Massachusetts technical death metallers Revocation have revealed the release of their new self-titled album "Revocation" on August 16th through Relapse Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Chaos Of Forms", this will be the first album to feature bassist Brett Bamberger, who joined the band in 2012, and was also featured in the band's last EP "Tetarogenesis". The cover artwork for the new album was done by Orion Landau (Dying Fetus, Nile, Obscura).
Here's the track listing for "Revocation" :- 01. The Hive 02. Scattering the Flock 03. Arch Fiend 04. Numbing Agents 05. Fracked 06. The Gift You Gave 07. Invidious 08. Spastic 09. Entombed By Wealth 10. A Visitation
Here is a treat for all MEGADETH fans who are waiting in high anticipation for the new album off the band's camp, "Super Collider". Now you can have a taste of what the album is going to be all about! Here are the 30 sec previews of every track on the album.
Everyone loves action movies, the big explosions, the big gun fights, the big hero and the equally big or bigger villains. My favourite one is Commando, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead. There is this one scene near the end when the Governator raids the enemy compound. A 100 henchmen fire at him but nothing touches our hero. Then he just shreds everyone using a machine gun, it’s completely chaos with everyone running, failing miserably at it then getting shot and dying. Imagine what it takes to get into that state of mind; to get that I’m-gonna-kill-everyone-who-looks-at-me feeling inside you. Arnold Schwarzenegger listened to “One Of Us Is The Killer” that day.
The Dillinger Escape Plan (TDEP) is a band from New Jersey, commonly associated with mathcore and experimental metal, they are known for their high energy and insane live shows. They are no strangers to the metal scene and have been dishing out their unique style of convulsion inducing metal since their debut release in 1999. After releasing 4 albums with the latest “Option Paralysis” released in 2010, they’re back with “One Of Us Is The Killer”.
Track Listing: • Prancer • When I Lost My Bet • One of Us Is the Killer • Hero of the Soviet Union • Nothing's Funny • Understanding Decay • Paranoia Shields • CH 375 268 277 ARS • Magic That I Held You Prisoner • Crossburner • The Threat Posed by Nuclear Weapons
Frantic, sporadic, violent, aggressive; these are the words that come to my mind when I think about the music of TDEP. To a non-fan or any person who doesn’t listen to similar music the music of TDEP is going to sound very confusing. You will find the occasional riff to which you can bang your head but they are few and far between. Most of the signature sound of TDEP is composed of discord, odd time signatures, screaming vocals that are crammed into short songs in violent bursts of music. There is no such thing as solos, there is just ‘weird’.
“One Of Us Is The Killer” has the same old Dillinger sound for the most part but they’ve tried to do something new also. The main thing you notice in the album, as compared to the previous ones, is the prominence of clean vocals and vocal harmonies. The title track “One of Us Is the Killer” is almost completely composed of clean vocals and sounds completely different from the rest of the album. Maybe they are hinting at something, who knows. The incorporation of clean vocals begins only after the title track; the tracks before this are classic Dillinger.
Looking past all the chaos and madness that this album brings you can’t help but marvel at the technical complexity of the compositions. Once you’ve listened to the album a few times and gotten used to the sound you can hear how intricate each song really is. From the opening guitar chords of “Prancer” to the sound effects in “Paranoia Shields”, each song has something that makes it unique. The changes in tempo, the weird time signatures, these will cause seizures of pleasure in any prog-head.
On the production end everything is excellent. With so much going on, producer Steve Evetts has done a good job of keeping everything neat and crisp. After listening to the music I don’t think he had it easy with this album. Guitarist Ben Weinman is in top form, his guitar work is very good with his high pitched chords tearing the eardrums of unsuspecting listeners. Greg Puciato on vocals has pushed his abilities by screaming his lungs out and singing his heart out. Liam Wilson on bass provides good variation in the underbelly to complement the screaming guitars. Billy Rymer on drums is perfect; matching those insane guitars in both intensity and complexity is not easy.
“One Of Us Is The Killer” is one hell of an album and may be some of their best work till date. The use of clean vocals seems to show a change in the approach to how they write songs. I hope they continue this trend as I quite enjoyed it. Stand out tracks include “Prancer”, “One Of Us Is The Killer”, “Paranoia Shields” and “Nothing’s Funny”. I personally wasn’t too keen on “Hero of the Soviet Union”. This is an album you should listen to get pumped up for a fight or a game, because the music will make you want to punch someone in the face with a fist full of broken glass. A word of warning before I end the review: turn down the volume before you start the album or you might enter a state of auditory shock just as I did due to the opening chords of "Prancer".
Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson who is no new to being a legend, has joined the line-up for the Heavy Metal Truants Download Festival Charity Bike Ride. He will be riding alongside Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood, Classic Rock Editor-In-Chief Scott Rowley, Metal Hammer Editor Alexander Milas and Prog Editor Jerry Ewing for an event that serves a charitable purpose and will help gather help for a good cause.
Dickinson will be flying in specially from Germany after two sold-out Maiden shows in Frankfurt so he can join the Heavy Metal Truants. He, along with the others will be going cycling the final 25-mile leg of the bike ride into the Download Festival on Friday, June 14. A day later Iron Maiden will make a headline appearance at Download in front of an expected 100,000 fans.
All proceeds from the ride will go to three charities - Nordoff Robbins, Teenage Cancer Trust and Childline.
Bruce Dickinson commented - “Yes, maybe it’s the first time the headliner has shown up on a bike, but I do use my bike to get around in London when l get the chance and have turned up at the Beeb on a bike before, though the Commissioners were a bit surprised as they are too used to seeing limos!
“These are great causes, I am only sorry that due to our tour schedule l can’t do more of the ride, and hope our fans will support our efforts. I look forward to a day off after the ride seeing some great bands before we go into full Maiden action on the Saturday, with every intention of giving the fans a memorable show. Download and metal fans are the best there are, so everyone expects something very special.”
The public memorial celebration for late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman took place yesterday afternoon on May 23rd at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, U.S.A. You can now see some photos (captured by photographer Stephanie Cabral) and video footage from the event here.
Among the heavy metal musicians who attended the memorial were Kerry King (Slayer), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Gary Holt (Exodus, Slayer), Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Shavo Odadjian (System Of A Down), Robb Flynn (Machine Head), Paul Bostaph (Slayer, Testament, Exodus), Chuck Billy (Testament) and John Tempesta (The Cult, Exodus, Testament). The memorial was open to all fans free of cost, and occupancy was on a first-come first-serve basis.
In a statement released by Slayer on May 9th, it was revealed that the cause for Hanneman's death was alcohol-related cirrhosis. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy, and his brothers Michael and Larry.
British extreme metal godfathers CARCASS have signed to Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their new album. "Surgical Steel" will be the band’s first studio release since the 1996 LP "Swansong". It was produced by Colin Richardson and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.
The album will see guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker in the band's current line-up along with their new drummer Dan Wilding (Aborted, Trigger the Bloodshed) and guitarist Ben Ash (Pig Iron, Desolation)."Surgical Steel" will be released this Fall worldwide.
Carcass has released the following statement regarding their collaboration with Nuclear Blast - "We are pleased to announce that we have found the perfect home for Surgical Steel, the first Carcass album for, what, eighteen years?! We've inked a deal with Nuclear Blast for our new baby.
"We have to thank Markus Staiger for his enthusiasm and belief in what he heard, but mostly his ability to take advantage of Jeff with a bad hangover when he visited the office in Stuttgart to let him be the first to hear the rough mixes. Nuclear Blast has managed to secure this release despite interest from all the main players in what remains of the metal ‘music industry.’
"We're also looking forward to working with our pals in the US Office, who have done favors for us behind the scenes over the last few years. On a personal note, Jeff looks forward to his and label manager Gerardo Martinez' friendship to come crashing down in flames and tears in a few months. As long as we don't mention ‘The War’ we think we're going to do just fine with our new Teutonic home!"
Nuclear Blast owner and founder Markus Staiger commented - “One of my all-time favorite UK Metal Bands signed recently to Nuclear Blast - it feels like a dream come true. When Jeff Walker let me listen to the new record I knew immediately that Carcass made one of their best albums ever! It is a perfect mixture of Heartwork and Necroticism with a massive production to boot. The album is without a doubt just as perfect and lethal as surgical steel itself, and exactly what both old and new fans have waited for eagerly all of these years! I am very proud to say, Carcass - welcome to the Nuclear family. It is an honor to work with this legendary metal band.”
North American label manager Gerardo Martinez added - “First of all, apologies to the many that were wondering where that signing statement was the other day. Well, we didn’t anticipate the prenuptial agreement to take this long but here we are, and about to release to the world what many people said would never happen: a new Carcass record!
"All joking aside, this is a dream come true. All I can say is that even the biggest critic, Señor Walker himself included, will find this to be one of the best CARCASS albums. It already sounds like a classic and I can’t wait for people to hear it. ‘Time to die, die in pain’!!!”
American shoegaze black metal delegates DEAFHEAVEN are now streaming their second album, Sunbather in its entirety in advance of its release. The album will see the light of the day on June 11th via Deathwish Inc. just before the start of their headlining tour.
Formed in 1988 in the Indian metal capital of Bangalore, Millennium were no doubt the Godfathers who kicked off the metal scene in India as we know it today. After a long hiatus since the year 2000, the band reunited to support Megadeth in 2008, and are now part of the line-up of this year's Bangalore Open Air. Our writers Vishal Dey and Achintya Venkatesh had a chat with Millennium's vocalist Vehrnon Ibrahim, which you can see below.
1. Hello, Greetings from Metal Wani. It's been a great pleasure to have you here. How are you guys doing? Vehrnon: Hey guys, thanks, we’re doing great, I have been in Mumbai for the past month meeting people to help promote the band, looking forward to getting back to Bangalore and in the jam room in front of an SM58 soon...
2. Tell us something about the history of the band. What led to its formation, especially when India had no other metal bands? What led you to name the band as 'Millennium'? Vehrnon: It was Rio’s fault, he and his band were competing against us for a year in what must have been ’86... both bands were playing metal and at the end of the year Rio came and met me and Bobs and said why don't we form a super group... Rio was a visionary and could see the metal tidal wave crashing on the shores of our country even back then... There was no other band playing the kind of extreme music we were doing so we had no contemporaries... you know, it occurs to me now that there was no club scene back then like there is today... all the gigs we did were all large scale huge crowd deals and that's how we started... I have done many club shows since we re-formed and its a different trip altogether than what I am used to... I mean, I love it with a small intimate 500-size crowd but I am having to re-learn how to work the show in that format... its different... good different...
3. What are the primary influences of the band? Which is the one band most akin to your own sound? What other bands do you listen to? Vehrnon: Ah, tough one... Iron Maiden was our first influence of course but then we found out about thrash and went oh fuck oh fuck... I listen to a lot of music and my iphone is full of all sorts of stuff... haha, you would laugh if you saw it... but there have been some songs I have been listening to for ever... You know what mean, the songs which reach out and say here I am and I will always be there... But as far as song writing is concerned I have never had a reference sound in my head for our music at all... always did what we wanted and enjoyed it, yeah its selfish but I think music writing is selfish when you are doing it to feel good... You see I always treated Milli as an outlet for what I wanted to say... some people dance, some cook, some drive... We performed, that was our high...
4. The era in which you guys formed Millennium was the most crucial time in Indian metal history. What were the challenges you faced to reach the height from where metalheads started to know Millennium as a band? Vehrnon: Man we are underground, always was and always will be... If money were important to us we would have bowed down to it long ago but we never did... we got paid what we asked for or did not do the gig... promoters fell in to two groups, those who have experienced one of our gigs and those who have not... The ones who had heard us just paid us what we wanted and the ones who had not learned a lesson... And for the record we were, very expensive... We had to be, we had a sound engineer, an LD, roadies, a road manager and a manager on the road with us most times... and back home in production we had to pay for the three records we made as well as 6 videos, countless photo shoots and all the other shit bands spent money on... And those days were much more expensive than now for a band... So no, we did it all cause we just had to, we were compelled to... I will say it and don't give a fuck, we just don't have fan following bands like Indus Creed or Parikrama or Pentagram have, we just never got that big... Never wanted to, that was not our goal... Ya we did our own material from early on and it worked so we just stuck to it where ever we played and man we have done some weird venues... Yeah, and it was great... I think its the Bangalore thing maybe, not being in Delhi or Bombay meant we could do what we wanted without the pressure of conformity that those two cities tend to have, maybe I am wrong... I see Palash Sen getting mobbed for autographs and its cool, he seems to like it but when some one recognises me its a different connect... There was a nasty bike accident many years ago and the guy was lying almost dead on the road his head cracked open... we helped him to the hospital and stayed there till we were told he was gonna be ok... months later we got a call from the guy in tears saying how grateful he was... that's the relationship I have with people who know Millennium and when we meet its like old friends... happens all the time but I have never signed breasts and that is a regret.
5. I've always wondered what the promotion techniques were used back in 90's. No doubt it was tough promoting a band then comparing to 21st century. But how did you guys pull it off? Vehrnon: Ok, its like this, maybe you’ll believe me or maybe you wont but its true none the less and there were witnesses so there Promotion in the 80s and 90s was done through posters and that's it. And pretty much everybody in the band and the band circle did everything... So yeah, I have done posters. I have designed, written, printed, carried for corporation stamps and oh yes gone on all night forays in to the city sticking up the bloody things... There were tactics, if there was another show on we put our posters next to theirs never on top, (that would be cheap) but at an angle so it just looks funny and gets eyeballs... And we had to have a super design... Once I sang for a band called UVZ (Ultra Vivid Zone) so our poster was back with only florescent colours, they had to be put up only in places where there was a UV light... when it looked good it was amazing but most of the time no one could read it haha... well it packed the gig we did so it must worked... And strategies, you have ten thousand posters so you put up 2000 every night for 5 days before the gig not all on the same day, space them out... oh, and we found it was better to clump the posters in blocks like put 8 of them on a wall next to each other then leave a solid gap and 8 more... I have no idea why this worked but did...
6. Millennium supported Deep Purple back in 1995 in Mumbai. Do you think that the event helped Millennium to be established as a metal band internationally? Vehrnon: We did Delhi and Mumbai and no it did fuck all for us internationally. Why would it?
7. What do you think about the current line-up of the band? Does the age difference among the band members affect the dynamics of the relations within the band? Vehrnon: When I was in my 20s I had older friends than me... so its logical that now I am in my 40s I should have younger friends around me isn’t it... ok, its not logical at all, I know, haha... I like people who think originally who work things out differently who have no idea what normal people would do and don't give a shit... and thanks to Salman who put together a band that has some great people... Its great... I have got a lot of time for Rohit both as a song writer and musician but also as a friend... The dynamics of a metal band will always be stress filled... Every one can chat casually until the singer steps in to the room, an ego that big needs silence... and drummers, oh drummers, God what were you thinking? But its just the way things are... you gotta make it work... I think if I still had one of the older line ups of Milli we would not be doing a lot of the new music we are doing now and that would be a shame...
The Younger Days of Millennium
8. What differences do you notice in the new and upcoming bands from the old bands from your time. Are there any words you would like to give to them? Vehrnon: There are some great bands in India now, some great music and fantastic performers... Trouble is metal is all mainstream now isn’t it... every year a new metal format comes out and a year later becomes mainstream... its the same with any format of music but what is happening with metal is sad I think... I just heard about a degree course you can do in the uk for heavy metal now think about that for a second, so you learn about a life on the streets sitting in a class room??? No man, you learn heavy metal from having too many unanswered questions that bleed and never heel... its not about wanting, never has been, its about asking... all songs have a stories to tell, could be a love story, mostly it is but in the metal I grew up with like Maiden, Dio and Rush it was about asking why? Songs like “Die With Your Boots On kept me alive with answers I got no where else and I know every metal head has songs that have touched their souls deep deep down and mean something, really mean something... So what I would say to anyone today is simple, have something to say, have a story to tell from you heart not your mind... making money? Fuck that no I mean really, fuck that, if you are in to heavy metal for the money you are an ass, you may well get a lot of money but if that's your motivation then you will never be able to play heavy metal...
9. Well, every fan of Millennium is waiting for new stuff. Is anything cooking in your camp? Can we expect an album or an EP in the near future? Vehrnon: Its early days still, we are only a few months back in action... plan is to write and perform an album's worth and record some time early next year but there may be an online re-release of our old material, lets see...
10. Millennium will be performing at Bangalore Open Air '13 and will share stage with some legendary bands of all time. How does it feel? Vehrnon: Fests are fun, reminds me of the old 3 day college festivals we used to do. And BOA has some amazing bands that I may really looking forward to see. Its an atmosphere thing, trip on some good stuff, hang out with some good friends, hear some really good music, yeah, its gonna be great... I had heard loads about Machinehead but had not heard them for some reason before the Megadeth gig in 08 and they blew me away. This time I will make sure I am up to date with all the bands at BOA.
11. Will the setlist for BOA be containing any new material?
Vehrnon: Oh fuck yeah. We will be doing some of our new stuff we have been working on for sure. This is the thing, when we got back a few months ago I asked the guys what we should be playing and we all wanted to work on new material. So we set aside time during practice to jam and see what happens. Its not something that can just be done like walking a dog. You need to know the musicians you work with and for me that takes time. Rohit is a great musician and a solid friend and we get on well. You see when I used to work with Rio he had a different style of writing. He would come up with a progression and structure before we sat down and then I would work on the lyrics if he did not have some already and I would do the melody. I don't know many partners who worked like that but we did and it was really good. We did most of our music like that. But with Rohit its jamming and improvising as we went along, I guess the way most people work, I dunno. I like to come up with lyrics that kick on to the melody seamlessly and many times that becomes the core of the song. So yeah, there will be some new songs at BOA.
12. Before we wrap up the interview, any message for the readers and fans out there? Vehrnon: I posted a lot on FB about this, I think we need to support the Indian Heavy Metal movement and stop cribbing about it. That goes for musicians who act like pubescent girls bitching about their friends and also for people who wear the black t shirts and have long hair but don't know the difference between Iron Maiden and Iron Fist. I mean its not that tough to just come for the gigs and buy the merch is it? Keep on rocking, take shit from no one and be kind to the little guys... yeah rock and roll...
Swedish melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity have now made available for streaming a new song titled "Endtime Hearts", off their upcoming new album "Construct". You can now listen to the track below.
Regarding the new album, the band previously stated, "The selected few people that so far have been granted the privilege of hearing the full album are uniformingly convinced that 'Construct' is the strongest and most exciting DARK TRANQUILLITY album in a long time, and who are we to disagree? While still bearing the unmistakable mark of the DARK TRANQUILLITY, the record is probably our most different and diverse offering since 1999's 'Projector'.
For now, we're pleased to share the tracklist, trailer and sleeve
design with you, but the first musical preview will appear in the near
future."
Here is the tracklist for "Construct" :-
01. For Broken Words 02. The Science Of Noise 03. Uniformity 04. The Silence In Between 05. Apathetic 06. What Only You Know 07. Endtime Hearts 08. State Of Trust 09. Weight Of The End 10. None Becoming 11. Immemorial (U.S. bonus track) 12. Photon Dreams (U.S. bonus track)
"Construct" will be released on May 27th through Century Media Records.
First official photo of present line-up
Courtesy: Adrian Erlandsson, Murder Mile Studios
British extreme metal legends Carcass have set in stone a deal with Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their much touted comeback album, Surgical Steele, due to be released sometime in fall. The CD was mixed by Andy Sneap who is also known for his work with Megadeth, Accept, Exodus and Arch Enemy after Colin Richardson (who is known for his work with Slipknot, Fear Factory, Napalm Death and many more) pulled out of the project two weeks into the mixing process. Jeff Walker, Carcass bassist/vocalist claimed at a March '13 concert at the Underworld, London that Richardson quit to instead focus his energies on the new Trivium studio album.
In a recent interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Jeff Walker stated about the new Carcass LP -
"We think we've made a good album, so it's gonna be very interesting when people get to hear the record. We can't wait to see what people think. It sounds like Carcass. Even the drumming sounds like Carcass. Everything about it… I think it's gonna shock people, how good it is. I think it's got all the elements that people like, yet it still sounds fresh. So that's all I can say, really, 'cause we don't really sound like any other band, and the fact that after 17 years, we wrote music and it still sounds like Carcass, I think it's good."
Joining original members Jeff Walker and Bill Steer are Dan Wilding (of Aborted and Trigger the Bloodshed fame) and guitarist Ben Ash (of Pig Iron, Desolation and Liquefied Skeleton fame). Unfortunately, Guitarist Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who've been touring with the band since their 2007 reunion, are no longer involved with the group due to scheduling conflicts with their main band, Arch Enemy.
This is also Carcass' first studio album since 1996's Swansong which will feature guest-vocals by Ken Owen, the band's original drummer. Carcass released the following statement about their new record deal -
"We are pleased to announce that we have found the perfect home for 'Surgical Steel', the first Carcass album for, what, seventeen years?! We've inked a deal with Nuclear Blast for our new baby. We have to thank Markus Staiger for his enthusiasm and belief in what he heard, but mostly his ability to take advantage of Jeff with a bad hangover when he visited the office in Donzdorf to let him be the first to hear the rough mixes."
They furthermore added -
"Nuclear Blast has managed to secure this release despite interest from all the main players in what remains of the metal 'music industry.' We're also looking forward to working with our pals in the U.S. office, who have done favors for us behind the scenes over the last few years. "On a personal note, Jeff looks forward to his and label manager Gerardo Martinez' friendship to come crashing down in flames and tears in a few months. As long as we don't mention 'The War,' we think we're going to do just fine with our new Teutonic home!
Nuclear Blast owner and founder Markus Staiger had the following to say about the deal, with clues about the stylistic direction the melodic death metal/grindcore pioneers had taken on the album -
"One of my all-time favorite U.K. metal bands signed recently to Nuclear Blast. It feels like a dream come true. When Jeff Walker let me listen to the new record, I knew immediately that Carcass made one of their best albums ever! It is a perfect mixture of 'Heartwork' and 'Necroticism' with a massive production to boot. The album is without a doubt just as perfect and lethal as surgical steel itself, and exactly what both old and new fans have waited for eagerly all of these years! I am very proud to say, Carcass — welcome to the Nuclear family. It is an honor to work with this legendary metal band."
Nuclear Blast North American label manager Gerardo Martinez had the following to add -
"First of all, apologies to the many that were wondering where that signing statement was the other day. Well, we didn't anticipate the prenuptial agreement to take this long, but here we are, and about to release to the world what many people said would never happen: a new Carcass record! All joking aside, this is a dream come true. All I can say is that even the biggest critic, Señor Walker himself included, will find this to be one of the best Carcass albums. It already sounds like a classic and I can’t wait for people to hear it. 'Time to die, die in pain!!!"
American progressive metal band Intronaut has polished up its sound, refined its style, done away with its harsh vocals and landed a hit with its new release, Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones).
The quartet, hailing from Los Angeles, adds another solid album to its discography, strengthening its arsenal which is highlighted by its debut ‘Void’ and 2010’s ‘Valley Of Smoke’.
‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)’ starts with one of the standout tracks from the album, ‘Killing Birds with Stones’. This song familiarizes the listener with the band’s slightly altered sound and gives him/her an idea of what to expect- the song moves from infectious and pounding guitars and drums to rich and soothing melodies. ‘The Welding’, the single ‘Milk Leg’, and ‘Steps’ use heavy and groovy riffs in irregular time signatures which sound a tad like sludge metal. The entire record features such riffage, not to mention riffs of different types interfused with the aforementioned ones. The album starts to sound more crushing than its highly acclaimed predecessor, ‘Valley Of Smoke’. The closing track, ‘The Way Down’, has riffs that are the epitome of the album’s heaviness. However, throughout ‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)’, the band manages to strike a balance between the barrage of heaviness and the melodic, floating from one realm to the other almost effortlessly; very apparent in the opening track itself. Although there are hardly a few surprises in terms of the song structures, Intronaut manages to make each variation and change memorable.
Each of the band’s members plays a massive role in establishing the intricacies and harmonies , quickly shifting to chugging-and-the ‘almost seems familiar’ type sounds and vice versa. Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick lay down huge riffs and also bleed beautiful and mellow harmonies. Sacha is Intronaut’s primary vocalist with Dave providing back-up vocals. Sacha sings clean and low, similar to the popular frontmen of grunge acts of the 90’s. Danny Walker is outstanding on the drums, holding the entire band and the album together with his unique patterns and variation. Bassist Joe Lester also does a great job, perfectly bridging the gap between the guitars and drums.
On the negative side, the vocals sound a tad dull and boring at times, but this is a purely subjective observation. Also, despite gliding from heavy to mellow, the riffs sometimes cause the tracks to lose their freshness and feel monotonous while on the heavy front, like on ‘Steps’, for example. Next, the closing track, ‘The Way Down’ features around three minutes of completely useless noise at its end, which hardly seems necessary. Further, with almost every track being of a slightly-longer-than-average duration, some melodies turn boring due to their repetition.
But the positives outnumber the negatives by far. Overall, ‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)’ is a great work of art which Intronaut can give itself a pat on its back for and continue to write great music.
Recommended Tracks: ‘Killing Birds With Stones’, ‘The Welding’, ‘Milk Leg’.
AC/DC fans all over the world have been highly anticipating the movie "The Legend Of AC/DC" that will pay a tribute to the late legendary AC/DC singer/rocker Bon Scott. Now here is good news for the fans. The makers of the moving are going big with the movie's production. With heavy investments and contributions with the leading experts, this movie is going to a 'not-to-be-missed' extravaganza.
The producers controlling production company overseeing "Bon Scott - The Legend Of AC/DC", are slated to engage in talks this week with "one of the world's leading production and entertainment companies," according to a posting on the project's web site. The film project is a docu-drama featuring the career of late Aussie frontman Bon Scott, of AC/DC who died tragically at age 33 in 1980 after only six years with the band. Starring in the film is American singer/actor Rob Liotti, who is also the credited screenwriter.
Liotti is no stranger to AC/DC as he has performed on stage as Bon Scott for many years. This is his first lead feature film role. The High Voltage team will feature director J. R. Getches, who brings a great deal of vision and television experience.
Bazillion Points Books has announced the upcoming release of "Heavy Metal Movies", by Mike "McBeardo" McPadden. The book will be very well illustrated, and featuring more than two-times-666 of the most metallic movie moments of all time. "Heavy Metal Movies" is the ultimate guidebook to the complete molten musical cinema experience.
This book will give its readers an unadulterated journey through searing celluloid spans concert movies and trippy midnight flicks from the dawn of heaviosity, inspirational depictions of ancient times and future apocalypses, and today's raw hand-held digital video productions. "Heavy Metal Movies" will also include reviews, which will cover all known incidents of heavy metal in motion pictures, including performance films, feature documentaries, occult rock 'n' roll horror, primal headbanger characters, soundtrack standouts, namesake inspirations, lyrical references, aesthetic archetypes, and much more.
Well a new album from Metallica seems like a late call for a couple more years, but there is finally something interesting coming off the band's camp. ‘Metallica Through the Never,’ trailer has now been released. The movie will arrive in theaters after September 27.
Here is the trailer to "Through The Never" -
The movie has been directed by Nimrod Antal (‘Predators’). ‘Through the Never’ is a narrative/concert feature that uses IMAX 3D footage to highlight songs from the Metallica catalog (like ‘Wherever I May Roam’ and ‘Master of Puppets,’ both teased during the trailer) while telling the story of a hapless roadie named Trip (Dane DeHaan) who ends up stranded in the middle of a riot while running a crucial errand for the band during a show. Here is the official synopsis-
"Featuring dazzling pyrotechnics, the most elaborate live-performance stage ever built and imagery drawn from the band’s trailblazing iconography, the immersive 360-degree show creates a mind-bending, ear-shattering mirror image of the destruction and chaos of Trip’s journey. ‘Metallica Through the Never’’s state-of-the-art 3D photography, captured using up to 24 cameras simultaneously, engulfs audiences in one of the most innovative and exciting cinematic experiences ever imagined."
“Making a movie at this level has been a little overwhelming,” Blabbermouth quotes Lars Ulrich as saying. “In the music world, you get very used to controlling your environment and in the film world there is nothing to control…it’s just like a complete clusterf—…and there’s a bizarre beauty in that.”
19 years ago, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, the figure who revolutionalised Seattle's grunge movement of the 1990s, died in his home on Lake Washington Boulevard East. His body three days later when an electrician came to the house for a pre-scheduled job. Till now fans had been thinking that every last shred of documentation regarding the iconic rocker’s suicide is out in the light. Nothing was hidden. But it has now been revealed that fans were being kept in oblivion.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the hometown paper of record, sent several photographers to Cobain’s Lake Washington Boulevard mansion on April 8, 1994, the day an electrician discovered the body. Several of the pictures — including a famous front page image showing Cobain’s body from the waist down — appeared in hundreds of papers worldwide the next day, but apparently, there were additional shots not published at the time. They’ve been preserved at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry, but today, the Post-Intelligencer has finally published them.
The new pics only display Kurt Cobain’s sheathed body, and a couple show his covered body being taken away by the King County Medical Examiner’s staff. Several additional pictures from a memorial service held on April 10 of that year at Seattle Center have also been revealed.
And although Cobain’s body itself isn’t pictured, “some of these photos could be disturbing to some readers,” notes the paper. “These are not presented for shock value, but rather as historical images from the P-I archive preserved at [Museum of History and Industry].”
Massachusetts technical death metallers Revocation have revealed the release of their new self-titled album "Revocation" on August 16th through Relapse Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Chaos Of Forms", this will be the first album to feature bassist Brett Bamberger, who joined the band in 2012, and was also featured in the band's last EP "Tetarogenesis". The cover artwork for the new album was done by Orion Landau (Dying Fetus, Nile, Obscura).
