Tag Archives: Metal Blade Records

Monte Pittman releases Inverted Grasp Of Balance

by

1

 

 DSC_2517

    I recently received the new Monte Pittman record Inverted Grasp Of Balance for review. Little did I know that it would cause me to have a profound revelation to a question I have been seeking an answer to.  Over the years of recorded music people have been trying to answer the question: What makes a record good? There has been a myriad of answers that run the gamut of the music industry. The problem is most of the answers that have been provided are subjective to the answerer and biased to their own opinions. For me, at least, I feel that I have finally answered said question. A good record is one that when you put it on you find yourself turning it up, tapping your foot or nodding your head to the beat, and when it’s over you find yourself feeling as if you just got back from…somewhere.

     I was excited to review this record as I have spoken with Monte before and have enjoyed his previous work. I didn’t realize that I would spend the rest of the day and the next listening to it on repeat and still humming the songs long after. There is a level of craftsmanship to this record that is hard to find these days (one other is the work of Jeff Sandoval and Mike Araiza). There is no doubt that music flows through the soul of Monte Pittman and I hear nods to so many musicians in his playing and writing.  When a record is made for the purpose of sharing what one feels in their minds ear, it is profound and beautiful.

      Inverted Grasp Of Balance  features Monte on guitars and vocals, Richard Christy (Charred Walls Of The Damned, Iced Earth, Death) on drums, and…..wait for it….Billy Sheehan, yes I said Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Winery Dogs, just to name a few) on bass. Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther) handled the production duties and the record sounds clean and crisp. I read somewhere that Monte recorded his guitar parts while on the road, but this record feels so organic to me and it feels like someone turned on a mic in a jam room and captured some live magic.

     Inverted Grasp Of Balance gives us twelve tracks which flow together beautifully and I guarantee you will NOT find yourself reaching for the skip button, in fact you WILL find yourself reaching for the repeat button.

     If you have to pin me down for stand out tracks I would have to say “Skeleton Key” just reaches out to me the most. This track, in my opinion should be on every radio station across the planet, period. It’s just good rock n’ roll that gets in your head.I find myself just humming throughout the day.  “California” opens with bass that just drips with cool and is pure Billy Sheehan and then paints a picture in your mind of being on a cool road trip with the radio blasting, the wind in your hair, and your best friends at your side.  “New Blood Keeps Us Alive” is an epic track that, again, I feel should be blasting out of every speaker across the world. It begins with some wonderfully beautiful acoustic work that grows to some powerful rock n’ roll worthy of note. This song opens up the mind and makes you reflect on life.

      Monte’s guitar work is across the map on Inverted Grasp Of Balance, taking from gentle acoustic to balls out shredding, and it all works in connection with each other. Not only is there stellar guitar work here Monte’s vocal work is strong and epic as well. The songwriting on  Inverted Grasp Of Balance is something else. Monte has reached deep within and written some deep compositions that I believe were truly from the point of artistry.  Combine all of that with great drumming and legendary bass playing this is a music lovers wet-dream.

          Inverted Grasp Of Balance drops on Sept 23 on Metal Blade Records make sure you do NOT miss out on this record.

     Monte_Pittman_-_Inverted_Grasp_of_Balance

 Inverted Grasp Of Balance track-listing
1. Panic Attack
2. Arisen in Broad Daylight
3. Guilty Pleasure
4. The Times Are Changing
5. Double Edged Sword
6. Cadabra
7. Pride Comes Before the Fall
8. California
9. Be Very Afraid
10. Obliterated
11. Skeleton Key
12. New Blood Keeps Us Alive

Pre-order “Inverted Grasp of Balance” at metalblade.com/montepittman/

Monte Pittman online:
http://www.montepittman.com
https://www.facebook.com/MontePittman
http://www.youtube.com/MontePittmanMusic
https://soundcloud.com/montepittman
http://twitter.com/montepittman
http://www.instagram.com/montepittman
https://montepittman.bandpage.com
https://myspace.com/montepittman

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s Monte Pittman

     -the Hellion

ABIOTIC To Release Sophomore Album Casuistry April New Song Streaming Now

by

0

ABIOTIC To Release Sophomore Album Casuistry April

New Song Streaming Now

ImageProxy (10)

South Florida’s ABIOTIC emerged in 2010 with a flourish of riffs, solos, and technical breakdowns that culminated in the release of their debut EP in 2011. “A Universal Plague” set the stage for the band’s first few years of existence. What was immediately apparent: guitarists John Matos and Matt Mendez formed an absolutely lethal guitar duo, and bassist Alex Vasquez’s finger style bass playing provided an athletic sounding low end that helped to vault ABIOTIC to the forefront of the underground touring circuit. The video for “Vermosapien” (directed by Dan Drescher) immediately racked up tens of thousands of views and attracted the attention of Metal Blade Records.

ABIOTIC signed to Metal Blade Records and released their debut album, “Symbiosis,” which was followed by regional and national touring. Reviews for the album were predominantly positive – Terrorizer Magazine called the record “a monstrously ferocious first full-length” and Decibel Magazineclaimed that ABIOTIC “could eventually help propel some kind of post-djent prog bandwagon.” The promotional cycle for “Symbiosis” concluded with a support tour with Dying Fetus and Exhumed. By the end of 2014, ABIOTIChad re-tooled their line up by adding vocalist Travis Bartosek and drummer Brent Phillips. The quintet was more than ready to record their sophomore full length, “Casuistry.”  The first song from “Casuistry” entitled ‘Cast into the Depths’ which features Dying Fetus front man John Gallagher on guest vocals is available for streaming at http://www.metalblade.com/abiotic.  The new album is available in exclusive bundle packages at the link as well.

 

In the late summer of 2014, ABIOTIC ventured to Basement Recordings with acclaimed producer Jamie King. The collaboration would prove fruitful. Guitarist John Matos elaborates: “Working with Jamie was unlike any other studio experience we’ve had before. Tracking with someone who’s produced bands like Between the Buried and Me, Wretched, and The Contortionist put our minds at ease and allowed us to put total trust in Jamie to achieve the sound we were looking for. It made the experience so comfortable and relaxed that we were really able to explore and create without boundaries. I think that’s something that can be felt with this record.”

 

The addition of Brent Phillips and Travis Bartosek were particularly influential on the recording process. Phillip’s drumming allowed for the band to spend more time exploring tones and sounds than ever before. He brought a renewed sense of groove and feel to the process, along with being the fastest drummer the band has played with to date. Vocally, fans will notice the largest change here. Bartosek took over lyric writing duties and topics range from suicide, Middle East conflict, religion, and a bit of misanthropy. John Matos adds, “Travis did write all of his own lyrics and I think that with his catchy wording and phrasing, fans will be able to follow along to the tunes and it’ll translate really well live.” An additional note on vocals – John Gallagher of Dying Fetus can be heard lending his trademark sounds on “Cast Into the Depths.”

 

An ABIOTIC record would not be complete without space-y leads and the bands brand of breakdowns. Leads were a major focus for the album. Seven of the nine tracks contain guitar solos from both John Matos and Matt Mendez. And, of course, Alex Vasquez’s bass flourishes can be heard throughout. There’s even a drum solo on “Molecular Rematerialization.” And, as an added challenge for the band to learn to play live, guitarist Paul Waggoner from Between the Buried and Me offered a solo of his own on “Absence of Purity.” It’s all of these elements, flourishes, and individual musical muscle-flexing that gives ABIOTIC their trademark sound.

 

For More Info Visit:

https://www.facebook.com/Abioticfl

it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s ROCKN’ ROLL!!!

-the Hellion

Native Construct to release debut album in April‏

by

0

ImageProxy (6)

Native Construct to release debut album in April

New song online now

Native Construct is the product of collaboration between several students that began in 2011 at the storied Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Guitarist and composer Myles Yang’s passion for innovation, coupled with his extensive academic study of arranging and compositional techniques, makes Native Construct a truly distinctive up-and-coming metal act. Yang, along with bassist Max Harchik, and vocalist Robert Edens completed work on their debut album Quiet World in between 2011 and 2013. By 2014, the band’s music caught the ear of Brian Slagel at Metal Blade Records, and led to a recording contract and a worldwide release of the band’s debut album. Listen to the first single, “Mute,” and pre-order the album now atmetalblade.com/nativeconstruct.

Quiet World was largely self-produced and written between 2011 and 2013 in between the individual band members’ studies at the Berklee College of Music. What began as jam sessions simply for fun eventually turned into a full-fledged musical endeavor. All tracking and programming was done at the band’s home studios in Boston, MA, with the exception of vocals, which were recorded with Jamie King at The Basement Studios in Winston-Salem, NC. The album was mixed by Rich Mouser at The Mouse House Studio in Los Angeles, CA, and mastered by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist).

A brief listen to Quiet World is enough to make it apparent that there is a concept, here. Though it’s best to let the band explain the album in their own words: “Quiet World is about a guy who loves a girl. The guy is a bit of an odd and eccentric person – an outcast. He’s also a mute, and a little unstable, as it turns out. The girl doesn’t return his feelings, but he can’t bring himself to let go. As his unrequited passion for her devolves into obsession and eventual resentment, his mind begins to slip further and further away. He convinces himself that he can’t be loved because of his condition and abnormalities. So he decides to create for himself a new, fantastic world of which he has complete control – a world where there are no oddballs or outcasts. A world where everyone is surrounded by people who are just like themselves: a much quieter world.

“It’s at this point that the first track of the album, “Mute,” begins. And it turns out that many of the subjects of his new world are not as content living this way as he is. In the second track we see a new character, the Archon, rise up and unite his people in the clouds with the once distant people in the sea. He leads an opposition to “Sinister Silence,” as the people come to call him. The rest of the album unfolds with events within the “Quiet World” and manifestations of the enduring struggle between the Archon and Sinister Silence. The lone exception is track number four, “Your Familiar Face,” which steps out of this world for a moment to give a closer look at the events prior to the first track and the tragedy of Sinister Silence.”

What is impressive about Native Construct is not necessarily an involved concept on a debut record, it’s that they wrote, produced, and recorded the album while balancing school work and on a college student budget. It’s the epitome of “self produced.” And what Native Constructwants fans to know is that “the composition process for this album was intensely meticulous from top to bottom. Each note, each lyric, each twist and each turn were arrived at with the utmost care. As such, we were able to weave rich, often subtle layers of meaning into the music and text. We’re very excited for you all to experience the result of our efforts!” Quiet World is slated for release on Metal Blade Records on April 21st, 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/NativeConstruct
https://twitter.com/NConstructBand
https://www.youtube.com/NativeConstruct

it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s ROCK N’ ROLL!!!

-the Hellion

THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS: New Quote Snippets from Kerry King and Philip Anselmo Released!‏

by

0

THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS: New Quote Snippets from Kerry King and Philip Anselmo Released!

 

Hitting Stores April 9, 2013 — Written by NYC Music Scene Veterans Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins

 

Featuring Exclusive Photography by Iconic East Coast Photographer Frank White

 

image001 (6)

“The Merciless Book Of Metal Lists, compiled by Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins, is the ultimate look at the world of heavy metal via the ease and convenience of a list. No stone is left unturned here, and I mean no stone. If you think you have a list about metal that isn’t in this book, chances are you’re wrong. Both Jenkins and Abrams have exhaustively researched and brainstormed Merciless and delivered a look at their beloved genre that is informative and fun.” – Iann Robinson, CraveOnline.com

THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS, written by NYC music scene veterans Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins, is set to be released on April 9, 2013. Touted as being “the most opinionated compendium ever written concerning Heavy Metal”, THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS is comprised of 208 jam-packed pages representing all that is glorious across the world of Heavy Metal. The book features dozens of never-before-seen photographs from iconic East Coast photographer Frank White.

The foreword for THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS comes from one of the most respected names in the genre, Slayer guitarist extraordinaire Kerry King, with a candid and passionate afterword from Pantera/Down frontman Philip Anselmo.

“This book will appeal to metalheads because it’s what they love. They’ll get to laugh at the industry and at themselves. Any information is good information, and metal kids want it.” – Kerry King (Slayer)

“I am an unabashed heavy metal fan, and I know as well as anyone, that metal fans can be an extremely loyal lot. But we are a very critical lot too. With each new movement, a new, defiant, outspoken, and sovereign audience is born. Music is older than all of us, so its history is ours to writhe in and absorb.” – Philip Anselmo(Pantera/Down)

There are numerous other contributions from key metal luminaries and industry personnel like:

Scott Ian (Anthrax)

Gary Holt (Exodus)

Max Cavalera (Sepultura/Soulfly)

Katon W. DePena (Hirax)

John Gallagher (Raven)

Danny Lilker (Nuclear Assault/SOD)

Eddie Trunk (That Metal Show)

Jon & Marsha Zazula (Megaforce Records)

Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records)

Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica Producer)

ILL BILL (Heavy Metal Kings/La Coka Nostra)

MC Serch (3rd Bass)

Richard Christy (Charred Walls of the Damned/The Howard Stern Show)

Monte Conner (Roadrunner Records/Nuclear Blast Records)

Borivoj Krgin (Blabbermouth.net)

Shaun Glass (Soil/Dirge Within)

Betsy Weiss (Bitch)

Presented in the form of dozens of factual, random and often outrageous lists, THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS dares to call many out for being the worst instead of being the best. It points out the triumphs, as well as the miserable failures concerning metal, from a diehard fan’s point-of-view.

TMBML leaves no stone unturned, often blurring the lines separating fact and hilarity. You want to know about album covers that feature goats on them? WhatMotorhead icon Lemmy’s warts might tell you if they could speak? The achievements Iron Maiden would never have reached had their original vocalist Paul Dianno remained in the band? Well then, this book is for you.

To pre-order THE MERCILESS BOOK OF METAL LISTS, please visit Amazon.com. You can learn more about the book at the official Facebook page orAbrams Books.

 

 

For press inquiries and additional information, please contact Adrenaline PR and Maria Ferrero at 732-462-4262 or maria@adrenalinepr.com.

About the Authors

HOWIE ABRAMS:

Howie is a former…lots of things, including record label A&R rep, music publisher and artist manager. Abrams grew up in his beloved NYC as part of its Metal and Hardcore scenes and has always carried the torch for aggressive music. He was the co-founder of the influential hard music label In-Effect Records, where he signed bands such as Agnostic Front, Nuclear Assault and Sick of it All among others. Later, as the Senior Director of A&R at Roadrunner Records, he inked Vision of Disorder, Madball, Shelter and others, plus, he handled marketing duties for groups such as Sepultura, Type O Negative, Biohazard and more. Howie also worked at Jive Records/Zomba Music, as well as Warner Music.

SACHA JENKINS:

Sacha Jenkins loves heavy music. He grew up in New York City, and has produced books about both hip-hop and also graffiti, including ego trip’s The Book of Rap Lists, and Big Book of Racism. He’s produced some television too, and plays guitar in a band called The White Mandingoes along with Darryl Jenifer of the legendary Bad brains.

 

IN FLAMES Announces Additional Tour Dates for 2013 Headline Run with DEMON HUNTER, ALL SHALL PERISH, and BATTLECROSS

by

0

image001 (2)

Last week, Sweden’s IN FLAMES announced the first leg of their upcoming headline tour with Demon Hunter, All Shall Perish and Battlecross. Today, the band is releasing the second leg of dates, which includes several stops in Canada. The Artist Arena Fanclub pre-sale began yesterday at 3pm local time in each market, and tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, 12/14 and Saturday, 12/15.

 

The band is currently out on the road as direct support for Lamb Of God.  Dates for the headlining run are below, along with all other previously announced dates.

 

IN FLAMES has sold over a million albums in the US alone, with their latest, Sounds Of A Playground Fading, debuting at #26 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts in the US and #1 on the German album charts.  The music video for “Where The Dead Ships Dwell” off of Sounds Of A Playground Fading, can be seen here: 

 

Remaining Dates with Lamb Of God (2012):

12/13 – San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre

12/14 – Medford, OR @ Medford Armory

12/15 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House

12/16 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO

 

70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise

01/28/13 – 02/01/13 – Miami, FL

 

2013 Headlining Dates W/ Demon Hunter, All Shall Perish, Battlecross

2/2 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution

2/4 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre

2/5 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel

2/7 – Covington, KY @ Madison Theatre

2/8 – Joliet, IL @ Mojoes

2/9 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre

2/10 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater

2/12 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre

2/13 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues

2/14 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst

2/15 – Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theatre

2/16 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory

2/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom

2/20 – Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall

2/21 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom

2/22 – Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Events Centre

2/23 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre

2/24 – Fargo, ND @ The Venue

2/26 – Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop

2/27 – Guelph, ON @ Guelph Concert Theatre

2/28 – Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Imperial

3/1 – Moncton, NB @ Casino NB

3/2 – Halifax, NS @ Cunard Centre

3/4 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place

3/5 – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall

3/6 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock

3/7 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVA

 

 

For more information on IN FLAMES, visit:

http://www.inflames.com

https://www.facebook.com/inflames

http://www.centurymedia.com