February 2017


X Japan will be doing various activities leading up to their big showcase happening out in the U.K.! Check out the list of events and activities below.

Mar 2 - "We Are X" opens in theaters across Great Britain!

UK tickets: http://wearexfilm.co.uk/

Mar 3 - Worldwide "We Are X" soundtrack release

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/WeAreX_iTunes

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/WeareX_amz

Mar 3 - X Japan In-Store Signing Event at HMV London

http://www.hmv.com/hmvlive/x-japan

(sold out - but Yoshiki says fans can come by to say "Hi" anyway!)

Mar 4 - X Japan Wembley Arena Concert!

Tickets: http://bit.ly/XJapanWembley

(* new concert promo video: https://youtu.be/-vMFtJOwKII )

(* new band comment video: https://youtu.be/ICf2Kjn_U0s )

Mar 4 - Limited Edition "We Are X" Soundtrack Package available only at Wembley Arena on March 4

3 Collectible Slipcases + X Japan Photo Card Set

Info & images: https://www.facebook.com/XJapan/posts/1209964342386083

TAGS:

@yoshikiofficial
@xjapanofficial
@yoshiki_staff
#XDAY
#WEAREX
#YOSHIKI
#XJAPAN


Airbourne have released a new video for "It's all for Rock n' Roll". "It's All For Rock N' Roll" was written about Lemmy, a man the band looked up to, befriended and loved, having shared stages with Motörhead on numerous occasions over their decade-plus career, both in Europe and Australia. When they needed someone to drive a large truck (recklessly, of course) in their "Runnin' Wild" video (2007), Lemmy was the first name on the list, and he duly obliged with a memorable, authority-baitin' cameo.

Motörhead's famous "bomber" lighting rig, a noted part of 'Head history since the late '70s, was enthusiastically lent to Airbourne by the Motörhead camp, adding real emotional weight to both the "It's All For Rock N' Roll" clip and the song itself - an anthemic number recorded to honour one of rock's most revered and influential figures, and also to celebrate the hard rock genre as a whole, the loyalty and the legacy.

"When Motörhead played, Lemmy was there for the fans and the fans were there for him. It didn't matter what was happening in the world at that point, because Motörhead was onstage; the crew had everything dialled in, and the crowd were there and lovin' it - all for rock n' roll," said Airbourne frontman Joel O'Keeffe. "Whenever we were on tour, we looked forward to seeing the festival posters with the big Motörhead logo on there, and now there's just a big black hole. 'We are Motörhead, and we play rock 'n' roll,' we were so used to hearing that, and when it's not there anymore, it hits you hard. Lemmy meant so much to us, and so much to rock 'n' roll itself..."

Check it out right HERE.


Slayer, Lamb Of God, and Behemoth will be touring together for the summer! Check out the dates below!

TOUR DATES:

JULY
12   Sanford Center, Bemidji, MN
13   Rock Fest 2017, Cadott, WI (Slayer and LAMB OF GOD on this bill)
15   Rock USA 2017, Ford Festival Park, Oshkosh, WI (Slayer and LAMB OF GOD on this bill)
16   Chicago Open Air Festival, Toyota Park, Chicago, IL (Slayer, LAMB OF GOD and Behemoth on this bill)
18   Express Live!, Columbus, OH
20   Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC
21   St. Augustine Amphitheater, St. Augustine, FL
23   Electric Factory Outdoors, Philadelphia, PA
25   Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA
27   Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
28   Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore, MD
30   Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN

AUGUST
  1   Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS
  2   1st Bank Center, Denver, CO
  4   The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
  5   The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
  9   Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
11   The Cuthbert Amphitheater, Eugene, OR
12   WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA
14   Encana Events Center, Dawson Creek, BC CANADA
15   SMS Equipment Stadium, Fort McMurray, AB CANADA
17   KettleHouse Amphitheater, Missoula, MT
19   Isleta Amphitheater, Albuquerque, NM
20   Comerica Theatre, Phoenix, AZ


Bongo Boy Records is at it again, being produced by Bongo Boy TV, episode 3 of season 6, the Bongo Boy Rock n' Roll TV Show, is keep the artists coming. This episodes consists of such acts as Anana Kaye, EMELINE, Tyler Colt, Waheed Ahmad, Jeff Rosenstock, SPiN and Tasha Michelle. The promo spot for the TV show comes for Out Of The Garage Volume three via Bongo Boy Records of course. Any who, the introduction voice over personal, introduces us to Anana Kaye, with her track "Carolina". The video and track itself, is pretty basic, pop music with a bit of flare of the rock aspect, but just a tiny bit. Next up comes an artist by the name of RI Emeline with her track video and track called "Angel", this song being a lot like the artist before her, Anana Kaye. Except RI Emeline's style is more easy going, has that particular tone that just directs the music to be, entertaining and mellow, very easy to listen too.

Next up comes an artist by the name of Tyler Colt with the song turned video for "Come Home", the song being written by Tyler Colt of course, as well as Jerod Farnes. "Come Home" though is a very in-depth song and video, that really captures the emotions, and draws in the listener. It's one of those songs and videos that has you stop and think, but it is still fun and really enjoyable as well. Waheed Ahmad is up next with his song and video called "BOOM!" title is a bit out there, but the song and video for it, is just out there. It takes a whole another turn going down the rap, hip hop approach, having Waheed Ahmad be not that bad. The music is decent enough with a catchy beat to say the least and surely some can take it and go with it.

Jeff Rosenstock's "Pash Rash", as well as Spin's "Dig Your Own Grave", go hand in hand with one another, each having its own source material. Each track and its accompanying artist is catchy, upbeat, and very energetic keeping the music really flowing from start to finish. Surely they both have got a style that keeps you nodding your head to their beats, that's what keeps the music so alive, if you listen in to their musical approach and what creativity they produce.

Last up comes Tasha Michelle's "Letter Of Appreciation" her song and video are just interesting. The style that she creates sort of returns to what Wahdeed Ahmad was doing with his song "BOOM!". The track was interesting, but catchy and upbeat, but maintain that rap, hip hop sense, that kept the music flowing but easy going. Tasha Michelle's style is sort of the same way except it's more soul food type of tone. Having that same feeling but it goes in another direction, creating its own type and feel, if you will, that makes it more interesting.

Wrapping up the episode, Bongo Records keeps the word coming with its current releases and other acts that have things out there. The artists presented really fall in-between a lot of the acts on this episode. They are all creative, well crafted, and have something going that is interesting, and rather catchy, on its own. The next episode will perhaps have even more acts that really stand out, than these acts did. Only time will tell for certain though.

www.bongoboytv.com


Soundgarden will be heading out on a headlining tour across the U.S. Check out the list of dates below.

TOUR DATES:

Apr. 28 - Tampa, FL @ WXTV Rockfest
Apr. 29 - Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome to Rockville
April 30 - Ft. Myers, FL @ Fort Rock Festival
May 3 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
May 5 - Concord, N.C. @ Carolina Rebellion
May 6 - Tuscaloosa, AL @ Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre
May 7 - Memphis, TN @ Beale Street Music Festival
May 10 - Indianapolis, IN @ Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn
May 12 - Council Bluffs, IA @ KIWR Rockfest
May 13 - Somerset, WI @ Northern Invasion
May 14 - Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
May 17 - Detroit, MI @Fox Theatre
May 19 - Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range
May 20 - Maryland Heights, MO @ KPNT Pointfest
May 22 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
May 25 - Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
May 26 - Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory
May 27 - Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma


The Pussybats are back with an all new album entitled "Indestructible". Since we last spoke 2 years ago, the band has been keeping busy with this album, playing shows, and have a lot more in the mix. Frontman vocalist Sid, discusses all of that if not more!


1. What have the pussybats been up to since we last spoke in 2015.

Well, we did what all good rockbands do. Played some gigs, had some personal crises, wrote some songs, changed our label, changed our guitarist, recorded new stuff … and here we are

2. Your new album "Indestructible" will be released via Eternal Sound Records, have you always been signed to this label?

No, we haven’t. But it feels just like it.

3. Why did you want to go with getting signed with Eternal Sound Records, what is it about them, that made them stick out for you?

Hey, we’re rockstars. We don’t want to get signed by a label – labels wanna sign us…. no, seriously: from the first time we spoke, we really felt that Nicole and Robert are just as crazy as we are, or even more. And they really really care for their bands, they really burn for the shit they do and that is something you don’t find very often. We feel really happy about the collaboration.

4. Where does the new album "Indestructible" fall along the catalog of the pussybats releases.

On the top! Of course it’s the best album we ever did… But at least it is the most ‘band’-album of them all. We recorded more or less on our own, so we really had to sort things out on our own. And we have done it and we survived the process.

5. What was the recording process like this time around, when it came to "Indestructible".

Well, it was a little bit more spontaneous than the last times. We didn’t have to book a studio, we didn’t have schedules or something. That has pros and cons, we took quite a long time to dive into the process, to get in the ‘flow’ – but as it worked, it worked quite good.

6. Can you give us a bit of a story behind the tracks on "Indestructible"?

Well, not every track has its own story. Sometimes, it is pretty obvious – “I Know”, for example, is just a statement about all the NSA- and Facebook-George-Orwell-Shit going on these days. Some other ones are quite personal. “Indestructible” is even some kind of inner tomb for a very special relationship with a very special girl that has kinda haunted me for some time. And of course, there’s pure Rock’n’Roll-Tracks like “Devils Bay”. That is just to party.

7. When it comes to writing an album is there a brain child overseeing it all or do you all take an equal stab at it?

In terms of composing, most of the time its a, well, first draft by myself (Sid). But also most of the time, the finished song doesn’t have to do so much with that draft. In “Hell Is Freezing”, for example, we had some problems with it quite a long time, it always kinda bored and didn’t rock enough. Then, Mike changed the groove – and all of a sudden, the track worked.

8. Who produced "Indestructible" and what was it like working with them?

We produced it ourselves. And it was – well. Difficult. In fact, it was so difficult that Ho2ly, our former guitar player, decided to quit the band and concentrate on his own stuff. We took a very long time finding our way of working. And we took even more time, more discussions, more fights (and more reunions) to find out what that work should actually achieve. But I gotta tell you, in the end, it was worth it. And we’re very glad that Kris Vlad of Vlad in Tears made such a great job on mixing the album.

9. Is there any story or concept behind the "Indestructible" title?

Yeah. When we thought of a proper name for this baby, we reflected on the last years of this band. All that bullshit going on and, let’s face it, all the high hopes we had in the beginning, all the success we never had, all the broken promises, all the burnt money… to make this for ten years now and still have the energy (or madness, what you prefer) to go on, we consider ourselves as indestructible. period.

10. Who did the cover art for "Indestructible" and how much input did you have on it?

The cover art is done by a good friend of mine, Isabelle. Marple came up with the idea of the heart, of course he wanted it with more blood and gore and stuff, but we let her do the, … well, the details and so it ended up in this cool, plain, illustrated way. We want our cover arts to be bold and catchy.

11. How do you all balance being in a Dark Rock band with the needs of normal life?

Normal life? I don’t know that expression ...

12. For those on the other side of the world who are curious about Stuttgart, Germany what is there to do when you are not working on killer tunes?

Stuttgart is the hometown of two of the best car brands of the world. And its one of the cities with the worst air quality, at least in Germany. perhaps there is some kind of connection there…

13. What do you have lined-up for the rest of this year?

When the record is released, we’re really looking forward to bring it on stage. We play some festivals, and we’re happy that the WGT in Leipzig is amongst them. We will definitely shoot some more videos. And we wrote the songs for the next record, so we’re pretty optimistic that it doesn’t take more four years to come up with a successor to “Indestructible”.

14. Is there anything else you would like to say to the future fans of the pussybats?

Rock’n’Roll is indestructible. Indestructible is Rock’n’Roll!


Wil Francis known by many of this namesake, is continuing his William Control project, going on almost 10 years now. That being said, an extensive catalog of material has seen the light of day, including most recent being the fifth full-length album titled "Revelations". This album is not being released in a tradtional format, but is being divided into four EP's the first one being released already "The Pale". The second EP is "The Black" with the third and fourth EP's to follow soon enough.

In any case the second EP in this "Revelations" series, titled "The Black", consists of 4-tracks, this EP being a lot like the first EP "The Pale". Except a continuation, because both releases do sound a lot alike. William Control's style being that of a gothic, industrial, mash-up of The Smiths meets Depeche Mode, with the added flare of Black Veil Bride's frontman's newest project Andy Black. You get the formula of all of that, right here on this EP that is "The Black".

The EP itself goes rather quickly, as soon as the opening number hits "Analog Flesh" the ending number is soon playing "Velvet Rose". The middle portion of the EP being crossed over, as not even being noticeable when listening through this EP, no matter how many times heard. It's not a bad thing, as each of these songs, the intro and outro being quite good, while the middle portions are decent enough. When listening to any of William Control's music in this project of his, you get just that, you get WiL Francis' style and ability as a musician. You just know instantly that this is indeed him and his style just brings out an essence of pride and passion throughout.

"The Black" EP in the "Revelations" series is a decent and direct follow-up of sorts, that will surely continue and wrap-up, to be an album that is just like his previous content, except more emotional than before.



Dark Horse Comics and Hatsune Miku will be releasing a new manga and it's described as:


"Writer Satoshi Ōshio and artist Hugin Miyama tell a tale set in the distant future, where Asumi—a girl who has no clue to her memories but a drawing of a green-haired, ponytailed person—finds her only friend in Asimov, a battered old delivery robot. The strange companions travel the stars together in search of the mysterious “Miku,” only to learn the legendary idol has taken different forms on many different worlds!"

Expect it to be released this fall and find out more details HERE.


All Time Low has announced a headlining tour, called "The Young Renegades Tour" that will feature SWMRS, Night Riots, Waterparks and The Wrecks. Check out the dates below!

TOUR DATES:

JUN 30  HOUSE OF BLUES HOUSTON, TX
JUL 01  HOUSE OF BLUES DALLAS, TX
JUL 03  THE MARQUEE TEMPE, AZ
JUL 05  HOUSE OF BLUES ANAHEIM, CA
JUL 07  THE NOVO LOS ANGELES, CA
JUL 08  FOX THEATER OAKLAND, CA
JUL 10  ROSELAND THEATER PORTLAND, OR
JUL 11  SHOWBOX SODO SEATTLE, WA
JUL 13  THE COMPLEX SALT LAKE CITY, UT
JUL 14  FILLMORE AUDITORIUM DENVER, CO
JUL 15  UPTOWN THEATER KANSAS CITY, MO
JUL 16  PALACE THEATRE SAINT PAUL, MN
JUL 18  THE PAGEANT SAINT LOUIS, MO
JUL 20  ROYAL OAK MUSIC THEATRE ROYAL OAK, MI
JUL 21  ARAGON BALLROOM CHICAGO, IL
JUL 22  EAGLES BALLROOM MILWAUKEE, WI
JUL 23  EXPRESS LIVE! OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATRE COLUMBUS, OH
JUL 25  STAGE AE - OUTDOORS PITTSBURGH, PA
JUL 26  RAPIDS THEATRE NIAGARA FALLS, NY
JUL 28  HOUSE OF BLUES BOSTON, MA
JUL 29  THE FILLMORE PHILADELPHIA, PA
JUL 31  CENTRAL PARK SUMMERSTAGE NEW YORK, NY
AUG 02  RAMS HEAD LIVE BALTIMORE, MD
AUG 03  RAMS HEAD LIVE BALTIMORE, MD
AUG 04  THE RITZ RALEIGH, NC
AUG 05  TABERNACLE ATLANTA, GA
AUG 06  HOUSE OF BLUES LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL


K-rock superstars YB have just premiered their new single “Dreamer” over on AXS.com. “Dreamer” is featured on the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed documentary Landfill Harmonic. Produced by Meetai Productions and Hidden Village Films, the documentary chronicles a Paraguayan musical group that builds and performs with instruments made entirely out of trash. The documentary has gone on to win numerous awards, including the Audience Award Winner at SXSW and AFI Festival.

YB had this to say about the track: "Dreamer is a song about finding the light and having hope in times of darkness, fighting through adversities and never giving up on what you want to accomplish. Sometimes Dreams are all we have for strength and inspiration!"

Fans can purchase the Landfill Harmonic soundtrack via iTunes HERE.

Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical group that plays instruments made entirely out of garbage. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is catapulted into the global spotlight. Under the guidance of idealistic music director Favio Chavez, the orchestra must navigate a strange new world of arenas and sold-out concerts. However, when a natural disaster strikes their community, Favio must find a way to keep the orchestra intact and provide a source of hope for their town. The film is a testimony to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit.

Landfill Harmonic is now streaming on HBO Latino. For more information visit www.landfillharmonicmovie.com.

To stay current on all things YB be sure to follow them on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YBLIVE/

Check out the song “Dreamer” via Soundcloud Stream right here -  https://soundcloud.com/j2productions-1/yb-dreamer/s-HZ3Gb


Legendary metal act THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD have signed a worldwide record deal with Entertainment One Music (eOne) / Good Fight Music with plans to release an all new record later this year. “We are all really excited to be working with eOne / Good Fight and are ready to drop this record to the masses," says bassist Jake Ososkie. “We have put  a lot of time into this record and I think the songs are easily the best material we have ever written.”

The new yet to be titled LP will be the follow up to Skepsis that came out in 2010. Before Skepsis, the band has released two records with Prosthetic Records: Bloodlust in 2005, Malice in 2007. Fans can find song snippets of new music on the band’s Instagram account HERE.

"Since forming this band fresh out of high school in 2003, I never would have imagined we would have taken it this far," says guitarist Justin Longshore. "We've just written the record I've always envisioned and I look forward to the next chapter with Good Fight and eOne."

Through The Eyes Of The Dead are revered as one of the groups that pioneered the aggressive and abrasive mixture of death metal and hardcore that permeates the modern heavy music landscape today.


Remember a time when MTV and VH1 showcased music videos back in the day, early in the morning to mid-morning of 10-11AM perhaps. Then that went away for regular based reality TV programming. Well there are still some, very few but some TV shows that showcase said music videos of numerous artists. One is from a record label company called Bongo Boy Records, with their TV show calling itself Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show. It's currently in its sixth season with episode 2 titled "Tranquility" featuring 7 music videos, or what they call "indie music videos" by up-and-coming acts or well known acts who have been around.

 In any case, the TV program plays out just as the MTV and VH1 formula had done, playing video, after video, after video but, they have an announcer introduce each video. In this case it showcases such artists as Gar Francis with his track "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35", a rock country jazz mash-up tune that is catchy and easy going of sorts. While the next one is from Survivorman Les Stroud with their track "Arctic Mistress", his style being considered rock meets exotic, his tunes being very mellow, and puts you at ease with a relaxing sensation to it.

Next up comes Dos Floris with "Water" now this track is very interesting, it has its own take of music, being very relaxing just as before, it has this nature tone of beat to it. The style being very outgoing and at peace if you will, if any of that makes sense to you. Tremble is the act to follow with "Want To Want Me", now this takes a whole another approach, with being very pop tone with its musical beats. Still following the previous styles of mellow yet easy going, as the previous acts, but this style is more modern day driven, if you will.

Michael Resin with his track "Nothing Is Forever" is another one of those tracks that just falls right behind the rest, having its own style of music, that sounds entertaining yet easy going. The rest of the episode wraps itself up with Trevor Wesley's "In This World" featuring an appearance by Raven Felix that sounds just like the pop act Tremble, except this is a male, as opposed to a female perspective point of view music style. His style is unique and interesting of sorts if that says anything. Lastly though is an act called Les Fradkin with "Reflections Of Love", this song being truly amazing, it is instrumental and just takes you on a whole another journey if you will. Well thought he was the last but it goes to Kyla with her track "Don't Ya Worry 'bout Me" being featured as the TV spot, and her track follows the previous "pop" tunes, being very catching and easy going of sorts, for her styling of music abilities.

All in all this TV program that Bongo Boy Records has put out, what they call "Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show", is an interesting take on, music videos and getting them out to the public, for all to find out about new and upcoming artists. Be sure to catch this program on your local television channel or perhaps even online!

www.bongoboytv.com


Groove metal is a hit or miss on my part, it has its moments depending on the band in question. The band here is one called Zerozonic, with their self-titled album, that was just released not that long ago. So they present to you their Valentine's Day gift, of sorts, if you will, an album that is as said, groove metal. Which was the genre of choice, they decided to go with for themselves and this album.

The album itself, is as mentioned, a self-titled release, and consists of 9-tracks, and it has its own variation of uniqueness to it, as well as instrumentals and vocal chords as well. The instrumentals on the numerous tracks presented, are heavy with fast energy, while others it's heavy but mellow, with the vocal chords, changing on each of the tracks. Like for instance "Instrumentalis", is purely instrumental, no vocal chords, whatsoever, so that's quite an interesting take, and it presents the bands real abilities as musicians. You can hear the craft that they have created here, and how they go forth with it, and this is a solid track that you can enjoy listening too, even without vocal chords present.

Other noted tracks would be "Get Me Back", "I Walk Away", "It Never Dies", and "The Other Kind".
These song selections again present some heavy duty instrumental work, with the vocal chords on top of it, floating atop of it, if you will. The two combined together though, make the music that more solid working, having the music really build itself. It's like the music sounds as if it will get heavier but it's just really sounding the exact same way, throughout this album.

Zerozonic's self-titled album is solid as said before, and it is a well rounded as well as crafted release, that surely any metalhead or not, will likely get into it, from the opening number, to the closing number. The capture the essence of metal that all can relate too and really enjoy in.


CADAVERIA celebrate today's release of Mondoscuro EP vinyl edition (limited to 500 copies-black / 100 copies-white worldwide) releasing the first of three singles extracted from this EP. "Christian Woman", cover of Type O Negative, is the first one, now available via all digital stores (iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christian-woman-single/id1207686435).

Cadaveria herself commented: "this is the very first vinyl release of our history and we are very pleased and excited. Usually we produce music videos along with our releases, but this time I thought to play with images in a different way. I will impersonate the titles of three songs from Mondoscuro, realizing three special shots, that will converge in the cover artwork for Mater Tenebrarum, Dominion of Pain and Christian Woman singles. We will release them monthly through digital stores, starting today till April. Today is the day of Christian Woman, our homage to Peter Steele.”

Mondoscuro vinyl release comes via Sleaszy Rider Records, that in Spring will also reprint Far Away From Conformity, the second album of Italian horror metallers, originally released in 2004. Mondoscuro is also available on CD via Black Tears label.

Christian Woman track can be streamed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=secE3D2EYJA&t.


My Little Pony has all new merchandise popping up at New York's Toy Fair 2017! Check out the new My Little Pony Equestria Girls minis including Daring Do and Starlight Glimmer HERE. There are all new fash'ems, stack'ems, and light up toys can be seen HERE. A karaoke machine can be found HERE. As well as stickers, puzzles, drawing activities, plushes right HERE. But it doesn't stop there the My Little Pony mane 6 has been turned into sea ponies and have a playset coming to tie into the new My Little Pony Movie, due out this fall, check it HERE.



Monster High has announced and will be launching this fall, an all new online web series for YouTube! The series is called "The Adventures of The Ghoul Squad" and "it's about the adventures of the monstrous squad made up of Draculaura, Frankie, Clawdeen and their monstrous friends that travel to exotic locations, solve mysteries and rescue the lost monsters."

The production of webisodes with a total of 44 minutes marks the first complete episodic series of Mattel Creations that will debut exclusively on YouTube. The program, which opens this fall, will be offered in English, French, German, Latin Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian.


Stay connected via Monster High's YouTube channel HERE.



Minneapolis brothers Version 5 have released their latest electro-rock offering, the upbeat powerhouse “Absolute Zero”. The track is just a small taste of what the brothers have to offer as an innovative duo - catchy synth-based verses and an innovative combination of EDM and punk elements. The high-energy group will drop a video for “Absolute Zero” in April. About the track, the band states:

“With this single we knew we wanted to blend a forceful breakbeat that would be at home on a Prodigy record & combine it with a stadium-rock chorus. Lyrically, the song covers the loss of a loved one, or significant other, and we use the frigid isolation of space as a metaphor for that. We hope people can relate to it- we certainly can.”

Sonically, Version 5 (or [v5]) combine elements from the EDM/Electro-Punk world and the Rock/Industrial world to create something truly their own. This creates an infectious combination that is perfect for fans of Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, and Linkin Park. Their unique sound quickly caught the attention of multi-platinum A&R/producer Jeff Blue (Macy Gray, Linkin Park), and in 2015 they released their debut EP, co-produced by Blue. “Absolute Zero” is available NOW.

Check out the song via Spotify HERE.

To stay connected with Version 5, visit the social media links below:

https://soundcloud.com/v5music/absolute-zero#t=0:00

Version 5: “Absolute Zero” (Soundcloud stream)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoMykr0w0hg

Version 5: “Take You There” music video


Helstar a band of vampires or just an actual band? There's no telling really, except founding member and guitarist Larry Barragan, discusses these so called manners, as well as other plans, that these guys have in-store for the next year.


1. First of all, who are you, and what do you do in the band?

Larry: I'm Larry Barragan and I'm the founding member and guitarist for Helstar.

2. Where did the idea for the band's name, Helstar come from, does it have a meaning behind it?

Larry: You know a friend of ours came up with the name and we just liked it. We changed the spelling just so it would look cool and have a centered letter. We thought the name was kind of like a star that destroys.

3. Your ninth album to date is called "Vampiro" which takes you back to your tales of Dracula and vampires, like your fourth album "Nosferatu". Why did you want to revisit the whole vampire concept?

Larry: I was a bit more timid about doing it.  I mean it really didn't work the first time but James was very admit that he wanted to do this.  So once we were all it was actually very natural for us to write on this subject matter. We started reading up and watching some of our favorite movies and taking notes.  It was very fun to write about this dark character again.

4. Does "Vampiro" and "Nosferatu" have a connection between one another in any shape or form?

Larry: No, not at all really.  Just the subject matter.  Other than that the two albums are very different.  Vampiro isn't a continuation of Nosferatu.  Nosferatu is very close the Bram Stoker tale.  Those songs are all connected on side 1.

Vampiro is an album of different tales about Vampirism. Nosferatu ends like the book.  There was no sequel to the book so we had to go elsewhere to find things to write about.

5. Do you see the vampire concept to expand on anymore of your releases in the future, or are you going to put a stake in it?

Larry: Ha, I like that.  I would hope that we would be done.  But we did recently read something that was very interesting to us that I don't want to say too much about but we may touch on the subject here and there.  It's actually quite fascinating.

6. "Vampiro" was released via the EMP Label Group, as opposed to your previous label, AFM Records, what happened there and how is it being with EMP Label Group?

Larry: It was just time for us to move on.  I think it was a mutual thing.  There were no hard feelings.  It was just time.  EMP has been great to us so far.  I think they were a bit surprised by the reception that Vampiro has been getting.  It was like, "Wow a home run on the first try!"

7. Back in the early 80's you played backyard parties and small club showcases, even though it's been quite some time, since those showcases; do you ever seen Helstar to return to that environment and do those small time shows or it won't ever happen again.

Larry: Hmm, I don't see us doing anything like parties.  We often do play small clubs from time to time but I wouldn't want to back track to the way it was in the beginning.  We've worked very hard just to get to this level.

8. It was probably due to the album's title and concept but is your front man or band mates Vampires, that's what I read and heard for something revolving around Helstar.

Larry: Haha!!! Oh man!  No, James likes to be in character for the first part of the show and he wears the cape and the fangs all that but only as part of the show.  Actually some fans get upset when they meet him and they ask about the fangs.

9. Do you have any new music in the works, in terms of a follow-up to "Vampiro"?

Larry: Not as of yet.  Maybe when we get back from Europe we may start to kick things around.

10. What is your all-time favorite vampire movie, book, comic, and TV program and why?

Larry: Taste the Blood of Dracula!  It starred Christopher Lee and I saw it when I was a little kid with my brother at the movies.  It was just the coolest thing I'd ever seen and the funny thing is when I brought it up to James it was one of his favorites as well.

11. Since you have done the vampire concept, will you take that approach with the vampires vs. werewolves or has that been already by you guys?

Larry: No, I love the Underworld movies but I don't think we're going to go that route.  I think it may be time for something new.

12. What are the plans that you have for the rest of this year?

Larry: We have a tour planned for Europe here in the next couple of weeks and then after that I'm sure we'll do some one of fly in gigs as well.  Then it'll be time for the next writing cycle.

13. Do you have any last words for fans, or potential new fans?

Larry: For that fans out there, thank you.  Thank you for your energy and for supporting us throughout the many years.

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