Dee Snider does what he has to do, Hell Spet are living in the moment, Circus Of Rock take desperate measures, Death Perception open up and bleed, King Satan makes magick — and they’re not the only tricksters in your Thursday Roundup. Abracadabra:
19 | Dee Snider | I Gotta Rock (Again)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dee Snider triumphantly returns with his fifth album Leave A Scar on July 30. In celebration of the announcement, Snider has unleashed the first single, the charging track I Gotta Rock (Again), accompanied by a video. He says: “I Gotta Rock (Again) is the starting gun for this album and the driving motivation behind me returning to the studio to record Leave a Scar. At the end of 2019, I had felt my recording and live performing was over, but I didn’t announce it to the world. I mentally had decided I was done. But the state of things in 2020 had other plans for me. Between Covid and the political state around the globe, I found myself yearning (yes, I yearn) to get back in the studio. In the immortal words of Ice Cube, “I got somethin’ to say!”
20 | Hell Spet | Right Now
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Italian band Hell Spet put their concept album Killer Machine under the spotlight again, with an incredible video. The single Right Now perfectly condenses the band’s sound, ranging between country sounds, bluegrass rhythms and metal-punk outbursts. Hell Spet comment: “The video is inspired by the epochal video game Metal Slug and it couldn’t be otherwise. Besides the fact that we are all old-school gaming fans, Metal Slug perfectly embodies the post-apocalyptic imagery and the struggle between humans and evil machines, which is the central theme of the entire concept album Killer Machine. Choose your character and have a good game!”
21 | Circus Of Rock | Desperate Cry (ft. Johnny Gioeli)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Circus Of Rock’s debut album Come One, Come All comes out Aug. 6. Circus Of Rock are a new band, or rather a massive musical project, masterminded by drummer Mirka Rantanen (King Company). The debut single Desperate Cry features Johnny Gioeli (Hardline, Axel Rudi Pell) on lead vocals. Rantanen explains, “This was the first song that came together for the album. It is written by songwriter/guitarist Ade Manninen and as soon as I heard the demo of it, I was absolutely sure it would go to Johnny. It fits his voice perfectly. Unfortunately, Ade died of cancer May 9 and will not be able to see the release of the song or the entire album. The guy in the video is a “stunt guitarist” because Ade was no longer able to participate due to his health. But he’s in our memories now here and a few other songs he plays on. The song is about a relationship ending between two people and the pain involved with that, but after Ade’s death, the story took on a whole new meaning, at least for me.”
22 | Death Perception | Bleed To Death
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian metal combo Death Perception release the lyric video for Bleed To Death, taken from their upcoming album Ashes, due for release on June 18. They have been playing modern death metal since 2012, influenced by bands like Lamb of God, Whitechapel, Devildriver, Slayer, Behemoth and Decapitated.”
23 | King Satan | This is Where The Magick Happens
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish occult industrial metal band King Satan have released This Is Where The Magick Happens. The kings of blasphemy and exploitation entered the studio recently and are now ready to share first results of the sessions, presenting more metalized side of the band’s musical output. King Aleister Satan comments: ”The world peaked in the year 1999 and it has been downfall ever since, so I wanted to take this ’90s exploitation much further than before in order to relive those summer hits! And of course, all filtered through our own style and the message of anticonformity, spiritual anarchy and hunger for enlightenment. There might be or might not be a story of symbolic allegory in the video, making references to various influential thinkers from Socrates to Aleister Crowley and everything between, adjusted into modern times. But most likely I want to say these things only for the keywords for search engines cos people don’t read these statements anyway to the end.”
24 | Ramchat | Ľadová Pláň
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A cassette version of the album Znelo Lesom has just been released by the increasingly popular pagan black metallers Ramchat, a group centred around the famous guitarist and composer Pavel “Hirax” Baričák (founder of Lunatic Gods, Editor, Bestialit, Protest, Svetlovlad). The release is also supported by a video for the song Ľadová Pláň (Ice Plain).”
25 | The Lords Of Altamont | Levitation Mind
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “California garage-rock spearheads The Lords Of Altamont present the second single from their upcoming album Tune In, Turn On, Electrify! This seventh chapter of The Lords Of Altamont’s body of work strikes with an unapologetic conviction built up from 22 years of soul seasoning and nonstop rock action, fine tuning their iconic fuel-injected sound. Recorded during the pandemic with members across the globe, this is not only an experiment in creativity but also a testament to the LOA brotherhood, dedication to ‘the old ways’ and paying homage to their sonic forefathers. Say the band: “Levitation Mind is a 100% raw psychedelic trip into the minds of The Lords Of Altamont. (It) launches you into an ethereal cross-section between space and time, with heavy guitar and a sludgy rhythm section guiding the travels of a warped mind. While you can never have a bad trip with the Lords, it is still suggested that you hold fast.”
26 | Manny Blu | Might As Well Lead
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Powerhouse vocalist and performer Manny Blu has released the video for Might As Well Lead. Written by Aaron Eshuis, Joe Clemmons and Logan Wall, the track gives fans a taste of what they can expect on his new EP later this year. On Might As Well Lead, Blu uses a violin, steady drum beats, and his compelling vocals to belt about going all in on love. He elaborates: “At the end of the day, you have to be happy about who you are with and who you are with that person. The inspiration of the video comes from a very personal experience of getting back together with someone I had dated. We knew that if we were to be together, it would be going all in and never looking back.”
27 | Ali Comerford | Knots
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kilkenny singer and multi-instrumentalist Ali Comerford released her second single Knots, from her debut album of the same name out July 29. Having toured the world performing viola in classical ensembles for 14 years, Ali moved back to Kilkenny in 2020 and recorded her debut album of folk-based, classical-influenced songs. She says: “Knots is a song I wrote about anxiety, something we all struggle with at one time or another. At the time, I was going through a stage of intense anxiety. I worried about the fact that I hadn’t released any music, about whether people would enjoy my songs or not and also overanalyzed every little thing I had ever done wrong. I wasn’t sleeping properly and found I was lying awake at night replaying old conversations and feeling ashamed and embarrassed. Anxiety is an extremely isolating thing because when you’re in it, you believe that you are the only person who feels like this. I think it’s powerful when people can speak about their own struggles and maybe eventually it will help us all feel less alone.”
28 | Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends | Cities Above
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cities Above is a new track from Swedish artist Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends, formerly a member of Redmoon. Off the new album 17 Birds at the Summer’s Gate, Cities Above presents a hooky, shimmering rock sound with power-pop appeal. “Cities Above is one of the few songs written when Redmoon still was an active band,” Arne explains. “It’s a song about once sweet love turning bitter. David plays the slide here, and provides some of the beautiful background vocals. The internationally acclaimed band he played in the ’90s — The Merrymakers — is evidence enough of The Beatles likeness. Old Redmoon member Åke Lindgren plays the drums on this one.”
29 | Bawo | Starts With A Text
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “West-London native and multi-talented rapper Bawo returns to the soundsphere with his intricately interwoven and dreamy new track Starts With A Text. Fresh from delivering a plethora of acclaimed singles last year, the precocious young star surfaces with a beautifully enticing soundtrack comprised of flawless percussive elements, soft piano keys and stunning lyricism in the form of singing and rap. Blending a multitude of genres from trap and drill to garage and Baile funk, Starts With A Text acts as a timely reminder of Bawo’s unrestricted output and success in blurring the lines of British hip-hop like no one else. He states: “Starts With A Text is about me getting to know a lady who I’ve just met and working out the vibe between us, while thinking that she’s potentially more interested in me than she actually is.”
30 | Status/Non-Status | 500 Years
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With their new EP 1, 2, 3, 4, 500 Years out tomorrow, Status/Non-Status (the new name for the ongoing musical work of Anishinaabe community worker Adam Sturgeon [Nme’] and his longtime collaborators) are sharing the video for 500 Years. Sturgeon says, “There is no way to validate this project without acknowledging the immense support and teachings of our dear friend and brother Alvaro Moreno and for knowing where he stands in the mess of time.”
31 | Nimrawd | Dee Dee
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nimrawd will release a new LP this fall. Built around hip-hop-inspired beats and live bass, the new album will feature retro keyboards and sliced-up vocal tracks. Dee Dee is the first single off the LP. It was written with early ’90s EDM keyboard sounds, and features fuzzy textures and a heavy beat.”
32 | Ymbu | Melô de Salvador
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ymbu is the stage name of singer, guitarist and composer Gabriel Paiva from Brazil. His music includes elements of maracatu, ciranda and psychedelic rock, creating rhythms with the influence of artists such as Alceu Valença, Gilsons and Lia de Itamaracá. Melô de Salvador is about desire, a fantasy about something that has yet to come, a yearning for the future.”
33 | Good Morning TV | Entertainment
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Good Morning TV’s new track Entertainment is an extract of the upcoming debut album Small Talk, out June 18. Entertainment is a messy and adventurous song. A rugged, immediate and melodic indie-pop number where explosive arrangements and soft interpretations deeply contrast. You could compare Entertainment to a narcoleptic roller coaster. Entertainment oscillates between the refinement of intimate verses, and the exuberance of guitar-filled choruses. The ’90s aesthetic of the song meets contemporary lyrics, portraying the modern entertainment society.”
34 | Frances Shelley | Love Your Very Soul
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Frances Shelley has shared Love Your Very Soul, the second single from her upcoming LP. A descendant of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley, Frances looked set to be both a rebel and a romantic from the start. Now aged 71, the neo-classical pianist and electronic musician is set to release her new album Songs Of Possibility on July 2. Frances says: “I read somewhere recently that ‘true success is loving yourself’ which really rang true. I was thinking of that sentiment whilst writing this super-gentle track. When there’s a lot of hardship in life it’s easy to blame oneself. I wanted to try and reverse this and focus on loving myself, like really loving myself, body and soul!”
35 | Snacks Chapman | Summer Song
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For the first year, live shows for Snacks Chapman were like games of musical chairs where between songs, members would trade positions. “We’d all switch off and we were all pretty good at everything. But it felt like a novelty and I really wasn’t good at playing drums at all,” says guitarist Ian Lozinski. Now, three years later, during a global pandemic, Snacks Chapman continue to evolve and release new music. They say: “Summer Song paints a wistful image of the kind of hope and journey inspired by summer. We went back to our hometown to record and feel like the track captures the sun-fried timelessness of innocence.”
36 | Muca presents: Alice SK | Until We Meet Again (ft. Roberto Menescal)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Prepare to be transported somewhere beyond Ipanema Beach and Kew Gardens on a bright sunny day. Murillo Sguillaro, better known as Muca, is a Brazilian musician and producer in London. With Until We Meet Again, the composer and producer and singer-songwriter Alice SK offer up a refreshed Bossa-style piece where Muca’s Brazilian roots meet the indie-folk vibes of the young singer from London. The track features a more than exceptional guest: Roberto Menescal, one of the pioneers of Bossa Nova, who brings his acoustic guitar rhythm into the mix. Muca went to Rio de Janeiro specifically to meet Menescal and record with him.”
