Tarja Shares Live Rendition of In Flames' "Alias" — WATCH + LISTEN

After first releasing a cover of Linkin Park's "Numb," Tarja has chosen In Flames' "Alias" as the second single taken from her brand-new live series release Rocking Heels: Live at Metal Church.

Watch the "Alias" video below.

Rocking Heels: Live at Metal Church is the document of a very special concert in the idyllic setting of Wacken Church. It will be released on August 11, 2023 via earMUSIC and is the first release of the live series Rocking Heels.

In front of just 300 hand-picked fans, this one-time-only event opened the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2016. Tarja presents unique arrangements of rock and heavy metal classics by her favorite artists including Metallica's "The Unforgiven," songs by Joe Satriani and Slipknot, as well as a Nightwish song and Tarja originals.

PRE-ORDER ROCKING HEELS: LIVE AT METAL CHURCH HERE.

With its captivating performances of well-known songs paired with Tarja's iconic voice, this live album is a treasure for fans, as well as a discovery for Tarja-newcomers and all those who missed the chance to attend this exclusive concert. Rocking Heels: Live at Metal Church will be released as a Ltd. 2LP Vinyl Edition, CD Digipak in LP-replica design and on Digital.

ABOUT TARJA:
The brightest star of the symphonic rock scene, Tarja Turunen is certainly the most internationally well-known Finnish voice in the world of music. Soprano, composer, and songwriter, she reached international fame co-founding and being for nine years the voice and image of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, collecting with them Gold and Platinum Record Awards in several countries.

The unique combination of metal music with Tarja's soprano lead vocals gave birth to a new genre, quickly achieving critical and commercial popularity and inspiring many other metal bands and performers. But singing only somebody else's creations was not her destiny, and her talent could fully bloom only outside that crate. Tarja had to walk alone.

Finally free to follow her own inspirations, heart, and dreams, Tarja started her own solo career successfully devoted to both classical and rock music.

Tarja was nominated for the Emma Award in Finland in 2006 and 2007 and for the Echo Award in Germany in 2007, and she is the first Finnish solo artist to achieve a Gold Record in Germany and even more, the only one to do it both in a band and as solo artist. In 2015 and 2016, she was also busy starring as coach in two seasons of The Voice of Finland, which is the most watched TV-program from Channel 4 in Finland and leading her team to victory for two years in a row, something that never happened before in the history of the Finnish show.

After over 15 years of a solo career, it was finally time to celebrate. The Best Of: Living the Dream combines the best and most beloved songs from Tarja’s prolific solo career in one outstanding package.

96 BITTER BEINGS Announce Summer 2023 Tour Dates

Los Angeles rock band 96 BITTER BEINGS has announced a massive tour of North America in support of their critically lauded new album, "Synergy Restored," that's available now from Nuclear Blast Records. In addition to performing songs from the new record, revered vocalist/guitarist Deron Miller (former songwriter and vocalist for CKY) and band will be playing CKY's acclaimed album "Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild" in its entirety. Tour kicks off August 4th in Eugene, OR. Tickets on sale soon. 

Commenting on the tour, Miller states: 

"I can’t wait to go back out and play through the entire Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild album. That part of my life is so precious to me. I never thought that album was the peak of any band’s creativity, but it was the peak of our ability to take advantage of the mainstream shot we were given. Bookended by the new album Synergy Restored. All amazing songs. It’s the soundtrack to the lives of my favorite people. The fans." 
 

Purchase/Stream "Synergy Restored": https://bfan.link/96BB-SynergyRestored
More from "Synergy Restored":
"Vaudeville's Revenge" Single - https://bfan.link/96BB-VaudevillesRevenge
"Wish Me Dead" Single - https://bfan.link/96BB-WishMeDead
"Fire Skyline" Visualizer - https://youtu.be/PozFFCHnD3U
"Bloodrock Mania" Visualizer - https://youtu.be/uTUpDRs1FYs

96 BITTER BEINGS Tour Dates:
Aug 3 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
Aug 4 - Eugene, OR - John Henry's
Aug 5 - Portland, OR - Star Theater
Aug 6 - Seattle, WA - Substation
Aug 7 - Vancouver, BC - Wise Hall
Aug 8 - Calgary, AB - The Rec Room
Aug 9 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
Aug 11 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theater
Aug 12 - Minneapolis, MN - Studio B @ Skyway Theatre
Aug 13 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
Aug 14 - Hamtramck, MI - Sanctuary
Aug 15 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground
Aug 16 - Ottawa, ON - The Brass Monkey
Aug 17 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar
Aug 18 - Quebec City, QC - L'Anti
Aug 19 - Bangor, ME - Queen City Cinema Club
Aug 20 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Loft @ The Chance
Aug 21 - Buffalo, NY - Stamps
Aug 22 - Teaneck, NJ - Debonair Music Hall
Aug 23 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
Aug 24 - Pittsburgh, PA - Crafthouse
Aug 25 - Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle
Aug 26 - Cleveland, OH - No Class
Aug 27 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
Aug 28 - Dallas, TX - Three Links
Aug 29 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
Aug 30 - Austin, TX - The Parish
Aug 31 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
Sept 1 - Tempe, AZ - Yucca Tap Room
Sept 2 - Los Angeles, CA - Harvard & Stone
Sept 3 - Las Vegas, NV - The Dive Bar

Years in the making, 96 BITTER BEINGS' "Synergy Restored" is 11 songs of relentless power and vibe. Four-on-the-floor, fuzzy and visceral, proper rock n’ roll made by an actual band, rather than a bunch of over-processed samples and otherwise stale shenanigans. Songs like “Vaudeville’s Revenge,” “90 Car Pile-Up,” and “Wish Me Dead” offer vivid reminders of the truth-telling prowess of guitars, bass, and drums. Miller is on fire, weaponizing the same knack for memorable musical epiphanies behind projects like Foreign Objects, World Under Blood and CKY.  

About 96 BITTER BEINGS:

Deron Miller gives his life to the riff. Unrestrained by industry expectations and genre limitations, the boundlessly prolific guitarist and voice behind multiple beloved projects is best known as the founder, frontman, and songwriter in CKY. His authentic and effortlessly hooky heavy rock obsession returns with 96 BITTER BEINGS. Reinvigorated and ready to rumble all over again, Miller roars back with the same reverence for riffage that made underground hits out of CKY anthems like “Flesh Into Gear,” “Escape from Hellview,” and “Disengage the Simulator” from 1998 till 2011.  

The familiar warmth, feel, groove, and unapologetic honesty which drove the song “96 Quite Bitter Beings” to 54 million streams (on Spotify alone) permeates the pair of albums unleashed by 96BB. 

A successful crowdfunding campaign saw Miller, guitarist Kenneth Hunter, bassist Shaun Luera and Shaun’s brother, drummer Tim, conjure up 2018’s "Camp Pain" in limited release. North American touring followed, wrapping up shortly before the COVID-19 shutdowns. 

“After CKY and a short break, I decided to continue, without changing the sound,” Miller explains. “Because that’s what I do. It’s what I love to do and what people say I do well. All of the guys who got in the band with me are great musicians. And each of them is hungry. They have priorities and ambitions about being in a rock band, no matter the grim state of pop music out there. If we can bring rock and metal back to the mainstream, in some way, that’s the dream.”

96 BITTER BEINGS Lineup:
Deron Miller - Vocals/Guitar
Matthew Janaitis - Bass
Tuomas Vuorio - Drums

Melbourne's Suburban Spell releases 'Falling Down' EP and video for 'Natural Science' - an exploration of crisp modern electronica

“Catchy hooks and delicate synth lines that soar... Stunning, deep, beautiful” ~ Auxiliary Magazine

"Fantastic... driving, propulsive, and unfiltered, examining the experience of “signing up to a life of suburbia at an early age, only to realise many years later that the suburban dream is all a fabrication"" ~ Post-Punk.com

“Catchy melodies and a subtle touch of old Xymox and New Order … Recommended” ~ Sonic Seducer

"Shimmering, smoothly frantic... freewheeling but taut... elusive but striking... one of our favorite records of the year” ~ Stereo Embers Magazine


Melbourne-based synthwave artist Suburban Spell has released his new 'Falling Down' EP, named in reference to the long-term outcomes of bad choices and giving into guilty pleasures, along with the official video for his latest single 'Natural Science'.

Suburban Spell is the solo project of Peter Endall, who combines the austere beauty of Kraftwerk, 80's melodic sensibilities, driving rhythms and some noisy grind thrown in for good measure. Influenced by the heyday of new wave and 70's-80's electronica, this music carries the beautiful imprints of such artists as Ultravox, OMD, Visage, Jean-Michel Jarre, The Cars, Gary Numan and New Order.

Endall's previous band Schizo Scherzo was active in the heady days of Melbourne's 80's music scene, playing alongside the likes of The Eurythmics, Pseudo Echo, Real Life and Fergal Sharky. Having re-emerged on the music scene as Suburban Spell, he has found his niche in modern Australian electronica.  

'Natural Science' is a statement on the weight of scientific evidence and the powerful push by doubters to challenge such knowledge based on baseless contradictory viewpoints. The video for this and the lead track 'Bright Gold Cross' were created by Dingo Cross Films in Melbourne, with production and direction by Paul Puccio and Cassie Dart.

Suburban Spell's music is a commentary on the fragility of suburban lifestyle, never-ending efforts to keep up appearances, and an exploration of society's dark and fragile underbelly. This music is also a commentary about Endall's own vulnerabilities in the urban landscape and the wider societal norms that interlace with politics, religion and pop culture.

"Falling Down is a direct reference to the longer term consequences of bad choices and giving into that guilty pleasure. The entire EP's lyric content touches on these themes. 'Bright Gold Cross' is about seeking redemption and how the church is a vehicle that allows you to hide your sins and hand out forgiveness at will and '12 Causes of Pain' is about loving for the wrong reasons. These themes are present across the EP and reinforce the Suburban Spell that we are all apart of. Musically, the songs are deceptively simpler than my previous work, a constant challenge for me is to adopt the less is more philosophy and I hope this release is one step closer to that goal," says Peter Endall.

"I have heard others describe Electronic Music as being cold and distant, but I've always found something warm and inviting there. Suburban Spell's music has a cold and distant overtone but, underneath, I try bring layers of beauty and warmth that weave in and out, creating a musical foundation of tension and release. This dramatic approach is nothing new in music; however, it is an element that I really enjoy exploring. The odd circumstances of my childhood upbringing and the religious cult that i was in during those years have had a somewhat quixotic impact on me and Suburban Spell, having been exposed to a belief system that was ultimately flawed with a very inconsistent set of values throughout my formative years. These challenges are constant references when working on the Suburban Spell project."

The new EP follows the 'Split Levels - Remixes' EP (February 2023), a series of reworkings of his acclaimed 'Split Levels' album, involving goth-rock / post-punk legend William Faith (Christian Death, Mephisto Walz, Shadow Project, Faith & The Muse, The Bellwether Syndicate), along with New Zealand's Robots In Love, Australia's Ontic, Pittsburgh's Tragic Impulse and Italian artist Kurs.

The 'Falling Down' EP is out now and available from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where it can also be obtained on CD.

CREDITS
Written, produced and recorded by Suburban Spell
Mixed by Adam Calatzis at Toyland Studios
except 'Salvation Army' - mixed by Alex Quayle of Salt Studios
Mastering by Joe Carra at Crystal Mastering
Videos created by Dingo Cross Films
Videos produced and directed by Paul Puccio and Cassie Dart
Video stills by Paul Puccio (DCF Studios)
Other artists photos by Kristen Solury


Keep up with Suburban Spell
Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

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PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS - announce new album 'Kings Of The Asylum' + reveal video for first single 'Schizophrenia'

Rock and roll royalty PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS have announced details of their upcoming third album Kings Of The Asylum. The album will be released on 1st September through Nuclear Blast Records and will be the first studio release to feature singer Joel Peters.

To coincide with the announcement, the band have released a video for the album's first single 'Schizophrenia', and announced that they will be playing an intimate release show at The Patriot in Crumlin, South Wales on 7th September. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 23rd June here.

Phil Campbell himself comments “We are thrilled to finally announce that we will be unleashing our brand new album Kings Of The Asylum on September 1st. This is the first new music with our new singer Joel Peters and it totally kicks ass!”

Watch the video for 'Schizophrenia' below.

Pre-order Kings Of The Asylum on various formats now at: https://bfan.link/PCATBS-S1.ema

Pre-order Kings Of The Asylum on various formats now at: https://bfan.link/PCATBS-S1.ema

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS is

Phil Campbell | Guitars
Todd Campbell | Guitars
Tyla Campbell | Bass
Dane Campbell | Drums
Joel Peters | Vocals

TO THE GRAVE Announce 'Offcuts' EP; Deluxe Version of 'Director's Cuts' & Drop Brand New Single "Shock Tactics"

Australian deathcore juggernauts and avid animal rights campaigners, To The Grave have announced their new EP ‘Offcuts’ today. The EP will be available on Friday, September 15th as a digital only release and will feature 6 new songs along with To The Grave's cover of Enter Shikari's hit single "Anesthetist". Pre-save HERE

The 6 new tracks will also appear as part of 'Director's Cuts (Deluxe)', also announced today. A double, deluxe edition of the band's groundbreaking album ‘Director’s Cuts’, which came out earlier this year via Unique Leader Records. . 'Director's Cuts (Deluxe)' will also drop on Friday, September 15th, and will be will be available as a double disc, gatefold vinyl and on CD with pre-order bundles available now HERE.

To celebrate the announcement, the band have also unleashed their new single and accompanying music video, “Shock Tactics [1000v]”. In keeping with To The Grave's ethos, the video shines a stark and chilling light on the gross mistreatment of animals farmed for food. Whilst the video is censored, some viewers may find it's contents disturbing. Stream the track HEREand watch the music video below.

Speaking on the release of their new single and EP, To The Grave share

"Shock Tactics is the first single from our new EP Offcuts, a collection of songs scavenged off the cutting room floor of our Director's Cuts album. This release brings together the songs that we felt were out of place in the sequence of the album but that we still loved and we’re very pleased to be able to finally release them out into the world.

We’ll also be presenting the EP and the album together on vinyl and CD for the Director’s Cuts: Deluxe Edition, showcasing the full scope of the material we originally created for the album.

We make no apologies for the graphic nature of the lyrics and accompanying video for this song. This was not staged or recreated, this is real footage of standard meat industry practices - the use of toxic gas to suffocate animals before cutting their throats. We have used footage from an Australian slaughterhouse because this violence is occurring in our backyard, but it is happening in yours too."

To The Grave are one of the most uncompromising and outspoken bands in the deathcore scene today. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, they combine crushing riffs, blast beats and guttural vocals with a strong sense of social justice and animal rights activism. They released their debut album ‘Global Warning’ in 2019, which received praise from fans and critics alike for its ferocity and honesty. They followed it up with ‘Epilogue’ in 2021, a massive 19-track album that cemented their reputation as one of the most exciting and innovative bands in the genre. They then released ‘Director’s Cuts’ earlier this year, a groundbreaking album that pushed the boundaries of deathcore with cinematic, horror movie inspired music videos and diverse soundscapes. The album spawned singles "Red Dot Sight", "Axe Of Kindness", "Cut Off The Head" and "Found Footage" the music videos for which have racked up 420,000 views on YouTube between them with the album hitting 2.68 million streams and counting across streaming platforms.

The 'Director's Cuts (Deluxe)' release promises to be a collector's dream. With the additional "Offcuts EP" tracks, the release will be available in multiple formats, including a double disc, gatefold vinyl, and some killer pre-order merch items to choose from too. Click HERE to pre-order your copy now.

To The Grave have a stacked touring schedule for the rest of this year. Starting with a European run with Signs Of The Swarm and Humanity's Last Breath across August and September this year, with more to be announced soon. Head to To The Grave (tothegraveau.com) for further information.

ABOUT TO THE GRAVE

One of Australia’s most uncompromising bands, To The Grave return with their heaviest album to date, both sonically and thematically. Since the release of their 2019 debut album 'Global Warning', the caustic five piece have garnered international success, with 2021’s follow-up 'Epilogue', a re-issue of 'Global Warning' with bonus tracks, 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', a new EP and plenty of touring for the remainder of 2023, 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 Simoni - Guitars, Programming

Luke Ringin - Guitars, Vocals

Matt Clarke - Bass, Vocals

Simon O’Malley - Drums, Vocals

Spy-themed surf rock from GUITARMY OF ONE. New single ‘Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’ is out now

“An accomplished ex-punk who has made the striking transition to atmospheric soundtracks” ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Helland has tapped something interesting and, dare we say, magical... Soundtracks for the movie in our minds" ~ PopMatters

"Fom hardcore punk to thrash metal, to folk-punk cabaret, to working with J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), and more; Helland never fails to surprise with his continuous evolution as an artist" ~ Ghost Cult Magazine

"Outlandish, playful, mysterious... plays out like the soundtrack to an old detective television show" ~ Alt77


NYC-based surf rock artist Guitarmy of One presents the single ‘Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’, the first taste of his forthcoming album ‘The Wave Files’. Crowdfunded via Kickstarter, this record picks up where ‘The Spy Detective Collective’ LP left off.

Guitarmy of One is the solo project of guitarist Scott Helland, who combines the thrilling sounds of spy-themed instrumental surf guitar music with punk vitality. Taking listeners on a sonic adventure to the realms of intrigue, danger and surf-soaked excitement, Helland channels that raw and unconventional spirit into a quirky fusion of genres.

Helland got his start playing bass guitar in the 80s-90s hardcore punk scene, first with Deep Wound, which he formed with J Mascis and Lou Barlow (of Dinosaur Jr.) and later with East Coast hardcore and crossover thrash stalwarts Outpatients, School of Violence and Darkside NYC. Going solo in the mid-90s, he released numerous eclectic instrumental albums before forming post-punk dark pop cabaret duo Frenchy and the Punk in 2005  with French singer Samantha Stephenson.

"I wanted this album to be music you want to travel with - in your mind or physically. It’s action music, and I think it should ignite your imagination and take you on a journey. Wordless music relies on the visuals it creates so if it can take you on a sonic adventure across continents, or at least counties, my work is done," says Scott Helland.

"The idea for this album is rooted in spy and detective shows from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I want the music to be a sonic equivalent of those shows and movies where you’re riding the waves of intrigue and espionage so the music has to match that sense of urgency and excitement."

Influenced by Spanish guitar, punk and metal, Guitarmy of One conjures up images of secret agents, high-speed chases, and hidden agendas through his intricate layered compositions. His mix of surf guitar techniques (i.e. reverb-drenched chords, lightning-fast tremolo picking, and tremolo bar vibrato albeit with a Bigsby bridge pedal) creates a sonic landscape that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

As a full-fledged espionage-inspired surf rock act, Guitarmy of One takes us on a thrilling musical journey, blending the realms of instrumental guitar, surf music and the mystique of spy themes within the one person band format. Helland weaves his mysterious and generous acoustic-electric melodies over propulsive spy riffs and electro beats, layering and building patiently toward engrossing payoffs.

Scott Helland explains, "Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’ is inspired by the 1966 song by Johnny Rivers ’Secret Agent Man’. It starts with a reverb soaked low guitar octave and then goes into the main driving bass line and drum beat and the reverbed guitars blast in after that. It was one of the last songs I wrote for the album so naturally I thought it should be the first single as it has this fresh upbeat vibe. I think for the first single it captures the excitement of The Waves Files theme."

Guitarmy of One’s live performances are a spectacle as the stage becomes a laboratory of sound, as layers of guitar riffs, bass lines, and percussion intertwine and overlap, creating a lush and dynamic musical tapestry. Armed with a guitar, loop pedals, drum pads and an array of effects pedals, Helland creates a symphony of sound right before your eyes.

As of June 23, "Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’ will be available across digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the full album can already be pre-ordered. On August 18, 'The Wave Files' album will be released on CD, as well as digitally.

CREDITS
Written, performed and produced by Scott Helland
All instrumentation by Scott Helland
Engineered by Jason Sarubbi Split Rock Studio, New Paltz, NY
Mastered by Jason Sarubbi
Cover Art by Nukui Bogard
Layout and Single Design Samantha Stephenson
Video Filmed and Edited by Guitarmy of One
Artist photos by Samantha Stephenson

LIVE SHOWS
JULY 4  Brooklyn, NY - Coney Island Brewer @1:30pm
SEPT 1-3  Atlanta, GA - DragonCon 2023
OCT 7  New York, NY - Unsteady Freddie's Surf Rock Shindig


Keep up with Guitarmy of One
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Store | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Email

Imminence Share "Come Hell or High Water" + "Desolation" — WATCH + LISTEN

Swedish alternative metalcore outfit Imminence have, during the last few years, established their own highly unique brand and pushed the genre beyond extents of anyone's expectations. With the distinct use of classical string arrangements blended with the influence of ferocious Scandinavian metal, the sound and visual universe of the quintet stands out as one of the most innovative and exciting acts on the market today.

Fronted by vocalist and violinist Eddie Berg, guitarists Harald Barrettand Alex Arnoldsson, drummer Peter Hanström, and bassist Christian Höijer, Imminence ignite a new era by surprising their audience with the unannounced release of new single "Come Hell or High Water." Little did we know, what awaited was undoubtedly the most hard-hitting and forceful piece of music in the quintet's history.

The new song "Desolation" is upon us and Imminence are back, stronger than ever. The two new releases opens a new chapter, where the band is determined to once again prove themselves as the future of modern metal music.

Listen to "Desolation" here and watch the video below

After closing the cycle of previous album Heaven In Hiding with an exclusive Deluxe Edition release, including the single "Jaded," Imminence continued to gain viral attention on all social media platforms, partially due to the remarkable Live In Studio recordings, and experienced an impressive growth of +100 000 followers and millions of streams over the course of just a few months this year.

With four full length studio albums, over 200,000,000 streams, +550,000 combined online followers, and closing in on 650,000 monthly Spotify listeners, Imminence monumental touring history continues this summer. After selling out headline shows all over the continent and supporting metal legends In Flames in late 2022, the band will perform at some of Europe’s most significant anchor festivals such as Wacken, Summerbreeze, Reload, Tuska Open Air, along with supporting genre pioneers Architects this July.

From Sweden... with LOVE!

DORO announces new album, celebrating her 40th anniversary

On 27.10.2023, the 19-song masterpiece Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud will be released worldwide via Nuclear Blast.

Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud is a phenomenal album and the result of intensive, hard work that took the incomparable singer and songwriter back to the studios of Miami, New York, and Hamburg, among others. The album impressively confirms that DORO is at the height of her creative powers.

To kick off the album release, the metal icon has released 'Time For Justice', a fiery first single that immediately thrills with its powerful, wild vibe and is presented with a terrific "Mad Max"-style video.

Watch the video below.

Stream the song on all platforms:  https://doro.bfan.link/time-for-justice

Pre-save the album:  https://doro.bfan.link/conqueress

For the big 40th Throne anniversary, the Metal Queen also invites you to two mega concerts: on 2.8. to a big headlining show in Wacken, on 28.10. to the anniversary show in Düsseldorf and to many other worldwide festivals.

It couldn't be more fitting. In 1983, 19-year-old Dorothee Pesch from Düsseldorf set out to conquer the rock world. Today, 40 years, over 10 million studio albums sold and countless awards later, DORO has been the undisputed queen of metal for decades and, with over 3,500 concerts in more than 60 countries around the world, has earned herself an outstandingly powerful and enthusiastic fan base!

DORO Pesch stands for one of the greatest success stories in the rock scene.

Conqueress - Forever Strong and Proud comes in the following formats:

Jewel case

2CD Digibook with 36p booklet (including bonus tracks)

2LP in gatefold with 2 inserts | Splatter white/black

2LP in gatefold with 2 inserts | Marbled white/blue

2LP in gatefold with 2 inserts | Red transparent

2LP in gatefold with 2 inserts | Picture

Box Set 2LP in gatefold with 2 inserts (incl bonus tracks) + 2CD Digibook with 36p booklet (including bonus tracks) + Pendant + Numbered & Signed Certificate + Poster + Patch + Pick

Slipknot "Live at MSG" Vinyl Out August 18

SLIPKNOT LIVE AT MSG DOUBLE VINYL SET TO BE RELEASED AUGUST 18 WITH EXCLUSIVE PACKAGING + COLORWAYS 

Slipknot have always bent the world to its own collective will. One of countless examples occurred on February 5, 2009, when the band did what few could have predicted when they’d started: Slipknot headlined the World's Most Famous Arena — Madison Square Garden. The band's MSG set is now the stuff of legend, being on the heels of the band's first Number One album in the U.S. (All Hope Is Gone), and only months before they would headline the UK's Download Festival for the first time. The New York City show was eight months and nine countries into the All Hope Is Gone World Tour, and as such, their performance was ruthless and jaw-dropping, and a perfect document of the era for the band.  

On August 18, the concert will be made available for the first time ever on vinyl to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Slipknot's fourth album, 2008's chart-topping and influential All Hope Is Gone.

Pre-orders are available here.

The release will feature new art by the band's M. Shawn (clown) Crahan.

The limited edition, custom colored vinyl was hand-selected by the band.  

ABOUT SLIPKNOT:
There was never a band like SLIPKNOT, and there will never be another. Like a spore out of the Midwest, they've quietly bloomed into the most uncompromising, undeniable, and unique presence on the planet whose influence transcends genres and generations. Since sowing the seeds for revolution in Iowa during 1999, these musical outliers have captured a GRAMMY Award alongside 10 nominations, scored 12 Platinum/41 Gold album certifications around the world, and logged over 8.5 billion global streams and 3.5 billion video views to date - unprecedented for a rock act in this generation or any other. Rolling Stone cited the seminal platinum-selling 2001 album Iowa among "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time," while The Ringer attested, 
"They’'e the most important heavy band of their era." In addition to marking the group’s third consecutive #1 debut on the Billboard Top 200, their sixth full-length album, WE ARE NOT YOUR KIND, bowed at #1 in twelve countries worldwide in 2019. Selling out shows on multiple continents, they deliver an irreplicable multi-sensory experience on tour and through their own festival KNOTFEST. With their seventh album THE END, SO FAR, SLIPKNOT are back, and nothing will be the same again.

Locket Announce "Superluminal" + Share "Kilayear" Video

Canadian alt rock band Locket have announced their new albumSuperluminal out November 10 via Fearless Records. Pre-order it here.  

Today, the band has shared the video for "Kilayear." Watch it below.

The track is a power pop gem that is sprinkled with plenty of sonic heft and grit. Razor sharp riffs, bouncy, singalong choruses, and emotive verse define the song, which appears on their sophomore effort Superluminal.

"Thematically, this track is at the core of what this record is about," the band shares. "This song is about dealing with the pace at which things change as you get older...how much can happen in a few short years. Learning to cope with things we think we missed out on...unable to slow things down. It feels like mental gymnastics at times, navigating where you think you are vs where you're really at....but the world keeps turning."

Recording their second full-length, frontman Brad Garcia states, "When 'band world' got put on pause back in 2020, it almost felt like a sigh of relief. We found this sense of freedom in being able to just write music for no other reason than writing music. With real pressure we could just write riffs, not overthink anything. And I think because of that, sonically, the record feels so authentically us."

 He continues, "Thematically, I approached writing this record from this place of not knowing what's next (for the band or for ourselves as individuals). It ended up being this cathartic process of learning to deal with this central part of your life being forced across a tightrope, and ultimately learning to be alright if it slips and falls apart, because it might make way for a new chapter. We started writing this album as band guys in our twenties. By the time it comes out we'll be in our thirties, married, with a clearer understanding of who we are as people that have this insane privilege of making music together where people actually listen. We don't take that for granted. Also, we all think the album fuckin' rocks, so that's probably the most important thing."

Locket, whose core members (Garcia, guitarist Cory Bergeron and bassist Travis Morrison) have achieved more than they ever could have dreamed of when they started out 10 years ago in a band under a different name. Once reforming as Locket, they released the album All Out in late 2019. The record earned positive press from publications including Billboard, The Alternative,and New Noise, and the single "Hunnie" has racked up more than 1.3 million Spotify streams. 

TSJUDER releases full album Stream

Black Metal legends TSJUDER is now releasing their newest vigorous album "Helvegr" in advance of the release date! Their gem will be released onto this desolate planet via Season of Mist on the June 23, 2023, but can already be listened to via the Black Metal Production HERE.

TSJUDER comments: "Helvegr is raw Norwegian Black Metal. No synthesizers, no wimpy vocals, NO FUCKING COMPROMISES!" 

But there's more!
The bonus album "Scandinavian Black Metal Attack" (an special ode to BATHORY) will also be available on all digital platforms HERE and can be viewed on the official Season of Mist Youtube

TSJUDER comments to this special release:
"It's so great to be back to bring you five new evil recordings with Tsjuder, from some of the gruesome material Quorthon, Jonas, and I played when we started Bathory in our dark cold cellar rehearsal room back in 1983." 

Shop for "Helvegr" are available HERE, while the album can be streamed HERE. (Some vinyl's are already sold out)

Since their inception in 1993, Oslo’s TSJUDER have been responsible for some of the most hate-filled ferocity perpetrated under the banner of TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL.
 
The band’s unholy fire was initially lit when founding members NAG (vocals/bass), BERSERK (guitar) and DRAUGLUIN (guitar) grew weary of playing death metal and sought out engorged levels of extremity to sate their increasingly profane ambitions. The time was ripe to inaugurate a ceaseless campaign committed to an uncompromising strain of brutally raw black metal, influenced by the primal thrash blasts of Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Sarcófago and early Sepultura; black metal first wave trailblazers such as Bathory and Hellhammer; and, most vitally, Mayhem’s seminal Deathcrush, and Darkthrone’s game-changer, A Blaze in the Northern Sky.

Assuming the TSJUDER name, a moniker plundered from a mythical, murderous Northern tribe, various embryonic line-ups gathered around the all-conquering core of Nag and Draugluin, laying the fearsome foundations for what was to follow with two demos – Ved Ferdens Ende and Possessed – recorded between 1995-96. But it was with 1997’s EP, Throne of the Goat, that the black metal underground really began to sit up and take notice, the release establishing TSJUDER’s reputation as a blasphemous bulldozer hellbent on crushing the insipid and nostalgic in relentless blizzards of sub-zero riffage, punitive blast beats and blood-curdling screams.

Recordings for an inaugural full-length in 1999 were lost to a computer virus, but from the scavenged remnants of these sessions would emerge the Atum Nocturnem demo, an obnoxious foretaste of the group’s debut album, Kill For Satan, an international breakthrough slathered in slime-encrusted sacrilege. That damnable release saw the aptly-named ANTI-CHRISTIAN open his TSJUDER account, the drummer blasting a succession of gateways though the underworld, pulverising a punitive march to the band’s malevolent maelstroms.

Demonic Possession (2002) and Desert Northern Hell (2004) sustained the band’s focus on death, devils and destruction, while ratcheting up the production levels on a barbaric brace of flesh-strippers conjuring a landscape of frost-bitten wastes and foul abyssal realms. With the music press busy dishing out plaudits, the band’s burgeoning confederacy of fanatics were becoming desperate for some TSJUDER live action. Heeding the clarion, the band embarked on a full European tour with fellow countrymen Carpathian Forest. They also recorded a pair of gloriously powerful live performances in 2005, in Norway, which would subsequently be documented on the group’s NorwegianApocalypse DVD.

TSJUDER would take a deserved hiatus in 2006, with members finding other musical outlets for their creativity; Nag launching heretical black metal outfit KRYPT; Draugluin and Anti-Christian doing time with the thrashier TYRANN.

But it wouldn’t be long before the irresistible call of TSJUDER would exert itself once more. The band reconvened, reenergised and eager to make up for lost time, returning to live performances in 2010 before finally unleashing the mighty Legion Helvete (2011), a typically uncompromising comeback interspersed with pronounced Motörhead influences on punkish hyper-blasters such as ‘Slakt’.
It would be another four years before TSJUDER issued the merciless Antiliv(2015), a snarling lycanthropic howl of a record, heavy-loaded with vindictive black’n’roll swagger and lashings of buzzsaw guitar.   
 
TSJUDER quickly set about creating the follow-up to Antiliv, but musical differences and protracted disputes led to a parting of the ways, with Anti-Christian bowing out after an impressive 20-year tenure with the group. Undaunted, Nag and Draughluin enlisted doyen tub-thumper JON RICE to provide the requisite drum artillery and continued to work on new recordings – fine-tuning guitar tones and sharpening mixes.

Then COVID-19 struck, the pandemic further stymieing the album’s release as the world tumbled from its fragile axis. But humanity is now benignly settling into its most chronic phase of perpetual abnormality and TSJUDER are steeled again to hoist their inverted cross above the barricades of conciliation. Their latest opus, Helvegr, is a devastatingly savage offering, one which fully adheres to the band’s eternal credo of “NO FUCKING COMPROMISE”.     

Recording Line-up:
Nag - Bass & Vocals
Draugluin - Guitars & Vocals
Jon Rice – Drums

Guest musicians:
Guitar solo on ‘Gamle Erik’ by Pål Emanuelsen
Guest vocals on ‘Gods of Black Blood’ by Seidemann (1349)

After the departure of Anti-Christian, Jon Rice and Eivin Brye has shared the drum duties on TSJUDER 's live performances.

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/tsjuderofficial
https://www.instagram.com/officialtsjuder

Mixing + Mastering: North Waves Studios by Pål Emanuelsen
Artwork: Jonas Svensson and Laura Nardelli

Biography: Spencer Grady

Photos: Chantik Photography – www.chantik.nl

Management + booking: Photograve Management - Håkon Grave www.photograve.net

Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Tsjuder-HEL
Pre-save: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/tsjuder-helvegr

Formats:
Digital
CD Digipak  
Cassette
CD Clamshell box (+ Bathory cover album)
Vinyl in various colours (WHITE IS SOLD OUT)
LTD Box Vinyl (+Bathory cover Vinyl)

BLACKBRAID Launches Pre-Sales for 'Blackbraid II'

PRE-ORDER FROM E-SHOP

PRE-ORDER FROM BANDCAMP

SHOP // STREAM // FOLLOW BLACKBRAID HERE

Indigenous Black Metal project Blackbraid has now launched the pre-sales for its highly-anticipated sophomore full-length, 'Blackbraid II,' via Bandcamp or The Official Blackbraid Merch Store.! The album will be available on CD as a 6-panel digi-sleeve, cassette, and two vinyl variants - a marbled emerald green "Moss" edition and golden/earth marbled "Spirit" edition.

'Blackbraid II' is due on July 7, 2023. The first two singles, "Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon" and "The Spirit Returns," are now available on all streaming services!

'Blackbraid II' follows up the solo black metal project's critically-acclaimed debut, which was named among one of the best metal albums if 2022 by Rolling Stone (#14), Decibel Magazine (#4), Metal Hammer UK (#7), and more!

Blackbraid is a solo indigenous black metal project from from the depths of the Adirondack wilderness creating music as raw and powerful as the mountains from whence it came… 

Upon conquering North America on the recent Decibel Magazine Tour in which the band performed to many sold out audiences, Blackbraid has just returned from its European debut, performing to tens of thousands of fans at Hellfest Open Air and Copenhell! Next, Blackbraidwill headline the Kaupangr stage at this year's edition of the mighty Midgardsblot Festival in the Viking Gravemounds at Norway's iconic Borre Park from August 16-19.

Blackbraid Live Dates (EU):

08/16-18: Midgard (NO) @ Midgardsblot [TICKETS]

ICYMI: BLACKBRAID recently unveiled a pummeling live video for the song "Barefoot Ghost Dance on Blood Soaked Soil!" The clip was filmed during Blackbraid's sold out performance at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NY in conjunction with "A Sortilege of Hell" festival, which took place on October 7th, 2022! The clip can be found at THIS LOCATION.

The song is taken from Blackbraid's debut full-length, Blackbraid I, which was released in the summer of 2022. The album can be ordered, downloaded, or streamed HERE.

Creator of Blackbraid: Sgah’gahsowáh

'Blackbraid II' Album Credits:

- Composed & performed by Sgah'gahsowáh

- Drums, recording, mixing & mastering by Neil Schneider

- Visual development & graphic design by Wolf Mountain Productions 

- Guitar solo in “Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood" performed by Randy Moore

- “A Fine Day to Die" originally composed by Quorthon (Bathory)

Album Art: Adrian Baxter

Photographer: Wolf Mountain Productions

Follow // Listen:

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

YouTube

Instagram

Shop/Pre-order:

Official Merch Store (USA)

Blackbraid is an independent artist and is not contracted to or owned by any music label. 

L.S. Dunes Share "Benadryl Subreddit" Video — WATCH

POST-HARDCORE BAND SHARES VIDEO FOR FIRST NEW MUSIC SINCE LAST YEAR"S ACCLAIMED DEBUT LP PAST LIVES

BAND SET FOR EXTENSIVE U.S. SUMMER TOUR

  Today L.S. Dunes — vocalist Anthony Green, guitarist Frank Iero, bassist Tim Payne, guitarist Travis Stever, and drummer Tucker Rule — unveil a dazzling new psyche-metal track entitled "Benadryl Subreddit." It's the post-hardcore band's first new music since the release of their landmark debut album, 2022's Past Lives. Get "Benadryl Subreddit" HERE.
 
In the trac'’s trippy new video, a mischievous ice-cream truck guy (aka Anthony Green) serves up some magical treats to unsuspecting clientele.

Watch the clip, directed by Nick and Pat Demarais,below

"Benadryl Subreddit" was produced by Alex Newport (Mars Volta, Frank Turner, City & Colour) and recorded at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, CA. L.S. Dunes join a long list of renown artists who have found inspiration at the famed high-desert studio including Arctic Monkeys, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Afghan Whigs and Iggy Pop and many others. To pre-order the special L.S. Dunes "Benadryl Subreddit" 7-inch single, visit the band's webstore HERE.
 
"'Benadryl's' title comes from a conversation that Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) and I were having one night on tour about sober guys finding out legal ways of getting high without doing actual drugs and messing with their sobriety," says Iero. "The music for this song came about when I knew we were going into the desert to record with Alex Newport at Rancho De La Luna. I had just received a new guitar in the mail from Ben Wasser at Guitarworks called 'The Shaft' and I got to thinking about the desert and what I thought that guitar should sound like in that setting. That riff came out immediately. 'Benadryl Subreddit' represents the heat of the day out in the desert, sweating bullets and going fast."

"In the early stages of the demo, it was clear this song needed to be recorded and released sooner than many of the other songs we've been working on," shares Stever. "It captures an energy for the moment. It's hard to keep hold of the energy and aim from demo to final recordings. I feel like with Alex Newport we did it!"

Rule concurs, saying, "Frank sent this infectious riff, and I immediately knew what I was going to play. The chemistry of this band is undeniable, and I love it so much."
 
Earlier this month, the band released another ingenious new video ⏤ a glorious send-up of '70s Japanese Sci-Fi horror flix for fan-favorite "Grey Veins."  WATCH HERE. 
 
L.S. Dunes recently announced an extensive run of new summer tour dates across North America beginning with five dates on the Sad Summer Festival tour: Jacksonville, and Clearwater FL, on July 6 and 7, Alpharetta, GA on July 8, Portsmouth, VA on July 11 and Baltimore, MD on July 12. The acclaimed post-hardcore band’s headline tour begins July 9 with a show at the Basement East in Nashville, TN., and is set to hit topflight venues such as The Opera House in Toronto on July 13, NYC's Irving Plaza on July 17, Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit on July 22, Portland's Crystal Ballroom on August 1, and The Showbox in Seattle on August 2, before returning to California for a string of shows that include The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on August 6, The Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco August 9 and The Garden Amphitheatre in Garden Grove, CA on August 11. Get TICKETS HERE.  

PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Estrada

"A staggering collection of progressive-rock and post-hardcore songs" — Alternative Press 
  
"A tour-de-force of post-hardcore"  — Heavy Consequence
 
"An urgent and flat-out fantastic record" — Brooklyn Vegan

Praise has come from all corners of the globe including year-end accolades from Guitar World, Revolver (Best New Bands of 2022), Loudwire, Kerrang, Alternative Press (55 Best Albums of 2022), Brooklyn Vegan: (Best Punk Albums of 2022), Rock Sound (cover), Stereogum, Loudwire (Best Rock + Metal Debut LPs 2022), New Noise (cover), Line of Best Fit, Heavy Consequence, AllMusic, and many more. 
 
L.S. DUNES ON TOUR:
7/6 — Jacksonville, FL — Sad Summer Fest
7/7 — Clearwater, FL — Sad Summer Fest
7/9 — Nashville, TN — The Basement East
7/11 — Portsmouth, VA — Sad Summer Fest
7/12 — Baltimore, MD — Sad Summer Fest
7/13 — Toronto, CAN — The Opera House
7/15 — Providence, RI — The Strand
7/17 — New York NY — Irving Plaza
7/20 — Pittsburgh, PA  — Mr. Smalls Theatre
7/21 — Cincinnati, OH — Bogart's
7/22 — Detroit, MI — Saint Andrew's Hall
7/24 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave Bar
7/25 — Des Moines, IA — Wooly's
7/26 — Omaha, NE — The Waiting Room
7/28 — Fort Collins, CO — Washington's
7/30 — Boise, ID — Knitting Factory
8/1 — Portland, OR — Crystal Ballroom
8/2 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox
8/6 — Los Angeles, CA — The Fonda Theatre
8/9 — San Francisco, CA —  The Fillmore
8/11— Garden Grove, CA  — The Garden Amphitheatre

CADAVER RELEASE LYRIC VIDEO FOR SECOND SINGLE, ‘SCUM OF THE EARTH’

Norwegian death metallers, CADAVER will unleash their sixth studio album, The Age Of The Offended, on July 21, 2023, via Nuclear Blast Records. True to the band’s primitive roots and an audacious, ground-breaking, psychedelic horror show, the album is an angry, fucked up album for angry, fucked up times, defiantly created against the odds.

Today, CADAVER release the second single from the album entitled, ‘Scum Of The Earth’.

Anders Odden comments, "'Scum Of The Earth' is about all the black/white thinkers in the world. The loud voices of polarization in politics and religion blur our understanding of anything. There is no cure for stupidity and we just have to accept that humanity never stops to disappoint."

Stream the new single ‘Scum Of The Earth’ here: 
https://cadaver.bfan.link/sotesg.ema

Watch the lyric video for ‘Scum Of The Earth’ here: 

Pre-save The Age Of The Offended, here: 
https://cadaver.bfan.link/taotolp.ema

The Age Of The Offended was recorded at Daufembach Studio, Villa Necro, Studio Tomb, and Studio Studio. Adair Daufembach was responsible for producing, engineering, mixing, and mastering. Kjartan Hesthagen also assisted with the engineering working in tandem with the band and Adair. The band enlisted Fleshflies to create the artwork for The Age Of The Offended.

The Age Of The Offended will be available digitally and in the following formats:

• CD Jewel

• Vinyl

  • Orange w/ Silver, Blue Splatter Vinyl (Limited to 1300, worldwide)

  • Blue w/ Orange, Black Splatter Vinyl (Limited to 800, NB EU)

CADAVER is:
Anders Odden | Vocals, Guitar
Dirk Verbeuren | Drums
Ronni Le Tekrø | Guitar
Eilert Solstad |  Bass

FEAR FACTORY - Mechanize + Re-Industrialized Reissues Out Now!

Industrial metal pioneers FEAR FACTORY have solidified their status over the years, as one of the metal genre's most important bands. Today, the band releases Re-Industrialized and Mechanize reissues via Nuclear Blast Records.

Fans now have the opportunity to own the reissue of the iconic eighth album, Mechanize. This version features the album as well as 3 bonus tracks. Re-Industrialized sees the re-release of their ninth album The Industrialist as it was meant to be heard, featuring a brand new remix (with live drums), by Greg Reely (Demanufacture, Obsolete, Mechanize), new artwork, and 6 bonus tracks. Listen and purchase your physical copy at the links below: 

Listen/order Re-Industrialized, here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/re-industrialized
Listen/order Mechanize, here: https://fearfactory.bfan.link/mechanize

Catch FEAR FACTORY live:
09.17. US       Anaheim, CA - Metal Injection Festival @ House Of Blues

Michael Ray, DIVE BARS & BROKEN HEARTS Arrives

THINGS MICHAEL RAY’S COUNTRY IS MADE OF
Dive Bars & Broken Hearts is Real Life in Six Tracks
Taking it from East Nashville’s The 5 Spot to 26,000 Fans on a Beach in One Week
“For Ray, It’s All About The Songs...” – The Tennessean

Sometimes you just follow your heart, even when you’re not sure where it’s taking you. For Michael Ray, who grew up going to – and playing at – the juke joints and hole in the walls of Central Florida with his father and grandfather, he didn’t realize he was going not just in a circle but coming full circle until he’d finished the tracking sessions for Dive Bars & Broken Hearts.
 
Six songs, recorded with multi-Platinum CMA Album of the Year producer Michael Knox, Dive Bars & Broken Hearts traces a boy coming into his own, chasing life and girls, getting his heart broken and learning to man up, carry on and evolve. Portraying coming of age for Ray – and so many young men (and women) just like him, it’s easy-going in places, moody and dark in others; it’s almost a love song to being willing to face life as it comes, know there’s solace in the jukebox and a better day if you’re willing to reach for it.
 
“Life is sometimes a lot simpler than we make it,” says the dark-headed vocalist. “And we have a lot more power to accept what doesn’t work and grow, or to create the best possible life than we realize... And that’s where some of the best country songs come from. For me, Dive Bars is about all that, without ever giving up or losing your sense of the right thing to do.”
 
Covered by a lot of media including American Songwriter, Apple Music, The Boot and PEOPLE, Tennessean critic Marcus K. Dowling summarized it best, writing, “For Ray, it’s all about the songs... Successfully navigating the honesty and precision required to age both gracefully and suddenly... his time inside of home and mind combined with the best of the genre’s decade long pop-aimed sounds and styles created appealing material.”
 
“I don’t know if it’s pop so much as ‘80s and ‘90s country,” he reflects, laughing, “which to me was pretty traditional. Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard, Hank Jr. – and yes, the Allman Brothers, ‘cause I am a Florida boy. Once Michael and I got started, I knew I wanted this music to sound like what country music had always been to me. Talking to the Tennessean, Marcus got it.”
 
Subtitled, “Talk of Willie, Waylon, wisdom and an ‘old-school country’ mentality highlight a conversation with the Florida-born multiple-time country chart-topper” pretty much says it. The profile cites Ray’s co-written “Don’t Give A Truck” for the way it “modernizes parents stoking their children’s wanderlust for frontier life by mentioning how his grandparents always warned his family members, ‘don't give a truck to a boy.’”
 
“There are pieces of me in all these songs,” Ray explains. “It’s how I grew up, what I learned, how I became a man... and how I was raised to always try every day to be a better man. But even more importantly, we didn’t shy away from having to man up and not just react, to recognize that you’re gonna make some mistakes along the way. More importantly, for me or anyone listening, there’s friendship and getting through even the tough stuff; you hear Meghan Patrick singing ‘Spirits & Demons’ with me, that’s everything life and country music is: temptation, melody, knowing better, getting tougher and being real.
 
“Setting this project up, we’ve been in some dive bars, the Grand Ole Opry, playing some really big festivals. All I know is everywhere we go, people are responding to these songs like they do ‘Whiskey and Rain’ and ‘Think a Little Less.’ When you can do that with new songs, that says something... But whether it’s just how good these songs feel, or the fact I’ve lived all of them and a lot of other people have been in the same situations, the live crowds feel like they know what I’m singing about!”
 
Recorded largely live with key road players from Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean, Dive Bars & Broken Hearts is here. Grab a cold one – and listen.
 
About Michael Ray
Forged on the small stages of Florida’s rural communities, Michael Ray has created an impressive foundation. Four No. 1 songs – RIAA Platinum-certified “Think a Little Less,” RIAA Platinum-certified “Whiskey And Rain,” RIAA Gold-certified “Kiss You in the Morning,” RIAA Gold-certified “One That Got Away” – with over 1 billion global streams, over 650,000 album equivalents and over 150 million YouTube views, he is a true country star who’s performed at the Grand Ole Opry more than 70 times. Looking to expand his sound, Ray sought out CMA Album of the Year Award-winning producer Michael Knox. The pair have taken his brand of country to a new level for Dive Bars & Broken Hearts, Ray’s six-song EP arriving June 23 via Warner Music Nashville. Currently on the road headlining shows through the summer, he’s taking his music where it matters: to the people. For more information, visit MichaelRayMusic.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @MichaelRayMusic and
Facebook.com/MusicMichaelRay.

US BLACKENED MELODIC DEATH METAL MACHINE ‘BEGAT THE NEPHILIM’ UNLEASH NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘OSSUARY’

Hailing from New Hampshire in the US, blackened melodic death metal act BEGAT THE NEPHILIM have long been a force to be reckoned with when it comes to delivering high energy and complex riffing backed by harsh otherworldly vocals. This was very evident on the band’s sophomore album The Grand Procession which was released through Noble Demon Records. For a taste of what the album delivers, and to see the intense skill set from the band, check out the latest single and video "Ossuary." below.

The video for "Ossuary" depicts a story that features the figure from the cover art for the album which was designed by Giannis Nakos (The Agonist, Suffocation, Evergrey) and based on a concept from the bands vocalist and lyricist, Tyler Smith.

Offering some background to the lyrics to the song and the album and video concept, Smith states:

“This song lyrically and thematically, with the music video, was inspired at first by one of my favourite movies, “Cemetery Man”. The cover art for the album as well. At the heart of it, this song is as important to this albums overarching theme of death and grieving as the title tracks are. I wrote this song for my father specifically, as well as my friends that I have lost along the way. The ossuary in this song is representing both a mental and physical place I can bury my lost. This song and album overall is an ode to the dead.”

Discussing the music behind "Ossuary", guitarist Cam Dupere offers:

“The impetus for the composition of "Ossuary" was to showcase the frenetic energy of our earlier material juxtaposed against a more brooding and moody atmosphere. Elements of our sound that were hinted at on our first album are explored more thoroughly, such as the black metal influenced riffing and technical flourishes. The middle section was written to contrast the blitzkrieg that proceeds and follows it, allowing the listener time to decompress before the sonic onslaught begins again. The focus on a more dynamic shifts was definitely a driving force behind "Ossuary" and will be a great asset in our bag of tricks going forward.”

The video for "Ossuary" was created by Eric DiCarlo from SquareUp Studios, who has previously worked with acts such as Lorna Shore, Shadow of Intent, Dying Fetus and Chelsea Grin. The location for the shoot was also once used by Alice In Chains for the video "Voices".

Begat The Nephilim have been busy writing their third album which will be mixed and mastered by Cryptopsy guitarist Christian Donaldson, who has worked with acts such as Ingested, Beyond Creation, Get The Shot and more. The band are due to hit the studio late this year.

"Ossuary" will have the blood pumping for what comes next and be sure to check out more from ‘The Grand Procession’

Formed in 2012, BEGAT THE NEPHILIM have shared stages with high profile acts such as DEICIDE, KATAKLYSM, SOULFLY, SUICIDE SILENCE, NAPALM DEATH, SUFFOCATION, MORBID ANGEL and many more, as well as participating in tours/festivals across the US, such as Summer Slaughter and the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. With their heavy yet melodic, anthemic and technically impressive sound, as well as their frenetic & chaotic live performances, the band successfully established a lasting impression on crowds across the US.

II: The Grand Procession is out now on Noble Demon and is available for purchase at THIS LOCATION

BEGAT THE NEPHILIM is:
Tyler Smith – Vocals
Cam Dupere – Guitar
Josh Richardson – Drums
Brendan Seigel – Bass

Find BEGAT THE NEPHILIM online:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Find NOBLE DEMON online:

Official Website

Facebook

BandCamp

Twitter

YouTube

TikTok

Spotify

STELLAR CIRCUITS Announce Fall 2023 Tour

Breakout progressive-metal band STELLAR CIRCUITS have announced plans for a fall US tour in support of their newly released sophomore album, "Sight To Sound," that's available now from Nuclear Blast Records. The autumn excursion will kick off October 19th in Nashville, TN with headliners ARCH ECHO and will wrap November 12th in Brooklyn, NY. The band will follow the tour with select headlining shows along the East Coast. Tickets on-sale Friday, June 23rd at 12:00PM Local Time at https://stellarcircuits.com/shows.

STELLAR CIRCUITS Tour Dates: 
w/ARCH ECHO
Oct 19 - Nashville, TN - The End
Oct 21 - Dallas, TX - Three Links
Oct 22 - Austin, TX - The Ballroom
Oct 25 - Mesa, AZ - Underground @ The Nile
Oct 26 - San Diego, CA - Voodoo Room @ House of Blues
Oct 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge
Oct 28 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Oct 29 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Mission Theater
Oct 30 - Seattle, WA - Vera Project
Nov 1 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Nov 4 - Colorado Springs, CO - Vultures
Nov 5 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake
Nov 7 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
Nov 8 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
Nov 9 - Lakewood, OH - The Foundry
Nov 10 - New Kensington, PA - Preserving Underground
Nov 11 - Philadelphia, PA - MilkBoy
Nov 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere (Zone One)

STELLAR CIRCUITS Headline Shows
Nov 14 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
Nov 15 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
Nov 17 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
Nov 18 - Greenville, SC - The Radio Room

STELLAR CIRCUITS has upped the ante on their latest record, "Sight To Sound," with a massive dose of technical, progressive songwriting teaming with aggression that's intricately balanced with memorable melody and a dark anthemic ambience that sucks listeners in with every crushing riff. 
 

Purchase/Stream "Sight To Sound": https://sc.bfan.link/sight-to-sound

About STELLAR CIRCUITS:

Formed in 2015, Stellar Circuits emerged to combine the conceptual polarities of groove-oriented music with progressive-minded technicality. Over the quartet’s lifespan, they’ve managed to fulfill their own prophecy, formulating a core sound that is complex and layered, while providing a listenability that extends well beyond the rock genre. Visceral, intellectual, groovy, technical, and melodious are rarely indicators that can all be used to describe the aural essence of one band. In the case of Stellar Circuits, the rare combination makes a striking and definitive appearance in all they do. 
 
The Winston-Salem, NC foursome followed their 2015 debut EP with their first full-length album in 2018. "Ways We Haunt" would be recorded with North Carolina’s own Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, He Is Legend), a legend in his own right, bringing his signature touch to Stellar Circuits’ first long form release. 
 
Generating significant attention, especially from the band’s more veteran industry peers, Stellar Circuits would go on to be invited as special guests on Chevelle’s 2021 N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S. tour. Completing a nationwide trek that introduced Stellar Circuits to a significantly broader audience, the foursome immediately saw their fanbase increase exponentially, prompting a shift in their attention to a new record with which they could continue to build on the solid foundation they had since established.

"Sight to Sound," Stellar Circuits’ sophomore release, sees the band working once again with Jamie King to convey their growth and expansion on what they do best. Vocalist frontman Ben Beddick highlights the forward momentum, relaying how the band “wanted to push past the point of comfort when writing this music. To make something real and honest that we can all stand by.” 
 
Coming to audiences around the world via Nuclear Blast Records, "Sight to Sound" expands upon the progressive and groove-centric nature of the band; combining a heaviness, a catchiness, and strength of composition with technical proficiency that results in Stellar Circuits’ most polished release to date. Vocalist Ben Beddick further expands on the writing process and the record’s trajectory, marking a “turning point around the beginning of the writing process that steered us toward a particular conceptual direction. Moving closer to an understanding of the perception of our senses.  This record is meant to serve as a sort of invocation. A sense of qualia. The term ‘synesthesia’ comes to mind…”.  

Comprised of vocalist Ben Beddick, bassist Jesse Olsen, guitarist Jared Stamey and drummer Tyler Menon, the North Carolina quartet produce an effective and unparalleled coalescence that will undoubtedly excite new listeners while more than satisfying long-term followers. Featuring 11 original tracks that are poised to impress even the most discerning of aficionados, "Sight to Sound" puts the global music landscape on notice that Stellar Circuits has definitively arrived.

Follow STELLAR CIRCUITS:

https://stellarcircuits.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stellarcircuits/
https://www.instagram.com/stellarcircuits/
https://twitter.com/StellarCircuits
https://www.tiktok.com/@stellarcircuitsofficial
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/StellarCircuits
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3IPiAYo
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3EBbQe8

Tigirlily Gold’s Empowering Debut EP is Available Now

Sister duo Tigirlily Gold spent more than five years honing their craft on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, perfecting their charisma and songwriting while delivering four-hour sets, three to four nights a week. Now, after signing to Monument Records in 2021, sisters Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh arrive with their debut EP, Blonde, which Holler notes is “packed full of unapologetic sass, empowerment and introspective songwriting prowess.”
 
Listen to the EP HERE. 
 
“To us, Blonde the EP is a Dolly Parton state of mind. It’s all about being bold and confident in who you are, empowering others and being able to poke fun at yourself when life just isn’t going your way,” share the sisters. “These four songs are the start of a full-length record coming later on. Blonde hones in on what it means to be unapologetically yourself while remaining true to your roots. We are so excited for this new chapter of music together.”
 
Born from those years spent entertaining the rowdy Broadway crowds, Blonde captures that energy while highlighting the girls’ versatile songwriting. Opening with the bold, confident title track “Blonde,” the sisters set the tone with the empowering girl anthem. Inspired by Dolly Parton, “Blonde” goes beyond describing a hair color, but rather depicts a state of mind while encouraging girls to live unapologetically.
 
“Hometown Song” vulnerably depicts the girls’ inner turmoil of both loving and hating the small town they grew up in. Hailing from Hazen, ND, with a population of less than 3,000, Tigirlily Gold toil with leaving to chase their Music City dreams, while simultaneously longing for the place they called home and being thankful to have left. 
 
The latest release, “Move On,” penned by Kendra, Krista, Alex Kline and Scott Stepakoff, is a clever wordplay, urging a love interest to “make a move on, move on me” on a date night.
 
Listen to “Move On” HERE.

Photo Credit: Jared Olson 

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the newest song off the EP, Tigirlily Gold adds, “‘Move On’ is all about being forward and confident enough to make the first move on someone you like. We wrote this one with two of our favorites, Alex Kline and Scott Stepakoff and really dove into a new vibe lyrically and musically with this one! It’s the perfect, funky, flirty song to round off the EP!”
 
The EP ends with “Shoot Tequila,” showcasing the girls’ ability to entertain with American Songwriter opining it, “packs an energy-filled punch that’s tailor-made for country radio.” The upbeat party anthem is reminiscent of the push and pull of a toxic relationship, nodding to the irresistible temptation of caving to the “bad influence” of a tequila-induced night. 
 
Tigirlily Gold’s infectious personality and growing catalog of songs continues to endear them in the Music City scene. The girls most recently performed for the ACM Awards Red Carpet Show on May 11, followed by their Grand Ole Opry debut on May 13 and a performance on the Maui Jim Reverb Stage at CMA Fest on June 9.
 
Blonde EP Track Listing:
1. Blonde (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
2. Hometown Song (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
3. Move On (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
4. Shoot Tequila (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Kevin Griffin, David Mescon)
 
For the latest information visit, tigirlily.com  and follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @tigirlily and on TikTok @TigirlilyGold.
 
About Tigirlily Gold:
Sister duo Tigirlily Gold has been playing music together since they could walk, and officially formed their band in high school. Growing up, they crisscrossed the mid-west, growing a fierce fan base and selling out amphitheaters across their home-state of North Dakota. After moving to Nashville, they landed a weekly residence at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row on Nashville’s famed lower Broadway. Playing four-hour sets, three to four nights a week, the sisters developed a performance style that’s not only captivating and fun but shows just how much entertaining is in their blood.
 
After releasing their original song “Somebody Does,” in 2021, the track topped the iTunes chart and Tigirlily Gold was signed to Monument Records. They released their self-titled, debut EP in July 2021, working with multi-Grammy Award Winner Shane McAnally, and hit the road with artists Walker Hayes and Ashley McBryde. 
 
 
Blonde label copy HERE.

John Rooney to Drop "Hoodwink" on August 11

John Rooney formed his first band The Lonelyhearts in Sydney, Australia, and it was a fiercely talented power pop band that went on to release a number of independent records. Always a musician and singer-songwriter, he has played numerous events over the years, including the premier Byron Bay Blues Festival. With his pure and wonderfully melodic voice, Rooney has captured fans with his emotional rapport.
 
He will release his solo album Hoodwink on August 11. Pre-order it here.

Today, he has shared the single "Lost Myself." Listen here.

"'Lost Myself' is about how throughout our lives we can sometimes find ourselves 'off track,'" Rooney says. "And in order to find 'oneself,' you have to get lost to begin with.
The important thing to note is that when you are lost, you are oftentimes not in a position to help others who also might be lost. But no matter how lost we get, just know that we can always find our way back. Just make sure you come back!"

Rooney's sumptuous melodies and his diverse and inspirational lyrics caught the attention of A-list producer Kevin Shirley; (Joe Bonamassa, John Haitt, Aerosmith, Black Crows & Silverchair.) Hoodwink was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville. The songs on this album feature an excellent array of musicians, including guitarists Waddy Wachtel (Stevie Nicks and Linda Ronstadt); Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney); Mitch Easter (producer for REM, Pavement, and Ben Folds). Bassists: Don Was; Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction), and Alison Prestwood. Keyboardists: Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) and Spooner Oldham (Muscle Shoals, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Neil Young). Drummers: Jim Keltner (Traveling Wilburys, John Lennon, George Harrison), and Greg Morrow (Nashville).
 
The record was also mixed by multiple Grammy Award-winner Bob Clearmountain, who is associated with legendary acts like Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, and Gregg Allman