Tag: metal

NME

Jason Aalon Butler has spoken out about the anniversary of Letlive. and has teased an album reissue and reunion tour for the band.

• READ MORE: Fever 333 on becoming pals with heroes Deftones and their “genre-defining” new album

According to a series of new social media posts, the post-hardcore band are seemingly reforming for a series of farewell shows across the world next year.

They are also releasing a new, remastered version of their landmark album, ‘The Blackest Beautiful’.

The influential band’s final line-up consisted of lead vocalist  Butler, guitarist Jeff Sahyoun, bassist Ryan Jay Johnson and drummer Loniel Robinson. Throughout their career, they released four albums and one EP, with their final album, ‘If I’m The Devil’, released in 2016. They broke up in 2017, announcing the split on social media at the time.

In a new post on the band’s social media page, they wrote: “11 years of ‘The Blackest Beautiful’ after 7 years of silence. Remixed, Remastered, Revisited.”

They added: “And to our friends that we never got to say goodbye to – we’ll see you next year to do so. Promoters see slide 2. We’d like suitable spaces around the world for proper farewells,” they added, making a plea to promoters to get in touch.

They concluded: “ll.ove one last time.”

In a lengthy new post reflecting on the band’s split, Butler added: “I spent so many years of my life trying to find myself in this band. Trying to understand what I believed mattered. What was worth fighting for and, equally, what was worth sacrificing for. Which is what I did when I decided it was time to walk away from @letliveperiod.”

“It was a sacrifice. A necessary one for my own mental, emotional and physical health. It was somewhat Shakespearean realising that in order to truly honour myself and this band I had to let people love it in their own way even when I was having trouble love myself and let this idea we created be remembered in an honourable state. When I put this project to rest I didn’t know when or if I’d ever come back to it.

“The pain, the peril, the literal hazards I and members of this project experienced are almost too wild to be true. But, in fact, they are. And that is why I felt one last time around the as necessary. This band was not easy for me. It was never ever glamorous. And sometimes it was hard to believe it loved me back the same way I loved it, but I recently came to realise it was y’all that made this band. It was y’all that made it unique.

“The disparate identities colliding to form one common belief system each night as well a the 15 years of its existence is still something I cannot believe happened. But it very much did. Y’all are the reason letlive. was able to exist and y’all are the reason I’ve decided to come back for an actual farewell.”

He continued: “ I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in this project and every other I’ve been a part of as I know so many of you followed me from here. Thank you for letting me be vulnerable while attempting bravado all at once. Thank you for laughing, singing and exploring with me. Thank you for hurting, living and learning with me even more so. With that being said- I ll.ove you and me and the boys will see you soon-ish.

“If you’ve read this far- keep up the community and drop your favorite memories, shows, people you’ve met due to your relationship with ll. in the comments. I love reading that sh*t.”

After Letlive., Taylor went on to form Fever 333 alongside former The Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta.

Back in January, Fever 333 shared a blistering new single titled ‘Ready Rock.

In ‘Ready Rock’, frontman Jason Aalon Butler and co. play homage to the Black artists who founded rock n’ roll, and use their signature heavy sound to shed light on the musicians that came before them but were denied due credit.

“With this month (February) being Black History Month, ‘Ready Rock’ pays homage to black artists of the past that unequivocally built rock n’ roll into what it is today. Fever bring light to the lineage of iconic rock sounds and sonics that have often gone uncredited to their proper black creators, with the assertion, Rock Music is Black Music,” a press release stated.

‘Ready Rock’ was produced by Fever 333, and features co-production from both the Grammy Award-winning Beach Noise (Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem) and Glassjaw’s Justin Beck.

The newly shared single marked the second track to be shared from the group following a major line-up change last year.

The post Jason Aalon Butler speaks out on the anniversary of Letlive. and teases reissue and reunion tour appeared first on NME.

NME

Metallica frontman James Hetfield has shown off his latest tattoo, which is a tribute to late Motörhead legend Lemmy Kilmister.

• READ MORE: Metallica – ’72 Seasons’ review: metal masters make a relentless return

Today (April 17), Hetfield took to Metallica’s Instagram to show off the tattoo, etched on his middle finger. The tattoo is of a spade inside what appears to be an iron cross symbol – a symbol that Hetfield has incorporated on his guitars in the past. The singer also a tattoo of an iron cross on his elbow.

However, the tattoo isn’t a regular tribute to Lemmy, it also contains the remains of Kilmister himself, according to Hetfield. The Metallica veteran wrote on Instagram: “With the steady hand of friend and tattoo artist @coreymillertattoo, this tattoo. A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica.”

“Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me. So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world.”

See Hetfield’s new tattoo below.

Metallica have been vocal about the role Lemmy Kilmister has played in their history as a band ever since the Motörhead singer and bassist died of cancer in 2015. Hetfield and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich have stated previously that Mötörhead were the inspiration behind Metallica forming.

• READ MORE: Ian Fraser ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister 1945-2015 – A Life in Rock N Roll

Speaking on Lemmy’s death in 2016, Hetfield reflected on his influence. “I was pretty distraught when he passed,” Hetfield said. “My vision of him was as a statue of a man that was immortal. When he passed it scared me, like, ‘where’s our captain now?’ He’s been a godfather to us. There’s no doubt that without him there wouldn’t be a Metallica. When he was around, it just felt like things were going to be okay.”

In March this year, it was announced that some of Lemmy’s ashes will be housed at the Rock City venue in Nottingham, as well as at the Derbyshire-based metal festival, Bloodstock. Last summer, it was revealed that Lemmy had more of his ashes scattered in the mud at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival, following Motörhead playing countless shows there.

In February, it was confirmed that plans to erect a statue of the Motörhead frontman in the town where he was born have been approved by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The post Metallica’s James Hetfield has a new tattoo with Lemmy’s ashes in it appeared first on NME.

NME

Architects have released their savage new Jordan Fish-produced single ‘Curse’ – listen to it down below.

• READ MORE: Architects – ‘The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit’ review: hulking riffs and killer hooks

The Brighton metalcore band recently teased they were in the studio with Jordan Fish, the former Bring Me The Horizon member.

They had teased the track by sharing a photo to their social media of a graphic featuring the Architects ‘A’ logo, along with the song’s title. Fans spotted Fish’s Instagram handle tagged in the picture, which suggested he had a hand in their new song.

Now, they have officially released their collaboration, a pummeling new single called ‘Curse’ that blends brutal metal sections with an arena-ready chorus: “I give you my word / In the times I’ve had enough / I still wish for the worst / As free as a bird / But the days keep crossing off / Heaven came with a curse.”

Listen to ‘Curse’ below:

Fish announced his departure from Bring Me The Horizon last December, having been in the band since 2012. In a statement, the Sheffield band wrote: “Bring Me The Horizon has decided to part ways with Jordan Fish. We want to thank him for the musical journey he took with us and wish him luck with everything in the future. Meanwhile we continue to work on ‘Nex Gen’, with brand new music coming very soon. See you on our UK tour in January.”

Fish also shared a statement of his own, writing: “I’m really grateful for my 11 years with the band, and extremely proud of all that we have achieved together.

“I look forward to hearing what they do next, and wish them every success in the future. I’m excited to start this next chapter in my career.”

Since then, he has posted photos of him working on new music in January, also teasing that he was in the studio with Spiritbox. The group’s guitarist Mike Stringer recently took to Instagram Stories to share a behind-the-scenes video from the session, tagging Fish as well as frontwoman Courtney LaPlante.

Meanwhile, ‘Curse’ is Architects’ first new music since their single ‘Seeing Red’ in January.

In other news, the band stirred controversy over the social media activity of their guitarist Adam Christianson. As Loudwire reported in January, Christianson faced backlash by retweeting a transphobic and homophobic post from an account on X/Twitter.

The musician later posted an apology, which read: “Shit! That retweet was a total accident!! I don’t endorse anything that guy says other than fuck Trudeau. Sorry for the panic everyone! Complete all-thumbs moment.”

The post Listen to Architects’ savage Jordan Fish-produced new single ‘Curse’ appeared first on NME.

NME

Bring Me The Horizon have begun teasing their next album, ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’ – find out all details below.

• READ MORE: Bring Me The Horizon on love for Fontaines D.C. and when fans can expect the new album

The Sheffield band have posted a tantalising clip on their socials today (April 10), confirming that “it’s time for a new era”. From the hints they’ve given us, it looks like Bring Me The Horizon is teasing ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’, which has been delayed since last August.

In the futuristic video, a robot utters the speech: “You cling to your virtual identity as if it were your very soul. Pathetic. I’m here to wipe away the detritus of your existence. All these thoughts, these memories, they are but a fleeting echo in an endless void. And just like that, you cease to exist in a digital realm. A mere blip erased from the annals of cyberspace. Farewell insignificant content.”

The video ends with the sentence: “It’s time for a new era. Initialising NeX GEn.”

At the end of the clip, viewers can also read a small paragraph with the words: “THE CHURCH OF GENXSIS welcomes you to a night at YOUTOPIA via NeX GEn. There is a home beyond our bones. P.H. II ??/??/2024.”

Watch the teaser trailer below:

Frontman Oli Sykes first announced news of the album during their headlining Download set back in June. It will serve as the follow-up to 2020’s ‘POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR’.

The band then revealed the record was delayed the next month in a social media post, citing “unforeseen circumstances” leaving the band “unable to complete the record to the standard we’d be happy with”.

Sykes further spoke about the record in a chat with NME last June, calling it “unhinged”: “I wouldn’t say it’s a hyper-pop album, but I’ve definitely been inspired by that world. I admire how obnoxious, trashy and in your face that music feels, which is what I was drawn to when I got into emo, hardcore and screamo.

“It’s not that we’ve lost that in our music, but as you become a bigger band, things do get more polished. I want to go the opposite way. Let’s be unhinged, let’s stop trying to make all the edges smooth.”

The vocalist provided a further update to us this January when we saw them at the BRITs, with Sykes telling us: “It’s nearly finished, but it’s not finished”.

“Every time we think we’ve got it, we get another song,” he added. “It’s going to be right good though, it’s our best album ever… Worth the wait.”

So far, the band have previewed the latest single from the album ‘Kool-Aid’ this January, with ‘DArkSide’, ‘LosT’, ‘AmEN!’, ‘DiE4u’ and ‘sTraNgeRs’ also speculated to appear on the upcoming album.

It will also be their first album without longtime member Jordan Fish, who announced his sudden departure at the end of December 2023. Fish was part of the band since 2012.

In a statement, the band said of his leave: “Bring Me The Horizon has decided to part ways with Jordan Fish. We want to thank him for the musical journey he took with us and wish him luck with everything in the future.”

The post Bring Me The Horizon tease their new album: “It’s time for a new era” appeared first on NME.

NME

Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Lee Malia will be absent from the band’s upcoming Australian tour, it has been announced.

• READ MORE: Bring Me The Horizon on love for Fontaines D.C. and when fans can expect the new album

The Sheffield band are due to begin a seven-date run of shows Down Under with a performance at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne tonight (April 10). Further stop-offs are scheduled in Sydney (April 12, 14), Adelaide (17) and Brisbane (20, 21).

A second Melbourne concert will take place at the Rod Laver Arena on April 18.

Ahead of today’s tour opener, BMTH took to social media to tell fans that Malia would not be part of the line-up for this stint.

“Lee is unable to join us for [the] NEX GEN DOWN UNDER shows,” the statement began.

“He will be back for future dates, but is taking some time out with the new addition to his family for this run.” You can see the message in the post below.

Sleep Token will be supporting Bring Me The Horizon on their 2024 Australian tour along with Boorloo/Perth metalcore band Make Them Suffer and Filipino-Australian dark pop artist Daine.

Last month saw BMTH win the Best Alternative/Rock Act award at the BRITs 2024. Speaking to NME at the ceremony, the group gave an update on when fans could expect their delayed next album, ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’.

“It’s nearly finished, but it’s not finished,” explained frontman Oli Sykes.

“Every time we think we’ve got it, we get another song. It’s going to be right good though, it’s our best album ever… Worth the wait.” You can check out the full video interview below.

In January BMTH shared the single ‘Kool-Aid’, which marked their first new music since the departure of Jordan Fish. Meanwhile, there has been speculation over potential collaborations with Underoath and Billie Eilish on ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’.

Following their gigs in Australia, Bring Me The Horizon will play two shows in Las Vegas, Nevada (April 25, 26) before appearing at Sick New World Festival 2024 in Sin City (27). They’ll then head to Europe for a run of festivals, including Mad Cool in Spain and Southside in Germany.

In other news, Sykes has teamed up with Japanese horror manga artist Junji Ito for a new Drop Dead clothing collection.

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NME

Deftones and System Of A Down have announced a huge joint headline show for one night only – see all details below.

• READ MORE: “This record embedded in our brains”: the endless power of Deftones’ ‘White Pony’

The legendary Californian bands took to social media today (April 9) to announced they were teaming up to play a “stand-alone, once in a lifetime” show at the “historic” Golden Gate Park on August 17.

Joining them will be prog-rockers The Mars Volta, Swedish punks Viagra Boys, and Australian industrial duo VOWWS.

You can access pre-sale tickets by signing up for either band’s mailing list. General tickets will go on sale this Friday (April 12) – get yours here.

This won’t be the only live date the two bands are due to play this year. Deftones have been announced for Coachella, Primavera Sound and Lollapalooza 2024; meanwhile, System Of A Down will headline Sick New World later this April alongside Slipknot.

Deftones have also begun teasing a new album to be released this year, to be produced by producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Mastodon, Alice In Chains.)

Guitarist Stephen Carpenter told the Gnostic Academy podcast: “We hope to have it all done and out by next spring [or] summer. There’s nothing official — no official date yet — but that’s our goal.”

Their last album was 2020’s ‘Ohms’, which NME gave five stars: “One imagines that the first day back in the studio with Terry Date might have been painful. It might have been cathartic. But what it seems to have done is give the band an attuned ear to the world. A platform to express rage they’ve never done before and to further solidify their status as the most interesting heavy metal band in the world.”

In other news, a man played System Of A Down and Deftones songs on guitar while having brain surgery earlier this year.

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