SUM 41: VETERANOS DO PUNK CANADENSE ANUNCIAM DETALHES DE ÁLBUM DUPLO FINAL “HEAVEN :X: HELL”

Pela última vez como um coletivo, após quase 30 anos de existência, a banda punk canadense, Sum 41 anunciou seu próximo álbum duplo, e capítulo final de sua trajetória, intitulado Heaven :x: Hell, com lançamento previsto para 29 de março de 2024 pela Rise Records. Heaven :x: Hell é o álbum mais ambicioso do Sum 41 até agora – “Heaven” é composto por 10 faixas de pop punk estridente de alta energia, enquanto “Hell” consiste em dez hinos de heavy metal com solos intensos, riffs violentos, e ganchos para levantar os punhos. A banda tem percorrido a linha do pop-punk e do metal durante toda a sua carreira, e Heaven :x: Hell é uma prova de seu som inovador e habilidade incomparável, provando-os como pioneiros 27 anos após o início da banda. Sobre o novo álbum, o vocalista Deryck Whibley diz:“Depois que ouvi a música, fiquei confiante o suficiente para dizer: 'Este é o disco que eu gostaria de gravar.' Fizemos um álbum duplo de pop punk e metal, e isso faz sentido. Demorou muito para pavimentarmos esse caminho, mas o fizemos, e é único para nós".


Junto com o anúncio, o Sum 41 lançou um novo single e videoclipe, “Rise Up”, que você confere mais abaixo. Essa primeira oferta do lado “Hell”, cheio de metal, abre com uma enxurrada de riffs de guitarra e bateria forte, digna de um mosh pit saído dos primeiros anos da banda. Sobre ela, Deryck declarou:“Ao escrever 'Rise Up' , me senti da mesma forma que quando assinei o contrato. Senti a pressão e a necessidade de criar algo incrível, mas ao mesmo tempo me senti muito animado.”


Anteriormente, a banda compartilhou o single “Landmines”, da parte pop-punk “Heaven” de Heaven :x: Hell. A faixa, com um refrão hino e sucessos bêbados de fazer tremer o chão, foi lançada junto com um videoclipe nostálgico, que você também assiste mais abaixo. No início deste ano, o Sum 41 anunciou sua separação após 27 anos fazendo música juntos. Heaven :x: Hell busca nada menos que a grandeza, um presente de despedida perfeito da banda para os fãs que os apoiaram incessantemente. Sobre esse momento, Deryck diz:“Eu amo o Sum 41, o que alcançamos, suportamos e permanecemos juntos, e é por isso que quero encerrar. Houve tantas vezes que poderíamos ter terminado. Por algum motivo, continuamos aguentando. Estou orgulhoso disso. É o momento certo para abandonar isso. Estou colocando toda a minha energia no que está pela frente. Esta será a maior turnê de nossas vidas, e quero fazer dela o melhor show que já fizemos. É isso."



Questionado sobre quanta pressão havia para ele e seus companheiros de banda fazerem este último álbum exatamente como eles queriam, Deryck disse:

“Não houve pressão, porque não sabíamos realmente que faríamos deste o último álbum. Comecei a escrever músicas para esse disco, nem sabia que estava escrevendo músicas para o Sum 4. Achei que estava escrevendo para outras pessoas, porque no início da pandemia, empresários e gravadoras me perguntavam se eu trabalharia com alguns de seus artistas. Eles estavam procurando coisas pop-punk. E então eu comecei a escrever músicas, e aconteceu de eu gostar delas e não queria entregá-las. Então eu as mantive. E eu nem sabia que estávamos fazendo um álbum duplo. Eu nem sabia que seria o que se tornaria. Só depois que toda a música foi escrita. Eu estava apenas escrevendo por escrever, e quando ouvi tudo de volta, meio que falou comigo."


Sobre a decisão de encerrar o Sum 41 após o próximo álbum e turnê, Deryck disse:“Acredito muito que a música diz a você o que fazer, e apenas me disse que este deveria ser um álbum duplo. O álbum estava terminado, eu percebi, e estive pensando nisso por um tempo, que eu senti que depois de todos esses anos com meu foco 1.000% no Sum 41 o dia todo, todos os dias, eu senti que não tenho muito mais disso em mim para continuar além deste álbum. Estou nesta banda desde o décimo ano, e eu só... estou chegando a um ponto em que estou pensando, gostaria de colocar algum foco e energia em outra coisa. E eu senti que este é provavelmente o melhor disco que já fizemos. E eu acho que esta versão da banda é a melhor que já tocamos ao vivo. E eu pensei, da maneira de apenas sair nessa."


Whibley falou anteriormente sobre Heaven :x: Hell no mês passado em uma entrevista com Theresa Rock Face, da estação de rádio 94.5 The Buzz, de Houston, Texas . Na época, ele disse:"São dois discos totalmente diferentes. São 10 músicas de cada lado. Eu chamaria o Sum 41 de pop punk, e o lado 'Hell' é como o Sum 41 mais novo e mais pesado que já fizemos. Os últimos discos, esse tipo de estilo. Não quero chamar isso de metal, mas é a nossa versão do que fazemos que tem influência do heavy e do metal. Ao longo dos anos, fizemos os dois estilos. Tivemos mais música pesada do que pop-punk, mas desde que começamos com isso nesses dois primeiros discos, é como se você fosse rotulado isso para o resto da vida. Mas há fãs nossos que realmente não ligam para nada de pop-punk e só gostam de coisas mais pesadas, e vice-versa. "


De acordo com Whibley, “Não há convidados” em Heaven :x: Hell:“Houve alguma conversa sobre isso. Nós realmente nunca fizemos isso. E conforme o disco começa a avançar, ele simplesmente fica finalizado e nós pensamos, 'Bem, acho que já fizemos o disco agora.' Essas ideias surgem logo no início e, depois que as músicas ficam prontas, pensamos: 'Não sei. Talvez deixemos como está.'"


Whibley também falou sobre o processo de composição de Heaven :x: Hell e como ele se transformou em um álbum duplo. Ele disse:

"Não foi tão rápido [de fazer], mas também não foi intencional. Não houve nenhum pensamento ou ideia de fazer um álbum duplo. A música simplesmente saiu dessa forma. E eu estou sempre um crente na música lhe diz o que fazer. Então eu não tive essa ideia de, tipo, 'Vou escrever um monte de músicas pop-punk e um monte de músicas pesadas'. Eu estava apenas escrevendo coisas e colecionando músicas, e não sabia para que servia. E um dia decidi: 'Ok, tenho todas essas músicas. Vou colocá-las em um disco e ir embora. dirijo o carro e ouço apenas para ver o que tenho. E depois que ouvi tudo, meio que falou comigo. Foi tipo, 'Este precisa ser um álbum duplo, porque são dois álbuns separados.' Não pensei nisso. E mesmo com a banda, eu não disse a eles: 'Ei, acho que este é um álbum duplo.' Acabei de enviar a música para eles e disse: 'Ouçam tudo em que estou trabalhando. Diga-me o que você acha'. E um por um, cada cara voltou e disse: 'O que você acha de fazer um álbum duplo?' Então a música falou com todos nós."


Confira abaixo os dois singles já lançados de Heaven :x: Hell:



Abaixo você confere a tracklist completa de Heaven :x: Hell e a bela arte da capa:

Heaven:
01. Waiting On A Twist Of Fate
02. Landmines
03. I Can’t Wait
04. Time Won’t Wait
05. Future Primitive
06. Dopamine
07. Not Quite Myself
08. Bad Mistake
09. Johnny Libertine
10. Radio Silence

Hell:
01. Preparasi A Salire
02. Rise Up
03. Stranger In These Times
04. I Don’t Need Anyone
05. Over The Edge
06. House Of Liars
07. You Wanted War
08. Paint It Black
09. It’s All Me
10. How The End Begins




Crédito da foto: Reprodução/ Facebook/ Sum 41

INTRODUCING: The K’s

ALTERNATIVEFEATURESINTRODUCING


Back in 2016, the burst of energy that was THE K’S was let loose onto the world. Since then, they’ve set the world alight on home turf and abroad, amassing an impressive amount of monthly listeners on Spotify (over 170,000) before they’ve even released their long awaited debut album; I Wonder If The World Knows?. It will finally be in our hands in March this year, in what is sure to bring joy to many with their infectious tunes that have had us hooked since 2016. Sitting down for a tete-a-tete with their guitarist; Ryan Breslin, we talk about their upcoming album and what lies ahead in what is sure to be a very bright future for the quartet.



With most bands, you’d expect them to follow the usual trope of releasing an EP before building up to the dizzying heights of their debut album. However, the last few years has seen several bands, including THE K’S follow an alternate route of releasing singles instead. Talking to Ryan about this method, he explains, “we didn’t want to drop an EP and waste some good songs that we would save for the album. The singles have always done well for us and we hung fire until we had the right people working with us instead of throwing it out for the sake of it.” It’s a gamble that has worked well for the band, it keeps them well within the public zeitgeist as they maintain their steady course to the release of the debut album.

Discussions of recording a debut album were already on the band’s mind long before 2024. Back in 2020, the idea of an album was thrown about, but that was soon hampered by the COVID-19 Pandemic. THE K’S however took everything in their stride and waited until the time was right, building up their ever expanding back catalogue. The excitement in Breslin’s demeanour is very apparent and very welcome. It’s almost as if everything fell into place at the right time as he tells us. “The time was right. We’d already toured for so long and everyone knew the songs already, it was just an easy choice to make.” Breslin almost makes the process sound easy.

“The songs just came together, the bones of a song were always there, but everyone gets to sprinkle their own bit of magic dust on each song to create something that is quintessentially THE K’S.” Moving on to the themes that underlie within the album, it’s a plain and simple answer. “Going out,” muses Ryan. “It’s a common theme in the lyrical side of things that is portrayed in a lot of the songs” It’s an honest answer but when you listen to the lead singles from the album, it’s incredibly apparent. They’re songs that make you yearn for those summer days and nights out with your mates that truly are the best of times.


It’s safe to say that when it comes to indie music that there are a lot of bands that fall into the trap of sounding the same. With THE K’S though, it was imperative that this didn’t happen when it came to their debut. Whilst the indie foundations are there within their tunes, there’s also a pulsating post-punk sound that carries their music to the lofty heights that they’re aiming for. From what Ryan tells us, there’s a broad spectrum of who THE K’S have been inspired by. “The mix of genres such as blues rock with the STONES and HENDRIX to more punky stuff with Paul Weller makes something a bit new, which is what we want to portray in our songs. It’s something that’s worked really well so far.” From the sounds of it, it’s an album that will appeal to a broad demographic of fans as Breslin states that the album is a “mixed bag for everyone” and isn’t just the usual suspects that is your everyday indie fan.

For a band like THE K’S, identity is important. When questioned about whether they belong to Liverpool or Manchester, Ryan triumphantly declares that “we class ourselves as Earlestown. We started in Manchester on the gig circuit and worked the crowd base up there and Liverpool is equally as strong. We’re an Earlestown band and that’s kind of it for us!” A refreshing take from the band as they could have easily been seduced by the glitz, glamour and musical heritage of both cities, but want to stay true to their roots, staying as their own thing rather than being “being something you’re not”.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, THE K’S have some enormous shows lined up. Even before they’ve released their debut, they have shows booked on the main stage at Reading & Leeds and also have a huge headline tour playing at venues such as Rock City in Nottingham, The Electric Ballroom in London and the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. It’s a testament to their meteoric rise over the years which has huge similarities to how ARCTIC MONKEYS rose to fame in the early 2000s. Through a huge and excited grin, Breslin tells us that “we are absolutely buzzing, they’re all gonna be mint. On stage is how we’ve crafted our skill for so long, we’ll get on stage and absolutely tear it apart.” From his reaction, it is clear that Ryan and The K’s aren’t taking any of this stuff for granted, describing the fact that a “Northern band selling out a venue in London is fucking insane isn’t it?”

The trajectory of THE K’S is getting steadier and steadier. It’s genuinely exciting to see a band excited about what lies ahead for them. As we’ve seen over the last few years, there’s been a boom in new and young bands in Manchester and other areas of the North West. Acts like THE K’S, BLOSSOMS, CORELLA, THE LATHUMS and THE LOTTERY WINNERS have paved the way for a new Manchester music scene full to the brim with talent that look ready to take the mantle that has been occupied for so long by Mancunian acts like OASIS and THE STONE ROSES. However, it is high time to be out with the old and in with the new, and THE K’S are going to be at the forefront of this scene, it’s going to be one hell of a journey!

I Wonder If The World Knows? is out now via self-release.

Like THE K’S on Facebook.

MICHAEL SWEET COMPLETES MIXES FOR NEW STRYPER ALBUM - "EVERY SINGLE SONG STANDS ON ITS OWN"

Stryper frontman Michael Sweet has checked in with the following update:

"Just finished the mixes for the new Stryper album with Danny Bernini.

As we were going through each song over the past five days, we were both blown away at how amazing everything sounds. Every single song stands on its own. This is a very special album, unlike any other. As I listen I truly believe it’s our best album. That’s saying a lot but that’s how I feel.

LATEST NEWS Neseblod Records (Formerly Helvete) In Oslo Severely Damaged In Fire, Black Metal History Destroyed

LATEST NEWS
Neseblod Records (Formerly Helvete) In Oslo Severely Damaged In Fire, Black Metal History Destroyed

Police are currently investigating the fire.



By Greg Kennelty


Published1 day ago









Neseblod Records – formerly the Helevete record store (the one with the "Black Metal" basement that everyone takes a picture at) – in Oslo has been severely damaged by a fire. According to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG), a fire broke out in the basement and destroyed much of its contents.


"It is unclear what has happened," said co-owner of Neseblod Records, Grethe Neseblod to VG. "I am standing outside now and cannot enter the room, which is very smoky. Therefore, I have no idea the extent of the damage."

Police are currently investigating the fire. Helvete – originally owned by Euronymous – was shut down in early 1993 after drawing negative attention by local police and media thanks to the activities of the Black Metal Inner Circle, and was eventually reopened as Neseblod Records. The record story is widely considered to be a black metal museum, and this fire is nothing short of tragic for the world of metal.

"Much of what we have is only on display and not for sale," added co-owner Kenneth Neseblod to VG. "It's a museum-like venue at the same time as a record store. We have records, cassettes and tape trading letters that were previously used to write to each other in the metal community."

A GoFundMe has since been launched to help Neseblod Records get back on their feet. Donate here.



"Hi, my name is Darren," wrote the organizer of the GoFundMe. "I have been working with many Norwegian Black Metal bands over the years and Neseblod Records (Formerly Helvete) in the heart of Oslo, it has been part of the scene since the beginning of this unique musical movement, and is the heart & Spirit of the genre.

"A fire ripped through the basement and shop last night destroying an archive of rare Black Metal History!, I am starting this Go Fund Me to help Kenneth get back on his feet."

We wish everyone involved with Neseblod Records all the best at this time.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE AND TRIVIUM FRONTMEN ON THE POISONED ASCENDANCY UK TOUR 2025 - "INSTEAD OF JUST A NORMAL TOUR, WE'RE BRINGING SOMETHING SPECIAL"

Bullet For My Valentine recently checked in with the following update:

"We are thrilled to announce that in 2025 we present to you The Poisoned Ascendancy UK Tour, alongside our brothers in Trivium. Both bands will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut albums by playing them in full. Get excited people, it's gonna be special and we can't wait to celebrate with you all."

"Bullet for My Valentine’s The Poison and Trivium’s Ascendancy are two records whose influence can be heard to this day - in the DNA of modern metal. It’s incredible to think of the impact the albums had when they came out in 2005. They were both like bolts of lightning. Both bands grew up independently of each other in different countries and separately from any movement or scene but both shared a common love of melodic heavy metal at the core; and both had similar meteoric rises right out of the gate. Trivium and BFMV were in such whirlwinds when our respective albums came out that we each never truly got to play together or sit back and celebrate during the maelstrom of constant touring, recording and globetrotting. But that’s what this anniversary tour is. It’s a celebration by the bands to the fans of an important era, and most importantly it’s an invitation to fans come and have an epic night with us and sing and rage and celebrate the awesome power of the music."

Metal Hammer caught up with Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck and Trivium vocalist / guitarist Matt Heafy to discuss their respectived bands' rise to fame and the upcoming tour. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Metal Hammer: You both broke through in 2005, a period when metal was in transition. Nu metal had bitten the dust and bands like Killswitch Engage and Lamb Of God were leading a metal renaissance. What are your memories of the scene at that time?

Tuck: “It was undeniably a period of time where both our bands started something that was important. We were breaking away from a trend and a mould, bringing back a certain style and aggression, a technicality. We were representing Britain, and Trivium were representing the US.”

Heafy: “It was an interesting time. Guitar solos were gone when I was in high school, and nu metal was in. Growing up in central Florida, pop-punk was the only style that was really around.”

Tuck: “It was an amazing time for both our bands. That whole period where it was young, fresh and new, people were discovering us, and we were trying to stamp our sound into the metal community. I can’t emphasise how much we enjoyed it and how hungry we were.”

Heafy: “The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal scene was growing with bands like Lamb Of God, Shadows Fall, Unearth and Killswitch Engage all coming out of roughly the same area, at the same time. But it was always Bullet and Trivium floating. And that’s why I always felt this kinship.”

Metal Hammer: So, there was never any kind of rivalry between your bands?

Tuck: “No!”

Heafy: “We’ve always just lived on these two separate planets. Acknowledging each other and being fans of each other’s music, but never connecting the dots. We could have done this tour at 10 years, could have done it at 15, could have done it at five. We’ve been asking each other, ‘Why haven’t we toured together?’ And there wasn’t a reason, we just didn’t.”

Metal Hammer: How did the idea come about for the joint 20-year anniversary tour and playing both albums in full?

Tuck: “It was around October last year. Me and the boys wanted to do something for The Poison and it just clicked. Let’s see if Trivium want to jump onboard here and do something together, split everything down the middle, no bullshit, co-headline, Ascendancy and The Poison.”

Heafy: “I remember we had a text from our manager. He’s like, ‘Hey, the Bullet camp just put over the idea of Trivium and Bullet doing a tour together in 2025…”

Tuck: “I think a Bullet and Trivium tour is something that most fans of that era would want to see. It’s taken us 20 years to get there, but instead of just a normal tour, we’re bringing something special. I think people are going to flip when they find out what’s going on.”

Read the complete interview here.

Bullet For My Valentine wrapped up their North American tour on November 10th, 2023 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida. They were joined by Trivium frontman Matt Heafy for "Tears Don't Fall", bringing the house down two songs into their first encore. Check out the fan-filmed video below.







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OLA ENGLUND'S SOLAR GUITARS UNVEILS "CHROME CANIBALISMO" MODEL THAT OXIDIZES OVER TIME; VIDEO TRAILER AVAILABLE

Solar Guitars, launched by The Haunted guitarist Ola Englund, has unveiled a metal-topped guitar whose surface oxidizes the longer you play it. Check out the trailer below.

Solar Guitars: "The Chrome Canibalismo is Pure Metal! The finish is created from a unique material that is made from actual metal and involves a 5-stage process to cover the body, then after the base coat is completed, the Solar signature Canibalismo splatter is applied. This special material then needs time to cure and harden into its final 'Metallized' form. Being metal, over time the finish will oxidize so each specific guitar develops its own particular patina to this innovative instrument."

ALTERNATIVEFEATURESGRUNGEHEAVY MUSIC HISTORY

“The lead-singer of American grunge rock band NIRVANA, Kurt Cobain, has been found dead in his Seattle home,” reported the BBC in early April, one of the outlets that delivered the news that shocked the world. Vocalist for arguably one of the most influential bands in music history, especially in rock and metal, was sadly no longer with us at the young age of 27. Within those 27 years of his life, Cobain spoke to a generation of dissatisfied and disillusioned people in the early 1990s and performed what was on his mind, even if it was dark and hard to hear. Now, 30 years later, Cobain is still fondly remembered by music fans worldwide for his work in music and his earnest nature throughout his time in the spotlight.



Cobain’s musical journey began at an early age, as family members described him singing since the age of 2, and learning piano at four years old. In his childhood, he particularly enjoyed Hey Jude by THE BEATLES, Hey Hey We’re The Monkees by THE MONKEES and especially ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA. In high school, he expanded his tastes into hardcore and punk after being introduced to the genres by classmate and future THE MELVINS founding member, Buzz Osbourne, as well as attending many shows within Seattle’s punk scene. At 14, his uncle offered to give him a bike or a used guitar for his birthday. Cobain chose the guitar, and began teaching himself songs like Louie Louie, Another One Bites The Dust, and Stairway To Heaven. After dropping out of high school, Cobain formed his first band, FECAL MATTER, formed with Osbourne and a few other members of THE MELVINS at the time. Their material was a mix of punk originals and covers of songs by JIMI HENDRIX, LED ZEPPELIN, and THE RAMONES. However, only a song called Spank Thru has survived from that band as it appeared on box set With The Lights Out (2004).


NIRVANA began life after Cobain met Kris Novoselic, another youth part of the Seattle punk scene and within THE MELVINS’ circle of friends. Due to there not being a lot of other kids in his high school who could play music, Cobain and Novoselic began to practice together and, after Cobain kept asking him, Novoselic agreed to form a band. Although the early touring days for the band were difficult as they struggled to support the band financially and draw in the crowds to their shows, the two persevered, along with different session drummers. Soon, the first drummer, Chad Channing, officially joined the band and they released their debut record, Bleach, in 1989 on Sub Pop Records. Whilst the album didn’t initially sell well on initial release, it was well received by the critics at the time, as well as impressing other bands like SONIC YOUTH. However, Cobain had issues with Channing’s drumming style and fired him, replacing him with Dave Grohl, and the band signed to DGC Records, continuing to work with Grohl and the major label on their second album, what would become Nevermind (1991).

No one expected Smells Like Teen Spirit to be the hit that it was, especially when everyone had planned Come As You Are to be the crossover single. However, college and rock radio put it on heavy rotation and shot the band to fame, as well as launching the grunge genre into the mainstream. Nevermind was also a massive success upon release, topping the album charts and earning 3 Grammy nominations. Cobain hated the notion of being in the mainstream, comparing himself to Francis Farmer, similarly feeling persecuted by the media. In an interview with Flipside, he said, “when you’re in the public eye, you have no choice but to be raped over and over again – they’ll take every ounce of blood out of you until you’re exhausted. … I’m looking forward to the future. It will only be another year and then everyone will forget about it.”. Even so, many listeners were taken by Cobain’s songwriting skills and related to the themes and subjects he wrote about in the album, for example, Lithium was about his time living with a born-again Christian household and his experience as a Christian in that time. More examples include Something In The Way, which he wrote about his period of homelessness in his youth, and Aneurysm, which referenced the time he met Tobi Vail and vomited due to the anxiety of his infatuation when first seeing her. Everything he wrote about came from the heart, and that’s what drew many people from all corners of the music world to NIRVANA.

Thousands of bands and artists since have since taken inspiration from NIRVANA, and Cobain’s unique style of music and writing. From inspiring more grunge bands that exploded throughout the 1990s and onwards, to still speaking to and for a generation of the disenfranchised throughout the years since his untimely passing. All their albums and collections, ranging from their debut to their performance of MTV Unplugged are still hailed and acclaimed to this day, and Cobain is still honoured with the title ‘The Voice of a Generation’, though it was a title he loathed during his lifetime. Often remembered as one of the most influential musicians within music, not just within rock and metal, it’s undeniable how much worth and talent was in the man with every note he played and every lyric sung. 30 years later, his music still stands the test of time as a soundtrack of real and authentic emotions expressed in a raw outlet. It’s timeless, it’s eternal, it’s Kurt Cobain. The music world will always remember his talent and his passion for music in return.Photo Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FILMMAGIC