Rising new rock outfit CROSSBONE SKULLY have released the thought-provokingnew track, Money, Sex, or God”, via Better Noise Music. The band’s mastermind/frontman TOMMY HENRIKSEN (guitarist & musical director for Alice Cooper’s band and member of Hollywood Vampires) and guitarist Anna Cara announced the song’s release in late April following the surprise reveal of the music video for the howl-inducing song “I Am The Wolf.” Stream and/or download “Money, Sex, or God” now at https://crossboneskully.ffm.to/msg.
“The song ‘Money, Sex, or God’ was inspired by a conversation I had while watching a tv show,” elaborates HENRIKSEN. “On the show, they were saying everything always comes down to three things you should never talk about in life: financials, sexual preference, and religion. I immediately thought…well that’s easy…Money, $ex, or God. It was one of those songs where it rarely happens with me, that the lyrics just fell right out: ‘Pick your prize, what you gonna choose? / I bet you God, he’s gonna lose / But then…if it was up to me? You’re all gonna lose’… thank you, universe!”
Here’s a special message from Crossbone Skully: “In the chaos of life, we’re faced with choices. Between ‘Money, Sex, or God,’ beware…for in my world, you’re all gonna lose! Because the true prize lies behind the Otherworld!”
Crossbone Skully’s plight was initially shared in the ashcan comic “Thing #1” which is included and signed with all orders for the CROSSBONE SKULLY’s first offering of a series of limited-edition 7” vinyl and includes their explosive single “The Boom Went The Boom (feat. Phil Collen of Def Leppard)” and their uplifting and anthemic track “I’m Unbreakable” as its B-side. Proceeds from the sale of the limited edition 7” vinyl will be donated to the 501(c)(3) charity MusiCares. Limited copies remain HERE.He is also the main character in the upcoming animated film of the same name, “Thing #1,” which includes voiceovers from A-list actor Johnny Depp and rock icons including Alice Cooper, Nikki Sixx, Joe Perry and Kane Roberts.
Swedish thrash and melodic death metal band VILT strives to take the classic Scandinavian sound to new heights. Through aggressive riffs, fast drums, and intense vocal performances they have already established a unique signature style where each new release highlights their passion.
In 2022, VILT released the two-track single ‘Adversary,’ which received a tremendous reception, earning the band a slot at In Flames festival Dalhalla Brinner.
Today, VILT releases their single ‘The Death Of A Stranger‘ from the EP set to be released later this year. The song features VILT’s characteristic sound and it’s written from the perspective of someone who has lost all faith and hope. It depicts an individual who has isolated themselves from the world and finds their only solace in a destructive spiral of addiction and self-harming behaviors.
‘The Death Of A Stranger’ was written in mourning after someone I cared deeply about passed away. It stands as a perpetual reminder to take care of loved ones and to treat strangers as friends, because you never know what burdens they may carry. – VILT
Since debuting in 2018, Shotgun Mistress has emerged as a force majeure in the rock realm. With the virtuosic Matt Wilcock on guitar, ‘Diamond’ Dave Lee on drums, Ben Curnow on bass, and Glenn Patrick’s magnetic vocals, they’re reshaping the Australian rock landscape. Celebrated for electrifying performances and chart-topping hits such as No Friend Of Mine and Save Me From Myself, the band now introduces their latest single, Mary Jane, from the upcoming album Kings Of The Revolution.
Mary Jane follows their previous hit Shot Down, which garnered significant attention on platforms such as THE PROJECT, MMM Hard N Heavy, MMM regional (Multiple stations), BROCK, REBEL Network, and SRN. This new single is poised to become another significant success. With the legendary Rusty Brown of Electric Mary contributing vocals, ‘Mary Jane’ offers a powerful blend of bluesy riffs and rock vigour, capturing the dynamic energy of the band and enhancing the momentum from their recent media appearances.
Their debut album peaked at #16 on the iTunes Album Charts, and with ‘Kings Of The Revolution’ set to drop on June 14, Shotgun Mistress continues to dominate the rock scene. Mary Jane isn’t just a song—it’s an invitation to experience the raw power of rock ‘n’ roll.
As Shotgun Mistress unveils Mary Jane and gears up for the release of Kings Of The Revolution, they continue to strengthen their position in the Australian rock scene while expanding their global reach. Their music consistently offers thrilling experiences, showcasing their distinctive influence, and lasting appeal.
In June, the band is set to embark on a significant tour of Japan, performing at: Tue, June 18: Moonstep, Tokyo Wed, June 19: Fire Bird, Tokyo Thu, June 20: Hokage, Osaka Fri, June 21: Blueport, Kobe Sat, June 22: Live House Gym, Fukuyama Wed, June 26: Too Nice Records, Kagawa Thu, June 27: Huck Finn, Nagoya Fri, June 28: Mojo, Kyoto Sat, June 29: Buzzfront, Yokohama
This tour marks a crucial phase in their journey, reinforcing their emergence as a global rock powerhouse.
This summer, on June 28, 2024, Canadian metal legends ANVIL will release their brandnew studio album, ‘One And Only’, via AFM Records! Following the previously-released, first album appetizer “Feed Your Fantasy”, a new single is now premiering below. The band’s 20th studio album ‘One And Only’, can be pre-ordered at:https://anvil.bfan.link/one-and-only
When it comes to the most influential bands in the history of heavy metal, authorities on the subject regularly vote ANVIL among the top positions. The group from Toronto, Canada, with its two masterminds, Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and Robb Reiner, and bassist Chris Robertson, not only looks back at an impressive career with countless highlights – as well as a number of well-documented difficulties – but has also had a lasting influence on lots of internationally renowned musicians, from Metallica to Slayer and beyond.
Their forthcoming album, aptly entitled ‘One And Only’, proves that ANVIL are and will always be one of a kind and are continuing to shape the contemporary metal scene just as impressively as they did at the beginning of their career. How they achieve this? Thanks to their straightforward metal fuelled by cutting riffs and catchy hooks, which the musicians continue to celebrate with admirable effortlessness and great passion. “We’re more like our old selves than we’ve been in years,” comments frontman Lips Kudlow on the new album, adding: “We’ve dropped all our more modern aspects, particularly the 90s version of Anvil. No sexual topics and no thrash speed songs like they featured on past albums.”
‘One And Only’ sees the band provide first-rate ANVIL entertainment: While Guitarist/vocalist Lips is considered to be one of the most creative and interesting storytellers of the metal genre, Chris Robertson and Robb Reiner keep the up the pace with their usual confidence, providing the perfect rhythm section for Lips. Although they have experienced the tough and frequently merciless side of the music industry on a number of occasions, ANVIL never lost their idealism, motivation and energy, which is immediately evident on ‘One And Only’.
Like its four predecessors, ‘One And Only’ was produced by Martin ‘Mattes’ Pfeiffer (U.D.O., among others) and Jörg Uken at his Soundlodge studio. As far as Lips is concerned, Pfeiffer and Uken are “… our one and only choice. As usual, Mattes and Jörg did a great job in choosing our best playing and making sure it has top notch sound. Great guys who understand the band and know what suits us best.”
Pre-Order ‘One And Only’, due out on June 28, 2024 via AFM Records, HERE
‘One And Only’ track listing: 01 – One And Only 02 – Feed Your Fantasy 03 – Fight For Your Rights 04 – Heartbroken 05 – Gold And Diamonds 06 – Dead Man Shoes 07 – Truth Is Dying 08 – Rocking The World 09 – Run Away 10 – World Of Fools 11 – Condemned Liberty 12 – Blind Rage
ANVIL live: 25.05.2024 (DE) Schönenberg-Kübelberg / Iron Fest Open Air 29.06.2024 (FR) Clisson, Hellfest 22.11.2024 (DE) Weissenhäuser Strand / Metal Hammer Paradise
ANVIL are: Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow (Vocals/Guitar) Robb Reiner (Drums) Chris Robertson (Bass/Vocals)
SIX FEET UNDER‘s Killing For Revenge, their fiery fourteenth studio album, is out today on Metal Blade Records!
In celebration of the record’s release, today the band drops a lyric video for “When The Moon Goes Down In Blood,” created by Reino Aedmäe who also produced visualizers for “Zodiac” and “Blood Of The Zombie” from SIX FEET UNDER‘s Nightmares Of The Decomposed offering.
Comments legendary frontman Chris Barnes of “When The Moon Goes Down In Blood,” “I think all of the songs on the album deal with revenge in one way or another. That’s why the album’s called Killing For Revenge. Each song has that as a theme in it, whether it be man against man, or nature against man. There’s a macabre core theme and it’s more straightforward as far as lyrics go and the tone of the storyline really being a lot more horror, and generally speaking, about killing people. My mood is always really just diving into my own imagination and kind of a meditative state of concentrating and listening to the music and letting it lead me into a storyline.”
Adds guitarist Jack Owen, “This was the last song written for the album. Chris suggested something ‘early 1990s.’ I created drum beats reminiscent of early Immolation or Suffocation, where the tempo was somewhere between a thrash beat and a blast beat. Back then we wrote guitar riffs that were simple diminished lines with tons of palm muting, just crunching along with the snare drum. The music was written pretty quickly and I sent it off to Chris and he replied. ‘I got this!’ Boy, did he! It turned out to be possibly the best song on the album. A brutal old-school vibe.”
Watch the band’s previously released lyric videos for “Know-Nothing Ingrate” HERE and “Ascension” HERE.
A gnarly beast of a record that’s not for the faint-hearted, Killing For Revenge dishes up nightmare-inducing imagery courtesy of Barnes via the vocalist’s trademark guttural vocals. Both the album title and darkly detailed red-hued album cover by artist Vince Locke are perfect containers for the brutality within.
Forged as a side project for Barnes during his final years with the band that he co-founded, Cannibal Corpse, SIX FEET UNDER became the frontman’s sole focus in 1995, coinciding with the release of their debut, Haunted. Only Barnes remains from SIX FEET UNDER‘s original incarnation, but the quality has remained remarkably consistent. The current lineup of Barnes, guitarists Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell, and drummer Marco Pitruzzella make for a devastating unit.
Killing For Revenge marks the second album that Barnes and Owen have created together since reuniting for 2020’s Nightmares Of The Decomposed. Owen also produced the record. The chemistry between the five men is palpable. From the opening moments of “Know-Nothing Ingrate,” which kicks off the vile proceedings, it’s immediately clear that SIX FEET UNDER focused their energies into something that’s as brutal, lyrically visceral, and musically dazzling as one would hope for from the ground-breaking Tampa-bred death metal lineup. As a special bonus, SIX FEET UNDER also recorded a cover of Nazareth‘s “Hair Of The Dog,” which appears on all formats of Killing For Revenge with the exception of vinyl.
Killing For Revenge features a guest appearance by guitarist Jason Suecof on “Neanderthal” and was mixed and mastered by Chaz Najjar at Badlands Recording in Denver, Colorado.
Following the success of their previous four singles “Devil Teasin’ Me,” “The Way I Am,” “Too Soon To Know You,” and “See You Again”, Canadian roots and rock band The Commoners are pleased to announce the Friday 10th May release of “Gone Without Warning” – the fifth single taken from their highly anticipated third studio album, Restless.
Released by Gypsy Soul Records on Friday 5th July 2024, Restless is available to pre-order at www.thecommoners.ca/store.
From today, “Gone Without Warning” is available on all major streaming platforms and promises to be a heartfelt celebration to The Commoners’ ever-evolving musical journey.
The single is available on all streaming platforms HERE. The single is also available to stream on YouTube HERE.
A gritty riff puts fire under “Gone Without Warning”, launching The Commoners into a track that boils over with tension. Featuring a heavy hitting chorus with soulful backing vocals by Chantal Williams, the track is further elevated by the combined backing vocals of bassist Ben Spiller and drummer Adam Cannon.
Combined with Ross Hayes Citrullo’s infectious guitar riffs, the “Gone Without Warning” delivers quality and distinction. It’s the perfect follow-up to the previous singles, “Devil Teasin’ Me” and “The Way I Am.” “Devil Teasin’ Me” proved a popular staple on UK rock radio, with a 10-week run and over 100 spins on Planet Rock.
Having wrapped up a bustling 2023 filled with recording sessions and a UK tour alongside Grammy-nominated duo Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton, The Commoners have solidified their position as a must-watch act.
The release of Restless will mark the quintet’s return to the road in 2024, with numerous festivals in the UK and EU, including Made of Stone, Steelhouse, and Moulin Blues Festivals, already scheduled for this summer. From the speakers to the stage, one thing is certain: The Commoners are spearheading a party rock renaissance, and the audience is cordially invited.
Album Photography by Lindsay White – Album Design by Emily Goguen
A natural evolution from their 2022 album Find A Better Way, the forthcoming album Restless offers a peek behind the curtain of success, revealing the gruelling routines and ragged emotions that hide behind the glamorous aesthetic of a rock band on the rise. With introspective, slower-tempo numbers pocketed amongst rip-roaring anthems, the new album, recorded at RHC Music, Toronto, is a portrait of a hardworking group revitalizing a classic genre.
“As with our previous album, we wanted to marry old and new southern rock together in a way that was unique to the band’s Canadian roots,” says the Commoners guitarist and producer Ross Hayes Citrullo. “By adding the soul and rock elements of The Black Crowes, and the southern blues rock undertones of The Allman Brothers to a production style akin to Blackberry Smoke and Rival Sons, I think we developed an authentic sound that compares sonically to some of our favourite records across all of those music genres.”
RESTLESS – TRACK LISTING
1. Devil Teasin’ Me (4.24) 2. Shake You Off (3.55) 3. The Way I Am (3.34) 4. Restless (5.18) 5. Gone Without Warning (4.02) 6. Who Are You (Ain’t Knocked Down) (3.59) 7. Body And Soul (5.31) 8. See You Again (4.44) 9. Too Soon To Know You (4.59) 10. All That We Have (3.14)
Approx. Running Time: 45 minutes
TRACK BY TRACK
Devil Teasin’ Me A bonafide banger with anthemic group vocals and electric riffs, “Devil Teasin’ Me” captures self-reckoning wrapped up in rock ’n’ roll. Lush background voices lend heat to the chorus, supporting Medhurst through a feverish performance.
Shake You Off Gutsy guitar and driving percussion push “Shake You Off” from the speakers, initiating a gripping track that will have heads bobbing from start to finish. Punchy bass and searing organ pierce the arrangement, rousing listeners to a fever pitch as The Commoners attempt to break loose from restraints.
The Way I Am A rowdy riff catapults The Commoners into “The Way I Am”, joined by kick drum thuds that strike the chest, immersing the listener in a track made for stadiums. Tension builds into an infectious chorus spiked with vocal support by Sandra Bouza. A guaranteed hit, “The Way I Am” sees The Commoners united in conviction, playing with the confidence of a band that knows exactly who they are.
Restless Delicate picks and strums open “Restless”, lending a subtle Celtic feel to the track which evolves into a flourishing arrangement with piano and harmonic guitar accents. Within “Restless”, The Commoners unpack life on the road, folding the struggle and discomfort of pursuing a dream into a show-stopping number.
Gone Without Warning A gritty riff puts fire under “Gone Without Warning”, launching The Commoners into a track that boils over with tension. Featuring a heavy hitting chorus with soulful backing vocals by Chantal Williams, the track is further elevated by the combined voices of bassist Ben Spiller and drummer Adam Cannon.
Who Are You (Ain’t Knocked Down) Crunchy guitar cuts through the speakers, accented by stark percussion, and piano in this true party rock anthem. Certain to raise listeners to their feet, “Who Are You” features peppy organ alongside call and response vocals that kick this confrontational track into overdrive. Body And Soul Ambient slide guitar and viscous drones set the tone for a smoky and sultry number with a masterful arrangement that goes down smooth. Throbbing with rhythmic bass and percussion, “Body And Soul” traps The Commoners in a tangle of temptation. See You Again A true roots-rocker, “See You Again” is an ode to love and loss, good times and memories made, featuring a chorus fit for kicking up dust on the backroads with the windows down. Full-bodied acoustic guitar guides this track through contemplation to celebration. Too Soon To Know You Lively organ and crisp guitar support a soaring top line in this reflective track that wonders what might have been. Stirred by nostalgia, singer Chris Medhurst reminisces about a bond broken by time, offering a listen that will surely inspire a trip down memory lane.
All That We Have Resonant acoustic guitar pairs with an honest vocal performance by Chris Medhurst for a reflective, poignant track. Lyrically centered around acceptance and finding peace through life’s troubles and existential anxieties, “All That We Have” is a tender affirmation of support.
ALBUM PRODUCTION CREDITS The Band
Chris Medhurst – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar Ross Hayes Citrullo – Lead Guitar Ben Spiller – Bass, Vocals, Piano (Who Are You, Gone Without Warning) Adam Cannon – Drums, Percussion, Vocals Miles Evans-Branagh – Organ, Rhodes, Piano (See You Again, Restless, Too Soon To Know You) Chantal Williams, Nicki Lawrence, Sandra Bouza – Backing Vocals
The Team
All songs written by The Commoners except where noted. Tracks 1, 4, 8 and 9 co-written by The Commoners and Renan Yildizdogan Tracks 2 and 3 co-written by The Commoners, Jeff Desilets, and Renan Yildizdogan Produced and mixed by Ross Hayes Citrullo and Renan Yildizdogan Recorded at RHC Music, Toronto, Ontario
Engineers – Ross Hayes Citrullo, Ben Spiller, Adam Cannon, Renan Yildizdogan
Assistant Engineers – Adil Batty, Ben Byck, Jon Savard, Dylan Davis, Emily Goguen Mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Mastering, Nashville, Tennessee
Album Photography by Lindsay White Album Design by Emily Goguen
THE COMMONERS UK SUMMER TOUR 2024 TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WWW.THECOMMONERS.CA, ALTTICKETS.COM, GIGANTIC.COM
London, The Grace Friday 19 July 2024
Maid Of Stone Festival Saturday 20 July 2024
Milton Keynes, Crauford Arms Sunday 21 July 2024
Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill Tuesday 23 July 2024
Newbury, Arlington Arts Centre Wednesday 24 July 2024
Manchester, Night & Day Cafe Thursday 25 July 2024
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
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