DOG EAT DOG present “Never Give In”, the second single from taken from the forthcoming new studio album “Free Radicals” wich will be released on October 20th at Metalville Records.
DOG EAT DOG returns with a modern crossover anthem. Their message of sticking together and standing up for your beliefs in a rapidly decaying society rings out over big guitars, pounding drums, and uplifting saxophone melody. Assisted by friend DJ Plash on the turntables, “Never Give In” updates the dogs mix of hip hop and metal in a post pandemic word encouraging listeners to join them in the battle against oppression.
After a long period of only touring, DOG EAT DOG are finally back with their new full-length album “Free Radicals“ …and it was worth the wait!
The 14 explosive and inspiring songs combine a variety of contemporary styles without denying their roots.
The album surprises with a variety of tones, moods, dynamics, and tempos, accompanied by their never fading energy and positive attitude.
Singles “Lit Up”, “Never Give In” and “Man’s Best Friend” provide listeners with the big guitars, groovy beats and catchy choruses they are known for, while “Bar Down” carves out new territory for a band eager to explore the boundaries of thier abilities and experiences.
DOG EAT DOG’s bi-continental lineup and their unique approach to sound and performance has always made them a must-see live act.
With “Free Radicals,” the band reminds listeners why many consider them one of the pioneers of the crossover genre.
“Free Radicals” Track Listing
1. Lit Up 2. Kin 3. Never Give In 4. Time Won’t Wait 5. 1 Thing 6. Mean Str 7. Energy Rock 8. @Joe’s 9. Blvk Clvd 10. Bar Down 11. Man’s Best Friend 12. E1on1 13. Looking Back 14. Zamboni
Line Up John Connor – vocals Roger Haemmerli – guitars Dave Neabore – bass Brandon Finley – drums
Taiwanese black metal band LAANG 冷 have revealed their new single ‘Baoyu 暴雨’, from forthcoming LP Riluo, to be released 24th November via Talheim Records.
The band comment: “We are thrilled to unveil the first single from our new album. ‘Baoyu’ discusses bodily trauma through the metaphor of a great drowning flood. The song also expresses the feeling of disconnection from life and others following trauma. ‘Despite my birth and rebirth, my beating heart does not let me live’.”
Laang 冷 (“cold”) are born from an unearthly near-death experience, and the post-traumatic stress suffered by vocalist-guitarist Haitao Yang. The band’s music exquisitely explores the pain, misery, and struggle of trauma and recovery – a unique and highly cathartic project.
Laang 冷‘s musical style combines aggressive and non-canonical black metal riffing with melancholic melodies, tortured vocals performed in Mandarin Chinese, dark orchestras, and traditional erhu & guzheng instrumentation. Haunting and captivating, Laang 冷 provide a highly-charged tormented soundscape – heard throughout the meditative Riluo (“sunset”), with eight new tracks ruminating on death and beyond.
Although still a relatively new project, Laang 冷‘s list of achievements so far is impressive. Their debut album Haiyang 海洋 (“ocean”) was released in 2019 on Talheim Records, and received the Kaohsiung City National Culture Award, followed by headlining tours through Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 2021 the band released their second album Xinteng 心疼 (“misery”), again on Talheim Records, followed by a headlining North American tour May 2022.
Laang 冷‘s music has also been featured in several movies and video games, including the Hollywood horror film Antidote (2021), directed by Peter Daskaloff, and the video game Dyslite and Silver Squad.
Taken off their critically acclaimed, seventh studio album Bloodlines (released on June 23, 2023 via AFM Records, order HERE!) Danish prog-and power metal band, PYRAMAZE, has premiered a studio video for the song “Taking What’s Mine”.
Bringing along numerous traditional melodic and progressive metal trademarks with an immensely high recognition value by their unique feeling for great melodies, PYRAMAZE are an exceptional phenomenon in the international, heavy music scene The band is known for their technical finesse and unique arrangements, often melodic and atmospheric, and frequently including complex guitar riffs and solos supported by synthetic sounds. Following the success of their latest album Bloodlines – recorded, mixed and mastered by PYRAMAZE guitarist and renowned producer Jacob Hansen – today, the band is sharing the official studio video for “Taking What’s Mine”, now streaming here:
Renowned for ushering American roots into the contemporary era, the five-time-Grammy-nominated guitarist KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD has announced his latest studio album, ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 1’, set for release on November 17th via Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group. Birthed from the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, this project chronicles Shepherd’s journey of musical evolution, touching on stories of loss, redemption, and memorable melodies, all crafted by an elite team of songwriters. As Shepherd himself describes it, “Every record I make is a moment in time. And this is a really special moment.”
The album’s lead single, “Sweet & Low,” encapsulates modern urban influences blended with traditional blues undertones, bringing together the quintessence of Shepherd’s musical expertise. The track offers a fresh perspective on the old-fashioned courting ritual, emphasizing the irresistibly captivating groove. Shepherd recalls, “People I’ve played the album for, they consistently have the biggest reaction to that one.” Watch the official music video HERE.
Since the release of his debut album, 1995’s ‘Ledbetter Heights,’ this multi-platinum bandleader still sounds like the future of the blues. Approach ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 1’ expecting autopilot twelve-bars and you’ll instead be thrown a volley of curveballs, from the modern urban edge of “Sweet & Low” to the speaker-tearing production from Shepherd and his partner-in-sound of recent years, Marshall Altman. “Working with Marshall, it’s like any productive relationship,” considers the guitarist. “We put our strengths together and push each other.”
Throughout, as the album title suggests, the grit and emotional honesty of these new songs is prized above guitar pyrotechnics (even for one of the modern scene’s most valuable players). Of the ‘Dirt On My Diamonds’ guiding philosophy, “Life has imperfections, and I actually prefer it that way. The imperfections are what make it interesting.”
Since his birth in North Louisiana, in 1977, Shepherd’s own life has never followed the script. Steeped in classic blues and rock ‘n’ roll from an early age by his dad – a respected Louisiana radio personality and promoter – the kid soon reached for his first Fender Stratocaster and found he didn’t require lessons to make it cry and wail. Long before Warner Brothers subsidiary Giant Records offered a deal, Shepherd had clocked up countless miles on a merciless touring schedule of clubs he was still too young to drink in. “For the first five years,” he says, “I was on the road non-stop.”
But that old-school apprenticeship sharpened both his chops and songcraft to a razor’s edge. Following up the aforementioned Ledbetter Heights, Shepherd changed his world forever with 1997’s ‘Trouble Is…,’ the breakthrough second album that saw him write songs of such eye-opening maturity as ‘Blue On Black,’ and sell over one million copies in an era when post-grunge supposedly held sway. “It was vindication,” he nods.
To understand the direction of travel on ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 1’, it pays to revisit 2017’s ‘Lay It On Down,’ on which Shepherd’s enduring partnership with producer Marshall Altman began. “After ‘Lay It On Down’ and ‘The Traveler,’ this is my third consecutive album working with Marshall, and the evolution almost feels like chapters in a book. To me, this album sounds incredibly fresh, modern and current.”
It all started with the aforementioned session at FAME, where Shepherd and his favorite co-writers threw out the rulebook. “Nothing was off-limits,” says the bandleader of penning the songs whose vocal parts would be split down the line between himself and co-vocalist Noah Hunt. “We just wrote non-stop for three days, throwing out songs and letting the good stuff rise to the top. Sometimes with these writing sessions, especially in towns like Nashville, people will set up an appointment, like, ‘OK, we’ll get together from one til three’. But this time, we weren’t under the gun, it was just a bunch of guys having fun writing music. And of course, you feel the history down there in Muscle Shoals. You feel it in the air at a studio like FAME.”
Rolling with the punches, the project recommenced at a friend’s studio in Burbank for the handful of brass, vocal and guitar overdubs. “But the least amount necessary,” stresses the bandleader. “For me, it’s all about capturing the essence of the band playing live together, because that’s what we do best.”
With material this strong, no polish was needed. As on any KWS album, songs are the currency, and the seven originals from ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 1’ demand to be heard, lifting listeners above their circumstances at a time when life often feels bleak and bone-raw. “I didn’t want this record to be dark or dreary,” considers Shepherd. “There’s not a lot of incredibly heart-wrenching or difficult subject matter…My goal is always to make music that makes people feel good, regardless of what it’s about.”
And of course, as befitted this most playful of album sessions, Shepherd dipped into his mental jukebox for a rabble-rousing cover of Elton John’s Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting. “I always keep a catalogue in the back of my mind of songs I think my band could bring our thing to. The timing worked out well because Elton is doing his farewell tour. Also, I love his guitar player, Davey Johnstone. He’s a friend, too, and when we recorded that song, I sent him a message saying, ‘Hey man, we’re gonna cover Saturday Night…’ – and he said, ‘Go for it!’”
Shepherd will embark on an expansive tour starting Thursday, September 21st at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, MO. This dynamic journey will take fans through iconic venues such as the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, KS, the Capital One Hall in Tysons, VA, and the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE. After showcasing his unparalleled blues-rock prowess across multiple cities, the tour will culminate on Sunday, January 28th with a special performance aboard the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Along the way, fans can also catch Kenny at special events such as the Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2023, ensuring a blend of intimate venues and grand stages. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/
Long-running Belgian death-doom metallers MY LAMENT share their new single “Like Fallen Rain”. Stream it HERE.
The track comes off the band’s first full-length in over a decade. “The Season Came Undone” is due out September 22nd 2023 via Ardua Music.
The lyric video of the album’s first single, “November”, is available HERE.
Tracklist:
1. Everything Goes to Waste 2. My Mausoleum 3. Fallacy 4. Like Fallen Rain 5. Oh, Fall 6. Dying of the Light 7. Like Something Almost Being Said (Instrumental) 8. November 9. Life Will Be the Death of Me (2023 Remaster)
After two successful releases, “Broken Leaf” (2009, Solitude Productions) and “Sorrow” (2015), the band have honed their underground roots into a more accessible sound with an emphasis on concise songwriting and memorable melodies.
The upcoming new album “The Season Came Undone” (nine tracks, 51 minutes) reflects the band’s ambition to reach a wider audience without giving up their doom/death heritage. With unique vocal harmonies, soaring leads, a pounding rhythm section and thoughtful lyrics, MY LAMENT has matured into a forward-thinking foursome that doesn’t sound quite like any other band.
Watch for more singles and news on other upcoming MY LAMENT activities to be posted shortly.
Biography:
MY LAMENT is a doom/death metal band from Antwerp, Belgium. Since its genesis in 2002, the core line-up has remained the same: founding members Steph (bass) and Vincent (drums), soon joined by Paul on guitar. Additional guitars, synths and vocals were supplied by various members throughout the years, with a debut demo titled “Beneath the Hidden” coming out in 2006. Full-length album “Broken Leaf” was released to critical acclaim in 2009 on the Russian doom metal label Solitude Productions.
Always looking beyond the confines of metal, MY LAMENT was chosen to be part of “Heaven and Hell” (2010), an ambitious contemporary music production inspired by the poetry of William Blake, alongside classically trained musicians, singers, composers and scenographers. Some of these concerts saw Robrecht filling in on guitar, who eventually joined as a permanent member.
MY LAMENT hired vocalist Xavier to incorporate melodic singing as well as death metal grunts on “Sorrow” (2015). However, for the following tour in Germany and the Czech Republic, they decided to continue as a four-piece band, with Robrecht combining vocals and guitar.
Invigorated by new influences and a stable line-up, the band has since honed their underground roots into a more accessible sound with an emphasis on concise songwriting and memorable melodies. This new direction became evident in the single “Life Will Be the Death of Me”, released with a self-produced 360-degree video in 2018.
Line-up:
Steph – bass Vincent – drums Paul – guitars Robrecht – vocals & guitars
Having played on more than 300 albums with a wide range of artists from different genres, and with four solo albums to his name, drummer ERLAND DAHLEN is set to release his fifth studio album “Racoons” on Is It Jazz? Records on the 27th October.
Obviously, being so much in demand on such a wide variety of collaborations and sessions, it is clear that Dahlen is an artist with considerable skills, who is sensitive to the requirements of other musicians, and who is well able to adapt those skills to whatever the music requires. However, he is also a renowned solo artist with his own creative ideas, and who, by using a multitude of percussive instruments, is able to create a massive, intricately layered sound, that is all his own.
Over the years, Dahlen had accumulated so many musical ideas that didn’t fit in with any other projects, and he grew to realise that he needed a project that would allow him to record and play live for himself.
Originally the plan had been to release just one solo album, 2012’s “Rolling Bomber”. However, since then this solo work has grown in importance for Dahlen, so much so, in fact, that for “Racoons” he actually made and used a lot of unique instruments, as he explains:
I play a lot of custom-made instruments here. Lars Hurlen has built different log drums for the album, and Harald Hougaard has built a custom-made zither bass. I also use custom-made chromatic blossom bells, and different metal items, such as huge serving plates.
Those eager to find out the kind of sound that these create ahead of the full-album release, can do so with the track “Foggy”, which can be streamed or downloaded from a variety of services at THIS LOCATION.
Dahlen had this to say about the track:
“Foggy” starts off with a drum groove that moves across a drum machine beat. The idea was to let the groove evolve and gradually add more elements in a repetitive drone-like landscape.
“Racoons” was recorded with Bjarte Stensli in March 2023 at the Rainbow Studio in Oslo, with additional recording and mix by Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard W. Hagen from Xploding Plastix.
With cover art by Tom Korsvold, tracklisting on “Racoons” is as follows:
Sun Pt. 1
Stride
Auto
Slow
Mud
Foggy
Sun Pt. 2
“Racoons” will be available in CD, Digital and LP formats, and can now be pre-ordered from:
Dahlen has received numerous industry awards for the albums on which he has appeared, including 13 Spelleman Awards, having been nominated an extraordinary total of 38 times. He can also be found behind the drumkit of a number of Norwegian and International film scores.
Some of the artists with whom he has played, either live or in the studio, include Norwegian Jazz legends such as NILS PETTER MOLVÆR, EIVIND AARSET, STIAN WESTERHUS and GEIR SUNDSTØL, together with bands and artists such as MADRUGADA, KAADA, JOHN PAUL JONES, ANE BRUN, ANNELI DRECKER, MARIT LARSEN and XPLODING PLASTIX, along with a host of others!
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 