Fearless Records is an alternative record label that was founded in 1992. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, U.S.A and are best known for being home to artists such as Tonight Alive, Pierce The Veil, Motionless In White, Mayday Parade and many, many more.
According to Billboard, Concord Bicycle Music purchased the leading alternative rock-orientated record label from Founder and President, Bob Becker for approx. $10 million. It is said that the deal also included a large portion of Wind-Up Records and holds $15 million in current revenue, including a successful in-house merchandising operation, a small publishing catalog and the successful “Pop Goes..” album series that’s released each year.
Billboard stated the following:
“The deals adds about 150 albums from Fearless and about 25-30 albums from Wind-up to the company's portfolio that already consisted of about 10,000 albums and a music publishing catalog with 60,000 songs. In addition, the Fearless acquisition also includes Fearless Records' Fearmore Music Publishing, which includes the evergreen copyright "Hey There Delilah," along with the company's highly successful in-house merchandise operation.”
The deal will leave majority of the current Fearless Records staff intact but is said to have all future radio promotion, synchronization, sales, and back-office distributed via Concord.
One of the most iconic musicians, Kurt Cobain - also known as the deceased front man of American rock band Nirvana has been a common name throughout the industry for many years now.
Spotlight recently turned back to the life story of Cobain with the recent release of new documentary “Kurt Cobain - Montage Of Heck” which out lines the musicians life throughout the eyes of close friends, family and band mates.
In celebration of the documentary, Director Brett Morgan has announced that an album of unreleased music from Kurt Cobain will be released this summer.
It has been revealed that the new music which will come from the late vocalist’s personal tapes which have been collected over time from close relatives.
Brett Morgan made the following statement:
“We’re going to be putting out an amazing album this summer, you will feel like you’re kind of hanging out with Kurt Cobain on a hot summer day in Olympia, Washington as he fiddles about. It’s going to really surprise people.“
Morgan continued:
"I knew that there was going to be all this art, but what I didn’t know was there was going to be all this audio.. I opened up a box and there were 108 tapes with over 200 hours of never before heard audio.”
With the 200+ hours of promised unreleased music, Morgan has hinted at the possibility of multiple albums in the near future.
The official release date is not yet known
INTERVIEW: THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER (TREVOR STRNAD)
Carley: You were last in Australia during Soundwave 2014, What was the festival experience like?
Trevor: It was kind of a mess the last time we did it. There were a couple of bands on our stage who cancelled and they ended up shuffling the order of the bands around and it was a hard thing to get our equipment every day - it seemed like there was some kind of ordeal each day. A lot of panic went on within the band and the first time we did Soundwave it seemed to be a lot more organized, at least on our end of the spectrum. I’m glad to say goodbye to it after the last experience.. It was too much of a mess for me. Coming back this time and doing club venues is what we really like to do so i’m looking forward to it.
Carley: So can you see The Black Dahlia Murder playing Soundwave again in the future?
Trevor: I’m not sure, it would have to be under different circumstances i guess. I mean, they had us between two nu-metal bands and the whole thing just didn’t work out for us. Doing it as our only two appearances in Australia in the past couple of years was really a bad move. Asking metal heads to come out to a mixed festival and watch us between Five Finger Death Punch and somebody else was weird.
Carley: You’re returning once again in June for multiple shows across the country. What can we expect from this tour that we didn’t get during your run with Soundwave?
Trevor: Well we’ll have a longer time to play! Like i said before, we had a lot of trouble setting up so everything will be smooth. We’ll have a long set - probably over an hour and we’ll have all kinds of material from different era’s of the band. We also have a new album in the works that’s being mixed right now so maybe we’ll be playing a new song out there but i’m not sure yet.
Carley: What does the typical day on tour look like for The Black Dahlia Murder?
Trevor: Most of it is waiting around. I think to a lot of people on the outside, touring seems like just so much fun.. and it definitely has those points but for the most part you’re just waiting around. You’ll get to the venue super early - usually about noon and the show doesn’t start until around 7pm so you’re just sitting around picking your butt. (Laughs) There really is a lot of butt picking going on and i think that’s why we’ve had so many members too.. Touring is like camping in a way. You’re dirty most of the time, you’re uncomfortable and you’re travelling around so people get tired of it and i don’t blame them.
Carley: So you definitely have to enjoy it to continue to do what you do?
Trevor: Yeah! You definitely do. You have to be a really positive person and not someone who just sits there and complains because it pretty much goes without saying that riding around in a van sucks anyway, so you don’t really need someone making it worse. The best medicine for us is to be a really comedic band, you know we have a lot of joking around and we’re really close friends and we just have a lot of laughs.. It really helps us a lot.
Carley: What city are you most excited to play and why?
Trevor: I’m not sure.. I guess so far it’s going to have to be Melbourne because that’s the one that sold out. I think that’s going to be pretty wild! But pretty much any dates with Psycroptic are going to be awesome. That was something that came together a little later and i didn’t even know they were part of the tour for awhile so i was really excited to see them put on most of the dates. We’re pretty good friends and we’ve toured with them several times before so i’m looking forward to playing every show with those guys, that’s for damn sure.
Carley: Can you give us an insight on what kind of set list fans can expect?
Trevor: We haven’t even really decided yet to be honest. We’ll be taking stuff from all the albums - emphasis on Everblack since it’s the most recent one but we still like to play the older stuff. We know people still listen to our old records and Unhallowed is something that we can’t get away from and people just love it so we’ll keep on playing it. It was so long ago and we were so very young but we still like the songs and we’ve gotten better as a band and i think we make them sound better now than they used to.
Carley: You previously mentioned that you had an album in the works, What else can you tell us about that?
Trevor: I can’t give away too many details right now but it should be coming out late in the summer or early in the fall. It’s basically going to start a whole other landslide of touring for us because we’re working on a lot of stuff right now, like we have Canada in October and then a full U.S tour after that in November and there definitely won’t be any slowing down after that. I mean, i’m pretty excited about the new album and i think the kids are going to like it and i think people will connect with it. I’m excited to get something going and debut a song but i have no idea when any of that is going to happen at this point because we’re still putting the finishing touches on the mix but i’m really happy about it.
Carley: How would you describe your music to someone who hadn't previously listened to it?
Trevor: Oh man, that’s a hard one! I guess.. super fast melodic death metal to put it plainly. It’s hard sometimes to describe yourself to people who don’t listen to death metal at all - that’s when it gets tricky. People are like “Do you sound like Metallica?” and i’m like “Yes! But.. not really..” (Laughs)
Carley: If you could say anything to your fans, what would it be?
Trevor: Anything? I’d say “Don’t take any shit, man. Just be your nerdy self and you’ll be alright” (Laughs)
Carley: Finally, What do you want The Black Dahlia Murder to achieve in the next few years?
Trevor: I hope that we can just keep doing what we’re doing, I hope we can keep people interested in the band, I hope that we can keep reaching new fans and I hope that there’s many years of albums and touring to come. If the band fizzles out than that’s fine because it’s exceeded all our expectations a million times over. We want to be able to keep doing what we’re doing because it’s been a lot of fun and i don’t feel like we’re done what we’re doing yet. We've still got a lot of music to write and a lot of energy to give. We’ll just keep working and probably play a bazillion shows within the next 3 years.
NEWS: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH BREAK UP ON STAGE (RUMOUR UPDATED)
Hundreds of fans have taken to the popular social media platform, Twitter to express their emotions this evening with the alleged break up of American Metal band, Five Finger Death Punch on stage of their most recent show in Memphis.
You can view just a few of the tweets below:
It is not yet confirmed by the band or the label whether the allegations are true, however the only current video on the matter doesn’t hold high hope for the bands future.
Updates will be published as confirmed for your convenience.
UPDATE #2:
UPDATE #3:
A statement posted via the bands Facebook page earlier this morning has cleared all allegations regarding the break up.
“A message from Ivan:
There were a lot of technical problems last night that were seemingly unsolvable. We had to make a decision whether to hit the stage crippled, without being able to hear ourselves; or, delay the start of the show - possibly for hours.
We decided to proceed, but not being able to hear if I was in key, and just guessing where we were in the song frustrated me to the point that I lost my cool.
I'm not saying I handled it appropriately. Matter of fact I've never been so embarrassed before. I apologize for taking out my anger on stage. You guys know me and you know how I pride myself on my live performances. I'd never want this to boil over in to something that epically wrong ever again.
To some of our crew, good luck in your future endeavors we wish you the best - we also welcome our new monitor engineer Paul Weber.
To our fans in Memphis - we'll make it up to you I promise, Houston we we will see you tonight. The rest of the world - yes we are coming.
And to the haters... wipe that smirk off your face ...We are not going anywhere ... This “ain't my last dance!”
NEWS: Tom DeLonge Streams New Album “To The Stars” with Additional Blink-182 Demos
Tom DeLonge - long time guitarist and co-vocalist of the punk trio Blink-182 has been in the spotlight continuously over the last few months due to the departure from the band and his controversial tweets towards his late band members, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker.
DeLonge has streamed his new album “To The Stars” that is rumored to contain unreleased Blink-182 demos!
DeLonge states “To The Stars” to be the first of many releases from the newly solo artist and can be viewed below:
Carley: So, your latest release was your 11th studio album titled “Pale Communion.” What was the writing and recording process like?
Fredrik: The writing process took place in Stockholm in a rehearsal space. We have a little corner there - i guess it’s a bit of a home studio and we did the writing there and that’s where i did all my guitar solos. The recording took place in a legendary studio in Wales, UK that was built in the late 60′s and has been blessed by bands like Queen, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath.. a lot of bands have been there. It has a lot of history in it’s walls and it was quite inspiring. We stayed there and it’s set on a farm with sheep and horses and stuff like that and it made the recording really focused. There wasn’t much of a distraction for us.
Carley: How has “Pale Communion” differed from the bands previous releases?
Fredrik: Its connected with the previous album Heritage in a way but we wanted to go for a more late 70′s and early 80′s vibe. We like the productions from that era. You know, before the 80′s hair bands got crazy.. Maybe 83′ (laughs) That was the album sound we spoke about as a band.
Carley: Your artwork for the album is absolutely beautiful. Who did it and what was the concept behind it?
Fredrik: It’s 3 different stages of life. Life, death and what’s in between basically. There are some Latin messages that accompany it that i can’t really remember right now that goes more in depth with the concept but it was a collaboration between Mikeal Akerfeldt and Travis Smith who has done majority of our artworks. Mikeal really spends a lot of time thinking about the artwork and Travis knows him well enough to know his ideas, if you get what i mean.
Carley: You haven’t been on Australian shores for a few years now. What can we expect from the tour?
Fredrik: It’s a completely different set list from last time we went to Australia. We’ll play 3 songs from the new album Pale Communion and we’ve been trying to pick one song from each of the other albums from the past. We can’t include a song from Orchid because of the set list times.. it’s like 2 hours and 20 minutes in length right now so we really couldn’t fit any more in. There’s a lot of songs i haven’t played in Australia included like April Ethereal and The Moor so it’s a good mix! We want to aim for a “V-Shape” feel.. Start off heavy, mellow out and then get heavy again. That’s what we enjoy doing.
Carley: Would you say you have a favorite song to play live?
Fredrik: Well of course it’s fun to play the new songs because we haven’t played them often but my favorite.. and probably one of the more tricky ones to play would be The Moor.
Carley: So it’s technically challenging?
Fredrik: Yeah! Absolutely. Everybody always gets into it. Another favorite would probably be Cusp Of eternity - that’s always fun and has a good groove to it. The new songs come out live a bit heavier than they do on the album as well.
Carley: What city are you most excited to play in and why?
Fredrik: Oh! That’s a good question. I kinda like them all because there’s always something to do. This time around the schedule is quite tight so we don’t have much time to do stuff so our only off day on our Australian tour is in Brisbane. I’m pretty excited to do some touristy things! The Melbourne crowd is always fun and energetic but i think if i compare them all i wouldn’t have a favorite. All the Australian people have such a big support - Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and of course, Sydney.
Carley: What does a typical day on tour look like for Opeth?
Fredrik: It depends if you’re on a bus or whether you travel via plane. In Australia we travel by flight so we stay in hotel rooms so it differs a little. If we tour by a bus we basically just go to sleep at night, wake up and drink some coffee and maybe do an interview. I sit around all day eating and playing guitar while i wait for the sound check. (laughs) I’ll then play the show and drink a lot of beers!
Carley: Beers are the important part?
Fredrik: Oh most definitely! The beers are very important but we don’t drink before a show because it’s not worth it if we mess up any parts as our music can be quite tricky to play and it’s fair to the fans who buy tickets to our shows that way.
** FAN PICKS **
Carley: Does anyone in the band play an odd or unusual instrument?
Fredrik: I used to play violin for awhile before i played guitar. I could try and play it now but i’d probably sound terrible. (laughs)
Carley: Whats the craziest thing a fan has done at your show?
Fredrik: There was one guy in America who screamed to Mikeal that he was challenging him to a duel throughout the entire show and it was a little scary i guess. (laughs) “I challenge you to a duel!”
Carley: So what you’re telling me is that there was an Opeth duel?
Fredrik: (Laughs) Unfortunately not!
Carley: Well that brings us to the end of our interview! Thank you so much for speaking with me today. Maybe i’ll catch you in Brisbane!
Fredrik: Oh cool, it was my pleasure! I hope to see you there, i’m definitely looking forward to coming back to Australia and spending some time in Brisbane, we love it there.
Hard rock super group We Are Harlot, more commonly known as the new band of Danny Worsnop, the former singer of Asking Alexandria have been welcomed to the Soundwave Festival line up of 2016 by organizer, AJ Maddah via Twitter earlier this evening.
You can view the discussion below:
Following discussion consisted of AJ joking about his liver (or lack of) following the confirmed addition.
Are you as excited as we are?
Adelaide based Post-Harcore band Emecia released their debut EP Pariah in December 2013 and have been sure to turn a few heads, supporting the likes of Chiodos and Storm The Sky on their latest Australian tour in February 2013 as well as Bless The Fall's "Boys of Summer" Australian national tour alongside The Color Morale and Gold-Coast heavy hitters, Prepared Like a Bride.
Despite having switched out a few members for various reasons since Pariah’s release, the Emecia boys have hit back hard with their single "Quasar" with record label, Twin Peaks Records.
Twin Peaks Records work with mostly heavier bands worldwide, however have said that they are stoked to work with Emecia and expand their genre reach, giving them a three album release contract with the international label.
The overall sound of the 4-piece band has morphed in styling from Pariah to Quasar, which is to be expected as a band grows and members depart. However the main influences such as LetLive., Bring Me The Horizon, and Every Time I Die have assisted the band in creating a soulful, emotional feel to their music and live performances, becoming renowned for their positive and energetic vibes as well as their connections to the audience on stage. The band prides itself on playing a softer style of music in comparison to a lot of the music going around in the Adelaide music scene today, switching things up with more of a punk rock edge rather than the hardcore tones found in Pariah, creating almost a unidentified genre of their own.
Vocalist, Scott Middlin tells in an interview with Jack from Mosh, Radio Adelaide of what he bases most of his writing off. It's safe to say the concept of "Lucid Dreaming" runs strongly in this band's lyrical styling.
The band's debut record with the Twin Peaks Records "Quasar" was released in September 2014 with a music video directed, shot and edited by Ben Heidrich. Quasar being another concept associated with lucid dreaming and astrology. Scott tells in his interview with Radio Adelaide that the song was heavily influenced by how these strange dreams affect his mind set. He describes his state of mind as a Quasar - a black hole in his mind, as a metaphor for his biggest problems circling "like there's a Quasar inside my mind, getting bigger and bigger like there's no room left”. The single also featured in the September issue [#132] of iconic Australian metal magazine, Blunt on the well-known "Mish Mosh" CD.
You can find the music video for Quasar on YouTube below and for sale on Emecia's Bandcamp account for only $1.
Single "Quasar" Music Video -
Bandcamp - http://emecia.bandcamp.com/
Emecia Merchandise - http://emecia.bigcartel.com/
Twin Peak Records - http://www.twinpeakrecords.com/
Emecia Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/emeciaofficial
Contact the band – [email protected]
‘Ashes To Ashes’ uncages a torrent of technically tight and taut metallic fury fortified by glimpses of melody and an intoxicating groove. Towering growls cast a spell over intricately incisive guitars and staggering rhythms. It’s everything the band’s diehard fan base remains accustomed to and more.
‘’Chelsea Grin, led by charismatic frontman Alex Koehler, emerged to put on one of the tightest performances I’ve ever seen from them, playing a set that seemed crafted please fans both old and new.’’ – New Noise Magazine
Rounding out the bill will be Melbourne’s deathcore purveyors BORIS THE BLADE whom will embark on their first Australian tour of 2015 fresh from a 65 date stint in the USA supporting the likes of Oceano, Sepultura whilst headlining their own shows.
‘’They ignited the energy into a louder, more powerful force than at any time prior. Chelsea Grin wear the Deathcore label proud and rightfully so as they proved it here.’’ – Cryptic Rock
With a fearsome reputation as one of the most technical and chaotic live bands CHELSEA GRIN are set to destroy Australian stages.
Don’t miss one of the most brutal tours of 2015.
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY 15th APRIL 9am AEST
VIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE
THURSDAY AUGUST 13th –THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL, PERTH – 18+*
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
FRIDAY AUGUST 14th – THE CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE – 18+
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.cornerhotel.com
SATURDAY AUGUST 15th – WRANGLER STUDIOS, MELBOURNE – AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
SUNDAY AUGUST 16th FOWLERS LIVE , ADELAIDE - LIC/AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.moshtix.com.au
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19th –THE SMALL BALLROOM, NEWCASTLE - 18+
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
FRIDAY AUGUST 21st –THE FACTORY THEATRE, SYDNEY – LIC/AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.factorytheatre.com.au | www.ticketek.com.au
SATURDAY AUGUST 22nd –BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE– 18+
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
Everyone knows The Black Dahlia Murder are coming back in June to rip the faces off their willfully submitting fans in an orgy of blood, sweat and good old fashioned death metal violence.
What you don’t know until now is that the tour is about to get even more deadly with the announcement of the Australian contingent that will push things totally over the edge.
If you missed them recently, well, that's your fault, but fresh from their own headline tour in support of their sixth and finest album, a totally on form and razor sharp Psycroptic have been added all shows *except Brisbane and Perth as have Melbourne’s unholy miscreants Colossvs who will be ready to kill again after having just come off the King Parrot tour in May.
The nations metal elite have been added to local shows across the tour also. Aversions Crown, Kyser Soze, Malignant Monster, Iconoclast, Earthrot, Truth Corroded, Boris The Blade, The Seer,Tortured and Inhuman Remnants will be priming the crowds across the land and serving them up ready and willing to be destroyed by The Black Dahlia Murder….
TOUR DATES
Wed June 17 - Brisbane / Crowbar - with Aversions Crown & Kyser Soze https://www.facebook.com/events/375949695910124/
Thurs June 18 - Perth / Capitol- with Malignant Monster, Iconoclast & Earthro
thttps://www.facebook.com/events/407638546064131/
Fri June 19 - Adelaide / Fowlers - with Psycroptic, Colossvs & Truth Corroded
https://www.facebook.com/events/334986676711637/
Sat June 20 - Melbourne / Northcote Social Club - with Psycroptic & Colossvs
https://www.facebook.com/events/1564134277194013/
Sun June 21 - Melbourne / Northcote Social Club All Ages Arvo - with Psycroptic & Boris The Blade
https://www.facebook.com/events/1564134277194013/
Sun June 21 - Melbourne / Northcote Social Club 18+ Evening - with Psycroptic & Colossvs
https://www.facebook.com/events/1564134277194013/
Thurs June 25 - Newcastle / Cambridge - with Psycroptic, Colossvs & The Seer
https://www.facebook.com/events/1578235132418221/
Fri June 26 - Canberra / The Basement - with Psycroptic, Colossvs, Tourtured & Inhuman Remnants
https://www.facebook.com/events/925903624128835/
Sat June 27 - Sydney / The Factory Licensed All Ages - with Psycroptic, Boris the Blade & Colossvs
https://www.facebook.com/events/769619099812840/
Tickets on sale now.
facebook.com/TBDM
facebook.com/directtouring
www.directtouring.com
THE STIFFYS RELEASE A NEW VIDEO TITLED “KISSY KISSY”
Always one step ahead of the scene (and the ladies), the decision in late 2014 by THE STIFFYS to evolve into a more serious art rock band saw the unveiling of some bold new outfits and the release of the first single (Kick Another Flip) from the bands forthcoming ART ROCK record due for release in late 2015. Having devoted the last few months to writing, recording and talking to ladies on social media, THE STIFFYS are back with another cracking new song and art rock video!
“ ‘Kissy Kissy’ is a song about kissing girls and how we’re really great at it. Both of us have heaps of experience kissing girls because we’re in a rock and roll band, we’re basically pros in that regard. This song is probably the most art thing we’ve ever done, so it felt natural to set the music video in space,” said Jason.
“We’re really pushing ourselves with this new ART ROCK record. Jason used heaps of guitar pedals and played slide bass guitar – I wore sunglasses during almost all of my drum takes. I suppose if there’s one key message for people to take from this song it’s that everyone should have a really great time all the time, and kiss each other a lot,” said Adam.
The track was recorded with Matt Neighbour (Courtney Barnett, British India, Davey Lane) at Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios and is the second single from THE STIFFYS’ forthcoming third record – ART ROCK, due for release later in the year.
The music video was animated with Chris Edser and Jarrod Prince, who also animate content for Comedy Central and the Chicago Bulls.
The duo have been touring relentlessly and spending their downtime recording inspirational web videos, including a recent cover of Redfoo’s controversial Literally I Can’t.
Currently on tour nationally supporting The Beards
Thursday April 9th:
WOLLONGONG (NSW) Wollongong University
Friday April 10th:
DARWIN (NT) Railway Club
Saturday April 11th:
DARWIN (NT) Railway Club
Wednesday April 15th:
NEWCASTLE (NSW) Bar On The Hill
Thursday April 16th:
CENTRAL COAST (NSW)Entrance Leagues Club
Friday April 17th:
SYDNEY (NSW) The Metro
Saturday April 18th:
CANBERRA (NSW) Anu Bar
Thursday April 30th:
TOOWOOMBA (QLD) The Spotted Cow
Sunday May 3rd:
BYRON BAY (NSW) The Northern Hotel
Thursday May 7th:
BUNBURY (WA) Prince Of Wales
Friday May 8th:
MARGARET RIVER (WA) Settlers Inn
Saturday May 9th:
PERTH (WA) Capitol Theatre
Wednesday May 13th:
GLADSTONE (QLD) Harvey Road Tavern
Thursday May 14th:
ROCKHAMPTON (QLD) The Lionleigh Hotel
Friday May 15th:
TOWNSVILLE (QLD) The Dairymple Tavern
ATREYU PREMIERE NEW VIDEO FOR "SO OTHERS MAY LIVE" VIA ALTERNATIVE PRESS
Atreyu, one of the most prominent bands of the '00s American metal scene, exited a period of self-imposed dormancy in 2014 to the delight of fans. They played several shows. They released a brand new song, "So Others May Live," which became an instant social media trending topic. The song touched on an important topical issue—what veterans who serve our country feel and experience upon returning home from duty. The song's heartfelt subject was matched by its musical heft.
Now, the So Cal band has premiered the video for the song via Alternative Press. Watch it here.
In addition to this adrenalized live video, which proves that Atreyu have not lost a step since returning to action and that they are as vital and vibrant as they ever were, the band will participate in Record Store Day, which is Saturday, April 18.
They will release a 7" featuring both "So Others May Live" and the brand new track "When the Day Is Done." These are the first new Atreyu songs to surface since 2009.
This live footage, which captures the band in its most natural state, was filmed at The Observatory in Ateryu's native California in December of 2014.
The clip truly captures the electrifying essence and vibe that is always present at an Atreyu concert, due to the exchange of energy between the band and its dedicated fans. It also puts the viewer front and centre, as though you were pressed up against the barrier after taking a whirl in the pit.
AP recently got the exclusive scoop from frontman Alex Varkatzas about the recording process for the new album. Read about the progress and where the album fits in the Atreyu catalogue here.
A brand new Atreyu album will be released later this year via the joint venture partnership between Raw Power Management’s Search & Destroy label and Spinefarm Records.
But for now, Atreyu are happy to provide the visual in the form of this video. Try not to break a sweat while watching it.
The metal world, be it lovers or haters, is ready for the Atreyu resurgence now more than ever. Expect more exciting Atreyu news and content in the coming months.
With the dawning of spring upon us, Imminence Records is pleased toannounce their expansion into Australia with the signings of two Australianbands. The first being Brisbane’s Apate, who formed in the middle of 2013 and has quickly moved up the ranks in their region and recently released their newest single entitled “Purgatory.” While the new single saw a departure from the sound the band had crafted on their debut EP, it shows the band’s progression into a sound that is a lot more technical while being heavier, slower, and having a more pronounced lyrical background.
RIYL: Barrier, Sworn In, Villains
To celebrate their signing to Imminence Records, the guys in Apate took the late Robin Williams words to heart when he said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying, "Let’s party!,"” by holding a party for themselves and filming it as their announcement video. Ben adds, “We are beyond stoked to finally announce as being a part of the Imminence Records family. It is a huge achievement and we can't wait to see what the future holds for us now that we have a solid record label backing us.” Fans can expect more Australian based shows throughout the spring and summer before Apate releases their brand new release this fall.
The second Australian band signing to Imminence Records is Perth’s Cloak & Dagger. This metalcore outfit was also formed in 2013 and released their debut EP in 2014. Vocalist Jordan Phoebe had this to say on the signing, “It’s awesome! We have big plans for this year and we’re really fortunate to have found a label that supports us and helps us to create the art we want to create. We have a whole bunch of new songs written and we’re working on more every day so that we can make the best music we can. We’re playing shows all over the place and working on ideas for new merch, so it’s all very new and exciting.”
RIYL: Bring Me The Horizon, The Devil Wears Prada, While She Sleeps
Cloak & Dagger forwent the party as they were hard at work putting the finishing touches on their brand new single. “Stay Gold” will be off the band’s upcoming label debut that will be released late summer or fall of this year, with ordan commented on it by saying, “The song is all about living without regret and being yourself in what I see as an increasingly homogenized world. There’s a lot of pressure to be a certain way and if you can’t make a certain standard it can be pretty depressing, which I think sucks, but if you can be happy with who you are, you’ll be okay.”
Listen to “Stay Gold” on YouTube
Jordan continued by comparing the new material to the debut EP, “We wanted it to sound distinct and show our progression as musicians without sacrificing the sound that got us to this point, so rather than reinventing ourselves, we focused on just developing our sound and getting better at what we do. Lyrically, the EP was all about catharsis and getting things off my chest, and while there is still a fair bit of that, I also wanted to write things that other people could relate to.”
About Apate:
Hailing from Brisbane, the down-tempo/hardcore outfit of Apate formed in the middle of 2013. The band soon went to work on their debut single, entitled “Stick Tight,” which they released at the end of July of that year. The single and the rest of their explosive set got their quickly expanding fanbase moving and singing along throughout. They finished off 2013 by hitting the studio to record their debut EP, which would turn into Pandora’s Box. Pandora’s Box would be released April 12th of 2014 and quickly followed by the band’s Katy Perry cover. The band would continue playing shows and working to climb in the Brisbane scene before releasing their next single “Purgatory.” The single soon caught the attention of Imminence Records, who was eyeing an expansion into Australia, and the band announced their signing in the middle of March. 2015 will see the band hitting the road and working on their label debut.
About Cloak & Dagger:
The Perth metalcore outfit Cloak & Dagger was birthed in 2013 and quickly went to work writing and playing shows. In June of 2014 the band released their debut EP entitled Divination. The EP features lead single "Catharsis" that attracted the attention of metal fans from all around the country and resulted in a feature in the pages of Blunt Magazine. During this time, the band continued to write new material and at the end of 2014 had garnered the attention of Imminence Records. On March 15th, the band announced their signing and released their brand new single “Stay Gold.” The wanted the single to be a song that sounded different from the EP while also retaining their identity. With a new release due out in late 2015, the band has just started to scratch the surface of their sound and career.
So you guys are releasing your second studio album, "Brainwashed" via Search & Destroy on March 23rd.
Ryan: What was the main aim you wanted to achieve as a band with the new record?
Mat: We didn’t give ourselves much of an aim, we gave ourselves a little bit of a criteria where we said “this was the record where we don’t have any boundaries towards musical styles or ideas or anything like that” so we tried to make a record that was completely on our guts, basically if there was something we liked it went in, regardless to whether it felt like the While She Sleeps vibe we had before. It was just like “lets just make a record that makes us really happy.” We’ve had a quite difficult couple of years, really. We’ve had a couple of big up and down situations - not in amongst the band but we’ve all had to overcome certain things and the record kinda tells the story of the last few years and so it comes out of a troubled time we’ve had with a positive outcome - which is nice. We just wanted to make something that’s an honest representation of the band at the time. It’s a snapshot into our bands life at this time.
Ryan: So would you say it’s very much like a stepping stone?
Mat: Yeah! Definitely feels like we have a real sound on this record. It feels like quite a defining a record for us as a band.
Ryan: What was the recording process like for "Brainwashed" and how did it differ from your debut release, "This Is The Six"?
Mat: It was very long.. we basically recorded drums first and then as we sort of finished recording the drums, then guitars..and then we sort of got the news that our singer wasn’t going to be able to record vocals after because he had to have throat surgery and had to have 6 months recovery. So we sort of got the record going at full force and we had to then put it on pause. It was quite a weird experience so we had to have this huge break in the middle of the record which can potentially be quite worrying because you think “Will i like it when i go back to it?” and so that kinda got thrown at us. Instead of it being a negative thing, it actually resulted in a positive thing because we spent most of that time crafting what else we wanted to do on the record, working on vocals properly and so when we went back in we had this whole new vision. We had been given this time we hadn’t had before and instead of just rushing in we just got to spend every ounce of creativity and push it into it and tell the story of the trauma we had just been through it.
In your bio, it says that "Brainwashed" is the culmination of what you guys went through to make it. It's an album that got made both in spite of and because of the things that threatened to stop it from happening.
Ryan: Could you explain what it feels like for the record to almost be released after the hardship you've all gone through to make it a reality?
Mat: Its a huge release, man! Its just nice to feel like it pays off in the end. We’re only in this whole game to create and make music and when that suddenly becomes something like “oh shit, we can’t do this until we fix the problem” it’s pretty scary. For Loz (Lawrence Taylor) personally it’s been a really scary year. It’s like a guitarist finding out that his hand isn’t necessarily going to work, you know? So to actually have the record complete, we just had some great reviews in the UK and everything we’ve done so far has been really well received. So just.. it’s just the biggest relief to know our fans are still behind us and the industry is still behind us and although we took a big break and took a break out of the conventional album cycle, it’s been fine and everyone has stood behind us and supported it. Thats the nicest thing, really. When you’ve worked on something for so long and so hard, i’m at the point now where i just want to give it to everyone and i know i can’t do anything more on it. I can’t work any harder on this record - we’ve all put everything we’ve had into this record. So it’s just time to give it to people and hope its well received.
Ryan: Is there a main theme you aimed to address in the lyrical content for "Brainwashed"?
Mat: We talk about everything that has sort of gone off over the last couple of years for us. It’s almost like a memo or a diary from the last few years. We’ve always been quite a political band and we’ve always talked about our issues and our opinions on our country and government.. and the world, really. This one does the same but we’ve tried to make it as a positive outcome in this record. The album is called Brainwashed so we’re not saying we’re not brainwashed - we’re saying we are brainwashed - so is everyone else. We live in a world where someone has basically made every decision for you before you’ve had the chance to make it and if you don't decide for yourself, someone else will tell you what to look like, what to listen to, what to eat, where to go.. and unless you take some form of independence and a personal stand against these people or against these massive corporations and people trying to craft what you’re into or what you think like, than you’ll just be a sheep. We’re trying to encourage people to think for themselves and decide what they like. We’ve managed to make success out of something that we were never taught in school or isn’t something that was encouraged by anyone. It’s just passion! If people followed their passion more and didn’t look for answers somewhere else, they’d be surprised how far they’d get.
The artwork for "Brainwashed" is a red flag with the bands logo on it.
Ryan: Does this represent a particular theme or concept?
Mat: We always like to leave people wondering a little bit like “What do they mean?” It’s a double edged sword, really. It’s just saying “This is us, this is something you can recognize us by” and it’s powerful. Its a warning, basically. A warning of the world and what people will do to you unless you are an independent thinker. Flags are a pretty crazy thing because they’re there. We had one and put it up and said “this place is ours” you know what i mean? its a crazy thing when you think about it. That’s why if you look at the artwork we actually burn the flag in the artwork because it’s completely.. it’s an irrelevant thing, as much as its a necessary thing.
You guys have released a few single tracks so far from the album including "Our Legacy" & "Four Walls",
Ryan: What has the reception been like for these tracks so far?
Mat: It’s been awesome so far! We were kinda worried if people were going to lose momentum and the reaction has just been literally nothing but positive. We haven't really heard any negative feedback and it’s just been really supportive of fans - it’s just really cool to have that. We’re just really grateful that people have stood with us and still like us after so long without music.
Ryan: Who were your influences for the new record?
Mat: We all sort of found ourselves digging back to the bands who got us into this whole thing in the first place. We dug back to our childhood bands, like i’m a huge Rancid fan and i found myself listening to that again. Rise Against, Anti-Flag and all that sort of early 2000, late 90′s punk.
Ryan: What are you all most looking forward to once "Brainwashed" is released?
Mat: I’m looking forward to just getting back on tour and experiencing the world again. When you travel its so easy for it to turn into a bubble that you don’t really appreciate because it’s caught around you at a different place every day and you don’t have any time to think. You barely have time to explore these places and having time off opens your eyes again, it’s like a reflection period. We’ve all spent so much time thinking about it that we’re going back into this cycle with a fresh head and we’re going to change the way we tour a little bit and try to experience places more and take advantage of the opportunities.
Ryan: Describe a day in the life of While She Sleeps while on tour.
Mat: We’re a pretty funny band.. We’ve been friends since school so for most of us, it’s been 12-15 years of knowing each other. We have a bit of a weird humor with each other so we’re just absolute idiots. A day on tour.. we’ll get up and feel like shit because we’ve probably been out the night before partying and tried to meet cool people so we’ll probably feel like crap and we’ll get up and have a juice or a smoothie with as much vegetables and rejuvenate as much as possible. Now we take a bunch of little folding bikes on tour called ralley shoppers and we bought 6 of them and every day we pull out these hilarious bikes out and go on a massive cruise around the place we’re in. We get back and sort the gear out, make sure the gear is set up and nice.. probably have some food. We have a couple of vegans in the band - 3 vegetarians, 2 vegans so we’re always on the hunt for somewhere cool to eat. Then sound check, play the show and then party again, similar to the night before but in the place we’re in.
Ryan: And then do it all over again?
Mat: Yeah! Thats pretty much the standard tour cycle, maybe minus the silly bikes.
Ryan: Sounds like the life to live!
Mat: It’s a good time, man. I think it makes you age at double the speed but it’s the life.
Ryan: Can we expect to see you guys back on Australian shores in the near future?
Mat: Yes! Hopefully at the end of this year or the start of next year. We are dying to get back so as soon as the opportunity comes our way, we’ll be over.
Ryan: Fantastic! I’ll be sure to catch you guys when you finally make it back over here.
Mat: Thanks man! Make sure you come and we’ll have a beer when you do.
Ryan: Definitely!
Well that brings us to the end of our interview, thank you so much for your time and all the best with the release of the new record, it's killer!
INTERVIEW: DAVID ELLEFSON (MEGADETH) - THE SPOKEN WORD TOUR
Oliver: You haven’t been to Australia in about 5 years, where are you most looking forward to touring and why?
David: You know, Australia is one of the coolest places on the planet. Lets talk about 1991 for a second, Australia is like the cowboy state. When i went to Australia in 91′ it reminded me of places like, you know, rustic.. rustic Americana but in a very Australian way. Then i went out there again in 2010 when we did the 20th anniversary tour and i really thought “wow man! the country is really modernized” and you know, it looked different and that’s one of the beauties you get to see when you travel the world - how nations develop and cultures come of age so it’s cool to be able to see that. When i got asked about doing the spoken word tour i was just real thrilled to get back out and get back to Australia again. The Australian people have such a great spirit and positivity and just a real genuine nature about them and it’s all about the people, man. Cultures and nations are all about the people, not the buildings.
Oliver: So would you say that between Australia and the rest of the world that the fans react differently?
David: You know, when you’re on stage playing heavy metal - and i speak for our music, it seems to invoke a similar reaction from everybody. There’s just something about this kind of music that really reaches into the core of people, and that’s such a cool to see from people all around the world. What i’m looking forward to about spoken word is that this isn't going to have the high volume bomb bass blasting out at everyone across the stage. (laughs) It’s me, one little American, talking to a bunch of Australians. I’m looking forward to the dynamic and i’ve done a lot of public speaking and various things on a lot of different levels, and to be able to take something like this to the Australian people is just you know - Australia is not a place that’s in most peoples reach. It’s very far away.. Europe, America, Japan, South America, and it’s just it’s own cool little place and so it’s really a treat to go there and i hope for the Australian people that it’s a treat when we can make it over. It always seems like it is! They welcome us with open arms.
Oliver: So what can we expect from the My Life With Deth tour?
David: Well there are a few verses in my book that i want to refer to in particular and develop those out. Some musical things, some professional things and i want to use that as a basis of the contents and from there, develop those things. When you write a book or record an album, you’re kinda lacking to what you see and what you hear. That’s it, there’s no improvisation, the words on the page - that’s the source. But in a live setting like the spoken word, its like when you play a record live, all of a sudden there’s a whole different emotion and energy that comes out because it’s performed live in front of you, it’s not a recording. In this case, you’re not reading black ink off a page, there’s real human emotion behind it. Quite honestly, me being the author, it also has my intent behind it.
The trick to an autobiography is you tell your story, as open and as real as you can. But at the same time, when you get people to read it or you tell those stories in person there’s a whole new dynamic and different emotion that comes out because you, the reader doesn't have to try to infer anything. It’s already.. it’s me telling you. To me it’s the same as a live music performance, it’s right there in front of you on stage. Whats cool about it is i wanted to make the Q&A part of this too because Q&A opens up a whole new fun thing with fans that to me, being at one with your fans who are there is what opens it up to a dynamic, you know. Our fans hear and remember things that i’ve probably long since forgotten and those things have made emotional impacts on their lives, whether that’s a lyric, a song, something that was said in an interview, a photo, something another band member has said, these things are taken and that’s the cool thing about being in a rock’n roll band, you realize the reach and impact you have in these peoples lives, it’s pretty deep and effective.
Oliver: You talk about Religion in your autobiography, could you tell us a bit about the interplay between your faith and the Megadeth lifestyle over the years?
David: Well it started with me when i got off all the drugs and booze back in 1990, when i was 25 years old, literally a few weeks before recording Rust In Peace. Anyone who has come off mind-altering chemicals, you know that you’re just bouncing off of walls and its hard to keep your brain focused and your body is kinda a raw nerve so imagine taking that energy into the studio and cutting a record that would be carved in time for the world to hear forever (laughs) That is physically what happened with Rust In Peace, which is funny because Rust In Peace is certainly about the people who recorded it at the moment in time but it’s also about the emotion that was happening at the time and i think sometimes fans, and i’ll include myself in this because i’m a fan of certain bands over the years who have had line ups change and certain things have happened - like KISS, you can look back to 1976 and try to recreate that moment but that moment is gone. You’ll never recreate that moment ever again, and that’s the point of making a record or writing a book, you’re capturing that moment forever.
I could write My Life With Deth today and it would be a entirely different book to the one that got published a year ago. The same way we could rerecord Rust In Peace today and it would have an entirely different sound to it because there’s an emotion about it. That’s the thing about music.. music is like this untamed, wild, feral beast and you try your best to capture it in the studio in that moment to get it on tape but once that moment moves on and you leave the studio and the record is done, that moment in time is captured and to never ever to be captured like that again.
Oliver: Putting it together must have taken quite some time. Can you please explain how the process worked?
David: It’s like a 3 year process, at least. I started writing in mid-2010 and it didn't even get released until October 2013 so it was literally a 3 year process. Fortunately Joel (Mclver) has written many other books before so he was able to navigate me through the process because i was on tour, we were writing other albums, you know.. I was doing other things so he helped that happen. I always thought about writing the book but Joel was the one who was like “ Now is the time, here’s how we should do it” because he really understood the history of Megadeth and me as a bass player. He was really able to capture the essence of my life at the time.
Oliver: Was it at all humbling to have so many of your colleagues such as Scott Ian and Marty Friedman eager to contribute to the project?
David: Yeah it was! It was great actually. It was cool because it’s nice to know those we’ve had working relationships with, to know that we still have open doors and open minds of communication. To have them willing to participate in it was great and i’m glad that those doors are always open for us.
Oliver: I understand there is a competition underway to win one of your Signature Jackson Bass Guitars. How can fans go about entering that?
David: The easiest way is to go to my Facebook, which is www.facebook.com/davidellefson all the information is there on how to do it. It’s great! I’m glad we’re doing it. I’m a bass player first and fore-most and to have one of my signature basses that iv’e created and to have that available is a thrill for me. It’s like an evening out with David Ellefson! (laughs) It should be a great night, man! but yeah, go to the Facebook page and that’s where all the information is for the contest.
Oliver: We’re running out of time so we’ll just ask one more question. What do you think 1983 Dave would say to you if he could see where you are now?
David: I think he would be really happy because when i was in 1983, i was scared to death. I knew i could play, i knew where my passions lay but i was a young man, out on my own and i was scared to death living in Hollywood. Meeting Dave and being together with him and the band was a god send. He was a big brother to me as well as musically very focused and knew exactly what he wanted to do. That really taught me a lot having a partnership with him. So here i am all these years later, i think David would also think in 1983, if he could see me now with those eyes he’d think ”thank god it’s going to be okay” (laughs)
Oliver: Well thank you very much for your time today, we’ll see you on tour in Australia in a few weeks!
David: Sounds good Oliver, thanks man!
5 AUSTRALIAN MUSIC VENUES YOU NEED TO VISIT | Glory Music Promotions
1. The Brightside - Brisbane
Making its grand opening in May 2014, The Brightside has been a popular choice for both national and international bands and proven to be majority of Brisbane-ites "go to" venue ever since. That's not all! The Brightside is also home to Brisbane's best beer garden. Sorry kids, this venue is 18+ only.
2. The Bald Faced Stag - Sydney
The Bald Faced Stag has been Sydneys #1 choice of venue for many years now. A historic building combined with the friendly staff, pub-friendly dining and trivia nights, there's no wonder it plays host to some of the countries best tours.
3. Perth Arena - Perth
10/10 sound. Enough said.
4. The Underdog Pub Co - Brisbane
The Underdog takes on many of it's surrounding venues while competing for live entertainment but it's not called "The Underdog" for nothing. Many of the local promoters turn to this venue as their first choice when booking shows to broadcast the venues affordable hire, cheeky staff and more-than-accommodating event space. If you're someone who likes to attend local shows, chances are you've been here before and there's definitely not anything stopping you from going back.
5. The Hifi - Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane
The well-known chain of venues that spread throughout Australia, calling Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane home "The Hifi" are one of Australia's largest historic venue chains bringing live music to the public. The insanely spacious venues have hosted shows from Bluejuice, Chiodos, New Found Glory, The Smith Street Band and many more.
PRESS RELEASE: THE SMASHING PUMPKINS ANNOUNCE SIDEWAVES SUPPORTS!
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS have landed and with them, the great news that their Australian set will feature the band’s most star studded incarnation yet featuring Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine on drums and The Killers’ Mark Stoermer on bass guitar.
The group have been wowing audiences around the world and have noted that for their Australian shows they will be playing all their top hits as well as songs from their best received album in over 10 years, "Monuments to an Elegy".
In further great news, as if any more was needed, we can now confirm that GERARD WAY (of My Chemical Romance) and one of Japan’s biggest rock exports ONE OK ROCK will be providing support at the band’s headline shows.
*Please note that Sydney venue has changed to Big Top Luna Park due to production share with Soundgarden at the same venue. ALL TICKETS REMAIN VALID.
The press on "Monuments:
"The Pumpkins on classic form!" - NME
"Genuinely excellent" - Time Out
"Corgan has remembered what he is best at" - Q
"The band's Super-Album! - The Huffington Post
The Press on the Pumpkins latest live show (featuring the all star lineup):
"The concert saw The Smashing Pumpkins revel in all their muscle and majesty!" - The New York Times
"They had you wishing that every last note of every song was a false alarm!" - The Chicago Sun Times
"The impressive line up pounded through every song….and there was no shortage of crowd pleasers!" - London Daily Telegraph
LIMITED TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
GERARD WAY + ONE OK ROCK
MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY: MELBOURNE, FESTIVAL HALL – Licensed and Unlicensed areas available.
www.ticketmaster.com.au
WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY: SYDNEY, BIG TOP LUNA PARK – Licensed All Ages.
