Bloodstock Open Air has announced a Winter Gathering offshoot for December.
The Derbyshire-based festival will take over KK’s Steel Mill down the road in Wolverhampton for a one-day, two-stage event on December 6. Headliners Candlemass have been confirmed and tickets are on sale now.
Joining Candlemass on the lineup’s main stage will be Venom Inc. playing their 2018 album Ave in full, plus Raised By Owls, Hellripper, Tortured Demon and King Kraken. Acts confirmed for the second stage are Red Method, Thuum and Hellripper.
Also at the event will be signing sessions, DJs and more activities still to be announced.
Candlemass comment: “Candlemass are proud to be a part of the Bloodstock Winter Gathering! We have always felt welcome on British soil and we’re excited to be there once again and deliver our special brand of Swedish doom metal! See ya all soon… Love you!!!”
The Winter Gathering will follow the 2025 edition of Bloodstock Open Air, set to be held at Catton Hall from August 7 to 10. Headlining the four-day outdoor weekender will be Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira. Weekend tickets have already sold out, as have day tickets for the Sunday with Gojira. Day tickets for Friday (featuring Trivium) and Saturday (featuring Machine Head) are still available.
Rounding out the Bloodstock bill will be Emperor, Lacuna Coil, Lord Of The Lost, Mastodon, Ministry and many more.
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Earlier this week, Machine Head announced details of their new album. Unatoned will be released on April 25 via Nuclear Blast and Imperium, and the singles These Scars Won’t Define Us and Unbound are currently streaming.
During an exclusive interview with Metal Hammer last year, Trivium frontman Matt Heafy revealed the band will play their 2005 breakthrough album Ascendancy in full during their slot. They are currently performing the record in its entirety on a European tour with Bullet For My Valentine.
“We’ve discussed adding in the special-edition original songs as well,” Heafy also told us, referencing Ascendancy’s bonus tracks Blinding Tears Will Break The Skies and Washing Away Me In The Tides.
The internet is convinced that a mysterious new band added to the Download 2025 lineup have something to do with Sleep Token.
On Tuesday (February 18), the Leicestershire festival added 22 new names to this year’s bill, with one of them being an as-yet-unheard act called President. Little is known about the project, whose members are thus far unnamed. Their profile on the Download app reads, “No names. No past. No distractions. Only the mission ahead.”
On Instagram, President have posted several enigmatic images with captions that include “Join the campaign” and “The campaign commences soon”. The band’s website is currently hosting a countdown set to expire at midnight UK time on Friday, May 16.
The mystery has inherently led to some internet sleuths drawing parallels between this new outfit and similarly faceless superstars Sleep Token, who are headlining Download for the very first time in 2025.
In a Reddit thread with the title “Who/what are President (band)?”, one fan comments: “Could potentially be related to Sleep Token in some way. Download is a massive moment for them, could potentially be a way to signal a ‘new era’ for them?”
It’s understandable for the British progressive metal figureheads’ following to be in a puzzle-solving mood, as Sleep Token have been putting out some teasers of their own lately.
On Tuesday, a new TikTok account linked to the band began directing people to the website showmehowtodanceforever.com. The site hosts a cryptic word game that, when solved, asks the user to sign up to a mailing list. Many sources report that fans then receive an email sorting them into one of two ‘houses’.
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Download 2025 will take place at Donington Park from June 13 to 15. Korn and Green Day will headline along with Sleep Token. Weezer, the Sex Pistols, Bullet For My Valentine, Spiritbox and more will also appear across the weekend.
1975 wasn’t so much pivotal in the history of popular music as it was a direct representation of where things had come from and were heading at the decade’s midpoint.
Records by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan (two of them!), Patti Smith and Led Zeppelin have been lauded time and time again. And rightfully so – these records continue to matter decades after their initial impact.
But beneath the levels of the Pink Floyd and Queen albums that often show up at the top of the “best of” rankings for 1975 lurks smaller records with impacts slightly less gigantic, as UCR details in the below list of 25 Under the Radar Albums From 1975.
While it may seem odd to tag some of these albums as “under the radar” – particularly ones made by a former member of the biggest and most influential group of the 20th century and No. 1 Billboard hits – decades removed from their release, these LPs have rarely entered serious discussions when it comes to the year’s or artists’ best work.
The below albums cover several genres: pop, country, jazz and soft rock, in addition to the ubiquitous FM rock of the era. They also span big names and one-hit wonders to a few regrettably forgotten acts who never caught their big break. The one thing they have in common is that they deserve to be better known and talked about with Born to Run, Blood on the Tracksand Horses. Now’s the time to catch up on what you may have missed.
25 Under the Radar Albums From 1975
You already know the Dylan, Springsteen and Zeppelin classics that came out that year. Now it’s time to go deeper.
For more than 50 years, bassist Tom Hamilton anchored Aerosmith as both its founding member and one and only bassist. Hamilton co-wrote classics, like “Sick as a Dog” from 1976’s Rocks and “Janie’s Got a Gun” from 1989’s Pump, even if he does refer to the latter as a “Steven track.”
To that end, the only thing that rivals Hamilton’s monstrous presence on bass is his humility. And it’s that and more that he carries into his first post-Aerosmith project, Close Enemies. “This was something I wanted to do while waiting to see what was going to happen with Aerosmith,” Hamilton says.
Adding: “When Aerosmith had to tragically cancel our tour and retire from future touring, it was awesome to have something so promising to be involved with.”
Speaking of Aerosmith, which halted its Peace Out Tour in September of 2023 after vocalist Steven Tyler fractured his larynx during a performance on Long Island and then shuttered its doors for good in August of 2024 when Tyler’s recovery didn’t go as planned, Hamilton is tight-lipped.
Hamilton also declined to comment on Steven Tyler’s recent live appearance alongside Nuno Bettencourt (and others)—which seemed to potentially crack the Aerosmith-relate door open again—while raising funds to aid those impacted by the tragic fires that decimated communities across California.
But the veteran bassist beams when reflecting on his recent work with Close Enemies. “Obviously, I’m proud of the song that I brought in and grateful for the ideas that everyone contributed to help finish it and give the song its atmosphere.”
“Overall,” he says. “I’m happy with my playing on this record. It’s been great to have the time to try out whatever ideas came into my head and have the support of the other guys.”
Tell us how Close Enemies formed.
Trace Foster, Peter Stroud, and Tony Brock came up to Boston about three years ago and offered to help me develop some song ideas. We worked for a few days and then it was time for me to get back into Aerosmith mode and get ready for what would eventually be our Peace Out Tour.
While I was doing that, they went back to Atlanta and started writing songs. When the Aerosmith tour had to be canceled, Trace called and asked if I would be interested in joining them. I heard the songs they had written, and I was blown away.
I headed down to Peter’s house in Atlanta. The first day I was there, we worked up a track that eventually became a song called “Wink and a Feather.” I should also mention that Gary Stier was there as well and had been involved in writing the songs they had developed.
The next day, I played them a demo of a song I was working on that I was calling “More Than I Could Ever Need.” I only had to play it for everybody once, and by the end of that afternoon, we had a track. It felt amazing to be with a group of people who were so responsive to my ideas. I loved it and was hooked.
What’s your songwriting process like for this now that you’re in the forefront rather than off to the side?
I’ve never considered myself to be at the forefront. I was joining something that was already most of the way established. I’m happy if my name and history help things along, but this isn’t “my band.” When I’m with Close Enemies, I don’t feel like I’m at the “forefront” any more than with Aerosmith; I feel like I’m “off to the side.” I’m happy to be an integral part of both bands. I look forward to bringing more song ideas to Close Enemies when the time comes.
You co-wrote Aerosmith’s “Sick as a Dog” and “Janie’s Got a Gun.” Tell us about that and how those experiences lend themselves to your approach with Close Enemies.
Those two songs came along during times when I was simply spending time having fun playing my guitar. In his book, Alex Van Halen talks about song ideas already being out there in the ether, and it’s just a matter of finding them.
I wrote the guitar parts to “Sick as a Dog” when we were working on the Rocks album, and thanks to the support of our producer, Jack Douglas, it made it onto the record. Years later, I came into the studio with a song idea when we were writing for the Pump album. Steven Tyler took a chord progression from it and used it for the intro to “Janie’s Got a Gun.” From there, he wrote the song. I consider that one a Steven song.
How do Close Enemies differ from what you’re known for, if at all? Does this feel like a fresh start?
Close Enemies is a more relaxed situation. There’s still the element of striving to be a great band with great songs but the overall atmosphere is a little more chill. As far as the material goes, it feels totally natural. I’ve never felt like I had to adjust to a new style. I think when the fans become more familiar with our songs, they’ll feel the same way.
What are the advantages of coming from a huge band to a smaller act? Is it almost like your early days?
I’ve never felt like I was coming from something huge to something small. I’m happy to let the outside world decide about hugeness and smallness. I’m more oriented towards the quality of the songs and the musicianship of these guys. It feels like we all went to the same school.
What gear are you using and why? What’s the secret to your bass tone?
Gear-wise, I’m using my beloved G&L ASAT and a Duesenberg Starplayer. I added my bass tracks at home using Logic and a Universal Audio Apollo Twin. I’m using the UAD SVT plug-in and a little compression right in Logic. Simple and effective.
I love to use the UAD Precision Maximizer as well and sometimes the Waves R Bass. The cool thing is that when it’s time to mix, we can use any combination of the above or whatever else comes along. Live I’m using an SVT with a single Gallien Krueger 4×10 cabinet.
For the icing on the cake, I’m using an Original Effects Bass Rig pedal that sounds amazing! It’s easily the best pedal I’ve ever used. I get the crunch and drive I want with no loss in the bottom end.
What songs stand out most here and why? What are you most proud of with this project?
I’m really excited and proud of my track on the song we have out now, which is called “Sound of a Train.” In the original demo, there was a bass track by a great bass player named Robert Kearns. It was a challenge to cover the priorities of what the song wanted yet in my own way.
Feature Photo:Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR , via Wikimedia Commons
Amy Winehouse was not just a singer but a voice that redefined modern soul music, blending raw emotion with classic jazz and R&B influences. Born on September 14, 1983, in Southgate, London, she grew up in a family deeply connected to music, with a father who adored Frank Sinatra and a mother who supported her creative pursuits. Winehouse’s unique talent emerged early, as she attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where her voice began to set her apart as a future icon.
Her professional career began in earnest with the release of her debut album, Frank, in 2003. A critically acclaimed record with a heavy jazz influence, it featured original compositions co-written by Winehouse and demonstrated her lyrical depth and vocal range. Tracks like “Stronger Than Me” showcased her distinct ability to merge modern themes with a vintage musical sensibility, earning her nominations for the Mercury Prize and Brit Awards.
Winehouse’s second album, Back to Black (2006), propelled her to global superstardom. Featuring collaborations with producer Mark Ronson, the album drew on Motown-inspired melodies and 1960s girl-group harmonies. Its standout tracks, including “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good,” and the haunting title track “Back to Black,” resonated with audiences worldwide. The album’s critical and commercial success earned Winehouse five Grammy Awards in 2008, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Rehab,” making her the first British woman to win five Grammys in a single night.
Winehouse’s live performances were as unforgettable as her records, with her soulful contralto voice captivating audiences. Her band included accomplished musicians who complemented her raw talent, making each show an intimate, powerful experience. However, her struggles with substance abuse and publicized personal challenges often overshadowed her artistic accomplishments, adding a tragic dimension to her story.
Amy Winehouse’s influence extended far beyond her music. Her signature beehive hairstyle and retro fashion choices became cultural hallmarks, inspiring trends in fashion and music. More importantly, her success helped pave the way for a new wave of female artists, such as Adele, who cited Winehouse as a key influence on their careers.
Tragically, Winehouse’s life was cut short when she passed away from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011, at the age of 27. Despite her untimely death, her legacy lives on through her groundbreaking albums and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, established by her family to support young people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.
Amy Winehouse remains a symbol of unfiltered artistry, vulnerability, and resilience. Her ability to channel personal pain into universal truths, combined with her unparalleled voice, ensures that her music will continue to resonate with generations to come.
(A-K)
“A Song for You” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “Addicted” – Back to Black (2006) “Amy Amy Amy”/”Outro”/”Brother”/”Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke)” – Frank (2003) “Back to Black” – Back to Black (2006) “Best Friends, Right?” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “Best Friends, Right?” (Leicester Summer Sundae 2004) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Between the Cheats” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “Body and Soul” (with Tony Bennett) – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “Close to the Front” – Back to Black (2006) “Cupid” – Back to Black (2006) “Fu*k Me Pumps” – Frank (2003) “Fu*k Me Pumps” (T in the Park 2004) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Half Time” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “He Can Only Hold Her” – Back to Black (2006) “Help Yourself” – Frank (2003) “Hey Little Rich Girl” (with Zalon and Ade) – Back to Black (2006) “I Heard Love Is Blind” – Frank (2003) “In My Bed” – Frank (2003) “In My Bed” (T in the Park 2004) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “I Should Care” (The Stables 2004) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Just Friends” – Back to Black (2006) “Just Friends” (Big Band Special 2009) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Know You Now” – Frank (2003) “Know You Now” (Leicester Summer Sundae 2004) –Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012)
(L-Z)
“Love Is a Losing Game” – Back to Black (2006) “Love Is a Losing Game” (Jools Holland 2009) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Like Smoke” (featuring Nas) – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “Lullaby of Birdland” (The Stables 2004) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Me & Mr Jones” – Back to Black (2006) “Monkey Man” – Back to Black (2006) “Moody’s Mood for Love”/”Teo Licks” – Frank (2003) “October Song” – Frank (2003) “October Song” (T in the Park 2004) “Our Day Will Come” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “Rehab” – Back to Black (2006) “Rehab” (Pete Mitchell 2006) “Some Unholy War” – Back to Black (2006) “Stronger Than Me [Jazz Intro]” – Frank (2003) “Take the Box” – Frank (2003) “Tears Dry on Their Own” – Back to Black (2006) “Tears Dry on Their Own” (Jo Whiley Live Lounge 2007) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “The Girl from Ipanema” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “(There Is) No Greater Love” – Frank (2003) “To Know Him Is to Love Him” – Back to Black (2006) “To Know Him Is to Love Him” (Pete Mitchell 2006) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Valerie” – Version (album by Mark Ronson) (2006) “Valerie” (Jo Whiley Live Lounge 2007) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “Wake Up Alone” – Back to Black (2006) “What Is It About Men” – Frank (2003) “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” – Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011) “You Know I’m No Good” – Back to Black (2006) “You Know I’m No Good” (Jo Whiley Live Lounge 2007) – Amy Winehouse at the BBC (2012) “You Sent Me Flying”/”Cherry” – Frank (2003) “You’re Wondering Now” – Back to Black (2006)
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Amy Winehouse articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Janey Roberts lives in Chelsea, London. She has worked for various British musical publications writing album and concert reviews. Originally from Balboa Park, San Diego, Janey brings an international cross cultural perspective to rock journalism.
As they head towards their 25th anniversary, Finnish prog-doom merchants Swallow The Sun are bringing a touch of hope to their more melancholic output with the transformative new album, Shining. Bandleader Juha Raivio discusses their brighter sound, Marillion’s influence and why the record is going big with Queen-style choruses.
Swallow The Sun’s new album, Shining, is aptly named. It isn’t exactly bursting with joy – the Finnish quintet are far too steeped in melancholia for that – but it does provide glimmers of hope that shine like distant stars in the darkness. It’s also an album that guitarist, keyboard player, founder member and main songwriter Juha Raivio felt that he had to make at this point in the band’s career.
“I needed it to feel different to our last album for my own sake, because Moonflowers was so dark,” he explains. “It was so painful. Anyone who knows us knows the music has a lot of weight from my own personal life. It started to be quite dangerous for myself, to play the music and go on tour and stab myself in the heart. A voice inside myself said that maybe you could have a little bit of mercy with yourself if there’s ever going to be new music.”
For those who aren’t familiar with Swallow The Sun’s recent history, their last two albums – 2019’s When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light and 2021’s Moonflowers – dealt directly with the death of Raivio’s partner and artistic collaborator, Aleah Stanbridge, and the guitarist’s own difficult journey in its aftermath.
“When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light was made from love, pure love. I love that album. But I fucking hate Moonflowers. I hate that I had to write that album,” he says.“Aleah told me, ‘You have to face the darkness. Don’t have any fear – just go straight into the darkness because the light is on the other side.’ But I got so deep that I kind of passed the point where the light was; I was going even deeper into that direction. I was hoping with this new album that I would feel some kind of power rather than lying in that coffin.”
SWALLOW THE SUN – MelancHoly (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
Shining does take a different tack. If the lyrics aren’t exactly suffused in light, they at least question and start to arrest that descent into darkness. Album opener Innocence Was Long Forgotten looks backwards with a darkly romantic lustre. What I Have Become takes a long, hard look into an unforgiving mirror, while MelancHoly warns of the dangers, as Raivio puts it, of “making melancholy your god.”
“People think I’m some kind of goth, weeping in a forest and drinking red wine,” he says. “That’s part of how I express myself through the music – but there has always been a hope in me, and both light and darkness. It’s very powerful in me. I sound like a fucking Jedi, but we all have that duality.”
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There are themes of rebirth, or at least a vigorous reassessment, that go beyond the lyrics too. Even the album artwork provides a marked contrast, with gleaming jewelled hands forming a transformative moth shape. It’s a far cry from Moonflowers, which saw the guitarist pour his pain – quite literally – into the minimalist aesthetic.
“I painted the Moonflowers cover with my own blood,” he nods. “I cut myself up just to paint the album. With the new one, you’re the first one who got it, but it’s the moth from our logo. It’s also two swans, and there’s a brightness with the diamonds and the whiteness of the image. It feels powerful: the kind of change I was hoping for.”
SWALLOW THE SUN – What I Have Become (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER VIDEO) – YouTube
Along with these thematic and aesthetic changes, the band decided to take a different musical approach to their ninth full-length studio album. Bassist Matti Honkonen has described Shining as the Finns’ own Black Album, and while his tongue was at least partially in his cheek, the comparison might still be alarming for fans of their more progressive leanings.
Metallica’s self-titled record was, after all, a far more streamlined take on their sound that became a huge mainstream hit, even as it alienated sections of their fanbase. Even more alarm bells might have sounded on the announcement of producer Dan Lancaster, whose production and mixing credits include Blink-182, Don Broco and Bring Me The Horizon.
I wanted Shining to have more power – and the mix feels like someone punching you in the face
“Matti was joking in part, but in a way it’s true, because the genre can be very… protective,” Raivio chuckles. “Like with the Black Album, lots of ‘true’ Metallica fans thought, ‘I want my Metallica to be exactly like this.’ We’re not into labels. People call us doom metal, and there is some of that in there; but we have melody and growling and slow tempos and long songs and short songs. People never know what to expect from us.
“I wanted a producer with a fresh perspective who’s never done this kind of music. Dan didn’t change the songs, but I wanted Shining to have more power – and the mix feels like someone punching you in the fucking face. He helped pull the melody out more than ever before and he also sings a lot, adding backing vocals and harmonies. You might want to hang me by my balls for saying this, but he brought a lot of Queen to the band with the big vocal choruses.”
SWALLOW THE SUN – Innocence Was Long Forgotten (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
We’ll pass on that, thanks; but there’s a sense of immediacy and even bombast to Shining that certainly wasn’t present on its understandably downbeat predecessors. At the same time it’s recognisably a Swallow The Sun album, and long-term fans needn’t worry that they’ve morphed into a shiny pop-rock outfit. Despite the more optimistic tones, the gloomy melancholia remains. “It’s part of the Finnish people,” says Raivio with a laugh. He’s a man who lives alone in the woods with a beautiful Norwegian forest cat (who makes a scene-stealing appearance on our video call) for company.
I wish I didn’t have to write this music myself; so in that respect, I feel sorry for the people who like my band
The progressive elements are also ingrained, shining through the melodic layers of Under The Moon & Sun and the nine-minute title track which closes the album. “There’s so much Marillion in this band. We had Steve Rothery play with us [on 2009’s New Moon] and he’s my main influence as a guitarist,” Raivio says.
“Some prog fans might be like, ‘What is this asshole talking about?’ but it’s in there. We have a 34-minute song [2008’s Plague Of Butterflies]; and even I played in a progressive band through the 90s. We’d play these underground prog parties in Helsinki.”
It’s now nearly a quarter of a century since he helped put Swallow The Sun together. In that time they’ve become a respected and occasionally revered band, but their continued presence in the prog metal scene is never a given.
SWALLOW THE SUN – Charcoal Sky (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER VIDEO) – YouTube
“Every album is the last album for me in a way, because I can never be sure that the inspiration will come again,” Raivio explains. “I live here in my godforsaken forest and I wait. When the music comes, it comes in a flood and I write the whole album in a month. So far it’s always happened – but who knows if it always will?”
And if Shining should become their Black Album, in terms of a surge in popularity, would any of that change? “I still wouldn’t be able to plan music or write to a schedule. It’d certainly be amazing if more people found the band; but in some ways, even with the new album, I think you have to have lived it, to have loved and lost to really resonate with the music.
“I wish I didn’t have to write this music myself; so in that respect, I feel sorry for the people who like my band and I’m happy for the ones who don’t.”
Slayer’s Kerry King has named a metal guitarist who “plays circles” around him.
During an interview with the Talk Louder podcast, the 60-year-old offers the praise to Phil Demmel, formerly of Machine Head and now a member of King’s solo band.
King mentions Demmel when he’s asked about how he divvied up the solos on his 2024 debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, which also features vocalist Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), bassist Kyle Sanders (ex-Hellyeah) and drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer).
“I probably would have given him more, because Phil Demmel’s a wizard,” King answers (via Ultimate Guitar). “He plays circles around me. He’s really, really fucking good, and he’s definitely more melodic than me. I’m far more archaic. But together, it works.”
He continues: “And in the beginning, when I was trying to decide who would play what, I thought about what fans would expect me to play, because I didn’t want to let fans think I wasn’t thinking about them, or passing the buck because I’m doing something else.”
Elsewhere on the podcast, King talks about the differences between his solo band and his work with Slayer.
“Say, for instance, you’ve got a horse with blinders on – that was me in Slayer,” he explains. “Not completely blind, just looking straight forward. In my band, I’d say [the blinders] open five to seven percent – not a lot, but it’s a different perspective. You know, Slayer was this juggernaut. And people had an established opinion – as well as I – about what the songs should be, how they should sound, things like that.
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“And then, when I did this band, I was just looking to do an 80s tribute punk song. That was Two Fists. I wanted the riffs to be as if they were written by a punk band. There’s a big riff in the middle that I just had to throw in there, because I couldn’t do it without one. But I wanted the vocals to be presented that way too.”
King unveiled his solo band in February 2024 with the announcement of From Hell I Rise and the release of their first single Idle Hands. The news came just days before Slayer, who’d previously retired in 2019, announced their surprise comeback.
Slayer are now active as an occasional live force, and are booked to play Louder Than Life in Kentucky in September, but King spends the majority of his time with his solo project. Since releasing From Hell I Rise, they’ve toured prolifically. They’re currently playing across the Americas and are set to also perform in Europe from July to August. See dates and details via King’s website.
Demmel is best-known for his stint in Machine Head from 2002 to 2018, but he’s also performed with Lamb Of God and Testament as a fill-in guitarist. He played several dates with Slayer during their 2018-to-2019 farewell tour as well, filling in for Gary Holt.
Cradle Of Filth‘s Dani Filth has condemned Spotify, and says he “owes it” to his fellow musicians to not have an account on the streaming platform.
In a new interview on Sonic Perspectives, the frontman explores the realities of living as an artist during a time where music is so readily and cheaply accessible in digital spaces.
He says (via Blabbermouth), “I owe it to my brethren in metal and music not to have a fucking Spotify account because they don’t pay people. It’s not just them — it’s just platforms in general.
“I appreciate the fact that people could discover you from another band and whatever; I’ve heard it a million times. But I’m old school… I want my bands to be paid because if they’re not paid, they’re not bands anymore.”
Noting the impact of streaming platforms on the livelihood of musicians, he continues: “I know so many people from big bands that since the pandemic have gone, ‘You know what? I’m taking a proper job. So you’ll see me less often. We’ll still be doing albums, but probably once every five years,’ because it just seems like daylight robbery.”
Filth then goes on to compare the act of streaming music to taking food illegally from shops, explaining: “If you owned a delicatessen or a fucking supermarket even, people aren’t allowed to just come in and help themselves to free produce, which is what people think they’re entitled to do with music because it’s a periphery thing and it’s in the air.
“You can’t physically touch music. But how do you expect bands to survive without that?”
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The frontman additionally shines a light on the film industry clamping down on online piracy, noting how he feels there’s less strict attitudes to consuming music without fully paying for it. “”Obviously, they really try [to combat piracy] with movies, and there’s more money involved in movies — obviously,” he says.
“But in England, we used to have these, not up to very recently, this whole advert they had before the movie starts where ‘video piracy is killing the movie industry’, and they even go to the point where they’d have this slamming prison doors, in IMAX quality sound, THX. ‘You’re going to prison if you watch a bootleg movie.’ But not the same for… I know back in the day [they had a message on the back of albums saying that] ‘home taping is killing music,’ but nowadays it’s like a fucking free for all.”
While in conversation with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, he explained: “It’s been deteriorating ever since… I think 2006 was the year that everything swapped from being comfortable for musicians — well, not necessarily comfortable; it was never comfortable.
“But [it went to] just being a lot harder with the onset of the digital age, the onset of music streaming platforms that don’t pay anybody. Like Spotify are the biggest criminals in the world. I think we had 25, 26 million plays last year, and I think personally I got about 20 pounds, which is less than an hourly work rate.”
Watch the full interview with Sonic Perspectives below:
DANI FILTH Talks Songwriting, Creative Process & Inspiration For CRADLE OF FILTH New Album – YouTube
If you’re attending Black Sabbath’s star-studded Back To The Beginning show this summer, you may face dramatically increased prices for nearby hotel rooms.
According to local newspaper Birmingham Live, hotels near to where the pioneering metal band will play their swan song at Villa Park on July 5 are upping their rates by up to 725 percent.
The publication singles out the three-star Apollo Hotel on Hagley Road, a 15-minute drive from Villa Park, as an example. It reports that a ‘superior’ double room without breakfast on the night of the show will set you back £619 on Hotels.com. By comparison, the same hotel room – when booked via the same site for Saturday, June 28 – costs just £75.
Birmingham Live also points to a Travelodge on Broadway Plaza, 14 minutes from the gig, reporting that a room there which costs just £53.99 on June 28 will be £319.99 on July 5. Similarly, in Yardley, a 22-minute drive from Villa Park, a Travelodge room will cost £303.99 on July 5, compared to £47.99 if you were to stay the week before Back To The Beginning.
Jacked hotel prices are the latest in the series of difficulties fans eager to attend Back To The Beginning have faced. The BBC reports that, after tickets to the show went on general sale on February 14, the online queue to buy passes exceeded 60,000 people. (Villa Park has a seating capacity of just 42,000 people.) If they got through the queue, fans then faced ticket prices that ranged from £200 up into the thousands.
Back To The Beginning will mark the first time Black Sabbath’s founding lineup – singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward – have played together since 2005. It is also set to be the band’s final show, as well as the last time Osbourne performs onstage. The Prince Of Darkness retired from touring in 2023, due to the physical effects of numerous surgeries and Parkinson’s disease.
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It’s been six years since Killswitch Engage released Atonement, marking their longest gap between albums by far. The pandemic during that period appears to have been on vocalist Jesse Leach’s mind during the crafting of the band’s ninth album. He’s spoken about his consequent mental struggles, his initial rage and frustration turning to sadness and despair at the fractured state of the world. That journey can be heard throughout This Consequence. Jesse expresses feelings of loneliness and abandonment with furious anger, before calls for humanity to unite and heal come soaring in. His lyrics can often be cloaked in metaphor, but his passionate delivery always connects deeply, and here he’s sparked the strongest KSE album in well over a decade.
The opening Abandon Us is classic Killswitch – all metallic hardcore riffs, rhythms that will get you spin-kicking around your bedroom and some brilliantly bold, chest-beating vocals. But Jesse’s enraged, impassioned referencing of all he had being ‘turned to dust’ and being ‘left to bleed’ elevates the song and steals the show.
Jesse has rarely sounded as seething and fucked off as he does here. Even in the melodic sections, he sounds like his brain is about to combust, each syllable spat out with a ruthlessness you can’t help but be swept up by. The death metal vocals on Collusion make David Vincent sound like Sabrina Carpenter. Jesse Leach is on one, and it slaps.
Of course, this would mean little if the rest of the band didn’t match their vocalist. When KSE step up their trademark metalcore a notch, as on the grinding, thrashing opening of The Fall Of Us, it’s as heavy as they’ve ever sounded. If you were told Discordant Nation was Cannibal Corpse with Jesse guesting, you wouldn’t have blinked. There’s even a NOLA sludge and Alice in Chains mash- up, Broken Glass, which is suffocatingly heavy and achingly melodic.
While this is unquestionably the hardest, often darkest and most frenzied Killswitch album in some time, their belief in affirmation and self-betterment remains. Jesse continues to be a force for good in the metal scene, and has always preached strength through unity. His stirring call of ‘I believe, there is hope for better days’ on I Believe shows that a positive core and desire for solidarity remains a key part of his identity. After a couple of decent albums and a huge break before this one, you’d be forgiven for worrying that Killswitch Engage might enter into a period of diminishing returns. But This Consequence sees them roaring back to classic form, possibly even heavier, just as emotionally raw, and still the leaders of the metalcore pack. It’s a pleasure to have them back.
This Consequence is out this Friday, February 21 . Order our exclusive Killswitch Engage bundle featuring a limited edition t-shirt design via the official Metal Hammer store.
(Image credit: Future)
Since blagging his way onto the Hammer team a decade ago, Stephen has written countless features and reviews for the magazine, usually specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal, and still holds out the faint hope of one day getting his beloved U2 into the pages of the mag. He also regularly spouts his opinions on the Metal Hammer Podcast.
