Month: March 2021

METALLICA’s Kirk Hammett has collaborated with the Muddy Waters Coffee Company, a small roasting coffee company based in McKinleyville, California, on a new dark roast that is 100% organic, fair trade-certified and so damn good you’ll drink it black.

When Hammett wanted to find a way to combine two things that inspire him daily — coffee and the guitar known as “Greeny” — Muddy Waters Coffee Company offered a simple solution: coffee that was itself inspired by the legendary 1959 Les Paul made famous by FLEETWOOD MAC’s Peter Green. A coffee with notes and tones that will inspire you to have a musical day, the Greeny Blues Blend is a rich, full-bodied dark roast with notes of dark chocolate, earth and tropical fruit. This blend merges Indonesian and African beans for a deep flavor and complex finish. It contains just the right amount of punch to keep you jamming all day long!

Says Hammett: “Every Morning I want to wake up with the confidence that I’m going to be starting my day with coffee that holds quality in both taste and caffeination.”

The Greeny Blues Blend will be released as a limited-production run, with only 2,500 available at launch.

A longtime coffee lover, Hammett previously launched his own brand of coffee in 2017. The Ghoul Screamer blend from El Salvador was the result of a collaboration between Hammett and music industry veteran David Karon’s KHDK Electronics firm and Dark Matter Coffee.

More details soon! #muddywaterscoffeecompany #greenybluesblend @fearfestevil pic.twitter.com/qXnFRHfaHM
— Kirk Hammett (@KirkHammett) March 24, 2021

Former SEPULTURA drummer Igor “Iggor” Cavalera recently launched a new video series, “Beneath The Drums”, on his YouTube channel, where he dissects some of the best-known songs from his recording history. In the fourth episode, which can be seen below, he gives the backstory of the SEPULTURA song “Kamaitachi” and also performs a playthrough video of the track, originally taken from the band’s 1998 album “Against”.

This past January, Igor launched an account on Patreon, where he is offering exclusive content to his fans.

Igor’s Patreon consists of two tiers. One of them is “Bloody Roots” ($30 monthly), where fans can obtain the drum tracks in Wav format to play together and learn, the complete list of all the equipment used in their recordings and several benefits to purchase limited merchandise products. They will also be able to participate in Patreon-only polls, watch behind-the-scenes content and livestreams. The VIP Patreon “Beneath The Drums” ($50 monthly) offers all the benefits of “Bloody Roots”, plus online conversations via Zoom following each video premiere on YouTube. In the conversation with Igor, the fans will have a chance to learn in more depth how he worked on the track, followed by a question-and-answer session. They will also get early access to updates, tickets and releases.

Patreon is a crowdfunding service, where fans contribute pre-determined amounts to obtain exclusive access to content and rewards.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to “artistic differences.” His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA’s touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their son (who was born in January 2006).

In 1996, Igor’s brother, frontman Max Cavalera, exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with Max’s wife Gloria as their manager.

For a decade and a half, Igor has been part of the MIXHELL DJ/hip-hop/electro project with his wife Laima Leyton.

Two years ago, Igor teamed up with Wayne Adams (BIG LAD, DEATH PEDALS, JOHNNY BROKE) to form the PETBRICK project. The band’s debut album, “I”, was released in October 2019 via Closed Casket Activities in the U.S.

Igor’s other current musical projects include CAVALERA CONSPIRACY (alongside Max) and SOULWAX.

Set sail with Brooklyn’s Ghostbound on their newest nautical release, Extended Play For My Sweet Mary Thyme.
The post Album Premiere: Ghostbound – ‘Extended Play For My Sweet Mary Thyme’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

CRO-MAGS leader Harley Flanagan has confirmed to Ireland’s Overdrive that he has used some of the coronavirus downtime to work on material for the band’s next album. “I would confidently say, we have [the basic tracks for] about 16 to 20 tracks [recorded], depending on what the final edit will be. One may turn into an intro to another song. All I know is that I’ve got a really good album in the works and we’ve not even had the opportunity to tour the last album or this [latest] EP [‘2020’] so far.”

Regarding the musical direction of the new CRO-MAGS material, Harley said: “I think this next record is very CRO-MAGS as far as it has the same ingredients with reference to style. There’s some MOTÖRHEAD, VENOM, DISCHARGE, BLACK SABBATH and BAD BRAINS. You can hear all of those elements, but I did something a little different. I think this next album is not losing those elements, but it’s a little more ‘darker.’ If anything, it’s like old-school CRO-MAGS with old-school BLACK SABBATH but with an open, free-fall-jazz type of approach. It’s much heavier and there is some slower stuff on there.

“I’m not one for sub-genre titles but a friend of mine was saying, ‘That sounds so fucking doom.’ [Laughs] I don’t know what that means because fuck all of those tags. It’s just fucking heavy, and that’s all that matters.

“The new stuff is shaping up to be a great album, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a guest to perform on the album,” he revealed. “I can’t say too much right now, but if it all comes to plan, this collaboration will be one of the proudest moments of my career.”

“2020” received a digital release earlier in the month. The record itself is unintentionally 20 minutes and 20 seconds, and plays out more like a time-capsule look into the dumpster fire known as the year 2020.

CRO-MAGS feature Flanagan pulling double duty with bass and lead vocals, guitarists Gabby Abularach, Rocky George (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, FISHBONE), and drummer Garry “G-Man” Sullivan.

The history of the CRO-MAGS is integral to the history of hardcore, its evolution from punk and the development of alternative music genres such as hardcore, cross-over, thrash metal, post punk and grunge, to name a few. Numerous iconic bands from METALLICA to GREEN DAY, and individuals such as Dave Grohl have credited CRO-MAGS with having had a primal influence on their development.

Born out of the violence and depravity of the Lower East Side of New York in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the CRO-MAGS was the brainchild of a very young Flanagan (at the time 14 years old) when still playing with THE STIMULATORS. By 1982/83 he wrote and recorded the very first CRO-MAGS demos consisting of four songs that would become the blueprint for the seminal 1986 “Age Of Quarrel”. He wrote all of the music, played each instrument and sang. Before long, he connected with Parris Mayhew and the two started writing music and auditioning band members.

In 2019, Flanagan reached a settlement with singer John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. Flanagan is now performing under the name CRO-MAGS while Joseph and Jayson are performing as CRO-MAGS “JM”.

Hear and acquire this Earth Crisis flexi disc single, featuring a brand new recording, available as part of the Decibel Flexi Series. Hurry, quantities are extremely limited!
The post Earth Crisis Premiere “Smash or Be Smashed” Via the Decibel Flexi Series appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

CANNIBAL CORPSE’s new song “Murderous Rampage” can be streamed below. The track is taken the band’s 15th studio album, “Violence Unimagined”, which will be released on April 16 via Metal Blade Records.

Comprised of eleven tracks, “Violence Unimagined” is state-of-the-art death metal played with passion and breathless precision, making for another flawless addition to what is inarguably one of the premier catalogues the genre has thrown up. “It really follows the path we’ve been going down for a few years now,” states bassist and founding member Alex Webster. “I think we approach the writing in a similar way most every time: each of us try to write the heaviest, most memorable songs we can. We want each song to have its own identifiable character. Showing my age, I like to say you can ‘drop the needle’ on any point of one of our albums and quickly tell which song you’re listening to.”

While they continue to do what they do with aplomb, the one substantial change to CANNIBAL CORPSE is the addition of guitarist Erik Rutan to their ranks, joining Webster, founding drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, guitarist Rob Barrett and vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. Known for his roles in MORBID ANGEL, RIPPING CORPSE and most notably fronting the mighty HATE ETERNAL, Rutan has long established himself as one of the most dynamic forces in contemporary death metal. Simultaneously, he has built up a reputation as one of the most in-demand producers in metal, having previously produced four CANNIBAL CORPSE albums (in addition to “Violence Unimagined”), alongside the likes of GOATWHORE, SOILENT GREEN and BELPHEGOR. Filling in live on guitar since 2019, in 2020 he became a full member, contributing to the writing process.

“I think the most noticeable difference on this record will be the addition of Erik to the band. He wrote three full songs for the record, music and lyrics, and his song writing and guitar playing have added something new, and I think his musical style integrated into ours very well,” Webster enthuses. This is not all that he brings to the band. “He’s a great friend of ours, so on a personal level, he’s been a perfect fit, as we knew he would be. Beyond that, he’s one of the hardest-working people I know, in music or otherwise, and he maintains a high-energy, positive demeanor in challenging situations where other people might go in a negative direction. This energy and great attitude rubs off on the rest of us as well. That’s really a perfect situation to have when you add someone to a band, or any kind of team: someone who’s great at what they do, and also inspires the people around them.”

Already well known for the level of extreme technicality they bring to every record, on “Violence Unimagined”, CANNIBAL CORPSE has further upped their game, particularly in Mazurkiewicz’s drumming.

“I think we all pushed ourselves a bit technically on this one, with Paul probably pushing the hardest,” Webster says. “This album is probably the most drum-intense album we’ve done yet. Part of that could be a result of Erik joining the band. His songwriting style often features technically challenging drumming, probably owing to his years of experience in high-speed death metal.” And with typically dark and warped lyrical content, Mazurkiewicz came up with the fitting title of the record, “summing up what the band is about in every facet, and taking violence to another level of extremity.”

With Rutan in the band, having him produce the record was a no-brainer at Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida — his central base of operation. Using the studio for pre-production, rather than their rehearsal space as usual, was a great benefit early on, allowing them to come into the actual recording process better prepared than ever before. However, their plans to record the album entirely together were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Webster forced to record his bass tracks in his home studio.

“I live on the other side of the country now, and that hadn’t been an issue prior to the pandemic, I was still able to go to Florida whenever I needed to,” Webster says. “So, I was scheduled to fly down for the recording in early April 2020, and of course that was at the very beginning of all of the lockdowns and travel restrictions in the USA, so I didn’t go. Fortunately, I have a lot of experience recording bass tracks at home, so it didn’t affect the sound of the album at all. I stayed in close contact with Erik and the other guys throughout the process, and it actually wound up being quite smooth. Of course, I’m looking forward to tracking in the big studio with the guys for the next album, but I’m glad this option worked well for us.” And it would not be a CANNIBAL CORPSE album without striking artwork from Vince Locke, and “Violence Unimagined” is no different — this time, the cover featuring a mother eating her own baby, though Webster concedes that for censorship reasons, they have had Locke do a complementary piece that will be more widely released.

Now in CANNIBAL CORPSE’s thirty-second year of existence, Webster still has the same hunger to tour, and though unable to do so while the COVID-19 crisis continues, the bassist hopes that not too much more time passes before they are able to get back on the road. Regardless, he is looking ahead and not to the band’s past.

“We’re very excited to continue this new chapter of the band with Erik on board,” he says. “I think that a band should always be working to improve and trying to make whatever they’re currently doing the best thing they’ve done, so that’s what we’ll do.”

“Violence Unimagined” track listing

01. Murderous Rampage
02. Necrogenic Resurrection
03. Inhumane Harvest
04. Condemnation Contagion
05. Surround, Kill, Devour
06. Ritual Annihilation
07. Follow The Blood
08. Bound And Burned
09. Slowly Sawn
10. Overtorture
11. Cerements Of The Flayed

CANNIBAL CORPSE is:

Alex Webster – bass
Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher – vocals
Rob Barrett – guitar
Erik Rutan – guitar

Photo credit: Alex Morgan

Ukrainian modern metallers JINJER have announced the rescheduled dates for their North American tour. The trek, dubbed “Coming To America 2021”, features special guests SUICIDE SILENCE. Kicking off in Seattle, Washington on October 22, the tour will traverse for over a month — stopping in major cities such as Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York, Houston and more — before ending on December 12 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tickets will become available for pre-sale via Live Nation and local venues this coming Thursday, March 25 at 10:00 a.m. local time, with general on-sale starting the following day, Friday, March 26, also at 10:00 a.m. local time. Tickets for all of the original 2020 dates will be honored.

“Coming To America 2021” tour dates:

Oct. 22 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Oct. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
Oct. 24 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Oct. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Oct. 28 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Oct. 29 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA
Oct. 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater
Oct. 31 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
Nov. 02 – Denver, CO @ Summit
Nov. 04 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
Nov. 05 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theater
Nov. 06 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis
Nov. 07 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Nov. 09 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
Nov. 10 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ The Clyde
Nov. 11 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave II
Nov. 13 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Nov. 16 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Nov. 17 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Nov. 18 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
Nov. 19 – Montreal, QC @ M Telus
Nov. 20 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
Nov. 21 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
Nov. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Nov. 24 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
Nov. 26 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
Nov. 27 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage
Nov. 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Underground
Nov. 30 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
Dec. 01 – Tampa, FL @ Jannus
Dec. 02 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl
Dec. 03 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theater
Dec. 04 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
Dec. 05 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Dec. 07 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
Dec. 08 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater
Dec. 09 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
Dec. 11 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater
Dec. 12 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Pressroom

JINJER recently entered the studio to start working on its fourth album for Napalm Records. The recording sessions are once again taking place at the Kaska Records Studios in Kiev, Ukraine with producer and good friend Max Morton.

Bassist Eugene Abdukhanov commented: “Those of you who keep an eye on us must have already heard that JINJER have been working on new material pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic. It is one of those situations where even the most negative and terrible predicament can sometimes have a positive outcome. Deprived of live touring, we managed to focus all our creativity and frustration and turn it into new songs which are, in my opinion, the best music we have ever written. It’s complex but yet catchy as hell, groovy but with such a palette of notes, sounds and most importantly: feelings… This new album might take the whole genre of extreme music to a whole new level and raise the bar of musicality even higher for this band and the metal scene in general.”

JINJER’s latest live album “Alive In Melbourne”, was released in November via Napalm Records. The live album and the accompanying videos were filmed on March 5, 2020 during JINJER’s debut Australian tour, with the pandemic hot on the heels of their “Macro” world tour, which would sadly, along with the rest of the musical landscape, come to a screeching halt a week after the Melbourne set was captured for on film. Still, with JINJER’s sheer will, drive, determination and never give up attitude they were able to turn the madness of last year into a positive.

“Alive In Melbourne” features stunning artwork by gifted JINJER fan Gabriel Nicoletti and includes 17 tracks in total.

Photo credit: Alina Chernohor

In a new interview with “The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn”, legendary drummer Vinny Appice was asked if he thinks he should have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame along with the original members of BLACK SABBATH when the band finally got the nod in 2006. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “How many bands have changed over the years? And some of [the changes were] important. [Singer] Ronnie [James Dio] took SABBATH to a new level. At that point, they needed it. And we were both in the band, so they should do an extended band thing up to a certain point, I guess.”

He continued: “As far as I’m concerned, it was the original SABBATH and the Dio[-fronted version of] SABBATH together — with Bill [Ward, original drummer] and with me. He played on ‘Heaven And Hell’, and I played on ‘Mob Rules’ and the rest of ’em — the most important [albums]. There was a lot of versions of SABBATH after that that were a little different.”

Appice went on to say that the fact that SABBATH wasn’t inducted into the Rock Hall until 2006 — more than 35 years after the band’s formation — was “the most stupidest thing in the world.” He added: “Then they put people that are not even playing rock in there.”

Back in 2014, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation president and CEO Joel Peresman defended the selection process for which band lineups actually get inducted, telling Billboard that the decision about who to induct from any band is made by the Rock Hall’s nominating committee as well as an adjunct group of “scholars and historians” familiar with specific inductees and genres. “This isn’t chemistry or physics; it’s not an exact science,” Peresman acknowledged. “Sometimes there’s an entire body of work up until (the artists) are inducted, other times it’s a specific period of time that established the band as who they are.”

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.

JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction last year, but failed to receive enough votes to make the class of 2020.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was previously on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

French progressive metallers GOJIRA will release their long-awaited new album, “Fortitude”, on April 30 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2016’s “Magma” was recorded and produced by GOJIRA guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA’s Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

Asked in a new interview with Finland’s Kaaos TV how the coronavirus pandemic affected the release of the new LP, drummer Mario Duplantier said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We were very patient, and we knew something so important is happening in the world right now, so we couldn’t really complain. We were just a bit worried about when the world will reopen. We took some time off, and actually, it was great to take a little step back from the songs. Because for six months, we didn’t listen to the songs — my brother and I. And when we went back to it, it as very pleasant, and we had the confirmation that the album is good for us; we felt great about it. But then I would say it’s more around September [and] October, we had to find a solution to take decisions. It was a bit more stressful at this time, because [there was] a lot of back-and-forth with the management and the record company. We had to find a solution to finish everything — the cover, the mixing. So everything accelerated a little bit. But finally we are ready to release it. And [we are] super stoked about it.”

Mario went on to say that all the songs were completely written before the start of the pandemic. “We were done with the vocals in January 2020, and we were about to mix the album with Andy Wallace in March — around the 10th,” he said. “But we had to cancel the mixing, because Andy was in Florida and we couldn’t fly, et cetera, et cetera. But the songs were ready. And I would say the weird thing is, in the band, we thought, ‘Oh my God, with this pandemic, the songs [don’t] mean anything.’ Because talking about the Amazonia [the Amazon rainforest] in this time of pandemic — it’s such a huge problem for everyone, so it seems a bit awkward to talk about something else. But finally, after one year or pandemic, we think it’s the right moment to release this album, because now the lyrics are actually in [line] with what’s happening with the world. The album is talking about strength — it’s like a quest of courage — so actually, it’s the perfect time to release it now. So there is a second dimension to it.”

The official music video for the album’s first single, “Born For One Thing”, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Charles De Meyer and was shot in France and Belgium.

Joseph Duplantier said of “Born For One Thing”‘s anti-consumerist message, which was partially inspired by the Tibetan and Thai philosophers he read in his youth back in France: “We have to practice detaching ourselves from everything, beginning with actual things. Own less possessions, and give what you don’t need away, because one day we’ll have to let everything go, and if we don’t, we’ll just become ghosts stuck between dimensions.”

GOJIRA initially laid the foundation for “Fortitude” last year with the surprise release of the 2020 single “Another World”.

The artwork for “Fortitude” was created by Joseph Duplantier and can be seen below.

“Magma” earned GOJIRA its first-ever Grammy nominations for “Best Metal Performance” and “Best Rock Album.” GOJIRA’s crushing track “Silvera” received a nomination for “Best Metal Performance”, while “Magma” was nominated for “Best Rock Album” at the awards.

Photo credit: Gabrielle Duplantier