Jungle Rot: Utter Chaos – new video

 

 

‘Utter Chaos’ comes off Kenosha, Wisconsin hard working death & groove metal band's, JUNGLE ROT, eighth studio album ‘Terror Regime’, released in March 2013 on Victory Records. The recording of ‘Terror Regime’ took place at Bell City in Racine, Wisconsin with engineer Chris Djuricic, while the album's artwork was once again created by Gyula Havancsák. Check out JUNGLE ROT's previously released videos, ‘Terror Regime’ and ‘Blind Devotion’, below. ‘Terror Regime’ awaits your order here (Victory Records store), here (the band's store) and on iTunes and Amazon:

“What separates JUNGLE ROT apart from many of their peers is their songwriting. They have a way of crafting crushing, catchy and infectious material. ‘Terror Regime’ is eleven songs, and at just under 35 minutes makes for an incredible fast listen. The material is easy to digest, accessible and never overstays its welcome. The release should appease longtime fans and create a new legion of death metal fanatics to expand their fan base,” [wrote Dan Drago, About.com – read the rest here]

 

Formed in 1994, JUNGLE ROT released their first full-length album, ‘Skin The Living’, in 1995 which, helped by the band's explosive live performances, led to a recording deal with Pulverizer Records in 1998. The release of their second full-length, ‘Slaughter The Weak’, followed immediately. Next, the band paid tribute to their chief influences SLAYER, SODOM and CARNIVORE with an EP entitled ‘Darkness Foretold’, released by S.O.D. Records.

“Proving one can sound original even while tapping into ancient musical genres, JUNGLE ROT have found a way to grasp the exact moment of transition where speedy thrash metal gave way to slower, more intricate death metal (somewhere in the late 1980s). Evident in their excellent third album, 2004's ‘Fueled By Hate’, this heavy metal formula is fast, simple, catchy, and, unlike most new millennium metal – immediate,”

commented the band's 2004 release ‘Fueled By Hate’ AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia (more here), while AllMusic's Alex Henderson observed that “JUNGLE ROT still sound like JUNGLE ROT” in 2006 when ‘Warzone’ LP was issued, despite guitarist and vocalist Dave Matise becoming the only original bandmember prior to its release. Through Napalm Records, JUNGLE ROT delivered a straightforward death metal album, ‘What Horrors Await’, in 2009 and, after finding their new home with Victory Records, had put forth an album which “inspired headbanging (during the fast parts) and head-nodding (during the slower parts), and live, it’ll get the mosh pit roiling”, 2011's ‘Kill On Command’:

“The songs are built around powerful drumming, downtuned guitar riffs that blend with the prominent, choppy basslines, and guttural vocals - all the classic elements that have made this style of hardcore-friendly death metal one of the most viscerally satisfying and long-lived styles of underground music across the globe,” [approved Phil Freeman, AllMusic – more here]

JUNGLE ROT features: Dave Matrise – vocals and guitar, James Genenz – bass and backing vocals, Geoff Bub – guitar and backing vocals and Jesse Beahler – drums

 

 

 

The Dillinger Escape Plan: One Of Us Is The Killer – new video & full album stream

No matter how much time I invest in this hobby of mine, I always miss something - and you have to admit the month of June was quite a ride; ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ is the title track for THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's new album, issued in May 2013 on the fiercely independent band's own Party Smasher Inc. imprint (in partnership with BMG) and Sumerian Records. ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ was recorded in Southern California, USA with longtime producer Steve Evetts, and mastered by Tom Baker. The album, along with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's paraphernalia, awaits you here (TDEP store), as well as on iTunes, Google Play and on Amazon MP3. The fifth full-length album from the New Jersey-based act sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position number 25 on The Billboard Top 200. Scroll down to be ambushed by THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN in full:

“ …while there are still plenty of time signature and genre changes scattered around the album, they end up feeling more like spontaneous fits of aggression than intellectual exercises. This shift toward playing to the listener's gut rather than head gives THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN a newfound level of accessibility without diminishing the impact of their punishing sound, and though it might seem like they’re smoothing out the edges of their sound and turning their swords into plowshares, the reality is that they’ve just turned it into a different kind of weapon, proving themselves once again to not only be one of the most innovative metal bands of the last decade or so, but a band that seems truly capable of doing anything,” [commented Gregory Heaney, AllMusic – more here]

“The depth of extremity and mental challenge presented by their music virtually defies description, at once recalling the mind-wandering spirit of the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA [American jazz fusion group], the complex heavy metal of latter-day DEATH, CYNIC's solitary death metal achievement, and the progressive hard rock of RUSH. Their performances bring to mind the anarchic charge of early GUNS N' ROSES shows, and the sophistication that drives their craft should awe fans of classy art rock bands like RADIOHEAD,” [Ryan Downey, AllMusic, on THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN – read the rest here]

The fearless band, loved for their visceral live performances, was founded in 1997 in New Jersey. Their name inspired by bank robber John Dillinger's multiple successful escapes from the arm of law, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN appropriately quickly gained notoriety/popularity on the account of their often violent performances. Through Relapse Records, they first released a 3-song EP in 1998, ‘Under The Running Board’, followed by the debut album ‘Calculating Infinity’ in 1999, considered a blueprint for the emerging mathcore genre and, according to Kerrang!, one of the “100 Best Rock Albums of All Time”. Next, TDEP, recorded 2002's ‘Irony Is A Dead Scene’ EP with guest vocalist the Mike Patton, who temporarily filled the void left by founding member vocalist Dimitri Minakakis.The first album to feature by now legendary frontman Greg Puciato (“his hulking physical presence and spot-on screaming won over fans” observed Ryan Downey, AllMusic) was 2004's ‘Miss Machine’ which entered the Billboard Top 200 at number 106:

“That’s it, screwheads. It’s over. Pack up your trunks, deconstruct the drum kit, and hightail it back to Athens, 'cause THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN just handed you your ass. Again.” [See? They manage to bring forth this sort of hysteria in otherwise perfectly normal people.] … “In the near future, rich women and fuddy-duddies will consider ‘Miss Machine’ through opera glasses as sweaty children lash each other with cat-o'-nine-tails. There’s nothing more to say - the next true image of rock & roll has crawled out of the swamps of Jersey,” [wrote Johnny Loftus, AllMusic – more here]

Their first album recorded without founding drummer Chris Pennie was 2007's ‘Ire Works’, debuting at number 142 on the Billboard Top 200. ‘Ire Works’, which sold around 11,000 copies by the end of its first week, was described as “inaccessible and terrifying all at once” and “a true standout” by Jason Lymangrover, AllMusic (more here). Having fulfilled their contract with Relapse Records, the band released their fourth longplayer through their own Party Smasher Inc. in collaboration with Season Of Mist. ‘Option Paralysis’ featured new drummer Billy Rymer who replaced Gil Sharone. Its concept inspired by modern insecurities (“Computers, iPhones, TV, media… nobody really knows what’s important anymore. Technology has become a substitute for actually living and experiencing things. That’s scary... It’s like a cultural depression,” said Ben Weinman, guitarist, TDEP founder and the only remaining original member), ‘Option Paralysis’ debuted at number 78 on the Billboard Top 200.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN features: Greg Puciato – vocals, Ben Weinman – guitar, Liam Wilson - bass and Billy Rymer – drums

Riverboat Gamblers: Blue Ghosts – new video

 

 

It’s edgy and intense but you could dance to it if you wanted to, ‘Blue Ghosts’, directed by Justin Wilson, comes off RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS' 2012 Volcom Entertainment released album ‘The Wolf You Feed’. RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS worked on the pre-production for the album with musician and producer Ted Hutt and recorded it in Dallas, Texas with Grammy Award-winning engineer Stuart Sikes who reportedly pushed the band to “creatively get outside of their box”. Lyircs-wise, vocalist Rookie Sensation Mike Wiebe explained:

“I think there’s a really strong connection between comedians and musicians; they’re ripping their hearts out onstage for people who might not care at all - so that was my love letter to how enamored I am with [comedians] and what they do.” [Concerning the album's title he said:] “It’s kind of referring to an old Navajo saying that you’ve always got two wolves inside you and one is good and one is evil; you have to feed one and starve one and it’s up to you.”

“Vocalist Mike Wiebe has learned to enunciate and add emotional color to his performances while still sounding like he has enough attitude to power a good-sized city; saying he’s matured probably gives the wrong impression, so let’s say he’s moved from a welterweight to a cruiserweight and the impact is obvious. …Great punk bands often have a hard time finding new ways to make themselves understood on plastic, but after a brief stumble, the RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS have shown they can evolve without losing the plot, and if ‘The Wolf You Feed’ isn’t their best album, it’s smart, ambitious, and rocks with authority, sounding fresh and exciting in ways you might not have expected,” [commented Mark Deming, AllMusic – more here]

‘The Wolf You Feed’ can be found on iTunes and Amazon.

 

Formed in 1997 in Denton, Texas by bassist Pat Lillard (otherwise known as “Spider Stewart”) with lead guitarist Fadi el-Assad (occasionally referred to as “Freddy Castro”) and vocalist Mike Wiebe (“Rookie Sensation”), the group's original intention was to “emulate Virginia rockers THE CANDY SNATCHERS in direct contrast to the popular emo music at the time”. RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS self-released a 7” single ‘Jenna (Is A No Show)’, followed by self-tiled Tim Kerr-produced album in 2001 and 2003's ‘Something To Crow About’. The group continued to promote their tongue-in-cheek cock rock on Volcom Entertainment from 2005 on with 2006's ‘To The Confusion Of Our Enemies’ and Andrew Murdock-produced 2009's ‘Underneath The Owls’.

RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS features: Rookie Sensation Mike Wiebe – vocals, Fadi El-Assad – guitar and vocals, Ian MacDougall – guitar and vocals, Rob Marchant – bass and vocals and Sam Keir – drums

 

 

 

 

Ghost B.C. : Monstrance Clock – new video & Infestissumam – full album stream

(“There come a time, when good man must wear mask.”) There also come a time when one must confront the Nameless Ghouls, GHOST B.C.. The third video released in promotion of their successful second album ‘Infestissumam’ (from Latin: hostile) was directed by Robert Semmer. (While ‘Secular Haze’ video awaits you below, ‘Year Zero’ was made strictly for an adult audience but can be found on YouTube, if desired). ‘Infestissumam’, produced by Nick Raskulinecz, was released in April 2013 on Sonet Records and on Loma Vista Recordings in partnership with Republic Records. GHOST B.C. refer to it as a sophomore psalm, they graciously invite you sing-along all ten sacred songs here (the band's site) or here (their holy YouTube channel), and allow you to buy it directly from Papa Emeritus II (formerly known as Papa Emeritus) and Nameless Ghouls here (GHOST B.C. store) or indirectly from iTunes and Amazon. ‘Infestissumam’ conquered Sverigetopplistan (Swedish national record chart), and peaked at number 5 in Finland, at number 8 in Norway and at number 28 on the Billboard Top 200 (selling around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release). The album's art was created by (Bp. Necropolitus Cracoviensis) Zbigniew M. Bielak:

“ ‘Infestissumam’ is just as apocalyptic and musically adventurous as its predecessor [2010's ‘Opus Eponymous’], offering up ten new Beelzebub-approved singalongs that reside somewhere between Gothenburg and Broadway. If anything, the album finds the band moving even further away from the genre, adopting a weirdly effective, psych-pop/progressive rock approach that alternates between winking and sinister, sounding almost like a parody of the longstanding Swedish black metal scene. Even if that’s the case, ‘Infestissumam’ can be a hell of a lot of fun, especially when it applies its gonzo Satanism with a hefty amount of opulence… Whatever GHOST's intentions, they’ve definitely managed to carve out a niche within the increasingly fragmented world of heavy metal, and while purists may revile them for their insolence, it’s their insubordination that ultimately earns them a place in the genre,” [wrote James Christopher Monger, AllMusic and I agree – more here]

Under a strict vow of anonymity, GHOST B.C. preach “extreme Satanic viewpoints over surprisingly lightweight heavy metal” from Linköping, Sweden since 2008. Obscuring themselves under hooded (monk's) robes, except for their lead singer, Papa Emeritus II who wears a combination of a prosthetic face and face paint and cardinal robes, GHOST B.C.'s Nameless Ghouls apparently also represent the five essential elements: fire, water, wind, earth and ether. (Commented one Nameless Ghoul: “On a day-to-day basis when we are home, it can be slightly irritating at times when you have to justify what you are doing. Some of us in the band have experienced people telling us we have to quit our jobs. It’s hard to justify quitting your job because you’re pursuing a musical career, but nobody knows what band you’re in… On the positive side, you can be released of a lot of the negative aspect of being semi-famous or recognized.”) Be as it may, in 2010 they released a 3-track demo, followed by a 7” vinyl titled ‘Elizabeth’ and their debut full-length album ‘Opus Eponymous’ (the album was released in North America in 2011) which was nominated for Grammis, the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards.

GHOST B.C. features: Papa Emeritus II – vocals and The Nameless Ghouls – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, keyboards and drums

Megadeth: Super Collider – new video

Good heavens! I have completely missed MEGADETH's fourteenth album ‘Super Collider’, issued through Dave Mustaine's own label Tradecraft on June 4th, 2013. Met with a largely negative reception by critics, I read, ‘Super Collider’ has nevertheless peaked at position number 4 in Canada and Finland, at number 6 on the Billboard Top 200 (selling 29,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week), and at number 22 on the UK Albums Chart. Produced and mixed by Grammy Award nominated Johnny K and eleven times Grammy Award nominated Dave Mustaine, engineered by Cameron Webb and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York, as well as featuring guest appearance by DISTURBED's David Draiman, the album should be by now available at your usual music retailers' and if not, turn to Amazon and iTunes. ‘Super Collider’s artwork is based on an existing photograph of the Inner Barrel of the CMS experiment (search for the Higgs particle, additional dimensions and dark matter particles):

[An example of the aforementioned negative reception by critics, heh:] “Also, why is there a painting of Iron Man on the back cover? Things certainly don’t improve with the limp ‘Burn!’, an artless slab of gym metal that finds the normally erudite Dave Mustaine rhyming fire with desire, a desire that “burns hotter than hell”. In fact, outside of ‘Kingmaker’, the banjo-led ROB ZOMBIE-meets-Mark Lanegan [an American alternative rock musician] lament ‘Blackest Crow’ and the outstanding ‘Built For War’, a surprisingly agile, apocalyptic anti-anthem which was co-written with drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderic, the latter of whom supplies the cut with some truly impressive riffage, ‘Super Collider’ is so mired in midtempo drudgery and familiar hard rock (not thrash) tropes that it never really connects,” [wrote James Christopher Monger, AllMusic – more here]

With over 30 million albums sold worldwide, with five consecutive Platinum and multi-Platinum album certifications and eleven Grammy nominations, as well as being easily one of the most recognized names in hard rock music for the past three decades, MEGADETH was formed in 1983 in Los Angeles by guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson. The band has since released fourteen studio albums, three live albums, five compilations, two EPs, forty-four singles, eight video/DVDs, and thirty-three music videos. A pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, MEGADETH rose to international fame in the 1980s and are one of the “Big Four” of thrash metal, along with METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. In 2011, MEGADETH released their thirteenth album ‘Th1rt3en’. Released on Roadrunner Records, the album marked the return of bassist Dave Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002. ‘Th1rt3en’ debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and has sold about 120,000 copies in the United States in its first year. Three tracks off the album, ‘Sudden Death’, ‘Public Enemy No. 1’ and ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ were nominated for Grammy in “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” category at the 55th and 54th Grammy awards respectively, and ‘Sudden Death’ was nominated for “Best Metal Performance” at the 53rd Grammy awards:

“Darker, heavier, and more immediate than 2009's ‘Endgame’, Dave Mustaine's snarling vocals ride higher in the mix this time around, but fans need not fear, as his fleet fingers are still possessed with the power to conjure the dead. … The melodic slow-burn ‘Millennium Of The Blind’ fuses TEN YEARS AFTER's [British blues-rock quartet] ‘I’d Love To Change The World’ and METALLICA's ‘Fade To Black’ into an anti-corporation/war rant that calls out the “millennials” on their submissiveness, the snaky ‘Black Swan’ casts long shadows that mimic ‘Symphony Of Destruction’, and first single ‘Sudden Death’ stands defiant before the skeptics who thought that Mustaine's newfound faith would render him bereft of the old ultraviolence,” [commented James Christopher Monger, AllMusic – more here]

MEGADETH features: Dave Mustaine – vocals and guitar, Chris Broderick – guitar, Dave Ellefson – bass and Shawn Drover – drums

As They Burn: Frozen Vision – new video

 

 

Young French group, AS THEY BURN, has just recently released an adult video; ‘Frozen Vision’, directed by Walker Pachler, comes off their Victory Records brightly titled debut LP ‘Will, Love, Life’.  AS THEY BURN's second full-length album was released in February 2013 and should be bought from Victory store here (along with AS THEY BURN T-shirt, basketball jersey, gym shorts and sweatpants – to ensure a long and fruitful life as well as to cover up some of mother nature's gifts), or via iTunes and Amazon:

“AS THEY BURN don’t bring anything new to the table, but they do manage to collage all the other bits from bands that had ever been considered “new to the table,” and arrange them in an album that conveys itself as moderately distinctive and considerably enjoyable. There’s definitely potential for something greater here, but for now we’ll settle for mere entertainment,” [wrote MetalSucks' Dave Mustein – more here]

 

“The city of fine wine and whirlwind romance has finally unleashed its dark side in the form of five-piece metal band AS THEY BURN, the pride and joy of the Paris hardcore scene,” [the press release introduces the band] It’s a tale as old as time; friends bonded together by music, trapped in the dreaded suburbs, fighting with everything they’ve got to make a name for themselves.”

Formed in 2007 in Paris, France by vocalist Kevin Traoré, guitarists Hoby Arinosy and Fabio Meschini, bassist Ronald Pastor and drummer Milton Bakech, AS THEY BURN soon attracted the attention of Belgian label Ultimhate Records, through which they released the ‘A New Area For Our Plagues’ EP in 2009.  With their debut recording entering the French music charts, selling off the shelves within a year, AS THEY BURN landed a contract with Siege Of Amida Records. Their first proper album ‘Aeon's War’, issued in 2011, pawed way for even bigger and better things, as the band got picked up by Victory Records.

AS THEY BURN features: Kevin Trevor – vocals, Hoby Arinosy – guitar, Fabio Meschini – guitar, Ronald Pastor – bass, Milton Bakech – drums and Bastien Jacquesson – keyboards

 

 

 

 

Månegarm: Legions Of The North – new album

 

Since “the Wolf is back” and one should “prepare for war!”, one might as well listen to the appropriate music; MÅNEGARM are back with their seventh album ‘Legions Of The North’. Out today in Europe, tomorrow in North America and on July 5th, 2013 in the UK on Napalm Records, ‘Legions Of The North’ await your order here (Napalm Records), here (the band's store), and on iTunes. Recorded without violinist Janne Liljekvist who left the band in 2012, MÅNEGARM promise to solve the “violin issue with the help of friends” on their next album. The art for the thirteen “hitting melodies and ear catching refrains, all spiced with the special MÅNEGARM flavour, served in the best way” was created by Kris Verwimp.

MÅNEGARM (in Norse mythology: Mánagarmr or Hati Hróðvitnisson, “Moon-Hound” who chases the Moon across the night sky, brother of Sköll who chases the Sun during the day – quite a change from “Antichrist” as the band was originally known), in existence since 1995 in Norrtälje, Sweden, are one of the first bands to incorporate traditional instruments like violin and flute into their otherwise heavy sound. In 1996, MÅNEGARM released their first demo, ‘Vargaresa’, followed by ‘Ur Nattvindar in 1997, and in 1998 by ‘Nordstjärnans Tidålder’, their debut full-length, on the Dutch label Displeased Records, with it:

“proudly proclaiming the group's Viking metal mission to a host of new fans, who eagerly embraced its striking marriage of black metal ferocity and native folk music, driven home yet again by the session female vocals and violins performed by Ymer Mossige-Norheim and soon to be permanent member Janne Liljequist, respectively,” [wrote Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here]

No shortage of problems accompanied the recording of MÅNEGARM's next full length, 2000's ‘Havets Vargar’ (Swedish for “wolves of the sea” a.k.a. pirates). In 2003, the band released their third full-length ‘Dödsfärd’, which “boasted both a greater variety of tempos (sub-light speed ones, to be precise) and more clean vocals mixed in with lingering black metal croaks” as well as increased the number of fans. MÅNEGARM fourth album, ‘Vredens Tid’, came next in 2005, followed by an acoustic EP called ‘Urminnes Hävd’, featuring only traditional instruments such as acoustic guitars, violin, flute, cow drums, jewsharp, choirs and clean male and female vocals. In 2006, the band embarked on their first European tour and signed with Swedish label Black Lodge. In 2007, MÅNEGARM's fifth album, ‘Vargstenen’ (“the wolf stone”), entered the Swedish national album chart. In 2008, the band changed labels again and returned once again to Studio Underground and Pelle Säther with whom they recorded 2009's “Nattväsen’ (“night creatures”). Issued through Swedish label Regain Records,  the album introduced new drummer Jacob Hallegren who replaced Erik Grawsiö who had performed as the band's drummer and vocalist since MÅNEGARM's sophomore album, 2000's ‘Havets Vargar’.

MÅNEGARM features: Erik Grawsiö – vocals and bass, Markus Andé – guitar, Jonas Almkvist – guitar and Jacob Hallegren – drums

 

 

 

 

Gypsyhawk: Silver Queen – new video

How could I have missed the new GYPSYHAWK video?! It must have been fate. The fun-loving bunch representative,  vocalist and bassist Eric Harris, commented the “making of” ‘Silver Queen’ video as follows:

“One bottle of fireball, a fifth of Jim, some Kessler, some more beers, a couple of joints, sandwiches, one ditch, zero acting classes, six titties and a LARPers wet dream. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you... ‘Silver Queen’.”

‘Silver Queen’, directed by Farron Loathing, follows on the heels of another two true GYPSYHAWK videos, ‘Hedgeking’, which, directed by Simon Chan of Artificial Army, features acting skills of Australian-born actor and body builder Guy Grundy who successfully brings to life the story behind the song, showing the “Hedgeking”, (played by Grundy) casting aside his crown and taking up a life of “selling his sword, warring and whoring” and ‘State Lines’, filmed to show who GYPSYHAWK really are (“a hard drinking, life loving, rib chomping, woman stealing, full housin' mother fuckers”). All three tunes come off ‘Revelry & Resilience’, recorded by the band for “girls to shake their asses to and dudes to bang their heads”. ‘Revelry & Resilience’ was recorded with Zach Oren and issued through Metal Blade Records in August 2012. Buy the album here (Metal Blade store) or find it on iTunes, and download yourselves the track ‘Hedgeking’ for free here (Metal Blade SoundCloud):

“After naming their first album ‘Patience & Perseverance’, Los Angeles-based heavy rockers GYPSYHAWK christened their sophomore follow-up ‘Revelry & Resilience’ - see a pattern developing here? But as heartwarming as it is to learn that the band's “patient perseverance” has already left them feeling confident enough to “revel in their resilience” - even though virtually no one outside discerning underground circles is remotely aware of their existence - perhaps we’d better review the latest musical results before placing any bets on the a third album title (Satisfaction & Self-Indulgence? Suspicion & So-Long? Maybe Sense and Sensibility?),” [was stern as well as funny Eduardo Rivadavia, Allmusic – but perhaps you’d better click here to read the rest?]

“A god damn rock band when rock and roll needs it most”, GYPSYHAWK took their first swaggering step in 2008 in Pasadena, California after bassist, vocalist and founder Eric Harris left the thrash metal warriors SKELETONWITCH and decided it was time to start something new. After recruiting guitarist Andrew Packer, drummer Joe Fabio and second & lead guitarist Scotty Conan, and after months of honing their craft, the band self-produced a demo which, only weeks later, persuaded Creator-Destructor Records into offering the band a record contract. GYPSYHAWK's debut album, 2010's ‘Patience And Perseverance’, was produced by Zack Ohren; listen to the album below and buy it if you like what you hear. You can download the opening track ‘Gypsyhawk’ free of charge here, courtesy the band. In 2011 GYPSYHAWK signed a contract with Metal Blade Records. Apparently “no one but band and label believed it”:

GYPSYHAWK features: Andrew Packer – guitar, Eric Harris - bass and vocals, Ian “Pee Pee Rider” Brown - drums and Erik “Ron Houser” Kluiber – guitar

Venomous Maximus: Moonchild – new video

This “twilight zone” thingy that is going on with Houston, Texas VENOMOUS MAXIMUS is quite intriguing. I am quite sure I have encountered them and their album, ‘Beg Upon The Light’, a while back – yet, I read it is due out in Europe on July 3rd – 8th, 2013 and in North America on July 9th, 2013 on Napalm Records. With a slightly different cover, colour-wise. Well, ‘Beg Upon The Light’ deserves a proper release and should be bought here (Napalm Records store). VENOMOUS MAXIMUS' debut LP was first issued through Occulture Records in 2012. Its art was created by artist Dann Miller:

“With ten tracks and a runtime just under 46 minutes, the album is right in line with what one commonly thinks of as “full-length,” but it moves remarkably quick from one cut to the next, keeping a strong flow while not sacrificing a sense of the songs as individual pieces. ‘Dream Again (Hellenbach)’ culminates with well-mixed interplay between the two guitars and formidable thud from Brungardt [Bongo, drummer], and when Higgins says, “Everybody,” urging an imagined crowd to join him on the final chorus, it’s emblematic of the accessibility at the root of what VENOMOUS MAXINUS are doing. There’s an audience for this kind of metal, they know it, and that’s who they’re reaching out toward. The push continues on ‘Moonchild’, which features guest spoken vocals, more strong screaming, and the begging question, “Why did the gods have to make us this way?” backed by mounting chants in the bridge, offering one of the most dramatic moments of the album.” [Read the rest of ‘Beg Upon The Light’ review here, The Obelisk]

According to Blabbermouth (the CNN of heavy metal and hard rock news), VENOMOUS MAXIMUS are “one of the most successful metal bands to emerge from Houston, Texas in years, beloved of headbangers and headbanging blogs from across the U.S. and points beyond (maybe even astronauts)”. In existence since 2010, they “combine intense, unabashed metal riffing that locks into heavy rock grooves featuring interjected dual leads and surprisingly darkened atmospheres” to which they venture to add “the distinctive voice of towering front man Gregg Higgins and his unorthodox, unsettling tone, and unholy sinister laugh”:

VENOMOUS MAXIMUS features: Gregg Higgins – vocals and guitar, Christian Larson – guitar, Trevi Biles – bass and Bongo – drums

Decapitated: Carnival Is Forever – new video

 

 

Well who knew… Poland's ultra-technical death metal band, DECAPITATED, do have a sense of humor. They even marinade and barbeque their chicken just like the rest of us. ‘Carnival Is Forever’ is the title-track from the group's fifth album, self-released in Poland by DECAPITATED and issued worldwide in 2011 through Nuclear Blast Records. The album can be bought here (Nuclear Blast USA), here (Nuclear Blast Europe) and via Amazon and iTunes. The eight tracks-long album was produced by Wacek Kiełtyka and engineered by Malta Arkadiusz Malczewski. Drums and mixing duties were handled by Daniel Bergstrand. The author of the album's lyrics is music journalist Jarek Szubrycht, author of “No Mercy” (orig. “Bez Litości”) - the world's first biography of thrash metal legends SLAYER (or so claims the press release). The cover art is the work of photographer and designer Lukasz Jaszak (“Very intriguing and quite strange for a metal album, but surely staying in memory. A vital thing is that it’s a photo. We did not want any computer graphics this time or anything artificial or plastic,” commented guitarist and founding member Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka). The group has previously released two videos in promotion of ‘Carnival Is Forever, ‘Homo Sum’, directed by Marcin Halerz, and ‘Pest’, directed by Dariusz Szermanowicz and produced by Grupa 13; both videos are available for your viewing pleasure below:

“ ‘Carnival Is Forever’ is overflowing with intent and purpose, getting an eyeful of the sun in the shadow of the legacy of the band that made it. Phoenixes and ashes aren’t exclusive to HATE ETERNAL, after all,” [wrote MetalSucks' Sammy O'Hagar] … “Any awkward wobbling the new band could be doing has been corrected well before DECAPITATED laid the album down: it’s deeply rooted in polished ferocity, sounding well-oiled and fluid, advanced to a degree that even a few spins later is still hard to predict. Take the album's centerpiece, the lumbering and epic title track: after two songs' worth of tech-death grooves and blasting, the song starts at an uneasily still point, a stuttering, repetitive clean arpeggio building off its own presence until, after a little under a minute, the tunes' chunky main riff arrives, sucking up all the misty ambience created and bowling over everything in its path,” [read the rest here]:

 

DECAPITATED was formed in 1996 in Krosno, Poland, by then 12 - 15 years olds: guitarist Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka and his younger brother drummer Witold “Vitek” Kiełtyka, vocalist Wojciech “Sauron” Wąsowicz and bassist Marcin “Martin” Rygiel. These young talents released a couple of demos, 1997's ‘Cemeterial Gardens’ and 1998's ‘The Eye Of Horus’, before signing with Earache's Wicked World imprint. DECAPITATED's debut full-length, ‘Wind Of Creation’, was released in 2000:

“In the dark, murky realm of death metal, perhaps no band is more worthy of taking hold Excalibur's hilt and leading the next charge down the mountain into fiery oblivion than Poland's DECAPITATED,” [commented AllMusic's Matthias Sheaks] “and one need look no further for proof than on the band's 2000 debut. Much has been made of the band's supposed “tender” age, and in fact, early on, they were slighted from the respect they would have otherwise been due because of this; however, it must be remembered that a certain gruff-throated, engine-wristed young vocalist/guitarist for another certain popular metal band was only 18 when his band's debut, [METALLICA's] ‘Kill ‘Em All’, was released, and needless to say, as is the case here, tender had nothing to do with it.” [Read the rest here]

The band's sophomore album, 2002's ‘Nihility’, was praised by AllMusic's Jason D. Taylor who described it as “of the strongest metal albums since MORBID ANGEL's ‘Covenant’” (more here). DECAPITATED's third album, ‘The Negotiation’, followed in 2004. Vocalist Sauron left in 2005 and was replaced by ATROPHIA RED SUN's Adrian “Covan” Kowanek, with whom the band recorded 2006's ‘Organic Hallucinosis’. During their tour in 2007, DECAPITATED's tour bus was involved in a traffic accident, which left both drummer Vitek and vocalist Covan seriously injured; Vitek tragically succumbed to the injuries, age 23. Due to the slow improvement of his condition (find out how you can help Adrian “Covan” Kowanek and his family here and here), as Covan was unable to continue with the band, Vogg decided to reform the group in 2009: “It has been the hardest thing for me to move on without Vitek by my side, but he would have wanted me to continue with the band. Finally, I have found some great musicians who can continue the work of Vitek and Covan,” stated the guitarist. Drummer Kerim “Krimh” Lechner, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski and VESANIA's bassist Filip “Heinrich” Hałucha were drafted to reform DECAPITATED later that year.

DECAPITATED features: Rafał Piotrowski – vocals, Waclaw “Vogg” Kieltyka – guitar, Pawel Pasek – bass and Kerim “Krimh” Lechner – drums