LAST IN LINE, the band featuring Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard), Vinny Appice (ex Black Sabbath), Phil Soussan (ex Ozzy Osbourne) and Andrew Freeman, have released their first single – ‘A Day In The Life’ – taken from the EP of the same name. The EP will be available from 11th November, 2022 via earMusic.
The silver-coloured 12″ vinyl not only includes two live tracks and a recently recorded new track (which gives us a first hint of how the third album will sound like) – but also Last in Line’s unique interpretation of Sgt. Pepper’s iconic masterpiece.
None other than video director Matt Mahurin produced the music video for the title track. For almost four decades, rock and metal greats such as Metallica, U2, Disturbed and Def Leppard have trusted his creative and grim art.
Incendiary Pittsburgh punk rockers ANTI-FLAG will release their 13th album Lies They Tell Our Children on January 6 via Spinefarm. Pre-order it here.
Today, the quartet has shared “LAUGH. CRY. SMILE. DIE.,” featuring Silverstein’s Shane Told. Watch it here. The video was lensed by INDECLINE Activist Art Collective.
The song takes a deep, hard look at climate change. Click here for the lyrics and the essay behind the song.
“Look, this is our 13th album,” the band declares. “There’s no other way to put it; Lies They Tell Our Children is the best fucking version of Anti-Flag we have ever been. We haven’t been afforded the privilege and ability to spend every day together writing and focusing on every detail of an album in well over a decade and I think you can feel that collaboration and collectiveness in these songs more than any other record of ours. That collaboration was only extrapolated on with the inclusion of the eight guests who are featured on the album, spanning genres, years of friendship, and a vast array of perspectives.”
A-F continue, “The album itself is the first conceptual album the band has ever done, spawned out of a compulsive need to not just comment on the dystopian corporate wasteland we all face but to trace it back to the origin of this fate; the political policies, laws, cultural shifts, and lineage of injustice that have led us to the world we live in today.”
The band finishes, “Like the band itself, of course the album is an anti-war statement both in the literal and figurative sense. This is an important moment in history and demands an urgent response, but we thought it was also important that we retrace our footsteps to the beginning of these issues. In order to better understand how to eradicate climate devastation, imperialism, war based economics, systems predicated upon racism, and the increasing belief that these things do not even exist, you have got to take people to the source. This idea is the crux of The Lies They Tell Our Children; put this wretched history in their face and demand their empathy.”
As mentioned, the album features multiple notable guest appearances, including Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath, Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach, and more. Details are in the full track listing below.
Lies They Tell Our Children was recorded, produced and mixed by Jon Lundin
LIES THEY TELL OUR CHILDREN TRACK LISTING:
“SOLD EVERYTHING” “MODERN META MEDICINE” (Feat. Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage) “LAUGH. CRY. SMILE. DIE.” (Feat. Shane Told of Silverstein) “THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES” (Feat. Tim McIlrath of Rise Against + Brian Baker of Bad Religion) “IMPERIALISM” (Feat. Ashrita Kumar of Pinkshift) “VICTORY OR DEATH (WE GAVE ‘EM HELL)” (Feat. Campino of Die Toten Hosen) “THE HAZARDOUS” “SHALLOW GRAVES” (Feat. Tré Burt) “WORK & STRUGGLE” “NVREVR” (Feat. Stacey Dee of Bad Cop/Bad Cop) “ONLY IN MY HEAD”
Anti-Flag are also returning to the road this fall. The band will embark on a headline run of the U.S. before heading to Canada.
Anti-Flag’s tour will kick off on September 16 in Burlington, Vermont and run through November 6 with an appearance at Punk Rock in the Park in Silverado, California. The band will also head to Quebec for a trek with Vulgaires Machins and Mudie in November.
The band has also announced ANTIfest dates in multiple cities in the U.S. and will be appearing at other major festivals through the fall.
9/16—Burlington, VT—Higher Ground (With Brendan Kelly, Mint Green) 9/17—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall—ANTIfest (Early Show) With Mint Green* 9/17—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall—ANTIfest (Late Show) With Brendan Kelly* 9/18—Hamden, CT—Space Ballroom (With Brendan Kelly, Mint Green) 9/23—Birmingham, AL—Furnace Fest—Sloss Furnaces* 9/24—Charleston, SC—Music Farm (With Doll Skin, Teens in Trouble) 9/25—Louisville, KY@ Louder Than Life Festival—Highland Festival Grounds— KY Expo Center* 9/30—Washington, DC—Black Cat 10/1—Pittsburgh, PA—Roxian Theatre—ANTIfest (With Four Year Strong, Microwave, Heart Attack Man, Catbite, Dissidente)* 10/6—Boise, ID—The Shredder (With Bad Cop / Bad Cop, The Last Gang) 10/7—Seattle, WA—El Corazon (With Bad Cop / Bad Cop, The Last Gang) 10/8—Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom—ANTIfest (With Good Riddance, Bad Cop/ Bad Cop, The Last Gang, Alien Boy, The Macks)* 10/13—Richmond, VA—Canal Club 10/14—Virginia Beach, VA—Elevation 27 10/15—5 Sayreville, NJ —Starland Ballroom—ANTIfest (With Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Anti-Flag, Surfboart, The Black Tones, Catbite)* 10/29—Gainesville, FL—FEST 20—Bo Diddly Plaza* 10/30—Gainesville, FL—FEST 20—Bo Diddly Plaza* 11/4—Chicago, IL—The Metro—ANTIfest (With We Are The Union, Suicide Machines, Gully Boys, Blind Adam, and the Federal League)* 11/5—Detroit, MI—The Sanctuary (We Are The Union, Blind Adam and the Federal League) 11/6—Silverado, CA—Punk In The Park—Oak Canyon Park* 12/4—Phoenix, AZ—Crescent Ballroom (With We Are The Union) 12/9—Buffalo, NY—Rec Room (With Cancer Bats) 12/10—Toronto, ON—Danforth Music Hall—ANTIfest (With Cancer Bats, Dilly Dally, Dead Tired, Indian Giver)* *FESTIVAL DATE
WITH VULGAIRES MACHINS AND MUDIE:
11/12—Sherbrooke, QC—Granada Theater 11/13—Quebec City, QC—Imperial Bell 11/15—Joliette, QC—Salle Rolland-Brunelle 11/16—Ville de Saguenay, QC—Théâtre du Palais Municipal 11/18—Trois-Rivières, QC—Cabaret de l’Amphithéâtre Cogeco 11/19—Montreal, QC—MTELUS
Switzerland’s legendary industrial metal force SAMAEL and District 19 proudly present the (postponed) Passage 2022 European Tour with special guest DIABOLICAL for September & October, catch them on the following dates:
21/09/2022 Durer Kert – Budapest – HU 22/09/2022 Melodka – Brno – CZ 23/09/2022 ORWO Haus – Berlin – DE 24/09/2022 Willemeen – Arnhem – NL 25/09/2022 Effenaar – Eindhoven – NL 26/09/2022 Kulturfabrik – Esch-sur-Alzette – LU 27/09/2022 Backstage – München – DE 28/09/2022 Eventhall Airport Obertraubling – Regensburg – DE 29/09/2022 Revolver – San Dona’ di Piave (VE) – IT 30/09/2022 Hall of Fame – Wetzikon-Zürich – CH 01/10/2022 CCO Villeurbanne – Villeurbanne – FR 02/10/2022 Petit Bain – Paris – FR 03/10/2022 Warhouse – Nantes – FR 04/10/2022 Muziekodroom – Hasselt – BE 05/10/2022 Turock – Essen – DE 06/10/2022 Hellraiser – Leipzig – DE 07/10/2022 Club From Hell – Erfurt – DE 08/10/2022 Arena – Vienna – AT 09/10/2022 Kwadrat – Krakow – PL
Earlier this year, SAMAEL released an intense official music video for “Dictate Of Transparency”, taken from their latest full length album Hegemony (2017). The song could hardly fit any better with current times. Also out now is a strictly limited 7’’ vinyl release of the track, also including another track, “Against All Enemies”, taken from the same 2017 standout album.
On the heels of their recently-announced seventh studio album, Pawns & Kings,acclaimed rockers ALTER BRIDGE have released the debut single – the metal-leaning track “Silver Tongue.” Known for the signature dual-guitar attack that is backed by a driving rhythm section, “Silver Tongue” is one of the harder songs in the band’s recent catalog. The quartet comprised of Myles Kennedy on vocals/guitars, Mark Tremonti on guitars/vocals, Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums have delivered an infectious metal song and an instant classic in the ALTER BRIDGE canon.
The song is currently available via all digital service providers and all digital pre-orders will receive an instant download of the single along with the previously released album closer “Pawns & Kings.” The music video for “Silver Tongue” follows two characters who fall under the spell of a painting that comes to life. The painting drags the characters into a dark world and forces them to fight for survival in a classic battle of good versus evil. The animated music video for “Silver Tongue” was created and directed by Ollie Jones of Better Feeling Films (Myles Kennedy, Prodigy, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets) and is now available to view below.
Pawns & Kings – the band’s seventh studio album –is scheduled for worldwide release on October 14 via Napalm Records. The album is comprised of 10 all-new epic tracks that are sure to garner the band new fans around the globe while satiating their fervent supporters that have been patiently waiting for new music from the band. The band released a lyric video for the title track that was released and spawned over 250K views in less than 5 days. The lyric video for “Pawns & Kings” can be seen HERE. Pawns & Kings found ALTER BRIDGE reuniting with longtime collaborator and producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette to create a collection of memorable new additions to the band’s impressive catalog.
From the opening riffs of “This Is War” to the title track album closer “Pawns & Kings,” ALTER BRIDGE returns with an album of intense tracks that were born after the cycle for their last album was cut short by the global pandemic. Songs like “Dead Among The Living,” “Silver Tongue” and “Holiday” showcase the signature songwriting the band is known for. The album offers numerous epic adventures, with three songs clocking in over six minutes each. The opus “Fable Of The Silent Son” clocks in at 8:29 and is the longest recorded song in the band’s catalog – a distinction held by “Blackbird” until now. Mark Tremonti steps out of his backing vocal role to take the lead on “Stay,” an introspective ballad that is sure to become a fan favorite live.
1. This Is War 2. Dead Among The Living 3. Silver Tongue 4. Sin After Sin 5. Stay 6. Holiday 7. Fable Of The Silent Son 8. Season Of Promise 9. Last Man Standing 10. Pawns & Kings
ALTER BRIDGE will tour extensively in support of Pawns & Kings. The band has already announced a tour of Europe for November and December that will make 25 stops over the course of six weeks. The tour kicks off November 1 in Germany and will make stops in Denmark, Sweden, Spain and others before it wraps on December 12 at O2 Arena in the United Kingdom. Longtime friends Halestorm and Mammoth WVH will lend their support on the upcoming European tour. More information on all tour dates and links to tickets can be found at www.alterbridge.com.
Nov 1 – HAMBURG, GERMANY – Sporthalle Nov 2 – COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – Falconer Nov 4 – PARTILLE, SWEDEN – Partille Arena Nov 5 – OSLO, NORWAY – Sentrum Scene Nov 7 – KATOWICE, POLAND – MCK Nov 9 – ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, LUXEMBOURG – Rockhal Nov 11 – BERLIN, GERMANY – Columbiahalle Nov 12 – HLAVNÍ MĚSTO PRAHA, CZECH REPUBLIC – O2 Universum Nov 14 – BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Budapest Arena Nov 16 – PARIS, FRANCE – Palais Des Sports Nov 18 – MADRID, SPAIN – Vistalegre Nov 20 – BARCELONA, SPAIN – Razzmataz1 Nov 22 – MUNICH, GERMANY – Zenith Nov 23 – ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Samsung Hall Nov 25 – ASSAGO, ITALY – Mediolanum Forum Nov 26 – ZAGREB, CROATIA – Dom Sportova Nov 28 – VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Wiener Stadthalle Nov 30 – KÖLN, GERMANY – Palladium Dec 1 – AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome Dec 5 – NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – Motorpoint Arena Dec 6 – GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OVO Hydro Arena Dec 8 – DUBLIN, IRELAND – 3 Arena Dec 9 – MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AO Arena Dec 11 – BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – Resorts World Arena Dec 12 – LONDON, ENGLAND – O2 Arena
ALTER BRIDGE have steadily climbed to the forefront of hard rock worldwide. They’ve exceeded all expectations and benchmarks with over a billion streams, millions of units sold, glowing critical acclaim, real estate on the covers of Classic Rock Magazine and Guitar World, and storied sets at Royal Albert Hall, the O2 Arena and Download Festival. On this journey, 2004’s debut LP One Day Remains bowed in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200 and went gold. In 2007, Blackbird’s title track took flight on the wings of the “Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time,” as voted in Guitarist Magazine, while countless fans etched its lyrics and logo onto their bodies. That album also recently went gold in the United Kingdom. Critical plaudits surrounded the 2013 opus Fortress with “5-out-of-5 stars” from KERRANG! and Total Guitar, as well as Eddie Trunk’s declaration of, “A Top 10 album of the last 10 years.” 2016’s The Last Hero saw them return to the Top 10 on the Top 200. Maintaining this momentum, Walk The Sky made impressions around the globe when it reached #1 on the US Billboard Top Albums, Top 200 Alternative Albums, Top 200 Hard Rock Albums and Top 200 Rock Albums charts, as well as #1 on Canada’s Top Hard Music Albums chart. The album also hit #1 on the Swiss Album charts, landed in the Top 5 on the Canada, UK, Germany, Austria, Scotland and Switzerland charts and closed out the year on Loudwire’s “The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019.” These musicians have unassumingly done all of this with a quiet dedication to writing meaningful songs and performing unforgettable shows (and they’ve delivered both with almost alarming consistency). Still, the influential quartet—Myles Kennedy [vocals, guitar], Mark Tremonti [guitar, vocals], Brian Marshall [bass], and Scott Phillips [drums]—ascend to yet another level on 2022’s Pawns & Kings [Napalm Records]. It is the culmination of almost two decades together soaked in blood, sweat, tears, and the triumph earned through never giving up. It represents the bandmates’ dedication to one another and their collective devotion to a devout fanbase.
Acclaimed rock/metal guitarist Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch / Matheos) has joined with powerhouse rock vocalist Steve Overland (FM) to create the new group KINGS OF MERCIA. Accompanying the duo on the upcoming debut album are Matheos’ Fates Warning bandmate Joey Vera on bass, and legendary drummer Simon Philips. The self-titled album will be released on September 23rd, 2022 via Metal Blade Records and is now available for pre-order: metalblade.com/kingsofmercia
Today, Kings of Mercia are pleased to share the first single “Wrecking Ball”. Watch the visualizer for the single here:
Jim Matheos had this to say about the song: “Wrecking Ball was the first song I wrote for what would become Kings of Mercia, it’s also the opening track on the album. I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do musically but this one came together very quickly and naturally without too much forethought. The combination of simple but heavy riffs along with Steve’s powerful vocals sets the tone and mood for the rest of the record.“
Steve Overland on the track: “Wrecking ball is a great introductory track for what Kings of Mercia are all about, and a great taster for what to expect from the rest of the album. A powerful hard hitting, anthemic rock track, with melody and great individual performances from all the band.“
TRACKLIST: 01. Wrecking Ball 02. Humankind 03. Sweet Revenge 04. Set the World on Fire 05. Too Far Gone 06. Liberate Me 07. Nowhere Man 08. Everyday Angels 09. Is It Right? 10. Your Life
Best known as the founding guitarist for Fates Warning, but with countless other projects under his belt – including Arch / Matheos and most recently Tuesday The Sky – Jim Matheos is incapable of stifling his creativity. In early 2021, he started working on the songs that would become Kings Of Mercia‘s self-titled debut album, bringing his distinct style yet doing something a little different. “I started writing without any real idea of what direction I wanted to go in or what I was going to do with the material. The first few songs came together quickly and were a bit more straightforward than I’m used to, and I really liked that idea, kind of going back to my early heavy/hard rock roots.” Not having any pre-conceived ideas of what the record should or would end up sounding like, at least early on, certainly helped, “as did the fact that it’s our first record, so there was nothing to measure it against or expectations to live up to, even if only in my own head.”
Churning out songs, Matheos’ next concern was to find the musicians who would help him realize the material, and his first priority was a vocalist. It was his friend Jeff Wagner who suggested FM‘s Steve Overland, and another friend, rock journalist Dave Ling, who put them in touch with each other. “Jim had asked Dave for my contact details, we talked about his idea for mixing the two styles, his heavier background, with my melodic/bluesier direction,” says Overland. “We decided to try a collaboration on one song and see how it worked, we came up with the track “Humankind”, and we both loved it.” Having already settled on this hard rock direction, it was only once Matheos got the first couple of songs back from Overland that it became all the way clear of the shape the record would take, with the vocalist sending over his parts every few weeks, everything gradually coming together.
Behind the kit for the record is the legendary Simon Phillips (ex-Toto, Derek Sherinian), one of Matheos’ favorite drummers. “I decided to contact him on a whim, not really expecting that he’d be available or interested in this project. But, to my surprise, he liked the music and was able to fit some recording into his schedule. It’s an honor to share a credit with him and I couldn’t be happier with what he added to the record.” Rounding out the group is bassist Joey Vera – Matheos’ Fates Warning bandmate – who brings his trademark style and professionalism to the table. “My old friend and co-worker Joey Vera was a natural choice for bass. Not only did I know he would deliver performance-wise, but it was nice to have a familiar face among the new personalities.” With these players involved it was an easy, stress-free process throughout, making music for the love of it, and coming up with something that sounds familiar yet new, expanding the repertoire of all involved. This means songs like the half-acoustic ballad, half-swaggering “Too Far Gone” or the beautiful “Everyday Angels”, and the soaring “Wrecking Ball”, which opens the record on a high note, all brought to life in dynamic style.
Jim Matheos – Guitars Steve Overland – Vocals Joey Vera – Bass Simon Phillips – Drums
Following their latest, critically acclaimed studio album, The Last Viking (2020, AFM Records), symphonic metal masters LEAVES‘ EYES decided to start an upcoming throwback-series while digging deeper into their back catalogue treasury. As a first jewel, the band just recently presented a stunning acoustic version of the LEAVES‘ EYES classic and 2015-album title track “King Of Kings“ which was originally recorded with former vocalist Liv Kristine (Listen to the track HERE!). Now, the five-piece has shared another beautiful pearl, a piano version of “Dark Love Empress”!
Says vocalist Elina Siirala: “Dark Love Empress is one of my favourite songs to play live! It’s such a dynamic song with powerful lyrics and this combination gave a perfect canvas for creating a more delicate version of it. It felt very natural to play the piano arrangement as the song gives me so many visual images alongside the musical inspiration. This piano version brings out a whole different side of the song also vocally and that’s one of the reasons I love making acoustic versions of our songs.”
Stream the piano version of “Dark Love Empress” HERE!
LEAVES‘ EYES were formed in 2003 and released eight incredibly successful studio albums, nine EPs, various singles, one live album, several DVDs as well as a Blu Ray, and belongs to the spearheads of their genre. Their latest record, The Last Viking, was released in 2020 via AFM Records. Watch out for many more song jewels to follow!
Chief Shock Video
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
Ads
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 ) 