November 2012



Battlecross, out of Michigan, describes their music as "Blue Collar Thrash Metal" it's a style that delivers their version of hardcore thrash, laced with screaming guitars and intense vocals with a determination and energy that most bands would envy. They have been playing showcases with a reputation as hardworking musicians, Battlecross has been blowing audiences away and raking in new fans at every venue they play. Recently, Tony Asta , guitarist was kind enough to answer some questions regarding the band and their new material.


1. How was it to be a part of the Metal Blade 30th Anniversary Showcase? How does it feel to be a part of the Metal Blade Records family?

Tony: What an honor it is to be part of all this. I never thought I would be responding to these types of questions. We signed to the label in May 2011 and it’s truly amazing all the good things that have come with it. Over the past year we've come to get to know the guys and gals at the "The Blade" and we couldn't dream to work with a better team. The 30th Ann Showcase was awesome, we had a blast and of course it was a privilege to share the stage with Six Feet Under, Cattle Decapitation, Gypsyhawk, and Pilgrim. All super dudes and great bands!

2. You guys are from Detroit, Michigan what's the music scene like there any band recommendations?

Tony: The music scene is alive but I personally haven't been to a local Detroit show in a while since we were on tour all summer for the Trespass America Festival. Some sweet metal bands from the area people should check out are Hellmouth, Scorned Deity, Flesh Eating Flesh, Shitlife, Writhing, Imminent Sonic Destruction, Burn the Hearse, Nothing For Now, and Nurse Ratched. The list goes on but there's a few to get you started.

3. How did you come together?

Tony: Hiran and I grew up across the street from each other, picked up our first guitars in 1996, and it wasn't till we met Kreger in 2007 that we really started producing legitimate material as a band. We stole Don from another band in 2008 and recruited Gumby in 2010 in hopes of world domination ;) The hardest thing is finding the right fit of like-minded musicians and I'm so grateful we stuck to our guns and somehow found each other.

4. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Tony: In 2004 I put two words together that sounded cool, so texted it to Hiran and he liked it. We found out no one had it yet and it just seemed appropriate at the time. Over time we developed a sound and the name just stuck. Some people tell us they hear the name and think we'll be Viking metal, power metal, or 80's sounding. Overall we hope our music makes the name. It is open for interpretation too as according to Google "battle cross" can be associated with the fallen soldier memorial, chicken fighting, or an arcade game. ;)

5. You guys have a unique sound, which bands Would you say influence you the most?

Tony: Thanks I would say the foundation for sure would be Pantera, Metallica, Testament, Gwar, Slayer, Sepultura, Judas Priest, The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, Arsis, Parkway Drive, Decapitated, Dying Fetus, Lamb of God, Death, and so on and so on.


6. What is your favorite song to perform live?

Tony: Kaleb!

7. What’s the best and worst shows you've ever played?

Tony: Oh man… haha that's a tough question. I'm going to have to sum this up somehow because there have been so many great shows. I’d say every show this year has been fantastic, we've grown with confidence and that's really the key to having a good time. When you're comfortable on stage, not taking yourself too seriously, hanging out with friends and fans, and playing with good bands it makes all the difference. I can't think of a bad show, lol.

8. What was the inspiration for the album name Pursuit of Honor?

Tony: Originally I wrote and named the instrumental intro "Pursuit of Honor". As the album came together after we recorded Gumby's vocals it all seemed to make sense. A powerful title that goes with the album subject matter and theme also open to interpretation to the listener.

9. Your genre choice is labeled "Blue Collar Thrash" tell me about it?

Tony: A friend came up with that I think because we started with nothing and continue to work hard. No one ever handed us a damn thing. I think the blue collar label suits us and reflects in the music. I think we have that chip on our shoulder that reminds ourselves we can't get anywhere without sacrifice. In the end you can call us whatever you want.

10. How would you describe the overall sound of the new album?

Tony: It's not done yet but I would love to tell you all about it when it is.

11. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?

Tony: Yeah for sure, we want to capture the live energy our fans feed from at our live performances and blast it out of the speakers of their stereo. We are always trying to push ourselves. A lot of the songs on Pursuit of Honor were written without Don and Gumby and their influence combined with the growth of the band will result in the new record capturing the evolution of the band.

12. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?

Tony: No, well, not that I know of. The new record has not been recorded yet.

13. When did you start writing for this album?

Tony: The skeleton ideas began in 2010.

14. Can you go into one or two tracks on the new album? If so, can you give us the track title and brief description of how the track sounds and how it came about?

Tony: Unfortunately I can't, sorry! Haha we haven't recorded yet.

15. Who writes the songs, what are they about?

Tony: We all contribute to the songs but they always start with guitar as we are very guitar driven. I believe Gumby will be writing all lyrics.

16. What advice would you give to fellow bands?

Tony: For new bands: practice constantly, push yourself always especially when writing new material, create a good "product" (your music) before you do anything else. The music you write and perform is the most important thing about your band and everything else comes second. For bands that have been doing this a while and just can't seem to get noticed: always make connections in the music industry everywhere you go and take advantage of the social media resources at your fingertips to keep your fans interested and furthermore grow your fan base aside from playing live performances. Getting people to know your name (branding) is key.

17. What inspires you to do what you do?

Tony: For the love of music, metal, and the metal community. I want to look back on my life knowing I did the best I could and didn't settle. And most importantly this makes me happy.

18. Anything else you want to add for your fans?

Tony: THANK YOU! It means the world to us you gave us a chance. Coming out to a show, picking up our CD, telling a friend about us - all these things are more than we could ever dream of. Thank you guys for validating our existence, I promise we will always do our best.


Southern California's NO BRAGGING RIGHTS have debuted a brand new video for their song "Repeater". Directed by veteran director Josh Knoff (As I Lay Dying, Asking Alexandria), NBR offers their support for our country's men and women enlisted in the armed forces and the struggles they deal with upon returning home. Lead singer Mike Perez offers his thoughts: "I'm happy but not just because it's my favorite track off the album, but because of the message behind it. Also, I'm glad we went the soldier route. I don't think people understand the emotional strain some of them have to deal with when returning back to normal life." Check it out HERE.


Crunkcore haven't heard of it? Well now you have somewhat it's where crunk hip hop is combined with screaming vocals hence the combo "crunkcore" and no one does it better than Albuquerque, New Mexico act Brokencyde. Michael Shea one of the two vocalists decided to speak to me while they were on tour.


1. Can you tell me how the current tour went for everybody who's a part of it?

Michael: We just ended the tour with The Bunny The Bear & Nathan Ryan and it's been a ton of fun to share the stage with them as well as see our amazing fans!

2. What is your favorite song to play live (from any album)?

Michael: I personally love to perform Freaxxx, which is an oldie but goodie! The crowd's reaction to it whether it's 50 people or 500 is always a fun experience full of energy!!!!

 3. When it comes to a tour what part of the tour do you think your body is already tired and worn out?

Michael: Personally, the first day I am worn out. We leave every ounce of energy we have that day on stage!

4. What has been the most complicated venue you have performed at?

Michael: We are super fortunate to play every venue we have. They have all treated us very well.

 5. Is there any song that when you play it live on stage makes your adrenaline levels kick in and make you want to go hyper?

Michael: Skitzo usually seems to have this WILD energy that is different from any of our other songs. It zaps you full of adrenaline!

6. When it comes to performing each and every night does the time stand still or does it fly by when performing?

Michael: It's true when they say time flies by when you're having fun & that's exactly what our shows are.


7. Do you guys have any new music in the works?

Michael: We are half way done with our next full length album & are going to finish it up when we get back home. No details yet but I can safely say people will be VERY happy with it!

8. I want to know who was the one who sent me that personalized message of "Fuck You Love Brokencyde" was it the band?

Michael: It was "BREE" our mascot. He tends to party a little too hard & send intoxicated messages.

9. Tell me in a brief summary how the band came to be?

Michael: In 05 Mikl & Seven started to hang out & decided to try a song out & BC went from there.

10. Who was the one to come up with the band's name? You guys are called Brokencyde but where does B13 come from?

Michael: BC-Brokencyde 13- represents family to us = BC13.

11. Can you describe what "crunkcore" is? Why did you want to pick that genre as your musical choice?

Michael: We wanted to create something new & not follow a trend. We are proud to be different & wanted that in our music as well. CrunkCore is Crunk with a taste of screaming for that extra rush in a song.

12. This set also includes a DVD that contains 11 music videos is that your whole catalog of videos?

Michael: All of our music videos that we've done will come along with the "best of" CD. It has the infamous Freaxxx video all the way down to our collaboration video with Deuce for Never Back Down.

13. What are plans for the rest of this year?

Michael: We have a lot in the works. Brokencyde has been in the shadows for a bit but we are coming back extra hard with a new album, touring & many more surprises.

14. Anything else you want to add for your fans?


Michael: We want to thank our fans as they are the best fans any band/group could ask for. They are our fuel that keeps us going. Don't be afraid to be yourself & believe in yourself, you can make any dream come true! CxF


Bratzillaz's line is slowly expanding with numerous products from a clothing, doll appeal, playsets, and all new dolls called the Midnight Beach line featuring all your favorite witches Yasmina, Cloetta, Sashabella, Jade, and Meygana. BUT wait there's more to tell an ALL NEW character named, Fianna Fins is making her debut really soon!

Midnight Beach Line
 Jade J'Adore
 Sashabella Paws
Meygana Broomstix
Cloetta Spelletta
Yasmina Clairvoya

Fianna Fins

Midnight Beach Line including Fianna Fins



Close to close 20 years strong rockstars Hoobastank have kept the musical ball rolling right along since way back when. Now on their fifth album "Fight Or Flight" vocalist Doug Robb took some time to talk about the band's yearly matters from past to present.


1. Can you give me a brief summary as to how the band came about?

Doug: The briefest I can make it is that Dan the guitar player and myself met in high school in the early to mid 90's and were in different bands so eventually we started hanging out and playing music together. We then found our drummer and original bass player in a newspaper. So that happened in December of 94 and began playing in 95, got a record deal in 2000 and been doing this for close to 20 years.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Doug: The name came from a friend of ours in high school that use to blurt it out and in appropriately during class and at prep rallies; I don't think it meant anything it just sounded funny. That being said when we first started rehearsing we were sitting around saying "we gota call the band Hoobastank that'd be so awesome" no we had a billion other names to go through, before we settled on Hoobastank. I think everything else we wanted to be called was either taken at the time so the time was ticking away that we needed to promote for our first show, so we had to put something on the flyer so that name would pop up as a joke for a name for the band so we just cave in and went with that. But if we had known that would have been such a big decision at the time I think we would have gone with something different. You know it is what it is. It's a name that everyone recognizes because it's so unusual because for almost 20 years we're always having to explain where it came from.

3. In 2 years you will have been a band for 20 years how does this make you feel?

Doug: Old. It makes me feel old but puts perspective for me, how I use to look at bands for a certain amount of time I just feel old and lucky. We have so many friends who we have had since we started, others who even got record deals at the same time as we had, everybody just rides it out so only a handful of us have been able to continue this as career so I feel really lucky. It's a chapter of my life as a human being so I feel really fortunate.

4. Out of all of the albums you've released which would you say is your favorite and why?

Doug: I don't know. It's hard not to let the commercial success depend on how I feel about the albums. Our second album "The Reason" for my life and the band's life made it amazing for us, the experiences, through that record, musically it wasn't - there's songs on every record that I like but I could take 2 songs off each record that would be my own greatest hits but it wouldn't be just one entire album.

5. Do you ever look at your hit single "The Reason" and think it's made you a one hit wonder type of band?

Doug: To the casual fan that is probably true. I guess the more well versed fan who was there since our previous album did have a few hit singles so those were alternative type hits and we had built a core following then. For those people it's just another song but with the song "The Reason" you can't control what happens after it's out - so for the first part of the band from 95-03 it was all dynamical young kids, mostly guys mosh pittting and such. We just saw ourselves without anyone else there but us as a rock band. Then in 04 we're playing huge places along with everyone else who was there from before too, so it had opened this door to a whole another audience. That audience came in for that one band or song so once that band fades they go onto the next one. So those people will go "oh yeah that band has that one song" but for me I feel really lucky to have had such a success and be under the radar of those fans so I guess it's better than to say "I was a no hit wonder" haha.

6. You released a Best Of album in 2009, why did you think that, that was the time for it?

Doug: To be honest with you I think that was a record label choice so in Japan and South East Asia we had such following there that they thought, that was the time for it. Never once did the band sit down and say "hey let's do this" a lot of people thought that was the end of us and we did get a lot of questions then but no it was not it's just what the label had wanted to do.

7. Now you're on your fifth album what are your thoughts on it?

Doug: It depends on the perspective of it, but I look back at my favorite bands who didn't even have five albums so then it's kind of a lot it just depends really.

8. Do you guys have any new music in the works?

Doug: We wrote a lot of music for this last record and was done ready to go for a while before it even saw the light of day. So since then we have been tossing out ideas but I gota say we could put something out quickly but in the past we separated the job of a musician of doing this or that from this time to that time we let those overlap; but this time we have been writing a lot more other things at the same time so there is music to be recorded but when it happens who knows we may get together next month and put together the ideas we have.

9. What are your upcoming plans?

Doug: Well we just got back from a tour in Japan, so we've been busy since late June a couple of weeks on and off. Radio stuff happening in January there is always constantly stuff happening with meeting's trying to figure out what that next task is ya know? There will be stuff going on but at this time of year everything just stops and shuts down so we're just taking a long breath and we'll attack come January.

10. Thanks for doing the interview, anything you’d like to say to your fans?

Doug: I'm always saying thank you to the fans with how lucky and fortunate I am to be able to play music for a living. Follow us on Twitter @hoobastank and Facebook all those good social networking sites and our main website just check us out!


Meshuggah's US tour will be having Animals As Leaders and Intronaut joining them.


TOUR DATES:

02/11 Orlando, FL – The Beacham
02/12 Atlanta, GA – Center Stage Theatre
02/13 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
02/14 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre Of Living Arts
02/15 New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom
02/16 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
02/17 Boston, MA – House Of Blues
02/19 Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
02/20 Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
02/21 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
02/22 Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
02/23 Sauget, IL – Pop’s
02/24 Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights
02/26 Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
02/27 Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall Ballroom
03/01 Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
03/02 Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater
03/03 Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues



Portland, Oregon's Whispers Of Wonder are musicians who truly understand the gift of creating music. The only goal to be is to paint the picture that will stimulate and influence the listener in some way, shape, or form. Thus their debut release "The First Year" shines through the Standby Records doors to surly draw in the masses, the guys are already hard at work on their debut release set to hit the streets in 2013.


1. Can you give me a brief summary as to how the band came together and where the name Whispers Of Wonder came from?

Whispers of Wonder began with the drive to create a sound that would be familiar to the listener, yet at the same time completely brand new. The name Whispers of Wonder means small voices that carry a huge message.

2. How does it feel to be a part of the Standby Records family?

In all honesty it's not much different than being in the garage on our own. Yes they have gotten us into magazines, and paid for the recording of our EP but for the most part forward motion is slow going, and we have pretty much been the last on their list of priorities. We have basically gotten as far as we have on our own up to this point. It has been a rather stressful experience, but the opportunity Standby has given us is priceless. As for the other bands, we haven't had too much contact with them yet, but so far they have welcomed us with open arms and it feels good to be a part of the family.

3. What's the music scene like in Portland, Oregon?

Portland, Oregon's music scene is much like the weather here. Cold, wet, and rather unforgiving. It's not a big deal to be out and about, but you might wanna wear a jacket. The scene is pretty judge mental.

4. How would you define your genre "melodic wondercore"?

Melodic Wondercore is mostly just a joke. Its kinda just a nickname we gave to our unique style. We didn't want to be put into anyone else's box, so we made our own.

5. You released your debut EP but now your hard at work on your debut full-length how does this make you feel?

Writing a full length album is a challenging experience, especially when you are your own worst critic. Though we have hit a lot of bumps in the creative process, we are still well on our way, and we couldn't be happier.

6. What are you doing for the holidays?

We plan on spending the Winter of Wonder doing what we always do, kicking back and having a good time.

7. This Halloween season I did what?

Party hearty! ;)

8. Do you have a favorite dish for Thanksgiving or do you enjoy everything?

Calin: STUFFING!!!!
Tristen: Golden brown turkey. I like the taste of corpse.
Chree: Chili Dogs.
Lucky:  Pumpkin Pie.

9. Do you or have you gone shopping on Black Friday, if so what did you find and buy?

Honestly no. We find that the whole Black Friday rush is animalistic and horrible. Consumerism at its finest. Only in America do people trample each other to death for low prices when just 24 hours ago they were giving thanks for what they already have.

10. When it comes to the holiday season does the band all get together or does everyone do their own thing?

We are gonna have to wait and see, this will be our first holiday season together.

11. One thing you really want for Christmas is what?

Some new decent equipment to take on tour in 2013.

12. Do you still believe in Santa Claus?

No.

13. Are you a late or early Christmas shopper?

No.

14. One thing you have to do on New Year's Eve?

Party Hearty.

15. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

To kick ass at least 3 times harder than last year.

16. Want to say anything to the fans out there?

To the fans, we genuinely and truly appreciate and love every single one of our fans. A lot of bands will tell you that, but we make it our mission to show you. We hope you guys will love our new EP "The First Year" and we can't wait to hang-out with you all on tour in 2013. You are all Whispers of Wonder, together our voices are loud.


Washington DC natives, The Relapse Symphony are one of a few who have gotten signed with Standby Records label mates Whispers Of Wonder are also on the bill and are butting heads musically with these guys. The five-song EP "Time's Running Out" has brought upon the world a fiery passion and intensity issuing a warning to all that these guys mean business far more than anybody else.

With that said their one hit wonder of a single "Make Your Move", is cranking the rock n' roll scene with its upbeat abilities with rip roaring guitar riffs and loud bearing bass lines with powerful vocal chords that really draws the listener in. "Forgotten" keeps that intensity and fiery passion lit maintaining the same momentum as "Make You Move" does but progresses it just a bit further. "Burning Bridges", deals with the drama that the band had to face with some friends who began to act differently towards them so it was a point in which the recording process took a whole another turn; this can be heard within the song because there is no risks and all chances are put on the table that really makes this one a keeper and "anthem" to this release.

The Relapse Symphony bring the likeliness to that of Farewell, My Love meets Whispers Of Wonder. Combining a melodic but punk rock style that's built upon a enforced yet confident edge that's ready to ignite across the globe!


Progressive hardcore band SPEAKING THE KING’S from Orange County, California have signed a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. STK’s vocalist Bobby Burap comments on the new partnership: “Very few bands get the opportunity to take their act to an international level. That being said... we are extremely excited to announce that Speaking The King's have signed to Nuclear Blast Records. It's an absolute honor to be able to work with such a juggernaut in the current music scene. Having so many prominent bands on their roster, we're striving to carry on this tradition of excellence with our desire to work hard and produce the best product possible. Thank you to everyone who has supported us from day one. This is only the beginning.”



Omaha, Nebraska's BYLETH brings you what you wouldn't expect to come out of such an empty area of the mid-west. Straight out of the slaughter state BYLETH gives you fist-to-face death metal with a pinch of black and core. Along with the extreme shredding, talented drumming, and bone crushing vocals. They bludgeon you with an intense live show that leaves you with a sore neck and begging for more. With them just releasing their first album "Scared To Death" in 2011, BYLETH is well on their way to making a name for themselves. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for the next mid-west onslaught that is BYLETH.


1. Where are you guys from originally?

Band: We're all from the Slaughter State Omaha, Nebraska! ;)

2. How did you come together?

Band: Four of us have all been great friends since we can even remember. Nolan is the newest addition to the band on account of things not working out with our other guitar player.  He is the newest and youngest...  after a little corrupting, he is fitting in rather nicely.

3. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Band: BYLETH is one of the kings of hell who rides a pale white horse, and appears with eerie loud music behind him. We like to think we're that music ;). We came across the name searching through a Mythology book a few years back, and thought it fit with us pretty well. How you pronounce our name is Buh-Leth. I'm gonna die if I hear another person pronounce it like BYE-Leth.

4. What type of band are you?

Band: Death metal from the middle of nowhere! A bunch of pissed off kids who paint them self's and rock hard as fuck!

5. You guys have a unique sound, which bands would you say influence you the most?

Band: We all have different influences to put into this band. I would say OLD SCHOOL death metal is in our blood. Bands like Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, NILE, Deicide, etc all play a part in our band. We still have big influences with the new age metal of course, can't deny that. We love all metal really, I can't say we sound a lot like any certain band because we don't. Bands I personally grew up drooling over were bands like SLIPKNOT, Korn, Behemoth, and Converge. We try not to have another bands sound leak over into our music, but sometimes you can't run from it. It's hard to sound original these days on account of most of it has been done already. I recently heard Dub-step and metal together...kids are doing everything.

6. What was the inspiration for the album name Scared To Death?

Band: Well the song "Scared To Death" was about a part in Josh's life when he was having really horrible dreams, was sick quite often, and wasn't really thinking clearly. He is doing better now obviously, it was just a scary time. Most of the songs are about going through hard times growing up and not understanding why, or what caused them. So being Scared To Death seemed appropriate.

7. Where did the idea come for the video "The Plot To Bury Myself"?

Band: That would be Aaron Gum's work. We got a hold of him after seeing a few of his videos online. We were his first Metal band he ever shot with. After bouncing back and forth with some pretty crazy ideas we finally settled on just a performance video in a "shack".  Which was actually just a garage we decorated with some busted up pieces of wood. :) We ended up just trying to get as many insane shots shoved into one video as we possibly could. Throw in some black paint and a little blood....you got yourself a metal video.

8. Tell me about the song "The Plot To Bury Myself"?

Band: Oddly enough this song was created with the help of another drummer (Colton) we had fill in when  our original drummer (Matt) was gone for a few months. We had a bunch of old riffs and a good chunk of the song already mapped out. With Colton's help and the time we had just messing around between shows we through this together. In my book this is my favorite song...if you don't count the new ones we haven't recorded yet ;). Lyrically this song was written on Josh's front porch in the dead of winter, with the help of yours truly. It's about being in that depressing moment of your life when the thought of suicide actually seems like an alternative. Now I don't know if this has happened with everybody, but I know a good chunk of people who it has happened too. Everybody has been down before, but not everybody has hit rock bottom.

9. If you could go back and change something on the album Scared To Death, would you?

Band: Not really. I mean I would change how the overall sound turned out. But it's our first record, it's not supposed to be perfect. Now we have a better idea of what to do and what not to do. Also we matured drastically from writing Scared To Death, so we plan on blowing that out of the water in the upcoming months.

10. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)

Band: Betrayal, confusion, hatred, death, etc... we were pissed about things we didn't really understand. Like I said we matured a bit since then, have a clearer view of the world today. You shall see what we mean in the upcoming release.

11. Do you write your own songs? Can you discuss the songwriting process in detail?

Band: Yes we do, and the song writing process has changed on account of member changes. When we had our old guitar player, we would bring riffs to practice and see what we could come up with right then and there. Now with Nolan, me and him live together so we can basically hear what the other person is working on from different rooms. Oh ya, did I mention Matt(Drummer) and Matt(Bass) live with us as well? Living with the whole band while also practicing here is a whole new world to us. Our process of writing has absolutely everyone's input on it. These upcoming songs will show that dramatically.

12. How do you describe your music to people?

Band: Depends on the person. If it's someone who has NO IDEA what different types of metal sounds like, we just say "It's like Black Sabbath...but with a guy screaming in your face." :) When talking to actual metalheads we say "It's like Cannibal Corpse with new age influence." Most young kids don't have a clue with what we're talking about.

13. What image do you think your music conveys?

Band: Violence and HAIR.

14. What live performance experience have you had?

Band: TONS! We have opened for National acts, played Sold out shows, and have toured the country. I say we're just getting started! ;)

15. How do you rate your live performance ability?

Band: 10 out of 10. Even if you don't like Metal, we are still fun as hell to watch. We have heard from people after our shows saying "I don't like metal music, but I defiantly get it after watching you guys!"

16. What is your favorite song to perform live and which one really gets your energy up and blood pumping?

Band: Whatever song gets the crowd out of the standing position and into the headbang/pit position!

17. How do you promote your band and shows?

Band: All over. Majority of the promotion happens over internet now days...but nothing beats talking face to face about your band or your shows.

18. Describe your show, visual and musically for us.

Band: 5 kids on stage kickin their necks, swinging hair, jumping kids, and a lot of metal hands! \m/

19. Who in the band would win in a headbanging contest?

Band: Josh hands down. He doesn't have to worry about playing an instrument. If he isn't screaming in your face then you can count on definitely having a mouth full of his hair.

20. What is your favorite headbanging style to use?

Band: If I had long hair I would say the windmill, but sadly I'm the one with short hair. So its full body headbanging, feet stomping and guitar flips!

21. How many band t-shirts are in your personal collection?

Band: Actually not many. I used to have a shit load when I was younger but I grew out of the majority of them. I went from spending money on band shirts to guitar gear!

22. What advice would you give to fellow bands?

Band: You are not going to get your music heard sitting on your ass while hoping things happen. Dedicate your life to traveling around the world and forcing people to hear you.

23. What are the upcoming plans you have lined up for the rest of this year?

Band: Finish writing, then we have a little tour at the end of the end. 2013 is where it's at...big things to come next year, we promise you that!

24. Anything else you want to say or add?

Band: STAY METAL FUCKERS!!!!


Latin metallers ILL NINO are gearing up to spread a little holiday cheer this winter and have announced a ten city run. Beginning November 30th in Dallas, they will hit New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts before making their way to South America.Colorado’s ARCANIUM will be joining them on the US dates.

TOUR DATES:


11/30- Dallas, TX @ Trees w/ DROWNING POOL, ARCANIUM
12/01- Houston, TX @ Scout Bar*
12/02- San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live *
12/06- Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall*
12/07- Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock*
12/08- Lawrence, MA @ Claddagh Pub*
* w/ARCANIUM

South American Tour Dates:
12/11- Caracas, Venezuela @ Moulin Rouge
12/12- Santiago De Chile, Chile @ Club 334
12/14- Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Groove
12/15- Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Via Marques


Dirge Within have been hard at work since the arrival of their new vocalist Travis Neal. They went ahead and made their new single "Without You" available to the fans for FREE download HERE. They also have given the fans this message;


"Quick update here from all of us in DIRGE WITHIN.We have been quite busy lately and in writing mode working on new song's & stoked with how everything is shaping up.We also had some time to jump back in the studio to re record a tune off our latest album with our current lineup so all can hear what we are sounding like as a group.We picked the track "Without You" so all can hear a good balance of what we do in every area from the heavy grooves to the soaring melodies and of course our new vocalist Travis Neal really shows such in all these areas.We also thought what would be the best way to let all have this as we agreed to give this track away as we just want as many people to enjoy this track!"

- Travis Shaun Chuck Jimmy & Frankie - Dirge Within 2012


Mattel's infamously popular line Monster High that hit the scene two years ago is continuing to grow further and further into development with all new TV specials, games both console and online, webisodes, a first ever full-length movie, and now another movie in the making is coming in 2014!

This time bringing the guys and ghouls of Monster High to life in a live action feature film! BUT so many other   franchises have done this route before so can Monster High really pull it off by casting mere mortals as the famous ghouls?


New Years Day who were a part of The Scene Is Dead Tour have been apparently asked to leave the tour and will no longer be able to play the following shows left behind. They went on to give the following message via their Facebook;

"Dear friends, followers and fans, it is with great sadness and disappointment to announce that New Years Day is officially no longer a part of The Scene Is Dead tour. We are very saddened that we will not be seeing your faces at the shows we were scheduled to play. To avoid any confusion, we want you to know that we're asked to leave the tour by Blood On The Dance Floor because we stood up to bullying and abuse and would no longer tolerate the physical and verbal abuse of ourselves and our fans that went on behind the scenes, which was ultimately led to our departure. We can no longer associate ourselves with behavior that we do no stand by. We hope that you understand and trust us that we would have stayed and finished the tour ONLY to make each of you happy, but unfortunately, we could no longer tolerate the treatment of others we had to witness and the treatment to ourselves. More details to come in the future. Look forward to our new touring schedule to be announced soon. With all of the love in the world."

- Ash, Nikki, Anthony, Jake and Russell -New Years Day


Get Scared recently made an announcement letting all fans know that former frontman Nicholas Matthews had returned to the band! Now an official statement explaining how this all came to be has been given out via the band's Facebook;

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:

"Since the beginning of Get Scared we have had the most amazing and loyal fans. We all are so grateful to have all of you by our sides through all the changes we have been through.

A little under a year ago, our original singer Nicholas Matthews decided to leave the band. We were all devastated by the fall out. But due to the circumstances Nick was facing at the time, being in Get Scared was not what was best for him. What a lot of people don’t know is during the time of our 2011 headlining tour, we were told towards the beginning of the tour that our label would be dropping us. This was after they sat on the record for almost a year. All of us were very sad and frustrated and were in a tough place to communicate properly while at the same time trying to make the best of this tour for you, the fans.

When Nick left, we did not want to slow down at all. We were extremely lucky to find Joel Faviere. We jumped into moving along with Joel in Get Scared. With this new EP we had amazing possibilities ahead, but unfortunately things just never felt right within the band. We felt like we were missing something. After speaking with Nicholas for a small period of time we came to the conclusion that it was him we were missing. We went back and forth for a while contemplating how crazy the idea would be of bringing him back. We made the decision to take a risk and follow our hearts and guts. We have all been best friends for too long to hold grudges and not be in each other’s lives forever. Lloyd and Nick have been best friends since 3rd grade. We've always had the same mind set about how we imagined Get Scared to be. The chemistry we have together will never be recreated with anyone else. Nick has been and always will be our brother. We are ecstatic to have Nicholas back in Get Scared.

We want you to know that we truly love Joel, and were upfront and honest with him about our decision. We felt doing a 3-week tour with Joel, knowing in our hearts and minds we were thinking of bringing Nick back, would have been the wrong thing to do. We will support whatever he chooses to do next, and are going to be remaining friends. Nick and Joel have even hung out and we want people to know there is absolutely no drama between them. We are very stoked to be touring off of “Built For Blame, Laced With Shame” and will be playing a few songs off of this EP. We hope you all trust and support our decision, because we are going to give you everything we have so be READY!"

-Get Scared


Born and raised in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt, Those Who Fear are coming out swinging with the blue collar work ethic of their hometown, Pittsburgh, PA staunchly ingrained in them. Their brand of east coast hardcore comes at you like a wall of sound, and Those Who Fear make no apologies for the message behind the music. "The power behind our message is our main drive. Without that we'd be just another band."

Those Who Fear self-released an EP in 2011 and hit the road hard, touring all over the US. Now the band finds themselves exploring the darker side of faith and ideology, writing and recording their debut full length Unholy Anger. This newest effort was recorded with Josh Schroeder at Random Awesome Studios (A Plea For Purging, The Burial). "Having worked with Josh on the Legacy EP, he knows how we work and really pushed us to get the best record we could in the time we had. Long 10 hour days, but we all believe it was well worth it."

Those Who Fear will release Unholy Anger with Facedown Records on February 5, 2013.


 Helsinki vampire rock outfit, The 69 Eyes, has posted its latest music video for the song, "Borderline," on YouTube. Check out the video, shot in New Orleans, La. with acclaimed producer, Patric Ullaeus, HERE.

The video starts with a scene in which the local vampire tour legend Lord Chaz draws five X's on the crypt door of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau's resting place in Saint Louis Cemetery #1. "Easy Rider's" famous psychedelic scene was also filmed there.

Commented lead vampire Jyrki9, "It's like our 'Love Me Tender' - a soft, timeless ballad. But it also has that dark, mystic Southern vibe (some said 'True Blood'), so naturally we had to go to Louisiana to shoot the video! Mark Twain's books, Elvis, 'King Creole,' 'Easy Rider,' blues, jazz, voodoo, vampires - so many reasons for The 69 Eyes go to N'awlins. We've played there twice; I've hosted two DJ club nights there called "Fangtasia" over the last two summers. The leading rock/metal video director of these latter days, Swedish Patric Ullaeus was also interested in coming to NOLA to make this masterpiece, so all was set for it! The mid-October was perfect for a long-lost weekend in the South."



A LIFE ONCE LOST recently finished up a successful run with Revocation and KEN mode. If you missed them on this run, you may have another chance to catch them on some select headline dates in December! The band will be stopping Erie, PA, Pittsburgh, PA and Newark, DE next month.

TOUR DATES:

12/14 - Erie, PA @ Basement Transmissions
12/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe
12/16 - Newark, DE @ Mojo Main


Of Mice & Men have announced plans for a winter headline tour kicking off January 12 in Seattle , WA. The trek, presented by Tilly’s, will feature support from Woe Is Me, Texas In July, Volumes and Capture The Crown.

TOUR DATES:


Jan 12th - El Corazon - Seattle , WA
Jan 13th - Hawthorne - Portland , OR
Jan 14th - Ace Of Spades - Sacramento , CA
Jan 16th - Observatory - Santa Ana , CA
Jan 17th - Hard Rock - Las Vegas , NV
Jan 18th - House Of Blues - Los Angeles , CA
Jan 19th - Soma - San Diego , CA
Jan 20th - Nile Theatre - Phoenix , AZ
Jan 22nd - Trees - Dallas , TX
Jan 23rd - White Rabbit - San Antonio , TX
Jan 24th - Warehouse Live - Houston , TX
Jan 26th - Rockettown - Nashville , TN
Jan 27th - Masquerade - Atlanta , GA
Jan 28th - Beacham - Orlando , FL
Jan 29th - Culture - FT. Lauderdale , FL
Feb 1st - Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh , NC
Feb 3rd - TLA - Philadelphia , PA
Feb 4th - The Stone Pony ( Asbury Park ), NJ
Feb 5th - Irving - New York , NY
Feb 6th - Royale - Boston , MA
Feb 8th - Club Soda - Montreal , OC
Feb 9th - Phoenix - Toronto , ON
Feb 11th - Crofoot - Detroit , MI
Feb 12th - Bottom Lounge - Chicago , IL


Hard-hitting heavyweights EMMURE just celebrated their 1000th show and have now announced that they will join their friends in WHITECHAPEL to co-headline the Brothers Of Brutality tour beginning January 8th, 2013 in Knoxville, TN. The tour is presented by Revolver Magazine and Rockstar Energy Drink with support coming from UNEARTH, OBEY THE BRAVE and The PLOT IN YOU as they will hit over twenty cities across North America. See a full listing of tour dates HERE.