On the heels of their first-ever virtual acoustic radio tour Acoustour and after teasing fans for days on social media, Los Angeles rockers Black Veil Brides have released the full details of their upcoming 6th studio album, The Phantom Tomorrow. The new album is scheduled for release on June 4th via Sumerian Records and is a concept record based on a story idea created by vocalist Andy Biersack. The album is comprised of a dozen tracks and has spawned the current Top 20 Active Rock single “Scarlet Cross.” The cover artwork for The Phantom Tomorrow was created by Eliran Kantor – known for his work with Testament, Hatebreed, Havok and Andy Black to name a few. The Phantom Tomorrow is produced by Erik Ron (Godsmack, Dance Gavin Dance, Bush) and co-produced by guitarist Jake Pitts – is available for pre-order in various bundle configurations here: www.phantomtomorrow.com.
To coincide with the announcement of The Phantom Tomorrow, Black Veil Brides are releasing the next music video from the upcoming album. The video for “Fields Of Bone” marks the directorial debut by vocalist Andy Biersack. Backed by guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx, bassist Lonny Eagleton and drummer Christian Coma; the video picks up where the “Scarlet Cross” video (http://smarturl.it/scarletcross) left off. The main character “The Blackbird” returns to square off against “9,” his adversary depicted throughout the “Fields OF Bone” video. He has been used in the band’s tease posts all week. The video also showcases the new look the band will be utilizing throughout the entire cycle for The Phantom Tomorrow. The video for “Fields Of Bone” can be seen here: https://youtu.be/JR37XyIXqPg.
The track listing for The Phantom Tomorrow is:
1) The Phantom Tomorrow (introduction)
2) Scarlet Cross
3) Born Again
4) Blackbird
5) Spectres (Interlude)
6) Torch
7) The Wicked One
8) Shadows Rise
9) Fields Of Bone
10) Crimson Sky
11) Kill The Hero
12) Fall Eternal
Photo Credit: Joshua Shultz L to R: Christian Coma (Drums), Jinxx (Guitars), Andy Biersack (Vocals), Jake Pitts (Guitars), Lonny Eagleton (Bass)
The Limit are a newly formed heavy rock band that is set to release their debut album “Caveman Logic” on April 9th. Consisting of Bobby Liebling (Pentagram), Jimmy Recca (ex-The Stooges), Sonny Vincent (Testors), Hugo Conim (Dawnrider) and Joao Pedro (Dawnrider) the bands five members combine their diverse talents to craft a unique sound which is equal parts punk and doom. Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Bobby and Sonny about the group’s formation and their new album.
Adam Lawton: How did the group initially come together?
Sonny Vincent: We didn’t know each other really at all. Bobby and I have a mutual friend who was my tour bus driver on a couple of tours. He played Bobby my music and after that he gave me a call. We started talking over the phone and got to know each other pretty well. After awhile we started to get serious and thought we should make an album
Bobby Liebling: After talking for awhile we decided to give Jimmy Recca a call as he was a guy, we both knew. Sonny had worked with Hugo Conim previous and he had just gotten a new drummer (Joao Pedro) that he was going to bring along as well to start recording in Maryland. That ultimately didn’t work out and we ended up traveling to Portugal to make the album.
SV: None of us new each other well. Aside from meeting briefly over the years and talking on the phone that was really it. Now Bobby, Jimmy and I were flying to Portugal to meet these other two guys. It was sort of “Lord of the Flies” at first because Bobby and I are used to running the show in our other projects. Add in Jimmy, Hugo and Joao and everything but the music at first was this weird nightmare. We had a killer engineer and the music turned out better than we had expected.
AL: What was the writing process like?
SV: Bobby and I had written a bunch of songs together. I would have the riffs and song structures and then Bobby would come in with the melody. We had some songs together prior going to Portugal but there were some lyrics that still had to be finished.
BL: We still had to do the arrangements once we got there with the whole band. There was some switching around and extending certain parts we did in order to make them all fit.
SV: I had sent the songs to Jimmy prior to leaving so he could get all his parts down. He actually got a little mad as he had learned the songs the way they were originally sent to him then we ended up changing a bunch of parts, so he had to go back and learn them again but with all the changes.
BL: He was pretty pissed. I do remember that.
AL: Was this how you have worked in your previous projects?
SV: We both approached this in different ways. Sometimes you start with the lyrics and then add the music or its the other way around. I know Bobby has done things differently as well. In fact, he told me about one album where he virtually played everything but drums.
BL: When we go in to do a Pentagram album, I am used to the whole band being there in the same place. We then take a good three to six months to play and plan everything out that way when you get to the studio you can bang out each song pretty quickly. We sort of stumbled our way through things with this project.
SV: I know that was one of the things that was pretty difficult for Bobby being in the past he has always worked in a very methodical way. I don’t do that.
BL: Sonny has worked with a lot of different people where I have worked in a more stabilized environment. Yes, Pentagram has switched members, but we have been together for fifty years so of course you’re going to have some member changes. Not many guys are going to dedicate half a century to a project. Sonny has a much bigger network of people that he has worked with. He has worked more as a solo artist per say where he reaches out to well know players for an album and after that he moves on.
SV: Early on I wanted to have a group with a solid lineup, but something was always happening where members couldn’t stay. I knew I wasn’t going to break up with myself, so I just decided to skip the whole band thing.
BL: I have always been opposite where I am the guy continually waving the Pentagram flag and bringing in new members to keep the band moving.
SV: With us coming from such different styles there was a good amount of stress at the start for sure. We got passed it and we found that we generally did agree on how things should go.
BL: We knew this was for the cause of making each song our child. You then groom that child to have certain traits which each person feels is best for them.
AL: How did you go about choosing the first three singles that have been released?
SV: The first two released were “Black Seas” and “Kitty Gone”. Those were both quite popular and the label asked us to do one for “Death of My Soul”. They felt this song really showed the scope of what we do. For the video I knew a guy in Canada who is a professional film maker. I was originally going to give him some guidance as to what we were looking for but decided not to as I wanted to let him come up with what he thought fit the song. He shot it and sent it back and then I took it to the label and they really liked it, so we were all happy.
BL: We had a lot of artistic freedom when it came to picking songs. However, our label has a staff of nine people who have to arbitrate over decisions and of course not everyone is going to think the same thing.
SV: The singles were a bit difficult especially the first one. Hugo and I worked for about a month on that when I looked at it there was something missing. It just didn’t have the emotion to tie everything together. Even though we had made it ourselves I just wasn’t happy. We ended up sending that to the record company and they had some who worked there that took parts of what we did and mixed it with some new things and that helped a lot. The final version made you feel things as you were watching and that’s what I was going for. With “Kitty Gone” we used the same guy at the label, and we shared ideas and that one turned out much better.
BL: That one is fantastic as far as I am concerned. You can actually watch it and lyrically follow it as if you are watching a film where people are talking to one another. You can really follow it from scene to scene. It has a screenplay type feel.
AL: Prior to COVID-19 were there plans to tour and, if so, are you still planning to do so when possible?
SV: We didn’t put any barriers up against doing things at first. We went in to do the album and while listening to the rough mixes we thought it could be cool to play these for people. When we heard the final mixes, we got really excited. There are offers for the band to perform and we are interested but things are still very uncertain due to COVID-19. We just have to wait and see what is going to happen.
AL: Do you see The Limit as a one-time thing or are you interested in working more together as a group?
SV: We want to do another album. We all know each other more now and at the start of this record there were things that moved in a negative way. We had a thirty-four-hour travel time to Portugal, during that trip Jimmy had lost his wallet at one point and was back tracking his steps trying to find it. He asked Bobby and I to watch his bag. We got talking and accidentally walked away from the bag. We saw Jimmy at a coffee shop, and he asked where his bag was. He of course got mad and thought that we didn’t care about him enough to even watch his bag. That set things off in the wrong direction.
BL: That layover in the London airport was fourteen hours by itself. We were already ten to fifteen hours into the thing prior to this layover and then we had another flight to get to Portugal. It was a pretty rough start to say the least.
For more info on The Limit and their debut album “Caveman Logic” click here.
Dey Street Books, an imprint of the William Morrow Group at HarperCollins, announced today that they will publish THE STORYTELLER by Grammy-winning musician, documentary filmmaker, and fledgling author Dave Grohl. Dey Street VP and Editorial Director Carrie Thornton negotiated the deal with WME. Grohl is managed by Silva Artist Management. The book will go on sale October 5, 2021 and will also be published in UK & Commonwealth (Simon & Schuster), Finland (Bazar), Germany (Ullstein), Holland (A.W. Bruna), and Italy (Rizzoli).
Dave Grohl has been one of the most beloved and respected figures on the international music scene since his recorded debut with Nirvana on 1991’s generation-defining Nevermind. Grohl took center stage with Foo Fighters’ 1995 self-titled debut, the first of 10 albums in a massive 12-Grammy-winning streak, most recently including the #1 album sales charting Medicine at Midnight. Grohl has traveled the planet doing the thing he loves most—playing rock n roll marathons for tens of thousands of ecstatic Foo Fighter fans. But when the pandemic necessitated going into lockdown, Grohl took stock of how he might use this moment of pause. Channeling his creativity into writing and using his remarkable skill for storytelling, in May 2020 he wrote a moving reflection for The Atlantic on missing the thrill of live music during the Covid era that went viral. Then, ending a longstanding self-imposed exile from social media, Grohl’s new Instagram account @davestruestories was born. This new platform became a way for Dave to share his extraordinary (and funny) stories with fans and fellow music nuts and now, Grohl is set to build upon that momentum with his first book.
Grohl’s new book is as much a celebration of music as it is about the moments that have molded him into the man he is today. From hilarious childhood mishaps, touching family moments, leaving home to see the world at eighteen, to spectacular stories about Nirvana, Foo Fighters, David Bowie, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, playing drums for Tom Petty on Saturday Night Live, performing at the White House, and even swing dancing with AC/DC, with all love, laughs, loss, and embarrassments along the way, THE STORYTELLER is a fascinating look at a life lived loud.
“There is a common thread that runs throughout everything that I do: storytelling. Whether in song, documentary film or on the page, I have always felt compelled to share moments from my life. This inclination is a huge part of what excites me creatively but also as a human being. In March 2020, realizing that my day job with the Foo Fighters was going to go on hold, I started an Instagram account (@davestruestories) and decided to focus all of my creative energy on writing some of my stories down, something I love doing but I’ve never really had the time for. I soon found that the reward I felt every time I posted a story was the same as the feeling I get when playing a song to an audience, so I kept on writing. The response from readers was a soul-filling as any applause in an arena. So, I took stock of all the experiences I’ve had in my life-incredible, difficult, funny and emotional-and decided it was time to finally put them into words. Now with the amazing people at Dey Street books I’m excited and honored to announce THE STORYTELLER, a collection of memories of a life lived loud. From my early days growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, to hitting the road at the age of 18, and all the music that followed, I can now share these adventures with the world, as seen and heard from behind the microphone. Turn it up!” Grohl says.
“From the second I saw Dave’s first post on Instagram, I knew I was going to publish his book. Well, to be honest, I’ve been hoping to publish Dave Grohl’s book since I became a book editor. I’m a Gen-Xer. I’m from Virginia just like Dave. We grew up listening to a lot of the same music. I’ve always admired his Puckish personality and his awesome musicianship. It turns out that he can write with as much energy and passion as he performs. Plus, he’s a spectacular human who cares deeply about his mom, his family, his bandmates, music, art and the world. All of that passion comes through in his stories and in THE STORYTELLER. I am a lucky editor indeed, but mostly because I get to read the book first,” says Thornton.
DAVE GROHL is a 16-time Grammy-winning musician and 2-time Emmy-winning director.
Dave Grohl has been one of the most beloved and respected figures on the international music scene since his recorded debut with Nirvana on 1991’s generation-defining Nevermind. Grohl took center stage with Foo Fighters’ 1995 self-titled debut, the first album in massive 12-Grammy-winning catalogue that now includes The Colour & The Shape (1997), There Is Nothing Left To Lose (1999), One By One (2002), In Your Honor (2005), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Wasting Light (2011), Sonic Highways (2014), Concrete and Gold (2017) and, most recently, Medicine at Midnight (2021).
Grohl has a well-earned reputation as a prolific collaborator: His various endeavors have included “Cut Me Some Slack,” written and recorded with Paul McCartney and Grohl’s Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear; Them Crooked Vultures, formed with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme, late legends David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, as well as Mick Jagger, Neil Young, Elton John, Nine Inch Nails, Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen, to name a few.
In 2013, Grohl made his debut as a feature director/producer with the acclaimed documentary Sound City. Named for the Van Nuys CA studio where Nirvana recorded Nevermind in 1991, which would sell more than 30 million copies and transform the modern musical landscape. Premiering to unanimous raves at Sundance and achieving a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, Sound City focused both on the history of the legendary studio and on the ongoing fight to preserve the human element of music. Hailed by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone as an “exhilarating documentary about what makes life worth living,” by The New York Times as “candy to several generations’ worth of rock fans” and NPR as “a celebration of just how unbelievably awesome it is to make rock music for a living,” Sound City has since been certified as a Gold Longform Video by the RIAA, while the Sound City—Real To Reel companion album took the 2013 Grammys for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Rock Song (“Cut Me Some Slack”).
Grohl also directed the eight-part HBO docuseries Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways, which premiered in October 2014 and went on to win two of the four Emmys for which it was nominated (outstanding sound mixing for nonfiction programming and outstanding sound editing for nonfiction programming). Described by Grohl as a love letter to the history of American music, Sonic Highways was comprised of eight one-hour episodes, each chronicling the creation of one song on Foo Fighters’ Sonic Highways album, each written and recorded in a different American musical landmark — Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Lizzy Borden burst on to the Los Angeles heavy metal scene in the early 1980’s with their debut EP “Give ‘Em the Axe” and subsequent full-length release “Love You to Pieces”. The band also appeared in Penelope Spheeris rockumentary “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years”. Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Lizzy about his newest movie titled “Die Influencers Die” where he plays a dark and sinister character known only as Otherworld-Coyote.
Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how you got involved with the film “Die Influencers Die”?
Lizzy Borden: I was good friends with the director Gary Orona. We both were moving to Las Vegas around the same time and he mentioned he was thinking of doing a move. He had asked if I would be in it and I said yes but, I was heading out on touring. While I was out on the road, they contacted me about the part and said that they were going to be doing table reads. I missed all of those and only had gotten the script about a day and a half before I was set to film. Everything just sort of happened while I was out with the band.
AL: What can you tell us about your character?
LB: It’s kind of weird because when I first got the script was trying to figure out how this character was involved with everything. There was no backstory for him, so I tried to figure out what his motives are. This character literally has no name and appears out of nowhere. I had to try and figure out how to really play this character. I thought of things like “Othello” and made this guy a real instigator. We have actually talked about doing another film that would explore this guy’s back story. There is just this unexplained nature about this guy that made it a lot of fun.
AL: Being there wasn’t a lot that was known about the character were given creative freedom or did the director have you stay within certain parameters?
LB: We knew this was going to be a supernatural character so I kind of knew where to take things, but I still didn’t know even what he was going to look like. On the first day of shooting, I had about five or six different looks we could go with for this character. Gary came in and the one you see is what he picked. When I then went into hair and makeup, they suggested I should just put a ton of gel in my hair. They put probably a half gallon of gel in there and it really sold the character and took it in another direction. We were kind of improvising. As far as the acting went when I looked at the lines it always seemed to me that he was screaming and very angry. I thought back to all of the great scenes where someone has portrayed being angry and those were usually done in a very calm way. I wanted to bring his presentation down to a whisper and if he did get angry, I wanted whoever else was in the scene to feel his intensity without me having to scream at the top of my lungs. I remember the first thing we shot with everyone there Gary asked to do a practice. We did the scene and he ended up getting really mad. I asked what was wrong and he was mad that he didn’t film it because it was so good. From then on, he filmed everything.
AL: At what point did the option to have a song in the film come up?
LB: That was an afterthought. The film was finished however it was taking awhile to release. It was originally supposed to go to either Netflix or Amazon Prime but there were some paperwork problems. We couldn’t even promote the film. Then Covid-19 hit. We had planned to do a red-carpet event in Las Vegas where we showed the movie and then my band would play. We had it booked and set up but then COVID-19 happened. We had done a soundtrack video for the film “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” that turned out really good and a lot of people got to see clips of the movie through that video, so we started with that same idea. It came down to a matter of picking the song and the scenes and we landed on “My Midnight Things” which is the title track from our last album.
AL: Can you tell us a little bit about the video for the song?
LB: The whole point of the video was to make a commercial for the movie. I really wanted to do something interesting and asked how could we do some new shots of me singing the song while also incorporating the scenes from the film. We talked about a lot of things and a bunch of those were unrelated to the movie. I wanted for the video to look like it was another part of the movie. We ended up using the same studio we filmed in and we also brought in green screens which was a lot of fun. Ultimately, we needed something to promote the film and help tap into people who might not normally go see a movie like this. Through the video they can get a good representation of the film through the four-minute video.
AL: When you perform with the band it is very theatrical. Did you notice any similarities in how you prepare for a live show and how you prepared for the film?
LB: It was almost identical. Other than memorizing lines that was the only thing. I had the lines, but it was all about the delivery. That is where my focus was. I do the same thing backstage when I am working on the show. I think about the previous night’s performances and what I liked or didn’t like and how I can make those things better. I do a lot of pacing. (Laughs) They gave me my own spot at the studio and I just wandered around between shots until they were ready for me.
AL: Having now done the movie do you think you will take what you learned from there and apply it to your live performances?
LB: I think so. There is a subtlety to it as my live shows are pretty over the top. What I got out this character is that there was nothing flamboyant about him in any way. I tend to try and pull out all of the stops with my shows but, maybe if I am in a support slot where I am not able to do that by having played this character, I know I can go out there in a stripped-down format and still deliver a highly theatrical and interesting show.
AL: In 2020 you released “Best of Lizzy Borden” Pt. 2 which included two newly recorded cover songs. (Blue Oyster Cult’s “Burnin’ for You” and The Ramones “Pet Sematary”) How did you go about selecting those songs being they are quite different from one another?
LB: Almost all of my influences are set in the 1970’s. They are all established, big bands which I saw when I was a kid, so they are just imbedded in my brain. I could have chosen two hundred songs! There are just so many good songs. Blue Oyster Cult is one of my favorites and definitely one of the top ten best song writers that I love. On an earlier record we recorded a cover of their song “This Ain’t the Summer of Love” as we had been playing it at our live shows. I originally wanted to do “Burnin’ for You” for the album but was out voted by the producer so that was a song I have been wanting to do. I am a huge Ramones fan and love all their work. I thought about all of their songs and a majority of them have to be done in a punk a style. “Pet Sematary” is one that you really don’t have to do that. We did a Halloween show at the Whiskey in Los Angeles and I had the band learn the song prior to the show and people loved it. That’s ultimately how it ended up getting chosen.
AL: With the uncertainty of 2021 are there any other projects that you are currently working on or have coming up?
LB: I am almost halfway completed with a new album. It is coming along but it is very slow. I can imagine this being one of the most favorite albums I have ever done. I still see myself doing four or five more but this one is coming together in a really fun way. I have never had more fun putting a record together. I am not sure how that will translate over to people responding to it but as far as making it I am really enjoying it. I have been doing one song at a time and am about halfway done. I have been getting show offers as well but it doesn’t make sense to me to book shows only to have them cancelled. I see others starting to get out there, so we have to just wait and see. Everyone is ready to go we just don’t want to book something and have to cancel.
AL: When you are writing do you do that all your self or is it a more collective effort?
LB: I do it differently for every record. I have done records in the past where I record everything myself. On this new album I am having the musicians replace what I have already put down with their performances. I will play all the parts then have Joey Scott add in drums and then we build from there. Usually, my vocals are done as well so we kind of work backwards. I like to hear how it sounds in my head rather than putting just a scratch track out there for everyone. A lot of time when you do that a song can change quite a bit and when you are all done its not what you had envisioned. This way I get my idea out there the way I want it and if someone adds something really great to what I have already played we will keep. So far with this record things have stayed pretty much the same as I wrote it.
Originally, released June 19 of 2020, Lamb of God’s first new album in five years was met with universal acclaim. The self- titled album landed at number one on the Overall, Rock and Metal iTunes album chart upon release and would then go on to take the coveted #1 spot on Consequences of Sound’s Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020. “Live in Richmond, VA” was recorded at The Broadberry in the band’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia and gives fans their first live taste of the new material due to the COVID 19 pandemic postponing the bands scheduled spring/summer tour.
When COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill in early 2020 it also brought with it a whole host of questions and problems. For musicians they could no longer support new releases due the traditional routes of promotion being put on hold or cancelled. To combat that artists turned to live streaming performances which fans could watch from the safety of their homes. Lamb of God took that model and ran with it. Over the course of two nights in September of 2020 the band performed their latest self-titled release just as it appears on the studio version. Live albums tend to be hit or miss for me, but I have to say I actually almost prefer the live version of “Lamb of God” to the studio version. Don’t get me wrong the studio version is a great album but this newly released live version really captures the band in their element giving each of the ten songs extra edge and bite. “Momento Mori” and “Resurrection Man” kick off each side of the LP setting the standard high for the tracks which follow. Songs like “Checkmate”, “Gears” and “Poison Dream” pulverize your senses via the razor like vocals of Randy Blythe and the twin guitar attack of Willie Adler and Mark Morton while other songs like “New Colossal Hate”, Bloodshot Eyes” and “On The Hook” go straight in for the kill with thunderous bottom end courtesy of bassist John Campbell and drummer Art Cruz.
This was a record I found myself listening to multiple times in one sitting. A rarity for me as I tend to have a tension span that is a bit on the shorter side especially when it comes to music. The overall mix of the album combined with the bands impressive performance kept me coming back for more even after listening to it in succession. Though I had wished the full live performance had been included on the 150 gram LP as those missing songs would have been a nice bonus but, given the time constraints vinyl present I understand. Thankfully, the complete performance is available in a Deluxe three-disc version of “Lamb of God” which includes the studio version of the record, the live version including two bonus tracks and a live DVD performance. If you missed the initial streams or you want to revisit those performance’s, you will certainly want to grab one of these as you won’t be disappointed.
Stripped Down, Unplugged Version of “Fuck This Place” Streaming Now
We are just a mere three months into the year, but 2021 truly is shaping up to be the year of the Bohab! Following the announcement of GWAR’s “Ragnarok” Rye and their brand new CBD line “Bud of Gods,” your Lords and Masters have yet another surprise up their sleeve. May 28th will see the release of “The Disc With No Name,” via Pit Records. The EP is a limited edition 12” picture disc. It is available for purchase at GWAR.net and indie retailers.
“The Disc With No Name” features unplugged versions of four GWAR classics, completely reimagined and rearranged with acoustic instruments. The idea to release the EP came during last year’s quarantine following the band’s heart wrenching, emotional and ridiculous acoustic performance for The A.V. Club during their quarantine sessions. With this release, the band looks back wistfully on eons of murderous rock and roll and the lonesome time of the great GWARANTINEof 2020. Listen to the unplugged version of “Fuck This Place” HERE
Lead singer Blóthar the Berserker had this to say: “During the quarantine of 2020 I spent long, lonely days with my hand down my pants, hiding out in a fortress made entirely of rolls of toilet paper, drinking hand sanitizer and watching ‘1000-Lb Sisters’… which is business as usual for me. So I was relieved when I got the call to lay down some vocals on “The Disc With No Name.” We recorded this record over the telephone, which was fine with me, because I can’t stand to be in the same room as the other members of GWAR.”
In other GWAR news, the alien overlords have teamed up Puck Hcky for an exclusive live of GWAR hockey jerseys. The jerseys are available for purchase HERE.
“The Disc With No Name” Tracklisting:
Side A: Fuck This Place Gonna Kill You Side B: I’ll Be Your Monster The Road Behind
Remastered by three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles / The Rolling Stones / David Bowie) Joe Strummer “Assembly” is a 16-track compilation featuring three previously unreleased versions of classic The Clash tracks, including a never-before-heard recording of “Junco Partner” a live performances of “Rudie Can’t Fail” and “I Fought The Law” recorded by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros at London’s Brixton Academy on November 24, 2001. In addition, Assembly” includes exclusive liner notes written by Jakob Dylan.
Joe Strummer’s work as the front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash has been well documented through various forms of media however the music Joe went on to create after the groups disbanding in 1986 has received less coverage and fan fair. The newest compilation from Dark Horse Records does an impressive job shining the light on Joe’s solo work with the sixteen tracks which make up this release. The album runs the gamut of styles associated with Strummer’s career as listeners are treated to a spattering of sounds including upbeat rockers like “Coma Girl” and “Love Kills” to raucous live version of Clash staples “I Fought the Law” and “Rudie Can’t Fail”. The album is not all just angsty vocals and distorted guitars as tracks like “Long Shadow” “Redemption Song” and “Junco Partner” (previously unreleased) all feature acoustic accompaniment which showcase Strummer’s signature vocal style. Also included are tracks like “Get Down Moses” and “At The Border, Guy” which lend a nod to Joe’s reggae influences. You even get a little of that 80’s synth rock sound with the inclusion “Love Kills” which was a person favorite of mine.
“Assembly” offers a wide sound pallet that showcases a portion of Joe Strummer’s career which in my opinion does not get enough credit. From rock to reggae and electronic to acoustic Dark Horse put together a solid compilation that showcased the diversity of Joe Strummer’s post Clash career. To add to the audio portion of the release is some very cool packaging which combines a mixture of matte and glossy appointments and photos, Lyrics for all sixteen tracks and newly written liner notes from Jakob Dylan.
KISS and LA Pop Art recently announced the launch of a branded “Word Art” line of apparel that celebrates the legendary band’s enduring magic. “You wanted the best; you got the best!” LA Pop Art and the “Hottest Band in the World” Kiss have teamed up to launch a new line of unique apparel. Just in time to commemorate their End of The Road final tour, LA Pop Art has used “Word Art” to create the iconic KISS logo out of their popular song titles and the famous makeup of the Demon, Starchild, Catman, and Spaceman.
LA Pop Art founder Joseph Leibovic had this to say about the collaboration.
“There has never been a band like KISS and there will never be another band like them, We wanted to honor their legend with a truly one-of-a-kind design that is a must-have for any KISS fan.”
LA Pop Art continues to hit it out of the park with their unique word inspired art and the newest KISS partnership is no exception! We checked out one of the new t-shirts and were very pleased with the product. Printed on high quality soft cotton the art jumped of the shirt and looked great in the basic white on black styling. It was fun trying to find the different songs titles and count just how many different songs were used to create the new take on the iconic Kiss logo and face paint. Another great feature is that the design is offered in a wide size run for men, woman and children. This makes it super easy to find matching shirts for loved ones when we are finally able to catch the remaining legs of the “End of the Road” Tour in person.
This fully licensed KISS merchandise is boldly printed with pride in the USA and is also available on sweatshirts, tote bags and more. Kiss “Word Art” apparel can be purchased at LAPopArt.com, Macys.com, Amazon.com and through select quality retailers.
The company’s full line of products are available at www.lapopart.com.
All Eight Concerts Are Free And Broadcast Online Via Each Local Stations Portal
As the band’s latest single “Scarlet Cross” continues to move up the Active Rock Radio charts (currently in the Top 20 at the format), Los Angeles rockers Black Veil Brides are announcing their first-ever virtual acoustic radio tour. Happening in conjunction with 8 local radios stations, the band will be performing their latest single and other favorites from their catalog. The shows start on March 23rd for WEBN in frontman Andy Biersack’s hometown of Cincinnati, OH and wraps on April 2nd for KCJK in Kansas City, MO. Other markets include Columbus, OH; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; Monmouth Ocean, NJ; Phoenix, AZ; and Madison, WI. Each performance will be unique and a different set for each station. All shows are streaming free and local performance information is below:
After a massive social media ramp up, Black Veil Brides released the video for the track “Scarlet Cross” last November. The video for “Scarlet Cross” was directed by longtime collaborator Patrick Fogarty and based on a concept written by frontman Andy Biersack. The video for “Scarlet Cross” – viewed nearly 5 million times to date – can be seen here: http://smarturl.it/scarletcross. “Scarlet Cross” is also available via all digital partners and comes from the band’s upcoming 2021 concept album The Phantom Tomorrow – the band’s sixth full-length album. The song was produced by Erik Ron (Godsmack, Dance Gavin Dance, Bush) and guitarist Jake Pitts.
Black Veil Brides are hard at work putting the finishing touches on the upcoming album The Phantom Tomorrow– scheduled for release via Sumerian Records in 2021. More information on the latest musical creation from Andy Biersack, Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Lonny Eagleton and Christian Coma will be released in April.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Weiner L to R: Lonny Eagleton (Bass), Jake Pitts (Guitars), Andy Biersack (Vocals), Christian Coma (Drums), Jinxx (Guitars)
Like their band name suggests, Black Veil Brides evoke transcendent visions of an impenetrable hereafter, intermingling with a steely focus on the dark passions and elusive mysteries of the here and now. A romantic fantasy first summoned in a small town by founder Andy Biersack – a creative who was fascinated with death rock, theatricality, and monsters (both real and imagined). It wasn’t until moving to Los Angeles that the unstoppable force the band is currently was finalized. The band (and its members Andy Biersack, Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Lonny Eagleton, Christian Coma) Instagram and Twitter accounts command close to 10 million followers between them. Vale, the group’s most recent full-length album, went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. In the hearts and minds of their fans, Black Veil Brides represents an unwillingness to compromise and a resistance to critics (personal and professional), fueled by the same fire as the group’s own heroes, the iconoclasts whose creative output, once dismissed, is now canonized.
April 30, 2021 will see British thrash titans EVILE release their brand new studio album, entitled Hell Unleashed, via Napalm Records – the band’s first album in eight long years! Since their formation in 2004, EVILE have been turning heads and taking names, delivering four pure thrash offerings blended with an uncompromising death metal assault. Hell Unleashed, the long-awaited successor to their 2013 release Skull, will make no exception – but this time, the album features a new exciting line-up formation of Ol Drake on vocals/guitars and new member Adam Smith of RipTide as rhythm guitarist.
Following the recent release of the blistering album title track from Hell Unleashed, today, the band has released their second single – the sharp and hard-hitting new track “Gore”! With these raging riffs full of anger, EVILE reach another dimension of pure evil, featuring the impressive backing vocals of American actor, comedian and musician Brian Posehn!
EVILE vocalist/guitarist Ol Drake comments: “Here it is! The second new EVILE single from the upcoming album Hell Unleashed. This is a song about a topic that no other metal band has ever covered before; a serial killer. This song harkens back more to the first EVILE album; it could easily be a track from our beginnings. It’s heavy, it’s fast, it has some great changes, and it will punch you in the face sonically. The overall message of this song/video is that these horrible individuals are hidden in plain sight. They could be our friends, family, or colleagues.
We’re also excited to welcome back the extremely hilarious and extremely metal comedian Brian Posehn. He was kind enough to provide us with some backing vocals in the chorus. Luckily, we only needed the one-word shouting, so we got a great collection of Posehn ‘Gore’s to sift through. Thank you, Brian!
Turn it up LOUD, and enjoy ‘GORE’!“
One can be sure, Hell Unleashed is a raucous and masterful thrash metal attack! In just 41 minutes, the album unchains the unbridled forces of hell, catches some rousing demons of the past, and provides classical thrash metal with a contemporary yet hard-edged touch. The newly staffed four-piece strikes again on nine explosive tracks, leaving nothing but a hammering world of sound taken apart by thrash. Endangering guitar lines, which quickly build up to a furious thrash manifesto and attack the eardrum at breakneck speed, meet the merciless velocity EVILE are known and loved for.
Hell Unleashed was produced by Chris Clancy at Backstage Studios, UK, and will not only feature explosive guest backing vocals from Brian Posehn, but also include a cover song:
Ol Drake adds: “This is the first album EVILE have done to include a cover song in the tracklisting. I’ve been a big fan of death metal for a long time, and seeing as this album is on the more extreme side of thrash vocally and musically, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to cover Mortician‘s ‘Zombie Apocalypse’. It has one of the greatest riffs in it!
We’re also very excited about the return of the legendary Michael Whelan (Sepultura, Obituary, Stephen King) as cover artist. He did the art for our second album and he’s always a pleasure to work with.”
Tracklist: 1. Paralysed 2. Gore ( feat. Brian Posehn ) 3. Incarcerated 4. War of Attrition 5. Disorder 6. The Thing (1982) 7. Zombie Apocalypse 8. Control from Above 9. Hell Unleashed
In North America, Hell Unleashed will be available in LP format in black vinyl, as well as in limited edition red vinyl (limited to 200), CD Jewel Case and digital formats.
Limited Edition Red LP – limited to 200
In just 41 minutes, Hell Unleashed unchains the unbridled forces of hell, catches some rousing demons of the past and provides classical thrash metal with a contemporary yet hard-edged touch. EVILE are back – straight from the abyss!
EVILE is: OL Drake – Vocals & Lead Guitar Ben Carter – Drums Joel Graham – Bass Adam Smith – Rhythm Guitar
TICKETS & LIMITED-EDITION PACKAGES INCLUDING VIRTUAL MEET & GREETS ON SALE TODAY AT WWW.KORNLIVE.COM
Continuing a legacy of groundbreaking achievements and radical innovation, GRAMMY® Award-winning, multi-platinum band KORN have announced details of their global streaming event, KORN: MONUMENTAL.
Scheduled for Saturday, April 24th at 1:00PM PDT / 4:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BST / 10:00PM CEST, the ticketed immersive concert experience will broadcast worldwide from the set of the breath-taking Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience. Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, the performance promises to be an unforgettable set from the iconic band, highlighted by rare and sought-after deep cuts and classics from their legendary catalog. Since KORN’s latest critically acclaimed album, THE NOTHING, never received a proper tour due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, KORN: MONUMENTAL will mark the live debut of select tracks from the new record for fans around the globe.
Tickets for this landmark global streaming event are on sale at www.KornLive.com at an early bird discount through Saturday, March 27th. Fans can also purchase bundles and V.I.P. experiences, including exclusive merchandise, limited-edition autographed posters, and a virtual meet & greet with the entire band, which will be available as a digital download. KORN: MONUMENTAL will be available to stream for 72 hours through April 27th at 11:59 PM EDT. Please note, this is a fully virtual event, there will be no in-person attendance permitted.
KORN vocalist Jonathan Davis remarked “We hope you take part in this experience with us. And though it is not the same as performing live with you here, we still want to bring you some great music and a fun show.”
Watch the official trailer for KORN: MONUMENTALHERE. Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents commented KORN’s global streaming event, “It’s always exciting to break new ground with a band like KORN that has been with us for so many of our biggest festival moments over the years. The scale of the vision for this global stream event is even more than we’ve come to expect out of a KORN show and will be one of the biggest livestream events from a rock band we’ve seen yet. If you’ve ever wanted to know what a massive rock concert coming to life in your living room might look like, this is it. So turn out the lights, turn up the volume and get ready to rock.”
Shocking rock music back to life like only KORN could, the band ascended to a new creative, commercial, and critical peak with their 2019 album, THE NOTHING. It marked their 14th Top 10 entry on the ‘Billboard 200’ and lifted them into rarified air giving them the fifth-most Top 10 debuts on the chart of any rock band. Lead by singles “You’ll Never Find Me,” “Can You Hear Me,” and “Cold,” REVOLVER crowned THE NOTHING “KORN’s best album in over 10 years,” while Metal Hammer affirmed the album “recaptures the genuine darkness of their earlier works” in a glowing 4.5-out-of-5 star review. “It continues KORN’s mission of probing the hidden corners and harsh realities of life within a shroud discordant darkness,” declared Noisey with The FADER adding, “KORN have never shied away from innovation… the icons have always looked forward.” Los Angeles Times applauded the “…deep and potent performances from the band, evoking their ever-present rage but also feelings of loss and isolation,” while NME affirmed, “This urgent and important record will ensure the veterans don’t get lost in the shuffle.” Once again, KORN redefine, revitalize, and reimagine the scope of rock music as perennial outliers and enduring iconoclasts.
PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS will return to the stage next month for a very special livestream event.
Dubbed A Vulgar Display Of Pantera, the multi-camera shot, fully live performance will take place on Friday, April 9th and find the band celebrating the legacy of Pantera with a set featuring select cuts from the band’s five classic albums: Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display Of Power, Far Beyond Driven, The Great Southern Trendkill, and Reinventing The Steel! The livestream will also include an opening set by Australian grindcore unit/Housecore recording artists King Parrot.
Comments Anselmo, “It’s always fun to get together with THE ILLEGALS and pay tribute to Pantera with all the awesome fans jamming along with us. Let’s do this!”
The festivities will commence at 7:00pm EDT / 4:00pm PDT with PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS taking the stage at 8:00pm EDT / 5:00pm PDT sharp. Video on demand will be available through Monday, April 12th at 11:59pm EDT / 8:59pm PDT.
Don’t miss it! Early bird tickets are $12.50 ($17.50 week of show). Find tickets and exclusive merch bundles at illegalslive.com.
PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS’ A Vulgar Display Of Pantera Live is presented in association with Danny Wimmer Presents.
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS features Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint, Scour, En Minor, etc.) with guitarists Stephen Taylor (Superjoint) and Mike DeLeon (Flesh Hoarder, Being Killed, ex-MOD), drummer Jose Manuel “Blue” Gonzalez (Superjoint, Warbeast), and bassist Derek Engemann (Scour, ex-Cattle Decapitation). The band’s most recent full-length, the critically-acclaimed Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue, was released in 2018 via Anselmo’s own Housecore Records.
Atreyu have announced their new album Baptize, out June 4 via Spinefarm Records. Pre-order it here.
The band has shared not one but two brand new songs from the record.
Listen to the anthemic “Warrior,” featuring Travis Barker, and “Underrated.”
“‘Warrior‘ is song about persistence and never giving up,” the band shares. “We hope this song can be the puzzle piece that helps people realize that we ALL have the capacity for greatness. Sometimes, greatness can exist in the shadows and lives buried under negativity, trauma, or anxiety. ‘Warrior’ is about searching through all of that endless darkness to finally find the sunrise.”
Atreyu continues, “When we wrote ‘Warrior,’ the idea to do a big marching drum break came about. We wanted it to feel like a hometown football game. Travis Barker was the perfect person to bring this to life. It’s cool to have him be a part of the song and to perform in a different light than what people may be used to.”
About “Underrated,” the band says, “We’ve always had to prove ourselves. We’ve never been handed anything nor have we taken any shortcuts. It’s never been ‘the easy way.’ Over two decades later, we’re still making our mark.”
Feature film will be coming down the chimney in 2022
Orwo Studios and Black Hanger Studios (JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN) announced today that they have acquired the remake rights to the seminal slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night. The original film’s producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead of Wonderwheel Entertainment will join Orwo in bringing an exciting new vision of this cult classic to modern movie audiences in 2022.
The project was brought to Orwo by producer Anthony Masi of MasiMedia. Schneid, Whitehead, and Masi will produce along with Jake Seal, Terry Bird, and Jamie R. Thompson of Orwo Studios/Black Hangar. Orwo Studios is financing and representing the film for worldwide sales rights.
Declared as the most controversial film of the 80s – Silent Night, Deadly Night tells the story of a child who is traumatized after seeing his parents killed by a man dressed as Santa Claus. Years later, he dons a Santa suit himself and gets bloody revenge on the naughty list.
Wonderwheel says, “The continued desire for horror content and the ongoing success of the genre meant it was the perfect time to be able to offer up this chilling revival of the iconic title.” Masi adds, “We are thrilled to be working with the original producers as well as Orwo and Black Hangar and are committed to honoring nostalgia for the original while offering surprises for new audiences to discover and embrace.”
‘Live From Las Vegas’ is proud to present SPONGE. The Detroit-based Alt-rock icons will deliver a “one-night-only” livestream experience, performing the band’s platinum-selling debut album ‘Rotting Piñata’in its entirety! The show will take place on Saturday, March 27th at 5:00pm PST, with legendary rock n’ roll historian and personality Eddie Trunk hosting the evening’s proceedings. Following the concert, the band will hold a special ‘Acoustic Storytellers’ VIP Experience via Zoom.
Livestream and VIP Package tickets are available for purchase atsponge.veeps.com
SPONGE vocalist Vinnie Dombroski comments on the upcoming livestream, stating:“Sponge is super excited about the upcoming Live From Las Vegas’ livestream. The top-notch production gives us the opportunity to perform for our audience in a truly unique way, giving our fans a great night of music and interaction. With custom event merch available it’s almost like being front row at a LIVE Sponge show!
About SPONGE: Sponge has proven to be one of the Motor City’s heaviest hitters after gaining international notoriety with their debut album “Rotting Piñata” (Sony). Emerging from Detroit with hits like “Plowed” and “Molly (16 Candles),” Sponge received massive airplay on radio stations from coast to coast and were in heavy rotation on MTV. Both “Plowed” and “Molly” hit #5 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Charts, catapulting “Rotting Piñata” to Gold, and ultimately Platinum status.
Sponge’s follow up album, the critically lauded “Wax Ecstatic” (Columbia) scored additional top ten Billboard hits including “Wax Ecstatic” and “Have You Seen Mary?” The band’s music was also featured in popular movies “The Craft,”“Chasing Amy,”“Mall Rats,” and “Empire Records.”
Sponge’s star continued to rise with network appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and the Conan O’Brien Show. Sponge’s subsequent releases “New Pop Sunday,” “For All The Drugs in The World,” “The Man,” “Galore Galore,” and “Destroy the Boy ” showcased the band’s swirling sonic attack rooted in 70’s glam, and of course, the Motor City influences of The Stooges, The MC5, and Motown—but still sounding distinctly like no one else.
“Plowed” continues to be the band’s signature rock track, having been spotlighted on Guitar Hero’s “Warriors of Rock – 90’s Rock Track Pack” – and on the Paper Jamz Guitar Series 2, in addition to the soundtrack for the Gerard Butler surf movie “Chasing Mavericks.”
