thePULSEBARREN EARTH
Finland’s newest up-and-coming progressive death metal act, Barren Earth, has launched a mini-site for the upcoming release of their debut EP, Our Twilight, which is due out in the US on November 17th, courtesy of Peaceville Records. The mini-site, which contains news, artwork, and audio clips from each of the EP’s four tracks, can be viewed at www.peaceville.com/barrenearth/ourtwilight.
With former members of Amorphis plus current members of Swallow the Sun, Moonsorrow, and Kreator, Barren Earth’s debut EP can best be described as a blend of progressive and folk-textured death metal. Inspired by everything from Opeth and Pink Floyd to Paradise Lost and Jethro Tull (plus obscure psychedelic rock and Finnish prog.), it’s a fine journey through the realm of melodic brutality and keyboard-soaked atmosphere. The Our Twilight EP can be preordered at www.burningshed.com/store/peaceville/product/261/1774/add/1774.
Look out for Barren Earth’s full-length debut, containing the extended version of Our Twilight, in early 2010.
For more information on Barren Earth and Our Twilight, visit www.myspace.com/officialbarrenearth, www.barrenearth.com, www.peaceville.com
Beastie Boys
As shared in an email blast to Beastie Boys fan list and on the band’s site, Adam “MCA” Yauch’s recuperation is continuing apace following a visit to Dharamsala, India.
Yauch recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. Fortunately the cancer was located early and was localized in a location that will not affect Yauch’s vocal chords. The early detection and localization reportedly made for a successful surgical procedure.
The release of Beastie Boys’ new album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 has yet to be re-scheduled. More information will be released as it becomes available.
An excerpt from Yauch’s message to Beastie Boys fans is as follows:
hey all,
so i just got back from dharamsala, india. went over there to see some tibetan doctors, but as it worked out, the Dalai Lama was giving a 3 day teaching, so i was able to attend that as well.
I’m feeling healthy, strong and hopeful that i’ve beaten this thing, but of course time will tell. i’m taking tibetan medicine and at the recommendation of the tibetan doctors i’ve been eating a vegan/organic diet, which surprisingly enough was harder to do in india than it is now that i’m back home. here i can just shop for the right food and cook… a lot easier than depending on restaurants.
when i was in india i visited an ani gompa (a nunnery) called jamyang choling. they did a puja (religious ceremony) for me to help me get well. one nun said to me “we do prayers and then you are better.” so i’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
More news on Beastie Boys can be found at Beastieboys.com.
Brand New brand-new
Brand New has embarked on a fall headlining tour of North America in support of their highly anticipated new full length album, Daisy, out Sept. 22nd on DGC/Interscope/Procrastinate Music Traitors. The coast to coast trek kicked off on Oct. 1st in Cleveland, OH and the band has tapped a few of their friends as main support along the way. For the first leg they’ll be joined by Manchester Orchestra, for the second leg Thrice will be joining them, and on the third and last leg they will be joined by Glassjaw. As previously announced, Glassjaw will also be joining them in Uniondale, LI at the Nassau Coliseum homecoming event on Nov. 28th. This special show sold 6,000+ tickets in the first 24 hours!
The fall North American tour will follow main stage performances at both Reading and Leeds ~ where Brand New are fifth on the bill behind Radiohead, Bloc Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend. These festival dates in August will mark their second trip to the UK this year. The band headed over in June and sold out ever single date including Manchester Academy (2370 capacity), Birmingham @ 02 Academy (3000 capacity) and The Forum in London (2300 capacity). They followed the UK dates up with a small US tour in July of underplays that sold out each venue in record time including shows at Slim’s in SF, Epicentre in San Diego, the Troubadour in LA and the Music Hall of Williamsburg which Bowery Presents’ Josh Moore said, “There’s no way to know how quickly it actually sold out because it was literally gone instantly and the good thing is we know all the tickets went to actual fans and not re-sellers.”
Over the past decade Brand New has made a name for itself with the release of three full length albums and numerous tours of North America, Europe, UK, Australia and Asia. With more than 1.2 million records sold in North America alone and a touring history that is enviable, Brand New is ready to set the world on fire again with Daisy, which dropped on September 22nd. Don’t miss them when they come to a town near you this fall!
Catch Brand New Nov 17th and 18th at House of Blues in Boston.
?EDITOR’S PICK!!!! CHRIS VAUGHN
– Single “Fallen Angel” featured in Major Motion Picture “STILETTO” out this year starring, Tom Berenger, Tom Sizemore, Michael Biehn.
– Vaughn produced & directed documentary film about his journey as a struggling artist that features music legend Bruce Springsteen.
– “Fallen Angel” featured in SPOTLIGHT ARTIST on WRAT 95.9 Radio and hailed as “one of the best responses ever, for Jersey Rock!”
Vaughn believes in his musical gifts like any artist should, but it really comes across in everything he does, from writing, directing, financing, to producing a piece of art that is at the least, a breath of fresh air in a world nearly void of passion.
Chris Vaughn was raised by his single mother in a hard working town, down at the Jersey Shore. He first auditioned for a local band right out of high school and quickly found his home in the smoky rock bars like the legendary Stone Pony and Brighton Bar, bars that many major acts also got their start. His first demo “Against the Grain” got rave reviews from young journalist for his “edgy lyrics and melodic angst” which helped him start drawing in a regular audience.
After spending a significant amount of time doing live performances, writing and recording, Vaughn took a break to focus on his song-writing skills and decided to document his attempts (on film) to reach one of his two hometown heroes, Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi, in hopes of peaking their interest in his own artistic abilities, and potentially get a helping hand from a fellow Jersey boy. Realizing the difficulty of pursuing his dreams, he put his house up to finance the documentary film entitled “Jersey Boy Hero” and ended up luckily landing Springsteen in the Eleventh hour to join his film. The trailer to the film can be seen at his website: www.ChrisVaughnONLINE.com
Vaughn hired his friend to move in and help him record his debut album, “for those that have ears” which he says has many meanings, but the most obvious one being his respect for famed Artist, Vincent van Gogh, who cut his ear off for love. The album was co-produced by multi-platinum engineer, Kennan Keating, who also worked with artists including Jane’ s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, James Brown, Beyonce and many more.
The single track “Fallen Angel” from the album quickly gained local attention and was featured on the Jersey Rock Program at the WRAT Radio station and received more calls and requests than any other local artist before. Word spread more when the Asbury Park Press featured him on the cover of their Entertainment Section “Like scenes from Hollywood” with a picture of Vaughn and Springsteen from the set of his documentary film. “Fallen Angel” was included in the score of the major motion picture “Stiletto” out earlier this year starring Tom Berenger,
Tom Sizemore, Michael Biehn and many more. The Album is being released by Vaughn’s own record label and publishing division of Bmi, New Toy Music.
ENSIFERUM
Raise your swords! Following a successful trek with the 2009 edition of the Summer Slaughter Tour earlier this year, Finnish Viking metal warriors Ensiferum will return to the frontlines for a full North American headlining tour this November. Support will be provided by Hypocrisy, Ex Deo, Blackguard, and Swashbuckle (on select dates). Leaving no villager unharmed, the 26-date excursion ~ which will begin on November 6th at Jaxx in Springfield, VA and conclude on December 5th at Irving Plaza in New York City ~ will include a stop at the eclectic Anti*Pop Music Festival in Central Florida which plays host to indie acts from all over the world.
The tour will coincide with the release of the Ensiferum’s new full-length, From Afar. This fourth studio recording was released on September 8. Said Skulls N Bones of the band’s latest offering, ” Ensiferum leave you very satisfied with another solid installation, this time fitted with a vastly more epic feel and a full orchestral sound that rivals Iron for individuality and Victory Songs for aggression.” Added Live4Metal bluntly, “Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for war.”
The “Tour From Afar” will be Hypocrisy’s first tour for their highly anticipated new record, which is also their first release since 2005’s Virus. A Taste of Extreme Divinity will be released on November 3rd via Nuclear Blast Records. For more info, please visit www.myspace.com/Hypocrisy.
This will also mark the North American debut of Ex Deo, the Roman themed super group led by Maurizio Iacono of Kataklysm. The group promises to bring a stage show you will never forget! For more info, please visit www.myspace.com/ExDeo
Finally don’t miss everyone’s favorite Pirate themed brutal thrash group Swashbuckle on select dates! To fully understand the amount of fun you will have watching these scallywags, watch this video from their performance at this years Wacken festival in Germany www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC8WwySPReg. For more info and Pirate booty, please visit www.myspace.com/Swashbuckle.
Ensiferum hits The Palladium on 12/04 with Swashbuckle.
EPICA
Mark Jansen, guitarist & songwriter for Holland’s symphonic metal band EPICA, checks in with a new album update plus a headlining North American 2010 tour announcement:
“It’s been a great time at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg [Germany] recording Design Your Universe. We worked with the same team [producer Sascha Paeth] and we worked for the first time together with our new guitar player Isaac Delahaye [formerly of God Dethroned]. This made a difference and made things very refreshing because we could add some new elements because of him. We have worked harder than ever on the details. We preferred to spend some extra money on great additions which brings our songs to a higher level instead of leaving things like they are. The result is that we worked so hard on this album that we hardly can listen to the album anymore. Now it’s time to let it go and release it to humanity. We were already very happy with The Divine Conspiracy but I’m sure this new album tops that one.
The album title, Design Your Universe, deals with new breakthroughs in quantum physics. It proves that we are all connected to each other on subatomic level. Also, it shows that we can create or at least influence matter with our thoughts… a very interesting fact. Because it changes everything for us, our whole worldview collapses once you accept these facts and integrate them in your lives. So this had to become the new album title.
We’ll be headlining a North American tour in 2010 featuring Daath and Blackguard. I can’t wait for this tour as it’s a strong package!”
About the band’s new material, EPICA singer Simone Simons has previously stated, “It is so exciting! I love the new songs and can’t wait to play them live.”
Epica hits The Palladium on January 30, 2010.
www.epica.nl
FLYLEAF
A&M/Octone recording group, Flyleaf, announce that they will embark on a “thank you to our fans” tour in support of their latest album, Memento Mori. The tour kicks off in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre on October 29th and sees the band traveling across the country through the end of November. They will share material from the new record, treating fans to intimate performances at smaller venues as a celebration of the release.
Flyleaf will release Memento Mori worldwide on November 10.
The first single from Memento Mori ~ the urgent, impassioned “Again” ~ has just gone to radio and has reached the number 22 spot (with bullet) on the Active Rock charts, and number 28 (with bullet) spot at Modern Rock.
Memento Mori is the follow-up to the Texas five-piece’s 2005 self-titled debut. On this newest offering, the band once again worked with producer Howard Benson, who is known for his previous work with My Chemical Romance and The All-American Rejects. The resulting record is a compelling blend of bold guitars and soaring melodies, anchored by lead signer Lacey’s honest, emotional lyrics and fervent vocals.
Flyleaf is Lacey (lead vocals), Sameer Bhattacharya (guitar), Jared Hartman (guitar), Pat Seals (bass), and James Culpepper (drums).
Check Flyleaf out on November 17 at the Middle East Downstairs.
FOO FIGHTERS
With 15 years, 6 platinum-plus albums and as many Grammys under their collective belt (not to mention sold out shows at Wembley Stadium, Madison Square Garden and the L.A. Forum), Foo Fighters will soon mark off yet another milestone in their ascension to quintessential American rock godhood: the band will release its first ever greatest hits compilation, the brilliantly titled Foo Fighters Greatest Hits, out November 3 on Roswell/RCA.
As ever, core Foo Fighters Dave Grohl (vocals/guitar), Taylor Hawkins (drums/vocals), Nate Mendel (bass) and Chris Shiflett (guitar) were not satisfied simply to compile a mixtape of the international smashes that have littered their mantlepieces with platinum plaques and golden statuettes and filled arenas and stadiums the world over: Foo Fighters Greatest Hits will feature two brand new tracks ~”Wheels,” which made its live debut at President Obama and the USO’s July 4 barbeque at the White House honoring military heroes, and “Word Forward” ~ both recorded especially for this collection at the band’s own fabled 606 studio complex with producer Butch Vig. The new tracks not only hold their own ~ and then some ~ alongside individual Grammy winners “The Pretender,” “All My Life” and “Learn To Fly” and perennial Foo favorites “Best Of You”, “Times Like These,” “My Hero”, “Everlong” and more, they both round out an overview of Foo Fighters’ illustrious output to date and hint at future peaks yet to be charted.
For those unfamiliar with the musical genre known as rock n roll, Foo Fighters debuted with the 1995 album of the same name. The band’s second record, the double-platinum The Colour & The Shape, was originally issued in 1997 and since reissued in a deluxe 10th anniversary edition. The third and fourth Foo Fighters albums, There Is Nothing Left To Lose (1999) and One By One (2002), won consecutive Best Rock Album Grammy awards. In 2005, Foo Fighters celebrated the band’s 10-year anniversary with the two-disc In Your Honor, which was followed by the intimate 2006 acoustically augmented theater tour documented on the Skin + Bones album and DVD. The most recent Foo Fighters studio album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, was released in 2007, setting the iTunes UK record for first week sales, earning the Foos their third Best Rock Album Grammy and sixth overall, and sweeping the Brit Awards’ top international categories. The tour supporting ESP&G climaxed with the band’s biggest ever headline engagement, a two-night stand at London’s Wembley Stadium attended by 165,000 fans ~ setting the venue’s two-night attendance record ~ and immortalized on the 18-song Foo Fighters: Live At Wembley Stadium DVD.
At the now historic Wembley shows, Grohl asked the crowd, “How did this band get so f***ing big?” On Nov. 3, Foo Fighters Greatest Hits will explain.
