With the 2023 Christmas season in full swing, music fans are on the hunt for new versions of the Holiday songs they love and adore. Spirits have been lifted as word about two new Christmas metal compilations have begun to spread, A Very Metal Christmas Vols. 1 & 2. Both compilations offer refreshing and energetic versions of seasonal favorites by the likes of Rainbow’s Graham Bonnet, Megadeth’s Chris Poland, King’s X’s Ty Tabor, George Lynch, Great White’s Jack Russell, Vixen’s Janet Gardner, Angel’s Frank DiMino and many more!
Today, a new single from the second volume is made available on all digital music platforms – an absolutely breathtaking version of the Judy Garland beloved ballad “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!” Performed by legendary guitar virtuoso, formerly of metal giants Megadeth, Marty Friedman proves that music doesn’t need to have walls of distortion or endless solos to be powerful. Instead, Friedman’s take on the song mixes acoustic and electric guitars with nary a distortion pedal in sight. His playing is both passionate and effortless, expressing the hope-amidst-sorrow emotion of the song perfectly. With a stellar guest appearance by Friedman’s life partner and frequent collaborator, Japanese cellist Hiyori Okuda, this track is sure to bring the warmth of the Christmas spirit to any home.
BAD MARRIAGE, the electrifying rock band poised to take the music world by storm, proudly announces the release of their single and music video titled “Dangerous,” featuring the exceptional talent of Tommy Skeoch, formerly of Tesla. The single was expertly produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by the acclaimed Mike Fitz. The accompanying music video was directed by Jim Foster.
“Dangerous” encapsulates the raw energy and dynamic sound that defines Bad Marriage, showcasing their unique blend of rock influences and captivating performances. Tommy Skeoch’s collaboration brings an additional layer of expertise and brilliance to this explosive track, marking a thrilling milestone for the band’s musical journey.
The band is set to embark on an exciting tour starting in February, sharing the stage with legendary acts Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple fame and Enuff Z’Nuff. This tour promises to be an unforgettable experience for rock enthusiasts, combining the talents of established icons and rising stars in the music scene.
“We’re thrilled to unleash ‘Dangerous’ and collaborating with Tommy Skeoch has been an incredible experience,” says Mike Fitz. “We can’t wait to hit the road and share our music with fans alongside Glenn Hughes and Enuff Z’Nuff.”
Bad Marriage is not just another band out of Boston. They come out of the gutter swinging with a thunderous rock n roll swagger that would make the ‘Bad Boys of Boston’ smile. Indulging their mutual thirst for tone and overdriven guitars, Bad Marriage pays homage to the British blues-hard rock of the past while etching their own signature style and sound.
Formed in 2015, Bad Marriage exploded onto the hard rock scene, setting the bar high with their airtight, energetic live shows that has created a massive following of support.
Bad Marriage has toured nationally with Tesla and Buckcherry. They have had the honor of opening for Extreme, Stephen Pearcy, L.A. Guns, Geoff Tate, Last in Line, Scott Weiland, and many more. As a result of the band’s success, they were welcomed to play on the 2022 Monsters of Rock cruise and 2022’s Monsters on the Mountain where they shared the stage with legends such as Alice Cooper, Quiet Riot, Kix, Night Ranger, and Tom Keifer.
Bad Marriage has released two full length albums, titled Bad Marriage and Bad Marriage 2 and one EP, Artificial Mind, that was produced by Brian Wheat of Tesla.
Bad Marriage is: Jonny P – Lead Vocals Mike Fitz – Lead and Rhythm Guitar Tommy Skeoch – Lead Guitar Ian Haggerty – Rhythm Guitar Todd Boisvert – Bass Guitar Mike Delaney – Drums
L- R Jimi Brown, Toby Wright, Jon Tanner – Photo Credit: Mintypics
World-famous independently-owned venue, The Machine Shop, is proud to announce its collaboration with legendary producer/mixer, Toby Wright. Renowned for his groundbreaking work with industry giants such as ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, METALLICA, and KISS, his work on ALICE IN CHAINS’ ‘MTV Unplugged’ is still celebrated as one of the best sounding albums of the seminal live series. His partnership with The Machine Shop aims to take artists’ income potential to new heights.
Since its establishment in 2002, The Machine Shop has garnered recognition for attracting top live music entertainment on a local to international scale. Artists flock to this legendary 550 capacity venue, drawn by its unique atmosphere, quality of light and sound, and artist-friendly terms.
One of the primary goals of this collaboration is to provide artists with dramatically increased income potential through live streaming, with audio mixed by Wright. This exclusive service will be available for sold-out shows.
Says Wright, “I am excited to team up with such an iconic venue to give opportunities and bigger revenue streams to artists.”
The Machine Shop Digital Lounge will also offer video production services for all live shows. With Toby Wright’s mixing and Jimi Brown’s esteemed lighting skills, this service offers artists valuable tools with which to compete on a global scale.
Helping to facilitate this exciting venture is Shannon O’Shea, a veteran manager and artist advocate with an impressive track record. O’Shea is best known for her innovative work as the co-creator and founding manager of the multi-platinum band GARBAGE, and the critically acclaimed band, 8mm. Alongside groundbreaking producers such as Toby Wright, Sean Beavan, Butch Vig and Jimmy Miller, O’Shea has consistently pushed the boundaries of the music industry.
O’Shea explains, “With ever-growing avenues of independent promotion and distribution, our mission is to provide affordable opportunities for artists to work with world-class talent that they might otherwise not have access to, empowering them to deliver competitive content.”
Nonpoint at The Machine Shop
Machine Shop Digital Lounge’s streaming debut will be on December 15th and 16th with nu-metal/rap-rock pioneers, NONPOINT, whose legendary live performances have been described as “sheer chaos and spellbinding magic”.
NONPOINT will be celebrating the wrap of their 2023 sold-out MILLION WATTS TOUR on Friday, December 15, followed by a second event on Saturday, December 16; a performance of their major label debut album, STATEMENT.
Says NONPOINT’s manager, Rob Ruccia, “We are excited about joining these iconic forces in creating what promises to be two nights of electrifying raw energy to remember!”
Following their electrifying cover of Billy Idol’s “Shock To The System”, LORD OF THE LOST has unveiled a brand-new official video for their cover of Roxette’s “The Look” – already known from the band’s most successful album to date, Blood & Glitter (2022, #1 German album charts). Now, the song is being re-released on the 2CD special edition – as well as digitally – of the first cover album in the band’s history, Weapons Of Mass Seduction (December 29, 2023).
The energizing cover version and video features none other than German pop singer Blümchen as a duet partner, who has landed numerous top hits and sold millions of records since beginning her career as a teenage star in the 90s. This summer, LORD OF THE LOST once again impressively showcased that they don’t subscribe to any norms and genre boundaries when they performed the song together with Blümchen on the main stage of the legendary Wacken Open Air, following the headlining show of Iron Maiden.
Representing Germany at the ESC finals in May 2023 brought LORD OF THE LOST to the attention of mainstream media across Europe (with features from BILD, The Sun, BBC among others), exposing their artistic universe to much wider audiences, and was one of the main highlights of the band’s most successful year to date. Check out the new official video for “The Look” and pre-order your version of Weapons Of Mass Seduction now!
Chris Harms on “The Look“: “Covering this song has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. But it wasn’t possible until now, because I didn’t want just any singer at my side as a duet partner, but someone to whom Roxette means as much as it did to me from the very beginning. And I found this person in Jasmin, Blümchen. Moreover, without Per Gessle’s songwriting, I wouldn’t be the composer I am today. Our cover of ‘The Look’ is my chance to thank him for that.”
Blümchen (aka Jasmin Wagner) adds: “‘The Look’ is our declaration of love to Roxette. Marie Fredriksson has left a huge gap. It’s very nice to be able to honor her in this way and thank her for everything she gave us during her lifetime.”
A year after the release of their successful #1 charting album, Blood & Glitter (Official German Album Charts), LORD OF THE LOST are back with a covers album, Weapons Of Mass Seduction, set to be released on December 29, 2023 via Napalm Records. The exciting new offering features plenty of genre-crossing tracks and wraps up the busiest year in the band’s history so far. In addition to storming the charts with their latest studio album, huge highlights include representing Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in May, providing direct tour support for Iron Maiden (again!), winning over mainstream media internationally, several sold out headline shows and a summer full of big festival appearances.
While the album is entirely composed of covers, Weapons Of Mass Seduction confirms LORD OF THE LOST’s creative ability to make even unexpected songs their own, and further confirms their status. The covers album comes in various different formats – some of them containing a second CD with 11 covers that are already released or have been played live. The deluxe boxset includes a third CD with 10 acoustic tracks, exclusively available in this format.
LORD OF THE LOST state: “During the production of our last album, Blood & Glitter, while recording our Roxette cover ‘The Look’ in Finland, it had already become clear that we had opened Pandora’s box. The energy and fun of covering the songs of beloved and respected colleagues and idols was something we were determined to continue. So even before the release of Blood & Glitter we started working on this ‘covers album’ project, which for us is the perfect dessert to Blood & Glitter, before we embark on the adventure of reinventing ourselves again for a new studio album.”
Weapons Of Mass Seduction features a wide range of songs from different eras and genres performed in true LORD OF THE LOST style, all surprisingly fitting for the band and hence forming a cohesive collection of covers. Classic heavy metal track “Turbo Lover”, originally by Judas Priest, meets modern pop hits in songs such as Sia’s “Unstoppable”, Bishop Briggs’ “River” and Zella Day’s “High”. Ultravox’ “Hymn”, followed by Michael Jackson’s legendary “Give In To Me” and Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know”, expand the multifaceted selection even further. With added rougher elements such as heavier vocals, Bronski Beat’s captivating 80s electro pop hit “Smalltown Boy” gets a dark makeover in the hands of LORD OF THE LOST. An emotional version of The Pretty Reckless’ “House On A Hill” closes Weapons Of Mass Seduction impactfully.
A special 2CD edition of the new covers album provides a cross-cut of covers previously released or already covered live over the course of LORD OF THE LOST’s career. Among them are “Children Of The Damned”, a homage to Iron Maiden, with whom LORD OF THE LOST experienced intense times during the last two years, and the cover of the Finnish ESC song “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä – sung by Chris Harms completely in Finnish.
Weapons Of Mass Seduction Tracklist: CD 1
Shock To The System (Billy Idol Cover)
Unstoppable (Sia Cover)
Smalltown Boy (Bronski Beat Cover)
Turbo Lover (Judas Priest Cover)
Hymn (Ultravox Cover)
Give In To Me (Michael Jackson Cover)
River (Bishop Briggs Cover)
Somewhere Only We Know (Keane Cover)
(I Just) Died In Your Arms (feat. Anica Russo) (Cutting Crew Cover)
High (Zella Day Cover)
House On A Hill (The Pretty Reckless Cover)
CD 2
The Look (feat. Blümchen) (Roxette Cover)
Ordinary Town (Celebrate The Nun Cover)
Cha Cha Cha (Käärijä Cover)
Judas (Lady Gaga Cover)
Children Of The Damned (Iron Maiden Cover)
Wig In A Box (Hedwig and the Angry Inch Cover)
Bad Romance (Lady Gaga Cover)
The Most Radical Thing To Do (The Ark Cover)
This Is The Life (Amy MacDonald Cover)
It’s A Sin (Pet Shop Boys Cover)
Ordinary World (Duran Duran Cover)
CD 3 – Ltd Deluxe Edition only
Starman (David Bowie Cover)
Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon (Neil Diamond Cover)
The Days Of Pearly Spencer (David McWilliams Cover)
Hey You (Pink Floyd Cover)
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night (The Electric Prunes Cover)
Where Do You Go To My Lovely (Peter Sarstedt Cover)
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) (The Byrds Cover)
In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) (Zager & Evans Cover)
All I Have To Do Is Dream (The Everly Brothers Cover)
Perfect Day (Lou Reed Cover)
LORD OF THE LOST live: LORDFEST 2023: 09.12.23 DE – Hamburg – SOLD OUT!
BLOOD & GLITTER Shows: 13.12.23 FI – Helsinki 14.12.23 FI – Jyväskylä – LOW TICKETS! 15.12.23 FI – Tampere – SOLD OUT!
15 Years Of LORD OF THE LOST Tour 2024: 22.03.24 DE – Nuremberg 23.03.24 DE – Munich – LOW TICKETS! 24.03.24 IT – Trezzo sull’Adda 26.03.24 CH – Pratteln 27.03.24 FR – Grenoble 29.03.24 ES – Barcelona 30.03.24 ES – Madrid 02.04.24 FR – Paris 03.04.24 LU – Luxembourg 04.04.24 DE – Frankfurt 05.04.24 DE – Cologne – SOLD OUT! 06.04.24 NL – Amsterdam – LOW TICKETS! 17.04.24 CZ – Prague 18.04.24 HU – Budapest 19.04.24 AT – Vienna 20.04.24 DE – Stuttgart – LOW TICKETS! 24.04.24 DE – Berlin 25.04.24 PL – Warsaw 26.04.24 PL – Krakow 27.04.24 DE – Leipzig
BACK TO EUROVISION: 10.05.24 SE – Malmö Special show one day before the ESC Grand Final
Festivals 2024: 29.01. – 02.02.24 US – Miami / 70000tons of Metal 06.06. – 08.06.24 PL – Gdańsk / Mystic Festival 14.06. – 06.06.24 UK – Donington Park / Download Festival 09.08. – 11.08.24 BE – Kortrijk / Alcatraz Festival 10.08. – 11.08.24 DE – Hildesheim / M’era Luna 14.08. – 17.08.24 DE – Dinkelsbühl / Summer Breeze 24.08.24 DE – Wuppertal / Feuertal Festival 06.09. – 08.09.24 DE – Festival Mediaval (Exclusive Acoustic Show) / Selb 29.11. – 30.11.24 DE – Plage Noire / Weissenhäuser Strand
LORD OF THE LOST are: Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar Pi Stoffers – Guitar Class Grenayde – Bass Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar Niklas Kahl – Drums
Rising power metal outfit DOMINUM have revealed their next single, “Cannibal Corpses”, cut from the upcoming debut album, Hey Living People, out December 29, 2023 via Napalm Records! The band around singer, producer and songwriter Felix Heldt in the character of Dr. Dead takes the living into the world of the undead – telling stories of zombies, survival and insatiable hunger for more – creating their own intense and captivating reality.
Fetching “Cannibal Corpses” features a singalong chorus and showcases the band’s ability to write amazing songs with sophisticated storylines. DOMINUM continued their collaboration with 360 Grad Design (Rammstein, Within Temptation among others) on the top-quality performance music video. The most promising new power metal band is finishing the year strong with their tour with Die Apokalyptischen Reiter and Equilibrium, leading up to the release of the debut full-length Hey Living People. Then, in April and May 2024, they will support #1 charting band and labelmates Feuerschwanz on their tour. Grab your tickets for DOMINUM’s epic metal show now and make sure to pre-order your copy of the album!
Dr. Dead on “Cannibal Corpses”: “Hey living people! You’ve already witnessed the diverse levels my creations can reach. They’re poised to greet you literally everywhere—are you prepared to face the invasion? Will you willingly join us? I appreciate those who attempt to resist the irresistible (shoutout to you little revolutionaries!), but let’s be real—you know how this ends, especially if you’ve seen at least one good movie. Fear not, my army of the Cannibal Corpses is here to find and save you, regardless of the tricky or annoying situations life may throw your way. They’ll come for you – no need to worry. Take a step closer, and listen to your fate in “Cannibal Corpses.“
The hottest rising power metal band in recent years, DOMINUM, will release their debut album, Hey Living People, on December 29, 2023 via Napalm Records! Led by songwriter and producer Felix Heldt (Feuerschwanz, Visions Of Atlantis and more) on vocals in the character of Dr Dead, the band takes the living into the world of the undead – telling stories of zombies, survival and insatiable hunger for more, creating their own intense and captivating reality.
Fantastic storytelling, genius songwriting and a high level of musicianship are the core of DOMINUM, which is evident on their 13-track first offering that combines the energy of metal with the drama and narration of horror movies. Opening track “Immortalis Dominum” sets the scene with an eerie intro that builds into a flamboyant chorus. Massive power metal track “Danger Danger” convinces with its skillful instrumentation and storyline through bombastic vocals. Title track “Hey Living People” is a catchy future hit song, fit for both rock radio and huge festival stages. DOMINUM’s first standalone single, “Patient Zero”, features a high-quality music video by 360 Grad Design (Rammstein, Peter Maffay, Within Temptation & many more) that resembles a horror movie. Featuring sharp solos and singalong choruses on tracks like “Cannibal Corpses” and “Better Shoot Yourself” and playful lyrics on songs like “We All Taste The Same”, Hey Living People is sure to entertain. On top of their original songs, DOMINUM also serves epic “zombie metal versions” of three well-known tracks: legendary mid-80s hit “You Spin me Round (Like a Record)” originally by Dead Or Alive, Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and Australian rock band Midnight Oil’s “Beds are Burning”.
Hey Living People is produced by bandleader and main songwriter Felix Heldt and recorded in collaboration with Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Arch Enemy, Katatonia, Delain, Evergrey among other significant metal bands), who also mixed and mastered the album. DOMINUM has already been booked for many big festivals for summer 2024 without even having released a single song. They will also bring their characters into the world of the living this autumn on their German tour dates with Equilibrium and Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, unleashing their epic metal show that could not be more alive.
Join the Living Dead Squad and become part of the most up-and-coming force in theatrical power metal!
Hey Living People Tracklisting: 1 Immortalis Dominum 2 Danger Danger 3 Hey Living People 4 Cannibal Corpses 5 Patient Zero 6 We All Taste The Same 7 Frankenstein 8 You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) 9 Better Shoot Yourself 10 Half Alive 11 The Chosen Ones 12 Bad Guy 13 Beds are Burning
DOMINUM live 2023: w/ Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Equilibrium 26.12.23 DE – Munich / Backstage Werk 27.12.23 CH – Pratteln / Z7 28.12.23 DE – Cologne / Essigfabrik 29.12.23 DE – Hamburg / Grünspan 30.12.23 DE – Jena / F-Haus
DOMINUM live 2024: w/ Feuerschwanz, Orden Ogan 11.04.24 DE – Hamburg / Große Freiheit 36 12.04.24 DE – Berlin / Huxleys 13.04.24 DE – Dresden / Alter Schlachthof 18.04.24 DE – Saarbrücken / Garage 19.04.24 DE – Erfurt / Club Central 20.04.24 DE – München / Backstage – SOLD OUT! 21.04.24 DE – München / Backstage 26.04.24 DE – Hannover / Capitol 27.04.24 DE – Osnabrück / Hyde Park 01.05.24 DE – Nürnberg / Löwensaal 02.05.24 DE – Stuttgart / LKA Longhorn 03.05.24 DE – Wiesbaden / Schlachthof 04.05.24 DE – Köln / Palladium 06.12.24 AT – Wien / Arena
DOMINUM are: Dr. Dead – Vocals Patient Zero – Bass Victor – Drums Tommy – Guitars
Metal is known for inciting mass headbanging. This year, metalheads continued to butt heads over an age-old question: natty or not?
WRATH OF LOGARIUS are plenty mysterious. They come crawling out of the misty California forests with a brutal, blackened and eerily melodic new subgenre: Formless Black Metal. But when it comes to this skeletal trio, the answer to that hard-hitting question is obvious. After all, they’re backed by none other than the legendary Lord Marco.
The Lord of the Blast lives up to his name on this new drum playthrough. Just watch how his fingers fly across the snare kit like little devils crashing through the gates of hell.
“In my new drum video, I demonstrate a refreshingly melodic and tasteful approach to drumming, incorporating intricate rhythms and expressive fills that add depth and musicality to the grooves”, says Lord Marco. “This video showcases my ability to blend technicality with creativity, resulting in a captivating and memorable drumming performance.”
“Soul Ascension” is the second single off ‘Necrotic Assimilation”. This EP will be available as a digital download starting December 8.
So what exactly is formless black metal? A mountainous slop of human flesh…an amalgamation of ever-changing eyes, fangs and bone. That description is one of the first things you hear on lead single “The Burning One”, and while awfully unsettling, it hits the nail right through the demon’s skull. The song screams across the sky thanks to Noctifer’s malignant vocals, only to plunge into a fiery pit of tremolo picking
“Soul Ascension” is more of a slow burn, shuddering awake with an eerie guitar melody that drips like candles around a coffin. But as you’ve now seen, the pace quickens before bursting into flames under the clip of Lord Marco’s hi-hat.
Tracklist 1. At the Nighted Throne (1:47) 2. Swarm (3:37) 3. The Burning One (4:04) [WATCH] 4. I, The Void Dweller (1:19) 5. Soul Ascension (4:13) [LISTEN] 6. Beyond the Last Gate (4:26) Total runtime: 19:44
Formed in 2021 amidst the mist-shrouded forests of Northern California, Wrath of Logarius emerged as a formidable force in the world of extreme music. This black metal trio, consisting of Noctifer, Urath, and Vastator, set out to forge a new path with their unique genre known as Formless Black Metal.
Wrath of Logarius’ creative spark ignited as they embarked on their journey to create something different in black metal. Drawing inspiration from brutal blackened death and melodic post-black metal, the skeletal trio emerged with a new subgenre. ‘Necrotic Assimilation’ introduces pure Formless Black Metal, where the styles change within each song.
Recording lineup Noctifer (Vocals) Urath (Lead Guitars) Vastator (Guitars) Lord Marco (Drums) Andrew Hernandez (Bass)
Special guests Kakophonix plays cello on “At the nighted throne”
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 ) 