The latest from Australia’s CROSSON, Ready, Aim…Rock! is a fun album full of ’80s influenced hair metal, and anthems. Lots of great rock and riffs here, such as “Fallen From Grace”, “One Way Love Affair”, and the title track. Lots of thought put in to the whole production with big intros, choruses, and solos, and backing vocals, check out tracks like “United”, “Take On The World”, and lighter cuts like “The Way It Is”. Well worth checking out!
*for more info check out the bio below, as well as the clips I’ve included, and links…
If it’s fist- pumping, uplifting, catchy stadium rock anthems that you are looking for, then it’s time to turn it up to eleven as Aussie Theatrical Glam Rockers CROSSON return all-guns blazing, with their sixth studio album Ready, Aim…. Rock !! Once again mixed by legendary U.S engineer / producer Duane Baron (Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Poison) and mastered by U.S mastering giant Dave Donnelly (Aerosmith, KISS, Whitesnake), Ready, Aim…. Rock !! punches you in the face from the opening chords and erupts with ten infectiously catchy, highly addictive rock tunes.
Writer, vocalist and producer Jason Crosson stated: ” ‘Ready Aim .. Rock !!’ is definitely the most sophisticated and mature CROSSON album to date. It still includes the catchy, stadium rock anthems that you’d expect, but being careful not to repeat ourselves and also grow musically, my admiration and respect for Jim Steinman ( writer for Meat Loaf / Bonnie Tyler) was channeled during the writing process which can be heard on songs like ‘United’, ‘The Way It Is & ‘Love Is Endless’ .
The album was tracked in Sydney at 3By3 Studios and introduces guitar virtuoso Marko Rado, whose solos will definitely raise eyebrows. The band’s long term live drummer Kyle Barr, provides an explosive backbeat, whilst the Queen-esq backing harmonies send chills down the listener’s spine.
Directed and edited by Lord Tim (Lord), the first video from the album, ‘United’, shows CROSSON in all their glory unleashing their electrifying, energetic, choreographed stage moves while showing the band’s history with archival footage. The second video ‘Fallen From Grace’ depicts a horror movie setting with the CROSSON dancers appearing as fallen angels and casting their demonic spell over the band that transforms them into rock ‘n roll demons.
CROSSON will commence their Australian National tour in October with Sweden’s Crashdiet and Australia’s Sisters Doll.
Finnish heavy metal band Thy Row will celebrate the one-year anniversary of their debut albumUnchained with the release of a limited edition vinyl along with a brand new digital single entitled “Blue Blood”, a cover of one of the biggest hits by the biggest Japanese metal band of all time X Japan. The band comments:
“We were so proud of how our debut album turned out, that we knew that it deserved a vinyl release with a bonus track as well as a brand new vinyl master. The bonus track which was initially released only in Japan is a cover of the country’s biggest ever metal band X Japan. We’ve had a ton of fun performing the song ‘Blue Blood’ live multiple times, and while recording ‘Unchained’ we decided to record that one as well! The result is energetic and heavy, just as the speed metal classic should be! Join us and our wonderful label Rockshots Records who were open to realizing these wishes in celebrating the one-year anniversary of our first album, and we hope you enjoy what we have to offer with these releases!”
The vinyl was mastered by Svante Forsbäck (Rammstein, Volbeat) at Chartmakers Studios, and will be released together with the digital single ‘Blue Blood (X Japan Cover)’ on October 7th, 2022. Recommended for fans of The Scorpions, Megadeth, and Queen, Thy Row’s vinyl of Unchained is available for pre-order at – bit.ly/ThyRowVINYL
Founded in 2017, Thy Row made their first entry on the Finnish scene with their 2019 independently released self-titled EP. The record’s lead single “The Round” reached over 110K streams on Spotify and added to the EP’s overall praise that gave the group the opportunity to tour Japan in 2019 with Beast In Black and Swallow The Sun.
Following the success of that EP, Thy Row’s offered up their first full-length, a fresh mix of the finest heavy metal with modern hard rock that every metalhead can bang their heads to. With ten tracks, there are lots of great melodies spiced up with shakin’ riffs that are sure to encourage fans to turn up their stereo knobs all the way to eleven and enjoy.
Unchainedfeatures guest artists Ben Varon (Oceanhoarse, ex-Amoral), Ilja Jalkanen (Raskasta Joulua, Kiuas), and Teemu Mäntysaari (Wintersun, Smackbound) plus was mixed by Jussi Kraft (Starkraft Studio) and partly by Nino Laurenne (Sonic Pump Studios).
Thy Rowis: Mikael Salo – Vocals Jussi Laulainen – Guitar Ville Vase – Guitar Juho Jokimies – Bass Teemu “Snake” Laitinen Drums
From Finland, Serpico (great name!) has released their 3rd full album – The Chosen Four (cool album cover by Rauli Mard) . A fun set of somewhat ’80s influenced hard rockers. Cool lead off track “Riverbanks” reminds me of early ’80s Kiss (especially that intro). Lots of ‘rock’ here, via anthems “Rock Your Brain”, “I Am A Rocker”, and “Holy Rocks Outta Body” (the latter featuring a nice Chuck Berry sounding inspired intro). All guitar driven rockers, No keyboards! Best cuts being “Midnight Cowboy” and the heavy power ballad “Dark Energy”.
*For more info check out the press bio below …
Finnish rockers Serpico released their latest album “The Chosen Four” this July 1st, via Rockshots Records. The album was produced by platinum-selling Finnish record producer Anssi Kippo (Children of Bodom, Hanna Pakarinen, Teräsbetoni).
“Warmth of full analog sound is the key word on this particular record. There are many things you have been missing out on in music and in the listening experience, I think. We hope fans will pay full attention to the album and go along with the music. I must say there is no way back from the world of analog recording once you step into it. This is the way we are going to do it from this moment on.” adds vocalist Vee Dour.
“People will definitely notice its high quality in songs, production, the sound & versatility if comparing to nowadays, dull sound world n’ song arrangements. Also, there’s a big difference when doing it all by full analog session, which we did. So, it’s gonna stand out pretty easily from the masses, I think. Although I hope so.” also adds drummer Jani Serpico.
Since Serpico‘s inception in 2005, they have released two full-lengths “Rose Tattoo” (2018), ‘Shallow Mistress” (2014), and an EP “Bad Commercial” (2011) along with touring all over Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and England. The band is genuine and unique Rock n’ Roll with big respect for the classic titans.
SERPICO is: Vee Dour – Lead Vocals / Snake – Lead guitars & backing vocals / Andy – Bass & backing vocals / Jani Serpico – Drums & backing vocals.
Tracklisting: 1. Riverbanks 2. Midnight Cowboy 3. Rock Your Brain 4. I Am A Rocker 5. Dark Energy 6. Silent Love 7. Smokin’ Hot Mama 8. Holy Rocks Outta Body 9. The Last Days Of Monopoly
Austin, Texas based doom-metal act SPIRIT ADRIFT release their 5th album – 20 Centuries Gone. The band started as a project by guitarist/songwriter Nathan Garrett over a decade ago. 20 Centuries Gone features 2 original tracks and 6 covers. The 2 new tracks lead off the disc, “Sorcerer’s Fate” is a good lead off rocker, with influences of Iron Maiden and Metallica, followed by “Mass Formation Psychosis”, which is a bit more dark, and a bit of more of a Sabbath or Black Label Society feel, but dig the guitar sound here. Of the others , I am not much of a fan of a few bands covered, but I do like the band’s take on Thin Lizzy’s “Waiting For An Alibi” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Poison Whiskey” – nicely done! The band’s own songs are the most interesting here, so interested in hearing more of the catalogue.
*for more info and see press release & tracklisting below…
Photo credit: Dave Creaney
SPIRIT ADRIFT expand their prolific catalogue with “20 Centuries Gone”, a collection of two new original songs and six cover songs that span the timeline of the band’s most foundational influences. Featuring artwork by Brian Mercer (Lamb of God, High on Fire, Mastodon), and mixed by Zeuss (Overkill, Crowbar, Municipal Waste), this release is a powerful journey through the past, present, and future of trad-metal’s most exciting new band.
Available on August 19th via Century Media, “20 Centuries Gone” sees SPIRIT ADRIFT put their trademark swagger on classics from Type O Negative, Pantera, Metallica, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd..
SPIRIT ADRIFT mastermind Nate Garrett comments: “I always thought it would be a cool experience to record some songs by bands that are foundational to the DNA of SPIRIT ADRIFT. These choices are obvious and on the nose to me, but maybe unexpected to the fans. That made the whole thing a lot of fun. A band like Lynyrd Skynyrd might not be the first thing you think of when considering SPIRIT ADRIFT’s influences, so the task for me became figuring out how to honor these great songs, but in the distinct SPIRIT ADRIFT style. To make the whole thing even more special, I channeled these influences and wrote a couple of new songs to kick things off.”
Regarding the band’s own track “Sorcerer’s Fate”, Garret continues, “When I wrote this one, I was obsessing over the film director William Friedkin. I’ve been a fan of his since I saw ‘The Exorcist’ as a kid, but when I discovered the documentary ‘Leap of Faith’, it sparked a much deeper interest in the man and his process. I started watching as many of his interviews as I could find, and I read his autobiography which was just amazing. Friedkin’s life and art are inseparable. His human experience, search for higher truth, and borderline-psychotic level of obsession/perfectionism all coalesce into his artwork. I relate to that on a profound level. This song is about our search for purpose, and humanity’s struggle to understand ‘the mysteries of faith and fate.’ Musically, I would say it’s one of our heaviest and most straightforward songs. Inspired equally by New Orleans sludge, flipped-cap crossover, and Scandinavian metal, but with the distinct SPIRIT ADRIFT sound and approach.”
Track listing: 1. Sorcerer’s Fate 2. Mass Formation Psychosis 3. Everything Dies (Type O Negative) 4. Hollow (Pantera) 5. Escape (Metallica) 6. Waiting for an Alibi (Thin Lizzy) 7. Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings (ZZ Top) 8. Poison Whiskey (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
The band is currently on tour, check out their website for dates.
Sweden’s LUGNET have recorded 3 albums; including their brand new album – Tales From The Great Beyond, which will be released on August 26. Over the past few years the band went through a few changes, and their new album will appeal to classic hard rock and metal fans, with heavy influences of Rainbow, Sabbath, and a few ’80s metal acts. (*Check out my review in a previous post) . In this new interview bandmembers – (Johan Fahlberg, Lennart “Z” Zethzon, Matti Norlin, Fredrik Jansson-Punkka, and Micke Linder) answer my questions pertaining to the band’s previous work, influences, and most importantly about their excellent new disc Tales From The Great Beyond.
*Check out more on the band at the links below….
How was reaction to the band’s previous 2 albums, and what did you want to do [perhaps] differently on the new album?
Lennart Zethzon: Overall the reaction has been very good for the first two albums. What we might have lacked a bit is in the production part. For the third album we decided to focus more on the recording and mixing. We also wanted to record with the whole band at the same time to get a live feeling. For the first two albums we only recorded Drums and Bass at the same time.
Where did the band’s name come from – what is the meaning behind it?
Jansson Punkka: There is a small area close to where we had our first rehearsal space called Lugnet. Our old guitarist Bonden suggested it and it stuck. It means calm in Swedish. Oh the irony…
Can you guys tell me about the band’s last few years since 2019’s Nightwalker album — what’s changed in the band? And was the new album conceived and written during the pandemic?
Jansson Punkka: When the pandemic hit we were lucky enough not to have that much booked so we spent a year writing and arranging songs instead. We also got a new guitar player called Micke Linder that joined us in 2019.
The title Tales From The Great Beyond might suggest some sort of concept of stories [storyline]. Why the album title? and is there any themes or concept to this new album?
Jansson Punkka: No not really, the title just came to me one day, thought it sounded nice and majestic and fitting for the music. Could be the title of an old novel.
There is definitely a ’70s hard rock feel / sound to this album. Was there any sorta deliberate approach to make it sound a bit old school?
Jansson Punkka: We have always sounded like this so it wasn’t like we planned it. In fact I would say that we might be leaning a bit towards the early 80’s on some of the songs. Lennart Zethzon: In the mixing and mastering we decided to not press it to hard and let it be more dynamic.
Can you give me a bit of story behind a few of the songs, like Pale Design, Black Sails, Another World, ..? [and any others]
Johan Fahlberg: I guess all of them are about the search for a better place, a better you. Trying to find the inner peace in your self. A life long struggle. I know, it’s a little bit dark but there’s sunshine too, hahaha…Pale Design is about a nightmare, but also a dream of a better world and a better life. Black Sails is a feeling of being not normal, being an outsider. A feeling of people looking at you with disgust. Only thing you want is to live your life and be who you are without judgment. Another World is a story of how hard you try to stand your ground and believing in the truth. The struggle to navigate through what’s real and what’s fake, and everyone that believes they have all the right answers.
There is lots of great heavy guitar playing on this album [riffs, solos, etc…] Can you guys talk a bit about guitar influences and sounds you wanted and how the guitar parts were worked out in the studio?
Mike: For me sound-wise for this band it’s very simple; just my early 70’s sounding Fender Strat’ into a 1971 Marshall Superlead on about 8; that combined with Matti’s a bit more saturated guitar tone I think creates a well balanced, quite heavy humbucker/single coil rhythm guitar sound on this album, with good clarity for the clean parts. Guitar players that I look up to and have listened to a lot over the years and probably been a bit influenced by: Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Morse, Billy Gibbons…
Matti: I wanted the guitar to sound like a mix of AC/DC and early Black Sabbath. Loud. We worked out the parts in our rehearsal studio.
Carl Westholm plays the keyboards on some of the album tracks [?] Was he just recording with the band as a ‘guest’ or might he be performing with the band live?
Lennart Zethzon: Carl was just recording as a guest but who knows, maybe he will guest with us live sometime as well.
Can someone explain the meaning of the final track “Tåsjö Kyrkmarsch”? It’s quite a piece, and a nice ending to the album. Where did the musical idea and idea to use it at the end come from?
Matti Norlin: Tåsjö is a village close to where I grew up, and the place where the church is located in that area. I came up with the tune around year 2000, and wrote it down for church organ in 2016 to be played at my father’s funeral in that church (where I also made the recording for our album).
What have been some of the bandmembers biggest and favorite shows in recent years? [certain festivals or opening slots for anyone in particular?] And what major shows have you got coming up that you guys are looking forward to?
It must be Sweden Rock Festival 2018. We played at the same time as Ozzy entered the main stage. One could think that it would give us a reduced audience, but we managed to get around 4000 people choosing Lugnet instead of Ozzy. We got a great review in Sweden Rock Magazine, 8/10 and Ozzy got a 7/10 :))
Can you tell me a bit about the album’s artwork – who created it and how much input and who’s went in to it?
Jansson Punkka: Vance Kelly did the artwork, he did our first album as well. Such an amazing artist. We sent him the songs and let him do his thing and it turned out great. It’s one of those covers that you could look at forever and still find new things. Make sure to buy the vinyl version if you want to see the whole artwork.
Hard Rock and metal seems to be alive and well in Sweden. Can you comment on the scene there and some of your favorite [or recommended] fellow Swedish acts ?
Jansson Punkka: There is a band called Stew that we had the pleasure of doing a couple of gigs this year. Really nice guys and a great band as well.
Can each of you guys give me a short list of a few favorite players, singers, etc… as well as a Top 10 of favorite albums from your youth?
Jansson Punkka: Favorite drummer of all times would be Bill Ward, if we’re talking about new drummers Eloy Casagrande is something out of this world. Favorite albums: The first 8 Sabbath-Albums, Born Again and “En ny tid är här with November.
Matti Norlin: In this style of music I list as follows: Guitarists: Angus Young, Ace Frehley Albums: Master of reality, Rising, Powerage, Who Do We think we are, Kiss Alive, Iron Maiden, Restless And Wild, Are You Experienced, Sweet FA and Melissa.
Johan Fahlberg Singers: Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Ian Gillan, Ray Gillen Albums: Destroyer, Van Halen, A Dangerous Meeting, Let There Be Rock, Defenders Of The Faith, Restless And Wild, Masters Of Reality, Heaven And Hell, Desolation Boulevard, Never Mind The Bollocks.
Lennart Zethzon: In this style of music: Bass players: Jack Bruce, Geezer Butler, Roger Glover and Neil Murray Albums: Destroyer, Kiss Alive II, The Jimi Hendrix Concerts, Mob Rules, Mahogany Rush IV, Made in Japan, Rising, Live In the Heart of the City, Strung Up, Foghat Live.
Mike: A few of my favorite rock oriented electric guitar players of all time would be Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Paul Gilbert, Eric Clapton, Mark Knophler, Eddie Van Halen…there’s so many… Favorite albums: Machine Head, In Rock, Burn, Voulez Vous, Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zeppelin IV, Down To Earth, Tyr, Paper Money, Eliminator
From Sweden, Lugnet release their 3rd album full of 70s hard-rock influences August 26. Cool guitar rock, heavily influenced by the likes of Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath, Lead off track “Still A Sinner” charges out , reminiscent of late ’70s Rainbow, dig the heavy guitar sound. “Pale Design” is another solid rocker here that sounds sounds like it could’ve been penned for Down To Earth.
Plenty of darker epic heavy rock here in track’s like “Another World”, which is a slower and darker tune that builds up in to a massive heavy mid-section before coming back down. Best pic here is the 8 minute+ epic “Black Sails”, with it’s Sabbathy groove, and I get a definite “Sign Of The Southern Cross” feel on this. A solid heavy album, which includes a couple of lighter passages in the acoustic break “Svary” and album’s closing organ instrumental “Tåsjö Kyrkmarsch”. Well worth checking out. Love the ’70s vibe and overall production.
“Tales From The Great Beyond” will be released on CD, LP and digitally on August 26th, 2022 via Pride & Joy Music.
Lugnet is: Johan Fahlberg – lead vocals, Lennart “Z” Zethzon – bass, Matti Norlin – guitars, Fredrik Jansson-Punkka – drums, Micke Linder – guitars.
There’s no escaping the motherlode – that eternal continuum of high drama and overheated ampstacks fit to raise the pulse and revivify the spirits. It’s merely an unmistakable band chemistry that transforms base hard rock into gemstones, and this process is an increasingly rare phenomenon in the here and now. Luckily for Stockholm’s alchemists LUGNET, they are one of the few. Here in these steamrollering grooves and strident anthems is just the kind of swagger and bravado on which rock built its foundations in the ‘70s, yet without any of the cliches or the bloated self-importance. The roots of LUGNET may be visible to see, and the primal stomp of early Deep Purple, the apocalyptic sermonising of Black Sabbath and the cinematic majesty of Rainbow can easily be detected in the almighty sturm-und-drang. Yet this sound is delivered with charisma and maverick energy that effortlessly summons fresh vibrant life to a classic form. The spark that lit LUGNET originates in 2009, when Fredrik Jansson-Punkka (also drummer of Angel Witch, and whose storied history includes stints in Witchcraft, Abramis Brama and Count Raven) met bassist Lennart ‘Z’ Zethzon at Sweden Rock Festival and the two first discussed getting together to jam. Three years later this finally came to fruition and guitarists Bonden Jansson and Mackan Holten joined the fray, alongside vocalist Roger Solander. An original plan to play ‘70s blues-rock with Swedish lyrics was ultimately warped and transformed into the monumental attack of 2016’s self-titled debut proper on Pride & Joy Music. The road to ‘Nightwalker’ saw changes afoot in the band, as Solander was replaced by the soulful pipes of Johan Fahlberg, who matches the swashbuckling charm of the Dio/Coverdale tradition with flourishes and personality all his own, whilst Bonden Jansson made way for wunderkind new guitarist Matti Norlin. This was a quantum leap on from the debut, replete with fiery interplay and incisive songwriting, from the slow Zeppelin-esque catharsis of ‘Death Laughs At You’ to the monstrous ‘Stargazer’-esque grandeur of the mellotron-assisted finale ‘Kill Us All’. The aftermath saw Lugnet traverse from strength to strength, a notable highlight being packing out their tent at Sweden Rock Festival in 2018 even whilst a certain Birmingham-birthed Prince Of Darkness himself occupied the main stage across the field. Michael Linder (formerly of Troubled Horse) soon replaced Mackan Holten, and this line-up has subsequently amassed enough material for two albums, with all members throwing their hat into the ring songwriting-wise. One of these ‘Tales From The Great Beyond’ has already been recorded at SolnaSound Recording with the dream-team of Simon Johansson (Wolf/ Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond/ Mercyful Fate) at the helm / mixed by Marcus Jidell (Avatarium/ Candlemass). Just like for the debut album, the front cover artwork was designed by Vance Kelly. Whatever the future holds for Lugnet, only a fool would bet on the result not being a spectacular explosion of righteousness. This machine is firing on all cylinders, and rockers of all persuasions would be well advised to get on board or get out of the way.
Tracklisting: Still A Sinner / In Harvest Time / Another World / Out Of My System / Svarv / Eaten Alive / Pale Design / I Can’t Wait / Black Sails / Tåsjö Kyrkmarsch
Wings Of Steel is a new hard-rock / metal band out of California based around Swedish singer Leo Unnermark and guitarist Parker Halub, who met in 2019 while studying music in Los Angeles. The pair wrote and recorded a 5 track EP (CD). They’ve produced and released it themselves, with Mike Mayhem on drums, Damien Rainaud mixing it, and Spencer Caligiuri providing some pretty cool CD artwork.
The band delivers 5 excellent ’80s type of heavy guitar rockers, with great riffs, hooks, solos, and Unnermark’s high end vocals. These guys take on plenty of classic ’80s influences from Whitesnake and Scorpions, Maiden, and sometimes reminiscent of the likes of Skid Row, Dokken, and MSG.. There’s 4 rockers here, plus 1 acoustic ballad. The ballad is good, but for me it is the other 4 that are solid rock tunes. Lead off track “Stormchild” is a good rocker, a bit pf a euro metal feel, as does the title song, which stands out right away, a bit of power metal, great vocals, fast solos, reminds me of Germany’s Helloween,. “Rhythm Of Love” is another excellent track, this one is a bit more LA 80s, aside from the shredding solo, parts of this remind me of Great White, very cool song. Favorite track here is the last one – “Black Out The Street”; a great 80s melodic hard rocker, reminding me a bit of late 80s Whitesnake. Love the production on this EP, just a great big sound, lots of cool guitar solos, harmonies,hard hitting drums, all mixed well.
Tracklisting: Stormchild / Wings Of Steel / Rhythm Of Desire / Khamsin Riders / Black Out The Street
L-R – Jayme Black – Vocals/Bass, Nate Pole – Drums/Vocals, Benny Kemp – Guitars/Vocals
Another Canadian metal trio, Rebel Priest is from Vancouver, and will be heading out in British Columbia and Alberta with Toronto’s Deadwolf. Rebel Priest has a new 4 track EP coming out titled Lesson In Love, which has also been released as a video. “Lesson In Love” is good heavy rocker, that quickly reminds me of D’ianno era Iron Maiden. Check out the video below. Following that fast rockers like “Dive Bomber” and “Coatcheck Girl” feature cool riffs, with shades of Motorhead, early Maiden and Motley Crue. The last track is “Bonfire”, coming in under 2 minutes, and musically reminded me of 70s Sabbath and AC/DC. Plenty of energy here, nothing tame or smooth here, and dig the guitar sound. Matching Rebel Priest with Deadwolff sounds like a pretty cool bill, as both bands have a definite Motorhead influence, as well as a few others, and loads of rock energy on their new releases.
Press Release:
Vancouver’s Rebel Priest has been bringing its eclectic brand of rock n’ roll to fans for years in a true unadulterated, unapologetic fashion. A little bit greasy, a little bit sassy, but 100% committed, they have released four records, with a fifth on its way this year. “Lesson In Love” is the name of the upcoming EP as well as the first single, an untraditional ballad, like a love song sung by a Tommy gun. According to the band, it’s about going through the trials and tribulations of loving something – the ups, the downs, the spirals, but without the direct subject being a person. The band explains further:
“It’s open-ended in that it is what you love or love doing and how it’s a journey that can always find a way home. There’s always that one thing in your life that keeps you going, a person, a hobby, a theology. No matter what your vice is, it always comes at a price. You have to go through the blood, sweat, and tears to get what you need outta it and it doesn’t always come easy. This is your education, your lesson in love.”
When people put on the new record, Rebel Priest intends for them to forget about everything else, take a break from the grind, and get pumped! Whether you’re working out, going out, or down and out, put it on and play it loud! Get into it and go wild! Their music is fluid, they find a riff and then follow it where it wants to go. They say it’s just about finding the groove and cruising the wave.
Rebel Priest is headed out on tour with Toronto’s Deadwolff this summer, and spectators are in for a rock n roll treat – guitarist/vocalist Benny Kemp is the embodiment of a denim tornado; that guy will (and has) break his legs to party on stage! Drummer/vocalist Nate Pole is a groovin’ attitudn’ mean machine behind the drums that will sometimes make a wood chipper look like a pencil sharpener on those skins. As for vocalist/bassist Jayme Black, he’s a bit of a mouthpiece and likes his bass real gritty.
The trio just wants to bring rock n roll back to street level, when it was outlaw music for the underdog, so expect a greasy, sweaty, down and dirty rock show. They are recommended for fans of Motörhead, ZZ Top, and Rose Tattoo.
About:
Rebel Priest is a no-nonsense, real-deal rock n’ roll band composed of three seasoned musicians who have been making their way through the Western Canadian rock n roll scene for years. Vocalist/bassist Jayme Black (Lust Boys, The Toxiks); guitarist/vocalist Benny Kemp (Lust Boys, Road Rash); and drummer/vocalist Nate Pole (Kill Matilda, The Toxiks) bring nothing but unadulterated, high energy grease infused Trash N’ Roll! The band has had the pleasure of touring Japan, and performing alongside bands such as Udo (Accept), Lordi, Diamond Head, Crystal Pistol, Flotsam, and Jetsam along with playing many headlining gigs with the energy of Motorhead meets Motley Crue. Since forming in 2014, the band has released three studio albums “R’ley Heavy” (2019), Enabler (2017 ), Self-Titled (2015) along with one live record “Dead Alive @ SBC (2017). and an EP – Lost In Tokyo (2021)
The Rebel Wolff Tour w/ Rebel Priest and Dead Wolff June 24 – Vancouver, BC – Have A Good Laugh Festival. *Afternoon show – Deadwolff only June 24 – Vancouver, BC – Lana Lous June 27 – Maple Ridge, BC – The Wolf Bar June 28 – Kamloops, BC – Pogue Mahones June 29 – Kelowna, BC – Missions Tap House June 30 – Lethbridge, AB – TBA July 1 – Calgary, AB – The Palamino July 2 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Temple
Based on true friendship, NESTOR’s new single “Signed In Blood” is about that unbreakable bond of brotherhood that you just know will last forever. Or as a line from the lyrics goes: “It’s been so many miles and days between us, yet I know there’s a reason why we can’t let go” The track is available on Spotify, as well as a brand new video.
Originally founded in 1989 but only releasing their first album “Kids In A Ghost Town” in 2021, NESTOR’s acclaimed first album sent their fans on a journey back in time to the 1980s, both in sound, spirit and in visuals with their stunning music videos, everything completely self produced. Their album is also nominated for a Swedish Grammis in the category Hard Rock/Metal and will be re-released in a deluxe edition containing brand new bonus tracks later this year by Napalm Records who recently signed the band to their label. “Signed In Blood” is the first of these new tracks to be released during a year that will be full of exciting highlights from the band, among other things supporting childhood idols KISS at their arena gig in Stockholm this summer, as well as playing their own headline show at the properly named Nestor Fest at Falköpings Folkets Park in their hometown in Sweden.
REIGNING CHAMPIONS OF PROGRESSIVE METAL VOIVOD ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES FOR THIS JUNE – TICKETS & INFO HERE!
Today, legendary metallers and Juno Award-winning band VOIVOD announce tour dates across Canada and the USA for this coming June. Tour dates are in support of the band’s new album Synchro Anarchy which debuted at #2 on Billboard Canada’s Hard Music Albums chart, #6 Current Hard Albums in the USA, #7 on the UK’s Rock & Metal chart and charted #7 in Germany among other countries including Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, and The Netherlands. The tour will kick off in Trois Rivieres, Quebec on June 1st with 14 dates to follow and will wrap up on June 19th in Boston, MA. All ticket info and links can be found at THIS location. Synchro Anarchy is available to listen to and purchase HERE via Century Media Records.
Michel “Away” Langevin (drums) comments on the tour: “At last! After more than two years without touring, we are finally hitting the road in June 2022 in North America. We are thrilled to play the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest, It will also be exciting for us to play songs from Synchro Anarchy for the first time live! We can’t wait to see our old Voïvodian friends again and meet some new ones. See you then!”
TOUR DATES: June 1 Trois Rivieres QC L’Entité June 2 Ottawa ON Bronson Centre Music Theatre June 3 Toronto ON Phoenix Concert Theatre June 4 London ON The Music Hall June 5 Detroit MI Small’s June 6 Chicago IL Reggie’s June 8 Huntington WV The Loud June 9 Columbus OH Ace of Cups June 10 Philadelphia PA The Fillmore Decibel Magazine Metal and Beer Festival (There will be a Voivod beer) June 11 Baltimore MD Ottobar June 13 Pittsburgh PA Crafthouse June 14 Buffalo NY Rec Room June 15 Cleveland OH Grog Shop June 17 Brooklyn NY Market Hotel June 18 Liverpool NY Sharkey’s June 19 Boston MA Brighton Music Hall August 12 Belgium Alcatraz Festival
Synchro Anarchy is Voivod’s 15th studio album and was just released this February. The album saw praise from some of the world’s top journalists and music outlets including being named, “Canada’s Founding Fathers of Metal” by Canadian Musician Magazine, “reigning champions of progressive thrash metal,” by Kerrang! and, “another essential listen in the long line of essential listens Voivod have delivered since 1983”, by Metal Hammer. It also saw 10/10 reviews from Northern Transmissions, Blabbermouth, and 9/10 from Exclaim Magazine, and Ghost Cult Magazine to name a few. Among the raving reviews, the album also received support from CBC Radio, Sonic Perspectives, Decibel, Metal Injection, La Presse, The Metal Voice, Angry Metal Guy, Consequence, George Strombo, Jason Rockman and more!
MORE ON VOIVOD: Very few bands survive for four decades. Even fewer are those that continue to reach new creative heights, long after legendary status has been achieved. Voïvod were never like other bands: even as the thrash metal scene exploded in the early ‘80s, the Jonquière, Québec crew stood apart, both as unique visionaries and as proud subverters of the metallic norm. From early progthrash classics like Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss through to the psychedelic explorations of The Outer Limits, Voïvod have been standard-bearers for individuality and creative freedom for nearly 40 years.
Still one of the most fervently creative bands on the planet, Voïvod have created another kaleidoscopic sonic monster. The perfect antidote to just about everything, Synchro Anarchy has lit up 2022 with crazed, lysergic glee.
Outsider Rock 