Gold-selling hard rockers Of Mice & Men — Aaron Pauley (bass + vocals ), Valentino Arteaga (drums), Alan Ashby (guitar), and Phil Manansala(guitar) — will issue their new album Tether on October 6 via SharpTone. Pre-order it here.
They’ve just shared the third single “Indigo.” Listen to and watch the visualizer here.
“‘Indigo’ is about questioning why the sky would choose to be blue if it had the choice to be anything else — blue also meaning sad,” states Pauley. “It’s about comforting a loved one in a time of loss by telling them you feel blue, too.”
Taking all creative matters into their own hands, the Southern California quartet self-produced and engineered all of the songs on Tether, their astonishing eighth album. Pauley mixed and mastered the album while Arteaga designed and painted the album’s artwork. As a legion of devoted listeners worldwide has come to expect, guitarists Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby, Aaron, and Tino poured their hearts and souls into every note, creating another sonic document of their lives.
“With this one, we weren’t really focused on how it sounded as much as we focused on how it felt,” Pauley explains. “And that’s a weird thing to do when all you’re working with is sound. But that was really the goal. And we walked away from making it, feeling like we’ve accomplished that.”
OM&M take sobering looks at depression, anxiety, loneliness, and existential dread, powering through the darkness, and emphasizing the importance of creativity as a balm for mental health. A commanding tempest of sounds coalesces within Of Mice & Men, blending the uplifting eloquence of modern active rock with the atmospheric dissonance of experimental post-rock. The band first emerged as part of a vanguard of future aggressive rock hitmakers. Over the years, they’ve distinguished themselves with musicality, creative ambition, and resilient determination.
Album eight is no less ambitious. Tether is anchored by a reflective meditation on what it means to draw together as friends, family men, artists, and bandmates. What does it mean to be there for the people who depend on us, knowing we can’t fully protect them from the hardships of life?
Tether is the next step in OM&M’s evolution, combining their core sound with experimental and ethereal sound designs. The creative process focused on the excitement of discovery rather than preconceived “goals.” Pursuing the moments when the elusive “x factor” reveals itself in the songs. Those moments are palpable in songs like “Integration,” “Warpaint,” “Enraptured,” and “Indigo.”
The Of Mice & Men core since 2016 – Aaron, Alan, Tino, and Phil – maintain a powerful bond with their audience and each other, no matter the obstacles. Whether a powerful anthem or atmospheric confession, their songs translate in intimate clubs and massive festivals. “It’s about creating moments for people,” Pauley says. “Music is the soundtrack to people’s lives.”
OM&M will also hit the road with Bullet For My Valentine and Vended this fall. All dates are below.
OF MICE & MEN ON TOUR: WITH OF BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE + VENDED: 10/8 — Montreal, QC — Mtelus 10/9 — Quebec, QC — Théâtre Capitole 10/10 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium 10/12 — New York, NY — Terminal 5 10/13 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring 10/15 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall 10/17 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE 10/18 — Cleveland, OH — The Agora 10/19 — Cincinnati, OH — The Andrew J. Brady Music Center 10/21 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater 10/22 — Chicago, IL — Riviera Theatre 10/24 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fillmore Minneapolis 10/26 — Denver, CO — Mission Ballrom 10/28 — Flagstaff, AZ — Pepsi Amphitheater 10/29 — San Diego, CA — SOMA Mainstage 10/31 — Los Angles, CA — The Wiltern 11/1 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren 11/2 — Albuquerque, NM — Revel Entertainment Center 11/4 — San Antonio, TX — Boeing Center At Tech Port 11/5 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues Dallas 11/7 — Houston, TX — House of Blues Houston 11/8 — New Orleans, LA — The Fillmore New Orleans 11/10 — Orlando, FL — Hard Rock Live Orlando
Riot Fest has always been the festival I hear praised but I had never been able to attend. After seeing the massive lineup earlier in 2023, I was impressed with the number of bands and range in style that Riot Fest boasted for 2023. It’s not a typical rock and metal festival or the overblown Coachella or Lollapalooza. Riot Fest 2023 felt different with a varied lineup. September in Chicago seemed like a good goal for a festival experience.
After working with the great marketing team at Riot Fest, I was able to help advertise the festival in a unique format: Anti-PSAs. These are all based on real events I’ve seen before in past festivals and I wanted to illustrate what behavior should and should not be allowed at Riot Fest. To my huge shock, they showed these Anti-PSAs on the main stage big screens. It was crazy to see my giant head on the big screens telling people to not make out in port-a-potties or mosh while pregnant.
Below you will find a brief breakdown of each band I was able to see each of the three days, along with a video short of footage. It’s my first Riot Fest and I wanted to document the experience.
Day One | September 15th, 2023
Riot Fest 2023 Day One
Foo Fighters headlined Day One on the Riot Stage. Every song was extended by at least one minute to turn hits like “The Pretender” and “Learn To Fly” into jam sessions. The massive group in Chicago made it almost impossible to get through as all attention was on Dave Grohl and company. It adds to that peaceful feeling that while conflicting with the word “Riot”, still seems to fit as a proper closing to Day One.
Turnstile has become a big deal. The effects of Glow On and what the band is doing for hardcore has refreshed heavy music in a brighter way, and that brightness was seen in Chicago. It’s wild to see how much has come from the East Coast group in just a few years. It’s an infectious sound that sticks with you and everyone on stage provided something fun for Friday night. The Taco Bell commercial success is still doing wonders.
My first time shooting The Interrupters live. I had been to several festivals in the past that featured the group but was never able to be up close. In the same realm of brightness as Turnstile but with a different sound, The Interrupters reminded me that ska and upbeat music still has their place in 2023. There is music that you can dance to and still can feature riffs and drum fills. The afternoon turned into a dance party.
After more than six years since seeing Code Orange live for the first time (also in Chicago), I was able to see the group up close and get better photos than my previous work. The band highlighted new songs including material from the past few years off of Underneath as well as songs from the upcoming album The Above. I was also able to speak with Jami about the new self-produced album and the central theme of their work aligns with what Code Orange has tried to do for years, make something different than boring, standard-format rock.
Dad Joke(?) with Code Orange | Riot Fest 2023
Riot Fest featured many emo band revivals and Hawthorne Heights was celebrating 20 years of being a name in emo music. JT Woodruff spoke about how this was something for parents with a bit of grey now being able to relive a time when emo music was a big deal. When MySpace Top 5’s and downloading music off of Limewire was the lifestyle. Friday afternoon was the perfect moment to relive nostalgia from the 2000s.
My Day One experience started with The Bobby Lees. We had played a couple of songs from the newer group on our New Music Nights and when I went to check out the group, it started with the drummer stripping to his undies and rolling around on the stage. The music had punch to it and with no flash or stage production, The Bobby Lees left an impression.
Day Two | September 16th, 2023
Riot Fest 2023 Day Two
I feel that PUP represented the spirit of Riot Fest 2023 well. A punk band that sings about personal life through cynicism but is joyful through the process. The fans watching PUP sang along to the self-loathing. The Canadian export has a wholesomeness to their presentation no matter how bleak the content matter gets and I love it. So did the crowd that afternoon.
Pennywise closed out the Rise Stage and they were the perfect band to wave the more traditional punk banner at the close of Saturday. Early in the set, Jim Lindberg complimented the good-looking photographers in the crowd and asked for a camera to take photos from the stage. After receiving one from a photographer, the entire photo pit agreed that Pennywise was the best band of the entire weekend.
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls was a great addition to an overcast afternoon. It has been seven years since I last saw Frank Turner live and as I’ve kept up with Turner over the years, it seems like the man has a reinvigorated sense of expression in his performance. Chicago got some good singalongs with Turner as well as crowd surfers as his energy is truly contagious.
This was my first experience with Enter Shikari. After speaking with them briefly backstage and seeing their performance, I appreciated just how much effort Enter Shikari has put in for more than 20 years. Hearing songs from Nothing Is True… and A Kiss For The Whole World helped me acknowledge how the band continues to evolve and experiment with writing. The crowd at the barricade was losing their minds for ES.
Dad Joke with Enter Shikari | Riot Fest 2023
As a recommendation, I was told to check out 100 Gecs who are currently promoting their latest work 10,000 Gecs. The duo came out in purple and yellow outfits but took them off after one song. It was a no-production performance that a massive crowd of teenage ladies were losing their minds to at the Radical Stage. There was a simplicity to this show and it’s no-frills performance while still having a lot of energy.
My Saturday opened with Corey Feldman. That’s a statement I never thought I would say. The crowd was truly huge with thousands waiting for Feldman to perform on the Rebel Stage. Whether it was a forced chant from the backing band of “Here he comes, the Comeback King”, Feldman demanding everyone start over on the same beat, or Feldman saying that cool stuff was being shown on the inflatable screen on stage but couldn’t be seen due to it being broad daylight, it was clear this was a hypnotic show. I truly could not turn away from this. Regardless of technical difficulties, Feldman is still the Comeback King.
My Saturday started with Corey Feldman and ended with Insane Clow Posse. I was familiar enough with ICP to know what to expect: a Faygo shower and rabid Juggalos. I stood in front of a speaker cab and protected my camera from the soda bombs while the group of foul-mouthed clowns sang songs about why the Rebel Flag is awful. The message, though physically messy, was a good one.
Day Three | September 17th, 2023
Riot Fest 2023 Day Three
Seeing and shooting The Cure at the end of Day Three was an honor. The stage setup was fantastic and Robert Smith seemed to truly be captured by the large audience and appreciate how many were there in Chicago. After watching from the crowd I turned around and even saw the skaters from the half-pipe had stopped to watch and listen to The Cure. “Lovesong” still has that effect on everyone decades after release. This was probably my favorite set from the entire festival weekend.
Over 20 years of AFI and Davey Havok seems to have a renewed sense of presence. His appearance on Sunday was something new that I was unfamiliar with and the crowd at the Roots Stage ate it up. This great set featured a lot of the material over AFI’s long career. Riot Fest 2023 featured many emo bands from the past few decades and I think having AFI on one of the main stages was a smart choice. They definitely made a performance worthy of it.
It’s been one year since L.S. Dunes formed, featuring members of My Chemical Romance, Circa Survive, Coheed & Cambria, and Thursday. As the band has new music still coming out, Anthony Greene told the crowd that it’s hard to tell people how they are a REAL band and not just a side project. The music is solid and I think L.S. Dunes has more than enough potential through music alone, even outside of being a supergroup formed from other successful bands.
Overall Thoughts:
Riot Fest 2023 may have been the most well-organized festival I have ever been to. Stages and set times were held to the best of every stage’s ability. The grounds were taken care of even after the heavy rain on Sunday morning. There were trash and recycling bins that were checked to make sure nothing was overflowing into the crowd. The stages were all placed to reduce performance sound from carrying over from one stage to another.
There are some issues seen at Riot Fest that are common with other festivals such as food vendor price-gouging and the stalled ride-share situation after the event. The vendor prices and Chicago traffic are not factors that Riot Fest management has control over and can’t be held accountable for that as most festivals in the US deal with these issues.
Even with the rain delay and mud for Day Three, Riot Fest 2023 was great. From beginning to end, this was a festival made for people to enjoy and it did not feel like a raucous metal fest. This was something young families as well as the metal-loving crowd could enjoy. As far as riots go, this was the most pleasant riot ever.
If it isn’t obvious, I would return to Riot Fest in a heartbeat.
Pop-rock deserves to be better represented by someone other than Jared Leto. Whatever fun riffs or emotions, even occasional hooks you might have had fun with past 30STM, well kiss that goodbye. Boring synth work, voice mods, and the most bland, car commercial music I’ve heard in years. This music is numbing to listen to. I’m convinced that some of these songs were intended to be licensed commercially, and that’s it. At one point you hear Leto claim “Today is the greatest day that I’ve known”. Good for you because my day is ruined now. I now welcome the end of the world because at least that’s the end of this 33-minute album, that feels like an hour. 2/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di-VTrW7Kr0
Thirty Seconds To Mars – It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day | Album Review
From Google Bard: “Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Leto (drums, percussion). During the course of its existence, it has undergone various line-up changes with the Leto brothers being the only consistent members.
The band’s music is a mix of rock, alternative rock, emo, hard rock, and progressive rock. Their lyrics often deal with themes of alienation, rebellion, and self-discovery.”
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Thirty Seconds To Mars It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day Album Review
Gold-selling, billion-streaming rock band BEARTOOTH — Caleb Shomo, vocals; Zach Huston, guitars; Will Deely, guitars; Oshie Bichar, bass; and Connor Denis, drums — will release their fifth album The Surface on 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.
Today, the band has shared the new single “The Better Me (Feat. HARDY).” Listen here.
This epic collaboration is the product of the mutual admiration for each other’s work and their friendship. HARDY even spoke about looking to Shomo for advice on how to perfect his own sing/scream vocal delivery in a chat with Billboard.
“There are times where we feel like there is a way better version of ourselves somewhere deep inside that we need to find and bring back to the forefront of our lives,” shares Shomo. “This song is about going through the things that brought me to that conclusion. Simply put, I made a choice to be a better me.”
Additionally, all previously released tracks — “Riptide,” “Sunshine!,” “Might Love Myself,” and “Doubt Me” have tallied nearly 54 million total streams thus far.
Both Beartooth and HARDY are currently in the Top 15 on Active Rock radio charts in the US and rising! In fact, Beartooth’s “Might Love Myself” moved up two slots this week and is currently at #15 on the Active Rock radio chart, which is the fastest clip at which they’ve cracked the top 15 in their career.
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”
Grammy-nominated extreme power metal legends DRAGONFORCE have unleashed a standalone single, entitled “Doomsday Party”! The 80s rock influenced track is spiced up with hypnotizing retro video game soundscapes and epic guitar solos in true DRAGONFORCE manner. Formed in 1999, the London, UK based unit is known for their epic compositions, and the world’s fastest band’s signature lies in their masterful and lightning-fast guitar solos and inspiration drawn from a myriad of heavy metal styles and fantasy realms, blending 80s rock influences with infectious sing-along choruses and uplifting melodies.
DRAGONFORCE has hundreds of millions of YouTube video views and nearly two million monthly listeners on Spotify (with over 200 million streams on platinum-selling single “Through the Fire and Flames” alone). DRAGONFORCE’s fast-selling North American tour, which begins next month, will feature a fresh setlist and entirely new stage production! The band is joined by special guests Amaranthe, with additional support from Napalm Records labelmates NanowaR of Steel, as well as Edge of Paradise. Get your tickets now before they’re gone, and stay tuned for more new music!
Herman Li on “Doomsday Party”: “We’re super excited to unveil a brand-new DragonForce song after a wait of over 4 years! It was a tough decision to choose which of our new tracks to release first, but we decided on this one because it showcases a different facet of our music while still retaining the unmistakable DragonForce sound. The filming process for this video was a blast, and we had the opportunity to bring our vision to life in the city of Los Angeles, CA. Our hope is that metal fans from all walks of the genre spectrum will find something to enjoy in it. We can’t wait to play this live during our upcoming tour!”
North American Tour 2023 w/ Amaranthe, NanowaR of Steel + Edge of Paradise Oct 20 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater* Oct 21 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel* Oct 23 – Austin, TX – Empire Garage Oct 24 – Dallas, TX – The Granada Oct 25 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Oct 27 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Oct 28 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room Oct 30 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Heaven Oct 31 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground Nov 01 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage Nov 03 – New York, NY – Palladium Time Square Nov 04 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium Nov 05 – Montreal, QC – MTelus Nov 06 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall Nov 08 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater Nov 09 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Nov 10 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues Nov 11 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue Nov 12 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater Nov 14 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall Nov 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot Nov 16 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Nov 18 – Berkeley, CA – UC Theater Nov 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern * no NanowaR of Steel
As they approach the biggest headline show of their career to date at London’s legendary Alexandra Palace, Sheffieldquintet, WHILE SHE SLEEPS share their brand new single ‘SELF HELL’, the title track to their long awaited sixth studio album, which will follow on March 15th, 2024.
Drawing upon a far wider palette of influences to create a sonic collage of each member’s musical passions, ‘SELF HELL’feels like a second debut album from a band who have become such a vital force over the past decade. This incarnation of WHILE SHE SLEEPS is uncompromisingly unpredictable, the riffs are still granite heavy, but this album sees them drawing upon more diverse influences such as Aphex Twin, Gorillaz, Bicep, TheProdigy and Kendrick Lamar.
Those influences have seen a broader range of instruments incorporated on ‘SELF HELL’, especially with vintage synths such as the Korg MS-20 and the Behringer TD-3. Just as importantly was their attitude. WHILE SHE SLEEPS were all raised in mining villages around Sheffield and remembered how Britpop surrounded the environment during their youth, its working-class swagger informing the album’s defiant nothing-to-lose and everything-to-gain spirit.
Sean Long says,
“The name of the album is the foundation of how we view ourselves and the world. Everyone has a subjective experience like no other. Yet the constant that binds us IS the differences between us and the fact that we are all suffering in our own way. Don’t be too quick to judge and demonize, your time will come for redemption or damnification.
“We’ve been drawing inspiration from an array of misfit artists far from where you would usually pigeonhole WHILE SHE SLEEPS. Each member has brought in a different perspective of inspiration so far apart in genre that it has left us with a very odd and satisfying sonic. WHILE SHE SLEEPS will continue to keep the world guessing on what we will do next. Not only for the fans but this is a spiritual venture that we have to keep alive, moving, and constantly in flux. We do this by scaring ourselves with things we are not supposed to do. Every. Single. Day.”
The single ‘SELF HELL’ demonstrates the sonic leap-forward that WHILE SHE SLEEPS are taking with the album. It does seemingly everything all at once – huge riffs, thumping big beat grooves, a maelstrom of synth textures, melodic vocals contrasted with bloody-throated screams and swirling backing harmonies – all in a way that remains coherent while pushing their boundaries to a maximalist new level.
The album was produced by their long-term collaborator Carl Bown and the band’s guitarist, Sean Long. WHILE SHE SLEEPS – completed by Lawrence ‘Loz’ Taylor (vocals), Mat Welsh (guitar), Aaran Mckenzie (bass) and Adam Savage (drums) – recorded the album during sessions at Metropolis Studios in London, Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, and their own Six Audio in Sheffield.
Since debuting in 2012 with ‘This Is The Six’, WHILE SHE SLEEPS have gone from strength-to-strength, achieving a Top 10 breakthrough with “You Are We” as well as widespread critical acclaim for their most previous album, ‘Sleeps Society’.
They’ve consistently been a huge draw across European festivals, most memorably with an emotional return to the stage with 2021’s Download Pilot, a set that The Guardian described “as undeniably Pilot’s finest hour – if not the finest in the entire Download lineage.” Fewer than 500 tickets remain availableHERE for the landmark Alexandra Palace show. They will then play select gigs around Europe before hitting China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand in December.
After the end of the color-themed albums, it’s clear Baroness are trying to not repeat anything done before and Baroness succeeded. STONE is sludge metal at its core but there are spoken word segments and peaceful melodies that make the album as peaceful as it is heavy. Songs like “Last Word”, “Shine” and “Anodyne” show how the typical rock and metal format of writing are not needed. Instrumentally STONE is fantastic. It’s brimming with creativity and across 10 tracks you can hear the limitless potential. It’s hard to compare this to past Baroness albums because Baroness went out of their way to make something different for themselves, but it’s great. Stone is proof that Baroness knows how to steer their ship into uncharted waters and come out sounding great. 9/10
Baroness is an American heavy metal band from Savannah, Georgia that has been active since 2003. Baroness play a mix of heavy metal styles, including sludge, progressive, and alternative. Stone is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. The album will be released on September 15, 2023, through the band’s independent label Abraxan Hymns and was self-produced by the band.
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No New Music Night stream this weekend as I’m traveling to Chicago for Riot Fest. Thank you all for checking this out and let me know what you think about the album on the Youtube Short page or on socials.
The Podcast That Rocked for 9/12/23. Discussion on Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2023 Aftermath, Wes Scantlin being a sad Puddle Of Mudd, Slipknot going viral, and more.
0:00 – Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2023 Aftermath 16:44 – Wes Scantlin Cancels Puddle Of Mudd Tour 18:29 – “Custer” From Slipknot Going Viral 19:18 – Aerosmith Final Tour Delayed One Month 20:11 – Thank you YouTube Members & Patrons
“I’m heartbroken to say I have received strict doctor’s orders not to sing for the next thirty days. I sustained vocal cord damage during Saturday’s show that led to subsequent bleeding. We’ll need to postpone a few dates so that we can come back and give you the performance you… pic.twitter.com/bDT8tqmEcP
From Google Bard: “The 2023 Blue Ridge Rock Fest will be held from Thursday, September 7 to Sunday, September 10 at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. The lineup for the festival is stacked, with Slipknot, Pantera, Knocked Loose, Lamb of God, Limp Bizkit, I Prevail, Lorna Shore, Coheed and Cambria, Avatar, Polyphia, and many more artists performing. The festival will also feature a number of side activities, such as a car show, a tattoo convention, and a wrestling event.”
Here are some of the details of the festival:
Dates: Thursday, September 7 to Sunday, September 10, 2023
Location: Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Virginia
Lineup: Slipknot, Pantera, Knocked Loose, Lamb of God, Limp Bizkit, I Prevail, Lorna Shore, Coheed and Cambria, Avatar, Polyphia, and many more
Following the recent release of their new, critically acclaimed #1-charting album BLACKOUT via Better Noise Music, rock vanguards FROM ASHES TO NEW have announced a headlining tour in late fall/early winter with support from rockers The Word Alive, Catch Your Breath and heart-hop artist Ekoh.
The 20-city tour launches November 11 in Boston at Big Night Live and will stretch across the Midwest before returning to make its final stop December 16 in FROM ASHES TO NEW’s home state Pennsylvania at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC). See full dates listed below. Tickets will be available for the general public on Friday, September 15 at 10:00 a.m. local time via the band’s website (https://www.fromashestonew.com/). A fan pre-sale is live as of today, September 12, to those subscribed to FROM ASHES TO NEW’s various socials and lists.
Vocalist Matt Brandyberry says: “Our new album ‘Blackout’ dropped recently and we knew we couldn’t finish 2023 without the ‘Blackout Tour.’ We are beyond excited to be headed out on our first headlining tour since 2022 and can’t wait to run it back with our friends in The Word Alive! We added Catch Your Breath and Ekoh because they have both been killing it and we know the FATN family will absolutely love them. This will be our biggest production and highest quality stage show yet, so get those tickets and get ready to tear it up this Nov/Dec.”
FROM ASHES TO NEW’s explosive blend of hard rock, hip-hop, electronic, and alternative music saw BLACKOUTland the #1 spot on several iTunes and Spotify Rock and Metal charts across the globe. Produced by Brandyberry, alongside longtime collaborators and producers Grant McFarland and Carson Slovak, BLACKOUTacts as a prequel to their 2016 debut album DAY ONE. Its 12 tracks include the band’s fifth Top 10-charting rock radio single “Hate Me Too,” (#8)which Top Shelf Music Magazine praised it for showcasing “From Ashes to New’s prowess in crafting emotionally charged narratives against a powerful musical backdrop, making it a fan favorite and a prime example of the band’s unique sound.” FROM ASHES TO NEW’s current radio single, “Nightmare,” is now in the Top 20 and growing. Stream and/or download BLACKOUT or grab a physical copy on CD, vinyl or cassette at https://fatn.ffm.to/blackoutalbum.
“THE BLACKOUT TOUR Pt 1” Tour Dates:
11/21 Portland, ME – State Theatre
11/22 Boston, MA – Big Night Live
11/24 Syracuse, NY – Sharkey’s
11/25 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
11/26 Pittsburgh, PA – Preserving Underground
11/28 Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
11/29 Ft Wayne, IN – The Clyde Theatre #
11/30 Flint, MI – Machine Shop
12/1 Harrison, OH – The Blue Note
12/3 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
12/4 St Louis, MO – Red Flag
12/5 Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s
12/6 Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
12/8 Colorado Springs, CO – Sunshine Studios
12/10 Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theater
12/11 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater #
12/12 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave #
12/13 Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
12/15 Niagara Falls, NY – Rapids Theatre
12/16 Harrisburg, PA – HMAC
# From Ashes to New with The Word Alive & Ekoh only
Cybergrind. More than just a word, it’s a social media statement as much as it is a social faux pas. If you play anything from this genre of music to those unacquainted, expect some aghast reactions to the abrasive, bulldozing ear assault. With bits and pieces of mathcore, grind metal, nintendocore, and anything an artist sees fit, the genre has garnered a cult following within its resurgence in recent years. I got to attend a show earlier this summer with four groups, that being Bejalvin, Cocojoey, Thotcrime, and Blind Equation – it turned out to be one of the most inclusive, energetic shows in a sold-out intimate venue. Blind Equation teased a new album, and Death Awaits is now upon us. Teaming up with the prolific Prosthetic Records, let’s dive into the controlled chaos of emotional cybergrind.
Right off the bat in the title track, listeners will know if they want to hear more Blind Equation or be taken aback by the package deal. To set the soundscape, imagine the meshing of shrill screams, a synthesizer frenetically hitting riffs as fast as you can perceive them, double-bass thumping drums, all within the scope of a two-minute romp. Blind Equation’s take on cybergrind injects a feeling of old nintendocore staples like iamerror and Horse the Band through mystifying synth runs, but elevates the quality with a focus on melody structure and lyrical flexibility. This becomes prevalent in the closing lines of Death Awaits track “speedrunning life”: “My suffering is my own fault; Put me to rest, I’ve done this for too long; My suffering is my own fault; Repeating myself in every f*cking song”.
Autotuned hyperpop singing greets “you betrayed the ones you loved” with arguably the catchiest chorus on Death Awaits that I had the pleasure of hearing back at the Blind Equation show in June. There’s about 5 different drum patterns on this song, from blast beats to a four-on-the-floor coming about to compelling effect. “fade away” cranks the production cues up to 11 and has a BPM higher than my heart rate at the gym on cardio day to cap off the short-but-sweet tune. Breakbeats and growls make “choke” a strong midpoint for the record that doesn’t tamper too much with the winning formula, whilst making use of a bridge to pace the listener more comfortably than Blind Equation’s faster tracks.
Death Awaits benefits from features with New Zealand’s Deathtrippa and HexD artist Rat Jesu. The sense of comradery across this genre is captivating, as you’ll see artists hop onto each other’s songs quite often – Rat Jesu adds some vocal variety in “killing me”, whereas Deathtrippa in “suffering in silence” nearly steals the show with a seamless integration into the Blind Equation vibe. I had a double-take moment listening to “warmth”s amazing dance section come out of nowhere, getting a flashback to teenage me not knowing how to process when “Stick Stickly” did it. Closer “the last glimpse of me” knows its role and creates its soundscape as its basis, with the few lyrics proving consistency in the emotional cybergrind introspection and desperation.
Blind Equation are undoubtedly turning heads with Death Awaits. Some gut reactions to real emotional cybergrind comment sections include “I… i dont know how to feel. Its so weird and kind of laughable. But its actually really good at the same time.” and “Cybergrind.” The term “acquired listen” has never been so accurate, but fans of Blind Equation and similar artists are rabid for this stuff – with good reason, as Death Awaits is a non-stop barrage of insane synth, cacophonous screams, and blistering blast beats. It might not click immediately for some, but will reward those coming in with an open mind and have seen what cybergrind can accomplish through community. Death Awaits dropping on the same label as Pupil Slicer and Undeath, alongside Thotcrime, spells big things for this burgeoning collective.
