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Category: EPKs

0 EPK – Heterochrome – From The Ashes (2022)

  • March 15, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Heterochrome

EPK – Heterochrome – From The Ashes (2022)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

For fans of Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Gojira, Draconian, Lacuna Coil

“This album has been an opportunity for us to form our unique sound and experiment with new aspects of songwriting. This is the first time we are trying to introduce Farsi lyrics in a couple of our songs, opening up more space for us to connect with our audience. Trying to add layers of atmospheric and electronic sound design, in addition to the utilization of more acoustic instruments, enabled us to execute a more dramatic performance and listening experience.” – Heterochrome

Album Title: From The Ashes
Release Date: May 13, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Heterochrome.com – Heterochrome.bandcamp.com – Instagram.com/heterochromeband Facebook.com/heterochromeband – YouTube

Spotify – Apple Music – Soundcloud.com/heterochrome-band

“A diamond in the rough? A buried treasure in the deserts? Call it what you want, but overall, this album (Melancholia) is a statement which puts Heterochrome on the musical map.”- Trebuchet Magazine

“I don’t know for sure how dangerous it is for a band like Heterochrome to craft their music in Iran, but it seems that they’re more than ready to take all possible risks in the name of Heavy Metal.” – The Headbanging Moose

“It’s (Melancholia) a Fantastic Album. The songs with Angelic voices and simple Progressive composition.” – Metal4092

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. The writing and production of this album took 4 years to complete, and it was recorded in multiple countries: Iran, Finland, Canada, Spain, and South Korea, while the Mastering took place in Russia. Unlike the first album, this album features a lot of recorded acoustic instruments including live acoustic Drums and Cello.

2. After Arash and Mida left Iran in 2018 there was a period of uncertainty about the future of the band and the songs they have made. But after taking a break and doing their own work they eventually figured out a remote setup to write their songs and eventually started writing and recording again.

3. In 2020, Mida wrote, directed, produced, and performed an independent short movie called “Of Doubt and Hope” which featured the song “Through Evil Within”, enacting the experience of a panic attack on camera, which was showcased at the Cultch Theatre’s “Ignite Youth Festival”.

Album Title: From The Ashes
Release Date: May 13, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Track Listing:
1. برای فردا (Baraye Farda, For Tomorrow) – 3:39
2. بادبادک (Badbadak, The Flight) – 3:28
3. Rage Against The People – 4:34
4. WOTB – 4:10
5. The Bearing – 4:29
6. Transition – 2:22
7. Time’s Up – 3:06
8. Through Evil Within – 5:03
9. سرگردان (Sargardan, Wanderer) – 3:20
10. The Outlaw – 7:20
Album length: 41:21

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Heterochrome
• All songs written by: Heterochrome
• Recorded by: Arash Rezaei, Amir Taghavi, Reza Sadeghi
• Produced by: Arash Rezaei
• Mixed by: Arash Rezaei
• Mastered by: Danny Klaven
• Album Artwork by: Banafshe Najafi
• Graphic Design by: Ghazal Jenab

Album Band Line Up:
– Mohammadreza (Arash) Rezaei – Guitars, Vocals, Synthesizer
– Mida Malek – Vocals
– Mohammad Mirboland – Drums
– Ville Veihola – Electric Bass
– Lisa Yihwan Lim (BigViolinPlayer) – Cello

=======================================

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

This album has been an opportunity for us to form our unique sound and experiment with new aspects of songwriting. This is the first time we are trying to introduce Farsi lyrics in a couple of our songs, opening up more space for us to connect with our audience. Trying to add layers of atmospheric and electronic sound design, in addition to the utilization of more acoustic instruments, enabled us to execute a more dramatic performance and listening experience.
 
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

– Baraye Farda, For Tomorrow
One of the last songs we put on the album, this track started as Arash was pondering on Climate Change, Global Warming, and the general state of danger our world and home planet is in. After writing the first verse and chorus he sent it to Mida, who instantly fell in love with it even before hearing what it meant to Arash. Mida immediately got to writing the second verse, drawing from the sociopolitical environment of Iran and letting Arash know they need the song in their album. This is one of all their favorite tracks, coming from different backgrounds, it can be interpreted differently for any individual listener.

– Badbadak, The Flight
 January of 2020 marked the tragedy of the Iranian Government shutting down the Ukrainian Passenger Airplane killing many of our loved ones including one of Mida’s old schoolmates. In the grief following that loss, Mida drew from an old school song called Badbadak (The Kite) and wrote this song. The music video represents the same suffering.

– Rage Against The People
One of the more aggressive songs on the album, dealing with heartbreak and trust issues and the inner struggle caused by these feelings.

– WOTB
The only instrumental track in the album which Arash started writing a short while after he left Iran and was faced with a plethora of new challenges coming his way.

– The Bearing
One of the few tracks remaining from the original line up of this album, The bearing was written by Mida in trying to process all that is growing up in Iran as a queer non-binary lesbian. Bearing the weight of oppression and ignorance for years, fighting for their right to love and live as who they are, all that pent up anger came out in the lyrics. Years later, as it’s released, this song still rings true for them.

– Transition
As the title suggests, this is an intro for the B-side of the album. Trying to set the mood for the next track Time’s up.

– Time’s Up
This song consists of two stories about the difficulties of love and the emotional devastation that comes from it. The first part deals with a deep sorrow from the mentioned devastation in Arash’s life, and the second part recalls a memory from Mida. Arash wrote this song shortly after a life-changing period of time and brought it forward, even though it sounded different than their previous work, sounding a lot more simple and raw.

Mida’s life story sounds like something out of a telenovela! A very progressive one, but a telenovela all the same. Over the years that this album was made, Mida had to say goodbye to their fiancé many times, sending them off to the US alone, because of the travel ban. The second verse of this song was written on one of these “goodbye nights”. And the pain of saying goodbye, feeling your soul catching fire, and burning with love is reflected in the lyrics. The inevitability of heartbreak in love is a universal language that almost everyone can speak.

– Through Evil Within
This is probably the most revised track on the album! What a wild journey it’s been! Almost everyone has those “talks” with themselves. Sitting down with your inner demons, your darker side, name it what you want. That battle of trying to gain back control over your brain and dealing with your mental health. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, PTSD, almost everyone has to deal with at least one of these, and yet, they rarely get talked about. This is our way of trying to make sense of our version of mental health.

– Sargardan, Wanderer
 One of the first and most fun songs Mida and Arash wrote for this album! They both wanted to play with more classical Persian themes and you can hear those elements in both the lyrics and the tunes. This song tries to capture the essence of Alternative metal in the band’s sound.

– Outlaw
The year is 2017. Mida has been planning on joining their fiancé in the US but the Travel Ban is ordered by Donald Trump and once again, Mida finds their life up in the air because of ignorant decisions by ignorant politicians who never have to pay the price for their choices. What is that old song? “The gods will roll the dice, their hearts as cold as ice, and someone way down here loses someone dear!”

The news hit them hard and the lyrics basically wrote themselves! Possibly one of the band’s longest songs, you can hear the anger and frustration in every line.

Heterochrome started when Arash Rezaei, and Mida Malek met and collaborated as the lead guitarist and vocalist in 2014. The band started recording their first album (Melancholia) at Chaotic Waves studio in Tehran, Iran when Mohammad Mirboland joined as drummer in 2016 followed by Armin Afzali on bass and Amir Taghavi on rhythm guitar who joined later on during the band rehearsals. Melancholia, which was a concept album based on Dante`s Divine Comedy turned dark, was officially released and distributed in 2017, followed by a one-night exclusive live performance of the album in Tehran in January of 2018. The band now consisting of guitarist Arash, vocalist Mida, and drummer Mohammad has developed a different sound for their second album “From The Ashes”, with lyrics and music pointing out social and political issues of both their home country Iran, such as incarceration and criminalization of the metal genre, sexual identity and female singing, and on a larger scale, the world, such as the climate change dilemma.

Album Band Line Up:
– Mohammadreza (Arash) Rezaei – Guitars, Vocals, Synthesizer
– Mida Malek – Vocals
– Mohammad Mirboland – Drums
– Ville Veihola – Electric Bass
– Lisa Yihwan Lim (BigViolinPlayer) – Cello

Live Band Line Up:
– Arash Rezaei – Guitars, Vocals
– Mida Malek – Vocals
– Mohammad Mirboland – Drums
– Ville Veihola – Electric Bass

Discography:
2022 – From The Ashes (Album)
2017 – Melancholia (Album)

Tours and Festivals:
2017 – Shab Shanbeha (Music festival in Tehran)

0 EPK – Kapitur

  • March 11, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Kapitur

EPK – Kapitur

For fans of Opeth, modern Swans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Saltland, Tina Guo

“It’s uncommon to hear a classical instrument like the cello in heavy music that isn’t Melodic or Symphonic Metal. My intent is to explore creative ways of using my instrument in heavier contexts. Twenty-six years ago, Roots Bloody Roots pleaded for the preservation of Brazilian cultural diversity. Today, Kapitur’s distinctive revisit of the song revolves around the historical alienation of common people regarded as different, the Bloody Roots of us outsiders. It grips on the struggle of finding oneself estranged from one’s original and adoptive cultures, to the ongoing murder and colonization suffered by many people in a land that was theirs for centuries; from immigrant, racial, religious intolerance to the global, modern alien anxiety suffered by African descendants and their relationship to an inaccessible homeland. Bloody Roots is about you, or someone you know and care for.” – Bruna Wanderley

Single Title: Bloody Roots (Sepultura Cover)
Release Date: March 11, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid

Facebook.com/kapiturband – Instagram.com/kapiturband – Kapitur.bandcamp.com

Spotify pre-save: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kapitur/bloody-roots 

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Someone I know sent a private unpublished link of the music video to Sepultura and they really loved the work! Derrick Green himself contacted me to say it’s very creative, that it sounds incredible and that he looks forward to meeting me in person! So Kapitur is personally invited to meet them at their Montreal show on March 17th. One can only guess how stoked we are.

2. Shooting the music video for Bloody Roots was one of the most demanding and fun experiences we had so far. It was a very cold Fall day, we set up a tent on the sandpits and unexpectedly spent 13 hours outdoors on the first day. As soon as we got there, one of the cars got stuck in the mud, and only after greatly shoving, did a guy on a tractor appear to tow the car in a few seconds. The photographer was buried naked in the sand at 5°C – he did say he liked it. For the entire time, I was cold from shooting in a thin dress and being barefoot on the sand. At night, we had to beware of the coyote sounds coming our way – it was so reassuring to have combustible material available, just in case. Finally, all the team left the site at 3 a.m., with our gear frosted by the dew and fake blood stains on our clothes and shoes. That whole night felt really special though. Will do it again next year, once we get rid of all the sand stuck in our stuff.

3. There’s a faint possibility of having one of the upcoming songs performed by a classical choir in a few months. Fingers crossed!

Artist and multi-instrumentalist Bruna Wanderley Gonçalves draws from a young life in Brazil, living in an environment of violence, fear, and contrasting beauty. Growing up in a conservative Evangelical milieu has led her to tease her family’s most beloved boundaries and, since her solo arrival to infamously libertine Montreal in 2015, she has actively performed and recorded as a cellist in a wide array of contexts. Under her most recent metal-influenced group Kapitur – the name derived from the intriguing female character Capitu in a realist novel by Machado de Assis – she composes, sings, performs guttural vocals while also playing the cello. Making music and collaborating with artists within the local scene has consequently sparked her curiosity to explore new combinations of musical influences and sounds. Her music can be heavy, ethereal, warm, sorrowful, and atmospheric like a slow apocalypse. It’s filled with soundscapes, hammering repetitions, layering, and she creates contrasting moods with bleak cacophony followed by heavenly melodies. For her, music is a way to explore the underlying chaotic state of our past experiences as well as a fight against norms and finitude, in the search for what is eternal.

Single Band Line Up:
Bruna Wanderley – Vocals, cello, additional textures
Sam Neuman – Drums
Bruno Coe – Bass
Zach Dean – Guitars

Live Band Line Up:
Bruna Wanderley – Vocals, cello
Sam Neumann – Drums
Andres Arango – Guitars
Bass TBA
Extras TBA

Discography:
2022 – Bloody Roots (single cover Sepultura)
2020 – Decay (demo)

Single Title: Bloody Roots (Sepultura Cover)
Release Date: March 11, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid

Single:
Bloody Roots (3:17)

Single Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Bruna Wanderley, Samn Neuman, Zach Dean, Bruno Coe
• All songs written by: Sepultura
• Produced by: Bruna Wanderley
• Mixed by: Jonathan Leduc
• Mastered by: Jonathan Leduc
• Album Artwork by: Ivan Arturo Photography / Bruna Wanderley
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Single Band Line Up:
Bruna Wanderley – Vocals, cello, additional textures
Sam Neuman – Drums
Bruno Coe – Bass
Zach Dean – Guitars

0 EPK – Thirteen Goats – Servants of the Outer Dark (2022)

  • March 10, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Thirteen Goats

EPK – Thirteen Goats – Servants of the Outer Dark (2022)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

For fans of Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Death, Megadeth

“‘Servants of the Outer Dark’ is the debut record by Vancouver death metal monsters THIRTEEN GOATS—a sonic trip that winds down the most twisted sections of extreme metal’s memory lane on a journey to wicked new horizons. The band weaves together conventions from numerous extreme metal subgenres on songs that range from topical to tongue-in-cheek—some songs have a serious social message, and others are about cooking and eating your enemies. The album title is also a reference to the band’s name—the band’s mascot, Shepherd, is an antichrist figure who wears a goat skull mask, appearing throughout time and space to commit various evil acts with the help of twelve demon goats who function as his disciples. Together, they are THIRTEEN GOATS—and Servants of the Outer Dark.” – Thirteen Goats

Album Title: Servants of the Outer Dark
Release Date:  July 1, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Thirteengoats.com (under construction) – Facebook.com/THIRTEEN.GOATS –  Twitter.com/THIRTEENGOATS

YouTube – Instagram.com/thirteen.goats – Thirteengoats.bandcamp.com

“With “Return to Ruin”, an unrelenting Thirteen Goats suggests it’s time to blow up everything” – Georgia Straight

“Get Weird, Wild and Wacky with Thirteen Goats’ Servants of the Outer Dark” – Decibel Magazine

“Metal Sucks – Beer Metal: More of Your Drunkest Song Suggestions – July 9, 2022 – Thirteen Goats, “Return to Ruin” – Rips, we’re here for it. Suggested by Dave M. Dave, worship the porcelain god.”

“Vancouver’s Thirteen Goats is now streaming their new single “Servant Of The Outer Dark.” The single perfectly marries old school death metal, blackened tendencies, and heavy metal choruses all into one killer song. Plus the video directed by Nessa Aref and Alysson Hall is pretty damn cool.” – Metal Injection

“Vancouver’s Thirteen Goats Don’t Care What You Think on ‘Servants of the Outer Dark'” – Exclaim!

“This new song, “Return To Ruin“, is the first single from Thirteen Goats‘ forthcoming debut album Servants of the Outer Dark, a gut-punching and head-hooking offering of death metal that borrows liberally from many of the genre’s subsets, as well as bringing in elements of thrash, black metal, and grindcore… it blazes like a wildfire running ferociously out of control, powered by a panoply of turbocharged riffing, riotous drumwork, and vitriolic vocals that span a range from guttural bellows to screeching shrieks, wild howls, and savage near-sung yells. The guitars twitch in demented thrashing fevers, jolt like jackhammers, swarm in feeding frenzies, and eject brazen fanfares, augmented by solos that spit fire and beautifully swirl. The rhythm section will also beat you senseless, but engage in some interesting off-kilter interplays as well.” – No Clean Singing

CBC Radio Interview – https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-91-the-early-edition/clip/15922884-on-july-1-vancouver-metal-band-thirteen-goats

“With a name like 13 Goats, it’s gonna be evil. It’s a cool thrashy, blackended groove metal, a little Lamb of God sound with a bit more heavy/brutality going on with a dash of black metal evilness. Great stuff!!”- Moshpit Radio – 89.9 FM (Madison, WI)

“Thirteen Goats make seriously good music and sound like they have a lot of fun doing it. They write great upbeat thrash songs with strong melodies that appropriately sway from sinister to camp and pull it off temendously. For some classic charcuterie of extreme metal mixed with a bit of tongue in cheek, you’re well looked after here.” – Heavy Mag

“It’s a blast of slightly technical death metal that slaps the listener in the face after the opening acoustic guitar intro on Thirteen Goats’ debut album. This Vancouver outfit set about the album with precision, aggression, controlled chaos, and menace. The menace is provided by Graham K. Miles’s death metal growl; the aggression comes from the bass and guitar; the controlled chaos can be attributed to the razor sharp drums. The menacing vocals then become clean and surprisingly rather commercial, adding another dimension to this band. The clean vocal style is still metal, its just unexpected, which is always a good thing on a debut album. This particular track ‘Servant Of The Outer Dark’ is an homage to the horror author Steven King and contains spoken word and breakdown sections that keep the listener interested and keen.” – The Razor’s Edge

“In the end of all, one can say that “Servants of the Outer Dark” is really a surprising release, and as an eclectic Death/Black/Thrash Metal release, it will show that THIRTEEN GOATS is a new strength into the extreme scene.” – Metal Temple

“The starting point of Thirteen Goats and their debut album Servants Of The Outer Dark is death metal, but it doesn’t remain tied to it. They explore all types, including tech death and melodic death metal, and even genres outside of that like thrash, groove, and doom metal. Each song brings out a unique side to the band, whether it’s the politically charged “Prisoner’s Anthem” or the body horror of “Sub-Being.”” Heavy Music Headquarters

“Canada’s Thirteen Goats are incredibly fun to listen to and at multiple points subtly humorous and as such make themselves easily a breath of fresh air within the technical scene. That sense of fun is backed up with very proficient playing and dizzying creativity, far beyond what you would expect from a debuting act’s first full length… Servants of the Outer Dark is an excellent debut full length from these guys and I can’t wait to hear more!”9/10 – Metal Observer

“All you need is love? No. All you need is Thirteen Goats. Their debut album has everything your heart could desire in a Metal record, it’s a metaphorical pizza with all the toppings and better thrill ride of a first crack we defy you to find! [8.5/10]” – Metal Noise

“‘Challenge The Executioner’ is a thunderous and aggressive beast of a death metal track, with an impressive array of technical-sounding riffs, vibrant bass work, and some truly bruising drumming. It’s a song that proves that these guys have the ability and the chops to succeed, whilst channelling bands like Lamb Of God into their output.” – Man of Much Metal

L-R – Rob Fitzgerald (Guitars, Vocals), Graham K. Miles (Vocals, Guitars), Mike Redston (Bass, Vocals)

Photo Credit – Caitlin Delaplace

Eclectic, over-the-top, and just a little weird, THIRTEEN GOATS takes cues from some of extreme metal’s most infamous acts (Death, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse) to create a tongue-in-cheek blend of different genre hallmarks that’s as hooky as it is heavy. This ain’t your dad’s death metal, but we kept the best parts. Horns up.

Album Band Line Up:
Graham K. Miles – Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rob Fitzgerald – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Vocals
Mike Redston – Bass, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Live Lineup:
Graham K. Miles – Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rob Fitzgerald – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Vocals
Cody Lewichew – Bass
Leonid Verman – Drums

================================================

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Frontman Graham K. Miles got into a motorcycle accident midway through the recording process. He performed all his guitar solos on the record with a broken finger and both wrists sprained.

2. Bass player Mike Redston is also the sole member and songwriter of one-man black metal project Snakeblade.

3. Rob Fitzgerald’s first jam partner was his dad, who was the drummer in a 70s-style rock band called The Wee Band. To this day, Rob thinks his Dad might have had something to do with his love for death metal—which he describes as music where “you’re basically playing drums on all the instruments—even the guitars”.

4. The name “THIRTEEN GOATS” refers to the band’s loose concept and mascot: a demonic entity and antichrist figure named Shepherd who wears a goat skull mask. He travels through space and time, appearing in our world and others whenever evil deeds are afoot—which gives us license to write about pretty much anything. The other 12 goats represent his infernal disciples—as well as symbolizing the “baa-nality” of evil. (Sidebar: the band used to be named “COMMANDRA”, which is a type of flower growing in British Columbia that causes tree fungus. We liked the irony of being a death metal band named after a delicate flower—but nobody knew that, and we got sick of people asking us what the fuck a “COMMANDRA” was. We think “THIRTEEN GOATS” paints a much clearer picture.)

5. Graham K. Miles is a classically-trained Shakespearean actor with a master’s degree in theatre from the New School for Drama (formerly the Actor’s Studio Drama School) in New York City.

================================================

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

‘Servants of the Outer Dark’ is the debut record by Vancouver death metal monsters THIRTEEN GOATS—a sonic trip that winds down the most twisted sections of extreme metal’s memory lane on a journey to wicked new horizons. The band weaves together conventions from numerous extreme metal subgenres on songs that range from topical to tongue-in-cheek—some songs have a serious social message, and others are about cooking and eating your enemies. The album title is also a reference to the band’s name—the band’s mascot, Shepherd, is an antichrist figure who wears a goat skull mask, appearing throughout time and space to commit various evil acts with the help of twelve demon goats who function as his disciples. Together, they are THIRTEEN GOATS—and Servants of the Outer Dark.

Track by Track explained (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

– Servant of the Outer Dark
This song is an homage to my favourite Stephen King villain. I hope Stephen King doesn’t sue us, but if he does, I plan to take that as a sign that we made it. He didn’t sue Anthrax, so I’m hoping that means we’ll be all right.

The song opens with a thunderclap and a bell ringing while an acoustic guitar plays softly. Then, out of nowhere, the main riff kicks in and the toms start pounding—and the band goes full-tilt from that point forward. Harsh guttural vocals rip through the verses, while a big clean sing-along hook dominates the chorus. There’s even a spoken-word bit in the middle where Rob and I have a bit of dialogue as different characters from the story the song is based on.

This is easily the most melodic song on the record, but it’s also got some truly heavy parts. Mike (who wrote most of the music for this one) has a breakdown in the middle that crushes, Rob added a truly nasty riff that kicks in at a few key points, and I think this is probably my most dynamic and versatile vocal work on the whole album. Everyone’s unique talents really shine on this one, and I hope it finds an audience who appreciates it the way we do.

– Challenge the Executioner
Rob wrote this song about overthrowing a tyrant. I think it’s supposed to be more in the realm of fantasy than social commentary—but looking around at our world for the last few years, maybe it kind of works both ways. I think there are certainly a lot of people out there these days who would like to topple a social order or two—and honestly, I can’t say I blame some of them.

Musically, this song is built around one of our most technical riffs—something Rob wrote years ago that I still have to practice regularly to keep it nice and tight. It also features some really kinetic interplay between the drums and the stringed instruments about halfway through, followed by a big section where both guitars and the bass go into a big tapping frenzy.

When we finished this one, I think we all kind of looked at ourselves and asked if it was too much. But looking back, I think this was one of the moments where we really realized that metal lets you be as crazy as you want, as long as you commit to it.

– Sub-Being
Musically, this is one of our most straightforward songs—it’s very much in the vein of classic death metal, with a few flourishes from 80s thrash thrown in. Rob wrote the music and lyrics, which tell the story of a monster created from different human body parts who craves death but is being kept alive against its will. It’s fun!

– Prisoner’s Anthem
This is our most political song on the record, but it’s also a bit personal for me. It’s about different prison-industrial complexes throughout human history—the first verse is about the Soviet gulags, the second verse is about the Nazi death camps, and the third verse is about the detention centers at the Southern U.S. border. It’s a song about how the flawed justice systems in all of those nations failed their people, and how ultimately, political ideology means nothing if you support a state that treats human lives as disposable.

My whole family is Ukrainian, and Rob has Armenian heritage, so we have older relatives who remember what it was like when the Soviets and the Nazis were disappearing people. And a lot of that stuff is coming up for us right now, with what’s been happening between Russia and Ukraine, but also with atrocities being committed by our own empire. I had a distant relative who was sent to a labour camp in Siberia. So when I hear about kids being separated from their families in this day and age, it makes me really angry. It makes me feel like we haven’t learned anything from the horrors of our past, and that’s what this song is trying to articulate.

– Unholy Mass
This was the first song that Rob and I wrote together. He came up with all the riffs—except the one that plays right at the end, which is mine—and I did the lyrics, which are about a priest who decides to cleanse the world of sinners by gruesomely murdering them. I guess you could read into that and say we’re making a comment about the hypocrisy inherent in organized religions that preach peace and love but enforce their values with violence and oppression. But honestly, we just thought it made for some cool images. I also managed to get a Cryptopsy reference into the chorus—see if you can pick it out!

– Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion
The title really says it all. This is a song about putting your enemies in vacuum-sealed chambers and making their heads explode. I think I got the idea from an old James Bond movie or something.

This might be the most technically challenging song we have on the record. The riffs make you go all over the fretboard, the pace never lets up, and there’s a bridge about two-thirds of the way through where both guitars and the bass are playing some really weird and techy stuff, all while the lead vocals are going. But it has one of my favourite choruses in the entire set—we actually all loved it so much that we couldn’t agree on who should sing it, so we each took a line or two!

– Return to Ruin
I was really inspired by late ‘90s Deicide—specifically, the stuff off ‘Serpents of the Light’ when I wrote this song. It’s a real right-hand workout, with tons of trem-picking in the verses and a chorus that kind of bounces up and down the necks of the guitars in a weird rhythm that feels like it’s almost too early for the beat (but actually isn’t).

The lyrics for this one are kind of on the serious side. They came out of my frustrations with a lot of different institutions that I feel have really failed the current generation—political, financial, educational, judicial, and so on. When I think about how poorly we’re dealing with issues like the climate crisis, or the lasting impact of colonialism, patriarchy, and white supremacy in western nations, or how global capitalism is taking us back to the days of feudalism by facilitating the largest wealth transfer in history so that billionaires can race their private rocket ships to space while the rest of us are getting squeezed tighter every year, it just makes this part of me wish we could burn everything down and start over. I know that’s not realistic, and I don’t really believe that’s the way—but in my darkest moments, it’s kind of a comforting fantasy. So if anyone out there who also feels that way hears this song, at least maybe it will help them to know we’re as angry about all those things as they are. And sometimes, that kind of solidarity inspires people to act.

– Constant Torment
This is another one that I wrote on my own. Musically, it’s inspired largely by melodic death metal like late-career Death and Children of Bodom, with a dash or two of Justice-era Metallica thrown in for good measure. There’s a lot of melody, but it’s kind of frantic and juxtaposed with the main riff, which just sort of bludgeons the listener with these big heavy power chords. I think it’s also the only song on this record with any sweep-picking going on (although that’s really just used as an accent during the chorus and a small part of the first solo).

The lyrics are about living with mental illness and what it’s like when that makes you want to kill yourself.

– Through the Meat Grinder… The Recipe
This song’s just fun. It’s a classic tale of the macabre about a man who murders his rival and cooks him—then, when the rest of the village shows up on his doorstep with torches and pitchforks, demanding to know what happened to the missing person, our “hero” invites them all in for dinner, gets them drunk, serves them the severed head of his victim, and murders the lot of them so he can keep making meat pies. Kind of an Edgar-Allen-Poe-meets-Sweeney-Todd kind of thing—except I don’t think this one will ever become a Broadway musical. But you never know!

Musically, I’m really proud of how this one came together. It’s got this kind of atmospheric, almost doomy intro, followed by a real old school death metal riff, and then it kicks into groove metal for a bit before the chorus rolls around. There’s a trem-picked lead section that feels very black-metal-inspired, and then the song transforms into this whole other beast where the guitars start doing a Gojira type of thing and Mike starts reciting the steps for preparing to cook and eat human flesh. That’s the ‘Recipe’ part. And then it all comes full circle for the grim (or should I say, ‘Grimm’?) conclusion of the story. Gotta give ‘em a satisfying ending, right?

There’s also a tiny little nod to one of our biggest musical influences—someone who unfortunately isn’t around anymore—right at the very end of the track. I think some people will hear it right away, and some people won’t. That’s just our way of saying “thank you for inspiring us”.

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: Servants of the Outer Dark
Release Date: July 1, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Track Listing:
1. Servant of the Outer Dark (5:48)
2. Challenge the Executioner (3:18)
3. Return to Ruin (4:11)
4. Prisoner’s Anthem (3:26)
5. Sub-Being (4:16)
6. Unholy Mass (4:41)
7. Constant Torment (3:30)
8. Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion (4:33)
9. Through the Meat Grinder… The Recipe (4:47)
Album Length: 38:34

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Graham K. Miles, Rob Fitzgerald, & Mike Redston
• All songs written by:
– Servant of the Outer Dark
Music by Mike Redston & Rob Fitzgerald & Graham K. Miles
Lyrics by Graham K. Miles
– Challenge the Executioner
Music & Lyrics by Rob Fitzgerald
– Return to Ruin
Music & Lyrics by Graham K. Miles
– Prisoner’s Anthem
Music & Lyrics by Graham K. Miles
– Sub-Being
Music by Rob Fitzgerald & Mike Redston
Lyrics by Rob Fitzgerald
– Unholy Mass
Music by Rob Fitzgerald
Lyrics by Graham K. Miles
– Constant Torment
Music & Lyrics by Graham K. Miles
– Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion
Music by Rob Fitzgerald
Lyrics by Graham K. Miles
– Through the Meat Grinder… The Recipe
Music by Graham K. Miles & Mike Redston
Lyrics by Graham K. Miles & Mike Redston
• Produced by: Graham K. Miles, Rob Fitzgerald, & Mike Redston
• Mixed by: Diego Fernandez-Trujillo
• Mastered by: Diego Fernandez-Trujillo
• Album Artwork by: Jeremy Famir
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album Band Line Up:
Graham K. Miles – Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rob Fitzgerald – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Vocals
Mike Redston – Bass, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Live Lineup:
Graham K. Miles – Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rob Fitzgerald – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Vocals
Cody Lewichew – Bass
Leonid Verman – Drums

0 EPK – Dirty Shirt – Get Your Dose Now! (2022)

  • March 6, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · Dirty Shirt · EPKs

EPK – Dirty Shirt – Get Your Dose Now! (2022)

For fans of Diablo Swing Orchestra, Skindred, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dubioza Kolektiv, Eluveitie, Gogol Bordello

Album Title: Get Your Dose Now!
Release Date: April 1, 2022
Label:  Self Release
Distribution: Self Release

Dirty-Shirt.com –  Facebook.com/DirtyShirtRomania – Twitter.com/dirtyshirtband –  Youtube.com/dirtyshirtoriginal

Instagram.com/dirtyshirtband – Tiktok.com/@dirtyshirtband 

Dirtyshirt.bandcamp.com – Apple Music – Spotify – Dirty-merch.com – Deezer

 

“Long time readers will know by now that I am partial to the weirder side of heavy music. Dirty Shirt certainly has my attention this week. They’re like a mix of 6:33, Russkaja, and Turisas. This is bombastic, fun metal with Romanian folk mixed in. ” – Metal Injection

“This album is buoyant, blistering and bolshy; you certainly want to get your dose now!” 8/10 – Powerplay Magazine

“”Whoa! ‘Get Your Dose Now!’ is definitely not your average metal album. It’s simply something that you won’t hear anywhere else. Dirty Shirt is the real deal with extraordinarily talented musicians and a uniqueness that sets them apart from the crowd. If you’re in the market for some new music, this band offers something for everyone, from hardcore metal and thrash to tribal and traditional. It’s like your grandmother’s goulash recipe, a little of this and a little of that, with the end result being magical and inimitable.” – Uber Rock

“Are you bored with your current playlist? Perhaps you are looking for something a bit different than the bands you typically listen to? Then look no further my music-loving friends. Let me introduce you to the Transylvanian folkcore of Dirty Shirt. What started out as a wedding band has morphed into a magical, musical amalgam that blends modern hardcore and nu-metal with traditional acoustic instruments and Eastern European musical influences giving us an entirely new breed of metal with known as Romanian crossover folkcore metal. ” – Uber Rock

“Dirty Shirt did a good job again and ‘Get Your Dose Now!’ is a very nice album to listen to and it deserves a listen.” – Folk-Metal.nl

“uniquely hypercharged” – Into The Void

“with DIRTY SHIRT you have joy in life and fun in music. They ignite a light in the currently dark world. A good mood is guaranteed. So get your dose today, now, get vaccinated against sadness and depression. before it’s too late. – Saitenkult

“This album can be discovered as you listen. It is rich, destabilizing at times, but always fair and imbued with sensitivity. With Get Your Dose , the DIRTY SHIRT surely give us their best album, and it was not easy given the quality of the previous one. No need to write sandwiches about it, you just have to let yourself be seduced. Cheer.” – Among The Living

“Dirty Shirt, Your New Favorite Transylvanian Folk-Core Band ” – Metal Sucks

“DIRTY SHIRT only sound like DIRTY SHIRT.” – Metal Temple

“Is it catchy? Yes. Is it fun? Yes. Is it utterly mental? Yes. Highly recommended” – Metal Observer

“Dirty Shirt are probably one fantastic live band with an immense energy” – Rock Freaks

” “…you’ve never heard anything quite like this before”” – Sonic Abuse

“It’s one of those rare albums where it keeps you glued to your seat just waiting to see what pops up next.” – Heavy Metal Time Machine

“As Monty Python would say, ‘And now for something completely different.’ ” – Music Underground

“this is a band like no other in the music scene now in days in the underground, indie or mainstream scene.” – Vents Magazine

==========================================

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. The band started as a wedding band
2. 5 members are the same for more than 20 years
3. After a break of 4 years (caused by Mihai Tivadar (Keyboards, Guitars) left Romania for France) when the band reunited and they changed completely the musical direction and took the decision to keep the band’s name (as the members were the same at that time)
4. As Mihai Tivadar (Keyboards, Guitars lived in France, the band worked a lot online, including rehearsals & recordings supervising
5. There is a lot of DIY in their band. Practically they make most of audio & video production. sound engineering, general management & strategy, projects, van repairing, merch, etc…

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

Album Title: Get Your Dose Now!
Release Date: April 1, 2022
Label: Self Release
Distribution: Self Release

Track Listing:
1. New Boy in Town (2:46)
2. Pretty Faces (4:06)
3. Dope-A-Min (3:05)
4. What’s Going On (2:35)
5. Hot for Summer (3:04)
6. New Conspiracy (2:41)
7. Cand s-o-mpartit norocu’ (Part 1) (4:07)
8. Cand s-o-mpartit norocu’ (Part 2) (3:39)
9. Geamparalele (4:31)
Total Length: 30:34

Bonus Tracks – Pandemic Special – EP:
1. Resonate (Metal Version) (3:37)
2. Away (Orchestral Version) (3:46)
3. Don’t Care (25 Years Later) (9:06)
4. Latcho Drom (Live Studio Session feat. Caliu) (1:47)

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: DIRTY SHIRT & Guests
• All songs written by: Mihai Tivadar (main composer) & Mathieu di Pilla (main lyrics writer)
• Produced by: Mihai Tivadar
• Mixed by: Adrian Bila Uritescu
• Mastered by: Adrian Bila Uritescu
• Album Artwork by: Lia Cucuianu
• Member of Romanian Music Association (UCMR)

Album Band Line Up:
DIRTY SHIRT
Dan Rini Crăciun – Vocals
Robert Rusz – Vocals
Mihai Tivadar – Keyboards, Guitars
Dan Petean – Guitars
Cristian Bălănean – Guitars
Pal Novelli – Bass
Vlad Țoca – Drums
Cosmin Nechita – Violin

GUESTS MUSICIANS FROM TRANSYLVANIAN FOLKLORE ORCHESTRA
Alexandra Joicaliuc – Backing Vocals
Miruna Puiu – Backing Vocals
Tea Vişan – Backing Vocals
Andrei Oltean – Whistles, Woodwinds, Accordion
Darius Boşca – Clarinet
Mihai Muntean – Cimbalom

OTHER GUEST MUSICIANS
Benji Webbe (Skindred) – Vocals on Pretty Faces
Paul Ilea – Synths on Pretty Faces
Caliu – Violins on Pretty Faces
Gabriel Radu Arnautu – Guitars & Synths on What’s Going On
Adrian “Bila” Uritescu – Bass & Guitar on Geamparalele
Boots (Mathieu di Pilla) – Vocals on What’s Going On & some gangs vocals on other tracks
Cosmo – Percussion on What’s Going On, New Conspiracy, Cand s-o-mpartit norocu’ (Part 2), Geamparalele
Sandor Medve – Trombone & Trumpet on New Conspiracy
Eduard Albina – Accordion on Hot for Summer
Ionut Vartolas – Trombone on Hot for Summer
Leonard Negrea – Cimabolm (Hot for Summer)

GUESTS MUSICIANS ONLY ON BONUS TRACKS:
Adela Barastean – Viola on Resonate, Away and Latcho Drom
Alexandra Enache – Cello on Resonate, Away and Don’t Care
Rebeka Dula – Cello on Resonate, Away and Don’t Care
Caliu – Violin on Latcho Drom
Andrei Oşan – Clarinet on Away
Gabriel Barastean – Violin on Away
Catalina Popa-Mörk – Flute on Away

Live Band Line Up:
DIRTY SHIRT
Dan Rini Crăciun – Vocals
Robert Rusz – Vocals
Mihai Tivadar – Keyboards, Guitars
Dan Petean – Guitars
Cristian Bălănean – Guitars
Pal Novelli – Bass
Vlad Țoca – Drums
Cosmin Nechita – Violin

GUESTS MUSICIANS FROM TRANSYLVANIAN FOLCKORE ORCHESTRA (WHEN PLAYING BIGGER EVENTS)
Alexandra Joicaliuc – Backing Vocals
Miruna Puiu – Backing Vocals
Tea Vişan – Backing Vocals
Razvan Nechita – Violin
Gabriel Barastean – Violin
Adela Barastean – Viola
Alexandra Enache – Cello
Andrei Oltean – Whistles, Woodwinds, Accordion
Darius Boşca – Clarinet
Catalina Popa – Mörk – Flute
Mihai Muntean – Cimbalom

===================================

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY) explained by Mihai Tivadar – Keyboards, Guitars

Like their previous album, GET YOUR DOSE NOW, is a very diversified album, that will surprise the listeners but also they will recognize their sound.

TRACK BY TRACK:

By Mihai Tivadar (music) & Mathieu di Pilla (lyrics)

NEW BOY IN TOWN
We got used to open our albums (and live shows) with a traditional energetic instrumental song (as the traditional Romanian weddings), but on the new album, we chose to open the album with a more dramatic/cinematic/dark instrumental song.

PRETTY FACES (feat. Benji Webbe, Caliu & Paul Ilea)
Mihai: It is one of the longest songs of the album, based on an electro track by Sensor (an electro project of Paul Ilea, music producer of The Voice Romania & Romania Got Taleng, also good friend of us). It starts with an “Indian” touch and Jamaican vocals (made by Benji from Skindred), but played on cimbalom (Romanian traditional instrument). Then it passes in kind of nu – metal /electro verses & chorus with traditional style parts on violin & whistl. It follows a “reggae” metal sound (with vocals from Benji), an instrumental groovy metal intermezzo, a gipsy violin solo by Caliu (famous Gipsy violin player, Taraf des Haïdouks) with some heavy electro-metal arrangements in background. Then the song returns to verses & chorus, and finishes with a traditional Romanian wedding style of the main theme on violin & whistle.

Mat: This song deals with the positive outcomes from the covid era. How extraordinary events push people to adapt and how life always finds its way. The title is sarcastic and it refers to how “pretty” we used to look like with these masks on.

DOPE-A-MIN
Mihai: It is probably one of the most energetic songs from the album. It starts quit “standard” with a nu-metal/hardcore intro, then the verses & choruses combines metal with traditional style melodies, giving almost a “pirate metal” ambiance. The intermezzo changes completely, with some complex rhythm break, then a melodic part, with vocals & violin theme composed in gipsy Romanian style. The song ends in symmetry, with the same hardcore/nu metal part as the intro.

Mat: Dopamine plays a role in how we feel pleasure. This song is about all the illusions created on social medias and in our relationships in general. We must be happy at all cost, and become dependent of these shots of dopamine like we’d pop vitamins tablets every morning. Also this song is dope and key is A minor.

WHAT’S GOING ON (feat. Gabriel Radu Arnautu & Boots)
Mihai: It is a short song, with a standard structure. The song idea came from the instrumental theme, made by a friend of us (Gabriel Radu Arnautu) for his personal project. We adapted this theme giving it a Balkan touch with traditional instruments and adding the modern vocal lines. The verses are combining modern melodic metal & rap nu-metal (part recorded by Mathieu).

Mat: It deals with vanity, and how superficial most of successes are presented. « The king of the village » is a French expression meaning self-importance and self-esteem are two different things. One’s related with a misplaced ego, the other with real ambition and accomplishment. Events we’re experiencing in this decade are too me the perfect illustration of this idea.

HOT FOR SUMMER
Mihai: It is probably the craziest song from the album, a very short that changes the ambiance constantly. After a very soft and cliché intro, we enter the first chorus in English, kind of Eurovision style of music with some 80s influences, than changes completely, with a Balkan style part, then it follows a very heavy part (metalcore). After, we go back on the chorus, but this time in Italian. It follows a March style part, to arrive to a Tango style melody in Italian that combines the “March” rhythm with the Balkan melodic line. The ending is in symmetry.

Mat: This song criticises the mainstream music industry or the industry. How boring these pop summer hits can sound. Yet, some of these songs are great and it’s not a matter of how simple or repetitive it can be, but whether it is tasteful or not.

NEW CONSPIRACY
Mihai: New Conspiracy is another crazy short song, probably the most aggressive track of the album that starts with a Balkan ambiance (with brass section, acoustic guitars, percussion & cimbalom), then the verses are constructed on the same rhythmic structure, but adding an “oriental” style melodic line on traditional instruments (violin, clarinet, whistles, accordion) and very aggressive vocals.  The choruses are in big contrast, being “pure” cold aggressive metal. The ending part starts with very dissonant guitar leads (kind of Meshuggah style), and then we add on top of it a traditional style melody and heavy nu-metal riffs.

Mat: It’s a pamphlet about how mass medias, including social media, control and modify the truth.

CAND S-O-MPARTIT NOROCU’ (PART 1 & 2)
Mihai: We decided to “cut” the song in two parts, as it is very long (more than 7 minutes) and it was really composed as a 2 parts song. The song is inspired from a very sad traditional Romanian song.

Part 1: it starts with a monotonous and almost funeral ambiance, with a long development in crescendo to the first chorus. Then we return back to the dark verses, but with shorter development and finish the part 1 with a double chorus, even more dramatic.

Part 2: musically is all-original, but we keep traditional lyrics on verses. The ambiance becomes more psychedelic, with Tool influence on verses. There is an instrumental bridge to the chorus, with gipsy influences, and the chorus in English, with an “elevating” ambiances and an alternative/grunge sound.

Mat: Except for the English chorus, the lyrics are from the traditional music, and it is about the fact that we are confronted with tragedies in our lives. The lyrics are constructed in metaphors, about the bad luck that strikes us sometimes. The English chorus is a satyrical resume of how important it is to focus on what’s working when everything seems to go down. Heavy rains will get the grass greener.

GEAMPARALELE
Mihai: The song is inspired by a traditional dance from Dobrogea (South East of Romania), it is a very melodic song. The verses are sung by the backing vocals (as the traditional song is singed by women). The intermezzo is more progressive metal style, containing the only guitar solo in the whole album.

BONUS TRACKS (PANDEMIC SPECIAL EP):
Mihai: the EP contains remakes & covers released during the pandemic in our webshows “#Stayathome with Dirty Shirt” (2020) and “Dirty Shirt’s Pandemic Special”):

– Resonate: a The Prodigy cover, initially released as a remix, and now as cover, with no original samples

– Don’t Care: an orchestral remake of a 9 minutes prog song, composed in 1996 and appeared in our first album

– Away: initially included in Freak Show album (2013), we made an acoustic orchestral arrangement in the webshow, and on the EP, we added drums and electric guitars to make an orchestral metal version

– Latcho Drom feat. Caliu (live studio session): an instrumental traditional song, that opened our latest album (Letchology 2019), but now with Maestro Caliu as guest, and the complete version.

==========================================

From L to R: Dan Petean (guitars), Pal Novelli (bass), Cosmin Nechita (violin), Dan Rini Craciun (vocals), Robert Rusz (vocals), Cristian Balanean (guitars), Mihai Tivadar (keyboards, guitars), Vlad Toca (drums)

Photo Credit : Vladut Ciprian

THE MUSIC

Dirty Shirt are widely regarded as one of the most original and successful rock bands in Eastern Europe, having a consistent presence at an international level (tours and media) as well. Even though their music is based on the modern hardcore-metal sound, Dirty Shirt are incredibly astute in blending various genres, being known mainly for their musical influences stemming from East European traditional music. The use of traditional acoustic instruments in the studio and on stage makes this mixture even more authentic. Their songs are catchy and dancing, thus having a broader appeal to a wider audience, not just the metal fans.

THE BAND

Dirty Shirt is a top Romanian crossover folkcore metal band, winner of second place at the international final of Wacken Metal Battle 2014 and of several awards at Metalhead Awards and Maximum Rock Awards. The band’s unique style derives from mixing the heavy sound of modern rock/metal with the festive ambiance of East-European traditional music, the eclecticism of world music (country, reggae and tribal rhythms), the electro sound of industrial music, the energy of hardcore, and the groove of funk. It’s not surprising to find great appreciation for Dirty Shirt albums in hundreds of reviews all over the world, including in well-respected magazines such as Metal Hammer (DE, HU), Rock Hard – (DE, FR, SLK), Metalsucks – USA, Hard Rock Mag – FR, Terrorizer – UK, etc.

LIVE PERFORMANCE

The band has already gone on several successful European tours (both as support and headlining) that included countries such as France, Belgium, Germany, UK, Austria, Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia etc., sharing the stage with major acts such as Megadeth, Godsmack, Skindred, Orphaned Land, etc.  The band also performed in major events such as Wacken Open Air 2019 (D), Rock Heart 2019 (Cz), HRH Metal Fest 2019 (UK),  Rockstadt Extreme Fest  (2018 and 2015, Ro), Metalhead Meeting (2018 and 2016, Ro), Kilkim Zaibu 2017 (Lt), Sofia Metal Fest 2016 (Bg), to name a few.

In 2017, Dirty Shirt started a very ambitious project, FolkCore DeTour, which is an unprecedented project for the Romanian and international metal scenes alike because it juxtaposed a metal band and a prestigious Romanian traditional folk orchestra (Ansamblul Folcloric National Transilvania) for the first time on stage. For this tour, the band performed in this extended version which benefited from an impressive production (25 musicians on stage). Due of its success, the project continued in 2017-2018 with several festivals in Romania. As a result of the project, an exceptional live album recorded at Arenele Romane in Bucharest was released via the French label Apathia Records and broadcasted on Romanian National TV. Also, last year the band started a parallel live project, with Transylvanian FolkCore Orchestra, and played at several important festivals as headliner and toured in Romania and France. A song from the concert at Petit Bain – Paris was broadcasted on the TV show “Tracks” from Arte France – Germany:

This year Dirty Shirt recorded a live session of the instrumental traditional song Latcho Drom with violin master Caliu, founding member of Taraf de Haïdouks. As the Covid-19 pandemic started, like every other performing artist, their live activity came to a sudden hold, the band had to cancel/postpone a European Tour in seven countries, including major festivals such as Pol’and Rock (the biggest music festival in Europe), Reload Festival and Dong Open Air (Germany), and Plane’r Fest and Les Bichoiseries (France). During the international lockdown, they released a web show called #STAYATHOME with Dirty Shirt, a 6 episode miniseries containing new songs, past live footage, cover, etc… In July the band participated to European Metal Festival Alliance, an online event regrouping 13 major European festivals. In September Dirty Shirt was able to perform live at the Roman Arenas in Bucharest, a show with social distance conditions to celebrate 25 years of activity.

Studio albums:
Get Your Dose Now! (2022)
Pandemic Special (2022, EP):
Letchology (2019)
Dirtylicious (2015)
Freak Show (2013)
Same Shirt Different Day (2010)
Very Dirty (2000)

Live Albums:
Live at Wacken (2019)
FolkCore DeTour (2018)
Live in the Truck (2011)

TOUR AND FESTIVALS:
2022 (upcoming) – HellFest – France
2022 (upcoming) – Reload – Germany
2022 (upcoming) – Dong Open Air – Germany
2022 (upcoming) – Plane’r Fest – France
2022 (upcoming) – Les Bichoiseries –– France
2021 – Pol’and’Rock – Poland
2021 – Maximum Rock Festival – Romania
2019 – Wacken Open Air – Germany
2019 – HRH Metal Fest – UK
2019 – Rock Heart – Czech Republic
2019 – Horehronské MeCheChe – Slovakia
2019 – SnowFest – France
2018 – Rockstadt Extreme Fest – Romania
2018 – Metalhead Meeting – Romania
2016 – Kilkim Zaibu – Lithuania
2016 – Sofia Metal Fest – Bulgaria
2016 – Metalhead Meeting – Romania
2015 – Rockstadt Extreme Fest – Romania
2015 – SnowFest – France
2013 – Maximum Rock Festival – Romania

TOURS:
2019 – European Letcho Drom Tour (partially with Transylvania FolkCore Orchestra): Romania, France, UK, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia
2018 – European Tour: Romania, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary
2017 – FolkCore DeTour Romania (with Ansamblul Transilvania)
2016 – Dirtylicious Tour Romania
2013-2014 – Freak Show Tour: Romania, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland

 

0 EPK – Lÿnx – Self-Tilted (EP) (2021) – Bullzhorn Records

  • March 6, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Lynx (Bullzhorn Records)

EPK – Lÿnx – Self-Tilted (EP) (2021) – Bullzhorn Records

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

For Fans of Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Skid Row, Mr. Big, Poison

“We are incredibly proud of how our music has been received at home and around the world. With records being sold from Spain to Australia, United K and Japan it’s clear that the world is ready for rock to come roaring back into the mainstream. Our next albums plan on being heavier, full-length LP and we can’t wait to get back into the studio to bring it to all our fans. There is no skipping songs on a Lÿnx record, we want every track to be quality work that gets you either up and dancing, or a ballad that brings a tear to your eye, or a hard pounding heavy hit to get your anger out. For us this isn’t just a hobby, this is a lifestyle, and we want every one of our fans to be as ecstatic as we are about the music we create.” – Lÿnx 

EP Title: Long Live Rock N Roll
Release Date: Sept 15, 2021
Label: Bullzhorn Records
Distribution: Distrokid

Lynxrocks.com – Facebook.com/getlynxed – Instagram.com/lynxonig – Tiktok.com/@lynx.tok – Twitter.com/get_lynxed – YouTube

Getlynxed.bandcamp.com – Spotify – Apple Music – Amazon Music – Deezer – Tidal

“Lÿnx is an honest to goodness rock n roll band in a time when rock needs just that. They offer up blistering guitar riffs and solos, melodic choruses, and high energy performances that resemble the spirit of a time long gone by.” Hitonindie.com

“A brilliant release that perfectly builds on the stage that their self titled EP set. ‘Long Live Rock N Roll’ is a direct unyielding ode to what rock music used to be. A release that’s not for the faint of heart, its bold, brash and wonderfully Brutal. Landing as one of Lÿnx’s defining musical moments” Thomas Bedward – Broken 8 Records

“ Opening tracks can tell you a lot about an album. Sometimes bands come out swinging, and others take a slow burn approach. Theres no slow burn in Lÿnx. And the title track ‘Long Live Rock N Roll’ roars out of your speakers. It features a great guitar solo, fantastic percussion, and drips with 80s glam.” Dave Wilks – CGCM Radio/ Podcast

“This is a really solid, fun band that were excited about, and can’t wait to hear what’s next. So, Crank it up and press play!”- MusicNotez Magazine

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Our guitarist blade uses his background in music production to compose a lot of our songs at work without an instrument in his hands. Constantly thinking of different riffs, beats he then goes hope and sees how they can work musically. A lot of work and some don’t but once he has an idea in his head he records it on his phone, goes home grabs a guitar, and starts figuring out how he can make it into the Lÿnx signature sound.

2. Our first show together was a show at the Blind Beggar in Calgary. We put on a 3-band show with us being the headliner to close out the night. We prepared our setlist and hit the stage. After the set, the crowd was demanding an encore, and of course, we didn’t have one. We ended up playing Long Live Rock n Roll again and invited the crowd up to join us on stage and dance out the rest of the show. It was a great moment for the band and the fans loved it, what a great way to close out our first show together.

3. We are all blue-collar workers who have spent years and years grinding away the short time we have on this earth living someone else’s dream. We all decided as a band to create our own path while putting our heart, soul, and past experiences into our music. Our passion to create music is what drives us, while knowing that once we make it we never want to go back to the mundane working life we all know.

4. We want our fans to be taken back to a time long gone that was full of hair, crazy outfits, and rockstars. As well as bring in a new generation who might pass off the music as “our parent’s music” we believe that the rock n roll genre has taken a backseat for a while to other genres which isn’t a bad thing but we want to make sure that the rock is still alive and make our forefathers proud.

=================================
The EP as a whole:
The EP is straight, heavy Rock’n’roll, you could pull it right off the shelf of any record store on the Sunset Strip in the late 1980’s, of course with our modern day producing and mastering!Track by Track:1) Long Live Rock’N Roll – We wrote Long Live Rock’N’Roll as a homage to all the legends that came before us.  Fangs put most of the lyrics to it and Blade composed the song.  From start to finish it’s the life experiences that Fangs acquired on top of his way of saying thank you and shouting out that Lÿnx will carry on the Rock’N’Roll dream that so many accomplished before us.2) Irresistible – Every good Rock’N’Roll band has to have a song about the ladies, don’t they!?  Irresistible is our shout-out to ladies, that one groove that appeals to them and also gives way to what every guy thinks when something smokin’ walks by.  Don’t lie to yourself, you know it’s true!3)  Crazy Crazy World – This song was meant and accomplished being our take on how the world had changed during the first of many COVID lockdowns.  How can we still make music? What’s happening? Can we start a band and accomplish our goals with all the craziness happening?  Fangs took the idea from what Blade and Flash put forth as an idea for a song and ran with what we were all feeling at that time. But wasn’t the world always a bit crazy to begin with?4) Red Rocket – With no instruments around and out for a tour the boys of Lÿnx had a sudden spurt of inspiration, how many times have you seen that beautiful Candy Apple Red Mustang, cruising down the road driving faster than you even though you’re already going 20 over the limit with that Miss. Right sitting in the passenger seat. Well, we took that shit and ran with it too.  5)  Forged In Fire – We all wanted to give our own take to an inspirational song, something that came from the heart and could be listened to if you had a bad day, or even if you’re busting ass at the gym.  Forged In Fire was our way of giving life to that idea.  We all choose to either give up, get pissed off, blame our shit on someone else, or rise to the occasion. This is Lÿnx’s promise.  WE WILL ALWAYS RISE

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

EP Title: Long Live Rock N Roll
Release Date: Sept 15, 2021
Label: Bullzhorn Records
Distribution: Distrokid
Track Listing:
1. Long Live Rock N Roll (4:36)
2. Irresistible (3:17)
3. Crazy Crazy World (2:50)
4. Red Rocket (3:33)
5. Forged in Fire ( 5:24)
6. Paranoid (2:55)
EP Length (22:37)
EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Lÿnx
• All songs written by: Lÿnx
• Produced by: Bullzhorn Records
• Mixed by: Priyam Baksi
• Mastered by: Matrix Audio
• Album Artwork by: Bullzhorn Records
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
EP Recording Band Line Up:
Lazer Wild – Lead Vocals
Blade – Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Fangs – Bass Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Flash – Drums/ Percussion
Live Band Line Up:
Ja6ur – Lead Vocals
Blade – Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Fangs – Bass Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Flash – Drums/ PercussionDiscography:
Feb 2021 – Lÿnx Self Titled Debut – EP
Sept 2020 – Long live Rock N Roll – EP

Lÿnx is the 80s inspired Hard Rock/ Metal four-piece currently based in Calgary, Alberta Canada. During the 2020 pandemic, the band was formed by former vocalist Lazer Wild and Lead Guitarist Blade. Soon after bassist Fangs, and Drummer Flash joined and Lÿnx was formed. The band is currently fronted by Ja6ur on Vocals, Blade on guitar, Fangs on bass, and Flash on Drums/ Percussion. Connected by a shared love of 80s glam metal and hard rock, the band immediately set about writing original songs that embody the style and swagger of the past, while embracing the polished production and down-to-earth grit of their more modern rock influences. Lÿnx released their debut self-titled EP in February 2021 followed up by their second EP titled “Long Live Rock N Roll” in September 2021 with Bullzhorn Records. Since their releases, the band has gained popularity through various reviews on different media platforms in Europe, Australia, and North America. Having gained a reputation for their anthemic choruses, sizzling guitar solos, and powerhouse vocals Lÿnx has garnered a dedicated and eclectic international fan base. The band has hit the stages with high energy and connected with their audiences through the love of Rock N Roll. The band aims to build on the momentum created by their released music and push their sound into even more extreme levels of Rock N Roll.

EP Recording Band Line Up:
Lazer Wild – Lead Vocals
Blade – Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Fangs – Bass Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Flash – Drums/ Percussion

Live Band Line Up:
Ja6ur – Lead Vocals
Blade – Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Fangs – Bass Guitar, Back Up Vocals
Flash – Drums/ Percussion

Shared Stage with:
Bloody Monroe, Mixed Blame, Chiliocosm, Faster than Bears, Die Another Day, Orbit the Fox, Haunt the Stars, Plastic Kodiak, Sarafin, What’s the Plan

0 EPK – Celestial Wizard – Winds of The Cosmos (2022)

  • March 2, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · Celestial Wizard · EPKs

EPK – Celestial Wizard – Winds of The Cosmos (2022)

Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

For fans of Dark Tranquility, Firewind, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Galaktikon

“Winds Of The Cosmos is a veritable blend of power metal and death metal. The songs combine crushing and aggressive vocals with a thrashy and melodic style of guitar playing. The drums are clear and punchy and give a solid foundation and framework for the music to thrive. All these elements together create something new and unique in its own right, blazing a new trail of melodic heavy metal.

The album’s lyrics guide the listener through a choice mix of fantasy and sci-fi themes, ranging from frosty Dungeons and Dragons excitement to space travelers and black holes. The lyrics also delve into personal struggle and growth, allowing fans to connect with the music on a deeper level.” – Celestial Wizard

Album Title: Winds Of The Cosmos
Release Date: July 15, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: DistroKid

Facebook.com/CelestialWizardOfficial – Instagram.com/celestialwizard_co – YouTube

Spotify – Celestialwizard.bandcamp.com – Apple Music

“Celestial Wizard “Denver’s CELESTIAL WIZARD is a rather unique band combining several elements to make a truly unique sound. Formed in 2018 and with one album already under their belts, their sophomore release, Winds of the Cosmos, is my first exposure to this band and from what I have heard, I like their approach. They take elements of traditional, power, and melodic death metal that can remind someone of say CHILDREN OF BODOM  in one minute then sound like a band like BRAINSTORM the next. All I know it that this is one of the most interesting albums to come out in a while.” – Metal Rules

 

“The band have continued to deploy death metal vocals (and other ingredients of melodic death metal), as well as the kind of singing familiar to power metal addicts, and that juxtaposition is certainly a big reason why this band’s hybrid sound has become appealing in dark corners such as ours. But those tasty riffs have a lot to do with the appeal as well, and the song “Revenant” is a fierce example of that. No wonder, then, that we happily agreed to premiere a guitar-playthrough video for that song today.” – No Clean Singing

 

“Celestial Wizard Makes ‘Skull-Crushing Friendship Metal’” – Westword

 

“Winds of the Cosmos is a fun album, and Celestial Wizard’s use of death growls within the confines of power metal is surprisingly enjoyable.” – Metal Epidemic

“the Americans have an ace up their sleeve, which gives them a real unique selling point, especially with their sometimes extremely heavy interpretation of melodic metal styles, which is based on Gothenburg bands.”  – Powermetal.de

“This is pretty cool, it’s a bit power metal, it’s thrashy, it’s got a bit of a fun catchy thing going on but with some cool harsh stuff too… lots of great stuff converging… Great stuff!” – Moshpit Radio – 89.9 FM (Madison, WI)

 

“…this was an absolute blast to listen to. The number of different genre influences sprinkled over the meaty slab of Metal at the core of the album add variety and genuine surprises and despite the sillier aspects being delivered with a knowing wink, the quality of the music is anything but a joke. So next time you’re in the mood for some jaunty fantasy adventure why not choose an album that ditches the broadsword for a pair of swinging fists. You don’t need to cast spells when you can knock a dragon the fuck out with riffs!” – Ever-Metal

 

“This is a really easy album to love and an even easier band to root for. Serious chops, with a not-so-serious attitude, playing a brand of metal made for a good time.” – Teeth of The Divine

“Overall – Spectacular, beyond belief. ‘WOTC’ is an album of such metallic magnitude, that everyone needs to hear it, at least once in their lives, by which time, most’ll be hooked. Slotting so firmly into the fantasy metal genre, it genuinely captures the central crux of what it’s all about and how fantasy metal should sound. A production which lifts the atmosphere, skywards, through every note, ‘WOTC’ is a sheer delight to hear and experience and it is a true experience. Dazzlingly colourful, performed with real panache, it’s a true metallic light show of sounds. 10.10” – Rock Queen Reviews 

“This journey, both in its fictional narrative and personal growth, as well as instrumentally, has been a job very well accomplished. The energy and quality in each of their compositions is emphasized, familiarizing their influences in each genre that they gave to the album and thus demonstrating that they have chosen a good path to continue experimenting.” – The Dark Melody

 

“any fan of power metal with a blackened vocal delivery will find this an interesting and enjoyable listen. ” – Metal Digest

 

“heavy/power metal out of Denver that caught my eye. The music video for their first single was a ton of fun. ” – Metal Utopia

 

“From start to finish, along the abundant 43 minutes of this album, you can listen to a series of convincing songs, full of energy and all the classic canons of the particular musical genre… If you are a fan of Swedish Melodic Death Metal, you will certainly like this record.” – All Around Metal 

 

“Strong vocals, strong melody, first-class instrumentation and absolute catchy tune (Steel Chrysalis) guarantee. I wish that ARCH ENEMY could also serve with such a hit this year.” – Twilight Magazin

Celestial Wizard is a fantasy-inspired heavy metal band based out of Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2018, this heavy metal quartet delivers crushing riffs and grand stories of dragons and wizards. Seeking to stand out among the others, Celestial Wizard combines the best elements of death metal with symphonic and synthwave elements creating a unique and engaging sound.

In the beginning, they carried a symphonic, fantasy sound dousing every song with a healthy dose of strings, choirs, synthesizers, and the like. This vibe can be heard on their debut album “A Sinister Awakening” (2018). Intended to be a concept album, they marketed some of the limited edition tapes and mini VHS tapes as though the album was a movie, thus The tapes ended up getting put in the soundtrack section of record stores.

The next year, drummer Tim Gillman joined Nick Daggers (guitar/vocals), Guillermo Jurado (guitar/bass), and Amethyst Noir (vocals) and they slashed most of the unnecessary backing tracks and refocused the music on the riffs and the core elements of the band. The evolution is reflected in the second album “Winds Of The Cosmos” (2022) (Release Date July 15th).

They deliver an energetic and engaging performance while keeping the sound tight. They make an effort each night to make their songs come alive and immerse the audience in their love for playing. They have played with bands including Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Insomnium, Nekrogoblikon, and Unleash The Archers. Combining their passions of Dungeons and Dragons, space adventure, and fantasy, Celestial Wizard takes influences like Arch Enemy, Metallica, Firewind, and Turisas and forge a path all their own!

Shared Stage with:
Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Holy Grail, Night Demon, Insomnium, Nekrogoblikon, Aether Realm, Unleash The Archers, Angra

Album Band Line Up:
Nick Daggers – Guitar, Vocals
Guillermo Jurado – Guitar, Bass
Tim Gillman – Drums
Amethyst Noir – Vocals

Live Band Line Up:
Nick Daggers – Guitar, Vocals
Dahlia McAluney – Bass
Tim Gillman – Drums
Amethyst Noir – Vocals

Discography:
2022 – Winds Of The Cosmos
2018 – A Sinister Awakening

====================

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. The band name Celestial Wizard was two words they just pulled out of a hat. In 2018, they sat down as a band and just wrote down as many cool words as they could, and put them all in a hat. After a couple of tries, they pulled out those two words and they stuck!

2. Before their current drummer Tim was in the band, he unknowingly saw them at a show performing with Aether Realm and Gloryhammer. If you look back at a photo they posted back in 2019 you can pick him out in the crowd, looking comedically surly.

3. The legendary Dan Goldsworthy did the art for both Winds Of The Cosmos and Ice Realm. He’s known for doing the art for all of the Alestorm and Gloryhammer albums, as well as many others.

4. Their debut album was intended to be a concept album, and they thought it would be clever to market some of the limited edition tapes and mini VHS tapes as though the album was a movie. The tapes ended up getting put in the soundtrack section of record stores before people knew who they were, it was pretty funny.

5. Their first album was produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Eric W. Brown of Nekrogoblikon. He went on to become an award-winning composer for the soundtrack on the video game ‘The Messenger’

==========================

The album as a whole explained by the band:

Winds Of The Cosmos is a veritable blend of power metal and death metal. The songs combine crushing and aggressive vocals with a thrashy and melodic style of guitar playing. The drums are clear and punchy, and give a solid foundation and framework for the music to thrive. All these elements together create something new and unique in its own right, blazing a new trail of melodic heavy metal.

The album’s lyrics guide the listener through a choice mix of fantasy and sci-fi themes, ranging from frosty Dungeons and Dragons excitement to space travelers and black holes. The lyrics also delve into personal struggle and growth, allowing fans to connect with the music on a deeper level.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY) explained by the band:

ANDROMEDA
This song is the album’s opener. The song sets the tone for what lies ahead and is the first instance of the melody that returns again at the end of the album. It’s a short, up-tempo instrumental track that helps build momentum for the first full song on the album.

REVENANT
Revenant is the first full song on the album, and its driving riffs continue the momentum from the previous track. The triplet beat of the guitars and drums gives the song a galloping, energetic feel. The song’s lyrics revolve around immortality and the loneliness and anger that come with living forever. The track is a step in a new direction from the previous album, featuring primarily singing, instead of the signature death metal vocal stylings.

ICE REALM
Ice Realm is punchy and vibrant right out of the gate, drawing listeners in with its thrashy opening riff. The track is upbeat, fun, and engaging, keeping the energy sky-high through the entire song. The song takes the listener on a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired quest through frost-covered land in search of a magic weapon to dispel the realm’s icy curse.

POWERTHRONE
This song shifts gears into a slower, more melodic zone. The song’s dramatic synth swells and guitar leads create an atmosphere of introspection and hope, giving the album a nice change of pace after the previous high-energy tracks. Powerthrone’s lyrics dig into losing a loved one or a mentor, and having to press forward and carve your own path. The melody and lyrics work in conjunction to deliver an emotionally charged experience for the listener.

ETERNAL SCOURGE
Scourge brings the energy back up again with hard-driving riffs that come crashing in after an ambiance of spooky, almost vampiric organs and guitars that set the mood. Fast and heavy, this song is sure to be a favorite of any of the fans that prefer heavier music and getting caught in a mosh. The song’s lyrics dig into plagues and war, violence and loss, and the rise and fall of heroes.

STEEL CHRYSALIS
Steel Chrysalis is a more epic, symphonic track in relation to the others on the album. The song’s main riff delivers a healthy dose of groove that the listener can lock on to and enjoy the heaviness of the chugging guitars that follow. This track is the most reminiscent of the previous album in terms of sound, so for those that have been fans from the beginning, this track will feel very familiar. The lyrics go over themes of being true to who you are and growing stronger amidst hardship, eventually becoming the best version of yourself.

UNDEAD RENEGADE
Of all the tracks on the album, Undead Renegade is more akin to old school death metal than anything else written previously. Heavy, unyielding riffs carry on throughout the song to complement the fast and furious drums that set the pace of the song, and the solos and leads that reside in the song are gnarly and shreddy, true to form. The lyrics are, as the title suggests, about zombies and the undead as a whole. Visceral, heavy lyrics that fit the song like a glove and give the listener the excitement and terror of catching a slasher flick with their friends.

CYBERHAWK
Undoubtedly the cheesiest track on the album, this song acts as an easy, fun palate cleanser just before the epic finale of the album. A notable outlier in terms of sound, the song delivers an 80’s inspired pop song energy that gets your fist-pumping in the air. Complete with catchy choruses and arena rock-style guitar solos, Cyberhawk is drenched in nostalgia. The lyrics are reminiscent of cartoons we watched as kids about heroes in space, going planet to planet fighting the bad guys and saving the day. It’s an easy song for the fans to enjoy and connect with.

WINDS OF THE COSMOS
Winds Of The Cosmos is the title track of the album, as well as the grand finale. It begins with the melody that listeners heard at the beginning of the album in Andromeda, giving the album a sense of closure and consistency. This track is incredibly dynamic, moving from driving riffs to somber acoustic guitars in the bridge, and then dramatic breakdowns and guitar solos to reward the listener. The track sitting at just under 8 minutes takes the listener through the journey of a man lost in space, and his coming to terms with the end as he drifts toward a black hole. The song is emotionally evocative, carrying the listener through what are almost the five stages of grief. The song resolves with a sense of hope and accomplishment, wrapping up the whole album nicely.

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: Winds Of The Cosmos
Release Date: July 15, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: DistroKid

Track Listing:
1. Andromeda  (2:25)
2. Revenant (5:30)
3. Ice Realm (4:08)
4. Powerthrone (4:30)
5. Eternal Scourge (5:32)
6. Steel Chrysalis (4:26)
7. Undead Renegade (5:04)
8. Cyberhawk (4:26)
9. Winds Of The Cosmos (7:44)
Album Length: 42:45

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: A. Noir, N. Daggers, T. Gillman, G. Jurado
• All songs written by: A. Noir, N. Daggers, T. Gillman, G. Jurado
• Produced by: Nick Nodurft
• Mixed by: Nick Nodurft
• Mastered by: Stephan Hawkes
• Album Artwork by: Dan Goldsworthy

Album Band Line Up:
Nick Daggers – Guitar, Vocals
Guillermo Jurado – Guitar, Bass
Tim Gillman – Drums
Amethyst Noir – Vocals

Live Band Line Up:
Nick Daggers – Guitar, Vocals
Dahlia McAluney – Bass
Tim Gillman – Drums
Amethyst Noir – Vocals

0 EPK – Graveshadow – The Uncertain Hour (2022) (M-Theory Audio)

  • March 1, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Graveshadow (M-Theory Audio)

EPK – Graveshadow – The Uncertain Hour (2022) (M-Theory Audio)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“It’s hard to put into words exactly how thrilled we are to be putting out ‘The Uncertain Hour’, our third full-length release. Through all the challenges of putting together a new lineup and jumping immediately into the fire of writing and recording, I don’t think we could have asked for a better group. It’s amazing to see that despite the new faces, the music still followed the natural evolutionary path the band was on. I feel we came out of this stronger, and the music definitely reflects it. Musically we wanted to achieve a massive wall of sound for this record. We took extra care when tracking guitars and composing the orchestral arrangements to work together to take the listener away and into the stories the lyrics are telling. With the lyrics, we tried to capture the emotion of the stories, at times mournful and others full of rage or optimism. Harmony and melody were our focus, to create a soundscape that is dynamic, engaging and powerful. I think everyone will be excited from the first note to the closing chorus!” – William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar – Graveshadow
 

For fans of Sirenia, Insomnium, Beast in Black, Amaranthe, Nightwish

Album Title: The Uncertain Hour
Release Date: July 15, 2022
Label: M-Theory Audio
Distribution: Sony/The Orchard

Facebook.com/Graveshadow – Twitter.com/graveshadowband – YouTube – Instagram.com/graveshadow

Graveshadow.bandcamp.com – Apple Music – Spotify

“If I were to write a one-word review for ‘Ambition’s Price’ (the album), it would simply be “wow”. The power, the energy, the vocal range, and the sheer infectiousness oozing from every minute of the albums fifty-minute length is just outstanding.” – Metal Gods TV

‘Ambition’s Price’ chosen as one of the top albums of 2018 by The Metal Sucks Podcast

“Graveshadow is a band born from universal metal and lyrical themes we all know and love. There’s really not a bad moment on the album. – This Noise Beneath The Snow

“Their Nocturnal Resurrection debut contains all sorts of Euro castle-storming flair, sounding wholly un-American (which is fine), while in the process, establishing these four dudes and two ladies as a band who is better than meets the eye.” – Dead Rhetoric

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: The Uncertain Hour
Release Date: July 15, 2022
Label: M-Theory Audio
Distribution: Sony/The Orchard

Track Listing:
1. Soldier of 34 (6:04)
2. Gwynnbleidd (4:18)
3. Sea of Apparitions (3:55)
4. The Swordsman (5:28)
5. Vengeance of Envy (3:57)
6. A Beautiful End (4:54)
7. The Betrayer (4:12)
8. Shadow Battles (4:19)
9. The Two Lived (6:45)
10. Damsel’s Finesse (7:05)
Album Length: 51:04

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Graveshadow
• All songs written by: Aaron Robitsch, William Lloyd Walker, Rachl Raxx Quinn
• Produced by: Graveshadow and Justin Aufdemkampe
• Mixed by: Justin Aufdemkampe
• Mastered by: Alberto de Icaza
• Album Artwork by: Roman Ismailov
• Member of ASCAP

Album and Live Band Line Up:
William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar
Rachl Raxx Quinn – Lead Vocals
Aaron Robitsch – Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Harsh Vocals, Orchestrations
Luci Rae – Bass
Bones Padilla – Drums

==================================

The album as a whole explained by William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar – Graveshadow

Musically we wanted to achieve a massive wall of sound for this record. We took extra care when tracking guitars and composing the orchestral arrangements to work together to take the listener away and into the stories the lyrics are telling. With the lyrics, we tried to capture the emotion of the stories, at times mournful and others full of rage or optimism. Harmony and melody were our focus, to create a soundscape that is dynamic, engaging, and powerful. (Answered by William Lloyd Walker)

Track by track explained by William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar – Graveshadow 

Gwynnbleidd
A straightforward, driven power metal song with lyrics weaving a tale of destiny and its inevitability. Also, living one’s life authentically is the only option.

Soldier of 34
A mournfully melodic track whose lyrics explore the hopelessness many feel in the face of losing a loved one. Processing those emotions but resolving in the final chorus with a desire to push forward.

Sea of Apparitions
A rhythm and harmony-heavy track that kicks off like a kick in the teeth. Delving into the importance of tackling challenges head-on instead of cowering before them and how the bonds of those closest to you are the most important resource.

The Swordsman
A crushingly heavy assault against the backdrop of soaring orchestral arrangements whose lyrics showcase that there is reason within chaos and that a life free from worry is not always the respite that it seems.

Vengeance of Envy
A balanced rock/metal assault whose lyrics delve into the concepts of loss of identity in pursuit of vengeance and the hate that can come along with it. Moreover how love and warmth can temper hate, becoming stronger than vengeance under the guile of justice.

A Beautiful End
A riff-heavy powerhouse that explores the duality of self and that even in death, there is beauty.

The Betrayer
A melodic powerhouse with harmonic accents and soaring orchestrations. Lyrically it explores betrayal, loss of family, and the will to carry on.

Shadow Battles
A rhythm and harmony-heavy track exploring the concepts of living in your father’s shadow and the desire to break toxic cycles in order to seize control of one’s own life. That family is sometimes the ones you choose, rather than the bloodline you were born into.

The Two Lived
A slow-moving, doom-heavy track with mournful orchestral arrangements. Exploring the concepts of duality and co-dependence. Underlying themes that violence is never the solution and that war must be avoided at all costs.

Damsel’s Finesse
A symphonic, groove-oriented track meant to sweep the listener away into a tale of pain, suffering, regret, and how facing adversity can lead to personal growth previously unimaginable.

==================================

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Aaron (Lead/Rhythm Guitar and Harsh Vocals) is something of a machine, he is always coming up with new song ideas. What’s even better is that usually, he’s pitching something that’s near-complete, sans vocals. It’s great because it means we end up with a plethora of material to work through and are able to sort out what we feel are the strongest and best tracks for the record.

2. Bringing in Rachl was a no-brainer from the beginning. As soon as I ( William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar) heard her audition tapes, after listening for about 30 seconds I stopped the track and called Aaron. I told him to do whatever was necessary to get her on board. The dynamics and sheer power in her voice were exactly what we needed going into this next record and album cycle. Not only that but she’s one of the most amazing people you could meet and work with. She’s kind and caring but has no problem voicing her opinion when she doesn’t agree with something. We couldn’t have asked for a better comrade in arms to get this train rolling again.

3. I (William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar) think one of the best shows we ever did was opening for Tarja Turunen in Juarez, Mexico. Shows are their own beast and there are always challenges, but that night everything that could have gone wrong did. Issues with soundcheck, gear getting to the venue and a delayed start saw our set whittled down from 45 minutes to 15 minutes. We couldn’t check our orchestrations, so we had to run with songs that had no orchestral breaks, which was only a handful. We went out there and left it all on the stage that night, one hand tied behind our backs. The standing ovation and the RUSH of people to the merch booth after was one the greatest highs I’ve ever experienced. We can’t wait to get back and connect with our fans south of the border and beyond again!

4. It’s been mentioned in reviews before, but we draw a lot of lyrical inspiration from books/shows/video games/movies that touched our hearts in one way or another. We like to pick characters or stories whose experiences/message applies to a variety of life experiences. Not only that, it’s almost like a love letter to the universes that helped us get through some of the most difficult challenges in our lives. Sometimes there isn’t always a friend or family member who can relate to what you’re going through, and a good book or video game offers an escape to process and heal. ‘The Betrayer’ for example is about Maeiv Shadowsong from the Warcraft universe, a character who watches her closest comrades slaughtered by her people’s greatest enemy. The burden she carries of avenging her comrades, brother and people in the face of betrayal is one that sounds grandiose, but can be applied to everyday experiences. Her story was one that helped me process feelings of loss and betrayal when my life was falling apart around me. Being able to connect with a character who abandons everything to pursue what she knows to be right was fuel to keep putting one foot in front of the other and push for a better life for myself. Sometimes it helps to contextualize our own feelings against the backdrop of a character who is facing insurmountable odds, but comes out victorious. It can be incredibly empowering.

==================================

Left to Right: Bones Padilla – Drums, Luci Rae – Bass, Rachl Raxx Quinn – Lead Vocals, William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Aaron Robitsh – Lead/Rhythm Guitar and Harsh Vocals

Photo Credit – Rob Watkins – Watkins Media

Graveshadow is a 2016 “Sammie” winning (Sacramento News & Review) symphonic metal band from Sacramento, CA. Graveshadow was originally conceived in the winter of 2012 by rhythm guitarist, William Lloyd Walker. The current line-up features Walker along with vocalist Rachl Raxx Quinn, lead guitarist Aaron Robitsch, drummer Bones Padilla, and bassist Luci Rae.

After putting out two records in their debut ‘Nocturnal Resurrection’ (Mausoleum Records) and sophomore effort ‘Ambition’s Price’ (M-Theory Audio) the group has been praised for their genre-blending and mold-breaking approach to symphonic metal. Extensive touring through 2017 until the end of 2018 with the likes of Anvil, Unleash the Archers, Night Demon, Sirenia, Arkona, and more, the group forged a solid foothold before personal matter led to the exit of many of its original members. Galvanized with a new lineup, Graveshadow is preparing for the release of their third record ‘The Uncertain Hour’ via M-Theory Audio in 2022 and is ready to step back onto the scene.

The Graveshadow sound is defined by crushing guitars, beautiful keyboard melodies, thundering bass, and earth-shattering drums. Powerful operatic vocals shift into unearthly growls to create a rich and dynamic atmosphere that is ripe for storytelling. Whether it is a tale of personal struggle or of fantastical creatures, the listener is sure to find themselves immersed in a world apart.

Album and Live Band Line Up:
William Lloyd Walker – Rhythm/Lead Guitar
Rachl Raxx Quinn – Lead Vocals
Aaron Robitsch – Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Harsh Vocals, Orchestrations
Luci Rae – Bass
Bones Padilla – Drums

Discography:
2022 – The Uncertain Hour
2018 – Ambition’s Price
2015 – Nocturnal Resurrection
2014 – Graveshadow – EP
2013 – Blood and Fire – Single

Shared Stage with:
Children of Bodom, Apocalyptica, Unleash the Archers, Night Demon, Sirenia, Arkona, Threat Signal, Anvil, Tarja Turunen, Angra, Wednesday 13, Doyle, Sanctuary, Iced Earth, John 5, Exmortus, Warbringer

Tours and Festivals:
2018: Sirenia/Threat Signal (tour)
2018: Headline Tour
2017: Sirenia/Arkona (tour)
2017: Anvil/Night Demon (tour)
2016: Anvil/Unleash the Archers (tour)

Artists Endorsements: ESP

0 EPK – Buried Realm – Self-Titled (2022)

  • February 28, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · Buried Realm · EPKs
EPK – Buried Realm – Self-Titled (2022)

 

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

 

For fans of Scar Symmetry, Children of Bodom, Nevermore

 

Album Title: Self-Titled
Release Date: June 3, 2022
Label: Self-Release

 

“I am very pleased to present and share this new record with everyone. I’m honored to be joined by some killer musicians who’ve influenced my writing and playing over the years. Their contributions have truly helped bring the album to the next level. The general lyrical theme on this album is a paranormal and psychological twist… mind tricks if you will. I think its overall atmosphere is more energetic and aggressive compared to my previous two full-lengths.” – Joshua Dummer

 

BuriedRealm.com | Facebook.com/BuriedRealm | Instagram.com/BuriedRealm | Twitter.com/BuriedRealm | YouTube

 

Buriedrealm.bandcamp.com | iTunes | Amazon | Spotify

“Like its predecessor, this one’s an absolute ripper on the more technical / heavy side of the melodic death metal coin.” – Metal Sucks (Embodiment of the Divine Review)

“Creative, melodic and really charming, “Embodiment of the Divine” is an amazing experience. 10/10” – Metal Temple

“Well done melodic death metal that hits all the right marks.” – Dead Rhetoric

“The fast-punching grooves in the song  (The Wonder and Terror of Fortune) are a match for the ecstatic energy of everything else. One listen, and you can tell why this track was chosen as the album closer — it sends the listener out on an enormous high.” – No Clean Singing

“Buried Realm play an eager, galloping sort of melodeath, with lots of speedy leads, upbeat riffs, synthesizers, and solos everywhere. It’s almost as if Blind Guardian enthusiasm and subject matter met up with Scar Symmetry’s love of ambience and melodic-yet-death-y riffs… I commend Buried Realm for their songwriting, performances, and ambition.” – Angry Metal Guy

“Given that The Ichor Carcinoma has so many guests, it stands to reason that it has a diverse sound, ranging from hyper-speed solos, breakdowns, a mixture of screams and clean singing and more, but at the end of the day, it can be classified as an impressive melodic death metal debut.” – Decibel Magazine (Review – The Ichor Carcinoma 2017)

“Buried Realm sound a whole lot like what you’d expect given the bands whose guest musicians Dummer tapped for the project: aggressive, catchy, Sweden-inspired melodic death metal. If you like all the bands name-checked above, you’re sure to like this one. It’s incredibly well-done and expertly crafted.” – MetalSucks (Review – The Ichor Carcinoma 2017)

“On this album he proves himself to be some kind of instrumental wizard, and a vocal chameleon as well. But he has also surrounded himself with an array of guests that shines like a metal constellation in the night sky.” – No Clean Singing (Review – The Ichor Carcinoma 2017)

“From the very beginning of this track (Apeiron II: Global Dreamer), the riffing is here to cut your limbs ready to cook a nice melodic stew. Are you with me? Shades of Scar Symmetry, At the Gates, Hypocrisy, early Nightrage, late Soilwork and a fine slice of that machine gun style technical death metal drumming are found here. A delicious plate that I know will please a good bunch of my fellow seekers of melodic metal.” – Toilet  Ov Hell (Review – The Ichor Carcinoma 2017)

(Photo of Josh Dummer)

A true visionary is a rare thing, but such a man is Josh Dummer exemplified in his solo studio project Buried Realm. Influenced by personal experience and executed through metaphors, the progressive and heavy metal leaves room for interpretation and paints an interesting picture for listeners.  

Inspired by Opeth, Kreator, Old Man’s Child, Symphony X (and tons of old Hair Metal!), Dummer is a man who is not afraid to gaze into the abyss for music and lyrical inspiration. He describes Buried Realm’s music as ‘fierce, cutting, technical, melodic, and memorable.’ 

Following up on his long-time idea of releasing a solo album, he seized the chance with his first offering “Ichor Carcinoma”. Released in 2017 it features guests such as Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy, Armageddon), Peter Wichers (Soilwork), Teemu Mäntysaari (Wintersun) and Travis Montgomery (Threat Signal, Jeff Loomis band).

In 2020, Dummer released is the follow-up sophomore “Embodiment of the Divine” and while it was parallel to the first, both musically and lyrically, it took a  step in a sojourn journey. It featured many guests such as Andy Gillion (Mors Principium Est), Benjamin Ellis (Scar Symmetry), Bob Katsionis (ex-Firewind), Dean Arnold (Primalfrost, Operus, ex-Vital Remains), Lee McKinney (Born of Osiris), Peter Wichers (ex-Soilwork), Rafael Trujillo (ex-Obscura), and Ryan Strain (Chaos For The Masses.

The next chapter in Dummer’s journey is the release of his third self-titled Buried Realm studio album on June 3, 2022. Once again, Dummer has invited many guests on this record with Bob Katsionis (Witch Bones), Christian Münzner (Poison Palace), Christofer Malmström (Elder Gods), Christopher Amott (The Iron Flame/ Quicksand Memory), Dan Swanö (Where the Armless Phantoms Glide) and Dean Arnold (Spectral Light, Primalfrost). The lyrical theme on this full length is about paranormal and psychological twists… mind tricks.

Discography:
2022 – Buried Realm
2020 – Embodiment of the Divine
2017 – The Ichor Carcinoma

===================================

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY) explained by Josh Dummer.

I think the overall atmosphere of this album is more energetic and aggressive compared to the previous ones. The general lyrical theme is a paranormal and psychological twist… mind tricks, if you will.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

Spectral Light – One of the faster songs on the album. “Spectral Light“ carries fun, intertwining leads/ melodies and non-stop, in your face vocals. The lyrics are mostly inspired by disturbing horror stories of possession and exploring the dark side of one’s mind…

Poison Palace – “Poison Palace” is the most abrasive and intense Buried Realm song. Lyrically, it is about people becoming chemically dependent, believing there is no other cure for their ailments. Ultimately, driving people to the point of mind-warping insanity.

The Iron Flame – The loss of family and friends.

Witch Bones – A tale of temptation and resurrecting evil. Playing with fire, even though you know the outcome won’t be pleasant.

Where the Armless Phantoms Glide – A continuation to the “paranormal/ supernatural” theme. Putting together the back and forth vocal arrangement between Dan Swanö (growls) and I (screams) was a blast.

Elder Gods – “Elder Gods” was the first song written for the album. Upbeat, melodic, groovy. The lyrics are about creating your own “protective” god to justify terrible habits, but you’ve only created something more sinister.

Quicksand Memory – “Quicksand Memory” encompasses the overall vibe of the album, musically. The lyrics were written about forms of dementia, time/ memory loss – not understanding where you are, or who you are at times. The thought of sudden absence is terrifying.

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: Self-Titled
Release Date: June 3, 2022
Label: Self-Release

Track Listing:
1. Entrance (2:00)
2. Spectral Light (5:00)
3. Poison Palace (5:11)
4. The Iron Flame (4:46)
5. Witch Bones (3:43)
6. Where the Armless Phantoms Glide (4:01)
7. Elder Gods (4:17)
8. Quicksand Memory (5:37)
9. He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask) (Alice Cooper cover) (3:53)
Album Length: 38:23

Album Recording Credits:
– All songs performed by: Josh Dummer
– All songs written by: Josh Dummer
– Produced by: Josh Dummer
– Mixed by: Ronnie Björnström
– Mastered by: Ronnie Björnström
– Album Artwork by: Pär Olofsson

Album Band Line Up:
– Josh Dummer – All instruments and vocals
– Heikki Saari – Drums
Guest Performances:
– Bob Katsionis (Witch Bones)
– Christian Münzner (Poison Palace)
– Christofer Malmström (Elder Gods)
– Christopher Amott (The Iron Flame/ Quicksand Memory)
– Dan Swanö (Where the Armless Phantoms Glide)
– Dean Arnold (Spectral Light, Primalfrost)

0 EPK – Falamh – Aeons Effigy (2022)

  • February 16, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Falamh

EPK – Falamh – Aeons Effigy (2022)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“The concept for this EP is about the journey and discovery of oneself and the transformation effects that occur. Whether being steadfast or yielding, change is always inevitable and it’s how someone reacts that can determine the perspective and outcome. The lyrics reflect this by telling tales of different characters and how their reaction affects them.” – Kyle Tayler (Guitars, Vocals) – Falamh

For fans of Dissection, Enslaved, Taake, Kampfar, Agalloch

EP Title: Aeons Effigy
Release Date: March 25, 2022
Label: Self Release

Facebook.com/Falamhband | Instagram.com/falamh.official | YouTube | Falamh.bandcamp.com

L – R – Dave Strba (Guitar, Backing Vocals) – Kyle Tayler (Guitars, Vocals) – Kye Bell (Bass)

Falamh, from North Bay, ON, Canada rose from the ashes of a previous band in 2019. Guitarist/vocalist Kyle Tayler had originally written material for that band, but after the dissolution, sought other creative outlets for them. Enlisting members from the previous band, Falamh was born and they got to work refining their melodic black/death metal.

Ultimately working collaboratively, Tayler guides the initial creation of song structures, riffs, drums patterns, and lyrics which are distilled by David Strba (guitars, backing vocals) and Kye Bell (bass). The three of them have considerable experience playing live and for them, the current focus is to present something more memorable with a stage presence that adds to the overall atmosphere of the music.

Falamh released their first EP “The Unbound Beyond: I” in 2020 and will follow it up with “Aeons Effigy” due out on March 25, 2022.

The EP as a whole explained by the band:

Melodic black/death metal with various genre influences. The concept for this EP is about the journey and discovery of oneself and the transformation effects that occur. Whether being steadfast or yielding, change is always inevitable and it’s how someone reacts that can determine the perspective and outcome. The lyrics reflect this by telling tales of different characters and how their reaction affects them.

Track by Track explained by the band:

1. Winds of Silence – Musically we tried to keep it up-tempo with lots of grooves to headbang along with. L Lyrically, it’s about perseverance and being resolute to any obstacles before you.

2. Blackened Waves – A bit more mid-tempo with some highs and lows to keep it dynamic. Lyrics, it’s about being lost in a storm at sea and having a near-death experience.

3. Benighted Weald – Starts off with some acoustic guitars to help tell the tale of someone cursed by the forest and no longer destined for this world.  

4. Aethereal Forger – Comes in slow but quickly heats up, keeping the moment throughout. Lyrics, it’s about the world being covered in fire in a Ragnarok type event and no one being able to stop it.

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

EP Title: Aeons Effigy
Release Date: March 25, 2022
Label: Self Release

Track Listing:
1. Winds of Silence (6:46)
2. Blackened Waves (6:52)
3. Benighted Weald (5:03)
4. Aethereal Forger (4:33)
EP Length: 23:14

EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Falamh
• All songs written by: Falamh
• Produced by: Dave Strba and Kyle Tayler at Chainsaw Media
• Mixed by: Dave Strba at Chainsaw Media
• Mastered by: Dave Strba at Chainsaw Media
• Album Artwork by: Kyle Tayler
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

EP Recording Band Line Up:
Kyle Tayler – Guitars, Vocals
David Strba – Guitars, Vocals (Backing)
Kye Bell – Bass
Tyler Chartrand – Drums (Session)

Discography:
2022 – Aeons Effigy – EP
2020 – The Unbound Beyond: I – EP

0 EPK – Turbo Lovers – Lettin’ It Fly! (2022)

  • February 15, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Turbo Lovers

EPK – Turbo Lovers – Lettin’ It Fly! (2022)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“We play the kind of music that we want to listen to and see live. It’s why this band started and why it’s still going after all these years. “Lettin’ It Fly!” is the next phase of our love affair with rock ‘n’ roll. We need to write and perform rock ‘n’ roll in the same way people need to eat and sleep. It’s something we have to do and will always do. We’re extremely proud of the work that we put into this album, and we feel we’ve stepped up our game in terms of songwriting and our recorded performance. We’re excited to incorporate these songs into our live show and for a wider audience to hear what we feel is our strongest record to date.” – B.J. Lisko – Guitar/Vocals – Turbo Lovers

For fans AC/DC, Kiss, Danko Jones, Backyard Babies

Album / Single Title: Lettin’ It Fly!
Release Date: February 4, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Self-Release

Facebook.com/theturbolovers | Twitter.com/turboloversrock | YouTube | Instagram.com/turboloversyo

Turbolovers.bandcamp.com | Apple Music | Spotify

“These never-say-die soldiers are the sole sleazers in their luckless mid-US town, yet they make a genre-hopping trucker metal juggernaut that easily straddles The Supersuckers and Y&T in the same goddamn song. – Classic Rock Magazine

“The pride of Youngstown, Ohio. Their headbanging take on AC/DC, shit-kicker country and 80s metal is low-brow and rabble rousing. – Classic Rock Magazine

“Aging rock ‘n’ roll lifers from the guts of Ohio use their arena rock illusions to create an impressively overblown collection of balls-out chug, sort of like Guns N’ Roses with male pattern baldness, bills to pay, and a flabby with that won’t stop bitchin’ at them. Desperation rock lives. Here’s the proof. – Classic Rock Magazine

“Turbo Lovers are, officially, from the worst town in America: Youngstown, Ohio, known far and wide for its off-the-charts unemployment and high school dropout rates, to say nothing of the subsequent crime sprees such circumstances foster. Naturally, they sound like a trailer park Judas Priest robbing a gas station.” – Classic Rock Magazine

“Youngstown’s Turbo Lovers shake rock ‘n’ roll to its very foundation and deliver it in its most basic and timeless form. – Cleveland Free Times

“Fun rock that is light-hearted and unpretentious. Oozing bravado, you can’t help but enjoy the music from this extremely likeable trio.”– Powerplay Magazine

==================================

STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. B.J. Lisko is a journalist of 20 years generally focusing on music, professional wrestling, stand-up comedy and other entertainment. He also writes for wrestling star and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho’s wrestling and rock news site, WebIsJericho.com. In his career, he’s interviewed literally thousands of notable entertainers including Gene Simmons, Bill Maher, Chris Tucker, Mike Tyson, Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Lisa Lampanelli, Jim Norton, Doug Stanhope, Eddie Money, Belinda Carlisle, Phil Collen, LeAnn Rimes, Henry Rollins, Alan Thicke, Bruce Campbell, Lewis Black, Weird Al Yankovic, Tom Hamilton, Andrew Dice Clay, Lou Gramm, Norm Macdonald, Bob Saget, Louie Anderson and Jake “The Snake” Roberts to name a few.

2. Turbo Lovers are named after the Judas Priest song and sometimes get confused as a Judas Priest tribute band, especially when we play with tribute acts. The venue where this was most confusing to people was when we used to play at the bar owned by former Judas Priest singer, Tim “Ripper” Owens. So in certain situations, we have to really tag ourselves as “original rock” on posters and in social media posts, but they’re still is the occasional confusion.

3. Turbo Lovers was sort of a tongue-in-cheek name, to begin with. That’s a polarizing Judas Priest album to a lot of people, but we love it. The reason the name stuck was the band’s debut record unknowingly at the time received a good review in Classic Rock Magazine. So we sort of got stuck with it, but it’s always been a talking point, and a lot of time because that song and album is so polarizing with a lot of metal fans, it makes our name stand out and easier to remember.

4. At one show at the Agora in Cleveland, a crackhead wandered in, as they sometimes do, and stole a giant armful of our T-shirts. A week or so later, there was a news story about heroin deaths in Cleveland and the footage shot was of some random, sketchy folks walking down the street with their faces blurred. What wasn’t blurred was the matching Turbo Lovers shirts they were wearing. So, even though we lost about $100 in merch, I suppose we can chalk that up as an advertising expense. Not real sure what target audience that hits, but they say all press is good press, so what can ya do?

5. We kind of pride ourselves on being able to play with a giant variety of bands. In one particular 2-week stretch, we opened for 80s rock legends Loverboy at the Canton Palace, then we played with masked surf rock madmen, Daikaiju at a hole-in-the-wall dive, then we opened for an AC/DC tribute band at the bar owned by former Judas Priest singer, Tim “Ripper” Owens. And we went over great at all three shows!

==================================

Album / Single Title: Lettin’ It Fly!
Release Date: February 4, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Self-Release

Track Listing:
1. Should’ve Known Better (4:26)
2. Reasons That We Rhyme (3:19)
3. Too Cocky (4:27)
4. Lettin’ It Fly (3:45)
5. Gave Me A Sign (3:50)
6. Almost Great (3:22)
7. Finally Home (3:22)
8. Under Pressure (3:46)
9. Rockers Extraordinaire (4:23)
Album Length: 34:42

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Turbo Lovers
• All songs written by: Turbo Lovers
• Produced by: Dave Piatek
• Mixed by: Dave Piatek and Keith Dougherty
• Mastered by: Dave Piatek
• Album Artwork by: B.J. Lisko
• Member of ASCAP

Album and Live Band Line Up:
B.J. Lisko – Guitar/Vocals
Keith Dougherty – Bass/Backing vocals
Christian DeSantis – Drums

The album as a whole explained by the band:

Well, they’re complicated songs about complicated things. That’s obviously a joke. It’s 35 minutes of rocking, drinking, gambling, sex, and more rocking. We used to describe our live set as “35 minutes of ‘Whole Lotta Rosie,’ give or take. That’s still fairly accurate and is pretty apropos for “Lettin’ It Fly!”

Track by Track explained by the band:

1. Should’ve Known Better – A super anthemic, up-tempo and catchy tune. Lyrically, a lot of people will probably think that it references being in a bad relationship, and the lyrics could certainly read that way. It’s actually a really hooky tune about getting hooked on drugs, something that happened to me (and that’s happened to about a billion other people), after a bad car accident and more than a year’s worth of ultra-cheap painkiller prescriptions. It was pretty awesome until the drugs ran out. Then it was a total pain in the ass being hooked on something you once needed, but now we’re also physically dependent on.

2. Reasons That We Rhyme – If there’s a paint-by-numbers Turbo Lovers track, this is probably it. An AC/DC-influenced rocker that’s lyrically about falling for the wrong person, realizing it, then trying to break away. AC/DC is the band that inspired me to pick up a guitar in the first place, so naturally, a lot of what we do is rooted in their style.

3. Too Cocky – “Too Cocky” was a song I’m not sure we expected to come out as good as it did. It’s nice when you hear the final mix in the studio and it exceeds expectations. It’s an AC/DC-style tune with more cowbell that’s about people frowning upon bands that put on a bombastic stage show. People sometimes mistake confidence for arrogance. This song is about rock stars being rock stars and putting on a show. The video we shot for this reflects this attitude. It’s a slight nod to the “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene in Wayne’s World, and the whole goal was to make a ridiculous and fun video.

4. Lettin’ It Fly – The first song written for this album quickly stood out as the title track. It’s a Judas Priest/Turbonegro-inspired jam with lyrics that are about as subtle as a brick shithouse. It’s about getting down and dirty and quite literally letting it fly. A filthy song about filthy sex.

5. Gave Me A Sign – If there’s a track on the album that maybe leans a little more towards a modern rock sound, this is it. A hard-rocking song with a big catchy chorus, lyrically it’s about finding someone that makes you feel great about yourself.

6. Almost Great – The previous engineer we worked with used to have a nice way of saying when a recording take sucked. He’d say, “Well, it was almost great.” That sort of describes Turbo Lovers in the sense that we feel like we missed the rock scene that we love by a few decades. So, we love rocking in 2022, but we’d love for this band to be existing in 1987. So we started saying, “Well, it was almost great,” to describe shows where the crowd was weird or when we’ve almost gotten a big break with certain support dates. It’s a bit of an inside joke, but it kind of applies to the rock scene in general nowadays. A lot of the time it’s almost great. Musically, this one is inspired by classic AC/DC.

7. Finally Home – Finally home is directly inspired by UK rock band Massive Wagons, who are one of the best newer rock bands out there. It’s got a bit more of a punk rock feel, and lyrically it’s about getting back on stage after not being able to do so during the height of the pandemic. The idea was to write a big anthem for rocking out live again without any cares. Hopefully everyone can get back to that in 2022.

8. Under Pressure – A super catchy song about nearly having a mental breakdown, “Under Pressure,” was inspired by Rick Springfield and AC/DC. It’s really a simple tune but another with a big gang vocal chorus tailor-made for a singalong. We can’t wait to play this one live.

9. Rockers Extraordinaire – A rock song about rocking. This one has a bit of a Social Distortion-meets-Supersuckers feel, and lyrically it’s about a lifelong love affair with rock ‘n’ roll.

L-R: Keith Dougherty (Bass/Backing Vocals) | B.J. Lisko (Guitar/Vocals) | Christian DeSantis (Drums)
Photo credit – Gary Leininger

Turbo Lovers is a rock ’n’ roll power trio from Youngstown, Ohio that’s equal parts bravado, swagger and fun. Often chastised for taking their name from what some consider the worst Judas Priest album in history, the band’s sound is more akin to AC/DC, The Wildhearts, and Kiss than the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Gods. But yeah, there’s a little Priest in ‘em, too.

“Lettin’ It Fly” is the band’s new 9-track album, and it’s straight-up, infectious, and unpretentious rock.

“We’re sort of like AC/DC and Danko Jones in that with each album we’ll have a few surprises here and there, but it’s reliable working-class rock ’n’ roll,” said guitarist/singer B.J. Lisko. “It’s all about hooks and solid songs, and we feel like we’ve got plenty of those on the new album.”

The band’s steady stream of support shows opening for the likes of Warrant, Kix, Loverboy, Sebastian Bach, Slaughter, Reverend Horton Heat, Blaze Bayley, and Stephen Pearcy, among others, has netted it a solid fan base, and the racket made by three Ohio rock lifers has turned quite a few heads, as well.

The band originally started as a recording project for Lisko before morphing into somewhat of a revolving door of drummers and bass players. Bassist Keith Dougherty and drummer Christian DeSantis joined the band in late 2011, and have been in tow ever since.

“Turbo Lovers didn’t really become Turbo Lovers, officially, until these guys joined,” Lisko said. “It’s a cohesive unit now, and I couldn’t imagine doing this with anybody else.”

Discography:
2018 – Almost Greatest Hits – EP/compilation
2015 – Over The Hump – LP
2013 – Hopelessly Addicted – LP
2013 – Classic Rock Magazine sampler issue No. 191
2011 – A Hot Minute – EP
2010 – Classic Rock Magazine sampler issue No. 150
2009 – Roll Your Vice – LP (Cracked Piston Recordings)
2008 – Outstanding – LP (Cracked Piston Recordings)
2006 – Cock of the Walk – LP (Cracked Piston Recordings)
2005 – Glamnation Vol. 2 compilation (272 Records)
2004 – No Longer Attractive – LP (Cracked Piston Recordings)
2003 – Snake Oil Supercharm, a tribute to Zodiac Mindwarp & the Love Reaction compilation (Sleazegrinder Records)

Shared Stage with:
Loverboy, Kix, Sebastian Bach, Warrant, Jackyl, Slaughter, Stephen Pearcy, Sponge, Reverend Horton Heat, Blaze Bayley, Puddle of Mudd, Tantric, Fozy Shazam, Electric Frankenstein, The Hookers

Tours and Festivals:
2019 – Ribs-N-Rock Festival, Boardman, Ohio
2019 – It’s Only Rock Fest, Youngstown, Ohio
2018 – It’s Only Rock Fest, Youngstown, Ohio
2017 – It’s Only Rock Fest, Youngstown, Ohio
2009-2015 – Pabstolutely, Youngstown, Ohio

 

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