Here are some of my Metal thoughts for Monday, February 12th, 2024. Enjoy:
Fuck the Grammy Awards.
Fuck off Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Seriously.
Without bassist Bob Daisley, Ozzy Osbourne wouldn’t have his first 2 solo albums written.
Kudos to the great Kerry King for staying true to his brand of Metal with his forthcoming studio album ‘From Hell I Rise’. The naysayers can go listen to their ABBA 8-tracks.
I’m as excited for the next Mötley Crüe studio album as I am to watch my dog take a shit.
The KISS Avatars interest me as much as watching a slug eating a tomato plant.
Stay true to Metal. Thank you for reading my Metal thoughts for today. – Stone
Following previously-released, new tracks “Root Of All Evil” and “Boogeyman Boogie”, today, Sweden’s MISTER MISERY are presenting their latest single “Hand Of Death”!
“Hand Of Death talks about how hard it can be to just get through the day sometimes.” The band comments. “It’s a reflection of what many of us feel quite often in life and how bad your thoughts can get when you suffer inside without talking about it to anyone.”
MISTER MISERY is an innovative, modern and ground-breaking metal band from Sweden. Blending clean and gritty vocals along with high-voltage riffs and anthemic choruses, they have developed a unique sound and style, and one that captures the essence of all the sub-genres in modern heavy music.
Since forming back in 2018, MISTER MISERY have released two critically acclaimed studio albums (Unalive and A Brighter Side Of Death) and several highly praised and top-playlisted singles to date. Paired with an obscene and theatrical appearance, they create an experience that speaks to all senses.
MISTER MISERY has become a force that crushes stages on the biggest festival the scene has to offer, such as Wacken Open Air, Master of Rock, Full Metal Cruise, Hills Of Rock to name just a few. MISTER MISERY has played as support of some of the most prestigious bands in metal, such as Nightwish and Dream Theater in front of over 15.000 people. One thing is for certain: They will leave NO survivors!
The band is currently gearing up for an exciting, new chapter of their career, and has just recently joined forces with AFM Records, who will proudly release their forthcoming album in 2024!
MISTER MISERY: Harley Vendetta – Vocals/Guitar Alex Nine – Lead Guitar/Backup Vocals Rizzy – Drums/Backup Vocals Alex Alister – Bass/Backup Vocals
“Free Spirit Soar” Tracklist: 01 Behold A Pale Horse 02 The Rider 03 Conquerors 04 Worms Of The Earth 05 The Watchman (CD-exclusive track) 06 Free Spirit Soar 07 The Bell Tolls 08 Alarm 09 Twin (CD-exclusive track) 10 Revelation XIX
Line Up: Mark Zonder – Drums Philip Bynoe – Bass Eric Juris – Guitars Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards Giles Lavery – Vocals
Last year, our debut in America and Canada left us spellbound, facing sold-out venues and an incredible crowd. The energy was unreal, and we didn’t want to miss it again. So, we’re back for the North American Tour 2024 to celebrate the holy heavy metal mass with even more of you! It’s going to be sheer madness! From the kickoff in Los Angeles at The Hollywood Palladium on August 29 to the grand finale in Laval, QC, at Place Bell on September 15, let’s make history together! This tour marks the official live debut of songs from our upcoming album – don’t miss the excitement! Support on this tour will be Unleash The Archers!
GENERAL ON SALE: Friday February 9th @ 10:00 AM LOCAL
8/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium 8/31 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre 9/03 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre 9/04 – Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theatre 9/05 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore 9/07 – Tampa, FL @ Jannus Landing 9/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 9/09 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore 9/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore 9/13 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium 9/14 – New York City, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount 9/15 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
34 years since their latest album “Violent By Nature”, released in 1990, Tucson, Arizona-based thrash metal titans ATROPHY return with a brand new album! “Asylum” will be unleashed on March 15, 2024 via Massacre Records, the pre-sale is now available at https://lnk.to/atrophyasylum
“Asylum” marks the next evolutionary step for ATROPHY. Keeping the speed of “Socialized Hate” and the grooves of “Violent By Nature”, this album adds a big dose of heaviness to the mix resulting in a satisfying aural kick in your face! Today, the iconic band has premiered a lyric video for their first single, the album opening track “Punishment For All”, watch the clip now streaming HERE.
““Punishment For All” was inspired by the attempted insurrection on January 6 (2021) with Covid-19 restrictions still in play. To sit in my living room and watch this unfold was almost too much to bear. Americans were at each other‘s throats, calling people traitors, or trying to undermine democracy and not believing in the results of the election, following the myriad conspiracy theories that were swirling around at the time.” Frontman Brian Zimmerman comments.
“I thought to myself what if they were successful? What are we, as a country divided, going to do then? Take down everything we have built together as a country? What are we putting in place? Are we just going to do whatever the loudest people tell us to do? The whole thing was just absolutely crazy.”
“Asylum” was produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Parra at Second Sight Studio. The album tracklist will read as follows:
Punishment For All
High Anxiety
Seeds Of Sorrow
Distortion
Bleeding Out
American Dream
Close My Eyes
The Apostle
Five Minutes ‘Til Suicide
Album Lineup: Brian Zimmerman – Vocals Nathan Montalvo – Lead Guitar Mark Coglan – Rhythm Guitar Josh Gibbs – Bass Guitar Jonas Shütz – Drums
GUEST MUSICIANS: Kragen Lum – Lead Guitar on “American Dream” Justin Stear – Bass Guitar on “American Dream”, “Close My Eyes”, “Distortion”
MINISTRY’S ROY MAYORGA AND WE ARE THE ASTEROID’S GARY CHESTER CONTRIBUTE TO THE RECORD
———————————
An album so magical, I helped create it without knowing it was happening. It’s definitely the weirdest album I’ve ever been a part of.” – Steven McDonald
Feb. 6, 2024, LOS ANGELES – The Melvins latest opus, Tarantula Heart (April 19, Ipecac Recordings), is quite possibly the band’s most unconventional, catchiest and imaginative work yet, continuing a legacy celebrated for its eccentric and extraordinary output.
A preview of the five-song, 39-minute collection arrives with the release of “Working The Ditch” (https://themelvins.lnk.to/wtd), and the accompanying Jesse Nieminen-created video. Nieminen previously directed the band’s short film, “A Walk With Love and Death.”
“The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins’ album,” explains Buzz Osborne. “I had Dale and Roy Mayorga come in and play along with Steven and I to some riffs, then I took those sessions and figured out what parts would work and wrote new music to fit. This isn’t a studio approach we’ve ever taken. Usually we have the songs written BEFORE we start recording!”
“The majority of Tarantula Heart has dual drum parts,” adds long-time Melvins drummer Dale Crover. “Roy is an amazing drummer. We would discuss what we would do pattern wise, then we’d just go for it. Improvising riffs and trading off on drum fills.”
Tarantula Heart cover, artwork by Mackie Osborne
Tarantula Heart track list:
Pain Equals Funny
Working the Ditch
She’s Got Weird Arms
Allergic to Food
Smiler
In actuality nothing appeared out of thin air. Buzz spent hours and hours with the drum tracks by himself writing songs to what he was hearing drum wise. “When the rest of the band heard these songs I’d created from the sessions, they were blown away,” Buzz shares. “These were fully developed new songs that they’d never heard before that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Presto!”
Recorded, mixed and co-produced by longtime Melvins’ collaborator Toshi Kasai, the album also features We Are The Asteroid guitar player Gary Chester. Gary and the Melvins’ history goes back to their days on Boner Records, with the guitar player formerly having been a part of the legendary band, Ed Hall.
Tarantula Heart pre-orders (https://themelvins.lnk.to/tarantula) are available now, with the album available on a trio of vinyl variants (black, indie exclusive Silver Streak and Ipecac Recordings’ 25th Anniversary Puke Green), featuring a 12-page booklet, as well as on CD and digitally.
Next month sees the Melvins head overseas, playing in Japan for the first time since 2019 following a stint where they join current labelmates, Mr. Bungle, for a trek across Australia and New Zealand. Buzz and Bungle bass player Trevor Dunn team up later this year for the “King Dunn Tour,” a 45-date excursion that sees the pair play songs from the King Buzzo releases: This Machine Kills Artists and Gift of Sacrifice. The full list of dates can be found via Ipecac.com/tours.
Melvins tour dates:
March 3 Auckland, NZ Auckland Town Hall March 6 Melbourne, AUS Festival Hall March 7 Adelaide, AUS Hindley Street Music Hall March 9 Sydney, AUS Hordern Pavilion March 10 Brisbane, AUS Fortitude Music Hall March 12 Perth, AUS Metro City March 17 Osaka, JP Music Club Janus March 19 Tokyo, JP Shibuya WWW X March 20 Tokyo, JP Shibuya WWW X
Danish thrash metal icons ARTILLERY are pleased to announce a North American headlining tour celebrating their 40th anniversary! The journey, initially scheduled to take place last Fall but postponed due to visa issues, begins March 27th in Austin, Texas, closes April 20th in Toronto, Ontario, and includes a performance at 2 Minutes To Tulsa Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Support will be provided by Vapor and Potential Threat.
ARTILLERY guitarist Michael Stutzer comments, “We are really excited to get back to North America to celebrate 40 years of ARTILLERY‘s thrash metal. We had an amazing time on our last tour and can’t wait to meet our diehard fans again.”
Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
ARTILLERY w/ Vapor, Potential Threat: 3/27/2024 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX 3/28/2024 The Compound – Houston, TX 3/29/2024 2 Minutes To Tulsa Festival @ Vanguard – Tulsa, OK 3/30/2024 Feed N Seed – Lafayette, LA 3/31/2024 Midcity Ballroom – Baton Rouge, LA 4/01/2024 Siberia – New Orleans, LA 4/02/2023 Conduit – Winter Park, FL 4/03/2024 Brass Mug – Tampa, FL 4/04/2024 Boggs Social – Atlanta, GA 4/05/2024 Ridgeville Roadhouse – Ridgeville, SC 4/06/2024 Ground Zero – Spartanburg, SC 4/07/2024 Another Round – Richmond, VA 4/08/2024 Preserving Underground – New Kensington, PA 4/09/2024 Cactus Club – Milwaukee, WI 4/10/2024 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI 4/11/2024 Sherman Showcase – Stroudsburg, PA 4/12/2024 Sammy’s Patio – Boston, MA 4/13/2024 Meadows – Brooklyn, NY 4/14/2024 Alchemy – Providence, RI 4/15/2024 Timeless Babez (The Pit) – Buffalo, NY 4/16/2024 L’Anti Bar And Spectacles – Quebec City, QC 4/18/2024 Piranha Bar – Montreal, QC 4/19/2024 Dominion Tavern – Ottawa, ON 4/20/2024 Hard Luck – Toronto, ON
In the mid-1980s, Denmark’s ARTILLERY established themselves as being at the cutting edge of the thrash movement. Four decades later, they continue to destroy. The band’s most recent studio offering – the aptly titled, ‘X’ — was released in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. ‘X’ was tracked in Medley Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark with producer Søren Andersen, who the band have worked with on every record since 2009’s ‘When Death Comes’.
Indomitable Australian rockers The Neptune Power Federation have released the official video for “Lock & Key,” the second single from their forthcoming sixth album, Goodnight My Children.
This new album is a collection of feverish nighttime stories set to uproarious pure rock with a pop twist! Cruz Del Sur Music will release the album in the United States and Canada on April 5 (European release date is March 8).
Pure Australian rock glory meets the Sunset Strip on Goodnight My Children!
Love songs were on the mind of Australian psychedelic rock and roll brigade The Neptune Power Federation for their 2021 full-length, Le Demon De L’Amour. The album was the raucous re-imagination of a bygone era filtered through the lens of a band unafraid to blur genres. Fast-forward three years and children’s stories are on the brain for The Neptune Power Federation; with a decidedly early 1980s American sound on Goodnight My Children.
This new album finds The Neptune Power Federation leaning into the poppier side of their sound (think the Sunset Strip merging with late 1970s radio rock). The album’s eight cuts bang and mash with pure rock fervor, complete with roaring guitar solos and the always-memorable, convincing, enticing and mesmerizing “The Imperial Priestess,” otherwise known as Screamin’ Loz Sutch, on lead vocals.
Indeed, Goodnight My Children may be Sutch’s finest vocal performance to date. The recording process (which took place at bass player JayTanic Ritual’s The Pet Food Factory in Marrickville, Sydney, with mixing duties handled by Mo Mayhem), involved Sutch doing huge banks of layered backing vocals that followed her peculiar and idiosyncratic sensibilities. The sessions were organic and intuitive, allowing Sutch to expand upon the classic pop structures of the eight songs.
Sutch’s spellbinding vocal performance lent perfectly to the theme of Goodnight My Children, which symbolizes a collection of nighttime stories that, no matter how horrifying, leave the listener in the caring embrace of Sutch, the Imperial Priestess. And, as an added bonus, fans will be treated to an illustrated book of fairy tales that will accompany the release.
2024 will find The Neptune Power Federation making its long-awaited return to European shores for a round of tour dates. With the band approaching 15 years as a unit, milestones like a sixth studio album and international acclaim are not taken lightly by the band. While its origins as a casual studio project were simple, the emergence of Sutch and the notoriety for their sweaty, bombastic live shows has turned The Neptune Power Federation into a rock and roll cult that is impossible to ignore.
Today, Creepsylvania’s beloved masked mutants, GHOUL, unleash their Noxious Concoctions upon planet earth. Boasting five delightful hymns, the EP serves as the first new studio output from the splatterthrashers since 2016’s critically hailed Dungeon Bastards full-length.
All tracks on Noxious Concoctions were digested, dissected, fermented, and cremated by the members of GHOUL, except “1-900-DTH-LINE,” originally composed by Funerot. The EP was recorded by Scott Evans at Antisleep Audio and Sharkbite Studios, mastered by Dan Randall at Mammoth Sound Mastering, and includes gang vocals by The Moron Cavern-Shackled Choir and “swamp hag” vocals by Laurie Sue Shanaman.
Noxious Concoctions is available on CD and digital formats as well as limited 12” vinyl in the following three color variants:
Die Hard – Swamp Green concoction vinyl includes Noxious Concoctions cocktail book and GHOULunatics swizzle stick.
Wacky Splatter – A Tankcrimes mailorder exclusive; Black And Bone mix w/ Swamp Green Splatter
Orange Crush – Retail edition
Find vinyl orders HERE, CD orders HERE, and digital orders HERE where the record can be streamed.
GHOUL’s Noxious Concoctions comes just two weeks before they kick off the inaugural Brainsqueeze Tour! The North American live assault will find GHOUL sacking stages as direct support to MunicipalWaste. Additional support will be provided by labelmates Necrot and Dead Heat. The tour runs from February 15th in Washington, DC through March 16th in Richmond, Virginia. Tickets are on sale now at THIS LOCATION.
GHOUL w/ Municipal Waste, Necrot, Dead Heat: 2/15/2024 Black Cat – Washington, DC 2/16/2024 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA 2/17/2024 Brooklyn Monarch – Brooklyn, NY 2/18/2024 The Paradise – Boston, MA 2/19/2024 House Of Music – Portland, ME * GHOUL + Necrot only 2/20/2024 Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC 2/21/2024 London Music Hall – London, ON 2/22/2024 Rec Room – Buffalo, NY 2/23/2024 Magic Stick – Detroit, MI 2/24/2024 Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI 2/26/2024 Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN 2/27/2024 Waiting Room – Omaha, NE 3/01/2024 Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO 3/02/2024 Mesa Theatre – Grand Junction, CO 3/03/2024 Aces High Saloon – Salt Lake City, UT * GHOUL + Necrot only 3/04/2024 UC Theatre – Berkeley, CA 3/05/2024 The Bellwether – Los Angeles, CA 3/06/2024 Encore – Tucson, AZ 3/08/2024 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX 3/09/2024 Trees – Dallas, TX 3/10/2024 House Of Blues – New Orleans, LA 3/12/2024 Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, F 3/13/2024 The Abbey – Orlando, FL 3/14/2024 40 Watt – Athens, GA 3/15/2024 The Senate Theatre – Columbia, SC 3/16/2024 The National – Richmond, VA
Metalcore titans UNEARTH proudly present their latest video for “Eradicator,” a standout track from their formidable album, The Wretched; The Ruinous. The video, showcasing the band’s relentless energy and unique artistry, is now available for viewing HERE.
Following the success of The Wretched; The Ruinous, UNEARTH continues to push boundaries, both musically and thematically. The album, lauded for its incisive commentary on global issues, stands as a testament to the band’s ability to blend aggressive sounds with thought-provoking lyrics.
Reflecting on the new video, vocalist Trevor Phipps says, “Since our new album The Wretched; The Ruinous was released ‘Eradicator’ has been posted and reposted more than any other track on the record by you all. Because of this we hit up our good friend Daniel Vandal from Kreact to shoot another live themed video (Incinerate) for us across the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The footage captures the high energy, and mayhem (Barrie), our Canadian friends always bring to our shows north of the border. Check out ‘Eradicator’ now and see you on the road.”
The album The Wretched; The Ruinous delves into pressing global concerns, as Phipps explains: “The Wretched; The Ruinous is about the eight billion people on this planet. We’ve created a man-made mass extinction event and have been too slow to correct our faults. Extreme weather, drought, famine, disease, erosion of land, culture wars, civil wars, wars for natural resources, and the displacement of billions of people, is all a current reality. This isn’t a future problem; it is a now problem and I take this record to talk about it.”
UNEARTH‘s new video for “Eradicator” is more than just a musical statement; it’s a visual journey into the heart of what makes them one of metal’s most enduring and relevant acts.
The Wretched, The Ruinous – Track List:
The Wretched; The Ruinous Cremation of the Living Eradicator Mother Betrayal Invictus Call of Existence Dawn of the Militant Aniara Into the Abyss Broken Arrow Theaters of War
You can catch UNEARTH live at these festivals:
July 5 – RockHarz – Ballenstedt, Germany August 16 – Summer Breeze Open Air – Dinkelsbühl, Germany August 23 – NOAF (Neuborn Open Air Festival) – Wörrstadt, Germany October 4 – Furnace Fest – Birmingham, Alabama
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.