Category: new releases

Vandalizer releases new EP Ride

Vandalizer’s new EP Ride is available now. Photo: Metal Assault Records

On Friday, New York City’s old-school punk, rock ‘n roll and heavy metal hybrid Vandalizer released their three-song EP Ride via Metal Assault Records. Mixing 1980’s New Wave Of British Heavy Metal with the sounds of ’70s Punk N’ Roll, Ride is one hell of a listen. Issued on cassette tape and on all digital platforms, Ride is available now in the format of your choice along with exclusive merchandise bundles. (Vandalizer, 2021)

Vandalizer first entered the scene with their debut EP New Curse in 2015, followed by the Desensitize EP in 2017. “Some people are kinda confused,” says Vandalizer mainspring Mike McWilliams. “‘Is it metal?’ It’s too punk to be metal, and it’s too metal to be punk. It’s kinda in the middle.”

The only reason anyone might scratch their head is if they know McWilliams’ past thumping bass guitar in old school punk bands ranging from Houston’s Teen Cool and Pure Rubbish to a stint in the U.S. Bombs in the ‘00s. But Vandalizer’s New Wave Of British Heavy Metal throwback sound has now become his focus, allowing his singing and guitar work to shine.

“I’ve never really done that before on any other albums,” he explains. “I’ve always been a songwriter and singer in pretty much every other band I’ve been in. But I’ve never been the front man nor the guitar player. This is my first stab at songwriting/playing guitar/singing in a band.”

The newly released EP amply displays’ McWilliams’ well-honed chops on every instrument apart from drums. Sacha Michaels manages the drums. Tracks like “Dream Hunter” and “Time Can’t Count” are full-on riff assaults that spark memories of classic Judas Priest. The title track is also a standout; an atmospheric, keyboard-drenched power ballad that mostly seethes, before reaching an explosive chorus. Ride makes a notable and instantly satisfying impression as the first release from Vandalizer on Metal Assault Records, while also leaving anticipation at an all-time high for their full length album already confirmed to follow in early 2022.

“Ride is the perfect soundtrack music for blasting in your ‘81 Camaro as you and your buddies execute smokin’ burnouts and pass around the hash pipe.” – Tim Stegall, Alternative Press magazine

Vandalizer is:
Mike McWilliams: Vocals/Guitar
Stosh McMichael: Drums/Backup Vocals
Sam Harris: Bass/Backup Vocals

Ride track listing:
1. Time Can’t Count
2. Dream Hunter
3. A Ride Home

Sam Weber announces new album Get Free

Sam Weber’s new album Get Free will be out February 4, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Sam Weber has already logged more miles as a gigging musician than most of his peers will in a lifetime, earning enviable accolades along the way. He first picked up the guitar at age 12 to form a rock ’n’ roll band with his father and brother in the living room of their family home. Sixteen years later, having collaborated with Grammy winners and with extensive international tours under his belt, the Canadian-born Los Angeleno goes forth with the same intention and mantra as when he began: “Music is an emotional conduit between people and allows us the opportunity to share moments of truth and unity. In an age where the ritual of music-making can be a solitary exercise, I want to live my life to remind everyone that playing music as a communal and spontaneous practice can be healing and powerful.” His new album Get Free will be out February 4, 2022 via Sonic Unyon Records. (Sam Weber, 2021)

Sam Weber’s storied exodus from his homeland of Canada to find new footing and opportunity in America resonates like a classic story of pain, loss, and rebirth. That narrative thread is woven throughout his new record, Get Free, offering a warm, intimate, and multidimensional portrait of the 28-year-old singer-songwriter. With this new collection of material, Weber reaches fresh emotional depths, commanding more expressive personal moments than ever before—at times within the margins of a single verse. Weber gave fans an early look into Get Free ahead of its February 4 release with “Money,” a breezy, piano-meets-fuzz bass rocker seemingly about what it means to grow up and be faced with the need to leave Neverland—or at least the non-fictional equivalent of it. Fans can hear “Money” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Get Free ahead of its release right here. Weber also recently shared with his fans a lyric video for album track “Here’s To The Future.”

Following the success of 2019’s Everything Comes True—which was recorded live-off-the-floor in the iconic B room at Hollywood’s Ocean Way Studios—Weber ended up taking a necessarily-different route with Get Free. “I wrote most of this music before the lockdown happened,” he says. “We wanted to go into another beautiful L.A. studio with another super band to record these new songs, but when all the plugs got pulled, we were sort of left holding nothing but the material. My partner Mallory Hauser was keen to rally and share production duties with me to make the most of what we had, which was liberating somehow: to have this logistical ceiling on how we could record or approach these songs in our living room. We were forced to be as creative as possible with what we had. I think it was the best thing that could have happened to us.” Mallory Hauser is a solo artist in her own right, performing and releasing music under the name Mal. The two met in Los Angeles in 2018.

Weber and Hauser tapped Grammy-nominated engineer Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Bahamas) to mix the album, having collaborated with him on the Juno-nominated Bahamas album Sad Hunk. “I really love [Get Free], don’t get me wrong…but it sort of sounds janky…in a good way! Because our only option was to make it in our house, it gave us permission to let it be what was going to be and not get wrapped up in the details, and in turn, I think that allowed the veil between the performances and the hearts of each song to be very thin. Robbie sort of saved the record fidelity-wise; we gave him some questionable rough mixes with the room mics cranked up so loud. What we got back sounded way rad.”

Certain songs contain a particular sense of grandness across Weber’s recorded catalog. Moments that feel lofty, yet devoid of pretentiousness. With more of these moments present and tangible on Get Free than any other of his releases, the listener can effectively observe Sam’s emancipation. With this record, he assumes a creative identity unique to himself.

2022-02-04T13:38:00

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Barry Waldrep honors Tony Rice with all-star tribute album

Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice is due out December 24, 2021. Photo: google

Barry Waldrep is an American Bluegrass, Jam Band, Americana instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and record producer who co-founded the bluegrass/jam band Rollin’ in the Hay in July 1993. Rollin’ In The Hay soon became a full-time band touring the Jam Band circuit of festivals and college campuses across the country until May 2009. The band produced 7 CDs and performed over 300 dates per year for 16 years. During this time, Waldrep recorded 21 bluegrass tribute albums with CMH Records in Los Angeles for Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Phish, R.E.M., Tim McGraw, The Allman Brothers, Neil Diamond, and others. He was also featured on the CD Masterworks of American Bluegrass also produced by CMH Records. (Barry Waldrep, 2021)

In the era of modern music, describing anybody as the “greatest of all time” is usually met with resistance—if for no other reason than the ever-evolving tastes of both musicians and fans—but if the topic is bluegrass guitar players, there is a universally correct answer to “who’s the best;” the late, great Tony Rice. Rice was one of the most influential, inventive, and beloved musicians in all of bluegrass and Americana music and after he passed away in late 2020, his songs and stylings continue to live on in the musicians he inspired. This year, on the one-year anniversary of Rice’s passing, bluegrass instrumentalist and producer Barry Waldrep will be releasing a tribute to Mr. Rice with the 21-song, special-guest loaded Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice. When looking through Waldrep’s list of friends, it is apparent how far Rice’s music reached beyond just bluegrass. Americana greats Rodney Crowell and Jim Lauderdale and Jam-band royalty Warren Haynes and Oteil Burbridge make appearances alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Spooner Oldham and Patrick Simmons and country superstars Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. And that is just a fraction of who has contributed to this celebration of the music of Tony Rice. Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice will be available everywhere on December 24 and can be pre-ordered or pre-saved now at this link.

“Music knows no boundaries and Tony created so many great examples of that. When you cross the line of other genres, that’s when you expand the audience and turn people on to other styles that they would not normally be interested in. The intent of this album and the artists involved is to show what a powerhouse master Tony Rice was at bringing musicians and fans together from different genres.” – Barry Waldrep

A full list of contributors is below and more information is available online.

Featured artists: Jimmy Hall, Rodney Crowell, Darrell Scott, Marty Raybon, Mike Farris, Kim Richey, Warren Haynes, Vince Gill, Radney Foster, Teresa Williams & Larry Campbell, Jim Lauderdale, John Berry, Patrick Simmons, John Paul White, Jacob Bunton, John Jorgenson, Rory Feek, Donna Hall & Kelli Johnson, and John Cowan.

Musicians: Barry Waldrep, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Rogers, Andrea Zonn, Aubrey Haynie, Bryan Hall, Caelan Berry, Spooner Oldham, Oteil Burbridge, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, Jason Bailey, Bryn Davies, Scott Vestal, Benji Shanks, Dillon Hodges, and Heidi Feek.

Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice track list:
Why You Been Gone So Long – Featuring Jimmy Hall
Song For The Life – Featuring Rodney Crowell
10 Degrees and Getting Colder – Featuring Darrell Scott
Blue Railroad Train – Featuring Marty Raybon
Walk On Boy – Featuring Mike Farris
Early Morning Rain – Featuring Kim Richey
Wayfaring Stranger – Featuring Warren Haynes
I’ll Stay Around – Featuring Vince Gill
Song For A Winter Night – Featuring Radney Foster
EMD – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, John Jorgenson and John Cowan
You Were There For Me – Featuring Teresa Williams and Larry Cambell
Church Street Blues – Featuring Jim Lauderdale
This Old House – Featuring John Berry
9 Pound Hammer – Featuring Pat Simmons
Four Strong Winds – Featuring John Paul White
More Pretty Girls Than One – Featuring Jacob Bunton
Summer Wages – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, Spooner Oldham
It’s Cold On The Shoulder – Featuring John Jorgenson
Bury Me Beneath The Willow – Featuring Rory Feek
Where The Soul Never Dies – Featuring Donna Hall and Kelli Johnson
Me And My Guitar – Featuring John Cowan

Courtesy photo, used with permission.
2021-12-24T14:41:00

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Movie adaptation: ‘The Quiet Boy’ by Nick Antosca

Antlers will be released on Friday October 29, 2021. Photo: google

Nick Antosca is an American film and television writer, producer, and novelist. He is the creator and showrunner of the horror anthology television series Channel Zero. He co-created the Hulu true crime limited series The Act (2019) and the Netflix horror drama limited series Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021). His short story “The Quiet Boy” was originally published in Guernica magazine in 2019 and is being adapted into the movie Antlers, a supernatural horror film directed by Scott Cooper and produced by Guillermo del Toro. It will be released in theaters on Friday October 29, 2021 and stars Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, and Amy Madigan.

Movie premise: Julia Meadows (Keri Russell), a school teacher in a small town in Oregon, and her brother, Paul (Jesse Plemons), the local sheriff, become concerned about one of her students, a young boy named Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T. Thomas) who is secretly keeping a supernatural creature inside his house. (Wikipedia, 2021)

“The Quiet Boy” – But there was no Goldilocks in this story. There were only Wolfs, who lived together in a cave above a town. Big Wolf, Middle Wolf, and Little Wolf. Big Wolf was a brute. Little Wolf was timid. Middle Wolf was the peacemaker. (goodreads, 2021)

The Steel Wheels announce new album Everyone A Song, Vol. 2

The Steel Wheels’ Everyone A Song, Vol. 2 will be out November 5, 2021. Photo: The Steel Wheels

The Steel Wheels have long been at home in the creative space between tradition and innovation, informed by the familiar sounds of the Virginia mountains where the band was formed, but always moving forward with insightful lyrics and an evolving sound. Over thousands of shows at the world’s most prestigious festivals, listening rooms, and clubs, the stubbornly independent band has formed deep bonds with each other and the audience that sustains them. (The Steel Wheels, 2021)

Of all the ways to deliver music to fans amidst a global pandemic, The Steel Wheels took a very clever—and quite intimate—approach. With their signature blend of Appalachian Americana stylings, The Steel Wheels’ primary songwriter Trent Wagler began crowdsourcing personal experiences of fans and forging them into songs in 2020. The project quickly became an avenue for fans of the band to commission works and send musical greetings to their loved ones as well, and the initiative sparked a surprisingly impactful and intimate songwriting process. Eventually, the band released a batch of their new tunes as a full-length record, Everyone A Song, Vol. 1., much to the delight of fans and critics alike.

On November 5, the band will once again open the treasure chest of these special songs with Everyone A Song, Vol. 2. Each song on Vol. 2 was commissioned for a specific relationship or event—a birth, a wedding, a memory of home—yet the emotions evoked are universal. Building on the body of work begun with Vol. 1, the 9 songs of Vol. 2 also have an identity of their own, with themes that reflect the zeitgeist of a country dealing with tragedy and unsettling change. Fans can pre-order or pre-save Everyone A Song, Vol. 2 right here and can visit the band’s merch shop here. And for those who have not heard Vol. 1, it can be streamed here.

Lead off track and first single “Where I’m From” introduces a tension between nostalgia and progress while highlighting the band’s deft balance of traditional instrumentation and driving rhythm. Commissioned for an old Catholic school in Chicago, the song paints a tangible picture of home. The image of slanted floors in the old church building are framed by low-tuned, fretless banjo, a smile-inducing drum groove, and a soaring fiddle solo. The music video for “Where I’m From” is out now and can be viewed at this link.

The Steel Wheels are heading back out on tour this month. A full list of tour dates is available online.

Catch The Steel Wheels On Tour:
November 4 – Rocky Mount, VA – The Harvester
November 5 – Bridgewater, VA – Sipe Center
November 6 – Norfolk, VA – Roper Performing Arts Center
December 1 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
December 2 – Chattanooga, TN – Arts Avenue
December 3 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre w/ Acoustic Syndicate
December 4 – Raleigh, NC – Motorco
December 5 – Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java

Everyone A Song, Vol. 2 Track list:
1. Where I’m From
2. Time Is All I Need
3. Mark On Me
4. Memories In Mind
5. Adventures Of Grace And Henry
6. Lifeline
7. Where Our Future Begins
8. It’s Your Fault
9. Lullaby

The Infamous Stringdusters announce new record Toward the Fray

Toward the Fray will be out February 18, 2022 and is available for pre-order now. Photo: google

The Infamous Stringdusters is a progressive acoustic/bluegrass band who first emerged in 2006 and consists of members Andy Hall (dobro), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (bass). The “Dusters” won three awards at the IBMAs in October 2007 for Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for Fork in the Road), and Song of the Year for the album’s title track. The band was also nominated at the IBMAs in 2017 for Entertainer of the Year. In 2011, “Magic No. 9” (from Things That Fly) was nominated for the Best Country Instrumental Performance at the 2011 Grammys, while in 2018 the band won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album for Laws of Gravity. (The Infamous Stringdusters, 2021)

Grammy and IBMA award-winners The Infamous Stringdusters continue to make their unmistakable mark on modern bluegrass and Americana music. In addition to the band hosting this year’s IMBA Awards, band member Jeremy Garret won for Instrumental Recording of the Year for his part in a Jon Weisberger-produced super-group performance of Earl Scruggs’ classic “Ground Speed.”

For every Dusters loyalist thinking, “Congrats on the award and great job hosting last night, but we want some new music,” the wait is over. The band has just announced a brand new, full-length album, Toward the Fray, to be released on February 18, 2022, on Americana Vibes via Regime Music Group. Toward the Fray follows the band’s critically acclaimed homage to the father of bluegrass, A Tribute to Bill Monroe, and is their first studio album of all original material since 2019’s Rise Sun. “It’s been fun to explore a little bit of The Dusters’ darker side for this album,” says band member Andy Hall, giving fans a slight hint at things to come. “Sometimes the times call for some serious reflection, and these songs really hit home. Get ready to go deep with us!”

Fans can digitally pre-order or pre-save Toward the Fray now at this link or pre-order physical copies and album-centric merch right here.

The Infamous Stringdusters are grateful to be back on tour with upcoming dates at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, House of Blues New Orleans, and Denver’s Mission Ballroom—just to name a few. A full list of dates is below and ticket information is available online.

Catch The Infamous Stringdusters on tour:
November 12 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom
November 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room
November 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room
November 16- Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater
November 17 – Jackson, WY – Center for the Arts
November 18 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
November 19 – Bozeman, MT – Elm
November 20 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma

New movie release: Escape from Death Block 13

Escape from Death Block 13 will be available On Demand and DVD this November. Courtesy photos, used with permission.

Robert Bronzi (Death Kiss, Cry Havoc) stars in the action-packed Escape from Death Block 13, which will be available On Demand November 2 and On DVD on November 23, 2021. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2021)

After the death of his brother, Mick Kovacs travels to America to seek justice. Framed for attempted murder, he is sent to the notorious Pleasant Hill Penitentiary where survival is an everyday struggle. Seeking revenge after discovering the truth behind his brother’s death, Mick’s rage ignites an explosive riot as he makes a daring escape.

Nicholas Turturro, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Chris Hahn, Debbie Scaletta, Lyindaa Russell, Time Lovelace, Beau Roberts, Justin Hawkins, David Greathouse, Richard Napoli, Leo Mcnamee, Mickey Scodova, Kenny H. Hendrix, Jacob Southwick, Jimmy Lee, and Bryan Jones star in a Gary Jones film.

Escape from Death Block 13 trailer

Movie review: Demigod

Demigod is coming to theaters and On Demand on Friday, October 15, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Just in time for the Halloween season, Demigod, starring Rachel Nichols, Jeremy London, and Elena Sanchez opens nationwide in theaters and On Demand on Friday, October 15, 2021. Upon the death of her grandfather, a woman and her husband return to her birthplace in Germany’s Black Forest, only to find a terrifying secret awaits them. Directed by Miles Doleac. (Demigod, 2021)

After her grandfather dies, Robin (Rachel Nichols) and her husband Leo (Yohance Myles) travel to Germany to return to her childhood home in the Black Forest. She grew up there surrounded by the wonders of the forest and has memories of spending time with her grandfather. The more time she spends there, the clearer those memories become and they are not all pleasant ones. Soon after, a group of local witches captures the couple and they, along with other captured locals, become part of an ancient hunting ritual meant to appease Cernunnos. Cernunnos was an ancient Celtic god who represented nature, flora and fauna, and fertility. He is frequently depicted in Celtic art wearing stag antlers or horns and usually a torc around his neck.

Demigod is a horror movie composed mostly of suspenseful horror instead of the type of horror that scares people and haunts them after the movie is over. The Black Forest is the perfect location for this type of dark movie that centers around witches, a demigod, and winter solstice rituals. It also provides excellent cinematography that envelops the action and makes it come alive. Cernunnos’ dark red eyes stand out against the bleak background for dramatic purposes. Having a group of people struggling to survive reveals the strength of the human survival instinct and how far they are willing to go to protect a loved one. Prepare for a plot twist at the end.

Overall, Demigod is entertaining, suspenseful, and at times creepy. The violence is not too graphic, which might otherwise turn off more sensitive viewers. At only an hour and a half long, the story is short and to the point. There is some German dialogue with subtitles.

Digital platforms: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Xbox/Microsoft, Comcast/Xfinity, and more.
Demigod, 2021
1 hr. 35 min.

*The author received an opportunity to pre-screen this movie for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Cernunnos. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Maja Francis’ debut full length album A Pink Soft Mess

Maja Francis brings Swedish emo country pop to the forefront with debut full-length album A Pink Soft Mess. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

In taking a step back from her signature synth-laden, sparkling pop music, Swedish singer and songwriter Maja Francis rediscovered her roots—and her piano—while writing songs for her full-length debut album A Pink Soft Mess. Released worldwide last month, A Pink Soft Mess finds the daughter of a record store owner embracing her melancholy and emotional country-pop sound which matches brilliantly with the album’s shimmering pink design themes—fitting for an artist often described as “Emo Dolly Parton.” Recorded with and produced by Johannes Runemark and David Wikberg together with Maja Francis, A Pink Soft Mess can be streamed or purchased right now at this link. (Maja Francis, 2021)

A Pink Soft Mess opens with the previously released single, “Anxious Angel,” which fans may have heard on Netflix’s acclaimed series Love & Anarchy. “This song is to all my fellow anxious angels,” says Francis. “To make us feel less lonely.” “Tiny Tornados” comes next; the first song Francis wrote on her way back to loving music again. “I opened up to fall in love with writing songs and singing them again,” she recalls of the writing of “Tiny Tornados.” “It’s also kind of a tribute to my ADHD, and how it feels to live with the constant ups and downs.” Also included is a stellar cover of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work,” a song which has always made Francis “feel physical sensations.” “I love when music does that to you. Like…shakes you around like a snow globe,” she says. “I think Kate wrote this song for a movie about birth from a man’s perspective. But for me it’s about loss. Losing someone or yourself—and how painful that is.”

Album single “PMS Party” is the low-key women’s anthem of the year. “I’m having a PMS party and nobody’s invited / I wanna be lonely and do whatever I want.” “I wrote ‘PMS Party’ on a moody PMS day, it’s the fastest song I’ve ever written,” recalls Francis. “I didn’t know if the boys in the studio would get it but I took it with me the next day, they loved it and after a while I found them in a room singing ‘pms party’ backing vocals.” The final single from A Pink Soft Mess, “Mama,” is an unreleased collaboration with Johanna and Klara Söderberg—better known as First Aid Kit. A tribute to Francis’s mother, “Mama” is about feeling a mom’s love and learning how to reciprocate it. “Now that I’m all grown up, I understand so much more about her struggles and her pain, and I also see so much of myself in her,” says Francis about her “mama.” Fans should also stay tuned for an upcoming music video for “Mama.”

When it is all said and done, A Pink Soft Mess is distinctive, emotional, personal, the result of a variety of strong sources of inspiration, experiences, and collaborations. With this new material, Francis has abandoned the world where music creation is captivated by demands and expectations and where commercial success becomes the only significant point of assessment. Now, when Francis returns with her new music, it comes straight from the heart.

A Pink Soft Mess Track list:
1. Anxious Angel
2. Tiny Tornados
3. PMS Party
4. Mama (ft. First Aid Kit)
5. Lava Love
6. This Woman’s Work
7. Lucky
8. Emo Butterfly
9. How Are We Doing

October releases from Metal Assault Records

Zych’s Dante’s Inferno Part I will be released on October 22, 2021. Photo: Metal Assault Records.

Happy October, heavy metal fans! Here are this month’s upcoming new releases from Metal Assault Records. (Metal Assault Records, 2021)

ZYCH
Solo artist Zych’s eponymous debut album, the epic progressive power masterpiece Dante’s Inferno Part I, will be released October 22 via Metal Assault Records. The album’s second single “Canto V – Lust” is now live, along with an awe-inspiring guitar play through video. Pre-orders for the album (digital, CD, merch bundles) are available now.

Dante’s Inferno Part I will begin a series of solo albums dedicated to the poetry of Dante Alighieri. Unlike other albums based on Dante’s Inferno, this album goes in-depth into each canto. The album is nearly 70 minutes long with eight intense songs (No fillers). This is a progressive metal album that drops the boundaries between all genres. Every track takes on its own direction with an all-star musical cast of internationally well-known musicians. Also included for each song will be a work from a well-established visual artist. This is a heavy metal soundscape as you read the first eight cantos of The Inferno.

Dante’s Inferno Part I track listing:
1. Canto I – Overture (8:56)
2. Canto II – Gates Of Sorrow (5:23)
3. Canto III – All Hope Abandon (8:27)
4. Canto IV – Limbo (10:04)
5. Canto V – Lust (6:37)
6. Canto VI – The Gluttonous (8:24)
7. Canto VII – The Avaricious & The Wrathful (9:08)
8. Canto VIII – Into the Depths of Hell (11:21)
Total Runtime: 1:08:20

DAEMONELIX
A collaboration between musicians from the US, Canada, Australia and Spain, Daemonelix will release their four-track stomper Devil’s Corkscrew on October 15, 2021 via Metal Assault Records. Engineered and mixed by bassist / rhythm guitarist Derek W. Phillips and mastered by the prolific Maor Appelbaum (Candlemass, Armored Saint, Faith No More, Halford, Dream Theater and several others), Devil’s Corkscrew will be released on digipack CD and digital platforms. CDs, merch bundles and digital downloads are now available for pre-order.

Exhibiting a wide range of influences from Black Sabbath to Tool to Clutch to Lamb Of God and everything in between, Daemonelix has created a sound that is as unique as it is instantly identifiable. Devil’s Corkscrew hits the listener hard with elements of doom, death and groove metal, among several other styles and sub-genres within the heavy music spectrum. Romanian artist Mihai Manescu a.k.a. Obsidian Nibs designed the cover art for Devil’s Corkscrew.

Devil’s Corkscrew track listing:
1. Daemonelix (3:57)
2. Raise Crows (3:37)
3. In the Name of Freedom (5:02)
4. Sing For The Moon (5:58)

Daemonelix is:
Vocals – Ana Garcia Lopez (Spain)
Bass / Guitar – Derek W. Phillips (USA)
Drums – Pat Labuda (Canada)
Lead Guitar – Andrew Luddy (Australia)

ABSOLUM
Louisiana heavy metal band Absolum will unleash their debut album Grand Design October 15 via Metal Assault Records. The album’s second single + video “Black To Red” is now live, and pre-orders for the album (digital, CD, merch bundle) are now available. Tearing through the confines a single sub-genre; Absolum bellows with aggression and groove on Grand Design. Thick, heavy and thrashy, Absolum exhibits a broad range of talent across each track while maintaining their distinctly Louisiana metal vibe throughout the album.

Grand Design track listing:
1. Believer (4:09)
2. Grand Design (3:48)
3. Chemical Abyss (3:29)
4. Black to Red (5:34)
5. The Apath (2:58)
6. Exordium (3:26)
7. Thin Skin (2:43)
8. Bloodlust (4:07)

Total Runtime: 30:14

VANDALIZER
New York City heavy rock ‘n rollers Vandalizer will release their three-song spinner Ride on October 29, 2021 on Metal Assault Records. The anticipated EP is available to pre-order now and will be issued on cassette tape and on all digital platforms. Pre-orders include exclusive merch bundles in addition to the release format of your choice, available now.

On Ride, Vandalizer mixes 1980s NWOBHM with the sounds of ’70s Punk N’ Roll for an exhilarating listen. Stream the EP’s lead single “Time Can’t Count” originally premiered September 3 and is now on YouTube. Vandalizer first entered the scene with their debut EP New Curse in 2015, followed by the Desensitize EP in 2017, giving listeners concise doses of exactly what they describe themselves as – a thoroughly enjoyable hybrid of old-school punk, rock ‘n roll and heavy metal.

VANDALIZER is:
Mike McWilliams: Vocals/Guitar
Stosh McMichael: Drums/Backup Vocals
Sam Harris: Bass/Backup Vocals