Author: u0zp4y

Armored Saint, who are currently opening for W.A.S.P. across North America on their Album One Alive World Tour ’24, have issued the following message:

“After going out to Thanksgiving dinner in New Orleans with the band and our crew, and then a hang with a couple guys from W.A.S.P. and their crew, Joey Vera went to sleep. When he woke up in the morning in Houston he realized his left eye was impaired. His vision looked like it was only at 60% and he had several huge floaters in his sight. Hoping it was just fatigue he went on with his day and Saint played Houston, the first of three dates in Texas.

“The next day when he woke up in San Antonio the eye was not better and obviously worse. He became extremely concerned and found an Ophthalmologist. The doctor was not a specialist but did various tests and said it was very possible this was something called PVD, Posterior Vitreous Detachment. The doctor recommended seeing a Retinal specialist but it was too late in the day to do that. Joey explained the situation to the band but the show had to go on. So Joey subdued himself onstage (which is not a natural state for him as a performer) and we rocked the house at the Aztec theatre.

“By Sunday in Dallas even though he didn’t show it, his anxiety had grown extremely high. Because it was Sunday there were few options to see a doctor. He decided after the show (he performed again mind you) to go to the Baylor University emergency hospital. Unfortunately there was little they could do test wise other than an ultrasound which again confirmed PVD but not much else. The band reluctantly contacted a couple of bass player friends in case he would have to go home so we could continue the tour.

“Finally having an off day on Monday, the band stayed in Dallas (our next show is in Little Rock, Arkansas tonight) and Joey found a Retinal specialist in Fort Worth. The Specialist confirmed he had PVD with a tear on the retina and confirmed the blurry eyesight he was seeing in his eye was blood.

“He recommended immediate laser surgery. He had about ten minutes to make a decision. After considering the limited options he decided what to do. “Gotta do it!”

“The surgery went well and other than an Uber ride from hell Joey returned to the band bus feeling more relieved physically and emotionally. It will take several weeks before his sight will return to normal and follow up doctor visits are on tap.

“Arriving in Little Rock on Tuesday Joey and the band are ready to resume playing our last 10 shows of this 7 week tour with W.A.S.P.

“If Joey is a little more tame than he usually is onstage, I know you’ll all understand why. Although I’m sure it will be difficult for this bad ass mother fucker to contain himself.” – John Bush & his brothers in Armored Saint

Remaining tour dates are as follows:

December
3 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
4 – Wichita, KS – The Cotillion
6 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel
7 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee Theatre
9 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
10 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues
11 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
12 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
13 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
14 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

Fans hoping for new Depeche Mode music may need to temper expectations.

During a recent conversation with NME, frontman Dave Gahan noted the band was in no hurry to follow up 2023’s Memento Mori.

“Martin and I have talked,” Gahan confirmed, referring to bandmate and fellow songwriter Martin Gore. “We actually saw each other recently, and it was really nice. We spent some time in Italy where Anton Cobijn and his wife were renewing their wedding vows in a really nice spot just outside of Rome. We had a really nice time without any work or show pressure.”

Of course, Gahan couldn’t totally avoid discussing work while catching up with Gore.

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Depeche Mode Album

“I actually did ask Martin if he’d been writing and he was like, ‘Nah!’” the singer recalled. “That’s normal – especially when you’ve worked intensely for a couple of years. It takes a while. Wait and see. I wouldn’t rule out us getting together at some point, but it’s not on the cards at this point.”

Dave Gahan Will Perform at the Mark Lanegan Tribute Concert

While Gahan may not have any Depeche Mode-related plans, the singer is still staying busy. He’ll be performing at the all-star Mark Lanegan tribute concert, taking place in London on Dec. 5.

“For me, he’s right up there as a 20th and 21st Century voice and writer,” Gahan said of the former Screaming Trees singer, who died in 2022. “We talk about the Nick Caves and Johnny Cashes of this world in terms of what a voice can do. There are few of them, but Mark is at the top of that list.”

READ MORE: How Depeche Mode Found Their ‘Personal Jesus’ in Elvis Presley

Gahan also recalled spending time with Lanegan when the two were on tour together in 2009.

“His music changed the way I think about music, songs, songwriting and the use of your voice as an instrument to create this amazing cinematic story,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer admitted. “Even if you’re not interested in what he was saying in any particular phrase, there was just something about the way he opened his mouth. I was completely engaged.”

Top 20 New Wave Bands

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Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Village People singer Victor Willis has called on the media to stop calling his band’s 1978 hit single “Y.M.C.A.” a “gay anthem.”

In a long post to Facebook, Willis — who commonly performed dressed as a police officer — addressed the famous song’s history.

“There’s been a lot of talk, especially of late, that ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is somehow a gay anthem,” the singer noted. “As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life.”

Willis went on to insist that he “knew nothing” about YMCA’s “being a hang out for gays” when he wrote the song’s lyrics.

READ MORE: Top 200 ’70s Songs

“I therefore wrote ‘Y.M.C.A.’ about the things I knew about the Y in the urban areas of San Francisco such as swimming, basketball, track, and cheap food and cheap rooms,” he explained. “And when I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that.”

Willis went on to threaten legal action to those who continue to call “Y.M.C.A.” a gay anthem.

“Come January 2025, my wife will start suing each and every news organization that falsely refers to ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ either in their headlines or alluded to in the base of the story, that ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is somehow a gay anthem because such notion is based solely on the song’s lyrics alluding to elicit activity for which it does not,” the singer declared, adding that such insinuations were “defamatory, and damaging to the song.”

Victor Willis Thanks Donald Trump for Using ‘Y.M.C.A.’ at His Rallies

Elsewhere in his lengthy Facebook post, Willis addressed the use of “Y.M.C.A.” at Donald Trump rallies.

“Since 2020, I’ve received over a thousand complaints about President Elect Trump’s use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ With that many complaints, I decided to ask the President Elect to stop using ‘Y.M.C.A.’ because his use had become a nuisance to me,” Willis noted. However, the singer’s stance on Trump’s usage softened as he saw other artists refusing to let the controversial politician use their songs.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Wins 2024 Election: Rockers React With Joy and Anger

“I simply didn’t have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material,” Willis explained. Trump’s embrace of “Y.M.C.A.” has also provided a financial windfall for the singer.

“’Y.M.C.A.’ is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song,” he admitted. “Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ And I thank him for choosing to use my song.”

British death metallers Mutagenic Host have shared their new track “Artificial Harvest Of The Obscene”. The song is the second to be revealed from the band’s debut album, The Diseased Machine, set for international release on January 3, 2025: the album will be co-released by Gurgling Gore (vinyl, cassette), Dry Cough Records (vinyl, cassette), and Memento Mori, with the CD version slated for release on January 20, 2025.

Mutagenic Host are a five-piece band hailing from London, England as part of the New Wave of British Death Metal (see also: Coffin Mulch, Celestial Sanctuary, Slimelord, Vacuous, Mortuary Spawn). The group comprises members from various parts of the UK and United States. With a diverse background spanning the hardcore, black metal, and death metal scenes, Mutagenic Host blend hardcore sensibilities and groove with the heavy, well-crafted sound reminiscent of ’90s Floridian death metal.

Mutagenic Host dive into a technological apocalypse, examining a world overshadowed by hypocritical, insidious, and murderous global powers. The band is deeply disillusioned with the traditional themes of death metal and hardcore, feeling that these subjects no longer capture the urgency of the present. Instead, Mutagenic Host tackle the modern-day specters of complacency, apathy, and the looming threat of AI. Their work is an allegory for the systematic industrialization of humanity’s eradication — whether by human hands or by the machines we create to snuff out life. In this narrative, the instruments of the state use AI to monitor, control, and suppress the population, sounding a warning of impending doom through a fresh, intense lens in the death metal genre.

The Genotoxic Demo, unleashed in early 2023 via Dry Cough, featured four tracks that plunged listeners into a cerebral mulch while simultaneously slashing through them with a ruthlessness found in the streets. Following a year of relentless live performances alongside bands such as Incantation, Fulci, Fuming Mouth, Undeath, Celestial Sanctuary, Kruelty, Portrayal Of Guilt, and Doldrey, Mutagenic Host have now finished writing, producing, and recording their inaugural full-length debut, The Diseased Machine.

Aptly titled, The Diseased Machine is a dark and thought-provoking journey into that post-plague world, which frankly doesn’t feel so far away from present times. As a debut album, it consolidates Mutagenic Host’s myriad strengths – stomping ‘n’ slamming grooves, world-eating heaviness, patient deployment of double-bass movement – and then intensifies them to an enviable degree. To be sure, the band are the proverbial well-oiled machine (but not diseased!) across the album’s ten oft-twisting tracks, the clean-yet-crushing production amplifying their strident execution. And with their fluid shifting between tank-rolling downtempo and galloping bouts of speed, we can confidently declare The Diseased Machine as the epitome of “chug and slug” – Mutagenic Host have stormed the gates to further solidify their ferocious presence in the death metal scene.

Tracklisting:

“Neurological Necrosis”
“Genestealer”
“The Twisted Helix”
“Artificial Harvest Of The Obscene”
“Organometallic Assimilation”
“DIRECTIVE:: [kill_on_sight]”
“Incomprehensible Methods Of Slaughter”
“S.W.A.R.M. (Systematic War Against Restless Machines)”
“Promethean Dusk”
“Rivers Of Grief”

For further details, visit Mutagenic Host on Bandcamp.

Initially launched in 2016, the incredibly popular free-to-play RPG, Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast, will cease to exist at the end of this calendar year. An official statement from Navigator Games, dated December 2, 2024 reads:

“Even the most incredible journeys come to an end. Today we announce that after 8 amazing years, Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast will finally be coming to a close.

As the band’s 2023/24 The Future Past Tour concludes in Brazil this weekend, we’re reminded of this games’ incredible achievements – notably having a tour inspired by, and named after, it. Complete with multiple onstage worlds, the Iron Maiden Legacy Of The Beast Tour played to over 3 million fans, running from 2018 to 2022, circumnavigating the globe – headlining some of the biggest festivals and stadiums including Rock In Rio, Hellfest, Download & Wacken to name but a few. It was by far the most exciting and ambitious way to promote a video game ever – contributing to its incredible longevity and popularity with over 6 million players as the greatest Heavy Metal Game ever. As far as the future goes, our team is continuing to work on new projects with Iron Maiden that we are excited to share with you somewhere down the line. We must, however, bid farewell to this chapter first and to do that we want to celebrate the incredible legacy that we’ve all built together with you. So now it’s time to dust off those flight cases one last time and end with a bang and a momentous end of tour party!

Come with us on a 4-week celebration of Legacy Of The Beast! Starting today we’ll be sharing epic milestones, memories, and honoring the game’s impact on the world with our amazing community of players. Additionally, we are celebrating with in-game additions such as exclusive character giveaways, powerful unreleased cosmic talismans, legends characters, and increased soul odds on rare and legendary souls. Collect your celebration pack in store now!

We want to thank all of our Troopers for their loyalty, passion and dedication by making this the most legendary celebration of Iron Maiden and our game Legacy Of The Beast.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Cash only in-app purchases are removed, free giveaway packs have been added and are available all month.
• All in-game currency should be used by December 31, 2024, as Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast will neither be downloadable nor playable after that date.

Thank you for your continued commitment and passion for all things Iron Maiden.

As for the future… something wicked this way comes!”

Further details can be found here.

December 2, 2024, an hour ago

news hard rock rarities glassjaw

Today, Glassjaw and Revelation Records team up to announce the release of the Don Fury Sessions for the first time on vinyl.

Recorded in 1998 at Don Fury Studio at 18 Spring Street Nolita NYC, the eight songs were the beginning of the materialization of Glassjaw’s full depth of sound and creativity – going on to become the basis of the band’s debut album, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence.

The original tracks are now remastered by Don Fury himself and put together for vinyl release limited to 1998 in Opaque Yellow (Canary) with a release date of March 7, 2025. Pre-order Don Fury Sessions through Revelation Records, here.

Don Fury Sessions tracklisting:

“Pretty Lush”
“One Eight Becomes Two Zeros”
“Ry Ry’s Song”
“Majour”
“Motel Of White Lotus”
“Matchbook Blackbook”
“Harlem”
“Train In Vain”

Thrash collective, Grindpad, returns with a new single and lyric video. “X-Mas Mosh” was mixed & mastered by Erwin Hermsen at Toneshed Studio (Legion Of The Damned, Deadhead, Headless Hunter). The song will also be released on the upcoming vinyl re-release of Violence (Iron Shield Records) in 2025. Watch a lyric video below.

Guitarist JG comment: “Doesn’t every band have their “what ifs?” In Grindpad’s case it was ‘what if we had a Christmas song.’ And not your average, standard, heavier cover of a known one, but our very own ACTUAL Christmas song. And, somewhere this year, on a hot sunny summer day, ours was born. It was literally written and recorded in shorts, with sunglasses. So, Mariah Carey, Wham! and Chris Rea, be warned! Because here comes Grindpad’s very own… X-MAS MOSH!!”

Stream/buy the single on all streaming services here.

Grindpad lineup:

JG – Guitar
Max – Drums
Axel – Guitar
Rik – Bass
Olivier – Vocals

(Photograph by Frenchman©)

According to data company SimilarWeb, which compiles statistics related to global website traffic, artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT is now the eighth most popular website on the internet. It launched just two years ago, but is already more widely used than Reddit, Yahoo! and amazon.com. In other words, AI is here to stay.

It’s a brave new world. AI can analyse medical images at enormous speed and detect problems that might be missed by a human. It can transform farming efficiency by predicting weather changes, monitoring soil conditions, optimising fertiliser and water use, and assessing crop health. And, rather less usefully, it can take Led Zeppelin II and reimagine it as if it had been made in 1954 rather than 1969.

Quite what Jimmy Page makes of this technological “advance” is unknown, but the “The Led Zeppelins” and their like are probably here to stay, especially if their creator, the mysterious marceve76, has anything to do with it. For this is merely the latest of his artificially augmented projects.

First up, he/she took Deep Purple‘s fabled In Rock and gave it a 1950s makeover. Next up, Kiss‘s Dynasty, reimagined as a collection of finely-crafted country songs. Not satisfied with that, he/she took Rainbow‘s mighty Rising album and gave that a 1950s spin. And now it’s Led Zeppelin‘s turn.

To be fair to marceve76, the results are pretty good. Whole Lotta Love is bouncier than it ever has been. Heartbreaker is similarly so. And Moby Dick probably benefits from the omission of that pesky drum solo.

Where this will end is anyone’s guess, so we may as well take a stab. Bob Marley’s classic Rastaman Vibration, but sung by Freddie Mercury. The first Manowar album, but with a Mutt Lange production. Bohemian Rhapsody, reimagined as doo-wap. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but good.

We will, of course, keep you abreast of further developments.

Dutch symphonic metal titans, Epica, recently unleashed their new single, “Arcana”. Today, the band share an official lyric video for the track. Watch below.

The official performance of the song from The Symphonic Synergy show at AFAS Live can be found below, as well as the official music video.

Hidden wisdom, long-lost secrets, and esoteric knowledge. With “Arcana”, Epica herald a new chapter in their two-decade-long band history.

This is the band’s first new release since their chart-topping album Omega and their collaboration EP The Alchemy Project. It offers a glimpse into the band’s future music, coming in 2025.

“‘Arcana’ guides you through the universal stages of spiritual evolution in life. It leads the way to a higher consciousness and spiritual self-awareness,” the band comments. “Writing this song was a spontaneous effort, so it came together quickly, which felt so natural that it wrote itself. The music contains classic Epica elements but has some vibes that might remind you of ’80s alternative rock or modern metal.”

The single is now available on all streaming platforms here. It also includes “The Ghost In Me,” a special collaboration with the Netherlands’ most popular theme park, de “Efteling.”

The song has already made its live debut at the band’s monumental “Symphonic Synergy” shows in Amsterdam, and fans in Latin America will now have the chance to hear it live at the two shows that Epica will perform exclusively with a full orchestra and choir. A few last tickets for the first night are still available here.

(Photo – Tim Tronckoe)

SOM have announced the release of their third full-length album, Let The Light In, on March 14 through Berlin-based, left-field label Pelagic Records.

SOM’s dreamy shoegaze roots are on display across Let The Light In but there is heft at its core that is bracing and ferocious. If the band’s debut album The Fall explored hitting rock bottom and sophomore release The Shape of Everything grappled with the ever-darkening world around us, Let The Light In sees SOM turn their sights inward, towards our most primal impulses: Seeking solace and reconciliation from the vibrancy within ourselves and the people we hold close.

Adversity became the catalyst for change when, due to unforeseen circumstances, the band’s founding drummer left midway through the album’s writing and recording process. SOM took the remainder of 2023 to reshape and refocus, eventually re-recording most of the album in a new configuration that allowed them to paint in even broader sonic strokes. The result is a raw but richly melodic album unafraid to travel through the depths of human emotion, ultimately guiding us towards growth and enlightenment.

Serving as a reinvigorated statement of intent, lead single “Give Blood” unleashes a barrage of post-metal, high gain distortion and pummeling drums before opening up into a panoramic, cloudbusting chorus that sees duelling guitars and vocalist Will Benoit’s tender-yet-commanding voice freely intertwined, spiralling ever upwards.

To accompany this brand new song, SOM have unveiled a music video with a particularly cinematic feel, directed by Alex Pace (Blood Incantation, Wayfarer, Abrams). The video features an anonymous couple in a series of intense, dreamlike shots crossed by swirls of light. But abruptly, a darker side appears, counterbalancing this idyll. A sumptuous video that seems to invite viewers to make their own interpretation of it. Watch the video below.

“It’s a sort of post-pandemic reflection on kindness and how we treat one another,” says Benoit. “The idea came while I was laying on a table, actually giving blood. It occurred to me how kind someone would have to be to be doing this during a pandemic. I started to think about how many people were doing awful things at that time, spreading misinformation, and just generally being horrible people in society. I continue to want to do everything I can to not be that person, I want to be the kind of person who ‘gives blood.'”

Since 2019, SOM have toured extensively across North America, Europe and the UK alongside acts including Katatonia, Solstafir, Slow Crush, and many more. This relentless live commitment across 21 countries, coupled with 2023’s introspective restructuring, has profoundly altered their creative approach.

As they began working on this new material, the members of SOM found themselves in a fresh headspace, armed with a newfound, hard-earned maturity. Let The Light In is SOM’s testament to resilience and evolution. Born from challenge and change, the album pulses with confidence and catharsis, imploring the listener and the band themselves to traverse the darkness and find the light.

Let The Light In is released on March 14. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

“Don’t Look Back”
“Let The Light In”
“Chemicals”
“The Place That I Belong”
“Give Blood”
“Nightmares”
“Under Streetlights”
“The Light”

“Give Blood” video:

(Photo – Mike Repasch-Nieves)