Sister Sin Is Here "Now And Forever"

Mixed by Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Danzig, Social Distortion), SISTER SIN have released their third and most impressive album to date, Now and Forever, out today! Listen to the full album stream through AOL Music and watch their brand new music video for “End Of The Line” here. Now and Forever is available at all of your favorite digital and physical music retailers. You can purchase the special pre-order package ONLY through the Victory Records’ webstore.

Lead guitarist Jimmy Hitula comments, “I’m super f***ing excited about the release! We’ve worked hard and waited a long time to deliver this beast of an album to the world. This is by far the hardest, heaviest and most diverse album we have ever created.” Drummer Dave Sundberg adds, “We really managed to carve out the best from our influences. Ranging from thrash metal, hardcore to the huge choruses of 80´s heavy metal and mold it into our proudest achievement to date, Now And Forever!”

Head over to Guitar World and play along with Jimmy, as he tears his way through their single, “End Of The Line”. Watch the guitar demonstration video here. SISTER SIN will be igniting audiences across North America beginning February 2^nd, 2013 alongside DORO See a full listing of tour dates here

Review: Upon This Dawning - To Keep Us Safe

Upon This Dawning are not a new band in the music scene. Hailing from Verona, Italy; they formed in 2006 and have already released an EP and one studio album. They’re also featured on the newest Punk Goes Pop Volume 5 compilation album with the cover of Carly Rae Jespen’s “Call Me Maybe”. After releasing their single ‘Of Human Action’ in 2011, many people were anticipating what they were preparing to come out with next. Following up their singles is the arrival of their second full length titled, “To Keep Us Safe”.

Upon This Dawning are what I like to call a pop metal band, following the typical formula: “screamed” verse, clean vocalized chorus, back to a “screamed” verse, rinse repeat until finished. Their first track, “A New Beginning: opens with an electronic influence prelude flowing into the introduction of their screamer coupled with the main riffs and programmed violins. I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews that the introduction to an album tells you what to expect from the rest a majority of the time, and Upon This Dawning are no exception to this rule.

The album is filled with songs with poppy sounding metalcore songs, which is not an attempt at insulting this album in anyway. The songs are simply catchy for a genre like metal. The use of conventional piano sounds by their synth/key player add in some great parts to this album. An example found in what is the strongest song on the record, ‘Of Human Action’ used to transition into a breakdown. Another in “The Sound of Your Breath” with some sort of mystical synth tone I’d imagine hearing in The Twilight Zone.

Production quality of this album is as good as any other of the genre and scene. The screamer has a powerful voice, the clean vocalist albeit a bit whiny also adds a good quality voice to their music. Guitars sound good, but don’t bring about a lot of innovation which is rather disappointing. Drums of course are of high quality, so you won’t have to worry about this album sounding scratchy or muffled in your headphones or speakers.

To Keep Us Safe is one of those albums that don’t bring anything new to the table, but take what was made before, recycle it, and make it their own. I can’t say that the album is bad in any way, it’s certainly listenable, and sounds good, but it’s definitely not a genre innovator, and in my opinion, artists should strive to bring something unique and different to the game. I know I’ve definitely heard this before just in other bands like Make Me Famous, or That’s Outrageous!. To Keep Us Safe is a decent metalcore release and if you’re the type of person to like hearing what the newest thing of that genre is, this is for you.

Ill Nino Prepare For Three Killer Shows

ILL NINO is wrapping up their US tour in support of their forthcoming album EPIDEMIA, out Monday, October 22nd. Since STATIC X’s departure, ILL NINO was not going to disappoint their fans and were able to grab a hold of the reigns and salvage the remaining tour dates. With only three shows left, Corpus Christi, Austin and Ventura better watch out; these aggressive metallers are going balls to the wall! Stay tuned for the release of their brand new music video “La Epidemia” featuring EMMURE vocalist Frankie Palmeri on October 29th.

10/19- Corpus Christi, TX @ Zero’s Hard Rock Club

10/20- Austin, TX @ Dirty Dog Bar

10/28- Ventura, CA @ Ventura County Fairgrounds- MONSTER JAM w/ P.O.D, Hell Yeah, Static X, Exodus and Prong

WEST OF HELL: Revolver Magazine Unveils New Live Performance Video

ancouver, BC’s WEST OF HELL has been touring Canada tirelessly in support of the band’s debut album, Spiral Empire, which hit stores in May 2012. A live performance video for the WEST OF HELL track ‘Faceless The Droids’ is available for viewing now at Revolvermag.com. Head to this location to watch the video, which includes footage of almost a year’s worth of live shows, parties, friends, fans and good times!

WEST OF HELL has also been releasing a series of fly-on-the-wall episodes that clearly document the hilarity and madness that ensues while on the road with one of Canada’s fastest rising heavy metal acts! The videos can be viewed at the band YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/westofhellofficial.

WEST OF HELL recently announced that they will be joining Agnostic Front to support them on their 30^th anniversary tour, traveling through Canada this October. Also performing on the tour will be Death By Stereo. The six-day mini tour kicks off tomorrow in Vancouver, BC on October 19^th and comes to an end in Winnipeg, MB on October 25^th. See below for all tour dates, show information and ticket information.

WEST OF HELL Tour Dates with AGNOSTIC FRONT and DEATH BY STEREO:

October 19^th - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw

Live at The Rickshaw Presents

Tickets available at www.liveatrickshaw.com, Red Cat Scrape, Zulu or at the door.

Time: Doors at 8pm

19+

October 20^th – Kelowna, BC @ Level Nite Club

Presented by Cruzar Media (www.cruzarmedia.com) & HELL RAISER (http://www.facebook.com/hellraiserproductions)

Tickets available at Level Nite Club or at the door.

Time: Doors at 8pm

19+

October 21^st – Calgary, AB @ The Republik

Presented by Cruzar Media (www.cruzarmedia.com)

Tickets available online at www.etixnow.com and Sloth records.

Time: Door at 8pm

18+

October 22^nd – Edmonton, AB @ The Studio-Privet show

Presented by Cruzar Media (www.cruzarmedia.com)

Tickets available online at www.etixnow.com and Sloth records, or at the door.

Time: Doors at 8pm

18+

October 23^rd – Edmonton, AB @ The Pawn Shop

Presented by Cruzar Media (www.cruzarmedia.com)

Tickets available at Blackbyrd Myoozik & online at www.yeglive.ca

Time: Door at 8pm

18+

October 25^th –Winnipeg, MB @ The Zoo

Tickets available at The Zoo

Time: Door at 8pm

18+

November 11^th – Calgary, AB @ Lord Nelson’s Pub & Grill

Nov 9, 10, 11^th festival.

Weekend pass $20

Day pass $10

Nov 11^th Time: Doors at 11am

Advance tickets will be on sale at the pub soon.

EPICA: North American Tour with Alestorm, Insomnium and System Divide Kicks Off Next Week

Dutch symphonic metal band EPICA will kick off their headline run in the U.S. and Canada next Tuesday, October 23^rd with Alestorm, Insomnium and System Divide! The tour will begin in Washington, DC at the Howard Theater and will run through November 24^th where it will close in Baltimore, MD at Soundstage. Tickets are on sale now!

The band is touring in support of their Billboard-charting new album, Requiem For The Indifferent. The album was released on March 13, 2012 and debuted at #104 on the Billboard Top 200. The upcoming trek also marks the North American debut of new EPICA bassist Rob van der Loo.

See below for all current tour dates:

EPICA North American tour dates with ALESTORM, INSOMNIUM and SYSTEM DIVIDE:
10/23/12 Howard Theater - Washington, D.C.
10/25/12 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
10/26/12 Irving Plaza – New York, NY
10/27/12 Palladium - Worcester, MA
10/29/12 Imperial - Quebec City, QC - CANADA
10/30/12 Metropolis – Montreal, QC - CANADA
10/31/12 Opera House - Toronto, ON - CANADA
11/02/12 Peabody’s - Cleveland, OH
11/03/12 Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA
11/04/12 Mojoe’s - Joliet, IL
11/05/12 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
11/07/12 Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
11/08/12 Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
11/10/12 Fivesixty - Vancouver, B.C. - CANADA
11/11/12 El Corazon - Seattle, WA
11/12/12 Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
11/14/12 Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
11/15/12 House of Blues - San Diego, CA
11/16/12 House of Blues - Hollywood, CA
11/17/12 Joe’s Grotto – Phoenix, AZ
11/19/12 Trees - Dallas, TX
11/20/12 Scout Bar - Houston, TX
11/21/12 Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
11/23/12 Headliners - Louisville, KY
11/24/12 Soundstage - Baltimore, MD

A LIFE ONCE LOST: MetalSucks.net Streaming New Album ‘Ecstatic Trance’ in Full Today!

Today, A LIFE ONCE LOST and MetalSucks.net have launched a stream of the band’s new album, Ecstatic Trance, due out in North America on October 22^nd and internationally on November 16^th via Season of Mist. The album is streaming in its entirety now at this location.

Take a listen and then make sure to pre-order the album! Ecstatic Trance is available for pre-order in four different versions: jewel case, CD Digipack (EU version), LP, translucent orange LP, and grey mixed LP. Each LP version comes with a poster and dropcard. To take a look at all versions and any other merch items, head to the Season of Mist E-Shop!

While you are browsing the web, make sure to visit the brand new, official A LIFE ONCE LOST website at www.alifeoncelostofficial.com. Head there to buy tickets for their upcoming tour, read about current band news, and more!

A LIFE ONCE LOST recently announced a full U.S. tour with Revocation, visiting a venue near you this October and November. Support will come from KEN mode. The tour kicks off today, October 18^th in Trenton, NJ and comes to a close in Manchester, NH on November 17^th with another A LIFE ONCE LOST only date capping on November 18^th in Amityville, NY.

A LIFE ONCE LOST w/ Revocation, KEN mode

10/18 – Trenton, NJ @ The Backstage at Championship Bar (no KEN mode)

10/19 – Quebec City, QC @ Union Commerciale

10/20 – Toronto, ON @ Wreck Room

10/21 – Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar

10/22 – Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge

10/23 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4

10/24 – Winnipeg, MB @ Osborne Village Inn

10/26 – Calgary, AB @ Vern’s (with tour line up plus Frightenstein and Sub-Atomic Chaos)

10/27 – Edmonton, AB @ Pawn Shop (with tour line up plus Fuquored)

10/29 – Tacoma, WA @ The Loch’s

10/30 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon – Lounge

10/31 – Portland, OR @ Rotture

11/1 – San Francisco, CA @ The Sub Mission

11/2 – Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar

11/3 – Tempe, AZ @ Rocky Point Cantina

11/4 – El Paso, TX @ House of Rock

11/5 – San Antonio, TX @ Korova

11/6 – Austin, TX @ Red 7

11/7 – Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music Hall (no Revocation or KEN mode, w/ Rwake, Dysrhythmia)

11/8 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (with tour line up plus Aborming)

11/9 – Charlotte, NC @ The Casbah @ Tremont Music Hall

11/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie

11/11 – Albany, NY @ Bogies

11/12 – New York, NY @ The Studio At Webster Hall

11/13 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott

11/14 – Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques

11/15 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground

11/16 – Portland, ME @ Studio 250

11/17 – Manchester, NH @ The Paper House

11/18 – Amityville, NY @ Ollie’s Point (ALOL only)

Interview: Ryan Neff of Miss May I

We caught up with Ryan Neff from Miss May I who are currently headlining The AP Tour with The Ghost Inside, Like Moths to Flames, Amity Affliction, and Glass Cloud.

State your name and role in the band, please.

Ryan, Bass Player, professional complainer, F1 champ in the making.

What are the best things to give you guys when you are on tour?

Gift cards to Starbucks or Chipotle. We spend more time going to those 2 establishments than anywhere else.

On a day off in a city, what do you do with your time? How do you find out which restaurants to go to?

Just depend in the city. Today, we had bus trouble after a wheel flew off the trailer, so we arrived at 4:30 instead of 1:00, so luckily I had been here before and knew Chipotle and Starbucks were both within a few blocks.

How is your diet on tour different from what you would eat at home?

I eat like an idiot all the time. I have a taste for unhealthy things I guess so it’s pretty similar. Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, and pizza most days.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc

I stretch, warm my voice up, warm my hands up to play, and take a few shots of Jack Daniels usually. Then I just try not to stress out before we go on. Playing well for me has always been a mental battle. If I approach it in a good mood it’s always better.

What are some tour rules that you have established?

Designated bunks and hotel rooms are a big one. And on bus tours we try to designate “G Rated” times if you will for when family visits and such.

Which song do you look forward to playing the most every night?

My favorite song to play is “Day by Day” but we added a few new ones that I’m into.

Who is your favorite up and coming artist out there at the moment?

I love the new Glass Cloud album. Stoked to have them supporting us on this tour

Will there be a deluxe reissue of At Heart?

No plans for that right now.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Being a main stage Warped Tour band was a big honor; and being selected to headline the AP tour is pretty awesome. Hard to pick 1 moment with so many good ones.
 
When a tour ends, what do you most look forward to about going home?

Relaxing for a bit. No deadlines, no stress, just hanging out!

What do you put into your music to differentiate yourselves from other bands in the genre?

We try to incorporate our inspiration from all genres/bands that we each individually enjoy. At Heart is a much different sounding album for us because of all the great music we were inspired by, and without allowing those different influences to make an impact on us we wouldn’t ever write anything new. Change is good in our book.

Last question: What advice do you have for bands or musicians trying to make a name for themselves today?

Have fun. If you’re in it for the glory and money you’re probably in for a rude awakening. 

Animal Style Records Giving Away Free 10 Song Fest Sampler

Animal Style Records is giving away a FREE 10-track digital sampler, which includes songs from all 10 of their bands that are playing this year’s Fest in Gainesville, FL.

To stream/download the digital sampler visit: http://animalstylerecords.bandcamp.com/album/fest-11-sampler.  

Below is the tracklisting for the comp which also includes a coupon code for 10% off the Animal Style web store. Below is the artwork which features venues/set times for each of the bands’ Fest performances.

Label owner Matt Medina says, “Last year I went to The Fest for the first time after missing it for too many years. I am excited to return to Gainesville again this year joining 10 bands I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. To both celebrate the event and introduce folks to some new tunes I decided to put together a free digital compilation of these 10 bands making the trek to this years Fest. There are some newer faces and some familiar ones that have become my extended family. Each track I picked, selecting my favorite from each release and hopefully displaying the diversity that’s found on the label. I hope you enjoy and get acquainted with some tunes you haven’t heard before. As a thank you for the support we have also included a 10% off coupon in the download good for any non pre-order item in the webstore valid till 11/2.”

Tracklisting:
1. Half Hearted Hero - Samaritan Pact
2. We Are The Union - This is My Life (And it’s Ending One Minute at a Time)
3. Hold Tight! - Moving Day
4. Mixtapes - 4 PM (stupid famous quotes)
5. Kite Party - Arizona
6. Silver Snakes - Loom
7. After the Fall - Comatose
8. Raindance - Bottle Throated Kings
9. Young Turks - Let Me Sink (Where I Die)
10. The Fake Boys - Swine Club

RAGE NUCLEAIRE stream new song

Extreme black metal lords RAGE NUCLEAIRE are streaming a new song at the Deciblog. “Endziel” is the second song premiered off their forthcoming debut, ‘Unrelenting F*cking Hatred’.

About the new track, vocalist LORD WORM said: “”Endziel” is about a game of human chess, played in an urban setting (Endziel meaning end-game, or checkmate). The idea of the urban setting comes from Charles Manson’s “Helter Skelter”- the bizarre notion of a race war (black vs white). It’s simply another take on violence, as per RAGE NUCLEAIRE’s credo: KILL-HATE-WAR-VIOLENCE.”

“Violence is Golden”, the first song released from the new album, is available at RAGE NUCLEAIRE’s Facebook page.

Thrust by the vocals of former CRYPTOPSY frontman LORD WORM, ‘Unrelenting F*cking Hatred’, the raw manifesto of black metal has been scheduled for a November 6th release in North America. Pre-orders are now available at the Season of Mist E-Shop.

Jake Langley leaves Handguns

Guitarist Jake Langley has parted ways with Handguns. The departure was mutual and amicable. Handguns will still be taking part on their upcoming tour with Set It Off supporting their brand new record Angst, out now on Pure Noise Records.

Tour Dates w/ Set It Off, Sparks The Rescue

Nov 03           Sons of Hermann Hall Dallas, TX

Nov 04           White Rabbit San Antonio, TX

Nov 05           Geo’s Mcallen, TX

Nov 06           The Parish Austin, TX

Nov 08           The Underground Mesa, AZ

Nov 09           The Backyard Yuma, AZ

Nov 10            Soma  San Diego, CA

Nov 11            Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA

Nov 12            Cobalt Café Canoga Park, CA

Nov 13            Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA

Nov 14            Branx Portland, OR

Nov 15            Vera Project Seattle, WA

Nov 16            The VenueBoise, ID

Nov 17            Club Sound Salt Lake City, UT

Nov 18            Marquis Theater Denver, CO

Nov 19            Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA

Nov 20           Station 4 St Paul, MN

Nov 21            Penny Road Club Barrington, IL

Nov 23           Smiling Moose         Pittsburgh, PA

Nov 26           The Note       West Chester, PA

Nov 27            The Edge Halfmoon, NY

Nov 28           Heirloom Art Theatre Danbury, CT

Nov 29           Vibe Lounge Rockville Centre, NY

Nov 30           Stanhope House Stanhope, NJ

Dec 01            Jammin Java Vienna, VA

Dec 02            The 7 Venue Douglasville, GA

with After Tonight

Dec 09            THE GAME Shibuya, Japan

Dec 10            ROCKET PINK Sanjo Shi, Japan

Dec 11 CLUB #9 Koriyama, Japan

Dec 12            R.A.D. Nagoya, Japan

Dec 13            K2 Okayama, Japan

Dec 14            HOKAGE Osaka, Japan

Dec 15 Van Van V4 Kanazawa, Japan

Dec 16            Nine Spices Tokyo, Japan