After hitting the Spring 2023 festival circuit and a spate of headline dates in the U.S., UK juggernauts Bullet For My Valentine will return to North America for a proper and long-awaited headline tour this fall.
The tour kicks off on October 8 in Montreal and runs through November 10 in Orlando. Of Mice & Men and Vended will serve as support. Tickets go on sale on Friday, July 28 at 10am local time. Get tickets here.
It’s the band’s first full North American headline run since before the COVID-19 pandemic and is a welcome return to venues!
“After five long years, we’re finally heading back to the USA and Canada for a proper headline tour,” states frontman Matt Tuck. “We cannot wait to play and see you all again — it’s been far too long.”
BMFV’s self-titled album — their seventh — is out now via Spinefarm.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE ON TOUR: WITH OF MICE & MEN + VENDED: 10/8 — Montreal, QC — Mtelus 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
Portland’s own DYING WISH have announced their new album Symptoms of Survival. It arrives on November 3 via SharpTone Records. Pre-order it here.
To accompany this exciting news, the quartet has shared the video for “Watch My Promise Die.”
Dying Wish “Watch My Promise Die”
“‘Watch My Promise Die’ is written about the overwhelming anxiety of pre-destined failure,” says singer Emma. “When you commit everything you have to one area of your life, the idea of it falling apart looms with such heavy importance. The song is written from the perspective of toying with that fear, allowing your weakness to overcome before you lose everything in a means outside of your control.”
As for the album as a whole, she continues, “Symptoms of Survival is an eleven-part piece covering the complexity of human suffering in all forms. From the honest and personal perspective of heartbreak, painful trauma, loss, rage, and regret — to the more objective perspective of war, greed, and ultimate survival.”
SYMPTOMS OF SURVIVAL TRACK LISTING: “Symptoms of Survival” “Watch My Promise Die” “Starved” “Prey For Me” “Path To Your Grave” “Paved In Sorrow” “Tongues of Lead” “Kiss of Judas” “Hell’s Final Blessing” “Torn From Your Silhouette” “Lost In The Fall”
“Dying Wish is an extreme metallic hardcore band from Portland, Oregon. They formed in 2018 and have quickly become one of the most talked-about bands in the scene. Their music is characterized by its unrelenting intensity, its powerful lyrics, and its punk spirit.
The band’s lineup consists of vocalist Ashley Boster, guitarists Sam Reynolds and Pedro Carrillo, bassist Andrew Le, and drummer Jeff Yambra. Boster’s vocals are a force to be reckoned with, delivering powerful screams and shouts that perfectly complement the band’s aggressive sound. Reynolds and Carrillo’s guitars provide a wall of sound that is both crushing and melodic. Le’s basslines are solid and driving, while Yambra’s drums keep the beat with precision and power.”
SEVENDUST Release Music Video for “Superficial Drug” Watch HERE
Cut from Upcoming Album, Truth Killer, Available Everywhere this Friday via Napalm Records | Pre-Order HERE
Set to Tour with Alter Bridge/Mammoth WVH in August, Along with Static-X on the Machine Killer Tour in October More Info HERE
With their latest single “Everything” moving up the Active Rock radio charts and just three days until their new album is available worldwide, GRAMMY® Award-nominated SEVENDUST is releasing “Superficial Drug” from Truth Killer – the band’s 14th studio album and first via Napalm Records.
“Superficial Drug” is an introspective rocker that showcases the band’s dynamic approach to melody – something that has always been the backbone of SEVENDUST’s signature sound. The band – Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose – reunited with director J.T. Ibanez (P.O.D., Loveless, Orianthi) for the third time to create visuals to support Truth Killer. The video features the band performing as cloaked figures representing “superficial drugs” try and overtake the band.
Sevendust “Superficial Drug”
From the introspective opening of “I Might Let The Devil Win” to the classic SEVENDUST sound of “Fence,” the twelve songs on Truth Killer demonstrate that the band sounds as relevant today as they did on their 1997 self-titled debut. “Truth Killer,” “No Revolution” and “Holy Water” combine elements of the classic SEVENDUST sound with modern updates, pointing their lyrical lens at the world today and showcasing the musical diversity that has won the band a legion of loyal fans. The first song released was the album closer, “Fence,” accompanied by a claymation music video directed and animated by Ollie Jones.
The band also released recent music videos for “Everything”and “Holy Water”. Producer, friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette returned to produce Truth Killer.
Truth Killer tracklisting: 1. I Might Let the Devil Win 2. Truth Killer 3. Won’t Stop the Bleeding 4. Everything 5. No Revolution 6. Sick Mouth 7. Holy Water 8. Leave Hell Behind 9. Superficial Drug 10. Messenger 11. Love and Hate 12. Fence
SEVENDUST Truth Killer will be available in the following formats: -1CD 6p. Digisleeve -1LP Gatefold Vinyl BLACK -1LP Gatefold Vinyl MINT – North American retail Only -1LP Gatefold Vinyl *Die Hard* MARBLED BLUE/WHITE/BLACK (Slipmat, Record Butler) – Napalm Mail Order Only, limited to 300 -1LP Gatefold Vinyl GLOW IN THE DARK – Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500 -1LP Gatefold Vinyl CURACAO TRANSPARENT – Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500 -1LP Gatefold Vinyl GOLD – Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500 -1LP Gatefold Vinyl ORANGE TRANSPARENT – Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500 -Music Cassette NEON YELLOW TRANSPARENT – Napalm Mail Order Only -1CD 6p. Digisleeve + Shirt “Truth Killer” Bundle – Napalm Mail Order Only -Digital Album
With a reputation as being one of the best live bands and recently making headlines as the band you “don’t ever, ever, ever want to go on after,” SEVENDUST is getting ready to begin a long run of tour dates to support Truth Killer. The tour resumes in August with Alter Bridge and Mammoth WVH. The band also recently announced the Machine Killer Tour – a co-headline run with Static-X – that is a reunion run that is over two decades in the making kicking off in October. As a band who loves to bring the music to their fans live, 2023/2024 will be busy years for SEVENDUST. More information on all upcoming tour dates and ticket and VIP info can be found here: https://sevendust.com/pages/tour.
SEVENDUST 2023 Tour Dates: Aug 1 – Buffalo, NY – Outer Harbor Event Complex * Aug 2 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage * Aug 4 – Charles Town, WV – The Event Center at Hollywood Casino * Aug 5 – Grantville, PA – Hollywood Casino Outdoors * Aug 7 – Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union LIVE! * Aug 8 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion * Aug 10 – Quebec City, QC – Agora Port de Québec * Aug 12 – Mashantucket, CT – The Premier Theater (at Foxwoods Resort Casino) * Aug 13 – Johnstown, PA – 1st Summit Arena * Aug 17 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live * Aug 19 – Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street Amphitheater * Aug 20 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port * Aug 22 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre * Aug 23 – Cincinnati, OH – Andrew J Brady Music Center * Aug 25 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe * Aug 26 – Milwaukee, WI – The Eagles Ballroom * Aug 28 – Fargo, ND – Outdoors at Fargo Brewing * Aug 29 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore * Aug 31 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove *
October 6 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall ^ October 7 – Dallas, TX – The Factory Deep Ellum ^ October 8 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall ^ October 10 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle ^ October 11 – Murfreesboro, TN – Outside at Hop Springs ^ October 13 – Greensboro, NC – Piedmont Hall ^ October 14 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore ^ October 15 – Lancaster, PA – Freedom Hall ^ October 17 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore ^ October 18 – Ft. Wayne, IN – The Clyde ^ October 19 – Gary, IN -– The Hard Rock ^ October 20 – Clive, IA – Horizon Event Center ^ October 22 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory ^ October 23 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre ^ October 24 – Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Theatre ^ October 26 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium ^ October 27 – Albuquerque, NM – REVEL ^ October 28 – El Paso, TX – Speaking Rock ^ October 30 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee ^ October 31 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues ^ November 1 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern ^
* Opening for Alter Bridge ^ Machine Killer Tour with Static-X, dope, Lines of Loyalty
Sub-Genres in heavy music are supposed to help differentiate styles and be a good thing. Some people take it too seriously. This video looks at The OBSESSION With Sub-Genres In Metal.
In the world of metal music, there are countless subgenres to choose from. From death metal to black metal to grindcore, there’s a subgenre for everyone. But with so many subgenres to choose from, it’s no wonder that some metal fans become obsessed with classifying each band into the “correct” subgenre.
This obsession with subgenres can lead to gatekeeping, where metal fans who are more knowledgeable about subgenres than others try to gatekeep the genre by excluding fans who don’t know as much about it. This can be a major turnoff for new fans of metal music, who may feel like they’re not welcome in the community if they don’t know the difference between a deathcore band and a black metal band.
So why are metal fans so obsessed with subgenres? In some cases, it’s simply a matter of trying to find bands that sound like the ones they already love. If you’re a fan of death metal, for example, you’re probably not going to be interested in a band that plays a different subgenre of metal.
In other cases, the obsession with subgenres is a way of feeling superior to other metal fans. If you know more about subgenres than someone else, you can feel like you’re more of a “true” metal fan. This can lead to gatekeeping and elitism, which can make the metal community less welcoming to new fans.
HOLDING ABSENCE have released an intense new single titled “Scissors.” The track depicts the concept of sacrifice as a means to evolve, as the narrator commits to severing parts of themself in order to grow.
“Scissors” is the fourth single from The Noble Art Of Self Destruction, which will be released on August 25 via SharpTone Records.
Vocalist Lucas Woodland comments, “Today, we are excited to reveal the latest song from our new album TNAOSD called ‘Scissors.’ This song is a love letter to our favorite genre, which ispost-hardcore. It’sheavy, catchy, and emotional.
“We can’t wait for you guys to hear this one, as we step ever-closer to releasing the whole album next month.”
Watch the lyric video for “Scissors” and stream on all platforms now here.
Purchase and pre-save The Noble Art Of Self Destruction now here.
THE NOBLE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION TRACK LISTING: “Head Prison Blues” “A Crooked Melody“ “False Dawn“ “Scissors” “Honey Moon“ “Death, Nonetheless” “Her Wings” “These New Dreams” “Liminal” “The Angel In The Marble”
The Noble Art Of Self Destruction was recorded at Canada’s Jukasa Studios with producer Dan Weller (Enter Shikari, Bury Tomorrow).
The fun side of metal does not get enough attention. The doom and gloom, intensity, anger, and aggressiveness, all of these are associated with heavy music. Metal bands who actually focus on energy and something exciting with varying emotions rarely get as much focus. It may have taken a fantastic journey to Eurovision to finally get a spotlight, but Voyager has proved it’s still possible to make something infectious and fun while being heavy.
Fearless In Love, the band’s eighth studio album is the blend of electronica, riffs, and volume that sets Voyager apart from many prog bands. The album’s story and incorporated style through the runtime sets Voyager apart from many power metal bands. When “Promise” was featured on Eurovision and got the group the big attention they have worked for years to obtain, it proved there is still a market for this style.
Voyager “Promise”
At 44 minutes (a brief album for some prog fans), Fearless In Love swells with high points. “Ultraviolet” ft. Sean Harmanis is equal parts guitar play and sing-a-long as well as deep groove. “Prince Of Fire” incorporates great key work along with riffs, all laid out with an impending sinister mood. The variety in style and attitude makes you continue and want to hear more.
Only the final track “Gren” surpasses five minutes, and with shorter track times Fearless In Love leaves less time to get lost. The vocal performance from Daniel Estrin is well-executed and swells at the right moments. While this electronic and vibrant mood is the true star, I admit I was hoping for more flashes of brilliance from the guitars. That is a nitpick however as there is still plenty to enjoy from riffs and solos.
This is something that should remind you that metal can not only have variety in tone but also make you feel alive while listening. Overall, Fearless In Love is the perfect combination of power and prog. Voyager has made a blast of a metal album.
When platinum-selling alt-rock band YELLOWCARD announced a reunion show in 2022 for Riot Fest in Chicago, IL, no one predicted (not even the band) that they would do anything more than just that one show. But as anticipation and excitement built on both sides of the Atlantic with follow-up bookings at London’s Underworld (May 26, 2022) and Slam Dunk Festival (May 27-28, 2022) with record audiences, it became clear to the band that their internal chemistry was back in creative balance and their fans wanted more. With the release of their new EP Childhood Eyes(release date: July 21, 2023viaEqual Vision), they gave not only their fans something to look forward to but also themselves the confidence that this is exactly what was needed for them as a band.
The five songs that make up Childhood Eyes capture the spirit and essence of Paper Walls —its powerful yet tender anthems, its open-hearted emotional vulnerability, its sense of wide-eyed wonder against the odds—but they’re also riddled with the band’s experiences of the decade and a half since it came out. From the breakneck speed of “Three Minutes More” which features Pierce the Veil’s Vic Fuentes to the gorgeously plaintive final track “The Places We’ll Go” which features Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba (“When he comes in on that last chorus and you can really hear that Dashboard ripping grit in his voice, it’s just awesome,” says Key), the EP is a testament of a band re-finding its footing after a number of years apart.
Distorted Sounds says of the EP, “Childhood Eyes is dripping with pop-punk nostalgia, catchy rhythms, and a sound like they’d never even been on hiatus… Childhood Eyes just proves that these guys have stood the test of time as the tracks don’t feel out of time or place.” Sputnik Music gives the EP 4 out o f 5 stars, saying “Childhood Eyes has far exceeded expectations… Long may it last!” The Aquarian proclaims, “Yellowcard has finally returned and, man, is their comeback a massive one.” Substream sums it up nicely: “From the first playthrough of the band’s Equal Vision Records debut it becomes clear that this isn’t just a reunion; the five song EP is a succinct statement that Yellowcard is back.”
As a companion to the release of their EP, they announced a full-scale North American tour (their first since 2017) which finds them in front of their largest crowds ever as a headliner. At their sold-out NYC show at The Rooftop at Pier 17 earlier this month, Digital Journal reported on the audience’s reaction and said, “their presence was met with a raucous response from the Big Apple crowd.” V13 lauded their performance at their packed-to-the-gills Philadelphia show saying, “You could feel the energy amp up as people yelled with excitement as each band member took their place. It was as if Yellowcard never missed a beat.” Yellowcard still has 20 shows remaining in their landmark routing, finding them in Jacksonville, FL this evening for their first or two shows at Daily’s Place Amphitheater. Dates in Texas, California, Seattle, Denver, and back to the East Coast are upcoming (tour dates below).
Yellowcard is Ryan Key (vocals, guitar), Sean Mackin (violin), Ryan Mendez (guitar), and Josh Portman (bass). CHILDHOOD EYES is released today (July 21, 2023) via Equal Vision on July 7, 2023digitally and in limited edition vinyl and CD.
TOUR DATES ^ signifies dates with Mayday Parade * signifies dates with Story of the Year # signifies dates with Anberlin + signifies dates with Emo Night Brooklyn DJ set All dates with This Wild Life Tickets On Sale HERE
Jul 21 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place ^*+ Jul 22 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place ^*+ Jul 23 Tampa, FL Yuengling Center ^*+ Jul 25 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall ^* Jul 26 Austin, TX Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater + Jul 27 Irving, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory ^# Jul 29 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre ^#+ Jul 30 Los Angeles, CA YouTube Theater ^#+ Aug 01 San Diego, CA Petco Park – Gallagher Square ^# Aug 02 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ^#+ Aug 04 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater ^# Aug 05 Garden City, ID Revolution Concert House & Event Center + Aug 06 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre ^#+ Aug 08 Denver, CO Levitt Pavilion Denver ^#+ Aug 10 Indianapolis, IN TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park ^*+ Aug 12 Pittsburgh, PA Four Chord Music Festival ~ Aug 13 Worcester, MA Palladium Outdoors ^*+ Aug 15 Hershey, PA GIANT Center ^*+ Aug 17 Syracuse, NY St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview ^*+ Aug 18 Portland, ME Cross Insurance Arena ^*+
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.”
