The mighty and very awesome Kowloon Walled City have returned with a new track, “Oxygen Tent.” According to the band, “the song is about fearlessness and resilience and not taking shit from powerful men.” This song is shows a very dynamic range of how great of songwriters they are. The production on this song too is exquisite. It’s so great to have new material from Kowloon Walled City. Can’t wait for the album and tour! If you don’t know about this band, now is a great time to get familiar with them.
Today is one of the days I’ve been waiting for all year. The NEW EVERY TIME I DIE album, Radical, will be finally be released on October 22nd via Epitaph Records!!! The band has already released a few songs from the album and today they unleashed the beast that is “Post-Boredom.” This album was once again produced by Will Putney who also did the absolute masterpiece that is Low Teens. Radical is 16 tracks of peak-ETID, and it’s a culmination of everything you love about Every Time I Die. Speaking on the album’s lyrical content, vocalist Keith Buckley said “I’m dealing with difficult matters this time that isn’t only personal for me but are also universal and more communal experiences,” Keith explains. “The songs are realistic in that they acknowledge that things require a lot of work. But it’s ultimately a very hopeful and uplifting record.” I personally, can’t wait for this album to be released. Every Time I Die have been one of my favorite bands for a long time and they only keep getting better with each record.
From their inception till the current present, Trivium has been one of the hardest working bands in music. Their relentless work ethic has seen them become an absolute force in the heavy music world. Today, Trivium have announced that they will release their tenth album, titled In The Court Of The Dragon, on October 8 via longtime label Roadrunner Records (Pre-Orders available HERE). The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in the Fall of 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando. The band already released their new track “In The Court Of The Dragon” a couple weeks back and now they have released another single, “Feast Of Fire.” The accompanying video was shot at the bands HQ in Florida which they recently converted an airplane hanger to be their base of operations. The past couple Trivium albums, The Sin And The Sentence and What The Dead Men Say have been quite exceptional and show real mature growth not just as players but as songwriters and this album seems to continue along that path. Trivium is part of the Metal Tour Of The Year featuring Megadeth, Lamb Of God and Hatebreed (who replaced In Flames on the tour). I would bet money that Trivium will be stealing or close to stealing the show each night.
Thrice has released another new song from their upcoming album, Horizons/East (out September 17). This song “Robot Soft Exorcism” is a really interesting song. It sort of has a feel similar to the more experimental tracks from The Alchemy Index. This is also one of those songs that if you listen with headphones (good headphones, not those shitty earbuds) you can hear so many other little hidden gems within the song. Speaking on the song “‘The track’s title may sound familiar to those who are aware of David Dark. The American author and teacher coined the term in a twitter thread, exploring a metaphor in an attempt to help us distinguish between harmful and destructive systems and those that inhabit and benefit from them. Thrice’s singer and lyricist Dustin Kensrue picks up the image and breathes life into it throughout the newly released track. Months back Kensrue and Dark spoke at length on the subject, as well as other topics, on Kensrue’s podcast.’ Between the song “Scavengers” and now “Robot Soft Exorcism,” this new Thrice album is shaping up to be one hell of a good one.
The legendary Jerry Cantrell returns with the release of his first single “Atone” out today, from Cantrell’s new solo album, Brighten. It’s been 19 years since Jerry has released a solo album. This first single “Atone” features Duff McKagan on bass, Greg Puciato on backing vocals and guitar and Gil Sharone on drums. This album was produced by Tyler Bates and longtime engineer Paul Fig. The album was mixed by Joe Barresi. Other notable guests on the record include, Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney), pedal steel master Michael Rozon, Vincent Jones on piano, Wurlitzer, and organ. The record is a 9 song journey and concludes with a cover of Elton John’s “Goodbye.” Speaking on the song Jerry has said “Madman Across The Water is one of my favorite records of all time,” he exclaims. Out of respect to Elton, I wouldn’t include it unless he said it was okay. He’d played piano on ‘Black Gives Way To Blue,’ which I wrote for Layne,so I reached out to Elton, he listened to it, and told me “You should absolutely use it.” I got the signoff by the man himself. I couldn’t think of a better way to close the record!” I personally can’t wait for this album. I love Alice In Chains and Jerry’s solo albums are stellar, so you know the heart and soul is strong with this one!
On September 17th, Thrice will release their new album, Horizons/East via Epitaph Records. The new album was written and recorded by the band over the past couple years. The self produced album was mixed by Kowloon Walled City’s Scott Evans at his studio, Antisleep Audio and he did a killer job! The first single “Scavengers” has a vibe that fits in with their whole catalog. The song is deep and dark with a sense of hope, just as any Thrice song should. Live, this song is going to be huge, and I can’t wait to hear it! Pre-Orders are available HERE.
The mighty Quicksand are back with a new album and first since 2017’s Interiors. Distant Populations is the title of the upcoming album and it’s definitely shaping up to be one of the best of 2021. The album will be out digitally August 13 and on vinyl September 24 via Epitaph Records. Distant Populations was produced and engineered by Will Yip (The Menzingers, Code Orange, Nothing), and mixed by Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Megadeth, Trivium). Speaking on the album, “Everyone is on the one hand so connected with each other, and on the other hand, is so far apart.” says frontman Walter Schreifels.“We’re checking out each other’s social media and we know what everybody’s doing. But when we’re sitting in the same room together, we’re looking at our phones,” he adds point out the sad irony of it all. Throughout the album’s 11 tracks, Quicksand explores the duality of our simultaneous existence in individual relationships and as part of a mass society, while also examining the alienation and loneliness of it all. Pretty fitting for the times we are living in if you ask me. Today, the band shares “Missile Command,” a song that emerged from a Quicksand rehearsal jam, recalls Schreifels, “It really kind of focuses on Sergio’s (Vega) whole motif in a very simple way. He and Alan (Cage) just have this really kind of trademark groove, and I think that really sings on this one to me. I just felt like it’s a kind of song that is very us, but we hadn’t written it yet.” Based on “Missile Command” and “Inversion” there is without a doubt the classic sound we’ve all loved since Slip all the while, a bit of a modern flair.
The mighty Wolves In The Throne Room are back with a new album, Primordial Arcana (out August 20 via Relapse Records). These black metal titans have conjured up one hell of a new album. Taking the reigns for the direction and production, it’s the bands first self produced offering. The first single “Mountain Magick” is a banger for sure. There’s a majestic element to the song that feels eerie and sets the tone for the whole album. This new album is one that will be on many top end of the year lists. It’s uncompromising in its delivery and finds the band even more focused than ever before. Wolves In The Throne Room have a real winner on their hands with Primordial Arcana.
Daughters frontman/vocalist Alexis Marshall has released “Hound In The Abyss,” the first single from his upcoming solo album, House of Lull . House of When out July 23 via Sargent House. This is one of those songs that the tension keeps building and building. The unease of the video also helps guide the listener a bit. The album was recorded in Providence with producer Seth Manchester (Daughters, Battles and the Body) and features Marshall’s Daughters bandmate Jon Syverson who made contributions, as did Young Widows’ Evan Patterson and Kristin Hayter, better known as Lingua Ignota. I loved the last Daughters album a ton. It didn’t leave my rotation for quite some time. I’ve been looking forward to this solo album since it was announced. Pre-orders are available HERE!
On July 2, 2021, The legendary At The Gates will be releasing their new (and 7th) album, The Nightmare Of Being. Since the band’s reunion a few years back, At The Gates have been on one hell of a roll with new music. The Nightmare Of Being is their third album since getting back together and it’s shaping up to be one hell of an album. As one of the pioneers of the Swedish Death Metal sound, this is the 30th anniversary of the bands formation so, it’s only fitting that this new album has tinges of their classic albums. The album is about the realization of your own mortality and focuses on nihilism and pessimistic philosophies and comes almost 3 years to the date after the release of To Drink from the Night Itself. At The Gates are back with a vengeance and it shows!
