Month: March 2021

If you know and love your old-school thrash, you will know that AGENT STEEL’s first two albums are stone cold classics of none-more-bonkers, skull-rattling speed worship. Whether you view later albums like “Order of the Illuminati” and “Alienigma” in the same light probably depends on whether you acknowledge those later, Bruce Hall-fronted lineups as legitimate versions of AGENT STEEL or despicable usurpers of original vocalist John Cyriis’s rightful throne.

None of that matters at this point, thankfully. Via one turn of events or another, “No Other Godz Before Me” is the real, Cyriis-propelled deal. The album sees AGENT STEEL make an enthusiastic resurrecting of the bug-eyed and bellicose sound that made them such an ear-grabbing hit in the ’80s, while shrugging off most of the sparks of modernity that colored recent albums bearing the band’s name. And if that sounds like a needless backwards step, you’re probably a lot younger than me. With Cyriis in fine voice, hitting the same preposterous high notes that he always did, and with deeply unhinged science fiction informing the album’s concept and lyrics, it’s hard to imagine what more AGENT STEEL could be doing to put a smile on loyal fans’ faces.

Put simply, if you’ve ever banged your head to “Guilty as Charged”, you are going to love “No Other Godz Before Me”. The production strikes a decent balance between low-key polish and raw squall, but frankly, a song like “Crypts Of Galactic Damnation” could sound like absolute shit and still make one’s heavy metal heart sing. It’s utterly demented, of course, and the concept behind this album is almost certainly too convoluted and mad to warrant too much investigation. But just listen to John Cyriis shrieking his head off about some unfathomable intergalactic quandary: this is what heavy metal is all about, surely?

The best songs here are just about the equal of any of AGENT STEEL’s certified classics. The title track is an absolute riot, with Cyriis drunk on helium, alarming dogs everywhere with those high notes, as a torrent of grim, chainsaw riffs scorch forth at full pelt. “The Devil’s Greatest Trick” cranks up the schlock macabre, painting spooky pictures aboard a gleaming, trad metal bulldozer. “Veterans Of Disaster” incorporates a dash of QUEENSRYCHE-style pomp into the mix; “Outer Space Connection” absolutely reeks of 1987, and brings this stridently eccentric voyage through space and metal thrashing time to an utterly berserk close. Some of the noises Cyriis is making are, to put it mildly, a bit alarming. At one point he makes King Diamond sound like Isaac Hayes, and I’m not sure that I like it. But in every other respect, “No Other Godz Before Me” is easy to love. Nobody makes metal records as insane as this anymore. Welcome back, John.

The album arrives on June 11 and was produced by guitarist and longtime collaborator Armand Hirsch and singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy.

Australian doom trio Amammoth light prehistoric joints from a stoner/sludge bonfire on their debut LP, The Fire Above.
The post Album Premiere: Amammoth – ‘The Fire Above’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Even in this glorious, enlightened future, it takes a deathcore band with large cojones to start dabbling with clean vocals. If there’s one thing that instantly alienates a sizeable chunk of the diehard metal audience, it’s the sound of some floppy-fringed, whey-faced eunuch bleating over what would otherwise have been perfectly acceptable metal riffs. For every KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, there have been at least 50 bands that really sucked. You can’t argue with mathematics, folks. But unlike metalcore, deathcore was never really set up to accommodate clean vocals, and yet DEPTHS OF HATRED have somehow pulled off a crafty transition into more melodic waters, without compromising a single shred of their balls-out intensity. “Inheritance” is an audacious record, albeit one that will still, inevitably, divide opinion for the reasons cited above. Fortunately, unlike many other supposedly brutal bands that have hired a choirboy and forced him to jump the vocal shark, DEPTHS OF HATRED have a frontman whose clean vocals are powerful, gritty and emotive: you might even call William Arsenau a proper heavy metal singer. Either way, the one thing that could have brought “Inheritance” crashing down has turned out to be a triumph. Not that anyone should take this as a green light to start petitioning DESPISED ICON to use three-part vocal harmonies, but it does make the reluctance of old bastards like me to embrace change seem a bit silly.

There is nothing silly about this Canadian crew’s precise and violent attack. With plenty of melodies skimmed across the machine-gun, kick-drum barrage, DEPTHS OF HATRED already exhibit a (sorry) depth and ingenuity that sets them apart from the generic crowd. Opener “Enslaved Through Lineage” is authentically gothic and menacing, and Arsenau’s first act of non-growling passes by without incident, adding a frisson of wistful grandeur along the way. In contrast, “Sadistic Trials” slams the band’s extremist credentials firmly down, with an avalanche of blastbeats that set up another soaring vocal hook at the song’s windswept denouement. Elsewhere, “Illusive Obsession” goes furthest in proclaiming DEPTHS OF HATRED’s progressive intent, with a dense, ominous atmosphere and staccato beatdown riffs used to generate disquiet, rather than destruction. Likewise, “The End Of Ourselves” is epic by design, with a rousing but melancholy refrain that rises up like smoke from a bedrock of flat-out aggression.

At this point, it might not even be fair to regard DEPTHS OF HATRED as a deathcore band at all. There is more melodic death metal and blackened pomp than furrowed-brow mosh-metal evident in the likes of “Drop Of Red” and “Shivers”, and Arsenau’s vocals have brought new shades of black to bear on his band’s strongest record yet. Again, the clean singing might make a few people retch, but some people just like to be dramatic, don’t they? In the real world, this is definitely killer.

Paul Stanley has told Rolling Stone magazine in a new interview that KISS has every intention of resuming its “End Of The Road” tour once the pandemic has subsided. “Totally,” he said. “We were 120 shows into it and having a ball [when the pandemic began]. I mean, most of the time when you lose somebody or the situation changes, you find yourself saying, ‘Gee, if I had only known,’ whereas here, you have a situation where we’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t continue [as a touring band]. It’s not feasible. If we were wearing jeans and T-shirts, we could do this into our eighties or nineties, but we’re carrying around 40 and 50 pounds of gear for a couple of hours. There’s an age factor, which makes it more real for people who may have doubted the idea of the ‘end of the road.’But that in mind, it gives us a night with people where we really get to share what we built together. … So the ‘End Of The Road’, I don’t see it as bittersweet. I see it as sweet. And will there be tears? Sure. But oh, my God, look what we’ve been given. And from what the fans say, look what we gave them. It’s unlike other bands.”

KISS’s farewell trek was launched in January 2019 and was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last well into 2022.

Last December, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told the 95.5 KLOS radio station that KISS has “a hundred and fifty” shows left in its “End Of The Road” tour, including a stop at “the coldest place on earth.”

KISS last performed this past New Year’s Eve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The concert broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

KISS’s current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar), KISS staged its first “farewell” tour in 2000, the last to feature the group’s original lineup.

In its 48-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

In a new interview with Spain’s Metal Circus, WITHIN TEMPTATION’s Sharon Den Adel was asked if last year’s standalone singles “The Purge” and “Entertain You” are an indication of how the band plans to make its music available going forward. The singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “This is the first time that we’re actually releasing singles without having released the album — with an album already finished. Because, of course, when we finished an album in the past, we would release one or two singles, and then the album would be released. But we don’t have an album, actually [laughs] — so we have released two singles, but we don’t have a full-length album recorded, [and] not even written yet. So we are releasing [songs] along the way. And that’s something totally new for us.”

She continued: “The advantage of that is that when you feel a certain song because you feel the need to address certain subjects or you have a song that has a certain kind of vibe that really fits in that moment instead of releasing it in two years, [which is] what normally would happen, and then already it would already feel outdated with the way the production is or something, then it’s really nice to really release it now in the moment.”

According to Sharon, periodically releasing singles instead of being silent for three years and then dropping an album is a way for fans get a steady stream of new music, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “In other styles of music, they’ve done this for a longer period — like dance music — and there are more [artists in other] music genres who are already doing this,” she said. “But for rock and metal, it’s a little bit different, because we have a very dedicated fanbase still, where I think some music genres have a different dedication of fans, probably — a different way of dedication, I guess. And the fanbase of metal and rock is still dedicated to buying an album — a full-length album; physical product [is still popular]. And so that’s different. So that’s why we’re a little bit behind in that way of releasing songs. But I think because of the streaming platforms, and also because of this pandemic, I guess it came to a fast-forward kind of feeling. A lot of people are actually doing the same thing as we are doing now — releasing [singles] without an album. Because they’re stuck at home, they can write, and everybody has a home studio nowadays, so it becomes also a little bit more easy.”

“Entertain You” kicked off of a series of digital single releases and was No. 1 most added on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator chart, with airplay on at least 40 radio stations, including Music Choice, SiriusXM Octane, WZOR and KQXR, No. 5 in the Contraband Metal chart, and at No. 18 in the Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator chart in USA.

WITHIN TEMPTATION released the official music video for “Entertain You” last May. The song was a surprisingly quick follow-up to WITHIN TEMPTATION’s seventh studio album, “Resist”, which came out in February 2019.

“Resist” debuted in several Top 10 charts worldwide and was the first WITHIN TEMPTATION album to ever reach a No. 1 position on the official German chart.

“Entertain You” arrived one week after the last show of the “Worlds Collide” tour was supposed to happen. The co-headline trek with American rock band EVANESCENCE was originally planned for April 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now been postponed to September 2021. The trek, for which an impressive 150,000 tickets were sold in eight countries, is slated to take place across venues such as the O2 Arena in London, AccorHotels Arena in Paris, Velodrom in Berlin, and Palais 12 in Brussels.

PUSCIFER, whose critically acclaimed fall streaming event “Existential Reckoning: Live At Arcosanti” broke online attendance records, returns with the otherworldly streaming performance: “Billy D And The Hall Of Feathered Serpents Featuring Money $hot By Puscifer”.

“In this prequel to his alleged abduction during ‘Existential Reckoning’, we find Billy D trudging through what has been referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of the Southwest,” explains frontman Maynard James Keenan. “As is common within the Puscifer Vortex, Time and Logic have no home out here. Let that go. Just strap in for another magnificent ride through our collective Grey Matter.”

“Billy D And The Hall Of Feathered Serpents Featuring Money $hot By Puscifer” debuts on Keenan’s April 17 birthday, and reprises the Luchador-infused performances surrounding the band’s 2016 album “Money $hot” (which will be played in its entirety). The production highlights PUSCIFER’s unique marriage of music-meets-theater, having seen the touring incarnation hailed as “extraordinary” (Kerrang!), “stunning” (Loudwire), and “a modern blend of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus'” (Relix).

Los Angeles’s historic Mayan, a 1920s-era revivalist theater featuring original artwork by Mexican painter and sculptor Francisco Cornejo, serves as the backdrop to the one-time outing. The elaborate cultural landmark, with its jaw-dropping Mayan calendar infused chandelier and a lobby dedicated to the bird-meets-reptilian deity Quetzalcoatl, gave birth to the performance’s title. “While looking both forward and backwards, we stumbled into The Hall of Feathered Serpents,” explains Mat Mitchell. “The perfect site to pay homage to the ‘Money $hot’ album and tour.”

“Billy D And The Hall Of Feathered Serpents Featuring Money $hot By Puscifer” debuts on April 17 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific / 5:00 p.m. Eastern / 10:00 p.m. U.K. / 11:00 p.m. EU and remains on-demand for 72 hours. Tickets for the exclusive performance, as well as a selection of limited-edition merchandise exclusive to attendees, including an opportunity to stream “Existential Reckoning: Live At Arcosanti”, are available now via pusciferlive.com with early bird ticket prices available through April 11.

In 2020 Danny Wimmer Presents entered the digital content curation space, promoting pay-per-view livestreams and creating the popular digital series “Offstage With DWP”. DWP is known worldwide for its stellar portfolio of music and lifestyle events, which includes Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Epicenter, Hometown Rising, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and Welcome To Rockville.

In a new interview with Wrestling Epicenter and Sleaze Roxx, former QUIET RIOT singer James Durbin was asked what he learned from the time he spent fronting the veteran hard rock act. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, I can sum that up quickly: nothing. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t know before.

“For the longest time, I thought that’s something that I really wanted, was to step into a band and sing for a band that had already been established over so many years and all that, and had several different brushes with that almost happening — different auditions and different things and connections; just really random ones.

“But it’s very interesting. I didn’t really learn anything,” he reiterated. “I had a ton of fun playing shows and the fun parts of touring and have good memories of it. But there was, of course, plenty of bad memories, but nothing that you need to hold on to. So I just kind of let go of that. There was a lot of stress there.

“I guess if I had to say that I learned something, it’s that if there’s a lot of stress in your life and you have the choice to not have stress, wouldn’t you choose to not have it anymore? I guess that’s the one lesson,” Durbin added. “And it’s not always the easiest choice to make. There’s a lot of things that were a lot of fun about it. But all in all, your life is your life, and you’ve gotta make the choices that you think that are appropriate for you and your family, and keeping your family first and your family most important.

“It was a tough decision and tough at the time, but in hindsight, it was the right choice. ‘Cause I wouldn’t trade all this time with my family for anything.”

Durbin recorded two studio albums with QUIET RIOT — 2017’s “Road Rage” and 2019’s “Hollywood Cowboys” — during his three-year stint with the group. In September 2019, QUIET RIOT parted ways with Durbin and replaced him with Jizzy Pearl. Pearl previously fronted QUIET RIOT from 2013 until October 2016, when he was briefly replaced by Seann Nichols, who played only five shows with the group before the March 2017 arrival of “American Idol” finalist Durbin.

Drummer Frankie Banali resurrected QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after the death of founding member and singer Kevin DuBrow.

QUIET RIOT went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before Pearl’s first three-year run with the band.

QUIET RIOT announced in September that it would carry on touring following Frankie’s death a month earlier. The band, which now features drummer Johnny Kelly (DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE), played a couple of shows in October and has a string of dates booked in 2021.

QUIET RIOT initially featured the late guitar legend Randy Rhoads and went through some early lineup shifts before securing the musicians that recorded “Metal Health”.

Durbin released the debut album from his solo band, DURBIN, “The Beast Awakens”, on February 12 via Frontiers Music Srl.