Finnish heavy metal band Midnight Bullet is set to release their fourth studio album Hostile Resistance on March 4th 2022 via Inverse Records. Rain on Me is a first track from the upcoming album and sets the pace right from the first hits! The song represents exactly the straightforward energy that band wanted to bring back to the new record as well.
Tuomas Lahti, vocals & rhythm guitar: “So awesome to put out new song for our friends out there! This song is about social media and how people are desperately trying to reach attention. Sometimes this kind of acting isn’t healthy and this can detach you from reality. Social media can be very useful tool for marketing and reaching out fans or friends, but unfortunately sometimes it’s very easy to see how people are posting pictures only because they want to have some attention. People sometimes use social media just because they want to pose or beg attention.”
Track List: 1. Rain on Me 2. Hostile Resistance 3. Paranoia Obsession 4. Wait and See 5. Rise and Fall 6. Dead Redemption 7. Take Me Away 8. Enemy Number One 9. Last Escape 10. Angel of Babylon
Albumi cover by Karoliina Muukka
Line-up:
Tuomas Lahti – vocals, guitar Mikko Nokelainen – drums Lauri Ikonen – lead guitar Mirko Miettinen – bass
TORNBETWEENTWOWORLDS (Featuring SARAHJEZEBELDEVA and CHRISREHN) will release their new single “Transparent” on January 14, 2021. The song will be available on all streaming platforms.
Sarah comments: “This song was a bit of a challenge for me as this song is totally from scratch. It wasn’t written a few years ago like “The Beauty Of Deception” was, “All Eyes On Me” was also written a few years ago, but 80% of the lyrics lost, re written and re arranged and the vocals recorded at my home and “Hello” being a cover song (Adele). This is the first song lyric wise that I have written in almost 10 years I think and when Chris sent me the music, I found it so difficult getting everything together. I recorded half a track and Chris and I, just weren’t feeling it, so we took a big step back for a few months and let everything digest, because you can’t rush a song if you want people to believe you believe in your music. Chris Rehn is a mind blowing composer and takes much pride in his arrangements and for me, as silly as it sounds, I want him to be proud of the song and me. I can’t stress enough how its him that should be praised to high heaven, not me.
The song is based on fame and ego, people who take everything and everyone for granted and takes pleasure in destroying everything and people, only to make themselves feel better. They love to take credit for absolutely everything, whilst others work their arses off, put their heart and soul into everything. Self destructive, compulsive liar who believes you are where you are today because of them. Surrounded by many for the wrong reasons, yet doesn’t actually doesn’t have much.”
L to R: Shane Embury on bass, vocalist Barney Greenway
Yup. Napalm Death. Grindcore pioneers. When it comes to Extreme Metal it doesn’t truly get any more extreme. Napalm Death opened for the prolific GWAR, back on November 11th, at Bogart’s in Cincinnati Ohio. It was an evening that made me feel like the world was okay even though it’s not.
My good buddy Troy accompanied me to this wonderful event and the two of us felt very much at home with all of the beautiful insanity around us. Whatever was going on outside the walls of Bogart’s on this night I could’ve given two shits about. Napalm Death was live onstage!
It wasn’t that easy taking photos of Napalm Death. First and foremost, I was on the threshold of the pit and even outside the pit bodies were being tossed about like sacks of potatoes. Using my iPhone for these photos while trying not to get injured was actually fun, in its own demented way.
I was able to catch a couple of photos (above and below) showing drummer Danny Herrera. No, it wasn’t easy to do.
If you’re looking for a set list here, no can do. I survived just 3 songs in the pit and the rest of the time I was thrashing about like a lunatic stepping on fire hot legos. Song titles were not of my concern that night; throwing down was. At my age, I feel very fortunate I was able to throw down at all.
I’m pleased I’ve been able to share these Napalm Death photos and thoughts with you! My passion for Metal was double downed on November 11th, while at this show. Stay safe out there and… Metal be thy name! – Stone
Juno nominated singer/songwriter LINDSAYSCHOOLCRAFT has been revealed as the guest lead vocalist for the upcoming album by COLDBOUND.
Lindsay comments:
“Thank you for welcoming me to the realm of Coldbound. I’ve so far had a wonderful experience being the guest lead vocalist on this double album. I very much look forward to its release in the future!
Many of you in the metal world know me from my 7 years with Cradle of Filth. I am also the main composer for Chamber Black Metal band Antiqva and have lent out my voice and playing to many songs and albums over the years. Mainly for voice, harp, and piano.
This will be my first guest feature where I am the lead singer on a full album. Pauli and Meiju approached me after they heard my Juno Nominated album “Martyr” and felt I would be a good fit for crafting melodies and lyrics.
I’m honoured to be part of this project with such a talented line up and list of guest musicians and singers. I can not wait to see how it all comes together. It’s really forming into something special.”
Band founder Pauli Souka further stated:
“To work with someone like Lindsay is a true blessing, as she shows immense professionalism and a superb attitude. I am definitely excited to share with all of you the results of this -one of a kind collaborative experience.”
Finnish melodic metal icons SONATAARCTICA should be closing their Acoustic Adventures European tour this week. Unfortunately, it had to be postponed to late 2022 due to obvious reasons. But fans need not worry as the band are bringing some cozy living room concert atmosphere to their homes in the form of the first part of their two-piece Acoustic Adventures album, due out on January 21st, 2022 via Atomic Fire.
Containing acoustic adaptions of twelve tracks leading through SONATA ARCTICA’s discography, AcousticAdventures – VolumeOne was recorded and produced by Mikko Tegelman and the band at Studio57 in Finland. Tegelman was also responsible for the album’s mix and mastering alongside bass player Pasi Kauppinen. The artwork by the quintet’s longtime collaborator and fellow countryman, Janne Pitkänen (Nightwish, Auri) rounds out the experience charmingly.
The first single from AcousticAdventures – VolumeOne, “The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me” is available as a lyric video viewable at THIS LOCATION.
States keyboardist Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg: “The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me was a song that first appeared as a bonus track for Japan back in 2003, just around the time I joined the band. When we started to arrange songs for the second Acoustic Adventures tour in 2019, this song somehow kept popping up and we decided to give it a go. Our dear friend Masi Hukari who joined us on stage for the tour did a lot of the work on this particular arrangement and I think that his input was really important in how this song turned out. For this record, we used the live arrangement as a starting point and I don’t think the song changed that much, so what you hear is a slightly refined version of the 2019 tour arrangement. We decided to use this song as the first single since it’s really different from the original studio version and as always, we prefer to offer something new and interesting for our fans and for ourselves as well.”
(Cover art by Janne Pitkänen)
Preorder Acoustic Adventures – Volume Onephysically – on digipak CD or vinyl in various color variants – and presave/preorder it digitally to receive “The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me” instantly now through the Atomic Fire webshop at THIS LOCATION.
AcousticAdventures – VolumeOne Track Listing:
The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me
For The Sake Of Revenge
A Little Less Understanding
Alone In Heaven
Tallulah
Don’t Say A Word
As If The World Wasn’t Ending
Paid In Full
Tonight I Dance Alone
The Wolves Die Young
Wolf & Raven
On The Faultline
Catch SONATA ARCTICA live on the Acoustic Adventures MMXXII trek across Finland in February, the 25th Anniversary Tour across South America in April, at a variety of festival and special performances throughout the Summer, in the Ukraine and Russia in September, on another leg of the Acoustic Adventures MMXXII across Europe beginning in October and more. Stay up to date on all live dates and ticket info at the band’s official tour page HERE.
SONATA ARCTICA: Tony Kakk – vocals, keyboards Elias Viljanen – guitars Pasi Kauppinen – bass Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg – keyboards Tommy Portimo – drums
Above photo: L to R: Matt Bachand (bass) & Chris Broderick (guitar)
Hey everybody, Stone here! I went to see Act Of Defiance at Oddbody’s in Dayton Ohio, back on June 16th of 2016. Accompanying me was Robert (Rob) Nickell; an old friend of mine and professional photographer. All of these fabulous concert photos featured in this post are credited to Rob.
Not appearing in a photo here is the legendary drummer Shawn Drover. Trust me, Shawn was creating plenty of thunder behind his drum kit on that night! Shawn is also an ex-member of MEGADETH.
Yes, 2016. How or why it took me over 5 years to finally publish these photos of such an amazing Metal supergroup? Regardless, I’ve rediscovered them in the Metal Odyssey archives and they’re to be enjoyed now and forever! Thank you Act Of Defiance for killing it on that night! Thank you, Robert Nickell for the camera talent!
Above photo: Chris Broderick / guitarist
I remember this concert being high octane! Chris Broderick shredded on guitar and played to the crowd with his constant smiles of appreciation. A true thrill it was for me, to see such a legendary Metal guitarist so close up! Yes, I was psyched outta my mind that night!
Above: Chris Broderick gives back the horns to his fans. Chris also is an ex-member of world-class Metal bands: Jag Panzer, Nevermore and MEGADETH.
On this tour, Act Of Defiance were out supporting their debut studio album: BirthAndTheBurial. This album was released back in August of 2015, via Metal Blade Records. I highly recommend both studio albums that Act Of Defiance created! Their second album was released back in 2017, titled: OldScars, NewWounds (Metal Blade Records).
Above: Henry Derek (vocalist). Henry is also an ex-member of Thrown Into Exile and Scar The Martyr.
Vocalist Henry Derek was outstanding! He was a thrill to see and hear live! Henry is an underrated Metal vocalist and that’s my Metal fact for the day.
Above: Matt Bachand (bassist) – Matt is also a founding member, rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist for the mighty Shadows Fall.L to R: yours truly aka Stone & bass player Matt Bachand
Italian melodic symphonic power metallers MOONLIGHT HAZE will release their third studio album “Animus” on March 18th 2022 on Scarlet Records.
“‘Animus’ represents a huge step up for Moonlight Haze’s songwriting and sound. This album got each of us excited since the very first melodies and lines that had been written. It’s an introspective work, but at the same time it also looks at the world outside – willing to bring a bright message of vitality and rebirth. Hence the title, ‘Animus’, a Latin word that has different meanings: vital force, conscience, soul, mind and courage as well.” Chiara Tricarico, frontwoman & lyricist
Recorded by MOONLIGHT HAZE and mixed & mastered by Simone Mularoni at the renowned Domination Studio, “Animus”boasts the stunning performance of vocalist Chiara Tricarico and is graced by the amazing artwork and pictures of Beatrice Demori.
The album will be released in the following formats:
– digipak CD – limited-edition vinyl – digital
Tracklist is as follows:
01. The Nothing 02. It’s Insane 03. Kintsugi 04. Animus 05. The Thief and the Moon 06. Midnight Haze 07. Tonight 08. Never Say Never 09. We’ll Be Free 10. A Ritual of Fire 11. Horror & Thunder
The first single/video will be released on December 10th 2022.
MOONLIGHT HAZE:
Chiara Tricarico – Vocals Marco Falanga – Guitars Alberto Melinato – Guitars Alessandro Jacobi – Bass Giulio Capone – Drums
Ex-Intergalactic warlords cloned from the evil cosmic conquer Colonel Roach to better fulfil his crusade of universal dominance, have successfully concealed their identity as the crossover thrash metal band, FULLMINATOR. Having escaped through a prototype dimensional portal called the Nexus, they appeared in the streets of Puerto Rico in the year 2016 and have remained ever since.
“We at FULLMINATOR want to present to you our latest single “Cyberpathic” all the way from the year 2078, punch deck and get ahead of the simulation!”
The new single, “Cyberpathic”, was inspired by the cyberpunk aesthetic and themes of William Gibson’s Neuromancer and The Matrix trilogy. A mash-up of fictional and factual political theories is paired up with the melodic fun, along with the style of the streets of Chiba City and the fast pace of a speed-fuelled run through cyberspace. “Cyberpathic” explodes into life with energetic instrumentation, delicious distortion and powerful percussion.
FULLMINATOR are a powerhouse of hard-hitting metal with a galactic twist. Effects and electronics emerge through the immense thrash sound adding a theatrical punch of personality. If you were born before 2000 you may catch the throwback to the early era of the internet. Intricate guitar leads, aggressive vocals and utter full-throttle enthusiasm makes for a thrilling listening experience.
FULLMINATOR deliver an epic fusion of sci-fi, speed and sheer creativity. The outfit have produced a release that will appeal to thrash lovers and space travellers alike. It’s loud, with a pace close to lightspeed and utterly fun.
Imagine blending the early frenzy of System Of A Down, the heaviness of Slipknot, and the explosive energy of Social Distortion in a Mexican setting and multiply it tenfold and you might come close to the rabid intensity that is 8 KALACAS (spoken: “Ocho Kalacas”). Not so much an ordinary band than it is a tidal wave of bristling energy, hard-hitting music, and biting social commentary, this Californian skacore collective is set on conquering the world with their astounding musical exorcism.
Today, Atomic Fire Records is proud to announce the signing of 8 KALACAS. To celebrate their union with the label, the band presents “R2rito,” the first single off of their upcoming new album Fronteras set for release on March 25th, 2022.
“This song is for all the people who are tired of the same routine day-in and day-out. We become robotic slaves to industry and the casualty of it all is our ambition. There will never be growth in a system designed for clockwork obedience,” comments Choriz, the man behind the trumpet.
Additionally, 8 KALACAS recently signed a management deal with Dez Fafara (Devildriver, Coal Chamber), who is COO and founding partner of the Oracle Managament (Cradle Of Filth, Jinjer, The 69 Eyes etc.) along with his wife and CEO Anahstasia Fafara. “When I was approached by 8 KALACAS to manage I was sent songs and immediately knew there was something special about this music,” recalls Dez Fafara. “The combination of heavy metal, done in punk rock fashion with a ska twist and a horn section… you would have to be blind to not see the special combination of influences the band was mashing up! Then I caught them live and couldn’t believe how out of control the crowd was, how tight the band was, and how special this whole vibe surrounding them is. I was in!”
“This is the coolest and hottest shit out there,” says Atomic Fire Records CEO and founder Markus Wosgien. “The first thing that I heard and saw after Dez and Anahstasia introduced us to the band, was the video clip for ‘R2rito,’ which completely blew me away. What an energy and what a damn unique mix! This had to be the first single and I want everyone out there to experience the same. Enjoy this aggressive chunk and prepare yourself for some more hits on the same level. This band is the future! Once you get into them, you will be addicted!”
Formed in Orange County in 2003, the fertile soil of extremity that also brought us Social Distortion and Avenged Sevenfold, 8 KALACAS are the harbingers of a new era. After establishing their unique brand of metallic hardcore, ska, and traditional Mexican elements in California and the rest of the Divided States, the massive seven-piece brotherhood is ready to take on the rest of the world. Fronteras, their third full-length and first for brand-new label Atomic Fire Records, is a curveball for the rest of the international metal/hardcore scene: An album so fierce and unique you simply can’t resist succumbing to the thundering grooves, malicious riffs, and infectious trumpet/trombone madness they so vigorously unleash like there’s no tomorrow.
And maybe there isn’t. Recorded in winter 2019 in Los Angeles, Fronteras is an album fit for times like these; a musical indictment of everything that goes wrong in this world. “This album is real life,” says the band. “It’s what’s happening now in our country and in many other countries. A lot of people leave behind their families, their loved ones, their security to come and try to make a new life just to discover that it was never that easy. Many people have lived and died for a dream they couldn’t achieve because they didn’t have the right documents or because they didn’t come from the right families, and we feel that because it can happen to so many of our brothers and sisters on this planet for bullshit borders that are just imaginary lines dividing us.”
8 KALACAS is well aware of California’s underbelly, the other side of beaches, sunshine, and shady glamour. “We see it every day in the streets. There are homeless people living under bridges while hundreds of buildings remain empty throughout the city. We see businesses and politicians make decisions that affect millions of people while their jobs are safe, and their security is stable. This country is filled with class division, racial division, sexist division and you don’t have to go far to see that reality.”
This is why 8 KALACAS is taking up their instruments as their arms: To smash those borders and to remind us that there is more uniting that separating us. “We sing about the literal borders that so many countries enforce, that keep humans separated and discriminated against. But we also sing about the borders in our head that keep us from being happy or that keep us from believing that we are worthy people capable of doing more than what society tells us we can do.”
More a family than a band, the 8 KALACAS tribe is welcoming everyone into their ranks who shares their values and their passion for music. “We love sharing that with anyone who’s willing to be a part of our family and we hope that family continues growing.”
It will. The energy level on Frontera is so high it will turn any fan of extreme and extremely uplifting music into an ecstatically banging, moshing, jumping or dancing dervish. “People see us and listen to us when they want to relieve their frustrations, when they want to celebrate their happiness, or just to share a night or a feeling they have. They keep us moving forward and we do not plan on letting them down.”
Taking their Latin roots and their Californian upbringing and ingeniously warping the two into this behemoth of an album, 8 KALACAS truly bring something new and exciting to the table. “More than anything it demonstrates to us that nothing is impossible,” the band says of their wild musical ride. “We started as a garage band and now we’re living a dream that many people thought was impossible. We did that by blending together the sounds that influenced us throughout our lives and creating this world of Latin skacore. It’s an honor to be able to represent our communities and have the opportunity to share those musical traditions to the world in our own way.”
Influenced by the Mariachi and Cumbia traditions of Mexico while also being true children of a globalized world, 8 KALACAS stand for a new era in rock and metal music. It’s music for anyone who feels at home in these intoxicating tunes. Hence their bandname, with “calaca” meaning “skull” in Spanish. “No matter who you are, the color of your skin, the type of people you love, what god you believe in, the poverty, or the wealth: when you die the only thing left is the fucking Kalaca.” In death at least we are united… or, if we don’t wanna wait that long, in this fiery phenomenon called 8 KALACAS.
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions welcome FERNWAH to the roster with the debut album Approaching Oblivion! Hailing from the great state of New Jersey, FERNWAH perform one of a kind experimental Heavy Metal and features Zakk Mild (Oxalate/Come Mierda) and Peter Martin (Black Kites/Bonjour/Holy Death).
Approaching Oblivion is a progressive album that combines elements of Black/Death Metal along with trippy, technical and psychedelic, stoner friendly fuzz. FERNWAH are fueled by subconscious Jungian philosophies with a horror aesthetic, and these occult obsessed crushers are ready to take on the world with adventurous throttling riffs, staccato rhythms, swelling synths and crackling-yet-slippery guitar work.
The track ‘Leaking Out’ is pure crushing Death Metal with a progressive twist, featuring the wretched guest vocals by Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg (courtesy of Century Media Records). For fans of Black Sabbath, Boards Of Canada, Camel, King Crimson, Morbid Angel, Pelican, Soundgarden and Voivod.
VANILLA FUDGE throws out another re-worked Led Zepclassic, this time it’s ‘Ramble On’ to go with the recently released ‘Immigrant Song’ and ‘Rock and Roll’. All 3 tracks come from the soon to be released album Vanilla Zeppelin.
This is Led Zeppelin done ‘’Fudge’’ style. This remastered version of ‘Ramble On’ will be released digitally via Golden Robot Records on 30th November.
A great ode to one of the most respectable and best bands of all time, by one of the most respectable and best bands of all time. VANILLA FUDGE add their own slant to Led Zeppelin’s‘Ramble On’, including some amazing organ interludes. This version definitely has a life and identity of its own.
Listen to ‘Ramble On’ HERE Listen to ‘Immigrant Song’ HERE Listen/ Buy ‘Ramble On’HERE
ABOUT VANILLA FUDGE:
Vanilla Fudge was one of the first American groups to infuse psychedelia into heavy rock sound to create “psychedelic symphonic rock” an eclectic genre which would, among its many off shoots, eventually morph into heavy metal.
Although, at first, the band did not record original material, they were best known for their dramatic heavy, slowed-down arrangements of contemporary pop songs which they developed into works of epic proportion.
Originally, Vanilla Fudge was a blue-eyed soul cover band called The Pigeons, formed in New Jersey in 1965 with organist, Mark Stein, bassist, Tim Bogert, drummer, Joey Brennan, and guitarist, vocalist and US Navy veteran, Vince Martell. They built a following by gigging extensively up and down the East Coast and earned extra money by providing free lance in-concert backing for hit-record girl groups. In early 1966, the group recorded a set of eight demos that were released several years later as “While the World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge”.
The East Coast, in particular, New York, and New Jersey, created a sound all its own. Inspired by groups such as The Rascals and The Vagrants (fronted by guitarist, Leslie West of “Mountain” fame).The Pigeons reworked many of their own existing arrangements of covers to reflect their unique interpretation of this “East Coast Sound”.
In late 1966, drummer, Joey Brennan, moved out to the West Coast; The Pigeons immediately drafted drummer and vocalist, Carmine Appice, a disciple of the renowned Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck Band) and a seasoned veteran of the club scene. In early 1967, The Pigeons manager, Phil Basile, convinced producer, George “Shadow” Morton (producer for The Shangri-Las and Janis Ian), to catch their live act. Impressed by their heavy-rocking, trippy and psychedelic version of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’, Morton offered to record the song as a single. This resulted in a deal with the atlantic subsidiary Atco, which requested a name change.
The band settled on Vanilla Fudge. Vanilla Fudge celebrated their 50-Year Anniversary in 2017 and is still rocking the world as hard as ever.
Yes, GWAR were magnificent live! GWAR invaded Bogart’s in Cincinnati Ohio, back on November 11th. I took the live photos you see on this post with my iPhone; thus I’m admittedly no professional photographer (hahaha).
I bought quite a bunch at the merch table; one item is this GWAR stamped metal pin. Whoa!
There was a HUGE pit and everyone attending this show were lit in one manner or another. It was Metal euphoria and I drank plenty of PBR while there. I went to this GWAR show with my buddy Troy; it was his birthday as well. Good Metal times! At this concert, GWAR didn’t spray down the fans with any goo or monster secretions; not from my vantage point anyways.
I’m going to post more concert photos of GWAR with more merch I bought, in the coming days. I did buy a GWAR keychain that I gave to a coworker of mine. One last thought: it was raining like hell on our drive down to Cincinnati that night. Troy drove his car and (as usual) was a superhero behind the wheel; getting us there fast and safe.
If you’ve never seen GWAR live, I strongly encourage you to do so. If you’re not interested in GWAR, then drink a gallon of prune juice and listen to your ABBA records. Metal be thy name! – Stone
De Arma was founded in 2009 by guitarist, vocalist, and bass player Andreas Pettersson. After the 2011 “Towards the Shores of the End” split with British band Fen, they released their debut album – “Lost, Alien & Forlorn” – in February 2013. Due to various life obligations, a long hiatus followed.
Eight years later, De Arma made a sudden return with “Strayed in Shadows”. The second chapter sees the band explore a wide spectrum of music – from gothic metal to synthwave and even pop music. Cold and heartfelt northern melancholia sweeping in from the borderlands between Fields of the Nephilim, Katatonia, and Anathema.
Now, as the band is enjoying some serious momentum in the wake of “Strayed in Shadows”, work on their third album is in full swing. With any luck, it should be ready at some point in 2022. And this is where Silent Future Recordings come in – sealing a collaboration which the band describes as ‘coming home’.
Andreas commented:
While we recorded “Strayed in Shadows” in recent years, the material was written and arranged in its entirety shortly after “Lost, Alien & Forlorn”. Now that we’ve gotten it out of our system, we are looking forward to presenting music which is more representative for the De Arma of today.
Retro loving hard rockers BRANDY AND THE BUTCHER are preparing to unveil their new LP scheduled for the release in Spring of 2022. Drawing upon various genre influences from punk, notably artists such as THE CRAMPS, through to traditional metal, the album explores the different sides of BRANDY AND THE BUTCHER’s sound.
“BRANDY AND THE BUTCHER is proud to announce the release of our second full length LP. It will have some surprises in store for the fans of our first record as we explore some new sonic territory. Full blown fuzz and a few heavier songs will appear along with our straight rock and punk tunes.”
Initially forming as an ensemble and dropping their EP Pretty Girls in 2018, BRANDY AND THE BUTCHER saw their first tour cut short due to the pandemic. After releasing their debut full length in August of 2020, the new LP follows the quartet as they progress in developing their music. Delivering high energy and dynamic rhythms, BRANDY AND THE BUTCHER’s distinctive rock n roll edge mixed with seductive vocals produces a raw, powerful sound. The first single “TBC” will be released on January 14th.
BRANDY AND THE BUTCHER: Elizabeth Hale – Lead vocals Jay Matheson – Guitar Kevin Brewer – Drums Roger Shattuck – Bass
DISCONNECTEDSOULS are continuing their annual tradition of releasing a Christmas cover. 2021 sees their fourth cover, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Merry Xmas (War Is Over)” receive a dramatic, heavy reimagining. Fusing metalcore sounds with intense electronics, folk instruments and a choir singing in Latin, the genre busting outfit have produced their most dynamic seasonal treat yet.
The band comments:
“This year’s Christmas cover was a challenge! We knew that the song could be interpreted in a number of different styles, but we didn’t want to release multiple versions and so chose to combine all our ideas into one. Despite the trials of mixing so many ideas into one track, we’re thrilled with the result.”
“Merry Xmas (War Is Over” will be released on December 17th 2021 on all streaming platforms.
Los Angeles, CA – Long-time bassist for multi-platinum rockers Quiet Riot, Chuck Wright, proudly presents the release of the first single from his new solo album. Wright has also worked alongside such rock music luminaries as Alice Cooper, Greg Allman, Ted Nugent, various members of Guns N’ Roses and Kiss to name a few, and now embarks on his first-ever solo excursion.
The first single is a hard-rocking, intense interpretation of Björk’s 1995 hit “Army of Me” and is accompanied by a video that represents Wright’s exploration into disorder and parallels with the recent chaotic state of world affairs. The visuals include a 3D animation of an “army” of Ruth Bader Ginsburgs, the late Supreme Court Justice, feminist icon, and steadfast advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. “I chose to recognize the late Justice Ginsburg in this video as she was such a formidable presence on and off the bench. She challenged the status quo knocking down legal obstacles to women’s equality and inspired an army of believers.”
The track “Army Of Me” features several of Wright’s musical peers including the late Pat Torpey (Mr. Big) on drums, guitarist Lanny Cordola (House of Lords), and Sven Martin (Jonathan Davis Band) on keyboards along with songstress Whitney Tai, the recent “Best Vocalist” winner at The Intercontinental Music Awards.
The full-length album from Chuck Wright’s Sheltering Sky, coming in 2022, features over 30 guest performers including members of Mr. Big, Skid Row, Tesla, Dream Theater, Great White, Asia, Jefferson Starship, acclaimed solo artists Allen Hinds, Toshi Yanagi, and many others. Wright is finally stepping out on his own with a wide range of genres, from Jazz Fusion, Prog, Funk to in-your-face Hard Rock, which was in itself one of the things that led him to want to forge his own way and create this unique collection of songs within his “Sheltering Sky” project.
Photos: Top photo: Mari Kawaguchi Bottom photo: Tim Janssens
An outfit created in the midst of chaos, erected from an earth in mourning and the universal struggle to reclaim our humanity… Uncertainty of the collective future remains, but even in darkness there is light. A new challenge emerges from the shadows and a new hope begins to dissipate the pain. A powerful connection that binds us to the universe and a deep desire for spiritual illumination exists within us. We introduce to you, SEVENTH STORM.
Five musicians from Portugal who aspire to play music full of emotion and character, the members of SEVENTH STORM are fighters seeking a new path in life. Comments drummer and band leader Mike Gaspar (ex-Moonspell), “We come together with one goal: to stay strong so that there may be a chance of freedom to come, to never give up even in the most troubling times. Our crusade starts now. May our paths cross; may we one day visit the seven continents and navigate through the seven seas, in the hope of creating the perfect storm: the SEVENTH STORM. May the light and fire return to this forgotten art. Let the horns be heard once more. Join us.”
Atomic Fire Records is proud to announce the signing of this promising dark metal outfit who are working on their debut album, slated for release in August 2022.
“SEVENTH STORM signing to Atomic Fire Records is the best thing that could have happened to us,” says Gaspar. “We are so proud to be a part of this amazing team that truly believes in metal. Together, our mission is to set fire to your hearts once more. Get ready for the best label ever because we are here to stay.”
Adds Atomic Fire Records co-CEO and founder Markus Wosgien, “Our common friend Esa Holopainen of Amorphis introduced us and there was magic in the air right away. Within twenty-four hours, it was clear that we would experience this adventure together. The group’s demo songs, brimming over with inspiration and all their emotions, really touched us. Our whole team fell in love, and we are fully convinced that this STORM will become nothing but a hurricane.”
SEVENTH STORM emerged from Gaspar’s strong desire to continue making music after his departure from Moonspell in 2020. “I was at a crossroad in my life, feeling a bit lost and unsure of my artistic future,” notes Gaspar, who was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and moved to Portugal in 1988. “Then a good friend of mine got me together with musicians that he thought could fulfill my vision.”
Initially, he was just eager to get back to drumming with a band and to feel inspired by music again, but after SEVENTH STORM’s first rehearsal, he realized how powerful their connection was. “Most of the members had a more hard rock background and not such an extreme metal underground influence like mine, but this diversity in musical styles is what made the energy in the rehearsal room so magical. Some of the first riffs we played reminded me of early Darkthrone and Emperor. It almost felt like I had gone back in time and was reliving my youth, but with thirty years of experience! The driving force was to save and honor my past and being able to share that with a new metal family – to hopefully make epic, meaningful music full of soul and emotion.”
Don’t miss out on SEVENTH STORM’s journey. Expect further travel details to be revealed in the weeks to come.
SEVENTH STORM: Mike Gaspar – drums, Rez – vocals, Ben Stockwell – lead guitar, Josh Riot – guitar, Butch Cid – bass guitar
Connecticut symphonic death metal band VIRUS OF IDEALS have released a stunning cover of the classic CRADLEOF FILTH track “Nymphetamine Fix”. The song is available on all digital streaming outlets including Spotify and Bandcamp.
The band comments:
” ‘Nymphetamine Fix’ is obviously a classic, but the main reason we chose to cover this song is because it fits our style perfectly: it has a balanced mix of screaming and clean vocals with strong keyboards and orchestrations. This song was a challenge to record because there are way more layers of vocals, orchestrations, and guitars than we are used to. Fortunately, our drummer Brian (Westbrook (Lich King)) is also a producer with a fantastic ear; we were able to stay very faithful to the original due largely to his direction. We know our debut album is long overdue (our EP is 5 years old), but we are still making progress despite numerous setbacks over the years. We were planning to cover this song anyways, but we thought it would make the wait a bit easier for our fans to have something new to listen to in the meantime.”
Symphonic metal band THREADS OF FATE have released a lyric video for their stunning song “The Cold Embrace Of The Light”. The song is from their upcoming album of the same name which will be released via Layered Reality Productions on 11 March, 2022.
Band founder Jon Pyres comments:
“We’re very happy to finally release the first single of the new album, admittedly a very special track for us. It explores the darker aspects of despair, of delving deep within and facing your inner demons. It was an interesting time for the band and the new material resulted in a far more sinister manner than the debut EP.”
Eonia delivers a sonic masterpiece in the form of “To Live With Purpose.” Incredibly gifted multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Smith delivers the captivating follow-up to “Devotion,” which was released through The Charon Collective earlier this year. Listeners who enjoy Periphery, Hopesfall, Misery Signals, August Burns Red and the likes will no doubt find their new favorite artist in the midst of this emotionally-crafted 9-song masterpiece.
The exclusive Bandcamp CD and digital editions of “To Live With Purpose” come with awesome bonus features! They include a full-color profile picture of Gabriel Smith and a mini-album flat you can either print out to hang up or just keep as a file.
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"
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