In metal, it’s all too common to see new bands emerge where old ones have ceased. Like Megadeth spawning from Metallica, members of bands have a hard time hanging it up and will find a way to persist. In the case of The Faceless, a technical deathcore act that’s seen more member swaps than you can shake a stick at, it’s a delight to see three members of this band in present day within The Zenith Passage. When I first got into The Zenith Passage in 2016, only one of their members would make it to 2023’s Datalysium: Justin McKinney, who spent 2014-18 within The Faceless. Enter that band’s 2006- vocalist Derek Rydquist and bassist Brandon Giffin are now also in The Zenith Passage. As such, the formula for a natural follow-up of the 2008 all-timer should be nigh. So, how does Datalysium stack up?
In Datalysium, The Faceless fans are going to get what they want: Planetary Duality 2.0, in the best fashion possible. What this boils down to are blazing-fast guitar runs, the bass super high in the mix doing its own thing, a high BPM, monstrous low-range growls, solos, otherworldly synthesizers, all coming together to command headbanging and grooves that set a precedent a decade and a half ago and are still massively enjoyable now. Retaining this DNA that made The Faceless a genre staple in the late 2000s serves The Zenith Passage as more of a tribute to that time than anything; slipping into those old tech-death boots serves those fans right, but failing to innovate in any meaningful way. This isn’t necessarily bad; there’s no too much of a good thing for those who always preferred this era of The Faceless, but at this point, it becomes semantic to name this project The Zenith Passage if Datalysium can’t shake that familiar feeling from start to finish.
Straying from the obvious comparisons, Datalysium is still one hell of a record for those who didn’t have prior experience with The Faceless; it’s still something a tech death fan could enter in blind and recognize that it’s some of the best the genre has to offer, up with names like Archspire and Black Crown Initiate. Its longer tracks, like “Synaptic Deprivation” and “Datalysium”, have that journey-like appeal that scratch the proggy itch, whereas intro track “The Axiom of Error” makes for a sample-size welcome to the next 43 minutes of chaos The Zenith Passage has cooking. The production on Datalysium is worthy of commendation too; not just because those concise guitar plucks hit like punches to the face, but the layering of reverb and synth evokes that alien element that makes The Zenith Passage an outlier in the tech-death realm.
The Zenith Passage could never escape the comparison to The Faceless; they got flak for it in 2016’s Solpisist, and now with Derek and Brandon in the fray, it’s impossible to look past. With that being said, it’s a non-issue; Datalysium is a chaotic tech-death album that doesn’t skip a beat. The comparison doesn’t matter – good music transcends that. Whenever I’m in the mood for this genre from now on, this is going to be one of the first things I throw on. I would have liked to hear some experimentation after feeling like I’ve heard this record before, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you loved old Faceless, Datalysium is a no-brainer. If you’re into tech-death and haven’t heard of The Zenith Passage, you’re in for a treat.
The Podcast That Rocked for 7/21/23. Anti-Flag allegations, Creed’s Summer of ‘99 Cruise, new albums from Beartooth, Code Orange, Poppy, In This Moment, and more.
Anti-Flag Allegations | The Podcast That Rocked on YouTube
Anti-Flag Allegations | The Podcast That Rocked on Spotify
Discussion Points: 0:00 – Anti-Flag Allegations 5:35 – Creed’s Summer Of ‘99 Cruise 6:58 – New albums from Beartooth, Poppy, Code Orange, In This Moment 11:13 – The Warning Got Pepsi 12:03 – Thank you YouTube Members & Patrons!
“Anti-Flag was an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band was known for its left-wing political activism. For the majority of the band’s career, their members included Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Barker, AKA Chris No. 2 (vocals, bass). The band was originally formed by Sane and Thetic in 1988. Notable past members include the bassists Jamie “Cock” Towns and Andy Flag. Anti-Flag was also known for its advocacy of progressive political movements such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and the Occupy movement.”
Third full album from Michigan’s throwback band and after hearing the singles that didn’t wow me, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised with how Starcatcher turned out. The guitar work throughout the album, in the quiet and loud moments, carries everything. That’s the reason to listen to Starcatcher. This is a different path from the previous album and as an elephant in the room, this is Greta Van Fleet trying to be Led Zeppelin-esque as in their first album. The music writing is more fleshed out and connecting songs and sequences work. Lyrically, it’s not incredibly engaging and there isn’t much reason to return. Starcatcher is an enjoyable enough album but is more fuel to the argument of Greta Van Fleet trying to sound like something else, rather than make something original. Fine songs, nothing is awful, but little is engaging. At least they shot for the stars. 6/10.
Greta Van Fleet Starcatcher Album Review
Greta Van Fleet “The Falling Sky (live)”
Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan, formed in 2012. It consists of the Kiszka brothers: twins Josh (vocals) and Jake (guitar), Sam (bass guitar, keyboards), and Danny Wagner (drums).
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From Google Bard:
“Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan. The band consists of the Kiszka brothers: twins Josh (vocals) and Jake (guitar), Sam (bass guitar, keyboards), and Danny Wagner (drums). They were signed to Lava Records in March 2017, and a month later they released their debut studio EP, Black Smoke Rising. Their debut single, “Highway Tune”, topped the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock and Active Rock charts in September 2017 for four weeks in a row.
The band’s sound has been described as “blues-rock revivalist” and has drawn comparisons to Led Zeppelin. However, the band has said that they are influenced by a wide range of music, including Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Cream, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles.”
Gold-selling, billion-streaming rock band BEARTOOTH — Caleb Shomo, vocals; Zach Huston, guitars; Will Deely, guitars; Oshie Bichar, bass; and Connor Denis, drums — have announced their fifth album The Surface. It will arrive October 13 via Red Bull Records. Pre-order it here.
Like its predecessors, The Surface is an intensely personal and powerful journey for Shomo, who has never shied away from sharing his demons in his music and with his fans. However, the frontman has turned a corner with a more optimistic outlook and demonstrates exceptional growth as both an artist and a human being through the songs that comprise the album.
“Beartooth’s entire discography has been snapshots of my inner monologue and emotional state over the years with a recurring theme: depression and self-loathing,” says Shomo. “It’s been tough to understand why I’ve felt the way I do for so long. During the pandemic, I was faced with two distinct paths in life. One — I continue doing nothing to manage the realities of my mental health and continue down a path of self-destruction, ultimately ending in my demise. Two — choose to do the work needed to maintain a healthier relationship with myself, no matter how difficult or painful.”
He continues, “This album is the story of my beginnings in the new world I’ve created for myself. One focused on health, self love, positivity, understanding, hard work, and most of all second chances. At the end of the day, life is short for all of us. We can’t escape the end, so why not make friends with it and live in a world focused on living a personally fulfilling life.”
THE SURFACE TRACK LISTING: “The Surface” “Riptide“ “Doubt Me” “The Better Me” (Feat. Hardy) “Might Love Myself“ “Sunshine!“ “What’s Killing You” “Look The Other Way” “What Are You Waiting For” “My New Reality” “I Was Alive”
And with that impactful mission statement in mind, the band has shared the video for the first single “Might Love Myself.” Watch it here. The song initially premiered yesterday via SiriusXM’s Octane.
“I truly believe mental health starts with a healthy relationship with one’s self,” Shomo further explains.”Self-love was something I never believed would be a part of my life. I would focus on my depression and my sadness, believing those part of me were always the most prominent in my mind. But through hard work comes results. Self-love had to be a choice; it can’t be an emotion. Emotions are fleeting and can change with a sunset or a single word. Choosing to put your own health (mentally and physically) as the highest priority in your life has been the only path I’ve found to self love. It helped me realize what I’m capable of, how strong I am, and that progress is more important than any immediate fix to my emotions. This song is about the first moment I realized something was significantly shifting in my life.”
Beartooth recently wrapped up a co-headlining U.S. tour with Trivium and will return to Australia for the first time in four years, co-headlining alongside Pierce The Veil. They will next head to Europe for a festival run.
The UK’s heavy metal machine SYLOSIS unveils the title track of their brand-new album, ‘A Sign Of Things To Come’. The new song speaks from Josh Middleton’s position as a new father and his fears of the world that his children will one day inherit.
Josh comments “‘A Sign Of Things To Come’ is a declaration of dismay towards the modern world. It’s about the anxiety of what the future holds and the feeling of division in a society where everyone is pitted against each other. This was the last song to be written for the album. It quickly became apparent that this was going to be one of the biggest, most anthemic songs on the record.”
Sylosis “A Sign Of Things To Come”
Produced by Josh Middleton, alongside production legend, Scott Atkins, A Sign Of Things To Come has challenged SYLOSIS into brand-new territory.
“This is the first time I’ve allowed myself to be produced; taking on some brutal criticism and pushing myself to deliver the best vocal performance of my career. I’m a big fan of progressive and long albums, but I was ruthless on myself during the whole process. I think that shows in the final result on the record!”Josh states.
SYLOSIS are on tour this winter with fellow UK metal giants, MALEVOLENCE on the dates below. 26 Aug – SE, Rättvik – Dalhalla Brinner Festival* 07 Nov – UK, Glasgow – Garage 08 Nov – UK, Manchester – O2 Ritz 09 Nov – UK, Birmingham – O2 Institute 10 Nov – UK, Bristol – SWX 11 Nov – UK, London – O2 Forum Kentish Town 13 Nov – DE, Hamburg – Gruenspan 14 Nov – DE, Koln – Essigfabrik 15 Nov – BE, Antwerp – Zappa 17 Nov – FR, Paris – Petit Bain 18 Nov – FR, Besancon – La Rodia 19 Nov – FR, Lyon – CCO La Rayonne 22 Nov – ES, Madrid – Mon Live 23 Nov – ES, Barcelona – La 2 de Apolo 24 Nov – ES, Bilbao – Stage Live 25 Nov – FR, Toulouse – Usine A Musique 26 Nov – CH, Geneva – PTR 27 Nov – CH, Zurich – Dynamo 28 Nov – IT, Milan – Legend 29 Nov – SI, Ljubljana – Orto Bar 01 Dec – AT, Vienna – Flex 03 Dec – DE, Chemnitz – AJZ Chemnitz 04 Dec – DE, Frankfurt – Batchkapp 05 Dec – DE, Munich – Backstage Halle 07 Dec – CZ, Prague – Meet Factory 08 Dec – PL, Krakow – Kamienna 12 09 Dec – PL, Warsaw – Hydrozagadka 10 Dec – DE, Berlin – SO36 Berlin 11 Dec – DE, Oberhausen – Kulttempel 12 Dec – NL, Tilburg – 013
SYLOSIS is Josh Middleton – vocals, guitar Alex Bailey – guitar Conor Marshall – bass Ali Richardson – drums
Pop-punk titans Sleeping With Sirens have announced a new summer tour with Dead American and TX2 as support. Fresh off the heels of their completely sold-out Family Tree Tour, this new trek begins at the California Is For Lovers Festival in Orange County, CA on Saturday, August 26. Pre-sales are available now, with tickets and VIP to go on sale this Friday, July 21 at 10 am local time. Be sure to purchase your tickets at the link here while supplies last, as these will go quickly.
Sleeping With Sirens Summer Tour Dates
August 26 – Orange County, CA @ California Is For Lovers Fest
Prepare for a night of sonic sorcery and hellacious horror as two of the most creative and other-worldly forces in modern metal, Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment, announce the Kiss of Death US Tour. The two bands will join forces to bring their spectacular and highly acclaimed live shows together later this year as they co-headline 17 cities across the country, starting on November 3rd in Gary, IN and ending on December 2nd in Wheeling, WV. The Kiss of Death Tour will also feature special guests Avatar and New Years Day.
Tickets for the Kiss Of Death Tour will be available starting with Citi and Artist pre-sales beginning today at 12 PM ET. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning Friday, July 21 at 10 AM local time at livenation.com.
Citi is the official card of the Kiss Of Death Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning today at 12 PM ET until Thursday, July 20 at 10 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com. Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment artist pre-sales will begin today at 1 PM ET.
Check out the full list of tour dates below:
The Kiss of Death Tour
Co-Headlined By Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment
With Avatar and New Years Day
Fri/Nov-3 Gary, IN Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana
Sat/Nov 4 – Maplewood, MN – Myth Live #
Sat/Nov 5 – St Louis, MO @ Dome At America’s Center*
Sun/Nov 5 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater#
Tue/Nov-7 Indianapolis, IN Blue Ribbon Pavilion (Indiana Fairgrounds)
Wed/Nov-8 Cincinnati, OH The Andrew J Brady Music Center
HORRENDOUS are so close to heavy metal divinity that they can practically taste its delicious, rotten nectar. After all, they did just grace the cover of Decibel.
Philly’s finest and filthiest death metal band is wrapping up a rip-roaring tour of the American Southwest in support of their upcoming new album. If 2018’s Idol represented the band pushing themselves to the limit, then Ontological Mysterium portrays them at the peak of their powers. Heck, the title track even landed on a Pitchfork playlist.
“Preterition Hymn” is of a different Satanic verse than the two previoussingles. It’s still plenty sinister, with hellacious vocals that sound like the band is being burned alive. But it’s more of a slow burn. The twin guitars wring out a tortured but deeply melodic riff that drips like sweet, sweet tears.
Here’s what the band has to say about their new single: “Preterition Hymn is a lament for the weary and the damned–those who, like in the myth of Tantalus, can glimpse the golden fruits of knowledge and divinity yet are kept perpetually just out of reach by the tides of misfortune and fate. It is a hymn of longing infused with the faintest hope that our misery is merely the cleansing ablution necessary to don the robe of flames, free at last.”
‘Ontological Mysterium’ will be released on August 18, 2023 by Season of Mist. Pre-save the album HERE. Pre-order it HERE.
Horrendous are on the cover of the September issue of Decibel magazine! Order a copy and get an exclusive limited edition The Silver flexi disc.
“After years of incredible support from Decibel Magazine, we are honored to make it to the cover of their next issue”, the band said on Instagram. “Eternal thanks to Albert Mudrian for always believing in our music, Mike Wohlberg for all of his artistic contributions to the band, and Scott Kinkade for capturing us masterfully, and everyone out there who has supported us.
This week, Horrendous are playing the final four shows of their Southwestern Mysterium tour.
07/17: Atascadero, CA @ Dark Nectar* 07/18: Sacramento, CA @ The Colony* [TICKETS] 07/19: Santa Rosa, CA @ Arlene Francis Center* [TICKETS] 07/20: Oakland, CA @ Thee Stork Club* [TICKETS]
* with special guests PENURY.
Tracklist: 1. The Blaze (02:00) 2. Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology of Dawn) (07:16) 3. Neon Leviathan (03:30) 4. Aurora Neoterica (01:56) 4. Preterition Hymn (03:58) [LISTEN] 5. Cult of Shaad’oah (05:24) [WATCH] 6. Exeg(en)esis, (03:38) 7. Ontological Mysterium (04:44) [WATCH] 8. The Death Knell Ringeth (05:20) Total run time: 37:44
“Surprises always come up during writing — spontaneous ideas pull you into new territory and enable the realization of novel possibilities that previously were inaccessible.”
Such are the words from Horrendous drummer Jamie Knox when discussing the creation of the band’s fifth full-length, the highly anticipated ‘Ontological Mysterium’. Knox’s quote also encapsulates Horrendous’s approach to extreme metal. Since 2009, the band has capably tapped into the inaccessible by providing a fresh, unconventional take on death metal that harnesses technical brilliance with elaborate, mind-melding melodies, frothy, spewing vocals and labyrinthine song structures. This combination has made each Horrendous long play a clinic in the gratifyingly unorthodox. The trend continues on Ontological Mysterium.
The follow-up to 2018’s Idol was recorded, mixed and mastered at Subterranean Watchtower Studios in Virginia, which doubles as the homestead of guitarist/vocalist Damian Herring. While the band (completed by guitarist/vocalist Matt Knox and bassist Alex Kulick) finished much of the songwriting for Ontological Mysterium in 2019, its recording was delayed by the 2020 global pandemic and various life events. Horrendous eventually finished recording in early 2022 and mastered the album before the start of 2023.
The album upholds Horrendous’s position as one of the underground’s best outside-of-the-box extreme metal bands. Having long abandoned concern whether people would appreciate their “uniqueness,” Horrendous has embraced its role as a band willing to veer far from death metal conventions, intentionally stretching and breaking norms. To wit, the band primarily views its music as filtered through a death metal lens. This may be Horrendous’s defining trait: By not accepting parameters, nothing is off-limits.
The Podcast That Rocked for 7/14/23. Talk on Nothing More allegations, Kid Rock being a hypocrite about Bud Light, and more.
Nothing More Allegations | The Podcast That Rocked on YouTube
Nothing More Allegations | The Podcast That Rocked on Spotify
Discussion Points: 0:00 – Nothing More Allegations 11:25 – Kid Rock is a hypocrite about Bud Light 12:41 – Judas Priest to replace Ozzy Osbourne at Power Trip Festival 13:38 – Meshuggah announced NA Tour with In Flames and Whitechapel 14:40 – New Music and Streaming 15:20 – Thank you YouTube Members & Patrons!
From Google Bard: “Nothing More is an American rock band from San Antonio, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band spent much of the 2000s recording independent albums and struggling to maintain a steady lineup or attract record label interest. Towards the end of the decade, the band’s long-time drummer, Jonny Hawkins, decided to switch to being the band’s frontman and lead vocalist, stabilizing the band’s core lineup along with other long-time members Mark Vollelunga (guitar) and Daniel Oliver (bass).
“The band’s sound has been described as alternative rock, hard rock, progressive rock, progressive metal, and heavy metal. While not directly given the label, their music has been described as having a hardcore and nu-metal influence. The band is known for its elaborate and energetic live performances, with it being likened to “some sort of twisted, rock ‘n roll adaptation of Blue Man Group — if Blue Man Group ever opened for Rage Against the Machine.” The band has set up two separate drum sets for their live show, one for the band’s primary drummer Ben Anderson, and one for Hawkins to join in on intermittently, who had previously been a drummer himself in the early years of the band.”
Multi-platinum sellingSeattle rock band Candlebox – whose power anthems “Far Behind,”“You” and “Cover Me” off their 1993 debut, self-titled album exploded onto the charts – has officially revealed the details for their final studio album, The Long Goodbye, due out Friday, August 25th via Round Hill Records, and released the album’s first single “Punks.” The new trackis a cautionary message to young bands that they won’t be the hot new thing forever. Charging forward with a slashing guitar riff and rapid-fire drums, front man and songwriter Kevin Martin howls about quick-burning success and vacuous trends. PRESS HERE to listen to “Punks” on DSPs and PRESS HERE to watch the official music video. The Long Goodbye, Candlebox’s eighth studio album, is now available to pre-order/pre-save – PRESS HERE. All digital pre-saves will include an instant download of “Punks.”
“Candlebox weren’t the punks that paved the road for all these other bands that came along, but the statement is that music has always been there and nobody’s really doing anything differently,” shares Martin. “You think that you’re invincible and you try to grab all those things that come along with being in a rock band and touring the world. But inevitably, you’re left with yourself, and if you don’t have something within yourself that can keep you grounded, what are you doing it for?”
Celebrating 30 years of success, Candlebox is capping off their long and influential career with The Long Goodbye. The new 10-track collection, produced by Don Miggs, finds the group taking stock of evolving maturity, fleeting time, and lasting love, all while kicking a lot of ass. In addition to the hard-rocking lead single “Punks,”The Long Goodbye includes the sneering statement of independence “What Do You Need,” co-written by Nick Brown of the alt-rock band Mona, who also appears on the track, and the moody, atmospheric “Elegante,” where Kevin dives headlong into creative wordplay as Miggs and the band mimic a synth-pop vibe with guitars and drums. Elsewhere is the acoustic “Maze” and “Cellphone Jesus,” where Kevin allows some of his worldview to seep in as he searches for a sign from above for a damaged society. Full track listing for The Long Goodbyebelow.
Candlebox – Kevin Martin (lead vocals), Adam Kury (bass), Brian Quinn (guitar), Island Styles (guitar), BJ Kerwin (drums) – is currently on the road on their farewell tour, crossing the country until early fall with fellow rockers 3 Doors Down as direct support on their massive Away From The Sun amphitheater tour in addition to various headlining shows. The Long Goodbye Tour continues tonight (July 14) with a sold-out headlining show at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. See below for full list of upcoming tour dates. Visit https://www.candleboxrocks.com/tour for all details and to purchase tickets.
Emerging from Seattle’s burgeoning mid-90s grunge scene, Candlebox quickly found mainstream success with their deep, lyrically-driven melodies and big radio hooks, as evidenced by their massive hits “Far Behind,” “You” and “Cover Me” that propelled their self-titled debut album, a defining record of the decade, to sell more than 4 million copies worldwide. Their follow-up album, Lucy, earned a platinum certification and solidified Candlebox as a tour de force in the thriving alt-rock scene. While the commercial success of the first album played a pivotal role in the band’s trajectory to the top, it was their raw and unapologetically honest live performances that ultimately solidified their place among Seattle’s elite. In 1998, Candlebox released Happy Pills, which would be their last album before going on hiatus from 2000 to 2006. In 2008, the band reformed and released their fourth album, Into The Sun, and hit the road for the first time in 10 years, touring extensively and releasing Alive In Seattle, a live album that included tracks from every era of their career. 2016 marked the triumphant return of Candlebox with the release of Disappearing In Airports, a more classic rock-tinged album hailed by many critics and fans as their best work in years. Singles “Vexatious” and “Supernova” drove the album to debut at #9 on the Billboard Charts and spurred multiple U.S. and international tours including major festival appearances at Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, and Lollapalooza Chile. While these iconic rockers have been blazing full-steam since, releasing their album, Wolves, in 2021, and recently issuing a live, acoustic album, Live at The Neptune, Kevin and Candlebox are calling it quits in 2023, but they’re not going quietly.
The Long Goodbye is ultimately a statement record, a document of a band that somehow survived an era that tragically proved too seductive for some of their peers to remain not only successful, but relevant. And after Candlebox wraps it all up at the end of the year, the hits will still live on, along with a legacy that serves to inspire the young punks who come after them.
