Available Now on All Streaming Platforms
US Vinyl and CD Pre-Orders Available Now
“It’s great to look back and see our future unfurl — from little metal acorns mighty metal oaks do grow. One small step for metal, one giant leap for metalkind — a lifelong metal journey began with these songs. This album lit the eternal metal flame — as real and fresh as ever five decades on” — Rob Halford
In 1974 before the eternal metal flame was ever lit - Judas Priest were simply 5 young musicians in their 20’s – Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, KK Downing and John Hinch – from the Black Country an area of working-class towns in England - excited to have signed a record deal.
With limited funds, the band recorded during the less expensive night shift hours. The album Rocka Rolla was born during these sessions, under the guidance of producer Roger Bain who was brought in by the label and who had previously produced Black Sabbath.
Judas Priest learnt over time how to record an album - and the experience of working in a professional recording studio helped prepare them for the next album to come - one of the most definitive and foundational heavy metal albums of all time - Sad Wings of Destiny
But with Rocka Rolla the band was not there for the mixing, the mastering process or any final approvals — they didn’t have a say when it was finished or how it ultimately sounded. Although the band felt positive about how the songs sounded in the studio, they were particularly disappointed when they received a finished copy of the album in the mail to listen to for the first time.....
“I took the record… and I put the needle onto the groove and I sat back. And I just slowly started to deflate, deflate.” said Rob Halford. “I was so disappointed with the way it was sounding… All of us were - we’d all worked so hard to get to this place. And now this music that we know when we play live is roaring - the heavy metal is roaring even in those early primitive days - none of that was coming out of the speakers”
The band never had a future say in Rocka Rolla in the intervening decades — the re-releases and early-era compilations… but that was about to change.....
During Judas Priest’s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour in 2022, something remarkable was happening behind the scenes. The label that originally signed Judas Priest in 1974, Gull Records and its owner David Howells, decided to sell the masters and publishing rights for the two albums the label owned, Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny — and he contacted Glenn Tipton’s music publisher, Michael Closter of Reach Music Publishing.
Kublai Khan TX Unleash New Album 'Exhibition Of Prowess' via Rise Records + Release "Mud" Visualizer
Texan titans Kublai Khan TX have released their new album 'Exhibition Of Prowess' (via Rise Records), the band's fifth album and first full-length since 2019's 'Absolute'. In celebration of the release, the quartet dropped the official visualizer for their track "Mud" taken from the album. Speaking about the track, vocalist Matt Hunnycutt commented:
"'Mud' is the scissors slowly closing in on the final thread keeping sanity intact. Entrenched and trapped with nowhere to go but deeper underground. Reflections and thoughts mirroring a man’s will to survive in a world obsessed with extinction. Low-tech, primordial soundwaves. Sludge-covered, sun-blistered frequencies of war and peace. "Mud" is mankind."
Leading up to today, the quartet released "Theory Of Mind", "Low Tech" and most recently, "Supreme Ruler" which altogether have clocked up over 15 million streams and counting on Spotify and 2.5 million views on YouTube. 'Exhibition Of Prowess' is available now on all streaming platforms at the link here, and watch the "Mud" official visualizer below.
Be sure to catch Kublai Khan TX tear up stages across North America with Lorna Shore, Whitechapel and Sanguisugabogg, as well as at a newly announced performance at Aftershock Festival on Saturday, October 12 in Sacramento, California. Get your tickets at the link here before it's too late.
Kublai Khan TX Tour Dates with Lorna Shore, Whitechapel + Sanguisugabogg
Sep 19 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS
Sep 20 - Toronto, ON - HISTORY
Sep 21 - Moon Township, PA - UPMC Events Center
Sep 22 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Special Events Center
Sep 24 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live Orlando
Sep 25 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
Sep 27 - Louder Than Life Fest - Louisville, KY**
Sep 28 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
Sep 29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
Sep 30 - The Midland Theatre - Kansas City, MO*
Oct 2 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore New Orleans
Oct 3 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
Oct 4 - San Antonio, TX - Boeing Center at Tech Port
Oct 5 - Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom
Oct 7 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Oct 8 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Oct 9 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
Oct 10 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
Oct 11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Oct 12 - Aftershock Fest - Sacramento, CA
Oct 14 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Oct 15 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
Oct 17 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Oct 18 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
Oct 19 - Omaha, NE - Steelhouse Omaha
Oct 20 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore Minneapolis
Oct 21 - Cudahy, WI - X-Ray Arcade
Oct 22 - Chicago, IL - Radius
Oct 23 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
Oct 24 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora*
Oct 25 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
Oct 26 - Asbury Park, NJ - House Of Independents
Oct 27 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
Oct 28 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall
Oct 29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
Oct 30 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre
*Not A Live Nation date
**No Kublai Khan & Sanguisugabogg
Apocalypse Fest
Nov 1 - Wilkes/Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Christian Hayes Releases Debut EP ‘Last I Love You’ via Capitol Records
When Rome, Georgia native Christian Hayes emerged onto the music scene this year with the release of "Leaving,” “LILY” (an acronym for “last I love you”) and “Cheyenne,” he gained instant recognition with Holler declaring him among their list of “Country and Americana Artists You Need To Know” and Nashville Briefing naming him an “Artist To Watch.” Now, Hayes arrives on Capitol Records with his debut EP, Last I Love You,encompassing those three songs along with newly released “Black Gold” and “My Memory.”
Listen to Last I Love You HERE.
The record casts a wide net, bouncing between campfire ballads, cinematic soundscapes and raw, rowdy barn-burners. At the center of that sound is Hayes himself: a wise-beyond-his-years musician who knows he can't move forward without taking a look at his past.
"This record is about who I used to be, and it sets the stage for who I'm going to be. It's the last 'I love you' to my old self,” Hayes shares. “I have skeletons in my closet, just like everyone else, and I want people to hear the authenticity in these songs. I'm not hiding anything."
Fusing Americana with cinematic folk, Last I Love You was produced by Lukas Bracewell and is an autobiographical introduction of Hayes’ journey to Music Row, beginning with “Black Gold,” which chronicles a two year stint in which he worked for his now ex girlfriend’s father selling oil and gas. Often clocking in 14-16 hour days – sometimes seven days a week, with very little pay – the period that “Black Gold” recalls was a formative one in Hayes’ life.
“I often struggled with self-love, so I sought that in other places,” Hayes recalls. “This EP highlights my journey in overcoming that discontentment and learning how to love myself. A lot of these lessons are highlighted, in the track ‘Black Gold,’ which is a true story that narrates my journey selling fuel which led me to the self-realization that the relationship and the job that I had were taking more than they were giving.”
“Black Gold” will be added to rotation on SiriusXM’s The Highway this weekend timed to its release.
Released in February 2024, "Leaving" was Hayes' debut single, an up-tempo song about making dumb mistakes and running away from problems. “LILY” followed in April. Its poignant evocation of the reluctant end of a relationship – along with the instant-classic refrain “I guess this is my last I love you” – struck a chord with listeners, who turned it into a viral hit, quickly sending combined global streams past the three million mark. Hayes released “Cheyenne,” an expressive, melodic journey through self-discovery and heartbreak, in July.
"People have told me about how much 'LILY' has helped them," Hayes explains. "It makes them feel like they're not alone. With three million streams and counting, the song reminds me that I'm not alone, either. It's brought a sense of togetherness to me and my audience, and maybe it's healed me more than it's healed anyone else."
To coincide with the EP release, Hayes is unveiling his first official music video today for “LILY.” Starting in a bedroom setting, illuminated by moonlight, and evolving into a new bedroom as the song progresses, the video symbolizes the journey of moving on from a past relationship, anchored by Christian’s raw performance.
The EP is capped with the reflective track “My Memory.” Evoking nostalgia for the home he grew up in, “My Memory” poetically recalls Hayes’ time spent on the front porch and its lasting impact on his life. The spot where he honed his craft and wrote the more than 900 songs he has in his journal, his front porch is also where he bonded with his father and matured beyond the defiant ways of his childhood.
Genuine and articulate, Hayes comes from a long line of storytellers that includes his Grandpa Jack – a poet by profession – who gave Christian his first journal. Born and raised in the foothills of Appalachia, Hayes began playing guitar at age eight. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve and attended the University of Alabama.
Hayes recently signed with Capitol Records, as well as with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for booking, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) for publishing, Wildrose Projects for management and Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy (FBMM) for business management.
All songs on Last I Love You are self-penned except for “Black Gold,” which Hayes co-wrote with Jonathan Hutcherson.
Christian Hayes – Upcoming Tour Dates
Sept. 21 – AMERICANAFEST Showcase @ City Winery - Nashville, TN
Oct. 26 - River South Festival - Bainbridge, GA
Oct. 29 - Eddie's Attic - Atlanta, GA
ABOUT CHRISTIAN HAYES
Raised in the Appalachian foothills of northern Georgia, Christian Hayes grew up surrounded by southern storytelling. His grandfather — a poet by profession — encouraged him to begin writing in a journal at 7 years old, sparking a habit that would eventually take Hayes to Nashville. A veteran of the US Navy Reserve, Hayes began applying the discipline of his military training to his work as a songwriter, amassing more than 900 original songs by his mid-twenties. Five of those songs appear on Last I Love You, his debut for Capitol Records available now. Produced by Lukas Bracewell and steeped in Hayes' unique version of American roots music, Last I Love You features the viral single "LILY" (which racked up more than 3 million streams before the EP's official release), the anthemic "Black Gold," and a mix of effortless melodies, cinematic folk and rowdy, barn-burning Americana.
Follow Christian Hayes:
Website | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | YouTube
Zac Brown Band-New EP Out Now + NYE Show!
Chase Rice Releases Independent Album GO DOWN SINGIN’ + Poignant "You In '85" Music Video
Diamond-certified songwriter Chase Rice debuts his highly anticipated independent album, Go Down Singin’, a reflective 11-song collection that captures the raw, unvarnished truth of his personal journey. Today’s release marks a continuation of Rice’s creative evolution that began with last year’s critically acclaimed I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, an album celebrated by Billboard as “one of 2023’s most unexpected artistic pivots” and one of the best of the year across all genres. Listen to Go Down Singin’ HERE.
“It’s my first release in over 10 years as a fully independent artist,” notes Rice. “All we thought about when making this music was ‘how do we put the very best songs that I’ve got on one album?’ No thoughts of what’s popular right now, or what will work blow up or go viral, simply ‘who am I and what am I best at?’ It’s got songs about the music industry and what it can do to your soul; it’s got love lost songs; it’s got a song about my dad once again; it’s even got a murder song that might be my favorite song on the album. I hope you guys love this as much as I loved making it.”
Mirroring the cover art of the critically acclaimed I Hate Cowboys album, which features an image of his late father holding two Coors Banquets during the late ‘80s in Wyoming, Rice recreated that photo himself for Go Down Singin’ as he continues to honor the man who not only served as his childhood hero, but who also still shapes his music and the person he is today. That tribute is especially poignant with today’s release of the official music video for album track “You In ’85,” which features home footage of Rice and his late father. Watch below.
“I’ve always written songs like these but was never inspired enough to put them out,” he shared with the Tennessean. “Now I'm at a place where records I wasn’t inspired to let see the light of day define my career. Come hell or high water, this is the kind of music that I now make. For the first time in my career, people are buying into me more than drinking beers and enjoying the vibes I’m singing about.”
“Maturity and clarity are the reality on Chase Rice’s new album, Go Down Singin’,” declares Cowboys & Indians of the honest and vulnerable project, continuing, “Even though Rice launched his singer-songwriter career as a bro-country prodigy in 2011 when he penned ‘Cruise’ with Florida Georgia Line, that isn’t who Rice is. It’s who he was. Nowadays, Chase Rice is the seasoned artist behind what is sure to be one of 2024’s most well-received country albums of the year.”
“Stripping back to raw, acoustic elements, the album presents an authentic and deeply personal exploration of Rice’s life, career, and the emotional experiences that come with it,” adds Entertainment Focus. “Blending folk, country, and rock influences, Rice crafts songs that are both musically diverse and lyrically profound... From soulful acoustic ballads to anthemic rockers, each track tells a story, offering listeners a raw and heartfelt glimpse into Rice’s world. With its blend of introspection, nostalgia, and storytelling, this album solidifies Chase Rice’s growing reputation as a nuanced and mature voice in country music.”
As made evident by that introspective approach taken with the new music, Rice recognizes that life has to happen before you can really understand it. Playing football, getting hurt; NASCAR pit crews, moving on. Being swept up in a dream, hit singles, massive tours, stalling momentum. Growing up a good kid, but never quite becoming a man – and then suddenly the man you look up to the most is gone.
Marveling at being a work-in-progress, he considers the 11-song cycle an arrival on the brink of “being the man my father always believed I could be.” He also knows that in the end, the things that matter about what you love have little to do with fame or money. Like every great athlete, it’s about the heart: how hard it beats, how deep it reaches into whatever it is. Now, after what seems like so many chances, the Florida-born, North Carolina-raised dreamer is making good on what his father told him so many years ago, “Boy, anyone can play guitar, but no one is gonna really listen to you until you start singing.”
And writing. Though he co-wrote “Cruise,” arguably one of country’s biggest songs this century, Rice realized he’d only been skimming the surface. With Go Down Singin’ Rice emerges as a spirit settling into a more philosophical place yet still wildly committed to living wide open in pursuit of his dream and being the best man possible. Whether measuring the pitfalls and triumphs on the lean fiddle’n’harmony assessment of “Oh Tennessee,” the cascading acoustic guitar passage of simple wisdom from father to son in “Numbers,” or the smoky looking back at first loves in “Little Red Race Car,” there’s a knowing appreciation for how he got here.
In a voice sturdy as a retaining wall, Rice confesses, “I’m 39 now, and that’s part of it. I’ve journaled since I was 15 years old, but there’s something about being able to tell other people. I’m a deep person, but I don’t know to show it in real life, so I’m trying to do it in my music.
“For me, Go Down Singin’ is everything about where I am and what I want. I’m starting to see myself as who I want to be, not who I thought I should be. That’s a good start. And I think a lot of men struggle with this stuff, too.”
Getting honest, digging down, Rice shifted his approach. Working with Oscar Charles (Boy Named Banjo, Madeline Edwards, Elvie Shane), the pair worked to create a sound that was as honest, as real instrument grounded as the songs that were emerging. Written largely on guitars and piano, Go Down Singin’ shows a man reckoning with growing up.
“For one record, I thought I was Ed Sheeran. For one, I thought I was Florida Georgia Line,” he offers. “I was 22. I got into the party scene, I got lost. I didn’t know. I was very influenced by Eric Church, and wanted to be like him, though mostly, I was just so confused. You fall into things, being in the studio, and you look back…”
Now when Rice looks back, it’s for the sake of the songs. Reckoning with where he is, there’s a reflective sensibility that tempers the life rising and falling “That Word Don’t Work No More,” the honesty of “If Drinkin’ Helped,” and especially, “You In ‘85,” which sifts through memories of his father.
“That started as such a sad vocal. Oscar came in, started talking to me about what the song meant,” he begins. “I realized: this is a celebration and an opportunity. If you could sit down as a man now, have that one conversation with your father and say all the things… It shifted everything about who I am, and reminded me of all the small things that matter.” Pausing, he acknowledges, “I’m becoming the man he knew that I could be. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting there, getting to be someone my family can be proud of.”
As a writing process, “That Word Don’t Work No More,” “If Drinkin’ Helped,” “You In ‘85” and “Oh Tennessee” mark a creative – if seemingly unlikely – collaboration with three-time Grammy winner Lori McKenna, who is also featured on “That Word.” Known for vulnerable but clear-eyed emotion, the Americana force came to see Rice play in Boston and recognized the wounding and the promise inside him.
“I wanted to bring her ‘Oh Tennessee,’ because it was the story of moving to Nashville, getting anything you wanted and losing it all,” he recalls. “I knew she would understand, and from there, well, we had so much to say.”
Getting beneath the surface took hold. Even on fun songs like “Little Red Race Car,” the desire of burning through the mundane in “Fireside,” or the spoken voice-noted homage to fellowship, black dogs and tradition “Arkansas,” there’s a sense of detail and purpose that gets beyond slinging hooks. “You realize, even in a song like ‘Arkansas,’ you’re talking more about life than killing ducks; you’re talking about dogs and what’s going on. It’s so much more.”
And it’s also country music traditions. Like “Haw River,” a classic murder ballad based on avenging the children a bad preacher took advantage of. “We were in Wilmington, North Carolina, and there were four girls by the bus. One said, ‘I’m Kayla from Haw River,’ and my ears just went up. Blake said, ‘We should make that a murder ballad…,’ and we were off. Between the series ‘1923,’ about those priests beating up and raping Native American girls, and our imaginations, it got pretty dark.”
It also gets pretty light. “Hey God It’s Me Again,” a stately shuffle, takes stock of where he is, where he’s going and what really matters. Beyond taking stock, it’s as much a song of gratitude as it is begging for help, an ask for clarity and a place to go to feel connected.
“There’s a little bit of ‘Here I am again…’ for sure,” allows the man who’s had three No. 1s, his own sold-out tours and key stadium support slots with Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney. “But I’m trying… I was a lost kid who lost his Dad. I’m not alone. I know lots of people struggle, too. The last record dealt with that loss, and this one is about taking all that and becoming who you’re meant to be. I wrote ‘Hey God’ with Randy Montana and Cory Crowder, and I remember saying, ‘I don’t want to write with a track, I just want to write with guitars today. I knew: this needed to be absolutely real.”
For more information, visit ChaseRice.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter/X and TikTok @ChaseRiceMusic and on Instagram @ChaseRice.
Photo Credit: Ben Christensen
About Chase Rice
With more than 2.6 million albums sold and over 2.8 billion total streams, plus a legion of passionate fans at his high-energy concerts across the globe, Chase Rice has established himself as a powerful force in Nashville and beyond. With independent album Go Down Singin’ available everywhere now as the follow-up to the critically acclaimed I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, Rice’s sound continues to evolve to reflect the realities of his life; from emotional reckoning to an admiration of the American West. The new music serves as a follow up to his three-part project, The Album, which featured his latest Platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” and the Platinum-certified Top 10 hit “Lonely If You Are.”
This is the same gravelly-voiced Chase Rice fans first fell in love with years ago – but better, freer; unbeholden and uninhibited. The new music builds upon the success of his sophomore album, Lambs & Lions, which featured the 3x Platinum, two-week chart topper “Eyes On You” – Rice’s first No. 1 as an artist and the most-streamed song of his career. Lambs & Lions followed Platinum-certified Ignite the Night, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums and No. 3 on the all-genre chart, producing a pair of Top 5 hits; Platinum-certified “Gonna Wanna Tonight” and Double Platinum “Ready Set Roll.” In addition to guesting on sold-out stadium shows with Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks, Rice consistently sells out venues on his own headlining tours, including the recent Get Western Tour in support of his new music, and he is currently serving as direct support on Dierks Bentley’s Gravel & Gold Tour.
NIGHTWISH - Release New Album "Yesterwynde" + Drop Music Video for "Lanternlight"
The time has come, the clock strikes twelve and another era in the wonderful and literally fantastic history of NIGHTWISH has begun: Today, the Finnish Symphonic metal veterans release their new album Yesterwynde, a stunning journey through memory and monumental music. Known for heavy, orchestral, melodic, and folk trademarks, the band’s tenth studio album is a dark chest of wonders that, once opened, pulls the listener into a magical world beyond time.
Tuomas Holopainen about the new album:
"Yesterwynde is finally here and ready to open its cabinet of stories, timelessness & hope for you dear listener. We are infinitely grateful that we get to share this ocean and all of its islands with you all."
Stream the album here or get your physical copy:
https://nightwish.bfan.link/yesterwynde.a01
For this release, NIGHTWISH also offers fans the chance to listen to Yesterwynde on Roblox! Roblox is an online immersive platform boasting close to 80M daily active users globally. Nuclear Blast has partnered with four experiences RoBeats (music & rhythm), and RPGs Deepwoken, Dungeon Quest & World Zero, where users will be able to play the game while listening to the album from September 20th to September 22nd. Find out more here: https://nblast.de/nightwish-roblox
Together with the release, NIGHTWISH have dropped a music video for their song 'Lanternlight', an intense, quiet, reflective ballad touching themes of loss and mortality.
Tuomas on the video:
“Lanternlight” was the first song written for the album and the natural finale of the Yesterwynde journey. A love song, reaching for the timeless; a music to immortalize the memories of those dearest to us."
Watch the video below.
About NIGHTWISH
Working with NUCLEAR BLAST since the release of their highly lauded 2004 album Once, NIGHTWISH have gained international fame and success selling more than ten million records and receiving more than 60 gold and platinum awards, having released six No #1 albums and thirteen No #1 singles. In October 2018, NIGHTWISH was inducted into the Tähtikatu – Walk of Fame Finland, becoming the honorary gallery's eleventh member. 2020 saw the release of the band's last studio record, Human. :II: Nature. that crowned the band's discography with another No #1 success in Finland and Germany as well several other impressive chart entries worldwide.
Line-Up:
Floor Jansen | Vocals
Tuomas Holopainen | Keys
Emppu Vuorinen | Guitars
Jukka Koskinen | Basses
Troy Donockley | Uilleann Pipes, Low Whistles, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Bouzouki, Bodhrán, Aerophone, Vocals
Kai Hahto | Drums & Percussion
More info:
www.nightwish.com
www.facebook.com/nightwish
www.nuclearblast.de/nightwish
www.instagram.com/nightwish/
www.twitter.com/NightwishBand
Beartooth Announce "The Surface (Deluxe Edition)" + Share "ATTN." Video
Hot on the heels of their most successful tour to date – spanning 60+ shows across North America and over 100k tickets sold — and a year after the release of their chart-topping fifth album The Surface, which earned the band their first pair of #1 singles at US Active Rock radio ("Might Love Myself" + "I Was Alive") and nominations at the Heavy Awards and Libera Awards, Beartooth have even more good news to share with fans.
The platinum-selling and billion-streaming Columbus rock band — Caleb Shomo, vocals; Zach Huston, guitars; Will Deely, guitars; Oshie Bichar, bass; and Connor Denis, drums — have dropped The Surface (Deluxe Edition) today, September 20, via Red Bull Records. Get it here.
The expanded edition of the album features the brand new song "ATTN.," which you can listen to here.
Watch the video below.
In classic Beartooth fashion, it's rife with hooks, supremely catchy verses, arena-filling, sing-along choruses, and monster breakdowns. The anthemic highs are reflective of Shomo's introspective journey to finding and loving his authentic self.
The high-energy video sees Shomo voyage through the subway system to his next stop, before taking an elevator back to the streets above — a metaphor for his professional and personal path from ground zero to the top.
"'ATTN.' is about the ultimate conclusion that I've come to after this whole album cycle and living with these songs for as long as I have now," says Shomo, who has spent the past few years diligently cultivating a positive mental attitude after years of sharing his inner demons via his lyrics. "I think self-love has led to a deeper understanding of my value as a person, to myself and to others. I will always be proud of my art, and I will always be proud of the work that I've put in to say what matters to me. I think that's a great lesson for anybody to take in their own work and their own life."
Shomo continues, "Other people's perception of what you do does not dictate whether something is good or bad — that is only somebody's view. What matters is you, yourself, believing in your work and if it makes you happy and pushes you to be a better version of yourself. That is all that matters at the end of the day. Chasing that feeling and trusting it and finding a group of people that will empower you in that journey is what it's all about."
The Surface (Deluxe Edition) also includes new mixes of beloved album tracks and live cuts, the latter of which truly capture the band in its natural habitat — on stage and laying all of its cards face up on the table with and for their fans. The live renditions on the package were recorded at the Hard Rock in Sacramento, where they brought an unforgettable performance to a sold-out crowd. This fall, they’ll bring "ATTN." to audiences for the first time, as they embark on an 18-date run hitting iconic venues like Alexandra Palace.
Lastly, the track "In Between" is now officially an RIAA certified platinum single with over 1-million song sales in the U.S.
The Surface, was released in October 2023 on Red Bull Records. It has garnered 190 million streams to date, debuted at #1 on Billboard Hard Rock Albums, Luminate Alternative Albums, and Luminate Record Label Independent Current Albums, as well as #5 on Billboard's Top Album Sales. The single "I Was Alive" landed at No. 1 on both the Billboard Mainstream Airplay Chart and the US Mediabase Active Rock radio chart. Just six months prior, the album's previous single, "Might Love Myself," also hit No. 1 and was the band's first-ever chat topper at the format. Beartooth achieving back-to-back, chart-topping singles at radio was a huge testament to their decade of growth and the power of The Surface.
Like its predecessors, The Surface was an intensely personal and powerful journey for Shomo, who has never shied away from sharing his demons in his music and with his fans. However, the frontman has turned a corner with a more optimistic outlook and demonstrates exceptional growth as both an artist and a human being through the songs that comprise the album.
ABOUT BEARTOOTH:
Caleb Shomo first turned the pain of his struggle with mental health and self-image into music in 2013. Beartooth began as a living document, a diary, a journal of repressed rage and depression. Alone in his basement studio, screaming and singing, playing all the instruments, and self-producing a batch of furious but melodic songs filled with reflection and confession, the Ohio native stared into the abyss, initially with no intention of returning to the heavy music world that burned him as a teen.
A decade later, the different pieces of his body of work connect in title, sound, and spirit. As the frontman hits 30, Beartooth's fifth album, The Surface, completes this era in 2023. Even more importantly, it kicks off a new chapter filled with surprising optimism and just as honest. Depression is a sick, disgusting, aggressive disease below the surface. Caleb stands ready to bask in the light.
In its celebrated debut, The Surface hit #1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart and #5 across Billboard’s Album Sales, Alternative Albums, Top Current Albums, and Vinyl Albums charts. A product of Beartooth's fervent fanbase and radio-ready hits, the band also earned their first #1's on the Mediabase Active Rock and Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay charts for both "Might Love Myself" and "I Was Alive."
Like Nine Inch Nails, Beartooth remains a one-person band in the studio. On the heels of the introductory Sick EP (2013), Disgusting (2014) produced BEARTOOTH’s first Gold single, "In Between." Aggressive (2016) and Disease(2018) expanded on the desperation and pain, each a step closer to a balance between the blood and tears of classic recordings and the shimmer of modernity.
Rolling Stone heralded Beartooth as one of 10 Artists You Need to Know. The rabid response to Caleb's music demonstrated how many people related to his struggle for self-acceptance. Below (2021) topped the Rock and Alternative charts and several Best Rock/Metal Albums of the Year lists. Today, the Beartooth catalog boasts more than 1.3 billion streams across all platforms.
Beartooth began as both bomb and balm, an outright refusal to suffer in silence, weaponizing radio-ready bombast, delivering raw emotion mixed with noise-rock chaos. Other bands play the "devastating riffs and catchy hooks" game, but this music is the difference between life and death, and now, a sort of life after death while still here. The band Forbes sees "inching towards a tipping point of becoming the latest arena headliner" is now one step closer.
Void Of Vision Release New Album "What I'll Leave Behind" + Share Video For "Neurotic"
"'What I'll Leave Behind' is an expressive and beautiful offering that sees experimentation and originality flourishing in the face of trauma and affliction…With new trajectories ahead, Void Of Vision is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with- and that is the message they will leave behind for years to come" — Wall Of Sound, 10/10
"Brutal, raw, emotive, gut wrenching despair and confusion. No thought is left off the page and those lyrics are sensationally captured in a musically refined album… Musically and visually, it’s almost a celebration track, a tale of freedom and acceptance. Now it’s time to take on the world" — HiFi Way
"This band just continues to reinvent themselves in the best possible way" — The Break Down With Nath + Johnny
Today, Melbourne's Void Of Vision release their fourth studio album What I'll Leave Behind via UNFD.
A stupefying collection of explosive riffs, viscous textures and serrated metalcore, What I'll Leave Behind finds Void Of Vision channeling their trademark wares into new and scintillating territory, redefining modern heavy music through a sharp and compelling lens.
Today, Void Of Vision also share a brand new video for the track "Neurotic;" the ultimate ode for vocalist Jack Bergin's road to self discovery alongside staggering odds.
"'Neurotic' is my own personal ego death anthem," Bergin shares. "I've spent so many years of my life in the most neurotic headspace. I've been a self-absorbed, egocentric, and overall shitty person behind the curtain and managed to pull it off under the guise of music. It only took until very recently to realise sometimes we all have to let go of a piece of ourselves to move forward and saying it all out loud in the moment is a part of that step that just makes it more real."
He continues, "Becoming self-aware and conscious of my own personal growth since radiotherapy has made me realize what's really important. The artificial fantasy we trap ourselves in is only built to last so long, feeling it all come to a halt is near bliss. I'm losing unnecessary connections, so many fake people and so much wasted time that is giving me more happiness than I have ever found within this bleak rat race. "
He finishes,"Unplugging from it all just feels so fucking good."
Watch the video for "Neurotic" below.
Tracing a long and harrowing personal journey for vocalist Jack Bergin, What I'll Leave Behind ultimately captures events that trace back to 2022 when Bergin woke up in an ambulance. Following a seizure and countless tests, Bergin would soon discover the fundamental, tectonic-plates-of-life shifting reason: he had a "glitch" in his head. An arteriovenous malformation (AVM), to be precise, a tangle of blood vessels in his brain, revealed by MRI and CT scans.
Balancing touring, music video filming and the recording of the CHRONICLES III: UNDERWORLD EP, Bergin's increasing exhaustion alongside his creative commitments prompted him to step back and reconfigure, adapting a shadow-self and creative gimmick dubbed the Angel Of Darkness, accompanying the single of the same name and aiming to help Bergin take space to get through each day, whilst still propelling Void Of Vision's artistic world forward.
Alas, the steps taken were not enough; in April of 2023, hospital visits and further scans revealed that the AVM had ruptured, and Bergin was suffering a brain bleed. Surgery was now essential; immediately it was clear that Void Of Vision's schedule, including headline shows, festivals and the recording of their next album, needed to be wiped clean, as Bergin was hospitalised for the foreseeable future.
Experiencing what he today acknowledges was little short of an existential crisis, Bergin spent the weeks in his hospital bed in a state of exhaustive, draining introspection, reflection and analysis, oscillating between contradictory emotions, facing his own mortality and questioning everything: "Was / is it all worth it? What am I doing with my life? Who am I without the band? What will I leave behind?"
From this state of conflict, Bergin’s internal war of attrition, came What I'll Leave Behind, Void Of Vision's fourth album, with the new album also finding Bergin and his bandmates, James McKendrick (guitar/vocals), George Pfaender (drums) and Mitch Fairlie (guitar) more focused than ever; the genre polyamory of the CHRONICLES era smelted and reforged into a sound that is distinctly, unmistakably, joyously their own. Nasty, heavy, yet sleekly surgical, it offers the perfect soundtrack for a journey from disaster to acceptance, via trauma, uncertainty, loss and learning.
Void Of Vision have solidified their standing as one of the most innovative and sonically explosive acts in the heavy scene for over a decade. From their debut EP, 2014's Broken // Bones through to 2016's Children of Chrome, 2017's Disturbia, 2019's Hyperdaze and the release of the amalgamated CHRONICLES series in 2023, a new future was heralded last year by the arrival of a standalone single Angel Of Darkness; an alt metal rager weighted equally by searing heaviness and pulsing pop, helmed by the titular Angel Of Darkness as the band's representative during the single's campaign.
With recent unforgettable performances at home and abroad in their wake alongside Stray From The Path, ERRA, Holding Absence, Polaris and the first ever edition of Knotfest Australia, Void Of Vision are currently on the road supporting Aussie juggernauts Parkway Drive on their gargantuan 20 Year Anniversary Tour in Australia, with a packed Brisbane show on Wednesday 18 September kicking of proceedings, a second show in Brisbane tonight to coincide with the release of What I'll Leave Behind, and shows still to come for Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and closing out in Perth.
Void Of Vision will also be returning to North America this November and December, supporting The Ghost Inside and also appearing as part of August Burns Red's annual Christmas Burns Red event.
"The most beautiful things / Are what I'll leave behind..."
VOID OF VISION ON TOUR:
WITH THE GHOST INSIDE:
11/21 — The Van Buren — Phoenix AZ
11/22 — Riverside Municipal Auditorium — Riverside CA
11/23 — The Catalyst — Santa Cruz CA
11/25 — Roseland Theater — Portland OR
11/26 — The Showbox — Seattle WA
11/27 — The Pearl — Vancouver BC
11/29 — Union Hall — Edmonton AB
11/30 — Palace Theatre — Calgary AB
12/ 1 — Knitting Factory — Spokane WA
12/ 2 — Knitting Factory — Boise ID
12/ 3 — The Depot — Salt Lake City UT
12/ 5 — Diamond Ballroom — Oklahoma City OK
12/ 6 — Emo's Austin — Austin TX
12/ 7 — House Of Blues — Houston TX
12/ 8 — House Of Blues — Dallas TX
12/ 10 — Brooklyn Bowl — Nashville TN
12/ 11 — Agora Theatre and Ballroom — Cleveland OH
12/ 13 — Newport Music Hall — Columbus OH
Smartpunk Records Drops Roses Are Red "Conversations" 20th Anniversary Vinyl Re-Issue
Roses Are Red's iconic emo/melodic rock album Conversations was first released on September 21, 2004. Two decades later, the band is celebrating the milestone with three vinyl variants re-released via Smartpunk Records.
It is available on vinyl for the first time via Smartpunk Records here.
During the era of its original release, the band took the emo scene by storm on the Vans Warped Tour in 2004 and 2005, the Take Action Tour in 2006, on tours with My Chemical Romance, Alkaline Trio, and Hawthorne Heights, and in features with Alternative Press, Revolver, Outburn, and more.
This pressing includes the band’s cover of Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock" and a demo version of "Time Signals Progress." The band will also be performing a special "20 Years of Conversations" show on September 21, 2024 in Rochester, NY. The band’s second album What Became of Me has also been pressed to vinyl for the first time, and will be available September 21.
Roses Are Red is actively releasing new music in 2024 with their first release in 18 years, with "Memento" embodying the modern nostalgia of the elder emos.
Listen to "Memento" below.
When asked about the anniversary release, vocalist Vincent Minervino says,"Revisiting Conversations and the scene around it feels like reconnecting with an old flame. We all have those butterflies in our stomach, just like seeing a DM request from your first love. The entire experience means so much to us, and we couldn't have been more thrilled when Smartpunk approached us about a vinyl pressing to celebrate the 20th anniversary. We can't wait to play the songs again on stage with our old friends, and we are super excited for this new chapter of the band."
ABOUT ROSES ARE RED:
Blurring the line between aggressive melodic rock and hook-driven emo, Roses Are Red came together in late 2002 in Rochester, NY. Claiming influences ranging from Jimmy Eat World to Def Leppard, the quintet debuted in 2003 with the ten-song Handshakes and Heartbreaks on Enterprise Records. Touring behind Handshakes, the band caught the attention of Trustkill Records, signed in early 2004 and entered the studio that summer with Chris Badami (The Starting Line, The Early November). A stint on the summer's Warped Tour preceded the arrival of their label debut, Conversations, that September. Roses Are Red stayed on the road, hitting Europe with Underoath and Silverstein, and returning to the U.S. for 2005's Warped. Sharing stages over time with bands like My Chemical Romance, Story of the Year, and Bullet For My Valentine helped their fan base grow even further. Working with Brian McTernan (Thrice, Circa Survive), the band's next effort, What Became of Me was released in June 2006 as one of Alternative Press's "Most Anticipated" that year. The band participated in the Take Action Tour 2006 alongside Matchbook Romance, The Early November, and Chiodos. In 2024, the band reformed after a 17-year hiatus to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Conversations and released brand new track "Memento."
ABOUT SMARTPUNK RECORDS:
Smartpunk has been a recognizable name in the scene for a long time (Remember that sponsored Warped Tour stage?!). After exchanging several hands and countless ideas of what it could and should be, they decided to start a record label in 2016 with the main idea of focusing solely on reissuing records that have been out of print or never on vinyl. After all, they're a label of vinyl dorks themselves! After releasing Set Your Goals' Mutiny and Gameface's Good, they started to venture into signing newer bands. They actively balance in between many worlds — putting out amazing music from friends and bands that rock, reissuing older titles, and partnering with other incredible labels in our scene and doing exclusive color variants of their releases.
"Since forming the record label, Smartpunk Records has released timeless albums such as Less Than Jake's Anthem, Nominee's Lowlife, RIVALS' Sad Looks Pretty on Me, Virginity's POPMORTEM, and melodic skate punkers The Swellers' My Everest.
Miranda Lambert Sends 'Postcards from Texas' Today, Sept. 13
With NPR’s “All Songs Considered” lauding Miranda Lambert as “the most accomplished and consistently great artist in contemporary country music” as Postcards from Texas leads today’s discussion of the most impactful new releases, the show also declares, “This is an album that proves that she’s a backbone of country; she can make these really beautiful, minimalist country songs that get to the heart of very clear, concise ideas about love and homeland.” Listen to the latest project from the most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history HERE.
“Usually when you make a record, it’s a snapshot of the past two or three years and where you are in that moment,” reflects Lambert. “Postcards from Texas instead draws on all the different stages of my life and my career, all the influences that have ever inspired me, and gives you a really full picture of who I am.”
With a perky backbeat and a come-hither tone, Lambert kicks off Postcards from Texas with “Armadillo,” the plucky, magical-thinking road adventure that sets the tone for the 14-song romp across her home state that is both nostalgic and forward-facing. With an emphasis on the wide-ranging musical palette of Texas itself, Lambert and co-producer Jon Randall created a mélange of sleek ‘70s country (“Looking Back On Luckenbach,” “Wildfire”), slow-burning Neil Young swagger (“Wranglers”), grassy pluck (“Bitch On The Sauce (Just Drunk)”), a hilarious shuffle (“Alimony,” celebrated by the Associated Press as “such a rewarding lyric reversal, it feels almost prototypical – as if plucked from some great country music songbook instead of written into it”) and classic songwriter fare (“No Man’s Land,” “I Hate Love Songs”), plus an unrepentant take on David Allen Coe’s “Living On The Run.”
“You’d have to look pretty far and wide to find anyone in music who has been as consistently good or eternally enjoyable as Miranda Lambert,” declares Rolling Stone’s review. With her ninth solo studio project adding to that celebrated discography, the accomplished writer and vocalist of many colors and emotions delivers an album that is in turns sleek, ragged, rocking and honky tonk ready. Think of it as Lambert’s love letter to her home state. Recorded at Austin’s legendary Arlyn Studios, the pair of GRAMMY-winning creative forces drew on some of Texas’s best-known musicians to further root this song cycle in the textures that have defined her storied career. If you like freewheeling, high-flying, seat of your pants ecstasy and slightly salty “here’s how it is,” Lambert’s first album for Republic Records pushes all those buttons, and more.
“There’s the line ‘livin’ on a Lone Star love’ in ‘Looking Back on Luckenbach,’ and that could be the thesis statement for this record,” Lambert reflects. “It really sums up the entire journey that I’ve taken with this new path… Going back to the root and putting a lot of steel guitar on it, a lot of country – a lot of kinds of country – it’s just kind of finding my place again artistically.”
“At this stage in her career, Lambert doesn’t have anything to prove — and that’s one of many reasons why Postcards from Texas is a ride that works,” applauds the Associated Press, with local cultural authority Texas Monthly adding, “On paper, Lambert seems to have all she ever wanted and more… Rather than taking a victory lap, though, Lambert is pushing into territory that’s as risky as it is familiar.”
A masterclass in the phases and stages of a songwriter raised on the potent forces of Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, George Strait, Steve Earle and Guy Clark, this is Lambert at her truest and most real. “There are tearful, pedal-steel ballads that could have been written at any point in the past 50 years, but also songs with a more contemporary, arena-ready rock sheen,” notes the Daily Mail, yet as Rolling Stone raves, “the album never feels like a tribute to anything other than her own independent muse.”
From start to finish on Postcards from Texas, the woman known for her staunch individualism, no-mess attitude and unwavering truth-telling moves through the expansive freedoms and musical gears that makes Texas such a mythic, magical place – looking back on the journey thus far while also keeping an eye down the road to where all of it might take her.
“The beginning and ending were on purpose,” she admits. “We’re gonna start out and end in the same level of brokenness. ‘Living on the Run,’ because of what it says, makes you feel like you’re about to get in the car with that armadillo again, and start it all over. I feel like it’s the signal to start the journey all over again, because that’s what life is.”
About Miranda Lambert
Critically acclaimed groundbreaker/songwriter/superstar Miranda Lambert has defined her multi-faceted career as an artist, entertainer, entrepreneur, advocate and businesswoman with an unflinching quest for excellence, honesty and conviction. With her ninth solo studio album, Postcards from Texas, available everywhere now via Republic Records, the most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history, including their top honor for Entertainer of the Year, has also won three GRAMMYs and 14 Country Music Association Awards. A TIME100 honoree and perennial best-of-the-year list maker at the New York Times, TIME, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Stereogum, People and more, NPR has called her “the most riveting country star of her generation.”
A multi-dimensional superstar, she’s earned seven No. 1 solo albums, 10 No. 1 hit radio singles, more than 80 prestigious awards and countless RIAA certifications; conquered Las Vegas with her twice-extended Velvet Rodeo residency; blurred genres with Leon Bridges, the B-52s, Loretta Lynn, Enrique Iglesias, Sheryl Crow and Elle King; and delivered her LGBTQ+ inclusive anthem “Y’All Means All” for Netflix’s “Queer Eye.” She’s taken those standards to become a New York Times bestselling author and the first female restaurateur on Lower Broadway with her Tex-Mex cantina Casa Rosa, while also expanding her creative reach with her Wanda June Home collection exclusive to Walmart and her Idyllwind clothing and boot line at Boot Barn. Her passion for rescue animals inspired the creation of her MuttNation Foundation, which has raised nearly $10 million since inception to promote adoption, support shelters across the country, advance spay & neuter and assist with the transport of animals during times of natural disaster.
MirandaLambert.com | Facebook | Twitter/X | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
Brantley Gilbert Inks Passion, Pain & Perspective on Seventh Studio Album 'Tattoos'
Multi-Platinum country-rock trailblazer Brantley Gilbert knows life has a way of leaving a mark. You can either hide it or embrace it. With his seventh studio album Tattoos, available now via The Valory Music Co., he opts to embrace it. Listen HERE.
“All my albums, they capture a chapter of my life,” Gilbert explains. “If somebody wants to know who I am, what I’ve been through and where I stand, they can start at the beginning and listen through, and that’s why it was undeniable that Tattoosshould be the title – because my tattoos do the same thing.
“People get ‘em for a lot of reasons, but for most of us, tattoos talk about our victories and losses, our struggles and the whole nine,” he observes. “I was one of those kids who had to learn the hard way. But if I would’ve listened to the advice of others, I don’t know I would have ended up where I am.”
Landing on Grammy.com’s “Must-Hear Albums in September,” Tattoos features 10 songs all co-written and co-produced by the Georgia native with a trusted cast of long-time collaborators. The set matches Gilbert’s ink in both striking design and depth of meaning. Through flowing curves and jagged lines, shadow and light look back on a life of blue-collar pride and full-throttle rebellion – along with addictive love, abiding faith and blessings beyond what any of us deserve.
Those themes are nothing new to this longtime craftsman, but when the title track “Tattoos” took shape, so too did the album’s reflective theme. Written on an annual retreat to rural Texas with Jake Mitchell, Randy Montana and Cole Taylor, Gilbert knew the slow-burning anthem was something special.
“I knew I had one that really captured who I am,” he says. “It doesn’t sound like anything else you’ve heard before, and it really gives you the long and short of my life, which is what my tattoos do.”
With about 90 songs to choose from, Gilbert carefully laid his Tattoos out from there. Some came from an all hands-on-deck weekend at Lee Brice’s Nashville property, with Jelly Roll and more, determined to write with no pre-conditions. Others found their way to Gilbert through friends who know his creative soul, and after joining forces with primary co-producer Brock Berryhill, the pair spent late night after late night whittling the pack down to its essential elements.
The result – predictably enough – is an electrifying mix of in-your-face aggression and roughneck reflection, as Gilbert delivers another full-spectrum soundtrack to modern country life. But this time, he was careful to put an emphasis on his early days, both in sound and substance, focusing on real instruments over synthetic effects and put to use in a variety of big-picture, small-town settings.
Like the community spirit those towns rely on, the album’s standout feature may be its guest appearances – a trend starting with the first track, “Dirty Money” featuring Justin Moore, as Billboard calls it a “pride-fueled celebration of those who earn their ‘dirty money’ straight from the ground, providing food for communities through raising and harvesting crops,” noting, “this track revs up with all the gritty churn of a combine, as a bed of industrial-scale, frothy guitars, sharp percussion and thudding bass carry the two artists’ intertwined, distinctive drawls.”
Lead single “Over When We're Sober” with Ashley Cooke mixes can’t-stop romantic intoxication with a top shelf vocal blend, capturing the raw magnetism of a romantic buzz. Co-written with Justin Wilson, Jelly Roll and Berryhill, the sweet-and-sour concoction jumps out from the speakers.
“God Isn’t Country” – which features a vocal master class from Rascal Flatts legend (and longtime friend) Gary LeVox – fuses feel-good faith with awe for the natural world. And with the hand-over-heart declaration that is “Me and My House” ft. Struggle Jennings and Demun Jones, Gilbert adds another unique tattoo to his collection. A defiant tip of the hat to the independent country rap world Gilbert has always admired, the track is also a nod to bold self-determination – a pledge to uphold his traditional ideals.
This deep into his career, Gilbert’s nostalgia is also plain to see. With the namesake of his current headlining tour, “Off The Rails” captures the hard-charging energy of fan favorites like “Kick It In the Sticks,” while heartfelt ballads like “Gone By Now” celebrate the love shared by the star and his wife, Amber. Described as a “transparent” look into his heart, its sunset sonics speak to early romantic ballads.
Likewise, “The Hell That Raised Us” tributes the wild-and-free nature of a rural childhood, and while “Out Here” waves a good-timing flag for those living by their own rules, Gilbert finishes with “Miss These Towns,” completing the sonic self-portrait. A stripped-down lament about watching the decline of rural communities all over the U.S. (including his own), Gilbert knows change is inevitable, and not always a bad thing. But he’s been around long enough to know the value of respecting your past.
In celebration of his new album Tattoos, Gilbert will headline Brantley Gilbert’s World’s Largest Album Release Party on Broadway in downtown Nashville tonight, September 13. The free multi-artist concert is part of FREEDOM FRIDAY events kicking off the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend (September 13-15). Presented by 1st Phorm Energy, with additional partnership from Rousch, Polaris, and Modern Buggy, the 4th annual FREEDOM FRIDAY concert honors members of the Military, Police, Fire, First Responders and Frontline Heroes. The 160th Special Ops Aviation Regiment will perform a helicopter aerial demonstration and a pre-concert flyover by the 101st Airborne Division.
Off The Rails Tour Dates
Sept. 13 Brantley Gilbert’s World’s Largest Album Release Party // Nashville, TN
Sept. 19 Mountain Health Network Arena // Huntington, WV
Sept. 20 Santander Arena // Reading, PA
Sept. 21 DCU Center // Worcester, MA
Sept. 26 LJVM Coliseum // Winston-Salem, NC
Sept. 27 The Corbin Arena // Corbin, KY
Sept. 28 Florence Center // Florence, SC
Oct. 3 Knoxville Civic Coliseum // Knoxville, TN
Oct. 4 First National Bank Arena // Jonesboro, AR
Oct. 5 Ozarks Amphitheater // Camdenton, MO
Oct. 10 Raising Cane’s River Center Arena // Baton Rouge, LA
Oct. 11 Cadence Bank Arena // Tupelo, MS
Oct. 12 The Sounds Amphitheater // Gautier, MS
Oct. 17 Enmarket Arena // Savannah, GA
Oct. 18 McKenzie Arena // Chattanooga, TN
Oct. 19 Atrium Health Amphitheater // Macon, GA
*Festival Date
About Brantley Gilbert
As one of the godfathers of country’s modern rock-and-rap edge, multi-Platinum The Valory Music Co. trailblazer Brantley Gilbert knows life has a way of leaving a mark. With his seventh studio album, Tattoos, available now, the Georgia native chooses to embrace it – inspired by the idea that his tattoos tell a story, just like his songs. And just like his songs, he’ll never hide the truth they reveal. An era-defining artist forever bonded to his fans, Gilbert’s been mining the timeless values of hard-working dedication, high-octane thrills and humble faith since his 2009 debut, A Modern Day Prodigal Son, creating a chart-topping grit-and-grace fusion which helped set the stage for today’s genre-blending format. With his dedicated BG Nation behind him, the fiery performer-songwriter has racked up more than 8.3 BILLION career streams, boasting back-to-back Platinum albums and seven No. 1 hits including the RIAA 7x Platinum “Bottoms Up;” 2x Platinum “Country Must Be Country Wide;” 2x Platinum “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do;” 2x Platinum “One Hell of An Amen;” and the Platinum-certified “What Happens In A Small Town” with Lindsay Ell. His world-class pen helped create a watershed hit with Jason Aldean’s 4x Platinum country-rap game changer, “Dirt Road Anthem.” And possessing a can’t-fake-it quality of fierce independence, the ACM, CMA and AMA award winner has toured alongside everyone from Willie Nelson and Toby Keith to Kenny Chesney, Nickelback and more. Tattoos further cements his legacy – 10 cowritten, co-produced tracks with an electrifying mix of in-your-face aggression and roughneck reflection, as Gilbert’s diesel-powered smoke-and-soul vocal delivers another full-spectrum soundtrack to modern country life. Tracks like full-throttle “Off the Rails” and intoxicating chart-climbing single “Over When We’re Sober” with Ashley Cooke lead a set packed with guest appearances from Gary LeVox, Justin Moore and Off The Rails tour mates Struggle Jennings and Demun Jones, as the superstar headlines across the U.S. through October 2024. For more information, visit BrantleyGilbert.com or follow on Instagram, TikTok and X@BrantleyGilbert and Facebook.com/BrantleyGilbertMusic.
GO AHEAD AND DIE | BETTER DEAD THAN MAINSTREAM: LIVE AT THE MARQUEE THEATER OUT NOW + RELEASE LYRIC VIDEO FOR 'I.C.E. CAGE' LIVE!
Arizona death-crusters GO AHEAD AND DIE's newest offering Better Dead Than Mainstream: Live At The Marquee Theater is now available digitally via Nuclear Blast Records. The audio from the album was taken from their September 25, 2021 show with SOULFLY as well as INCITE and HEALING MAGIC. The night featured a performance of their debut self-titled album which was released two months prior. The audio for the live album was produced, engineered, and mastered by Arthur Rizk. For the album cover, the band enlisted Costin Chioreanu to create the artwork.
To celebrate the live album, the band once again teamed up with Costin Chioreanu who created a lyric video for the track, 'I.C.E. Cage' live.
Stream / purchase Better Dead Than Mainstream: Live At The Marquee Theater digitally, here:
https://bfan.link/gaad-bdtm-live
Watch the lyric video for 'I.C.E. Cage' live below.
Catch GO AHEAD AND DIE live:
11/09/2024 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee Theater @ The Max Cavalera Dynasty Show
GO AHEAD AND DIE unleashed their caustic sophomore album Unhealthy Mechanisms last year via Nuclear Blast Records. A torrential whirlwind born from the livid minds of Igor Amadeus Cavalera (HEALING MAGIC) and Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY). The sophomore album is a fresh dive into the madness of society and the pollution that ravages our minds.Unhealthy Mechanisms was produced by Igor Amadeus Cavalera while John Aquilino handled the recording in his Platinum Underground Studio steeped in the mystic ambiance of the Superstition Mountains’ foothills. The mixing and mastering were once again handled by Arthur Rizk (CAVALERA, SOULFLY, TURNSTILE). For the artwork, the band enlisted Santiago Jaramillo of Triple Seis Design to create the unnerving design that fits with the album title. GO AHEAD AND DIE's newest record is a testament to declining mental health around the world, and a reminder that we are not alone in our pain. The mind is lost. The fuse is lit. Time to set everything ablaze.
GO AHEAD AND DIE is:
Max Cavalera | Vocals, Guitar
Igor Amadeus Cavalera | Vocals, Guitar
Johnny Valles | Drums
Jackie Cruz | Bass
Visit GO AHEAD AND DIE at:
www.facebook.com/GoAheadAndDieBand
www.twitter.com/GAADband
www.instagram.com/GoAheadAndDieBand
www.youtube.com/@GoAheadAndDie
Bill Leeb (Front Line Assembly, Delerium) releases debut solo album 'Model Kollapse' + video for 'Muted Obsession' (feat. ACTORS)
"A frenzy-filled dose of sonic adrenaline that is infectious and, paradoxically, suitable for the dancefloor... Is dystopian bliss a thing? They could be on to something big here" ~ The Spill Magazine
"You are getting Leeb’s classic vocals and lyrics, and some FLA style programming... some of the specific textures and bits of production feel different than anything in recent memory from the venerable artist" ~ I Die: You Die
"Instantly recognizable... still sounds like something unmistakably new... sinister synthetic soundscape" ~ Rock and Roll Fables
Legendary electronic music maverick Bill Leeb has released his debut solo album 'Model Kollapse' via iconic alternative music label Metropolis Records. Bringing double delight, he also unveils his new video for 'Muted Obsession', which features Shannon Hemmett and Jason Corbett of post-punk outfit ACTORS.
Reflecting the Tim Hill-produced video, Leeb says this song is about “the perception between fantasy and reality. How far would you go in this virtual social world we have created? Are we truly all alone? Who wants to play?”
Based in Vancouver, Bill Leeb is the genius behind highly influential electro-industrial scene mainstays Front Line Assembly and ambient-pop duo Delerium, having gotten his start with Skinny Puppy. He is also a key member of other recording projects, including Noise Unit, Intermix and Cyberaktif.
Four decades on, this album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from Vancouver/Toronto-based production duo Dream Bulletand long-term FLA/Delerium cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely.
Earlier, Leeb shared ‘Terror Forms’ feat. Shannon Hemmett, which explores the intricacies of artificial intelligence and the very survival of humanity itself, and 'Demons', a song about the omnipresence of technology and the internal battles we wage due to the malevolence we see around us. This album also involves an appearance by long-term Delerium collaborator Mimi Page.
‘Model Kollapse’ marks Leeb's first solo venture since the mid-80s days of Front Line Assembly, when he used to make recordings in his bedroom, releasing them on limited edition cassette. It reflects the dystopian, nihilistic world we have created in so many different ways, ultimately asking the question "When will the human voice be lost to AI and technology....or will that be what saves us in the end?"
Caustic yet melodic, danceable and very much song-oriented rather than soundscape-driven, 'Model Kollapse' carries traces of hard-edged electronic dance music pioneers such as Front 242, DAF, KMFDM and Skinny Puppy. Remarking that “Metropolis Records is one of the most important for alternative music on the planet, Leeb shares, "This album was made possible by my long-term friendship with label boss Dave Heckman, who continually supported my projects, allowing complete artistic freedom.” Heckman died in 2022.
The term "Model Collapse" refers to an AI phenomenon where trained models, especially those relying on synthetic data or AI-generated data, degrade over time. “As we forge forward on an unprecedented technological scale, it makes me wonder how much longer we can remain in control of various aspects of our lives. Automation has already taken over many industries. With technology running much of the world, will the entire planet eventually be vulnerable to a Model Kollapse? Chaos would surely ensue.”
Since Leeb formed Delerium in 1987, it has received two Juno awards and collaborated with Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus III), Emily Haines (Metric), Jacqui Hunt (Single Gun Theory), Matthew Sweet and Kristy Thirsk (Rose Chronicles). Their hit 'Silence' with Sarah McLachlan reached #1 in numerous countries, its remixes also charting (the Tiësto remix was voted the 12th-greatest dance track of all time via Mixmag).
As of September 13, the ‘Model Kollapse’ album is available on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally. It may be ordered directly from the article via Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles and the Okanagan, British Columbia
Written and produced by Bill Leeb and Dream Bullet
Additional production by Rhys Fulber
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Greg Reely
Featuring contributions by Shannon Hemmett, Jason Corbett & Mimi Page
Videos created by Tim Hill
Album artwork by Allen Jaeger
Released by Metropolis Records
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR
Artist photos by Bobby Talamine
Keep up with Bill Leeb
Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Front Line Assembly Facebook | Delerium Facebook | FB Group | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact
Keep up with Metropolis Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
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George Strait’s New Album, COWBOYS AND DREAMERS, Arrives
It’s been 15 years since The New York Times distinguished George Strait as “a country superstar in complete command of his gift,” and with the arrival of his 31st studio album for MCA, Cowboys And Dreamers, that statement rings just as true today. Filled with classic country honky-tonkers about drinkin’ and not thinkin’ as well as sad songs and ballads about loss and cheatin’, listen to the album Cowboys & Indians Magazine notes is “a cornucopia of trad-country-arrangement beauty,”.
Dedicated to three of Strait’s very good, longtime friends and collaborators who he lost this year – manager Erv Woolsey, road manager Tom Foote and fiddler Gene Elders who plays on four tracks on this album – the Texas Troubadour shared, “I will never forget all of the good times we had together.”
Produced by Chuck Ainlay, who has been mixing Strait records since 1985, Tony Brown (Strait’s 1993’s Easy Come, Easy Go; 2008’s Troubadour) and Strait, the album’s title comes from a song penned by Jessie Jo Dillon, Keith Gattis and Bubba Strait.
“It is a really cool song,” shared Strait of the title track. “So cool that I thought that I should name the whole album after it. And sometimes I feel like the last of a dying breed trying to find where I fit. That pretty much says it all. ‘Somewhere between high on top of the world, and fighting with calling it quits.’” While the Keith Gattis reaffirming “Wish I Could Say” offers, ‘Wish I could tell you how the world ain’t ended, And how it’s all going to be ok.’
The follow-up to Honky Tonk Time Machine, Strait’s 27th No. 1 Billboard Country album, Cowboys And Dreamers, named “album of the week” by Associated Press, features 13 new songs, including three already released tracks -- “Three Drinks Behind,” “MIA Down in MIA” and “The Little Things” -- as well as “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame” featuring Chris Stapleton and Strait’s rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Waymore’s Blues.” All making appearances in his live set, Strait has one final show in 2024, supersizing his long-standing “Strait to Vegas” show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to mark the 37th installment of the engagement with Chris Stapleton and special guests Little Big Town.
About George Strait
George Strait is the King of Country Music, having sold more than 105 million albums and counting while earning more than 60 major entertainment industry awards as well as countless nominations. The Texas singer-songwriter is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades. With 33 different Platinum or multi-Platinum albums, he’s earned the third-most certifications of any artist in any genre, following only The Beatles and Elvis Presley, and with a total of 60, Strait has more No. 1 songs than any other artist in history.
The Texas troubadour's 31st career studio album, Cowboys And Dreamers, is available now. It follows 2019’s best-selling country album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, on MCA Nashville. That album quickly became Strait’s record-extending 27th No.1 Billboard Country album. The Country Music Hall of Fame member also earned his 100th entry on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his single “The Weight of the Badge” from the project. For more information, visit GeorgeStrait.com.
Scotty McCreery Releases "Fall of Summer (NC State Version)" Due to Fan Demand
When NC State men’s and women’s basketball teams made their historic run to the NCAA Final Four last Spring, Triple Tigers recording artist Scotty McCreery tweaked the lyrics to his current single “Fall of Summer” from his current album Rise & Fall with an update for his beloved Wolfpack singing, “I said come see me at NC State.” The change has remained a popular one at his live show and even taken on a life of its own on social media with fans inserting their own school name in the lyrics. McCreery, who was just announced yesterday as a performer at the 2025 Stagecoach Festival, has heard the call from fans and due to popular demand is releasing “Fall of Summer (NC State Version).” Available today, listen to the updated “Fall of Summer” Below.
Written by McCreery, Frank Rogers and Brent Anderson and produced by Rogers, Derek Wells, and Aaron Eshuis, “Fall of Summer,” is currently climbing the chart at country radio and was most added its first week. Filled with mature nostalgia, and built on one of the album’s most modern, cinematic sounds, the midtempo and reflective standout finds the country crooner’s vocal at a low simmer, as a guy looks back on a season of life that ultimately faded, but also made room for the here and now.
Rise & Fall is McCreery’s most critically acclaimed album to date, with Billboard naming it one of the 50 Best Albums of 2024 (So Far). The album’s first single, “Cab in a Solo,” recently became his sixth #1 hit. Listen to the album Rolling Stone says is “every bit as legit as Jamey Johnson’s That Lonesome Song, Garth Brooks’ In Pieces, or Randy Travis’ Storms of Life,” HERE.
“Across the 13-track collection, McCreery exhibits his continued growth as a vocalist and songwriter,” notes Holler. People echoes the sentiment, writing that the album “brims with a newfound confidence and maturity,” while Country Now calls it “his best record yet,” and American Songwriter declares it a “career album” as Rise & Fall finds him exploring not only heartbreak but rowdy nights, nostalgia, faith, newfound joy, fatherhood and enduring love, resulting in a project full of insightful storytelling. The album was produced by McCreery’s longtime production team of Frank Rogers, Derek Wells and Aaron Eshuis.
McCreery co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs on the album, which Billboard observes, “Light-hearted fare such as ‘Stuck Behind a Tractor’ and ‘And Countin’’ mesh with heartbreak brushoffs such as ‘Lonely,’ the bluegrass-inflected album-closer ‘Porch’ and the faith-filled ‘Red Letter Blueprint.’” It is available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl. In addition, Amazon is releasing a limited-edition forest green vinyl version of the album. Order autographed vinyl and CDs of Rise & Fall HERE.
McCreery also recently joined Callista Clark on the duet “Gettin’ Old” via Dreamcatcher Artists label (listen HERE). Clark wrote the song with Averie Bielski and Karen Kasowski, while Joey Hyde and Frank Rogers share production credits.
Of the collaboration McCreery shared, “I’ve been a fan of Callista and her talent for some time, especially after having her out on my European tour a few years ago. I loved this song from the first time I heard it and was honored that she asked me to sing it with her.”
The two recently shot a music video for the track, conceived, produced and directed by award-winning film maker Roman White, which will be released soon. A preview of the video can be seen now on both Clark and McCreery’s socials.
Having spent almost half his life in the spotlight making country music, the North Carolina native is in the midst of his headlining Fall of Summer Tour. Named after his current single of the same name, the tour will take the North Carolina native across the U.S. and Canada with stops in Santa Fe, NM; Bakersfield, CA; Stamford, CT; Windsor, Ontario; Kansas City, MO, Las Vegas, NV, and more.
Tickets are on sale now. Purchase at ScottyMcCreery.com.
Fall of Summer Tour Dates:
9/13 Santa Fe, NM Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino
9/14 Abilene, TX Mulligans Outdoor Bash
9/21 Central Point, OR Bi-Mart Amphitheatre at the Expo
9/23 Bakersfield, CA Kern County Fair
9/28 Columbia, SC Segra Park
9/29 Fort Myers, FL Island Hopper Festival
10/4 Nixa, MO Aetos Center for the Performing Arts
10/5 Benton, MO Benton Speedway
10/17 Bloomington, IL Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
10/18 La Porte, IN La Porte Civic Auditorium
10/19 Wisconsin Dells, WI Crystal Grand Music Theatre
11/2 Las Vegas, NV The Sandbar at Redrock Casino Resort & Spa
11/7 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre New Jersey
11/8 Stamford, CT Palace Theatre
11/9 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
11/15 Cherokee, NC Harrah's Cherokee Casino
11/16 Choctaw, MS Pearl River Resort
11/21 Windsor, ON The Colosseum at Caesar’s Windsor
11/22 Orillia, ON Casino Rama Resort - Entertainment Centre
12/6 Kansas City, MO Ameristar Kansas City Casino
12/7 Hinton, OK Sugar Creek Casino
About Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery has been a household name for nearly half his life, ever since making history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear as Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. With his latest album Rise & Fall, featuring his sixth No. 1 single “Cab in a Solo,” current single “Fall of Summer,” and 12 additional tracks, McCreery explores classic themes of heartbreak, rowdy nights, nostalgia, faith, newfound joy, fatherhood, and enduring love, and through it all, felt comfortable being himself, resulting in a project full of electrified twang, rich baritone vocals and insightful storytelling. The 30-year-old has sold more than 4 million albums and achieved 6 No.1 hits: the recent “Cab in a Solo,” the RIAA Platinum-certified “Damn Strait,” the RIAA Gold certified “You Time,” the RIAA Gold certified “In Between,” the RIAA Platinum certified “This is It,” and the RIAA Triple Platinum certified ‘Five More Minutes.” The North Carolina native has earned one Triple Platinum, five Platinum and four Gold singles; one Platinum and two Gold albums; won the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011 at age 17; was named the ACM New Artist of the Year in 2011; won two CMT Music Awards, the first for Breakthrough Video of the Year (“The Trouble with Girls”) in 2012, and the second for Digital-First Performance of the Year (“It Matters to Her” from “CMT Stages”) in 2024; and BMI Awards for writing One of the Top 50 Country Songs of the Year five times (in 2015 for “See You Tonight,” in 2018 for “Five More Minutes,” in 2019 for “This is It,” in 2021 for “In Between,” and in 2022 for “You Time”). He was awarded Pandora Billionaire status in 2021 in recognition of his music achieving more than one billion streams on Pandora. His song “Five More Minutes” inspired two popular holiday movies which aired on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Network: “Five More Minutes” in 2021 and “Five More Minutes: Moments Like These” in 2022. He released his first book Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream in 2016. Last year McCreery was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Josh Turner and Randy Travis, after being invited late last year by Garth Brooks. The singer/songwriter married his high school sweetheart Gabi in 2018, and the couple had their first son Avery in October 2022. For more information, visit ScottyMcCreery.com.
Jenna Paulette Releases 13-Track Sophomore Album, ‘Horseback’
Working cowgirl and songstress Jenna Paulette has worn her authenticity on her sleeve throughout her career with a mix of grit and vulnerability. On her debut album The Girl I Was in 2023, Paulette candidly depicted her journey of self discovery following a toxic ten year relationship. Now, Paulette is arriving on the other side of that journey, with a project that reflects on all the experiences and values that have shaped her into that girl, with the release of her sophomore album, Horseback, available now via Leo33.
Listen to Horseback HERE.
“The Horseback album is a culmination of perspectives I have of myself—to the things my family instilled in me, the men and women I grew up with and the one’s I am blessed to be surrounded by where we live in a small town in West Texas,” shares Paulette. “A window into the way so many of us feel and the things we value.”
Consisting of 13 tracks, Horseback starts off with “Wild Is Her Favorite Color,” celebrating the freedom that comes with living authentically, before delving into “3 Kings,” a tip of her hat to the three kings that have influenced her lifestyle, “King George, King Ranch, King James.”
The album intertwines upbeat tracks, including previously released “Outside” and “Run The Damn Ball,” harkening back to the values of grit and hard work that Paulette has come to embody, with the heartbreak ballad “Chasin’ Whiskey” and empowering “Darlin,’” both of which signal the redemption of love lost and found again.
Having co-written eight of the 13 songs on the project, Paulette reflects on the songwriting and selection process, stating, “The songs were mostly inspired on the back of my horse driving cattle to the next pasture or set of pens. Sung into my phone in hopes of not forgetting the budding melody or thought. Out where there is enough room to think. Anything I didn’t write myself was most likely listened to on one bar of service in my husband’s dusty Dodge full of cowboys or horseback on the top of a hill looking for cows. I then put my heart and story into the lyric.
“So much has happened, so much good, since The Girl I Was. All I’ve got to say is the girl I was pretending to be before I got back to me…you ain’t getting that Horseback. The woman I am is here to stay. This album is a picture of who she was always meant to be.”
Perhaps the most poignant of all is Paulette’s title track, “Horseback,” which portrays Paulette arriving confident in this new era of her life. “The title track is my ‘Wide Open Spaces,’ my rebellion against the way people say things need to be…It’s the bridge between leaving somewhere and finding some place in what’s left of the middle of nowhere that is real and is home,” she shares.
To coincide with the album’s release, and in a partnership with Ely & Walker apparel company (Home of Ely Cattleman shirts), Jenna Paulette brings to life a functional working female cowboy collection called CowboyGirl. This collection addresses the need for functionality in the saddle, designed to offer all the same benefits that men need working cattle, but with a style that is vintage and feminine. Small details tie the CowboyGirl collection together and make it relative to today’s functional needs, while honoring generations past.
The collection will highlight two new ideologies: the State Flowers of Texas, where Jenna grew up, and Oklahoma, where Jenna’s family ranch was, and will be available exclusively at over 200 Boot Barn locations beginning November 1, 2024.
About Jenna Paulette:
A CMT Next Women of Country honoree and an Apple Music’s Country Riser, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Paulette settled in Nashville in 2015, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley – a veteran songwriter with 70+ No. 1 tunes under his belt – which ultimately led to her publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Since collaborating with songwriters Will Bundy, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery, Clay Walker and most recently Aaron Watson, Paulette has landed brand partnerships with Justin Boots, Boot Barn, Ely Cattleman and Ranch Water.
With the arrival of her debut album The Girl I Was in 2023, Grammy.com remarked the project as “transformative,” noting it “fuses the sounds of Twain and Miranda Lambert, tackling mental health with the somber ‘You Ain't No Cowboy’ and waxing philosophical on ‘Country In The Girl.’” She continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle last year, performing the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo, making her Grand Ole Opry Debut and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. Paulette recently signed with independent label Leo33. Paulette’s sophomore album, Horseback, is available everywhere now. For more information, visit www.jennapaulette.com.
Bodysnatcher Unleash New EP 'Vile Conduct' + Drop "Say Goodbye" Music Video via MNRK Heavy
Floridian heavy hitters Bodysnatcher have released their new EP 'Vile Conduct' and the official music video for "Say Goodbye" (via MNRK Heavy). Leading up to today, the quartet has shared "Murder8" featuring the inimitable Jamey Jasta, "Severed", "Human Disdain", and most recently, "Infested". Altogether, the tracks have amassed a staggering 1.7 million streams on Spotify alone and 582k views and counting on YouTube. Speaking about the EP, the band commented:
"'Vile Conduct' to us is a culmination of all of the different struggles people in general can be subject to, or can inflict on others. Whether it be personal struggles, loss, hatred toward humanity, etc. These are all human-specific. We feel these kinds of things will always be important to talk about and bring to the surface for not just the listener, but for us individually so that we can try to heal the best we know how to."
'Vile Conduct' is available now on all streaming platforms at the link here, and watch the "Say Goodbye" music video below.
Don't miss your chance to see Bodysnatcher's incendiary live show on The Nothing That Is US Tour with Fit For An Autopsy, Distant, Sylosis, and Judiciary kicking off on Friday, October 18 in Worcester, MA. For ticket information, please click here.
The Nothing That Is US Tour Dates:
10/18 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
10/19 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10/20 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
10/22 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
10/23 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
10/24 - Atlanta, GA The Masquerade (Heaven)
10/25 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
10/26 - West Palm Beach, FL - Banyan Live
10/28 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
10/29 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center
10/30 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
11/01 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
11/03 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
11/05 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
11/06 - Seattle, WA - El Corazón
11/08 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
11/09 - Denver, CO - Summit
11/10 - Wichita, KS - Templelive
11/12 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
11/13 - Chicago, IL - Metro
11/14 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew’s Hall
11/15 - Cleveland, Oh- House of Blues
11/16 - McKees Rocks, PA - Roxian Theatre
11/17 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s
Drawing their name from the infamous Plainfield Ghoul, Ed Gein, Bodysnatcher know a thing or two about darkness, brutality and aggression. Since their 2014 inception in Melbourne, Florida, Bodysnatcher have been bringing nothing but the finest in furious, extreme music. Combining crushing breakdowns with eerie ambience, scathing riffs and grisly grooves, the band have become synonymous with “heavy,” invoking violence in every city they happen to visit, spawning mosh pits that leave nothing but craters in their wake.
With each release, Bodysnatcher have added depth to their dynamic, proving they are an ever-growing and changing act with the singular purpose of absolutely obliterating the listener. In 2015, mere months after their formation, the act exploded into the worldwide underground with the release of their debut EP, Abandonment. Considered one of the “Rushmore” releases of the American Downtempo wave, Abandonment took Bodysnatcher around the country, delivering breakdowns and broken bones to venues from Southern Florida to California. The band’s debut full-length that followed, Death of Me (Stay Sick Records), saw the band mature from their modest downtempo roots into something more diverse and devastating, incorporating a blend of contemporary metal and hardcore elements to create something that saw Bodysnatcher start to blur conventional genre lines. Death of Me would skyrocket the band’s notoriety even higher, including a headlining west coast tour with Extortionist (Unique Leader Records) in support. Almost immediately after the release of Death of Me, Bodysnatcher underwent a significant lineup change, bringing aboard Chris Whited (King Conquer, 1776 Recordings) as percussionist and producer alongside Kyle Carter (Beacons) and Kyle Shope (Float Face Down) on guitar and bass respectively. With all three of them working alongside the titanic range and unmistakable vitriol of frontman Kyle Medina as songwriters, a deluxe re-release of their debut LP featuring five all-new songs followed not long after the line-up was cemented. Those songs segued Bodysnatcher into a new sound and style that would not full materialize until their two follow-up releases, This Heavy Void (2020) and Bleed-Abide (2022). These records together would not only see the band signing with premier heavy music label MNRK Heavy, but would also highlight the band’s unique ability to blend harrowingly personal tales of love and loss with blistering aggression. Between This Heavy Void’s “Twelve/Seventeen” and Bleed-Abide’s “Smashed Perception”, the band seemed to encompass the alpha and omega of all things eviscerating—emotionally or, well, literally.
Since Bleed-Abide, Bodysnatcher have continued their tireless grind, touring across the country with the likes of AngelMaker, Hatebreed, Dying Fetus, Emmure, We Came as Romans and more—and spending plenty of time inoculating overseas lands with their unique concoction of crushing brutality as well. 2024 witnesses the band depart for not one, but two colossal ventures with former label mates SPITE—across both Europe and the continental United States.
From their earnest beginnings as one of the United States’ premiere exporters of bludgeoning, beefy breakdowns to now one of the country’s most renowned heavy music exports, Bodysnatcher are a peerless example of hard work, dedication and—of course—devastating heaviness. - Connor Welsh
TO THE GRAVE Unleashes New Album 'Everyone’s A Murderer' Alongside Blistering Single "Made In Aus"
Australian deathcore juggernauts To The Grave have released their third full-length album, 'Everyone’s A Murderer,' today via Unique Leader Records. The album drops alongside their incendiary new single "Made In Aus," a track that exemplifies the band’s unrelenting power and commitment to exposing harsh truths. Stream the full album now HERE and watch the official music video for the "Made In Aus" below.
"Made In Aus" is a visceral declaration, a sonic battlefield where the band's fury is unleashed through brutal riffs and their signature, unflinching lyrics.“Wall to wall chaos in this one. Once you start caring about animals, people you thought were good-hearted will show true colours and defend violence they could never commit with their own hands,” shares vocalist Dane Evans on the new single.
'Everyone’s A Murderer' is To The Grave’s most intense offering yet, both sonically and thematically. The album confronts societal and environmental atrocities with the band’s signature blend of deathcore brutality, giving voice to the voiceless through a sound that is as punishing as it is purposeful.
Providing further insight on the new album, Evans shares
"For this record my aim was to speak through the faceless activists that fight for animals, for those living in vystopia feeling alone and helpless in a world that will fight tooth and nail to defend the animal holocaust. Due to it being illegal to rescue farmed animals from abuse these activists must stay silent about it to avoid having their own freedom taken.
It wasn't an easy task, it's never going to do justice to the horrors animals go through every day by the millions in cold, dark sheds around the world or to those that have witnessed it and are doing everything they can to put an end to it. There's no words, no lyrics and no music that can describe the violence or bring back the lives stolen by human hands so this is for them.
Our idea for this album evolved so much before it started but we knew we wanted something that sounded classic, like it was from a different decade entirely. It had to have all the elements that brought us all towards deathcore all those years ago combined with all the modern touches you'd find in the recent TTG material, all whilst trying to do something new and step outside our comfort zone in the process.
It was cool to work with the new lineup on the gritty details like production, tones and getting the energy of the drums down. Once the album was in a listenable state these guys really gave it all personality and brought everything to the table to shape this new sound.
We're very critical of ourselves as artists and have made music in the past that for whatever reason we haven't loved. With that in mind I think the overall goal with this record was to make something that regardless of what anyone else thought, we were proud of and I'm happy that we all had that shared vision in mind.
We probably had the most fun making this record that we've ever had and it felt liberating to be able to make something that we liked. It felt like starting the band from new again and only having the pressure of wanting to write cool shit.
The singles are tough as fuck and I think do a good job of representing the blunt force approach on the album leaving a tonne of surprises in the sharps bin for when people pick it up on release day. That should make sense when it drops."
To The Grave’s release of 'Everyone’s A Murderer' is just the beginning. The band is set to dominate stages worldwide, starting tonight with a very special album release show at Stay Gold in Melbourne with support from No Life (NZ) & Identity Error and Saturday, followed by a second album release show tomorrow at The Lansdowne with support from No Life (NZ) & Facecutter in Sydney. They will then hit the US in September and October supporting deathcore legends Oceano. After that, they will join Veil of Maya, Signs Of The Swarm, and Varials for the Faces of Death Tour across the UK and Europe in October and November. They then return to Australia for a series of sold-out shows with Lorna Shore and Bodysnatcher in 2025. For further info and tickets head to tothegraveau.com
To The Grave
Upcoming Tour Dates
2024
AUSTRALIA
Album Release Shows w/ support No Life (NZ)
30/08 Fri - Melbourne, Stay Gold w/ No Life / Identity Error / IllFeral
31/08 Sat - Sydney, The Landsdowne w/ No Life / Facecutter / IllFeral x Rezchem
USA
Main Support To OCEANO
09/05 Thurs - Detroit, MI
09/06 Fri - Cleveland, OH
09/07 Sat - Erie, PA
09/08 Sun - Brooklyn, NY
09/10 Tues - Baltimore, MD
09/11 Wed - Greensboro, NC
09/12 Thurs - Columbia, SC
09/13 Fri - West Palm Beach, FL
09/14 Sat - Orlando, FL
09/15 Sun - Atlanta, GA
09/17 Tues - Houston, TX
09/18 Wed - San Antonio, TX
09/19 Thurs - Dallas, TX
09/20 Fri - El Paso, TX
09/21 Sat - Albuquerque, NM
09/22 Sun - Phoenix, AZ
09/24 Tues - Anaheim, CA
09/25 Wed - Fresno, CA
09/26 Thurs - Sacramento, CA
09/27 Fri - Portland, OR
09/28 Sat - Seattle, WA
09/29 Sun - Spokane, WA
10/01 Tues - Salt Lake City, UT
10/02 Wed - Denver, CO
10/03 Thurs - Omaha, NE
10/04 Fri - Chicago, IL
ABOUT TO THE GRAVE
One of Australia’s most uncompromising bands, To The Grave garnered international success with their 2019 debut album 'Global Warning'. The caustic five piece have continued to collect international success, with 2021’s follow-up 'Epilogue', a re-issue of 'Global Warning' with bonus tracks, their 2023 album, 'Director's Cuts' along with it's subsequent Deluxe release, which featured a new collection of tracks on the 'Offcuts' EP solidifying their position as “one of the country's heaviest exports.” (Revolver).
To The Grave have steadily built an audience in the underground, accumulating more than 11 million Spotify streams, racking up over 5.4 million YouTube views, all whilst decimating live audiences alongside Parkway Drive, Polaris, Cattle Decapitation, Thy Art Is Murder, Shadow of Intent, Angelmaker, Enterprise Earth, Vulvodynia and Alpha Wolf.
Now, following a sold-out national headline tour in 2022, global critical acclaim for the release of 'Director's Cuts' and it's Deluxe release, featuring the 'Offcuts' EP and plenty of upcoming tours, the band are more focused than ever.
To The Grave lyrically expose a societal and environmental hell on earth whilst pushing the boundaries of accessible extremity, full of barbed hooks, thick with atmosphere and drenched in groove. Razor-sharp guitars played with an exploratory approach - blending everything from whammy pedal squeaks and chiming cleans to death metal chainsaw tones - are entwined with live drums to give a level of dynamism that musically sets this band apart from the extreme metal pack, yet they maintain the weight of the heaviest bands today. Vocalist Dane Evans commands a multifaceted performance, bursting with vocal energy from throat-ripping dissonant screeches to low end gutturals.
To The Grave are
Dane Evans - Vocals
Jack Simioni - Guitars, Programming
Matt Clarke - Bass, Vocals
Nic Webb - Guitars, Vocals
Rangi Barnes - Drums
NAILS Releases New Album, 'Every Bridge Burning'
Revered purveyors of aggression NAILS have released their highly-anticipated, 4th full-length album, Every Bridge Burning, with Nuclear Blast Records.
Featuring 10 cut throat tracks like ‘Lacking The Ability To Process Empathy,’ ‘Give Me The Painkiller’ and ‘Imposing Will’, Every Bridge Burning is a blitzkrieg of seething anger and unrelenting intensity that NAILS has built their name upon for the last 15 years.
Commenting on the album, NAILS founder Todd Jones says:
“This band was modeled after some of my favorite bands; the type of bands where, when they put out an album, you know what it’s going to sound like. it’s the delivery of the expectation.”
Every Bridge Burning was produced by Kurt Ballou at God City Studio and is adorned with aptly diabolic artwork by Jef Whitehead.
Purchase/Stream Every Bridge Burning: https://nails.bfan.link/every-bridge-burning
NAILS Tour Dates:
W/200 Stab Wounds, Mammoth Grinder & Tribal Gaze
Sept 11 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
Sept 12 - Toronto, ON - The Axis Club Theatre
Sept 13 - Detroit, MI - Tangent Gallery
Sept 14 - Chicago, IL - Avondale Music Hall
Sept 15 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
Sept 16 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
Sept 17 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Sept 18 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
Sept 19 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
Sept 20 - Brooklyn, NY - The Brooklyn Monarch (w/special guest Stabbed)
Sept 21 - Worcester, MA - New England Metal & Hardcore Festival @ The Palladium
Nov 2 - Manchester, UK - Damnation Festival
w/Xibalba, World Peace, Deadbody & Auditory Anguish
Nov 14 - Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone
Nov 15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco (w/special guest Entry)
Nov 16 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick (no Xibalba)
About NAILS:
For the first time in over 8 years, the blistering assault on our nervous system that can only be described as the sound of NAILS, has reemerged. With Carlos Cruz on drums, Andrew Solis on Bass, Shelby Lermo on Guitars, and Todd Jones on guitar & vocals, the upcoming studio album, EVERY BRIDGE BURNING, will be revealed August 30th, 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.
The album artwork, a creation by Jef Whitehead, serves as a visual prelude to the auditory chaos—a stark representation of the aural brutality that NAILS delivers.
Recording for the album commenced in Massachusetts at God City Studio with Kurt Ballou (of CONVERGE), whose contribution is integral to the NAILS sound, as elucidated by Jones: “we’ve recorded every album with Kurt. He’s such an important ingredient as to how we present our music. When our fans want to hear NAILS, they want to hear something that is through the filter of Kurt’s engineering.”
EVERY BRIDGE BURNING was born out of unwavering dedication to NAILS fans and the underground music scene. It echoes their commitment to authenticity and raw power. NAILS remains a beacon of rebellion and resilience in a world hungry for genuine expression. With no shortage of effort or meticulous song arrangement, the time has arrived to become engulfed in the ferocity of NAILS once again as EVERY BRIDGE BURNING unveils a new, but familiar chapter in extreme music.
“This band was modeled after some of my favorite bands; the type of bands where, when they put out an album, you know what it’s going to sound like,” describes Jones, “it’s the delivery of the expectation.” The sensory destroying musical onslaught that we’ve all been missing is back. NAILS is Todd Jones, Carlos Cruz, Andrew Solis, and Shelby Lermo.
Follow NAILS:
https://www.instagram.com/nailstyranny
https://www.facebook.com/NAILSoxnard
WINTERSUN - Release New Album Time II
12 years following WINTERSUN's TIME I, Finnish heavy metal quartet led by Jari Mäenpäärelease today their new album TIME II via Nuclear Blast Records.
Jari Mäenpää comments: "TIME II is an epic journey from light to darkness and back to light, exploring the universe and energy, contrasting dark stormy landscapes to calm and beautiful cherry blossom tree gardens with misty, snowy mountains that will leave you breathless. It has songs with furious speed of drums, guitars, and bass and beautiful melodic slower songs with a magical exotic influence. It has massive orchestrations and choirs spiced with ancient world instruments and glimmering synths. It has Jari's soaring, clean singing contrasted with his aggressive style. It is a highly detailed and complex album where you will find new things with every listen."
Order TIME II here:
https://wintersun.bfan.link/time-ii.ema
About WINTERSUN:
Finally, our patience will be rewarded when Finnish WINTERSUN’s Time II album is revealed to the world on August, 30th by Nuclear Blast. ‘It has been quite a journey’ admits mastermind Jari Mäenpää who has been working on his expansive Time project since early 2004.
Time II includes six epic tracks with individual stories. Yet the subjects are all linked and this red line gives it a conceptual feeling. Entering WINTERSUN’s universe, we are brought into the right mood with the eastern-influenced, atmospheric intro ‘Fields Of Snow’. The first real WINTERSUN track is the metallic brilliance of ‘The Way Of The Fire’, with fire representing the energy of stars as a source of life, which is also connected to time. In ‘One With The Shadows’ we experience the magic of an opulence of vocal harmonies, while orchestral arrangements loom up as ornamental move. Jari has a remarkable vision on the lyrics, ‘Now I think it is about regret. You are living in the shadows as long as you don’t turn regret into something positive to continue your life. In ‘Ominous Clouds’, clouds are gathering as the interlude journeys towards the next exploring adventure ‘Storm’.
This is the heaviest and darkest track on the album,’ explains Jari. ‘It even has influences from classical music, more precisely from Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’, furious guitars and heavy drums prevail, while the tone remains chaotic.’ The last track, ‘Silver Leaves’, with an array of harmonious sounds, is partly performed with traditional Chinese instruments like the ‘erhu’ (similar to the violin or fiddle). Ending on a positive note the song tells the story of finding a calm place and state of mind after the storm, being satisfied with your life, and enjoying nature around you, as reflected by the cherry tree garden on the cover. The artwork was created by Cameron Gray, while the booklet was designed by Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák (lyrics, credits & thanks pages) and Onni Wiljami Kinnunen (band photos pages).
WINTERSUN is:
Jari Mäenpää | vocals, guitars, computer, programming
Teemu Mäntysaari | guitars
Jukka Koskinen | bass
Kai Hahto | drums