The Catalyst family of modern amplifiers feature custom boost options, 18 onboard effects, and a power attenuation feature.The six Original Amp Designs were crafted using HX sound design techniques to provide exceptional tone and feel. Amplifier types range from pristine clean to classic crunch to modern high-gain—and each includes a switchable Boost specially designed to complement the individual amp type. Any two amp types and their settings may be saved as A and B presets, then instantly switched between using the onboard A/B switch or an optional LFS2 Footswitch (sold separately). Up to six A/B amplifier combinations may be saved into memory for rapid recall.Catalyst amplifiers feature controls designed to be familiar to most guitarists, including standard Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Gain, and Master volume knobs. There are also knobs for the dedicated Boost and Reverb sections, as well as an Effects level knob. What guitarists won’t find are LCD screens and menus.The Reverb section offers a choice of six reverb types: Spring, Hall, Chamber, Plate, and two Line 6 original reverbs that provide shimmering spatial effects. Additionally, there are 18 Delay, Modulation, and Pitch effects, six of each type. The reverbs and other effects are all drawn from the Line 6 HX and Legacy effects libraries. The tempo for time-based effects may be set using the Tap/Tuner button, also used to engage the onboard tuner.Additionally, Catalyst amplifiers feature effects loops for inserting external effects and other devices into the signal chain, and Power Amp inputs, allowing Catalyst to be used as a powered speaker by bypassing the preamp (perfect for use with amp modelers and amp simulators). There’s also a professional XLR direct output for live performance and recording, MIDI In (Catalyst 200 and 100 only), and a 4/4-channel audio interface, MIDI, and Mac/PC connectivity via USB. A power attenuator provides a choice of half-power, 0.5-watts, or Mute. Headphone and Aux inputs make practicing with any Catalyst amplifier easy and enjoyable.Line 6 | Catalyst Guitar Amps | OverviewPricing & Availability:Catalyst 200 $699.99 USD (MSRP)Catalyst 100 $559.99 USD (MSRP)Catalyst 60 $419.99 USD (MSRP)Catalyst 200 Cover $54.99 USD (MSRP)Catalyst 100 Cover $39.99 USD (MSRP)Catalyst 60 Cover $39.99 USD (MSRP)LFS2 Footswitch $55.99 USD (MSRP)Available now worldwide. Learn more at https://line6.com/catalyst-guitar-amps

The remaining members of EXHORDER have issued a statement regarding the departure of guitarist Marzi Montazeri.

The Houston-based musician, who joined EXHORDER in 2017, announced his exit from the band on Monday (February 14), explaining he “decided to no longer be a part of it.”

Earlier today, EXHORDER vocalist Kyle Thomas, bassist Jason VieBrooks and drummer Sasha Horn shared the following collective message via the group’s social media: “Some of you may have seen Marzi Montazeri’s announcement yesterday that he no longer wants to be a part of EXHORDER.

“First and foremost, we want to thank Marzi for his time and wish him well moving forward. Secondly, we want to clarify that somewhere between the process of writing the new album began and the touring we’ve done since, it became clear to all parties involved that EXHORDER and Marzi were moving in different directions. This is a natural course of action that happens every day in the world of creativity. An action plan has been in place since we returned from tour to evolve once again. Rehearsals have resumed, and aside from fine tuning, writing for a new album is structurally complete.

“There are no open auditions at this time, so we thank the many that have inquired about the job opening- but we’ve got this!

“EXHORDER is a band that has been dealing with lineup changes since the 80’s, so rest assured there is no doubt that we will continue to thrive. We look forward to bringing the show to the stage once again.

“There may be a face (or faces) that you recognize moving forward, as well as some other surprises. At the very least, we’re quite sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we currently are!”

In the 1990s, Marzi hooked up with SUPERJOINT RITUAL, with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo as lead vocalist, and appeared on the band’s first two demos. By March of 2010, Marzi rejoined forces with Anselmo to work on what became Philip’s first solo project since PANTERA, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS. Marzi recorded THE ILLEGALS’ debut album, “Walk Through Exits Only”, and toured with the band before exiting the group in November 2015. Two years later, Marzi joined EXHORDER, which released its first album in 27 years, “Mourn The Southern Skies”, in September 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Thomas is now the sole remaining founding member of EXHORDER, which released its debut album, “Slaughter In The Vatican”, way back in 1990. In February 2020, EXHORDER parted ways with its original guitarist Vinnie LaBella, who wrote much of the material on “Mourn The Southern Skies”. The remaining members of the group later issued a statement saying that they would fulfill their “touring and recording obligations for 2020 and beyond.”

Two months ago, Thomas confirmed to the “Brutally Delicious” podcast that he and his bandmates had spent much of the coronavirus downtime working on material for the follow-up to “Mourn The Southern Skies”.

In February 2021, Thomas told “The Dan Chan Show” that it wasn’t strange for him to be the only remaining founding member of EXHORDER. “At this point, I’ve jammed with so many people over the years — so many different lineups for this and that, fill-ins and all this stuff. To me, it doesn’t really matter as much who’s there, as long as the material that’s being played is being played within the spirit of that band in particular,” he said. “And the stuff that we’re writing now, it’s amazing. I play it for a lot of people that are my confidants, people love the band, and they’re gonna shoot me straight. And the new stuff that we’re working on, everybody’s, like, ‘Wow. It sounds like EXHORDER to me.'”

EXHORDER released two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — the aforementioned “Slaughter In The Vatican” and 1992’s “The Law” — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).

EXHORDER, which is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA, recently completed a U.S. headlining tour during which it performed “Slaughter In The Vatican” in its entirety.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Some of you may have seen Marzi Montazeri’s announcement yesterday that he no longer wants to be…

Posted by Exhorder on Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Hear Rancid bassist, Matt Freeman, lead his speed metal trio Charger through a rampaging track from their upcoming debut LP.
The post Track Premiere: Charger – “Summon the Demon” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

At best, familiarity breeds indifference, which may be why ANNIHILATOR remain such a perennially underrated force for metallic good. Guitarist and founder Jeff Waters has made a virtue of sticking to his own, ferociously focused script, and while the Canadians have traversed plenty of diverse territory over the decades, it’s albums like 2007’s all-star cameo-fest “Metal” that most accurately sum up their wildly entertaining blend of utmost precision and giant, grin-inducing metal tunes. Given the opportunity to re-work one of his less celebrated records, Waters has turned it into an even bigger and more explosive celebration of the ANNIHILATOR sound. All the original guest soloists and vocalists remain intact, but this is more than just a cautiously tweaked upgrade. Instead, legendary engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, VAN HALEN and many more) has deftly blended the old album’s key components with brand new drum tracks provided by former SLAYER legend Dave Lombardo, and a whole set of reworked vocals by INTO ETERNITY’s Stu Block (who, considering how the ICED EARTH story panned out, arguably deserves a decent break at this point). Combine all that with a heavier and more organic sound and “Metal II” more than justifies its second crack at the whip.

The highlights are the same as before, but with added emotional oomph. In particular, Alexi Laiho’s guitar explodes on both “Downright Dominate” and a blistering cover of VAN HALEN’s “Romeo Delight”: both exhilarating and poignant. The ageless Dan Beehler shreds his larynx over Waters’s balls-out take on EXCITER’s “Heavy Metal Maniac” — it’s just like 1985 all over again. Elsewhere, “Haunted” is an obnoxiously turbocharged thrash rager, with a magnificent lead break from Jesper Strömblad (THE HALO EFFECT/ex-IN FLAMES), and “Couple Suicide” brings ARCH ENEMY icon Angela Gossow together with Toronto’s high priest of huge rock DANKO JONES, with predictably raucous and intense results. Best of the lot, “Kicked” dares to dig a little deeper into ANNIHILATOR’s sonic arsenal, with a woozy, alt-metal intro and some of the gnarliest, spikiest riffs on the whole record. Throughout it all, Block wails, shrieks and growls as if these songs were always intended for his eccentric talents.

With rumblings of a huge ANNIHILATOR reissue campaign growing louder, “Metal II” feels like an excellent entry point for diehard fans and newcomers. The title tells you what to expect. The album delivers. Your neck is going to hurt.