Metalcore band Less Than None recently signed a new record deal with independent record label Sonic Decoy Records.
The band’s new deal will see it release its new as yet untitled EP later this year through the label. In anticipation of the record’s release, the band premiered the EP’s lead single, ‘Aware‘ March 23.
While the song’s arrangement is being marketed as being closer to works from the likes of Killswitch Engage, The Amity Affliction, and All That Remains, the reality is that it is more akin to works from emocore bands, such as From First To Last, Blessthefall, and Escape The Fate.
The song’s lyrical theme is a personal introspective rumination according to front man “Carlos.” His last name was not provided in the press release announcing the band’s label signing and single premiere.
“‘Aware’ was a very challenging song to write for me,” he said. “I would argue it is my most spiritual song. ‘Aware’ is about connecting with your high self through self-awareness. It’s about the differences between ego and the self. You are not our thoughts, you are just the observer of them.”
Independent rock band The Violent Inzident is scheduled to release its new album, This Is Nu-Metal! Friday.
The band is scheduled to launch a new European tour in support of the record May 25. In anticipation of the record’s release Friday, the band has released three singles from the presentation. They come in the form of ‘Brazil Is Great,’ ‘Triggered! (The Snowflake Anthem)‘ and ‘Nu-Metal!’
The band clearly goes into each of its singles with tongue planted firmly in cheek as the songs playfully poke fun at the likes of Powerman 5000, Limp Bizkit, System Of A Down, Slipknot, and even Soulfly and Sepultura. At the same time, one of the songs even takes a playful jab at the thrash and black metal communities in its arrangement and video while another even pokes fun at the current state of the world, what with its overly offended ranks and another goes after the very culture of nu-metal.
More information on The Violent Inzident’s new album and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Independent post punk rock band Slow Crush debuted its new double single, ‘Blue’/’Billow’ this week.
The band debuted the new double single Wednesday, only days after the band debuted the video for ‘Blue’ by itself. ‘Blue’ is featured in the band’s latest album, Hush, but ‘Billow’ did not make the final cut, said front woman Isa Holliday.
“It didn’t make the cut because it didn’t fit the flow of the album as a whole anymore since we try to tell a story on an album,” she said. “Every song has its spot and ‘Hush’ wouldn’t work for us in any other progression or order of songs.”
Holliday continued, “‘Billow’ was supposed to be the song right after ‘Blue’ so it made sense to release them together as a single because they still work and fit side by side. It’s a song stark with contrast, uptempo but collapsing down every few measures. It’s this exact contrast that helped to shape the lyrics to the song or visa versa.”
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Blue’ has been marketed as shoegaze. The reality though, is that the slow, grinding, down-tuned approach to the song gives it more of a goth style sound and approach a la Type O Negative. That is especially the case when the keyboard line is factored into the mix.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the press release announcing the video’s premiere. The lyrics provided with the video hint at the song centering on the all too familiar topic of a relationship.
By contrast, the musical arrangement featured in ‘Billow’ is more of a shoegaze style composition. It is a slow boil type work whose guitars create almost a wall of sound. Maybe it is this critic’s own speakers, but it sounds like the vocals of front woman Isa Holliday are somewhat washed out by the fuzz of the guitars.
According to Holliday, the lyrical theme featured in ‘Billow’ centers on the topic of finding one’s own path in life and overcoming life’s adversity.
Courtesy: Quiet Panic
In other news, Slow Crush has announced a new live schedule in support of Hush. The tour is scheduled to launch April 8 in Brooklyn, NY and to run through May 24 in Philadelphia, PA. It features performances in cities nationwide, such as Atlanta, Ga; Dallas, TX and Chapel Hill, NC.
The tour’s schedule is noted below. Tickets are available here.
North American tour 2022 with special guests Cathedral Bells, Deserta & SOM:
APR 08 Knitting Factory BROOKLYN, NY
APR 09 Sonia CAMBRIDGE, MA
APR 10 Songbyrd WASHINGTON, DC
APR 12 Canal Club RICHMOND, VA
APR 13 Local 506 CHAPEL HILL, NC
APR 14 New Brookland Tavern COLUMBIA, SC
APR 15 Vinyl ATLANTA, GA
APR 16 Archetype JACKSONVILLE, FL
APR 18 Henao Center ORLANDO, FL
APR 20 House of Blues NEW ORLEANS, LA
APR 22 Secret Group HOUSTON, TX
APR 23 Meanwhile AUSTIN, TX
APR 24 Three Links DALLAS, TX
APR 26 Rebel Lounge PHOENIX, AZ
APR 28 Soda Bar SAN DIEGO, CA
APR 29 Lodge Room LOS ANGELES, CA
APR 30 Constellation Room SANTA ANA, CA
MAY 01 The Independent SAN FRANCISCO, CA
MAY 05 Fox Cabaret VANCOUVER, BC
MAY 06 Funhouse SEATTLE, WA
MAY 07 Hawthorne lounge PORTLAND, OR
MAY 09 Kilby Court SALT LAKE CITY, UT
MAY 10 Hi-dive DENVER, CO
MAY 12 7th Street Entry MINNEAPOLIS, MN
MAY 13 Cobra Lounge CHICAGO, IL
MAY 14 Hoosier Dome INDIANAPOLIS, IN
MAY 15 The Loving Touch FERNDALE, MI
MAY 17 Big Room Bar COLUMBUS, OH
MAY 18 Mahall’s LAKEWOOD, OH
MAY 20 Monarch tavern TORONTO, ON
MAY 21 Club Saw OTTAWA, ON
MAY 22 Bar Le Ritz MONTREAL, QC
MAY 24 Foundry @ The Fillmore PHILADELPHIA, PA
More information on Slow Crush’s new single, video, album, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Courtesy: 361 Degrees Records/O’Donnell Media Group
Nonpoint will launch a new spring/summer tour in May.
The band announced Tuesday, it will launch the “Taken Apart + Put Back Together Tour” May 20 in Flint, MI. The tour is in support of the band’s recently released EP, Ruthless, which was released Dec. 27 through the band’s own 361 Degrees Records. VRSTY is joining the band as support for the tour.
The tour is scheduled to run through June 25 in Cumberland, MD and to feature performances in cities, such as Reno, NV; Billings, MT and Denver, CO. The tour’s schedule is below. Tickets are available here.
Nonpoint Tour Dates:
May 20th – Flint, MI – The Machine Shop *Nonpoint Only
May 21st – Inwood, WV – Shiley Acres *Supporting Black Label Society
May 27th – Green Bay, WI – Epic Event Center
May 28th – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave II
May 29th – Minneapolis, MN – Caboose
May 31st – Fargo, ND – The Hall @ Fargo Brewing Company
June 1st – Minot, ND – The ‘O’ Riginal Bar & Nightclub
June 3rd – Billings, MT – Pub Station
June 4th – Spokane, WA – The Big Dipper
June 5th – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
June 7th – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
June 9th – Reno, NV – Peavine Taphouse
June 10th – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
June 11th – Fresno, CA – Strummers
June 12th – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst – Atrium
June 14th – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater
June 15th – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A-Go-Go
June 16th – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar
June 18th – Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
June 19th – Wichita, KS – Temple Live
June 21st – Springfield, MO – Outland Ballroom
June 22nd – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theater
June 24th – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
June 25th – Cumberland, MD – Rock The Mountains *Nonpoint Only
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Arrow Video is scheduled to re-issue Orion Pictures’ 1987 crime/action thriller Robocop again next month, along with a new re-issue of Universal Pictures’ 1995 movie 12 Monkeys.
The company’s re-issue of Robocop is scheduled for release April 12 on 4K UHD steelbook and will come more than two years after the company’s most recent re-issue of the movie. Robocop centers on a Detroit police officer who becomes half-man-half robot, all crime fighter after he is gunned down by members of a notorious gang. Ashe fights crime on the streets of his beloved city, there is also strife within the department, which is owned by an equally notorious group, known as OCP. While not a gang, it still exerts its own influence on the department and city. Arrow Video’s forthcoming 4K UHD steelbook re-issue of Robocop will retail for MSRP of $49.95. A trailer for the movie is streaming here.
Courtesy: Arrow Video
Arrow Video’s 12 Monkeys 4K UHD re-issue is scheduled for release April 26. The movie stars Bruce Willis (Die Hard 1-5) as a convict named James Cole, who has to travel back in time from 2035 to 1990 in order to stop the outbreak of a plague that wiped out most of the human race, but no animals. If Cole can stop the plague and the group associated with the plague, he will win his parole. When Cole is imprisoned in a psychiatric Ward for his warnings, things get even more difficult. 12 Monkeys will retail for MSRP of $49.95. A trailer for the movie is streaming here.
Independent rock band Ratchet Dolls will release its first new record in more than five years this summer in the form of a new EP.
The band is set to release its new EP, Bring The Noize this summer. An exact release date is under consideration. In anticipation of what will be the band’s second studio release, the band premiered the record’s lead single, ‘Modern Mistake‘ March 20.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Modern Mistake’ is a high-energy, guitar-driven composition. Its big riffs and energy will impress any guitar rock purist. The incorporation of the piano as a backing element alongside the bass and rums adds even more to the arrangement’s overall impact. The whole lends itself to comparison to works from the likes of Motley Crue and Poison. Audiences could even argue that there is a touch of Buckcherry influence here, too.
The lyrical theme featured in the band’s new single is about a woman. More specifically, it is a familiar theme about a man who is crazy for a woman that he knows is bad for him. That is evidenced as founder/front man Kevin Sauceda sings, ‘It hurts like hell, but I enjoy the pain” about what the woman puts the song’s subject through. The very statement that the song’s subject “can’t resist” adds even more to that noted theme. It is an all too familiar matter that will resonate with a wide range of audiences, especially when it is paired with the song’s infectious musical arrangement.
‘Modern Mistake’ is just the latest of Ratchet Dolls’ singles. The band released its then most recent single, ‘Parasite‘ in 2020. That song’s arrangement also boasts a clear Buckcherry influence. Its release was preceded by that of the single, ‘Out Of Control‘ in 2019. The band released its debut album, Damaged, two years prior in 2017.
In other news, the band is on tour in support of its new EP. The next date on the band’s tour is scheduled for Thursday in Asheville, NC. From there, the tour will gradually wind down through the first two weeks of April. The band is also scheduled to perform at this year’s annual Rockfest Festival, which is scheduled to take place July 14-16 in Cabot, WI.
More information on Ratchet Dolls’ new single and tour is available along with all of its latest news at:
Independent hard rock/metal outfit Repentance opened the week by premiering a new music video.
The band debuted the video for its new single, ‘Down In The Water’ Monday. The song is the third single from the band’s EP, Volume I – Reborn, which was released in 2021 through Noble Demon. The record also produced the singles, ‘No Innocence‘ and ‘Reborn’.
The video is a relatively simple presentation. It features the band performing its new single on a specially lit soundtrack and crosses that with footage of a man sitting in a chair, holding a bottle of alcohol. Various editing and lighting effects are used throughout the presentation to enhance to viewing experience and the impact of the song’s arrangement.
The arrangement featured in the new single is a heavy, intense composition. The combination of the screams alongside the equally intense instrumentation immediately makes the song in whole comparable to works from the likes of Dy Kill Logic, Hatebreed, and Terror.
Guitarist/founder Shaun Glass talked about the song’s arrangement in a prepared statement.
“When writing the new material I really wanted to make sure each song had their own identity yet fit into the sound of the band,” Glass said. “With this track the main verse riff set the pace for a dark heavy groove that doesn’t let up and brings the listener in a twisted journey…[front man] Adam’s [Gilley] Adams King-Kong-sized vocals put the stamp on this song and also this is my first song that I actually also handled the guitar solo which is a nice tribute to Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) & Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) – RIP.”
The song’s lyrical theme centers on the battle to overcome addiction, according to GIlley.
“The song is about trying to overcome the struggles from within and ultimately succumbing to the demons of disease in the end,” Gilley said.
In other news, Repentance announced Monday, it will release its new EP on vinyl March 30. The record is available to order here. According to information provided, the delay in the EP’s release date was caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic not allowing pressings to be made at various factories.
Courtesy: Noble Demon/O’Donnell Media Group
In still more news, Repentance is scheduled to perform live April 2 at the Cobra Lounge in Chicago, IL. Consume The Divide, Crusadist, and Vicious Attack are scheduled to join the band for the concert. Tickets are available here.
More information on Repentance’s new concert, single, video, and EP is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Pete Evick, guitarist and musical director of the Bret Micheals Band, premiered a new take of the 1983 anti-war protest song, ‘99 Red Balloons‘ this month.
Evick and his fellow musicians updated the song, originally crafted and performed by Nena, in response to the conflict in Ukraine. As a child, Evick himself suffered emotionally from the fear of nuclear war and potential conflict with Russia, resulting in him having to go to therapy. Now with Russia instigating an unprovoked war on Ukraine, those emotions have returned, leading to his desire to update the song for a new age, he said.
“I’m consumed with this tragedy to the point that I can’t function in my normal life,” Evick said. “I have no intention to profit from the song or use it to further my career. I simply want to raise awareness of this tragedy and show the Ukrainians that we care. This is just what I did while I’m figuring out how I can do more and really help.”
Evick and company’s updated take of Nena’s song stays largely true to its source in material in regards to its sound. The stylistic approach though, is quite different. Where Nena’s original was a typical synth-driven new wave style composition, having been released in the early 80s, Evick and company’s version actually has more of a ska-approach, interestingly enough. The positive vibes of the approach taken here makes for an even more powerful contrast to the very serious nature of the song’s lyrical theme.
The musical arrangement that Evick and company take in their updated take of ’99 Red Balloons’ is just one way in which the group stays largely true to its source material. The video is also very similar. The only difference that in place of the random footage of explosions, Evick and company’s video shows footage of the destruction in Ukraine caused by Russia’s unprovoked attack on the nation. Evick himself even opens the video walking along a countryside just as Nena did herself in the opening of the original video. Evick meanwhile sports a shirt with a message of support for Ukraine as he takes his walk.
Along with working on a new take of ’99 Red Balloons,’ Evick is also working on a new website at https://evick.com/newsite.htm.
To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
Independent punk rock band Jaguero released its latest single over the weekend.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Negative, Awesome!‘ Saturday. The song is the second single from the band’s new EP, on which the band is working. The as yet untitled record most recently produced the single, ‘Mild Safari‘ last month.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Negative, Awesome!’ is a rich, guitar-driven composition full of fuzz and drums. Audiences could argue that between the instrumentation and the screaming vocals, the whole presents something of a wall of sound approach and sound.
According to a comment from the band in a prepared statement, the song’s lyrical theme centers on a mental health matter.
“’Negative, Awesome!’ deals with the concept of balance: every day, we all face our commitments, our hobbies, our jobs, pretending that everything is ok and that this routine is fine for us,” the statement reads. “In reality, this is consuming us slowly, and we are so absorbed by this process that we are not able to wake up and realize it. It’s okay to accept also the negative parts of ourselves, because they perfectly co-exists with the positive ones. This is just who we are: a complex spectrum that goes from a bright side to a darker one.”
More information on Jaguero’s new single and EP is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Oceanhoarse kicked off the weekend by debuting a “new” single and video.
The band premiered its single, ‘Fading Neons‘ Friday along with a companion lyric video. The song was recorded during the sessions for its new album, Dead Reckoning, which was released Aug. 20 through Noble Demon.
The band talked about the previously unreleased song in a prepared statement.
“Before the new album, we’ve wanted to release this gem from the archives that we recorded as a special bonus track during the ‘Dead Reckoning’ sessions,” the statement reads.”‘Fading Neons’ was one of the first songs we wrote when we started the band – and it’s also proven to be one of the most popular ones, thanks to the Wreckfest soundtrack! We have played it on our shows frequently and it’s always been a blast – so we figured we should record the new, heavier live arrangement that we have developed over the last few years and make this new version rock even harder than the old one!”
The musical arrangement featured in the song is a high-energy composition. The blend of the vocals that are half sung-half screamed conjure thoughts of those of Annihilator front man Jeff Waters. The instrumentation meanwhile is a solid modern rock presentation. The whole makes the song an easy fit for any modern/active rock radio programmer’s play list.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme was provided in the press release announcing its premiere. The lyrics featured in the video leave room for plenty of interpretation, too.
The lyric video presents the song’s lyrics on either side of a creature in a hot rod that is holding a skull. The visualization makes for its own share of interest.
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