Album Review: Tenacious D – The Pick of Destiny
A look back at Tenacious D’s sophomore album/soundtrack to the cinematic masterpiece The Pick of Destiny.
Starset Break 1 Billion Views on YouTube
VISIONARY BAND STARSET BREAK 1 BILLION ON YOUTUBE
“Monster” Second Most Played Mainstream Rock Song Of The Year
Marvel Comics To Release Starset Original Graphic Novel, The PROX Transmissions, on October 4th
Multi-media, modern rock band Starset recently passed the 1 billion milestone total views on YouTube with their official videos and User Generated Content (UGC) videos combined. The band’s cinematic sound and rabid fan-base have driven huge numbers at the video streaming service with fans uploading an unprecedented amount of their own videos using the band’s music, giving the band led by singer Dustin Bates an unparalleled digital foothold. Starset’s stronghold at radio has added to this ascension with the band’s first single from new album Vessels, “Monster”, currently the number 2 most played song of the year at mainstream rock.
Starset tapped into powerful YouTube communities including anime and gaming which are much larger than that of music on the platform. Many fan-uploaded Starset videos have hit multi-million views and YouTube data shows Starset videos gaining nearly two million new views per day. With only two albums released to date, Starset has exceeded the total view counts of most other contemporary rock bands and have views in the same league as the Foo Fighters, Muse, Bring Me the Horizon and AWOLNATION.
Last year Billboard reported on the band’s streaming phenomenon, “Starset has had success with their own uploads to the platform: the band’s two YouTube accounts, which host official music and lyric videos, cryptic Starset Society-related teasers and audio-only streams . . . take into account fan-uploaded videos and the number of views explodes . . . six times larger and global.”
The Columbus Ohio Starset continues their breakout with their new album ‘Vessels’ debuting at #11 on Billboard’s Top 200, making it one of the highest charting albums from a rock band in the past year. The first single, “Monster” peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and new single “Satellite” has just begun its chart ascent. All Music calls the album “genre-juggling…expands on the nervy, synthed-out atmosphere and huge melodic hooks of its predecessor, as evidenced by the compelling singles.” Vessels is the follow-up to Starset’s 2014 debut album, Transmissions, a landmark album that sold in excess of a quarter million combined albums, streams and downloads in the U.S., propelled by the hit single “My Demons,” which had the longest ascent to the top 5 in the history of the rock radio charts.
Setting the band apart from their contemporaries is the unique vision and goal of founder and front man Dustin Bates, who is also a PhD candidate in electrical engineering and has done research for the U.S. Air Force and taught at the International Space University in France. Inspired by the likes of Nikola Tesla and Carl Sagan, Starset’s albums, along with videos, websites, novels and one-of-a-kind live performances, were created as part of the over-arching concept, The Starset Society. Where science and fiction collide, The Starset Society is dedicated to publicizing emerging, near-future technologies and investigating their inevitable social, economic, political, and philosophical impact on society. Bates and crews’ dedication to promoting science to a wider audience is also evidenced in the band’s unique live concerts and fully immersive planetariums shows.
Razor & Tie Co-Owner Cliff Chenfeld adds, “Starset is creating a new template on how to succeed as a rock band, tapping into a huge viral and streaming audience and launching some of the biggest rock radio singles of the last few years. There will be billions and billions served.”
The Marvel Comics unique collaboration with Bates and Marvel fan-favorite writer, Peter David (Ben Reilly: Scarlett Spider, Spider-Verse) for an all-new original 88-page graphic novel, “The PROX Tranmissions” will be released on October 4th.
Starset is Front-man Dustin Bates, bassist Ron DeChant, guitarist Brock Richards and drummer Adam Gilbert.
Starset Tour Dates
| 9/3/17 | Port Washington | WI | Paramount Music Festival – Headline |
| 9/9/17 | New London | CT | Revolution Rock Fest |
| 9/16/17 | Shakopee | MN | Canterbury Park |
Tour with Halestorm
| 9/22/17 | Englewood | CO | Fiddler’s Green Aphitheatre |
| 9/23/17 | Wichita | KS | Orpheum Theater |
| 9/24/17 | Lincoln | NE | Bourbon Theater |
| 9/26/17 | Rochester | MN | Mayo Civic Auditorium |
| 9/27/17 | Clive | IA | 7 Flags Event Center |
| 9/30/17 | Louisville | KY | Champions Park |
| 10/3/17 | Akron | OH | Goodyear Theater |
| 10/4/17 | South Bend | IN | Morris Performing Arts Center |
| 10/7/17 | Camden | NJ | Rock Allegiance |
| 10/8/17 | Westbury | NY | The Space at Westbury |
| 10/10/17 | Knoxville | TN | Civic Auditorium |
| 10/14/17 | The Woodlands | TX | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion |
| 10/17/17 | Oklahoma City | OK | Diamond Ballroom |
| 10/18/17 | Albuquerque | NM | Historic El Rey Theater |
| 10/20/17 | Anaheim | CA | House of Blues |
| 10/21/17 | San Luis Obispo | CA | The Fremont Theater |
| 10/22/17 | Sacramento | CA | Discovery Park |
I Prevail Announces Rage On The Stage Tour!
I PREVAIL
Announces Rage On The Stage! Tour
Pre-Sale Begins Friday, August 11th
Detroit, Michigan rockers I PREVAIL announce dates for their Fall headline tour Rage On The Stage. Featuring metalcore scene favorites We Came As Romans, The Word Alive, and Escape The Fate providing support for the trek, the North American tour kicks off on September 20th in Oklahoma City, OK and concludes in Des Moines, IA on December 2nd.
Tickets can be purchased here: http://reybee.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f67b4587af2b2ef9aa80ed984&id=11b76aa8d3&e=222450d7d1
When asked about picking support for the run, lead guitarist Steve Menoian explains, “We designed this tour based on the great shows that we saw when we were kids. We wanted it to have as many of the great moments as we could and hope the fans will have as much fun as we’re going to have on stage.” The band promises staging and special effects for this run that will amaze.
I Prevail’s announcement of Rage On The Stage follows their massive run on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, during which the band played the Journey’s Left Foot Main Stage. Propelled by the rise of their power ballad single “Alone,“ which has invaded the Top 5 of the Top Rock Songs Chart, Lifelines has been able to move over 170,000 units since its release last October, continuing to remain in the Top 20 of the iTunes Rock Albums Chart.
Tickets for Rage On The Stage go on sale this Friday, August 11th. The full routing can be found below. I PREVAIL is Brian Burkheiser (clean vocals), Eric Vanlerberghe (harsh vocals), Steve Menoian (lead guitar), and Dylan Bowman (rhythm guitar).
RAGE ON THE STAGE! Tour
SEPT 20 – Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
SEPT 21 – Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE
SEPT 22 – High Elevation Fest – Denver, CO
SEPT 25 – Roseland Theatre – Portland, OR
SEPT 26 – Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
SEPT 27 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
SEPT 29 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
OCT 1 – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB
OCT 2 – Shaw Conference Center – Edmonton, AB
OCT 3 – O’Briens – Saskatoon, SK
OCT 6 – Sandlot Entertainment Complex – Green Bay, WI
OCT 7 – Myth – St. Paul, MN
OCT 9 – Concord Music Hal- Chicago, IL
OCT 10 – Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI
OCT 14 – The Agora – Cleveland, OH
OCT 15 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
OCT 16 – Rapids Theatre, Niagra Falls, NY
OCT 17 – M Telus – Montreal, QC
OCT 19 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
OCT 20 – The Palladium – Worcester, MA
OCT 21 – Webster Theater – Hartford, CT
OCT 23 – Rams Head – Baltimore, MD
OCT 24 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
OCT 25 – Playstation Theater – NYC, NY
OCT 27 – NorVa – Norfolk, VA
OCT 28 – Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
OCT 30 – Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN
OCT 31 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
NOV 1 – Neighborhood Theater – Charlotte, NC
NOV 4 – Plaza Live – Orlando, FL
NOV 5 – The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL
NOV 7 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
NOV 8 – Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
NOV 9 – Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX
NOV 10 – Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX
NOV 12 – Novo – Los Angeles, CA
NOV 13 – Regency – San Francisco, CA
NOV 15 – Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV
NOV 16 – SOMA – San Diego, CA
NOV 17 – Marquee Theater – Tempe, AZ
NOV 19 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
NOV 21 – The Truman – Kansas City, MO
NOV 24 – The Masonic Cathedral – Detroit, MI
NOV 26 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
NOV 28 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
NOV 29 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH
DEC 1 – Cotillion – Wichita, KS
DEC 2 – 7 Flags – Des Moines, IA
Gemini Syndrome Joins Fozzy On “Judas Rising” Tour
Gemini Syndrome Joins Fozzy On “Judas Rising” Tour
Gemini Syndrome has announced that they will be joining Fozzy and The Stir on select dates of “The Judas Rising Tour“. The band will be touring in support of their latest album Memento Mori (Century Media) and current radio single “Sorry Not Sorry”. The band will first hit the road for a handful of headline shows beginning on September 19th, before meeting up with Fozzy in Fort Wayne, Indiana on September 27th.
“We are excited to announce the first few dates of this fall run including the dates supporting Fozzy. This will be the last conversion of the year before we start working on a new record. Come see us on the road and get prepared for the next chapter.” – Aaron Nordstrom
Gemini Syndrome Tour Dates:
09/19 @ Winchester Music Tavern – Lakewood, OH (Headline)
09/21 @ Green Bay Distillery – Ashwaubenon, WI (Headline)
09/22 @ Every Buddy’s Bar – Eau Claire, WI (Headline)
09/23 @ The Music Factory – Battle Creek, MI (Black Stone Cherry)
09/24 @ Diesel Concert Lounge – Chesterfield, MI (Headline)
09/27 @ Piere’s – Fort Wayne, IN (Fozzy)
09/28 @ A&R Music Bar – Columbus, OH (Fozzy)
09/30 @ Austin’s Fuel Room – Libertyville, IL (Fozzy)
10/01 @ Zoo Amphitheatre – Oklahoma City, OK (KATTfest)
10/03 @ Rapids Theatre – Niagara Falls, NY (Fozzy)
10/04 @ Wilkes-Barre, PA – Chandelier Lobby (Fozzy)
10/05 @ Worcester, MA – The Palladium-Upstairs (Fozzy)
10/07 @ Wilmington, NC – The Muse (Fozzy)
10/08 @ Winston-Salem, NC – Johnny and June’s (Fozzy)
About Gemini Syndrome:
Formed in 2010, the Los Angeles-based, GEMINI SYNDROME spent their formative days opening for bands on the Sunset Strip. As their reputation within the L.A. hard rock scene grew, so did their audience. their 2013 full-length debut Lux, which landed at #3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and yielded the singles “Pleasure & Pain” and “Stardust.” The record’s release saw the Los Angeles heavy alternative band tour alongside everybody from Five Finger Death Punch to Device and perform at festivals such as Rock on the Range, Welcome to Rockville, and more. After coming off the road in late 2014, Gemini Syndrome underwent member changes, while confronting and exorcising internal and external demons. However, its creative core vocalist Aaron Nordstrom, drummer Brian Steele Medina, and bass player Alessandro “AP” Paveri continue to move forward after the release of their 2016 second full-length, Memento Mori; which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, and spawned the hit single “Remember We Die” – which hit #1 on SiriusXM Octane. The band spent the majority of 2016 and 2017 on the road with bands such as In This Moment, Motionless In White, Avatar, Sevendust, Starset, and Drowning Pool.
Gojira Announce U.S. Headline Tour featuring Torche & Code Orange
GOJIRA ANNOUNCE U.S. HEADLINE TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TORCHE & CODE ORANGE
DATES GET UNDERWAY OCTOBER 2ND IN CLEVELAND, OH
TICKETS ON SALE AUGUST 11TH
SPECIAL ONE NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE AT BROOKLYN STEEL
WITH CONVERGE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 28TH
Gojira have announced details of a U.S. headline tour with special guests Torche and Code Orange which is set to get underway October 2nd at the House of Blues in Cleveland, OH (see attached itinerary). Artist presale tickets for the new headline dates will be available today at 2:00 PM local time, followed by a Spotify presale on Wednesday, August 9th at 10:00 AM eastern time and finally a venue / promoter presale which begins Thursday, August 10th at 10:00 AM local time. Tickets for all dates will go on Friday August 11th at 10:00 AM local time. For tickets and more information on the upcoming tour, please visit www.Gojira-Music.com.
Gojira are currently out on the road wrapping up a run of North American dates on Metallica’s WorldWired Tour which will continue through August 16th (see attached itinerary). The west coast trek also includes a string of Gojira headline dates with Pallbearer that run through August 12th. This fall, Gojira will make an array of U.S. festival appearances with performances set for Louder Than Life (9/30), Rock Allegiance (10/7), Houston Open Air (10/14), Aftershock (10/21) and more. The upcoming fall dates will also include a very special one night only performance with Converge at Brooklyn, NY’s recently opened Brooklyn Steel on September 28th.
Last year Gojira’s MAGMA staked its claim amongst the best albums of 2016, earning Metal Hammer’s coveted “Album of the Year” title while also landing on Rolling Stone’s “Top 20 Metal Albums of 2016,” Consequence of Sound’s “Top 50 Albums of 2016” / “Top 10 Metal Albums of 2016” lists, and Pop Matters’ “Best Metal of 2016” recap. Additionally “Stranded,” the lead single off of MAGMA, was named one of Stereogum’s “100 Favorite Songs Of 2016.” MAGMA also earned Gojira their first ever Grammy nominations for ‘Best Metal Performance’ and ‘Best Rock Album.’ Gojira’s crushing track “Silvera” received a nomination for ‘Best Metal Performance,’ while their MAGMA was nominated for ‘Best Rock Album’ at the awards.
Gojira’s MAGMA took the #1 spot on Billboard’s ‘Hard Rock Albums’ chart upon debut, making Gojira the first French band to hold the #1 spot on the chart in its nine year existence. The release of MAGMA marked the highest chart debuts of Gojira’s career landing them at #4 on Billboard’s ‘Top Rock Albums’ chart, #6 on Billboard’s ‘Tastemaker Albums’ chart and Top 25 on the ‘Billboard 200.’ Furthermore, Gojira earned career high chart positions around the globe including Top 10’s in France, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, and Norway with Top 15 debuts in Australia and Germany. MAGMA is available at all DSPs and at www.Gojira-Music.com in a variety of exclusive bundles.
GOJIRA
2017 U.S. DATES
* With Torche and Code Orange
‡ With Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold
+ With Converge
^^ With Pallbearer and Oni
^ With Pallbearer
# Festival Date
8/8 Boise, ID Knitting Factory ^^
8/9 Seattle, WA CenturyLink Field ‡
8/10 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory ^
8/11 Calgary, CA Macewan Hall Ballroom ^
8/12 Saskatoon, CA O’Brians Event Centre ^
8/14 Vancouver, BC BC Place ‡
8/16 Edmonton, AB Commonwealth Stadium ‡
8/19 Las Vegas, NV Psycho Las Vegas 2017 #
9/15 La Courneuve, FR La Fête de l’Humanité #
9/28 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel +
9/30 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life #
10/1 Janesville, WI JJO Sonic Boom #
10/2 Cleveland, OH House of Blues *
10/3 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live *
10/5 Albany, NY Upstate Music Hall *
10/6 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre *
10/7 Camden, NJ Rock Allegiance #
10/10 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall *
10/11 St. Louis, MO Pops *
10/13 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill *
10/14 The Woodlands, TX Houston Open Air #
10/15 San Antonio, TX Alamo City Music Hall *
10/16 El Paso, TX Tricky Falls *
10/17 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre *
10/19 San Diego, CA The Observatory North Park *
10/21 Sacramento, CA Aftershock #
For more information, visit www.Gojira-Music.com
Photos: KYNG at Maverick’s in Jacksonville, FL 8/4/2017
Photos of Kyng at Maverick’s. All photos taken by Luke Spencer on August 4th, 2017 in Jacksonville, FL.
Supporting HELLYEAH, Kyng have been on tour promoting their latest album Breathe In The Water from 2016. I had recently seen Kyng in Chicago last month at Chicago Open Air. What I noticed at performances is that Kyng is about the music. There isn’t a gimmick or distracting presentation, it’s about the sound and making something loud and impressive. For a three piece band to make their names doing that in today’s gimmick filled market is quite a feat.
You can watch the music video for Kyng’s “Breathe In The Water” below. Scroll below the video and click on any photo to open the gallery for Kyng’s set in Jacksonville.
Regretting The Past: Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
One of the most anticipated albums in rock history…should not have turned out like this.
Monster Treasure Announce New LP: ‘II’, Due Oct 6th
Monster Treasure Announce New LP: ‘II’, Due Oct 6th
Click Here Watch The New Music Video For “Leave” Now!
Monster Treasure were introduced last year with their self-titled debut album, which was released via Leisure & District. Now the Northern California band is gearing up to release their LP, II, which will also be going through Leisure & District on October 6th this year on CD, digital download and rainbow splatter vinyl. A shower of fuzz, punk rock, and lugubrious despondence, II takes Monster Treasure’s sonic dreamy grunge and soul baring lyrics further than ever before. Full of scuzzed up riffs and otherworldly melody, it’s almost impossible to listen to the full record without hitting repeat multiple times on multiple songs.
Today, the band has partnered with DIYMag.com to premiere a video for the new single “Leave.” Watch the video now at http://bit.ly/2hqSYX1
Of the first track to be revealed “Leave,” vocalist/guitarist Briana Granados says: “Can you believe it, it’s another break-up song. When a person treats you like shit, you might start to wonder if it’s your own fault and what you may have done wrong but sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.”
Imagine Blondie rocking out an unknown Nirvana cover at CBGB’s in the early 80s before grunge even existed and you might be halfway there. Monster Treasure will perform a handful of shows in August/September before heading to Europe.
Monster Treasure Tour Dates:
Aug 24 – Oakland, CA – Octopus Literary Salon
Aug 25 – Portland, OR – The Know
Aug 26 – Vancouver, BC – TBA
Aug 27 – Seattle, WA – House Show
Sep 30 – Sacramento, CA
Trivium & Arch Enemy Announce Co-Headlining North American Fall 2017 Tour
Trivium & Arch Enemy Announce Co-Headlining North American Fall 2017 Tour
TRIVIUM and ARCH ENEMY are excited to announce plans for a co-headlining tour across North America later this Fall. Featuring support from English metalcore outfit While She Sleeps and New Jersey deathcore act Fit For An Autopsy, the tour will kick off on October 27 in Orlando, FL and make its way across the U.S. and Canada before finishing on December 6 in Houston, TX.
TRIVIUM stated, “We’ve been joining forces with Arch Enemy for over a decade now. From Ozzfest 2005, through arenas across the U.K., Europe, and Australia on The Black Crusade. This next chapter is going to be one for the ages: Trivium, Arch Enemy, While She Sleeps, and Fit for an Autopsy!! DO NOT MISS THIS!!”
Founding ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott exclaimed, “Very much looking forward to returning to North America with this tour! We are aware that it has been long overdue and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we’ve been creating our new “Will To Power” album. This run will be like a family reunion with our old friends in Trivium; together we’ll be crushing city after city with the power of Heavy Metal! Good times ahead, don’t miss the fun!”
Tour dates can be found listed below or in the above admat. General admission tickets will go on-sale to the public on Friday, August 4 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
TRIVIUM & ARCH ENEMY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2017
(Featuring support from While She Sleeps & Fit For An Autopsy)
10/27 Orlando, FL – House of Blues
10/28 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
10/29 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
10/31 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
11/1 Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero Theater
11/3 New York, NY – Playstation Theater
11/4 Worcester, MA – The Palladium
11/5 Montreal, QC – Metropolis
11/7 Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
11/8 Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/10 Sioux City, IA – Anthem At Hard Rock
11/11 Kansas City, MO – The Truman
11/12 Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
11/14 Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater
11/15 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
11/17 Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
11/18 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
11/20 Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
11/21 Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
11/23 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theater
11/24 Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo
11/25 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
11/27 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
11/28 San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
11/29 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
12/1 Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theater
12/2 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
12/4 Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
12/5 San Antonio, TX – Alamo City Music Hall
12/6 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
TRIVIUM will return with a new album this fall via Roadrunner Records, details of which are yet to be announced. In addition to the tour announcement, the band has also revealed the first new music since their celebrated 2015 LP, “Silence In The Snow”, with the official music video for “The Sin And The Sentence”.
TRIVIUM catapulted into the first ranks of modern metal with 2004’s Roadrunner debut, “Ascendancy”, which was named “Album of the Year” by Kerrang! 2006’s “The Crusade” incorporated new melodic colors into the band’s sound, resulting in widespread critical applause and a top 25 Billboard 200 debut. “Shogun” followed two years later and received even greater acclaim and chart success, including a #1 debut on the UK’s Rock Albums Chart. “In Waves hit #1 on Billboard’s “Hard Rock Albums” upon its 2011 release, not to mention a stunning top 15 debut on the overall Billboard 200 and 2013’s “Vengeance Falls” arrived at #2 on Billboard’s “Hard Rock Albums” chart while making Top 10 debuts in Australia, Germany, representing some of band’s highest international chart debuts to date.
TRIVIUM ONLINE
www.facebook.com/TriviumOfficial
www.twitter.com/TriviumOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/Trivium
Melodic metal legends ARCH ENEMY will be returning with their tenth overall album on September 8 via Century Media Records, “Will To Power”, a powerful statement of their reigning heavy metal supremacy.
Will To Power is the first studio album to feature the band’s current line-up, marking the debut recording appearance of guitar mastermind Jeff Loomis, the sophomore vocal appearance from Alissa White-Gluz, and a return from founder Michael Amott on guitars, Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandsson on drums.
Pre-order “Will To Power” on physical or digital format at willtopower.centurymedia.com!
ARCH ENEMY ONLINE
https://www.facebook.com/archenemyofficial
