STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis has released the official music video for his controversial new solo single, "Am I The Only One". The track, which takes aim at liberals and touches on American flags burning and statues that have been removed in the country, was written by Lewis with Ira Dean and Jeffrey Steele.
Lewis sings in the song's chorus: "I'm not the only one, willin' to fight / For my love of the red and white / And the blue, burnin' on the ground / Another statue comin' down in a town near you." Lewis also criticizes Bruce Springsteen at the end of the track, singing: "Am I the only one who quits singin' along every time they play a Springsteen song."
This past July, Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Label Group's founder and president-CEO, defended the company's decision to release "Am I The Only One". Borchetta's comments came in reponse to industry blogger Bob Lefsetz, who slammed Lewis's song as "heinous." Lefsetz went on to call Lewis a "middle-class, right-wing wanker" whose divisive track "should have been played at CPAC, in between speeches by nitwits like saying to refuse the 'Fauci ouchie.'"
Lefsetz reprinted Borchetta's letter in which the label head wrote in part: "Firstly, I believe in the First Amendment. My job has never been to tell my artists what to sing and write about.
"Aaron Lewis and I have political disagreements. But there are also things we agree on. I think that's the foundation for the idea of our country. It doesn't work if we're so divided that we can’t reach across the aisle, have a conversation or an argument, and ultimately, shake hands. If we can't do that, and this moment is so divisive, we may never get our country back.
"Let it be a wake up call to reps and dems alike — be loud and be heard!" Borchetta said. "It woke you up. It inspired you to make a statement. It worked. And it's working. It's inspiring conversation."
Lewis, who is widely considered to be one of the most politically conservative musicians in rock, made headlines last month when he urged his fans to chant "Fuck Joe Biden" during a STAIND concert in Pennsylvania.
Aaron told the Anchorage Press in a January 2020 interview that he considered the first Donald Trump impeachment by the House Of Representatives as the clearest representation of what's wrong with America these days.
Lewis was a staunch critic of President Barack Obama, telling a crowd at one of his solo concerts in 2016: "Barack Obama should have been impeached a long fucking time ago. Every fucking decision he makes is against the Constitution, it's against what's good for our fucking country, and he is truly the worst fucking president that we have ever had in the history of this fucking country."
That same year, Lewis told Billboard that he would support Trump in the U.S. presidential race, even though he was "disappointed" by the real estate mogul "with the bickering and the name-calling." Lewis added that he voted for Senator Ted Cruz, Trump's closest competitor in the Republican nomination race, in the Massachusetts primary.
In June, Lewis made headlines when he accused the U.S. Democratic Party of fighting against every major civil rights initiative and of having a long history of discrimination.
As the official kick off for their upcoming studio album, that is planned for a release in the first half of 2022, transatlantic progressive metal outfit, Monuments, are happy to present their new single, “Lavos”, featuring Mick Gordon. Watch the video below.
The band comments: “Planet Earth, We're happy to grace you with the first single from M4, ‘Lavos’ feat. Mick Gordon. The artwork depicts a mass of metaphors. The Stonehenge Chronograph - acts as a time portal between the world of man and the unseen other side. Within the portal is an angr
Swedish death metal wizards In Mourning have released a new single entitled "At The Behest Of Night", which is taken off from the band's upcoming release, The Bleeding Veil, considered by the band to be their darkest album to date.
“The Bleeding Veil is our most personal album,” comments guitarist Tim Nedergård. “We have taken a de
Frontiers Music Srl recently welcomed Zelbo to the label's roster. Zelbo is a new melodic rock band/project masterminded by Norwegian keyboard player Dag Selboskar. Their debut album, In My Dreams will be released on December 10.
Today, fans can get their first taste of music from the band with the release of the single and video, "Fortune And Fame". Watch the video below, and pre-order/save In My Dreams here.
Dag is an experienced musician who debuted with the band Da Vinci, with whom he recorded and released two acclaimed albums, Da Vinci (1987) and Back In Business (1989) for Polygram Records. In 1992, the band stopped touring and went on a prolonged hiatus, which ended in 2017 with the release of their comeback album Ambition Rocks. Over the years, Dag kept busy working with Trine Rein, Street Legal, and Eidsivating before deciding to take up a solo project, Zelbo.
Dag enlisted the services of his longtime friend Ken Ingwersen, a guitar player who started his career in the mid 80’s working for Evenrude and later on played with Rags and Street Legal, before joining on a more permanent basis Ken Hensley's (Uriah Heep) band. Vocalist Frode Vassel on vocals and drummer Sturla Nostvik, who are both extremely gifted and experienced musicians, round out t
Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY have released the music video for the track "Gun", taken from their latest album, "Hellbound", which came out in June via Round Hill Records. This is the fourth clip from "Hellbound", following videos for "So Hott", "Hellbound" and "Wasting No More Time".
"Gun" is an homage to the exploits of the legendary 1930s bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. The video, edited by Stephen Wiggins, features live band performance footage shot at this year's Summerfest in Milwaukee, as well as historical newsreel footage of Bonnie and Clyde shot in the 1930s.
The follow-up to 2019's "Warpaint", "Hellbound" was recorded last fall in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others.
BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd told "The Roman Show" about "Hellbound": "Whenever there's a lot of adversity, this band really writes its best records, I have to say. 'Hellbound', our new record, it's gotta be the best BC record, and I'm not saying that just 'cause [it's new]. It's really amazing. We worked really hard on it. We just channeled all that energy into writing songs. Yeah, we wrote a lot of songs. We wrote about almost 30 songs for a 10-song record. So it just goes to show you how thorough we were, and it really paid off."
As for what will happen to the remaining 20 or so songs that didn't make the cut this time around, Todd said: "I think some of 'em are good enough to make a record — maybe two or three. Sometimes songs, they never get to that point where they're good enough to be on a record. That's why you've gotta write a lot of them. We don't wanna put out just filler. That's really important to us. So that's why we write a lot of songs."
Regarding how he and his bandmates go about deciding which songs to put on an album, Josh said: "You kind of know. The cream rises to the top. We create a little playlist — we'll have password-protected playlists while we're writing demos — and it only goes out to the band and our manager and our producer. And then we just continue to write and add songs and write and add songs. And before you know it, when it gets closer and we feel like we've exhausted the songwriting process, there's usually always eight songs that are undeniable, or seven, and then you've kind of gotta start really finetuning the last three or four. That's kind of how we do it. We know when we've got it.
"On BUCKCHERRY records, you wanna have a lot of dynamics — you don't wanna have just all rock songs; you don't wanna have all just super-fast-tempo songs; you don't wanna have all ballads; you don't wanna have all midtempo songs," he explained. "So when you're writing songs, sometimes you'll have five midtempo songs, and you only want one or two for the record. And then you'll have a few slow songs, and you only want one for the record. And then you'll have a bunch of rockers. Like I said, there'll be good ones and then there'll be mediocre songs; maybe it's a good chorus, but the rest of the song isn't good. Stuff like that. Sometimes you go back and rewrite stuff.
"We just were in a zone on this record," he added. "We co-wrote a lot of songs with Marti Frederkisen as well, the guy who produced the record. We'd written songs with him in the past. He's a really talented guy. And five of those songs made the record. So it just goes to show you how good that was. We wrote with him for a week. We wrote six songs in five days, and five of 'em made the record. And then we took five of the remaining 22 that [guitarist] Stevie [Dacanay, a.k.a. Stevie D.] and I had written prior to getting in a room with Marti. And there you have 'Hellbound', the record. And it's amazing."
In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.
In 2019, BUCKCHERRY recruited Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".
BUCKCHERRY is currently performing in Canada as part of its 110-show 2021 "Hellbound" tour. The North American dates end November 13 and the band will close out 2021 with 11 shows in the U.K.
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 video for single "Bone Breaker" can be seen below.
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.
THE OFFSPRING has unveiled the video for "The Opioid Diaries". The song, which appears on the band's acclaimed, chart-topping tenth studio album "Let The Bad Times Roll", is part cautionary tale and part admonition, and takes aim squarely at the source of the opioid crisis that has devastated communities around the world for more than 20 years: Big Pharma.
As lead singer Dexter Holland notes: "I wrote this OFFSPRING song about addiction. While drug addiction is certainly not a new issue, the opioid epidemic in America is different. It's different because it was created by, and driven by, Big Pharma — and I wrote this song to say that the pharmaceutical industry should be held accountable for its consequences."
Directed by Daveed Benito, the video offers an unflinching look at the ravages of opioid addiction through its use of hallucinatory images, time-lapse photography, and somber statistics that encapsulate the collective trauma caused by the epidemic.
"Producing this video was tough," says Benito. "Addiction is a heavy subject to take on, but it's important to bring awareness to this crisis. My hope is that these visual metaphors shed more light onto this epidemic — an epidemic that does not discriminate with regard to race, wealth, or age."
"'The Opioid Diaries' is a song written from a personal point of view, to show the very personal toll that opiate addiction has taken on our friends and families," says Holland. He asserts: "This opioid crisis is different because people who might not normally have been looking for drugs were unwittingly prescribed these opiates for pain, not knowing how addictive they were. There are countless stories of regular folks with short term pain issues — a blue collar factory worker, or a high school athlete, for example — who were given these drugs and became hopelessly addicted in a short period of time. When the prescription ran out, they had no choice but to start taking illegal street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. And the results, of course, have been deadly."
In Holland's view, it's essential to reframe the narrative around opioid addiction in order to effectively address it. "And yet the larger problem still remains." He reflects: "What should we do to fight drug addiction? I say that until we stop treating drug addiction as a criminal issue, and start treating it as a medical issue, we'll stay stuck in this vicious cycle of pain and suffering. I've never seen a social ill assuaged by punishment, but always and only by compassion."
He further contends: "The right approach is not to jail people with addiction issues, but to get them the medical help that they need.
"We wouldn't put our kids in a jail cell if they had cancer…and we shouldn't put them there for addiction."
THE OFFSPRING has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, won countless awards, and have toured consistently, playing more than 500 shows in the last decade alone. Their music has had a lasting impact across film, television, and video games, and their latest album "Let The Bad Times Roll" has been a huge global success, hitting career-high chart debuts with seven Top 5 and ten Top 10 international debuts and nine Top 10 debuts in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. chart and hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart in the U.S.
Frontiers Music Srl welcomes the new Italian symphonic metal band, Agarthic, to the label's roster. The Inner Side, the band's debut album which was recorded under the direction of producer Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Timo Tolkki’s Avalon, etc.), will be released on December 10.
Today, the band has released the new single and video, "A Journey To The End Of The World". See the clip below, and pre-order/save The Inner Side here.
Based in Northern Italy, Agarthic was founded in 2019 by composer and bassist Mattia Gosetti and vocalist Valeriano De Zordo. The two musicians, tied by a strong friendship, had already worked together several times over the past years, but mostly just some shows and theatrical performances and never a proper band.
"As a big fan of rock and metal music, I've always followed with great enthusiasm the release of albums by labels. I remember reading album booklets when I was just a kid, dreaming to see my name printed on one of those one day... who would have ever imagined that happening with one of the most important labels of today?" says vocalist Valeriano De Zordo. "For several years, I've been really interested in knowing all the ancient legends and mysteries about the forgotten history of our planet, especially the theories about the hollow earth. I've always been fascinated by it. And when this chance to make an album was offered, the task was quite easy....all I had to do was to combine my two major passions and turn all these themes finally into music!" continues De Zordo.
Adds composer and bassist Mattia Gosetti, "My greatest passion is to write musical stories, to create soundtracks for romantic adventures and fascinating places. I am really proud to have been noticed by a successful label like Frontiers Music, in whose roster there are many of the most famous bands in the world. The enthusiasm for the signing of the contract and the collaboration with Aldo Lonobile, an artist that I have always esteemed and admired, has been fundamental for the realization of this symphonic metal concept. I am experiencing an artistic growth that I would have never hoped for and I will never be grateful enough for all this.”
Valeriano has been active in several bands in the area of Belluno, singing both covers and original music, which brought him recognition thanks to his melodic timbre and great ability as a performer.
Mattia is a symphonic rock composer, with his works mostly dedicated to the history of land located on the Alps, musical tales that he often presents in theater settings. His deep passion for symphonic rock has always been apparent, but in particular when he and his wife won the "Elan Cover Contest”, an international competition organized by Nightwish.
The band's line up is rounded out by two other talented Italian musicians, Jesai Fiabane on guitar and Denis Novello on drums.
Agarthic's music is strongly inspired by the nature that surrounds them, in particular by the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy. Their compositions tell stories of fantasy and myste
Frontiers Music Srl will release Swedish rock band Cap Outrun's new album, High On Deception, on December 10. High On Deception is a distinctive record filled with playful odd time signatures and interesting harmonies, but it never loses its core of strong melodies and an exceptional groove.
Today, the band has released the single and video for the album's title track. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save High On Deception here.
”It feels great to work with Frontiers on this release and I’m anxious to hear what the label’s followers will say about it. Ever since Mr. Big, who’s one of my all time favorite bands, released their What If record, I’ve been following the label’s awesome releases and I’m both impressed and grateful for what they’re doing for the rock music scene today. I’m thrilled about joining them with Cap Outrun and everybody in the band is very excited about this!” says guitarist Andrée Theander.
The writing and production process for the album was a very successful collaboration between founding members Andrée Theander and Erik Gafvelin Wiss. Although Erik is still involved in Cap Outrun, he has decided to take a step back as the main keyboardist to focus on his production work. His spot has been given to the very talented session player André Egbo. Vocalist Chandler Mogel (Double Vision, Outloud), bassist Linus ”Mr. Gul” Abrahamson (Andromeda, Constanica), and drummer Johan Ludvig Rask round out the line-up.
Musical influences are everything from Swedish progressive rock bands Kaipa and Karmakanic to legendary American bands like Toto and Boston. Some of Andrée’s and Erik’s friends have even mentioned Dirty Loops when they’ve dropped around Erik’s studio in Stockholm while the album was still in the making. [Who knows, maybe it could have something to do with bass player Linus’ close collaboration with the Dirty Loops members Henrik Linder and Aron Mellergård for their newly released bass and drum transcription books?]
Cap Outrun formed in Sweden in 2007 when Andrée Theander and Erik Gafvelin Wiss met at a Swedish university for music production and started to make music together. The two youngsters wrote and recorded a lot of songs and with a little help from a bunch of friends, six of the songs ended up on the very first Cap Outrun release, Influence Grind (2008). The music was somewhat complex with odd time signatures and unexpected song structures, but still contained memorable melodies and pop-flavored choruses. This perfect blend of rock, metal, and jazz made them fairly well-known within the underground world of prog rock lovers for a period of time. Andrée and Erik graduated from university and they decided to go their separate musical ways. Since then, they have stayed good friends, but were working on their own careers: Andrée as a session player, guitar teacher and with his own AOR/Westcoast project Theander Expression, while Erik started to build his own studio and mainly focus
Genocide Pact return with their new, self-titled album on December 3. An overdose of gut-wrenching death metal, Genocide Pact is heavy, engrossing, and undoubtedly brutal. Watch the new “Perverse Dominion” music video (directed by Brian Boeckman) below.
Vocalist/Guitarist Tim Mullaney comments on the new song: “Lyrically, this song is about how, as humans, our greatest strength is our mind - and in a world of people stepping over each other to get ahead, the mind is the first thing targeted by powerful people trying to keep you below them. Every day we are manipulated by corporations and politicians that think we are idiots - make their jobs harder and don’t be one.”
"This album reflects on the feeling of watching the world crumble while dealing with personal tragedy," says Mullaney.
True to his word - every track on Genocide Pact is a sonic assault brimming with palpable malaise. From the guttural screams in the album's opener "Led To Extinction", to the driving double bass that carries "Perverse Dominion", and a head rattling low end on "Deprive Degrade" - Genocide Pact is wholly negative death metal.
The fury behind Genocide Pact captures the band's collective frustrations and personal journeys through these turbulent times.
"You turn on the news and see mass shootings, a global pandemic, endless war, and corporations and politicians trying to sell you bullshit. You pick up your phone and another friend or family member has died. On top of that, you’re broke as fuck and work endlessly for a boss that doesn’t even know your name. You find yourself paranoid, pissed
Extreme death metal act Necronemesis, featuring Rick Rozz of Death / Massacre, have released a video for "They Live In The Attic", featured on the band's new album, Some Things Should Stay Underground, released back in June on CD and digital formats via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. Watch the clip below.
Hailing from Puerto Rico, Necronemesis have been a consistent presence in the PR underground metal scene throughout the bands eighteen year existence. Some Things Should Stay Underground features legendary guitarist Rick Rozz (Death / Massacre), and further expands the bands signature extreme death metal style to the next level... prepare for sheer brutality! A pulverizing old school metal attack for fans of Belphegor, Broken Hope, Cannibal Corpse, Death, Dying Fetus, Immolation, Massacre, Mortician, Suffocation and Vader.
Order links below:
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Fan-filmed video footage of KORN's October 1 concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts can be seen below.
As previously reported, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, who sat out some of KORN's shows after being diagnosed with COVID-19, rejoined his bandmates on stage on September 18 at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Del Valle (a southwest Austin suburb), Texas.
Shaffer was temporarily replaced by J.R. Bareis, who is also in the band LOVE AND DEATH with KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. Bareis previously stepped in for Shaffer in August 2019 when Munky was forced to miss several KORN shows due to the impending birth of his child.
Shaffer was second member of KORN in a month to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. In early August, singer Jonathan Davis contracted the virus, forcing the postponement of six dates and cancelation of two on KORN's current U.S. tour.
At some of KORN's shows, Davis had been taking a seat on a custom throne near the drum riser due to lingering effects of his bout with COVID-19. In video footage of KORN's August 27 concert in Tinley Park, Illinois — his first gig back after revealing his positive diagnosis — Davis could be seen walking slowly around the stage, coughing and appearing to take a minute to catch his breath. According to TMZ, Davis also took occasional hits from an oxygen tank set up near this throne.
Bareis was not the only session musician to play with KORN on the current tour. Bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) is filling in for Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu after Fieldy announced in June that he would sit out the trek in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits."
Tye Trujillo, the 17-year-old son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo, played bass with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES this past Saturday (September 11) at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Danville, Virginia. He was filling in for regular SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz, who was unable to make the gig because he is currently playing bass for KORN on the Jonathan Davis-fronted band's U.S. tour.
Tye previously played bass for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in October 2019 at the SoCal Hoedown in San Pedro, California.
When the younger Trujillo first performed with Mike Muir and his bandmates two years ago, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES praised the musician for "showing what a badass he already is on bass. His youthful enthusiasm was contagious, his bass skills undeniable," the group wrote on social media.
When he was just 12 years old, Tye Trujillo filled in for bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu for KORN's South American tour after Fieldy was unable to make the shows due to "unforeseen circumstances."
Robert Trujillo was first invited to join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for a European tour in 1989 supporting East Coast thrashers ANTHRAX. While with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Robert appeared on some of the band's most successful albums: "Lights, Camera, Action" (1990), "The Art Of Rebellion" (1992) and "Still Cyco After All These Years" (1993). During Trujillo's years with SUICIDAL, Muir heard some of Robert's homemade demos and they collaborated on a funkier, more progressive sound under the name INFECTIOUS GROOVES. They produced a number of albums such as "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move..." (1991), "Sarsippius' Ark" (1993) and "Groove Family Cyco" (1994).
VLTIMAS, the extreme metal formation featuring David Vincent (ex-MORBID ANGEL), Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen (ex-MAYHEM, AURA NOIR) and Flo Monier (CRYPTOPSY), played a cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Black Sabbath" during its June 21 concert at the Underworld in London, England. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
VLTIMAS's debut album, "Something Wicked Marches In", was released on March 29 via Season Of Mist.
The cover for "Something Wicked Marches In" was created by renowned Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak (GHOST, PARADISE LOST, BÖLZER, ZHRINE).
The foundation for VLTIMAS was laid when Rune, after collecting a handful of riffs, presented Mounier with the idea of forming a band together. For the two musicians, having composed and recorded numerous songs together in the past, the musical chemistry was already tried and tested. However, one thing was still missing. This extraordinary musical project needed an extraordinary voice and Eriksen got in touch with Vincent, with whom he had been in contact for years, to finalize the lineup.
Vincent had just exited MORBID ANGEL and was ready for a new chapter in his long spanning career. Everything fell into place, and VLTIMAS came into being.
During The Noiz Faktory sessions (Georgetown, USA), the musicians started writing a substantial amount of music. The sessions proved to be a fruitful endeavor and the first ideas and song skeletons were later fleshed out by Rune at his home studio in Portugal, then finalized when Mounier and Eriksen returned to Texas, in order to put the final touches to the material at David's home studio. In a more controlled surrounding the songs started to unveil themselves and the studio was booked.
The band entered Orgone Studios in Woburn, England in May 2018 with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. While there, the three-piece recorded nine crushing tracks that will appear on the full-length debut album.
The new record offers a vast array of influences, but most notably the distinguished symbioses of these three respected and talented musicians. A dark and sinister ambiance meets a majestic and a commanding death metal energy.
Vincent is also involved with I AM MORBID alongside fellow former MORBID ANGEL member Tim Yeung (drums), plus guitarists Bill Hudson (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) and Kelly McLauchlin.
Formed in 2016, I AM MORBID plays material from MORBID ANGEL's "Altars Of Madness" (1989), "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991), "Covenant" (1993) and "Domination" (1995) albums.
Vincent left MORBID ANGEL for the second time in 2015.
RESIST & BITE, the new band featuring former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch, has released a music video for the song "I". The clip, which features studio footage, can be seen below.
Joining Skeoch in RESIST & BITE are ex-LYNCH MOB lead vocalist Nathan Utz, guitarist Steve Stokes, drummer David Parks and bassist Brian Powell.
RESIST & BITE has just released its self-titled debut album via Lor Live Records. The LP was recorded over a 21-period at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and engineer Michael Rosen and was mastered by Anthony Focx.
Utz states: "The song 'I' is about all the people in the world that beat the odds. Anybody who gets up off their back and takes care of their business and really doesn't let anything get in their way. They're not afraid to fight for what they believe in."
Skeoch says: "I never knew if I'd ever have another band. So great. What are the chances? But here it is. So organic, so natural the way it all happened. Great group of guys, and probably one of the best-sounding records I've ever made. The songs and performances are so perfect."
"Resist & Bite" track listing:
01. Blood On Me
02. Fate
03. Bombs
04. A Soul For Mary
05. I
06. Already Said
07. Afterneath
08. Till Tomorrow
09. Home
10. Crazy
11. Up In Flames
12. Scream
13. Say Watcha Want
RESIST & BITE's debut single, "The Myth I'm Livin'", came out in March 2020. A follow-up single, "Fate", arrived this past June.
Skeoch left TESLA in 2006 and went on to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues. He has since been replaced by Dave Rude. Asked in an interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he exited the group of his own accord or if he was asked to leave, Tommy said: "I was fired. I was getting fucked up and I was definitely in the wrong about a lot of stuff, and they put up with it for a long time. But at the same time, none of us were angels, and we put up with a lot of stuff from the other guys for a long time too, and they're still there. So I felt like a little scapegoated by the thing. And the other thing is they didn't want people — I guess for the benefit of my family, so it wouldn't look bad — they said, 'Tommy's just gonna spend time [with his family].' That's why nobody knows, and that's why you're asking this question. Everyone's confused on even what happened. Basically, I was fired. I was getting fucked up, and I kept fucking up, and I kept telling 'em I wouldn't, and I just couldn't stop."
Skeoch added that he accepts responsibility for the circumstances that led to his departure from TESLA. "I do, of course," he said. "But I also believe we put up with a lot of shit for a long time from almost every other guy in the band, and they're still there. So I don't know what's up with that; that's a little weird to me."
Last September, TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon was asked by Detroit's WRIF radio station if the band will ever work with Skeoch again. Hannon said: "When we were kids, Tommy Skeoch and myself, I was 16 and he was about 19 or 20. I used to really look up to him — I was a huge fan of his style, and still am, a great fan of his guitar playing. We were like best buds. And then we would collaborate and write songs like 'Modern Day Cowboy' or any of those TESLA songs, we'd write 'em together. But as time went on, man, the egos and the problems — myself included — throughout the years, the competition, it really drove a wedge between us. And the drugs and alcohol just really destroyed our relationship, I've just gotta be honest. We weren't supposed to talk about this stuff, but now I figure it's been long enough.
"I don't see that TESLA will ever go back, because we love Dave Rude, and Dave has really been a great addition to the band. And it would be disrespectful to him to go backwards to a toxic thing, a relationship that really got very toxic.
"Unfortunately, I don't think that TESLA will work with Tommy again — ever," Frank reiterated. "But I will say that myself, personally, I have always loved Tommy and I just wish him the best. I'm so glad that he's still alive, and I know he's got a new band out [RESIST & BITE] that put a song out called 'The Myth I'm Livin''. It was kick-ass; it had Tommy's guitar. Look, I'm getting goosebumps right now. Every time I hear Tommy Skeoch play, it brings a smile to my face, 'cause he's freakin' awesome. As a musician, I have nothing but love and respect for the guy. But I don't think TESLA will ever work with him again. But I do wish him the best."
In a 2011 interview with Noisecreep, TESLA singer Jeff Keith stated about Skeoch: "Look, everyone in TESLA has been through their own substance-abuse issues. But Tommy got in too deep again. So the band told him that the only way we would be able to make this work is if he was clean and sober. I felt like we couldn't ask him to do that if we weren't going to commit to it too. So I was the first one to say that I wouldn't drink, or do anything else, on the tour. The next thing you know, the other guys did the same thing. Troy [Luccketta, drums] has been clean and sober for over 20 years, so it wasn't even an issue for him... Tommy couldn't stay off the stuff he was doing. It broke my heart to see it, but we knew we had to replace him."
BEATALLICA, a satirical mashup act whose hilarious schtick marries the songwriting prowess of THE BEATLES to the deep-throated rock growl of METALLICA, will release its fourth studio album, "The Devolver Album", on November 12 via Metal Assault Records.
A music video for the album's lead single "Wherever And Everywhere" is set to premiere on October 1 on the band's YouTube channel, along with the pre-order launch of the album in the aforementioned formats on beatallica.bandcamp.com. All digital and physical album pre-orders will come with an instant download of the lead single.
On the arrival of "The Devolver Album" and what to expect from the new release, the band issued the following comment: "BEATALLICA are stoked to finally be releasing 'The Devolver Album' after many years of arranging, re-arranging, and deranging concepts!
"Our relationship with METALLICA has been a blessing and we thank them for their support and allowances.
"'The Devolver Album' will have all the elements of past BEATALLICA recordings plus more. Listeners will pick up on the mash-up between original music and lyrics and METALLICA compositions along with BEATLES sensibilities, style, and influence. Thrashy, heavy, clever, subversive, and hesh, of course!
"BEATALLICA are made up of highly experienced song writers and we had a great time working in original material on this release.
"Our first single and video for 'Wherever And Everywhere' will be out soon.
"BEATALLICA are pumped to be working with Metal Assault Records and we look forward to playing live, in support of 'The Devolver Album' before too long! Info and show dates can be found at beatallica.org and merch will be at beatallica.bandcamp.com. Hells yeah!!"
Produced by BEATALLICA, "The Devolver Album" was recorded at Hamtone Audio and engineered by Jeff Hamilton and Lodi Broekhuizen. Mixing and mastering duties were handled by Flemball Rasmartin at Shane Olivo Audio and Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering, respectively. The artwork featured on the cover of "The Devolver Album" was created by Matt Wells of lizardmanart.com
"The Devolver Album" track listing:
01. Devolver
02. Play Me Overdrive Guitar
03. Never Borne
04. Wherever And Everywhere
05. Hesh Today
06. Here Comes Revenge
07. Numbernine
08. B. C. H. C.
09. The Damning Of Helleanor Hippie
In late 2020, Metal Assault Records very excitedly added BEATALLICA to its official label roster. MAR owner Andrew Bansal was first introduced to BEATALLICA in 2010 when the band toured the West Coast and performed at the now-defunct Key Club in West Hollywood; putting on the kind of performance only they can. Subsequently, Bansal interviewed BEATALLICA and kept track of their progress over the years as they took their show on the road all over the world, garnering a global fanbase to go with the heaps of praise received from members of METALLICA and the like, as well as from journalists everywhere.
On the live front, BEATALLICA is set to perform at the gigantic Summerfest in their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin this Saturday September 18. More concert dates will be announced in the near future, as the band gears up to perform "Wherever And Everywhere" in support of the new record.
BEATALLICA's third full-length album, "Abbey Load", was released in April 2013 via Oglio Records.
Back in 2005, the members of BEATALLICA received help from METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich in their dispute with Sony Music over BEATALLICA's "unlawful use" of the group's compositions "without authorization or license." Sony Music accused BEATALLICA of violating copyright laws, demanded that their webmaster pay "unspecified damages," and forced the band's ISP to shut down their web site. Thanks to Ulrich's efforts, BEATALLICA was soon back online, and the legal debacle was over.
"The Internet is a swamp of piracy, so you send out cease-and-desist letters all the time," METALLICA lawyer Peter Paterno said at the time. "Someone at Sony probably saw this site and sent out a letter and once they realized what was on it they decided it was not something worth picking a fight over. They got that this is different from someone selling BEATLES CDs and not paying royalties."
BEATALLICA frontman Jaymz Lennfield (a.k.a. Michael "Tinker" Tierney) later told River Cities' Reader that he believed his band's music had the legal protection of parody. "We think we're making something new, especially lyrically," he said. "It's definitely a creative process... Legally and creatively, stuff like this hasn't been done before."
Fan-filmed video footage of SKID ROW's September 25 performance on the Chickasaw Country Entertainment Stage at the 2021 Oklahoma State Fair can be seen below.
Two months ago, 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.
Last summer, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he and his bandmates would embark on a "Slave To The Grind" 30th-anniversary tour in 2021. "We'll do the album in its entirety, and then we're gonna do a bunch of stuff to coincide with it," he said. "We're pretty psyched, and the shows are booked. We're keeping our fingers crossed that everything is gonna come to pass… It'll be cool, to go out there and do 'Slave To The Grind' top to the bottom. That'll be fun."
According to Bolan, SKID ROW didn't celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's self-titled debut album in 2019 because "the timing didn't really work out. We had so much other stuff planned, and then all of a sudden, boom, it was here," he explained. "Maybe down the road [we'll celebrate it]. Maybe [for the] 40th [anniversary]. [Laughs]"
As previously reported, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach is also celebrating the "Slave To The Grind" anniversary on a U.S. tour this fall. He is performing the LP in its entirety at all shows on the trek, which kicked off last night (Friday, October 1) in Grapevine, Texas.
Bach previously performed "Slave To The Grind" in its entirety in October 2019 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Earlier that fall, he completed a U.S. tour during which he celebrated the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW's self-titled debut album.
Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.
In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of Bolan and guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.
SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.
Legendary atmospheric metal band Aquilus has revealed a video for “Into Wooded Hollows,” the first single from the highly anticipated album Bellum I, available December 3 via Blood Music.
Watch the video, shot in Hungary by No Total Films, below.
“For their concept, the old women lighting a fire in the dark represents death,” say Aquilus’s Horace Rosenqvist. “The young woman washing her clothes in the water at sunset represents life and rebirth.”
“Into Wooded Hollows” is the first new music from the enigmatic band since the release of Griseus, an album that became one of the most whispered-about secrets in the metal scene, following its quiet release a decade ago. Ten years in the making, Bellum I continues Aquilus’s signature blend of acoustic elements with an assortment of acoustic guitars and pianos to violins, mandolas, fipple flutes, balalaika, gusli and bowed psaltery, recalling the aura and dexterity of emotive film composers Bernard Herrmann and Thomas Newman. Once work began, the opus grew so furiously that the decision was ultimately made to split it into two parts, beginning with Bellum I. Bellum I is a stunning tribute to perfection. and a testament to the beauty and chaos of creation.
“‘Bellum I’ is an atmospheric metal album with a fusion of classical/film, folk and black metal influences, continuing in the tradition of the work started on the first album, ‘Griseus,’ and evolving to new levels,” Rosenqvist says.
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Aquilus's music is composed and produced by one person - Horace Rosenqvist - recorded in collaboration with session musicians. The amount of detail poured into each note is immeasurable. Years of dedication were undertaken to produce the finest works.
Bellum I is a stunning tribute to perfection. A testament to the beauty and chaos of creation.
Finnish Helsinki-based metal band Fearout is set to release their debut album, Bleedthrough, on November 5th, 2021 via Inverse Records. The band released their second single, "Point Blank Range" along with an official music video. Check it out below.
Singer Justus Latvala comments: "'Point Blank Range' is a little bit older song. I think I sent the first demo to the band in 2015. Then we spent five years trying to get lead vocal melodies right. We always thought that the song contained good riffs and rhythms and it had potential, but I never really nailed the vocals until last December.
'Point Blank Range' was the first song that we mixed for the album and we spent quite some time to get the guitar sound right. And actually, re-recorded all the guitars four or five times because we weren't satisfied with the sound.
The song deals with the consequences of the choices that we make. It raises the question that if you had a chance, would you make the same choices and do the same mistakes all over again. Which one is more important: the journey or the destination?"
Fearout are a four-piece Finnish hard rock / metal / punk / stoner band from Helsinki. The band was founded in 2014 by Arg Kinnunen (guitar) and Justus Latvala (vocals). Cur
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