Heritage, the album released today by five-piece downtempo deathcore band Distant, is the band’s third album, and the second with their current line up – joined by Jan Mato on drums and Eise Smit on guitar in 2020. While their second album Aeons Of Oblivion showed what the band was capable of, especially on the four-part “Ritual,” an almost deathcore suite, Heritage is the band at their full power.
“Heritage” album artwork
While the band is legendary for the brutality of their music, the opening track “Acid Rain” is almost beautifully melodic with an undercurrent of doom, like a fairy tale that starts with a welcoming path in the forest but portends darkness buried deep in the woods.
That darkness erupts on “Paradigm Shift,” and if a paradigm shift is a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions, then the song represents that for the band. Building off of “Acid Rain,” the track announces the band’s new direction, like their first two albums were the hunt, and now with Heritage, they’re here for blood.
The third track, “Born of Blood,” builds slowly, propelled by guitarists Vladimir Golic and Nouri Yetgin’s twin-assault pulverizing riffs. In the background of the song, though, is a swirling rhythm pulling the listener upwards with the song. Alec Grnja’s vocals seem to swirl throughout the song’s vortex before casting you out of the apex into the ether.
The centerpiece of the album is “Agent Justice,” a seven-minute epic that sounds like the score for an cult-classic horror film. The video for the song sees the band performing live, trapped behind a staticy red and black color palette, like you’re seeing it on a channel you’re not meant to watch, and the band is fighting through the static to the surface. While everyone shines on the track, Jon Mato’s blast beats are so relentless that it is astounding to realize a human being is capable of maintaining such a persistent beat. The song is a rollercoaster, taking you to its very peaks and then dropping you, screaming face-first into an almost-calming piano interlude that only gives to another sharp climb. Grnja’s vocals threaten to tear you in half as they run at you full force.
Tracks such as “A Sentence to Suffer” and “Human Scum” are played at such furious intensity that you can feel blood dripping from the tracks, with each member of the band going hard on both songs. The one-two punch of closing tracks “Orphan of Blight” and “Plaguebreeder” both start with the same kind of haunting, almost orchestral sound that then pulls you down sharply into an audio demolition derby, throwing you around and around until the merciless conclusion.
For a band that describes their own sound as “bone-crushing, thick-as concrete heaviness,” Heritage might as well be a hydraulic compactor, the kind that could pancake a military vehicle. The band has never sounded tighter and more in tune with each other than ever before. Grnja’s vocals are intense, working in conjunction with Golic and Yetgin’s guitars – which would be intense enough on their own, but combined with Elmer Maurit’s steady basslines and Mato’s blast beats, they are out to destroy everything in their path. Distant is at the forefront of European deathcore for a reason, and Heritage moves them firmly to the top of the mountain .Heritage was released on February 10th on all platforms, with physical copies available on Distant’s website, including a badass limited edition Heritage vinyl pressing on marbled white and red smoke – with only 500 copies available.
Be sure to catch the band when they play The Underground in Mesa on March 13th, along with Bodysnatcher, AngelMaker, and PALEFACE (CH).
Formed in 2014, Once Human have steadily established themselves as one of the most distinctive and destructive metal bands of the modern era. Founded by guitarist Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head) and vocalist Lauren Hart, the LA-based quintet have had noses to the grindstone throughout their existence, exhibiting a tireless dedication to live performance and a meticulous approach to capturing their crushing anthems for posterity.
Over the course of two full-length albums – 2015’s widely hailed debut The Life I Remember, and 2017’s conceptual tour-de-force Evolution – Once Human have pursued a militantly individual path, eschewing contemporary cliché in favour of a versatile and sinewy new strain of brutal but accessible metal, with Lauren’s coruscating vocals providing an endlessly emotive and humane focal point.
Four years on from their last album, Once Human are primed and ready to launch a fresh assault on hearts and ears. With a line-up completed by long-time bassist Damien Rainaud, drummer Dillon Trollope and second guitarist (and now chief riff-writer) Max Karon, the band have mutated into an even more devastating beast, as demonstrated with face-ripping aplomb on the new album Scar Weaver.
Once Human Scar Weaver album artwork
“It was not an easy path to reach this point, I’ll tell you that,” says Logan Mader. “The original masterplan for the band was really passion-project driven. The first two albums, we were still finding our way. Where we’re at now is with a really strong posture and by far the best album we’ve done. Over the years we’ve done a lot of groundwork and some smaller tours, just grinding things out, sometimes even in a DIY fashion. But now we have legit team around us, the band is firing on all cylinders and everything seems to be lining up this time.”
Once Human
Pieced together over the last two years, Scar Weaver represents a massive step forward for Once Human. Blessed (or perhaps cursed) with plenty of additional time during the last year’s lockdown situation, the band have been able to refine and redefine their sound, inspired by a sudden creative surge from latest recruit, Max Karon. The result is an gloriously idiosyncratic modern metal record, with Lauren Hart’s career-best vocal performance just one of its dazzling revelations. With Once Human’s most intense and explosive music to work with, the singer has pushed herself to new heights, showcasing a vastly expanded vocal range in the process.
“I always had a tremendous amount of belief in Lauren’s ability to be a legit frontwoman, but when this began she was new, and so there was a lot of development to happen over time,” says Logan. “She’s really blossomed. She’s grown a lot as a vocalist, a performer and a lyricist through all of this.”
“Vocally, I’ve changed a lot since the last record,” Lauren notes. “My screams got lower and the cleans became stronger. I’ve become much more comfortable with clean singing through touring with (US power metal legends) Kamelot, because they really pushed me to do that. I’ve learned a lot about my voice since then. But a lot of this starts with Max’s melodies, and sometimes I felt like it would be cheating to just growl over these amazing pieces of music, and it’d be so much better to do something that complements it. So sometimes the growls have melody too!”
As its title suggests, Scar Weaver is an album that brims and bulges with notions of pain, trauma and darkness. Lauren has once again penned a stunning collection of emotionally raw diatribes, but in contrast to Evolution’s overriding concept, the new record takes a more scattershot approach, reflecting the chaos of the modern world along the way. From visceral opener “Eidolon” to the corrosive claustrophobia of the closing “Only In Death,” all human life is alive and screaming on Scar Weaver.
“The songs are all really individual,” Lauren explains. “One of them is about blood diamonds. ‘Deadlock’ is about the politics of everything that’s going on. A lot of them toy with my philosophy of death and all of that. But in comparison to Evolution, because of the energy of the world, these lyrics have a much more dire tone. Evolution was more triumphant, because I wanted people to feel uplifted. I really tried with this album to be positive, but then I’d look at what I’d written and it was a downer! I guess the energy of the world right now helped me to write those lyrics.”
One instant highlight of the new Once Human record is preview single “Deadlock,” featuring a typically imperious vocal cameo from Machine Head’s Robb Flynn. Logan Mader’s history with Machine Head is well documented, not least in recent times when he toured the globe with Robb for the Bay Area band’s Burn My Eyes 25th Anniversary Tour. As a result, this new collaboration needs no explanation, but Lauren remains thrilled by the whole experience.
“It was absolutely amazing, are you kidding?” she grins. “I didn’t believe it was happening until he sent something back and I heard his voice on our song. I was like, ‘Holy crap! This is real!’ He came back with a new chorus and it was so much better than mine, so my chorus was gone! [Laughs] But then performing with him in the video, that was insane. The energy he brings on stage, he brings in person too. It was a great experience and his energy is so powerful. The video came out amazing!”
As the world begins to open back up, Once Human, fresh off Cradle of Filth‘s Lustmord and Tourgasm tour,are in the strongest position of their careers so far. Scar Weaver is a manifestly superior piece of work, with countless unforgettable hooks, riffs and moments of warped savagery (if the riff at the end of “Deserted” doesn’t make you want to run through a brick wall, check your pulse!) colliding to create a record of true originality and rare intensity.
“We’ve gotten through so many things along the way, we’re in a really strong place,” Logan avows. “Nothing can fuck us up now. That’s an important factor in this band – that internal energy.”
The perfect, invigorating antidote to the state of stasis that we’ve all endured over the last two years, Scar Weaver is the sound of a great band becoming greater, hitting their stride and discovering new levels of power, passion and punch in the process. As the world begins to open its doors once more, Once Human are fully equipped to launch their biggest and most life-affirming assault on the world’s senses.
“We have an amazing record, we’re ready to crush it, we have a really good chemistry between all of us,” says Logan. “We’re really good friends, and that’s really important. I think you can feel that when you see us onstage, like, ‘These guys are actually happy to be here and they like each other!’ That’s a bonus. It doesn’t have to be like that. But luckily we have a really cool, strong bond. It’s so important for us to get out there and connect with people in a real life environment.”
TORONTO– The OBGMs, the Canadian trio who “spit fire” (Punk News) and “boast classic punk vibes with contemporary garage rock” (Alternative Press), have set an Oct. 30 release date for The Ends(Black Box Music).
“This album is about death, wanting to die, and fighting for something to live for — it’s the end of all things. I feel this is the one of the most important cross-genre albums this century,” says the always quotable singer/guitar player Densil McFarlane. “We are Nirvana, we are The Beatles, and The Stones. We are really changing the dimensions of which the game is played like the Steph Curry of this rock shit. We all have feelings of doubt, uncertainty, and I used to live there. I’m trying not to die there. If I’m going out, I’m going out shooting.”
News of the album’s release arrives as the band debut a new single from the 10-song collection, sharing a video for the cathartically combative single “Fight Song”. Watch here.
McFarlane says of the motivation behind the track: “You ever sitting in your 9-5 and someone talking reckless and you really want to punch them in their head top? You ever get that passive aggressive email from that disrespectful person and you want to walk to their cubicle and tell them about their mom? I wrote this song so I wouldn’t have to hold my tongue. We want the smoke. All of it. You don’t like us, fight me, or get the hell out of the way. You can’t stop us, this is how we die.”
The OBGMs (that’s The oOoh Baby Gimme Mores) — rounded out by drummer Colanthony Humphrey and bass player Joseph Brosnan — aren’t your typical rock band. “This is a black-fronted punk band, and that’s really important,”McFarlane says. “Rock n’ roll is mostly white suburban kids—that’s what gets promoted. But we are Black and we out here. I was inspired to make rock music when I saw a Black guy on stage, and if someone sees that in us, I hope it will inspire a new generation to go after this.”
The Ends was produced by GRAMMY and Juno award winning Dave Schiffman (Rage Against The Machine/The Bronx/Pup) and recorded at Dream House Studios (Toronto). Album pre-orders, which include a 180g red/yellow splatter vinyl variant, are available now here.
“You can love us or hate us,” says McFarlane. “I’m aiming for that. We’d prefer the love — we’re full of love — but I’d rather you hate me than feel indifference.”
“Densil McFarlane delivers his self-deprecating lyrics with the sneer and bulldozing attitude of Keith Morris-era Black Flag, but his riffing and hooks could give even the Billie Joe Armstrongs of the world a run for their money. Keep these guys on your radar for sure.” – Guitar World
“The OBGMs barrel through hook-laden, guitar forward, tracks reminiscent of the early aughts garage rock revival. Underpinning that sound is feverish punk energy coupled with shout sing vocals. It’s something like The Hives by way of The Germs. Or the Strokes covering The Stooges.” – Vice
Special Guests Papa Roach, I Prevail, & Support from Ice Nine Kills
4x Platinum, 6x Gold record selling rock juggernaut Five Finger Death Punch have announced that they will kick off the 2nd leg of their current U.S. arena headline tour in April, featuring special guests Papa Roach, I Prevail, as well as highly acclaimed newcomer Ice Nine Kills. The tour is co-produced by Frank Productions and Live Nation. See all dates below.
VIP presale, artist fanclub presale, and cyber monday presale begins today at 10:00 AM (local time). Citi is the official presale credit card of the tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase U.S. presale tickets beginning Tuesday, December 3rd at 10:00 AM (local time) until Thursday, December 5th at 10:00 PM through Citi’s Entertainmentprogram. Local promoter venue and radio presales will kick off on Thursday, December 5th at 10:00 AM (local time). Tickets will go on-sale to the general public beginning Friday, December 6th at 10:00 AM (local time).
Five Finger Death Punch are currently touring US arenas before heading to Europe right after the holidays for their nearly sold out European arena run with very special guests Megadeth and global breakout rock sensation Bad Wolves. Information on all tour dates including links to tickets and VIP packages can be found HERE.
Five Finger Death Punch Spring 2020 Tour Dates:
4/8 – Sunrise, FL // BB&T Center
4/10 – Duluth, GA // Infinite Energy Center
4/11 – Pelham, AL // Oak Mountain Amphitheater
4/13 – San Antonio, TX // AT&T Center
4/14 – Ft. Worth, TX // Dickies Arena
4/16 – Houston, TX // Toyota Center
4/18 – Phoenix, AZ // Talking Stick Resort Arena
4/19 – San Diego, CA // Viejas Arena
4/21 – Los Angeles, CA // The Forum
4/23 – Tacoma, WA // Tacoma Dome
4/25 – Portland, OR // Veteran Memorial Coliseum
4/27 – Morrison, CO // Red Rocks Amphitheatre
4/29 – Kansas City, MO //Sprint Center
5/3 – Baltimore, MD // Royal Farms Arena
5/5 – Worcester, MA // DCU Center
5/6 – Newark, NJ // Prudential Center
5/8 – Cincinnati, OH // Heritage Bank Center
5/12 – Detroit, MI // Little Caesars Arena
5/14 – Pittsburgh, PA // PPG Paints Center
5/15 – Camden, NJ // BB&T Pavilion
5/17 – Nashville, TN // Bridgestone Arena
5/19 – Rosemont, IL // Allstate Arena
5/20 – St. Paul, MN // Xcel Energy Center
Coinciding with the unveiling of their next massive tour, Five Finger Death Punch have announced their long awaited eighth studio album, titled F8. The album will be released globally on February 28th, 2020 and is available for pre-order now.
Five Finger Death Punch have amassed over 3 billion streams to date, over 2 billion video views and are the 3rd biggest artist in the hard rock space measured by total consumption (sales and streams) – surpassed only by Metallica and AC/DC. Newly signed to Better Noise Music, they’ve garnered 22 top 10, hit singles over the last few years.
Today, Five Finger Death Punch also premiered the debut single from F8, “Inside Out” one of the most personal songs that the band has released to date. Watch the official lyric video HERE.
Fans who pre-order the album digitally will receive an instant download of “Inside Out” along with two other new tracks before the release on February 28th. The album will be available in the following formats: CD, digital download, mastered for iTunes download, double gatefold vinyl and picture disc vinyl. The band also curated special F8 merchandise bundles of albums with exclusive t-shirts, hoodies and more, available for pre-order HERE.
Says Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory, “We had an extremely successful, yet tumultuous couple of years as a band. We didn’t just weather the storm but came out on the other side better than ever. It was a focused sober group recording, our most important album to date and without a question it shows.”
“This album represents rebirth, progression, transcendence both personally and musically.” Vocalist Ivan Moody adds, “This record to me is ‘absolution’ – everything I’ve done in my life has led up to this moment.”
F8 was produced by Five Finger Death Punch with long time producer Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed, Slash, etc). See the full tracklisting for F8 below.
TRACKLISTING FOR F8:
F8
Inside Out
Full Circle
Living The Dream
A Little Bit Off
Bottom Of The Top
To Be Alone
Mother May I (Tic Toc)
Darkness Settles In
This Is War
Leave It All Behind
Scar Tissue
Brighter Side Of Grey
Making Monsters (BONUS)
Death Punch Therapy (BONUS)
Inside Out (Radio Edit) (BONUS)
The new album F8 follows Five Finger Death Punch’s hugely successful 2018 release, And Justice For None, which debuted in the Top 5 around the world and became the #1 streaming Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album of that year. They’ve built a rabid, global fan base by creating a unique sound that blurs the line between rock and metal, which has never been more apparent than on their upcoming eighth studio album F8 and their upward trajectory doesn’t seem to waver.
Five Finger Death Punch Is:
Zoltan Bathory Ivan Moody Jason Hook Charlie Engen Chris Kael
Rock and punk fans should keep an ear out for the band My Immortal Enemy, especially if some of your favorite bands include Beartooth, Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance, and AFI. Steven Juliano is their vocalist, Joel Chandler is bassist, Ryan Loomis is on drums, and Ryan Heggum is the guitarist.
My Immortal Enemy
Photography: Cats Eye View Photography
If Juliano’s name sounds familiar, then perhaps you’ve heard of the band I Am Ghost from Epitaph records. Juliano is hitting the ground running with My Immortal Enemy, and their new duet album Akuma, featuring 12 head-banging rock songs, is coming out soon on January 10th, 2020. Their album was recorded at Indigital Studios in Santa Cruz, CA. It was mixed/mastered by Zack Ohren who has previously worked with Machine Head, All Shall Perish, and Set Your Goals.
Most of the members are still in their early 20’s and are excited to hear what music lovers think of their new record. They can’t wait to hit the road and meet their fans on tour, hopefully sometime in 2020.
Juliano generously gave Burning Hot Events some of his time to discuss the album concept, choices behind its development, and band evolution:
Interview with Steven Juliano, Singer of My Immortal Enemy
Q & A with music journalist Brittney Coon
The word “akuma” is Japanese for “demon” or “devil”, and Akuma is also the name of a character from Street Fighter. What is the inspiration for your album title?
Juliano: From the very beginning, before we had even written a song, I had a concept for this record. With my last band (I Am Ghost), rock-opera-albums was our thing, but after the band disbanded I started a few other music projects and kind of steered away from all that. The reason being concept albums are a lot of work. Mentally hard work. I wasn’t ready to wrap my head around such a large endeavor then.
This time I felt I was ready again, knowing all too well I was making a lot more work for myself lyrically. But I like challenges, I guess. I’m a glutton for punishment as they say. So, I created this detailed story; a semi-fictional tale with me as the protagonist, the devil (Akuma) the main antagonist. It’s a life journey story in a sense, something I believe we can all relate to.
On your website and on SoundCloud, the track “Paradise” shows an image of Baphomet, a Satanic deity. Lyrically, does your album contain a lot of occult elements? If so, does this reflect your personal beliefs, or is it more of a stylistic choice?
Juliano: It’s all about the concept of the album, honestly, and has nothing to do with our religious beliefs. None of us in My Immortal Enemy are Satanist. None of us are very religious to begin with. I’ve been asked by a lot by people on what the artwork means, why all the dark/religious undertones, etc… and it’s hard to explain since the album isn’t out yet. Once you hear it all in context, it makes sense.
What drew you to having Zack Ohren produce your debut album?
Juliano: The band actually wrote/produced the album ourselves and Zack did the entire mixing/mastering. Before he came on board we had another guy, a semi-famous gentleman whose band had sold millions and millions of albums in the past. So we thought it was a no brainer to have him mix our album. Well, his mixes were turning out… terrible. And not only terrible, he was taking months to get mixes back. There was a definite low period in the band. I had never gone through anything like that before in my career. We all felt helpless, like our album had been hijacked. Finally, I just called up the guy and fired him.
Soon after the search was on for a new mixing-engineer. My bass player told me about a guy he’d worked with in the past, a guy whose discography of bands was perfect for what we’re trying to convey. At the time, Zack was working on the new Machine Head album but graciously took on our project.
Out of all the tracks on your new album, why did you choose “The Laughing Heart” as your first single?
Juliano: Figuring out the first song to release is always difficult. Especially from a new band no one’s heard of yet. You have all these questions swirling in your head: “Do we release an aggressive song? A “radio song”? What if no one likes it? Blah blah blah.” All artists are insecure in a way. If they say they’re not they are lying. We decided it was best to release something that had a little bit of everything.
What I’ve learned from doing this for so long is that not everyone is going to like your music. It took me quite some time to realize that. Easier said than done… I know. But in the end you just have to put out songs you dig and keep moving forward. Second thing I’ve learned (mostly by trial and error) is that if you’re writing honest music with honest lyrics, people tend to lean towards that more often than not.
Currently showing four men as your band members, who is the female vocalist on tracks such as “Into the Blue”?
Juliano: At the early conception of the band we had a female guitarist who played and sang on the album. But, as in life, shit happened… shit that was completely out of our control. One minute she’s all about that tour life… the next minute she’s like “I’m going to get married and I don’t want to be in a band anymore.” Ultimately she moved away and gave up.
That’s the hardest part of being in a serious band; finding people who are all on the same page. Some would think finding great, seasoned musicians is the hardest part, but that’s not true at all. That’s the easy part actually. Finding musicians who you get along with and are willing to put in the long hours is definitely the hardest part.
We know how difficult it can be to retain band members in a new band. With six members listed on your Facebook page, have you gained and lost many members over the past year? If so, how were you able to recover?
Juliano: We’ve been lucky enough to keep the four main members, all of whom are the main song writers of the group. So in retrospect it’s been rather painless. Most touring bands have members who are really just hired guns anyways, so the fact we’ve kept our core unit in tact is a blessing.
How is this band different, in sound or otherwise, than I Am Ghost?
I Am Ghost’s Those We Leave Behind Album Cover
Juliano: The biggest difference with My Immortal Enemy and I Am Ghost is that I Am Ghost had a strong, almost ungodly major label push from day one. I Am Ghost was signed by Epitaph Records very early in our career. We signed a three album deal after only a couple of shows under our belts. And when I say couple, I mean only like three of four shows… ever. After that we became another monster. We had real management and agents and a team of publicists… big dogs that would never even return my emails in any of my previous bands… and all this happened literally overnight.
My Immortal Enemy’s Akuma Album Artwork By: Steven Juliano
My Immortal Enemy, on the other hand, is all DIY. We do everything ourselves. We paid for the recording and mixing of our album ourselves… which was very expensive. Our upcoming music video we paid ourselves. We book all our own shows. I design all the artwork in the band. The negative in all that is its financially draining. The positive, and you have to always look at the positive being in a band, is that there is zero outside influence regarding our music, and for the moment, we rather enjoy the freedom. As to the actual musical styles between the two, My Immortal Enemy is definitely very similar, although I wasn’t trying for that to happen at all. It just kind of happened, I guess.
Your website currently shows a “coming soon” message under the “Tour” section. Are tour plans currently in the works to support the album release?
Juliano: We wanted to take off a few months and get the album release in order. All that takes a lot of work since we are doing it ourselves. Also, being that it’s winter, there really is no reason to hop into a van and travel the US battling all that darn rain and snow. Again, I’ve been touring since I was 19 years old, so subsequently I know how it goes. Winter dates more likely than not get canceled because of bad weather, and most importantly it’s too dangerous traveling. We will be back early 2020 with tour dates, so rest assured. We hope to play as many shows and in as many different places as we possibly can.
What headlining bands would you love to tour with?
Juliano: The cool thing about our band is I feel we could tour with anyone and do ok. We have that definite metal vibe but I’m a punk kid at heart and I think we’d do well on a punk tour, or a hard rock tour. I think we’d fit in well on a pop punk tour… hell, throw us on a ska tour we’d survive. But bands that would be fun to tour with would be bands like Beartooth or Avenged Sevenfold, or even My Chemical Romance now that they have gotten back together.
How are you going to celebrate the release of your new album?
Juliano: This might sound stupid but it feels as though we’ve gone to war in some far off country and have finally returned home… like years later. There’s definitely this “Holy shit man, we did it. We made it home alive…” type mentality with the four of us, which in the end has only brought us closer together. Ultimately, bad things happen in life… things completely out of your control and you can either be resilient or just give up.
But we honestly believe in this album. We think it’s not just good, but rather exceptional. Especially if you know all the history surrounding its inception… of how many times we were knocked down but kept getting back up. My Immortal Enemy are fighters, that’s for damn sure.
Order Akuma:
Arrives in stores everywhere January 10th, 2020. You can now pre-order your physical copy of My Immortal Enemy’s debut 12 song album, “Akuma” HERE. Signed by entire band. Includes two stickers and 1.5 inch button. Bundle pack includes Black Skull/Coffin T-Shirt. FREE shipping (if in the USA). Album ships world-wide.
After a crowdfunding campaign that far exceeded the goal, symphonic/Celtic vocal goddess Leah has revealed that her upcoming winter-themed album,Ancient Winter, will officially see release on November 15.
Says Leah, “Now that the crowdfunding campaign is complete, I’m really excited to focus on the release of this album in November. My closest colleagues have told me this album might be some of my best work yet. Regardless, I hope this new music will make the coming winter season much more magical.”
Ancient Winter features eight tracks – five of which are originals and three traditional century medieval songs that Leah puts her own unique touch on. The album offers a slight departure from Leah‘s traditional symphonic metal into a more atmospheric, ethereal sound. It is a more earthy sounding album filled with new instrumentation such as fiddles and uilleann pipes, which give it a beautiful harmony of middle eastern feeling and Celtic folk and fantasy. Ancient Winter proves Leah‘s ability to venture into musical realms beyond metal.
Ancient Winter represents a new approach to holiday music as it celebrates winter themes in a way that is sure to give it a wider appeal. This is not simply a “Christmas album” but rather an emotional journey into transcendent ideals that will inspire any listener from anywhere.
Ancient Winter Tracklisting:
The Whole World Summons Light of the World Upon Your Destiny Redemption The Messenger Gaudete Puer Natus Noël Nouvelet
For Ancient Winter, Leah tapped a top-notch talent cast of musicians, including Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Anna Murphy (Cellar Darling), Shir-Ran Yinon (Eluveitie), Oliver Philipps (Everon, Phantasma) and renowned string musician Rupert Gillett. This diverse lineup adds an international flavor to the album alongside Leah‘s beautiful vocals.
A variety of bundle packages will be available soon HERE. Watch the lyric video for “Redemption,” the first single from Ancient Winter, HERE:
About Leah:
Leah has amassed a generous and dedicated fanbase that has allowed her to crowdfund three of her five recordings without the assistance of a record label. Leah‘s first four albums, Of Earth and Angels (2012), Otherworld (2013), Kings & Queens (2015), and The Quest (2018) are a rapturous blend of a symphonic metal style carefully spiced with Celtic, folk and fantasy. Her emotive vocals are often compared to Loreena McKennitt, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan.
Leah – described affectionately by her fans as “the metal Enya” – hails from the coast of British Columbia, Canada, and is inspired by Celtic and world music influences such as Clannad and Enya to European symphonic and progressive metal influences. Her debut self-released album Of Earth & Angels received international critical acclaim, including landing the “The Best Symphonic Metal Album” Metalstorm Award for 2012. Her 2013 release, Otherworld, is a five-song Celtic-metal masterpiece, mixed by Christian “Moschus” Moos at SPACELAB in Germany (Delain, Everon, Imperia) and features the vocals of guitar legend Eric Peterson (Testament/Dragonlord) on the ethereal metal track “Dreamland.” 2014 was very successful year for Leah as she raised over $27,000 through Indiegogo via her fans to record and produce her heaviest album, Kings & Queens, which was eventually released in early 2015 through Inner Wound Recordings. The album received dozens of four and five-star reviews, and helped her gain thousands of new fans around the world. Leah raised over $87,000 in 30 days via Indiegogo and her shop to launch last year’s The Quest, again released via her own independent record label, Ex Cathedra Records, along with Inner Wound Recordings. The Quest received 5-star reviews and critical acclaim.
Los Angeles – Fear Inoculum, Tool’s fifth studio album, and 2019’s most anticipated release, is available now. Listen HERE.
“Tool’s Fear Inoculum is a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come.” –Revolver
The news arrives as the band announces a six-week North American tour, launching the trek on Oct. 13 at the Aftershock Festival. Tickets are on-sale Sept. 6 at 10 am local time, with a limited number of tickets will be available to Tool Army members on Sept. 4. Tool Army information, as well as VIP package details, can be found HERE.
“Fear Inoculum is a beast of an album” –Consequence of Sound
Fear Inoculum’s release caps off over a decade of speculation and anticipation, with confirmation of the release arriving in May as the band flashed “August 30” from the stage as they performed two new songs: “Descending” and “Invincible.”
“absolutely gobsmacking” –Kerrang!
As August arrived, Tool released their back catalog via digital service providers, seeing Opiate, Undertow, Ænima, Lateralus and 10,000 Days rack up in excess of 20 million streams in the subsequent 48 hours and occupy the top five spots on iTunes’ Top 10 Album Charts. 23 years after its initial release, Ænima re-entered Billboard’s Top 200, arriving at #10, with Lateralus (#16), 10,000 Days (#18) and Undertow (#19) landing in the Top 20. Tool’s debut release, 1992’s Opiate EP, made its Billboard chart premiere, arrived at #59. The band also broke records that week: taking four of the top five spots on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart (the first act to achieve that feat upon digital release) and claiming 15 (of 25) spots on Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart.
“A languid and blissful work.” 5 Stars –NME
The title track arrived as details surrounding the collection surfaced, including a limited-edition CD version of Fear Inoculum. The collectible offering, which was conceived by and directed by Adam Jones, features a 4” HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage, charging cable, 2 watt speaker, a 36-page booklet and a digital download card. A list of retailers who have remaining stock of the groundbreaking package can be found HERE. A vinyl release will be announced soon.
“TOOL’s Fear Inoculum is a transcendent return” – SPIN
Fear Inoculum Cover
Tool North American Tour Dates:
October 13 Sacramento, CA Aftershock Festival October 15 Denver, CO Pepsi Center October 18 Salt Lake City, UT Vivint Smart Home Arena October 20 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center October 21 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center October 23 Glendale, AZ Gila River Arena October 25 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center October 27 Houston, TX Toyota Center October 29 Tulsa, OK BOK Center October 31 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum November 2 Indianapolis, IN Banker’s Life Fieldhouse November 3 Chicago, IL United Center November 5 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena November 6 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse November 8 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena November 9 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena November 11 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena November 12 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena November 14 Boston, MA TD Garden November 16 Newark, NJ Prudential Center November 18 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center November 19 Brooklyn, NY Barclay’s Center November 21 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino Arena November 22 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall November 24 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena November 25 Washington, DC Capitol One Arena
Tool formed in 1990, releasing four multi-platinum studio albums: Undertow (1993), Ænima (1996), Lateralus (2001) and 10,000 Days (2006); two EPs: 72826 (1991) and Opiate (1992) and the limited-edition boxset Salival (2000). The band has won three GRAMMY Awards®: Best Metal Performance (1998, “Ænima”), Best Metal Performance (2002, “Schism”) and Best Recording Package (2007, 10,000 Days).
Tool Is:
Danny Carey (drums) Justin Chancellor (bass) Adam Jones (guitar) Maynard James Keenan (vocals)
Los Angeles — Fear Inoculum, the fifth studio album from Tool, arrives on Aug. 30 via RCA Records. Stream the album’s title track HERE.
Continuing their affinity for pushing the boundaries of physical packaging, the GRAMMY Award® winning outfit has created a deluxe, limited-edition CD version of Fear Inoculum. The collectible offering, which was conceived by and directed by Adam Jones, features a 4” HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage, charging cable, 2 watt speaker, a 36-page booklet and a digital download card. Pre-orders for both the special package and digital downloads are available HERE. A vinyl release will be announced soon.
The 85-minute collection was produced by Tool, with Joe Barresi engineering and mixing the release. Barresi also worked with the band on 10,000 Days.
The song stream and pre-order news arrives as the Los Angeles band recently made several of their previous releases, Opiate, Undertow, Ænima, Lateralus and 10,000 Days, available for the first time on digital service providers. The releases racked up over 20 million streams in the first 48 hours of release, as well as quickly claiming five spots on iTunes’ Top 10 Albums chart.
Tool formed in 1990, releasing four multi-platinum studio albums: Undertow (1993), Ænima (1996), Lateralus (2001) and 10,000 Days (2006); two EPs: 72826 (1991) and Opiate (1992) and the limited-edition boxset Salival (2000). The band has won three GRAMMY Awards®: Best Metal Performance (1998, “Ænima”), Best Metal Performance (2002, “Schism”) and Best Recording Package (2007, 10,000 Days).
Tool Is:
Danny Carey (drums) Justin Chancellor (bass) Adam Jones (guitar) Maynard James Keenan (vocals)
Providence, Rhode Island-based modern metalcore upstarts Absence of Despair have made waves in the scene since their formation in 2008, but are set for national acclaim with their brand new album, Desolate, scheduled for release on September 13, 2019. The album features 12 brand new, heavy-hitting anthems that showcase this hard working up-and-coming band’s undeniable raw talent. Ripping, intense metal grooves blended with addictive hooks poise Absence of Despair‘s Desolate as an undeniable metalcore favorite of 2019.
Desolate pre-orders are available here via the band’s website, and will be available via all digital retailers very soon.
Desolate album artwork
Today, Absence of Despair are thrilled to reveal the first single cut from their upcoming album, entitled “Bite My Tongue”. Fans can witness the brand new, high octane music video for the headbang-inducing track now:
Watch New Music Video for “Bite My Tongue”
The “Bite My Tongue” video was shot by Matty LaBonte of Crown Media Collective.
Bassist Rob Bryant says:“The main concept of the video is to not be taken over by anxiety, but to overcome, and breakthrough it. Crown Media Collective did a fantastic job on the video. They were able to purge the anxiety concept well with the static televisions placed around us.”
Desolate immediately bursts into a brutal assault of fast-paced grooves on the album’s opener, “ESC”, and continues to traverse a melodic-yet-darkened metalcore landscape on tracks like “Bite My Tongue” and “Godkiller”. Anthemic tracks such as “Fearless” and “This Reckoning” solidify the band’s keen ability to write unforgettable hooks without sacrificing sinister riffage, while “Lost & Hopeless” provides an example of Absence of Despair‘s more extreme side. Beyond these tracks, there’s even more to love on Desolate.
Vocalist Joe Reynolds says: “Desolate is focused on gaining the strength to look at obstacles in your life and overcome them. Each song represents a different side or emotion of a person and tells the story of what’s going through their head. At the end of the day, we want the listener to find meaning in themselves and the world around them.”
Desolate was recorded, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder (For The Fallen Dreams, King 810, The Color Morale) at Random Awesome Studios in Midland, Michigan.
Bassist Rob Bryant says:“Josh Schroeder really brought possibilities to light for us musically, helped shape the songs the way we needed them to be, and brought us out of our comfort zone. He pushed us, and helped us push ourselves into creating what we feel is our most dynamic and heavy hitting project yet.”
Desolate Track Listing:
1) ESC 2) Bite My Tongue 3) Wild 4) Godkiller 5) Fearless 6) Lost & Hopeless 7) This Reckoning 8) Die Primitive 9) Shadowbreaker 10) I Am Catastrophe 11) The Skin We Live In 12) Pathwalker
Absence of Despair will perform at the Providence, Rhode Island date of the Summer Slaughter tour, taking place on August 2 at Fete Music Hall. For more information, visit this link. The band is currently booking fall tour dates in support of Desolate.
Absence of Despair endorses Fishman, GHS Strings, Empire Ears, Coldcock Whiskey, InTune Guitar Picks and Sennheiser.
Stay tuned for more tracks and videos coming from Absence of Despair soon!
Absence of Despair Is:
Joe Reynolds: Vocals Tyler Caruso: Guitar/Vocals Dillon DeSimone: Guitar/Vocals Rob Bryant: Bass Mike Perrotta: Drums
Miami, FL – Torche reveal a third track “Admission” (July 12, Relapse Records), debuting the album’s title track via BillboardHERE.
“This is a song where the music and the lyrics are a perfect match,” explains guitar player Jon Nunez in the accompanying article. “It’s as if they were meant to go together. What I was going through at the time really came through in the song, and the music I gave Steve definitely brought out some rather painful emotions for him [regarding] losing loved ones and the process you go through after. You could even hear a quiver in Steve’s voice, and it was like, ‘Wow, this is something we haven’t done before.’ Steve tends to be really secretive with his lyrics. He needed a little bit of a push, but I think deep down inside he wanted to get this off his chest.”
The band has given two previous previews of music from the 11-song album with streams of the songs “Slide” and “Times Missing”. The trio of tracks are available as instant downloads with digital pre-orders. Admission is available in various formats (CD/LP/CS/Digital) with several limited edition vinyl versions already sold out. More information can be found via Relapse’s webstore. Admission’s cover art was created by Richard Vergez, a Cuban-American visual artist, whose work has been shown at No Romance Galleries (TriBeCa), Urban Arts Society (Chicago) and Kids of Dada (London).
Torche released their fourth album, and Relapse Records’ debut, Restarter in 2015. The collection found the band on most year-end best of lists with Entertainment Weekly describing the album as “gloriously fuzzy, sludgy, hard-hitting” and calling the band members “four of loud rock’s most adroit genre-benders.”The Washington Post called Restarter “otherworldly” and the Chicago Tribune saying “Torche’s music connects muscle, songcraft and drive in a way that few bands of recent vintage can match.”
Touche Tour Dates:
July 8 Tampa, FL Crowbar July 9 Jacksonville, FL The Justice Pub July 10 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 July 11 Lancaster, PA The Chameleon * July 12 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance * July 13 Huntington, NY The Paramount * July 14 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre * July 15 Winooski, VT Monkey House * July 16 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom * July 17 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls * July 18 Cleveland, OH Now That’s Class July 19 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall July 20 Detroit, MI The Majestic * July 21 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe * July 22 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme July 23 Palatine, IL Durty Nellies * July 24 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s * July 25 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line July 26 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room * July 27 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater * July 28 St. Louis, MO The Ready Room * July 31 Washington, DC Black Cat ^ August 1 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts ^ August 2 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bazaar ^ August 3 Allston, MA Great Scott ^ August 4 Providence, RI The Met ^ August 5 Asbury Park, NJ Asbury Lane ^ August 6 Harrisonburg, VA Golden Pony # August 7 Wilmington, NC Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern # August 8 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade # August 9 Orlando, FL The Plaza & August 10 Miami, FL Las Rosa’s (FREE SHOW) # September 21 Asheville, NC Heavy Mountain November 1-3 Gainesville, FL The Fest November 9 Austin, TX Levitation
^ (w/ Wear Your Wounds) # (w/ Whores.) * (w/ Baroness) & (w/ Baroness & War On Women)
