Hard rock super group Saint Asonia premiered the video for its latest single this week.
The band debuted the video for its new single, ‘Devastate‘ Thursday. The single is the third from the band’s EP, Extrovert, which was released last year through Spinefarm Records. The record also produced the singles, ‘Above It All‘ and ‘Blinding Lights.’
The video for the band’s new single is a relatively straight forward presentation. It features the band performing its new single on a sound stage. The soundstage is dressed up to look like a live stage setting, so as to reflect what the band looks like on stage.
The musical arrangement featured in the band’s new single is a heavy, thick melodic hard rock composition. The overall instrumentation creates a sound and style that is easily comparable to works from the likes of The Veer Union, Otherwise, and A Killer’s Confession. The addition of front man Adam Gontier’s vocals adds in the comparison to work from his past band, Three Days Grace. The whole is a sound and style that will fully engage and entertain audiences.
The lyrical theme that accompanies the song is a commentary about the self destructive people that make life miserable for themselves and others around them.
Gontier talked about the theme in a prepared statement.
“It’s a song I wrote about those people in our lives that always seem to leave a trail of destruction behind them,” Gontier said. “I feel like we’ve all got, or had, someone in our lives that was just evil. Not caring about anything but themselves, and turning everything they touch into darkness. ‘Devastate’ is about that.”
In other news, Saint Asonia is in the midst of a tour alongside Skillet as support for Theory of a Deadman. The tour’s next scheduled stop will take place Friday in Kansas City, MO. The U.S. leg of the bands’ tour is scheduled to run through March 26 in Los Angeles, CA.
Once it wraps, the bands will take the next month off before launching the Canadian leg of the tour April 26 in Waterloo, ON. The Canadian leg of the tour is scheduled to run through May 14 in Quebec City, QC.
The tour’s current schedule is noted below:
SAINT ASONIA ON TOUR: WITH SKILLET + THEORY OF A DEADMAN: 3/17 — Kansas City, MO — Midland Theatre 3/18 — Omaha, NE — Baxter Arena 3/19 — Denver, CO — Mission Ballroom 3/22 — Phoenix, AZ — First Arizona Federal 3/24 — Reno, NV — Grand Sierra Resort 3/25 — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live 3/26 — Los Angeles, CA — Wiltern
CANADA HEADLINE DATES: 4/26 — Waterloo, ON — Maxwell’s Concerts & Events 4/27 — London, ON — Rum Runners Music Hall 4/28 — Peterborough, ON — Peterborough Memorial Centre* 4/29 — Ottawa, ON — Club SAW (SOLD OUT) 5/11 — Toronto, ON — Lee’s Palace 5/12 — Ottawa, ON — Brass Monkey 5/13 — Montreal, QC — Le Studio TD 5/14 — Quebec City, QC — Imperial Bell * Supporting Theory of a Deadman
Saint Asonia released Extrovert and its companion EP, Introvert, together in December through Spinefarm Records. More information on the EPs is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
The old year is getting ready to finish once again and make way for a new year that is already starting to see a handful of new releases scheduled. New material from the likes of Anti-Flag and The Winery Dogs are already scheduled for release in January and February respectively. Mercury Studios (formerly Eagle Rock Entertainment) also has new archived live recordings on the way from Marvin Gaye and Ella Fitzgerald. Even the independent music community has lots of stuff planned for next year, including a new release from indie rock band Starcrazy in for them of its new album, Another Day, Another Squalor. Of course lots more music is sure to be announced in the coming days and weeks, meaning it won’t be long before things already start picking up.
While critics’ new music calendars will start filling up very soon, their 2022 calendars are finally done now that the last days of the year are here. One category of new music that doesn’t get enough attention from one year to the next is the smallest release, the EP. That is why this critic has made it a point each year to focus on the recording, which for some acts is a way to test the waters before releasing their debut albums and for others a space filler, for its own year-ender list.
This year’s list of top new EPs touches on a variety of acts. From independent acts to more established acts, lots of EPs have been released this year. From Saint Asonia to The Rumjacks to Black Veil Brides and more, acts across the musical universe have released interesting new EPs. Black Veil Brides’ new EP, The Mourning tops Phil’s Picks list of top new EPs this year. As with every year past, this list features the top 10 new titles in the given category along with five additional honorable mention titles for a total of 15 records.
Without any further ado, here for your consideration is Phil’s Picks’ 2022 Top 10 New EPs.
PHIL’S PICKS 2022 TOP 10 NEW EPs
Black Veil Brides – The Mourning
The Rumjacks – Brass For Gold
Hyro The Hero – Kids Against The Monsters
Saint Asonia – Extrovert
Genghis Nash – The Odyssey
Classless Act – Welcome to the Show
Liar Thief Bandit – Diamonds
Saint Asonia – Introvert
Twisted Mind – From Slave to Prophet
The Guitar & Whiskey Club – The Guitar & Whiskey Club
Them Damn Kings – Rise Up
A Vulture Wake – Kingdom
The Corps – From Oblivion
Los Saints – Welcome to Confusion
Darko – Sparkle
That’s it for this category, but there are plenty more to go before the year ends, including tomorrow’s list of the year’s Top 10 New Rock Albums. Stay tuned!
Hard rock super group Saint Asonia is keeping itself busy this year, and if the band’s scheduled winter 2023 tour schedule is any indication, it is going to be keeping itself busy into the new year, too. The band’s busy schedule started in July with the release of its debut EP, Introvert through Spinefarm Records. Its release was followed up last week, less than five months later, with the release of its second EP, Extrovert. The band is tentatively scheduled to release both EPs together next month in one complete package, less than two months after the band is scheduled to launch its next tour. Extrovert is another interesting offering from Saint Asonia that will appeal to audiences just as much as its companion record. As with Introvert, Extrovert‘s appeal comes in part through its musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical content are accessible in their own right, making for just as much appeal. They will be discussed a little later. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted is key in its own way to the whole of Extrovert. All things considered they make Extrovert one more of this year’s top new EPs.
Extrovert, Saint Asonia’s second EP (and fourth overall studio recording behind the band’s two albums, Saint Asonia (2015) and Flawed Design (2019) ) is another largely successful offering from the band. The record’s success comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which once are once again just as radio ready as any heavy melodic hard rock song that is run on America’s mainstream active rock stations. Just as in the case of the heavier works featured in Introvert, the arrangements in this EP boast a sound and style that is very similar to that of works from the likes of The Veer Union, Otherwise, and A Killer’s Confession. Even with those comparisons in mind, the songs here still boast their own identity separate from those bands’ works and from other worse that Saint Asonia has already crafted. Even in more contemplative moments, such as in ‘Better Now’ and ‘Over It’ the band still does not pull back but so much, but still manages to translate the emotion in the song’s lyrical theme so well through their musical arrangements without being too schmaltzy at any point. Keeping all of this in mind, the musical content that is featured throughout this EP does plenty in its own right to keep audiences engaged.
While the musical arrangements featured in Extrovert are positive additions to the EP in their own way, they are just part of what makes the record worth hearing. The lyrical themes that accompany the arrangements make for their own appeal. Case in point is the fully accessible theme featured in ‘Over It.’ This song finds front man Adam Gontier (ex-Three Days Grace) singing from the standpoint of a person battling an all too familiar inner battle with himself/herself. The person in this case is battling that sense of depression and doubt of self worth. That is clearly inferred as Goutier sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “I’m addicted to the pain that I’ve created for myself/Alone and on the outside/Always trying to be someone else/This weight on my shoulders/Where did I go wrong/My soul is so cold/And I hate what I’ve become/If I don’t find a way is it over/If I don’t blame myself is it gone/All of this time I’ve wasted/Or will I make it out from under this world before it falls/I’m over it all/I’m over it.” This is that clear sense of self doubt that so many people battle daily. Goutier continues the message in the song’s second verse as he sings, “I’ll admit that I’m ashamed/’Cause I’ve been lying to myself/My throne is rusted from the years/Of Living in this hell/I take so much ****/Is this where I belong/My heart is so charred/And I hate what I’ve become.” Yet again here is that inner battle that is so familiar to audiences. It seems quite melancholy on the surface, but on a deeper level, it is a theme that is certain to resonate with plenty of audiences. That is especially the case considering the manner of its delivery.
Another theme that is certain to resonate with audiences comes in Extrovert‘s opener, ‘Devastate.’ In the case of this song, there is a certain level of depth in its own right as The song’s subject seems to be addressing someone who is really his or her own worst enemy. In the process of being his or her own enemy, that person is apparently making others strongly dislike that person. There is even an inference that maybe that overall dislike was caused by addiction. The inference starts in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “Down in the dark/You live on the bottom/You fooled them all/Looks like you got ’em/When all is lost/Who will you follow/When all the same **** will be here tomorrow/You fall for anything/All for nothing/You never cared for anyone at all/Well, I hate every word you say/Even when you breathe/I can’t stand to see you medicate/Fake/It’s all one and the same/Nothing to believe/All you ever do is devastate.” The seeming message is furthered in the song’s second verse, which states, “Nothing to use/End of the bottle/We fooled ’em all/Like a role model/No matter the cost/Beg, steal or borrow/’Cause all the same **** will be here tomorrow.” The message is finalized in the song’s breakdown, during which Goutier sings, “All your lies/Under your disguise/When the weight comes down/You’ll be underground.” Once more, what audiences seem to be getting here overall is that apparent theme of someone addressing another subject who is being fake not only to others but also to himself/herself and the impact thereof. It is not a unique theme, but still welcome and accessible to a wide range of audiences in its own right.
‘Better Now’ is another song that shows the accessibility of Extrovert‘s lyrical themes. In the case of this song, it is clearly that of a broken relationship and the aftermath on at least one side. This is made clear as Goutier sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “Look at my face/I hope it haunts you ’till the end/You left me here for dead/when you walked away/How does it taste/To know that you were wrong/And now I get to watch you crawl/All the way back to me/Guess I let you get away with everything/Never called you out on anything/Had your back because you needed me/Now I’m standing here alone/Every time I think about it/You were a perfect mistake/Lesson learned/It was never forever/I can do better/Every time I think about it/Know that you were just in my way/Now I know/It was never forever/I can do better now.” This is unquestionably someone who is angry and deeply hurt by the result of that toxic relationship, yet who is also realizing he or she is better and is in the process of moving forward. It is a theme that will resonate with its own share of listeners. The realizations continue in the song’s second verse, which states, “Look at this place/Scattered with an empty silence/Every scream and every crisis/It stays with me/How can you face yourself/Knowing how you were so evil/Like poison in a needle/And the vein was me.” The overall revelation and reaction here will have such a powerful impact on plenty of listeners. It is just one more example of the importance of this record’s lyrical content. When this theme and the others examined here are considered along with the EP’s other themes, the whole leaves no doubt as to the importance of the record’s lyrical content. When it and the record’s musical content are considered jointly, the whole makes for all the more engagement and entertainment for audiences.
The sequencing of that collective musical and lyrical content makes that engagement and entertainment even stronger. From beginning to end of the 20-minute record, the heaviness and energy barely lets up, even when it does pull back. Those subtle pull backs are expertly placed in the bigger picture of the arrangements. The lyrical themes change up just enough to keep audiences engaged and entertained, too. Clearly plenty of thought and time went into the sequencing, and the result was success there, too. The end result is a positive general effect that is enhanced through the overall content. All things considered, the sequencing and content together make Extrovert another strong addition to Saint Asonia’s catalog.
Extrovert, the latest addition to Saint Asonia’s catalog, is another strong offering from the band. The band’s fourth overall studio recording and second EP, it offers much for audiences to appreciate, beginning with the record’s musical arrangements. The heaviness and energy in each arrangement is once again ready for any active rock radio station. That is especially the case considering how similar the arrangements are in sound and style to so many of the band’s hard rock counterparts. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements are accessible in their own right, making for even more engagement and entertainment. The sequencing of that overall content rounds out the EP’s most important elements, completing its presentation. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the EP. All things considered they make Extrovert one of the best of this year’s new EPs.
Extrovert is available now through Spinefarm Records. More information on the record is available along with all of Saint Asonia’s latest news at:
Hard rock super group Saint Asonia announced this week, it is set to release its new EP, Extrovert Nov. 18 through Spinefarm Records. In anticipation of the six-song record’s release, the band debuted the video for the EP’s lead single, ‘Wolf’ Thursday. When it is released just after Thanksgiving, Saint Asonia’s new EP will have come more than four months after the band’s debut EP, Introvert, which was released July 1 (also through Spinefarm Records). The two EPs are currently expected for joint release Dec. 9 as a complete collection, much like of Mice & Men combined its 2021 EPs, Timeless, Bloom, and Ad Infinitum last year into the album, Echo. Considering that these two EPs are allegedly going to be released as one joint recording in December, those who might not own either record would be well advised to wait for that planned release. While audiences await its release, they can take in Introvert now through all digital platforms and on CD. The record will appeal to the band’s established audiences in part through its musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the EP’s musical arrangements play their own part into that appeal and will be examined a little later. The sequencing of that collective content rounds out its most important element and will also be discussed later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make Introvert a presentation that gives audiences at least some reason to anticipate its coming companion record.
Introvert, the debut EP from hard rock super group Saint Asonia, is an interesting addition to this year’s field of new hard rock records and EPs in general. It is a presentation whose six total songs will appeal easily to the band’s established audiences. They are each also an easy fit for any mainstream, active rock radio station’s daily play list. Their collective musical arrangements prove these statements by themselves. Each arrangement is easily comparable to works from front man Adam Gontier’s primary project, Three Days Grace. That is not just because of his vocals, either. The specific melodic hard rock approach the he and his band mates – Mike Mushok (Staind), Cale Gontier (Art of Dying), and Cody Watkins (Art of Dying) – take in each song is so similar to the works that Three Days Grace have created. At the same time, audiences could just as easily to more recent works from Atreyu, which makes them even stronger. Stylistically, the songs are very close to one another. The thing is that there are some subtleties in the overall sound from one song to the next. When audiences actively listen to each song, they will immerse themselves in the songs and catch those subtleties, thus appreciating, again, each arrangement. To that end, it shows the strength of the arrangements in the bigger picture of Introvert.
The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements add to the EP’s interest in their own way both by themselves and paired with that musical content. The apparent theme of perseverance presented in the EP’s opener, ‘Above It All’ will resonate easily with any listener. The message is delivered with relative clarity as Gontier sings in the song’s chorus, “It’s time to take a stand and save our lives/Rise before we fall/There’s no more second chance/It’s do or die/Rise above it all.” This is a clear message of overcoming adversity and pushing through it. ‘Better Late Than Never,’ which immediately follows, somewhat continues that theme. In the case of this song, it finds its subject essentially talking about having pushed through that adversity and having come out on the other side stronger. This is noted as Gontier sings in the song’s chorus, “I know I was meant for something more/More than beaten, bloody, blacked out on the floor/But I’m here and it’s forever/It’s better late than never.”
From here, the record takes a more existential turn in ‘Chew Me Up’ as the song’s subject seems to address becoming his own self despite being told so many lies about certain things as he grew up. The song doesn’t note specifically the lies that the subject was told, but one can imagine they likely centered on so many aspects. The overarching theme here is one that is so common with rock and hard rock songs. It is that semi-angry introspection about the negative role that someone played in the past and how in hindsight, the subject has overcome that impact to be better than that other person.
From here, Gontier turns more introspective alongside his band mates, presenting songs of someone battling those all too familiar inner demons in the next pair of songs. There is some self-hatred, etc. in the songs, which will serve to help people going through such situations to know they are not alone. The record’s closer, ‘Blinding Lights’ is another all too familiar topic, thematically speaking. It focuses on the topic of a broken romantic relationship. So simply put, what audiences get here and in the rest of the EP’s lyrical content is material that is familiar and accessible in its own right. When it is all collectively considered alongside the record’s musical arrangements, that collective shows what makes the EP worth hearing even more.
The EP’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation. That is because of the fullness that it brings out of each composition. That fullness is brought out through the balance of the songs’ instrumentations and vocals. The result of all of this is a general effect that ensures listeners’ maintained engagement and entertainment from beginning to end of the record. Taking this into account alongside the EP’s overall content, the whole makes Introvert an interesting new presentation from Saint Asonia that gives reason for audiences to anticipate its coming counterpart.
Introvert, Saint Asonioa’s recently released debut EP, is a presentation that the band’s established audiences will find interesting. It is a record whose six total songs are easy additions to any modern, active rock radio station’s play lists, too. That is proven in part through its musical arrangements, each of which is its own interesting melodic hard rock composition. The lyrical themes that accompany that musical content find themselves quite accessible and familiar. That makes them just as important to the record as their musical counterparts. The record’s production gives the EP an overall positive general effect, bringing everything full circle and completing the record’s presentation. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the EP. All things considered they make Introvert a presentation that gives the band’s reason to anticipate its coming companion EP, Extrovert.
Introvert is available now through Spinefarm Records. More information on the EP is available along with all of Saint Asonia’s latest news at:
Saint Asonia is taking on a hit song from The Weekend.
The band debuted its cover of The Weekend’s ‘Blinding Lights‘ Thursday. The standalone single is available to stream and download here.
Saint Asonia’s cover of ‘Blinding Lights’ gives the song — which The Weekend premiered back in January — a whole new identity in its presentation. Where The Weekend presented the original with a distinctive 80s new wave approach and sound, Saint Asonia took that approach and turned it on its ear with its own melodic hard rock touch. At the same time the band stayed true to the original song’s general sound.
Front man Adam Gontier talked about taking on the song in a prepared statement.
“It’s always interesting deciding on a song to cover,” said Gontier “In this case, I just wanted to do something that people wouldn’t necessarily expect. I mean, any way you look at it, ‘Blinding Lights’ is a GREAT song. It was fun to give it our flavor, and add our style to it. Also, both we and The Weeknd are Canadian, specifically from the Toronto area, so that made it even sweeter. We’re all pumped with how it turned out. It hits hard.”
More information on Saint Asonia’s cover of ‘Blinding Lights’ is available along with all of the group’s latest news at:
Danny Wimmer Presents is bringing audiences a new live rock festival and cruise.
The company made the announcement Wednesday through a news release distributed to the media. Voragos: Destination Lunasea Beach is scheduled to take place Feb. 16-21, 2022 aboard the Norwegian Pearl ship. The cruise departs Miami, FL and heads to Harvest Caye, Belize, where audiences will disembark for one day for a one-of-a-kind beach festival.
Rob Zombie is scheduled to headline the beach festival. It will also feature performances by Mudvyane (which is replacing Chevelle due to scheduling conflicts that it had), Black Stone Cherry, New Year’s Day, Tetrarch, and Amigo The Devil.
Amigo The Devil, Kevin Martin (Candlebox), Brett Scallions Aupervant Fuel, and Austin Meade are scheduled to perform on board on the Voragos Storytellers Stage. Comedians Jim Breuer, Big Jay Oakerson, Rachel Feinstein, and Shayne Smith are scheduled to perform on the cruise’s Voragos Comedy Stage.
An after party featuring performances by Brass Against and The Voragos Shut Up & Dance, and others will additionally take place each night.
Adding to interest for the inaugural event is are special appearances SiriusXM’s Shannon Gunz and the cast of “The Space Zebra Show.” SiriusXM’s Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin is scheduled to emcee the whole thing on board and on land.
Other acts scheduled for the upcoming event are the likes of Atreyu, Crown The Empire, and Afterlife.
Independent hard rock band Gears is taking on humans’ hypocrisy as it relates to religion with its latest single.
The band debuted its new single, ‘So What‘ Feb. 25 along with the song’s companion lyric video through Skope Magazine. The video places the song’s lyrics over imagery of the band performing live as the song plays over.
The musical arrangement featured in Gears’ new single is a heavy nu-metal style work that lends itself stylistically to works from the likes of Skindred and Sevendust. The song was produced by Corey Lowery (Saint Asonia, Steromud, Stuck Mojo) and mastered by Paul Logus.
The lyrical theme that accompanies the fiery arrangement addresses the irony of people who claim to be so pious yet are the first to judge others.
Front man Trip Six addressed the song’s lyrical theme in a prepared statement.
“When we wrote ‘So What?’ two years ago, it was coming from my personal view on how religion has in many ways become its own sort of animal; overriding the concept of love, compassion, family,” he said. “How we’ve gone from loving one another to judging each other and even fighting them based on the religion one practices or doesn’t. Family should be the religion, not the other way around. Of course, anyone who listens to the track can interpret as they wish however, that’s my take.”
The debut of Gears’ new single comes less than four months after the band premiered its cover of Deftones’ hit song ‘Bored.’
More information on Gears’ new single is available along with all of the band’s latest news is available online at:
Hard rock super group Saint Asonia debuted the video for its single ‘Ghost‘ this week.
The band, which features in its lineup, Staind guitarist/co-founder Mike Mushok and Three Day Grace front man Adam Gontier, debuted the new fan-made video for the single. The song is featured in the band’s 2019 album Flawed Design.
One part lyric video, one part montage, and one pat music video, the production in whole lets the band’s fans show their appreciation for the song.
Gontier talked about the video’s creation in a recent interview.
“We invited our fans to show us what the song means to them and we wanted to work with them to create the visual to go along with it,” said Gontier. “I’ve actually never done something like this in the past. It’s been a great process, and the video turned out awesome.”
Gontier also addressed the lyrical theme featured in ‘Ghost.’
“It’s about losing someone in your life — whether it be to death, drugs, or sickness. It’s about trying to put the pieces back together after going through something unbearable,” he said. “Sonically, it’s got a different feel. It’s not just a straightforward song written around a specific riff. It’s probably one of my favorite songs we’ve ever written as a band.”
The song’s featured musical arrangement is a heavy, melodic hard rock composition that will appeal to fans of bands, such as Three Days Grace, Finger Eleven, and Breaking Benjamin.
More information on Saint Asonia’s new video is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
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