nothing
09. Memory Failure
Langevin previously stated about "Synchro Anarchy": "We are eager to present our latest work, a real collaborative effort. The new album represents countless hours of writing, demoing, recording, mixing and so on. The band and Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio gave their very best to make it happen under unusual circumstances, which led us to call it 'Synchro Anarchy'. We feel that the sound and music are 100% VOIVOD, and we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we had fun making it. We certainly can't wait to play it live."
When the official music video for "Planet Eaters" was first released, Langevin said: "On April 21st, 2021, an animated video for the song 'Nothingface' popped up online. The video was done by Pierre Menetrier on an Amiga computer in 1991, which I thought was beyond cool. The spectacular imagery and visual effects were just perfect for a VOIVOD song. After wrapping up the recording and mixing of the 'Synchro Anarchy' album, we all agreed on 'Planet Eaters' as the first single/video. We thought the song had a vintage 'Nothingface'/'Hatröss' vibe, so I immediately contacted Pierre and asked him if he could make a video for the song. Once again, the result is just mind-blowing. You just can't get more Voivodian than that!"
VOIVOD released a new live album, "Lost Machine - Live", in November 2020 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for "The Wake".
In the summer of 2020, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled "The End Of Dormancy" via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special "Metal Section" version of the title track (off VOIVOD's latest album, "The Wake") with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of "The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)" and the group's classic "The Unknown Knows", recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.
Progressive music titans DREAM THEATER have released the official music video for the song "Transcending Time" from their latest album, "A View From The Top Of The World". "Transcending Time" is the fourth video released from the band's 15th studio LP and is another CGI creation by long-time collaborator Wayne Joyner. The song has been a fan favorite since the album was released and is the shortest track on the set, clocking in at 6:24.
Last November, DREAM THEATER was announced as one of the "Best Metal Performance" nominees at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on April 3, 2022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The progressive metal legends were nominated for their song "The Alien", the first single from "A View From The Top Of The World", which came out in October.
DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci discussed his band's latest Grammy nomination during an appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast. He said: "The first [Grammy] nomination we had, FOO FIGHTERS were on there. And they won it. I remember Dave Grohl had said something like, 'Oh, they should have got this,' which I thought was nice. But this time, I don't know if I'm gonna remember all of [the other artists that were nominated], but I think it's GOJIRA and MASTODON [that we are up against], and it's a cool list. I remember there were a couple of years where I was surprised at the nominees — it seemed a little bit strange — but this seems appropriate. So we'll see. It's fun. It's an honor to get nominated. It's cool. Doing what we do and the way that we do it and getting recognized in that world is something that I never would have expected. And now for us, this is the third [nomination], so it's cool. It's a good feeling."
When "The Alien" was first released in August, Petrucci stated about the track: "It's the first one we wrote together. It gives people a window into what it was like when we initially met up after all of those months off. It has the adventure, the untraditional structure, the heaviness, and the hooks. It really set the tone for the album. James [LaBrie, vocals] wrote the lyrics about the idea of terraforming and looking beyond our Earth for alternative settlements. Since we're going beyond our planet, 'The Alien' turns out to be us. I thought it was a cool and creative lyric by James."
DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".
Two months ago, DREAM THEATER announced the rescheduled dates for its recently postponed North American leg of the "Top Of The World" tour. The shows will now kick off in Mesa, Arizona on February 2 and run seven weeks before ending in Austin, Texas on March 21. The tour will also make stops in Los Angeles, California; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; New York City and Dallas, Texas, among others, and will mark the first live performances of music from "A View From The Top Of The World". ARCH ECHO will be the opener on all dates in the United States and FALSET will be the opener on all of the dates in Canada.
"A View From The Top Of The World" marked DREAM THEATER's second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.
UK grindcore pioneers, Napalm Death, performed at the 2021 edition of Bloodstock Open Air, held last August at Catton Hall and Gardens, Walton-on-Trent, England. Watch pro-shot video of the band's entire set below.
Setlist:
"Silence Is Deafening"
"Fuck the Factoid" (live debut)
"Backlash Just Because" (live debut)
"Logic Ravaged By Brute Force"
"Taste the Poison"
"Hung"
"Contagion" (live debut)
"Lucid Fairytale"
"Everyday Pox"
"Scum"
"I Abstain"
"Continuing War on Stupidity"
"Suffer the Children"
"Breed to Breathe"
"Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism" (live debut)
"When All Is Said and Done"
"On the Brink of Extinction"
"Unchallenged Hate"
"You Suffer"
"Smash a Single Digit"
"Dead"
"Nazi Punks Fuck Off" (Dead Kennedys cover)
Continuing the fearless exploration of their legendary sound’s outer limits, Napalm Death recently announced the release of a new mini-album, entitled Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes, out February 11 via Century Media Records.
Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes is a partner recording to Napalm Death’s latest, much acclaimed Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism album from 2020, concluding matters through vital, tumultuous grindcore and shockwave ambience.
While currently on the road across North America, Napalm Death frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway checked in with the following comment about the upcoming release: “You can certainly consider “Resentment Is Always...” as an extension of - or partner recording to - the “Throes…” album. We had long since wanted to put a mini-album out – in the spirit of the old days – and found we had enough quality tracks even after all the “Throes...” bonus tracks to do that. Hopefully this mini holds some nice twists in its own right for people, and certainly covering “People Pie” by Slab! made us really stretch ourselves, which feels great artistically. In the end, resentment is certainly seismic – it can trigger the complete erosion of humanity in many situations. That was the point that I really wanted to hammer home overall.”
“Narcissus”, the furious opening track of the release, is being launched today as small foretaste of the mini-album. Check it out at full volume below.
““Narcissus” just seemed to fit the bill as one of those rampaging tracks that we always seem to gravitate towards as an album opener. The low-slung concrete mixer bassline at the start really ushers it in nicely. It was written at a time when the ‘alt-right’ was parading itself around, so lyrically I like to think it exposes the vanity and personality cult of that whole thing,” added Greenway.
The 8-track mini-album comes with a total playing time of 29 minutes and will be available as Ltd. CD Digipak, Vinyl as well as in the Digital Album format.
The vinyl edition will come as 12” (at 33 ⅓ RPM) on 180g vinyl, available in the following variants/limitations:
- Black LP - unlimited
- Transp. Red LP - 1500x copies via CM Distro & Webshop Europe & all US outlets
- Clear LP - 300x copies Nuclear Blast
- Silver LP - 300x copies via EMP
- Transp. Green LP - 500x copies via Napalm Death
Indian heavy metallers Bloodywood have revealed another explosive track, "Aaj" from their upcoming debut full-length, Rakshak, out February 18th. Check it out below.
Bloodywood is a folk metal band from India known for pioneering a sound that seamlessly fuses Indian Folk instruments with Metal to devastating effect. Expect to hear the percussive power of the mighty Dhol, the melancholic Flute, the single stringed Tumbi and several other uncommon yet distinctively characteristic sounds from India. A combination of thunderous Hindi/Punjabi Choruses and meaningful yet unforgiving Rap verses along with the ethnic instrumentation, makes Bloodywood a truly unique experience.
“The decision to be bilingual, vocally speaking, was a natural one that we didn’t really think about,” the band told The Pit back in November. “It just felt like the way to go, and it definitely adds a different dimension to our sound. We’re happy to share that people feel the emotion and understand the sentiment even if they don’t speak the language (though we did get requests for translations and subtitles, which you’ll find in all our songs now). The moment we knew that beyond a doubt was when we played a sold out show in Paris and had an amazing audience of French people sing the chorus back at us in perfect Hindi. They were so loud and clear that we couldn’t hear Jayant!
And on the album: Rakshak means 'protector' or 'guardian' in Hindi. We've always been as passionate about the message of our music as much as the music itself, and our goal has and always will be to make a positive impact in people's lives and on the planet.
You'll hear songs that talk about combating mental illness, overcoming divisive politics, battling the poverty crisis, crushing corruption, eliminating sexual assault, hope, belief and undying determination. Musically we've taken more than a few risks and pushed the limits of our sound both vocally and instrumentally. Besides having a few songs with our signature sound, we have also experimented heavily by writing our fastest, heaviest and angriest music yet while also incorporating elements and instruments from genres that lie on the other end of the musical spectrum.
We were lucky enough to be in a position to do something positive with our time at home during the pandemic, now we're ready to explode outwards. Rakshak being our debut album, we've strived to deliver one with no fillers."
Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen's project SMITH/KOTZEN kicked off its U.S. West Coast tour last night (Thursday, January 20) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Joining Smith and Kotzen as part of their touring band is Richie's wife, internationally acclaimed bass player Julia Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock band BARRA DE SAIA. With a strong pedigree in rock, Lage has played alongside the likes of Pat Travers, Elliot Easton (THE CARS), Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME) and Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY). In addition, SMITH/KOTZEN has enlisted drummer Bruno Valverde of ANGRA for the U.S. West Coast dates.
Fan-filmed video footage of the Whisky concert, including SMITH/KOTZEN's rendition of the IRON MAIDEN classic "Wasted Years", with Smith on lead vocals, can be seen below.
In a recent interview with Metal Edge magazine's "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley", Richie stated about how the short tour came together (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What happened was it was all just by timing. Nathalie [Dufresne-Smith, Adrian's wife] and Adrian came into town, and Adrian said, 'Hey, we're gonna be there for a couple of months. You wanna write some more songs?' And we did get together and we did about seven things that are in the works; we have some demo stuff that are in the works. And then we started thinking, 'Man, we're here. Why don't we play?' Julia was in the house and we were talking about it. And it just kind of — boom. It just made sense. 'Let's go. Call Bruno.' And we put it together. It was real easy."
Adrian added that fans can definitely expect to hear more music from SMITH/KOTZEN, which released a full-length album and an EP during 2021.
"We started writing with a view to doing another album, and then we got sidetracked on dates," Smith said. "Like Richie said, we've got six or seven things. It's just taking where we left off with the EP — just writing as we do.
"I don't wanna change the world," he added. "I just wanna make good rock music. It's n there, and you've just gotta do it. You just have to do it, really. It's one of those things."
SMITH/KOTZEN remaining West Coast tour dates:
Jan. 22 - Count's Vamp'd - Las Vegas, NV
Jan. 23 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
Jan. 26 - Goldfield Trading Post - Roseville, CA
Jan. 27 - The Siren - Morro Bay, CA
Jan. 28 - Ventura Theatre - Ventura, CA (postponed from Jan. 15)
SMITH/KOTZEN's eponymous debut album was released globally through BMG in March 2021 to media and fan acclaim, charting No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the U.S., Top 20 in the U.K. as well as in other major markets such as Germany, Japan and Canada. A follow-up EP, "Better Days", featuring four new tracks was released on November 26 in conjunction with international Record Store Day's Black Friday event.
Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.
Richie Kotzen and Adrian smith in the house tonight. Great show. ????????
Exploring the rich and deep lore of Magic: The Gathering, Planeswalker, the new power metal band founded by Helion Prime guitarist Jason Ashcraft and newly added Gloryhammer vocalist Sozos Michael, celebrate the release of their debut album Tales Of Magic, out now as of January 21 with the unveiling of their most ambitious music video to date for the track "Oath Of The Gatewatch".
The video features album guests Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers), R.A. Voltaire (Ravenous E.H.) and Heather Michele (ex-Helion Prime). The track itself is inspired from the lore of Magic: The Gathering where it follows the storyline of the same name - Oath of the Gatewatch. Each guest vocalist plays a character from the story and each had this to say.
"There it is! I am incredibly proud of everyone that put their heart and soul to make this song. ‘Oath Of The Gatewatch’ is one of the most intricate and complex pieces I have written, and it could well have collapsed under its own weight were it not for the stellar performances of our amazing guest singers. So thank you, Brittney, Heather, Rav, we couldn't have done this without you." - Sozos Michael.
“It’s amazing what can be accomplished when five Magic: the Gathering nerds join forces across the globe - creating one of the best Power Metal epics (with costumes, to boot!)” - R.A. Voltaire.
"Oath of the Gatewatch is one of the most fun endeavors I've had the opportunity to work on. The concept, the costumes, the amazing music from Planeswalker, and the incredible talent from all musicians involved makes this a truly special project. I hope you all love it as much as I do!" - Heather Michele.
"It’s such an honour to be a part of this project! Not only is it created by one of my oldest friends from the North American metal scene, but it includes some of my favourite voices in metal today and I couldn’t be more proud. This is the coolest, nerdiest side project of all time and I just count myself lucky to be a part of it. Hopefully, you all enjoy the video that I climbed a tree to perform, and braved many a wild pup charging into the forest off the walking path to see just exactly what it was I was up to dancing around in the bushes lol I had the greatest time with this song and I really hope you all will as well!" - Brittney Slayes
Tales Of Magic includes guest performances from Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers), Heather Michele (ex-Helion Prime), Taylor Washington (Paladin), R.A. Voltaire (Ravenous), and more.
Tracklisting:
"Tales Of Magic"
"The Spark"
"Shadow Of Emeria"
"Blackblade"
"The Forever Serpent"
"Oath Of The Gatewatch"
"A Million To One" (KISS cover)
One year after the release of their fifth studio album Kvitravn, Legendary Norwegian world folk music outfit, Wardruna, are set to release Kvitravn – First Flight Of The White Raven, a fully immersive audio experience, on April 22 via By Norse Music/Sony Music/Columbia Germany on multiple formats.
An immersive audio arrangement that underscores the experiential paradigm shift and masterful musicianship of their superlative and boundary-pushing virtual live experience First Flight of the White Raven of March 26, 2021. This new release captures their special set list consisting of songs from Kvitravn and a selection of favourites from the discography, and will be released on a 2LP, as well as 2CD that also features the original studio album track listing. To mark the event’s exceptional impact, it will also be available as a limited Boxset Edition including 2LP (black), 2CD, DVD with livestream performance and bonus documentary material and three videos (only available in the boxed set), flag of the CD album cover, certificate of authenticity for the box and an exclusive autographed card signed by Einar Selvik. Preorder at WardrunaShop.com.
"Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven is an audio-visual ‘live-in-studio’ recording that was broadcasted online, as the release show of the Kvitravn album. It was recorded in a time when it was not allowed to perform in front of an audience, which made it very important for me that the recording itself truly captured the energy of a live performance. What you hear is what we performed in that moment in that room. No re-recordings or autotune was done in the afterwork. Just like for a regular concert, the set list was carefully put together with a selection of songs from all our albums, including a handful of songs from the new album, which we performed for the very first time. On the day of recording, we all stood together in the same room for the first time in over a year. Everyone came focused and well prepared and the energy felt like no time had passed. I hope you will agree!” - Einar Selvik
To celebrate the announcement, Wardruna are also sharing the track and virtual live performance video for "Solringen" about which Einar Selvik says;"Solringen is a song originally released on the album Runaljod - Yggdrasil (2013). Even though it quickly became a popular track amongst our listeners, it wasn’t until late 2019 we first got around to performing it live. When taking the song from the studio to the stage, I really felt it needed a slightly different approach, more specifically adapted for the concert format"
Selvik continues; "In earlier tradition the women of the household on a farm had the task of going out into the fields around midsummer and wake up the elves dwelling there with rhymes and songs to encourage them to ensure growth and good crops. These songs and traditions have now mostly passed into oblivion. The initial idea behind "Solringen" is that new songs might wake them once again.”
Tracklisting:
Audio (with translations):
"Synkverv" (Turn-sight)
"Kvitravn" (White Raven)
"Skugge" (Shadow)
"Grá" (Grey)
"Fylgjutal" (Speech of the Fetch)
"Munin" (Memory)
"Kvit hjort" (White Stag)
"Viseveiding" (Song-hunting)
"Ni" (Nine)
"Vindavlarljod" (Song of the wind-bred)
"Andvevarljod" (Song of the Spirit-weavers)
Audio from virtual live performance:
“Kvitravn”
“Skugge”
“Solringen”
“Bjarkan”
“Raido”
“Voluspá”
“Isa”
“UruR”
“Grá”
“Vindavlarljod”
“Rotlaust Tre Fell”
“Fehu”
“Helvegen”
Fan-filmed video of JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE's January 17 performance at RokIsland Fest in Key West, Florida can be seen below.
Russell exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis. Jack largely blamed these injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.
Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.
Russell's pyrotechnics ignited the deadly blaze on February 20, 2003 at The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, killing a hundred people and injuring hundreds more.
Russell's bandmate Ty Longley (guitar) was one of the people who perished in The Station blaze, which became the eighth deadliest nightclub and assembly fire in the nation's history.
Last month, Russell told Tulsa Music Stream that a documentary about the fire will have a premiere at the legendary club Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood in February.
During the same chat, Russell spoke about the status of his long-awaited autobiography, "Dancing On The Edge". He said: "We're almost done with it. I found a writer. Her name is Kate Catalina. She's Chip Z'Nuff's wife. She's a fantastic writer. We get along like peas and carrots. So it's gonna be a really great book. What I've read is really great. We've got a lot of people that have done interviews for it. Even [A&R guru] John Kalodner came out of the closet [to be interviewed for it]."
The fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick began in an overcrowded club when pyrotechnics from Russell's GREAT WHITE ignited illegal soundproofing foam lining the club's walls.
In 2008, the band agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and families of the victims of the fire.
Kendall founded GREAT WHITE with Russell in 1982. At the time of the fire, the group that was on the road was called JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE. Kendall later said he was asked to join Russell and his solo band on the tour to help boost attendance.
After a 25-year absence from touring in North America, Ugly Kid Joe made their long awaited live return to American soil on September 9, 2021.
As special guests to Judas Priest, Ugly Kid Joe appeared at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach.
Prior to the show, UKJ frontman Whitfield Crane commented, “In 1992 Rob Halford came into the studio when we were recording America’s Least Wanted and sang on ‘Goddamn Devil’ and blew our fucking minds. As lifelong Priest fans we are stoked to share a stage with the Metal Gods!”
Speaking from the stage on September 9, 2021 in Virginia Beach, Whitfield said, “It's been crazy times. This band has not played in nearly two years. I was just living in Central America for ten months, trying to stay out of it all. Just so you know, this moment for us, it's a one time thing. We're not on tour with our f*cking heroes, Judas Priest. We're not on tour with them. But I will tell you this, and this is a factual thing, we're f*cking fans. Full-on Judas Priest fans. I got a call, I was in Latin America... so we came to play with f*cking Priest, and Judas Priest f*cking rules!"
Fan-filmed footage of Ugly Kid Joe's complete 11-song set, opening for Judas Priest last year, can be seen below:
Setlist:
"Intro / Neighbor"
"Panhandlin' Prince"
"C.U.S.T."
"No One Survives"
"Devil's Paradise"
"Cat's In The Cradle"
"I'm Alright"
"Milkman's Son"
"Goddamn Devil"
"Funky Fresh Country Club"
"Everything About You"
Ugly Kid Joe will resume touring in 2022. Their first concert is May 21 in Glasgow, Scotland. A complete live itinerary can be found here.
Today marks the release of Torture World, the seething new EP from Boston’s Great American Ghost, out now on MNRK Heavy.
Produced by Will Putney (A Day To Remember, Knocked Loose, The Amity Affliction), who handled the band’s 2019’s Power Through Terror full-length, with Torture World, Great American Ghost directs old-school hardcore wrath at hypocrisy, apathy, and self-loathing, delivered in a dark cloud of relentlessly bludgeoning riffs.
In celebration of the release, today the band unveils a visualizer for the track “Womb”. The song captures the band at their heaviest yet, tearing through instrumental technicality and breathing new life into the deathcore scene. Comments vocalist Ethan Harrison, “If you don’t bang your head to ‘Womb’, you must actually be dead.”
Torture World is available on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats. Find ordering options at this location.
Great American Ghost is in the midst of their US tour supporting Fit For An Autopsy. The month-long journey, which commenced on January 5th in Columbus, Ohio, runs through February 12th in New York City. Additional support is being provided by Ingested, Signs Of The Swarm, and labelmates, Enterprise Earth. See all remaining dates below.
January
20 — San Diego, CA — Brick By Brick
22 — Mesa, AZ — Nile Theater
24 — Austin, TX — Come And Take It Live
25 — Houston, TX — Warehouse Live
26 — Dallas, TX — Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
27 — Oklahoma City, OK — Oklahoma City Limits
28 — Memphis, TN — Growlers
29 — St. Louis, MO — Red Flag
30 — Nashville, TN — The Basement East
February
1 — Tampa, FL — Crowbar
2 — West Palm Beach, FL — Respectables
3 — Orlando, FL — Soundbar
4 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade
5 — Greensboro, NC — Blind Tiger
7 — Pittsburgh, PA — Crafthouse
8 — Baltimore, MD — Sound Stage
9 — Philadelphia, PA — The Foundry
10 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium
11 — Hartford, CT — Webster Underground
12 — New York, NY — The Gramercy Theatre
MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil played his second concert of 2022 this past Saturday night (January 15) at Lawrenceburg Event Center in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
The Lawrenceburg show marked Neil's third live appearance since he reportedly broke his ribs while performing with his solo band at the Monsters On The Mountain festival at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on October 15. Fan-filmed video of that gig showed the 60-year-old rocker walking to the front of the stage with his guitar strapped around him. He encouraged the crowd to clap along while playing the 1989 MÖTLEY CRÜE hit "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" when he suddenly fell and dropped out of the camera's view almost instantly. TMZ later reported that there was a small gap between the speaker and the stage that Neil didn't notice. His roadie and a security guy helped him get to his feet, and Vince "limped away."
Last May, Neil made headlines when he struggled to complete his solo concert at the Boone Iowa River Valley Festival in Boone. Based on fan-filmed video footage of the gig posted on YouTube, the rocker, who hadn't performed in more than a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began losing his voice several songs into his set, which consisted exclusively of CRÜE classics and cover songs previously recorded by the band.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In December 2019, CRÜE manager Allen Kovac told Fox Business that "some of" the bandmembers had enlisted outside help to get in shape for the trek. Kovac was referring to criticism of Neil for his supposed diminished singing ability and weight gain, as well as the health status of guitarist Mick Mars, who has been dealing with a chronic form of arthritis that led him to undergo a hip replacement.
Kovac explained: "Some of them are working with a trainer, some of them are working with a nutritionist to make themselves the best they can be. The greatest insecurity for an artist is: Is anyone going to care about my music? Is anyone going to buy a ticket? We were in November [2019] when the discussions were happening, and these guys were already into regimens of how they get ready for a tour."
Speaking specifically about Neil, Kovac added: "Let's see what Vince sings like and looks like when the tour goes out."
CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx also said that Vince was "killing it" while working with "trainers" and "nutritionists" in preparation for "The Stadium Tour".
Giant, the powerhouse rock quartet, have unleashed their fifth studio album, Shifting Time. Now, anchored by founding members David Huff and Mike Brignardello, the two are joined by guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Jimi Jamison) and vocalist Kent Hilli (Perfect Plan).
After more than a decade since their last album, the band is back with new music that showcases their perfect blend of the melodic rock sound. Founding member Dann Huff has given his seal of approval and appears on lead guitar on the song "Never Die Young".
Watch a video for "The Price Of Love" below, and order/save Shifting Time on CD/LP/Cassette/Digital here.
It has been over a decade since Giant has released new music and drummer David Huff says, "We are very excited for people to hear "Shifting Time"! It has been way too long in between Giant albums and we hope you find it worth the wait. Thanks to everyone at Frontiers and especially the fans for their undying support of Giant!! We would love to follow up with some live dates in 2022, if that is something the fans would like to see, so hopefully we'll see you out there!"
"We have worked so hard and we are very happy and proud of this record", continues Huff. "I was so impressed with Kent’s vocals when I first heard him! He was a natural fit with our sound and we are thrilled to have him on board," he adds about new vocalist Kent Hilli.
”Wow, man, what can I say? To be asked to be the new singer for my all-time favorite band Giant was, and still is, mind-blowing! I still have a hard time grasping it all. I am tempted to use a certain film quote ("You know, I'm just a regular guy who grew up with the posters of these guys on my wall...and now I'm one of them! That's right, I'm standing here, living proof that if you work hard enough, and you want it bad enough…dreams do come true, so follow your dreams.”), but I won’t, haha. But seriously, that is exactly how I feel. I still remember hearing Giant's first album, ”Last Of The Runaways”, in 1989 which totally blew me off the chair I was sitting on. Since then, I have probably listened to their music every week. And now working with David, Mike, John, and also Alessandro has been a blessing and I am very proud of the album and the music we have created together. These guys are true professionals and I am blessed beyond words to be a part of this and David, Mike, and John have been so supportive and welcoming. I am also very grateful to Frontiers for making this happen and giving me and us this opportunity and I can’t wait to release the songs for everyone to hear,” says Kent Hilli of joining Giant.
Originally formed in the late '80s by brothers Dann and David Huff, together with the experienced jazz and rock keyboardist Alan Pasqua and Nashville session bass player Mike Brignardello, Giant would become, with the release of their debut album "Last of The Runaways" (A&M Records, 1989), one of the most respected bands of the melodic hard rock scene. Following countless live performances in support of their debut, the band released the follow-up "Time to Burn" (Epic, 1991), an album still regarded as a main source of influence for many melodic and hard rock bands who came after. With the sudden change of musical climate in the early '90s, Giant disbanded with their members becoming involved in different projects, with both Dann and David Huff becoming well respected producers.
In 2001, Frontiers prompted Giant to release "III", an album that would prove to be a landmark in the growth of the new era Melodic Rock scene, particularly in Europe. Unfortunately, Dann's busy schedule along with the other members' commitments, made the reunion impossible to carry on as had originally been planned; however, the vision of bringing Giant back as a band with a recording and touring line-up was something that the band was still open to exploring, even if Dann had to step away. Thus, original members, drummer David Huff and bassist Mike Brignardello, with the blessing of Dann started an endless research for the right musicians that could be part of a renewed Giant line-up. In the end, the choice fell on vocalist Terry Brock (Strangeways, Seventh Key) and guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship). The resulting album, “Promise Land” soon became a fan favorite, showcasing top quality songwriting and performances. Giant, however, went into hibernation again, with the exception of a one-off show in 2017, where the original band members reunited on a Nashville club stage for a charity event.
Even prior to that one-off live appearance, Serafino Perugino, President and Head of A&R for Frontiers Records, had been persistently contacting David Huff to do another Giant album. (Literally, years and years spent convincing David that fans wanted another Giant album.) With the one-off live event piquing fan interest again, Serafino and David Huff resumed talks to see if they could manage to find the right formula for a new album from Giant. When the Swedish band Perfect Plan released a cover version of the Giant’s original hit “Stay” in 2019, then all pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Serafino knew Giant was Kent's favorite band of all-time and vocally, Hilli certainly had the chops to fill the very big shoes of Dann Huff, so he presented him to David Huff and Mike Brignardello. They were impressed with Hilli and were keen on the idea of him handling lead vocals for the next Giant release. Kent also brought his songwriting talents to the fold and together with other songwriters such as Alessandro Del Vecchio, Kristian Fyhr, and Pete Alpenborg (and contributions from Jonas Eriksson and Mike Palace), the resulting album will be an absolute joy and delight for melodic rock lovers.
Truly, the production, songwriting, and performances shine throughout Shifting Time.
Shifting Time was produced by David Huff, Mike Brignardello and Alessandro Del Vecchio. Mixing and mastering was done by Del Vecchio for Frontiers Productions. Serafino Perugino serves as executive producer.
Tracklisting:
"Shifting Time"
"Let Our Love Win"
"Never Die Young"
"Don’t Say A Word"
"My Breath Away"
"Highway Of Love"
"It’s Not Over"
"The Price Of Love"
"Standing Tall"
"Anna Lee"
"Don’t Wanna Lose You"
"I Walk Alone"
"The Price Of Love" video:
"Never Die Young" video:
"Let Our Love Win" video:
Lineup:
Kent Hilli - Lead Vocals
John Roth - Guitar
Mike Brignardello - Bass
David Huff - Drums
Special Guest:
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, Background Vocals
Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of the second studio album from Shining Black, Postcards From The End Of The World, on March 18.
Shining Black is a melodic metal band featuring vocalist Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ring Of Fire, Royal Hunt) and guitarist Olaf Thorsen (Labyrinth, Vision Divine). The first single and video from the album, for the title track, is out today.
Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Postcards From The End Of The World here.
Their self-titled debut (2020) showcased cutting edge melodic metal songwriting techniques from Thorsen combined with the outstanding vocal abilities of Boals. Thorsen and Boals now present Postcards From The End Of The World, their sophomore album, which again highlights the outstanding collaboration between the two musicians. This album takes up where the debut left off, comprising ten songs of modern power metal with the combination of Boals’ lung-busting vocals and Thorsen’s blistering guitar skills. Completing the lineup are Oleg Smirnoff on keyboards & piano, Nik Mazzucconi on bass, and Matt Peruzzi on drums.
Tracklisting:
"Postcards From The End Of The World"
"Higher Than The World"
"We Are Death Angels"
"Summer Solstice Under Delphi's Sky"
"Like Leaves In November"
"A Hundred Thousand Shades Of Black"
"Faded Pictures Of Me"
"Mirror Of Time"
"Fear And Loathing"
"Time Heals, They Say"
"Postcards From The End Of The World" video:
Lineup:
Mark Boals – Vocals
Olaf Thorsen – Guitars
Oleg Smirnoff – Keyboards & Piano
Nik Mazzucconi – Bass
Matt Peruzzi – Drums
When the gates of the world slammed shut in 2020, German metal spearheads, Caliban, focused their energies in the studio. The results were nothing short of prolific: at first, Zeitgeister, a collection of classic Caliban songs re-done in their native German, but more importantly, a brand-new album, Dystopia.
The band have also just released their new track, “Ascent Of The Blessed”, which is available on all DSPs now. Additionally, the music video, which was directed by Daniel Prieß, can be viewed below.
Caliban vocalist Andreas Dörner states about “Ascent Of The Blessed”: “This song is inspired by my imagination of a near-death-experience and the question about my life. It’s about the question if one is a good or an evil person.”
The approach to Dystopia was instinctive and organic. The result was simply darker and heavier. A state of the world address and a sign of these locked-down times. The band members worked in relative isolation, not being able to meet up for writing sessions. Ideas were passed around via the internet. Yet, the anxiety and angst they were all feeling came through. Hence the opening line of the album title track and war-cry: “Welcome Dystopia – Come show me who you are!” Amidst the anger and sonic wreckage, there’s still a ghost of hopefulness as the band searches for identity, solidarity and ultimately rising from dystopian ashes. A long running fixture in the European metal scene, Caliban have reemerged with a furious vision for these dark days. Welcome Dystopia.
Dystopia was produced by Benjamin Richter (Moonspell, Emil Bulls) and guitarist Marc Görtz, as well as co-produced by Callan Orr (Dream On, Dreamer). The eye-catching artwork was crafted by the creative team of Season Zero, who designed the artwork for Zeitgeister.
Caliban is:
Andreas Dörner (vocals)
Marco Schaller (bass)
Denis Schmidt (guitar)
Marc Görtz (guitar)
Patrick Grün (drums)
Fan-filmed video of Lita Ford's January 17 performance at RokIsland Fest in Key West, Florida can be seen below.
Lita recently completed recording her long-awaited new solo album. The follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Ford's backing band, which continues to consist of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.
In January 2021, Lita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.
"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."
Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.
Six years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Fan-filmed video of SKID ROW's January 15 performance at RokIsland Fest in Key West, Florida can be seen below.
As previously reported, SKID ROW has replaced QUEENSRŸCHE as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" Las Vegas residency. The run of shows, which was originally slated to take place in July 2020 and was later pushed back to May 2021, will now happen in March-April, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
SKID ROW is continuing work on its long-awaited new album for a tentative early 2022 release. The band is recording its new album 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.
SKID ROW's new LP will mark its first release with South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), who joined the band in 2016 following the departure of Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER).
Unlike 2014's "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" and 2013's "United World Rebellion: Chapter One", SKID ROW's forthcoming release will be a full-length record.
SKID ROW's new LP will be released via earMUSIC, the recorded music label of German entertainment group Edel AG which boasts a roster of global artists including DEEP PURPLE, Alice Cooper, BABYMETAL, THUNDER, STATUS QUO and many more.
SKID ROW previously collaborated with several outside songwriters on its new material, including Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of HALESTORM, a group that covered the title track of "Slave To The Grind" on its "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP" in 2011. SKID ROW also worked with songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow.
Last August, SKID ROW celebrated the 30th anniversary of its classic second album, "Slave To The Grind", by performing it in its entirety at The Amphitheater at Rolling Hills Casino And Resort in Corning, California.
German melodic death metal trio, Deserted Fear, have released the second single, “Reborn Paradise”, from their upcoming release, Doomsday, out March 4 via Century Media Records. Once again Mirko Witzki took over the duties for filming, directing and editing the new music video.
The video shoot was supported by Deutsch-Deutsches Museum Mödlareuth, providing the perfect scenery for a song that deals with a serious issue of the German past. Watch the clip below.
“Today we release ‘Reborn Paradise’, another new song from our album Doomsday, which will be released on March 4th, 2022. For the video shoot we went to a time that seems to be long forgotten, but should never be forgotten,” states Deserted Fear.
Deserted Fear drummer Simon Mengs adds, “We grew up in a small town in rural Thuringia. Even though we didn't consciously experience the peaceful revolution and the fall of the inner-German Wall, our socialization took place here. With the stories of the older generation, we also absorbed the spirit of the GDR and the frustration about an authoritarian state in which one thing was thought and something else had to be said.”
“For the video shoot, we delved into the history of the GDR dictatorship once again. Unbelievable how small the events were always kept in consideration of many hundreds of killed and thousands of imprisoned people. Minefields and spring guns against the own citizens, this has not been discussed enough with our generation. Moreover, a part of our society seems to have already forgotten what freedom of speech and the freedom to travel meant in the GDR...”, Fabian continued.
Mahne further states, “What happens in wars and at borders seems far away to many people in our country and it is alarming how people talk about refugees without empathy. People die at borders, on the run and in the hope of a better life, then as now!”
Deserted Fear’s brand-new masterpiece was recorded, mixed and mastered by the band’s very own Fabian Hildebrandt at Eisensound Studio.
The album’s first pressing Ltd. CD Digipak edition comes with a special drink coaster and the previously released singles “Funeral Of The Earth” and “Artifacts Of The Black Rain” as bonus tracks. The album’s LP editions comes on 180g vinyl, with a Gatefold sleeve and including an A2-sized poster. These are the available variants and limitations for the LP format:
- Ltd. Gatefold black LP & Poster - Unlimited
- Ltd. Gatefold dark green LP & Poster - 300x copies via CM Distro & Webshop Europe
- Ltd. Gatefold transp. light blue LP & Poster - 300x copies via EMP
- Ltd. Gatefold Colored Re-Vinyl LP & Poster – 300x copies via Band
The pre-order for “Doomsday” is underway, so make sure to get your copy of the album and also listen to the digital version of the new song/s here.
Tracklisting:
"Intro"
"Part Of The End"
"Idols Of Triumph"
"Follow The Light That Blinds"
"Fall From Grace"
"At Its End"
"Reborn Paradise"
"The One Desire"
"Call Of Emptiness"
"Voices Of Fire"
"Doomsday"
"Part Of The End" video:
Starting with the release of Doomsday in March, Deserted Fear will play a run of exclusive album release shows throughout Germany.
The clip below features Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen performing at her solo show at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands on September 1st, 2021.
Floor: "Performing the Eurovision Song Contest winning song of 2021, Loreen's ' Euphoria'! I was supposed to perform this song on the Beste Zangers Eurovision Song Contest special of 2021. However, around the time of recording I had to be operated on in Finland, which kept me from joining in. So instead I recorded it at home and it had great success on YouTube when it went live. It was so much fun to finally play it live with The Marcel Fisser Band!"
The setlist was as follows:
Set 1:
"Ever Dream" (Nightwish)
"Storm In A Glass" (Northward)
"Nemo" (Nightwish)
"Mama" (Samantha Steenwijk cover)
"Sweet Curse" (ReVamp song - with Henk Poort)
"Dangerous Game" (from Jekyll & Hyde - with Henk Poort)
"Euphoria" (Loreen)
"Face Your Demons" (After Forever)
"Winner" (Tim Akkerman cover)
Set 2:
"Slow, Love, Slow" (Nightwish)
"Shallow" (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper cover)
"Strong" (After Forever)
"Élan" (Nightwish)
"Energize Me" (After Forever)
"Qué Se Siente" (Rolf Sanchez)
"Bridle Passion" (Northward)
"Our Decades In The Sun" (Nightwish)
"Wolf And Dog" (ReVamp)
"The Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover - with Henk Poort)
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