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Atlanta hardcore band The Chariot will be releasing their brand new full length album One Wing via eOne/Good Fight on August 28 for their fifth studio album. With the coming of their new album less than a month away, the band has just released the album cover art and track list, along with pre-order information. The Chariot also posted a video with artist Trey Moseley about the cover art and how it helps portray the overall aim of the album. You can view the cover art, video, and track list below.
"The songs themselves are art, and now we can say that the cover, and the booklet, and everything else associated with it visually is art."
- The Chariot Guitarist Stephen Harrison
One Wing cover art
One Wing track list
- Forget
- Not
- Your
- First
- Love.
- Speak
- In
- Tongues
- And
- Cheek.
Video with artist Trey Moseley
You can pre-order One Wing on iTunes now and look at different bundles here.
Pierce The Veil has been tweeting and posting a picture on Facebook the past week teasing something huge they have coming out on August 6. What could it be? Music video? Huge tour announcement? What do you think? We'll find out August 6 at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST!
Close To Home just released their brand new full length album today via Artery Records/Razor & Tie, and the "momentum" is picking up. Momentumis the fifth release the band has put out since its birth in 2006 and is everything we could have expected from the group and more. The album has a mixture of feelings from a soothing intro track to hardcore, metal riffs and downright insane vocals, both clean and screaming. The album starts out with a short intro track called "Make It Count" containing a melodic piano, momentum picking up slightly halfway through the song, and the last few seconds it starts to break down into the beginning of the next song "Don't Waste Your Breath" and an incredible choir of voices. Throughout the album, the band uses several different extremely catchy choruses, both instrumental and vocal, and really draws in the listener, keeping their attention throughout and making them want to keep listening. The album also contains a number of breakdowns that I found myself stomping my feet and banging my head to without realization until the writing of this post. If you had a chance to listen to the two singles the band released already from this album, "Backstabbers Need Not Apply" and "Family Ties," you can hear how the overall feel and listen has changed from what we've seen previously. This may have a large part to do with the departure of vocalist Nick Stiens earlier this year and the coming of Andrew DeNeef who replaced him. But it seems more than just the vocals. We're seeing a whole different side of Close To Home, and it really excites me. In some of their former EPs and in their first full length album "Never Back Down," I saw Close To Home as kind of a pop/punk/rock band who reminded me a great deal of A Day To Remember. However, they were still unique in their own way and what really stood out to me was their mixture of a vocal style of screaming and singing, almost yelling in a way. What we see now in Momentumis something completely different, something more than just a change of vocalists, and I really like what their putting out. The incorporation of special guest vocals (Dave Stephens and Kyle Pavone of We Came As Romans) is also a huge plus to me. The two singles they've already released definitely did their job to preview what you can expect to hear when listening toMomentum. But these two tracks don't embody the fullness and newness that the full album brings. One thing that I really enjoyed was the synth they incorporated into some of their songs such as "Young & Stupid." Overall, the album is an incredible listen, both refreshing and dirty. Easily one of my favorite releases of the year. You can getMomentumnow oniTunes.
The Vans Warped Tour may be wrapping up shortly, but several bands will continue touring after it's conclusion. Of Mice & Men, Memphis May Fire, and Secrets have announced their month long tour through October in the UK.
View all the tour dates and venues on any of their Facebook pages.
Of Mice & Men will be probably showcasing their 4 new songs from their 2 disc reissue of The Flood which came out July 23. Memphis May Fire will probably be doing much of the same as they released a brand new full length album, Challenger, last month. Get your tickets quick, dates are selling out!
Hardcore/metal band Fit For A King recently signed with Solid State Records and released a brand new music video for their album title track "Descendants." (see full article about the signing and and view the music video here)
The band has just announced a handful of dates they will be performing to and from the recording of their new album that they announced upon signing with Solid State Records.
- Friday, August 31st-Blytheville, AR @ The Redroom - Saturday, September 1st-Tupelo, MS @ Goodtime Charlie's - Sunday, September 2nd- Marietta, GA @ Swazye's - Monday, October 8th-St.Louis, MO @ Cicero's - Tuesday, October 9th-Springfield, MO @ The Outland Ballroom
Fit For A King has recently been accepting video covers for their song's "The Roots Within" and "Unchanging." The prize is any one of their shirts, a signed poster, a signed physical copy of "Descendants" and a free ticket to their next show in your town!
RULES/JUDGING - You can do duo covers if you want. - Better audio quality means a better chance of winning - Must be a video - Will do take into consideration the difficulty of each song (drums are more difficult in Unchanging for example) - One winner for each category - Fans will choose the winner from the top three the band choses in each category.
Post the video on their wall to submit your entry, and they will like it to confirm they got it.
According to a status update on Facebook by Rise Records, metal band Findlay, Ohio THE PLOT IN YOU is set to release a brand new album this coming fall.
The status update said, "By request...here is THE PLOT IN YOU. They have a new album coming later this Fall. Heard a few tracks in their van the other night. Holy shit it's good. Catch them on tour now."
The band is on tour for only a short time longer, at least what has been announced. They are currently on tour with Demon Hunter, Bleeding Through, Cancer Bats, and Willows.
Tour Schedule
- July 30: Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sunshine Theater
- July 31: Aurora, Colorado, The Door
- August 1: Houston, Texas, Warehouse Live
- August 2: Lubbock, Texas, Jake's Sports Cafe
- August 3: Denver, Colorado, The Summit Music Hall
- August 4: Salt Lake City, Utah, The Complex
- August 5: Boise, Idaho, Knitting Factory Concert House
The band has already put out two releases, both coming last year, First Born and Wife Beater. You can check out both on iTunes.
You've seen the buzz around the Facebook and Twittersphere. It's time again, the All Stars Tour is set and ready to begin today (July 28) in good old "pre season" fashion. The first show will be held at St. Andrew's in Detroit today, then hitting up Grand Rapids tomorrow, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque and lastly El Paso before the official start of the 2012 All Stars Tour.
Performing in the "pre season" will be...
- I See Stars
- ATTILA
- For The Fallen Dreams
- Stray From The Path
- Make Me Famous
- Obey the Brave
- Ice Nine Kills
And for the full tour we'll see all those band plus...
- Suicide Silence
- The Word Alive
- A Skylit Drive
- Winds of Plague
- Stick To Your Guns
- Betraying the Martyrs
- Unearth (Select Dates)
- Dance Gavin Dance (Select Dates)
- (More to be announced!)
With 12 different record labels being represented on this tour alone, it's safe to say we are truly seeing an "all star" lineup.
Make sure to check out the official All Stars Tour Facebook page to see when the tour hits your area, or go to their website to get a full look into the tour. Doors open at 2 pm on most dates.
Florida rockband Broadway has announced, in partnership with Alternative Press, the fist leg of The F#$%ing Finally Tour with special guests Us, From Outside (Tragic Hero Records) and These Hearts (Victory Records). The tour starts September 9 in Memphis, Tennessee and ends September 29 in Kalkaska, Michigan.
This is the first leg of two that are to be announced as Broadway hits the road for the first time in nearly two years in support of their new record Gentlemen's Brawl. The band's highly anticipated follow up to their previous album Kingdoms (2009) was released courtesy of Uprising Records and is available now via Amazon and iTunes.
Vocalist Misha Camacho says he's ready to get back out on the road.
"We are incredibly excited and relieved that not only can we now share this record with everyone, but now we will be able to perform for all of you as well," Camacho said. "We adore all of our fans that have been so patient and supportive for such a long time, we promise that you will not be disappointed. Looking forward to seeing all of you out on the road!"
Broadway is a four-piece band from Orlando, Florida, featuring vocalist Misha Camacho, drummer Jake Garland, guitarist Sean Connors, and bassist Gabe Fernandez.
Tour dates have been listed below for the first leg of the tour. Dates for the second leg are expected to be announced shortly.
The F#$%ing Finally Tour
9/7/12 - Memphis, Tennessee - Newby's 9/8/12 - Tulsa, Oklahoma - The Eclipse 9/9/12 - Fort Worth, Texas - Tomcats 9/10/12 - Metairie, Louisiana - The Cypress 9/11/12 - Tupelo, Mississippi - The Spot 9/12/12 - Douglasville, Georgia - The 7 Venue 9/13/12 - Tampa, Florida - The Orpheum 9/14/12 - Orlando, Florida - Bombshell's 9/15/12 - Jacksonville, Florida - Brewster's Pit 9/18/12 - Richmond, Virginia - Kingdom 9/19/12 - Baltimore, Maryland - Ottobar 9/20/12 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - O'Reilly's Pub 9/21/12 - Smithtown, New York - Smithtown Hall 9/22/12 - Providence, Rhode Island - Club Fete 9/23/12 - Wareham, Maine - 3065 Live 9/24/12 - Albany, New York - Bogie's 9/25/12 - Clifton, New Jersey - Dingbatz 9/26/12 - Rochester, New York - Dubland Underground 9/28/12 - Grand Haven, Michigan - The Elks Lodge 9/29/12 - Kalkaska, Michigan - The Kaliseum
The dates for this year's fall tour have yet to be officially announced. Make sure you check out all these bands if you haven't yet already.
We will keep you posted and notified as soon as more information is officially released. Keep up with all the information every step of the way at the official AP Tour website.
Pre-sale tickets are available August 7-9
Tickets go on sale August 10
I recently had the opportunity to talk with an emerging band called Our Vintage Film. They're not exactly part of the hardcore or metal scenes, but they are a group that knows how to make great music.
"We take a modern day rock sound and add a bunch of strings, various reverse instruments, and other weird ambient sounds that somehow all intertwine beautifully together," said lead guitarist Dustin Reese.
Already having released one five-song EP Midnight Sun, the band is at it again in their hometown of Nashville to produce yet another five-song EP.
"Currently, we are in the world-class 'Ocean Way' studio in Nashville for the first time ever, and we are super stoked with the new material we have going in," said Reese. "We’re pumping out another five-song EP, and the first single for it will be released mid to late August. Follow us on Facebook to know exactly when it will be released. As far as the sound of this new record, we have matured our song writing. The melodies hit you a lot faster and it’s not as lengthy, but just like the previous record, the hooks will still remain super catchy and thriving."
The band has been promoting their single for some time now, and it promises to be a great listen.
"It’s going to be amazing," Reese said. "We have a successful Atlanta rapper on the track. The chorus is a giant anthem in of itself. The verses have dark yet beautiful sounds that portray it as having an arena rock feel. I guess outside of that description you’ll just have to wait a few weeks."
Our Vintage Film was recently on tour across the northeastern United States.
"We actually raised money for a small tour and a bunch of high quality merchandise," Reese said. "The fundraiser went better than expected. We got to tour Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts back in May. The tour was an incredible time. We got to meet some amazing people and play out in some very diverse atmospheres. But the merchandise is now for sale on our website at ourvintagefilm.com. You can go there to check out the cool stuff we now offer thanks to our fundraiser and fans."
The band members have got to this point in their careers by starting out playing shows in college.
"Me and Adam [lead vocals] went to college in Nashville together and joined the same fraternity in 2009," Reese said. "A bunch of our mutual friends got a beach house in Florida for our 2010 spring break, and that’s where we initially started jamming together on our acoustics, and we ended up coming up with some cool new song ideas together. That’s where the song writing process was born. From there we joined up with Adam’s friend Mackenzie, who played drums, and we played acoustic shows together as a trio for a while until Mackenzie introduced us to a bassist and keyboardist who eventually became a part of our regular shows. Along with our friends who played string instruments, we released our first five-song EP last July, Midnight Sun, that we are extremely proud of."
You can check their EP Midnight Sun out here www.facebook.com/ourvintagefilm or on iTunes. For now, the band is really just focused on their new EP, hoping to release it by the end of the summer.
"We are going to be working crazy hard on this new EP for the next couple of months," Reese said. "It will most likely be a late fall release. After we complete this next record we will be playing out in a bunch of local Nashville and surrounding area venues to spread the new tunes. But the biggest thing right now for us is getting these five brand new songs on record the best way we can, portraying the new OVF sound the way it’s supposed to sound. Stay tuned!"
As a lover of music, the Midnight Sun EP has been one of my favorite listens of the summer, and I'm sure their new EP will be just as great. If nothing else, just check them out and see what they're all about. It will be one of the best 5 minutes you'll spend all summer.
The Word Alive, a five-member metal outfit hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, released their sophomore album, Life Cycles, July 3. The 13-song work has received glowing reviews from many outlets, including an 8/10 from absolutepunk.net.
All 13 tracks on the 50-minute piece were written by the band's lead singer, Tyler "Telle" Smith:
1. Dragon Spell
2. Wishmaster
3. Entirety
4. For Your Health
5. Bar Fight
6. Life Cycles
7. Evolution
8. Hidden Lakes
9. Ambitionary
10. Live a Lie
11. Belong
12. Room 126
13. Astral Plane
After building a strong fan base following their debut EP, Empire, and album, Deceiver, which came out in 2009 and 2010 respectively, TWA made the decision to enter the studio with well-known hardcore producer Joey Sturgis. Sturgis has produced for the likes of The Devil Wears Prada, Of Mice & Men, We Came As Romans, and Miss May I to name a few. What resulted from their pairing appears to have paid off, big time. Life Cycles has the potential to catapult TWA to new heights in the metal scene.
As a casual fan of the band, I was looking forward to the album's release. Smith has always been an extremely emotional writer, and loves to incorporate the ideals of family and loyalty into his songs. Life Cycles is no different.
The band's sophomore release wasn't such a success without it's challenges, however. It was announced only four months before the album dropped that keyboardist Dusty Riach and drummer Justin Salinas would be leaving the band. Life Cycles was the band's first release without Riach, and they recruited a fill-in drummer to keep the beat during the recording process. In my opinion, both newcomers more than adequately filled the positions of their predecessors.
Smith's lyrics take on a lighter, more positive note on this album, unlike his past projects. Don't let that fool you though; Life Cycles is actually the band's heaviest work to date. Highlights on the album include "Bar Fight" and "Room 126", which both are sure to be killer live acts thanks to their plentiful breakdowns.
Overall, I give Life Cycles a 4.5/5 stars. The album is available for purchase on iTunes.
The Word Alive will be co-headling the country-wide All Stars Tour, which kicks off on July 28th in Detroit.
UK band Bury Tomorrow is back home oversees for a tour through September in Europe, and they have just announced another tour that will take place there. Touring with them will be Bleed From Within and Crossfaith.
Bury Tomorrow's current tour includes six dates, which include(d):
- July 20: Costa de Fuego, Spain
- July 21: Summerjam, UK
- July 28: Burnout Festival, UK
- August 4: Hevy Festival, UK
- August 25: Nonstock, Germany
- September 8: Fight For Youth, Germany
Check out their Facebook page for more information and their upcoming tour schedule here.
A fan favorite album just got even better. Of Mice & Men just reissued their latest album The Flood today (July 24) under Rise Records with the addition of four new songs to kick off the album. The new tracks include:
- The Calm
- The Storm
- The Flood
- The Depths
Also issued with the original tracks
- O.G. Loko
- Ben Threw
- Let Live
- Still Ydg'n
- My Understandings
- Ohioisonfire
- Purified
- Product of a Murderer
- Repeating Apologies
- The Great Hendowski
- I'm A Monster
- When You Can't Sleep At Night
You can pick up your latest copy of The Flood with the four new tracks on iTunes, or at Hot Topic, Best Buy, FYE, and other stores.
Stick To Your Guns will be releasing a new single tonight (July 23) at midnight (EST)!
The song?? - "We Still Believe (Acoustic)"
Stick To Your Guns is a hardcore band out of Orange County, California signed with Sumerian Records. The band will be part of the upcoming 2012 All Stars Tour kicking off this weekend. The band has put out four releases Diamond (2012), The Hope Division (2010), For What It's Worth (2007), and Comes from the Heart (2008).
Get to know the band a little bit by downloading some of their stuff on iTunes and make sure to pick up their new single acoustic track "We Still Believe (Acoustic)," off their newest album Diamond, hitting iTunes tonight (July 23) at midnight.
Texas In July recently announced that after the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour is over, the touring won't end for them. The band from Lancaster, PA will be traveling with For All Eternity to Australia throughout the end second half of August and into September.
Before they stop in Australia, the band will be headed to Asia to play a handful of shows in China, Singapore, and Thailand. Then after their time is over in Australia, they will head back to the Americas and play a handful of shows in Canada. Sounds like a lot of traveling for this young band to me.
Either way, check out their full tour schedule. Make sure to catch them at the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour before they head out over seas!
Sumerian Records was pleased to debut earlier tonight (July 21) Asking Alexandria's brand new music video of "Breathless." This is the seventh music video the band has put out and the first of 2012.
You can check the music video out at Sumerian Records' Facebook page. Make sure to like the page before viewing it.
Close To Home is less than two weeks away from releasing their brand new full length album and the "momentum" is picking up. Momentum will be the fifth release the band will put out since its birth in 2006 and is everything we could expect from the group and more. The album has a mixture of feelings from a soothing intro track to hardcore, metal riffs and downright insane vocals, both clean and screaming.
The album starts out with a short intro track called "Make It Count" containing a melodic piano, momentum picking up slightly halfway through the song, and the last few seconds it starts to break down into the beginning of the next song "Don't Waste Your Breath" and an incredible choir of voices.
Throughout the album, the band uses several different extremely catchy choruses, both instrumental and vocal, and really draws in the listener, keeping their attention throughout and making them want to keep listening.
The album also contains a number of breakdowns that I found myself stomping my feet and banging my head to without realization until the writing of this post.
If you had a chance to listen to the two singles the band released already from this album, "Backstabbers Need Not Apply" and "Family Ties," you can hear how the overall feel and listen has changed from what we've seen previously. This may have a large part to do with the departure of vocalist Nick Stiens earlier this year and the coming of Andrew DeNeef who replaced him. But it seems more than just the vocals. We're seeing a whole different side of Close To Home, and it really excites me.
In some of their former EPs and in their first full length album "Never Back Down," I saw Close To Home as kind of a pop/punk/rock band who reminded me a great deal of A Day To Remember. However, they were still unique in their own way and what really stood out to me was their mixture of a vocal style of screaming and singing, almost yelling in a way.
What we see now in Momentum is something completely different, something more than just a change of vocalists, and I really like what their putting out.
The incorporation of special guest vocals (Dave Stephens and Kyle Pavone of We Came As Romans) is also a huge plus for me.
The two singles they've already released definitely did their job to preview what you can expect to hear when listening to Momentum. But these two tracks don't embody the fullness and newness that the full album brings. One thing that I really enjoyed was the synth they incorporated into some of their songs such as "Young & Stupid."
Overall, the album is an incredible listen, both refreshing and dirty. Easily one of my favorite releases of the year.
Close To Home is currently on tour with the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour. They will be splitting up the Red and Blue lines and playing with bands such as Attack Attack!, We Came As Romans, Woe, Is Me, Abandon All Ships, The Chariot, Texas In July, The Acacia Strain, and more. Find out when they play near you on their tour schedule, here.
You can pre-order Momentum now on iTunes for $8.99. The album will be released July 31 via Artery Records/Razor & Tie.
In the meantime, here's Close To Home's two newest singles of their new album Momentum.
Pierce The Veil, of San Diego, California, released their brand new studio album Collide With The Sky just a few days ago (July 17) and the reaction to the album has been nothing but great reviews and has a 5 star review on iTunes.
The 13 track albums includes three special guest appearances:
- May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight
- Hell Above
- A Match Into Water
- King for a Day (feat Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens)
- Bulls in the Bronx
- Props & Mayhem
- Tangled In The Great Escape (feat Jason Butler of Letlive)
- I'm Low On Gas and You Need a Jacket
- The First Punch
- One Hundred Sleepless Nights
- Stained Glass and Colorful Tears
- Hold On Till May (feat Lindsey Stamey of Oh No Fiasco)
- I'm Low On Gas and You Need a Jacket (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]
I've never really listened to much of Pierce The Veil before their announcement of this album. And boy am I glad I started when I did. Collide With The Sky, Pierce The Veil's third release, is a great listen in the sense that it brings freshness to the band but also gives a feel of the older pop/punk that we all come to know and love years ago.
It is a very experimental album, with some songs that are almost like a sing-a-long and others that you just feel the need to get up off your feet and throw your body to.
The album starts off with a crescendoing first track "May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight" that leads directly into the next track "Hell Above." Both share a common drum and lead guitar riff gives the sense of "Let's get this thing started." Then throughout the rest of the album we see the battle between old style punk/pop and current day post hardcore with experimental additions, all combined to give off a great sound in Collide With The Sky.
We have seen the use of guest vocals in today's Top 40 Hits, Pop music, Top Hits and all that jive that make for interesting combinations of artists. That method has now begun to creep into this scene of music as well. Again, giving some interesting combinations of artists. Collide With The Sky introduces three songs with guest vocals, all (in my opinion) adding a great deal to the album. In "Gold On Till May (feat Lindsey Stamey of Oh No Fiasco)" we kind of see the overall summation of the album and the idea they are trying to get across. And halfway through the song with the electronica we hear just shows how Pierce The Veil is going for something new with the scene. Many bands try it, most fail. PTV got it down.
Overall, I'd give the album a high rating. 4/4.5 out of 5. You can purchase the album on iTunes.
Pierce The Veil is currently playing at the Vans Warped Tour running through the beginning of August, then they are heading to the UK in September. Check out their schedule here to see when they are playing near you so you can hear some of their new releases live.
(Image taken from http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=386543861395143&set=o.238511262923422&type=3&theater)
A group of unsigned bands will be touring together as we head into the second half of the summer. The Unsigned and On The Rise Tour kicks off tonight in Denton, Texas at 7 pm at Hailys Club. Third String Productions presents nine bands tonight for the kickoff:
- InDirections
- Through Arteries
- Fire From The Gods
- Safe In Shekinah
- Dark Horse Darling
- Down To Friend
- Visions
- Iori
- Special Guest: Fit For A King (just signed with Solid States Record. For more information view previous blog entry)
Admission: $7 for 21+ and $12 for Under All Ages
Check out the tour schedule through the end of the month here
For a full list of information regarding the event, go to the Facebook Page
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