AMONGST THE ASHES, a Finnish metal band with a Persian twist, have just released their new EP titled Breaking Decency via Inverse Records. The EP consists of three tracks that showcase the band’s diverse and dynamic sound, blending elements of death metal, orchestral music, and Middle Eastern influences. The first track, Vigilance, is an instrumental intro that sets the mood for the EP. It features a haunting melody played by a Persian instrument called setar, creating a contrast with the heavy guitar riffs and drums. The track then transitions into a furious intro for the second track, Old Hyena. The vocals are distorted and high-pitched, delivering aggressive and catchy extremity. The song also has a soothing part in the middle, where the setar and cello create a harmonious interlude, after a melodic and fast solo ignites the song again. The third and final track, Seeding Hate, is a melodic and heavy song and has a powerful orchestration that adds depth and emotion to the music. The song ends with a beautiful solo that leaves the listener wanting more. Breaking Decency is an impressive EP that demonstrates the talent and creativity of Amongst the Ashes. The band manages to combine different styles and influences in a cohesive and original way, creating a unique and memorable metal experience. The EP is available on all streaming platforms, and you can also follow the band on their social media accounts for more updates. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover one of the most promising metal bands in Finland!
About Amongst the Ashes: Amongst the Ashes is a Finnish-based band known for their innovative approach to metal. Their music combines elements of harsh vocals, melodic riffs, and diverse cultural influences to create a truly unique listening experience. With thought-provoking lyrics and a dedication to pushing musical boundaries, Amongst the Ashes is a force to be reckoned with in the world of heavy music.
TAZ have announced the worldwide release of their new video for the track ‘No Relation’, taken from their Eonian Records release “Shipwrecked, Vol. 2”. ‘No Relation’ was recorded as part of a demo deal for Warner Bros. produced by Rob Cavallo (Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day), a future multi-Grammy Award winner and engineered by Magic A. Moreno (Eric Clapton, David Lee Roth, Phil Collins.) ‘No Relation’ was recently world premiered by Sleaze Roxx and can now be seen below.
Stream or download TAZ Shipwrecked Vol. 2 – https://smarturl.it/Tazshipwrecked
Kent, singer of TAZ, “Among those interested in TAZ at the time was producer Rob Cavallo, who would eventually become one of the top-selling producers in the world working with Green Day, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, and other huge bands. His father, Bob Cavallo, worked in the music industry as a band manager with groups such as Prince and Little Feat, but at the time Rob was fresh-faced and barely out of school.”
“Rob was great; he loved what we were doing and worked with us on several tunes,” Ethan, TAZ guitarist said. “Very talented guy, even back then. I recall walking into their home and seeing all the gold and platinum records all over the house. We would spend time together in his room and work on songs. I think we might have been his first band. He got us a demo deal with Warner Bros. We also recorded with big-time engineer Magic A. Moreno (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth) with Rob producing. We thought this was going to be it. Unfortunately, Warner ended up passing. Thankfully we had this session on DAT and could ultimately release the crowd favorite “No Relation” and the rest of the Warner Bros. sessions all these years later.”
“No Relation” from the Album ‘Shipwrecked, Vol. 2″ Written by Kent Kleven & Ethan Gladstone Recorded at Take One Studio, Burbank, CA Produced by Rob Cavallo Engineered by Magic A. Moreno Released on Eonian Records, Sept. 15th, 2023.
Line-up on “No Relation” – Kent “K.K.” Kleven on Vocals, Ethan Gladstone on Guitar, Rick Berry on Guitar, Chris Roy on Bass, and Joey Carallo on Drums
Shipwrecked, Vol. 2 1 – 4 Recorded at Take One Studio, Burbank, CA Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac) Engineered by Magic A. Moreno (Eric Clapton, David Lee Roth, Steve Vai) 5 – 12 Recorded at Downtown Rehearsal, Los Angeles, CA Produced & engineered by TAZ. 13 – 16, Recorded live at the Whisky a Go Go, Hollywood, CA Track 17, Recorded live at Sasch, Studio City, CA Track 18, Recorded live at Gazzarri’s, West Hollywood, CA Mastered by: Anthony Focx @ A. Focx Productions, Nashville, TN
TAZ is: Kent “K.K.” Kleven on Vocals Ethan Gladstone on Guitar Rick Berry on Guitar Chris Roy on Bass Kenny Pierce on Drums (Live Tracks) Joey Carallo on Drums
Shipwrecked, Vol. 2
Shipwrecked
No Relation
Desert Dog Night
Father McGee
Arizona River
Day In, Day Out (Keep the Faith)
Lady Conniver
Where the Angels Play
Sink or Swim
Day of the Dog
Luvin’ Girl
Dogtown
Easy Come Easy Go – Live
Let It Rain – Live
Round, Round, Round – Live
Shoot Your Steam – Live
Cover Me in Roses – Live
L.A. Danger Zone – Live
About TAZ
Originally formed in 1983, TAZ started out in Orange County as Maniac Thrust. Founding members, singer/songwriter Kent Kleven and guitarist/songwriter Ethan Gladstone had known each other since elementary school, forming their first musical project together while attending junior high. In 1985, the band changed their name to TAZ while adding new bassist Chris Roy, a high school friend of Ethan’s, and drummer Kenny Pierce. A few years later, added guitarist Rick Berry who was also childhood friends with Kent and Ethan. In 1990, just before heading to Japan, TAZ would bring in the final addition to the band, Florida native drummer Joey Carallo. Throughout their career, TAZ played at every well-known venue throughout Orange County, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and even Phoenix, but called Hollywood, CA, their home. TAZ soon became one of Southern California’s top-drawing original Hard Rock bands, headlining most every night. The band quickly made a name for themselves with their high-energy live performances and catchy songwriting skills, combining pop, funk, alternative, metal, and glam. TAZ had also become regulars in well-known publications such as BAM, Rock City News, Screamer, Japan’s BURRN!, Metal Forces, and so many more. TAZ was a big draw, and fans were lining up. TAZ had formed one of the hottest bands to hit the scene in years.
Irish thrash metal legends GAMA BOMB have today shared their new single and music video, the rollicking ‘Rusted Gold’.
‘Rusted Gold’ is the second track to be taken from Gama Bomb‘s forthcoming eighth album BATS, due for release on 10th November (Prosthetic). ‘Rusted Gold’s accompanying music video directed by Kiran Acharya, features the band playing live at a series of festival appearances including Hellfest, Pitfest and Japanese Assault Fest.
Of the new single, Gama Bomb vocalist Philly Byrne comments: “‘Rusted Gold’ is a Thin Lizzy-style metal epic – it’s a western too, which I think Philip Lynott would approve of.
“I’m fascinated by the role of Irish people in the American frontier times: their story is sometimes overlooked, or reduced to a caricature. So this song is about an Irish cowboy, a refugee from the famine, who’s out for revenge on all the people who treated him as a second-class citizen. When you see how Irish people and culture were treated during the Brexit referendum, I think this is still a relevant story.”
From the tombs of Egypt to the faded glamour of old Hollywood, Philly, Domo, John, Joe and James (Vader and Decapitated) lead us through new sonic landscapes and all manner of novel adventures on BATS. BATS is an album that could only be borne from Gama Bomb; they have embraced their inner absurdities, they’ve taken a trust fall into each other’s arms, relying on the idiosyncratic glue that has bound them together over the last 21 years to propel them forwards. BATS is the first Gama Bomb album to be entirely produced, mixed and mastered by guitarist Domo Dixon; utilising the remote recording skills picked up during various lockdowns over the past few years, recording for BATS was approached with a deliberately self-sufficient attitude.
Whilst the lyrical content veers into various different directions, the album is tied together with a 1960s-inspired aesthetic as demonstrated via the BATS artwork – serving as a visual tribute to the iconic design trends and pop culture of the 60s. The art was created by the legendary Graham Humphreys, the artist behind iconic posters for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead and What We Do In The Shadows, now in his fourth collaboration with Gama Bomb.
John Roche (guitars)comments: “The accompanying artwork and inlay by the lovely Rory McGuigan are based on 1960s exploitation movies in the vein of Russ Meyer and other directors who didn’t want to put their name on their films.” Longtime GAMA BOMB fan and accomplished painter, Kirsty Clark, takes the starring role on the album artwork – welcoming you into the entirely fictional BATS cinematic universe.
Tracklisting:
1. Prologue Under the Pyramids 2. Egyptron (feat. The Egyptian Lover) 3. Living Dead in Beverly Hills 4. Rusted Gold 5. Materialize 6. Mask of Anarchy 7. Don’t Get Your Hair Cut 8. Dreamstealer 9. Speed Funeral 10. Secular Saw 11. Bats in Your Hair
Sonically, Gama Bomb manage to stay true to their distinctive thrash sound, honed to perfection over two decades at the frontline of headbanging and fist-pumping. There are nods to heavy metal titans such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, there’s even a sliver of Bad Brains-esque punk attitude, and more familiar influences such as Tankard and Sodom are still evident. But if you think Gama Bomb are serving up something run of the mill then you’ve clearly not accounted for the guest appearance by Irish musician Gavin Kerins or a star-turn from hip hop pioneer The Egyptian Lover who raps on – naturally – ‘Egyptron’.
GAMA BOMB tour dates:
Oct 20: UK Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms Oct 21: UK Derby Alt Fest Oct 22: UK London Boston Music Rooms Oct 23: UK Manchester Deaf Institute Oct 24: UK Newcastle Anarchy Brewing Co. Oct 25: UK Edinburgh Bannermans Oct 26: UK Carlisle The Brickyard Oct 27: UK Sheffield Corporation Oct 28: UK Swansea The Bunkhouse Oct 29: IRL The Siege of Limerick Dec 03: MX Life After Death Horrorfest
GAMA BOMB are: Domo Dixon – Guitars and Vocals John Roche – Guitars Philly Byrne – Vocals Joe McGuigan – Bass and Vocals James Stewart – Drums
UK metal bastions EMPLOYED TO SERVE have released an all-conquering live video for their bruising track ‘World Ender’, which comes ahead of the band’s UK headline tour at the end of October.
Filmed during the quintet’s huge Bloodstock set this year, the band comment on the new video: “Being invited to play the main stage at Bloodstock was a truly exciting moment for us and we knew we wanted to make a statement. We knew we had to immortalise this milestone performance in a video, and really capture the energy and enthusiasm of the Bloodstock audience. When it came to picking the song for the video, there was no contest, it had to be ‘World Ender’. The song itself is about one chapter ending and another beginning, which we think perfectly sums up our excitement for what comes next for ETS. We can guarantee it will be bigger and better than anything that has come before.”
Dates as follows:
Oct 25: Newcastle The Cluny 2 Oct 26: Glasgow The Cathouse Oct 27: Leeds The Key Club Oct 28: Manchester Gorilla Oct 29: Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms Oct 30: Nottingham Bodega Oct 31: Birmingham Devil’s Dog Nov 01: Bristol Exchange Nov 02: Cardiff Clwd Ifor Bach Nov 03: London Lafayette Nov 04: Brighton Green Door Store
Support comes from Pupil Slicer and Going Off.
ETS’s current studio album, Conquering, was released via Spinefarm on 17th September 2021to mass critical acclaim; landing #4 in Metal Hammer’s albums of the year list and #6 in Kerrang!. Conquering is a fully realised metamorphosis into the band they’ve always wanted to be.
Four albums in, and a steady stream of accolades in tow, Employed To Serve’s meteoric rise from genre hopefuls to one of UK metal’s most consistently captivating bastions is indisputable.
Employed To Serve are: Justine Jones – vocals Sammy Urwin – guitar/vocals David Porter – guitar Nathan Pryor – bass Casey McHale – drums
Italians thrash masters GAME OVER have released a video for ‘Call of the Siren’, third single taken from the new album ‘Hellframes’ to be released on October 20th via Scarlet Records.
‘Hellframes’ is a neck-breaking album where Game Over keep delivering their rabid, insane brand of thrash metal and pushing the songwriting out of the comfort zone at the same time.
A frantic mix of thrashing madness, punk attitude, infecting melodies and some creepy obscure atmospheres.
Lyrically-wise, a couple of tracks are intricately woven together, telling the tale of a 15th century priest who birthed an occult cult, re-discovered in modern times through technology and unleashing unspeakable evil from hell.
Other songs delve into the depths of human existence and mind – exploring pain, fear, and the relentless struggles we face every day.
recorded at Raptor Recording Studio (Destrage, Slander, Dufresne)
cover & artwork by Mario López (Evil Invaders, Toxik, Crystal Viper)
guest appearance by Dome (Fulci, TV-Crimes) on the cinematic titletrack
for fans of Death Angel, Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies, Cro-Mags, Mercyful Fate
German rock trio BLACKTOOTHED have released a new single/video entitled ‘Carried Away’, out now via Arising Empire.
In this new musical offering from alternative rock act Blacktoothed, listeners are taken on a poignant journey through the highs and lows of chasing after one’s dreams. The new single magnificently intertwines melodic grace with profound lyrics that lay bare one’s soul.
‘Carried Away’ eloquently expresses the dichotomy of time – a force that both propels dreams forward and serves as a reminder of the hurdles that yet lay ahead. Each note, each lyric, invites listeners into a world where passion meets obstacle, and dreams are both a source of inspiration and a wellspring of tumultuous emotions. In the haunting refrains of ‘Carried Away’, blacktoothed provide not just a melody, but an empathetic voice to the silent struggles that echo in the hearts of dreamers worldwide.
Guitarist Mathilde comments on the new track: “Ladies and gentlemen, whilst listening to our latest release, let yourself get carried away by the highest note ever to come out of the vocal chords of a male person at Sawdust Recordings, according to our dear producer Christoph Wieczorek. Damn, Henni was hitting that g on the last chorus note like a pro!”
The band’s latest album JULI was created in collaboration with the producing team of Sawdust Recordings (Christoph Wieczorek & Julian Breucker) and shows that Blacktoothed have narrowed their sound and found their musical style.
In the past few years, Blacktoothed have gained a lot of live experience, having shared stages with well known bands like Acres, Annisokay, Bad Omens, Hands Like Houses, Polaris, Thundermother and many more, as well as through other live highlights, including opening up the Impericon Festival and other open air concerts.
Blacktoothed are: Hendrik | vocals Mathilde | guitar David | drums
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
