Tag Archives: Release Date

Once Human to Release “Scar Weaver” on February 11

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 FlynnLogan 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.

Band Members:

  • Logan Mader
  • Lauren Hart
  • Damien Rainaud
  • Dillon Trollope
  • Max Karon

Once Human Online:

Emerging Modern Metal Outfit Absence of Despair to Release New Album, “Desolate”, on 9-13-19

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

Absence of Despair Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter
Instagram | YouTube

Featured photo (top) by Eric Hooker (Hook U Photography)

The Faim Reveal New Single, “Humans,” from Upcoming Debut Album

First Full-length Record, State of Mind,
to Be Released September 13 via BMG

Los Angeles, CA — The Faim have shared “Humans,” the first single from their forthcoming debut album, State of Mind, which will be released on Friday, September 13 via BMG. The track was produced with Patrick Morrisey (Weezer, Pharrell, Hayley Kiyoko) and David Dahlquist (Aurora, Fletcher) in New York and Los Angeles, and includes a great balance of unique pop-rock sounds, rounded out with lush live band elements and a massive, resonant chorus. Stream and download “Humans” HERE, and pre-order/pre-save State of Mind HERE.

“ ‘Humans’ is about embracing the unique qualities that make up who we are, from our individual character and personality traits, to our strengths and weaknesses. These diverse characteristics, and how they evolve throughout our lives, show us what it means to be human and how connected we all actually are,” the band explains.

The Faim unveiled their debut EP, Summer Is a Curse, last year and wasted no time creating music for their first full-length effort, State of Mind. Over the course of two years, the group worked with numerous writers and producers to craft a collection of songs that showcase a vast range of styles and tones. The tracks, recorded mostly in Los Angeles in various studios, reveal how The Faim has evolved since their inception. The lyrics come from emotions or experiences personal to the musicians as a whole, with each song centering on an idea that’s relatable to both themselves and their listeners. Overall, State of Mind reveals a band on the rise, and a group of artists who are all about making genuine songs that bring people together and create a community.

“We write from an honest place, and that’s something we always want to stay true to,” says frontman, Josh Raven. “It has to resonate with us for it be relatable to our fans. On this album it was about connecting with ourselves and exploring our influences and our own talent. If we stick to who we are and what we feel, hopefully everyone else will find something in the music too,” he elaborates.

State of Mind album artwork

State of Mind includes eight brand new tracks in addition to previously-released singles“Summer Is a Curse” and “Amelie.” If you were able to catch The Faim on tour earlier this year, you may have also heard them play “Beautiful Drama” and “Infamous,” two additional standout songs on the album. The complete track listing can be found below.

State of Mind Track Listing:

1. Tongue Tied
2. Humans
3. Summer Is a Curse
4. Beautiful Drama
5. Buying Time
6. Infamous
7. Amelie
8. Words Apart
9. Where the River Runs
10. State of Mind

About The Faim:

Over the past year, The Faim has built up a strong following around the world, from Australia to Europe to the States. They’ve performed at Download Festival, Slam Dunk, and Reading & Leeds, and toured with PVRIS, Against the Current, Sleeping With Sirens, and Andy Black. In 2018, The Faim performed 100 shows across three continents and 13 countries, while in 2019 the band embarked on their first headline tour, selling out shows in cities like London, Sydney, Amsterdam, and Hamburg. “Summer Is a Curse” has become a bona fide hit Germany, hitting No. 12 on the airplay charts after being played 24,000 times on German radio in 2018. The track, which appears in a Jeep commercial in France, hit No. 2 at radio in the Czech Republic. The group also scored the soundtrack to Coca-Cola’s global advertising campaign for Coke Zero, which was shown in 18 countries worldwide.

The Faim Is:

Josh Raven / Lead vocals
Sam Tye / Guitar
Stephen Beerkens / Bass, keyboard
Linden Marissen / Drums, percussion 

Follow The Faim:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Summer Is a Curse EP – Stream and Download:

Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon | Pandora
Google Play | Deezer | TIDAL

Featured photo (top) by Michelle Grace Hunder