Ultimatum “Lex Metalis” Comes Out July 21st
Ultimatum’s new CD “Lex Metalis” will be released on Retroactive Records on July 21st. Pre-orders are being taken right now. If you order now, you might receive a free “Lex Metalis” button, one of Robert’s green Dava guitar picks and a free copy of Untombed Magazine.
The CD contains 13 tracks including:
1) Ton Of Bricks (Metal Church)
2) Locked In Chains (The Moshketeers)
3) Sin After Sin (Twisted Sister)
4) Creeping Death (Metallica)
5) Denim And Leather (Saxon)
6) Gut Wrench (Mortification)
7) Motopsycho (Megadeth)
8) Metal Health (Quiet Riot)
9) Steeler (Judas Priest)
10) Iron Fist (Motorhead)
11) Can’t Get Out (Vengeance Rising)
12) Wrathchild (Iron Maiden)
13) Powersurge (Overkill)
You can pre-order the new album here.
Paramore Opens Their “eyes” With New LP
Fueled By Ramen recording group Paramore has announced details of their hugely anticipated new album. “brand new eyes” will land in stores and at all online retailers on September 29th. Produced by Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock, My Chemical Romance) and co-produced by the band, “brand new eyes” is the long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s RIAA platinum certified second album, “RIOT!” The 11-track collection is unquestionably Paramore’s best and brightest album to date, fit to burst with all the exuberant melodies, breathless hooks, and irrepressible energy that has made the Nashville-based band one of the most popular rock outfits in recent memory. brand new eyes” will be preceded by the first single, “Ignorance,” which is slated to hit Alternative Rock outlets nationwide in early July. A digital single will be available via all DSPs on July 7th. A companion video for “Ignorance” is now in pre-production and will premiere in August. Pre-orders for ‘brand new eyes” began on July 7th, with the physical edition on sale at the Grammy-nominated band’s official website, paramore.net. Two versions of the album will be available, a standard CD edition as well as a limited edition deluxe package. The deluxe version is limited to 15,000 pieces and includes the album on CD, a 40-page hardcover journal with Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams’ handwritten lyrics and notes on the album, a color vinyl 7” single with four acoustic songs, a DVD featuring an exclusive making-of documentary (with interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, the “Ignorance” music video and making-the-video footage, plus rare band vignettes from their website, a 16-page full-color booklet, an exclusive Paramore poster, five limited edition collectible Paramore photos printed on hardstock paper, and a numbered certificate of authenticity. The “brand new eyes” deluxe version will come packaged in an extraordinary special edition box and will only be available via their website. Paramore is currently introducing fans to some of their new material as the main support act on No Doubt’s eagerly awaited reunion tour. The North American trek is criss-crossing the continent now, culminating in a three-night finale at Irvine, California’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on July 31st, August 1st, and August 2nd (see attached itinerary). Upon the tour’s conclusion, Paramore will perform at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan before embarking on their own U.S. headline tour, slated to hit smaller clubs and ballrooms across the country as a special celebration for their fervent fan following. They will then return to mainland Europe and the United Kingdom for a headline tour. Full details will be announced shortly. In addition, Paramore are also set to star in their own edition of MTV Unplugged. The band will film the acoustic performance at a New York City studio later this month, with an airdate currently planned for mid-September.
Tracklisting:
1) Careful
2) Ignorance
3) Playing God
4) Brick By Boring Brick
5) Turn It Off
6) The Only Exception
7) Feeling Sorry
8) Looking Up
9) Where The Lines Overlap
10) Misguided Ghosts
11) All I Wanted
Bloodlined Calligraphy Signs With Sancrosanct Records
Initially announced at the 2009 Cornerstone Festival to a very warm crowd response, Sancrosanct Records proudly welcomes Bloodlined Calligraphy to it’s family of artists. After two highly-acclaimed and successful releases with Facedown Records, as well as some much needed time off, Ypsilanti, Michigan’s Bloodlined Calligraphy is rejuvenated and poised to reemerge as a preeminent force in underground heavy music. After a turbulent year of heavy touring for their last release, “Ypsilanti,” the band took nearly ten months off to recover, regroup, and restructure. Now, with founding members Eric Cargile and Ryan Hampton joined by Nina Cislaghi and Josh Badura on vocals and drums, respectively, BLC has rediscovered their passion and fire for heavy music and the road. Following the departure of long-time members Matt Carter and Ally French, the band struggled with the combined stresses of touring relentlessly and finding the right replacements for the vacated positions. Taking the time off was necessary, and it turned out to be the perfect solution. Now, having spent a year with the newly solidified lineup, playing shows throughout the Great Lakes region, Bloodlined Calligraphy is thrilled to be joining the Sancrosanct Records Family. BLC came up in the world of hardcore and metal the hard way, touring and self-sustaining through their formative years, and found success after joining up with Southern California-based Facedown Records. The band’s Facedown debut, “They Want You Silent,” was a massive hit in the underground metal-hardcore scene, and after many festivals and tours, they released their critically-acclaimed record “Ypsilanti” in 2007. Now, with their partnership with Sancrosanct Records, they look to build on their previous successes with the same grass roots approach that got them there in the first place. The band is currently working on the material that will become their 2010 release with Sancrosanct Records, the combination of brutally fast-paced riffs and floor-shaking breakdowns that fans have become accustomed to in their previous offerings. Bloodlined Calligraphy is thankful to everyone who has continued to support them through their dormancy, and in working with Sancrosanct Records, they look forward to remaining at the forefront of heavy music.
For more information on BLC, visit:
myspace.com/bloodlinedcalligraphy
Christian Metal Fellowship Working To Release Compilation Album
Christian Metal Fellowship is working to release compilation album for several underground metal bands. This is the second compilation that they have released and it will help promote a lot of the more underground Christian bands that tend to go unseen.
Tentative Tracklisting:
Monotheist – Altar of Vanity
In Grief – In the End
Dark Lay Still – Through hell
Ecthirion – Immortality
Firethrone – Holocaustfirestorm
Winters Dawn – new track
Gondolin – Awakening to new Lands
Vanguard – exclusive track
Rehumanize – Human Quicksand 3:02
Elan – new track
Northern Ash – The Accusers Decree
Erasmus – exclusive track
Nephesh – Tormentor of Sin
A HIll to Die Upon – Prometheus Rebound
Blood Drift – Inheritance of Heathens
For more information, please visit:
myspace.com/christianmetalfellowship
Controversial Religious “CULTURE WARS” Documentary Film Releases In September
In the wake of civil discourse on the hot button social issues devolving to bumper sticker slogans like “Choose Life – Your Mom Did” or “Democrat and Christian” or “God Made Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve,” film maker Dan Merchant faces the American religious culture dilemma head on with the upcoming theatrical release of his film, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers: Why Is the Gospel of Love Dividing America?, releasing nationwide on September 25, 2009. According the Merchant, “Talk radio and cable news have clogged the airwaves with so much divisive rhetoric over faith in the public square that “U.S. versus Them” seems like the only alternative. Americans on either side of this cultural divide have grown content with screaming across the abyss at each other.” Has this country lost the art of the conversation? If so, can an idiot filmmaker (with a big heart) dress up as a human bumper sticker and reconcile the nation with a movie? Writer/director Dan Merchant had to do something…and in his words, “desperate times call for desperate measures.” A follower of Jesus himself, Merchant, in his ‘bumper sticker suit,’ interviewed folks at Times Square and everywhere, running into the same situation – non-believers who don’t have a problem with Jesus, but vehemently dislike many who claim Him. Christianity Today says “Merchant’s documentary turns on a deceptively simple question: Why is the gospel of love dividing America? With a nonchalant manner that miraculously never comes across as judgmental, Merchant zeroes in on politicians, Christian organizations, religious leaders and even the church. Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is incisive and fair, goofily funny and deeply moving. There is no watering down of the gospel. Merchant knows sin when he sees it. He simply finds the plank in his own eye of greater importance than the mite in his neighbor’s.” “Everyone has a dog in this fight.” says Merchant. “ Everyone has an opinion on God, on why we’re here, on what we are supposed to be doing. The surprise is that we all are secretly yearning for the yelling to stop and for the conversation to begin.” In an effort to jump start the conversation, Merchant interviewed anyone who would say “yes,” from cultural lightning rods like Senatorial candidate Al Franken and former “Religious Right” Senator Rick Santorum, “liberal evangelical” Tony Campolo, best-selling author William Paul Young (The Shack), conservative talk show host Michael Reagan, religious TV host Matthew Crouch, author Dr. John Perkins and many more. Lord, Save Us… . also features segments and news clips with Bono, Bill Maher, Bill O’Reilly, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, George Clooney, Pastor Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life), James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson among others. In the tradition of entertaining documentaries like Super Size Me, Bowling for Columbine and What the Bleep Do We Know?, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers employs the language of pop culture to create a provocative, amusing and redemptive film-going experience. With the successful use of man-on-the-street encounters with “Bumpersticker Man,” a “Culture Wars” game show, a moving “Confession Booth” at a gay pride event (where Merchant himself actually does the confessing) Lord, Save Us From Your Followers delves into all the hot button issues with candor, humor and balance bringing everyone into the conversation. Through advance screenings in places as diverse as Seventh Day Adventist churches to evangelical mega churches, from secular schools like Reed College to Baptist schools like Baylor University, Merchant has been able to somehow, remarkably bridge the “great divide” through his film. The film has also had a broad run throughout the worldwide festival circuit, playing faith-friendly and mainstream festivals alike, being chosen as a participant and award winner by many festivals across the country. “We know what we think,” Merchant said of his fellow Christians, “and we often think that’s good enough. But if you don’t understand anybody else, how can you have a real conversation? Are we truly following The Gospel of Love or have we turned it into The Gospel of Being Right?”
For more information on this film, go here:
lordsaveusthemovie.com
Since October News
Florida rockers SINCE OCTOBER have announced several additional dates to their summer tour, including a West Coast run with Trapt PLUS three huge festivals where they’ll be playing alongside such huge bands as Judas Priest, 3 Doors Down, Shinedown and more! SINCE OCTOBER recently wrapped up a string of dates with RED, which included some of their first East Coast shows ever! Singer Ben Graham checked in from the road with an update: “We’ve been on this tour for about 8 weeks now, so the show is nice and tight, and we’re really excited about that. We’re also psyched that on these upcoming Trapt dates, we’ll be playing markets we’ve never played: the House of Blues in Las Vegas and the Troubadour in Los Angeles will be awesome! And to be able to play with such legendary bands as Judas Priest and Whitesnake is absolutely amazing to us. The big festival shows will be great because there will be over 20,000 people there, and we’re definitely ready to take advantage of that opportunity. “Our single is doing great right now, and we’re stoked on that too. ‘Guilty’ is up to #21 this week, which is the highest we’ve ever been. We’re one stop from the Top 20, and we’re really pushing for it. Because of the song’s success, we had a lot of people come out to see us in the Northeast, which is great because we’ve never played up there before. It’s been a really great time for us, and we can’t complain.” Tour Dates:
7/14 – Dayton, OH
7/16 – Chesaning, MI
7/17 – Cedar Rapids, IA
7/18 – Willmar, MI
7/22 – Las Vegas, NV
7/24 – San Diego, CA
7/25 – West Hollywood, CA
7/29 – Santa Rosa, CA
8/1 – Marysville, CA
8/5 – Darien Lake, NY
8/8 – Syracuse, NY
8/9 – Madison, WI
8/15 – Little Rock, AR
8/22 – Seattle, WA
9/12 – Huntington, WV
9/26 – Phoenix, AZ
Teramaze Announces Passing Of Drummer
Teramaze has announced the passing of their drummer in their recent enewsletter:
On Monday 15th June my best friend and brother Julian Percy (Teramaze drummer) Died at home due to massive complications of heart failure. He fought and fought to live and loved his family and friends immensely and was one of the greatest drummers to walk this planet. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes he will be so sadly missed, what an amazing person he was! If you have time to leave a comment or a message on the Teramaze myspace page for his family and close friends to see how much he was respected as a drummer and as a unique and beautiful man, please do so, it would be much appreciated. I miss him already, and I Know with out a doubt he is with his father in heaven.
Thank You,
Dean Wells
myspace/teramaze
Mae Selling New EP For One Dollar
After wrapping a successful U.S. headlining run, the American rock group MAE have announced the release of (A)FTERNOON, the second installment their EP trilogy for 2009. (A)FTERNOON follows the release of the (M)orning EP, for which the group partnered with their local Habitat For Humanity in Newport News, VA to build a house for a local resident, Rhonda Floyd, in need of a home. “We’re proudly able to announce that with only our music and your donations–and without the help of any record label or large corporations behind us–we have fully funded a house for Rhonda Floyd and her three children,” explains drummer JACOB MARSHALL. “There are no words to express the depth of our gratitude and appreciation.” The group has put together a video of their experience over the last four months, check it out here. Mae has committed to offering 100% of the proceeds from digital sales of their 2009 EP trilogy–(M)ORNING, (A)FTERNOON and (E)VENING–to fund humanitarian and charitable projects. Since January, Mae has raised over $46,000. Each month Mae is offering a new song as a digital download; all songs can be purchased for a minimum donation of $1.00 on whatismae.com. The Cure” and “Over & Over”–the first tracks off the (A)FTERNOON EP–are available now at: www.whatismae.com. Mae recorded the new songs while traveling all over the U.S. during their spring headlining U.S. tour with Barcelona, Person L and Tokyo. For the (A)FTERNOON EP, the trio–DAVE ELKINS (lead vocals/guitars), JACOB MARSHALL (drums) and ZACH GEHRING (guitar)–have aligned with Donors Choose (donorschoose.org). “We’re excited to team-up up with the Donors Choose organization, which helps educators around the country get the materials they need to effectively execute their curriculum,” explains lead singer DAVE ELKINS. “There are so many schools and teachers around the country who are having their budgets slashed. The education of our country’s youth shouldn’t be compromised due to issues they have no control over. Every child deserves and needs an education.”
Flatfoot 56 News
FLATFOOT 56 is set to blast through the summer with a whirlwind of energy and action as they bring their spirited Celtic-punk to fans around the globe. The Chicago foursome has confirmed a number of special appearances at US and international festivals, that launched June 26 with a powerful set at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. Tour stops also have included performances at the Cornerstone Festival (July 2 & 3 in Bushnell, IL), Sonshine Festival (July 16 in Wilmar, MN), Spirit West Coast (July 30 in Monterey, CA), O-F-T Ferropolis Festival (August 21 in Grafenhainiche, Germany), and Xnoizz Flevofest (August 22 in Flevoland, Netherlands), amongst a mix of additional club appearances, festivals and events. The upcoming appearances will find FLATFOOT 56 showcasing the band’s eclectic mix of punk and folk-tinged hardcore from their two releases—the debut full-length Knuckles Up as well as 2007’s celebrated album Jungle Of The Midwest Sea—along with a taste of new material that the boys recently recorded for a forthcoming full-length album. Details on that release will be announced at a later date.
Tour Dates:
7/16 – Wilmar, MN
7/17 – St. Paul, MN
7/18 – Rockford, IL
7/25 – Chicago, IL
7/30 – Monterey, CA
8/19 – Kosice, Slovakia
8/21 – Grafenhainiche, Germany
8/22 – Flevoland, Netherlands
8/22 – Flevoland, Netherlands
8/28 – DeKalb, IL
9/4 – Rockford, IL
9/18 – Ballston Spa, NY
9/19 – Lafayette, IN
10/11 – Chicago, IL
Downhere To Release Christmas Album
Downhere, one of Christian music’s premiere rock bands, is scheduled to release their first full-length holiday album, How Many Kings: Songs For Christmas, October 6, 2009. The new project was produced by Downhere and will be distributed by Word Distribution. The idea to record their first Christmas CD grew over the years for Downhere as they performed several holiday concerts in their hometown of Franklin, TN, beginning in 2001. (Glenn Lavender is the only band member who still resides in Canada). Then the thought grew to fruition with the success of the single, “How Many Kings,” which went to Top 5 on the Christian AC charts in 2007, followed by the Bethlehem Skyline tour last year with their labelmates on Centricity Music. How Many Kings: Songs For Christmas features the timeless classics of the Yuletide season that are recorded with the Downhere style. “Basically we made a giant list of Christmas songs and narrowed them down to our top choices, realizing that every one of them was at least a hundred years old,” says lead singer, Marc Martel. “We all really resonate with a love for good lyrics, the classic ones that are going to last, so we do a lot of really old Christmas carols. However, we also tried to make the old stuff sound new.” How Many Kings: Songs For Christmas kicks-off with “How Many Kings” and flows into Christmas standards such as “God res Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Silent Night,” “What Child Is This,” and “We Wish You A Merry A Christmas,” to name a few. The songs are a mixture of fun and religious tunes but the majority of songs resonate with the true meaning of the season.
“We didn’t want to pack a whole Christmas record with ‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ or anything that was considered all that fluffy,” explains drummer Jeremy Thiessen. “We were very selective in wanting to pick songs that actually said something than simply ‘it’s Christmas let’s party!’ We’re just trying to get people to pay attention and unplug from all of the running around.” During their illustrious ten-year career, Downhere has garnered GMA Award nominations for New Artist of the Year, Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year and a GMA Award for Modern Rock Recorded Song of the Year. The group has also won three JUNO Awards for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album Of The Year in 2009 (Ending Is Beginning), 2008 (Wide-Eyed & Mystified) and for their self-titled debut in 2002. Downhere received GMA Canada Awards in 2002 for Rock Album of the Year and Rock Song of the Year. Fans and radio continue to keep their singles at the top of the charts with “Here I Am” and “Hope Is Rising” peaking at #5 and (need number) on the AC charts, while “My Last Amen” peaked in the Top Ten on the CHR charts. And media accolades heralded Ending Is Beginning as one of their finest projects, which included such Christian outlets as ChristianMusicToday.com, JesusFreakHideout.com, Beliefnet, and Christian Single.
Former Dear Ephesus Members Are The Vanity Plan
Two former members of Dear Ephesus are involved with a new band called The Vanity Plan. The Vanity Plan is made up of 5 musicians, 2 of which used to be the guitarists and main songwriters for the band Dear Ephesus. They have a song coming out on the upcoming release of Madden 10 from EA Games. They will be releasing their first EP called “The Ignorant Are Sold” on Aug 8th which will have 6 songs on it. Check them out here.
Third Day To Be Inducted In Georgia Music Hall Of Fame
Multi-platinum, GRAMMY and AMA winning rock band Third Day received the news this week that the Atlanta-based group has been selected as a new inductee into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The 31st Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Show takes place Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta, GA. The show will broadcast live on Georgia Public Broadcasting viewed locally on Atlanta’s Channel 8. Other honorees to be inducted during the awards show include post-grunge rock band, Collective Soul; music promoter, Peter Conlon; GRAMMY® winning songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox; music industry pioneer Johnny L Carson; the late singer and songwriter, Roy Hamilton; the late record executive, Shakir Stewart; and the late bass guitarist, Berry Oakley. Previous inductees include a very talented and musically diverse group of people including: Ray Charles (1979), Alan Jackson (2001) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (2007). In order to be nominated for this prestigious “Georgy Award” an artist must be born in or reside in Georgia for at least one year and receive a state of national acclaim for achievements in the field of recorded music. “This is a very special honor for Third Day because we are all Georgia boys thru-and-thru and have a sound with Georgia inspired roots,” said Mac Powell. “It is one of the biggest highlights of our career to be recognized by an organization which acknowledges such a diverse and talented group of people.” For tickets and information, call 770-491-9494 ext. 15.
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