What Gets You Going For A Friday/Weekend?

So today, I decided to send out the good Friday vibes to all my friends in family with a Facebook post:

"Time to get a convo going this morning with everyone...name a song that always gets you pumped up for Friday or the weekend. Drop a name or a YouTube clip!"

I, myself always have some great Friday morning tunes that jump between rock, metal, classical, even hip-hop/electronica, anything that basically gets me ready for another day of work in the city, as well as something to keep me going till that punch clock says I can leave (haha).  So I leave you with a few notable Friday morning gems of my own that get me going:


The Damned Things - Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)


Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)


The Mudmen - Saturday

Having launched that post, I got some diverse answers from some of my friends and readers.  I got to agree that it doesn't matter what you listen to in the morning, it's what gets you going for the day.

"If you must have motivation, think of your paycheck on Friday." -Noel Coward

Below, check out some of the awesome (and sometimes weird) responses I got to my post...


Sick of It All - Hello Pricks


Rebecca Black - Friday

As much as it pains me to put her music on one of my articles, I had to be fair to the readers. :-\

Sorry to all those who got turned of by this song (haha)


The Cure -  Friday I'm In Love


BRODYQUEST


Michael Gray - The Weekend


Jump Smokers (feat. Pitbull) - Superstar


Star Slinger - Bumpkin


Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi

hahahaha!  Awesome.


Aaron Pritchett - Let's Get Rowdy

Thanks for all those who submitted a video this morning, keep the conversation going and drop a comment on the article here or over at AFGM Facebook.  Cheers and have a great weekend!

***

The Word Alive: Entirety

The Word Alive have dropped a new music video for the track "Entirety" today. Check it out below:

"Entirety" is taken from TWA's latest album "Life Cycles", which came out on July 3rd, 2012 via Fearless Records.  Be sure to catch them on the All Stars Tour right now!

1. Dragon Spell
2. Wishmaster
3. Entirety
4. For Your Health
5. Bar Fight
6. Life Cycles
7. Evolution
8. Hidden Lakes
9. Ambitionary
10. Live a Lie
11. Belong
12. Room 126
13. Astral Plane

Volume: An Interview With Wide Eyes

OK, well since my day usually consists of going through the news, finding somewhat interesting pieces to talk about, trying to grab interviews and (my favourite part) checking out new bands/albums, this group from Akron, Ohio caught my attention the other day.  Say hello to progressive newcomers WIDE EYES.  This 5 piece group just released their debut CD (from what I can see, with no help from a record label) on August 21st and have already garnished quite a bit of attention and fans in the short time span.

As you can see from the video below, they got themselves a notable musician (Adam Getgood from Periphery) to master the tracks into the finished product that you can check out below.  But mind you, the band seems to be taking care of every other step of the way, with tracking, mastering and more done all done by themselves.

Wide Eyes consists of: 

Danny Cullman - Guitar, Synth, Keys, Drum Programming, Producer | Chris Saniga - Guitar, Synth, Drum Programming, Producer | Chris Vogagis - Guitar, Synth, Drum Programming

"The album breaks down into 20 songs and 6 bonus tracks. I did my best during the mixing process to make all of the songs flow together, but that wasn't the point of the album. This album was a way for us to take all the music we have written over the past few years and just get it out there so that we could start fresh, very similar to what Lil Wayne did way back in the day when he dropped his 10,000 bars mixtape. Remember when he actually tried to rap? SMFHLOL. Anyways, we called it Volume, because between Godge, Chriggz, and myself, it literally is a volume of our works. So I hope you all enjoy it! The next release will sound much more like an album rather than a compilation of songs!" -Danny (DBrick, Operative Me!, Danny Boy, whatever the hell you want to call me.)

1. Inception 

2. Genie 

3. Hah! 

4. Sighborg 

5. Eskalofrio 

6. Higher 

7. Diamondize

8. Immortalize 

9. Champagne Charlie 

10. Decimator 

11. Terra Tellus 

12. The Galveston Key 

13. Uno 

14. Slipt 

15. Jet Black Pope 

16. Progress 

17. Empirical 

18. Sidewards 

19. Revival 

20. Demarcation 

21. Marahute

22. Kamel Krush

23. The Alkonost

24. New Order Of The Ages

25. Chronicles Of Zuo

26. End Of The Sun

Notable tracks to listen to:

Immortalize, Decimator and Empirical

Now I know a fair amount of you would be looking for some vocals for a debut album with two session vocalists enlisted.  The guys have replied (via Facebook) to a few fans and advised them that the next album.  Judging by the way these guys make albums (26 tracks!) that they will most likely be starting that soon.  Can't wait to see what the added vocals are going to sound like!

So if the article about these guys wasn't enough for you guys and gals, I managed to get in touch with Danny for a quick Q&A about these guys and what their ultimate goals are for this project.  I was thoroughly intrigued by the answers I got here and it seems Wide Eyes has a plethora of music just waiting to be heard!

Hey Danny, thanks for taking the time to stop by AFGM for a quick Q&A.  So, what are you guys up to today?

We're starting pre-production on our new EP!

So how did Wide Eyes come together?

It actually started as just a little project for me (Danny) and Chris Saniga (AKA Chriggz). At the time we played in a band called Among The Hidden, which played generic deathcore, and after we broke up, we were searching for a new outlet. Our friend had misinterpreted the lyrics to the BTBAM song "Alaska" in which Tommy Rogers says "Keep writing", and thought he said "King Wide Eyes". So we dropped the "King" and Wide Eyes was born. After that, Chriggz was going to school at the University of Akron, he met our other guitarist, who is also our drummer, Chris Vogagis (The Godge). After that we all just started writing!

Any other influences besides David Blane and Magic? haha

We all grew up on BTBAM, Dream Theater, Misery Signals, August Burns Red and were always attracted to the more technical aspect of metal!

Do you find your hometown of Akron to be a good spot for a band such as yourselves to get a career started?

Akron sucks, but in 2012, social networking rules everything, so it has been fairly easy to reach our target audience!

Do most the tunes you write just come to mind (in Psych class haha) in random or do you guys ever have sit down sessions where you hash out new tunes?

Both actually! Some songs/riffs are written by us individually and sometimes we get together and jam stuff out! Guitar Pro is also a big help ;)

So lets talk about the album "Volume". How were you able to secure mastering duties by Adam Getgood and artwork by Daniel Wagner? They seem to be both notable masters of their craft. Was it as simple as a request/phone call?

Pretty much. We hit up Daniel shortly after we started production and he was totally down to do the art! I had been asking Nolly for mixing and tone tips via Facebook messaging and we got the idea to ask him to master it for us. When we heard the finished product, we we're EXTREMELY happy with the sound.

From what I have seen from numerous fans, they are very pleased with the fact that this LP contains 26 tracks? What made you guys want to release all 26 instead of doing two separate albums?

We basically just had all of these completed songs that we wanted to release. The whole idea of "Volume" was basically to take all of the songs we had written and just release them all at once. It is a collection, or "volume" (hehe), of all of our works. Some of the songs were written 2 years ago and others were written during the production process!

"The next release will sound much more like an album rather than a compilation of songs!" Are we to expect some more material in the near future? And with vocals?

Absolutely!

What software were you guys using for the tracking and mastering of "Volume" and the drum programming?

For drums we used Superior Drummer, however, most of the drum parts were actually written by our drummer The Godge. For our guitars, we used the Axe Fx Ultra and for bass we used a Bass POD. Everything was tracked and mixed in Logic!

So being that the album is available on Bandcamp, it seems you guys are definitely a DIY kind of band. Do you plan to continue releasing material independently or you looking for a label right now?

At the moment we have the ability to do everything ourselves, and it seems like a lot of signed bands still have a hard time making a living, so why not just keep going DIY!

What's your hardware setup looking like recently? Any specific pieces you could recommend to readers/fans to try out?

AXE FX!!!!

Words of inspiration to musicians/bands looking to follow in similar footsteps of yourselves?

Do you and don't let anyone else tell you what your music should sound like!

Now that "Volume" has been released, are there any short term goals that Wide Eyes is looking to attain?

Trying to find a way to release the hundreds of songs we've written and putting together an epic live performance for the future!

What's your favourite album of 2012 (no bias! haha)

2 Chanz - Based On a T.R.U. Story (our biggest influence)

***

Anyways, pre-orders and more info about these guys can be found at any of their official sites, so check em out, like their pages and drop a comment or two on your take of their debut album:

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/wideeyesoh
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WideEyesOH
Twitter: www.twitter.com/wideeyesoh
Myspace: www.myspace.com/athmetal
YouTube: www.youtube.com/wideeyesoh
Tumblr: wideeyesoh.tumblr.com
Bandcamp: wideeyesofficial.bandcamp.com

I Am War: Outlive You All

Alright, being a fan of both Atreyu and Bleeding Through (bonus points cause I just saw a BT poster on the TV show Workaholics haha) I am excited for this collaboration between vocalists Alex Varkatzas and Brandan Schieppati.



I AM WAR has been announced for a few months now and dedicated fans know about the ongoing recording, mixing, mastering and the interviews that seem to be piling up.  There's no doubt this will be an impressive effort on both their parts and the finished product is starting to take shape.  Below, you can check out the newest single from the guys, entitled "Led By Liars":



For a lil background info, we check in with their Facebook page:

I Am War is the back to blood-raw basics punk/hardcore group featuring Atreyu frontman Alex Varkatzas singing and Bleeding Through vocalist Brandan Schieppati on guitar and vocals. It’s an outlet for the duo to mine the darkest depths of their psyche and play the most pure and uncompromising extreme music of their careers. The tunes are tightly-coiled blasts of cathartic rage with mosh pit-punishing breakdowns that feel like sensory assaults. In under two minutes the duo combine the blast beats of classic hardcore, the street-level precision of thrash, the atonalities of modern metalcore, and the psychotics of punk rock. Alex and Brandan are currently demoing new music right now for their debut album due Spring 2012.

Outlive You All is set for a release date of Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 via Razor & Tie Records.  hey have got a solid 15 tracks for you all to enjoy, so check out the listing below:

1. Don't Worship Assholes
2. Uninvite Me To Your Facebook Party
3. The Poisoning
4. Plug Me In
5. Bat Out of Hell
6. Hunting Me
7. Chipped Shoulders And Heart Attacks
8. Don't Know Anything
9. A Nightmare
10. Lead By Liars
11. My Love Affair With Disaster
12. Nihilistic Motivation
13. Feel The Same
14. Hold This Sword With Your Face
15. Call Me Slugger

Pre-orders have already begun for the debut album 'Outlive You All' .  You can grab a copy at their official website or through the iTunes store.



The initial albums reviews have becoming back fair positive, so that's always a good thing when you're weary to see what a new project has to offer.  I am confident that fans of both their other projects will be satisfied with OYA.  Its raw, angry, aggressive and right to the point.  No bullshit, no gimmicks.  Just plug in and play your ass off!

So, I Am War is pissed off, we know that much. Their debut album Outlive You All, is being released through Razor & Tie and is composed mainly of hard hitting, straight to the point songs, the longest being two minutes and fifty seconds long. This isn’t uncommon due to the band being mainly composed of and old-school metalcore feel, with some grindcore-ish speed to boot. Oh, and gang vocals, plenty of gang vocals. Easy comparisons that come to mind are Earth Crisis (albeit sped-up), or angry modern metalcore band Century. Even production, courtesy of Mick Kenney, has a rough edge to it.


It’s actually all very good, unbridled aggression. However, the main flaw of Outlive You All is the general lack of hooks – especially compared to the musicians’ main projects. The anger is there, the instrumentals are tight and concise, but the memorability is nil. Varkatzas screams his way through fifteen tracks, with Schieppati backing with throaty yells, but you can count the memorable bits on one hand. Some examples, the meaty riffs in 'Bat Out Of Hell,' or the angry and vitriolic 'Hold This Sword With Your Face.'  The spoken word in 'A Nightmare' and the following breakdown is one of the album’s most mosh-worthy moments, and thus, the most memorable in my opinion.

I Am War is an interesting side project of two prominent members of the metalcore community, but like most projects, it’s a baby and is slowly crawling along on all fours. Varkatzas and Schieppati have done well, but there’s still a long way to go if this project wants to walk on two legs. If you’re looking for pure, unfiltered rage this is definitely for you. And if you dig metalcore in general, take a listen. I mean, one of the songs is called 'Uninvite Me To Your Facebook Party,' and that alone makes Outlive You All worthy of at least one listen. -The New Review

For some of their samples from the new album, you can check out snippets below:



Follow the duo at any of their following official links:

- www.iamwarmusic.com
- www.twitter.com/iamwarmusic
- www.youtube.com/iamwarmusic
- www.myspace.com/iamwarmusic
- www.purevolume.com/iamwar

Muse: The 2nd Law

Alright, so lets be honest... who's sick of listening to "Uprising"?  Not that it's a bad song or anything, it's just that radio stations and online social media have pretty much ran that tune into the ground.  But fear not all you die hard Muse fans, the new album is well underway and looking to drop in the fall of 2012!

"The 2nd Law" is the brand new LP from UK's Muse after a very successful run with their 2009's LP "The Resistance".  Bellamy and the trio wanted to keep the momentum going while at the same time adding a new twist to their music to break the monotony and thus, we have "The 2nd Law"!

"[The band] feel like we are drawing a line under a certain period of what we've done in our career. It feels like it's time to move on and do something radically different." -Chris Wolstenholme

Vocalist Matt Bellamy also wanted something that was new, fresh and still had a symbolic meaning behind it.

"We created something that was dubsteppy but we wanted to see if we could do it with real instruments. We wanted to ask, 'Can rock bands compete with what these guys are doing?'"

''Every time I watched the news when we were making the album, it was endless stuff about the Euro banking crisis.   All the news programs seemed to be obsessed with growth. The album is my own internal conflict of celebrating the strength but also saying, 'F**k, where do we go from here?'" -Matt Bellamy



The first single of the album (Unsustainable) was a collaboration with dub-step musician Skrillex.  Being very please with the finished product, drummer Dominic Howard explained how it happened.

"We went to see Skrillex in Camden around October. We went, 'F**k, it's so heavy', loved it.  It was like a full metal gig, they had the circles of death, people were moshing, I hadn't seen a reaction like that to electronic music before. We took inspiration and came up with 'Unsustainable.'" -Dominic Howard

Be sure to check out the music videos for "Madness" and "Supremacy".  I think (personally) they give quite an insight into what these guys were going towards when creating this album.  Seems very trance like...




Singer Matt Bellamy also added his opinion of the new step of music in the band:

"The mosh pit has moved from guitars and gone towards the laptop, so with that song we're trying to see if we can challenge the laptop." -Matt Bellamy



The 2nd Law is set for a release on September 28th, 2012 (UK), October 1, 2012 (Worldwide), and on October 2, 2012 (US/Canada).  This will be released by Helium 3 Records.

1. Supremacy
2. Madness
3. Panic Station
4. Prelude
5. Survival
6. Follow Me
7. Animals
8. Explorers
9. Big Freeze
10. Save Me
11. Liquid State
12. The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
13. The 2nd Law: Isolated System

Metal Hammer Magazine Sept. Bonus

A treat for you all that still invest in the awesomeness that is a music magazine!  Metal Hammer will be issuing  a 15 track album, alongside next month's edition of their magazine.  The album and September magazine will be released in the UK tomorrow and most likely shortly afterwards in North America.  And you honestly can't complain spending the $10+ and get a magazine AND the sampler.  A good deal all in all!

SLIPKNOT – PEOPLE=SHIT (LIVE AT DOWNLOAD 2009)

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - LUCKY ANIMALS

TESTAMENT - TRUE AMERICAN HATE

ENSLAVED - THOUGHTS LIKE HAMMERS (EDIT)

PERIPHERY - MAKE TOTAL DESTROY

KATATONIA - DEAD LETTERS

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME - TELOS

DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL - NO REMORSE, NO REGRETS

NACHTMYSTIUM - SILENCING MACHINE

ADVOCATES - DEADWEIGHT

THE NOCTURNAL CHAOS - A BRIGHTER FUTURE

EXISTIMMORTAL - INSECTS

DISPERSE - ON THE WINGS OF A DOVE

NO CONSEQUENCE - COERCE:CONFORM (DEMO EDIT)

RED ENEMY - WHERE WE CALL HOME

For UK readers, the direct link is here.

For Canada/US fans, you know where to go (Indigo, International News, etc.)

Spam Overload of Social Media Sites...

As much as I am all for news bands to be discovered and for labels to expand their rosters, I think Century Media Records nailed it right on the head when they made a small comment in regards to bands submitting demos.  I encourage all bands following this site to take notice and to take this into consideration when submitting material.  When you're a new band starting out and feel that you are better/different than the 50,000+ bands dropping new material, nobody wants to be spammed up the ying yang on all possible sites.  There is limited room (currently) on most rosters and spamming a social network site everyday with a "hey, check out my band, listen to the music and come to our shows/sign us" isn't the way to get good recognition. But CM still wants to keep it on a positive note and not discourage people from submitting EPK in a formal way via online (follow link below). 

"To ALL unsigned bands: posting a link to your music on our timeline or sending a message here on Facebook with your music will NOT get your music heard. Keep this in mind when submitting your music to other labels, too. 

We wish we had the time to sift through everything here and find some of you truly deserving gems. That said, please check out our Demo Submission info on the site here.

Keep up the hard work and don't let 'haters' get in the way of your goals!"  -Century Media

Music Releases for August 21st, 2012

Happy Tuesday release day everyone!  My, my, my... there are a good selection of tunes hitting shelves today.  I have personally got the chance to preview a few of these albums already (such as Project 86, The Darkness and Dispatch) and I am thoroughly pleased with some of the tracks on the albums.  Other bands I have yet to listen to, but scrolling through the reviews, I can see that almost every album on this article has come back positive.  We also see a few comeback albums from from notable bands such as Project 86, Dispatch, The Darkness and of course Lynard Skynard.  Other LP's such as Yeasayer and the Bloc Party come as no surprise that they are some of the top pre-ordered albums of the online world.  So head over to the local record store or an online retailer (Amazon, HMV, etc.) to grab yourself some of these awesome CD's coming your way today!



Now, I’ll put this on the table: Project 86 are and always have been a Christian band. There are prominent Christian themes throughout Wait For the Siren, and although this may steer some people away from checking out this band, you would be dong yourself a huge disfavor. Project 86 deliver some of the most compelling hard rock around today, and as an added bonus, the lyrical themes are intelligent and uplifting. Christian or not, Andrew Schwab’s insights are honest and easy to relate to, and even though we may not all share similar beliefs, we are all human. As a thematic concept relevant to life, 'the fight' is a theme which is prominent throughout Wait For the Siren, whether it be through the music or lyrics, and I know because we are all human, we are all fighting 'the fight' in some way. Maybe Wait For the Siren can be the call to arms you’ve been missing out on. I’m certain that’s what it was intended to be. -The New Review



Defiance runs deep in Lynyrd Skynyrd's DNA but 2012's Last of a Dyin' Breed finds the veteran Southern rockers hunkering down, emphasizing their old-fashioned outlaw ways. All the recognizable redneck rebel sentiments are here -- it's all god, guns, Southern girls and sweet tea -- but Skynyrd's signature sound is absent. In this, their third act, the kings of Southern rock have cut out the country and boogie, leaving behind a heavy-booted blues grind and churning hard rock -- sounds that signify the modern south even if they're not classically Southern rock. And that fits for this incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd. They may flirt with fleeting references to their past -- the first verse of 'Good Teacher' recalling 'The Ballad of Curtis Loew,' the soaring soul-speckled ballad 'Ready to Fly' a distant cousin of 'Freebird' -- but Johnny Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Rickey Medlocke aren't in this game just to revive past glories, they're engaging with the modern world, co-opting the leaden stripper rock of Nickelback for 'Homegrown,' once again bringing back former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 for a cameo and writing a Tea Party anthem in 'Nothing Comes Easy.' Certainly, Skynyrd is making sturdy, old-time rock & roll for an audience that's likely peppered with Tea Partiers, the kind of middle American worried that the world they knew is slipping away, and Last of a Dyin' Breed provides a bit of a rallying point for them: it's true to their roots but living in the moment. If the band sound a little less nimble than they used to, chalk it up not to age but to the conscious decision to play everything heavier than before; without elements of the backwoods, they're dogged rockers, happy to carry the torch they lit nearly four decades ago even if it doesn't burn as bright as it once did. -All Music



The animal sanctuaries of Suffolk were spared his ministrations. But the Darkness's second album faltered. They dismissed the louche bassist. Hawkins and his guitar-playing brother fell out; one landed in rehab. Two failed side projects and one doomed attempt to enter Eurovision later, the Darkness reformed last year, having grovelled to the bassist and placed their boots gingerly back on the monitor with a tune called Nothing's Gonna Stop Us. You would know what it sounded like without having heard it.

The current single, whose video features a lap-dancing economist bear, is a track called Everybody Have a Good Time that restates the carpe diem appeal of big, dumb rock'n'roll. 'Take off your thinking cap and listen to your heart,' enjoins the now teetotal Hawkins. Currently the Darkness find themselves in eastern Europe, opening for Lady Gaga, a pairing that makes as good sense as their pivotal support slot at Robbie Williams's legendary Knebworth date in 2003.

Some of the good feelings feel pretty good. Living Each Day Blind starts with a guitar solo and swiftly becomes a 'leave-it-all-behind' song with legs. With a Woman sounds like AC/DC with the massed harmonies of an American 70s rock outfit. The bad feelings are, perhaps, more interesting though. Much of Hot Cakes is lyrically downcast, but not so you'd mind. Punk was credited with sneering at the most often recurring theme in pop, but the mustachioed Hawkins combines a nice bit of nihilism with his atavist soft-rock balladry. 'Love is not the answer,' trills Hawkins on the final track, 'love is not your friend.' -The Guardian (UK)



Most everything else on Four falls into place from there. '3×3' is a dark, driving slab of guitar rock featuring several cryptic non sequiturs from frontman Kele Okereke ('No one loves you', 'No means no'), while 'Kettling', perhaps the record’s heaviest track, calls to mind 'Adrenaline'-era Deftones, complete with Russell Lissack’s crunching guitar lines and Matt Tong’s ample, well-defined drumming. Both tracks find the band firing on all cylinders, which only makes their missteps all the more confounding.

But the album is more than just a cranked-up return, as Four also excels in its quieter moments. 'Day Four' pulsates with dreamlike guitar timbre reminiscent of The Cure, its sweetness counterbalanced by Okereke’s dark lyrics ('I’ve felt death/ Rising from me/ From my fingers/ And out my mouth'). 'The Healing' is a similarly textured, New Wave-inspired track, and it is every bit as forceful and magnetic as the record’s more high-decibel fare.

But that said, Four is ultimately a loud, turbulent statement of re-purpose, and it doesn’t go out with a whimper. 'We Are Not Good People' closes by pushing back against the record’s more delicate tracks with buzzsaw energy, tapping into a fuzzed-out, low-register ethos that calls to mind Death From Above 1979.

The back-to-basics record is hardly a foreign concept. But while Bloc Party isn’t the first (and won’t be the last) band to retreat into their old sounds, they needed it, and Four wins by virtue of the band’s willingness to give in to the urge. The tendency for so many bands is to push forward and find new terrain, to avoid getting trapped in one place. But reaching too far outside of the band’s musical safe place would have put it in an equally tenuous position. If Bloc Party had to stray from what they know best on their most recent records in order to gain some perspective, the end results on Four prove that time worthwhile. -Consequence of Sound



There’s certainly a lot of care put into the sounds. It’s no surprise to find out the album is a self-produced affair, as every keyboard gurgle, whir and spring sounds labored over. As is often the case, the focus on specific sonic detail comes at the expense of fully realized songs. 'Demon Road' sounds like four minutes of background noises smushed together at random; 'No Bones' is a similar mess of squiggles. The straightforward approach of 'Blue Paper' is more rewarding, with a linear structure and cascading keyboards that complement singer Chris Keating’s best vocal melody of the album in the chorus.

Which doesn’t mean that Yeasayer should simply aim for electro-pop bliss. If 'Fragrant World' has any defining feature, it’s a shift from atmospheric landscapes to something more funky. The beats on 'Henrietta' have serious impact, and as the song drifts from sharp thumps into a dreamy outro, it feels, for a moment at least, as though the band has found an identity it’s been searching for. -Washington Post



Coming back together after going on hiatus in 2002, Dispatch return with their breezy and laid-back fifth album, Circles Around the Sun, their first album of new material since 2000's Who Are We Living For? Given the lengthy time they spent apart, the reunion finds that Dispatch have effortlessly updated their sound. Perhaps owing to the central theme of the album, which is a tribute to the legend of Larry Perry, a disabled man who was (allegedly) sent into space, the album has an expansive, drifting feeling. The songs seem to float around one another without any of the jammy bounce or more (relatively) aggressive moments found in their earlier work. This lends songs like 'Sign of the Times' and 'Come to Me' a sense of wistful plaintiveness, adding emotion without burdening the listener with a lot of unnecessary weight. This kind of shift is an interesting one, because while Dispatch haven't been making new music for over a decade, they have played the occasional show, so it would've been easy for them to just fall straight back into their old groove. Instead, it seems that they continued to grow as a band even when they weren't one, giving the feeling that, had they stayed together in the intervening years, there might've been an album or two showing the evolution to this more languid and mature version of the band. While fans of the band will no doubt be eager to get their hands on new material from these guys, they can rest assured that they'll be getting a solid album and that absence has not merely made the heart grow fonder. -All Music



The streamlined dance pop that fills his fifth album, 'The Midsummer Station' (Universal Republic), is so deceptively simple he even seems to reference it in his current irresistible smash with Carly Rae Jepsen, 'Good Time.' 'We don't even have to try,' they practically giggle in harmony. 'It's always a good time.'

Ah, but that straightforward and carefree feeling -- which also drove Owl City's breakthrough smash, 'Fireflies' -- takes work. Young is a master at stripping away unnecessary layers to make sure his catchy, lighter-than-air melodies take flight and stay aloft.

Sure, he uses big beats to drive parts of 'The Midsummer Station,' giving the gloriously glitchy 'Speed of Love' and the rock-leaning 'Dementia,' featuring blink-182's Mark Hoppus, some dynamic lift. He also keeps his sense of humor, making a fun police siren sound that becomes the focus of the swooping 'I'm Coming After You.'

However, Young really is at his best when he is quietest, delivering uncertain bedroom confessions in his most vulnerable voice. The way he softly delivers worries like 'There were days when each hour was a war that I fought to survive' in 'Embers' makes his rallying chorus feel even more powerful. And despite the trappings of its timely production, the lovely piano ballad 'Silhouette' feels timeless, perhaps as memorable in the long run as 'Good Time.'

Of course, for now, we'll all just enjoy the good time. -News Day

Three Days Grace: Transit of Venus

So by now I'm sure you have all heard about the new Three Days Grace album coming to a store near you.  If you haven't, then check out the snippet below for a preview of what is to come for the group.  The video features some interview footage and a preview of the track "Chalk Outline":

Now being a guy from Toronto and always a fan of home grown music, I always have to give it these guys.  Yes, I see a constant amount of trolling on their websites and yes, they are not the heaviest band or the fastest by any means.  Their intention is to make good music and with a 5.5+ million fanbase on Facebook alone, its safe to say they must be doing something right.  Their previous albums "One-X" and "Life Starts Now" brought them international notoriety and now is a household name pretty much across the globe.  I think my fondest memory of 3DG would have to be seeing lead vocalist Adam Gontier lending his pipes during an Apocalyptica show at the Phoenix Nightclub a few years ago (April 30th, 2008).  He was invited on stage and performed both "I Don't Care" and "I'm Not Jesus".  As for the band performing as a whole, I've seen them in my home town of Chatham-Kent, London, Toronto, and a few other random spots.  So I like to think I've gotten my taste of what their live show is like.

Anyways, back to the album. Transit of Venus is set to be release on October 2nd, 2012 via RCA Records

1. Sign Of The Times

2. Chalk Outline

3. The High Road

4. Operate

5. Anonymous

6. Misery Loves My Company

7. Give In To Me

8. Happiness

9. Give Me A Reason

10. Time That Remains

11. Expectations

12. Broken Glass

13. Unbreakable Heart

Pre-orders for the album have begun over at their official website/store.

"We went for a tighter, more articulated sound on this record.  The music we were writing was a little more intricate than in the past, and we've been experimenting with new instruments. We wanted to present these new ideas concisely without going over-the-top in ambiance and overall production." -Neil Sanderson

So far, besides the snippets, 3DG have released a lyric video for their hit single "Chalk Outline":

Looking for an October 2nd, 2012 release, the four piece Toronto rockers are making plans for the tour that generally co-insides or follows the album release.  For the time being, here is what their touring schedule is looking like.  Pre-sale kicks off at 10AM on August 24th, 2012 from their official website.

10/08 – Dallas, Texas – Trees

10/10 – St. Louis, Mo. –  The Firebird

10/12 – Minneapolis, Minn. – Fine Line Music Café

10/14 – Detroit, Mich. – St. Andrew’s Hall

10/15 – Columbus, Ohio – A&R Bar

10/16 – Washington, D.C. – U Street Music Hall

10/19 – Allston, Mass. – Brighton Music Hall

10/22 – New York, N. Y. – Highline Ballroom

10/23 – Philadelphia, Pa. –  Theatre of the Living Arts

10/24 – Baltimore, Md. –  Baltimore Soundstage

10/26 – Charlotte, N.C. –  Visulite Theatre

10/28 – Nashville, Tenn. – Exit/In

I'm sure more dates will be added shortly so stay tuned!

46 Years Ago...

nuff said...

The Infamous Tour: Motionless In White, Chelsea Grin, Stick To Your Guns, and More!

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE (in partnership with Rockstar Energy) have finally announced their first ever headlining tour, in support of their upcoming new album "Infamous", which will be released on November 13th, 2012.  A new single though ("If It's Dead, We'll Kill It") will be dropping on October 9th, 2012...

The band themselves are figuring a fall time release, but final dates are still in waiting.  So for all you guys and gals that are not aware of the up and coming group, MIW come straight out of Scranton, PA.  They used to jam right next to Dunder Mifflin's paper office/warehouse.  Hahaha, no I'm just kidding.  I just don't really know much else from that city.

Anyways, so MIW have dropped a few albums in the past and gain some well deserved notoriety and fans along the way.  The last album they toured ("Creatures", released on October 12th, 2010 via Fearless Records) had a string of singles/hits, some great music videos and got them some support spots on some kick ass tours (All Stars Tour, Norma Jean/After The Burial, Asking Alexandria, Bleeding Through, In This Moment, etc.).  Lead man, Chris Motionless is a very serious performer and always putting on a show for the fans when they pay to see them.

1. Immaculate Misconception

2. We Only Come Out at Night

3. London in Terror

4. Abigail

5. Creatures

6. Cobwebs

7. .Com Pt. II

8. Count Choculitis

9. City Lights

10. Puppets (The First Snow)

11. Undead Ahead

12. Scissorhands (The Last Snow)

And now for the new album artwork and track listing (featuring some notable musicians on guest spots).

1. Black Damask (The Fog)

2. Devil's Night

3. A-M-E-R-I-C-A

4. Burned At Both Ends

5. The Divine Infection

6. Puppets 2 (The Rain) (feat. Björn "Speed" Strid of SOILWORK) 

7. Sinematic

8. If It's Dead, We'll Kill It (feat. Brandan Schieppati of BLEEDING THROUGH) 

9. Synthetic Love 

10. Hatefuck

11. Underdog

12. Infamous

And now for a preview of what is to come from the new MIW album!  Check out the new music video for "Devil's Night":

OK, so now that we got that covered, check out the tour poster and dates, with a lil something Chris wanted to add for his thoughts on the tour...

"We couldn't be more excited to be heading out on our first full headline tour this fall.  We've spent a long time waiting for this moment, and can't wait to kick off Infamous and the next phase of Motionless In White in the best fucking way possible. I won't give too many things away, but I will say that you will definitely leave knowing you just witnessed a true SHOW." -Chris Motionless

(Canada dates in bold)

Nov 08 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground

Nov 11 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom

Nov 13 Charlotte, NC @ Amos

Nov 15 St Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre

Nov 17 Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room

Nov 20 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts

Nov 21 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's

Nov 24 Montreal, QC @ Le Tulipe

Nov 25 Toronto, ON @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club

Nov 26 London, ON @ London Music Hall

Nov 27 Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot Ballroom

Nov 30 Dallas, TX @ The Door

Dec 02 Odessa, TX @ Dos Amigos

Dec 04 Tempe, AZ @ Nile Theatre

Dec 05 West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues

Dec 06 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse

Dec 07 San Diego, CA @ Soma

Dec 08 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades

Dec 11 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall

Dec 12 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly's

Dec 13 Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge

Dec 14 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Ironworks

Dec 15 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

Dec 16 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA

“Infamous pays a lot more attention to real life, this time. It’s not about movie characters like a lot of Creatures was. I don’t want to make music to just exist. I want to make music that makes a fucking difference. So this record is straight up, non-fiction and reflects how I feel about things being sung through not only my eyes, but those of fans and people in general.

As much as I love not taking music entirely seriously all the time, I do feel at this point, we have an obligation to remain a band that’s doing something positive and putting out the right kind of message. You have NO idea what you are about to hear, in the best way possible.” -Chris Motionless

As mentioned in the poster, MIW will see some great support by a diverse structure of bands!

***

Salt Lake City's CHELSEA GRIN will be the direct support for these guys.  So basically, if the engines have been firing on all cylinders yet, these guys will get you there!

Chelsea Grin recently dropped a new EP "Evolve" on June 19th, 2012 via Artery Recordings.

1. The Second Coming

2. Lilith

3. S.H.O.T.

4. Confession

5. Don't Ask, Don't Tell

I'm sure that the set list will entail a few of these tracks, plus some older hits such as "My Damnation", "Recreant" and "Sonnet of the Wretched".  Check out the music video for "My Damnation" below to see what they're all about.

***

Next on the star studded lineup is STICK TO YOUR GUNS from out of Orange County, CA.  Now I've seen these guys on tour through Toronto a few times alongside some other notable bands.  Kudos to them for always somehow grabbin a decent spot on some diverse bills (such as this one).  

Now I personally have not had the chance to dive much into these guys, or could be the fact that nothing of theirs has really stuck out and made me purchase an album from them.  But all in all, they are a solid band, their songs are tight when they play live and they have a huge fan base to work with.  STYG fans are hardcore and will defend them to the death, so be sure to not be bad mouthing them while on tour.  I've seen some pits get ugly quite fast (but still effin love it!)

STYG will be supporting their latest album "Diamond", which dropped on March 27th, 2012 via Sumerian Records.

1. Diamond

2. Against Them All

3. Such Pain

4. The Bond

5. We Still Believe

6. Ring Loud (Last Hope)

7. Empty Heads

8. Beyond the Sun

9. Life in a Box

10. Bringing You Down (feat. Karl Schwartz from First Blood)

11. D(I Am)ond

12. Built Upon the Sand

13. Just Like Me*

14. We Still Believe (Acoustic Version)*

* Bonus tracks on the FYE Deluxe Edition of the album.  Below, you can check out the music video for "Against Them All", which is the latest single off of "Diamond":

***

And last but not least we have the warm up bands!  The opening act I always find the toughest because you're the new guy coming out swinging.  Hopefully you swing hard enough to catch some people's attention (cause let's face it, as an opening act you're generally playing to about half of the crowd that evening if you're lucky.  So you gotta give 110% to make sure people remember and recognize you!)

So the young, go getting bands are aiming to do so since they are both fairly new.  

Dallas, TX's CROWN THE EMPIRE will be sporting some material from their EP "Limiteless", which was released on November 29th, 2011

1. The Glass Elevator (Walls)

2. Breaking Point

3. Wake Me Up

4. Johnny Ringo

5. Voices

6. Limitless

7. Lead Me Out Of The Dark

***

And finally, we have Upon This Dawning, which are label mates of headliner Motionless In White.  The guys from Verona, Italy have recently inked a fresh record deal with Fearless Records and are ready to hit the road and show off their stuff!  

While UTD has released an EP back in Italy, they are still setting their sights towards their first album with Fearless Records, which is looking towards a fall release here in 2012.

MIW have mentioned that more dates are on the way as well, so keep your cool before you start freaking out on the bands! haha

Pre-sale is happening on August 24th, 2012 at MIW Official Site and most likely Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com for all you American fans).  Stay tuned for more details!

Random Music Quotes: Britten

"It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness of pain: of strength and freedom. 

The beauty of disappointment and never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature and everlasting beauty of monotony." -Benjamin Britten

The Safety Fire: Grind The Ocean

OK folks, time for another session and a new up and coming artist who has been jumping on some hot tours and getting great reviews.  Say hello to The Safety Fire.  Straight out of London, UK, these five friends have been composing and collaborating for years, and the finished product couldn't have been better!  With only a debut album released in the last six months and with a fan base on Facebook already climbing past 12,000+, chances are you'll be seeing them rolling through your town sooner than you know it.

The Safety Fire first made a name for themselves in the UK scene with the release of their critically acclaimed EP 'Sections' in 2009 and their reputation as a powerfully energetic live band. They have toured extensively across the UK with bands such as Rise To Remain, The Arusha Accord, Bleed From Within, and Xerath, as well as progressive metal titans Periphery and Monuments most recently throughout Europe. The Safety Fire also appeared at the renowned Sonisphere Festival in 2011 alongside Metallica, Slipknot, Mastodon, and The Mars Volta, proving to the metal community that they can hold their own amongst the likes of such music legends.


(Photo courtesy of Tom Barnes)

TSF consists of:

Sean McWeeney - Vocals | Joaquin Ardiles - Guitars | Derya Nagle - Guitars | Lori Peri - Bass | Calvin Smith - Drums

Their efforts have been recognised not only by their musical peers, but also by members of the press, who have hailed The Safety Fire as a fresh sound in their scene. When searching for a record label, it seemed only natural for these progressive newcomers to find their home with InsideOut Music. With a roster of artists that includes Devin Townsend, James Labrie, and King’s X, The Safety Fire will gain recognition and exposure far beyond the dreams they had as childhood friends.

'We all grew up together and would head over to Calvin's place and jam in his living-room after school, practically learning our instruments along the way. It took a few years and few different bands before The Safety Fire became what it is today. To be able to release our music worldwide with a label like InsideOut Music is a dream come true. We are all massively excited and can't wait to get our music out there across the whole world!'

The album was produced and mixed by guitarist Derya Nagle as part of his “BlackBear Productions” operation, through which he also produced up-and-coming bands such as Rise To Remain (EMI), The HAARP Machine (Sumerian), and Palehorse (Eyesofsound). With the imminent release of their debut single, "Huge Hammers", the band is ready to give the progressive world their first taste of what’s to come from “Grind the Ocean” and The Safety Fire, so stay tuned! -TSF

***

Their debut album, "Grind the Ocean" was helmed as a grat success for the UK progressive quintuple (read reviews below) and personally caught my attention as soon as I heard their first single.  I will agree that its progressive, but you can definitely hear other influences here such as some rock friendly choruses and some mellow guitar pieces that almost feel like a jazz/blues progression.  The stick out part in my mind about these guys is the intricate guitar work, which you can hear consistently throughout the nine tracks. It was released (after a slight delay) on April 10th, 2012 (North America) via InsideOut Music/Century Media and was mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios.

1. Huge Hammers
2. Floods of Colour
3. DMB (FDP)
4. Anomalous Materials
5. Animal King
6. Circassian Beauties
7. Sections
8. Seagraves
9. Grind the Ocean

***

On the bright side we have the instrumental part of the album. Every member is really proficient with handling their instrument and they don’t hold back to show this. The guitarists bombard you with polyrhythms (reminiscent of TesseracT), arpeggio sweeps or other technical wizardry, the drummer certainly can beat his kit with blinding speed and even the bassist gets his moments to shine. For the most part their music is aggressive or even hyperactive (like we have grown to love thanks to bands like SikTh) but we are also given an occasional interlude too let the music sink in. These interludes are mostly post-metal influenced and will end with a build-up that eventually will continue with their aggressive, even catchy sound.

For the most part the song writing is really tight, but there are a couple of moments that the album starts to drag and moments of “haven’t I heard this already” start to arise. The fact that every band member loves to smack you in the face with their technical prowess -especially the guitarists- can also become quite off-putting. There is a lot going on in this album which also doesn’t make it an “easy listen” either. One thing is for sure, those loving multi-layered technical music will have a lot to enjoy with this record. -Sputnik Music



It’s odd having had only their grim-faced EP to listen to for so long so it’s yet another surprise to find both the sumptuously light “Circassian Beauties” and craftily airy title-track are where The Safety Fire sound most comfortable. Having nicked back the pace without compromising their music’s honest approach, McSweeney, who at no point pushes too hard, masterfully croons his way through the verses, punches in with the mega-catchy riffs, owns the choruses and then easily struts back and forth as the guitars, bass and drums jink their way through complex sequences of technically-astute attack and release.

End of the day, this doesn’t really feel like djent at all. You could argue, with their combination of hardcore and progressive soundscaping, they don’t even qualify for the confines of the genre at all. The last bombshell is to discover that Grind The Ocean, as innovative as it may be, is stuffed full of promise yet, ultimately, ends up falling short in so many areas. However, with so much of their unique personality being stamped on their music like this, The Safety Fire are still most certainly a band to keep a close eye on for the future. -The New Review



I’ve given high praise to the guitars and vocals, but the bass and drums aren’t to be taken lightly either. The bass is clearly audible almost all the time, and even though it usually follows the intricate riffing of the guitars, it sometimes sets the mood by doing something funky, like in the beginning of the amazing title track. The drums also complement the guitars most of the time. There’s always some fill going on, but usually it’s just a similar pattern to the guitars. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and they fulfill their purpose; and the occasional extra touch the drums add makes the music even spicier.

Overall, this album is a slightly flawed masterpiece. It’s beautiful, provocative and evocative, challenging, and at times suffering from its own machinations. It’s definitely not for everyone; it’s slow at times and more jazz influenced than you would immediately assume, but there’s also an unprecedented amount of very high-quality guitar work  and an endless stream of memorable, epic sections. Even though it’s slightly lacking in certain aspects, I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives, and I’ve listened to this album more than anything else this year at this point. That alone speaks to the power of this album. It gets better and better the more I listen to it, so I’d recommend that you don’t come in with any expectations, and set aside some time to let it sink in. Grind The Ocean is soothing yet fierce, familiar yet unexpected, and a great debut. I didn’t regret giving it a chance, and I hope you won’t either. -Heavy Blog Is Heavy


And if you have/are a big enough fan, you can follow, tweet, and/or check these guys at any of the following official links:

- www.facebook.com/thesafetyfire
- www.thesafetyfire.com
- www.twitter.com/thesafetyfire
- www.youtube.com/thesafetyfire
- www.thesafetyfire.tumblr.com