Athens-based metal collective W.E.B. has released their latest video for "Dark Web," the harrowing opening track from their forthcoming full-length, Colosseum, set for release on November 19 via Metal Blade Records.
Comments guitarist/vocalist Sakis Prekas, "'Dark Web' is both a play on the band's name and music style, and the concept of the so-called hidden layer of the world wide web, and all the rumors about it: that you can purchase drugs, weapons, hitmen, or even kill people yourself there. This horrifying concept of such a reality combined with our understanding that the ones who rule this world look down on us as if we are slaves, or even ants, is what this song is about."
Forged in 2002 out of a "necessity to scream, blast, and create emotions and get on stage to exchange them with an audience," Greece's W.E.B. have steadily forged a path to becoming one of the premier European symphonic extreme metal bands expressing darkness and death through adrenaline and poetry. An output that's both candid and theatrical, W.E.B. is here to move you, provoke you, and invite you on a journey through ravendark and starless nights. With four albums already under their collective belt, 2021's fifth full-length, Colosseum, is inarguably the band's greatest and most direct work to date.
"We wanted this album to be as straightforward as we could make it. We wanted it to be aggressive and to the point, and at the same time we have pushed literally everything, higher, faster, louder, harder. It is our most metal album," states guitarist/vocalist Sakis Prekas. Combining the brutal with the catchy and drenching it in orchestrations that only serve to expand its epic scale, Colosseum is a thrilling, gripping listen with each of its nine tracks playing an important part in the album as a whole, making it clear that W.E.B. stands toe-to-toe with anyone in their genre.
With Colosseum, the band welcomes two new members: drummer Nikitas Mandolas, who joined following the recording of 2017's Tartarus and whose playing is perfectly suited to the music W.E.B. make, and bassist/vocalist Hel Pyre. "Apart from the great lyrics and the perfect bass performance, she offered her brutal and clean vocals on many parts of the album, leaving her own mark of fire. This is a completely new element for W.E.B. that really gave a unique character to the material."
With the lineup solidified, writing commenced in early 2019, sending ideas back and forth to one another, subsequently honing each song over many pre-production sessions. "With no references, when we make music, our only thoughts are that we want to make it sound as awesome as we can," states Sakis. The dramatic orchestrations are of course a large part of that, with Christos Antoniou of Septicflesh handling this aspect of the sound as he has on previous W.E.B. releases. "Metal is the most revolutionary music genre ever to exist; adding to it symphonic orchestra makes the experience even more epic and emotional in a massive way. We want our music to inspire the senses, thus we aspire to make it intense from our perspective."
Colosseum will be available on CD, Fruit Punch-colored LP, and digital formats. Pre-order here.
In titling the record Colosseum, W.E.B. draw comparisons with the past and present, in typically brutal style. "The Colosseum was the famous gigantic arena in Rome to give the people 'food and spectacle,' whereas what it truly did was to quench the mob's thirst for blood and violence and keep their minds away from thinking; kind of an ancient TV-brainwash machine," notes Sakis. "People nowadays seem to be thirsty for blood more than ever. They seek violence in almost everything. You can see it in social media, in the streets - even a simple fight between kids in a schoolyard attracts the other kids, not to separate but to watch. Humans miss the Colosseum and what it gave to their violent nature, even though they will never admit it. The title Colosseum is the irony of giving them what they secretly desire. Maybe then they will start to understand what they see in their mirror and hopefully it will bother them."
Colosseum was recorded, mixed, and mastered in Sound Abuse Production Studio in Athens by Psychon and produced by Sakis Prekas. While Sakis admits it was the most difficult record they've ever made, it was also the smoothest of all recording sessions, largely due to being so prepared. "It also had to do a lot with the chemistry between us and the way Psychon works with us: keeping the recordings on a strict schedule, and at the same time making us always feel comfortable to express ourselves."
Still, there were obstacles to overcome when it came to orchestrations and arrangements. "When you enter the rabbit-hole of symphonic orchestra and synths, you are in a chaos of sounds, and new ideas are always born through this. We had to spend hours on sound design and decisions like never before, yet the outcome speaks for itself."
W.E.B. lineup:
Sakis Prekas - guitars, vocals
Hel Pyre - bass, vocals
Sextus A. Maximus - lead guitars
Nikitas Mandolas - drums
THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar), Daniel Svensson (drums), Peter Iwers (bass), Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — will release its debut single, "Shadowminds", on November 9. A teaser for the song's official music video is available below.
A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.
Five years ago, Jesper slammed his former bandmates, calling the group a "sinking ship" and saying IN FLAMES singer Anders Fridén has "never been a songwriter."
Svensson, who joined IN FLAMES in 1998, announced in 2015 that he was leaving the group to focus on his family life.
A member of IN FLAMES since 1997, Iwers issued a statement in November 2016 saying that he was exiting the band "to pursue other endeavors."
Engelin has been sitting out IN FLAMES' tour dates for the past two and a half years but has never officially confirmed his departure from the band. Engelin's replacement for IN FLAMES' live shows for most of 2019 and early 2020 has been former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.
When Engelin was asked in an August 2020 interview with the "MetalBreak" podcast what his "future" with IN FLAMES was, he responded, "I choose to pass on that [question]," before quickly adding, "I'm still in the band."
As of last year, Engelin was not listed as a member of IN FLAMES on the band's Facebook page (Broderick was), and he is not featured in any of IN FLAMES' current promotional photos from the group's record label, Nuclear Blast.
IN FLAMES recruited American drummer Tanner Wayne, best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, to sit behind the kit for the band for its 2018, 2019 and 2020 live appearances. Wayne stepped into IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on the band's "I, The Mask" and "Battles" albums.
Shortly after leaving IN FLAMES, Iwers joined CYHRA, the band featuring vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE) and Strömblad. He announced his departure from that band in May 2018.
IN FLAMES' current lineup features American bassist Bryce Paul Newman, who has been playing most of the shows with the group since Iwers's exit.
During a January 2021 appearance on the "Vox&Hops" podcast, Iwers was asked if he ever misses being on the road. The bassist replied: "Yeah, absolutely. Well, 'miss' is kind of the wrong word. I loved being on the road for most of the years that I was with [IN FLAMES], and I miss the good times. I have no regrets as far as leaving, but, of course, sometimes I really miss just being free and out and playing shows and traveling to new places every day. But I have plans. Maybe this will happen again in the future — not with IN FLAMES, though, but, yeah, we'll see."
He continued: "I'm kind of not missing spending time thinking about stuff like that. I'm kind of more living where I am now, where I'm actually free to do whatever I can with my own time. I own my own time, as I like to say; I can plan it however I like it. And I'm kind of focusing on enjoying that rather than missing the past.
"It's fun to reminisce, but at the same time, it can take you down a dangerous road as well," Peter added.
In a 2017 interview with Ireland's Overdrive, IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte said that he wasn't surprised by Peter's departure from the band. "It wasn't a 'shock,' so to speak, as we kind of knew that it was coming," he said. "I think he was just done with it all and not happy. No, 'happy' is the wrong word. He just wanted to pursue other things. Peter is a very, very busy guy. He has his own brewery with Daniel called Odd Island Brewing and he's also got four or five different musical projects happening, so he's really got his hands full at the moment."
A year ago, DARK TRANQUILITY vocalist Mikael Stanne, who sang on IN FLAMES' debut album, 1994's "Lunar Strain", dismissed comparisons between the two bands, telling the "BREWtally Speaking Podcast": "We are kind of forever linked, just because of our connection early on. I sang on the first IN FLAMES album, and Anders sang on the first DARK TRANQUILLITY album, and this is still a cause of great confusion for some reason. But, yeah, we toured together, we are friends and we grew up together in the same area outside of town [in Gothenburg, Sweden]. So, of course, it's obvious. And I'm okay with that — that's fine. It just becomes a little bit old, because there's not much to say about it anymore, because we've gone in very different directions. So it's not relevant, but, of course, you do make comparisons — that's how people work, how you go, 'I like this band better than that band.' And if there is a link somehow, and there are many between the two of us, then you use that as some kind of reference or, 'This is better than that,' or, 'The guitar player is better in that band' — that kind of stuff. So I'm okay with it. It doesn't change anything. And sometimes questions about it tend to be uninspired. It's just like, 'Oh, what do you think of the other band's albums?' It's, like, 'It doesn't matter, but I'm a huge fan. I love it.' And it's the same with, of course, AT THE GATES as well, even though we haven't shared any members together, but we still kind of grew up together, so, obviously, there's a huge connection there as well. And I don't mind talking about my friends and the awesome bands that are from this town — it's fine — but sometimes the direct comparisons seem… Maybe they meant something in the '90s, but they really don't anymore."
Italy's Hell In The Club, in celebration of Halloween, have released a cover of the '80s Alice Cooper classic "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)".
"He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" appears on Alice Cooper's 1986 release, Constrictor and was also on the soundtrack for the Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives movie. The band couldn't resist releasing this cover for Halloween because of that fun horror movie trivia aspect of it... and of course because they love the song!
Hell In The Club is an Italian hard rock / heavy metal band featuring members of Elvenking and Secret Sphere. The band has released five albums and is currently celebrating ten years as a band after the release of their debut album, Let The Games Begin, in 2011.
With Dave on vocals, Andy on bass, Fede on drums and Picco on guitar, Hell In The Club will delight you, they'll make you dance, sing, and bang your heads with their songs. They mix classic hard rock and modern sounds, heavy metal and party songs, '50s rock’n’roll, and anything in between. Rock ‘n roll is all about fun and that is what has been on display throughout their musical career.
Technical death metal behemoths, Enterprise Earth, will release their anticipated new full-length, The Chosen, January 14 via Entertainment One. Check out the band's video for the track, "Reanimate // Disintegrate", below.
Enterprise Earth reemerges in 2022 with their latest full-length, The Chosen, a masterpiece of monstrous brutality and enveloping ambiance. It is the band’s heaviest yet most diverse effort, with shifting attitude, vibe, and desperate aggression stitched throughout its songs. Brooding, thick with atmosphere, groove-driven, old-school death metal with modern flourishes, the music of Enterprise Earth switches gears from earth-shattering breakdowns to sickeningly slow sludge to blast furnace pummelling with seemingly effortless ease. Composition after composition is ominous, ambitious, lurching, and inviting, including Where Dreams Are Broken, The Failsafe Fallacy, This Hell, My Home, Sleep Is For The Dead, Temptress, and He Exists.
Vocalist, Dan Watson, is on a mission of “me against the world,” taking on personal struggle, isolation, self-doubt, and alienation like a man possessed, determined to persevere at all costs. It’s a fight for personal survival, rendered with painstaking passion by a gargantuan unmistakable voice. The Chosen was engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by guitarist Gabe Mangold (now the group’s sole guitarist) save for the drums. Drummer Brandon Zackey tracked his relentlessly jaw-dropping and diverse drum performance with producer Jason Suecof (August Burns Red, Demon Hunter, Death Angel). Bassist Rob Saireh rounds out the Enterprise Earth lineup, bringing equally formidable power, dexterity, and groove.
Where Dreams Are Broken is the lead single off The Chosen. Here the band picks up right where they left off with Luciferous and 2020’s Foundation Of Bones EP writing aggressive and dynamic deathcore while incorporating unique progressive elements and stellar technicality. The track’s grinding groove and hook-laden chorus are perfect examples of their compositional growth while retaining their brutal staple sound.
Offers the band, “We’re tremendously excited to finally release ‘Where Dreams Are Broken’ as the first single from our coming album The Chosen. We felt this would be the right song to start off with as it features a few new elements that we’ve added to our songwriting in addition to bringing everything you would normally expect from us at 110%. We’ve put our heart and soul into this record and we hope you enjoy it. There is much, much more to come.”
The Chosen will be released on CD, LP, and digitally. Find pre-ordering options here.
Tracklisting:
“Where Dreams Are Broken”
“Reanimate // Disintegrate”
“Unleash Hell”
“I Have To Escape”
“The Tower”
“They Have No Honor”
“Overpass”
“You Couldn’t Save Me”
“Unhallowed Path”
“Legends Never Die”
“My Blood, Their Sanitation”
“Skeleton Key”
“The Chosen”
“Atlas”
Canadian tech death masters, Archspire, will release their new full-length album, Bleed The Future, on Friday, October 29, via Season Of Mist. An advanced album stream can be found below.
"Drone Corpse Aviator"
"Golden Mouth Of Ruin"
"Abandon The Linear"
"Bleed The Future"
"Drain Of Incarnation"
"Acrid Canon"
"Reverie On The Onyx"
"A.U.M."
Album stream:
"Drone Corpse Aviator" video:
"Bleed The Future" lyric video:
"Golden Mouth Of Ruin" video:
Prior to their tour overseas, the band will be playing an album release show in their hometown of Vancouver, B.C. at the Rickshaw Theatre on October 30.Tickets can be found here.
The full run of European and UK dates and tickets are available here.
Sonic Perspectives has released the video below, featuring Black Label Society performing the two opening songs during their live show at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 26. Note: The audio is distorted due to the thunderous volume at the time.
Black Label Society will release their eleventh studio album, Doom Crew Inc., on November 26 via Entertainment One (eOne). The album will be available digitally, on CD and vinyl, plus a deluxe edition that includes vinyl, CD longbox, cassette and more. Pre-order here.
The 12-track album is both a tribute to the band’s “first to bleed, last to leave'' road crew, and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army. The stomping, heavy, bluesy, recklessly unhinged hard-rock-metal quartet are part invading horde, and part traveling carnival - summoning caffeine-fueled cacophony on records and the stage.
The songs are odes to celebration and mourning, the soundtracks to jubilant evenings and bewildering days recorded in Zakk’s home studio, the Black Vatican. On this album, Zakk trades solos and twin-guitar parts with Dario Lorina, backed by the rumble of longtime bassist, John “J.D.” DeServio, and powerhouse drummer, Jeff Fabb.
“We incorporated Father Dario even more into the solos, doubling with me and being more involved in that regard,” said frontman, Zakk Wylde. “It really, truly is a two-guitar album, more so than ever. A twin guitar band, whether it’s the Allman Brothers or Judas Priest, with harmony lines, unison lines, and trading off solos. It stemmed from the live shows, where we’d both go into the crowd and extend songs like ‘Fire It Up.’”
Doom Crew Inc. tracklisting:
"Set You Free"
"Destroy & Conquer"
"You Made Me Want To Live"
"Forever And A Day"
"End Of Days"
"Ruins"
"Forsaken"
"Love Reign Down"
"Gospel Of Lies"
"Shelter Me"
"Gather All My Sins"
"Farewell Ballad"
"Set You Free" video:
Black Label Society are out on the Doom Trooping Over North America tour with openers Obituary and Prong through November 28 ending in Albuquerque at the Sunshine Theater. The band will then finish up the tour from December 27 to 31 with Prong and Armored Saint - see full tour details below and tickets on sale now.
October
28 - Huntsville, AL - Mars Music Hall*+
29 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel*+
30 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's*+
30 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works*+
November
2 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall*+
4 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium*+
5 - Albany, NY - Empire Live*+
6 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater*+
7 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza*+
9 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater*+
10 - Montclair, NJ - The Wellmont Theater*+
11 - Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory*+
13 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI - Kewadin Casino*+
14 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit*+
15 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues*+
16 - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere’s Entertainment Center*+
18 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom*+
19 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre*+
20 - Grand Prairie, TX - Texas Trust CU Theatre*+
21 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live*+
23 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater*+
24 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues*+
26 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex*+
27 - Denver, CO - Summit Theater*+
28 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater*+
December
27 - Reno, NV - Virginia Street Brewhouse+^
28 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Grand+^
29 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern+^
30 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues+^
31 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee+^
Halestorm recently launched the new video series, Tales From The Dead. The fourth episode is now available. Watch all four segments below.
Says the band: "Who else loves the spooky season?!! Here are Tales From the Dead with Halestorm."
Halestorm recently revealed “Back From The Dead”, their first new song since 2018’s Vicious album, and the first single from their upcoming album expected in 2022.
The band have released behind the scenes footage from the video shoot for “Back From The Dead”, which can be seen below, along with the official video. Directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, the clip features Lzzy and the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.
“’Back From The Dead’ is about survival, not in a physical sense, even though I know we all have been touched by death especially these last few years,” said Lzzy Hale. “This song is personal and written from a mental health perspective. I wanted to give myself and the world a hard rock song we could shout out loud as the gates opened again. I was on the edge of this world getting completely lost in oblivion, but even though it was the harder of two choices, I didn’t just let the darkness and depression in my mind dig me an early grave. I didn’t just sit and let it take me. I’ve erased my name from my headstone, so save your prayers, I’m back! I hope this song, as I pass it on to you, reminds YOU of your strength individually and that you are not alone.”
Goth metal icon Jyrki 69, best known as the baritone crooner for Helsinki metal superheroes The 69 Eyes but also seen earlier this year ripping it up with his gothabilly side project The 69 Cats, is ready to sink his teeth into the supple necks of music audiences around with world with his brand new solo album, American Vampire, the follow-up to his debut solo effort, 2017’s Helsinki Vampire.
Mixing both cover tunes and original tracks, the new album finds Jyrki teaming up with several renegade collaborators including fellow Nordic rocker Tim Skold (of the metal outfit Shotgun Messiah and industrial projects Skold and Not My God), Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, indie experimentalists Xiu Xiu, pop music queen Tiffany and many more. The album's first single, a bone-chilling version of the psychedelic classic “White Rabbit” featuring virtuosic guitar work from Stevens, has already been released digitally and on 7”.
But now the first original track from the album is being released, just in time to haunt your dreams this Halloween. Both written and recorded with Skold, “American Vampire” might be the album’s clearest expression of purpose, opening with dark ambient keyboards before kicking into a massive metal riff and Jyrki’s opening word “Blood!” It’s a haunting, spine-tingling track with cinematic ambitions, as Jyrki explains, “American Vampire is a character somewhere between Vampire Lestat and Tony “Scarface” Montana. Whenever they make a movie with that title, they already have a song for it! The music was done by Tim Skold, Hollywood legend and survivor, it was fantastic to make music with him!”
Naturally, the song is being accompanied by a gorgeously shot full-scale concept video filmed by director Vicente Cordero who has previously shot videos for both Jyrki and Skold. Watch the video below, and stream/download the single here.
American Vampire will be released December 17 on all formats including CD in a deluxe gatefold wallet, vinyl in your choice of blue or silver, and digital.
Pre-order the CD/vinyl here. Pre-order/pre-save the digital edition here.
Tracklisting:
"SexDrugsRockn'Roll" feat. Shotgun Messiah
"White Rabbit" feat. Steve Stevens
"Dreamtime" feat. Rosetta Stone
"Bite It You Scum" feat. Leæther Strip
"American Vampire" feat. Skold
"Don't You Want Me" feat. Tiffany
"Decision" feat. The KVB
"Deviant Carousal" feat. Xiu Xiu
"Clover" feat. Youlooktired
"Last Dance Not My God"
Sahil Makhija, better known as Demonstealer, has long been one of the pillars of the heavy metal scene in India. From being at the vanguard of a fledgling metal scene to becoming one of its most visible and respected proponents today, Demonstealer is integral to the growth of the Indian metal community.
He now returns with his new EP, The Holocene Termination, out December 3 via Demonstealer Records. The release, featuring a stellar cast of guest musicians, is another entry in an astonishingly vital and storied carrier.
A video for the title track, "The Holocene Termination" can be found below. The brilliantly brutal single features a stellar guest cast of Eugene Rybachenko of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Jeff Hughell of Six Feet Under, and Nick Padovani of Equipoise.
Pre-order the EP here (International), or here (India).
Tracklisting:
"The Holocene Termination" feat. Eugene Ryabchenko (Fleshgod Apocalypse), Jeff Hughell (Six Feet Under) and Nick Padovani (Equipoise)
"An Epoch Of Degradation" feat. Krzysztof Klingbein (Deathspawn) & Anton Zhikharev (Gorgasm)
"From Extinction Begins Evolution" feat Simon Schilling (Marduk), Anton Zhikharev (Gorgasm) and Fabio Bartoletti (Fleshgod Apocalypse)
"What She Creates She Will Destroy" feat. Robin Stone (The Amenta), Jeff Hughell (Six Feet Under) and Veronica Bordacchini (Fleshgod Apocalypse)
"New Found Power", the title of their new single and music video, perfectly describes the current spirit of Greek power metal masters, Firewind.
The band’s latest incarnation, since 2019, of course led by former Ozzy Osbourne axeman Gus G. is fronted by singer Herbie Langhans (Avantasia), a powerhouse vocalist par excellence. Langhans‘ addition to the group’s ranks gave a new kind of energy to Firewind and after the release of the band’s latest (self-titled) album in May 2020, now the new single, "New Found Power", continues the Firewind legacy with a heavy, uplifting power metal track of highest quality.
"New Found Power" will also be part of the AFM Records label compilation, 25 Years Metal Addiction, which includes 30 rare or previously unreleased tracks and comes as 2CD digipak (out October 29).
"We recently met in our rehearsal room in Thessaloniki, Greece, to film what we all missed so much: playing together. That’s why the 'New Found Power' music video comes without fancy effects or anything: it’s just the four of us playing this cool new song and embracing it", Gus G. comments. "We really hope to see all our fans on the upcoming 20th anniversary tour. It’s been way too long and we can’t wait to celebrate 20 years of Firewind with a wild ride through our history."
Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group recently announced the release of a new seasonal offering titled 'TWAS. Gilbert’s 17th solo album features a dozen recordings, two of which are new, original compositions. The global release date for digital and CD is November 26th. The LP will follow on December 10th. Pre-order here.
Today, Gilbert and the label present a new music video for “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, which can be viewed below:
Gilbert shares: "Many will agree that in recent times, challenging events have been pouring down upon our heads like an Exploding Waterfall of Molasses. At least it sometimes feels like that to me. But while I was jamming Christmas songs with my friends, playing an assortment of red, green, and white Ibanez electric guitars, I felt like life was THE BEST. I hope that this music can put a smile on your face as well.
"Ten of the songs are classics. I was inspired by the Christmas recordings of Nat King Cole, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ventures. And of course, inspiration came from my guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page, to name a few. I also wrote some of my own new Christmas songs. As I have been doing recently, I begin with lyrics and a melody. Then I let my guitar take over, as it sings better than I do."
He continues. "'Three Strings For Christmas' refers to the 3-string guitar that I used on my double-neck. I tune the strings in octaves, which allows me to play ridiculously fast arpeggios, and very little else (which is why I have a normally strung guitar for the other neck.) 'Every Christmas Has Love' was written quickly, inspired by my panic-driven mental state of album making. When I know that the recording sessions are coming, my brain shifts into survival mode, and melodies start popping out. Then I take all the chords I learned by listening to 70s AM radio, and build a song. The lyrics are nice too. I'll be printing those in the liner notes of the album. Merry Christmas to all. And to all, a good night."
Gilbert formed a band of Portland, Oregon's finest jazz and blues musicians for these sessions. The players are Dan Balmer (guitar), Clay Giberson (keyboards), Timmer Blakely (bass), and Jimi Bott (drums). He reflects, “All brought supreme musical goodness to these arrangements and performances. They certainly steered me to make wiser musical choices than I would have made on my own. And as you will hear, my metal guitar instincts still breathe fire when they get the chance.” The album was recorded in Jimi Bott's studio, who also engineered and mixed the recordings. The approach was to record two songs every day, for six days, delivering the collected body of work.
Gilbert: "All songs were recorded live, although I think Jimi snuck some cowbell overdubs in. If anything should be added to a live track, I believe cowbell is the right choice."
Tracklist:
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
"Frosty the Snowman"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
"The Christmas Song"
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"Every Christmas Has Love"
"Three Strings for Christmas"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
"Silver Bells"
"Winter Wonderland"
The 450s have released their third advance single, “Lust And Denial”. This track is taken from the upcoming self-titled album release, The 450s, out on November 19 via Louder Than Loud Records, available for pre-order here.
The 450s is a new American rock band featuring The Rods’ Carl Canedy on drums. The lineup is completed by James Jacobs (St. James) on guitar, Robert Jacobs (St. James) on bass, Ryan Sambrook on keyboards and Rhett, a veteran of major labels, on vocals.
When the quartet got together in Miami at the time the chemistry was effortless, the resultant songs so strong that they caught the ear of legendary producer Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Patti Smith), who went the extra mile in mixing the album, highlighting The 450’s inherent musical tension and dynamics. Chris Collier (Korn, Prong) also worked on the mixing/production, helping to hone the “modern” part of The 450’s “modern vintage” vibe.
The 450s bring an old-school band ethic to bear: No resting on laurels, no copping styles from their forefathers; no pre-fab or pre-conceived anything. “We got together in a room and turned everything up real loud,” they explain. “We jammed and recorded what came out. Ultimately, it’s “about creating this group of songs out of nowhere for no reason other than it’s what we all love to do.”
Tracklisting:
"Flowers For Columbine"
"Black Tar"
"Lucy Walk Away"
"Lust And Denial"
"Gracie Is It Heavy"
"Drown"
"One King"
"Lost Girl Confused"
"Crawl"
"She’s My Morphine"
"The Suspect"
"When God Won’t Forgive You"
"Lucy Walk Away" video:
"Flowers For Columbine" video:
The 450s are:
Rhett - vocals
James Jacobs - guitar
Robert Jacobs - bass
Carl Canedy - drums
Ryan Sambrook - keyboard
As the world is experiencing the release of the band’s 6th full-length album The Phantom Tomorrow, Black Veil Brides have released a live performance video for their latest single, “Crimson Skies”. Filmed and directed by Edwin Daboub, the video is compilation of shows captured on the band’s recent co-headline tour of the United States.
The video captures the energy and showmanship that Andy Biersack, Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Lonny Eagleton and Christian Coma display nightly on tour and that has garnered the band a loyal following around the globe.
The cover artwork for The Phantom Tomorrow was created by Eliran Kantor – known for his work with Testament, Hatebreed, Havok and Andy Black to name a few. The Phantom Tomorrow is produced by Erik Ron (Godsmack, Dance Gavin Dance, Bush) and co-produced by guitarist Jake Pitts, and is available ti order in various bundle configurations at phantomtomorrow.com.
Tracklist:
"The Phantom Tomorrow" (Introduction)
"Scarlet Cross"
"Born Again"
"Blackbird"
"Spectres" (Interlude)
"Torch"
"The Wicked One"
"Shadows Rise"
"Fields Of Bone"
"Crimson Skies"
"Kill The Hero"
"Fall Eternal"
“Torch” video:
“Crimson Skies” lyric video:
"Scarlet Cross" video:
"Fields Of Bone" video:
Black Veil Brides are out on the rescheduled The In-Between Tour in support of The Phantom Tomorrow - a co-headline tour with In This Moment. The 45-date run wraps up in Atlanta, GA on November 21. The full list of tour dates is below, and all VIP package and ticket information can be found at blackveilbrides.net.
October
29 - Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
30 - Columbus, OH - Express Live!
31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
November
2 - Cleveland, OH - Agora
3 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
5 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater
6 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
7 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
9 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
10 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
12 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House Of Blues
13 - Cherokee, NC - Harrah's Cherokee Events Center
14 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
16 - Richmond, VA - The National
17 - Greensboro, NC - Piedmont Hall
19 - Tampa, FL - Hard Rock Events Center
20 - Lake Buena Vista, CA - House Of Blues
21 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
Like their band name suggests, Black Veil Brides evoke transcendent visions of an impenetrable hereafter, intermingling with a steely focus on the dark passions and elusive mysteries of the here and now. A romantic fantasy first summoned in a small town by founder Andy Biersack – a creative who was fascinated with death rock, theatricality, and monsters (both real and imagined). It wasn’t until moving to Los Angeles that the unstoppable force the band is currently was finalized.
The band (and its members Andy Biersack, Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Lonny Eagleton, Christian Coma) Instagram and Twitter accounts command close to 10 million followers between them. Vale, the group’s most recent full-length album, went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. In the hearts and minds of their fans, Black Veil Brides represents an unwillingness to compromise and a resistance to critics (personal and professional), fuelled by the same fire as the group’s own heroes, the iconoclasts whose creative output, once dismissed, is now canonized.
Led Zeppelin have released Episode 2 of the new video series, The History Of Led Zeppelin IV.
A message states: "This sonuvabitch moves! Plant muses... the rhythm section soars... Page flashes." - Rolling Stone, December 1971
Watch Episode 1 below:
Meanwhile, the band has released the video below, a performance of "What Is And What Should Never Be" in front of a sold out crowd at The Royal Albert Hall in 1970.
TikTok announced this week that the music of Led Zeppelin is now available to its community. The band has also launched their own official TikTok account (@ledzeppelin) that will feature Led Zeppelin artwork and graphics, classic live performances, and other video content.
TikTok users can now create videos soundtracked to any song from Led Zeppelin’s full discography, encompassing over 100 total songs across their landmark studio and live albums, including some of their most legendary tracks such as “Whole Lotta Love”, “Stairway To Heaven”, “Immigrant Song”, “Rock And Roll”, “Black Dog”, “Ramble On” and “Kashmir”.
Led Zeppelin remain one of the most groundbreaking and popular groups in modern music, having sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. The band was founded in 1968 by Jimmy Page. Along with Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones, they began a 12-year reign during which the group was widely considered to be the biggest and most innovative rock band in the world.
November 8 marks the 50th anniversary of their milestone fourth album Led Zeppelin IV, produced by Page, which continues to be one of the most artistically influential and commercially successful albums in the history of music and the sixth best-selling album of all time in the US Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history, counting a Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Polar Music Prize among its many accolades.
THE THREE TREMORS, the project featuring acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN), will release its second album, "Guardians Of The Void", on November 5 via Steel Cartel Records. The official music video for the LP's second single, "Crucifier", can be seen below. The haunting clip captures the essence of the song which tells the tale of an avenging angel exiled on earth and hellbent on revenge.
Owens said about "Crucifier": "This is one of my favorite tracks on the record." Peck added: "When the band wrote this song, I knew we had a special track on our hands. It has a super-haunting vibe and I love the chorus how it hits. I am sure my fellow metalheads will dig it like I do." Conklin chimed in: "This was one I insisted we add to the live set. I can't wait to sing this with the band."
Coming off the successful release of their self-titled debut album, several North American and European tours, release of the solo versions of the first album, and some festival performances, THE THREE TREMORS shot out of a cannon at a frantic pace. They were pursuing an aggressive pace of live performances when the shutdown forced them to cut short their North American tour in the middle of their run in early 2020. They wasted no time, however, and got to work on another new album. Now their sophomore effort "Guardians Of The Void" is ready for blast-off.
Twelve songs are found on this wicked rocker of an album and once again they cover all the bases of heavy metal. As with all Steel Cartel releases, only the songs that receive video releases will be on the streaming platforms, so the physical medium and the fans that support and collect them, are the bands priority and focus.
And speaking of great physical product, THE THREE TREMORS has once again hired Marc Sasso to do the cover artwork once again. Sasso is best known for his work with such companies as Marvel, the WWE and HALFORD, DIO, CAGE and many others. He has hit it out of the park once again with this haunting, otherworldly painting that captures the mysterious essence of the album title perfectly.
Owens describes how the recording process went down: "We had just started our second North American tour promoting the solo versions that we had just released, when everything started to shut down. It was a shame because we had some really good momentum and the shows were selling well, including a few that were sold out in advance. When we realized that we could be sitting home for a while, we all started putting these new songs together and recording them."
Harry said: "I had moved to Greece during this whole time and they guys started sending me song after song at a furious pace. The songs were kickass, and I found it easier and more natural to collaborate and add my ideas and nuances this second time around. We have toured and done so many shows together now the comfort level was there and they came together really quick. The end result is amazing, I think."
Sean added: "Everyone in the band has a lot of other projects going on, so it was good we could all pull together and make this follow up album. Now Sean [Elg], our drummer, is also in KK'S PRIEST with Ripper, so we are stoked that we could not only put out another record but also get a tour in before everyone gets busy. We have spent so much time together we are like a heavy metal street gang and have a blast performing these songs and going on the road. With these new songs available from the 'Guardians Of The Void' album, our setlist will be even more vicious than before, if that is even possible, ha!"
There will be three different versions of the double gatefold vinyl of "Guardians Of The Void": the original version, the 1-in-5 variant version and the virgin cover version. The 1-in-5 variant version has completely different cover art (again by Sasso) on the front and back and will be limited to one copy for every five standard versions that are produced. The virgin cover version has the original Sasso artwork without band logos or album titles.
Catch the THREE TREMORS on tour in the United States this November.
Ozzy Osbourne and his longtime friend and colleague Lemmy Kilmister of MOTÖRHEAD are reunited one last time in the new animated clip for their mash-up duet of "Hellraiser". The clip is an homage to their decades-long friendship. Produced by Hey Beautiful Jerk and directed by Mark Szumski and Gina Niespodziani, the video opens with Ozzy and Lemmy hanging out at the infamous Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard (Lemmy's unofficial second home) surrounded by friends. The two are transported from a calm day playing video games in the bar to a post-apocalyptic world where they battle evil forces before ultimately returning to the bar, where they pick up their video game as if nothing had occurred. Watch the clip below.
"I'm so glad we were able to honor my dear friend Lemmy with this duet and now the video," Ozzy says. "We immortalized him with a clip of the two of us being together, hanging out and getting into some trouble as we so often did."
The song — which was co-written by the two and Ozzy's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde — originally appeared on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter's 1991 "No More Tears" album; MOTÖRHEAD then recorded their own version and released it as a single from their 1992 "March Ör Die" album.
The never-before-released "Hellraiser" mash-up with Ozzy and Lemmy was recently included on the digital 30th-anniversary release of Ozzy's classic album "No More Tears", released September 17 via Sony. In addition, "Hellraiser" will be issued as a stand-alone release on Ozzy's birthday, December 3. The special 10-inch black vinyl single features three versions of the song: the classic original Ozzy track with MOTÖRHEAD's version of the same song as the B-side. It is available for pre-order here.
LIMP BIZKIT will release its long-awaited new album, "Limp Bizkit Still Sucks", this Sunday, October 31. Check out the cover art below. Also available is a special album "review" from Jake Bacon, a.k.a. LIMP BIZKIT guitarist Wes Borland.
Borland commented on social media: "Our first album in over a decade comes out this Sunday! Happy Halloween! Limp Bizkit – Still Sucks #limpbizkitstillsucks #limpbizkit @limpbizkit".
LIMP BIZKIT has not released a new studio album since 2011's "Gold Cobra", although the band has spent a lot of time writing and recording music over the past decade.
Last month, LIMP BIZKIT released a new single called "Dad Vibes". The track, which was originally premiered during the band's concert at Lollapalooza in July, was made available via Suretone Records and ADA.
"Check out your dad with the swag on the floor/ Momma gonna brag when I walk in the door/ Y'all ain't ever seen a guerrilla in the mist/ Walk the line so fine with a blindfold," frontman Fred Durst raps in the song. "Hot dad ridin' in on a rhino/ Got the roll-under-wrap with the dad vibes/ Now everybody bounce with the franchise," he continues before the bass drops and the chorus comes around." He continues: "Can't live with 'em/ Can't live without 'em/ New kid back on the block with a R.I.P./ Dad got the sag in the back with the drip/ Come and get a sip/ La-Di-Da."
"Dad Vibes" arrived weeks after LIMP BIZKIT canceled all of its previously announced live appearances for 2021, explaining in a statement that it was doing so "out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans."
LIMP BIZKIT was scheduled to appear at several festivals this summer and fall, including Aftershock, Blue Ridge, Rebel Rock and Rocklahoma.
A few days after the summer 2021 shows were called off, Durst told Billboard about the decision: "In short, the system is still very flawed. Even if the performers, crews, staff, and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn't ensure the safety of the audience as a whole. We are all in this together, and we all — individually and as a whole — have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading COVID."
Durst also denied that there was a specific incident that prompted him and his bandmates to pull the plug on the trek, saying it was "just perception."
Durst made headlines in late July when he debuted his new look at the band's concert at Metro in Chicago, with the frontman now sporting wavy salt-and-pepper locks accompanied by a horseshoe-style mustache.
Eight LIMP BIZKIT titles have landed on the Billboard 200, including two which topped the chart — 1999's "Significant Other" and 2000's "Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water".
AC/DC's music video for the song "Thunderstruck" has surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The David Mallet-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in November of 2012, was filmed at London's Brixton Academy on August 17, 1990. The audience members were given free t-shirts with the words "AC/DC - I was Thunderstruck" on the front and the date on the back, and these t-shirts were worn by the entire audience throughout the filming of the video.
"Thunderstruck" was the lead single from AC/DC's 1990 album "The Razors Edge". The song reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
In the 2003 re-release of "The Razors Edge", AC/DC guitarist Angus Young explained in the liner notes how the song came about: "It started off from a little trick that I had on guitar. I played it to Mal [AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young] and he said, 'Oh, I've got a good rhythm idea that will sit well in the back.' We built the song up from that. We fiddled about with it for a few months before everything fell into place. Lyrically, it was really just a case of finding a good title, something along the lines of 'Powerage' or 'Highway To Hell'. We came up with this thunder thing and it seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That's the basic idea."
"Thunderstruck" joins other hard rock and heavy metal artists who have made it to the Billion Views Club: METALLICA ("Nothing Else Matters"), GUNS N' ROSES ("Sweet Child O' Mine" and "November Rain"), LINKIN PARK ("Numb") and QUEEN ("Bohemian Rhapsody").
AC/DC's latest album "Power Up", was released in November 2020. The LP features AC/DC's current lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). It was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".
"Power Up" landed at the No. 1 spot in 18 countries, including in the U.S., where it sold over 117,000 copies in the first week. "Power Up" marked AC/DC's sixth No. 1 album in Australia where the band is the only Australian group in history to have had a No. 1 album across five decades: "Back In Black" (1980s), "Ballbreaker Live" (1990s), "Black Ice" (2000s), "Rock Or Bust" (2010s) and "Power Up" (2020s).
"Power Up" was the fastest-selling album of 2020 in at least three of its biggest markets — U.S., Australia and the U.K. — where it debuted at No. 1.
Late on Christmas Eve, British Expeditionary Force heard German troops in the trenches opposite them singing Christmas carols and saw lanterns and small fir trees along their trenches. Messages began to be shouted between the trenches. The following day, British and German soldiers met in no man's land and exchanged gifts, took pictures and some even played football. It was a rare but magic moment of peace and harmony in the midst of one of the most atrocious events of the 20th century.
Today, Swedish metal heroes SABATON release a song about this extraordinary event that is known today as "Christmas Truce". You can check out the video for "Christmas Truce" below.
"'Christmas Truce' was our highest priority when we decided to write songs about World War One," said SABATON bass player Pär Sundström. "Not only was it the most requested topic from our fans, but it was, for us, the most emotional story from the war. This song took us years to create since we wanted the music to reflect the mood honesty, and it was a big challenge; but we feel we managed to write a song that captures the spirit of that day, over a century ago."
"Christmas Truce" foreshadows SABATON's tenth studio album, "The War To End All Wars", that will be released on March 4, 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records. Written and recorded during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the concept album of 11 brand-new songs once again dives deep into the atrocities, miracles, and events tied to the early 20th century’s World War I. The tenth album of the Falun-based five-piece will be available in an impressive variety of exclusive formats, including CD, vinyl, and cassette, with most available in limited editions.
"The War To End All Wars" track listing:
01. Sarajevo
02. Stormtroopers
03. Dreadnought
04. The Unkillable Soldier
05. Soldier Of Heaven
06. Hellfighters
07. Race To The Sea
08. Lady Of The Dark
09. The Valley Of Death
10. Christmas Truce
11. Versailles
In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén said about the musical direction of the band's new material: "It's very much a SABATON album in that way. We've been an evolutionary band always and not a revolutionary band. There's always surprises on a SABATON album but we're never gonna flip the coin and do something totally different on every song on a new album. There's gonna be surprises on every album. I'm actually listening to and approving the master of the new album right now.
"It's always subjective," he continued. "I think it's pathetic when an artist goes, 'It's the best album we've ever made,' and they keep promoting the same tired line. I say it's up to the listener to decide that, but I know for a fact that everybody in the band, without even sitting in the same room together, because I sort of shipped out the pre-mixes to everyone, and everybody — this is the only time in our history this has happened — everybody came back with, 'Fuck. That sounds great.' Everybody is super happy with the production. We were always happy before, but it was, like, 'Maybe this, maybe that.' Now it was more like, 'Okay, yeah, I have some suggestions and ideas, but wow.' We're really happy with the sound."
SABATON is considered to be one the most important bands to emerge from the Swedish modern metal scene, having been honored with five Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards (including "Best Live Band" three different years) and nominated several times for the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, the Grammis. In 2016, SABATON's "The Last Stand" album debuted at No. 1 in three different European countries and cracked the Top 3 in four others. Joakim Brodén (vocals), Pär Sundström (bass), Chris Rörland (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Tommy Johansson (guitar) curate a festival of their own, Sabaton Open Air, that started back in 2008, as well as their own forward-thinking Sabaton Cruise which has been held since 2009.
French progressive metallers GOJIRA have released a music video for the song "Sphinx". The clip was directed and animated by Zev Deans, who has previously helmed videos for BEHEMOTH, GHOST and more.
"Sphinx" is taken from GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", which entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1 last May, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2), United Kingdom (No. 6), Australia (No. 3), Germany (No. 8), Belgium (No. 2), Netherlands (No. 4), Denmark (No. 3), Portugal (No. 4), Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).
"Fortitude" is highlighted by the singles "Another World", "Born For One Thing", "Into The Storm", "Amazonia" and "The Chant", a slow-burning track featuring some of GOJIRA's most melodic material to date.
Furthermore, GOJIRA recently concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds will be donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.
Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), "Fortitude" is GOJIRA's first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016's Grammy-nominated LP "Magma". A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, "Fortitude" has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking "It's all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock." NPR hailed "Another World" as "an apocalyptic banger," and Paste called "Into The Storm" a "much-needed revolutionary anthem." Stereogum declared, "hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing," while Revolver attested "Fortitude" "could spark a revolution."
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