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Our Kingdom Undone – BEYOND GRACE
RATING: 8/10 The grand resurgence of the UK as a death metal force continues apace. In fact, BEYOND GRACE were well ahead of the game, releasing a superb self-released debut album, “Seekers”, in 2017 and, not unreasonably, ultimately finding themselves signed to PROSTHETIC RECORDS. Its predecessor skittered under the radar for most, and so “Our Kingdom Undone” acts as an irresistible introduction to the British band’s unusually sophisticated take on technical death. This is ambitious stuff. With a production job that favors clean crunch over abyssal squall and self-evident virtuoso chops, BEYOND GRACE exude the kind of haughty authority that bands like ABYSMAL DAWN and AEON have made such a fundamental selling point. Opener “Dark Forest Doctrine” i...
HALESTORM Is ‘Not Hanging Out With Anyone’ On Current Tour: ‘The Goal Is To Get To The End Without Testing Positive’
Tonight (Tuesday, August 31), HALESTORM kicks off a series of headline dates and a set at Rocklahoma prior to a co-headline run with EVANESCENCE beginning November 5 in Portland, Oregon, running through December 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Earlier today, HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger shared a few photos from the road on Instagram, and he included the following message: “Our first day back in the bus and on the road was spent chilling in Cleveland. Beautiful town! “This will be a unique run. We’re not hanging out with anyone. No guests. No bars. No restaurants. “The goal is to get to the end of the tour without testing positive. So… it’s time to keep the bubble tight. “We walked to the water front and walked back to the bus. Staying masked up arou...
METALLICA’s ‘Blackened’ Whiskey Launches ‘Masters Of Whiskey Series’
Blackened American Whiskey has unveiled its new “Masters Of Whiskey Series” with the inaugural release, Blackened X Willett Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished In Madeira Casks. The expression is a result of the collaboration of two of today’s most innovative distillers, Rob Dietrich of Blackened and Drew Kulsveen of Willett Distillery. Blackened was born from the masterful collaboration between legendary Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and METALLICA. It’s this core tenet of collaboration behind the “Masters Of Whiskey Series” — a convergence of passionate master craftsmen who combine their talent and skills to create a distinctive expression. This series will combine strengths of Dietrich and renowned whiskey makers to re-imagine craft whiskey and cr...
WENDY DIO Explains Decision To Put RONNIE JAMES DIO Hologram On Hold
Ronnie James Dio‘s former wife and longtime manager Wendy Dio spoke to Brazil’s Kazagastão about a possible return of the hologram of the legendary metal singer. “[The hologram] was well received sometimes, sometimes not; it all depends on the people,” she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “The problem with the hologram, and it’s great — and I won’t say never again — but it costs so much money, you can only go into certain venues because of the height of it and the size of it. It’s too expensive to travel, so therefore we couldn’t come to Brazil, couldn’t come to South America, couldn’t go to Japan, couldn’t go to Europe with it. So it limits you so much. “So we are going out next year in March — the DIO...
John Lydon Sounds Off on ‘Destructive’ Use of Sex Pistols Catalog
Last week, on August 23, Sex Pistols singer John Lydon (A.K.A. Johnny Rotten) lost a legal battle against his bandmates, who sued him for refusing to license the band’s music for a Disney biopic series called Pistols. Lydon posted a lengthy response to the ruling on his personal website, calling the decision “destructive” and “extremely negative” for the band’s reputation. “I am the lead singer and songwriter, frontman, image, the lot, you name it,” Lydon wrote. “I put it there. How is that not relevant? It is dumbfounding to me. It is so destructive to what the band is and so I fear that the whole project might be extremely negative. How can anyone think that this can proceed without consulting me and deal with my personal life in this, and my issues in this, without any meaningful contac...
Bonnaroo 2021 Canceled Due to ‘Waterlogged’ Festival Grounds
You can add Bonnaroo to the list of festivals that have been canceled in 2021, but not for the reason you’d think. On Tuesday afternoon, the Tennessee-based mega-festival revealed that the poor weather of the past few days due to Hurricane Ida have caused the event to be pushed rather than COVID (which has been the downfall of other events). “We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo,” the festival said via Twitter. “While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas.” Continuing, the statement said, “We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but Mother Nature has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event hap...
Megan Fox Confirmed To Join Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham in ‘The Expendables 4’
An upcoming fourth film of The Expendables is slated to make its return to the big screens and this time it is bringing in some new members to join the mission. Megan Fox has recently been confirmed and will appear alongside 50 Cent, Tony Jaa, Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone. The third installment of The Expendables premiered in 2013, however, at the time, there was still doubt as to whether or not the series will continue. Thanks to a partnership between Lionsgate and Millennium Media, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham are able to bring the franchise back. Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture who were in the previous Expendables films are also making a reappearance. The Expendables have long been known to call in the largest action stars from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Bruce Willis to J...
‘Avengers’ Stars Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson to Reunite for New Apple Studios Project ‘Ghosted’
Avengers staples Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson are set to star in a brand new Apple Studios project entitled Ghosted. Not a lot of information is known about the title, but reports state that the it will be a “high-concept romantic action adventure in the vein of Romancing the Stone, the 1984 adventure movie that starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.” Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher will helm the project while Deadpool and Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick will pen the script. Evans is co-producing the project alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Reese and Wernick. The cost of the project is currently a secret but is Apple’s latest catalog entry with A-list stars following Emancipation with Will Smith and Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of t...
Animated Billie Eilish Rides Through L.A. in ‘Oxytocin’ Video
Billie Eilish goes animated in a video for “Oxytocin,” a winding new song from her hit album, Happier Than Ever. As we are getting closer to her live-action concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles by Disney, Eilish gave us a sneak peek into what we can expect from her latest project. [embedded content] “‘Oxytocin’ is a fun one,” Eilish told Spotify. “That’s probably one of my favorites. We had all these songs and I was like, the only thing we’re missing is the song that’s purposefully gonna be insane live. And we did ‘Oxytocin.’” As the concert film will be a hybrid of animation and live-action, we get to see an animated Billie driving a Porsche at the beginning of the music video. When it switches to in-person Billie, she radiates modern gothic vibes, dancing and sing...
Duran Duran Detail 15th Studio Album, Collaborations With Mark Ronson, Tove Lo
Duran Duran hit their 40-year career mark this year. The iconic new wavers are celebrating the milestone with a new song, “Anniversary.” The electro-rocker comes from an EP of the same title that precedes their 15th studio album, Future Past, out October 22. [embedded content] The song is a perfectly authentic ode to the group’s style, with plenty of sentimental lines like, “It may not seem like much/ but it’s everything to us.” “‘Anniversary’ is a special song for us,” said bassist John Taylor. “Obviously, we were conscious of our own impending 40th anniversary of making music together, but we wanted the song’s meaning to be inclusive in the broadest possible way.” Duran Duran will follow this EP with a full-length album, Future Past, which features collaborations with a swathe of musicia...
Bonnaroo 2021 Canceled Over Flooded Campgrounds
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival announced on Tuesday that this year’s event has been canceled due to flooding caused by storm rains. The four-day festival was slated to begin on Thursday, September 2, and run through Sunday, September 5. Foo Fighters, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Tame Impala, Tyler, The Creator and Rüfüs Du Sol were set to headline, alongside performances by Run the Jewels, Young Thug, Jack Harlow, G-Eazy, Phoebe Bridgers, Lil Baby, and more. In a statement, organizers said they were “absolutely heartbroken” to announce the news. We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo. While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgro...
Lil Nas X Reveals Heavenly ‘Montero’ Album Cover
Lil Nas X has revealed the official cover for his upcoming album Montero. The highly visual artwork is saturated with deep colors in its depiction of Heaven with Lil Nas X floating in the center. INSPIRATION BEHIND“MONTERO” ??ALBUM ART: ARTISTS: John StephensART: (Genesis II) “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” pic.twitter.com/0Ba9SJ6m2a — MONTERO ? (@LilNasX) August 31, 2021 The album cover was inspired by “Genesis II” by John Stephens, who is known for his fantastical realist paintings. Stephens’ website details what the “Genesis II” illustrates: “From the apse of Saint Chapelle in Paris to the Baroque Columns of Santa Maria in Campitelli ...
