METAL CHURCH - CONGREGATION OF ANNIHILATION

 

Dawn of a new era, with Marc Lopes on vocals, a gritty, forceful vocal brawler, in the vein of original singer David Wayne. Mainstay Kurdt Vanderhoof is already on record, claiming the forthcoming live shows will be built around the initial pair of releases, most of which (the late) Mike Howe was uncomfortable/unwilling to perform. "Another Judgment Day" kicks and punches out of the gate, including the shrieks, screams and off kilter intonations declaring this ain't the same attitude/band fronted by Howe.

In all honestly, there hasn't been a Metal Church album like this since the debut. Apologies to BraveWords honcho “Metal" Tim (who loves the album), but apart from "Ton Of Bricks", The Dark was something of a disappointment, all those years ago. The lovable rough edges (mostly attributable to Wayne's sometimes caustic voice) had been filed down. Little wonder he'd soon depart. Well those days are back! Just listen to Lopes' final, vicious intonations on "Children Of The Lie", leading into the subdued, jazzy bass led instrumental, that rounds out the number.

More than a little unhinged, in all the best aspects of Wayne and/or kindred spirit (pun intended) Paul Baloff (Exodus). That said, the rapid fire, staccato thrash delivery of the bass/guitar driven title track almost tries too hard. Love the tasty guitar break though.

YEARNING FOR DISTORTION: SUECOS LANÇAM O EP “SHADOWMAN”,

 

A banda sueca Yearning for Distortion apresentou aos fãs nesse último mês de maio o seu mais novo trabalho de estúdio, o EP intitulado “Shadowman”. Contando com 4 músicas em pouco mais de 11 minutos, tem como grande destaque a ótima e vibrante faixa-título, canção que se equilibra entre o Hard e o Garage Rock, chamando a atenção pelo ótimo e enérgico trabalho vocal e pela guitarra, responsável não só por ótimos riffs como também por melodias de muita qualidade

SIRENIA REVISITA O SOM DOS ANOS 70 EM SEU NOVO ÁLBUM, “1977

O quarteto liderado por Morten Venland lançou seu mais novo trabalho na última sexta feira, 26, o disco é uma verdadeira viagem no tempo onde revisita o som pop/rock que dominava os anos 70 e 80.


A banda que vinha de trabalhos poderosos como “Arcane Astral Aeons” e “Riddles, Ruins e Revelations”, deixou de lado os corais que se tornaram uma marca registrada e apostou em melodias do synthwave. Emmanuelle Zoldan brilha lindamente com seus vocais e nos guia através de uma viagem mística pelo tempo.

Claro que o cover do hit de 1988 de Tanita Tikaram , ” Twist In My Sobriety “ não poderia deixar de ser citado, Morten comenta que a música combina perfeitamente com o estilo da banda: “A faixa tem uma vibração muito melancólica, o que na minha opinião a torna a combinação perfeita com SIRENIA ”

OSBOURNE – “ON NO REST FOR THE WICKED, I PUT A MESSAGE BACKWARDS: ‘YOUR MOTHERS SELLS SOCKS THAT SMELL

 

put together a feature with Tenacious D (actor Jack Black and Kyle Gass) interviewing heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. They talk about Ozzy’s early life and musical influences as well as his solo career and Black Sabbath.

An excerpt below:

Jack: “What’s your favourite horror film?”


Ozzy: “Our manager came to us one day when we were on tour and says, ‘You have to go and see this film called The Exorcist.’ We said, ‘The Exorcist? What the fuck does that mean?’ He said, ‘Just go and see it.’ We were in Philadelphia in this fucking movie theatre and we were shitting ourselves! That one was just so real. We were freaked out! Here we were, Black Sabbath and I’m the Prince Of Darkness and all this, and we had to go see another movie – [US caper film] The Sting – just to stop thinking about it. It was so amazing.”

Jack: “For me, the most powerful moment in that movie was ‘Your mother sucks cocks in hell!’ How can you fucking say that in a movie?”

Ozzy: “On [1988 solo album] No Rest For The Wicked, I put a message backwards: ‘Your mothers sells socks that smell.’”

Louder is reporting that Ozzy Osbourne may have officially retired from taking part in lengthy world tours, but as far as the man himself is confirmed, he'll continue playing shows every now and again, even if he has to be physically wheeled out to do them.

"I remember some good gigs and I’ve done my fair share of fucking bad gigs," he tells Metal Hammer in an exclusive interview in their latest issue, conducted by none other than Tenacious D. "A guitar player can change his guitar. A drummer can change the drum. If my voice goes, I’m fucked. One time I was at a gig at Nassau Coliseum in New York. On the way to the gig, my voice went out. The kids were already there and I thought, ‘What the fuck am I gonna do now?’ I went out and tried to sing and they gave me a standing ovation. The kids would rather see you being bad than go home."

"I mean, doing a live show is what I live for," he continues. "I’ve had to cancel my [2023] European tour but I’m determined. I’ve gotta do more gigs if I have to get someone to wheel me out there. I mean, you can’t retire from this game. It’s not a job, it’s a fucking passion. I don’t know how to do anything else. The thought of sitting in my house all day... I’m a road dog, you know? I’ve been doing it fucking 55 years. It’s the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

Read more here.

A massive wall of sound will emerge in the desert this fall at the world’s greatest live music destination Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA with the arrival of Power Trip. It’s a three-day historic event set for October 6, 7 and 8 that will bring together six iconic bands that define loud and powerful music: Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden (Friday, October 6), AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne (Saturday, October 7) and Metallica and Tool (Sunday, October 8).

This unique night-time desert setting with unmatched concert production will amplify the experience beyond the traditional stadium or parking lot concert norm with three double-billed headlining performances. This is the most rocking line-up to ever perform in an unparalleled location for heavy music audiences looking for an unforgettable weekend escape.

3-Day General Admission tickets start at $599 + fees, or turn the volume up with The Pit, Reserved Floor, Grandstand Seating options, and various VIP Packages. Learn more and register for first access to tickets starting Thursday, April 6 at 10:00 AM (PT) on powertrip.live. 50/50 payment plan available for general admission tickets.

Camping Trip: Camp at the Trip in ease. Options include Car & Tent Camping, ready-to-go 2 person Lodge/4 person tents, RV spots and more. Amenities and activities are available for all campers.

Accommodations include hotel packages: Bundle your Power Trip tickets with nearby hotel accommodations and “any line” shuttle passes. Available for groups of 2 or 4 people, exclusively through Valley Music Travel. Packages start at $3,199 + fees.



Music fans who want to commemorate the weekend can pre-order a Power Trip Commemorative Print. Frame the Power Trip memories by purchasing a premium quality giclee print poster delivered in advance of the show. Designed and printed by artist J. Bannon (and limited to 300), the posters are available in 18"x24" on fine art textured stock

ENFORCER - NOSTALGIA

 

Very early on, it's evident Enforcer learned from the experimental misstep of Zenith and returned to the no frill, hyper aggression, OTT speed metal that initially ingratiated them to the world. Not a piano in sight. That said, sort of surprising the disc doesn't open with one of the blistering pace setters. Following the 37 second, mood setting instrumental opener, "Armageddon", the ‘80s pseudo-electric drum sounds of "Unshackle Me" kicks in. The first of a few relationship based lyrics (pining for the girl, unshackle my heart), Olof Wikstrand (guitar/voice) still possess a stratospheric (falsetto) register, but at least, for this one, the tempo and vocal highs are kept (relatively) in check.

The gloves (and acceleration governor) come off for pre-release single "Coming Alive". Wikstrand unleashes the sustained piercing wail too! Only "Heartbeats" cracks the four minute barrier, most barely surpassing 3:00. Speaking of the subtle, Dio-esque, acoustic begun "Heartbeats", which is essentially a power ballad, it retains a legit metallic quotient, courtesy of the spirited guitar break in the final third. The singer adds octaves as the rapidity increases. A few foreboding notes, during taxiing, but "Demon" quickly takes flight down the runway, An infectious groove, fleet fingers pick up speed as it proceeds. Can hear the shouted word "demon" in the chorus being an audience call & response moment, live. Shifting from fourth to fifth gear, "Kiss Of Death" is in overdrive, from the onset.



The title cut (for which there's a video of the singer traipsing through snowy landscapes) is the lone, full blown ballad. Opening strings recall a harpsichord, as the melody meanders along, like a non-Christmas Trans-Siberian Orchestra track, followed by the equally TSO-inspired guitar workout. The big production is the final nod to more erudite/refined structures, as the remaining half dozen are, essentially, a more traditional race to the end. Mid-tempo "No Tomorrow" sees Wikstrand's voice soaring on what is essential a brief respite in the aural onslaught. Same can't be said of the pacing in riff happy "At The End Of The Rainbow". While not a full bore speedsters, it shuffles along with high altitude punctuation from the frontman

LIKÅAR: CONFIRA O MAIS NOVO SINGLE “MÖRKRETS TID”

 

A one-man band sueca Likåar, capitaneada pelo multi-instrumentista Eko, lançou no último dia 21 de maio o seu mais novo single, intitulado “Mörkrets Tid”. A canção entrega um Progressive Black metal de respeito, que equilibra bem ótimas melodias com passagens mais pesadas e agressivas. Destaques maiores ficam por conta dos ótimos arranjos, que dão um ar mais épico a canção, ao ótimo trabalho vocal e ao instrumental, que mostra grande coesão. Sem dúvida, uma ótima pedida para fãs do estilo.




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ROGER WATERS: MÚSICO RESPONDE ÀS ACUSAÇÕES SOBRE FANTASIAS NAZISTAS EM SHOW

 

O veterano músico britânico Roger Waters se defendeu das críticas sobre seus shows na semana passada em Berlim, durante os quais o ex-líder do Pink Floyd exibiu um simbolismo nazista e fez o que algumas pessoas descreveram como comentários ofensivos sobre a vítima do Holocausto, Anne Frank. Durante os shows na Mercedes Benz Arena, Waters apareceu no palco como o personagem Pink, da ópera rock The Wall, durante uma apresentação da música “In The Flesh”, vestindo um sobretudo de couro preto com uma braçadeira vermelha com dois martelos cruzados em vez de uma suástica. Posteriormente, foi relatado que Waters estava sob investigação por possível incitamento pela polícia alemã, além de possivelmente ter cometido abuso de marca registrada pelo uso do nome de Frank sem o consentimento da Fundação Anne Frank, que registrou o nome. Waters projetou o nome de Frank em uma tela gigante durante os shows, junto com vários outros nomes de figuras contemporâneas, incluindo George Floyd e Shireen Abu Akleh. Em um comunicado postado por Waters, nesta sexta-feira, 26 de maio, ele disse:
"Minha atuação recente em Berlim atraiu ataques de má-fé daqueles que querem me difamar e me silenciar porque discordam de minhas opiniões políticas e princípios morais. Os elementos de minha performance que foram questionados são claramente uma declaração em oposição ao fascismo, injustiça e fanatismo em todas as suas formas. As tentativas de retratar esses elementos como algo mais são dissimuladas e politicamente motivadas. Tem sido uma característica dos meus shows desde 'The Wall' do Pink Floyd, em 1980. Passei minha vida inteira falando contra o autoritarismo e a opressão onde quer que os veja. Quando eu era criança depois da guerra, o nome de Anne Frank era frequentemente falado em nossa casa, ela se tornou um lembrete permanente do que acontece quando o fascismo é deixado desmarcado. Meus pais lutaram contra os nazistas na Segunda Guerra Mundial, com meu pai pagando o preço final. Independentemente das consequências dos ataques contra mim, continuarei a condenar a injustiça e todos aqueles que a cometem."


O Simon Wiesenthal Center criticou os shows em Berlim e pediu que as autoridades alemãs processassem Waters por invocar e distorcer imagens do Holocausto. Um tweet do SWC declarou:"Que vergonha para as autoridades de Frankfurt e a Mercedes Benz Arena em Berlim - um lugar de onde os judeus foram deportados pelos nazistas - por fornecer ao anti-semita #RogerWaters este local para seu show sem preocupação/cuidado com a comunidade judaica".


O porta-voz da polícia de Berlim, Martin Halweg, disse mais tarde ao The Guardian que a polícia na Alemanha iniciou uma investigação criminal sobre Waters por causa do uniforme de estilo nazista que ele usava nos shows de Berlim. Enquanto uniformes nazistas, bandeiras e outros símbolos são proibidos na Alemanha, Waters está sendo investigado sob uma lei separada de “incitação do povo”.