San Diego throwback rockers KING GORM have just released their new single “Beyond Black Rainbow” via their Bandcamp. The song is recommended for fans of Rainbow and Deep Purple.
METAL CHURCH have been on a surging comeback the last several years and we can all thank the Metal Gods for that! I needed to buy their recent release From The Vault on cassette, so I can play it loud in my very old and beloved car. During this pandemic, I purchased this cassette online directly from the mighty Rat Pak Records. METAL CHURCH are incredible to their fans and an experience to see in concert. I had to throw that in. Dig it?
CULTURAL WARFARE deliver the Thrash bounty on their EP Future Kill. I just discovered this outstanding band too. These dudes are from Oakland, California and each band member is obviously seasoned with their Bay Area Thrash Metal roots. Get this, I compare their overall sound to our East Coast Thrash Metal icon, aka, OVERKILL. Hey, that’s a superb Metal compliment! Another pandemic purchase I made online, buying this CD directly from M-Theory Audio.
Right before all hell broke loose with the evil coronavirus, I grabbed this cassette tape version of TRIUMPH‘s Never Surrender. A classic. I bought it at a Goodwill store for a meager 99 cents! It plays like new too. Please ignore that yucky price sticker on the cassette box; I’m going to remove it eventually with the magical Goo Gone. Never Surrender released way back in 1982. Heck, Prince William, Duke Of Cambridge was born back in 1982; on June 21st to be exact. Now I feel kinda old.
Thank you for visiting Metal Odyssey and reading this post. I appreciate it more than you know. Leave a comment if you like! In Metal We Trust. Stay safe out there. – Stone
The Polish metal wolfpack Ragehammer have completed work on their highly anticipated second full-length album.
After 4 years of studio inactivity since their critically acclaimed debut “The Hammer Doctrine” and a year-long live hiatus, the band returns with the same line-up to once again spit with scorn at the trend-ridden scene, where aesthetics took over ethics.
In other words, they return to do what they are best at: preaching pure hatred and hammering out their blackened thrash straight into the face.
The new album will be released by Pagan Records later this year, more details will follow soon.
Ragehammer will join Vader, Marduk and Fallcie on the “Blitz MMXX” tour across Poland in September:
18.09. Poznań, U Bazyla* 19.09. Gdańsk, B90* 20.09. Łódź, Magnetofon* 22.09. Kraków, Kwadrat** 23.09. Lublin, Graffiti* 24.09. Białystok, Zmiana Klimatu** 25.09. Wrocław, A2** 26.09. Toruń, Od Nowa** 27.09. Warszawa, Proxima**
Tickets for the tour will go on pre-sale on 1 July via *lefthandsounds.org, *Ticketos and **Eventim.
Posted in Metal with tags metal odyssey on May 18, 2020 by Metal Odyssey
Due to popular demand, Juno nominated artist Lindsay Schoolcraft (former Cradle of Filth) has just reprinted and re-issued her debut EP “Rushing Through the Sky” on CD. The EP is limited to 250 copies, of which 50 signed copies are available.
Lindsay commented “This is the second and final reissue of my first EP from 2012. I enjoyed creating these songs 8 years ago and am excited to recreate some of them on future releases.”
In further news, Lindsay is currently at work on an ambientl harp album which will be released later this year. More information will be available soon.
Metal Jazz trio KILTER are pleased to announce that they have won the best Jazz EP award from the Independent Music Awards for their self-titled 2018 EP!
Band leader Laurent David commented: “We are very happy to win the Independent Music Award with our Debut-Ep! This one was the beginning of our process of how-to-mix-two-of-our-influences: Jazz and Metal music, which lead us to AXIOM album.”
Now in its 18th year, The Independent Music Awards, produced by Music Resource Group, honors the exceptional work by indie creatives from around the globe. The planet’s most diverse music awards program honors artistry and daring rather than streams and social reach and celebrates everything that makes indie music authentic and unique.
This year’s winning projects were culled from thousands of Album, EP, Song, Producer, Music Video and Visual Design submissions from 73 countries on 6 continents; Nominees were announced earlier this year.
Over the course of its history, the program has recognized an eclectic roster of established and emerging talent including: Killer Mike, Melissa Auf der Maur, Valerie June, Macy Gray, Jackson Browne, Pete Seeger, Flying Lotus, Lacuna Coil, Passenger, fun., JD McPherson, Team Me, Radio Radio, …And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Meghan Trainor, Lionel Loueke, Girl in a Coma, Apples in stereo, Masta Ace, Le Bouef Brothers, Pokey LaFarge, Julianna Hatfield, RuPaul and many, many more indie innovators from around the world.
The winning projects were selected by influential judging panelists including: Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan, Robert Smith, Ziggy Marley, KT Tunstall, Dee Snider, Drowning Pool, Roberta Flack, Jaci Velasquez, Coolio, Joshua Bell, Beth Gibbons, Joe Satriani and many more indie creatives, top recording artists and industry influencers.
As most of you know, Frankie Banali, drummer and manager of QUIET RIOT has been battling stage four pancreatic cancer for the last year. He is putting on a brave fight and punching cancer in the nose. However, with the spring and summer shows canceled or postponed because of the pandemic he now faces a struggle to cover the ever-mounting medical expenses. His friends Peter Beckett (of the band PLAYER) and his wonderful wife Eden started a go fund me to help raise funds for his battle. If you can chip in it would be greatly appreciated. We know this is a terrible time for everyone. If you are unable to, please share. Thank you and stay safe and healthy out there!
The entire Banali, and Hands on Productions family
Sometime back in January of this year, I discovered that (Hard Rock supergroup) FOUNDRY were selling their band photos autographed for only five bucks! Plus this included 2 large band logo stickers. Whoa! I jumped on that offer like greased lightning! This cool discovery was on the band’s facebook timeline. There was an automatic entry to win a band signed guitar from FOUNDRY, with this purchase. Another prize was concert tickets to see FOUNDRY for life.
I didn’t win the guitar. I didn’t hear about winning the lifetime concert tickets either. Hell, I never win shit. I could enter a contest being the ONLY entry and I’d still lose. Still, owning this autographed photo is a delight and no I’m not selling it or trading it.
FOUNDRY as shown on the above autographed photo: Chris Iorio (guitarist), Marc Brattin (drummer), Mark Boals (vocalist) and BjörnEnglén (bassist).
That’s the sticker above. I’m not gonna stick it onto anything at the moment; gonna keep it as a collectible item. Okay, since I have 2 of the stickers I’ll slap one on the back of my old car. Maybe. Thank you for reading about my stuff, I greatly appreciate it. Stay safe out there and cherish life, liberty and Rock ‘N Roll. – Stone
I purchased END IT One Way Track on cassette from M-Theory Audio. END IT is a Hardcore band, hailing from Baltimore Maryland. This is a 4 song EP and it was released earlier in 2020, via Flatspot Records. I dig Hardcore and you should too.
I purchased this AHNA Crimson Dawn cassette from the fantastic Caligari Records. If you’re looking for legit underground Metal and/or Extreme Music then Caligari Records is the epicenter of said genres! AHNA hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. AHNA is one damn good, ass-kicking band. I absolutely love this band.
M-Theory Audio delivered once again for me, with this brain splitting release from SICARIUS. If you love Black Metal, you must check out SICARIUS and later send me an annual thank you gift for the next 25 years or more. SICARIUS hail from The Inland Empire in California. Hell and yeah. I’ve been listening to this SICARIUS cassette in my car to and from work for several days now and it’s so inspirational!!
Thank you for visiting Metal Odyssey. With countless other things you could be doing, checking in on what Metal I’ve been buying really makes my Metal day. Stay safe and cherish life. – Stone
Russian death metallers INFILTRATION are pleased to announce that they have signed a worldwide contract with Time To Kill Records, joining the label’s growing roster of premier talent.
The official lyric video of the band’s latest single, “Radiation Storm”, is available HERE.
The members of INFILTRATION first came together in 2017 with one goal in mind: to pay homage to some of their favorite death metal, give it their own heavy twist, and to have a blast doing it.
The band’s line-up features experienced musicians who used to be involved with such bands as Free At Last, Hellbomb, Chamber Of Torture, Katalepsy, Abnormal, and who shared the stage with iconic acts such as Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Suffocation and Broken Hope.
In 2017 the band recorded the debut EP “Nuclear Strike Warning”, which was very well received by both critics and fans, and made quite a stir in the local music scene. The band also released a single and a lyric video for the song “The Art of War”, supporting the release.
During 2018-2019 the band continued to give live performances, both locally and abroad, all the while, writing and recording the material for the debut full-length album. The autumn of 2019 proved to be a very prosperous time: the band opened for legendary Napalm Death, in front of fully packed venue. Also in September INFILTRATION released the “Missing in Bodycount” single, off the upcoming album. Shortly after the gig the band decided to release another lyric video, for the song “Radiation Storm”, this time via the Slam Worldwide Youtube channel. The clip rapidly gained popularity and positive feedback.
INFILTRATION will officially announce the release of new music – arriving in the form of their first full-length album – very soon. The album’s artwork will be handled by highly acclaimed master of artworks Daemorph (The Black Dahlia Murder, Pyrexia, Lividity).
Stay tuned for more details and music, coming soon!
Line-up: Andrew – Bass, songwriting Eugene – Guitars, songwriting Alex – Drums Paul – Vocals, lyrics
Ohio power metal band SOLAR FLARE have released their new single “Born to Burn”. The song is from their upcoming self-titled EP which will be released on May 23, 2020.
Here are some recent Metal purchases I’ve made in the last month or two, starting right off with Louisville Kentucky’s very own SAVAGE MASTER. I cannot get enough of the captivating vocals from Stacey Savage! Stacey is supreme! An Occult/Traditional Metal band are SAVAGE MASTER and adding their cassette release of Myth, Magic And Steel to my Metal collection was a powerful move on my Metal behalf!
I am currently still obtaining every release from California’s HAUNT. I am pleased to finally buy the first album from HAUNT on cassette: Luminous Eyes. Traditional Metal fans NEED to check out HAUNT. Man, I dig this band so very much!
NECROMORBID labels themselves as Satanic Extreme Metal and I will not argue with them on that. My passion for the Metal extreme is quite nourished by this cassette release from NECROMORBID. Sathanachrist Assaulter is the title of this new release from them. One more note: these dudes are from Italy.
Going into a more diverse musical direction for myself, I bought the newly released 7″ vinyl from Los Angeles California’s The Dollyrots:Make Me Hot. If you take a closer look at the above record cover, you’ll see that it’s autographed! Yes, for just $5 more, I made certain to get a signed copy by the band. Plus the money went directly to The Dollyrots, via their bandcamp site. Dig it!
The Pop/Punk duo of Kelly Ogden (vocals & bass) and Luis Cabezas (guitar & vocals) entertain me in a feelgood way. Truth be told. The B side of this 7″ vinyl is a cover from Lisa Loebs’ hit song: Stay (I Missed You). Groovy stuff. Thank you for visiting and checking out my recent purchases; I appreciate it more than you know! Stay safe – Stone
RON KEEL BAND led by the legendary front-man Ron Keel (Steeler, Keel) has a new album coming out titled ‘South X South Dakota’ on April 24th via HighVolMusic. The new album is a collection of 11 tracks of some the best southern rock music ever recorded.
Ron Keel explains: “Most of these tracks happened very organically in the studio as we were working on the “Fight Like A Band” sessions or just having fun. I found out later that producer Mike Dresch was actually recording those jams, and upon hearing some of the tracks it was obvious we had the makings of something special. Whether you grew up on this stuff like I did or not, there’s a common thread here that ties it all together – toughness and twang as Metal and Country collide on sacred southern ground.”
Track listing:
Train Train Rockin’ Into The Night Don’t Misunderstand Me (featuring Jasmine Cain) Red White & Blue Flirtin’ With Disaster Ramblin’ Man Fire On The Mountain Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys Homesick Ghost Riders In The Sky (produced by Henry Paul) Creedence Medley LIVE
As previously reported, the RON KEEL BAND signed with HighVolMusic in January 2020. The deal reached includes multiple albums, management and representation.
About eight years ago or so, I bought this EXODUS cassette single at a thrift store for fifty cents. Fifty cents!! It’s still sealed too! I wanted to keep it as an EXODUS collectible, you know? The A side is ‘Objection Overruled’ – the single from their 1990 studio album ‘Impact Is Imminent’.
The B side is a (never before released) cover song of the legendary Ted Nugent’s ‘Free For All’. I don’t recall this cover song ever making it to a future EXODUS album; thus this cassette single is the only way one can own it on a physical format, unless vinyl or CD single versions were released as well?
I really dig these cassette singles from the past and I have a few more to show and tell in the future. Thank you for visiting Metal Odyssey and Metal Forever. – Stone
This cassette single was released on Capitol Records.
EXODUS Line-up On ‘Impact Is Imminent’:
Steve “Zetro” Souza – vocals, Gary Holt – guitars, Rick Hunolt – guitars, Rob McKillop – bass, John Tempesta – drums
JUDAS PRIEST – I can remember like it was yesterday, my discovery of the iconic Judas Priest. My first Judas Priest vinyl purchase was 1982’s Screaming For Vengeance and my second Judas Priest vinyl grab was 1980’s British Steel. I was simply mesmerized by the powerful sound that was flooding into my teenage senses from these NWOBHM titans.
Back in 1982, I recall never hearing such strong and exciting music like this before. I was blown away by Judas Priest and wanted every album they had made. The vocals of Rob Halford went right through me, as if I was hit by a speeding train while I kept pleading for more. The duo guitars of Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing left me awestruck, along with the bass of Ian Hill and drumming from Dave Holland. There was no other band like Judas Priest, during those early 80’s. I say bullshit to anyone who disagrees; there just wasn’t and it remains that way to this day.
This same magical year I bought 1981’s “Point Of Entry” on vinyl as well. My vinyl album cover art was the original shown at the top of this post. I no longer have the vinyl; the CD is in my collection though. My 2 favorite songs from this classic are “Heading Out To The Highway” and “Hot Rockin’”. If you wanna revisit some real cheesiness from those early 80s, just check out the music video for “Hot Rockin’” in your spare time; it does the song zero justice.
As a whole, “Point Of Entry” is not better than any preceding Judas Priest albums, in my Metal opinion. With that said, I dig this album much more than I dig “Turbo” or “Nostradamus”. “Point Of Entry” was never going to be looked upon as a killer follow-up to the breathtaking “British Steel”; yet it still is a formidable slab of Metal history that survived a dynamic era of eclectic and pop dominated mainstream music charts.
I’ve recently been purchasing my CDs, cassettes and vinyl via online, due to store closures resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. I always patronize my local independent record stores and surely miss going to them; they served as a true escape from the daily grind. Hopefully our country and world will eventually return to some sort of normalcy. We have to!!
At the top of this post is the new METAL CHURCH release: From The Vault. I bought the CD/comic/sticker/guitar pick bundle, directly from Rat Pak Records. I couldn’t be happier with this METAL CHURCH bundle, it’s very unique!
Finland is home for OBDUKTIO and they have kicked the shit out of my ear canals! Ihmiskunnen Viholliset is the title for the cassette I bought directly from Caligari Records. I have no idea what the title translates to; all I know is it translates to OBDUKTIO plays killer Death Metal, Grind and extreme aggression to the maximum of levels! Metal be thy name!
I cannot get enough of California’s HAUNT. This band of young Metal warriors have taken the Traditional Metal torch and have ran away with it! I bought this (yellow version) cassette of If Icarus Could Fly directly from HAUNT, via their bandcamp site. I am currently on a Metal mission to obtain every release from HAUNT; they are that grand and addicting! A guitar driven Metal band!
Yes, it’s HAUNT once again! Their Mosaic Vision EP is available directly from the band and I jumped right on it! Each purchase I bought from HAUNT‘s bandcamp site also included the digital download. Can’t beat that! Thank you for checking out my site, stay safe and play it LOUD! – Stone
“Live At Last” was originally released back in 1980, without the consent of Black Sabbath. In later years, this live bootleg, if you will, was released as follows:
Released Summer 1980 Re-Released March 1996 Re-Released August 20, 1996 (Past Lives) Re-Released September 27, 2010
On June 26th, 2019, the official naming ceremony for the “Black Sabbath Bridge” took place in Birmingham, England. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler attended this joyous and historical occasion.
Music legend Rick Wakeman played keyboards on the 1973 studio album “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”.
The touring keyboardist for Black Sabbath, on their “Sabotage World Tour” (1975-1976) was Jezz Woodruffe. “Sabotage” was released back in July of 1975.
Sources: Black Sabbath Online / The Rough Guide To Heavy Metal (1st edition)
Let’s only hope the festival season can get rejuvenated once again, especially by this mid September. God only knows what this coronavirus has in store for us all. In the meantime, I believe it is healthy to look towards the future and scope out the concert and festival dates that are currently being planned in months ahead.
Judas Priest headlines the Rebel Rock Festival, on September 18th, in Orlando Florida at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. This year is marking the 50th Anniversary of the iconic Judas Priest. Why Limp Bizkit is still a headliner is a scary mystery to me. Life surely is strange, indeed. I did check out this festival website and saw that Machine Gun Kelly is performing as a top bill too. Whatever. Judas Priest is king. Metal be thy name. – Stone
We have been informed by our Japanese Promoter, Creativeman Productions that they are cancelling all their International Artists’ shows in Japan up to May 31. The Iron Maiden shows will therefore not be taking place in Tokyo on May 19 & 20, and in Osaka on May 22.
We send our best wishes to the people of Japan and to all our fans there.
We are either in quarantine, total isolation, working from home, stricken by the coronavirus or we’re an essential employee being exposed on the front lines. My deepest condolences to those who’ve lost loved ones and/or friends from this evil virus. Please stay strong and heal fast to those currently suffering from any symptoms of coronavirus. I give the deepest appreciation to ALL the people of so many trades and occupations that are helping save lives and to those allowing our food supply chain to continue without problems. Other than the hoarding of food and wipe your ass products, society has been trying to do their part.
My day job is working full-time in a high traffic and extremely popular grocery store. I have seen first hand the panic persona of the general public. Trust me, it has been the most stressful I’ve felt in my entire life. However, I and the ENTIRE WORLD will get through this, together. I’ve turned to my family, friends and coworkers for moral support; without them I’d be a basket case. I strongly advise anyone staying home for whatever reason to do just that. STAY HOME. There are tons of food delivery services available, at your disposal. If you live in a rural setting, by all means go out and get your food and supplies.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL EATERIES THAT ARE OFFERING TAKE-OUT!!!! If you can. I am scared out of my mind as to which food establishments in my neighborhood and surrounding area that will not survive this lock down. I am so saddened for my many friends that work as bartenders, waiters, waitresses, cooks, etc. that are in danger of never having their employer reopen. Plus, so many of these friends depended on tips to survive, outside of their hourly wages. Unreal sad.
My biggest pick-me-up during this pandemic has been music. Music soothes the soul and cheers me up like no other, save for my family. I’ve turned to METAL so much more since this Twilight Zone has started and I’ve also been lucky enough to have the spare dollars to support my favorite underground bands by purchasing their music online. If you have the spare $10, buy an album from a struggling band; so much money is being spent on charities as it is and all bands have had to cancel their tours.
In closing, THANK YOU for reading this. I never thought in a billion years I would be living in a Twilight Zone movie; yet here we are experiencing every grueling second of it. If I failed to mention anyone or any entity that is struggling during our global crisis, it is not intended and my apology is extended. As the mighty Tesla song goes: “HANG TOUGH”. Metal be thy name. Stone.
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!
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