Hard rock band Oceanhoarse has unveiled a cover of a Metallica classic for its latest single.
The band debuted its take of Metallica’s ‘The Four Horsemen‘ Thursday with the playfully re-titled ‘The Four Hoarsemen.’ The single is a standalone work and is not included in the band’s recently released sophomore album, Heads Will Roll. The album was released in February through Noble Demon.
While not included in the band’s latest album, guitarist Ben Varon said the cover was recorded during the album’s recording sessions.
“A little tip we took from Metallica is to start the recording session for a new album with a cover song,” Varon said. “It’s less stressful than trying to record one of the originals right away, and it’s a great and fun way to set the sound and get comfortable with the room. This song was recorded during the recording of our last album Heads Will Roll, and we think it turned out pretty cool! We hope Het & the guys like it!”
Oceanhoarse’s take on the Metallica classic, which is featured in Metallica’s 1983 album, Kill ‘Em All. The band’s take on the Metallica classic stays largely true to its source material while really amping up the original and giving it the group’s own hard rock touch, making it quite interesting.
More information on Oceanhoarse’s new single and album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Fans of Metallica will get to see the band in theaters around the world this summer.
The band announced Thursday, it will hold a two-night event, dubbed “Metallica: M72 World Tour Live From Arlington, TX” Aug. 18 and 20 in theaters around the world. Tickets for the two-night event are available now here.
According to information at the provided site, tickets must be bought separately for each night. There are no ticket bundles to cover both nights. Each night’s set will be different from the other, so audiences will not get the same songs in the second night from the first.
The trailer for the upcoming cinematic concert even is streaming here.
The upcoming concert event is part of the band’s support for its latest album, 72 Seasons, which the band recently released through its own label, Blackened Recordings.
More information on Metallica’s upcoming concert event is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Ice Nine Kills is gearing up to return to the road this summer.
The band announced the dates for its “Fear The Premiere Tour” Wednesday. The tour is scheduled to launch Aug. 6 in East Rutherford, NJ and to run through Sept. 3 in Phoenix, AZ. August Burns Red, Set It Off, The Plot In You, Mike’s Dead, and Veil of Maya will share time as support for the tour, which is in support of INK’s latest album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood.
Tickets for the tour are scheduled to go on sale at 10 a.m. local time Friday here. The tour’s schedule is noted below:
SUN 8/6 East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium*
TUE 8/8 Columbus, OH @ Kemba Live!
WED 8/9 Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
FRI 8/11 Toronto, ON @ Rebel
SUN 8/13 Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique*
TUE 8/15 Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
WED 8/16 Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
FRI 8/18 Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheater**
SUN 8/20 Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium*
TUE 8/22 Houston, TX @ Bayou
WED 8/23 Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
SUN 8/27 Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium*
TUE 8/29 Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium
WED 8/30 Flagstaff, AZ @ Pepsi Amphitheater at Fort Tuthill**
FRI 9/1 Albuquerque, NM @ Revel
SUN 9/3 Phoenix, AZ @ State Farm Stadium*
*With Metallica (Ice Nine Kills only)
**With Lamb of God (Ice Nine Kills only)
More information on Ice Nine Kills’ new tour and its latest album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
In celebration of the day, BMG has premiered a new animated video for the band’s cover of Metallica’s timeless single, ‘Enter Sandman.’ The video actually steps up the original video, giving even more life to the story in the song as a young man faces nightmarish and hellish creatures in his sleep.
As the evil creatures try to take the boy, Motorhead’s “Warpig” mascot comes to life and defends the young man from the dark entities, banishing them back to where they came from. This all happens as the band’s take on Metallica’s hit single plays over the visualization.
The cover, which according to information about the video’s premiere, was originally included in a music compilation for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1998, stays largely true to its source material. The main difference is the placement of front man Lemmy Kilmister’s vocals in place of Metallica front man James Hetfield. The overall sound is even richer (not in a bad way) than the original, thanks to the song’s production.
More information on Motorhead’s new video for its cover of ‘Enter Sandman’ is available along with all of the latest Motorhead news at:
May 2 marks 10 years since Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman died. Hanneman, who was 49 at the time of his death, died as a result of liver failure, according to a news release distributed at the time.
Fellow members of the rock and metal community took a moment Tuesday to remember Hanneman, including the likes of Zakk Wylde, Geezer Butler, and Dave Mustaine. Even the members of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders offered words of condolence, as Hanneman was a fan of the team during its days in Oakland prior to its move to Las Vegas.
Some of the comments shared across Tuesday are noted below:
• “What a sad day for metal. RIP, man.” – Slash
• “RIP brother, you will be missed.” – Zack Wylde
• “RIP Jeff Hanneman.” – Metallica
• “Brutal news about Jeff. Like a punch in the gut.” – Scott Ian
• “RIP to a dedicated Raiders fan.” –Oakland Raiders
• “Sad to hear of Jeff Hanneman’s passing.RIP.” – Geezer Butler
• “Tonight, one less star will be shining, and sadly, the stage got just a little bit darker.” – Dave Mustaine
• “RIP Jeff Hanneman. You will be greatly missed.” — Gibson Guitars
Members of the rock and metal community shared their thoughts of Hanneman in 2013 through Metal Injection through a special article following his passing. The article is available to stream here.
ESP Guitars also has an archived interview with Hanneman here.
More memories of Jeff Hanneman are available along with all of the latest Slayer news at:
Late last week, up-and-coming independent metal outfit Raider announced a new tour schedule set to launch this month. The North American tour, which is scheduled to launch April 14 in Toronto, ON and to run through May 14 in St. Catherine’s ON, also features performances scheduled in cities, such as Boise, ID; Los Angeles, CA and Two Rivers, WI. The upcoming month-long tour is in support of the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Trial By Chaos. Scheduled for independent release Friday by the band, this eight-song record shows promise for the band as potentially one of the next big names in the hard rock and metal community. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the intense musical content adds even more to the album’s appeal and will be discussed a little later. The sequencing of the overall content across the album’s 39-minute run time rounds out the album’s most important elements and puts the finishing touch to its presentation. To that end it will also be addressed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of Trial By Chaos. All things considered they make Trial By Chaos a sleeper hit among this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums and independent albums.
Trial By Chaos, the forthcoming sophomore album from Raider is a presentation that metal fans and the band’s established audiences alike will appreciate. That is due in part to the record’s featured musical arrangements. From the record’s outset to its final bars, the arrangements featured across the album blend elements of thrash and death metal within each work, creating plenty of engagement and entertainment. While the style is relatively the same from one song to the next, leading to comparisons to works from the likes of Arch Enemy, Exodus, and Testament. The changes in the arrangements are just enough that the sounds actually change from song to song even as the general overarching thrash and death metal approach remains throughout the album. The result here is a collection of songs that both in terms of sound and style offer audiences plenty to appreciate right from the beginning. This forms a solid foundation for the album’s presentation.
Building on the foundation formed by the album’s musical content is the lyrical content that accompanies said material. From one song to the next, the themes presented in the record are mostly positive. Though there is also at least a little bit of sociopolitical commentary in the single, ‘Rite of Conquest.’ When the band premiered the single in early February, it noted in a collective, prepared statement, the theme is that of humanity being so driven toward conquest that it has turned that drive to other planets. In the bigger picture, this is a commentary about human greed and desire to control everything, especially through military force.
In regards to its positive, motivating content, audiences need look no further than ‘Fearless,’ which serves as the album’s midpoint, and the album’s title track, which opens the record. ‘Fearless’ finds front man Angelo Bonaccorso delivering a message of internal strength in the song’s lead verse and chorus as he sings/screams, “Binding round the mind/Fear does form a cage/Marvelous was the dream/But the terror was great/Binding nigh deep inside/Pulsing through the veins/Claws clutching my very fate/Under the gun I’ll never bend/I’m a thorn in the flesh of doom’s evil hand/Fearless to the end.” This message of facing off against all of that negativity in life, including in one’s own mind is not unfamiliar in the metal community, but even here it is just as hard hitting as in any other song. The impact of the message continues in the song’s second verse, in which Bonaccorso sings/screams, “Futile to resistance/The battle’s in the brain/Trapped between chaos within and the entropy of space/Unknown adversity lying in wait/Time slowly grinding away.” Even here, this comes across as a reference to battling mental health issues before the determination to overcome that negativity returns again in the chorus’ refrain. The sense of determination to fight on continues even more in-depth in the song’s third verse. There is a lot more in the third verse, but suffice it to say, the message here is entirely positive. Together with everything else in the song, the overall lyrical content presents a welcome theme of overcoming the battle and winning the fight. When that positive message is paired with the song’s equally fiery musical arrangement, the whole makes the power in the song’s lyrical message all the more impacting.
Moving backward to the album’s title track/opener, this song’s theme also centers on overcoming adversity, but in this case it is more of a generalized adversity, more so than mental health. This is inferred as Bonaccorso sings/screams in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “Everlasting awakened abomination/The maelstrom that devours all of creation/Opens wide its spiral maw/Guiding fire/Steel me against all destruction/From wisdom, let chaos crawl/No force of evil can break my resolve/I will outlast them all/Trial by chaos/Bound for glory/My purpose is one/Trial by chaos/Endure the fury/Or fall to oblivion.” This opener makes one think of perhaps the awakening of Cthulu or something similar, but the overall message is, again, quite clearly just that of facing negative in life; of being single-minded in overcoming that adversity, whatever it may be. The message is furthered in the song’s second verse, which states, “Unafraid/I’ll never fall/When chaos reigns/You’ll find me still standing tall/I vow to stand triumphant/Let courage bind my bones/In this should I fail/my soul will turn to stone/And so I descend deep into the unknown/Twisting through the darkness/With this ancient formless foe.” The song returns to its chorus again from here, reiterating that strength against that evil, that negative force. It is yet another example of the positive messages presented throughout the album. The album’s penultimate entry, ‘Juggernaut Cerebrivore’ is yet another positive message that is also a commentary.
The commentary and message presented in ‘Juggernaut Cerebrivore’ comes across as being that of promoting individuality and not letting businesses control us. This is inferred in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “Spellbound human mind/New currency of greed/Boiled brains will oil the iron jaws of industry/High up on its throne/Spreading mighty wings/Juggernaut Cerebrivore deceives/All the world enslaved by this illusion/Bowing down, still, at the master’s feet/Another trophy for the empire of lies/Submission of your soul to their machine/From awakening to the end of our days/We are the offering. Buying their way/Bled on the altar of ill-gotten gain/The one million serve while the one gilds his grave.” This is a powerful, unique way to address the matter of the power that industry and capitalism has on the world. From the amount of focus we put on working and making money for others, to spending so those in higher positions can live comfortable lives (and deaths) this seeming theme is delivered in quite the engaging fashion here. The message continues as the band promotes the noted individuality in the song’s second verse, which states, “Autonomy of thought/Circling the drain/Infiltrator binding to your brain/Surrendered to the screen/Reprogrammed through the eyes/Juggernaut Cerebrivore divides.” In this case, the song is noting television and the internet is that juggernaut, and the role it has in dividing us, preventing us from thinking for ourselves. So between those forces and the impact of industry, the song is addressing the forces that control us and eliminate our individuality, turning us into a singularity of sorts. It is yet another powerful theme that while familiar in its own right, is certain to resonate with audiences because of the unique way in which it is presented. When it is considered along with the themes noted in the other songs examined here and with the rest of the album’s entries, the whole makes clear the power of the album’s lyrical themes.
When the overall lyrical content featured throughout Trial By Chaos is considered alongside the album’s overall musical content, that whole does more than enough to keep audiences engaged and entertained. The sequencing of said content puts the finishing touch to the presentation. As noted, the energy in this record is constant from the album’s outset to its end. Even in a moment such as the opening bars of ‘Juggernaut Cerebrivore’ the subtlety used in the song’s opening bars is only temporary and does so well to lead into the powerhouse presentation that follows. The constant energy in the songs that pairs with the constantly changing sounds in the arrangements joins with the constantly engaging lyrical themes to make the whole fully engaging and entertaining for the band’s audiences and metal fans alike. The overall presentation makes Trial By Chaos an easy candidate for one of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums and even new independent albums.
Trial By Chaos, the forthcoming sophomore album from Raider, is a powerful new offering from the independent metal outfit. It is a record that is certain to appeal to a wide range of audiences. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are each full throttle compositions that expertly blend elements of thrash and death metal for a whole that impresses from beginning to end. That is because even as the style remains the same from song to song, the styles change just enough to keep things interesting in each song. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements are all familiar topics but are presented in such fashion that they are original, and in turn just as engaging and entertaining as the album’s musical arrangements. The sequencing of said content brings everything together, completing the album’s presentation. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make the album a sleeper hit among this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums, and independent albums.
Trial By Chaos is scheduled for release independently by the band Friday. Pre-orders are open now here. The album’s track listing is noted below.
Trial By Chaos Track Listing:
Trial by Chaos
Rite of Conquest
New Dominion
Fearless
Labyrinth
Ark of Empyrea
Juggernaut Cerebrivore
Devour the Darkness
The schedule for Raider’s upcoming tour in support of its new album is noted below:
RAIDER Trial By Chaos North American Tour:
Friday, April 14 – Toronto, ON – Bovine Sex Club Saturday, April 15 – Windsor, ON – Chelsea Underground Sunday, April 16 – London, ON – Rum Runner’s Monday, April 17 – Jeffersonville, IN – Losers 812 Wednesday, April 19 – San Antonio, TX – HiTones Thursday, April 20 – Houston, TX – Acadia Friday, April 21 – Euless/Dallas, TX – Big Rob’s Saturday, April 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Ren’s Den Sunday, April 23 – Tempe, AZ – The Beast Monday, April 24 – Tucson, AZ – The Edge Wednesday, April 26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Redwood Thursday, April 27 – Fresno, CA – The Great Room Saturday, April 29 – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside Sunday, April 30 – Portland, OR – High Watermark Monday, May 1 – Vancouver, BC – Bully’s Tuesday, May 2 – Seattle, WA – Funhouse Wednesday, May 3 – Boise, ID – The Shredder Thursday, May 4 – Salt Lake City, UT – Aces High Saloon Friday, May 5 – Colorado Springs, CO – Vultures Sunday, May 7 – Des Moines, IA – Lefty’s Tuesday, May 9 – Menomonie, WI – Zymurgy Brewing Wednesday, May 10 – Two Rivers, WI – Whisky D’s Thursday, May 11 – Hamilton, ON – Doors Pub Saturday, May 13 – Kitchener, ON – Maxwell’s Sunday, May 14 – St. Catherine’s, ON – The Warehouse
More information on Raider’s new album and is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
The follow-up to his 2017 memoir, For The Sake Of Heaviness, the new, 192-page book continues the story in its predecessor, telling the story of how Slagel’s love of metal music helped him found the label and his experiences with bands that have called and continue to call Metal Blade Records home, as well as others. Among the bands discussed in the new book are the likes of Armored Saint, Metallica, and King Diamond.
The book’s forward was authored by Slayer guitarist Kerry King. King inducted Metal Blade Records into the Hall of Heavy Metal History in 2017.
Along with being available in a paperback pressing, Swing of the Blade: Stories from Metal Blade Records will also release in a box set presentation that includes a cassette tape featuring songs from many of the bands discussed in the book. That list includes the likes of Fates Warning, Unearth, and Amon Amarth. Pre-orders for the box set are open here.
More information on Slagel’s new book is available along with all of Metal Blade Records’ latest news at:
Independent hard rock act Antisaint is going to get some major exposure during this summer’s festival season.
The band has been added to the lineup for this year’s Download Festival. The announcement was made Friday. The 2023 Download Festival is scheduled to be held June 8-11 at Donington Park, UK.
The band joins the likes of Halestorm, Alter Bridge, Bad Wolves, Avatar, and The Warning as the newest acts to join the annual festival’s lineup. Antisaint is scheduled to perform June 10 at the festival, along with Clutch, Ice Nine Kills, Motionless in White and Metallica, among so many other major name acts.
Antisaint front man Matthew Whiteman said he was humbled as he talked about the announcement of the band joining the festival’s lineup.
“We’re beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Whiteman said. “This is the kind of show you dream about and to be a part of it is a huge honour. “It’s crazy to see ANTISAINT’s name on the same poster with so many legendary bands that we grew up listening to and drawing influence from. To be included in the 20th Anniversary celebration of such a widely respected festival makes it that much better. It’s a privilege to be included this year!”
Antisaint’s upcoming performance at the Download Festival is in support of the re-issue of its 2021 album, Vaticinate, which was released last year.
More information on Antisaint’s upcoming performance at the 2023 Download Festival is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
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Pantera will make its way across America this summer, and the band is bringing an equally well-known band along for the ride.
The tour will start with a trio of festival shows May 20 at the Welcome to Rockville Festival in Daytona Beach, FL, July 13 at the Rockfest Festival in Cadott, WI and July 15 at the Inkcarceration Festival in Mansfield, OH. From there, the band will head to Burgettstown, PA after wrapping its festival shows.
The remainder of the tour will see the band headlining select dates and serving as support for Metallica. For the band’s headlining dates, Lamb of God will serve as a special guest.
Pantera’s tour schedule is noted below. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. local time Friday here. Pre-sales open at 10 a.m. Tuesday for Citi card members here. Pre-sales end at 10 p.m. Thursday.
TOUR DATES:
*Festival Date | #Support Act TBD | ^Pantera Support for Metallica Dates|
2023 Dates
Fri May 20 – Daytona, FL – Welcome to Rockville*
Thu Jul 13 – Cadott, WI – Rockfest*
Sat Jul 15 – Mansfield, OH – Inkcarceration*
Fri Jul 28 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Sat Jul 29 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Mon Jul 31 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater#
Wed Aug 02 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Fri Aug 04 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium^
Sat Aug 05 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Sun Aug 06 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Tue Aug 08 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Wed Aug 09 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Fri Aug 11 – Montreal, QC – Olympique Stadium^
Sat Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Tue Aug 15 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Thu Aug 17 – Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Fri Aug 18 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium^
Sun Aug 20 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Wed Aug 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Fri Aug 25 – Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium^
Sat Aug 26 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue Aug 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
Thu Aug 31 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Fri Sep 01 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium^
Sun Sep 03 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma*
Thu Sep 07 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
Fri Sep 08 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Sat Sep 10 – Alton, VA – Blue Ridge Rock Festival*
Tue Sep 12 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Thu Sep 14 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Fri Sep 15 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Sat Sep 23 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life*
Sat Oct 07 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock*
Fri Nov 03 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center^
Fri Nov 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field^
2024 Dates
Fri Aug 02 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium^
Fri Aug 09 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field^
Fri Aug 16 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium^
Fri Aug 23 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium^
Fri Aug 30 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field^
More information on Pantera’s upcoming tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Machine Head is back. More than four years after the release of the band’s then latest album, Catharsis, the band released its 10th album, Of Kingdom and Crown Friday through Nuclear Blast Records. The 13-song album is a solid return to form for front man and founder Robb Flynn, who is now the band’s only original member. Over the course of the record’s 39-minute run time, its arrangements lift from all of the best of the band’s catalog, musically speaking, while also offering lyrical content that is engaging in its own right. Flynn and his new band mates – Waclaw Kieltkya (guitar, vocals), Jared MacEachern (bass, vocals), and Matt Alston (drums) – released roughly half of the album’s body in the months leading up to the record’s release, with a total of six of its song debuting between November 2020 and June of this year. One of the most powerful of those singles is ‘My Hands Are Empty.’ This song will be discussed shortly. ‘Rotten,’ which comes late in the album, is another notable addition to the record and will be discussed a little later. ‘Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate,’ which comes early in the record’s run, is yet another notable addition to the album and will also be examined later. All three songs noted are key in their own way to the whole of this album’s presentation. When they are considered along with the album’s other entries, the whole makes this record one of the year’s top new hard rock and metal albums and potentially one of the year’s top new albums.
Of Kingdom and Crown, the latest album from Machine Head, is easily among the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums. There is no question about that. That is made clear from the record’s beginning to its end in its musical and lyrical content alike. One of the songs that does so well to make that clear is ‘My Hands Are Empty.’ While not recently considered the album’s lead single, it was, in hindsight, the first of the new songs that would end up on the album in its release way back in November 2020. It should be noted here that while Matt Alston is currently handling drumming duties for the band, the drums in this song’s arrangement were handled by Navene Koperweis (Animals As Leaders, Whitechapel, Entheos). The arrangement overall features a sound and stylistic approach that, as Flynn noted at the time of the single’s release, is comparable to works from the band’s 2003 album, Through The Ashes of Empires. That is evidenced through Flynn’s distinct growling vocals and the richness created through the pairing of the guitar and bass alongside those pummeling drums. The addition of the choral effect to the mix adds even more to that sense.
Lyrically speaking, Flynn explained that the song tackles the issue of opioid abuse.
“I have some family members who have beaten their opioid addiction, and have some still in the throes of addition,” Flynn said. “it is painful to watch, and I deal with it with great difficulty. It is a song of sadness, but there is hope as well. I have beaten my own drug addictions and we can fight through this together and share our pain with the world.” The mention in the song’s chorus that “My hands are empty/Lies so pretty/Kill me gently” points directly to the emotional struggle. It is an allusion to someone feeling left with nothing as a result of so many struggles. In this case the struggles are with addiction, being at the bottom of that proverbial barrel. The mention of powders and pills in the song’s second verse, along with watching someone slowly die is that direct reference to watching people Flynn knows struggling with addiction. Seeing them “Disintegrate/You/Right before my eyes” and the emptiness haunting him makes that painful picture all the fuller. That overall lyrical picture, along with the power and emotion in the song’s musical arrangement makes fully clear why this song stands out among the album’s singles.
‘My Hands Are Empty’ is just one of the songs that stands out in Machine Head’s new album. ‘Rotten’ is another notable addition to the record. Its musical arrangement immediately takes audiences back to the band’s debut 1994 album, Burn My Eyes. The crunch of the guitars, and the pairing of the bass and drums really leads even more to that comparison. Flynn himself is even quoted through Apple Music as saying the arrangement came about during the band’s recent tour in celebration of Burn My Eyes’ 25th anniversary while also making his own comparison to works from Exodus’ 1989 album, Fabulous Disaster.
Considering the fire in the song’s arrangement, it makes the song’s lyrical content all the more interesting. That is because Flynn left interpretation of the song’s lyrical content to audiences. The mention of sitting, holding the “gun in hand/Barrel to the temple” leads to the sense that this song is lyrically taking on the blend of anger and desperation that comes with such suicidal thoughts. The anger comes as Flynn screams, “Everything is rotten to the core” in the song’s chorus. His further mention of feeling such anxiety, “heart racing/My throat’s constricting” even more seems to hint at those mixed feelings. If in fact, this is the picture that Flynn is trying to paint here, that of someone sitting there, feeling so much anger and sadness, anxiety and confusion all at once, then he has done quite well. That is because mental health is such a prevalent matter, and that constantly deserves attention. To that end, the overall picture painted through the song’s musical and lyrical content makes the whole here stand out just as much as ‘Empty Hands’ and the rest of the album’s offerings.
As much as ‘Rotten’ does to make Of Kingdom and Crown a powerful new offering from Machine Head, it is hardly the last of the record’s most notable works. ‘Choke on the Ashes of Your Hate’ is yet another example of how much this record has to offer. The musical arrangement featured in this song is, again, influenced by Exodus according to Flynn. He compared the intensity of the song’s arrangement to that of works from Exodus’ debut 1985 album, Bonded by Blood. Interestingly enough, that album’s title track (and much of the album) actually sounds more akin to early Metallica than Machine Head. To that end one could argue that this song is just as much akin to early Metallica as early Exodus. That is meant in the most complimentary fashion, too.
Lyrically, this song goes in a completely different direction from those of the other songs examined here. Flynn said in an interview about the song, that it was influenced by the Japanese anime series, Attack on Titan. He said the song is part of what is apparently a bigger semi-conceptual approach to this album that is based on that series and that the lead song focuses on two characters who both start out good but turn bad because of the bad things that happened personally to them. It is an interesting concept of there really being that there is no real “good” or “bad” guy in stories or in life. That concept, together with the song’s powerful musical arrangement, makes it stand on its own unique merits. When it is considered along with the other songs examined here and with the rest of the album’s entries, the whole makes the album overall an unforgettable new offering from Machine Head that is among the best of the band’s albums to date.
Of Kingdom and Crown, the latest album from Machine Head, is an impressive return for the band, considering the stark departure that the band took on its predecessor, 2018’s Catharsis. The album is a full-on return to form for Flynn and his current band mates. That is evidenced through its musical and lyrical content alike. The songs examined here each make that clear. When they are considered along with the album’s other songs, the entirety of that body makes Of Kingdom and Crown one of Machine Head’s best albums to date and one of the year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
Of Kingdom and Crown is available now through Nuclear Blast Records. The band is scheduled to join Amon Amarth on the road this fall in Europe, with each band promoting its own new album.
philspicks 