A video album review on What The Dead Men Say, the ninth studio album from Trivium. “You’re a catastrophe” is my new favorite thing to tell someone I don’t like.
Scroll below the video to hear music from the new album.
LAMB OF GOD has issued a statement regarding the release of their upcoming self-titled album and the album’s third single:
“Regrettably, we have to announce that the release date for our upcoming self-titled album is being moved five weeks, to June 19th. We’re in extraordinary times due to the current global reality and the delay of shipments of all-but essential goods needed in the fight against COVID-19. After talks with our labels, there is no other option than to delay the release so that fans who pre-ordered the album can receive the record they paid for.
We appreciate your patience during these times – a global pandemic is not something people in the music industry usually take into account when scheduling album releases, but as you know, this thing has affected everyone across the board, and we are no exception. We will, however, be releasing a new song, “New Colossal Hate”, this Thursday, April 23rd and plan to release a 4th song from the album before the full album is released in June. Thank you for your understanding.
Wash your damn hands, let us know what you think of the new tunes, and see you on the road sometime!” – LAMB OF GOD
A true collaboration between all members of the band, LAMB OF GOD’s eighth studio album is an amalgam of each individual’s contributions, blended to create a singular style. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler fuel the album with a mountain of riffs, taking what Lamb of God are known for, and unbelievably, upping the ante to new levels. The rhythm section of John Campbell, looming large as a rhythmic shadow, and drummer Art Cruz, who makes his studio debut with LAMB OF GOD here on this record, underpin the proceedings with passion, sweat and expansive dynamics. Vocalist D. Randall Blythe is as angry, insightful, and informed as ever. Never one to shrink from facing the darker aspects of our nature head-on, Blythe delivers with no punches pulled, and as only he and Lamb of God can in 2020.
Lamb Of God track listing: 1. Memento Mori 2. Checkmate 3. Gears 4. Reality Bath 5. New Colossal Hate 6. Resurrection Man 7. Poison Dream (feat. Jamey Jasta) 8. Routes (feat. Chuck Billy) 9. Bloodshot Eyes 10. On The Hook
Lamb Of God’s self-titled, 8th studio album is now set to be released June 19, 2020 on Epic Records.
The Richmond, Virginia, quintet propelled heavy metal into the new millennium two decades ago with the prophetically titled New American Gospel. They followed with 2003’s As the Palaces Burn, which made the Rolling Stone list of the Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. Ashes of the Wake, released in 2004, was the first LAMB OF GOD album to be certified gold by the RIAA, as was 2006’s Sacrament,which also made a Top 10 Billboard 200 chart debut. In 2009, LAMB OF GOD released Wrath, their first with Wilbur at producer, and earned the number one album spot on Billboard’s Hard Rock, Rock, and Tastemaker charts, with a number two position on the Billboard 200.
Those number one positions were repeated with 2012’s Resolution, which swung effortlessly between thrash, traditional metal, sludgy doom, with flashes of crust punk swagger and bravado. LAMB OF GOD’s last album, VII: Sturm und Drang (2015) made its debut on the Billboard 200 at number three and finished number 2 in the world charts, reaching Top 5 in five countries and six addition Top 15 positions.
Last year, Puppy put together an ambitious treatment for a music video to accompany “Powder Blue,” a song from their newiii EP.
It involved a shedload of pyro, stage props, and lighting, with Puppy performing a killer heavy metal gig to a huge crowd. You know, the kind they had “watched on MTV as kids.”
Long story short, in the build up to the shoot, everything went to shit.
And without planning it that way, Puppy ended up being filmed playing a “socially distanced show” to an empty room.
The resulting video presents itself as a heartwarming reminder of why we all do this heavy metal lark — reflecting honestly on being a band in a quarantined world.
“‘Powder Blue’ is the first song on our last EP, iii. We called it that because it was our third EP, and because there are three of us in the band. For whatever reason, triptychs, triplets, three-pieces, and trilogies felt quite important to us at that point,” says the band. “The whole idea with the songs on iii was that they should sound like what they are: three people in a room together, with little-to-no over-dubs, add-ons, or studio wizardry. It’s fitting then that, because of world events, the video ended up mirroring this concept in its simplicity.”
Puppy continues, “We had a lot of ambitious ideas for this video going into it, and for many reasons these didn’t exactly play out how we’d hoped. But we like this video now precisely because of its limitations; because, like the EP, it’s a record of three people coming together to try and make something bigger than the sum of their parts. The fact that we failed miserably doesn’t seem to matter as much now.”
iii was recorded in Hackney’s largely analogue Holy Mountain Studios, around the corner from the rehearsal space where Puppy first started making music together, with producer Misha Hering.
iii TRACKLISTING: “Powder Blue” “Agatha” “_fig.1” “Serotonin” “Charms” “_fig.2” “Star Of The Sea” “Letterbomb”
A special edition of How Did I Miss This?! where my patrons suggest and vote on albums that I missed. This video looks at the latest from Spanish Love Songs, Suicide Silence, The Amity Affliction, The Birthday Massacre, Sons Of Apollo, and Sylosis.
How Did I Miss This?! | Spanish Love Songs, Suicide Silence, More
Click below to hear music from each album.
The Amity Affliction – “Soak Me In Bleach”
The Amity Affliction is an Australian metalcore band from Gympie, Queensland, formed in 2003. The band’s current line-up consists of Ahren Stringer (bass, keyboards, clean vocals), Joel Birch (lead vocals), Dan Brown (guitar) and Joe Longobardi (drums).
The Birthday Massacre – “Diamonds”
The Birthday Massacre (abbreviated TBM) is a Canadian rock band, formed in 1999 in London, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. The current lineup consists of lead vocalist Chibi, rhythm guitarist Rainbow, lead guitarist Falcore, keyboardist Owen, drummer Philip Elliot, and bassist Brett Carruthers.
Suicide Silence is an American deathcore band from Riverside, California. The band was established in 2002, and has released five full-length studio albums, one EP, and eleven music videos. They were awarded the Revolver Golden God award for “Best New Talent” in 2009. The group currently consists of guitarists Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun, drummer Alex Lopez, bassist Dan Kenny, and vocalist Hernan “Eddie” Hermida.
Spanish Love Songs – “Losers”
Spanish Love Songs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. Spanish Love Songs released their first full-length album in 2016 titled Giant Sings the Blues. In 2018, the band released their second full-length, Schmaltz. In 2020, Spanish Love Songs released their third full-length album titled Brave Faces Everyone.
Enigmatic collective HEILUNG have shared their first ever music video for the song “Norupo,” which is taken from 2019’s critically-acclaimed release, ‘Futha!’ The video was shot at the Neolithic standing stones at Les Menhirs de Monteneuf in France.
You can watch the stunning video below:
Norupo is composed around the ancient runic poem with the name ”The Norwegian Rune Poem”. The poem was preserved in a 17th-century copy of a now lost 13th-century manuscript and gives a complete description of all sixteen runes of the younger Futhark.
Following an extremely successful first ever tour of North America, in which every venue sold out, enigmatic pagan collective HEILUNG are returning to the states for one spectacular evening! The Danish formation will be bringing their mesmerizing ritual to the historic, century-old Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO on October 6.
Tickets can be purchased HERE. As of now, the show is still planning to happen on schedule.
HEILUNG will be supporting their 2019 release, ‘Futha,’ which debuted at #3 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts and #4 on the Billboard World Music Charts, placing on a total of seven Billboard charts within the first week of its release.
Moreover, HEILUNG has recently announced the standalone Blu-Ry for their ‘Lifa’ live film. Filmed during a late summer night at Castlefest 2017 in The Netherlands, ‘Lifa – Heilung Live at Castlefest’ captures HEILUNG‘s legendary debut performance. This will be the first time that the mesmerizing footage is available worldwide as a stand-alone audio/visual (Blu-ray) piece. ‘Lifa’ lays bare the power and majesty of the enigmatic Danish trio’s deep and enchanting live ritual for all to experience.
The Blu-ray will be released on April 24 via Season of Mist and can be pre-ordered HERE.
The digital stream of ‘Lifa,’ which has over 4 Million views to date, can be seen HERE.
Earlier this year, HEILUNG brought their mesmerizing live ritual to states and Canada for the first time ever, which sold out every venue within 72 hours of announcing.
During this year’s Game Awards, HEILUNG announced that they will be working with U.K.-based gaming company Ninja Theory on the soundtrack for their upcoming game, ‘Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.’ The announcement trailer for the new game features HEILUNG‘s song ‘In Maidjan,’ which is taken from their debut album, ‘Ofnir.’ Watch the trailer HERE.
Speaking of the collaboration, HEILUNG comment, “It is with the uttermost joy and deepest respect that we can finally reveal: Heilung is collaborating with Ninja Theory on the soundtrack for ‘Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.’ From the very first meeting with co-founder & Chief Creative Ninja Tameem, Commercial Director Dominic, and Audio Lead David, we discovered that although we work on very different platforms, the core is very much alike. Both Heilung and Hellblade are deeply inspired by nature and history, and aim to alter your state of mind. We are looking very much forward to present this hybrid child, born from a meeting between ancient spirits and the technology of tomorrow.”
Earlier this year, the band’s music was featured in a trailer for the final season of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ series. It can be viewed HERE.
This was not the first time HEILUNG‘s music has been featured in a commercial, as “Krigsgaldr” was featured in a 2018 commercial for the Adidas x Alexander Wang collaboration. Watch the commercial HERE!
‘Futha’ was released on June 28 and can be streamed HERE and ordered HERE.
A video review on Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, the sixth studio album from Enter Shikari. Buckle up, because UK’s electro-rock band are going for a wild ride (even by THEIR standards).
Album Review | Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible
Enter Shikari are a British rock band formed in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England in 2003 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drummer Rob Rolfe. In 2003, guitarist Rory Clewlowjoined the band to complete its current lineup, and it adopted its current name. In 2006, they performed to a growing fanbase at Download Festival as well as a sold-out concert at the London Astoria. Their debut studio album, Take to the Skies, was released in 2007 and reached number 4 in the Official UK Album Chart, and has since been certified gold in the UK. Their second, Common Dreads, was released in 2009 and debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 16; while their third, A Flash Flood of Colour, was released in 2012 and debuted on the chart at number 4. Both have since been certified silver in the UK. The band spent a considerable amount of time supporting the latter release through the A Flash Flood of Colour World Tour, before beginning work on a fourth studio album, The Mindsweep, which was released in 2015. Their fifth studio album The Spark was released in 2017. Their sixth album Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible released in April 2020.
THE DEAD DAISIES have unleashed their first track “UNSPOKEN” off the forthcoming new studio album Holy Ground.
With tours and releases around the world being postponed due to current global issues, the band felt that with such an amazing album waiting in the wings, it needed to get some new music out.
As Glenn Hughes has said for decades, “Love is the answer and music is the healer, let’s rock ‘n’ roll together.”
Listen to the song and watch the lyric video here or below:
With Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Hughes joining the band, it’s now a leaner four-piece outfit that has brought a new urgency and vigor to their overall sound and vibe. Hughes’ primal rhythms, Deen Castronovo‘s equal parts rage and prowess on the drums, the powerful and complimentary fretwork of guitar virtuoso Doug Aldrich,and the solid rhythm guitar foundation of David Lowy have elevated the band up there alongside the pantheon of legendary rock acts.
“When we started the new record with Glenn, we knew we had something very special. I’m so proud of this record, more than a lot of others I’ve played on in the past! Glenn along with Doug and David created magic on this. We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did recording it,” says Castronovo.
Producer Ben Grosse (Dream Theater, Marilyn Manson, Sevendust) captured the super-charged and explosive energy of the band at Studios La Fabrique in the South of France, and delivered a track with a fistful of swagger, strong hooks, and muscular vocals.
“This was one of the first songs we jammed on at Sunset Sound in Hollywood and then reworked it slightly in France, where we all hit it fresh with the benefit of a few months distance. In that process, David, Ben, everyone pursued ideas to give it a bit more of a Daisies vibe, with Glenn’s vision guiding it to a place where it has become an instant classic,” explains Aldrich.
An official release date and further album details will be revealed in due course.
Meanwhile, check out and enjoy these insightful clips from the studio here.
“We are not alone.” In a nation full of young people feeling increasingly isolated and hopeless, it’s a powerful message. It’s also the driving force behind Columbus, Ohio-based band Pray For Sleep, who aims to be a positive influence in the hard rock genre. Today, the on-the-rise band announces a series of activities for May to promote mental health awareness month.
On May 1, Pray For Sleep will self-issue the digital release of their debut album, Behind Our Eyes, which aims to bolster a generation racked by anxiety, depression and suicide with a message of solidarity and a cathartic roar on 10 powerful songs. The digital release features two unreleased tracks—“Blood Is Not Blue” and “Off Track”—as well as a new acoustic version of anchor single “Scream Back.”
See the official music video of the acoustic version of “Scream Back” here:
“Scream Back” shares the name with the group’s initiative addressing mental health issues plaguing the nation’s youth. Established in November 2019, the Scream Back program aligns the band members—vocalist Grant DeCrane, 23; drummer Reno Houston, 20; and guitarist Hayden Kissler, 19—with the educational messaging of Nationwide Children’s Hospital‘s On Our Sleeves™ movement, as well as Columbus’ active rock radio station 99.7 The Blitz (WRKZ) and SJC Custom Drums.
Scream Back largely utilizes in-school appearances to deliver peer messaging and personal stories that challenge fellow young people to have an open dialogue about mental health. Most recently, that includes Pray For Sleep promoting On Our Sleeves™ resources for helping teens and kids through the COVID-19 crisis, as seen here.
In addition to contributing all proceeds from their first headlining show to On Our Sleeves™, Pray For Sleep also submitted their lyrics to the hospital’s mental health experts for their input prior to the release.
Next month, Pray For Sleep will also perform “Scream Back” as part of the annual “We Are The Majority Rally” that brings thousands of young people together to promote the idea that most youth choose not to do drugs and instead are making responsible decisions. For the first time this year, the statewide Ohio rally will go virtual and invites youth across the country to participate. It will be held as part of National Prevention Week on May 15 at 5:00 pm ET, hosted by the Prevention Action Alliance with support from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services as well as the Ohio Governor’s Office. More details about the event, including how to sign up and where to watch, will be posted at https://preventionactionalliance.org/watm-rally/.
Of the digital release for Behind Our Eyes, drummer Reno Houston says, “We know that everyone has been stuck inside and could be dealing with mental health issues (like all of us in the band), and we hope that releasing these songs will let people know that ‘We Are Not Alone.’ This is especially important with the COVID-19 situation and May being Mental Behavioral Health month. We hope people know there are resources out there and hopefully we can help shine some light on a dark situation.”
Adds vocalist Grant DeCrane, “We’re so excited to be able to release the album in its entirety. We want people to hear the whole message, and we want to know what people think of the project. We started working on it a year-and-a-half ago so it’s wonderful to finally see it all come together after so much work and time.”
Behind Our Eyes marks the band’s debut album and is a follow-up to their self-titled EP in 2017 that followed a whirlwind of events, which led to the band’s formation. That same year, rock band Papa Roach had invited Columbus’ Olentangy Orange High School Marching Band to be part of Papa Roach’s performance of hit single “Born For Greatness” at the Rock On The Range festival. Hayden Kissler was one of the marching band members who got the chance to be on stage for the performance. Soon after, he and friends Reno Houston and Grant DeCrane started Pray For Sleep.
The band returned to the Rock On The Range stage in 2018 where they hand one of their earliest performances, with several members missing out on their high school graduation to participate in the memorable moment. After spending their teenage years finding solace in heavy music, shouting along with bands like fellow Ohioans Beartooth as well as Bring Me The Horizon, Pray For Sleep has since shared the stage with We Came As Romans, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Silent Planet, Fit For A King, and Counterfeit.
Dance Gavin Dance has let their fans take control of the video for their fourth single ‘Three Wishes’ taken from their highly-anticipated ninth full-length studio album, Afterburner. Pre-order the album HERE.
The band asked fans to submit videos of their interpretation of ‘clean’ – cleaning their houses, brushing their teeth, washing their dogs, anything they wanted to do in this realm. The result was over 1,500 submissions, both funny & creative. A video for the fans, made by the fans. Watch the video for ‘Three Wishes‘ below.
Dance Gavin Dance, who already celebrate a massive 1 million album sales worldwide from their catalogue and over 800 million streams will release ‘Afterburner’ on Friday, April 24 via Rise Records. The LP was produced by the group’s frequent collaborator, Kris Crummett, (Issues, Sleeping With Sirens, Mayday Parade) and Drew Fulk a.k.a. WZRD BLD (Lil Wayne, Motionless in White, Bad Wolves). The album is a landmark mission statement that encompasses DGD energy past, present, and future. It is a killer and dynamic demonstration of what the quintet does best, and is equal parts aggressive, melodic, and unrestrained.
Dance Gavin Dance recently launched their massive North American headline tour, set to play their biggest venues to date when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. These dates have been rescheduled for August & September 2020. This follows the band’s entirely sold out North American headliner in 2019, where they sold over 90k tickets in one year alone. The remaining tickets for the current headline tour can be purchased HERE. For a full list, see below.
On 12th September, Dance Gavin Dance will return home to Sacramento for Swanfest, the one-day festival headlined and curated by the band at Papa Murphy’s Park. Labelmates Crown The Empire and Issues, along with Animals As Leaders, Knocked Loose, Movements, Fall Of Troy, I See Stars, Veil Of Maya, Hail The Sun, Covet, Tillie, Royal Coda, Eidola, and Wolf & Bear will join DGD on this year’s lineup. The first ever Swanfest took place last year at the City National Grove of Anaheim, CA, which proved to be a phenomenal sell-out success, a rare feat for a festival in its first year. Speaking on this year’s Swanfest, Will Swan says,
“With last year’s Swanfest selling out in Southern California, it only made sense for us to bring this year’s show to our hometown in Sacramento. We are thrilled to have the chance to headline our biggest venue in the very city where it all began”.
Tickets and VIP packages for Swanfest 2020 are on sale now HERE.
DANCE GAVIN DANCE US HEADLINER 08/04 Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO 08/05 Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom 08/07 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium 08/08 Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl 08/09 Tempe, AZ – The Marquee 08/11 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom 08/13 Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion 08/14 Dallas, TX – Bomb Factory 08/15 San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center 08/16 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live 08/18 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works 08/19 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade 08/20 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade 08/21 Lake Buena Vista, FL – House Of Blues 08/22 St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live 08/24 Norfolk, VA – The NorVa 08/26 Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall 08/27 Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall 08/28 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 08/29 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom 08/30 Boston, MA – House of Blues 09/01 Toronto, ON – Rebel 09/03 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE 09/04 Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre 09/05 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom 09/07 Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room 09/08 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant 09/09 Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore 09/12 Sacramento, CA – SWANFEST – Papa Murphy’s Park At Cal Expo
Grammy-nominated band TRIVIUM — Matt Heafy [vocals, guitar], Corey Beaulieu [guitar], Paolo Gregoletto [bass], and Alex Bent[drums] — will release their ninth full-length, What The Dead Men Say, through Roadrunner Records on April 24. The album, which was produced by Trivium and Josh Wilbur, is available for pre-order here.
Today, the band has shared the new song “Amongst The Shadows & The Stones.”
The track is now available at all DSPs.
“The inspiration for the song started when a war history website that I follow posted a story of a soldier visiting the graves of his fallen comrades and he described it as walking ‘amongst the shadows and the stones,” says Beaulieu. “The first thing I came up with was, ‘The ghosts of war will haunt my bones, amongst the shadows and the stones,’ which then inspired the music for the song. But the lyrical subject became something totally different as we got deeper into the songwriting, but that was the spark. Now ‘Amongst The Shadows & The Stones’ captures elements of the heaviest material Trivium has done across our entire catalog.”
Trivium are also setting up a virtual in-store, which they will livestream on April 27 at 3PM ET at www.trivium.org. Starting today, fans can pre-order a CD copy of What The Dead Men Say and have it personalized by the band, who will be signing copies of the album live during the virtual event.
Previously, Trivium shared a video for the first single “Catastrophist” and the title track, the latter of which was shot under quarantine circumstances.
Heafy spoke exclusively to Forbes about the new album and how he effectively utilizes the Twitch platform here. He also spoke to gaming site Kotaku about his Twitch activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHAT THE DEAD MEN SAY TRACK LISTING: “IX” “What The Dead Men Say” “Catastrophist” “Amongst The Shadows & The Stones” “Bleed Into Me” “The Defiant” “Sickness Unto You” “Scattering The Ashes” “Bending The Arc To Fear” “The Ones We Leave Behind”
