Whitechapel debuted the video for the latest single from its 2021 album, Kin this week.
The band premiered the video for its new single, ‘I Will Find You’ Wednesday. The song is the fourth single from the record behind ‘Anticure,’ ‘A Bloodsoaked Symphony,‘ and ‘Lost Boy.’
The video for the band’s new single finds the band performing the song in a forested setting. It puts front man Phil Bozeman at the centering, emotionally examining his past and present.
Bozeman explained during a recent interview, how the video’s treatment ties into the song’s lyrical theme.
“I am being followed by my alternate reality/evil self,” Bozeman said. “It’s the part of me that can’t let go and will go to any heights to find the real me and pull me back into the dark past that I want to move on from.”
Musically, the song is — like much of the record’s musical content — some of the most radio friendly material the band has ever crafted. The band’s familiar death metal styling is just as present here as ever. At the same time though, there are moments in the song whose subtleties lend themselves to comparison to some of the more contemplative moments of Stone Sour’s works. Those moments come in the song’s chorus, during which Bozeman’s clean vocals actually closely mirror those of Stone Sour/Slipknot front man Corey Taylor.
Courtesy: Metal Blade Records
In other news, Whitechapel announced Wednesday, a new tour. The band will perform its 2019 album, The Valley during the nearly month-long North American run. On September 23, the band will also take part in the annual Louder Then Life Festival in Louisville, KY.
The schedule for Whitechapel’s upcoming tour is noted below:
WHITECHAPEL w/ Archspire, Signs Of The Swarm, Entheos: 4/14/2023 Masquerade – Atlanta, GA 4/15/2023 The Orpheum – Tampa, FL 4/16/2023 Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL 4/18/2023 The Underground – Charlotte, NC 4/19/2023 The Canal Club – Richmond, VA 4/20/2023 Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore, MD 4/21/2023 The Gramercy Theater – New York, NY 4/22/2023 The Palladium – Worcester, MA 4/24/2023 St. Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI 4/25/2023 The House Of Blues – Chicago, IL 4/27/2023 Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS 4/28/2023 Gothic Theater – Denver, CO 4/29/2023 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 5/01/2023 Showbox Market – Seattle, WA 5/02/2023 Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR 5/04/2023 Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA 5/05/2023 The Regent – Los Angeles, CA 5/06/2023 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA 5/07/2023 The Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ 5/09/2023 Mohawk – Austin, TX 5/10/2023 Grenada Theater – Dallas, TX 5/12/2023 Red Flag – St. Louis, MO 5/13/2023 Basement East – Nashville, TN
More information on Whitechapel’s new video and tour is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news, tour dates and more at:
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Dead By Wednesday debuted the latest single from its album this week, along with the single’s companion video.
The band premiered its new single, ‘Mars In Exile‘ and its companion video Wednesday. The song is featured in Dead By Wednesday’s latest album, Capital Conspiracy, which is available now through Mindsnap Music.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Mars In Exile’ is a heavy, intense composition that is one part thrash in the vein of Unearth, Whitechapel and Testament and one part Killswitch Engage. The KsE comparison comes in the song’s choruses, what with their more melodic sound and clean vocals.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the news release announcing the debut of the new single and video. The lyrics provided with the video hint at a message of commitment in a relationship. It seems present a message of someone saying saying they will be there for that other person even despite doubt from that other person. This is just this critic’s interpretation.
The video for the new single was inspired by drummer Opus’ son, according to the release. It features the band on stage in Lego form along with a Lego audience.
Courtesy: O’Donnell Media Group
In other news, Dead By Wednesday is scheduled to launch what it has dubbed “The Sick As F*** Tour” in April. The tour’s dates are under consideration.
More information on Dead By Wednesday’s new single and video 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:
Bleed From Within debuted the latest single from its forthcoming album, Shrine, and its companion video this week.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Flesh and Stone‘ and its companion video Thursday. The song is the fourth single from the album, which is scheduled for release June 3 through Nuclear Blast Records. The album has also produced the singles, ‘I Am Damnation,’ ‘Levitate,’ and ‘Stand Down.’
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Flesh and Stone’ is everything that audiences have come to expect from Bleed From Within musically speaking. The intense screams are there, as are the equally powerful orchestrations and intense drums, guitar riffs and more. Comparisons can be made at points, to works from Ice Nine Kills, and at others, to works from the likes of Whitechapel. The blend of influences makes the song a heavy, intense work that will appeal to a wide range of metal fans.
Drummer Ali Richardson talked about the song’s lyrical theme and its connection to the song’s video in a prepared statement.
“‘Flesh And Stone’ was born from the idea that future generations will inherit a dying planet,” Richardson said. “The evidence to support this theory is overwhelming, but we are still met with people who choose to deny the fact that this world is finite. Avoiding the traditional performance style video, we instead wanted to create a cinematic fictional world that could no longer defend itself from the sun; a barren wasteland once full of life. In her isolation, our desperate protagonist has resorted to rituals in order to manifest some form of life on this dead world, but it’s too late.
Courtesy: Cosa Nostra PR
In other news, Bleed From Within has an extensive summer tour scheduled in support of its new album. The tour is scheduled to launch with a handful of festival shows between June 2 and Aug. 18.
After finishing its festival shows, the band will take some downtime before launching a full European tour Dec. 1 in Cologne, Germany. The tour is scheduled to run through Dec. 5 in Paris, France.
The tour’s schedule, including festival shows, is noted below.
Bleed From Within – Summer Festivals
June 2 – Gdnask, PL @ Mystic Festival
June 10 – Castle Donnington, UK @ Download Festival
June 24 – Gräfenhainichen, DE @ Full Force Festival
June 29 – Viveiro, ES @ Resurrection Fest
August 18 – Sulingen, DE @ Reload Festival
Shrine – EU Tour Dates
December 1 – Cologne, DE @ Club Volta
December 2 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
December 3 – Eindhoven, NL @ Dynamo
December 4 – Hamburg, DE @ Logo
December 5 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
December 6 – Berlin, DE @ Hole 44
December 7 – Frankfurt, DE @ Das Bett
December 8 – Stuttgart, DE @ Kulturguartier
December 9 – Vienna, AT – Arena
December 10 – Warsaw, PL – Hydrozagadka
December 11 – Prague, CZ – Underdogs
December 12 – Munich, DE – Feierwerk
December 13 – Aarau, CH – Kiff
December 14 – Lyon, FR – Warmaudio
December 15 – Paris, FR – Le Backstage
More information on Bleed From Within’s new single, video, album, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Almost three years ago, upstart hard rock/metal band Bloodywood first started carving out its place in the hard rock and metal community when it released its single, ‘Ari Ari.’ The song, which blended the band members’ Indian musical background with a more western nu-meatl approach started was jus the beginning of a meteoric rise for the band. Each song and each video that the band released built its fame and fan base even more, even leading to a performance at one of the world’s most respected live festival shows, the Wacken Open Air Festival, in 2019. On Feb. 18, the band will take yet another big step forward when it releases its debut album, Rakshak. The 10-song album joins all but one of the singles that the band has released to date – ‘Ari Ari’ is, ironically the only single not featured in this record – to make an overall presentation that given the right support, will make Bloodywood one of the next big names in the hard rock and metal communities. That is proven in part through its noted musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content add even more appeal to the presentation. They will be discussed a little later. The sequencing of that content rounds out its most important elements and will also be addressed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make Rakshak a successful debut album for Bloodywood that audiences will agree was well worth the wait.
Rakshak, the debut album from up-and-coming hard rock/metal band Bloodywood, is a successful first outing from the band. It is a presentation that audiences will agree was well worth the wait. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements in question blend so many influences from one song to the next. Case in point is the arrangement in the early entry, ‘Aaj.’ Vocalist Jayant Bhadula’s growls in this song reach the level of death metal growls a la Whitechapel front man Phil Bozeman. His screams meanwhile pair with the rapping of co-vocalist Raoul Kerr to form the foundation for a sort of metalcore sound and stylistic approach. That leaning is highlighted even more through the combined performances of guitarist Karan Katiyar and the added bass and drums. There is so much going on here in terms of the instrumentation and in terms of the influences, yet it is all so well-balanced. The end result is a work that serves to show Bloodywood is not just another nu-metal band, but a viable hard rock and metal outfit with very real talent and ability.
The infusion of the noted nu-metal and metal influences is displayed just as well much later in the album in the form of ‘BSDK.exe.’ Kerr’s rapping against the keyboards and electronics at points throughout the song is full on nu-metal in every sense. That sound and stylistic approach is contrasted in the song’s choruses with a much heavier, guitar-driven influence. Again, Bhadula’s death metal growls are on full display, and so are some sharper screams. The band’s Indian influence is present here, too, just not as prominently as in some of the album’s other arrangements. The best comparison that one might be able to make in this case is to works from the likes of Fear Factory and early works from Chimaira. In other words, it boasts its own identity separate from that of ‘Aaj’ and all of the album’s other songs. It is just one more way in which the album’s musical arrangements show their importance to the record’s presentation. ‘Dana-Dan,’ the album’s midpoint, is another example of the importance of the album’s musical arrangements.
‘Dana-Dan’ is important in examining Rakshak’s musical arrangements because it also boasts its own identity. In the case of this song, the arrangement is just as heavy as ever with its down-tuned guitars, its screams, rapping, and its rhythm section. The nu-metal leanings are just as present as ever here courtesy of Kerr’s rapping. Bhadula’s vocals, paired with those of Kerr and with the instrumentation helps to take the arrangement in yet another direction. In the case of this song, his work and that of his fellow musicians gives the song a sound and stylistic approach that is similar to that of Devildriver and Slipknot. One could even argue a comparison to works from Unearth. That is the case even with the use of the keyboards and electronics subtly incorporated into the arrangement. All things considered, this composition is just as heavy as any other song featured in Rakshak and at the same time, still boasts its own identity. When it is considered along with the other songs examined here and with the rest of the album’s works, the whole makes clear the importance of the album’s musical arrangements. Of course the musical side of Rakshak is just one part of what makes the album a success. Its lyrical themes are just as important as its musical arrangements.
The lyrical themes that Rakshak presents are important because they are each so powerful and as diverse as the album’s musical arrangements. Case in point is the lyrical theme featured in ‘Jee Veerey.’ The theme here is one of determination. Bhadula encourages listeners in the chorus, to ‘Live, brave one/Fight those internal storms and/Win, brave one/Weather those wounds and/Rise once again/Fly once again” Kerr builds on that message as he reminds listeners that “We’ve all had to go/To the land down below/Where the sun don’t shine/And the moon don’t glow/Sat back/Trapped in the big bubble, saying/Chuck that man/It ain’t worth the trouble/Sound familiar don’t it/I think we all own it/A mindset that don’t seem to get/We’ve outgrown it/Now I’m sat back/Poking at the big bubble, saying/Talk back/You’re bigger than the trouble/Walk this valley of death/Head high/Say ‘I’ll be back, today I won’t die/’Cause try as we may/We can never deny/We can get back up if we’re still alive.” Kerr’s straight forward wording is sure to connect and resonate with any listener. This message of overcoming depression and mental health issues in general is anything but new, but is presented in a fresh way here. That in itself is impressive. What’s more, addressing mental health is always important. To that end, this song’s uplifting lyrical theme is a prime example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content. The lyrical theme featured in ‘Endurant’ is another example of that importance.
‘Endurant,’ which is one of the songs that helped build Bloodywood’s popularity, delivers a theme of forgiveness. It reminds listeners that while yes, there are people out there who want to make us miserable, we must forgive them. This is not something easy to do by any means. It is not within humans’ nature to forgive. We want to right wrongs done against us. The theme is made clear early on as Kerr comes right out and says in his rapping, “This goes out to the silent who fight the urge to get violent/This goes out with the love/bound with the power to rise above.” Bhadula adds, “Suppressed/self-conflicted/A prisoner of silence/Sever the bonds that always made you yield/Become your own shield.” Bhadula adds in the song’s chorus, “I am endurant/I am not a stray rock/I am the founding stone of a mountain/I am not weak/I am forgiving/Within darkness, I am my own light.” This is a powerful overall statement. It is another theme (and content) that will resonate with any listener with its supportive statements. To that end, it is one more example of the importance of the album’s lyrical themes. Along with facing one’s own emotions and thoughts, the band also takes on the matter of facing loss in the album’s lyrical content. That is made clear in the song, ‘Yaad.’ This deeply emotional song encourages listeners to grieve and to move on. The release and healing happens through holding memories of those loved ones whom we have lost. The band points this out not only in notes with the song’s video, but just as much through the lyrics. Kerr raps here, “Your fire burns beneath the frost/An empire built between my thoughts/Crisscrossed across the line that can’t be crossed/A million memories in this melody/Singing to me/Smile/This is the way it’s meant to be.” He adds, “With every breath/With every smile/With every sound of the beating heart/Your undying fire burns ever brighter.” So again what audiences get here is a message of knowing the loss has happened, but knowing that loved one will never be forgotten and that no one should ever forget loved ones who have moved on. At the same time, we cannot relegate ourselves to pining for them forever after they are gone. It is another familiar theme that is presented in such a unique way, showing even more, the importance of the album’s lyrical themes. When this uplifting theme is considered along with the other equally uplifting themes in the songs examined here, and with the rest of the album’s songs, the whole makes this record’s lyrical content so undeniably important. When the overall lyrical theme is considered along with the overall musical content, the whole of that content makes more than clear why Rakshak is a success. When the content’s sequencing is considered along with the content itself, it completes the album’s picture and leaves no doubt that this record deserves plenty of attention.
The sequencing of Rakshak’s content is important because it takes the diversity of those items into full account along with the energy in the songs’ energies. As already noted, the band takes on a diverse range of sounds and styles in its musical arrangements from one song to the next. The group also takes on a wide range of lyrical themes along the way. The sequencing ensures that both sides change as much as possible throughout the record’s 47-minute run time. Along the way, the energy in the songs’ arrangements is expertly balanced. The presentation starts on a powerful note in the politically charged, ‘Gaddaar’ and keeps that energy moving through to ‘Zanjeero Se.’ The album’s third entry, it balances the band’s heavier and softer side so well within itself, giving audiences the best of both worlds. From there, the energy picks back up in ‘Machi Bhasad’ and carries through to ‘Jee Veerey.’ Here again is a display of the band’s heavier leanings expertly placed alongside the band’s softer side. It is presented in a way that is unique from that of ‘Zanjeero Se,’ too. That makes the listening experience all the better. As the album progresses through its second half from there, the ups and downs are more pronounced in the contrasting sounds and styles of ‘Endurant’ and ‘Yaad.’ ‘Yaad’ is one part contemplative nu-metal and one part heavy ballad while ‘Endurant’ is much heavier and determined. The thing is that even with that difference, the energy between the two songs keeps the record’s energy stable in each work, once again proving the importance of the album’s sequencing. The album’s last two tracks pick audiences back up and get them back into the mosh pit, leaving them breathless by the record’s end. It shows once again, the time and thought that went into the album’s sequencing. The end result of that time and thought is that the sequencing gives the album’s presentation a positive aesthetic impact. When that impact is considered along with the positive impact of the album’s overall content, the whole leaves no doubt that this record is a complete success.
Up-and-coming hard rock/metal band Bloodywood is primed to be one of the next big names in the hard rock and metal communities. The band’s debut album, Rakshak, makes that clear. Given the right support, it is certain to keep the band’s meteoric rise to fame going strong. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are diverse, offering audiences elements of nu-metal, death metal, and even some aggro-rock and other influences throughout. Those leanings are well-balanced with the songs, too, making for even more engagement and entertainment. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements are just as diverse in their topics. From socio-politically charged songs to deeper works about accepting loss, and works in between promoting self-confidence among audiences, the themes touch on so many areas. They will resonate with audiences along the way because of their familiarity and the way in which they are presented. The sequencing of that content puts the finishing touch to the album’s presentation. It takes into account the noted variety in the content and the energies established in each song to make a presentation that is wholly fulfilling for any listener. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make Rakshak unquestionably one more of the best of the year’s new hard rock and metal albums so far.
Rakshak is scheduled for release Feb. 18. The band is scheduled to launch a tour across Europe in support of the record in March. The tour’s schedule is noted below.
Sat Mar 05 2022 – Im Wizemann Stuttgart, Germany Tickets
Sun Mar 06 2022 – Zoom Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tickets
Mon Mar 07 2022 – Die Kantine Cologne, Germany Tickets
Tue Mar 08 2022 – La Madeleine Brussels, Belgium Tickets
Wed Mar 09 2022 – Melkweg Amsterdam, Netherlands Tickets
Fri Mar 11 2022 – Gruenspan Hamburg, Germany Tickets
Sat Mar 12 2022 – Pumpehuset Copenhagen, Denmark Tickets
Independent metal band Braincell premiered its new single and video this week.
The band debuted its intense new single, ‘Defensive Wounds‘ and its even more powerful video Friday. The song is among the most unique new hard rock and metal singles released so far this year. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangement.
The song’s musical arrangement stands out because it blends elements of so many hard rock and metal genres within its body, and still manages to balance it all. Right from the song’s outset, audiences can hear influences of Slipknot and Devildriver. As the song progresses, Whitechapel’s influence becomes evident alongside touches of Ice Nine Kills, what with the use of the keyboards. These are so many varied influences, but they work so well together here.
The press release announcing the premiere of the song and its video did not mention the song’s lyrical theme. The lyrics provided with the song’s video seem to hint at perhaps a theme of dealing with the most extreme mental health concerns. That is, of course, just this critic’s interpretation and should not be taken as the only interpretation.
The song’s video is just as comparable to works from Ice Nine Kills as some of the song’s musical content. That is because it is presented like a horror story. The band is being chased by a psychotic killer in the forest, being taken down one by one. Meanwhile the band is shown performing its new single in a separate setting.
More information on Braincell’s new single and video is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Whitechapel debuted the video for its latest single this week.
The band premiered the video for its single, ‘Anticure’ Thursday. The song is the third single from the band’s latest album, Kin. The band premiered the album’s second single, ‘A Bloodsoaked Symphony‘ in September. It was preceded by the premiere of the album’s lead single, ‘Lost Boy,’ in August.
Whitechapel’s video for ‘Anticure’ is a “live” presentation of the song. The dim lighting and general setup is meant to reflect the band’s onstage presence.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Anticure’ is a stark contrast to so much of Whitechapel’s works. It continues to show the band’s creative evolution with its deeply contemplative verses and much heavier choruses. The choruses boast the band’s familiar gritty approach to its work. Meanwhile, the more brooding verses present something of a sound akin to works from the likes of Dry Kill Logic, Tool, and other similar acts.
As with the other songs featured in Kin, ‘Anticure’ continues the theme of front man Phil Bozeman dealing with thoughts and feelings connected to family struggles.
The track listing for Kin is noted below.
Kin track-listing 1. I Will Find You 2. Lost Boy 3. A Bloodsoaked Symphony 4. Anticure 5. The Ones That Made Us 6. History Is Silent 7. To the Wolves 8. Orphan 9. Without You 10. Without Us 11. Kin
In other news, Whitechapel is scheduled to join Revocation, and Shadow of Intent as support for Cannibal Corpse’s upcoming headlining tour on tour this winter and spring. The tour is scheduled to launch Feb. 18 in Atlanta, GA and to run through March 26 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
The tour’s schedule is noted below.
Whitechapel tour dates w/ Cannibal Corpse, Revocation, Shadow Of Intent Feb. 18, 2022 – Center Stage – Atlanta, GA Feb. 19, 2022 – The Ramkat – Winston-Salem, NC Feb. 20, 2022 – Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD Feb. 21, 2022 – Reverb – Reading, PA Feb. 22, 2022 – The Roxian – Pittsburgh, PA Feb. 24, 2022 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY Feb. 25, 2022 – The Palladium – Worcester, MA Feb. 26, 2022 – Anthology – Rochester, NY Feb. 28, 2022 – The Majestic – Detroit, MI Mar. 1, 2022 – The Vic – Chicago, IL Mar. 2, 2022 – Skyway Theater – Minneapolis, MN Mar. 4, 2022 – The Gothic – Denver, CO Mar. 5, 2022 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT Mar. 7, 2022 – Showbox – Seattle, WA Mar. 8, 2022 – Hawthorne – Portland, OR Mar. 10, 2022 – Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA Mar. 11, 2022 – The UC Theatre – Berkeley, CA Mar. 12, 2022 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA Mar. 13, 2022 – The Belasco – Los Angeles, CA Mar. 14, 2022 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ Mar. 15, 2022 – Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM Mar. 17, 2022 – Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX Mar. 18, 2022 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX Mar. 19, 2022 – Amplified Live – Dallas, TX Mar. 21, 2022 – Red Flag – St. Louis, MO Mar. 22, 2022 – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY Mar. 23, 2022 – Iron City – Birmingham, AL Mar. 25, 2022 – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL Mar. 26, 2022 – Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
More information on Whitechapel’s new album is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news, tour dates and more at:
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Independent metalcore band As Within, So Without released its new album, Salvation Wednesday. The 11-song record is a presentation that will appeal equally to the band’s established audience base and to casual metalcore fans. That is due in large part to its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The roughly 26-minute record’s lyrical content works with its musical arrangements to make for even more interest and will be examined a little later. The album’s production rounds out its most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of Salvation’s presentation. All things considered, they make Salvation a work that the noted audiences will find worth hearing at least once.
As Within, So Without’s new album, Salvation, is a record that the band’s established audiences and casual metalcore fans alike will find interesting. That is due in large part to the record’s musical arrangements. From beginning to end, the record presents a nonstop display of metalcore. The heavy, crunching guitars, the dual approach of the screams and clean vocals, and the equally heavy, rich bass and drums makes each song so engaging and entertaining for the noted audiences. The arrangements easily lend themselves to comparison to works from the likes of Ice Nine Kills, As I Lay Dying, and Killswitch Engage, just to name a few similar acts. A casual listen through the record makes each arrangement sound the same. However, audiences who actively listen to each work will catch the subtle changes that make each song different from one another. Case in point is the album’s opener, ‘Ch. III: The Undefined.’ This song’s full one assault is a face melting work that even though it barely tops the two minute mark, absolutely pounds listeners’ ears. That approach and sound makes it comparable to works from the likes of Unearth and Whitechapel. By comparison, a song, such as ‘Frostbite,’ with its machine gun precise guitar riffs and equally tight drumming and screams make it so similar to works from Killswitch Engage. The intensity exuded through the song is so much different from that of ‘Ch. III: The Undefined’ and the rest of the album’s entries. ‘Salvation,’ which closes out the album, changes things up even more with its deep screams and heavy instrumentation. The minor chords used in the guitar line and the punch from the drums and bass pair with the guitar and vocals to give that song a sound that is more comparable to KsE and to As I Lay Dying. That is especially the case considering the contrast of the heavier verses and the more melodic choruses. It is just one more way in which the album’s musical arrangements prove so important to the album’s presentation. Again, the changes from one song to the next are subtle, but those who actively immerse themselves in the album will catch those subtleties and in turn agree that the record’s musical arrangements are so critical to the album.
It goes without saying that the musical content featured in Salvation is important to the album’s presentation. Yes, the record’s musical content is largely metalcore in its approach, but the band presents influences from so many of its more well-known counterparts in the metalcore community from beginning to end, changing things from one song to the next and ensuring the songs maintain their own identity in the process. They are just one part of what makes the record worth hearing, too. The record’s lyrical content is just as important to its presentation as its musical arrangements. The lyrical content in question follows an overarching theme so to speak. According to comments from the band, the album is a concept record that follows a man who is on a personal and spiritual journey of healing. Not having lyrics to reference, the content that can be deciphered leads listeners to hear that story, beginning with the story’s subject at a point of total anger over events of the past. From broken relationships with a certain person or people early on to anger over an absent parent in ‘Like The Wind’ to the subject’s seeming eventual realization that there was no point in holding in so much anger, the story will connect with a wide range of audiences. What’s more, the very fact that a metal act opted to take on a concept record to begin with is of its own note. Generally, concept records are saved for the prog-metal community (E.g. bands, such as Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Between The Buried and Me). So to have a pure metal band, such as this taking on a concept record is in itself unique in terms of lyrical content. To that end, that and the story itself together make the album’s overall lyrical content even more reason for audiences to give this album a chance. It is just one more item that audiences will appreciate about the album, too. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements.
The production that went into Salvation is important to address because of its role in the album’s general effect. Going back to the note of the intensity of each of the album’s arrangements, they are exactly that. There is a lot going on in each arrangement between the instrumentations and the vocals. Even in the case of the vocals themselves, the production that went into balancing the screams and clean vocals played its own role. The end result of all of that work from one song to the next is that each arrangement is professionally balanced. No one band member overpowers his band mates at any point. The slightest nuances, such as keyboard lines even play their own important part and add their own layer of engagement and entertainment to the songs. That is again, thanks to the time and effort put in to balancing those lines with everything else in each song. All things considered, the production that went into Salvation gives the album a fully positive general effect. Keeping that in mind along with the role of the album’s musical arrangements in general and with the role of the album’s lyrical content, and the whole makes the album overall a work that AWSW’s established audiences will find just as appealing as more casual metalcore fans.
Salvation is a positive new offering from As Within So Without. That is due in large part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are important to the album’s presentation because they take audiences into so many sub realms (of sorts) of the metalcore community. The changes from song to song are subtle, and listeners who actively take in the album will catch those subtle changes. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements are just as important to its presentation as the album’s musical content. That is because of their accessibility and the very fact that they play into a bigger concept for the album. That a metal band decided to take on a concept for a record is itself rare, making for even more reason for audiences to hear the album. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation. It gives the album a strong general effect through the balance that it insures in the album’s instrumentation and vocals. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album. All things considered, they make Salvation a positive addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums and independent albums.
Salvation is available now. More information on As Within, So Without’s new album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Halloween is almost over, but horror, like evil, will never die. Metalcore band Ice Nine Kills is an act that seems to live by that mantra, having released so many albums based on horror novels and movies throughout its life. The band continued to prove that Oct. 15 when it released its long-awaited new album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood. The wait for this record was well worth it, as this critic and any of the band’s fans will agree. That is proven in part through the musical arrangements featured in this record. They will be discussed shortly. The movies represented in the new album add to the record’s appeal in their own way and will be discussed a little later. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted does its own part to make INK’s new album successful. All things considered, they make the album another successful offering from the band that is not just a great musical Halloween treat this year, but a great addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Ice Nine Kills’ latest album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood is another successful new offering from the band that the band’s fans new and established alike will appreciate. That is due in no small part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are important to the record’s success because of the mix of familiar and new sounds and styles that they exhibit. Right from the album’s outset in the album’s title track, audiences get the band’s familiar melodic metalcore approach, complete with front man Spencer Charnas’ solid mix of clean vocals and screams and the band’s familiar choral element that has become such a trademark of the band’s songs. From there though, the band changes things up in ‘A Rash Decision.’ The ominous piano line that opens the arrangement is familiar, but as the arrangement progresses, it very quickly turns to a decidedly Slipknot-esque composition with its heavy, driving guitars, screams, and pounding, solid time keeping. This is an approach that the band has dabbled with in the past, but never to this extent. ‘Assault & Batteries’ meanwhile takes audiences back to the sounds so familiar in The Silver Scream and even all the way back to the band’s even earlier hit song, ‘Communion of the Cursed.’ Listeners get even more of the noted Slipknot influence in ‘Funeral Derangements,’ which is one of the album’s many singles. Perhaps the most notable of the album’s arrangements comes in the form of ‘Rainy Day’ (yes another of the album’s singles). The incorporation of the electronics into the song conjure thoughts of songs from the likes of Gravity Kills and Spineshank. That newer sound pairs with the arrangement’s more familiar metalcore elements to make it one of the album’s most notable musical works. Audiences who want even more new approaches and sounds get that in the distinctly death metal style ‘Take Your Pick.’ Considering that this song features a guest appearance by Cannibal Corpse front man Corpsgrinder, the comparison there is immediate. To a slightly lesser degree, audiences can also make a comparison to works from the likes of Whitechapel. From there on out, audiences get plenty of familiar sounds and styles in every song that follows. At the same time, the songs still boast their own identities, even with that familiarity noted. Keeping all of this in mind, the mix of new and familiar from one arrangement to the next and even within certain songs makes for reason enough for audiences to hear this record. Of course, the musical arrangements featured in INK’s new album are collectively just one part of what makes this album worth hearing. The movies that are represented throughout the record make for their own interest.
The movies that INK chose to represent in its latest album are important to note because unlike so many cinematic sequels, they are not just re-hashings of the material from the original. From the singles already released so far, audiences know that classic movies, such as Pet Sematary, American Psycho, Child’s Play and Resident Evil are represented here. Also represented are seemingly the likes of Cabin in the Woods (‘A Rash Decision’), The Fly (‘F.L.Y.’), and even Psycho (‘The Shower Scene’) among others. Hellraiser is seemingly represented here in ‘The Box’ as is The Evil Dead in ‘Ex-Mortis.’ Simply put, between the movies listed here and the others featured here, INK has opted to not just re-visit the movies visited in the songs from The Silver Scream and its initial sequel/spinoff, The Silver Scream: The Final Cut. What’s more, the band also made sure to pick movies from across the horror spectrum and history. Not only does this serve as respect for those movies, but it could very well serve as a starting point for a lifelong love for (and potentially obsession with) those movies for new horror fans. To that end, that and everything else noted here shows why the movies chosen for this record are important to the album’s success. Even with this in mind, there is still one more item to address here. That item is the record’s sequencing.
The sequencing of The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood is important because it ensures the album’s energy remains just right from start to end. The album starts off in ominous fashion, but doesn’t wait long before it really picks up. From there, the energy barely shifts at any point. When it does, it is subtle at best. The result is that it does just as much to keep listeners engaged and entertained throughout the album as its content and the very cinematic history presented through the featured movies. Keeping all of this in mind, there is no doubt that the sequencing of INK’s new album is just as important to note as the album’s content. It all comes together to make the album its own welcome musical love letter to Hollywood’s horror history just as much as its predecessors.
Ice Nine Kills’ recently released album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrrorwood is another successful offering from the band. It is a work that the band’s established and newer audiences alike will enjoy. That is due in no small part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements offer listeners a solid blend of familiar sounds and styles, and newer approaches. The whole there makes for plenty of engagement and entertainment. The movies that are represented throughout the album are of their own importance. That is because they are not just repeats of the movies represented in the band’s most recent records. They continue to show the band’s love for Hollywood’s rich history of horror while also continuing to potentially introduce audiences to that rich history. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements. That is because it ensures that the record’s energy remains solid from start to end. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make the album another successful offering from Ice Nine Kills and one more of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood is available now through Fearless Records. More information on Ice Nine Kills’ new album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
When the COVID-19 pandemic reached America in late 2019, it clearly did a lot of bad things to this nation on so many levels. At the same time, it apparently did some good, too. The mixed blessing of the pandemic is that it led to so many musical acts spending their forced downtime making new music. This has been pointed out multiple times this year by this critic. Now Friday, another name can be added to the list of acts that crafted new material during the pandemic in the form of Whitechapel. The band is scheduled to release its new album, Kin, which was crafted in 2020 – during the pandemic’s height – Friday through Metal Blade Records. Coming more than a year after the release of its then latest album, The Valley, the 11-song record is a solid follow-up to that presentation. That is due in part to its lyrical content, which will be examined shortly. The musical content that accompanies the album’s lyrical presentation builds on the noted content to make the album even more engaging and entertaining. It will be discussed a little later. The production that went into Kin rounds out the album’s most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted is key in its own right to the whole of the album. All things considered, they make Kin a powerful new offering from Whitechapel that deserves its own spot among the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Whitechapel’s forthcoming album, Kin, is a powerful new offering from the band that its established audiences will enjoy just as much as any metal purist. That is due in large part to its lyrical content. The lyrical side of this record is important to note because of the approach taken to the songs in whole. Front man Phil Bozeman noted in an interview promoting Kin, the record is essentially a semi-concept record of sorts. This is proven as he stated, “Early in the writing, there was some discussion of the album being like The Valley Part II, not literally called that, but in how the songs sound and flow through it. It’s very much a storytelling type record like The Valley was…lyrically, the idea of continuing from the story of The Valley was always the goal.” He added that the song’s tell a specific story, noting, “It’s a fictional representation of a non-fictional story…This is all about what I could have been had I decided to take the dark road.” From there Bozeman expanded on the discussion by explaining how the album’s first three songs play into the overall “story.” Being a semi-conceptual record in its approach is in itself reason enough for audiences to hear Kin. In listening closely, audiences can understand the concept of Bozeman’s “other self” and how it plays into the bigger story. The whole will completely immerse audiences and in turn, keep them completely engaged and entertained. It is reason enough in itself for audiences to hear the record and certainly not the only reason. The musical arrangements that accompany the album’s rich lyrical content plays its own important part to the whole of the album’s presentation.
The musical arrangements that are featured in Kin are of note because they continue to show the ongoing growth and development of the band’s members. Where Valley showed change in the band with more clean vocals and more subtle arrangements, this record furthers that display, right from the album’s outset. ‘I Will Find You’ opens with a controlled country/western style guitar line. That intro so smoothly transitions into the band’s more familiar death metal approach and sound that is just as heavy and intense as ever, complete with Bozeman’s equally intense screams. From there, the arrangement even moves into some subtle territory a la in The Valley before gradually transitioning back into the song’s heavier side in its final section for a complete ABC format here. The final moments in this song throw back to the great guitar solos of the late 80s and early-mid 90s. The whole is such a unique presentation that again shows that noted growth and development.
In another case, such as in ‘To The Wolves,’ there is a breakdown early in the arrangement that is a full-on thrash style performance a la vintage Anthrax. That alongside the band’s – again – more familiar death metal approach makes the song in whole unique in its own right from its counterparts in the album. It is another way in which the album’s musical side proves just as engaging and entertaining as its lyrical side.
In yet another case – that of the album’s title track/closer – the song opens in such a deep, contemplative fashion. What is really interesting here is that the quality of Bozeman’s vocals and their delivery lends itself to comparison to that of Slipknot/Stone Sour front man Corey Taylor in his more subdued performances. The subtleties in the arrangement’s instrumentation build even more on that comparison, too. As the arrangement builds into its second half, even that is controlled, even in its heaviness. It is so much unlike the other songs examined here and the rest of the album’s works, and more proof that despite Bozeman’s attestations, is proof that there are radio ready songs in this record.
In reference to that statement, Bozeman is saying in an interview about the album’s marketability, “It’s still very much a metal album. I don’t think you would hear any of the songs on mainstream radio, but there are elements of the record that have more of a rock and open vibe.” He was right in making light of the rock and open vibe of many songs, such as the record’s title track. At the same time, he is selling the album and band short in saying that he did not think any of the album’s songs would make their way to mainstream rock radio. There are plenty of songs in this record that are radio ready, including the noted title track and others. That wide availability of the radio ready songs is tied directly into the noted growth and development from the band members individually and collectively that is exhibited throughout the album. Keeping all of this in mind, the album’s musical content proves that it plays a part just as important to the album as its lyrical counterpart.
At this point, it should be clear that the musical and lyrical content featured in Kin does plenty to make the album engaging and entertaining. That collective content is just one part of what makes Kin successful. The record’s production brings everything together and rounds out the record’s presentation. The production fully ensures the noted growth is expertly exhibited throughout the album’s 47-minute run time. The more subtle moments are well-balanced with the more intense moments. The powerful, familiar death metal influences compliment the more subdued, Tool-esque moments. Even other new approaches that the band took this time are well-balanced with more familiar influences, too. The whole is impressive from start to end with not one part overpowering the others or countering the others too much. It all works that well together. The end result is an aesthetic from the album that is just as powerful as the album’s content. When that content is considered along with the production, the whole makes Kin unquestionably one of the most powerful of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Whitechapel’s new, forthcoming album, Kin, is a strong offering from the band. Due out Friday through Metal Blade Records, the album offers audiences much to appreciate, not the least of which is its lyrical content. The album’s lyrical content is important because for all intents and purposes, it makes Kin a semi-conceptual album as well as a sequel of sorts to The Valley. The story of sorts that it presents is moving. The musical arrangements that accompany the album’s lyrical content is also of note because it shows a continued growth and development from the band’s members individually and collectively. The album’s production rounds out the most important of its elements. That is because it brings the arrangements together and ensures that the noted growth and development is exhibited clearly. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album. All things considered, they make the album a work that Whitechapel’s established audiences will welcome just as much as any hard rock and metal purist.
Kin is scheduled for release Friday through Metal Blade Records. More information on the album is available along with all of Whitechapel’s latest news at:
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