Following up on the recent release of the “Roll The Bones” video from Rush’s upcoming “R40 LIVE” concert film, the boys have posted a clip to one of the highlights of the R40 tour (and “Permanent Waves,” for that matter): “Jacobs Ladder.”
“R40 LIVE” will be released on November 20th.
I’ll say no more – enjoy the video!
Swindonian bears Ursus (note that “ursus” means “bear” in Latin) are a progressive/djent metal newcomers with lots of melodic death metal influences that have come up with their debut EP titled “The Migration” this past summer. With their aggressive approach to progressive metal, the sextet is swimming in the waters of djent. Considering that this EP is their debut release, it turns out that it is also a perfect headstart for their career.
“The Migration” has seven tracks in total, and each of the tunes shows that melody and aggression transmitted through breakdowns and brutal vocals are very important for what Ursus do. There are lots of different influences in the band’s music ranging from Between the Buried and Me to Periphery, Intervals, Korn, etc. But although Ursus pay their tribute to influences, they still build their own sound and make it sound original. Almost half an hour long “The Migration” has very tasty melodies based on progressive metal, but the band threads it through melodic death metal, and on moments it comes close to doom metal domain.
The first track on the album is an intro “The Beginning,” which kind of gives you an idea of what can be expected throughout the EP. Starting with “Burn,” “The Migration” keeps the grooviness until the end. Most credits for the EP being melodic go to guitars (three in the band!), which although being distorted most the time make the Ursus sound tasty.
The last song on the record is “The Migration,” and it comes with a different structure comparing with other tracks. It is by far most progressive and more melodic song, and it features a guest vocalist Beth Humphries. Her voice is calming, and somewhat sets the pace in a different direction. Adding female vocals to this song is a nice touch, it brings variety to the EP in overall. Perhaps, there is a hint that next Ursus releases will emphasise this melodic death metal side of the band.
If you are a fan of progressive death metal, djent and melodic metal, don’t pass this great, young UK band without giving them a listen. They certainly have a bright future.
“The Migration” EP is available from Bandcamp. Follow the band on Facebook.
Last month we started this new “bands for the future” feature on the website, and this post is the second article in the series. For the first part, please check this location. Here are another five bands for the future that you should start following now! Shepherds of Cassini (New Zealand) The band from New…
http://www.prog-sphere.com/specials/bands-you-shouldnt-miss-part-two/
Shepherds of Cassini is a post metal/psychedelic-prog rock band hailing from New Zealand. This young group has very promising sound and the bright future based on the music they create. It’s the moment where talent beats experience. This year, Shepherds of Cassini returned with the release of their second studio album titled “Helios Forsaken.” The…
http://www.prog-sphere.com/reviews/shepherds-cassini-helios-forsaken/
Read about the immense debut album from Earthside.
http://theprogmind.com/2015/10/12/earthside-a-dream-in-static/
Only a year had passed since Saxon’s 1985 Hammersmith show was broadcast on BBC Radio but Saxon invaded the UK’s airwaves yet again as their headlining slot at 1986’s Reading Festival was recorded for broadcast on the BBC Friday Rock Show. The band were touring to promote the imminent release of the Rock the Nations […]
http://heavymetaloverload.com/2015/10/12/saxon-bbc-in-concert-23rd-august-1986-review/
P.O.D. CONTINUES HEADLINING TREK IN SUPPORT OF THE AWAKENING
JOINING INSANE CLOWN POSSE’S MISSING LINK TOUR IN OCTOBER
33-City North American Tour Begins September 8 in San Francisco
(Los Angeles, CA) August 26, 2015 – Holiday wishes will come early for P.O.D.’s devout following as the GRAMMY®-nominated SoCal hard-rockers plan to spend the fall on the road with more than 33 dates confirmed so far, including a run of dates with Insane Clown Posse! P.O.D. have tapped South Carolina quartet Islander for support after Labor Day when they return to the road beginning on September 8th at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge. For October they join Insane Clown Posse beginning October 3 for Rob Zombie’s Halloween at the Odeum Expo Center in Chicago. Tickets for the October run with ICP go onsale this Friday, August 28 – for more information visit www.payableondeath.com.
P.O.D. just released their ninth studio album, The Awakening (T-Boy/UMe), last Friday with multiple sold out shows, first single “This Goes Out To You” has gone Top 15 at Active Rock radio, with huge support from the rock community:
“I expect arena rock ready hit single ‘This Goes Out To You’ to be heard in the PA system of every NFL stadium this fall.” – Ghost Cult
“The Awakening” is full of solid individual tracks but a meaningfully in depth body of work when listened to form start to finish.” – Backseat Mafia
“Not a dud in the lot,…this is very strong, melodic and intelligent stuff.” – rock nyc
“The lyrical content and storytelling capabilities of the band are exceedingly fantastic.” (grade A) – the rock office
“[The Awakening] is sure to be considered of their best records to date and it will resonate with listeners now and for generations to come.” (5 out of 5 stars) – Cryptic Rock
“Not many bands pull off a really great concept album and any P.O.D. fan should be extremely happy that even nine albums in are still going strong with this bold, bulky and expressive album.” – Backseat Mafia
P.O.D. (Payable on Death) formed in San Diego, CA, in 1992, and has since charted their own course with worldwide sales exceeding 10 million, hugely successful international tours, and a series of chart-topping radio hits. Over the span of two decades they have released eight studio albums of original songs – including the triple-platinum Satellite – seen chart success with more than a dozen Rock radio hits, including “Southtown,” “Alive,” “Youth of the Nation,” and “Boom,” the Active Rock hit “Beautiful” and their No. 1 single, “Lost In Forever,” received three GRAMMY Award® nominations, and racked up four No. 1 music videos. The band has also contributed songs to numerous major motion picture soundtracks. P.O.D. is Sonny Sandoval (vocals), Marcos Curiel (guitar), Traa Daniels (bass) and Wuv Bernardo (drums). The members of P.O.D. are also active members of a tight-knit music community, collaborating on their own records as well as others’, including Katy Perry, H.R. (Bad Brains), Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies), Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), and more. P.O.D. are currently supporting the release of their ninth studio album, The Awakening (T-Boy/Ume).
# # #
DATE CITY VENUE
September 8 DNA Lounge** San Francisco, CA
September 10 Hawthorne Theatre** Portland, OR
September 11 Hi Fi Music Hall** Eugene, OR
September 12 El Corazon** Seattle, WA
September 13 The Venue** Vancouver
September 15 The Ranch** Edmonton, Alberta
September 16 The Pump Roadhouse** Regina, Saskatchewan
September 17 Marquee** Calgary, Alberta
September 18 Stage 112** Missoula, MT
September 20 Knitting Factory** Boise, ID
September 22 Senator Theatre** Chico, CA
September 23 Strummer’s** Fresno, CA
September 24 Fat Cat* Modesto, CA
September 25 M15 Concert Bar & Grill* Corona, CA
October 3 Odeum Expo Center
– Rob Zombie Halloween (w/ICP) Chicago, IL
October 4 Agora Ballroom (w/ICP) Cleveland, OH
October 5 Water Street Music Hall (w/ICP) Rochester, NY
October 7 The Electric Factory (w/ICP) Philadelphia, PA
October 9 Tremont Music Hall (w/ICP) Charlotte, NC
October 10 Music Vault (w/ICP) Hardeeville, SC
October 11 Beach Blvd Concert Hall (w/ICP) Jacksonville, FL
October 12 The Orpheum (w/ICP) Tampa, FL
October 14 Vinyl Music Hall (w/ICP) Pensacola, FL
October 16 Clicks* Tyler, TX
October 17 Buzzfest* –
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Houston, TX
October 18 Southside Ballroom (w/ICP) Dallas, TX
October 21 The Observatory (w/ICP) Santa Ana, CA
October 22 Northside Park Theater (w/ICP) San Diego, CA
October 24 Aftershock Festival* Discovery Park, Sacramento, CA
October 25 The Complex (w/ICP) Salt Lake City, UT
October 27 The Cotillion (w/ICP) Wichita, KS
October 30 Newport Music Hall (w/ICP) Columbus, OH
October 31 The Fillmore (w/ICP) Detroit, MI
* P.O.D. solo dates
** Islander to support
(w/ICP) – Dates with Insane Clown Posse
Whoa, does this ever look awesome…
And how about that headline at the top center?
“Steve Harris: ‘I remember the day Gabriel left Genesis. I was devastated.’ Iron Maiden man reveals his prog rock heart!”
Indeed. You can heart that prog heart beating loud and clear on the new Iron Maiden album, The Book of Souls.
In my humble opinion, it is the greatest achievement of Iron Maiden’s career.
The songs are uniformly excellent, from start to finish, and there’s so much prog splendor in the instrumental attacks that you can scarcely catch your breath.
If you haven’t heard it, download it today and make it part of your regular playlist!
It’s awesome. And now it’s very cool to know that the inspiration of Genesis had a remote hand in it…
Galahad, SOLIDARITY: LIVE IN KONIN (2015). Tracks: Salvation I and II; Guardian Angel; Empires Never Last; Secret Kingdoms and Secret Worlds; Singularity; Beyond the Barbed Wire; This Life Could Be My Last; Sleepers; Guardian Angel (reprise); Painted Lady; Seize the Day.
Birzer rating: blissfully stunned.
Sheesh. What to say? What to write? Today is the release date of Galahad’s latest live album, SOLIDARITY: LIVE IN KONIN. As with all live albums, of course, these are songs that had been perfected in the studio and on the mixing boards. Our ears become rather use to these things of perfection. And, certainly, few modern prog bands sound as good as Galahad when it comes to the studio releases. It’s clear that the band comes together in amazing ways, all songs perfectly nurtured and engineered.
I wasn’t, however, quite sure how Galahad’s more recent music would translate live, though I know the band possesses a rather strong reputation as a live act. As I understand it from my British and European friends, this comes from 1) the tightness of the band; and 2) the rather natural showmanship of Stu Nicholson.
Well, let me just state as bluntly as possible: SOLIDARITY is a gorgeous album. Not only does the music sound every bit as good as on the studio albums, but Galahad clearly has some fun playing around with live sounds. Additionally, the band has crafted a concert that has has much art to it as any placement of the tracks on a studio album. That is, SOLIDARITY sounds like something beautifully crafted as an album, in and of itself. It’s akin to a brand new studio release. The positioning of tracks allows the band to present a long and relatively coherent story. The placement of “Guardian Angel” toward the beginning and the end of the concert But, most of all, it’s Nicholson’s voice that stands out on SOLIDARITY. If anything, he sounds even better live than he does in the studio! And, this is about the highest praise I could give any vocalist.
The prog rock world is not only different from what it was a decade ago, but it’s also significantly different from just two years ago. Galahad has made its own style of music since 1985, and the band has continued to hone that sound in vastly creative ways.
Long live, Galahad!
Progarchy 