Photo via Nuclear BlastThe upcoming release of The Grinding Wheel – a new album from the legendary East Coast Thrashers Overkill – was recently announced, and an official snippet of the first single has surfaced to give fans a taste of what to expect. Courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records, the 30-second snippet of “Our Finest Hour” is available here. The full song is to be released on November 4th, during the first week of Overkill‘s European tour. The single will be available as a 7″ vinyl, in black, clear, green, and splatter designs, and can be pre-ordered at the Nuclear Blast Shop online. The Grinding Wheel is set for a February 2017 release.
Overkill frontman Bobby Blitz said, “Looks like the ‘machine’ is up and rolling, but for all good things we wait. The delay for The Grinding Wheel will take us to 2/17, at the start of the US tour… but fear not, the Euro tour will happen and happen with some new music! Friday Nov. 4th, we will let go of the first cut; “Our Finest Hour”, available on various colors of vinyl along with some ear shattering madness. We will also have it with us on the road to quench your thirst and fill the hunger. So you heard it here first and you can hear more live the first time on tour! To the road, onward and upward into ’17!”
New Jersey natives Overkill will appear at the three-day Rock Carnival in Lakewood, NJ as part of Saturday’s lineup, then head out on a European tour. All dates can be found at the Overkill Official Website.
Letters From The Fire have released a new lyric video, which premiered via New Noise, for a song off their debut album Worth The Pain. The song is “My Angel” and you can watch the video here.
This is the fourth lyric video to come from the band’s debut album, and plans are in the works for new visuals for the remaining eight songs through November. Head to their YouTube channel to see the rest.
Letters From The Fire’s debut Worth The Pain was released via Sand Hill Records earlier this month. Check out my review of the album here.
Letters from the Fire are currently supporting Art of Dying on tour, which runs through October 22. They will next join a tour co-headlined by Failure Anthem and Through Fire, which runs through November 9. All tour dates can be found at http://www.lettersfromthefire.net.
Rising Progressive Metal band ONI has revealed the news of their recent signing to Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records. Blacklight Media is a new label launched this past February by Chris Santos, executive chef and managing partner of the New York City restaurants VANDAL, The Stanton Social and Beauty & Essex, in partnership with Metal Blade Records CEO/founder Brian Slagel. Santos states, “One of the things that I think will make Blacklight Media a label to watch for years to come is the diversity of our roster. ONI is our first crushingly heavy signing that matches their heaviness with incredible progressive precision and classically brutal breakdowns. I’m very excited to have them as part of the Blacklight Media family!”
Vocalist Jake Oni adds, “We are excited to announce our signing with Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records. It is an honor to be on the same roster as so many amazing bands. With the support of this legendary label at our side, the world is ours!”
ONI‘s first full album Ironshore will be released on Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records on November 25th, with pre-orders available in early October. The album will feature the single “Eternal Recurrence”, a track that’s been buzzing in the Metal world since its release earlier this year, alongside a music video.
ONI is set for an upcoming performance at this year’s Knotfest featuring a special guest appearance by Lamb of God‘s Randy Blythe. The band will then join up with Max & Iggor Cavalera’s “Return To Roots” tour and perform on select dates through October 21. Following that tour, ONI will join the “I Worship Chaos” Tour line-up, beginning November 23 and featuring headliners Children of Bodom and fellow special guests Abbath and Exmortus.
Symphonic Metal band Xandria has unveiled the title, cover art and release date for their upcoming album – Theater of Dimensions will be out worldwide on Napalm Records, January 27th, 2017.
Xandria gave an extensive comment detailing the ideas and origins of Theater of Dimensions: “After the release of Sacrificium we embarked on our longest Tour so far. Over 150 shows that took us around the globe. Through so many different countries and diverse cultures. Through so many different, yet inspiring dimensions. We brought back plenty of memories, sometimes just bits and pieces, but those stuck to our heads. And it made us see who we are and where we wanted to take our music. Made us fearless. Made us push our boundaries once more. Made us cross some so-called genre defining borders. Made us bundle all our trademarks and take them to the next level. All this makes the most colourful Xandria album so far. It contains our most heavy and most emotional moments. Again, producer Joost van den Broek did a phenomenal job capturing the atmosphere down to every detail. “A Theater of musical Dimensions”. Can’t wait to share the songs with you…”Cover Art via Xandria Official Website
The band has also launched a Stagelink campaign, giving fans the opportunity to vote for the location of stops along the band’s 2017 tour. Xandria will be on the road around the world starting next month. Head to http://xandria.de for tour dates and more information.
Belgian Heavy Metal Band Evil Invaders have a 4-track EP coming out September 30th on Napalm Records, In For The Kill. A music video for the track “Raising Hell” was released via Decibel Magazine and you can watch it here.
Evil Invaders Frontman Joe says, “Raising Hell is one of our most energetic songs so far! It’s about life on the road where there’s no time to slow down. Take Motorhead on full fucking speed and you have it! For the video we decided to work with a live setup that reinforces the power, speed and adrenaline that this song already contained. So get ready to get your guts blown out and Raise some fuckin’ hell!”
The new EP will be available on the Napalm Records online store and the band’s webstore – find it here.
Evil Invaders will head out on tour in October with Suicidal Angels, Skull Fist, Crisix, and Mortillery. Tour dates and more info at the band’s official website.
Photo via Operation: Mindcrime Official WebsiteOperation: Mindcrime, the band fronted by iconic vocalist and former Queensrÿche frontman Geoff Tate, is set to release Resurrection, the second part of a trilogy preceded by last year’s debut album The Key, on September 23rd via Frontiers Music Srl. A new music video for the track “Taking On The World”, featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens and Blaze Bayley on vocals alongside Geoff Tate, premiered last week on Billboard. Just before the video’s release, I had the chance to speak with Geoff on the phone for a in-depth interview where we talk music, the new album and video, Disturbed, upcoming tours, and more.
I’d like to just jump right in here talking about your new album Resurrection – this is, of course, the second part to the Operation: Mindcrime album trilogy. Would you say that Resurrection picks up where The Key left off?
Yeah, exactly. It’s the second act of a three-act presentation.
And the two singles that have been released, “Left For Dead” and “The Fight”, are what fans have heard from Resurrection so far – talk to me about these tracks, and what would you say that you want someone listening to these songs to get out of them?
Each song is like a scene from the album. If you can equate it to a film, then each song is a scene. The scene on the song takes you into what’s happening in the story, so each song is sort of what leads you to the next. And I think with music, people take from it what they can or what they will. It’s a very personal experience, I think. You listen to it with your own personal filters based upon what your musical influences are, what your life is like…how the words or the melodies affect you in some way is based typically on how you’ve lived your life, you know?
Definitely. So then, for you personally, what are some things that went into these tracks?
Well…besides the usual blood, sweat, and tears? I guess a lot of thought. The whole trilogy album storyline music-wise, it all was a “hit me in the head like a two-ton heavy thing” kind of experience where, I’d been wanting to do a trilogy for quite a while and I liked the idea of doing a story in three acts, but just didn’t have the story for a long time. But I kept it in the back of my head until the story hit me and then when it did, I had to write in a frenzy that lasted months and months because we wrote all the materials for the albums and put a recording team together and recorded everything at once. It was a lot of work – a lot of very enjoyable work – but all at one time.
Got it, so the whole trilogy is essentially done at this point, it’s just that we’re not getting to hear it until later on, right?
Yeah, a good year of listening to it kind of familiarizes you with it so then you’re ready for the next chapter, so to speak.
There you go. Now, there are some other great musicians besides yourself who play alongside you on the album, so talk to me about some of the guests, and how were some of these connections made to the point of them playing on your album?
Well, Kelly Gray, of course, was my long-time collaborator, we’ve been working since 1979 on writing and performing together. He contributed production, mixing and guitars, and some bass on some of the songs and vocals on some other songs. Scott Moughton on guitar, bass, keyboards…Randy Gane on keyboards, myself on keyboards and saxophone. John Moyer, Dave Ellefson played bass, Simon Wright, Scott Mercado and Brian Tichy all playing drums…and then Mark Daily, Blaze Bayley on vocals and Tim Owens also on vocals.
Right, so what are some of your past musical experiences with them, what led you to bring them into this project?
These are all people that I’ve played with over the years and knew well and admired their playing and attitude, their general outlook on music. I felt like I could get really great performances out of them easily, without a lot of stress. And these are all really great players who, you just sit them down, play the music for them, and they’re going to add something really special to it. You kind of give them a background on what you’re trying to accomplish, you paint the scene of the song like…“This song has a chaotic feeling, you want to generate this feeling of uncertainty because the character is going through this questioning time of trying to figure out what he’s going to do with his life, any ideas on chaos?” You know, and maybe Brian will kick out this snare drum pattern thing that was real frenetic and that would inspire Kelly to put this guitar line to a section. It was all very inspirational.
Sounds like a very interesting and creative process there. And of course, you mentioned Tim “Ripper” Owens and Blaze Bayley, they’re some guest vocalists and the three of you are going out on tour in the fall on the “Trinity” tour. So how did this Trinity project come together, was it because of their involvement in Operation: Mindcrime?
Yeah, they sang on the track “Taking On The World” – which we just actually finished a video for that – and we had such a great time laying down tracks for that song that we decided “Hey, let’s put some dates together and go out on tour”. So we found some dates at the end of the year that work for all three of us and we’re bringing the Trinity project to stages around the world, starting in the Northeast around Thanksgiving.
Now, you were also touring earlier this year with Operation: Mindcrime, and your touring lineup so far has been a bit different from who’s on the recording, so would you say that Operation: Mindcrime essentially has a rotating lineup overall since there’s so many guest musicians?
Yeah, it’s kind of an open roster of people, really based upon their availability at a given time. You know, everybody has musical commitments that are important to them, and things they have to do, so we kind of work around each other’s schedules somewhat and try to put together a great band of all the different people who played on the record in order to present the record as best we can.
Still on the note of touring, you’ve got the Shiprocked cruise next year, you’re appearing at that show as well, how do you like the cruise ship scene when it comes to shows?
I think if there’s a stage, lights, and a sound system, I’m pretty comfortable anywhere in the world – a cruise ship, a flatbed truck, a club, an arena – you name it, I’ll play it.
Nice, so it’s pretty much all the same to you, as long as you can get out there and perform, it doesn’t necessarily matter what the setting is.
It really doesn’t, no. Just as long as people gather together to listen to music and be involved with it, that’s the place I want to be.
I also just want to circle back to what you said just now about the music video that’s just been completed, could you tell me a little bit more about it?
We shot it here in the Seattle area and it was a fun video, and I don’t know if it was fun simply because of the context or the people involved. I just know that we had a great time, we had a lot of laughs and it was a very fun project to do and I think the outcome of the video turned out great, I’m very happy with it. Actually, it’s the first video I’ve ever done in my career where the director sent it to me and…I liked it, without having any changes done to it. (laughs) It was quite surprising, actually. You know, typically you have comments like “Oh, is there another shot you can put in, a different camera angle here?” or “Can we have a different intro?” or something, you know. This was really good right from the beginning, and I’m very happy with it.
Well, that’s great to hear – I look forward to seeing it! You’ve also got something coming up at the end of this month, a record release party in Germany, and what’s interesting about that is it’s also going to be an open acoustic set for people to join in and jam with you. I just think that’s a cool idea, have you done this sort of thing before?
Not like this, but yeah, I do a lot of acoustic jamming. It’s fun, and really kind of…it’s tradition, it’s music tradition. I’ve always had this kind of open door policy when I’m playing shows that if a musician that I know is in town touring, I’ve always invited them to the show – you know, “Hey, come on and sing a song with us” or “come up and play an instrument with us”. People ask me that all the time when I go to their shows too, I just performed a song with Disturbed a couple weeks ago and that was really fun when they came through town. I think it’s just a fun thing for musicians to share music and if you admire that musician and you like what they’ve done, or you’re moved by a particular song that they do, I think it’s a wonderful thing to share that time, you know?
Absolutely, and bringing in that acoustic, unplugged kind of dynamic brings another feel to it as well. I know earlier this year when I caught one of your tour dates, you did this whole acoustic section of the show, and I found that to be interesting, it was a nice break in the action but also satisfying.
Yeah, it’s a nice dynamic change. It also kind of brings the song back to its origins, because almost every song is written on an acoustic guitar, or piano and voice, and it’s nice to bring the song back to its original format.
And it’s also a sort of look into the thoughts of the musician who wrote it, I think, because you’re stripping away all the effects and things and just getting to the real roots of the song itself.
Exactly, and it’s always been real interesting to me how you can take any song, and you can play it with different instruments, and you can still tell what song it is. Even though maybe it’s a guitar-heavy song, but you take the guitars all the way out of it and just have like, a bass guitar or piano and voice, and you still have a song there, it still stands on its own, you know?
Definitely, music is a powerful thing.
It is.
Again, just to circle back to something you said, you mentioned playing with Disturbed, how you had a little guest appearance during their set, how’d that come about that you joined in on that show?
Well, they asked me, I didn’t just jump up there. (laughs)
(laughs) Well, yeah, I didn’t think it was anything like that – you just randomly appearing like “Hey guys. I’m singing now.” (laughs)
“Hey Dave! I’m coming up!” (laughs)
“Ready or not!”
(laughs) Yeah. No, I was going to the show and they asked me if I wanted to sing – I couldn’t turn them down, that’s a great band, and wonderful experience playing with those guys.
And then, of course, John Moyer from Disturbed has also been working with you on Operation: Mindcrime as well.
That’s right. John’s a great player, and fantastic guy to have at your side when you’re doing anything, just incredible. Incredible personality.
Staying on the topic of Disturbed a little longer, their cover of “Sound of Silence” has been getting such great reception lately, a lot of people have rave reviews of the track – what’s your take on it, have you heard it?
I heard it the night they played it in Seattle, and it was very cool. Very cool track. I like it when people do remakes of other songs and give it their own twist, their own personality and interpretation, I like that.
Back to Operation: Mindcrime, I’m sure you don’t want to give too much away, but can you give an idea of the status of the next and final part of the trilogy?
Well, it’ll be coming out around this time next year, I can tell you that much.
And do you have any plans or ideas yet for beyond the trilogy?
That’s still a couple years out. You know, we’ve got this whole year, 2017 touring cycle, and then the release of the third album in the fall of 2017 and then touring all through 2018…so that’ll bring us up to 2019, so to answer your question, no. (laughs) I don’t have any solid plans that I can talk about yet.
Well, I mean, touring up to 2018 sounds like some solid plans already. So are you going to gradually incorporate each album into the set of the tour as you go along?
Probably a few songs here and there. I tend to like to play…well, I’d love to play all my new albums, I think every artist would, you’re excited about your new work, but the audience isn’t quite ready for it yet. You know, it takes people a while to acclimate to your music, so I work in a few songs from the new record throughout the tour, but mostly it’s focused on the past work. And then by the time you come around next time, you can add more songs, just because they’re more used to the new album released a year ago.
Well, it sounds like a lot of good things to come for the future of Operation: Mindcrime, some great things to look forward to, including the album release later this month. Thanks for taking the time to call, Geoff, this has been excellent speaking with you.
The Rock Carnival at Lakewood, New Jersey’s FirstEnergy Park will kick-off in two weeks and the official three-day festival schedule, complete with set times for all stages and artists, has been revealed. The Second Annual Rock Carnival was announced earlier this year with Alice Cooper headlining Friday’s show, Twisted Sister closing out Saturday night in their final Tri-State area appearance and farewell performance, and last month, Sunday headliners Halestorm and The Used were added to the lineup. Some new Sunday lineup additions have been made, including The Apocalypse Blues Revue, featuring Godsmack’s Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola, as well as local mainstay and Bon Jovi touring guitarist Matt O’Ree. Zakk Sabbath, featuring vocalist/guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Blasko, and drummer Joey Castillo will perform Black Sabbath classics on Friday night.
Music will take place on multiple stages, including two main festival stages side by side on the field. Fans will have general admission access to the stadium field. The musical portion of the event will once again feature the Birch Hill stage, a very popular performance area, with the addition of another performance area showcasing developing artists. See below for the full schedule:
For further information and to purchase tickets to the upcoming event, visit: http://therockcarnival.com/
The day of Sirius XM’s first-ever Hair Nation Festival is quickly approaching, taking place this Saturday, September 17th. SoCal is the destination for the lineup of Sunset Strip Rockers who are hitting the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater stage for a final time before the venue closes at the end of this year.
The event will be hosted by Eddie Trunk and broadcast on Sirius XM’s Channel 39, Hair Nation, the following week on September 24th. This weekend will also see Battle for Hair Nation Festival winners Electric Hound and The Aviators taking to the Festival Stage and Main Stage, respectively, to open the show.
A new song from Kobra and the Lotus recently made its debut on Revolver Magazine. Listen to the official audio of “TriggerPulse” here. Upon their recent signing to Napalm Records, the band announced their upcoming double album Prevail I + II, set to be released in 2017. Lead singer and Frontwoman Kobra Paige said of the song, “We are ecstatic to finally be releasing a new track from Kobra and the Lotus! After two years it’s time to unleash something new and tasty so here we go…’TriggerPulse’ is coming for you and it’s ready to make some waves in the Omniverse!! See you out there in space!”
Kobra and the Lotus will take to the road this fall in Europe alongside label-mates Delain. Fans can expect to hear a mix of Kobra and the Lotus classics and new songs from Prevail I + II.
Hard Rock band Black Star Riders are set to release their third album Heavy Fire via Nuclear Blast Entertainment in early 2017. The band is currently working with Producer Nick Rasculinecz, who produced their second album The Killer Instinct, as they finish up recording the album in Nashville. About the album, guitarist Scott Gorham says, “It’s great to be back with Nick, after such a great job on The Killer Instinct, it was a no brainer to continue the relationship and this album is going to blow everyone away”. You can watch an official video from the band announcing the new album and their upcoming tour here.
Black Star Riders also have a Pledgemusic campaign, offering merch and experiences alongside the Heavy Fire pre-order. Other special content such as video updates and announcement are part of the Pledgemusic project – a studio update of Jimmy DeGrasso’s drum tracking was released this week. More details can be found at the Pledgemusic Project site: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/black-star-riders
In support of the new album, Black Star Riders are touring the UK and Ireland in March of 2017, joined by The Amorettes for the first five dates, then Backyard Babies for the remaining eleven. Scottish rockers Gun will tour alongside Black Star Riders for all dates. On the tour, Ricky Warwick says, “It seems like ages since we did the Leppard/Whitesnake tour so we are all really looking forward to be back out on the road with BSR. Our third album will be out just prior to the dates so it’s going to be great to play tracks from that along with favorites from the first two records also. Having my old friends from Backyard Babies, Gun and The Amorettes out with us too is just icing on the cake to make a great tour!”
Tour dates are as follows:
(with Gun and The Amorettes)
March 2nd – Tramshed, Cardiff
March 3rd – William Aston Hall, Wrexham
March 4th – Academy, Dublin
March 5th – Limelight, Belfast
March 7th – Ironworks, Inverness
(with Gun and Backyard Babies)
March 8th – O2 ABC, Glasgow (Co-Headlining with Gun)
March 9th – O2 ABC, Glasgow (Co-Headlining with Gun)
March 10th – O2 Academy, Newcastle
March 11th – O2 Academy, Leeds
March 12th – O2 Ritz, Manchester
March 14th – Rock City, Nottingham
March 15th – UEA, Norwich
March 16th – O2 Academy Bristol
March 17th – O2 Kentish Town Forum, London
March 18th – O2 Institute, Birmingham
March 19th – O2 Academy, Bournemouth
Letters From The Fire is a band that brings something new to the table while wearing their influences on their sleeves, and while those may be cliched expressions, they prove to be true in this case – drawing comparisons to other female-fronted rock bands such as Evanescence and Paramore, the band lives up to that role while adding their own undeniable personal touch. Formed in 2012 by guitarist Mike Keller, the Bay Area band has undergone a few lineup changes, but upon settling in to one fronted by singer Alexa Kabazie, they recently headed into the studio to record their first full-length album, Worth The Pain. This album was produced by Failure Anthem guitarist Kile Odell and is set to be released on September 9th via Sand Hill Records.
Worth The Pain hits hard and heavy right from the start, planting roots in a modern hard rock sound with the opening track “Perfect Life”, a sound that holds strong through “Mother Misery” and carries over to “Live A Lie”. “Give In To Me”, one of the album’s singles, steps into the dark side accompanied by an equally dark and disturbing music video, all the while bringing in enough electronic ambiance to feel like an industrial track; but with each chorus, the album’s overall heavy guitar-driven rock is reaffirmed. “Last December” takes all of these elements to the next level, with a synthesized riff starting out the song as electronic sounds permeate the track, but “Holy Ghost” ensures you don’t forget that what you’re listening to is a rock record through and through.
The title track “Worth The Pain” keeps up with some of the electronic sounds introduced earlier in the record, but if those effects were to be stripped away, the track feels like a classic heavy metal song at its core. That touch of the classic also slips subtly into “Control”, but the album closer “One Foot In The Grave” replants those modern hard rock roots, while songs like “Scars” and “My Angel” are where influences of the Pop Rock persuasion show through stronger than ever.
Worth The Pain does have a softer side, which emerges on songs like “Bruised”, a sudden departure from the path of the first three tracks that sits at an intersection between Pop and Alt. Rock, and “At War”, where a gentle piano and melancholy lyrics lead the track to stand out from the rest as it forms a contemporary ballad emphasizing Alexa Kabazie’s strong vocals. Alongside Kabazie, Mike Keller and Cameron Stucky share the guitar duties well, and as the group is rounded out by bassist Clayton Wages and drummer Brian Sumwalt, who lay down grooves worthy of a closer listen, the lineup of Letters From The Fire makes for one solid hard rock band.
Melodic and powerful, modern and accessible, with a classic heavy rock feel occasionally making itself known. A sense of darkness lies within Worth The Pain – in the lyrics, the riffs, even the effects – yet it has enough of a groove to get you pumped and moving, and most songs are catchy enough to get stuck in your head (I know they’ve been in mine since I first heard the album). There’s a strong energy pushing forward, even through the ballads, and anytime things slow down, it doesn’t last for too long as the record kicks up and heads back to its former heaviness. Worth The Pain is an excellent album all around, showcasing the band’s talents. Letters From The Fire has a great potential to break out even further and be the next big thing on the modern rock scene.
Rating: 5/5
Letters From The Fire is currently on the road with Art of Dying and Children 18:3. For more on Letters From The Fire, including upcoming tour dates, head to their official website at http://lettersfromthefire.net/
British NWOBHM legends Saxon are set to release their tenth live album, Let Me Feel Your Power, via UDR Music on September 23rd (Europe) and October 7th (North America). A live performance video of the track “Wheels Of Steel” straight off the upcoming double album has been unleashed, and is streaming on BraveWords today.
The 16 track album was recorded in Munich during November 2015 and Brighton in January 2016, with bonus materials from Chicago in September 2015. Let Me Feel Your Power will be available in several formats, including DVD/2CDs, Blu-Ray/2CDs, digital download and a deluxe vinyl version which will also include the Blu-Ray and 2CDs (limited to 1500 copies). The full track listing is as follows:
01. Battering Ram*
02. Motorcycle Man*
03. Sacrifice*
04. Destroyer*
05. Power And The Glory*
06. 20000FT*
07. The Devil’s Footprints*
08. Heavy Metal Thunder*
09. Queen Of Hearts*
10. Princess Of The Night*
11. Wheels Of Steel*
12. Denim And Leather*
13. Crusader*
14. Eye Of The Storm#
15. Battalions Of Steel#
16. Requiem#
*live in Munich
#live in Brighton
Bonus Material (Live In Chicago):
01. Motorcycle Man
02. Battering Ram*
03. This Town Rocks
04. Sacrifice
05. Power And The Glory
06. Solid Ball Of Rock
07. Dallas 1 PM
08. Heavy Metal Thunder
09. Rock The Nations
10. The Eagle Has Landed
11. Wheels Of Steel
12. Backs To The Wall
13. Just Let Me Rock
14. Strong Arm Of The Law
15. 747 (Strangers In The Night)
16. Princess Of The Night
17. Crusader*
18. Denim And Leather
[*only available as video content; not available on CD or digital]
More live performance clips from Let Me Feel Your Power will also premiere soon. The album can be pre-ordered at the following links:
The Last Stand, Sabaton’s latest album, was released through Nuclear Blast on August 19th, 2016. This Swedish Heavy Metal band has reached their highest-ever chart entries in the US and Canada with the album, debuting at #63 on the Billboard U.S. Top 200 album chart, #2 on the Billboard Hard Music chart, #2 on the Canadian Hard Music Chart, and #20 on the Canadian Top 200 album chart. The Last Stand also holds the #5 position on the Billboard Top Rock album chart, #4 on the Billboard Independent albums chart, and #19 on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart.
Worldwide first week chart positions for The Last Stand include:
#1 – Czech Republic
#1 – Finland
#1 – Sweden
#2 – Germany
#4 – Belgium
#11 – Netherlands
#11 – Norway
#15 – Hungary
#17 – UK
#29 – Australia
#92 – Ireland
A track-by-track trailer featuring the band discussing the background and stories behind the songs on The Last Stand has also been released, and can be found here.
Sabaton will soon head to the states, their new guitarist Tommy Johansson in tow, for the 2016 “Silence In The Snow” Fall tour alongside headliners Trivium and special guest Huntress. www.sabaton.net/tour has the full listing of tour dates.
Conquer Divide is an up-and-coming band on the Metalcore scene, with an all-female lineup whose members hail from both the U.S. and the U.K. The group came together in 2012 and their self-titled debut album premiered in 2015, produced by Joey Sturgis (Asking Alexandria, Of Mice And Men, Blessthefall). The band has toured with the likes of Upon A Burning Body and Capture The Crown, among others, and released several music videos, including the songs “Nightmares” and “What’s Left Inside”.
I recently spoke with one of the band’s two vocalists, screamer Janel Duarte, about the band, their debut album, and some of her experiences in the rock and metal world so far.
Janel, it’s great to hear from you and I’m excited to talk with you about Conquer Divide. You guys released your self-titled debut last year and I’d like to ask you about that to start things off. Talk to me about some ideas and some of the work that went into the making of this album.
Well, the way it was written was basically sending emails back and forth between our guitar players, and then everybody kind of just pitching in lyric ideas and writing melodies to go along with the music. It was a whole teamwork kind of writing process, and as for what the songs are about, they’re based on experiences we all have been through, and so we all just put it through lyrics and made it…kind of meaningful for people who have also been through certain types of situations. It’s like, knowing a really racy kind of girl who flaunts her stuff everywhere, or experiences where people tell you to quit music and you feel lost, or if people start bashing you, you know, we have a song on our album for that. So, we’re aiming for material that our fans relate to.
You’re known as the screamer of the group, when did you first realize that was something you could do?
I was, maybe 14 years old, and I was really into the band The Used, and the lead singer Bert did both singing and screaming, and I always just found the way he screamed and the emotions behind his lyrics to be really appealing. I don’t know, one day I kind of just went for it, and at first, it was obviously not the best scream in the world – it took a really long time to craft it and make my screams not sound like I’m dying…But when I realized I could do it, I was just like “Okay, cool”, I can put it under my belt as a tool, because I also sing. So screaming was kind of like a fun side project that got me where I am now.
Who are some of your favorite metal screamers?
Well, Bert McCracken from The Used for sure, and I really really dig Dave from Crown The Empire – his vocal style is definitely a goal for me. He’s definitely my number one influence, so let’s just go with him.
Aside from being the screamer in the band, as you just mentioned, you also sing clean vocals, so tell me about that as well – how did you get started with singing in the first place?
I don’t know what it was about singing…since I was a child, I mean, I can remember being nine years old and wanting to be a singer with a tour bus one day. So, I don’t know where the passion came from, but it’s always been there. As I got older, like in middle school, early high school, I started playing with bands, because I thought being a solo singer would be kind of lame. I just strived toward the Metal/Rock scene, so as I grew up I just started playing in different bands, mostly singing and kind of screaming. Then, that just took over my life, and then here I am now in Conquer Divide actually being a touring musician, which was always my goal.
That’s awesome, and going back to Conquer Divide, I’ve heard that YouTube auditions played a big part in the band coming together.
Yes, definitely, that’s how we found everybody. Kia, our singer, she heard about Conquer having auditions so she tried out through YouTube, and Tamara, our drummer as well. Basically everyone but our bass player, and our guitar player Kristen – everyone else was all YouTube. I didn’t audition, but they found me through my YouTube channel, so I can still say I thank YouTube for that. And yeah, everybody had to audition, because we’re all from all over the world. It was good, I love YouTube. (laughs)
That’s definitely great, and it’s interesting how in this generation, that’s a whole new way of bands coming together, through YouTube and technology.
Oh, yeah, definitely. Facebook and YouTube both had a big play on Conquer Divide’s formation, so shout out to them, if they want to sponsor us, I don’t know. (laughs)
Now there’s an idea. (laughs)
Exactly!
Now, you mentioned Kia, so having two vocalists within the band, you as the screamer and Kia as the clean vocalist, how does the songwriting work when it comes to dividing up the vocal duties?
It’s just like, mapping out what emotions we want to be expressed at that part in a song, whether we want to be really aggressive with this one verse, that’s when I would take it, or if we want to get a message across without being so aggressive, we would give the lyrics to Kia. So it just depends on where the songwriting takes us, when it comes to splitting up our parts.
Janel, you definitely seem to be someone who’s really into rock and metal, so let’s talk metal. When’d you first get into it and what are some favorite bands of yours?
Yeah, I was in 7th grade, and I was listening to all these 10, 11-year-old music, and then out of nowhere, my group of friends found System of a Down. And that was my real first Metal band that I ever really really liked. So first it was System of a Down, and then I moved to like Panic! At The Disco, which is another big first one for me. Then I found My Chemical Romance which basically changed my entire life – they’re the reason why I’m in a band, they inspired me so much to basically do what they did. So, I would like to thank them for where I am today. And then it was The Used, of course, it was between The Used and MCR, that’s what I was really into. Then I got into Green Day for a little bit, and then after that phase, I found the genre of music that I’m doing now. My favorite band in this kind of genre of music is Pierce The Veil, I really like Crown The Empire. But I also really like Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, D.R.U.G.S., Craig Owens’ side project that he’s been doing for like a year, I really dig them too.
Who in the band would you say shares your music taste most closely?
Probably Izzy. I know she likes Architects, who I also love as well, and she likes Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, so she and I are definitely on the same plane. Also, Kristen, our other guitar player, she also is pretty heavy into this stuff, so us three are probably the majority who listen to it. And Tamara listens to really really heavy metal, so she’s the one that has the most intense taste in music. Then Kia listens to like…Miley Cyrus…and Rihanna…and like, Beyonce. And then Ashley listens to country.
Wow, definitely a blend there.
(laughs) Definitely a blend, but it all works out. We all still like the same music.
Moving on, I’d like to talk concerts with you. Conquer Divide played South By Southwest in some showcases earlier this year, and Janel, you’re actually from Texas, so how was that for you? Had you ever been to SXSW before?
Yeah, I’ve seen it, before playing South by Southwest, I had been to – I think, 2 or 3 shows. But I remember that when I went to those shows, I always wished I could be, you know, those bands that are actually playing on stage, I’d rather be on stage than watching, and then literally two years later, there I was, at SXSW, in my hometown. The first time we played it was really surreal, and felt like I had accomplished something I had set for myself. So the whole experience was definitely a good, great experience on my end, and for the band, we played probably one of our best shows this year at SXSW. Definitely a lot of love for that festival from all of us.
You’ve also done a good amount of touring, so how do you like life on the road so far?
Oh yeah. I love, love, love touring. It’s something that I had been dreaming of since middle school, daydreaming and wishing I was on the road in a different city, playing music. And now that it’s finally here, it’s basically a dream come true. So if I could, you know, have a choice on my own, I’d be touring right now nonstop until I die. I mean yes, it does get kind of rough, the fact that you don’t sleep in your own bed, and you can’t just eat and go to the restroom and lay down whenever you want, but it’s definitely worth it in the end when you’re like, on that stage in front of everybody and everybody’s just in awe. It’s all worth it in the end, but I enjoy touring and I hope to do it until I get old and I can’t even move.
Something else I’d like to ask you about – Oftentimes when it comes to all-female bands, people tend to focus heavily on the fact that you are all girls, maybe overlooking the music a bit in the process. Does it bother you at all when you get questions about being an all-female band, or being a girl on the metal scene, things like that?
I think it’s more just an observation in my opinion, when other people say like, “Oh, it’s an all-girl band!” it’s like, “Well, yeah. It’s true. We are all girls.” and it is rare, but…in a way it kind of makes it special, and a lot of time I’ve had people tell me, “I heard your album on Spotify or Pandora and I didn’t even know it was an all-girl band, I literally thought it was just a female-fronted band and the rest were guys”. People have been like “I had no idea, and then I looked you guys up and you were all girls, and it just made you guys even more awesome”. So, at first listen, a lot of people don’t even know we’re a girl band until they either read it somewhere or look up a picture, so in the end it’s like, it’s not as annoying as you’d assume it to be. Until, you know, they start being like “Oh, your music sounds generic, blah, blah, blah”. But that’s only the butthurt guys that tell us that, the ones who are like “Your band’s better than mine, and yet I’m an all-guy band, and you’re ahead of me, but you’re all girls”…you know, the butthurt ones. So those are the ones where it’s like “Okay, you can shut up about us being girls”, but most of the time we get a good response!
Metalcore seems to be the category Conquer Divide falls under – what do you think of that label, Janel, of being a part of that genre? Do you associate yourselves with it, or do you maybe see the band as something different?
I mean, I guess you could definitely say we are a Metalcore band, I just feel like every time I hear “Metalcore” it just makes me think of a heavier band. But then again, I am the screamer so I guess we are pretty heavy. (laughs)
(laughs) That’s true.
So yeah, it’s pretty accurate. I’m not offended or anything, I feel like it’s a very proper term for this genre of metal. I know some people that say, “I don’t want to be a post-hardcore metalcore band”, but it’s like “Well, that’s the sound you’re making”, so…I’m fine with that title.
Things seem to be going well with your debut album so far, you’ve got a couple of music videos, you’re quickly moving up the rock and metal charts, so to wrap things up here, what’s next for Conquer Divide? What can fans expect to see coming up for you guys?
Well, as of right now, we’re kind of at a standstill, saving up money for our tour van that got kind of got damaged on our last tour. So as of right now, we’re going to be working on an acoustic type of rendition of our album, with some new acoustic songs going on there. And then we’re also going to start working on our new full-length album, once Izzy’s back in the states and we’re all able to write together again.
Nice, sounds like a lot of good things to look forward to!
Yes!! New material, for sure.
All right, well, thanks so much for your time, Janel, this has been great talking with you.
Oh, but of course, thank you for inviting me.
Absolutely. Thanks a lot for talking with me, and take care.
Hard Rock band Tyketto is approaching their 25th Anniversary, and a new album is on its way to celebrate. Reach, the band’s 5th studio album, will be out October 14th, 2016 on Frontiers Music Srl. A new video for the album’s title track “Reach” was recently released, and can be viewed here. “Reach” is Tyketto’s first music video in 22 years.
On the upcoming album, lead vocalist Danny Vaughn comments, “Although we only had planned on recording ten songs for “Reach”, we were so pleased with everything, we decided to keep all twelve songs on the record. We unanimously decided on “Reach” as the title of the album, as it defines who this band is in 2016. We have a new energy, some incredible new members, and a fresh outlook toward the future. All of us have pushed each other beyond our limits to make what we feel is a pinnacle record in our catalog.”
Drummer and founding member Michael Clayton Arbeeny adds, “Many bands who have been out as long as we have feel they need to fit into a preconceived notion of what their fans expect to hear. Following in the footsteps of icons such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Prince, we have decided to expand our musical boundaries and introduce our friends around the world to TYKETTO 2016. Rest assured that all the songs on “Reach” still carry the trademark melodies and choruses our fans have grown to love over the decades. The band is feeling stronger and performing better than ever and we can’t wait to share this music with the world.”
Rounding out the Tyketto lineup alongside Danny Vaughn and Michael Clayton Arbeeny are Chris Green (guitars and vocals), Ged Rylands (keyboards and vocals) and Chris Childs (bass).
Reach is available for digital pre-orders on Amazon and iTunes, and all pre-orders come with an instant download of the title track. The track listing of Reach is as follows:
Reach
Big Money
Kick Like A Mule
Circle The Wagon
I Need It Now
Tearing Down The Sky
Letting Go
The Fastest Man Alive
Remember My Name
Sparks Will Fly
Scream
The Run
Precious Little Gets Away (Digital Bonus Track)
Tyketto will also embark on a tour this fall/winter in support of the new album. Tour dates can be found below:
September 30th – Avalon – Hollywood, USA
October 1st – 5th – Monsters of Rock Cruise
November 13th – De Bosuil – Weert, Netherlands
November 14th – Spirit of 66 – Verviers, Belgium
November 16th – Pacific Rock – Cergy, France
November 18th – Hall of Fame – Wetzikon, Switzerland
November 19th – Riffelhof – Burgreiden, Germany
November 21st – Nachtlebel – Frankfurt, Germany
November 23rd – Matrix – Bochum, Germany
November 24th – Boerderij – Zoetermeer, Netherlands
November 26th – Cluny – Newcastle, UK
November 27th – O2 ABC2 – Glasgow, UK
November 28th – O2 Academy 2 – Liverpool, UK
November 29th – O2 Academy 2 – Islington, UK
December 2nd – Planet Rockstock – Trecco Bay, UK
December 4th – Robin 2 – Bilston, UK
December 5th – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
