Author: Logan Rocker

2024 was a milestone year for Florida power metallers, Seven Kingdoms. Not only did they sign with a new label, Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM), but they also headlined an extensive North American tour and released their new EP, The Square.

Today, the band release a video for their fan-favourite cover of Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie”. The cover stays true to the original 80s while adding Seven Kingdoms’ unique twist. The video features the band enjoying their travels on tour and having fun at every band’s favourite location, Buc-ees!

The band comment: “‘Kyrie’ is a cover song chosen by one of our faithful kickstarter backers. We started doing them a few years ago as an option on our kickstarters for fun and to show the musical flexibility of the band. I (Sabrina) have always enjoyed going out to sing karaoke or covering my favourite songs (I used to post myself singing them before copyright infringement issues took the fun out of it). This was a fun song to sing and I feel the lyric content is very on point for bands that go on tour. Kyrie translates to ‘Lord have mercy’ which when driving all around the world at all hours of the day and night, amongst responsible and non responsible people, we put our lives on the line every second we are on the road. I often refer to highways as ‘The river of idiots’ which can be anyone at any given moment.”

The Square EP is out now on all streaming services. The EP is also available on both vinyl and CD formats. All physical copies are limited edition and signed by the band. Order The Square here.

Tracklisting:

“The Square”   
“Through These Waves”   
“Wilted Pieces”   
“The Serpent And The Lotus”   
“Kyrie”

“Wilted Pieces” video:

Seven Kingdoms will support Unleash The Archers on a European tour in February / March 2025.

Dates:

February
12 – Substage – Karlsruhe, Germany
13 – Colos-Saal – Aschaffenburg, Germany
14 – Live Music Hall – Cologne, Germany
15 – De Kreun – Kortrijk, Belgium
16 – The Underworld – London, England
17 – La Machine – Paris, France
19 – Dynamo – Zurich, Switzerland
20 – Legend Club – Milan, Italy
21 – Backstage – Munich, Germany
22 – Masters Of Rock Cafe – Zlin, Czech Republic
23 – Barba Negra – Budapest, Hungary
25 – Szene – Vienna, Austria
26 – Kwadrat – Cracow, Poland
27 – Hellraiser – Leipzig, Germany
28 – Rockhal – Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

March
1 – Kronensaal – Hamburg, Germany
2 – Patronaat – Haarlem, Netherlands

(Photo – Reigning Phoenix Music)

Thy Kingdom Will Burn has released a video for “Obscure Existence”, second single taken from the new album The Loss And Redemption to be released on January 17 by Scarlet Records.

“Obscure Existence” is about the frustrations of how we are just a bunch of slaves on this big machinery that grinds us slowly but surely to pieces. The ideal song for a proper headbanging & for fans of high-tempo melodic metal music.

After establishing themselves as one of the most interesting new bands of the Finnish melodic death metal scene with the first two records, Thy Kingdom Will Burn has definitely found a peculiar, moving voice.

The Loss And Redemption is by far their most personal work: musically-wise, the album is massive, pitch-black dark, and beautifully melancholic at the same time – once again the guys have pushed themselves to the next level as songwriters and musicians. The lyrics deal with loneliness and longing to escape the chaos of modern life – something we can all easily identify with.

Thy Kingdom Will Burn are magnificent torchbearers of darkness & light, gloom & hope, in that quite unique Finnish fashion.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Juho Räihä at Inka Studio, and graced by the stunning artwork of Spanish maestro Alvaro Valverde, The Loss And Redemption will be released in the following formats:

– jewel case CD
– digital

Preorder/pre-save here.

The Loss And Redemption tracklisting:

“Perpetual Void”
“Obscure Existence”
“Martyrs Of Killing Floor”
“Forever In Dark”
“Escape From Solitude”
“Suffering Sky”
“They Have Come”
“Dreams Of Calamity”
“To End Of Times”
“Sydänyö”

“Obscure Existence” video:

“Perpetual Void” video:

Thy Kingdom Will Burn is:

Sami Kujala – vocals and guitar
Esa Virén – guitar
Janne Ruuskanen – bass
Lauri Virén – drums

(Photo – Teppo Ristola Photography)

Ice Nine Kills are thrilled to unleash news of their very special US Headline Tour, The Silver Scream-A-Thon. This unprecedented tour, produced by Live Nation, will offer fans a thrilling two-night experience in every city, that will see the band play both their hugely successful, seminal albums The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood in full on respective evenings, along with a selection of deep cuts and fan favorites. Tickets for the tour go on general sale at 10am local on Friday, December 20th from IceNineKills.com.

Speaking on today’s announcement, Ice Nine Kills frontman and creative mastermind, Spencer Charnas shares:

“The Silver Scream-A-Thon is a devilish chance for us to spend twice as much time in some of our favorite haunts, presenting a grindhouse-style double feature filled with deep cuts and our signature singalongs alike. In each city, Night One celebrates the fearsome full-length that began this era, The Silver Scream. Night Two slashes through The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood. Both evenings will unearth deep cuts from our band’s haunted past, with shocks and surprises galore.”

The Silver Scream-A-Thon tour promises an unmissable spectacle of music, terror, and theatricality. Inviting fans to step into the fully immersive, horror-fuelled universe of The Silver Scream, meticulously crafted by Ice Nine Kills over their last two chart-topping album releases. How many will make it out alive is yet to be determined. 

May
1 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
3 – Nashville, TN – Nissan Stadium (w/ Metallica)
6 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
7 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
9 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
13 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore
14 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore
18 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
19 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
20 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC at 20 Monroe
21 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC at 20 Monroe
23 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field (w/ Metallica)
24 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater
25 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater
29 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater
30 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater

June
1 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
2 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
4 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
5 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
6 – Tampa, FL – Raymond James Stadium (w/ Metallica)
8 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore
9 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore
11 – Myrtle Beach, SC – House Of Blues
12 – Myrtle Beach, SC – House Of Blues
20 – Santa Clara, CA – Levi’s Stadium (w/ Metallica)
27 – Denver, CO – Empower Field at Mile High (w/ Metallica)

Ice Nine Kills has continued to create pop-culture defining moments with their fusion of heavy music and horror-inspired storytelling. Their latest single, “A Work Of Art” (featuring System Of A Down’s Shavo Odadjian), was featured in 2024’s Terrifier 3, which became the highest-grossing unrated film of all time and a #1 box office hit. The single debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and has already racked up over 15 million streams.

Following their monumental year, which included sold-out shows on Metallica’s M72 World Tour and a headlining spot on their own Kiss Of Death tour, Ice Nine Kills is now gearing up for an even bigger 2025. In addition to the Silver Scream-A-Thon, the band will continue touring with Metallica on their 2025 leg of the M72 Stadium Tour with guests Limp Bizkit through the spring and summer and will be playing multiple, globally renowned festivals.

With over 2 million followers across social platforms, 1 billion collective streams on Spotify, and more than 210 million YouTube views, Ice Nine Kills have undisputedly become one of the most influential and successful acts in modern metal. Do not miss your chance to witness history in the making when they bring the monumental terror of The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood to life next year. 

(Photo credit: F Scott Schafer)

December 17, 2024, an hour ago

news heavy metal buried by lava

São Miguel metallers Buried By Lava have announced their new release with the In Your Eyes We Perish EP. The EP is set for digital release on January 24, 2025.

In Your Eyes We Perish contains six tracks, produced and recorded by Buried In Lava in a remote place off Azores, Portugal.

Vocals were captured in Zurich, Switzerland and mastering/mixing by Tiago Alves in Praia da Vitória. 

Check out the band’s new website at buriedbylava.com.

Artwork by Xavier Ramos:

Tracklisting:

“Between Heaven And Hell”
“Framed And Forgotten”
“Rose And Leeches”
“Hela”
“Glass Paths”
“My Friend Mr. M” 

“Glass Path” teaser:

Swedish rockers Wildness unveil their new single and lyric video “Broken Heart”, taken from their new studio album, Avenger, out on January 24, 2025, via Frontiers Music Srl.

Preorder Avenger here.

Drummer Erik Modin comments on the new single: “‘Broken Heart’ is a catchy and classic melodic rock song about the point of moving forward instead of looking back.”

The band express their enthusiasm for this release, by saying: “The wait is finally over, and we’re proud to present our fourth album “Avenger” for you guys! This is an album that summarizes everything that Wildness stands for, and we can’t wait for you guys to hear it!”

Wildness was formed in 2014 by drummer and songwriter Erik Modin, guitar players Adam Holmström and Pontus Sköld and lead singer Gabriel Lindmark. The band performed live and released a few demos during the first two years, before signing a record deal and releasing their first two albums on the German label AOR Heaven.

Bass player Marcus Sjösund stepped in as a full member of the band during the recording of their debut album, which was released in late 2017 and immediately became a great international success among fans of melodic hard rock. However, disagreements regarding musical directions led lead singer Gabriel Lindmark to leave Wildness in the fall of 2019.

The band recruited lead singer Erik Forsberg (ex-Blazon Stone) as their new frontman and lead singer in the spring of 2020. Their follow-up to the debut album was named Ultimate Demise (released in late 2020), and became an ever greater success for the band, thanks to Erik Forsberg’s powerful set of pipes and the hit-single “Cold Words”.

Wildness spent the main part of 2021 writing and planning the follow-up to Ultimate Demise, and after the band signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers in October 2021, they finally released their third album, titled Resurrection, which contains eleven melodic masterpieces with one foot in the 80’s and the other one in the present.

Followed by intense writing and recording sessions, Wildness finally return with their new album Avenger, a record that musically defines the band better than ever. With songs like “Wings Of Fire”, “Avenger” and “Stand Your Ground”, the band pays tribute to classic hard rock pioneers like DIO, Accept and Yngwie Malmsteen. Songs like “Crucified”, “Wasted Time”, “Walk Through The Fire” and “Broken Heart” represent the classic melodic arena anthems that have always been the key for Wildness.

The band have performed at a number of different festivals internationally and shared stages with well-known acts such as Dokken, H.E.A.T, Dee Snider, Crashdïet, Dragonforce, Arch Enemy, Warrant, Vixen and others, and also had the honor to open for Pretty Maids, among others.

Avenger tracklisting:

“Wings Of Fire”
“Crucified”
“Broken Heart”
“Caught Up In A Moment”
“Wasted Time”
“Avenger”
“Poison Ivy”
“I’ll Be Over You”
“Stand Your Ground”
“Eye Of The Storm”
“Walk Through The Fire”

“Broken Heart” lyric video:

“Crucified” video:

Lineup:

Erik Modin – Drums
Adam Holmström – Guitar
Pontus Sköld – Guitar
Erik Forsberg – Vocals
Marcus Sjösund – Bass

(Photo – Gustaf Blixt)

Gene Simmons Band, the touring act around KISS singer/bassist, Gene Simmons, recently announced a string of 2025 tour dates. The Demon has added more shows to his 2025 slate, including dates in San Antonio, TX, Bethlehem, PA, and Rohnert Park, CA.

Simmons’ tour dates can be found below, and tickets are available via genesimmons.com.

2025 tour dates:

April
5 – The Event at Graton Resort & Casino – Rohnert Park, CA
25 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL
26 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore
28 – The Moon – Tallahassee, FL  
29 – Florida Theater – Jacksonville, FL
30 – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL  

May
3 – Beaver Dam Amphitheater – Beaver Dam, KY
5 – Basie – Red Bank, NJ
6 – Wellmont – Montclair, NJ
8 – Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem, PA
9 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
15 – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON
20 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN
22 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
23 – Tobin Center – San Antonio, TX
24 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX

Simmons is featured on the soundtrack for the 2024 film, Regan, performing the jazz standard, “Stormy Weather”, written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. The official video for the song can be found below.

About Reagan:

From dusty small-town roots, to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage, Reagan is a cinematic journey of overcoming the odds. Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former KGB agent whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan’s when Reagan first caught the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, this film offers a perspective as unique as it is captivating.

Dennis Quaid brings to life a story that transcends the boundaries of a traditional biopic, offering a profound exploration of the enduring impact of the power of one man who overcame the odds, sustained by the love of a woman who supported him in his journey.

Kid Rock says he is ready to work with the US Government to “open a can of whoop ass” on music industry figures who fail to take action against price gouging and ticketing fiascos.

The rocker, otherwise known as Robert James Richie, has been an outspoken supporter of incoming US President Donald Trump.

And in a post on social media, he says he has already met with Trump’s nominee to be the next US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to discuss how the administration can put an end to fans being ripped of by controversial tactics such as ‘dynamic pricing’.

Kid Rock says: “What a treat to break bread with our soon to be Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“I look forward to working with her and the whole administration to help fix the fiasco of buying concert tickets. Gonna open a can of whoop ass on the bots, scalpers, venues, ticketing companies, managers and artists alike who rip off and deceive the public with the horse shit that has gone on for decades and only gotten worse.

“Whoever in charge that wants to help fix this, get your ass to the table, otherwise, Fuck Around and Find Out.”

Dynamic pricing became a subject of widespread outrage earlier this year when Oasis announced their reunion.

The demand for tickets led to fans staying in online waiting rooms on ticketing site Ticketmaster for hours, just for the chance to purchase tickets, with the prices then often being inflated.

According to The Guardian, Ticketmaster pushed the cost for some tickets from £135 up to £350.

Some artists, including Iron Maiden, responded by telling fans they would not use dynamic pricing for their upcoming tour.

The best-selling rock album of 2024 is 37 years old.

In a year dominated by pop, country and hip-hop, Fleetwood Mac‘s 1977 masterpiece Rumours was the highest-charting rock album on Billboard’s 2024 year-end chart, landing at No. 34, just one spot ahead of Elton John‘s 2017 greatest hits collection Diamonds.

Just 28 of the Top 200 albums on Billboard‘s year-end 2024 chart were from rock artists. Depressingly, none of them were released this year. All but five of the 28 were greatest hits collections. Besides Rumours, the only non-compilation rock albums to make the chart were Nirvana‘s Nevermind, AC/DC‘s Back in Black, Linkin Park’s [Hybrid Theory] and Sublime’s self-titled 1996 album.

Read More: How Fleetwood Mac Made a Masterpiece Out of Messy Relationships

Taylor Swift earned the top two spots and four of the Top 10, hitting No. 1 with her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, No. 2 with 1989 (Taylor’s Version), No. 9 with 2019’s Lover and No. 10 with 2022’s Midnights.

You can see where each of the 28 rock albums landed on Billboard‘s 2024 year-end chart below.

Rock Albums in Billboard’s 2024 Year-End Top 200

34. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours
35. Elton John, Diamonds
40. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chronicle: Their 20 Greatest Hits
47. Queen, Greatest Hits
51. Bob Marley, Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers75. Nickleback, The Best of Nickelback: Volume 1
93. Nirvana, Nevermind
94. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Greatest Hits
99. Journey, Journey’s Greatest Hits
104. Guns N’ Roses, Greatest Hits
106. Daryl Hall and John Oates, The Very Best of Daryl Hall John Oates
112. Abba, Gold: Greatest Hits
129. Aerosmith, Greatest Hits
142. Foo Fighters, Greatest Hits
143. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Greatest Hits
146. Lynyrd Skynyrd, All Time Greatest Hits
155. Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection
158. Fleetwood Mac, Greatest Hits
162. AC/DC, Back in Black
166. Elvis Presley, Elvis: 30 #1 Hits
169. Blink-182, Greatest Hits
180. Linkin Park, [Hybrid Theory]
182. The Beatles, The Beatles 1967-1970
187. Eagles, Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975
189. Billy Joel, The Essential Billy Joel
193. The Beatles, The Beatles 1962-1966
197. Sublime, Sublime
199. Creed, Greatest Hits

During a tenure that lasted more than 50 years, bassist Tom Hamilton played many of Aerosmith‘s classic favorites and plenty of deeper cuts as well. But there was always one particular song he was wishing they’d put back into the set.

He’s finally getting that chance, with his new band, Close Enemies.

“I knew that we’d be playing a couple of Aerosmith songs,” he tells UCR in a new interview. “You know, as far I’m concerned, ethically, it had to be songs that I had co-written. It’s not like we’re going to get up there and play ‘Walk This Way,’ ‘Dream On‘ [and songs like that]. [But] ‘Sick as a Dog,’ I’ve been dying to play that song live for so long. I was having trouble getting the guys in Aerosmith to put it in the set. I realized, ‘Alright, this is my chance! Now I get to hear that song on stage again.'”

READ MORE: Top 10 Aerosmith Songs Never Played Live

“Sick as a Dog,” a song he co-wrote from 1976’s Rocks, is a favorite of Hamilton’s for a number of reasons. “It’s simple and it’s very freeing. It rocks and has this arpeggiated guitar part, sort of a jingly, jangly kind of thing, which I loved,” he explains.

“I was always into the Byrds and they had a song called ‘Mr. Tambourine Man‘ back in the ’60s that was a giant hit – and it was a hit with me,” Hamilton added. “It really embedded in my mind, that love of hearing [guitar sounds like that], especially when it was combined with a hard rock beat.”

He has similar feelings about “Sweet Emotion,” another song he helped to co-write from 1975’s Toys in the Attic. It’s one of Hamilton’s signature performances with Aerosmith and features an unmistakable, slinky bass line that grabs instant attention to this day when it comes on the radio.

“I knew how good it felt to play it and hear it,” Hamilton says now. “I was too young and inexperienced to know whether it was something that would be a hit or not. I just knew it felt really good to play it.”

That’s why Hamilton “kept working on it and came up with the parts that are in between the verses, where it rocks out and then it goes back to the verse,” he continues. “Then in the middle, it goes back to the intro with that bass riff again. Those three elements are a lot of what matters as far as what I love in Aerosmith’s music and also, now in Close Enemies.”

When Will Close Enemies Release New Music?

The band plans to release its first single in January, the same month that they’ll hit the road for their first proper tour. As guitarist Trace Foster tells UCR, TLG / Virgin Music Group will handle distribution and internally, they’ve already got a coordinated plan for rolling out additional songs.

“Unlike the way [bands] used to release music back in the ’70s [and subsequent decades] where you released the whole record, we’ll put out the initial single January 16,” Foster said. “The next songs will probably come out in February and March and either we’ll do a fourth single [after that] or we’ll just release the whole thing at that point.

Foster says Close Enemies knows “how fast things come and go in this era that we’re in. So we just want to put a song out there, push the heck out of it, then do another one and do it again. We worked really hard. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and we don’t just want it to come and go. We want people to really get into this and enjoy it.”

2025 Rock Tour Preview