Chthonic: Set Fire To The Island – new video & Bú-Tik – new album

‘Set Fire To The Island’, directed by Hoiji Huang and Alulu Kuo, comes off the Taiwanese power and symphonic black metal warriors', CHTHONIC, new album ‘Bú-Tik’, issued in June 2013 through Universal Music/Spinefarm Records. Never dull, the characters on CHTHONIC's latest album travel through time and space and through violent scenes in Taiwan's history; the band retells stories about pirates, armed clashes and prisoner riots occurring on the island during the 18th century. The self-defined “oriental metallers” recorded ‘Bú-Tik’ at Sweden's Sweetspot Studio with producer Rickard Bengtson who also worked on the band's 2011's ‘Takasago Army’. Courtesy Spinefarm Records, CHTHONIC's new album can be enjoyed in its entirety below; the band have previously released (at least) two videos in its promotion: Chuang Chi-Wen-directed ‘Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace’ for which dedicated bandmembers spent a month training, working on their fitness and martial arts (“Whenever we are interviewed overseas, we are always asked if Asians know martial arts and before we would immediately deny it, but afterwards we suddenly thought; why don’t we really shoot such an MV for you guys,” explained bassist Doris Yeh) and Lin Chun-directed ‘Sail Into The Sunset's Fire’ (“[The song] recounts the stories of pirates in East Asia in the Age of Exploration. We’re not encouraging kidnapping ships or robbing money - but the brevity to bid farewell to the old world, sail towards the unknown, and challenge the conventional authority is indeed inspiring,” said Freddy Lim, the lead vocalist). ‘Bú-Tik’ awaits you here (CHTHONIC store) and on iTunes and Amazon.

CHTHONIC, symphonic blackened death metal group whose music employs elements of traditional Taiwanese music and who frequently incorporate their nation's ancient history and mythology into their lyrics, was formed in 1995 in Taipei, Taiwan. They released their first single, ‘Deep Rising’, in 1998, and their first full-length album, ‘Where The Ancestors' Souls Gather’, in 1999. ‘9th Empyrean’ and ‘Relentless Recurrence’ became available to Taiwanese public in 2000 and 2002 respectively, with the latter being revamped in 2007 by SPV Records, English translations included. In 2003, they won the Best Band Award at the Taiwan Golden Melodies award ceremony and became officially undesired in parts of China for their political views: the band advocates Taiwan's independence from PRC and self-determination for the Tibetans and Uighurs. CHTHONIC first album to be released in both English and Chinese-language editions was 2006's ‘Seediq Bale’. ‘Mirror Of Retribution’, produced by Rob Caggiano of ANTHRAX fame, followed in 2009 through Spinefarm Records. AllMusic's Greg Prato described it as CHTHONIC “most fully realized - and strongest - album thus far”:

“As with earlier releases, CHTHONIC don’t shy away from including “messages” in their songs, and this time around the tragic 228 Incident (also known as the 228 Massacre) is supposedly referenced in the album's lyrics - “supposedly” because without the aid of a lyric sheet, good luck trying to decipher what is being screamed,” [he felt compelled to add – more here]

Seeking to expose “the part of Taiwan's history that the government attempts to cover up through the interior conflict on identity of former Taiwanese soldiers” CHTHONIC's sixth album, 2011's ‘Takasago Army’, thematically dealt with Taiwanese volunteer soldiers serving in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II:

“Aside from a pair of instrumental tracks, ‘Takasago Army’ is a pretty relentless ordeal that assaults metal fans with a nearly endless barrage of thundering double-kick drums and crunching guitar heaviness. Add CHTHONIC's use of traditional Taiwanese instruments on songs like ‘Legacy Of The Seediq’ and you have an album that will satisfy any black metal fan who’s looking for something a little different to add to their rotation,” [wrote Gregory Heaney, AllMusic – more here]

CHTHONIC features: Freddy “Left Face Of Maradou” Lim – vocals and erhu, Doris “Thunder Tears” Yeh – bass and backing vocals, Jesse “The Infernal” Liu – guitar, Dani “Azathothian Hands” Wang – drums and CJ “Dispersed Fingers” – piano and synthesizer

Annihilator: Feast – new album

Jeff Waters and his ANNIHILATORs are back with their fourteenth album called ‘Feast’. Released through UDR (“the home of legends”) in Europe today, August 23rd, 2013, the album is due in North America on August the 27th. ‘Feast’ is available as limited-edition eco-book with bonus disc ‘Re-Kill’ - best of ANNIHILATOR re-recorded in 2012, as CD jewel case, as LP gatefold, as digital download and as D2C fan-package. Visit UDR store here to order the ‘Feast’, or search for it on iTunes or Amazon/Amazon MP3. For additional information, do scroll down and check out ANNIHILATOR ‘Feast’ EPK.

By now, all should know that ANNIHILATOR is the lifework of guitarist Jeff Waters, who founded the band in 1984 in his native Vancouver, Canada. ANNIHILATOR's debut album, ‘Alice In Hell’, which Waters wrote, produced, and played guitar and bass on, was released in 1989 through Roadrunner Records to a wild public and critical acclaim. The album was re-released twice, in 1998 with three bonus tracks and again in 2003:

The ever changing lineup, with Waters being the only permanent bandmember, released ‘Never, Neverland’ next. Commented Alex Henderson, AllMusic:

“ ‘Never, Neverland’ is a blistering gem that takes no prisoners either musically or lyrically. In fact, ANNIHILATOR's lyrics could be quite substantial, and the headbangers offer hard-hitting commentary on subjects raging from drunken driving to religious fanaticism to environmental destruction,” [more here:]

On 1993's ‘Set The World On Fire’, ANNIHILATOR adopted a more traditional metal and hard rock sound; the experiment which ended up alienating a big portion of the band's fans resulted in Roadrunner dropping the band after issuing their 1994's ‘Bag Of Tricks’ compilation. Next, ANNIHILATOR signed with Music For Nations and released several albums through the label: 1994's ‘King Of The Kill’, 1996's ‘Refresh The Demon and 1997's ‘Remains’, squeezing live album, ‘In Command’, between the last two: 

On ANNIHILATOR's seventh full-length, 1999's ‘Criteria For A Black Widow’, Waters reunited the ‘Alice In Hell’ line-up excluding bass player Wayne Darley who was replaced by Russ Bergquist. AllMusic's Steve Huey commented as follows: “Waters sounds rejuvenated by the presence of his old band-mates, who turn in exciting performances. There’s a sense of over-the-top fun, which makes it [the album] overall a triumphant return.” (More here) ‘Carnival Diablos’, released in 2001, was the first recording to feature OVERKILL's Joe Comeau on vocals. The band's ninth album, ‘Waking The Fury’, was issued the following year and their tenth, 2004's ‘All For You’, was the album which introduced ANNIHILATOR's current vocalist Dave Padden. 2005's ‘Schizo Deluxe’ and its follower, 2007's ‘Metal’, on which Waters had gathered a whole array of guest musicians, including Angela Gossow (ARCH ENEMY), Corey Beaulieu (TRIVIUM) and Willie Adler (LAMB OF GOD), were received particularly well by critics.  In 2010, ANNIHILATOR released their thirteenth, self-titled album through Earache Records Europe. The label decided to reissue six ANNIHILATOR albums and had offered a free ANNIHILATOR compilation album entitled ‘Total Annihilation’. Sacrifice your email address and you can download it here (Earache Records) free of charge. 

ANNIHILATOR features: Dave Padden – vocals and guitar, Jeff Waters – guitar and vocals, Al Campuzano - bass and Mike Harshaw – drums

Lord Dying: Dreams Of Mercy – new video & Summon The Faithless – full album stream

Since I am older and therefore wiser, do follow my example and watch the new LORD DYING video, ‘Dreams Of Mercy’, first thing in the morning. This educational video was directed by Rob "Whitey" McConnaughy. ‘Dreams Of Mercy’ comes off the new heavyweight champions' of metal debut LP ‘Summon The Faithless’, out since July 2013 on Relapse Records. Streaming in full here (BandCamp) and below, the impressive debut is available in CD, LP and digital formats, all of which Relapse Records will be more than happy to provide you with here (Relapse store). The album is also available on iTunes and Amazon/Amazon MP3. “Loaded with bone-grinding riffage and powerful vocals”, described as “a hellish sludge-fest of an upcoming debut record” by Pittsburgh Music Magazine and as “the apocalyptically awesome collection” by Crave Online, friends of HIGH ON FIRE, and everyone else, should take a good listen:

LORD DYING come from Portland, Oregon, apparently a region where the inhabitants are plagued with nerve and joint damage due to lack of sunlight:

“In a time where everyone is trying to out-sludge or out-doom each other LORD DYING gives something less than a fuck. They are a metal band with members of BLACK ELK, PORTALS, LA FORCE, DAMN YOUR EYES and CREMAINS, who in their short, one year's time as a band have shared the stage with RED FANG, DOWN, YOB, VALIENT THORR, UNSANE, GHOST and many others.”

LORD DYING features: E. Olson –guitar and vocals, D. Capuano – bass, J. Reid- drums and vocals and C. Evans – guitar 

 

Full Album Stream: Born Of Osiris - Tomorrow We Die ∆live – new album & M∆chine – new video

 

Don’t count American progressive technical death metal act BORN OF OSIRIS among the living dead yet. They are very much alive; in fact, their third full-length album, ‘Tomorrow We Die Alive’, is out now, August 20th, 2013. Released through Sumerian Records, the album was co-produced by Nick Sampson and the band, mixed and mastered by Joey Sturgis and with artwork provided by the amazing Cameron Gray, ‘Tomorrow We Die Alive’ awaits your order on iTunes, Amazon, Amazon MP3 and on Google Play. Courtesy Sumerian Records, you can listen to the album in its delightful entirety here (Sumerian Records' YouTube channel) as well as below.

 

BORN OF OSIRIS was formed in 2003 in Chicago, Illinois by guitarist Lee McKinney, vocalist Ronnie Canizaro, keyboardist and vocalist Joe Buras, bassist David DaRocha, drummer Cameron Losch, and guitarist Matt Pantelis. The young musicians used to be known as “Rosecrance” back then, and as such they released their debut self-titled EP via Sumerian Records in 2006. Their second EP (and their first as BORN OF OSIRIS), ‘The New Reign’, followed in 2007, after which guitarist Pantelis departed (to join the VEIL OF MAYA). The band's debut full-length, ‘A Higher Place’, was issued in 2009, debuting at number 73 on the Billboard 200:

“ ‘A Higher Place’ lives up to its title by being significantly more psychedelic and melodic, without sacrificing the musical intricacy that made them kings of what some are calling “Sumerian-core” - a blend of tech-death and hardcore played by preternaturally talented youngsters. The production, by Zeuss, makes the band sound huge, easily competing with more mainstream heavy acts like DARKEST HOUR or LAMB OF GOD while maintaining their unique sound,” [didn’t make much sense Phill Freeman, AllMusic who nevertheless defined that elusive genre known to some as “sumeriancore” – more here]

In 2011, BORN OF OSIRIS released their second, this time self-produced, record titled ‘The Discovery’ which debuted at number 87 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling over 6,000 copies in its first week of release:

“Those keyboards, which occasionally come to the fore, sometimes make ‘The Discovery’ sound like an album that was recorded in a studio with two rooms at which a progressive rock band was working next door and their music sometimes bled through the wall,” [had a good time reviewing the album William Ruhlmann, AllMusic – more here]

BORN OF OSIRIS features: Ronnie Canizaro – lead vocals, Joe Buras – keyboards, synthesizer, programming and vocals, Lee McKinney – guitar and engineering, David Darocha – bass and Cameron Losch – drums

 

 

Bring Me The Horizon: Can You Feel My Heart - new video

BRING ME THE HORIZON, a band much loved by our treasured youth, have unleashed yet another new video; right on the heels of ‘Go To Hell, For Heaven's Sake’, shot and edited by Danny Todd, comes 'Can You Feel My Heart'. Both tunes come off the band's celebrated fourth album, ‘Sempiternal’, released through RCA Records/Epitaph Records in April 2013. ‘Sempiternal’ can be streamed in its enjoyable entirety here (YouTube), courtesy Epitaph Records. The first BMTH album recorded with keyboardist Jordan Fish was produced by Terry Date and mixed by David Bendeth. ‘Sempiternal’ has conquered UK Rock & Metal Album Chart and Australian Albums Chart (ARIA) and has debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200 with first week U.S. sales of over 27,500 copies. The album has also performed very well throughout Europe. Buy it here (BMTH store), from Amazon or via iTunes:

 “While many have tried, few bands have merged metalcore with electronic influences quite like BRING ME THE HORIZON, who complete their transition from faceless deathcore band to something altogether more interesting with their fourth album, ‘Sempiternal’. … What makes BRING ME THE HORIZON's evolution so interesting isn’t so much the change in their sound, but how they got there. Rather than adding and subtracting elements wholesale, it feels as though the band has been tinkering little by little, adjusting the ratios to achieve just the right balance of ambience and aggression. Where other bands might have synths slapped on top of their sound, here they feel like they’re part of the foundation of the songs, creating a soundscape for the rest of the elements to drift through instead of around,” [wrote Gregory Heaney, AllMusic – more here]

Formed in 2004 in Sheffield, England, BRING ME THE HORIZON's interesting name was reportedly inspired by the 2003 Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" (specifically by Captain Jack's final line: “Now, bring me that horizon.”). That same year, the band released their debut EP, ‘This Is What The Edge Of Your Seat Was Made For’, through Australian label Thirty Days Of Night. Reissued in 2005 by Visible Noise, the EP peaked at number 41 on the U.K. Album Charts. Their debut album, ‘Count Your Blessings’, followed in 2006 in United Kingdom through Visible Noise and a year later through Earache Records in the United States. Fronted by easily recognizable Oliver Sykes, Sheffield metalcore merchants recorded their second LP with Swedish record producer Fredrik Nordström; issued in 2008, ‘Suicide Season’ entered the Billboard Top 200 at number 107. Again turning to Nordström, BMTH's third full-length followed in 2010; ‘There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret’, performed outstandingly well on the charts; it charted at number 1 in Australia and United Kingdom, at number 2 on the U.S. Rock Albums Chart, and debuted at position number 17 on the Billboard Top 200. The album sold 20,000 copies in the United States alone in its first week:

“The twist is that they [BRING ME THE HORIZON] don’t bloat the songs out with breakdown after breakdown, but instead break up the songs with quieter, plaintively atmospheric passages. This helps to combat the “breakdown fatigue” that plagues so many albums, allowing the heaviest parts of the songs to have the proper impact. ‘There Is A Hell…’ finds BRING ME THE HORIZON at the top of their game, and its lack of over indulgent production makes it an album that’ll not only please fans of the band, but may surprise fans of bands like CONVERGE who are interested in seeing what the kids are up to these days,” [wrote Gregory Heaney, AllMusic – more here]

BRING ME THE HORIZON features: Matt Kean − bass, Lee Malia − lead guitar and backing vocals, Matt Nicholls − drums, Oliver Sykes – vocals and Jordan Fish − keyboards

 

 

 

Full Album Stream: Rosetta: The Anaesthete – new album

It turns out that on August the 8th, 2013, Philadelphia finest, ROSETTA, have independently released their fourth full-length album ‘The Anaesthete’. Reportedly, their goal was to find out whether an independent publishing and distribution model can be self-sustainable for a small DIY band. Right now they consider the experiment a qualified success. Hosted by BandCamp, ROSETTA “hope that if you like the record enough to download it (pay-what-you-wish option available), you would pay what you’re able to, even if it’s only a couple dollars”. It appears that being given the option of free download, approximately 25% of the people who downloaded the album paid for it. Of those who did pay, the average purchase price was worth about $9.40. Physical copies (CD/vinyl) of ‘The Anaesthete’ will be released by the band as soon as the funds allow and will be distributed by Debemur Morti Productions, Monolith and independently by the band. The album was recorded at Studio G in Brooklyn, New York, produced by Andrew Schneider and ROSETTA, engineered by Andrew Schneider and Francisco Bolero, mixed by Andrew Schneider and mastered by Colin Marston at The Thousand Caves in Queens, New York. Cover photograph was taken by Renee McMahon. Buy ‘The Anaesthete’ here (BandCamp):

[Explained ROSETTA:] “ ‘Anaesthete’ can be understood to mean “someone who can’t appreciate beauty” but also suggests “anaesthetic” or induced numbness. Over the past couple of years we’ve been thinking a lot about if/how music communicates, and about the responsibility that artists may have for how their work affects people. Music can be deeply therapeutic, and seems to be a space where pain and beauty coexist in tension. There’s a paradox in that killing our pain often involves killing our sensitivity to sublime beauty and wonder. Music can be a means by which people confront pain with beauty, or falsehood and injustice with truth. We’ve heard countless stories of people who have found this kind of value in our music – often people who couldn’t be more different from the standard “metal kid” demographic. These people aren’t passive recipients of some kind of artistic charity from us. Rather, the music itself has connected us together in a way that is really hard to understand. Their stories work in us in a similar manner to how our music works in them. We’ve come to understand that music is bigger than musicians, bigger than fans, bigger than entertainment. It has a life of its own, which is mysterious:”

Agents of “metal for astronauts”, ROSETTA, exist since 2003; they operate out of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Through Translation Loss Records they released their debut two-disks album (of interconnected music meant to be played simultaneously on two separate stereos), ‘The Galilean Satellites’ in 2005. They dared to top this daring enterprise with their second opus, 2007's ‘Wake/Lift’, described by Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic as “a series of meticulously constructed trance-metal epics, as rife with futuristic, prog-ambient sophistications as they are with visceral primal sludge - but arguably more fluid and satisfying in their violently alternating mood swings than anything that came before” (more here). ROSETTA embarked on their third interstellar voyage in 2010 via ‘A Determinism Of Morality’:

“Their mission,” [wrote Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic] “to escape the dreaded black hole of trance-metal repetition that has sucked in so many of their peers near the end of the 2000s, put the entire movement's viability into question, and helped convince at least one of its leaders – ISIS - that the time had come to retire. … ‘A Determinism Of Morality’ positions ROSETTA not as clear-cut, groundbreaking post-metal saviors capable of taking the style to another evolutionary place, but as well-seasoned stalwarts able enough to keep things fresh long enough to get there, by other means…hopefully. Quoting from the POLICE: “When the world is running down, you make the best with what’s still around.” ROSETTA are surely among the trance-metal best.” [More here]

ROSETTA features: BJ McMurtrie – drums, Dave Grossman – bass and vocals, Matt Weed - guitar, piano and vocals and Mike Armine – vocals and electronics

Stone Sour: Tired – new video & House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 – full album stream

‘Tired’ comes off STONE SOUR's April 2013-released album ‘House Of Gold & Bones Part 2’, still available in its enjoyable entirety at the band's site here. The second part of STONE SOUR's double concept album ‘House Of Gold And Bones’, issued through Roadrunner Records, sold 31,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release and has landed at position number 7 on The Billboard Top 200 chart. ‘House Of Gold And Bones Part 2’ was recorded simultaneously with its sister record ‘House Of Gold And Bones Part 1’, issued in October 2012, with producer David Botrill at Sound Farm Studios in Iowa. The album's artwork, based upon 28-page short story written by vocalist Corey Taylor, was created by Sean Mosher-Smith, while the first video filmed in album's promotion, ‘Do Me A Favor’, was directed by Phil Mucci. ‘House Of Gold And Bones Part 2’ awaits you here (STONE SOUR's official store) and here (Roadrunner Records) and at Amazon's and on iTunes. Furthermore, check your local comic book store for the “House Of Gold And Bones” comic series, published by Dark Horse Comics:

Formed in 1992 in Iowa, USA by SLIPKNOT's James Root and Corey Taylor as an introspective and melodic outlet for them, STONE SOUR's self-titled debut album, issued in 2002, reached position number 46 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart and went on to receive RIAA Gold certification (for over 500,000 units sold) and two Grammy Award nominations in 2003 and 2004. The group's second release came in 2006; ‘Come What(ever) May’ debuted at number 4 on Billboard Top 200, was certified Gold in USA and Canada, and was nominated for Grammy Award in the “Best Metal Performance” category. STONE SOUR's third album, 2010's ‘Audio Secrecy’, debuted at number 1 on the UK Rock Chart and made it to number 6 on the Billboard Top 200, and has sold 46,000 copies during first week of U.S. sales. 2012's ‘House Of Gold And Bones Part 1’ had conquered Billboard Hard Rock chart, UK Rock Chart and climbed to position number 7 on the Billboard Top 200:

“Following the story of a man who finds himself at a mystical crossroads in his life while on a journey through a kind of self-made perdition, the album follows an arc both thematically and sonically, with the intensity of the songs rising and falling in a way that feels more like a musical than an album of chest-thumping hard rock. … A concept album is always a risky proposition, especially in the world of post-grunge, but it feels as if STONE SOUR have been invigorated by the possibilities open to them after expanding their sound so much on their previous effort, giving them the confidence to make what is easily their most ambitious record to date. That said, this is an album that can easily be enjoyed for the songs alone,” [commented Gregory Heaney, AllMusic – more here:]

STONE SOUR features: Corey Taylor – vocals, James Root – guitar, Josh Rand – guitar, Roy Mayorga – drums and Rachel Bolan – bass 

Buckcherry: Nothing Left But Tears – new video

 

 

BUCKCHERRY's new video ‘Nothing Left But Tears’ was directed by Daniel Andres Gomez Bagby. The tune itself comes off the group's sixth studio album ‘Confessions’, issued through Eleven Seven Music and Century Media Records in February 2013. A loose concept album that revolves around the notion of seven deadly sins and is inspired by events in singer's Josh Todd childhood, ‘Confessions’ has debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with over 18,500 copies sold in the USA in its first week of release. The disc has also entered both the Billboard Hard Music Album chart and Metal Album chart at number 1, as well as maintaining the number 1 spot on the iTunes Rock Album chart throughout the release week. Produced by the band themselves, BUCKCHERRY's ‘Confessions’ awaits you here (CM Distro), at Amazon and on iTunes:

“BUCKCHERRY have not always given the impression that they have hidden depths. Still firmly tethered to the LA band's trademark blend of grubby rock'n'roll and strutting gutter-punk, ‘Confessions’ seeks to confound received wisdom by exploring the grueling reality of frontman Josh Todd's troubled childhood and wild adolescence. With the seven deadly sins providing a thematic core, there is plenty of room for BUCKCHERRY to please those diehard fans that demand hard-edged party anthems, not least on ‘Wrath’ and their first single, ‘Gluttony’. Much like their obvious forebears AEROSMITH, this band have never been afraid to pen a dewy-eyed ballad, and ‘The Truth’ and ‘ Dreamin' Of You’ are two of their best to date,” [wrote Dom Lawson, The Guardian – read more here]

 

BUCKCHERRY, Los Angeles hard rockers best known for partying too hard and writing songs about it, formed in 1995 by singer Joshua Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson. After the recruitment of bassist Jonathan Brightman, drummer Devon Glenn and second guitarist Yogi, the band had signed with DreamWorks Records and issued BUCKCHERRY's self-titled debut LP in 1999. Their second album, ‘Time Bomb’, released the following year, was received well by fans but badly by critics. For example, AllMusic's Steven Jacobetz commented:

“… for a second record, it’s surprising how jaded and nihilistic they are already. Singer Josh Todd declares in the chorus of the title track, “life ain’t nothin' but bitches and money”, while the band sounds like an AC/DC clone. If there’s any element of truth in songs like ‘Porno Star’, ‘Slit My Wrists’, and ‘Whiskey In The Morning’, fans should be concerned for the members' safety and hope to not find one of them dead soon.” [More here]

In 2002, vocalist and founding member Joshua Todd unexpectedly quit the group. BUCKCHERRY reunited in 2005; founders Todd and Nelson added drummer Xavier Muriel, bassist Jimmy Ashhurst and guitarist Stevie D to the lineup, and as such the band recorded their third full-length entitled ‘15’ which they released through Eleven Seven Music and Atlantic Records. Eventually turning Platinum, 2006's ‘15’ remained on the American albums charts Billboard 200 for 98 weeks. (“No matter how you like your rock served up, BUCKCHERRY dish it with delight, and you’ll be wolfing it down and demanding more,” commented AllMusic's Jo-Ann Greene – more here.) Continuing on their curving path, BUCKCHERRY's next effort, 2008's ‘Black Butterfly’, got verbally abused by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic, who described the band as “self-appointed saviors of sleaze” and their music as “secondhand AEROSMITH ripoff stripped of boogie” and “the sound of a slow slide into the monotony of addiction” (more to be found here). The aforementioned music critic welcomed the band “back from the murky hangover” in 2010, when BUCKCHERRY's fifth studio album was issued: “The swagger has a bit of a snap, the rhythms a little more swing, the guitars snarl a little bit harder - subtleties that are notable when the music is so by the book, as BUCKCHERRY's is. If they can’t quite deliver the songs or hooks - and they can’t - they need to have the attitude, which they do here,” he wrote (more here). 2010's ‘All Night Long’ debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Top 200.

BUCKCHERRY features: Josh Todd – vocals, Keith Nelson – lead guitar, Stevie D. – rhythm guitar, Jimmy Ashhurst – bass and Xavier Muriel – drums

 

 

My Ruin: Moriendo Renascor – new video

Passionately independent, MY RUIN have just released a new video for ‘Moriendo Renascor’, off the band's June 2013 self-released album called ‘The Sacred Mood’. “Heavily drenched in the heat of the South, where it was recorded, and fueled by insomnia-filled nights in Los Angeles, where it was written”, MY RUIN's eighth full-length is available on iTunes, Amazon and Amazon MP3. The Los Angeles-based band featuring the married couple vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy and multi-instrumentalist Mick Murphy and bassist Luciano Ferrea, recorded the album at Soundtrack Black Studio in Knoxville, Tennessee with Joel Stooksbury who mixed, engineered and co-produced the new album, along with Mick Murphy. ‘The Sacred Mood’s art was created by Kayleigh Brookes:

“Powerful, passionate and romantic yet unashamedly brutal, the likes of ‘God Is A Girl With A Butcher Knife’ sees Murphy screaming herself hoarse while ‘Insomniac Moon’ conjures up images of the vocalist sat up at 4am in the quiet dark, poring every thought into the lyrics of this intense part spoken-word passage. Through her lyrics, there is a whole world that Murphy explores and uncovers; it’s a world that is dark, romantic and times horrific but, at the same time, as you will find listening to the likes of the breathtaking "Moriendo Renascor", it’s a world hard not to want to immerse yourself in,” [wrote Graham Finney, PureGrainAudio – more here]

“I’ve written and recorded 8 albums with MY RUIN over the years and each one holds a special place in my heart. I’ve grown as an artist but have always stayed true to myself and my art. Being in the music industry you open yourself up to having to deal with an endless parade of countless assholes, disappointments and misery. There have been many days that I’ve wanted to walk away because it has never been easy. That being said – I’ve never been in it for the money or the fame, I’ve been in it for the music and this is why I remain. I am also blessed to have a husband and guitar player who feels the same. There would be no MY RUIN without the music of Mick Murphy. I spill the blood with my lyrics but he is the soul of the band and the champion of our independent spirit,” [wrote Tairrie B. Murphy]

Founded in 1999 in Los Angeles, USA by rapper and former TURA SATANA singer Tairrie B., MY RUIN's first recording, a single entitled ‘Terror/June 10th’, was issued soon after the project's inception, followed by a debut LP ‘Speak And Destroy’. Their first Nick Raskulinecz-produced recording, ‘A Payer Under Pressure Of Violent Anguish’, came next in the year 2000, and after their first live studio album, 2001's ‘To Britain With Love & Bruises’, and a double CD compilation called ‘Blasphemous Girl’, Century Media issued MY RUIN's first EP, 2003's ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’. That same year the band, described as “four hungry heads in a quartet hardened through cohesion” by Johnny Loftus, AllMusic (more here), recorded their next full-length of “L.A. Whiskey-style hard rock [mixed] with elements of thrash and sludgy goth”, ‘The Horror Of Beauty’. MY RUIN have become a duo just as sessions were about to begin for their next release, 2005's ‘The Brutal Language’. With Mick Murphy bravely assuming both bass and drum duties, MY RUIN's fourth LP followed on their own imprint Rovena Recordings. 2008's ‘Throat Full Of Heart’ was followed quickly by another live album and a live DVD. After 2010's ‘Ghosts And Good Stories’, the wife-and-husband hard rock/stoner metal duo made their seventh album available for free download via BandCamp. Described as “vital and impassioned album”, “a tapestry of gorgeous black noise” and “a lethal combination of art, revenge, and catharsis” by metal press, ‘A Southern Revelation’ was released in December 2011:

MY RUIN features: Tairrie B. Murphy – vocals, Mick Murphy - guitar, bass and drums and Luciano Ferrea – bass (and Joel Stooksbury and John Lousteau – live drums)

Debauchery: Kings Of Carnage – new album

 

The new DEBAUCHERY album, out now, August 2nd, 2013, on Massacre Records, is said to come straight from hell:

“An amalgam of blood and violence based on the DEBAUCHERY world of carnage (with attached table-top wargame and collector`s miniatures like Bob, the Butcher of Bitches), the album tells about monsters, making cookies out of people in industrial murder-camps. It tells about murder-engines coming through the gates of hell to make our world their battleground, screaming their warcry: Yes we kill! It tells about the last crusade, an alliance of Christians and dragons, it tells about demonslayers and the Brotherhood of the Blood.”

So now you know. ‘Kings Of Carnage’ was recorded and produced at the House Of Music Studios with Dennis Ward. Its art was created by iconic illustrator Adrian Smith. This new death metal masterpiece is available (as limited edition digipak with a 5-song bonus CD which includes exclusive cover songs, and as LP) in DEBAUCHERY bloodstore here, on Amazon/Amazon MP3 and on iTunes (from August 2nd until August 4th, people living in Germany, Switzerland and Austria can download the album for 5€ from Amazon.de).

 

Formed in 2000 (back then proverbially known as “Maggotcunt”) by Thomas (the man in blood, one of the Blood Gods of the Dark Breed Legions) Gurrath in Stuttgart, Germany, DEBAUCHERY in 2000 consisted of guitarist, bassist and vocalist Gurrath and drummer Dani, who was apparently forced to leave the band after an onstage fight with the band's mainman Thomas. “Displaying an acute taste for the macabre”, DEBAUCHERY released their debut album ‘Kill Maim Burn’ with it “wasting no time with subtlety or subterfuge, but rather laid out the German group's career-spanning death metal agenda in all its gory, blood-splattered detail, for all to see, or hear, as it were” (Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here), followed by 2004's ‘Rage Of The Bloodbeast’, 2005's ‘Torture Pit’, 2007's ‘Back In Blood’, 2008's ‘Continue To Kill’ and 2009's double album ‘Rockers & War’.

“Ironically,” [wrote Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic] “it was revealed in 2010 that Gurrath was otherwise employed as a high-school philosophy teacher by day, but had to resign his position when school officials found out about his parallel musical activities and forced him to choose between the two. Naturally, he chose DEBAUCHERY.” [More here]

Ironically, Thomas Gurrath is apparently a vegetarian who has cooperated with PETA (American animal rights organization) in the past. Undeterred by controversy, DEBAUCHERY marched on, issuing ‘Germany's Next Death Metal’ in 2011, the band's eight album.

DEBAUCHERY features: Thomas, the Man in Blood - agonizing sound-blades of mass murder, voices of war, scream-killing and monster growls and The Murder Squad: John Smith, shape-changing Killerbeast of the Cult of Gore – killsaw, Bob, the Butcher of Bitches - girl-raping Chainsaw and Bloodspawn, the Corpsebeast, one of the Kings of Carnage - blastmaster-battery. And The Blood Babes: La Killsha, the Demon Doll, first lady of the Blood Court, Elizadeath, the Hellwhore, demon lady of the Carnage Klan, Bathory Butchery, assassine of the Aristocratic Cult, Butcher Barbie, blademaster of the Killer Klan and Gorechild, demon lady of the Aristocratic Cult