Canadian deathcore wrecking crew, BRAND OF SACRIFICE, have dropped their first new music in over a year with the release of brand new track “Exodus“. The phenomenal new single marks the beginning of a new chapter of BRAND OF SACRIFICE, maintaining their signature brutality and complexity, but upping it to a whole new level with a few surprises thrown in. Find the track on streaming platforms HERE and watch the accompanying masterpiece of a music video HERE.
Speaking on the brand new track, BRAND OF SACRIFICE frontman, Kyle Anderson adds
“We’re so excited to unveil the next chapter of Brand of Sacrifice! Exodus examines the darkest aspects of what we as humans are capable of, coming from the standpoint of a fearless leader.
From the eyes of his brother and comrade, we witness an ability to survive and push forward when what he loves most is stolen right before his eyes by the one he looked up to and relied on. Trust can be earned, respect can be dished out, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betraying any of those, loses you the three.”
Also accompanying today’s release is the drop of a limited edition “Exodus” merch capsule available from brandofsacrifice.com featuring two unique t-shirt designs and a tie-dye hoody.
The band recently announced that they will be hitting the road in January of next year with We Came As Romans on their Darkbloom 2023 Tour. For further info and tickets, head to brandofsacrifice.com
DARKBLOOM USA TOUR w/ Erra and Brand Of Sacrifice 19- Jan – Pittsburgh PA | Mr Smalls 20- Jan – Philadelphia PA | TLA 21- Jan – Worcester MA | The Palladium 22- Jan – New York NY | Irving Plaza 24- Jan – Baltimore MD | Baltimore Soundstage 25- Jan – Richmond VA | Canal Club 26- Jan – Charlotte NC | The Underground 27- Jan – Atlanta GA | The Masquerade 28- Jan – Orlando FL | House of Blues 30-Jan – Houston TX | White Oak Music Hall 31-Jan – Austin TX | Empire 1-Feb – Dallas TX | House of Blues 3- Feb – Phoenix AZ | The Nile 4- Feb – Anaheim CA | House of Blues 5- Feb – Sacramento CA | Ace of Spades 7- Feb – Portland OR | Hawthorne Theatre 8- Feb – Seattle WA | The Crocodile 10- Feb – Salt Lake City UT | The Complex 11- Feb – Denver CO | Summit Music Hall 13- Feb – Lawrence KS | Granada 14- Feb – Minneapolis MN | Varsity Theater 15- Feb – Chicago IL | House of Blues 17- Feb – Columbus OH | The King of Clubs 18- Feb – Detroit MI | St. Andrew’s Hall
Keep ’em peeled for more coming from BRAND OF SACRIFICE soon.
Some bands have been able to keep their same style for years and have made it work with good reason. This first video of a two-part series looks at the good list of 10 bands that never changed their sound.
Part two will be coming soon where I will look at the bad list of bands that never changed their sound. This is the list of groups that have been so stale that it’s become a problem to the point of pain or hilarity. Sometimes both. Think of bands like Godsmack who have one trick and refuse to do anything but scream that trick and you while expecting people to love it.
10 Bands That Never Changed Their Sound (The Good List)
Fifth full album from a post-hardcore/metalcore band that is this time going into synthwave territory. The vocals work and the backtrack and synthetic are well done, but the instrument work is just present. It’s all an afterthought. I don’t hate it but this style has been done before by much better bands and along with some fairly cliche writing, it’s not much to get excited over. If you wanted Dark Sun to be like The Midnight, you’ll be disappointed. You’ll also be disappointed if you wanted metalcore. Not awful, but just a playlist of similar-sounding electronic songs that blur together. 5/10.
Dayseeker Dark Sun Album Review
Dayseeker – “Without Me”
Dayseeker is an American post-hardcore band from Orange County, California, United States. The band is currently signed to Spinefarm Records. To date, the band has released four albums: What It Means To Be Defeated in 2013, which was re-released a year later; Origin in 2015, which was also reissued in 2016; Dreaming Is Sinking /// Waking Is Rising in 2017; and Sleeptalk in 2019.
An album review on Dark Sun, the fifth full album from Dayseeker. Dayseeker Dark Sun Album Review
Grammy-nominated Lancaster five-piece AUGUST BURNS RED — JB Brubaker [lead guitar], Brent Rambler [rhythm guitar], Matt Greiner [drums], Jake Luhrs [vocals], and Dustin Davidson [bass] — have announced their new album Death Below. It arrives on March 24 via SharpTone Records. Pre-order it here.
“It’s no secret that the past few years have been extremely dark and challenging,” Brubaker says. “Death Below is here as a result of that time in each our lives and the emotions that came with it. We were motivated by uncertainty, fear, outrage, and triumph. I feel this is the darkest, most personal album we’ve ever written, and I couldnt be more proud of what the five of us made together.”
Today, they have shared the video for the first single “Ancestry,” featuring Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach. Watch it here.
“‘Ancestry’ is a complex and technical ABR track held together by perhaps the most painful and personal lyrics Jake has ever written,” says Brubaker. “I loved this song in every phase since its inception. From the instrumental rendition, to the lyrics and vocals being added, to finally bringing it all together with Jesse’s anthemic guest vocals, ‘Ancestry’ is a song we’ve been looking forward to sharing with the world for a long time.”
The album features additional guest spots from guitarist Jason Richardson, as well as JT Cavey of ERRA and Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath.
DEATH BELOW TRACK LISTING: “Premonition” “The Cleansing” “Ancestry” (Feat. Jesse Leach) “Tightrope” (Feat. Jason Richardson) “Fool’s Gold in the Bear Trap” “Backfire” “Revival” “Sevink” “Dark Divide” “Deadbolt” “The Abyss” (Feat. JT Cavey) “Reckoning” (Feat. Spencer Chamberlain)
3x Grammy-nominated rock outfit NOTHING MOREhave launched a social media campaign surrounding their recent single, “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT LOVE MEANS,” encouraging fans to submit videos sharing what love means to them and tagging the band and song on socials using the hashtag #LOVEMEANS. Those who submit a video will be entered in a raffle to win a signed copy of their new album SPIRITS out now via Better Noise Music. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT LOVE MEANS” is about the ups and downs of toxic relationships and how sometimes you just need to break the cycle.
Frontman JONNY HAWKINS shared an emotional video message with followers detailing a recent experience he had on tour meeting a fan who shared his story of how NOTHING MORE’s music saved his life and led him to meeting his partner, who was also impacted by the band’s work. This inspired HAWKINS to start the #LOVEMEANS campaign and inspire others to share their stories of overcoming adversity. Listen to his message here.
On SPIRITS, NOTHING MORE pairs unapologetically massive anthems, catchy hooks, and progressive music with introspective, philosophical lyrics and thought-provoking emotionalism. HAWKINS elaborates on its concepts and the album’s coinciding meta-personality “SPIRITS TEST” (inspired from Myers-Briggs, Big 5 and the Zodia along with the philosophy of Alan Watts and Carl Jung) in the Q&A below. The result of the test determines your “Spirit Type” which ascertains specific characteristics that are further embellished across the album’s artwork and in their upcoming graphic novel “SPIRITS VOL.1” due in early 2023 via Z2 Comics.
“With its incredibly powerful utilization of [Jonny] Hawkins’ range, the detailed orchestration of each track for maximum effect and the poignancy of the messaging and intention throughout the album, ‘Spirits’ makes its mark as one of Nothing More’s best works,” lauds Cryptic Rock (10/14).
Nothing More has gained attention from critics and audiences alike for your riveting live performance which sees you appear on stage in body paint while vigorously moving throughout the set and engaging with the crowd. You’ve previously mentioned some of the inspiration for your performance was based on Native American culture. Can you expand further and/or share other factors of your personal life/hobbies have helped you develop your show?
“I have a background in drumming, and I was the original drummer of the band for many years, so that has had a huge influence on not only how I think about the show but even how I move my body. I’m always connected to the rhythm, the beat; naturally my extremities move subconsciously to the drummer in my head. I also did drumline in high school and we performed all over the nation doing really elaborate performance pieces which influenced my desire to always want to do these drum ensemble kind of moments with the entire band. Lastly, I was always interested in martial arts. I wrestled in high school and I do jujitsu and some boxing now. I was always fascinated by the overlap of the warrior spirit or the martial artists and art. There was an overlap at times between those two things and how you would move your body through space and time–and even the body paint that I wear is inspired by primitive cultures that would put on the war paint with intention of getting into a spirit of war or a spirit of battle. In the same way, I like to conjure those energies within myself before the show as I put on my paint and get in the right mindset.”
We’d be remiss to leave out the other stunning element of your live performance, The Scorpion Tail and the Drum Machine. While both are visually engaging elements, can you explain how both were designed and how specifically they impact the band’s sound?
“The Scorpion Tail was designed originally from an idea that I had in the jam room with a wireless MIDI controller that almost looked like a video game controller. I wired Dan and Mark’s guitars through a computer, and I was affecting what they were playing in real time. Just like a DJ effects a prerecorded track, I was playing the effects on their instruments. Daniel, our bass player, decided to weld this monster that I could kind of wrestle with my whole body rather than just pressing buttons with my fingers. We thought it would be more visually compelling and more exciting to perform than something small that you manipulate with your fingers.”
SPIRITS was written during a time of global isolation which caused many to feel weary and anxious for a questionable future and therefore led to a lot of self-reflection. How did you incorporate those themes into the writing process?
“I think a lot of the themes of what’s happening in the world around us just naturally make their way into our writing. It’s not really something that we have to think too hard about–it just naturally flows into our lyric writing and our intention and energy into the song. It’s not as planned out and conscious as you might think. When we’re writing the lyrics, we definitely reflect on them and tweak them based on what’s going on around us and how we want to portray ourselves in the public sphere, but it all just happens naturally.”
“Spirit” has multiple meanings–one is “qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group.” The SPIRITS TEST you designed bases its result on how individuals perceive and react to these elements to determine their “SPIRIT TYPE.” What is your SPIRIT TYPE and what are some of its characteristics? How do you think those results feed into your musicianship or vice versa?
“My spirit type is the Tru type. I think the characteristics of the Tru type are more visionary and that lines up with my role in the band quite perfectly. I think when we take the SPIRITS TEST for each member in the band, it has really made a lot of sense as to why we interact the way we do with each other–everyone’s role, and everyone strengths and weaknesses. I think that it influences my writing very naturally. When writing lyrics, I gravitate towards the particular sounds or chords or the way my voice just emanates naturally. Mark and Dan are the Fuse types which are more on the heart side of the chart whereas I’m a little more on the head side. Our drummer Ben is a Constant and so that makes sense because we’re a little more analytical and destructive in our process. Mark and Dan are a little more heartfelt and creative in the sense that they’re the positive force and Ben and I are a little more the negative force and together they are making a Yin and Yang to our writing process.”
Nothing More’s mission statement is to “reflect, provoke and inspire.” Can you share how SPIRITS reflects, provokes and inspires?
“I think our lyrics are written in a way that we try to say what people have thought and felt that they didn’t quite know how to say themselves a lot of times. That’s the goal in our songwriting and I think with the album ‘SPIRITS,’ it is tapping into a deeper side. It’s a little more esoteric and a little less obvious in regard to the lyrics and the meanings and the messages behind some of the songs. It’s touching on a more subconscious level in people whereas on the songs from our self-titled album, the lyrics were a little more straightforward and you understood them consciously. This one touches on some deeper archetypal and older themes in the human spirit.”
If you had the ability to universally change one thing that would positively impact humanity, what would it be and why?
“I’m going to quote Alan Watts on this one; I think he actually was quoting someone else, but I heard it from him. He said that if everyone could have an organ in their body that was a constant reminder of death that they would live their lives in a way that looked very differently than the way that we tend to live our lives. I thought that was an interesting thought and I think that that might affect humanity for both better and worse. I don’t think it would be just for the better. It would be interesting to see what that would cause people to do and how it might change their behaviors.”
What are three surprising facts people might not know about you?
“‘The Office’ is my favorite TV show of all time. Stepbrothers is my favorite comedy movie of all time, and I love horror films and scary movie nights.”
Are there any particular books or films that have helped shape your sensibility as an artist?
“A book by Alan Watts called ‘The Book’ and then another one of his books called ‘Become Who You Are’–that’s a great one.”
If you were to record a duet with a current artist outside the genre of music for which you’re known, who might that be and which song would you cover and why?
“I’m going to say Carrie Underwood because she’s been a fan of the band and has even come out to one of our shows. I think it would be really interesting to do a duet with a country artist or someone just outside of the box that we’re typically in. If it were a cover song, ‘The World I Know’ by Collective Soul would be a great cover song on acoustic.”
Bloodywood just wrapped up an immensely successful tour throughout the States. We witnessed their exhilarating performance in New York City’s Gramercy Theatre earlier this month. During their time on the road we were able to get an interview with the guys and learn a little more about this up and coming band from New Delhi, India.
“Hello! Firstly, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I appreciate it very much! Your show in New York City was FANTASTIC! Seeing everyone having a great time was a beautiful sight. Here are the interview questions, feel free to skip any you guys don’t want to answer!”
Nadia Pulgar: “The Nine Inch Naans Tour started at Louder Than Life, what was it like for you guys to experience that festival? Also, what was the process for naming the tour so epically?“
Bloodywood: “It was one hell of a welcome! We were playing the Revolver stage and were told by our tour manager that so many people showing up at that stage was unheard of. It continued the surreal trend we’ve experienced ever since our festival appearance of the tour in Japan. Despite an opening slot or a smaller stage, our supporters (both new and old) have turned them into some epic moments. We wanted to use this tour to prove we are ready for the next level and our supporters here in the US and across the world are helping us do that.
The credit for the tour name goes entirely to the gold mine that is our YouTube comment section! We’ve got enough names for the next ten tours!”
NP: “What has been your favorite aspect of touring throughout the States so far?“
Bloodywood: “Finally getting the chance to experience the hype we’ve been feeling from the US. This tour’s been years in the making and we’re not disappointed in the slightest! The US has been our biggest support base since we first started our journey and amongst them are some of our biggest supporters who we’ve had the pleasure of connecting with through Patreon and social media. It’s been awesome to finally meet them in person too!”
NP: “Going from a parody band “destroying pop songs” to being listed as one of the “12 new metal bands to watch in 2022” by Metal Hammer, what have been some of the biggest transitions you guys have encountered?“
Bloodywood: “Making parodies was a means to an end, all we wanted was to build an audience and explore our sound. The biggest transition we encountered was that we actually managed to do both and were in a position to make originals! Another one was realizing the power that music had. Our first original Jee Veerey was about combating depression, and people told us the song is the reason they’re still alive. We’ve always wanted to use music to make a difference, but that song showed us its true power. We embraced that knowledge and used it in all our songs after that. We also got invited to the Wacken Open Air when we had only one original track. So we worked on new music and had to transition into a band capable of playing the biggest stages in a very short period of time. It involved a lot of practice in a very short period of time. As well as a lot of planning, but we’re proud to say we managed to do it!”
NP: “Your music encompasses several genres. What is your creative process like?“
Bloodywood: “It’s all instinct. The multi-genre aspect is a reflection of our own taste in music. We like it heavy, but we like all kinds too. Usually we’ll work on an instrumental and then we’ll write lyrics after.”
NP: “I read that Karan was a corporate lawyer. What was the catalyst that set him on the path to becoming a world-touring metal head?”
Bloodywood: “After working for a few years it only became more apparent with time that Karan didn’t want to spend his life doing something he hated. One day he had enough, so he quit his job and put it all on the line to do what he loves!”
NP: “As you guys were growing up, who or what inspired you all to become musicians?”
Bloodywood: “Karan was inspired by Mark Tremonti, Jayant by Corey Taylor and Slipknot and Raoul by Eminem and Rage Against The Machine.”
NP: “Have you guys found it difficult to express your music due to cultural differences or serious societal themes in your songs?”
Bloodywood: “Nope”
NP: “Are there any musicians you’d like to collaborate with in the future?”
Bloodywood: “Serj Tankian, Corey Taylor, Zach De la Rocha and The Hu to name a few.”
NP: “For each of you, which are your favorite songs to perform?”
Bloodywood: “Karan’s is Bsdk.exe, Jayant’s is Gaddaar, Raoul’s is Machi Bhasad“
NP: “What do you hope your fans walk away with after seeing you guys at one of your shows?”
Bloodywood: “Hope, a belly full of Metal Tikka Masala and a hunger for more!”
NP: “Where do you guys see yourselves in the next five years?”
Bloodywood: “Selling out arenas!”
NP: “And last but not least, any shout outs?”
Bloodywood: “Huge shout out to Nick Storch of AGI for making this tour happen, and all our supporters here who’ve packed shows and traveled hundreds of miles to see us!”
Someone once said that “anything worth doing is worth doing twice.” So, Metalheads, 2023 is going to kick off with a brand new round of some of the finest thrash and heavy metal to grace North American stages. Co-headliners Anthrax and Black Label Society, who tore through the country this past summer with their iconic thrash/heavy metal, will be heading back on the road for a 24-date tour, making stops in all new markets, with both bands playing headline sets. Joining Anthrax and Black Label Society as Special Guest on this run will be Northern California’s thrash metal gods, Exodus. The tour launches on January 17 at the Revolution Concert House in Boise, ID, wrapping in Oakland, CA at the Fox Theatre on February 18. Tickets pre-sale details are below,* and the public on-sale begins Friday, November 4 at 10:00AM local time. Log onto https://www.anthrax.com/tour or http://blacklabelsociety.com for all ticket purchasing information.
Citi is the official card of the Anthrax and Black Label Society Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details, visit www.citientertainment.com
As this tour will take the bands to different markets than last summer’s did, the multi-Gold and Platinum, card-carrying member of the Big Four, six-time GRAMMY-nominated Anthrax looks forward to continuing the celebration of its landmark 40th anniversary (now in its 41st year) with fans. According to the band, “We are so pumped to be hitting the road again with Black Label Society. We had such a great time when we toured with them earlier this year, that we had talked about doing it again when we were still on the road together. And, having the guys from Exodus on the bill as Special Guest, will definitely make this a tour not to miss.”
Said Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde, “ANTHRAX is one of The BESTEST LEGENDARY METAL/THRASH BANDS of ALL TIME – I have been buds with SCOTTY, CHARLIE, FRANKIE & JOEY for over 3O years & they are some of the BESTEST people you will meet. JON is The BESTEST new addition ANTHRAX could ask for. The ANTHRAX + BLACK LABEL SOCIETY & EXODUS TOUR is going to be one of the BESTEST TOURS EVER!!”
“Exodus are super stoked to announce that we will be touring with Anthrax and Black Label Society,” said the band’s Gary Holt. “Touring with our long-time friends in Anthrax is always an epic good time, and now we get to tour with BLS and watch Zakk and company rip it up nightly too! Going to be awesome and we will be bringing our unique brand of audio violence to every city! Let the metal roll!”
Dates for the Anthrax/Black Label Society/Exodus North American tour are as follows:
JANUARY 2023
17 Boise, ID, Revolution Concert House 18 Seattle, WA, Paramount Theatre 20 Vancouver, BC PNE Forum 21 Penticton, BC, So. Okanagan Events Ctr. 22 Calgary, AB, Grey Eagle Events Centre 24 Winnipeg, MB, Burton Cummings 25 Grand Forks, ND, Alerus Center 27 Madison, WI, The Sylvee 28 Mt. Pleasant, MI, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort 29 Chicago, Il, Radius 31 Montclair, NJ, Wellmont Theater
FEBRUARY 2023
2 Portland, ME, Cross Insurance Arena 3 Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena 4 Bethlehem, PA, Sands Bethlehem Event Center 5 Boston, MA, House of Blues 7 Corbin, KY, Corbin Arena 8 St. Louis, MO, The Factory at The District 10 San Antonio, TX, Tech Port Center + Arena 11 Houston, TX, Bayou Music Center 13 Omaha, NE, The Admiral Theater 14 Oklahoma City, OK, The Criterion 15 Albuquerque, NM, Revel Entertainment Center 17 Riverside, CA, Riverside Municipal Auditorium 18 Oakland, CA, Fox Theater
* TICKET PRESALE AND ONSALE DETAILS: Citi Presale: Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 12:00 PM Eastern Time| Live Nation Presale: Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 10:00 AM Local Time Ticketmaster Presale: Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 10:00 AM Eastern Time Blabbermouth Presale: Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 10:00 AM Eastern Time Knotfest Presale: Wednesday November 2, 2022, 10:00 AM Eastern Time Venue Presales: Thursday, November 3, 2022, 10:00 AM Local Time | All Presales end: Thursday, November 3, 2022, 10:00 PM Local Time Public On-Sale & Citi® Cardmember Preferred Tickets: Friday, November 4, 2022, 10:00 AM Local Time
Mike Patton and company prove they are still as wild as ever. That’s one thing you can count on no matter what happens over the years. II has some intense and fairly clear political overtones that don’t pull punches with plenty of intensity. In THAT respect, it’s a bit less chaotic than the first Dead Cross album. Dead Cross II has a small club energy that sounds like the dirtiest but also most fun concerts you could ever go to. Dave Lombardo’s drumming is still a blast. The tracks where there is back and forth in the vocals and the energy is cut loose like Ants & Dragons and Christian Missile Crisis are great. Punk, Thrash, Chaos, it’s here. Does it go too far at points? Yes. It is still fun? Yes. 8/10.
Dead Cross II Album Review
Dead Cross are an American hardcore punk supergroup formed in Southern California. The band consists of guitarist Michael Crain (Retox), bassist Justin Pearson (the Locust, Head Wound City and Retox), drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Mr. Bungle and Fantômas) and vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and Fantômas).
An album that Devin wrote over the last few years and is advertised as his most inspired work to date. After hearing Lightwork, I understand why. It’s definitely more song-oriented instead of one massive, sprawling, connected album, and it works well. The mixing and production are top-notch as always. Lightwork is not overly aggressive but it’s still engaging. It’s more experimental for the man but it also is upbeat and peaceful while still having complicated guitar work at moments. This is for people who wanted to check out Devin Townsend’s material but were intimidated by the extreme metal. Lightwork is much calmer. Prog at heart but more resembling arena rock and much more lighthearted and optimistic. It’s as creative as it is inspiring. 8/10
Devin Townsend Lightwork Album Review
Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also had an extensive solo career and has released a total of 25 albums across all of his projects as of 2020.
Charismatic chanteuse DIAMANTE has today dropped her new EP ‘The Diamond Covers’ (via Anti-Heroine) weaving her distinctive magic into a variety of popular hits including Madonna’s iconic “Like A Prayer“ and pop high priestess Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill“. In celebration of today’s release, DIAMANTE has also dropped a new music video for her take on “Maniac“. Speaking on today’s news, she comments:
“‘The Diamond Covers’ is a collection of my favorite songs and my homage to everything I love about the 80s: glam and rock n’ roll. In the inspiration and process of reimagining these songs, I untapped a new sound that defines who I am artistically: a mixture of sparkle and grit… and with that, this EP now serves as a sneak preview of what my next body of work will be sonically.”
Prior to today, DIAMANTE released a freshly reimagined take of her song “American Dream” featuring rock band Lit which has amassed nearly 380,000 views on YouTube and counting. Stream ‘The Diamond Covers’here, watch the video for “Maniac“here or at the link below and be sure to stay tuned for more DIAMANTE news coming soon.
THE DIAMOND COVERS DIAMANTE Track Listing: 1. Maniac 2. Dancing On My Own 3. Paparazzi 4. Like a Prayer 5. Running Up That Hill
