Epitaph Bad Religion are to punk rock what Iron Maiden are to heavy metal. Along with both groups brandishing unparalleled quality within their genres in over three-decade-long discographies, both Bad Religion and Iron Maiden are storytellers at heart who paint vivid visual pictures through their music. Fans are able to immerse themselves into the worlds birthed by Bad Religion with even greater intensity than their own personal realities, which is a testament to how many pairs of eyes Bad Religion are able to lend their fans for short bursts of multidimensional insight. ‘True North’ refers to the most perfect precision of one’s own moral compass, a theme that repeats itself in different forms throughout the band’s new album of that name. As Bad Religion’s socio-political foundation remains steady and without a crack, the band bursts into the album’s title track with a distinct old-school sound. ‘True North’ is an example of a perfect Bad Religion song: short and concise with profound lyrics topped off by a power chorus harnessing their trademark multipart vocal harmonies. The infinite perfection theme of one’s moral compass starts with the declaration of “ Keep searching ’til the end ” within the album’s opening track. The thesis continues into the standout anthem ‘Robin Hood in Reverse,’ which addresses the controversial laws that gift corporations the same rights as singular human begins. The line, “ Here’s the church, there’s the steeple / Open up the doors, corporations and people / Wait, what did he say? / What the f— did he say? ” forcefully tackles the subject of greed, which resonates further in ‘Land of Endless Greed’ and ‘Dept. of False Hope.’ ‘True North’ gets increasingly personal while orating topics such as the individual’s own conscience in ‘Popular Consensus’ and ‘In Their Hearts is Right,’ the latter of which seems to challenge the religious argument that the moral compass is directed by God rather than natural instinct. Bad Religion’s scientific and secular views are carried further by vocalist Greg Graffin in ‘Crisis Time’ with the lyric, “ Keep yourself in line / There’s no design .” Musically, ‘True North’ bears Bad Religion’s classic stamp, so expect no shock or surprise in the construction of the record. They’ve still got those rich vocal harmonies, guitar leads with plenty of distorted bends and choruses that will get stuck in your head for days. The album will fulfill both casual listeners and those searching for lyrical wisdom while clutching a notebook and magnifying glass, which has been Bad Religion’s M.O. for well over 30 years. ‘True North’ isn’t just another notch on Bad Religion’s bedpost. Much like their 2010 LP, ‘The Dissent of Man,’ their latest album is masterfully directed and offers a wealth of depth along with a spotlit entrance for both longtime fans and curious newcomers.
Mary Ouellette, shewillshootyou.com / Kevin Winter, Getty Images The departure of Anthrax lead guitarist Rob Caggiano came as a shock to the metal world, as the thrash legends had just begun to truly celebrate their comeback with classic vocalist Joey Belladonna . Having torn through the 2012 Mayhem Festival, headlined an unforgettable tour with Testament + Death Angel , earned a 2013 Grammy nomination and just finished tracking their ‘Anthems’ covers EP, Caggiano suddenly left the band, and guitarist Scott Ian has just offered some insight into Caggiano’s exit. Caggiano formally announced his departure from Anthrax on Jan. 4, revealing his desire to fixate his creativity upon producing. “The fact that Anthrax is at the top of their game right now and totally ‘out for blood’ after all these years is a testament to this band’s longevity and conviction!” states Caggiano. “I’m truly honored to have been a part of their brilliant legacy.” Although Caggiano’s exit was sudden, Anthrax assured fans that there were no hard feelings, wishing Caggiano the best with his future projects, which includes producing the new Volbeat album. Despite the brotherly send-off, Anthrax’s statement didn’t reveal any specific details about exactly how the guitarist left. In a new interview with MTV Hive , however, Scott Ian offers an explanation: We didn’t know he was planning on leaving while we were tracking this [‘Anthems’]. He was literally finishing solos in Berlin on the last days of the tour. It wasn’t until after the tour ended and we started having conversations, and just to put it in a nutshell, he just needs to do his own thing at this point in time. We knew he had a record that he was going to be doing possibly. We had already told him, if you need to take a hiatus, that’s fine. The best thing I can say is that he’s on a mission to do his own thing at this point. And I’m certainly not going to stand in his way. As for choosing Caggiano’s temporary replacement, Jon Donais of Shadows Fall, Ian says: It was actually Rob. He had already spoken to Jon and had kind of filled him in about what his plan was. He didn’t want to leave us hanging. As much as it sucks, this whole thing has been friendly. I may think Rob has made a mistake by leaving the band, but at the same time he’s my friend and I back his decision all the way in whatever he needs to do. He feels the same about us. We all know Jon. I’ve actually worked with him before on [comedian] Brian Posehn’s record. We all know he’s a great lead guitar player. And Jon said absolutely he wanted to do it. Anthrax are set to headline the 2013 Metal Alliance Tour , performing their classic album ‘Among the Living’ in full during each stop. The band will also cap off the first date of the 2013 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/volbeat-new-album-produced-by-former-anthrax-guitarist-rob-caggiano/” title=”Volbeat Prep New Album Produced by Rob Caggiano” align=”center”]
BaronessMusic.com Decibel Magazine recently celebrated their 100th issue with an insane concert in Philadelphia, a show we dedicated ourselves not to miss. The show’s lineup itself was incredible, presenting Converge , Pig Destroyer , Repulsion, Municipal Waste , Tombs + Evoken live, but the most incredible parts of the evening came from Baroness frontman John Baizley , who offered not only a surprise speech, but shared the stage with Converge for the song ‘Coral Blue.’ After Pig Destroyer grinded the Philly crowd into a brutal dust, John Baizley took a microphone right before Converge started their set to share his passion for the band and their newest album, ‘All We Love We Leave Behind.’ Having suffered through serious injuries after Baroness’ tour bus crashed in England last year, Baizley revealed how crucial ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’ was to both his physical and metal rehabilitation. Baizley addressed the crowd: About five months ago, I was in a f—ing bad wreck. I was laid up in the hospital for while; too long. I was going through what I would describe as the worst thing, mentally and physically, that one could go through, at least in my opinion. There came a point where I needed something to get past the hump that I was in, you know, just this state of depression or pain or whatever it was, and so I thought, ‘Well, music is this thing that’s meant to soothe the savage beast,’ and I had my wife bring me an iPod collection of mellow songs; Emmylou Harris, just old country stuff mostly. I put the headphones in and listened to it, and what was happening was not soothing at all in any way, shape or form. It was harsh and it was grating, and in that first moment when I was trying to listen to something relaxing and trying to get myself through a very difficult time, I became scared s–tless and I thought that I had lost the ability to enjoy music and I had lost the magic that music had over me. I think it was about three-and-a-half weeks after the crash, I had the new Converge record [‘All We Love We Leave Behind’] and I was like, ‘Well, Emmylou is not doing it for me, let’s try the opposite.’ And that record brought me back into the fold. Thank you for writing music that truly inspires, and I mean this when I say this, that truly rehabilitates, not just offers me a release from aggressions or from bulls–t, but something that helps me look forward to tomorrow when today is as tough as it gets. Near the end of Converge’s set, the band invited Baizley onstage to sing and play guitar for ‘Coral Blue,’ easily the most Baroness-like track from Converge’s 2012 album. As extra proof of Baroness’ massive desire to return in full-force, Baizley and fellow Baroness guitarist Pete Adams opened for the legendary Neurosis the night in Philly. Watch the footage from that show here . Check out both Baizley’s speech and his performance with Converge in the videos below. Keep feeling better, John! We can’t wait to see Baroness take the stage once again. John Baizley Addresses Crowd at Decibel’a 100th Issue Concert John Baizley Joins Converge Onstage for ‘Coral Blue’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/baroness-john-baizley-health-update-acoustic-jam/” title=”Baroness’ John Baizley Gives Update on Recovery” align=”center”]
YouTube Bring Me the Horizon kicked off the new year in blistering fashion by debuting the new single ‘ Shadow Moses .’ Now, they’ve just unveiled a stirring music video for song. The clip may be a little difficult to watch for those with motion sickness, but the quick-cutting camera trick definitely adds something to the video that makes it unique. The imagery of the band performing against stark backdrops like a snow-covered field or an ocean shore in winter provides striking visuals for the hard-hitting track and the usage of red flares is definitely eye-catching. ‘Shadow Moses’ is the lead single off of Bring Me the Horizon’s forthcoming album, ‘Sempiternal,’ due April 30. Singer Oli Sykes previously stated of the new disc, “I’ve never been so confident about an album. It makes our last record sound like s—. We’re doing stuff we could never dreamed of doing before.” For those wondering about the odd album title which is repeated in the song ‘Shadow Moses’ several times, it means “eternal and unchanging” or “everlasting.” Given that knowledge, the dark and cold imagery in the video makes the clip all the more intense. Watch Bring Me the Horizon’s ‘Shadow Moses’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bring-me-the-horizon-confirm-departure-guitarist-jona-weinhofen/” title=”Next: Bring Me the Horizon Split With Guitarist Jona Weinhofen” align=”center”]
Tooth & Nail Many people may know Brian ‘Head’ Welch as the former guitarist of Korn , but he takes on the role of frontman in his new band Love and Death , who have just unleashed their debut album ‘Between Here & Lost.’ “Wake up sleepy / Wide Awake” are the first words that Welch belts out to get the blood pumping in the first track ‘The Abandoning.’ With trippy guitar riffs and an incredible balance of aggression and beautiful harmony, this tune is just the start of the roller-coaster ride that is ‘Between Here & Lost.’ When one thinks of Devo’s ‘Whip It,’ a heavy cover of the song might not come to mind, but Welch and his band do an amazing job of turning this into a heavy hitting yet catchy rendition that is bound to be a guilty pleasure on this record. Welch shows off his vocal range with the softer song ‘By the Way,’ and then mixes groove and melody with heavy screams in tracks such as ‘Watching The Bottom,’ ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Fading Away.’ One of the strongest songs on the album is ‘Chemicals,’ which is on the more melodic side and is very catchy with blistering riffs. ‘Paralyzed’ kicks off with an eerie beginning and even though the track has verses with soft vocals, it blows up at the two and a half minute mark as Welch spits out, “Death before I give dishonor / Death before I disobey.” ‘My Disaster’ starts with very forceful guitar riffs that almost sound off like an alarm, not to mention Welch’s raspy vocals, as he sings the chorus, “Feeling everything / Crashing down on me / Lost and so afraid / It’s my disaster / Losing everything / Giving all of me / I feel so betrayed / In my disaster.” ‘I W8 4 U’ is one of the heaviest and best tracks on the record. For Today’s Mattie Montgomery’s is the guest vocalist on this song, giving it such dynamic power with the chorus, “I wait for you / Always will, always do / I wait for you / Burning, bleeding, dying / But I wait for you.” ‘Between Here & Lost’ ends with ‘Bruises,’ a track with incredible depth. With a piano melody and whispering vocals, the song spirals out and amps up with crashing cymbals and a whole lot of energy. Brian ‘Head’ Welch has grown into a dynamic frontman and ‘Between Here & Lost’ is an album that puts all emotions on the table and does so with a unique and hard hitting sound. ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/brian-head-welch-interview-new-music-fatherhood-korn/” title=”Next: Brian ‘Head’ Welch Talks Music, Korn + More” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire After two-plus years of touring and a new album, there’s good news for Soundgarden fans as it looks like their reunion is one that will continue. Frontman Chris Cornell revealed the band’s status update in a new interview with Billboard . The vocalist explained, “I don’t see any reason why [we wouldn’t continue]. I think the overall attitude about keeping it going and the way we want to treat it to keep it going is really good. There’s nothing stopping us from continuing to make records and continuing to play shows, that’s for sure.” Cornell added that even though their ‘King Animal’ album is still fairly new, the band members continue coming up with new ideas. He revealed, “We had a good experience making this album and since we’ve come back together everything has been kind of that way. There hasn’t really been any of the tension, specifically surrounding the peripheral stuff. And I think that’s as simple as us making the conscious decision to not be influenced by anything other than what the four of us want to do and not putting a business version of a timeline on it. Our attitude is that we’re doing this because we love it.” Soundgarden are currently on tour , but made a detour to Washington, D.C., Monday for pair of President Obama inauguration galas . Cornell played a solo set at the Commander-in-Chief’s ball that included covers of Elvis Costello’s ‘Peace, Love & Understanding,’ Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Long As I Can See the Light’ and John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’ He would later return with the full Soundgarden lineup to perform ‘Been Away Too Long,’ ‘Outshined’ and ‘Rusty Cage’ at Obama’s Inauguration Ball . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/soundgarden-kim-thayil-addresses-reunion-cash-grab-accusations/” title=”Next: Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil Addresses ‘Cash Grab’ Accusations” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. Jasta spoke about the band’s upcoming album ‘The Divinity of Purpose,’ as well as his thoughts on how the metal scene has changed since the beginning of his music career with Hatebreed and much more. Read Full Metal Jackie’s interview with Jamey Jasta below: Jamey, you’re very much a student and fan of the evolution of Metal. What have you noticed that you like about the direction metal has taken since the last two Hatebreed albums were released in 2009 and how did that come into play while making this new album? I just like that there’s been more unity kind of how it was back when we started. I think it’s really important that metal and hardcore and punk should be inclusionary and it shouldn’t exclude people – it doesn’t matter, your religion, your race, how much money your parent make or how much money you make at your job. It really should be about bringing people together and that’s how it was when we started. We toured in 1998 with Entombed and in 1999 we toured with Motorhead and Dropkick Murphy’s and in 2000 we toured with Sepultura and bands like Soulfly and Danzig. We always try to bring different music scenes together. I think through the last five or six years as the Myspace fans exploded and as the internet and YouTube got really big I think it’s been more exclusionary. Certain bands only stick together and certain fans only want to see certain types of bands – especially the kind of more scenester bands. They all stick together and stay together and that’s fine but the fans in the last two, three years – since we’ve done the world tour with Machine Head and since we did a lot of Metal festivals in Europe and different festivals in the states like Mayhem Fest, which was a really nice eclectic bill – I think it started to change back to how it was in the late ‘90s where we would play with Six Feet Under or we would play with Anthrax, we’d play with Cannibal Corpse which we brought that back in 2009. We had us and Cannibal Corpse and Unearth on the same bill but now we’re taking out Shadows Fall and Dying Fetus again. We hadn’t taken out Shadows Fall since ’03 or ’04 we took out Dying Fetus in ’09 with Chimara and that was great. I just really want to promote unity and make sure that just because there’s some haters on the Internet that only want to see death metal bands with death metal bands or punk bands with punk bands, we shouldn’t listen to them, they’re trying tor divide us and we don’t want that. We want unity and abundance is key, we want the shows to be bigger and better. Hatebreed’s lineup has been extremely stable over the last four years, what have Chris [Beattie], Matt [Byrne], Wayne [Lozinak] and Frank [Novinec] brought to ‘The Divinty of Purpose’ that makes it classic Hatebreed? I just think having the good studio environment and having the good environment on the road has made it easier for everybody to be creative and just do better. When you feel better you do better, and luckily we’ve been on an upswing. And there’s been a resurgence with the band and we have been able to do a little bit less touring and have a little less of a grinding schedule which I think has made everybody happy and more focused on the creative process and on the performance. When Wayne came in and did this record and when he did the last record, too, it was a very good working environment and he picked up all the material very quickly and his performances were spot on. He works great with Zeuss and Josh [Wilbur] and all the great ideas Chris brought the table in the pre-production process and all my riffs that I brought to the table he picked up on very quickly. The same thing goes for Matt and Frank, just touring everybody gets along great and it’s just been a really good working environment. At the end of the day a lot of fans might not understand that it is a job, it is our career, touring, recording, being a fulltime musician and just like a regular job it can be a little bit of a grind. We’ve tried to keep it from becoming that and the last couple years has been really good for that, just being a good work environment and having fun. Jamey, what can you tell us about the song ‘Dead Man Breathing’? I’m just so happy that you’re premiering this song because it’s become one of my favorite tracks from the album. It’s definitely one of the more metallic songs and it’s just hard and heavy but it almost sounds like a new band to us. This was one of the songs that I guess created the bidding war and the stir in the industry when we were unsigned and it really helped us get our deal. A lot of people enjoyed the direction we were going in. The song is loosely based on how as a society we’ve become over medicated and we’re always trying to treat the symptom and not ever come up with a cure. The song says, “I don’t want to be another dead man breathing,” the lyrics are open to everybody’s interpretation but for me it goes a little deeper, from having faced certain addictions in my life. I hope everybody enjoys it, check it out. What’s the single most defining element of Hatebreed that absolutely had to be on ‘The Divinity of Purpose’? The lyrics just had to have a real impact, I think I didn’t focus enough on the lyrics on the last album, that I didn’t have a recurring theme throughout the whole album and I just needed to go back and spark a new thought within myself and hopefully within the listener. This is a band that all over the world, thousands and thousands of people have our lyrics tattooed on them. Although we had some bright moments on the last record like ‘In Ashes They Shall Reap’ and maybe a song like ‘Become the Fuse’ on this record, I wanted every song to have at least a big line or a big lyric that someone could really relate to. And because the title is ‘The Divinity of Purpose’ I really feel like that sparks a new thought within the listener. Maybe it would make someone say, “What is my purpose in life?,” and for me my purpose in life changed, for many years it was my daughter, for my teenage years it was music and now as an adult it has gone back to being music. Hope this record is like a compass where it could point someone in a new direction, whether it’s a direction of thought or an actual action – I don’t know, that’s up to the listener. As long as it’s inspiring which I feel it is then I feel like it’s a little bit more than moshing and headbanging and whatever else. If someone just likes the riffs and the tunes that’s great too, I feel like we really brought that back even harder than ever so that’s also a very defining part of the whole record. Hatebreed really put Conneticut and Southern New England on the metal map. When were you first aware that every step you took with Hatebreed was also a step toward making the regional metal scene bigger? I think I most realized it when I started hosting ‘Headbangers Ball’ and we started doing shows with some of the new wave of American metal bands. To me, Hatebreed was already a very big band, we had already crossed over and done big tours with Slayer and had gained this worldwide notoriety with ‘Perserverance.’ I always thought, “Oh I should have a backup plan” because music at that time was – downloading was huge and I didn’t know if music was definitely going to be my career and I thought “Maybe I’ll go into TV.” When I started hosting ‘Headbangers’ and I started to see this huge ground swell with the music I remember it was Stillborn Fest of ’03 and Killswitch Engage supported us and the whole place was signing along and I was like, “Man these guys are going to be huge,” and then it really started to bubble up with Shadows Fall and Unearth. The rest of the country started to react with Lamb of God and Chimara and on the West Coast with bands like Bleeding Through, Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold and bands we were giving a lot of airplay on ‘Headbangers.’ It really started making me think, “We really got to take this seriously” and that music can be this huge thing, bigger than we all expected it to be and that’s why we followed up quickly with ‘The Rise of Brutality” and we had this big resurgence in 2006 with ‘Supremacy’ and getting the Ozzfest main stage and since then. The fans have been so supportive of us and a lot of bands from New England and it’s a great thing to see because we always felt like it was going to be a big thing but I didn’t thing we knew it was going to be this big. Full Metal Jackie will welcome former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted to her program this coming weekend. She can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .