On April 15, UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups continue the extensive RUSH 40th-anniversary album series with new, expanded editions of the band’s groundbreaking 1981 release “Moving Pictures”, embodying its well-deserved classic album status. “Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary” will be available to fans in six distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) three-CD Deluxe Edition, (3) five-LP Deluxe Edition, (4) one-LP Edition, (5), Digital Deluxe Edition, and (6) Dolby Atmos Digital Edition and can be pre-ordered here.

“Moving Pictures”, RUSH’s eighth studio album, was originally released on February 12, 1981, and its adventurous-yet-accessible music catapulted the forward-thinking Canadian band to even newer heights as it began navigating the demands of a new decade. The album’s seven songs expertly blended RUSH’s intrinsic prowess for channeling its progressive roots into radio-friendly arrangements, a template the band had mastered to a T all throughout its previous album, 1980’s deservedly lauded “Permanent Waves”. “Moving Pictures” was also the second of many RUSH recording sessions at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, which was ultimately nicknamed the trio’s own personal Abbey Road recording studio.

The album’s lead-off track, “Tom Sawyer”, became one of RUSH’s most cherished FM favorites in addition to taking its rightful place as a perpetual concert staple for decades to come. Next, the band shifts into the multi-generational dreamscape of “Red Barchetta”, which chronicles the thrills and chills of a high-stakes backroads car race. The instrumental barnburner “YYZ”, lovingly named after the airport identification code for Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, runs the gamut of the band’s forever impressive progressive chops in under four minutes flat. Side A closes out with the observational luminescence of “Limelight”, a timeless, if not prescient look at how introverted artists grapple with public demands while trying to maintain a personal level of earned privacy.

Side B commences with the expansive palette of “The Camera Eye”, a multi-layered, ten-minute-long travelogue that takes a bird’s eye view of the inherent hustle and bustle of New York City counterbalanced with the intense energy and deep-rooted history of London. “Witch Hunt” (subtitled as being “Part III of Fear”) offers a grim view of prejudice and mob mentality, while the album wraps up with the angular, cutting-edge “Vital Signs”, a propulsive track that clearly foreshadows a number of the more adventurous musical directions RUSH would undertake as the ever-shifting 1980s continued to unfold.

The Super Deluxe Edition includes three CDs, one Blu-ray Audio disc, and five high-quality 180-gram black vinyl LPs. The set encompasses the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD, along with two discs of previously unreleased and newly restored bonus live content newly mixed from the original analog live multi-tracks by RUSH’s original producer, Terry Brown, featuring the band’s complete, unreleased Toronto concert from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, on March 25, 1981 (designated here as “Live In YYZ 1981”). The fourth bonus disc is a Blu-ray Audio disc with the core album newly mixed from the original multi-tracks in Dolby Atmos (a RUSH catalog first!), Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound as done by noted producer/engineer Richard Chycki, alongside the previously available PCM Stereo mix. Also included on the Blu-ray are four bonus videos: a brand-new video for “YYZ” plus three remastered vintage promo videos for “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight” and “Vital Signs”. Additionally, all of the vinyl in the Super Deluxe Edition has been cut via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) (another RUSH catalog first!) on five 180-gram audiophile LPs.

The Super Deluxe Edition of “Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary” will also include several exclusive items, including a 44-page hardcover book with unreleased photos and new artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme, along with new illustrations for each song; extensive liner notes by Kim Thayil (guitarist, SOUNDGARDEN), Les Claypool (bassist/vocalist, PRIMUS), Taylor Hawkins (drummer, FOO FIGHTERS), Bill Kelliher (guitarist, MASTODON), and Neil Sanderson (drummer, THREE DAYS GRACE); a Red Barchetta model car mounted on a black perch with an MP40 nameplate; two Neil Peart signature MP40 branded drumsticks; two metal-embossed guitar picks, one each with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson’s respective signatures engraved on them; a replica of the “Moving Pictures” 1981 official tour program; an MP40 logo enamel pin; a 3D lenticular “Moving Pictures in motion” lithograph; an 18×24-inch Toronto 1981 concert poster; a replica concert ticket from the 1981 Maple Leaf Gardens show; a 12×36-inch Rush Through The Years 1973-1981 poster; a YYZ luggage tag; and a All Access World Tour ’81 insert. All contents are housed in a premium lift-top box, which features movingly reimagined cover artwork by Hugh Syme.

The second configuration of “Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary” will be released in a three-CD Deluxe Edition digipak that includes the newly remastered original album on CD 1 and the entire, unreleased 1981 Toronto concert on CDs 2 and 3. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos and reimagined artwork by Syme, along with the aforementioned liner notes by Thayil, Claypool, Hawkins, Kelliher and Sanderson.

The third “Moving Pictures” configuration will be offered as a five-LP Deluxe Edition, all of it housed in a slipcase including a single-pocket jacket for the remastered original “Moving Pictures” on LP 1, and two gatefold jackets for LPs 2-5 that comprise all 19 tracks from the complete, unreleased “Live In YYZ” 1981 concert. As noted above, all vinyl has been cut for the first time ever via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) on 180-gram black audiophile vinyl. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos, Syme’s reimagined artwork and new illustrations, and the complete liner notes.

The fourth configuration is a one-LP eCommerce exclusive edition, featuring the first-ever half-speed DMM vinyl pressing. It comes newly wrapped in a limited-edition premium tip-on style gatefold jacket with printed sleeve, and each pressing comes with one of six randomly inserted Neil Peart hand-drawn lyrics sheets.

The fifth configuration, the Deluxe Digital Edition, features the original album and all 19 bonus live performances from Toronto, and is the digital equivalent to the three-CD Deluxe Edition.

Finally, the sixth configuration, the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, is the digital equivalent of Richard Chycki’s masterful Atmos mix of all seven tracks from the original album.

RUSH — bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson, and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart — maintains a large and uniquely passionate worldwide fanbase that acknowledges and respects the band’s singular, bold, and perpetually exploratory songcraft that combines sterling musicianship, complex compositions, and distinctive lyrical flair. RUSH has sold more than 25 million albums in the U.S. alone, with worldwide sales estimated at 45 million (and counting), and has been awarded 24 gold, 14 platinum, and three multi-platinum album distinctions. RUSH has received seven Grammy nominations, and the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 1994 and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013.

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE have returned with “Let The World Burn”, their second new song in 29 years. It is the title track of their upcoming EP, “Let The World Burn”, their first original release since 1993’s “Nothing To Gain”. The five-song collection will be available worldwide on March 4 via Metal Blade Records.

Frontman Sean Killian commented: “For 34 years, a creation called ‘Eternal Nightmare’ has been making memories for people around the world. Now, it is time to create some new memories in 2022. I am very proud of the new music we created, and we are fortunate to have worked with some very creative people. Nothing too polished here, unless fragments of glass and broken razor blades are what you consider polished. I love to create, and we hope your heads explode when you hear the new VIO-LENCE.”

Filling out the band’s ranks on “Let The World Burn” alongside Killian and guitarist Phil Demmel are original drummer Perry Strickland, former OVERKILL guitarist Bobby Gustafson and former FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers.

“Let The World Burn” was recorded with Juan Urteaga at Trident Studios (TESTAMENT, MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS), with mixing handled by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MESHUGGAH) and Grammy Award-winning engineer Ted Jensen (ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, PANTERA).

“Let The World Burn” track listing

01. Flesh From Bone
02. Screaming Always
03. Upon Their Cross
04. Gato Negro
05. Let the World Burn

In a recent interview with Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock, Demmel stated about “Let The World Burn”: “We had decided to write [some new material]. I didn’t wanna do a full-length record. Ten tunes is just… I’ve got a baby at home. I’ve got a five-year-old who’s just the highest of energies and exhausting. So my time is very valuable and I just don’t have the time to write a full-length record. I just felt, let’s take little baby steps with the band and see if we can write a couple of tunes — maybe do three or four. It ended up being a five-song EP.”

Regarding the songwriting process for “Let The World Burn”, Demmel said: “Man, in the 16 years that I was in [MACHINE HEAD], it had thrash moments, but towards the end, there wasn’t. And I had written thrash songs. I always have riffs, but it was exciting to… Fuck, [I’m writing an] all-out thrash song. I wanted to capture some moments of ‘Eternal Nightmare’ [VIO-LENCE’s 1988 debut album], and there are some signature VIO-LENCE sounds that I wanted to perpetuate and continue. But also, since I’ve been playing thrash for a bit too, my right hand has gotten a lot stronger. I’m playing the best that I’ve ever played. And so I’m pushing the riffs. These aren’t songs that you’re picking up at Guitar Center and just playing in Guitar Center; they’re pretty hard to play. I wanted to push everybody in that sense.”

He continued: “I needed [Perry] to be able to accept this material in a language that I could speak with him. And I had to teach him how to understand my language. And it was hard. And it was grueling. It was me and him in a room… Mostly, this record musically was written… I wrote the music but with Perry for… 99 percent of it was just me and him in a room fucking hammering it out. So I’m super proud of him for what he played on the record. It’s some of his best playing. It’s definitely my best playing that’s ever been recorded. Towards the end of my time in [MACHINE HEAD], I wasn’t tracking rhythms, so it’d been a long time since I really tracked a metal record. I did a BPMD record and tracked those, but fuck, this is a thrash record, so tracking the rhythms was something refreshing and super cool to me. We did it with Juan Urteaga in his spot, and he’s awesome to work with. I had a great time. It was just a great experience recording with Perry. And I kind of let Sean do his own thing ’cause he had his vocals down. Sean is just destroying it on these songs, man; his voice is so unique. And nobody sounds like him. It’s sinister, man. ‘Cause he had a real high register that he was singing in back in ’88, and there’s moments of that, really, now. But it’s dark, man — he’s singing dark. And I fucking love it. I love his lyrics. He’s the favorite lyricist that I’ve ever worked with. He’s smart and he’s witty and he’s colorful with what he does. I thoroughly enjoy his lyrics.”

In August 2020, VIO-LENCE released a new digital single, “California Über Alles”, a cover version of the DEAD KENNEDYS classic. The band also filmed a music video for the song with director Scott Kirkeeng.

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.

The band performed its first comeback concert in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California and spent most of the ensuing months playing select shows in the U.S. and Europe.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE’s classic incarnation and played on the band’s debut album, “Eternal Nightmare”, he wasn’t approached about taking part in any of the comeback shows.

Killian underwent a successful liver transplant surgery in March 2018. The year before, Killian was diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis, which was caused in part by a genetic condition called hemochromatosis.

VIO-LENCE’s last album, “Nothing To Gain”, was recorded in August 1990, but wasn’t released until 1993.

Photo credit: Gene Ambo

 Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Universal Music Group’s leading global music publishing division, has announced the acquisition of 17-time Grammy Award winner Sting’s career catalog of music. Financial terms were not disclosed, but according to The New York Times, the deal is estimated to be worth around $300 million. This historic, comprehensive worldwide agreement for the catalog of one of the most commercially successful and critically-acclaimed songwriters of the last half-century encompasses the entirety of both Sting’s solo works as well as those with THE POLICE, including “Roxanne”, “Every Breath You Take”, “Shape Of My Heart”, “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”, “Fields Of Gold”, “Desert Rose”, “Message In A Bottle”, “Englishman In New York” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, among countless other global hits.

UMPG becomes the worldwide home of Sting’s extensive songwriting legacy, uniting his song catalog with his recorded music catalog under Universal Music Group (UMG) with this agreement. UMG has been Sting’s label home for his entire career through A&M, Interscope and Cherrytree Records. Together, UMPG and UMG will work with Sting to further build and expand his vast audience reach, strengthen the impact and influence of his timeless works, and continue supporting future music releases.

British-born composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting has sold more than 100 million albums throughout his illustrious career and created some of the most recognizable and culturally impactful pop songs in recent decades. As co-founder, frontman and bassist of THE POLICE, alongside Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, Sting became one of the world’s best-selling artists. THE POLICE released five studio albums between 1978 and 1983, earning six Grammy Awards and two Brit Awards. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2003.

Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, is also one of the world’s most distinctive, prolific and acclaimed solo artists, having released fifteen studio albums between 1985’s debut “The Dream Of Blue Turtles” and his most recent, “The Bridge”, released in November 2021. Sting’s acclaimed albums include U.K. No. 1s “…Nothing Like The Sun”, “The Soul Cages”, “Ten Summoner’s Tales”, “Mercury Falling”, “Sacred Love”, “Brand New Day” and more. Sting has received an additional 11 Grammy Awards for his solo works, three further Brit Awards including the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Music Award in 2003, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2002 and presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2000.

Sting said: “I am delighted to have Jody and the team at UMPG curate and manage my song catalog. It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected — not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with UMG as my label partner, under the watchful guidance of Lucian, so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”

Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group, said: “So many memories from my youth are tied to the great songs written by Sting — whether it was first seeing THE POLICE perform in Philadelphia or hearing his music on the radio or playing those albums until I wore them out. I could never have imagined that someday I would get to lead a company that will be the guardian of Sting’s remarkable songwriting legacy. Every one of us at UMPG looks forward to this work with a sense of honor, responsibility and enormous excitement about what we can achieve for his music in the future.”

Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group, said: “I’ve had the privilege to work with Sting for over 20 years and I’m so thrilled to expand our relationship to now include music publishing. Sting is a songwriting genius whose music permeates global culture. We are honored that by choosing UMPG for his music publishing, Sting’s entire body of work as a songwriter and recording artist — from THE POLICE to his solo work — will all be within the UMG family. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly as well as a great validation of what we have built for artists at UMG.”

Beyond his own critical and commercial success, Sting’s songs have remained a mainstay of pop culture with many of his songs being sampled to shape global hits. In 2018, Sting’s “Shape Of My Heart” was used in Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams” which became one of the biggest records of the year. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since received more than 1.8 billion streams on Spotify. In 1997, THE POLICE’s “Every Breath You Take” was sampled by Diddy in “I’ll Be Missing You” featuring Faith Evans and 112, and received the Grammy Award for “Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group”. The song spent eleven weeks atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in 15 other countries.

A testament to the depth of his influence on countless new generations of performers, Sting’s works have also been sampled by artists including Nas, THE ROOTS, 2Pac, RZA, Kygo & Avicii, BLACK EYED PEAS, Craig David, French Montana, Talib Kweli, FUGEES and Cam’ron. Additionally, his songs have been covered by an array of the world’s most acclaimed artists including George Michael, Johnny Cash, Herbie Hancock, Isaac Hayes, Eva Cassidy, VIOLET FEMMES, Gloria Gaynor, Shirley Bassey and FALL OUT BOY, amongst others.

The recipient of prestigious accolades, Sting has earned Billboard magazine’s Century Award, MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year, four Oscar nominations and a Tony nomination. In 2003, he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his myriad of contributions to music and appointed Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2007. He has received the Kennedy Center Honors, the American Music Award of Merit and the Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded Honorary Doctorates of Music by the University of Northumbria (1992), Berklee College of Music (1994), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2006) and Brown University at its 250th Commencement ceremony (2018).

Sting has appeared in more than 15 films, executive produced the critically acclaimed “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints”, and in 1989 starred in “The Threepenny Opera” on Broadway. His most recent theatre project is the Tony-nominated musical “The Last Ship”, inspired by his memories of the shipbuilding community of Wallsend in the northeast of England where he was born and raised. The show, with music and lyrics by Sting, ran on Broadway in 2014/2015 and completed a U.K. regional theatre tour which ran from March-July 2018. Thereafter, Sting starred as shipyard foreman Jackie White in the Toronto-based production of “The Last Ship” at the Princess of Wales Theatre. In 2020, he reprised the role for productions in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre and San Francisco at the Golden Gate Theatre.

One of music’s most popular live performers, Sting will resume his “My Songs” world tour next month followed by his critically acclaimed Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in June 2022.

Sting was represented in the transaction by Allen Grubman with his partners Joe Brenner and Stuart Prager.

Professionally filmed video footage of JUDAS PRIEST performing the song “Breaking The Law” on August 15, 2021 at the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which took place at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom, can be seen below.

The British heavy metal legends, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary, were rejoined by guitarist Glenn Tipton during their first concert in more than two years. The band also pulled out a number of surprises in its set, including first-ever performances of “One Shot At Glory” and “Invader”, as well as several tracks that hadn’t been played in a long time, such as “Rocka Rolla (performed for the first time since 1976), “Exciter” (first time since 2005), “Hell Patrol” (first time since 2009), “A Touch Of Evil” (first time since 2005), “Dissident Aggressor” (first time since 2009) and “Blood Red Skies” (first time since 2012).

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s eight years ago — after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — but announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of JUDAS PRIEST’s latest studio album, “Firepower”. He was replaced by “Firepower” album producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

As he has done a number of other times over the course of the last three and a half years, Tipton joined PRIEST onstage on Bloodstock for the encore, performing “Metal Gods”, “Breaking The Law” and “Living After Midnight”.

PRIEST singer Rob Halford recently told Metal Pilgrim that Glenn is “still actively involved with JUDAS PRIEST, a hundred percent. Andy is still standing in that spot for Glenn with Glenn’s blessing… And my gratitude to Andy. It couldn’t have happened in a better way, if you wanna try and make something good out of it. It was a really important day when Glenn said, ‘I think it’s probably best if I step to the side and maybe we should let Andy come in.’ That was just a really beautiful act of selflessness. That’s Glenn treasuring PRIEST and PRIEST’s reputation, particularly in live concert more than anything else. So bless Glenn for that. And as a result, Andy stepped in and did amazing work on the ‘Firepower’ tour, and we’re looking forward to doing the same thing with him on this 50th-anniversary [tour]. And don’t discount the fact that Glenn can show up. He plays the guitar differently, but there’s no reason why Glenn can’t show up and do some work. I mean, I’ve said to Glenn, ‘Just walk out on stage and do that to everybody [flashes devil horns], and the people will just go fucking crazy, ’cause you are loved so much.’ But I’ve got a feeling that Glenn’s gonna be making the occasional appearance on this 50th-anniversary [tour].”

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

Last November, JUDAS PRIEST announced the rescheduled “50 Heavy Metal Years” North American tour dates for March-April 2022. Support on the trek will come from QUEENSRŸCHE.

On April 8, the four-time Grammy-winning and diamond-certified rock legends AEROSMITH will release “Aerosmith – 1971: The Road Starts Hear” (UMe), a rare and previously unheard rehearsal from 1971, on CD and digital. The effort was originally only available as a limited-edition cassette and vinyl release for Record Store Day in 2021. The heavily sought-after RSD release quickly sold out and debuted on the Billboard 200, hitting No. 2 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 12 on the Top Rock Albums chart, No. 13 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and No. 19 on the Top Album Sales chart.

Recently discovered in the AEROSMITH vaults, the original tape had not been touched in decades. This historic recording features seven extraordinary tracks showcasing the early, unbridled talent of the future Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame members including a nascent version of “Dream On”, which they would later record and release on their 1973 eponymous major label debut. AEROSMITH is one of the few bands to chart with the same song five decades later; the song was a hit in 1973, reaching No. 59 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and re-entered the charts in 2020 at No. 4 on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart.

“The Road Starts Hear”, produced by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Steve Berkowitz, features previously unseen archived photos, images of the original tape box, and liner notes written by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke with new interviews and comments from the band about this long-forgotten recording.

The landmark early recording was made with Perry’s Wollensak reel-to-reel tape machine in 1971 by Mark Lehman who owned the infamous van and became AEROSMITH’s one-man road crew, either in the band’s Boston rehearsal room in front of a few select friends or at a rehearsal the band did during a soundcheck for an early show. All that is certain is that the tape captures a young, hungry rock band one year before being discovered and signing with Columbia Records and two years before their self-titled major label debut was released that helped catapult the band to one of the biggest rock acts of all time.

“The Road Starts Hear” features early recordings of gems such as “Somebody”, “Movin’ Out”, “Walkin’ The Dog”, “Mama Kin” and an early version of AEROSMITH’s classic ballad “Dream On”, all of which would later be recorded for their landmark debut. Other tracks include “Reefer Head Woman”, which would later be recorded for their 1979 album “Night In The Ruts”, and the track “Major Barbara”, a song that would be featured on their 1986 release “Classics Live”.

Listen to the fiery, early rehearsal version of the song “Somebody” below.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees AEROSMITH have sold more than 150 million albums around the world, produced genre-defining music videos such as “Amazing”, “Crazy”, “Janie’s Got A Gun”, “Livin’ On The Edge” and “Love In An Elevator”, and launched extravagant record-shattering global tours, most recently with their smash hit Las Vegas residency. The band has broken numerous boundaries, including becoming the first rock band with a massive commercially successful hip-hop collaboration with RUN-D.M.C. on “Walk This Way” and the first hard rock band to appear during a Super Bowl halftime show with their 2001 performance, and in 1999, AEROSMITH became the first band to have their own themed attraction at Disney World in Florida, and later Paris with the launch of the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.

“Aerosmith – 1971: The Road Starts Hear” track listing:

Side A:

01. Intro – Somebody
02. Reefer Head Woman
03. Walkin’ The Dog

Side B:

01. Movin’ Out
02. Major Barbara
03. Dream On
04. Mama Kin

Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD have just released their newest studio album, “Synchro Anarchy”, via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018’s “The Wake” was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by VOIVOD drummer Michel “Away” Langevin.

The official music video for the LP’s latest single, “Sleeves Off”, can be seen below. The clip was created by Felipe Belalcazar of Mental Pictures.

VOIVOD vocalist and lyricist Denis “Snake” Bélanger commented: “Here’s a cool clip from our friend Felipe Belalcazar. It’s a mixture of animation and live footage. The animation in the clip goes backwards, maybe in reference about the past when I had to make big decisions as a teenager. Some were good, some were bad, but one thing for sure, I didn’t want to be cast in a mold to fit perfectly in the conformity of the world. I wanted to be me, show everyone who I was, do things on my own, and be creative. And when I met the boys, I found the place where I wanted to be. The live footage shows that I was right, as we are still going after so long. Enjoy!”

Regarding the release of “Synchro Anarchy”, Bélanger said: “Here it is folks. So proud to present this album to you. It is one of a kind, a very unique and distinctive album. It was made with all the passion we have for music under particular conditions. Driven by a nuclear brainstorm between the four of us in a state of emergency. Written, recorded, and delivered, and not necessarily in that order, we managed to do it all in a few months. We hope you will enjoy the album. We can’t wait to see you all of you, our fans out there on our upcoming tours. We’ve been missing you.”

“Synchro Anarchy” track listing:

01. Paranormalium
02. Synchro Anarchy
03. Planet Eaters
04. Mind Clock
05. Sleeves Off
06. Holographic Thinking
07. The World Today
08. Quest For Nothing
09. Memory Failure

Langevin previously stated about “Synchro Anarchy”: “We are eager to present our latest work, a real collaborative effort. The new album represents countless hours of writing, demoing, recording, mixing and so on. The band and Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio gave their very best to make it happen under unusual circumstances, which led us to call it ‘Synchro Anarchy’. We feel that the sound and music are 100% VOIVOD, and we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we had fun making it. We certainly can’t wait to play it live.”

VOIVOD released a new live album, “Lost Machine – Live”, in November 2020 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for “The Wake”.

In the summer of 2020, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled “The End Of Dormancy” via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special “Metal Section” version of the title track (off VOIVOD’s latest album, “The Wake”) with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of “The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)” and the group’s classic “The Unknown Knows”, recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.