Earlier this week, the undisputed masters of blackened deathcore, Carnifex, announced their Dead In My Arms 15-year anniversary tour, with Spite and Oceano. What better way to celebrate the announcement and anniversary than to release the re-recorded version for the track "Lie To My Face" featuring Adam Warren of Oceano.
Scott Ian Lewis comments, “We couldn’t be happier to be celebrating 15 years of Dead In My Arms with a special version of LTMF featuring our good friend Adam Warren of Oceano. This new version is a thank you to the best fans in the world for keeping us alive all these years. Enjoy the song, see you on the DIMA 15-year anniversary tour!”
The song release (and below tour announcement) comes alongside a merch collection celebrating 15 years of the debut LP Dead In My Arms, exhuming old designs and breathing new life into concepts from that era.
Every $20 spent on the Carnifex Indie Merchstore will earn one entry into a contest to win one of three prizes consisting of JBL Audio gear and credit for Indie Merch. A free entry can be earned by signing up for the band's email list. More info can be found at carnifexmetal.com.
On September 23, Carnifex will kick off their 32-date US tour with Spite and Oceano. The trek will make stops in Denver, Cleveland, and Richmond before concluding at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California on October 26. Opening the tour is Left To Suffer, and Crown Magentar.
Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday, July 15 at 10 AM local time carnifexmetal.com.
DISTURBED has released "Hey You", the first single off the band's upcoming studio album. The official music video for the song, directed by Josiahx, can be seen below.
DISTURBED frontman David Draiman stated about the track: "It's a wake-up call. We've become our own worst enemies. Civil discourse has become the exception instead of the norm. People have lost themselves in outrage addiction."
All four members of DISTURBED were in Los Angeles on June 14 to film the "Hey You" music video.
Guitarist Dan Donegan and bassist John Moyer both shared photos from before and during the shoot, with Dan writing: "Time to make a music video! First single off the new album coming in the very near future." Moyer added in a separate post: "Band performance about to go down! New DISTURBED coming soon!!"
Earlier last month, Draiman said that DISTURBED's upcoming album, which is tentatively due in November, will contain a "surprise track" that will "blow [fans'] minds."
On June 2, the 49-year-old frontman took to his Twitter to write about DISTURBED's follow-up to 2018's "Evolution": "Listening back to the mixes. Amazing record. Very proud. (Also, there's a surprise track on here that's going to blow your minds)".
In May, Draiman told the audience at DISTURBED's concert in Camden, New Jersey that the band's new LP will be released "soon." He added: "It's about 90 percent heavy as fuck. Now there's still 10 percent of caring, loving goodness [laughs] — 10 percent. Hey, for everybody that fell in love with 'The Sound Of Silence' [SIMON & GARFUNKEL] cover, I figured, you know… But the rest of it? 'Sickness'-, 'Ten Thousand Fists'-era DISTURBED, for sure. You excited about that? 'Cause I'll tell you we're really fucking excited about it."
In April, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" that he and his bandmates are "definitely in the middle of the process" of making a new album. "We have been writing, we have been recording," he said. "I'm very excited about everything that we're coming up with right now. It's feeling great, it's sounding great."
He continued: "We don't necessarily have a definitive time frame right now [for the album's release]. Coming off two years of a pandemic, we just have been taking our time in trying to put out the best record of our careers and top everything that we've ever done before.
"I think people are gonna be pleasantly surprised when they finally get a chance to hear this," Mike added.
Wengren's comments came just days after Draiman confirmed that DISTURBED has completed recording the new LP. Prior to that, Draiman shared a since-deleted Instagram photo of a whiteboard — which appeared to have been taken in a recording studio — charting DISTURBED's progress with recording. On the board, 10 songs were listed, featuring such titles as "Hey You", "Love To Hate" and "Part Of Me". David captioned the picture: "And that's a wrap people. #HolyShitIsThisGood #epic @disturbed". Also included on the whiteboard was the guitar tuning for each track, with most of them using "Standard C#", "Drop C#" or "Drop C" tuning. One track was also recorded in "Drop A#" tuning, while another is in "Drop B".
Draiman spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new DISTURBED album during a recent appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie. Regarding what it has been like for him and his bandmates to regroup in person after such a long time apart and once again launch the creative process, he said: "There's really nothing that replaces it. It was a continuing theme of conversation over the course of the week that we had together between our couple of shows we played in Indiana [in early November] and our performance over in Daytona for [the] Welcome To Rockville [festival]. There really is no substitute. There isn't. The energy and that realization when you've got something. Compare it to fishing, and you finally land a big one. [Laughs] It's incredibly, incredibly exciting. And we were on fire."
As for the musical direction of the new DISTURBED songs, Draiman said: "The material is somewhere between 'The Sickness' and 'Ten Thousand Fists' as far as where I would identify it as sonically. It's rhythmic, it's pummeling, it's anthemic, it's polysyncopated. It's meat-and-potatoes DISTURBED."
David also discussed DISTURBED's apparent decision to pursue a more aggressive musical approach on its next LP compared to "Evolution", on which nearly half the songs were either acoustic or semi-acoustic.
"It's a different sort of itch you're scratching," he said. "You can have the satisfaction that comes with, let's say, playing with your children peacefully somewhere and you can have a different sort of satisfaction in engaging in full-contact football with your buddies. It's just a different feel. They're both equally as gratifying but sometimes you just get a little taste more for one than the other. And right now we are definitely — we've got our teeth dug in to that style. We were dying to do the more aggressive stuff. We wanted to go back home. We wanted to go back to the 'groove so hard that you can't stop bobbing your head' kind of stuff. So, we're there, and we're loving it."
Prior to DISTURBED's appearance at the 2021 edition of Welcome To Rockville last November, Draiman told Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio that the band will likely do things slightly differently with the upcoming release. "The way that I see it happening is we're probably not gonna put out something in the traditional full-length; we're probably gonna be doing two separate releases," he explained. "So we'll probably have one geared for release — if everything works as planned — by the fall, and then maybe something the following year as well." When Brutus asked Draiman to clarify if that means that the next DISTURBED release will be an EP, David said: "Define it what you want, but it would like five or six songs at a pop — something like that.
"We live in an environment right now and in an age where people's consumption of music has been very soundbitish and very track-driven and very single-driven," he continued. "And there's definitely some beauty towards continuing to try and [make] things like concept records and telling a long story over the duration of a series of songs — there's huge merit to that — but I think that when you write 10 songs and three of them actually get worked at radio and maybe, if you're lucky, the fans are really familiar with half the record and the rest ends up sitting on a shelf, and if you do end up pulling it out one day, it's like an obscure, weird moment during the set, and it's almost like gratuitous for yourself. I don't wanna do that anymore. I wanna make everything count. I wanna make sure that we get the biggest bang for everything we're putting out there. I think that that should be easily attainable. It seems to be where the environment is going, and it seems to be — whether we like it or not — what the digital age has funneled us into."
DISTURBED performed live for the first time in nearly two years last September as one of the headliners of the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.
In March 2021, DISTURBED's "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was officially canceled. The amphitheater tour, with very special guest STAIND and BAD WOLVES, was originally slated to take place in the summer of 2020 but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was eventually scrapped altogether.
"The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was supposed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DISTURBED's seminal album "The Sickness". On the tour, the band was expected to perform songs off the album, as well as tracks from "Evolution" and DISTURBED's extensive catalog.
Cronos (VENOM),Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES),Scott Carlson (REPULSION),Johnny Hedlund (UNLEASHED) and Urskogr (SERPENT OMEGA) are among the special guests who performed with influential Swedish metallers ENTOMBED at their exclusive show last night (Thursday, July 14) at the Gefle Metal Festival in Gävle, Sweden.
ENTOMBED's core lineup for the Gefle Metal Festival concert included original members Alex Hellid (guitar),Uffe Cederlund (guitar) and Nicke Andersson (drums) plus former ENTOMBED bassist Jörgen Sandström, who previously played with the band between 1995 and 2004.
The setlist for the performance was as follows:
01. Left Hand Path (Jörgen Sandström on vocals)
02. But Life Goes On (with Tomas Lindberg)
03. Out Of Hand (with Tomas Lindberg)
04. Living Dead (with Tomas Lindberg)
05. Like This With The Devil (with Tomas Lindberg)
06. The Truth Beyond (with Tomas Lindberg)
07. Eyemaster (with Scott Carlson)
08. Abnormally Deceased (with Scott Carlson)
09. Serpent Speech (with Scott Carlson)
10. Black Breath (with Scott Carlson)
11. Damn Deal Done (with Scott Carlson)
12. Chief Rebel Angel (with Pia Stjärnvind a.k.a. Urskogr)
13. Stranger Aeons (with Pia Stjärnvind a.k.a. Urskogr)
14. To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth (with Johnny Hedlund)
15. Revel In Flesh (with Johnny Hedlund)
16. Wolverine Blues (with Johnny Hedlund)
17. Supposed To Rot (with Johnny Hedlund)
18. Night Of The Vampire (ROKY ERICKSON AND THE ALIENS cover) (with Johnny Hedlund)
Pioneering ENTOMBED and ENTOMBED A.D. frontman Lars-Göran Petrov died on March 7, 2021 after a battle with bile duct cancer. He was 49 years old.
When ENTOMBED's appearance at Gefle Metal Festival was first announced last year, CEO Edward Janson said in a statement: "LG was a central figure in Swedish metal who left a huge void behind. When we started Gefle Metal Festival 2016, FIRESPAWN with LG was the very first band to play and at the last festival in 2019, he was on stage with his ENTOMBED A.D. In between, he was in attendance as an enthusiastic fan. It feels good to be able to pay tribute to LG and his contributions to metal with this concert."
ENTOMBED A.D. was formed in 2014 when Petrov and other members of ENTOMBED decided to change the band's name in order to avoid a legal battle with ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker.
In August 2020, Petrov told Metal Hammer about how he found out about his cancer: "A couple of months ago. I felt a lump in my solar plexus. And I was, like, 'Okay, I'll ignore it.' But then it started to hurt, so I went to the doctor, and they X-rayed it quickly and said, 'You have to go to the specialist.' That was weird. You can't imagine what it feels like. Your whole body goes warm. It's, like, 'Fucking hell.'"
Although Petrov revealed his cancer was "incurable," he said that the doctors were "hoping" they would be able to treat it. "Being young, the doctor said there's hopefully a way to control it so it doesn't spread, or maybe even make it smaller," he said.
Less than six years ago, Hellid, Cederlund and Andersson played ENTOMBED's groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden. Joining them at that show were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass),both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON. Two weeks earlier, the Hellid-led lineup of ENTOMBED made its live debut on the Close-Up Båten cruise.
Hellid and Petrov had been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was reportedly awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for spirits production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public." Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 2016 ruling.
In an interview with Revolution-Music.dk, Petrov defended his group's decision to release albums and tour under the name ENTOMBED A.D. in order to avoid a legal battle with Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker: "It had to be done, because without an album you can't tour," he explained. "I mean, you can tour, but if there's seven years between albums, it's ridiculously long. So we did the right thing, and we did what bands should do, and still do — release an album and go on tour and headbang and have a good time with friends, and that's what it's all about."
PRIEST, the synthwave act featuring former members of the Grammy Award-winning Swedish rock act GHOST, has released the official music video for the song "Nightcrawler". The track is taken from PRIEST's new full-length album, "Body Machine", which arrives today (Friday, July 15) on all formats, including CD, vinyl and digital.
The LP's early singles "A Signal In The Noise" and "Techno Girl" have already been generating a major buzz across both the metal and electronic music worlds, preparing the path for the full-length release. Produced by Simon Söderberg, another GHOST alumnus, "Body Machine" is the band’s third studio album and their first to be released in conjunction with U.S. indie label juggernaut Cleopatra Records.
PRIEST had this to say about "Body Machine": "We're excited to finally release our diverse and heavy rhythm-driven third album! 'Body Machine' is steeped in darkness, but it also shows glimpses of hope through the black, hovering smog of polluted future cities."
"Body Machine" track listing:
01. A Signal In The Noise
02. Ghost Writer
03. Hell Awaits
04. Phantom Pain
05. Blacklisted
06. Perfect Body Machine
07. Techno Girl
08. Crystalline Lace
09. Nightcrawler
10. Keep On Burning
Hailing from the same icy darkness of the Scandinavian inland that birthed GHOST, PRIEST consists of a trio of musicians — vocalist Mercury, who was known as Water when he played bass for GHOST, keyboardist Salt, formerly known as GHOST keyboardist Air, and programmer/ keyboardist Sulfur — who came together in 2017 and started releasing their own unique brew of electronic music that bears little sonic resemblance to their former band yet still shares the same creative DNA. But whereas GHOST borrowed their theatrics from old school horror and '80s rock, PRIEST comes steeped in cyberpunk and industrial music.
In 2020, PRIEST released a new album called "Cyberhead", the follow-up to its debut, "New Flesh". "Cyberhead" was the first album since original singer Tom Åsberg (also known as Ginger Khan) left the band to pursue other projects. PRIEST mastermind Linton Rubino has taken over on vocals, which are performed by a masked character they call Mercury.
Back in 2017, GHOST leader Tobias Forge was sued by four former members of the band after being dismissed by the group's founder the previous December. They accused the singer of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band's album releases and world tours. The lawsuit was filed in the district court of Linköping, Sweden, where GHOST was originally based. It claimed that a partnership agreement existed between Forge and the four former members, all of whom performed anonymously in the band as Nameless Ghouls. As a result of the lawsuit, Forge was forced to reveal his identity after years of performing in a mask as Papa Emeritus. He has maintained that "no legal partnership" ever existed between him and the other members.
In May 2018, Linton, who played bass live in GHOST from 2013 to 2014 in the role of the Nameless Ghoul Water, blasted the band's 2018 album "Prequelle", saying he was "ashamed to have been part of that" and calling the music "a joke" and "mainstream shit."
Sinnery is a four-piece Israeli metal band that draws influences from thrash, melodic death, and modern core and churns them into a catchy yet abrasive, groovy yet aggressive unique blend of high-impact metal. Together since 2012, they are getting ready to release their second album later this year via Exitus Stratagem Records, and right now they are serving up the second single and title track, “Black Bile”.
Sinnery’s lyrics come from very different places but on this record, vocalist/guitarist Alon Karnieli really focused on inner feelings and inner demons. The overarching lyrical concept for the album was to touch and exaggerate everything that is bad within them and show it out in the open.
They expand on this in relation to the single: "'Black Bile' was picked to be our title track since the whole concept of the album is represented in the lyrics, it talks about killing the worst in yourself, all while keeping the finger pointed at the one who’s to blame - yourself. While musically “Black Bile” also represents what we love about modern metal and the essence of what our music turned out to be. It’s a heavy, upbeat banger that keeps attacking you right until the very end of the song.”
Musically, the album delivers what metal/rock fans want. Heavy riffs, high energy, melodies, and a great production that makes the passion and musicianship shine through. Each song is a story, and together they make a cohesive album that is non-stop headbanging from start to finish.
Black Bile will be released on September 16 via Exitus Stratagem Records. Pre-save here.
Tracklisting:
"The Burning"
"Black Bile"
"Who Will Be Eaten First"
"Sever"
"Anti Tribe"
"Mouthful Of Nails"
"Hanged From The Sun"
"Bleak"
"Here Below"
"Holes"
England’s doom metal masters, Conan, will release their fifth studio album, Evidence Of Immortality, on August 19 via Napalm Records.
Following the previously released first album single, “Levitation Hoax”, today the band has unleashed a brand new, colossal track and music video. “Righteous Alliance” emphasizes that Conan are the masters of their craft, while Jon Davis spits his lyrics over the uber-synchronized power chord changes and tempo shifts of the unholy trio of bass, drums and guitar.
“‘Righteous Alliance‘ is another track that we have been playing live,“ guitarist and singer Jon Davis comments. “It is all about war, and the hopelessness of it. However, a hero is coming and just as death is imminent, an unflinching saviour enters the fray and the day is saved, for now. We were keen to include some fan footage from over the years, thankfully they came through so thanks to everyone for being a part of it.”
Evidence Of Immortality was produced by Chris Fielding and mastered by James Plotkin. The album also sees former band member Dave Perry perform on the track “Grief Sequence”. The album’s artwork was provided by the skilled hand and mind of Tony Roberts, architect of the Conan visual style since day one and their debut release, Horseback Battle Hammer. Bow down and hail Conan, as their sound will live forever on the battlefield of doom. Their new album will be the ultimate Evidence Of Immortality.
Evidence Of Immortality will be available in the following formats:
- Digisleeve
- 2LP Gatefold Black (ltd 300)
- 2LP Gatefold Marbled Clear/Black (ltd 300)
- 2LP Gatefold Glow In The Dark (Band exclusive)
- Cassette Tape Edition
- Album Cover Shirt & Digisleeve Bundle (European webstore only)
- Digital
Palaye Royale will release their new album, Fever Dream, on October 28 via Sumerian Records. Made in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Chris Greatti, the 13-track set came to life over the course of a year, with the band working in deliberate seclusion and taking abundant time to sculpt each lavishly orchestrated track. The resulting set is their boldest and most visionary body of work to date.
Alongside the announcement of Fever Dream, Palaye Royale has released the album’s title track. One of the album’s most majestic tracks, “Fever Dream” is a throat-shredding epic, opening on a moment of piano-laced reflection before morphing into a triumphant anthem, fully embodying the transcendent spirit that’s earned the band a cult-like following through the years. The accompanying video will be released July 14 at 9 PM, PT. Directed by Italian filmmaker Gianluigi Carella, the video was filmed in part at LA Circus and depicts frontman Remington Leith’s epic journey in a fever dream of his own making. Tune into the live chat room countdown to the premiere and watch the exclusive teaser here.
Palaye Royale recently teamed up with MARVIN and Porsche to film an episode of Sound and Driven, a short film series featuring some of music’s respected artists and producers as they take their records on the legendary car test in a Porsche Taycan. In their episode, the band and producer Chris Greatti discuss the recording process of “Fever Dream,” driving through the streets of LA while listening to the epic song. Watch their video below:
Their fourth full-length album, Fever Dream emerged from a much-needed break in the chaos, with the trio returning to their roots and composing most of the album on piano, resulting in a body of work that is equal parts ecstatic head rush and in-depth meditation on the state of the human psyche. Palaye Royale explains, “Making this record felt like getting back to when we first fell in love with music.” They continue, “This record is very much about self-belief and self-empowerment, and overcoming all the obstacles that life throws at you. It’s the first time we’ve really taken a hopeful approach in our music.”
The band has been teasing out glimpses of Fever Dream throughout the last year, including new single “Broken,” which just impacted Alternative Radio and is currently climbing the charts. Other sneak peaks include the confessional “Paranoid,” the darkly addictive “Punching Bag,” and the undeniably infectious “No Love In LA,” the latter of which was the band’s fastest-growing streaming track to date, gaining major traction at Alternative Radio upon its release.
This Fall, Palaye Royale will bring their adrenaline-fueled, rock n’ roll circus on an expansive North American headline tour with direct support from Mod Sun. The 25-date run kicks off September 13th in Phoenix, AZ, and sees the band headlining their biggest U.S. venues yet, including House of Blues in Chicago, Webster Hall in New York and The Palladium in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now.
The tour continues a busy year on the road for Las Vegas-bred brothers Remington Leith (vocals), Sebastian Danzig (guitar) and Emerson Barrett (drums). With unparalleled swagger, Palaye Royale have endlessly delivered an electrifying live show, one that frequently finds Remington hanging from the rafters. Earlier this year, they were direct support on Yungblud’s North American tour, followed by a completely sold out headline tour across the UK and Europe, which included their biggest headline shows to date, including the Roundhouse in London and an arena in the Czech Republic. Later this summer, the band will hit the European festival circuit before heading back to the states for their headline tour. They will also perform at the highly-anticipated When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas on October 22 and 29.
Equal parts brit-pop, glam rock and art-punk, Palaye Royale has amassed over half a billion streams throughout their career and earned a legion of cult-like fans with their fast-paced dirty rock’n’ roll. First landing in Los Angeles as teenagers, the brothers worked their way up through the ruthless L.A. rock scene going from playing basement shows while living out of their car to headlining arenas around the world. And whether they’re taking the stage at major festivals like Reading and Leeds, Download and Pinkpop or playing to sold-out crowds in such far-flung locales as Amsterdam, Prague and Mexico City, the band’s most crucial ambition is to deepen their rarefied connection with their beloved fanbase, lovingly dubbed the Soldiers of the Royal Council.
Fever Dream tracklisting:
"Eternal Life"
"No Love In LA"
"Punching Bag"
"Broken"
"Fever Dream"
"Line It Up" (feat. LP)
"Toxic In You"
"Wasted Sorrow"
"Paranoid"
"Oblivion"
"Lifeless Stars"
"King Of The Damned"
"Off With The Head"
Hammer King will release their new studio album, Kingdemonium, on August 19 via Napalm Records. The second offering from the new album offers powerful vocals, heavy guitar elements and a catchy refrain, riddled with backing chants that invite you to rock and sing along – a song made for big live audiences. The single comes together with a behind the scenes video, shot during their appearance at Rock Harz festival just a few days ago.
Hammer King on “Invisible King”: "Yes I am - the Invisible King! This song is about anything you would want to do if you were invisible, all the sneaky prowling, the secretiveness – whatever most people rarely dare. Of course, it's also about the good you could do if you could take a look behind the scenes. Musically, it is a perfect live song - so enjoy our video, with footage from Rock Harz festival in 2022, just one week ago. God bless the King, may the King bless all of you!"
Kingdemonium highlights the core essence of Hammer King and fully reflects on the strengths of the band, kicking off with first track “Invisible King”. The title track, “Kingdemonium” then proves its pure power from the first note and goes all the way with thundering drums, riffs made of steel, and energetic vocals. Followed by “The Four Horsemen”, starting off slower, the track quickly picks up the pace mid-journey through the world of the Hammer King. “Guardians of the Realm" (featuring Ross The Boss), stands out from the rest with the vigorous vocals riddled with acoustic guitar elements, while "Live Long, Die Nasty" is a future live hit that will have all crowds screaming along immediately. An album made of pure steel in the name of the Hammer King.
Kingdemonium will be available in the following formats:
- Wooden Deluxe Box (incl. 1 CD Digisleeve, 3-Track Bonus CD (Andreas Marschall Artwork), Signed Certificate of Authenticity, Leather Wristband, Hammer King Map) - strictly limited to 300
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Marbled Blue/Black (incl. Signed postcard, Bonus Track “Ashes of My Oath” Download Card) - strictly limited to 300
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Black (incl. Bonus Track “Ashes of My Oath” Download Card)
- 1CD Digisleeve (6 Panels)
- Music Cassette - strictly limited to 100
- Digital Album
"Invisible King"
"Pariah Is My Name"
"We Shall Rise"
"Live Long, Die Nasty"
"The 7th Of The 7 Kings"
"Kingdemonium"
"Other Kingdoms Fall"
"The Four Horsemen"
"Guardians Of The Realm"
"Age of Urizen"
Bonus tracks:
"Mark Of The Beast"
"Ashes Of My Oath"
"Holy Is The Hammer"
"Hammerschlag" (Gerre version)
"Pariah Is My Name" video:
Lineup:
Titan Fox V - vocals/guitar
Gino Wilde - guitar
Günt von Schratenau - bass
Dolph Aidan Macallan - drums
Melbourne prog/alt metal giants Circles make their momentous return with pulsating new single “Sleepwalking” and its explosive accompanying music video, unleashing a new era on July 13 via Wild Thing Records.
In the midst of being in the longest locked down city in the world, the group found solace in writing the next chapter of the Circles story, commencing now with “Sleepwalking”. Smashing right into the fray with their first release since 2018’s internationally acclaimed album The Last One - the group’s debut with front-man Ben Rechter, Circles are bringing their textured prog-alt-metal flair to their newest single, which shudders with densely-packed melodies and artful songwriting.
In a metallic blitz of earth-shattering riffs and electronic textures, “Sleepwalking” is razor-sharp and fierce. Putting it all on the line, Rechter's fervent melodic tone intertwines with volatile guitars and hammering drums that surge with unbridled energy. At full force, “Sleepwalking” is the band’s cathartic absolution.
Frontman Rechter speaks on the meaning and theme behind “Sleepwalking”: “Essentially, it’s a song of fear and regret, of feeling like so much time has been wasted while you’ve unconsciously gone through the motions to arrive at your current situation. But you’re struggling to push yourself into the unfamiliar territory that holds the potential to provide you with what you’re searching for. It’s so easy to live and die in a comfort zone, even when all you want is out of it.”
The new single was produced by Circles’ own Ted Furuhashi, its music video directed by the band’s David Hunter, with the track mastered by Luke Cincotta (Karnivool - Asymmetry).
Circles return to the live circuit for the Sleepwalking Australian Tour, across August and September. Joining them on all dates is an epic assortment of some of Australia’s best up and coming acts; The Omnific, Future Static, and Heartline.
Drummer Hunter comments: “The last few years has been pretty damn tough on the music industry. We locked ourselves away and wrote the next chapter in the Circles story. The band is ready to road test some of this new material, along with some old favourites. So for the first time since 2019, we're stoked to be able to see all of you legends again. This is going to be something really special for us.”
Circles tour-de-force live show has taken them across Australia, Europe, and the UK, complemented by festivals including Euroblast, Prog Power, and Progfest, and a touring history with some of the who’s who of international progressive/alternative heavy music, such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Opeth, Fear Factory, Periphery, TesseracT and Twelve Foot Ninja.
Circles live:
August
18 – Melbourne – Stay Gold
26 – Adelaide – Lions Arts Factory
September
2 – Brisbane – The Zoo
3 – Sydney – Crowbar
4 – Canberra – The Basement
With special guests: The Omnific, Future Static & Heartline
Whitesnake continues to revisit its multi-platinum career as it remixes some of its biggest hits for a new collection that spotlights updated versions of classic tracks like “Still Of The Night,” “Here I Go Again,” and “Is This Love.”
Whitesnake's Greatest Hits is available now on digital and streaming services, on CD, 2LP, and CD/Blu-ray in Europe, and fans are invited to order the collection by going here.
The band have released this remastered video for "Judgement Day":
In another clip, David Coverdale looks back on "Judgement Day":
David Coverdale had 16 tracks remixed and remastered for this collection. He explains: “We’ve definitely expanded on the original Greatest Hits, took them all out of the sonic time capsule of the ’80s and ’90s, and brought them up to date, sound-wise … as always, we have the original albums for those who consider them holy relics.”
Keyboardist Derek Sherinian, who also appeared on Whitesnake’s recent Red, White and Blues trilogy, adds Hammond organ to more than half the songs on the collection. His scorching contributions can be heard on the #1 smash “Here I Go Again,” “Fool For Your Loving,” “You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again,” and more. New performances by former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg can also be heard on “The Deeper The Love” and “Judgement Day” from the 1989 album, Slip Of The Tongue.
Along with those new additions, Coverdale also went back to the vault to unearth vintage performances by guitarist John Sykes that didn’t appear on the original recordings, including a solo on “Slide It In” and rhythm guitar on “Give Me All Your Love.”
Whitesnake Greatest Hits focuses extensively on three blockbuster albums the band released during the 1980s: 1984’s Slide It In (2x platinum), 1987’s Whitesnake (8x platinum), and 1989’s Slip Of The Tongue (platinum). But the collection goes deeper with songs like “Sweet Lady Luck,” a b-side on the 12” single for “The Deeper The Love,” and “Forevermore,” the title track from the band’s 2011 album.
Whitesnake have embarked upon a farewell tour with special guest, Europe. Coverdale said: “I pray every day we can all make this happen & once again, share unforgettable evenings together & celebrate the amazing journey we have been on for almost 50 years!!!”
- Digital now available worldwide
- CD out now in Europe
- 2LP out now in Europe
- CD/Blu-ray out now in Europe and July 15 in North America
- CD & 2LP out on now in North America
CD/Blu-ray tracklisting:
“Still Of The Night”
“Here I Go Again”
“Is This Love”
“Give Me All Your Love”
“Love Ain’t No Stranger”
“Slide It In”
“Slow An’ Easy”
“Guilty Of Love”
“Fool For Your Loving”
“Judgment Day”
“The Deeper The Love”
“Now You’re Gone”
“You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again”
“Sweet Lady Luck”
“Crying In The Rain”
“Forevermore”
Extreme metal masters ARCH ENEMY have released a new single, "In The Eye Of The Storm". The track is taken from the band's 11th studio album, "Deceivers", which will arrive on August 12 via Century Media Records. The official Mirko Witzki-directed music video for the song will make its online debut today at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 noon EDT.
ARCH ENEMY's founder and chief songwriter Michael Amott comments: "'In The Eye Of The Storm' is a song that was built around a hypnotizing riff and a groove that's just screaming out to be played live! Shooting the video in Berlin, Germany with, for us, new director Mirko Witzki was a super cool experience, and the result is nothing less than astonishing!"
In May, ARCH ENEMY released a new seven-inch single, "Sunset Over The Empire", with the title track also appearing on "Deceivers". The official music video for "Sunset Over The Empire", directed by Grupa13, was made available the same day.
In a recent interview with Tampa Bay Creative Loafing, ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz stated about the band's decision to release more singles than usual this time around.
"I think over the course of the last couple of years everyone has had to rethink how they release because of the way music is consumed now," she said. "We put equal time into all the songs, but then, maybe only two or three of them get highlighted as singles. But that's not to say that the rest of the songs didn't take just as much time and energy and heart to create. We have fans who know every single song, but we wanted to give people an opportunity to discover a little bit more about our sound."
ARCH ENEMY played the first show of "The North American Siege 2022" tour with BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH on April 16 at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona. ARCH ENEMY's set included the first three new songs the group released over the last few months: "Deceiver, Deceiver", "House Of Mirrors" and "Handshake With Hell".
Amott previously stated about "Deceivers": "Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary as a group and now releasing our 11th studio album, one could easily assume that we would be cruising along and going through the motions at this point. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to ARCH ENEMY and our new album, 'Deceivers'.
"It is, without a doubt, always a challenge to raise the bar each time in both the songwriting and production side of things, and it can feel a bit daunting before we get into it. But once we do get started and fully immerse ourselves in the creative process, it's really like there is nothing else in the world and we are very focused. And believe it or not, for the most part, we have a ton of fun making this music! Creating 'Deceivers' was no different. Once again we shut out the outside world and went deep into the artistic zone. I believe we pulled out some really interesting musical and lyrical themes this time, a few things might even raise an eyebrow or two — while retaining all the signature elements of the band. In the end, it's ARCH ENEMY at full speed and power."
ARCH ENEMY will appear at select summer festivals before embarking on the rescheduled "European Siege 2022" trek (with BEHEMOTH, CARCASS, UNTO OTHERS) in the fall.
WITHIN TEMPTATION has released the official Jeb Hardwick-directed music video for the band's new single, "Don't Pray For Me". It is the fourth single of the band's independent releases and will lead up to WITHIN TEMPTATION's next studio album.
In recent years, WITHIN TEMPTATION shifted its focus from releasing albums to releasing a series of singles, enabling the band members to indulge themselves in their creative processes thus delivering freshly inspired music. The band has released "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin", singles that have all thrilled their fanbase, had great critical reception in Europe, peaked in the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator charts and topped the official German charts.
"We live in a world where cultures and beliefs are melting together, while at the same time acts of intolerance and injustice dominate the world," WITHIN TEMPTATION states. "Both societal issues and a rapid increase in sub-beliefs have resulted in fear, fragmentation and disconnect."
Vocalist Sharon Den Adel comments: "'Don't Pray For Me' strives against forcing beliefs and fears on to others and bears witness to being acceptive of everyone's own journey. It is an anthem about coming to terms with the fact that beliefs can be fluid, multiple or, frankly, different. The song is about allowing people to pursue their own destiny."
WITHIN TEMPTATION has been busy in the studio writing and recording brand new songs for its upcoming album, which they expect to release next year. The remainder of 2022 will be filled up with a European summer festival season, a USA tour with IRON MAIDEN and a much-anticipated and long-delayed co-headlining European tour with EVANESCENCE.
WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Resist", was released in February 2019 through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.
"Resist" features guest appearances by PAPA ROACH's Jacoby Shaddix, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén and ARID's Jasper Steverlinck.
Prior to "Resist"'s arrival, Den Adel said that the LP was inspired by "modern music" but with "a very dark" twist. She explained: "Sometimes, it feels that today's pop music lacks a rebellious edge. Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like and roughen it up as much as we could, resulting in a surprisingly new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we've ever created before. 'Resist' is our take on metal in a new way: to give modern music its rebellious edge."
Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, Swedish guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda (formerly of ENTOMBED A.D.) and drummer Michał Łysejko (ex-DECAPITATED) have come together to launch a new death/thrash metal band DIETH. Based in Gdansk, Poland the group has released the music video for its first single, "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents", which can be viewed below.
According to a press release, Ellefson, Miranda and Łysejko "pushed beyond the stereotypes of their genres to create a charismatic new sound, one which is rich with inventive guitar riffs, tight drum grooves, technical prowess, guttural vocals and catchy melodies, serving as the passageway for their new declaration."
Explains Guilherme: "It has been so much happening lately (in life),feeling the need to express ourselves accordingly. Create something new, have a fresh start. Personally, it was a matter of life or death to come back playing music. To do something truly meaningful and finally cope with the anger and grief. Sometimes you have to die inside to be reborn. This is what DIETH represents, a new sonic driving force that leave the past behind."
Ellefson adds: "The three of us have all been recognized in our respective bands and careers but at some point, we had to close the door on those exploits to let something new begin and now we have found it in DIETH. In fact, the name itself is about dying to one's past so that something new can spring forth to create the next chapter of life. And that is a connection the three of us hold in common."
Łysejko states: "For me, DIETH is awakening from a creative lethargy, with the full feeling that the time has come. The lightness with which DIETH's music flows from us, combining our inspirations and experiences into a whole, is proof of this. The fact that the band was formed in the Tri-City I come from has a symbolic meaning for me."
The video for "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents" was filmed in Gdańsk and directed by Maciej Pieloch of MP Productions.
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine ended up hiring TESTAMENT's Steve DiGiorgio to re-record Ellefson's bass parts on the band's upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", before inviting MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo to rejoin the group as permanent bass player.
In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.
Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.
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