Black Label Society Release New Single, “My Dying Time”

If you play guitar then there is one man who stands out when talking about modern guitar playing, and that man is none other than former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, Zakk Wylde. Wylde fronts his own band, Black Label Society who have a large following, that they refer to as the “Black Label family.” Think about a  motor cycle club cross pollinated with the Kiss Army and that would be the “Black Label Family.”

Recently Wylde has been hunkered down in his home studio, The Black Vatican working on new music for the follow-up to 2010’s  Order  of The Black. Last week we got a first taste of this new music which will be released April 8th and be titled Catacombs of The Black Vatican. This new track is entitled “My Dying Time,” and let me tell you, it does not disappoint.

“My Time of Dying” starts with a very atmospheric type riff, and then a chugging guitar gets introduced. After this the rest of the band comes in and this track really takes off nicely. The vocals are very reminiscent of older Black Label Society Material, in fact they sound a lot like Wylde’s southern rock side project, Pride & Glory. The guitar playing in this song is spectacular, it is shredding, but is also melodic and most importantly fits the song well.

I can’t wait to see what Zakk and his crew have up their sleeves, but I’m sure of one thing, and that is that Black Label Society will put out a fantastic album.

Avenged Sevenfold’s New Track “Hail To The King”

Avenged Sevenfold are one of the biggest Metal bands of this generation, and have been since their 2005 album City of Evil where the band moved away from their Metalcore roots and moved to a more pure sound reminiscent of a Guns n’ Roses and Metallica hybrid. The band will be releasing their sixth album Hail to The King in August. Hail to the King will be the first album with new drummer Arin Ilejay who joined the band as a touring drummer in 2011 before becoming an official member in 2013.

Well now you can add another  couple bands that this band has taken influence from, and they are AC/DC and Iron Maiden. The intro to this song this sounds like AC/DC’s “Thunder Struck.” But this new track sounds like Maiden throughout the guitars yet has an Avenged Sevenfold feel due to the vocals provided by M. Shadows. who sounds excellent. This track moves at a steady clip, but could have been brought up several BPM. The guitar playing by Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengance is excellent. Lyrically M. Shadows is on par with many other metal vocalists and lyricists and this song has a very mature feel to it.

I can’t wait to see if this album will be good, or if it will be sub-par. The last album was spectacular, but 2007’s self titled was a pure flop.

-B. Harlow

Newsted Release New Song, “Heroic Dose”

Jason Newsted has been instrumental to the thrash scene since the mid 80’s when he played with one of the best underground thrash metal bands, Flotsam and Jetsam. Newsted then came to the forefront of thrash metal when he took the bass slot for Trash Metal’s forefathers, Metallica, after the tragic death of Cliff Burton. In 2001 Newsted left Metallica, after differences with both James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. After he left Metallica, he played in his band, Echobrain and played bass for a short period for Ozzy Osbourne. Newsted  then joined Voivod under the stage name, Jasonic.  In 2009, Newsted was present with Metallica when they were inducted into the Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

In the 3 years since the Rock and Roll induction ceremony, Newsted has been honing his sound for his latest project, Newsted. Newsted released Newsted was originally a metal three-piece that includes Newsted on bass and vocals, Jessie Farnsworth on guitar, and Jesus Mendez Jr.  Staind Guitarist Mike Mushock joined Newsted in March.

Recently the band released the first track from their upcoming debut album, Heavy Metal Music. The track is titled “Heroic Dose”  and runs at about five and a half minutes long.  It starts out nicely with a riff that reminded me of Testament, especially the vocals which reminded me of Chuck Billy. Newsted’s voice is great for thrash, and it’s a shame that it was barely used when he was in Metallica. Around the three and a half minute mark we get hit with great dueling solos, that really make this track stand out in extra ordinary fashion.

Be sure to check these guys out and look for new music from them this summer. They’ll be on tour with Megadeth this summer, so be sure to check them out if you’ll be attending Gigantour.

-B. Harlow 

August Burns Red Release New Track, “Spirit Breaker”

August Burns Red have been pushing metalcore’s boundaries for the last ten years, and in that time have released four spectacular albums of original content. The band is now ready to release their fifth studio album, Rescue & Restore, which was produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland, and will be released on June 25^th via Solid State Records.

Yesterday the band released a new track from the upcoming album entitled, “Spirit Breaker.” This track starts off with a slow instrumental, but you are then the full band kicks in, and then you get the full picture of the music at hand. The lyrics in this are very well thought out, especially the spoken word part provided by Jake Luhrs. The excellent guitar playing of both Brent Rambler and JB Brubaker is also represented well on this track, as it shows an excellent level of virtuosity especially when it comes to the spoken word part.

Overall this entire track is just a great performance by the band. Be sure to check this song out and the album out when it is released.

-B. Harlow

Listen HERE

Megadeth Release New Song “Kingmaker”

Megadeth have just released the latest track from their forthcoming album, Super Collider. Super Collider will be the bands second studio album with original bassist and founding member, David Ellefson. The record will also be the first on Mustaine’s new label, Tradecraft which is in an imprint on Universal Records and will be released June 4^th.  The song which is entitled “King Maker,” runs at about four minutes.

Musically, “King Maker” is very reminiscent of old school Megadeth circa Countdown to Extinction, but it also has a modern feel and sounds like it could go on the band’s 2008 release, Endgame. I particularly enjoyed Mustaine’s vocals throughout the track as he delivers verse after verse with his signature snarl.  Ellefson’s bass sounds tight and hold Chris Broderick and Mustaine’s riffs together sonically. Shawn Drover’s drums also sound tight especially the double bass which he implements subtly and with masterful ease.

-B. Harlow

Stone Temple Pilots Release New Song “Out of Time” Featuring Their New Vocalist, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park

On the list of things I thought I’d never say, I’d rank my next statement up high. Chester Bennington is a perfect fit for Stone Temple Pilots, and the new song they just released entitled, “Out of Time” is one of the best hard rock song that’s been released in a long time. Stone Temple Pilots who have been taking a break since firing original singer, Scott Weiland in February, are now back, and believe me when I say that they’re better than ever with this new track.

The new track sounds a lot like old school Stone Temple Pilots and Bennington’s voice sounds like it was modeled after Weiland’s, but it also sounds new and fresh, and more importantly it sounds incredibly raw opposed to when he’s singing in Linkin Park which his voice is heavily over produced. This sounds raw and ballsy. Dean DeLeo’s riffs sound great throughout this track and besides the vocals are the most notable thing on the song.

Definitely give this track a listen, as you can download it for free HERE

-B. Harlow

Black Sabbath Release First Song With Ozzy Osbourne on Vocals Since 1978! Our Review of “God Is Dead?”

Black Sabbath have released “God is Dead?” which is the band’s first single off their reunion album 13, which will be released June 11^th. It is also the first song the band has released with original front-man Ozzy Osbourne since 1978’s Never Say Die, the bands final album with the classic line-up. It is also the first song we’ve heard with the band’s new drummer, Brad Wilk (Rage Against The Machine.)

“God is Dead?” starts off with a slow instrumental section that sets the mood for the song. This then gets interrupted by one of Tony Iommi’s signature riffs. You can hear how tight the band is on this riff especially bassist Geezer Butler and Wilk. The slow meandering riff comes back again and with it we hear Ozzy’s vocals which sound excellent. Rick Rubin did a great job polishing Ozzy’s voice on this song, as it is spotless in performance. Butler’s bass is super punchy during the verse too which gives the song a certain movement that is different from Iommi’s guitar playing which is very smooth. The chorus comes in and this is when we hear Black Sabbath as it is meant to be heard with loud riffs. Around the 5:55 the song hits a bridge and this is by far my favorite song as it fits in with the band’s older material like “Hole In the Sky.”

All in all “God is Dead?” is a great track which is very modern sounding yet would fit in with Black Sabbath’s earlier material.  Be sure to check this song! You can Pre-order 13 here and get an instant download of the song of the new track!

B. Harlow

My Take on Brad Paisley’s “Accidentally Racist”

First of all I’d like to state that I feel music should have a message. I would also like to state that I like music that has a political message, but to me Brad Paisley’s “Accidentally Racist” ft. L.L. Cool J. makes a very akward statement. At first I thought this was comedy, but then I thought that it was probably a publicity stunt to promote Paisley’s new album, Wheelhouse which came out yesterday.

Here’s an honest review of the song. It’s a flop. It’s a terrible attempt at a political song based on history. The lyrics of the song are tacky.  “To the man that waited on me at the Starbucks down on Main, I hope you understand / When I put on that t-shirt, the only thing I meant to say is I’m a Skynyrd fan.”  Come on Paisley. What is that? Pure shit. LL Cool J’s lyrics aren’t any better like when he says  “RIP Robert E. Lee but I’ve gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean.” Another verse that is all together strange.

All in all a weird song.

Vanna Deliver on New Tracks, “The Few And The Far Between/ The Lost Art of Staying Alive”

Vanna has been prepping for the release of their new album, The Few and the Far Between, which will be relesead on March 19^th. The album which was produced by Jay Maas, will be the fourth studio album from the Boston-based band. It will also be the first album featuring Vanna’s new line-up after the departure of Evan Pharmakis and Chris Campbell. The new line-up sounds great and it is apparent that they are on top of their game, first with the release of the track “The Year of The Rat” and now with the release of “The Few And The Far Between/ The Lost Art of Staying Alive.”

“The Few and The Far Between” is a great intro track that starts out with a pounding drum beat and guitars that are very ambient with Davey Muise’s voice above the track. This continues until about the 1:30 mark when we start to hear the beginning of “The Lost Art of Staying Alive.” This song has a killer riff, and then Muise says ‘And it Begins,’ at this point the whole band comes in and delivers a bruising to the listeners ear drums. But this is why we love the MA based hardcore act because they always deliver a great product, and “The Lost Art of Staying Alive” is a great product.

-B. Harlow

Check out the Stream of the song HERE

Rob Zombie Releases New Song, “Dead City Radio and The New Gods of Supertown”

Rob Zombie is a creative man. In fact Rob Zombie is so creative that he has his foot in comics, film, and his first love music. This creative impulse makes him one of the greatest minds in the arts and makes both his careers successful. Zombie will be releasing his fifth feature-length film Lords of Salem in April, but he will be pulling duty. Yesterday Zombie announced that he will be putting out his 5^th solo album which will be titled Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor. Zombie also released the first single from the album, “Dead City Radio and The New Gods of Supertown.”

“Dead City Radio and The New Gods of Supertown” starts off with a sound sample that says “radio has changed our lives and possibly saved our lives” this repeats with a steady beat underneath. Eventually the whole band comes in, including the ringmaster of this crazy song, Rob Zombie. The first verse comes in and you can tell it is a Zombie song through and through, with the riffs with great grooves. The song then goes into a chorus that is very reminiscent of the Doors’ “The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)” it is evident of the influence right down to the 70’s style keyboards. None the less I like the song, especially the tight rhythm guitar playing of John 5.

Be sure to check out Zombie’s new record and movie when they come out!

-B. Harlow