Florida death/thrash outfit INHUMAN CONDITION have released their fourth and final single from their anticipated debut album “Rat°God”, before it comes out June 4th on Listenable Insanity Records. The video for “The Neck Step” can be viewed below.
The trio announced their formation earlier this year and have since won the hearts and ears of death metal and thrash metal fans around the globe. The band consists of former MASSACRE members Terry Butler (also of OBITUARY,former DEATH/SIX FEET UNDER) on bass, Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC, THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG, FORE) on vocals and drums, and Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG, FORE) on guitar.
“The Neck Step is one of my favorite songs on Rat°God. It’s a rifftastic, neck-stepping hell-ride, chock-full of devilish hooks!” Butler says about the new song. The video for “The Neck Step” was filmed and edited by Frank McMahon at Revolt Entertainment.
Rat°God was written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Kling/Nordberg at their own Smoke & Mirrors Productions in Spring Hill, Florida. The album can be pre-ordered at inhumancondition.bandcamp.com
VHF is the band featuring guitar virtuoso Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Cher, Rock of Ages Broadway) on guitar, the fretless monster, Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder, Kenny Wayne Shepherd) on bass, and 4 x published author, master of the groove, Todd “Vinny” Vinciguerra on drums.
The band recently signed to Golden Robot Records, and they are set to re-release their 2014 album Very High Frequency digitally and via CD on June 25th. Unparalleled musicianship and mind-blowing composition greets you with VHF!
VHF’s music is created from the bottom up – that is, the drums are the creative force behind the band.
The final piece contains parts by each musician uniquely composed, completely independent of each other, and done with complete artistic freedom by each musician.
The sound of the band varies from piece to piece, but it is a combination of ethereal trippy sounds and driving rhythms, enticing the listener to create a picture or movie to play out in their mind.
“All musicians involved get to stretch their musical muscle and simultaneously showcase their abilities. ‘Shattered Insomnia’ opens the album and has an infectious energy; each instrument clearly is audible. ‘Whispers of the Soul’ is built around a Middle Eastern melody, which is prominent throughout the song. The guitar, drums and bass lay down a constant groove to keep your head bobbing. ‘Suspended Animation’ is like a Led Zeppelin composition, with a Steve Vai-ish trippy thing going on, mixed in with classical guitar runs. ‘Conception to Death’ (For 8 guitars) is another mind-bender. Very High Frequency is a trip of sonic explorations.” – John Kindred, Hard Rock Haven.net
German medieval rock masters FEUERSCHWANZ have released an official video for their studio track “Kampfzwerg”. The video consisting of video recordings from their live stream event Die Letzte Schlacht earlier this year and new performances in typical FEUERSCHWANZ manner. The song, originally released on the their chart-breaking studio album, Das Elfte Gebot (GER #3) quickly became a fan-favourite and the video comes as a harbinger of a big announcement to be delivered next week!
FEUERSCHWANZ about the new video: “The battle dwarf (German: Kampfzwerg) – key figure of the fantasy genre or bearded, cozy beer drinker? We say: both! And bow to the grim king of mines, gold treasures and underground halls with our latest prank!
The film footage comes from our legendary online concert “Die Letzte Schlacht” (eng.: The Last Battle) – on a cold January night on the eve of the battle we descended into the glowing ovens of the dwarf forge to salvage this videographic relic from the underworld.”
Over the course of the past 15 years, FEUERSCHWANZ have not only become one of the hottest bands in Folk Rock, but also made a name for themselves as being the most entertaining in the genre. Having paved their way to the top by persistence, relentless touring as well as delivering top notch album after album.
Get your copy of the last studio album Das Elfte GebotNOW
FEUERSCHWANZ live + WARKINGS presented by: EMP, METAL HAMMER, METAL.DE & SONIC SEDUCER & START 05.01.22 DE – Nuremberg / Löwensaal 06.01.22 DE – Berlin / Huxley’s 07.01.22 DE – Leipzig / Felsenkeller 08.01.22 DE – Cologne / Carlswerk Victoria 13.01.22 DE – Frankfurt / Batschkapp 14.01.22 DE – Hanover / Pavillon 15.01.22 DE – Bremen / Aladin 20.01.22 AT – Vienna / Szene 21.01.22 AT – Graz / Dom Im Berg 22.01.22 DE – Munich / Backstage 27.01.22 DE – Saarbrücken / Garage 28.01.22 DE – Stuttgart / Im Wizemann 29.01.22 CH – Pratteln / Z7 04.02.22 DE – Oberhausen / Turbinenhalle 05.02.22 DE – Hamburg / Große Freiheit 36
Legendary Producer Max Norman and Coney Hatch Bassist Andy Curran recently were interviewed live on The Metal Voiceon Part 2 of a continuous Max Norman producer series.
Topics of conversation included Max Norman’s production work on: Coney Hatch Albums, Outa Hand and Friction; Megadeth Rust in Peace (Engineer), Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia; Loudness Thunder in the East, Lightning Strikes, Soldier of Fortune.
In the interview Max Norman also made a statement in regards to David Ellefson’s recent dismissal by Megadeth. And Andy Curran mentions the upcoming Triumph 40 year anniversary box set of ‘Allied Forces’ that he put together.
Some highlights in the interview
On recording of the solos for Countdown to Extinction and who should play them “This is the responsibility of the producer, it is to maximize what you get. When I did ‘Countdown To Extinction’ I realized that Marty Friedman was such a great soloist so basically I said to Dave ( Mustaine) Marty should be doing pretty much all the solos, Dave (Mustaine) can do a few but Marty should do pretty much all the solos. When you are making a product at the end of the day you want to make it as good as possible. ” Max Norman
Statement in regards to David Ellefson recent incident on parting ways with Megadeth “My girlfriend sent me a link to the video I had no idea and I didn’t know what it was but I can’t unsee it now, that is the problem. I feel sorry for David (Ellefson), he made a mistake, it was a silly thing to do, I feel sorry for him. I also have kind of mixed feelings about this. I understand Mustaine removing him from the band. The one thing that Dave Mustaine will not tolerate is being made fun of because of his upbringing I guess and because of the way he is. I think (Mustaine) thought about this and thought about it. It’s a brand he has to protect. I don’t know this for a fact (just assuming) he was probably thinking I can’t go out on stage with this guy because everybody is going to be pointing at him (making a hand gesture). So I can’t really blame Mustaine but I see both sides of the story. I certainly don’t think that David Ellefson is a pedophile; he is probably guilty of what 90% of the other musicians out there have done at one stage or another. It feels a little weird because he is a pastor and there is this religious thing there as well. I see both sides and I don’t want to be judgmental about it. I feel sorry for David cause it’s going to affect his whole life and he has a whole lot of other stuff going on and it’s going to affect that stuff too, the guy is going to go through a real hard time. The only other thing I would like to say is if David (Ellefson) sees this maybe he will do this. I do think that he (Ellefson) should apologize publicly to his wife and his family for the embarrassment and maybe to Megadeth too I don’t know. But like I said I am not going to judge it. It is very unfortunate and kind of sad. Who knows the whole story, no one knows.” Max Norman
The origins about the Loudness album title Thunder in the East “I distinctly remember at the end of recording the album Friction (Coney Hatch), Max Said to us, so lads what are you going to call the record and I had pages and pages of titles and I was bouncing them off Max. And because we were from Eastern Canada I said what do you think about ‘Thunder in the East’ and Max said can I have that for Loudness? I was like absolutely you can. ” Andy Curran
“I have a totally different recollection of getting that title but Andy Curran might be right? I do remember flying back from Tokyo to New York and I was looking at a newspaper in the racing section because I was bored and I found out there were lots of really good names of horses. I thought this is a good source of album names and I remember seeing ‘Thunder in the East’ as one of the names of one of the horses. That’s my recollection.” Max Norman
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of CIRCUS OF ROCK‘s debut album, “Come One, Come All” on August 6, 2021. Circus Of Rock is a new band, or rather a massive musical project, masterminded by drummer Mirka Rantanen (King Company). The debut single, ‘Desperate Cry’ featuring Johnny Gioeli (Hardline, Axel Rudi Pell) on lead vocals is out today.
“My musical influences in making “Come One, Come All” come from a mix of artists I’ve been exposed to over the years. My own bands which I’ve been involved in and, of course, my own musical idols. In music, I love more than anything classic melodic hard rock and that shows on this album. I wanted to make the kind of music I could stand behind completely. The intention was just to have fun with musicians I admire and have everybody perform great songs,” says Circus Of Rock mastermind Mirka Rantanen.
“As for the recording of the album, last summer we had all the songs and demos ready. I recorded the drums in early autumn and then everyone else did their part in different studios or at home during autumn and end of the year. Since the album has almost 40 musicians, it was a bit of a challenge to keep everything in order when it comes to sessions. Dozens of tracks could arrive to me on the same day. I worked closely with mixer Kimmo Ahola so that we both kept up to date with what was coming in, what had been transferred, etc. It was quite a job and I still have to tip my hat to Kimmo for putting this puzzle together,” continues Rantanen.
“Come One, Come All” has a killer line-up of singers and musicians, a full list of which you can see below. The amazing talents involved come from the likes of Amaranthe, Tyketto, Hardline, Nightwish, Leverage, and more, plus musicians from bands such as Stratovarius, Brother Firetribe, Masterplan, and others.
Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell frontman Johnny Gioeli handles lead vocals on first single ‘Desperate Cry’. Rantanen explains, “‘Desperate Cry’ was called ‘Why’ at first, but when Johnny got it, he wanted to change the lyric a little bit and it became ‘Desperate Cry’. This was the first song that came together for the album. It is written by songwriter/guitarist Ade Manninen and as soon as I heard the demo of it, I was absolutely sure it would go to Johnny. It fits his voice perfectly. Unfortunately, Ade died of cancer May 9th and will not be able to see the release of the song or the entire album. The guy in the video is a “stunt guitarist” because Ade was no longer able to participate in the video shootings due to his health. But he’s in our memories now here and a few other songs he plays on. The song is about a relationship ending between two people and the pain involved with that, but after Ade’s death, the story took on a whole new meaning, at least for me.”
“A few years ago I started to think about recording a solo album; however, I didn’t want to do just a traditional solo album. That’s because people often think a solo album is mainly to allow the musicians to show off their fantastic skills and magnificent instruments, but I wanted to focus more on the great songs that don’t happen to have extra drum solos. I also wanted to include many fantastic colleagues with whom I have played over the years on this album, and in addition a couple of great guest singers. My intention is to get the album released in 2021, when I turn 50. And now this will happen thanks to the Frontiers label. The album will be a kind of milestone in my professional career, my long-term ‘dream that is finally coming true’ type of thing,” says Rantanen.
Confirmed singers and musicians appearing on the album include:
Jarkko Ahola
Rick Altzi (Masterplan)
Kimmo Blom (Leverage)
Johnny Gioeli (Hardline)
Marco Hietala (ex-Nightwish)
Erik Kraemer (Simulacrum)
Mark Quee
Antti Railio
Pasi Rantanen (Thunderstone)
Elize Ryd (Amaranthe)
Tommi “Tuple” Salmela
Riku Turunen
Danny Vaughn (Tyketto)
Mirka Rantanen has a long career in the Finnish hard rock scene. He has played on 40+ albums during his 30 year career, including releases by King Company, Raskasta Joulua, Kotipelto, Warmen, Northern Kings, Revolution Renaissance, and more. In addition, ten years ago he created the very popular heavy rock band for kids called ‘Hevisaurus’, for which he was awarded the Emma Award in 2011 (the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy).
Tracklist:
The Beat (Feat. Riku Turunen)
Desperate Cry (Feat. Johnny Gioeli)
Sheriff Of Ghost Town (Feat. Marco Hietala)
Never (Feat. Kimmo Blom)
In Times Of Despair (Feat. Elize Ryd)
Crossroads (Feat. Pasi Rantanen)
Caught In The Middle (Feat. Danny Vaughn)
Plywood Covered Windows And Crappy Shoes (Antti Railio)
Austrian metal duo CUESTACK has announced plans for the “We Won’t Let Music Die” campaign, beginning with their latest single, “Stronger,” available today.
Watch the official music video for “Stronger” below.
CUESTACK will donate all profits from the single, radio royalties and upcoming debut album, Diagnosis Human, to the German fundraiser #AlarmstufeRot, which helps music industry professionals in need.“Everybody is missing live shows, festivals and tours,” the band says. “But industry professionals have especially suffered from the current situation. Over three million people are out of work and over €265 million was lost last year in Germany alone.”
When CUESTACK’s Martin Kames and Bernth Brodträger saw the amazing work #AlarmstufeRot was doing last year, the pair made the decision to use Diagnosis Human as a means to contribute to the group’s mission to help those professionals in dire need.
Through the purchase of a “Live Music Relief Kit” containing the album, an exclusive crew backstage pass, poster and personal thank you card signed by CUESTACK, fans can directly help those who have lost work due to the global pandemic. Supporters of the campaign will also receive an exclusive bonus crew shirt. “Live Music Relief Kit” pre-orders are available at https://bit.ly/3uf1poI and will begin shipping at the campaign’s end on August 31.
“It’s in our hands to bring live music back,” Kames and Brodträger say. “Let’s do our part to help!”Stronger is available via Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and Deezer.
About CUESTACK:When the worlds of eccentric lighting / VFX designer Martin Kames and shred guitar content creator Bernth Brodträger collide, explosive music and art manifest in the form of CUESTACK. An unmistakable blend of metal and electronic music with well established sonic trademarks is the result, paired with an industrial, dystopian corporate identity that is ever-present in the band’s cinematic music videos and artworks.
After their metal song “Through the Nightwith” David Hasselhoff went viral on youtube couple months ago, CUESTACK are now donating all profits of their upcoming album Diagnosis:Human to the starving live music industry.
Check out their fundraiser campaign “We Won’t Let Music Die” here and get your free crew shirt: https://youtu.be/Ydn7NSyd4wg.
The brand new single “Stronger” is released today and the music video is an impressive and entertaining tribute to all live-music professionals!
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 ) 