Speed

'ONLY ONE MODE' OUT JULY 12: https://linktr.ee/onlyonemode

System of a Down

System of a Down (formed in 1994) is an American alternative-metal four-piece rock band hailing from Glendale, California, in the U.S.

Evanescence

Evanescence (formed in 1995) is an American gothic influenced rock/metal band, best known for their breakthrough single “Bring Me to Life” and accompanying album “Fallen”, hailing from Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.

Deftones

https://linktr.ee/idlesband

Marilyn Manson

www.marilynmanson.com

Slayer

Slayer was formed in 1982, by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King when they met at a tryout for a local band. Tom Araya soon joined on bass and vocals, and drummer Dave Lombardo joined last later in 1982. They played in a style reminiscent of early Exodus, influenced heavily by punk acts Minor Threat, The Stooges and Heavy Metal bands Venom and Judas Priest. ``Black Magic``, the heaviest, darkest, and most evil song at the time(according to some), was written in February, 1983, and marked Slayer's definite venture into thrash metal. They secured a spot on the compilation appeareance ``Metal Massacre III`` in 1983, contributing the speed metal song ``Aggressive Perfector``. They also recorded two demos in 1983, and became a popular live act in the Los Angeles area. (In 1983, Bob Gourley filled in for Dave for one gig. He later appeared in Dark Angel (US).) Their debut LP, Show No Mercy, was recorded in November, 1983.) A live EP was recorded in the studio in front of 50 of their closest friends in January, 1984, and after that ``Show No Mercy`` was released. The ``Haunting the Chapel`` and ``Live Undead`` EPs followed. After 1985's ``Hell Awaits``, Slayer were signed to Rick Rubin's Def Jam record label, better known for acts like Run-D.M.C.. This led to three studio albums, including the brutal ``Reign in Blood``, as well as a 1991 live double CD, ``Decade Of Aggression``. Dave Lombardo left the band in 1987 for several weeks, and was replaced for a few live gigs by Tony Scaglione (Whiplash (US)), and then again left in 1992. The band disappeared for a while, and was presumed killed in a bizarre gardening accident. Finally, in 1994, Paul Bostaph from Forbidden was brought in, and three more albums were recorded. Then, in 2001, Bostaph left to join Systematic, and Lombardo, who had been in Grip Inc. and Fantômas rejoined the band. Interesting facts: It's official that Slayer is the most covered metal band in the world aside from Metallica. Tom Araya was born in Valparaíso, Chile. He has provided guest vocals to recordings by other artists, including ``Iron Gland`` from Alice in Chains' album Dirt, and ``Terrorist`` from Soulfly's album Primitive. His brother is John Araya (Bloodcum (US), Thine Eyes Bleed) Kerry King recorded a guitar solo for ``No Sleep Til' Brooklyn`` by the popular hip-hop/rock group Beastie Boys. Tom Araya's brother John (Bloodcum (US), Thine Eyes Bleed) worked as an sound engineer for Slayer in their early days. According the book of Jarek Szubrycht (Lux Occulta) "Bez litosci. Prawdziwa historia zespo�u Slayer", Greg Hall was asked to play with Slayer after Tony Scaglione left the band in January 1987. It never happens because Lombardo returned to the band. Gene Hoglan, the legendary drummer who has played in bands such as Dark Angel (US), Strapping Young Lad and Death, used to be a Slayer lights man and roadie on the Show No Mercy tour, and was asked to be Dave Lombardo's drum tech on the Haunting North America tour ('84), but knocked it back to pursue his own music career. He even did backup vocals on the album Show No Mercy (the song Evil Has No Boundaries). Birth Dates: Tom Araya (06 June 1961 Valparaíso, Chile) Jeff Hannemann (31 January 1964 Oakland, CA) Kerry King (03 June 1964 Los Angeles, CA) Dave Lombardo (16 February 1965 Havana, Cuba) Paul Bostaph (26 March 1964 Newark, CA) Rumor has it the band was originally known as Dragonslayer, after the 1981 movie of the same name. However, when King was asked "How did you come up with the name Dragonslayer?" King responded "We never did; it's a myth to this day." It is rumored that their New Untitled album would be their last.

Prodigy

Dorian is a Spanish electro-pop band.

They were born in 2002 in Barcelona with the common necessity to develop a sound that conjugated the tradition of the Spanish pop with contemporary electronic music.

The members are: Mark (voice, guitar, programmings) Belly (piano, keyboard, programmings) Bart (bass) Jordi (drums).

Up to 2007 they have published 2 works: "10.000 Metrópolis"(2004) and "El futuro no es de nadie"(2006).

Their lyrics are full of simple and combative poetry that perfectly marries with electronic melodies with an indie touch.

www.dorianoficial.com

Mastodon

Art is a cyclical beast. The same can easily be said of Grammy Award nominated hard rock juggernaut Mastodon. The group’s four members recognize the importance of life’s omnipresent cycles on their sixth full-length album, Once More ‘Round the Sun. The band orbits around themes of loss and rebirth, twirling a sonic spiral of its signature robust riffing, hypnotically haunting soundscapes, triage of dynamic voices, and thundering seismic grooves. At the same time, this particular collection proves personal for Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, and Troy Sanders. The very title says something slightly different for each member.

"Quite literally, Once More 'Round the Sun means a year-in-the-life," explains Dailor. "Lyrically, we were discussing things that happened to us recently, whereas in the past we looked further back for inspiration. It's about 365 days in this band. It was a tough and strange journey. We happened to be in the middle of completing a full rotation musically as everything else was going on."

"It's about being a man and trying to survive in the world. You’re facing all of the crazy shit that goes along with it," adds Hinds. "You've got to just keep rolling. It's the daily grind everybody deals with. It's grinding and rewarding."

Kelliher concurs, “A lot of crazy and epic things have happened in the nutshell of the past year. For me, I had recently gotten sober. I really focused my time on writing music instead of drinking and being hung-over. We were in a different space here. Another year has gone by, and we wrote this record.”

Sanders smiles, “The title itself deals with a cycle. Writing, recording, and touring are kickass experiences that we get to relive over and over again. We’ve got the ability to strap it on and go out another time. I look forward to riding this out once more with my three friends.”

Mastodon’s own collective cycle encompasses a staggering string of accolades. Whether it’s the public endorsement of peers as diverse as Metallica, Pearl Jam, Queens of the Stone Age, CeeLo Green, and Feist or unanimous praise from the likes of Time and Rolling Stone, the band continue to make an impression at every turn. 2011’s The Hunter saw them achieve their highest chart debut yet, reaching #10 on the Billboard Top 200, while the single “Curl of the Burl” notched their second Grammy Award nomination in the category of “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance”. In between scorching stages everywhere from Sonisphere and Download to Bonnaroo and Coachella, they scored the Josh Brolin sci-fi western Jonah Hex and have been sought out for soundtracks including Pixar’s box office smash Monsters University. As far as rock ‘n’ roll goes, their legacy irrefutably stands alone. However, that legacy expands yet again with Once More ‘Round the Sun.

In order to uphold a modus operandi of experimentation and evolution, the boys enlisted the talents of super producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice In Chains, Deftones, etc.) for the very first time. They holed up in his Falcon Rock studio in Nashville throughout the fall of 2013, cutting what would become Once More ‘Round the Sun. Given his passion for the band, Raskulinecz immediately clicked with the musicians.

“He was very hands-on,” says Sanders. “We were fans of the Deftones and Alice In Chains records he’d done, and we initially met him during the BlackDiamondSkye tour. He literally called Brann every six months reminding us that he was on the hunt to work with us when we were ready. This was the right time.”

“He was like a coach,” Kelliher goes on. “He brought some energy to the band. I remember he was like, ‘You guys are Mastodon. You’re one of the biggest bands in metal. Give me some of those chunky and thick riffs!’ He let us be who we are.”

It’s indisputable that Once More ‘Round the Sun is Mastodon through and through. Kelliher’s twelve-string acoustic guitar ominously heralds the record’s onset during album opener “Tread Lightly” just before crashing into an unmistakable roar from Sanders. Hinds churns out a psychedelic slide guitar solo during the title track that entwines with Dailor’s drums in entrancing, yet enigmatic union. The Kelliher-penned first single “High Road” pummels with an intense polyrhythmic guitar groove before snapping into another unshakable refrain from Dailor.

Kelliher explains, “I wrote that on a day off while we were on tour in Luxembourg. I was sitting in this rainy city on a Sunday. Nothing was open. I felt like I needed to write something to reflect how I was feeling. I started banging on a guitar. I was thinking Neurosis and The Melvins low-tuned with a little more pop sensibility for the chorus.”

“You can headbang to that one for days,” grins the drummer. “I love the simplicity of it. Lyrically, it’s an angry number where you want to see someone destroyed. It’s heavy-handed in that sense, but it’s the fantasy I felt at the time.”

Then, there’s “The Motherload”. Sharring vocal duties between Dailor and Sanders the track cruises from a propulsive six-string onslaught into an riveting chorus—one of the band’s biggest to date. “That one is personal for me,” Dailor admits. “It’s not wanting to lose someone and the powers-that-be are trying to take that person away, or the world is just against it. You’re doing everything you can and scrambling to hold on and salvage it.”

Nodding to their roots, “Chimes At Midnight” sees Sanders call out the words “Hearts Alive”, making a connection to the centerpiece of the band’s critically acclaimed 2004 breakout Leviathan. He reveals, “I never repeated a line on purpose, but I felt like it was time to!”

On the other end of the spectrum, Hinds delivers a raucous and raw departure in the form of “Halloween”. Wielding a thrashed-up punk riff, the song eventually explodes into incendiary soloing from the axeman in homage to his favorite holiday. However, the biggest surprise comes during “Aunt Lisa”, an anthemic send-off to Brann’s late aunt featuring Atlanta femme punks The Coathangers on a rousing gang vocal.

“This one came out pretty effortlessly. It’s about Brann’s Aunt Lisa, her wild spirit, and free personality. I love what The Coathangers did. They’re good friends of mine, and they owed me a favor because I got the Mastodon guys to dance around like girls in their video,” chuckles Hinds.

Brann continues, “My aunt liked anything I did. She definitely lived life to the fullest. If she walked in the room, all eyes were on her. I loved it. I don’t think I’ve ever come across energy like that before, and I don’t know that I will. You never knew what was going to happen when she was around. She had a huge impact on my life. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her properly. This is me trying to say goodbye.”

Everything culminates on the expansive finale “Diamond in the Witch House”. Boasting a vocal call-and-response between Sanders and Neurosis’s Scott Kelly, on his fourth Mastodon collaboration, the track unfolds in cinematic fashion over eight minutes punctuated by Kelliher’s hulking riffs. “It’s about the fragility of taking responsibility,” admits Sanders. “That’s what happens when you have kids. Precious lives are in your hands and dependent upon your actions. The idea spun from that. It’s about proving your worth and prevailing.”

Mastodon continue to prevail artistically, and this particular rotation, Once More ‘Round the Sun, upholds that tradition of progression. “We’ve built a band that’s been able to morph, evolve, and change,” Dailor concludes. “Our fan base expects greatness, but they also expect things to be weird and different. I feel confident that we’ve risen to that challenge.”

Hinds leaves off, “It would be nice if people walk away enjoying the listening experience. That’s the ultimate goal. It’s interesting to see. One thing I know for sure.they can’t walk away and say it’s not original.”

Underoath

Underoath has been a formative voice in progressive, heavy rock for almost two decades. Today, they share their blistering new single “Damn Excuses” out on Fearless Records. This release marks the first new music from Underoath since 2018’s Grammy-nominated full-length, Erase Me, and launches a brand new chapter in the band’s career. “Damn Excuses” was completely self-recorded and produced at guitarist Tim McTague’s studio, Feral Sound, in Tampa, Florida. It evokes the beautiful chaos that so many fans have found special about Underoath for years while still managing to break through new sonic and emotional boundaries.

This far into their storied career, Underoath has unsurprisingly faced their fair share of adversity. Through the trials and tribulations, a commitment to their craft and a sense of accountability rooted in mutual respect for each other has ensured that each new chapter for the band continues to mold their legacy in a positive fashion. With their shared history of remarkable accolades and trying hardships continuing to shape who the individual members are as people, Underoath is still just scratching the surface of what they can accomplish as a band. There are few acts in the annals of rock history that can say their best work is still ahead of them almost two decades into their career. Fortunately, Underoath falls into that category. As the world opens back up in 2021, the band is deeply committed to living up to the high expectations that fans (and themselves) have come to expect for anything associated with the project. It will undoubtedly be something special to witness as this next chapter in the Underoath story manifests.

A.F.I.

AFI are leaders, not followers. A collective in a perpetual state of creative evolution as fluid as the evocative figures contorting on the cover of Bodies, their newest collection of songs. The record is a snapshot of unrelenting artists in motion, unconcerned with compromise or outside demands.

The band initially summoned a steady subcultural groundswell in the mid-90s, devoid of careerist ambitions. The band first made music as teenaged misfits in an obscure Northern California town, steadily assembling a dense catalog over the years marked by its diversity and authenticity.

The platinum success of Sing the Sorrow blazed a path for a generation of hardcore-punk weaned bands to similarly crossover. 2006's Decemberunderground upended expectations again and earned AFI a second platinum plaque. Crash Love was another adventurous turn, with expansive and almost optimistic-sounding melodies, glistening with emotion. The haunting Burials arrived four years later, debuting in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The self-titled follow-up, commonly referred to as "the Blood Album," became AFI's second-highest charting album since their inception, debuting at No. 5 in 2017.

P.O.D.

Sonny Sandoval (Vocals)

Marcos Curiel (Guitar)

Traa Daniels (Bass)

Wuv Bernardo (Drums)

More than two decades into their career, P.O.D. enjoy the kind of popularity most rock bands would envy. The San Diego quartet continue to be a rock radio staple, with newer songs "Lost in Forever" and "Beautiful" drawing the kind of airplay the band's early hits "Alive," "Youth of the Nation" and "Boom" once did. On the touring front, P.O.D. have performed at the best festivals around the world—to name a few, Download Festival, Hellfest, Rock on the Range, River City Rockfest, Carolina Rebellion, and Aftershock Festival—and have done shows with In This Moment, Prophets of Rage, ShineDown, and Five Finger Death Punch.

However, P.O.D. has built this successful career by never letting themselves be pigeonholed. "If you listen to all of our songs side by side, we don't focus on one style of music," says frontman Sonny Sandoval. "We have reggae songs; we have punk rock songs. We've done jazzy songs. We've mixed in loops and DJs, and we've experimented."

P.O.D.'s tenth studio album, Circles, marks another leap forward. The band members decided to shake up their creative process by collaborating with an L.A.-based production duo called the Heavy, who provided behind-the-scenes musical tweaks, and served as a sounding board for vocal and melodic ideas.

"We started with guitar riffs—more of a core P.O.D sound—and on some of these songs, the Heavy would add ambient stuff to it that just really brightened up the songs," Sandoval said. "Or maybe we changed up a heavy riff and made it more catchy and more hooky. Vocally, there's also a lot of stuff that's going on—even some three-part harmonies, four-part harmonies in certain choruses or verses."

The results are contemporary-sounding without losing any of the band's core sonic signifiers. "Rockin' With The Best" is described by Sandoval as having an "old-school P.O.D. sound, very rap-driven and Beastie Boys-ish" vibe; the reggae-inflected rocker "Always Southern California" has a massive sing-along chorus; and the groove-heavy "Soundboy Killa" is the kind of chugging hip-hop/metal hybrid at which the band excels.

Other songs find P.O.D. pushing themselves into slightly new territory. The midtempo "Dreaming" mixes snaky blues guitar with glacial digital programming, while the Linkin Park-reminiscent "Circles" shows off P.O.D.'s command of dynamics: Moody electronic flourishes, glassy piano and laid-back rapping verses give way to a bridge that explodes with chugging guitars and ferocious drumming.

"This time, we're like, 'Let it sound fresh,'" Sandoval says. "If we have to get these samples, or if we have to bring in an extra keyboard player that can do some loops, we'll figure it out. We decided not to hold back just because we're trying to be so old-school and raw."

Sandoval's long-time collaborators in P.O.D.— lead guitarist Marcos Curiel, bassist Traa Daniels and drummer Wuv Bernardo—were fully on board with this forward progress. "They're some of the most underrated musicians in our genre," Sandoval says of his bandmates. "They're all self-taught musicians. If you listen from demos 26 years ago to now, they just continue to get better and better. They continue to get more creative. My guys are players. They jam, they hear the music, they feel the music. They're musicians first."

This versatility was a big plus on Circles, since P.O.D. didn't have any preconceived notions about what the new music should sound like. But as it turns out, working with the Heavy brought out the best in the band, and gave them a new perspective on their own work. "We've always been so stubborn about writing with people, and we never have," Sandoval says. "This really was us going in a little bit vulnerable. We had an open mindset. But they let us do our thing."

From a lyrical standpoint P.O.D. kept a similar open mind. As per usual, Sandoval didn't scribble ideas in a journal or notebook in advance, with plans to write songs around a set theme. Instead, he let inspiration come to him as the music evolved.

"I'm always writing in the moment," he says. "I don't write down my thoughts and say, 'One day, I'm gonna put this to music.' It's always the music that digs deep and brings out the lyrics and the melody and all that comes with it."

In many cases, Circles turns to optimism for inspiration. The title track addresses trying to get out of an unhealthy cycle in which someone feels stuck, while "Dreaming" envisions seeking out a brighter future even if the present day is tough. Other songs grapple with how to navigate life's biggest challenges. "Home" emerged after Sandoval suddenly lost a close friend who was more like a brother to him. "Fly Away," meanwhile, acknowledges that all of us sometimes struggle, and need to rely on others for help.

"We're looking for answers—and we're going to people to help us get through things—but at the same time, no one's perfect," Sandoval says. "Everybody's going through stuff, and we're all kind of on this same level and the same journey of experience and just trying to figure out our course of life."

Above all, Sandoval always wants P.O.D.'s songs to resonate with listeners on a deeper emotional level, and make people see their lives—or challenges—in a positive light.

"Whatever I happen to be going through at the time, or maybe what the band is going through, or even the public climate at the time, issues come through," he says. "Our ultimate goal is that we can either shed light on these, or we can turn your upside down frown into a smile, or make you laugh, or make you feel good or approach them in a different way."

Being open to new experiences and sounds is just one more way P.O.D. has continued to thrive and reach new fans, even as they keep challenging themselves to become better musicians.

"On Circles, we didn't limit ourselves and say, 'Hey, we need to please the metal crowd, or the hardcore crowd, or the punk crowd,'" Sandoval says. "We just wanted to play and write songs that we hope are relevant and catchy to a new audience—while, at the same time, still being true to ourselves.

"We are touring and making music because it still means something to the people that are coming out to see us, and people that are still listening to our music," he adds. "We're humbled, we're grateful, and we're thankful for people that still enjoy what we're doing."

Knocked Loose

A Tear In The Fabric Of Life

Clutch

It’s been two years since the Austin, TX heavy rockers decided to take a break, but The Sword are unsheathed once more. In 2020, two career-spanning collections were released simultaneously, both showcasing the technically dazzling, riff-heavy and far-reaching metal that the band has been known for since forming 15 years ago. Conquest of Kingdoms is a three-disc vinyl collection of rarities and oddities (also available digitally), while Chronology 2006–2018 is a three-CD set, which —in addition to the rarities —also includes tracks hand-selected by The Sword from each of the band’s studio albums. Singer and guitarist John D. Cronise describes the differences between the two formats and the methodology for compiling these:“The CD package will be more of a career retrospective with selections from each of our albums as well as the rarities and B-sides and things. Sort of a mini box set, you could say. The set will include a booklet with essays and photos, to make it special and extra. Whereas the LP release [Conquest of Kingdoms] is more streamlined, with just the B-side and rarities material. Personally for me, that’s what’s exciting about the releases. A lot of that stuff I never thought would see the light of day but I always thought was really cool and was proud of. That’s what I think is exciting about it.”Bassist Bryan Richie says that it was simply the right time to put these albums out, and to revisit what has been a stellar career thus far. Assembling Chronology 2006–2018was a no-brainer; the band has an abundance of fan favorite tunes from which to cherry-pick.“We’ve got all these exclusive 7”s and a split record or two, that were pressed in 1,000 quantities —maybe people heard those tracks on a YouTube stream in not really the greatest quality,” he says. “As the band had gone on hiatus, we had this wealth of material to share including live sets —things that were sitting on my hard drive for years, things that were given to me at shows. It seemed like the right time.”Some of the oddities included on both Chronology and Conquest include various covers, such as The Sword’s take on the KISS classic “She” and Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen,” previously only heard live. “Nobody was asking us to contribute tracks for tribute albums, and we didn’t want to put cover songs on our studio albums —it didn’t seem natural for us to do that,” says Cronise. “But at the same time, we’ve always covered a lot of stuff live because it’s fun and the audience likes it. I think our fans will dig that they can now hear those versions.”The process of putting the two collections together offered the band members (completed by guitarist Kyle Shutt and drummer Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III —Trivett Wingo was the original drummer) the chance to evaluate their work up to this point, and assess their organic evolution.“We were conscious of that when it happened,” says Cronise. “Especially getting into the middle portion of our catalog. We were very aware at the time when we were doing something that sounded different from what we had done before. But listening to it all together, the thing that a lot of people don’t mention is what a drastic difference changing drummers made. It’sreally such a huge thing. They’re both awesome drummers but very different and it had a huge effect on our overall sound.”Richie believes that the band became more focused as they progressed, allowing the songs to breathe: “Later, we explored the idea of the song to its fullest within the song, rather than a bunch of different versions of the same song within the song. You work through a time where you do that. You jam everything in, trying to make it as visceral as you can. It’s only natural that at some point you scale that back. Have a more omnipresent, reflective view of what you’ve done and what you’re hoping to do.”The Sword recently announced that they will be hitting the road to tour North America with Primus on their A Tribute to Kings tour performing Rush material. The band will also be playing a number of headline shows.“I’m always ready to play riffs with my dudes, so we’ll see where it goes from here,” says Richie. “Maybe The Sword will come out of hibernation every once in a while to playsome shows or tour —whatever it is, I’m here for it. Hopefully, it’ll become a thing. Virus permitting.”“We still are all friends, we still enjoy playing music together, we’re still proud of what we’ve done,” adds Cronise. “And this is what we do, so if anybody wants to pay us we will come and play the show. I’m still proud of it, I still love it, I still love that people are still into it, and I’m more than happy to talk about it and play the songs for people.”

Wage War

If you think that you've already heard it all when it comes to heavy music, you just haven't heard Wage War. The group -- which is composed of vocalist Briton Bond, guitarist/vocalist Cody Quistad, guitarist Seth Blake, bassist Chris Gaylord and drummer Stephen Kluesener -- formed in Ocala, Florida, in 2013 and instantly started playing all over the area, quickly getting signed to Fearless Records the old fashioned way: By sending a song to the label. From there the group linked up with the production team of Andrew Wade (Neck Deep, Motionless In White) and A Day To Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon who produced their 2015 debut Blueprints together and returned to produce the sophomore full-length Deadweight, which the band started writing immediately after they finished their debut. "I'm very proud of Blueprints but a lot of those songs were written seven years ago so who we are as people and musicians these days is drastically different," Quistad explains -- and a listen to Deadweight confirms that statement. "I think a big strength of this new record is the continuity of sitting in a room together and playing instead of trying to send files back and forth," he continues. "We were truly grinding out songs and I think this album still sounds like Wage War but at the same it has some of our most melodic moments as well as some of the heaviest." The latter is evidenced on songs like "Stitch" which is certain to incite frenzied mosh pits for years to come and displays an aggression that the band have only hinted at in the past. "We really tried to not overthink things on this record and just do whatever worked for the song, even if it was something that people might not necessarily expect," Quistad says. For this reason the band decided it made sense to enlist the aforementioned producers who truly understood Wage War on a deep level. "There were so many early mornings and late nights making this record and it was such a pleasure to work with Andrew and Jeremy again because you could tell that they really cared about it and would go to any ends to make it the best that it could be." From the explosive production to the alternately screamed and sung vocals of "Don't Let Me Fade Away," all seven of the people involved in the making of TBA worked as one unit in working toward the same collective goal. Lyrically, Deadweight sees the band exploring both personal to political issues in a way that's as raw and honest as the music that supports them. "This record is very much a snapshot of the past year; we are all very positive people but in 2016 we went through so much from seeing the world for the first time to scraping the bottom at some point emotionally or with relationships," Quistad admits. From 3 a.m. run-ins with refugees in Europe to flying home only to be confronted with the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, there was no shortage of content to draw from this time around. "We didn't hold anything back when it came to this record, so hopefully it's as therapeutic for listeners as it was for us." In a heavy music scene that's increasingly formulaic, Wage War pride themselves on the fact that they listen to a diverse range of music. "I'm a big fan of country music which surprises a lot of people and other guitarist Seth is really into pop music," Quistad explains. "We have an appreciation for all kinds of stuff and I think that all of it bleeds into the album in some way even if it's not always blatant." Take the song "Johnny Cash" which recalls the country tradition of paying homage to a pioneer of a genre while still retaining the heaviness of the act. "We get called metalcore a lot but we've never pledged allegiance to any genre because we always want to do something beyond that in the sense that we just listen to what we love and try to incorporate that into Wage War." More than anything though, the band can't wait to get back on the road and start playing the songs from Deadweight live. "We played three hometown shows at the end of last year where we would include a new song and it was so cool to see the crowd react to the new material," Quistad says – and it's obvious that palpable excitement goes both ways. "This album is the truest representation of Wage War in the sense that we wanted to put every part of us under the microscope and come up with something that we're not only proud of but also encompasses what we want to be as a band and the kind of musical statement we want to lay down," he summarizes. "I would say this is a defining album for our band." Second album Deadweight featuring 'Witness' available now on Fearless Records. Watch the new 'Witness' music video and listen to the album at wagewarband.com!

Ministry

Born in 1981 in Chicago. In its early days, Ministry was identifiable by its heavy synth-pop material in line with the new sounds and technology that were being developed in the ‘80s. Ministry’s output began with four 12” singles on Wax Trax! Records in 1981 before the first LP With Sympathy in 1983 via Arista Records. As time progressed however, so did Ministry, quickly developing a harsher, and more stylized sound that the band soon became infamous for on seminal Sire/Warner albums Twitch (1986), The Land of Rape and Honey (1988), and The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste (1989). With the release of Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and The Way to Suck Eggs (1992), Ministry hit an all-time high in the mainstream musical realm and received its first Grammy nomination (the first of six). Eight more albums would follow on various labels including their own 13th Planet imprint. After a break in 2013, the band reformed, toured and signed to Nuclear Blast with three releases. AmeriKKKant (2018), Moral Hygiene (2021), and HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (2024). Late 2024, Ministry signed with Cleopatra Records and released The Squirrely Years Revisited. Celebrating the early synth pop years with new studio takes.

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The Melvins

American alternative metal/hardcore punk band, Melvins, originally formed in Montesano, Washington, and currently consists of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover, Jared Warren and Coady Willis.

Alien Ant Farm

Alien Ant Farm is a Southern California alt-rock band known for fusing heavy riffs, catchy hooks, and an unmistakable sense of personality. Since forming in Riverside in 1996, the band has carved out a unique place in rock history; first exploding onto the global stage with their breakout 2001 album ANThology, which featured the hit single “Movies” and their era-defining cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” That record would go on to be certified multi-platinum, and its 25th anniversary is just around the corner in 2026; a milestone that underscores the band’s enduring impact on the genre.

Comprised of Dryden Mitchell (vocals), Terry Corso (guitar), Mike Cosgrove (drums), and Tim Peugh (bass), Alien Ant Farm continues to push forward creatively while embracing their legacy. Known for their genre-defying approach to alternative rock and blending elements of metal, punk, prog, and pop… they’ve built a reputation for experimentation, evolution, and explosive live shows that have taken them around the world.

Across six studio albums, including TruANT (2003), Up in the Attic (2006), Always and Forever (2015), and most recently mAntras (2024), the band has explored everything from introspective struggles to full-blown anthemic rock with both emotional depth and sonic variety. Their latest work reflects a band that has grown up without losing the spark that made them stand out in the first place.

Currently, Alien Ant Farm is writing new music and continuing to tour, reconnecting with longtime fans while winning over new ones with every performance. Nearly three decades into their career, the band remains as passionate and driven as ever proving that reinvention and staying power can go hand in hand.

She Wants Revenge

Deafheaven

DEAFHEAVEN.COM

Deafheaven’s music feels like a project of accrual—on each album they fill new songs with elements of what they’ve learned in their earlier experiments. You hear echoes of past recordings in the howls of the present: the sun-dappled screamo histrionics of Roads to Judah are more fully realized in Sunbather’s pastel star-scapes; New Bermuda doubles down on the heaviest elements of both of those records; Ordinary Corrupt Human Love threads together elements of the soft and the heavy into an especially epic statement. Infinite Granite, often described simply as Deafheaven’s record with mostly clean vocals, compressed it all into something strikingly solid. That was true, but there was much more to it than that; listening to Lonely People With Power, you can hear its echoes everywhere—and if you listen closely, you can find deeper ways back into it when you listen to it again... Ultimately, Lonely People is a record that is anti-loneliness. It’s about finding less harmful ways to escape: your chosen family, your community, and even magic.

Norma Jean

Terror

www.sticktight.la

Kittie

Born in June 2019, CRYPTA is a Brazilian Metal four-piece, influenced by the old school sub-genres of the style.

KMFDM

KMFDM are a band hailing from Hamburg, Germany who formed in 1984. Originally conceived as a performance art project by frontman Sascha Konietzko, they have gone to become one of the most succesful and respected industrial rock acts of all time, releasing 19 albums since debuting three decades ago.

Glassjaw

making things since 1993

Coal Chamber

Superheaven

superheaven.net

Power Trip

Sleep Theory

Sleep Theory delivers the dynamic, heavy bounce and massive vocal hooks that the rock world desperately needs. Cullen Moore is a powerhouse singer who outmatches nearly all his peers, recalling the most classic and timeless pop, R&B, and rock n’ roll vocalists of the last several decades.

In less than two years, they became the fifth most-played artist on Active Rock radio, with three songs on the year-end rock charts on YouTube and Amazon. “Fallout” was the ninth most-played song on Active Rock in 2024. Jelly Roll and David Draiman sing the band’s praises. Shinedown, Falling In Reverse, Beartooth, Nothing More, Wage War, Set It Off, and Daughtry have taken them on tour.

On Afterglow, Sleep Theory’s full-length debut, and the Paper Hearts EP, the band’s rich, emotional sound combines anthemic heavy rock like Linkin Park and Bring Me The Horizon with pop and R&B, equally adept at breakdowns and ballads. Amazon Music, Loudwire, and Revolver named them an Artist To Watch in 2025. Revolver rightly declared, “The band’s exciting mix of metalcore, pop, and R&B … has positioned Sleep Theory as one of heavy music’s biggest breakouts.”

Sleep Theory pushes themselves creatively at every turn, catapulting the genre to new sonic heights.

Boy Harsher

Boy Harsher is an American electronic music group, formed in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia. Currently based in Northampton, Massachusetts, the band consists of vocalist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller.

Poison the Well

PEACE IN PLACE

Lords of Acid

Lords of Acid was founded by Khan in the late ‘80s, garnering a rabid international fanbase who celebrated the outfit’s unique mix of electronic and industrial music. Metropolis Records recently reissued the band’s 1991 album, Lust.

Lords of Acid, the legendary Belgian dance-industrial hybrid fronted by Praga Khan, return to North America this fall for the outfit’s first tour of the continent in six years.

“2017 has been an exciting year for Lords of Acid. We are happy to be finally re-releasing our out of print classic albums LUST, Voodoo-U, Our Little Secret, and Farstucker for our fans,” said Khan. “I think we have an amazing tour planned. It will be a great experience for our fans to see Voodoo-U performed in it’s entirety along with our other classic hits. We’re very happy to bring such a talented group of bands new and old out with us.

Failure

For a band so closely associated with weight, density, and mass, Failure have spent much of their career writing about what happens when those things fall away. Bodies drift. Memories fragment. Signals distort. Gravity fails. But even after 30 years, the hugely influential trio of Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards, and Kelli Scott are still following the sound wherever it leads, even when it’s uncomfortable, unfamiliar, or disruptive.

Location Lost, the band’s seventh album and their fourth since improbably reuniting in 2014 after a 17-year-hiatus, doesn’t arrive as a victory lap or a nostalgia exercise. Instead, it sounds like a band actively negotiating where — and who — they are now. “It’s very different,” Edwards says plainly of the nine-song follow-up to 2021’s Wild Type Droid. “There are sounds and parts that really don’t have any precedence within the Failure world.”

Snot

VIOLENT VIRA

VIOLENT VIRA is a female rock vocalist and writer of Mexican-American descent. She has received major attention with the release of her single "God Complex" and "I Don't Care" both amassing millions of streams. She excels in her vocal abilities and has often been compared to artists such as Hailey Williams of Paramore and Morgan Landers of Kittie. This coupled with her broody and dark sound that radiates throughout her musical works makes her stand out from her peers in today’s alt-rock scene.

Twin Tribes

Hailing from Texas, Twin Tribes is an emerging force in the darkwave scene, turning heads in 2018 with the release of their debut album "Shadows" that featured dark melodic sounds, synthesizers, lyrics about the undead, and the occult and parallel universes. They returned in 2020 with the ten-track album "Ceremony" with an evolved sound that explored love and loss while showcasing their progression as a band.

With songs that are both dynamic and introspective, they balance the darker shades of the emotional spectrum with an energy and momentum that gifts their music a powerful sense of urgency and drama. Their lyrics dig deep into the personal turmoil of love, life and loss, and have forged a new aesthetic that fuses the gothic with the romantic, viewing emotional themes through a darker lens.

As their second LP gains increasing critical and commercial attention, these pillars of the independent music scene continue to re-define what genres such as darkwave and post-punk mean.