Metal band Pariah debuted its latest single and video over the weekend.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Venerate‘ and the song’s companion video Friday. The band, which rose to fame in the early 2000s through its EP, The Torn Instances (2003) and its two albums, Misanthropos (2004) and The Barnacle Cordious (2009), went on indefinite hiatus in June 2010 and has not released any new music until now.
The musical arrangement featured in the new single is a heavy, guitar-driven composition that blends elements of thrash and hardcore for its body. The immediate comparison that can be made here is to works from the likes of Hatebreed and Unearth. If the song is any indication, it marks a strong return for the band and possibly a whole new beginning for the group.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the news release announcing the single’s release. No lyrics were provided with the song’s video, either, leaving interpretation wholly to listeners and the band.
The video blends vintage footage of the band performing live with more recent live footage of the band performing as the song plays over the visualization.
More information on Paria’s new single and video is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Pioneering industrial-dance act My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult is extending the schedule for its “Evil Eye Tour.”
The band announced Wednesday, is has added dates to the schedule along the East coast and Midwest for the tour, which is scheduled to launch May 14 in Mesa, AZ. The tour’s extension was in response to demand by fans for more dates in the noted regions, according to a news release announcing the new dates.
The tour will feature the band performing some of its most beloved songs from the span of 1987-1997. Tickets are available here.
With the extension, the tour is now scheduled to run through Nov. 4 in Chicago, IL and to include performances in cities, such as Minneapolis, MN; Somervile, MA and Columbus, OH. Adult. and Kanga are scheduled to serve as support for the tour, whose schedule is noted below:
Bloodywood is coming back to the states this summer.
The band announced Tuesday, it is scheduled to launch the “Rakshak USA 2023 Tour” May 2 in Seattle, WA. The tour, which will follow the band’s “Rakshak EU/UK Tour 2023,” is scheduled to run through May 25 in Columbus, OH and also includes performances scheduled in Greensboro, NC; St. Louis, MO and Sacramento, CA.
The schedule for the tour, which is in support of the band’s 2022 debut album, Rakshak, is noted below. Presales for tickets and VIP packages will be available here starting Wednesday while general sales will open Friday. Vended and Wargasm will share time as support for the tour.
Bloodywood vocalist Jayant Bhadula said Bloodywood is excited about getting back stateside.
“We are thrilled to be back playing for our fans in the United States,” Bhadula said. “This tour is going to be a celebration of heavy metal, Indian culture, and the power of music to bring people together.”
TOUR DATES 05/02 @ El Corazon – Seattle, WA 05/03 @ Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR 05/05 @ Virginia Street Brewhouse – Reno, NV 05/06 @ Goldfield Trading – Sacramento, CA 05/07 @ Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA 05/08 @ The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA 05/10 @ Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO 05/12 @ The Metro – Chicago, IL 05/13 @ Pop’s – St. Louis, MO 05/15 @ Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX 05/16 @ The Studio At The Factory – Dallas, TX 05/18 @ Welcome to Rockville Festival – Daytona Beach, FL 05/19 @ The Georgia Theater – Athens, GA 05/20 @ Hangar 1819 – Greensboro, NC 05/22 @ Irving Plaza – New York, NY 05/23 @ HMAC – Harrisburg, PA 05/24 @ Roxian Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA 05/25 @ Sonic Temple Festival – Columbus, OH
Rakshak was among the most anticipated hard rock and metal albums of 2022 among many audiences, and it more than lived up to expectations. That was proven through all of the singles it released. Those singles are: ‘Gaddaar,’ ‘Aaj,’ ‘Machi Basad,’ ‘Dana Dan,’ ‘Jee Veerey,’ ‘Endurant,’ and ‘Yaad.’
More information on Bloodywood’s new tour schedule is available online along with all of the band’s latest news and more at:
Five years is a long time for a well-known band to go between new studio recordings. It is an even longer time frame for independent bands that are trying to make names for themselves, but that is just what the independent rock band Colossal Street Jam did when it released its latest studio recording, No Way To Live. Released Friday, it is only the band’s second album behind the band’s 2016 debut album, Live Free and the band’s third album behind the release of the band’s 2018 EP, Take Hold. Colossal Street Jam’s established audiences will agree the 11-song record was worth the wait, as its featured musical arrangements show. They will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements make for their own interest and will be examined a little later. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of No Way To Live. All things considered, this album proves itself a work that will appeal to guitar rock purists and Colossal Street Jam’s established audiences.
No Way To Live, the sophomore album from independent rock band Colossal Street Jam, is a positive new outing for the band that proves it was worth the wait. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements. As with both of the band’s existing records, the arrangements featured in this record throw back to another era of rock, a more creative era. The record’s title track, which also opens the album, immediately exhibits influence from the likes of Deep Purple and Heaven & Earth, what with the pairing of the keyboards and guitars. Front man Gene Potts’ vocal delivery offers an enjoyable subtle sort of 80s rock front man vibe. That is meant in the most respectful fashion possible. The whole makes for such an engaging and entertaining composition.
On a completely different note, the fully instrumental composition that is ‘Morning Light’ completely changes things. Yes, the classic rock influence is just as evident here as at any other point in the record’s 47-minute run time, but it stands so starkly apart from the rest of the arrangements. In listening through the nearly three-minute composition, the almost ethereal opening bars, what with the subtle keyboard line, gives the song an almost Pink Floyd-esque sort of sound and approach. That is just this critic’s interpretation. The subtle, controlled use of the cymbal rolls – performed by drummer Dave Halpern – and equally controlled guitar line from Sal Marra add even more to that sense. It would certainly be interesting to know if in fact the band was trying to emulate Pink Floyd here, because the comparison is inescapable, but in a wholly positive fashion.
On yet another completely different note, a track, such as the record’s penultimate entry, ‘Nothing Like It’ takes listeners in yet another direction, this time in a composition something very similar, stylistically, to works from KISS. That is evidenced through the bombastic, guitar-driven approach and sound featured throughout the arrangement. Right from the song’s outset, the KISS comparison with the pairing of the guitars, vocals and drums. The choral approach taken in the choruses add even more to that sense. The overall arrangement is among the best of the record’s arrangements and is certain to fully engage and entertain audiences. When it is considered along with the other arrangements examined here and with the rest of the album’s musical content, the whole leaves no doubt that the album’s musical content plays a crucial part in the album’s presentation.
As important as the album’s musical arrangements are to its presentation, they are just part of what makes No Way To Live worth hearing. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements make for their own interest. Staying on ‘Nothing Like It,’ it is just one example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content. That is because this song’s lyrical content is a full on celebration of rock and roll. Potts and company make no bones about it, either, singing in the song’s chorus, “Turn up the volume/Let’s crank it high/Let’s tear the roof off until the sky/When you feel it coming on/Let me tell you/There’s nothing like rock and roll.” Again, this is just a full-on celebration of rock and roll and the joy that it brings. The rest of the song’s lyrical theme follows in similar fashion, proving this even more. Between that celebratory theme and equally infectious musical arrangement, this song proves even more to be among the best of the album’s best songs.
Changing things up slightly is ‘Look It Here.’ This song is interesting in that it comes across as being one of those songs that centers on the all too familiar topic of relationship troubles. This is inferred as Potts sings, “Look here/What are you trying to tell me/Look here/What it is, I don’t know/It was only yesterday/I was feelin’ so fine/Can’t understand/Why you and I fight.” From here, he continues in the song’s second verse about thinking things were going right, only to get an unpleasant surprise even more so. This is a familiar theme in so many songs across the musical universe. What’s really interesting here is that the theme here takes a new identity thanks to the infectious bluesy groove established in the song’s arrangement. It would have been so easy for the band to go in a more traditionally melancholy direction. Rather than do that all too easy track, the band instead opted to take a different road, and in turn made the moment more of a moment of introspection but not in a negative way. It all makes this theme fully bearable even despite being so familiar. In turn it will resonate all the more with listeners, showing even more the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
‘Before I Sleep Again’ is another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical themes. Right from the song’s outset, Potts sings about the morning’s first light waking him up and looking forward to the start of the day “so I can breath some more/Before I sleep again.” How often can a band or musical act of any kind say it has a song that fully celebrates simply living another day and welcoming each day? This is a theme that is sure to resonate with audiences just as much as the others examined here. When all of these themes are considered together and with the rest of the album’s themes, the whole makes just as clear why it collectively is just as important to this record as the album’s musical content. Together with the musical content, that collective gives audiences all the more reason to hear this record.
As much as the overall content featured in No Way To Live does to make the album engaging and entertaining, it is just part of what makes the record worth hearing. The cord’s production rounds out its most important elements. That is because of its role in the album’s general effect. From song to song, each composition’s instrumentation is expertly balanced to ensure no one member of the band overpowers his band mates. That includes Potts. Even with so much going on in so many of the songs, what with the energy and instrumentation, it would have been easy for the production to allow the songs to get muddied, but thankfully that did not happen. The result is a positive general effect that is certain to keep listeners engaged and entertained just as much as the album’s content. All things considered, the production and content featured in No Way To Live makes the album a work that is certain to appeal to Colossal Street Jam’s established audiences and to guitar rock purists alike.
No Way To Live, the latest album from Colossal Street Jam, is a strong new offering from the independent rock band. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements featured here follow a stylistic model established in the band’s 2016 debut album, Live Free while also establishing their own identities. That is done by once again leaning on the band’s classic rock influences. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements are just as important to note. That is because of their familiarity and accessibility. In many cases, when those themes pair with the songs’ arrangements, the lyrical themes create a whole new identity that is certain to engage and entertain audiences all the more. The production that went into this record puts the finishing touch to its presentation. It ensures a positive general effect for the album, finishing the record’s production. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, No Way To Live proves itself an early candidate for a spot among this year’s top new independent albums.
No Way To Live is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Colossal Street Jam’s latest news at:
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Independent rock band ZWB debuted the video for its latest single over the weekend.
The band debuted the lyric video for its new single, ‘Right Back At It’ Saturday. The single is taken from the band’s new album, Up & Running, which is available now. The album’s track listing is noted below:
1. Looking To Play 2. Shakin’ Hair & Hands 3. Word On The Street 4. Drinkin’ Whiskey 5. Hole In The Road 6. I’ve Had Enough 7. Right Back At It 03:39 8. Self Made Man
The video for ‘Right Back At It’ is a straight forward presentation. It features the song’s lyrics over various imagery, such as the band on stage, an animated astronaut in space, and people dancing in various situations. The song plays over the visualization as the presentation progresses.
The musical arrangement in the song is interesting in that it blends classic rock and southern rock influences for its whole. The song’s lyrical theme comes across as being relatively straight forward, presenting what sounds like a message of determination.
In other news, ZWB is in the midst of a tour in support of its new album. The tour launched Saturday in Orangevale, CA. The next date on the tour is scheduled for Feb. 24 in Middletown, CA. From there the tour is scheduled to run through June 17 in Monterey, CA.
The tour’s schedule, which takes the band across California, is noted below.
Catch ZWB LIVE: 01/14 @ The Boardwalk – Orangevale, CA w/The Darbies & Bad Mother Nature 02/24 @ Twin Pine Casino – Middletown, CA 02/25 @ Twin Pine Casino – Middletown, CA 03/09 @ Hotel Utah – San Francisco, CA 03/11 @ The Canyon – Folsom, CA 03/17 @ Whiskey Tip – Santa Rosa, CA 03/24 @ Opera House – Roseville, C 03/25 @ G Street Wunderbar – Davis, CA 04/22 @ Blue Lagoon – Santa Cruz, CA 05/13 @ Green Room Social Club – Placerville, CA 06/17 @ The Salty Seal – Monterey, CA
More information on ZWB’s tour and more is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://linktr.ee/ZWBofficial.
Independent rock band Fortune Child kicked off the weekend with the premiere of the video for its latest single.
The band debuted the video for its its new single, ‘All I Wanna Know‘ Friday. The song’s premiere came roughly a month after the debut of the band’s then latest single, ‘Fool Me Once.’
The musical arrangement featured in the band’s new single harkens back to the psychedelic rock sounds of the 1960s and 70s and continues the classic rock influence that was just as audible in ‘Fool Me Once.’ Even with that classic rock influence just as evident here as in the song’s predecessor, the composition here still boasts its own identity separate from that song.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the news release announcing the debut of the new single. In listening to the song, audiences are left to infer that the song is being sung from the standpoint of a man who is essentially begging his woman to come home, perhaps after a big fight of some sort. Again, this inference comes sans any background provided about the lyrics.
In other news, Fortune Child is scheduled to launch a new tour starting Feb. 18 in Jacksonville, FL. The tour is scheduled to run through Feb. 26 in Orlando, FL. Additional dates in March, April and May – all listed through the band’s official website – will keep the band busy through spring 2023.
More information on Fortune Child’s new live dates and single is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Hard rock band One Day Alive is working on its new, as yet untitled album and in anticipation, is giving audiences a potential taste of that record.
That preview came last month in the form of the band’s new single, ‘Bringing on the Pain.’ Along with the single, the band premiered a video to accompany the song.
The musical arrangement featured in the single exhibits a modern, melodic hard rock style and sound that is immediately radio ready, what with the work from the guitars and vocals. It is a work that any active rock radio station would find an easy fit in its daily lineup. The song was produced by Jason Null, of Saving Abel fame.
The news release announcing the debut of the song and its video did not outline the message in the song’s lyrical theme. In listening closely without that explanation and any lyrics, the inference is that the song centers on the all too familiar topic of a relationship that has gone sour.
The video for ‘Bringing On The Pain’ blends footage of the band performing its new single in a studio setting, with some added video effects for added measure and some footage of the woman about whom the song is supposedly about in various settings.
More information about One Day Alive’s new single, video and album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Independent rock band Fortune Child is starting off 2023 with a handful of new live dates and new music.
The band is scheduled to hit the road starting Feb. 18 in Jacksonville, FL and continue Feb. 26 in Orlando, FL. Additional dates in March, April and May – all listed through the band’s official website – will keep the band busy through spring 2023.
Audiences will get to hear plenty of the band’s music at those dates, including the band’s debut single, ‘Fool Me Once,’ which the band debuted last month. The band debuted the sing’s lyric video last month along with the single.
The song’s musical arrangement is a full-on southern/stoner rock composition sure to engage and entertain fans of said genres.
The song’s lyrical theme is a simple, straight forward message of determination, and of not giving up despite life’s adversities.
More information on Fortune Child’s new live dates and single is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Independent metal outfit A Fitting Revenge released its new album, Omnipresence July 1. The 12-song record will appeal to a wide range of metal audiences. That is due in part to the record’s featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the musical arrangements play just as much into the record’s interest as that musical content. They will be discussed a little later. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make the album a work that metal fans will find worth hearing at least once.
Omnipresence, the new album from independent metal band A Fitting Revenge, is a unique addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums. It is a presentation that a wide range of metal fans will find worth hearing at least once. That is due in part through its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are of note because of the clearly diverse range of influences exhibited throughout its body. The death metal style screaming vocals pair with the equally intense guitar riffs from one song to the next to immediately make for comparisons to works from the likes of Arch Enemy and Between The Buried and Me all in one. The use of the ethereal keyboard line in the album’s opener, ‘The Performance’ makes that comparison even clearer. At other points, that pairing is joined by the bass and drums to make for just as much comparison to works from the likes of As I Lay Dying and just as much to works from Whitechapel. Simply put, there are clearly a lot of metal and extreme metal leanings throughout the album’s musical content, and that in itself is certain to appeal to a wide range of audiences, again. From one song to the next, those influences blend together seamlessly to make for 12 arrangements that are certain to keep audiences engaged and entertained without fail.
The record’s overall musical content is just one of its notable items. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements makes for its own share of interest. The theme featured in the album’s opener comes across as a sort of existential rumination that debates the concept of predetermination against secular views. This is inferred right from the song’s outset, which states, “This self-deception/Stage is set by the divine/The characters flawed/So-called intelligent design/So will you go on/Seek the stage on which to shine/Star in the role never assigned/Unfurling now/Incoherent psycho scroll/Volume of old/Every story ever told/So will you go on/Pleading with the shifting light/Mythic realities collide/Aimless/Pointless.” The song continues in similar fashion from here. In the end, it closes with the statement, “Revealed/Your fate/The script is blank/Your conflict was for naught/This fiction ends the same/Your purpose dies with you/When you exit the stage.” Yes, it certainly seems nihilistic, but it is certain to engage audiences and generate plenty of discussion.
On another note, ‘The Freeze’ is another example of the importance of the record’s lyrical content. This song is less clear in its theme, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The song states here, “Lightning bisecting the pillars of rain/A bullet that’s moving and standing just the same/Statuesque image of who we are/This visage frozen in time/Permanency is a lie/And the death of momentum begins our fall/From Mount Olympus/Ashes to ashes/A late reprieve/The eulogy slows to a crawl/Dust hangs in stasis/A moment in rhyme/Like a painting that captures the fall/Hope of mine/Fossilized in amber/Death of time/Stillness accelerator/This particle now a blur/Slowing to less than a stop/The ax blade hangs overhead/And now the present is truly the past.” The band really leaves this one up to interpretation, though the mention of hope being fossilized in amber reveals what sounds like another nihilistic piece. Though, odds are there is likely something more inspiring here. That the song is sure to generate so much discussion from its fully poetic approach makes it so interesting and another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
‘The Inquisition’ is another example of what makes the album’s lyrical themes important to its presentation. In the case of this song, it comes across (at least to this critic) as being a social commentary about the state of the world. The inference is made as the song states, “Grains of sand from an age yet to be/Signal infinity/Exploited paths/Manipulated roads/Talking chimp found a gun that it knows how to load/The only constant is change/And change is the meaning of pain/Tunnel vision/Black magic reversed/Grandfather in flames/There was never a curse/Selfish endeavors won’t last forever/Take what we may/On the last golden day/We escape the setting sun/Now watch your cities overrun.” It continues in its second verse, “Sow the seeds in native skulls/Raise up new walls over the graves/That we’ve tended before/The victims born/After we die by the same hands/The only constant is change/And change is the meaning of pain.” The mention later in the song that “Every choice will lead/Down the same path that we beat” furthers the seeming message in this song of how we are destroying ourselves through our actions even as things change. Again, this is just this critic’s interpretation and hopefully is somewhere in the proverbial ballpark of what the theme is in the end. Regardless, the seeming message and the deep fashion in which it is presented here once again shows how much the album’s lyrical content has to offer audiences. When the overall lyrical content is considered along with the importance of the album’s musical arrangements, that overall content makes clear how much this record has to offer audiences.
As much as the overall content featured in this record has to offer audiences, it is just a part of what makes the record worth hearing. The record’s production is just as much of note. The production is important to address because of the successful way in which it brings out each element within each arrangement. The powerhouse shredding of the guitars expertly compliments the equally cutting vocals from one song to the next. The drums cut through just as tightly, again, thanks to the work of those behind the glass, adding even more explosive power to the whole of each arrangement. Even the low-end from the bass makes for its own subtle touch in each composition. Overall, the production that went into each of the album’s songs makes each song equally powerful. To that end, the production that went into this album creates a strong general effect that is just as appealing as the record’s content. All things considered, the production and content make Omnipresence a work that most metal fans will find worth hearing.
Omnipresence, the new album from independent metal collective A Fitting Revenge, is a unique addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal, and even independent albums. That is due in part to its musical arrangements, which as noted here, lean heavily on a wide range of influences. Those influences range from the likes of Arch Enemy and Whitechapel to As I Lay Dying and Between The Buried and Me. That is a wide range of influences that are expertly balanced throughout each arrangement. At the same time, the arrangements still maintain their own identity separate from the works of those bands and from one another even within the album. The lyrical themes, which range from the seemingly existential to the social and beyond, add their own touch to the record’s presentation. Together with the record’s musical arrangements, the whole makes the record’s overall content reason enough for audiences to give the record a chance. The production that went into the album’s presentation rounds out the album’s most important elements. It ensures the record’s general effect is just as engaging as the content. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make Omnipresence an independent metal record that many hard rock and metal fans will find worth hearing at least once.
Omnipresence is available now. More information on A Fitting Revenge’s new album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Independent rock act Immerser debuted its new single and video this month.
The act, the brainchild of John Logan Parsons III, debuted its new single, ‘Blame’ and its video June 6. The single is available to stream and download through Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.
The musical arrangement features a sound that will take listeners right back to the grunge and garage rock sounds of the 1990s, which is what Parsons’ intent was, according to a statement that he released about the song.
“‘Blame’ is the product of channeling all the angst and grunge of the 90s,” he said. “It’s a reminder of a time when we could say what we wanted, do what we wanted, think what we wanted. An era when authentic art and music were at the forefront. Be whatever you are as long as it’s real. With this song I’m calling for a resurgence of authenticity!”
The video for the song features the song’s lyrics over various random images as the song plays over the visualization.
More information on Immerser’s new single and video is available along with all of the band’s latest news at: