What if someone curated a special group of artists to create a special dual event…one where a small audience of people (45 or less) gets to experience an amazing performance while being filmed as a show for an upcoming streaming series? Many people are done with the whole mega-concert experience--beginning with the tickets! Enter Deko Entertainment. Deko decided that there might be a fun, and much less stressful way to experience talented artists performing live. It would be really…Up Close and Personal. And that’s what it’s called. So far, it’s been great. You can take it from the people that were at the inaugural events that featured Kasim Sulton (Utopia, Todd Rundgren, Meat Loaf, etc.) and Tiffany!
Thank you so much for doing this!!!!! This was one of the best shows I've ever been to and one of the best nights of my life. I'm a longtime fan and follower of Tiffany's and it was wonderful getting to hang out with her like this. Please have her back again!!
Chuck (Tiffany--Up Close and Personal)
Thank you for hosting the event and it was refreshingly surprising to receive this thank-you email from Deko. I have been going to shows for almost 5 decades and it does not take many fingers to count how many times personal thank-yous have been received.
Rick (Kasim Sulton--Up Close and Personal)
For this special series, Deko Entertainment has teamed up with another Jersey business Factory Records: https://factoryrecords.com/. Events will be in the Lounge and will be MC’d by comedian Frankie Hudak. We have a jam packed schedule coming up over the next couple of months.
Randy Jackson – April 7, 2023, 8:00 PM
The amazing creative force behind the band Zebra, Jackson, is gifting us a very special evening. His musicianship, along with his amazing vocal range, makes this a can’t-miss event for Up Close and Personal fans. Some of the most memorable songs from Jackson’s long, musical legacy translate extremely well into the smaller environment at Factory Records, so this is going to be awesome! Here is a taste of Jackson live with Zebra https://youtu.be/p3Iu1hgAs8I
Joe Bouchard – April15, 2023, 8:00 PM
Bouchard is truly a legend. As one of the original members of Blue Öyster Cult, he can take us on an amazing musical journey through story and song. Songs we all know from his past are part of our culture, and he has so many critically acclaimed solo tunes. It’s hard to imagine how he will decide what to play, but come find out! Here is Bouchard’s artist page on the Deko website: https://www.dekoentertainment.com/joebouchard.
Bad Omens Announces CONCRETE FOREVER North American Fall Headlining Tour with ERRA + I See Stars
Bad Omens
Announces: CONCRETE FOREVER
North American Fall Headlining Tour
With ERRA + I See Stars
Artist Presale Starts Tomorrow at 10 am, Tickets On Sale Friday 4/7 at 10 am
All Times Local
Bad Omens slither through boundaries, only to ultimately choke convention in the process. The quartet—Noah Sebastian (vocals), Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson (guitar), Nick Ruffilo (bass), and Nick Folio (drums)—materialize with ghostly atmospherics, striking hooks, and the tingles of sensual high-register harmonies uplifted by cinematic production. Racking up over 250M worldwide streams to date and earning acclaim, the band presents an uncompromising and undeniable vision on their third full-length album, 'THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND' (Sumerian Records).
“Making the record changed us as songwriters and musicians. In many ways, I feel like it set me free as an artist because every decision made in the writing process was for myself, with no fear for anyone else’s expectations of what our third album should sound like. Be it our fans or our record label.”
They’ve always wielded this level of magic though…
The group’s 2016 self-titled debut, 'Bad Omens', yielded fan favorites such as “Glass Houses” and “The Worst In Me” which eclipsed 35 million Spotify streams. On its heels, 2019’s 'Finding God Before God Finds Me' spawned “Dethrone” (23 million Spotify streams) and “Careful What You Wish For”. Along the way, they toured with numerous marquee acts and received tastemaker praise.
After their first headline tour was canceled mid-way at the top of the global pandemic, the band found themselves at home in Los Angeles with plenty of time. Where they absorbed and imparted a different palette of unexpected inspirations. Channeling what the frontman describes at times as a “cursive sound” they embraced newfound confidence and boundlessly loose creativity. Anything went in the studio, and all “rules” were broken. Noah and Jolly wrote, produced, and engineered the music themselves while GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer and songwriter Zakk Cervini (Halsey, Grimes, Poppy, blink-182) lent his talents with the mix and master. Challenging himself, Noah decided to “make a track sampling items around the house, none of which were musical instruments”.
This ultimately became the framework for the first single “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND”. Claps puncture the icy soundscape as his voice stretches from a breathy moan into an evocative and entrancing hook, breaking from a whisper into the seductive chant, “It wasn’t hard to realize. Love’s the death of peace of mind.” It culminates on a climactic scream uplifted by a distorted crunch.
“The whole record really details the loss of peace of mind,” he explains. “The lyrics in the title track are a little more specific in terms of the conflict at the heart of something more intimate and personal.”
By speaking it aloud, Bad Omens offer a level of comfort and empathy, with a sinister shroud. At the same time, they also give rock music a sexy new shape on 'THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND'.
“Sonically, we want to do something you can’t arrive late or early too,” he leaves off. “You can’t cheat your way to the final act. You have to get on the ride and process it until the end. The songs are meant to be heard from start to finish. We want you to take the whole trip with us.”
CONCRETE FOREVER North American Headliner Dates
September 1 - Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
September 2 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater
September 4 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater
September 5 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
September 6 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
September 8 - Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
September 9 - Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
September 12 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5
September 13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
September 14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
September 15 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
September 16 - Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
September 18 - Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
September 19 - Toronto, ON @ Rebel
September 21 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
September 24 - TBA
September 26 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom
September 27 - Minneapolis, MN @ Myth Live
September 29 - TBA
September 30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union
October 2 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
October 3 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
October 4 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
October 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
October 9 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels
October 10 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
October 11 - Albuquerque, NM @ Revel
October 13 - Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
Fall Festival Dates
September 10 - Alton, VA @ Blue Ridge Rock Festival
September 22 - Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life
October 6 - Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock
Upcoming US Dates with ERRA + Invent Animate
May 17 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City (Sold Out)
May 18 - Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal (Sold Out)
May 19 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel (Sold Out)
May 21 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues (Sold Out)
May 23 - Raleigh, NC @ Ritz Raleigh (Sold Out)
May 26 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection (Sold Out)
May 28 - Fort Wayne, IN @ Clyde's (Sold Out)
May 30 - Des Moines, IA @ Horizon Event Centre (Low Ticket Warning)
June 1 - Omaha, NE @ The Admiral (Sold Out)
June 2 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre (Sold Out)
June 3 - Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall (Sold Out)
June 4 - Wichita, KS @ Cotillion Ballroom (Sold Out)
Spring Festivals/Radio Shows
May 4 - Greenwood Village, CO @ 107.9 KBPI Birthday Bash
May 6 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Bamboozle Fest
May 12 - Oklahoma City, OK @ 100.5 KATT's KATTFEST
May 25 - Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple
May 27 - St Louis, MO @ 105.7 KPNT The Point's Pointfest
Elle King Makes Her Solo Opry Debut
With a heart full of reverence and gratitude, singer-songwriter Elle King made her Grand Ole Opry solo debut last night. Her three-song set included “Bonafide,” and “Jersey Giant” from her recent album Come Get Your Wife. She closed with a reimagined version of fan-favorite “America’s Sweetheart,” from her 2015 debut album Love Stuff.
ONErpm Signs Country Traditionalist William Michael Morgan
ONERPM signs William Michael Morgan and announces his next project—a Keith Stegall–produced
EP to be delivered later this year.
Top Row L-R: Karl M Braun (Hall Booth Smith), Joe Carter (Carter and Company), Keith Stegall (Dreamlined Entertainment Group), Mike Taliaferro (Carter and Company); Bottom Row L-R: Ryan L Cunningham (ONErpm), William Michael Morgan, Tim Wipperman (ONErpm)
Photo Credit: Brooke Christopher
ONErpm Nashville is proud to announce the signing of rising country artist William Michael Morgan, who will be releasing a Keith Stegall–produced EP later this year. Morgan, a modern-day traditionalist, previously earned a No. 1 single with “I Met a Girl,” described by Rolling Stone as a “laid-back ode to the joy of romantic discovery” that was named one of NPR Music’s Top 100 Songs of 2016. This Gold-certified single paved the way for a top 5 debut of Morgan’s first album, Vinyl, on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Since then, the 29-year-old Mississippi native has been building his fan base by touring the country and releasing music that remains true to his Vicksburg roots with a voice that “resonates with the flawless timbre of someone who has been singing country music for decades beyond his years,” according to Pandora.
“It is an honor to be teaming up with ONErpm,” Morgan says, noting that “Tim Wipperman, Ryan Cunningham and the team there really believe in the kind of music we are making” and further explaining that his new music, produced by the legendary Stegall, “is something I’ve been working toward my whole career. All the ups and downs, the growth and learning—you can hear it all in this new music, the majority of which I have written as a result of my own life lessons.”
“William Michael Morgan has had an amazing career so far,” affirms Cunningham, A&R director of Country Music for ONErpm. “We believe in him as an artist, and we’re excited to see how high he can climb with this new music.”
2023 is looking like a breakout year for Morgan, with the forthcoming album and summer tour dates scheduled from Sevierville and Nashville, Tenn. to Galveston, Texas, and Comstock, Neb.
As one of the more recent CRS New Faces of Country Music, Morgan has already accumulated over 100 million on-demand streams. For more information, visit WilliamMichaelMorgan.com or follow along on socials @WMMorganMusic on Instagram, @WilliamMichaelMorgan on Facebook and @WMMorgan on Twitter. Morgan is managed by Joe Carter and Mike Taliaferro of Carter and Company; booking is handled by The Kinkead Entertainment Agency.
About ONErpm:
ONErpm is a next-generation music company and leader in new revenue opportunities, operating one of the world’s largest music distribution platforms and YouTube Multi-Channel Networks. Offering a full suite of services that includes marketing support, supply chain tools, business intelligence, publishing, accounting and global payment solutions, ONErpm provides the infrastructure needed to help creators and content owners succeed. As a trusted partner, ONErpm emphasizes transparency in everything it does, from executing a marketing campaign to making payments. ONErpm currently operates 39 offices across the globe with a staff of over 500, making it one of the fastest-growing independent music companies in the world.
SEPTICFLESH - announce 'Reconstruction' digital EP featuring entirely symphonic versions of three songs from 'Modern Primitive'
Symphonic death metallers SEPTICFLESH have announced a new digital EP titled Reconstruction, that will feature three reimagined versions of songs from their latest album Modern Primitive. The new versions of these songs were recorded with an orchestra and a choir to achieve an entirely symphonic sound.
The band comments "We are excited to present you with Reconstruction, a digital EP that consists of the bonus songs from Modern Primitive, now making them available to all our fans. The title is very representative, as the release encapsulates a variety of musical ideas from Modern Primitive, reconstructed with additional orchestral elements. Check it out in the digital music platform of your choice."
Stream Reconstruction on all platforms now at: https://septicflesh.bfan.link/reconstruction-7218.ema
About SEPTICFLESH
SEPTICFLESH was formed as 'Septic Flesh' in Greece in the early '90s by Spyridon Antoniou (a.k.a. Seth Siro Anton): vocals/bass, Christos Antoniou: guitar and Sotirios Vagenas (a.k.a. Sotiris Anunnaki V.): guitar/ clean vocals. A debut EP was released in 1991, entitled Temple of The Lost Race. Their first full-length album Mystic Places of Dawn was released in 1994, followed by EΣΟΠΤΡΟΝ that was released in 1995. With the release of Ophidian Wheel in 1997, a female soprano vocalist (Natalie Rassoulis) was introduced, as the band moved towards a more symphonic style. A Fallen Temple (1998) continued in the same musical direction. In 1999, Revolution DNA was released, followed by Sumerian Daemons in 2003, both albums produced by Fredrik Nordström (At The Gates, Opeth, In Flames). Although the band's popularity was growing, the band members decided to disband, in order to focus on other personal projects and goals. But that was not the end of the story... After a reunion, the band returned with the album Communion in 2008, again with Fredrik Nordström at the helm of production. From that point onwards, the symphonic element (composed by Christos Antoniou, that has a Master Degree in Concert Music) was fully implemented in the structure of the songs, with the collaboration of Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague. The Great Mass (2011) followed with Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) producing, Titan (2014) with Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head) as producer and Codex Omega (2017) which started the group’s collaboration with Jens Bogren that continues to the very day. In 2020, the recording of the epic and fully orchestrated Live in Mexico entitled Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX was released on CD/LP/DVD/Blu-Ray.
SEPTICFLESH is:
Seth Siro Anton | Vocals, Bass
Christos Antoniou | Guitar, Orchestra
Sotiris Anunnaki V | Clean Vocals, Guitar, 12 String Guitar
Psychon | Guitar
Kerim 'Krimh' Lechner | Drums
ROTTEN SOUND Shares New Music Video for "Digital Bliss"
The apocalypse is nigh and Finnish grindcore entity ROTTEN SOUND has crafted the perfect soundtrack to accompany humanity’s impending extinction. Aptly titled ‘Apocalypse,’ the band’s eighth studio album is dropping into 2023 with the same blistering speed and chaotic impetus as an asteroid searing through atmosphere and crushing everything upon impact.
Each song delivering abrupt yet violent aftershocks, delivering an auditory assault with its unstoppable, seismic force. The band is now sharing the official music video for the song "Digital Bliss," which can be seen below.
ROTTEN SOUND comments on the clip, "Have you ever got sucked in YouTube cat videos, Instagram stories or other dopamine creators? Does it feel like this?"
'Apocalypse' is out now! Stream/order/download HERE.
ROTTEN SOUND have firmly established themselves as one of the leading acts of the grindcore scene. Expertly wielding the fierce brutality and massive aggression of their genre, the Finns add intelligent songwriting, effective arrangements, and musical proficiency as well as subtle death metal elements to their sound.
Their forthcoming album ‘Apocalypse’ embodies those aforementioned virtues to the point. The full length delivers eighteen short sharp chops that hit home perfectly.
ROTTEN SOUND was conceived in the city of Vaasa, Finland by guitarist Mika Aalto in 1993, who was soon joined by vocalist and word-smith Keijo Niinimaa. The duo still remains in place, while the original members in all other positions have been replaced several times until today.
The Finns can field an impressive catalogue of now eight highly acclaimed studio albums, eight EPs, three split singles, a single, and a live DVD. Furthermore, ROTTEN SOUND have already conquered the stages of all major metal and hardcore oriented festivals and also toured in regular intervals alongside such renowned acts as MALEVOLENT CREATION, PHOBIA, DISFEAR CARCASS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, EXHUMED, NAPALM DEATH, and PIG DESTROYER – among many others.
With ‘Apocalypse’, ROTTEN SOUND are gearing up their musical juggernaut just in time before crushing stages all over Asia and Europe this spring.
Recording Studio:
Sound Supreme (drums and vocals)
Nordic Audio Labs (guitars and bass)
Recording engineer: Janne Saksa
Mix: Rain City Studios by Jesse Gander
Master: Audio Siege by Brad Boatbright
Cover artwork: Error Design
Line-up:
Mika Aalto - guitars
Matti Raappana - bass and backing vocals
Sami Latva - drums
Keijo Niinimaa - lead vocals
Links:
https://www.rottensound.com
https://www.facebook.com/rottensoundofficial
https://www.instagram.com/rottensoundgrind
Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/RottenApocalypse
Stream/Download: https://orcd.co/rs_apocalypse
RATT’S CLASSIC ALBUMS COMPILED ON ‘THE ATLANTIC YEARS’ LIMITED EDITION BOX SET
BMG, in partnership with Rhino Entertainment, announces ‘THE ATLANTIC YEARS’ LIMITED EDITION BOX SET, celebrating RATT’s massively successful period where all 5 of their studio albums were certified GOLD, PLATINUM or MULTI-PLATINUM. Released on June 9th, the LP set features all 5 albums remastered on 180g black vinyl, rare “Nobody Rides For Free” 7” single, 12 page replica tour book (featuring rare and never before seen photos from RATT’s personal archives), 11”x17” WANTED POSTER, bumper sticker, replica backstage pass, and guitar pick in a custom lift top box. The CD set features all 5 of the studio albums in a side loading box.
All albums feature the classic line up of Stephen Pearcy (vocals), Warren DeMartini (guitars), Robbin Crosby (guitars), Juan Croucier (bass/vocals), and Bobby Blotzer (drums)
Formed in Los Angeles, RATT was featured as an unsigned act on Uncle Joe Benson’s Local Licks Drive Time Show on KLOS-FM. This was their first time on radio and led to their signing to Atlantic Records.
RATT exploded on to the national scene in 1984 with the release of ‘Out Of The Cellar.’ Featuring an undeniable hook and legendary music video, lead single “Round And Round” hit #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while ‘Out Of The Cellar’ reached #7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified triple platinum. Two more charting singles followed with “Back For More” and “Wanted Man”. RATT started the tour as an opening act, but by the end of the tour had climbed to arena headliner.
RATT returned in 1985 with their 2nd full length album, ‘Invasion Of Your Privacy.’ Certified double platinum and also reaching #7 on the Billboard Top 200, ‘Invasion of Your Privacy’ also featured the classics “Lay It Down” (#40 Billboard Hot 100) and “You’re In Love”.
‘Dancing Undercover’ followed in 1986 as RATT toured North America with a brand new LA band called POISON as the opening act. Lead single “Dance” hit the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned another music video hit with “Slip Of The Lip”, while “Body Talk” was featured in a key scene in the Eddie Murphy film, ‘The Golden Child’. ‘Dancing Undercover’ became RATT 3rd consecutive PLATINUM album and reached #26 on the Billboard Top 200.
1988’s ‘Reach For The Sky’ saw RATT return to the Top 20 of the Billboard Top 200 album charts, peaking at #17. Driven by the bluesy hit and MTV favorite “Way Cool Jr.”, ‘Reach For The Sky’ was also certified PLATINUM and became RATT’s 4th album in a row to move well over a million copies. “I Want A Woman” was also a successful single and the video captured the excitement and energy of RATT live.
RATT released their last full-length record of the Atlantic era, Detonator, in 1990. Music was changing, but ‘Detonator’ was still a success, peaking at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 and going GOLD. The first album to feature major outside songwriting contributions (Desmond Child, Diane Warren) and guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Schenker). Lead single “Lovin’ You’s A Dirty Job” hit #18 on the Rock Charts while the power ballad “Giving Yourself Away” reached #39.
In 1991, they released the single “Nobody Rides For Free” from the hit film Point Break starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, which is exclusive to the LP box.
Pre-Order link: https://lnk.to/rattatlanticyearsPR
JAAW Share New Single, "Total Protonic Reversal", + Video
New Album, 'Supercluster',
Out May 26th on Svart Records
Pre-Order HERE
Today, JAAW share their new single, "Total Prototonic Reversal", the second single from their upcoming album, 'Supercluster'.
About the single, Andy Cairns comments:
“'Total Protonic Reversal' is an atmospheric slow burning industrial banger. Tension released and synapses cleansed in this steely eyed stare into cosmic unease
“Music video director & animator, Mike Bourne has provided 'Total Protonic Reversal'with the perfect visual accompaniment, morphing vibrant imagery into quotidian urban hellscapes”
JAAW is a post-industrial supergroup featuring Andy Cairns (Therapy?), Jason Stoll(Mugstar, KLÄMP, Sex Swing), Wayne Adams (Death Pedals, Big Lad, Petbrick) and Adam Betts (Three Trapped Tigers, Goldie, Squarepusher). JAAW glories in big riffs and massive hooks, while also pushing the boundaries of what that even means thanks to its uncompromising strangeness.
Recorded intensely in a matter of days at Wayne’s Bear Bites Horse Studio in London, 'Supercluster' is one of the most distinctive and exciting records that will be released this year, so heavy in textures that repeat listens will prove endlessly rewarding.
Watch the Official Music Video for "Total Protonic Reversal"
In the back of JAAW’s minds are the 1990s: an era when the experimental heaviness of acts like Ministry and Godflesh could find surprisingly large audiences.
They also draw on the sonic ground that’s been broken since: the disorientating ferocity of Brazil’s DEAFKIDS, the gaseous, shapeshifted vocals on Burial’s records, and the freakout-laden noise-rock of Lightning Bolt.
Far from emulating the industrial metal masters of the past, JAAW will help shake lesser rock bands out of their generic complacency. With scant regard for typical verse/chorus/verse formulas, JAAW’s song structures are closer to the nonlinear approach of body-shaking dance music.
While recording 'Supercluster' at Wayne’s Bear Bites Horse Studio and experimenting with squealing effects pedals selected from the studio’s racks, Cairns was reminded of his love for the feedback-drenched records of Helios Creed and Nuklear Blast Suntan. Having grown up listening to Therapy?, Adams loved throwing HM-2 pedals at Cairns and hearing his riffs through Entombed-style distortion. Bassist Stoll liked the idea of “Celtic Frost playing something by NEU!”
This turned into the album’s bludgeoning centre piece, "Bring Home The Motherlode, Barry". As co-vocalists, Adams and Cairns wrote lyrics informed by the hallucinatory horror movies of Panos Cosmatos and the unforgettable set-pieces from Ari Aster’s Midsommar.
JAAW’s sounds, ideas and modes all bleed into each other. “The lyrics, too, are part of the same whole,” adds Cairns. “I feel you could drop the needle at any point on this record and you know where you are with it. To me, it’s like greyscale psychedelia. It’s just this… experience.”
The greyscale psychedelic revolution starts here. You’d be crazy not to jump in.
Winger Release "It All Comes Back Around" Video — WATCH
Following the March release of the debut single and video "Proud Desperado" from the upcoming album Seven, Winger release today the video for the song "It All Comes Back Around."
As with "Proud Desperado," the video was filmed in Nashville and directed by Jack Sawyers. You can watch the video below. The track is available for streaming and download on all platforms here.
Winger Seven will be released on May 5 and is the band's first release sinceBetter Days Comin' in 2014. The album was produced in Nashville by Kip Winger and features all four of the original members — Kip Winger, Reb Beach, Rod Morgenstein, and Paul Taylor. Guitarist John Roth was added in 1992.
Winger will be touring extensively in 2023 with a UK tour supporting Steel Panther commencing May 14, followed by a U.S tour supporting Tom Keifer in North America starting in Atlanta on June 15. The band will be doing a number of headline shows in addition to these tours.
Below are confirmed 2023 shows.
WINGER ON TOUR:
HEADLINE DATES:
4/22 — St. Charles, IL — Arcada Theatre
4/29 — 5/4 — Port Canaveral, FL — Monsters of Rock Cruise
5/6 — Columbia, MD — M3 Rock Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion
5/10 — Price, UT — Carbon County Event Center
5/11 — Cedar City, UT — Iron Springs Resort
WITH TOM KEIFER BAND:
6/15 — Atlanta, GA — Buckhead Theatre
6/16 — Lexington, KY — Lexington Music Hall
6/17 — Harrison, OH — Blue Note (Outdoor)
6/18 — Roanoke, VA — Dr. Pepper Park
6/20 — Norfolk, VA — The Norva
6/21 — Staten Island, NY — St. George Theatre
6/23 — Reading, PA — Santander PAC
6/24 — New York, NY — Palladium NY Times Square
6/27 — Patchogue, NY — Patchogue Theatre
6/28 — Hampton Beach, NH — Casino Ballroom
6/30 — Glenside, PA — Keswick Theatre
7/1 — Cheswick, PA — Mountain View Amp
7/2 —Horseheads, NY — The L (Winger Headline Show)
7/6 — Jim Thorpe, PA — Penn's Peak
7/7 — Providence, RI — The Strand
7/8 — Enfield, CT — Fourth of July Town Center Celebration (Winger Headline Show)
7/9 — Flint, MI — The Machine Shop (Winger Headliner Show)
7/11 — Columbus, OH — The King of Clubs (Winger Headline Show)
7/13 — Akron, OH — Goodyear Theater
7/14 — St. Charles, IL — Arcada
7/15 — Des Plaines, IL — Des Plaines Theatre
WINGER HEADLINE DATES:
7/16 — Indianapolis, IN — The Founder Square
7/22 — Waukesha, WI — Gangs All Here Tour at Waukesha County Fair
7/28 — Terre Haute, IN — The Mill Terre Haute
7/29 — Beaver Dam, KY — Beaver Dam Amphitheatre
8/12 – Hot Springs, AR — Timberwood Amphitheater
8/19 — Gibson City, IL — Gibson City Area Hospital Summer Bash
10/7 — Umatilla, OR — Big River Golf Course
10/13 — Monterey, TN — The Old Gray
10/14 — Wyandotte, MI — District 142
11/17 — Lewiston, ID — Clearwater River Casino & Lodge
11/18 — Golden, CO — Buffalo Rose
12/15 — San Antonio, TX — The Espee
12/16 — Sugar Land, TX — Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
12/17 — Dallas, TX — The Factory in Deep Ellum
Punk Rock Factory Unleash New Album 'It's Just A Stage We're Going Through' + Drop New Music Video For "Mamma Mia"
Irresistible pop-punk rascals PUNK ROCK FACTORY are celebrating the release of their new album by sharing a brand new single and video. Made world famous by pop icons ABBA when their now classic single shot to #1 in multiple countries in 1974, 'Mamma Mia' also became the title track of the smash-hit musical that launched in 1999.
PRF's reimagined version of 'Mamma Mia' - streaming here - is just one of 11 high-octane, certified bangers on their rabidly anticipated new album, It's Just A Stage We're Going Through, out today.
Having reworked the song, PUNK ROCK FACTORY have paid faithful homage to ABBA's original video for the track - recreating it frame by frame, right down to the white boots and hair styles. The band elaborate:
"We were already aware of the accompanying iconic video that the original song had. So we thought how absolutely hilarious it would be if we could recreate that video shot for shot. We love having fun with our videos, and we love any excuse to make idiots of ourselves so this was right up our street.
We got to work on trying to match the outfits as much as we possibly could (it’s not easy finding size 12 knee high boots)! We painstakingly looked for every element of each of the outfits and anything else you see in the video and we synced the original video to our track so we could learn our parts and make sure every little nuance was copied.
We shot the video at Band Studios in Bristol with our good friend Jay Hillyer after a very long drive back from our sold out show in Glasgow the previous day. We had the original video on a screen in front of us to make sure we could copy every part of the video as closely as we possibly could, and then spent most of the day in fits of tears laughing back at takes.
Mamma Mia is definitely one of our favourites from our new musicals themed album. We think it came out great and this has to be one of the most ridiculous videos we’ve ever had the pleasure of working on. We hope everyone finds it as funny as we did. Our hope is we can get it in front of ABBA, and hope they find it as funny!!"
A most splendid visual spectacular, watch it below.
New album, It's Just A Stage We're Going Through, is self-released today. The band commented:
"As we are a completely DIY operation, we adapt and learn each time we make a record, from the arrangement to production to how we work as a collective. We've created a record that we’re truly proud of and we hope it has the balls to stand up with all the other amazing bands out there on the scene today."
Rock N Load scored it 10/10, declaring, "The perfect next step for these guys... this is just another masterpiece."
The Razor's Edge praised, "There is a joyous feeling the band put over in the music and it’s infectious."
Moshville enthused, "PRF have this incredibly annoying knack of making everything they play sound like fun. If you have heard the original version, then it helps (and you can really appreciate what they’ve done with it). If you haven’t then you usually end up wanting to, just so you can compare it to the punk-poptastic sensation you just bounced through. Such was the case with me as I listened to It’s Just A Stage... Over and over again."
Punktastic favourably concluded, "The good news? ‘It’s Just A Stage We’re Going Through’ absolutely stands up as a pop-punk album. The bad news? You will have these songs living rent-free in your brain forever... ‘It’s Just A Stage We’re Going Through’ was meant to be fun, candy floss nonsense from a set of absolute professionals to get both young and old feet bouncing, and it absolutely achieves that goal."
Distorted Sound summed up, "PUNK ROCK FACTORY have truly broken the mould with this release... Whether you’re a fan of musicals, or punk rock, or both, this album is a feel-good party-inducing release. It genuinely can be enjoyed by a vast audience, which is exactly why PUNK ROCK FACTORY have such a growing fanbase."
ABOUT PUNK ROCK FACTORY:
PUNK ROCK FACTORY are the kings of turning any song into a pop punk masterpiece. The boisterous four piece from South Wales take all your favourite tracks and make them sound like you never quite imagined they could! No-one is immune - these four lads have adapted everything from Disney classics and assorted rock & pop hits to TV themes from across the decades.
Since their debut self-release in 2019, PUNK ROCK FACTORY have been steadily gaining a colossal online fan base. The cultural sensations have racked up over 26 million streams on Spotify and 5.1 million likes on TikTok, with over 250,000 followers on Instagram, and over 11 million views on YouTube.
The group rehearse, write, and record everything themselves in their own purpose-built studio, affectionately known as The Sausage Factory. They regularly include a wide range of special guests in their music, which have included the likes of actress/singer Jessica Darrow (Disney's Encanto), Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), and Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills) amongst others - now welcoming Simple Plan’s Jeff Stinco for a face-melting solo on ‘Waving Through A Window’(from ‘Dear Evan Hansen’).
PUNK ROCK FACTORY played their first ever live show at the UK's Bloodstock Festival in 2021 and followed up with a sold out UK tour and slots at Download and Slam Dunk in 2022. The band have steamrolled into 2023, selling out every show again on their second UK tour, including their largest headline show to date at Nottingham's infamous Rock City. With festivals practically queuing up to book them too, don't miss an opportunity to catch them on stage if you can!
New album It's Just A Stage We're Going Through is out now.
Prog Metal Outfit POH HOCK Share New EP ‘Gallimaufry’ Out Today!
POH HOCK
Share New EP ‘Gallimaufry’
Order HERE
Names Favorite Shredders for Metal Sucks
Read HERE
Progressive rock trio POH HOCK have released their new EP, ‘Gallimaufry’, which is out today on the group’s Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms.
The new record features the singles “Fragile Space” and “I Don’t”, and is the follow up to the project’s 2019 debut ‘Ātma’.
Commenting on the release of the new EP, POH HOCK shares:
“The dictionary definition [for Gallimaufry] is ‘a confused jumble or medley of things’. This EP is a collection of songs mixed with many different genres, and the title perfectly sums up the soundscape of the record. It is less guitar-centric and more focused on experimentation with songwriting, as well as a learning experience on different writing styles. This was also a more collaborative effort between Joey, Zak and I compared to my first EP, ‘Atma’. There are also guest musicians on every track, and it was fun working with all of them!”
POH HOCK, formerly the guitarist for the now defunct Native Construct, spoke with Metal Sucks about his favorite shredders under the age of 30. Check out the story HERE
If you are looking for innovative, complex, and moving music, then look no further than the work of POH HOCK KEE. Best known as the lead guitarist for metal bands Native Construct (defunct) and presently Replacire, the Boston-based artist would release his debut solo effort, 2019’s ‘ĀTMA’ EP, showing a whole new side to his musical proclivities.
Now four years later, POH HOCK returns with 'Gallimaufry', a new EP that explores even more diverse avenues and eclectic soundscapes.
POH HOCK are:
Poh Hock - guitar
Zak Baskin - bass
Joey Ferretti - drums
Lusitanian Ghosts present 'The Long Train' single, showcasing alternative pop-rock with traditional instruments
"Magnetic appeal... creating a broader cultural and sonic arsenal, while maintaining a buoyancy that takes the listener on a fantastic ride from start to finish" ~ The Spill Magazine
"Lusitanian Ghosts impressively channel tools of the past to create a beautiful sonic vision. Innovative in their use of traditional instruments to make modern pop-rock, this music is upbeat, quirky, feels familiar and is catchy as hell" ~ Big Takeover Magazine
"Highly melodic and sonically great... a pertinent, contemporary collection of songs that is full of dignity" ~ Amplify Music Magazine
Trans-Atlantic alternative neo-folk collective Lusitanian Ghosts present 'The Long Train', engineered and mixed by SEBASTIAN MUXFELDT (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub) at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg.
This is the first single from the band's forthcoming 'Lusitanian Ghosts III' album, due out later this year via European Phonographic. The Ghosts offer a brilliant taste of the sonic prism through which they present ancient sounds in the 21st Century.
Lusitanian Ghosts is a Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish project that resurrects lost Portuguese chordophones and other European string instruments, promoting ancient sounds in the 21st century. Re-casting these heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs, the European artist collective writes from a socio-political perspective on building a better world, creating songs for the heart and mind, recording on analogue tape and releasing moving music on vinyl.
Founded by Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost, the collective is currently made up of João Sousa, Abel Beja (from Primitive Reason), ToZé Bexiga (from Raia) and Jan-Eric Olsson, performing on traditional Portuguese chordophone instruments, ancient regional guitars like the Amarantina, Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Toeira and Terceirense. These instruments, once on the verge of extinction, are the real "Lusitanian Ghosts" - Lusitania being an ancient Celtic tribe in what would become the central territory of Portugal.
“The Long Train is a song celebrating freedom, celebrating life, celebrating the act of setting yourself free so that you may reach that transcendental level of commitment that only comes with true love.” Confusing? “Oh, and it’s also about storks!” says Neil Leyton.
Micke Ghost adds, "'The Long Train' is a commentary on the state of the world today but with a bit of hope... like the New York Dolls took their electric guitars to the pawn shop. With a bit of plastic soul. .Written in Setubal, Portugal, this was recorded and mixed on analogue tape at Clouds Hill in Germany."
Recorded and mixed on analogue tape, this song features the violas Amarantina, Campaniça and Terceira in glorious mono and stereo versions, bringing a new vintage chordophone rock n roll sound from the Ghosts. It was tracked on a Studer A820 2″ analogue tape machine, mixed down to 1/4 inch tape on the AEG Magnetophon 15 A, including both stereo and mono mixes.
From a deep love of rock n roll rooted in strong vocal traditions from Elvis Presley to David Bowie, Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost craft folk-rock songs that will appeal to fans of The Waterboys, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and newer alt-folk-rock experimental crossings of rock n roll with other genres and traditions, like XIXA.
Lusitanian Ghosts' sophomore album 'Exotic Quixotic' was released with a Deluxe Edition featuring bonus tracks, adaptations of the title track into Portuguese and Polish, feat. Joana Negrão (A Cantadeira) and Misia Furtak.
As of March 31, 'The Long Train' LP will be available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music, and directly from the aritist via Bandcamp.
SINGLE CREDITS
António “ToZé” Bexiga - Viola Campaniça and piano
Janne Olsson - bass and Viola Beirão
João Sousa - drums and Adufe
Abel Beja - viola Terceira and backing vocals
Neil Leyton - vocals
Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost - vocals and Viola Amarantina
All songs by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost
Published by Lusitanian Music Publishing
Produced by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin
Recorded at Clouds Hill Studios, Hamburg
Engineered & mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt
Assisted by Schulie Pieper
Mastered by Chris von Rautenkranz at SoundGarden Hamburg
Cover art photography by Swedish photographer Stina Wigg
Keep up with Lusitanian Ghosts
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking contact | Press contact
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SWANSONG Release Music Video for New Single "Awakening"! New Album to be Released in the Fall of 2023 on Noble Demon!
Founded in 2020 in Kuopio, Finland and combining melodic death, heavy and folk metal, Swansong are bringing their very own blend and something new to the metal scene. Powerful melodies with hard-hitting riffs revive the 80s and 90s and at the same time the old school elements get a fresh & modern twist with female death growls and screams! Signed to Noble Demon, the band is currently preparing for the release of their highly anticipated debut album, which is set to see the light of day in the Fall of 2023. Featuring experienced musicians from such bands as Verjnuarmu, Tornado, Carnal Demise and Sadistic Forest, Swansong's upcoming debut is a release you definitely don't want to miss!
With the music video for the new single "Awakening", the four-piece today offers a first insight into their soon to be released album. So give ear and step into the Swansong world of empowering stories with midnight warriors and strong maidensl!
Watch the video for "Awakening"
Swansong on "Awakening":
"Get ready for a journey through the dark woods: Awakening is the first single from Swansong's upcoming debut album. A track with with haunted screams, aggressive guitars and powerful melodies."
"Awakening" is out now on all streaming platforms
Swansong are:**
Vocals: Jemiina
Guitar: Topi Pitkänen
Guitar: Tuomas Leskinen
Drums: Jimi Myöhänen
For Swansong online:
Find NOBLE DEMON online:
Glazergirl Releases New Single "Chilly Flower" to all major platforms!
Modern hard rock project Glazergirl™ aka “GG” (Jill R. Serfaty) released her newest single "Chilly Flower" to all major platforms. The single is from her forthcoming 5 song EP titled "Mothership" due out this spring.
"'Chilly Flower' is a favorite of mine. It sounds like a spy movie opening credits and reflects the story of a boy who at four years old found a gun in his mother’s garden after a gas station robbery on the other side of the wall. The culprit flees. The child finds the gun among the flowers of the garden and points it at his eight-year-old brother—thankfully without tragedy. A garden, which should be about warmth and peace, becomes cold with hidden evil. Hence a 'chilly flower'," says Jill.
Glazergirl™ has been on the music scene since 2009, when she fronted a hard rock band in the Hollywood, FL area. Moving forward over the years, she was featured in the work of the JP Southern Band song "Slow Ride". Three years ago Glazergirl™fronted a metal band called Union Kain out of Fort Lauderdale, FL. In a decisive move, she decided on a solo project as Glazergirl™ to put her own original music out into the world.
Aurora Dream Releases Debut Full-Length Album 'RUBIX' to all major platforms!
Miami-based instrumental prog and math rock project Aurora Dream founded by 26-year-old Venezuelan guitarist Daniel Morales has released their highly anticipated first full-length album titled RUBIX. This album is the follow-up to their latest single and music video "Comfy," which features the well-known Japanese guitarist Ichika Nito.
Prior to the release of "Comfy," Aurora Dream also put out a remixed and remastered version of "Parallel Colors" from 2016, this time featuring Chris Allisonon drums, and also the single "A New Infinite" that features well-known Australian guitarist Plini, along with his bassist Simon Grove.
RUBIX was produced by Randy Slaugh, who provided a lot more dynamics to the record with his modern production techniques and layers that enhanced the listening experience with creative genre fusions. The album was also co-produced by keyboardist and synth player Eric Guenther from "The Contortionist," who teamed up with Randy and added his psychedelic, progressive, and ethereal sounds that added a lot more dimension to the album, creating a truly immersive experience.
Well-known Australian drummer Chris Allison from Plini performed drums on RUBIX, giving the record a lot more energy through his performance. Mangus Steedperformed bass on the album, providing his unique bass lines, riffs, and phrases that complemented Chris' drums amazingly. Simon Grove mixed RUBIX, while well-known Venezuelan engineer Moises D' Bello mastered it.
RUBIX features some of the best guitar players in the modern scene, including Tim Henson (Polyphia), Nick Johnston, Javier Reyes (Animals as Leaders), Sithu Aye, Angel Vivaldi, Ichika Nito, Mark Holcomb (Periphery), Felix Martin, and Josh Martin (Little Tybee). Additionally, this album features a harp section by Gabriela Gutierrez (Hardcore Harp) on the track titled “Same Opposites.”
The album is truly a masterpiece and a monument for instrumental guitar music because it delivers a profoundly unique listening experience that showcases many interesting genre fusions with prog rock and math rock, combined with modern production that adds more personality to the record and makes it stand out from the rest. The features also add a lot to the experience, not only giving each track a different twist that is unique to each player but also creating one of the biggest album guitar crossovers we have seen yet.
The production layers of RUBIX are inspired by many different genres, including pop, psychedelic rock, lo-fi, synthwave, post-rock, emo, and experimental music. Aurora Dream and Daniel Morales continue to innovate and push the boundaries of guitar music with their unique sound that fuses many different styles and creates a very fun experience that showcases Daniel's talent with his guitar tapping, complex riffs, strange time signature changes, and melodic writing that add on to the experience, making it a roller coaster of emotions across the entire record.
This album is available for purchase and streaming on all music platforms.
RUBIX Vinyls and CDs are coming out later this year, along with music tabs.
T-shirts are available for sale here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZJTKT9L?ref=myi_title_dp
Aurora Dream has set up a GoFundMe page where fans can pitch in to help fund their musical project. The ultimate goal is to plan a tour and land gigs at big music events, but they need your help to make it happen. If you're interested in contributing to this awesome cause, check out their page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-get-aurora-dream-on-tour?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
Every little bit counts, let’s make it happen!
“I started writing 'RUBIX' in early 2019 as a way to escape a very long depression that I was struggling with since the end of 2018. This was also around the time I wrote the song 'Doggy' as a memorial to my dog who had passed away due to cancer in early 2019. Playing guitar in my room helped me a lot, just like performing small shows at local venues, open mics, and bars around Miami and Wynwood. I never imagined that something that started as a simple bedroom produced album that was purely meant to be shared with my close friends and family would later turn into something much bigger after connecting with many talented people that shaped my artistic vision and helped me take it to another level through collaborations and other creative efforts," says Daniel.
He adds, "Despite all the collaborations and collective ideas, this record feels very personal to me because it embodies all of the emotions I experienced during some of my saddest and happiest times in the past four years. Just like a Rubik's cube, I was able to reshape my life into something much brighter that gives me purpose, belonging, and true fulfillment that aligns with who I am, not just as an artist, but also as a person. I will always be grateful for all the people who worked on this project, my fans, my friends, family, and all the people that supports my journey as I continue to deliver my vision as an artist through my music projects.”
Album Credits:
Guitars: Daniel Morales
Bass: Mangus Steed
Drums: Chris Allison
Keys & Synths: Eric Guenther
Harp on “Same Opposites”: Gabriela Gutierrez (Hardcore Harp)
Album Features:
Tim Henson (Polyphia) – Reframe / Reshape
Nick Johnston – Parallel Colors
Javier Reyes (Animals as Leaders) – Floral
Sithu Aye – Perfect Skies
Angel Vivaldi – Same Opposites
Ichika Nito – Comfy
Mark Holcomb (Periphery) – Happy Moon
Felix Martin – Doggy
Josh Martin (Little Tybee) – Rewind / Repeat
Production & Layering: Randy Slaugh
Mixed by: Simon Grove
Mastered by: Moises D’ Bello
Art Direction: Daniel Morales
Artwork: Jakub Krzyszkowski
Layout & Design: Rui Carneiro
Photography: 4102 Productions
Photo Edits: Alejandro Hernández
Aurora Dream is a Miami, Florida-based musical project that was founded by Daniel Morales in 2016, during his final months at university. The project was launched with the release of "Parallel Colors (Demo)," a single that was originally meant to be a personal release. However, due to high demand during live shows, Daniel decided to establish a separate project.
Aurora Dream pushes the boundaries of traditional guitar music with its unique fusions, writing styles, and production techniques. Despite this, the project retains its signature progressive, modern, and ethereal sound. As the driving force behind Aurora Dream, Daniel Morales has grown the project independently with the help of numerous talented individuals in the music industry. The result has exceeded his expectations, and the project has expanded beyond his original vision.
Daniel Morales, also known as “Duniel”, is a Venezuelan-American independent guitarist, entrepreneur, and composer. He is best known as the founder of the instrumental project Aurora Dream, and also releases music under his own name where he explores his creative ideas and continues to expand the boundaries of guitar music. Daniel composes, plays guitar, records, and manages his unique brand of instrumental progressive music, all from his bedroom studio. Born in Mérida, Venezuela, on September 11th, 1996, Daniel is considered to be one of the most successful and influential guitarists from his home country. His inspirations revolve around progressive rock, metal, emo, math rock, pop, and experimental music.
For More Information Please Visit:
Aurora Dream - Social Media Links:
Daniel Morales - Social Media Links:
CROWN LANDS Transcend to Epic, Prog-Rock Heights with Release of Sophomore Album 'Fearless'
Release BBC Live Session Recorded at
Legendary Maida Vale Studio
Listen HERE
Cross-Canada Tour Dates with July Talk Close Out in April
"Punk spirit in a luxury prog package."
- Classic Rock
"They have the chops, the pipes and, perhaps most importantly, the ambition, heralding the arrival of their second album with an 18-minute single"
- Guitar World
“The group are at the forefront of a classic rock revival.”
– Loudwire
“In a sphere dominated by a pantheon of aging legacy acts, CROWN LANDS show that there is still unoccupied space in the modern progressive landscape for this style of classic prog music.”
– Everything Is Noise
Following a stream of long, conceptual single releases, today Juno Award-winning, powerhouse rock duo CROWN LANDS – Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) and Kevin Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys)—proudly release their modern-day progressive opus, 'Fearless', their sophomore album, through Spinefarm Records/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company.
'Fearless' is available across all streaming platforms and on vinyl, presented as a 2 LP in standard black and deluxe colour variant both accented with a zoetrope design.
The nine-track album follows CROWN LANDS’ self-titled debut (2020). It was recorded in 80A Studio at Universal Studio in Toronto with producer David Bottrill (Rush, Muse, Tool, Mastodon) and came together over a six-month period in short, intense bursts between tours. Where the debut record showcased CROWN LANDS' aptitude for raw blues rock, 'Fearless' embraces more of the band’s earliest passions in prog-rock. The album is an unapologetically rich, ambitious work yet easily accessible, plus fans will notice some previously released tracks “Context: Fearless Pt. I” and “Right Way Back” that act as familiar touchpoints framing in the new soundscape.
CROWN LANDS describe, “'Fearless' is the culmination of all our years as a band. Everything we have worked on as writers and players is on full display here. I think we were both able to do what we wanted to do as artists for so long.” Rather than clobber its audience with complexity, 'Fearless' creates a world you want to spend time in."
Bowles anticipates, “I hope that our playing on this record inspires people to kind of take up playing in that way. It's something that's not so common now, but when you get into it, it's just so beautiful.”
'Fearless' is also a record of contrasts and dynamic textures. Nine tapestries of tone, where atmospheric swathes morph into strident guitars, dextrous polyrhythms and gnarly basslines – Bowles’ strange, beautiful tenor soaring over the top like a bird over a mythological land. On the 18-minute lead single, “Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II", CROWN LANDS proclaim, “it is perhaps the most ambitious piece of music that we have written to this point. I suppose we intended it to be the centrepiece of this record.” That first track throws down the gauntlet, capturing the whole 'Fearless' album experience.
“The rest of the album serves to continue the themes we explore on ‘Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II'. It was an absolute pleasure to work with David Bottril. He is a true musical genius and a hell of a guy. We’re so proud of this record. It’s the best body of work we have assembled to date.”
Elsewhere, “Reflections” turns the spotlight on CROWN LANDS themselves. Written mid-pandemic, it’s a tender, stirring moment that finds Bowles and Comeau navigating a rocky period in their friendship – blending personal experience into the interstellar imagery that underpins the record.
Offering a ray of stripped-back sunlight, acoustic instrumental “Penny”– written years ago by Comeau, for his late grandmother – reflects the delicate atmospherics of John Butler(a huge influence on the guitarist).
“Citadel” offers velvety, piano-led closure, drawing 'Fearless' to an end in six gorgeously moody minutes. A folk-hearted ode to environmental defenders, it’s a space where Pink Floyd meets Bob Dylan. “We wanted to flip the narrative and reinterpret the way people see people defending their land,” Bowles explains. “Because they're depicted in the media as a thorn in people's sides, but they should be celebrated as heroes, because they're trying to save the last bit of land that is untouched and untainted by corporations.”
Earlier this month, CROWN LANDS released their BBC Live Session, recorded last year at the legendary Maida Vale Studio with BBC Radio 1. The session includes live performances of three of the band’s most notable tracks, “White Buffalo,” “The Witching Hour (Electric Witch)” and “Context: Fearless Pt. I.”
Listen to CROWN LANDS' BBC Live Session HERE
Watch the Recap HERE
ABOUT CROWN LANDS
CROWN LANDS are born storytellers. Advocates for the LGBTQ+ and indigenous communities. Counter-culturalists for the 21st century, informed by a cocktail of ancient voices, social injustice, science-fiction, and musical narrators from Rush to Paul Simon, Led Zeppelin to John Butler. Since meeting in 2015 at a band audition, singer/drummer Bowles (a reconnecting Mi’kmaq who identifies as Two Spirit) and guitarist/keyboardist Comeau have cultivated a diverse sonic and lyrical palette. Touchstones range from the mistreatment of Canada’s indigenous population to Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa, the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and Dune author, Frank Herbert.
Originally, they got their foot in the door with raw blues rock, on their Juno-nominated, 2020 self-titled LP, working with Grammy nominated Dave Cobb. This paved the way for an introduction to three of CROWN LANDS' heroes: Terry Brown, Nick Raskulinecz, and David Bottrill – all prolific producers that worked with them on their breakthrough track “Context: Fearless Pt. 1,” which premiered on Rolling Stone. After a steady stream of new music, the band’s fresh approach and mission-driven catalogue garnered them the 2021 Juno Award for “Breakthrough Group of the Year.”
CROWN LANDS ended 2022 with the release of their rendition of The Beatles’ quintessential rally song, “Come Together,” released in partnership with TSN as part of a campaign for the Canadian Men’s National Team during FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022,™ watch the commercial featuring the track HERE (track starts at 3:20).
With the latest installment of tour dates and their sophomore album, CROWN LANDS are ready to bring elegant, clever, progressive rock to the masses.
Join CROWN LANDS’ “Letter to the People” Newsletter HERE for More Updates!
RAVEN BLACK to Open Festivities on SEX METAL CIRCUS TOUR 2023 with LITTLE MISS NASTY and GINA & THE EASTERN BLOCK!
Dark Metal Carnival RAVEN BLACK has announced that they will be supporting on the SEX METAL CIRCUS TOUR 2023 with LITTLE MISS NASTY and GINA & THE EASTERN BLOCK! Launching April 25th at Fulton 55 in Fresno, RAVEN will be opening the SEX METAL CIRCUS TOUR 2023 as it travels through the West Coast and West Central US before winding through Texas and back into California, wrapping up with an incredible finale May 11th at The Viper Room in Los Angeles.
Tour Dates:
04/25 @ Fulton 55 - Fresno, CA
04/27 @ Star Theater - Portland, OR
04/28 @ El Corazon - Seattle, WA
04/29 @ Cruisers - Post Falls, ID
05/01 @ Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
05/03 @ Sunshine Studios - Colorado Springs, CO
05/04 @ The Wave - Wichita, KS
05/05 @ RBC - Dallas, TX
05/06 @ Scout Bar - Houston, TX
05/07 @ Deadhorse - San Angelo, TX
05/09 @ TBA
05/10 @ Holding Co. - San Diego, CA
05/11 @ Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
Additional Tour, RSVP, & Ticketing Info
Meet Raven Black.
Raven was reborn again, but lost in a world she didn’t fit into. LOST in her own journey hidden behind an innocent smile. Decades of inner turmoil and suffering, she finally let go and took her journey into the darkness with vigilance. She would be found and no one will stop her from reaching the sky from the underground.
RAVEN BLACK blazed onto the scene with the release of their first single, "Died Inside," and a sold out show at the legendary Roxy Theater on September 7, 2013. They continued to work in the studio and released their first EP, Midnight Dreary, in June 2014, successfully packing the house at the famous Viper Room.
In October 2014, the band revamped their line-up and began working with Grammy Nominated Producer Ulrich Wild (ROB ZOMBIE, WHITE ZOMBIE, ALICE IN CHAINS, BREAKING BENJAMIN, PANTERA, SEETHER, DEATHKLOK, OTEP, and more) on their new album. They then spent the next two years writing and releasing their single, "Seven Sins," in April 2016 with the EP, Seven Sins, September 2016.
Raven Black played the Corona Hell and Heaven Festival in Mexico City, Mexico, July 2016, alongside such headliners as RAMMSTEIN, TWISTED SISTER, GHOST, Five Finger Death Punch, MUSHROOMHEAD, SEPULTURA, ALIEN ANT FARM, and many others. They wrapped up 2016 playing DirtFest in Michigan sharing the stage with headliners KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, HATEBREED, ATTILA, BORN OF OSIRIS, and others.
The band released their first official EP with the new line up, Seven Sins, on September 29, 2016, before joining MUSHROOMHEAD, SUNFLOWER DEAD, UNSAID FATE, and DEATH DIVISION on MUSHROOMHEAD's Annual Halloween Tour.
2017 started very busy for RAVEN BLACK as they headed to Cleveland, OH to film their new music video, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars," with MonoBloc'sJosh Apple and Andrew Sparks. Premiered on Revolver Magazine on April 13, 2017, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars" is a miniature horror version of their already theatrical presence in the metal community. "We wanted to have some blood in this one," says Raven.
After a brief rest, RAVEN BLACK toured through the Southern parts of the U.S. on their way to SXSW, where they played the Heart of Texas Rock Festival in March 2017, winning fans from across multiple genres at the iconic event. Raven says, "I am so proud of being able to share our METAL music with other fans of country, hip hop and pop genres. I was so surprised and happy to see them buying our music. It was fun and the only thing missing was the big mosh pit, LOL, although there was a small handful of metalheads represented this year at SXSW. "
After returning back home to Los Angeles, the band quickly prepared for their first headline run, The Hex O'Clock Tour, which kicked off in Guadalajara, Mexico at the Roadhouse Voodoo Bar on July 7, 2017. The Hex O'Clock Tour was a complete success and the band was able to visit so many new cities throughout the country, meeting fans, playing new venues, and sharing new stage props, a few new songs, and announcing their new album, 13, in early Spring 2018.
Ending their 2018 year, RAVEN BLACK went on tour with DEVILDRIVER
JINJER throughout the United States.
In Spring of 2019, RAVEN BLACK toured with CRADLE OF FILTH and ended the year with a two part US / Canada tour with STATIC-X, DEVILDRIVER, DOPE, AND WEDNESDAY-13 through the Summer and Fall.
RAVEN BLACK was scheduled to tour with IN THIS MOMENT, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, and DED in the Spring of 2020, but the tour was postponed as a result of the pandemic. Instead, the band kept busy with their fans, "The Rejects," through constant engagement on social media, developing a support group, REJECTSHELP, to provide mental and emotional support for their fans who were struggling through the pandemic. They ended the year with a special 2020, limited edition Rejects Yearbook, which features all of the photo memories of their fans throughout 2019 and 2020, including traditional "favorites' and yearbook themes.
Avant Garde Black Metal Band HENGET Shares Guitar Play-Through for "I Am Them"
Guitarist Jesse J. Heikkinen (The Abbey, Iterum Nata) and vocalist King Aleijster de Satan (King Satan, Saturnian Mist) have teamed up for a mind-bending progressive black metal project, HENGET. The emerging Finnish band is now sharing a guitar play-through for the recent single, "I Am Them," which can be found below.
HENGET guitarist Jesse J. Heikkinen comments, "Sauna, the holiest man-made temple. The place where Finns used to enter and exit life. Nowadays, it can also mark a place where instructional videos, such as this, are made. Prepare your kantele, let the spirit of Löyly embrace you and be ready to shred like a 21st century Väinämöinen!"
Drawing inspiration from the world of occult and the ways of ancient Shamanism, 'Beyond North Star' depicts a violent hallucinatory journey to the depths of the mind and beyond with a psychedelic outlook.
The original music video for "I Am Them" can be found HERE.
HENGET will be debuting its first full-length, 'Beyond North Star,' on May 18, 2023 via Season of Mist!
Pre-orders are now available HERE. The album can be pre-saved on various digital platforms HERE.
The creation process has always been a very fascinating riddle isn’t it? After all, there’s no strict formula. Some spent weeks, months or even years meticulously working on every tiny detail over and over again until it feels perfect while others just have to let it all out, no matter how it all comes out, it just has to. And no, no matter how hard you try, you can’t force it. You just can’t. You need to have that vision, that unstoppable yearning to turn your dreams into reality.
King Aleijster de Satan has long stopped asking himself all those questions. Although he’s only thirty-four years old, the Tampere based Finn is a bullet-proof veteran of the black metal scene: he used to run and sign bands for Saturnal Records. He also ran the Blackvox studio from 2013 to 2020 where he recorded multiple bands. Purely on the musical front, besides being the long-time standing frontman of Saturnian Mist he also because various experiences, in Arvet among others. But with the industrial rumblings of King Satan, he’s learnt to expand his mind and look over all those useless fences to see what lied beyond. In the end, it’s all about being free both as an individual and as an artist, to go where your instincts and muse take you, no matter what.
And nothing encapsulates more this quest for freedom than HENGET. As a matter of fact, it lies at the very center of it as most of the music AND lyrics were on purpose improvised on the spot. Ever tried to capture lightning in a bottle? King Aleijster de Satan and his comrade Jesse Heikkinen just did with HENGET first album, Beyond North Star, Heikkinen having proved to be quite a versatile artist since dabbling with ‘progressive esoteric folk’ with Iterum Nata, the equally ‘out there’ Hexvessel or The Abbey.
“When I got in the studio to do the vocals, I only had various notes, sometimes hastily written on a small piece of paper and more or less some kind of loose structures to go with it. Most of them I gathered in between 2016 and 2019 after, let’s say experimenting quite a bit. I admit natural psychedelics and other shamanic methods influenced me a lot to reach another level of consciousness, besides my long interest towards the occult and mysticism. Those weren’t meant to get lost into but instead to be used as mere tools to help me opening new doors in my brain, a bit like a shaman would do when engaged in a ritual to reach a trance like of state. That’s also why I booked a two weeks session just for the vocals: I needed that amount of space to really dive in my subconscious. Overall, that was one of most intense recording experience I ever had but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone because the toll you have to pay once it’s done is pretty heavy.”
Originally, the pair planned to unite in Saturnian Mist but then, Jesse “had to move to another city and it made things too complicated. But we still wanted to work together as he is probably the best songwriter I know. And since I had this idea for this other thing where I knew I wanted to push the limits and go over the edge in terms of songwriting, I needed somebody of his calibre.” “Indeed, Aleijster approached during summer 2021” confirms the multi-instrumentist. “He had a quite clear vision of what kind of concept he wanted to do lyrically speaking for a long time. It did coincide with my own desire to express something personal yet aggressively, an urge I hadn’t felt in a long time. Based on his background, we agreed this should happen within some kind of black metal frame but without still paying attention to much conventions or rules. I was given free rein to do whatever I felt like and I quickly realized I wanted it to be quite intuitive while making sure the music would be as crazy as possible, like some typhoon swallowing everything in its path… So using mostly vintage instrumentation, I recorded most of the music by myself in my own studio, pushing the button ‘rec’ and then totally letting myself go, following Aleijster ‘automatic writing’ method and ending up with some pretty interesting result.”
There’s something strangely seductive about the eight tracks included on Beyond North Star, as if the listeners were invited to enter some alternative and colourful place, dangerous and scary yet always otherworldly. Some may argue that all along you will most likely cross there the ghosts of Dødheimsgård, Arcturus or King Crimson. But Aleijster remains pretty reluctant to label it but “if we really need to, I guess it’s avant-garde black metal.” After hesitating with Henkivallat (‘spiritual realms’), which they ended up using as a songtitle instead, the name HENGET was chosen because of its double meaning as it can be translated both as ‘life’ but also ‘spirits’, “a perfect name for an occult band”. Beyond North Star is a “loose” concept album, like one long journey, even if the songs are not exactly tied up together. Something the 70’s prog rock loving Jesse is quite happy with while its title is a reference to that actual spiritual journey the listeners are about to undertake. One they will never forget.
Three ambitious music videos in total have been shot already to promote the album and HENGET has gathered a full line-up in order to start playing live. Saturnian Mist drummer Ville Rissanen was the first one to be asked, soon followed by Lasse Launimaa, a teenage years friend of Jesse who also plays in cult symphonic black metal band Thyrane on keyboards.
Recording studio:
Space Junk Studio, Tampere, Finland (Drums)
Beyond North Star, Salo, Finland
Studio Sampolaaris, Tampere, Finland (Vocals)
Producer / sound engineer:
Produced by Jesse J. Heikkinen & King Aleijster de Satan
Sound engineering: Kimmo Nyyssönen (Drums), Jesse J. Heikkinen, King Aleijster de Satan
Mixing studio and engineer:
Beyond North Star Studio & Jesse J. Heikkinen
Mastering studio and engineer:
Wavecrawler Audio & Teemu Iso-Kulmala
Line-up:
King Aleijster de Satan – Vocals
Jesse J. Heikkinen – Guitars, additional keys
Lasse J. Launimaa – Keyboards
Ville J. Rissanen – Drums
Cover artwork:
M.T. Salminen
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/hengetband
https://www.instagram.com/hengetband
Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Henget
Formats:
Digital
Digipak
Vinyl in various colours
FEAR FACTORY - Announce Mechanize + Re-Industrialized Reissues + Release Lyric Video for "New Messiah"
Industrial metal pioneers FEAR FACTORY have solidified their importance and have become champions of the Metal community. Today, the band is proud to announce that Re-Industrialized and Mechanize will be available as re-issues on June 23rd via Nuclear Blast Records.
In celebration of the reissues, the band releases a remixed and remastered version of their sleeper hit "New Messiah". Watch the lyric video for the single for the first time ever.
Stream the new single "New Messiah" here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/new-messiah
Watch the lyric video for "New Messiah" below.
Pre-order/pre-save Re-Industrialized, here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/re-industrialized
Pre-order/pre-save Mechanize here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/mechanize
The Re-Industrialized reissue features a brand new remix (with live drums), by Greg Reely (Demanufacture, Obsolete, Mechanize), new artwork, and 6 bonus tracks.
Pre-order/pre-save Re-Industrialized, here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/re-industrialized
Mechanize will feature the album as well as 3 bonus tracks.
Pre-order/pre-save Mechanize here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/mechanize
FEAR FACTORY is currently on tour with headliner STATIC X on the "Rise Of The Machine"North American tour. The trek will also feature DOPE as well as selected dates withMUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID.
Confirmed dates for the tour are included below.
Apr 05: St Louis, MO - Del Mar Hall #
Apr 06: Indy, IN - The Vogue #
Apr 07: Chicago, IL - House of Blues #
Apr 08: Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore Minneapolis #
Apr 09: Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theater #
Apr 11: Denver, CO - The Summit #
Apr 13: Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues#
Apr 14: San Diego, CA - House of Blues #
Apr 15: LA, CA - Belasco Theater - *SOLD OUT* #
* Featuring special guest MUSHROOMHEAD
# Featuring special guest TWIZTID
Other live dates:
May 5: LA, CA - Whisky A Go Go
SWOLLEN TEETH's “LETHAL” New Music Video Will Leave You Terrified and Begging for More
Swollen Teeth, the rapidly ascending four-piece straight from the bowels of hell, have dropped incendiary new music video for their brand new track, "LETHAL," today. Taken from their upcoming, self-titled EP produced by Slipknot's Sid Wilson, the new track is another visceral, ferocious gut-punch that cements the band's growing reputation as one of the nastiest, most terrifying collectives to emerge from the underground in recent years. Much like their previous output, the new video for "LETHAL" is a testament to the band's unwavering commitment to innovation and boundary-pushing. Watch it at your peril.
Find the track on streaming HERE and watch the video below.
In the words of the band themselves,
““To all the powers that abuse their own authority, you are not welcome here”
"LETHAL" follows previously released singles "CAR CRASH" and "SWOLLENTEETH", which was released back in January to much acclaim and fan fervor. Revolver Magazine called the track "brutal as hell", with Metal Hammer enthusing that "there’s an air of grotesque nu metal nastiness that feels like a re-vamped take on the misanthropic nihilism of Iowa’s finest." and Kerrang! musing "What's really heavy, masked, mysterious, sounds like it was made by complete lunatics, and involves Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson and producer Ross Robinson?".
Since their release, the tracks have clocked up nearly 100,000 Spotify streams and 73,000 YouTube views and have been included on Spotify's All New Metal and New Blood Playlists, Apple's Breaking Hard Rock, Fresh Blood and Breaking Metal Playlists and Deezer's Metal Radar playlist.
The collective will release their debut, self-titled EP, a brutal, visceral, roundhouse kick to the gut of the modern heavy music landscape, produced by Slipknot's Sid Wilson, on Wednesday, May 9th. It will be the first release to come out on Blowed Out Records, the new label venture between legendary producer, Ross Robinson (Korn, The Cure, Slipknot, Glassjaw, At The Drive In and countless others), artist Ghostemane and Bill Armstrong (SideOneDummy).
Commenting on his excitement about the project, Sid Wilson shares
“After all these years, when I thought I’d never find another group of humans outside of Slipknot that knew the formula to transparency thru frequencies, and not thru appearance, I discovered Swollen Teeth. This is trü-Metal!”
Ross Robinson adds
"Sid and I listening to roughs in Iowa, emotions ran high - I found myself getting chills throughout my body to that familiar molten metal pulse I love so much - this time that force is known as “Swollen Teeth” - hunger + talent have that vibration I can’t ignore - Bill, Eric, and I (“Blowed Out Records”) are totally committed to rip it out there for the long haul.. "
ABOUT SWOLLEN TEETH
The sound, the look, the atmosphere, the lore. Swollen Teeth are as much a ritual as a performance, summoning primal ferocity in clouds of intrigue with a thundering rumble. Each musical outburst arrives shrouded in mystery, enveloped by a sense of dread, with passion and purpose. Heavy percussion, riffs, punk gang chants, dive bombs, turntables, breakdowns, shrieks, guttural screams, and powerfully unashamed anthemic melodies coalesce in Swollen Teeth. The collective absorbs the raw intensity of the most potent subculture and spits it back with a determined uniqueness. They’ve spent countless hours in the lab, lobbing out occasional missives online like Molotov cocktails. Each of the scattered, chopped up, and explosive clips unleashed to the world, culled from a handful of shadowy live appearances, built anticipation for the group’s inevitable ascension. They travel in our dimension but are not of it. This is otherworldly chaos without apology. /W\
ABOUT BLOWED OUT RECORDS
Ross Robinson (Korn, The Cure, Slipknot, Glassjaw, At The Drive In and countless others..) artist Ghostemane and Bill Armstrong (SideOneDummy) have joined forces to create a new record label called Blowed Out Records. As veterans of the music industry, they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table and have set out to discover and promote new talent together. The label's first release, "Swollen Teeth," is a hardcore album produced by Sid Wilson of Slipknot and mixed by Mike Balboa with Ross Robinson. It's a collaboration between established and new artists that promises to be a heavy hitting release. Blowed Out Records is dedicated to providing a platform for underground and lesser known bands to showcase their music and gain a wider audience.
Swollen Teeth is managed by Evan Kandilakis and Scott Enright for Seek Management.
Swollen Teeth Are
Megaa - Vocals / Sampler / Turntable
Sun - Vocals / Bass
Skutch - Drums
HOG - Guitar