Close Enemies, a powerhouse band featuring legendary musicians Tom Hamilton, multiple Grammy winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, and bassist of the biggest-selling American rock band of all time, Aerosmith, is joined by legendary drummer Tony Brock (The Babys and Rod Stewart), touring veterans Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow and Don Henley) and Trace Foster on guitar, and singer Chasen Hampton, who has been singing professionally since the age of 11, as a member and co-host of the famed 90s Mickey Mouse Club and pop group The Party, proudly announce new tour dates (below)!
“Close Enemies is packing up and hitting the road again.We’ll be supporting Cinderella’s Tom Keifer and doing some headline dates as well ! New faces, new places, and epic stages—let’s do this!” says the band’s vocalist, Chasen Hampton.
Tom Hamilton adds,“Things are picking up with Close Enemies. We just released our second single “Inside Out” and have our third single “Sweet Baby Jesus” tee’d up for an April 11th release. Later this year we’ll be back on the road. We’re really looking forward to some dates we’ll be doing with Tom Kiefer, it should be a great matchup!”
The band will the release their third single “Sweet Baby Jesus” through TLG|ROCK, distributed through Virgin Music Group on April 11th.
In addition, the band just released the official lyric video for their single “Sound of A Train”, which can be seen here:
Mark Strigl SiriusXM on air host of Ozzy’s Boneyard states:
“Close Enemies is the real deal—a group of insanely talented musicians including bassist/songwriter Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith. Their new tunes are packed with energy & emotion, and they absolutely blew me away live. This is a band that delivers on every level—don’t miss them!”
Dean Baldwin, Host on SiriusXM, FM2.0 & StrykTV states:
“A Power Pop revival is on the horizon—a return to an era when rock music was all about hooks, harmonies, and heart. Close Enemies’ latest single, Inside Out, is the perfect example of what I’m talking about – long live rock!”
Tour Dates:
6/12 @ Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, OH 6/13 @Hobart Art Theatre in Hobart, IN 6/14 @ The Token Lounge in Westland, MI 8/28 @ Iroquois Ampitheater in Louisville, KY w/ Tom Keifer & L.A. Guns 8/29 @ The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL w/ Winger 8/30 @ The Sonnentag in Eau Claire, WI w/ Tom Keifer and L.A. Guns 10/2 @ Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY w/ Tom Keifer 10/4 @ Daryl’s House Club in Pawling, NY 10/10 @ Six String Grill & Stage in Foxborough, MA 11/7 @ The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, CA 11/8 @ Goldfield Trading Post in Roseville, CA 11/14 @ The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA 11/15 @ Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA
West Coast deathgrind practitioners CATTLE DECAPITATION have just announced their return to European shores for January of 2025! They will play headline shows with rotating support bands as well as festivals. See below for full routing.
Vocalist and founding member Travis Ryan had this to say about the band’s summer return: “It’s been too long since we played the June festivals in the EU and we look forward to returning! This time the run includes a few fests that fans have been demanding en masse for many years: Download, Copenhell & Graspop! It also sees us making appearances in areas we haven’t been in a long while such as Mystic Festival in Poland, Nummirock in Finland and Rock Imperium in Spain! See you there!“
CATTLE DECAPITATION // EUROPE SUMMER 2025 Headline Shows: 08.06.25 Slovakia Bratislava @ Randal = 09.06.25 Hungary Budapest @ Barba Negra += 11.06.25 Germany Schweinfurt @ Stadtbahnhof += 12.06.25 The Netherlands Eindhoven @ Dynamo #= 14.06.25 UK Brighton @ Chalk = 17.06.25 Germany Oberhausen @ Kulttempel # 23.06.25 Germany Karlsruhe @ Substage > 24.06.25 Italy Milan @ Legend Club
=w/ Skeletal Remains +w/ Incantation #w/ Severe Torture >w/ Fit For An Autopsy (co-headline)
Festivals: 04.06.25 Sweden Sölvesborg @ Sweden Rock 06.06.25 Poland Gdańsk @ Mystic Festival 07.06.25 Germany Reichenbach @ Chronical Moshers 13.06.25 The Netherlands Leeuwarden @ Into The Grave 15.06.25 UK Donington @ Download Festival 18.06.25 Denmark Copenhagen @ Copenhell 19.06.25 Finland Nummijärvi @ Nummirock 21.06.25 Belgium Dessel @ Graspop 22.06.25 France Clisson @ Hellfest 26.06.25 Czech Republic Spalene Porici @ Basinfire 27.06.25 Germany Leipzig @ Impericon Festival 28.06.25 Switzerland Hauteville @ Abyss Festival 29.06.25 Spain Cartagena @ Rock Imperium
Watch CATTLE DECAPITATION‘s’ “Solastalgia” video at THIS LOCATION.
You can find the band’s previously released videos for “We Eat Our Young” HERE, “Scourge Of The Offspring” HERE, and “A Photic Doom” HERE.
Though many bands have tried, no one articulates the real apocalypse humanity is facing as vividly and succinctly as CATTLE DECAPITATION. With 2019’s Death Atlas, they reached the apex of this, perhaps leading some to believe they had no place left to go beyond such an achievement, but alas, the band returned with Terrasite, which is as bold a statement as they have ever made. Roaring to life with the savage yet hauntingly melodic “Terrasitic Adaptation” and advancing through the likes of the relentless “We Eat Our Young” and culminating with the ten-plus minutes of “Just Another Body,” Terrasite is an album that constantly shifts dynamics and demands a variety of emotional responses. The record crushed Billboard charts upon its first week of release, earning the #2 position on the Current Hard Music Albums chart, #3 on the Current Independent Albums chart, #4 on the Rock Albums chart and more!
Terrasite features the artwork by longtime collaborator Wes Benscoter (Vader, Kreator, Bloodbath, Hypocrisy), was produced by Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, Allegaeon) and includes Dis Pater of Midnight Odyssey handling piano and synths.
Composed and lyrics by Anssi Leinonen, Ossi Leinonen, Jussi Ruotsalainen, Ville Normi, Juuso Tujunen
ISRC: FI3FC2590604
Single picture by Janne Vidgren
The band comments: “The second single from the album ”N”, Tolokun Musta. We were thinking of making a remake of an old song, maybe a demo of this in 2007. Last year the band celebrated its 20th anniversary and this is one of those early songs. A nicely heavy guitar beat and a gentle summer evening ditty. The lyrics are that traditional gloom.”
“Seed Of The Night” is the latest single from progressive deathgaze alchemists, KARDASHEV. The emotional new track comes off the band’s Alunea full-length, set for release on April 25th on Metal Blade Records.
Alunea is a direct sequel to the events of The Almanac and picks up right where the song “Beyond Sun And Moon” leaves off. Vocalist Mark Garrett comments, “The first releases in The KARDASHEV Mythos were broad and conceptual, but they’ve morphed into something more granular and specific. Alunea tells the story of the main character from The Almanac album meeting a being created in the song ‘Continuum’ from the Excipio album. Their meeting is a philosophical examination of where responsibility and duty intersect. We don’t try to answer those questions, but we do examine them deeply in this album.”
Garrett further elaborates on their latest single, “‘Seed Of The Night” involves Sky-Brother telling the being of their destiny. He explains they were created to bring life to a planet that humanity could never be able to reach, and to continue mankind’s legacy. The being feels burdened by the responsibility and takes on the name ‘Atlas’ to represent the weight of their perceived destiny.
“Musically, this song was written as a progressive exploration in composition as it sees what the band refers to as ‘the funk-down’ when the traditional composition of a deathcore-style breakdown is enhanced into a melody throughout the rhythm section as opposed to the often-overused simplicity of ‘Chug Chug Chug.’“
Adds guitarist Nico Mirolla, “We (collectively) can find ourselves depending too much on the most powerful moments of music going so far as to make it into an entire composition of ‘that moment’ when in reality that approach can devalue the once powerful moment of something like an open chord breakdown. This song was an opportunity to break that mold, and hopefully people feel that.”
Stream KARDASHEV‘s previously released single, “Reunion,” HERE.
Alunea, which includes guest appearances by vocalist Erin from the band Genital Shame on “Speak Silence” and Pawel JJ Przybysz who played duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument, on “We Could Fold The Stars,” and artwork by Karl E., was mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren engineer (Entheos, Machine Head, Demon King, Fallujah).
The eight sonically and lyrically immersive songs on Alunea have set yet another high-water mark for KARDASHEV. Known as the progenitors of the “deathgaze” genre, that descriptor is evolving as the band continually explores and pushes boundaries. “Words you could use to describe our music are ‘atmospheric, progressive, emotional, dynamic, and contrast,” explains drummer Sean Lang. “Our music attempts to sonically portray the emotions of anger and sorrow which creates a palpable but natural dynamic contrast.”
“Alunea has much more experimentation when compared to previous releases,” adds Garrett. “It’s a very proggy album.”
Music has always been a universal language, but KARDASHEV creates their own lyrical language, adding depth and meaning. “I’ve loved tinkering with languages since I was a little kid,” says Garrett. “I’m not an expert when it comes to constructed languages, often referred to as ‘conlangs,’ but I find language to be a really interesting aspect of humanity.”
“I was dabbling in the beginnings of the language of Alunea years before we added it to our record The Almanac,” he continues. “I would sit at my desk at work – a call center at the time – and make up interesting grammatical rules to pass the time. One of my favorites was having the length of a vowel add plurality to a word. I didn’t create that concept, but it was fun to play with. Years later when Nico and our previous bassist suggested I bring my interest in conlangs to our music, the vowel length concept was what I started with. It all grew from there.”
The new album and band also seek to forge a worldwide connection, as Mirolla explains, “Alunea to me serves this idea of culture that we often see as ‘us and them’ perspectives; it’s a fictitious language, from a fictitious story somewhere in the super future, and I give it the time to hear it, learn it, understand why it works the way it does. I’d just hope that others take a similar perspective when hearing real languages and learning about real cultures that are all around us, and full of depth, history, and meaning. I hope that people slow down and try to understand the depth we’ve put into Alunea and then project their experience into the world around them.”
KARDASHEV: Nico Mirolla – guitars Mark Garrett – vocals Alex Rieth – bass Sean Lang – drums
With their fifth studio album, “Sinister Thing”, to be released via Mighty Music in May, Danish hard rock/metal band STATEMENT embarks on a darker and heavier musical journey while staying true to their signature melodic sound. This album represents a significant evolution for the band, striking a balance between their established identity and a newfound intensity that elevates their music to new heights.
Creating “Sinister Thing” was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences for Statement. Determined to craft an album that felt distinct from their previous four releases, the band revisited their entire discography – not for inspiration, but to reflect on their musical growth and evolution. This introspection helped them refine their direction, ensuring the album maintained the essence of Statement while incorporating fresh, powerful elements.
Musically, the album started in drop D tuning before transitioning to drop C, allowing for a darker and heavier sonic landscape. To fully immerse themselves in the creative process, Statement took a week-long retreat, dedicating themselves entirely to songwriting. This intensive period resulted in tracks like “The Hive”, “Raised in Hell”, “The Right Kind of Love”, and “My Last Goodbye”. The experience not only strengthened their artistic vision but also reinforced their bond as a band.
“Sinister Thing” will be released on LP (black vinyl limited to 200 copies and transparent red vinyl limited to 100 copies), CD and digital on 09.05.2025, via Mighty Music. It can be pre-ordered via this link.
The first single from the album, “My Last Goodbye”, is out now and can be streamed here. A new single, titled “The World Is Fading“, is also available since last Friday.
Lyrically, “Sinister Thing” is deeply personal, drawing inspiration from real-life experiences, opinions, and stories shared by friends and family. Each track underwent multiple rewrites to ensure the perfect balance of emotion, melody, and heaviness, leading to some difficult but necessary creative decisions.
To achieve the album’s bold new sound, Statement collaborated with renowned producer Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio. Having previously worked with Madsen on their first two albums, the band knew he was the ideal choice to bring their heavier vision to life. His expertise helped shape “Sinister Thing” into a record that maintains Statement’s melodic foundations while embracing a more intense metal influence.
With “Sinister Thing”, the Danish collective pushes their musical boundaries, offering fans an album that is both familiar and refreshingly bold. The combination of powerful riffs, emotionally charged lyrics, and a darker, heavier atmosphere ensures that this release will captivate listeners and solidify Statement’s position in the hard rock and metal scene.
“Sinister Thing” tracklist:
1. Sinister Thing 2. The World Is Fading 3. The Hive 4. Set My Anger Free 5. No More Words 6. Empty Eyes 7. Slowly Kill My Dreams 8. Raised In Hell 9. My Last Goodbye 10. A Right Kind Of Love
Lineup: Jannick Brochdorf – vocals Niels Alex Larsen – lead guitars, backing vocals Lars Ulrik Le Fevre – guitars, backing vocals Martin Poulsen – bass Daniel Nielsen – drums
Critically acclaimed psychedelic Montreal four-piece rock and roll band The Damn Truth return to the UK for an 11-date November 2025 headline tour. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 26 March via TheGigcartel.com.
The UK tour starts at Norwich Waterfront Studio (Wednesday November 12), takes in London Underworld (Friday November 21), and finishes at The Globe, Cardiff (Sunday November 23).
“We’re very excited to return to the UK for another tour,” says lead singer and guitarist, Lee-la Baum. “We always enjoy performing shows in England. The enthusiasm of UK audiences is incredible.”
In 2021, the band released their critically acclaimed breakout album Now or Nowhere. Produced by legendary Grammy Award winning Bob Rock (Motley Crue, The Offspring, Bon Jovi). On March 14, 2025, the band released their new self-titled album, The Damn Truth (also produced by Bob Rock) which features their brand-new single “All Night Long.”
Rock News calls the new single “A full-throttle rock and roll banger. Imagine The Cult, Led Zeppelin, and The Damn Truth all colliding on a sweaty, beer-drenched stage.” There is no deep philosophy here; this is a hell yeah rabble-rousing party song that may (or may not) be based on real life situations the band has experienced on tour.
Order the new album on vinyl and CD from https://thedamntruth.bigcartel.com.
Order the digital edition of the new album from https://music.spectramusique.com/tdtalbum.
The band consisting of Lee-la Baum (vocals, guitar), Tom Shemer (guitar), PY Letellier (bass) and Dave Traina (drums) have toured the UK multiple times and performed at summer festivals including Steelhouse, Winterstorm and Planet Rockstock.
After extensively touring the UK and Europe for the last four years, The Damn Truth return with their self-titled fourth album, The Damn Truth, and, once again, produced by the legendary Bob Rock. The new self-titled album is the culmination of 12 years of hard work and constant touring. The Damn Truth are a perpetual and virtually unstoppable rock and roll machine.
Fuelled by two Top 40 singles on the Canadian Active Rock Charts (“Love Outta Luck,” “I Just Gotta Let You Know”), the new album marks the next level in their relationship with Bob Rock. He has pushed the band in all areas of playing, writing, and refining the Damn Truth signature sound, most evident in the revelatory power of Lee-la Baum’s vocals as evidenced on the mystic, almost Zeppelin-vibed “The Willow;” the full on bittersweet romance of “Better This Way;” the social conscience of “The Dying Dove;” the cautionary “If Don’t Make It Home;” and the hell yeah rabble rousing “All Night Long.”
The Damn Truth have added some extra lanes on their rock’n’roll highway as they explore new musical scenery, but the destination remains the same: organic loud rock experienced best in a crowded concert hall dripping in sweat.
The Damn Truth are regular staples on the UK’s biggest classic rock radio station Planet Rock. They first came to prominence on Planet Rock with the title track single from their 2021 album This Is Who We Are Now” which was also played on BBC Radio 2’s Rock Show. Recently, the band have experienced airplay on Planet Rock with tracks from their latest album with the singles “I Just Gotta Let You Know,” “Love Outta Luck,” and “Better This Way.”
The band have won Tracks of the Week on Classic Rock Magazine’s Louder Sound several times. This month, Classic Rock has published a feature entitled “Six Questions with The Damn Truth.”
The Damn Truth have been championed by the British music press with extensive magazine coverage in Classic Rock, Rolling Stone, Guitarist, Blues Matters, Powerplay, Fireworks, Blues in Britain, HRH, and R’N’R Magazine.
“The Damn Truth are a fresh revivalism of the psyche music scene from the mid 60’s,” says Rock Bands of LA’s editor Jeff Laufer.
“Critics and fans alike praise the Damn Truth’s regeneration of the hard rock sound and values,” continues Laufer. “Bob Rock found a spirit within the band that he hadn’t experienced for many years. He saw something special… an artist with burning talent that needed the right direction to break wide open…like lightning in a bottle.”
The Damn Truth have extensively toured Europe and North America and opened tours for Z.Z. Top (and partied with Billy Gibbons in his pyjamas), The Sheepdogs, Glenn Hughes, Styx, and Rival Sons. In 2021, they were special guests on Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive Stream-A-Thon. They have just returned from performing on the 2025 Legends Of Rock Cruise with Alice Cooper, Styx, and others; and where the band participated in the end of cruise jam with members of Blackberry Smoke, Jason Bonham’s band, and other rock royalty.
THE DAMN TRUTHNOVEMBER UK TOUR 2025 WITH SPECIAL GUESTSTICKETS ON SALE: 10AM WEDNESDAY 26th MARCH 2025 AVAILABLE FROM THEGIGCARTEL.COM
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 