gothic metal

Bands You Should Know: Shadow Reborn

October 9, 2023 — Leave a comment

You may remember my mentioning Shadow Reborn back in May, when I wrote this review of their EP, Realm of the Wicked. Well, I’m here to insist, again, that you check out this band!

Shadow Reborn is from Florida and offers all the glitz and glam of the 80s hair metal era with the darker macabre element of bands such as The 69 Eyes, Type O Negative, and Lacrimosa. A self-proclaimed theatrical goth metal act, this quintet has time traversing imagery, lyrics that delve straight into the human psyche, heavy riffs, and catchy anthemic choruses. Thus far, they have released two EPs – Intricacies (2015) and Realm of the Wicked (2022) – and several singles.

Below are my favorite track from Shadow Reborn, as well as their most recent single, and links to their socials. Be sure to follow them to keep up with any news, show announcements, and/or music releases.

My favorite. This song is the fifth track on Intricacies.
“Her Mortal Embrace” was released in 2021 and appears on Realm of the Wicked.

Wednesday 13 Performs Murderdolls – 2023 Tour Dates (Updated 9/30)

September 30, 2023 — 3 Comments

Update: The show on 11/14 has been moved from Racine, WI, to Belvedere, IL, at the Apollo Theatre!

Horror punk band Murderdolls’ debut album, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls, turns 21 this year! In celebration of this anniversary, frontman Wednesday 13 is hitting the road to perform songs from their first record, as well as their second and final release, Women and Children Last (2010). Wednesday’s touring lineup for this run includes Murderdolls’ alumni Roman Surman and Jack Tankersley.

The supporting acts are Gemini Syndrome, Infected Rain, and Black Satellite.

Get your tickets and VIP experiences at officialwednesday13.com.

  • 10/20 – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go
  • 10/21 – Las Vegas, NV – Count’s Vamp’d Rock Bar & Grill
  • 10/22 – Reno, NV – Virginia Street Brewhouse
  • 10/24 – Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom
  • 10/25 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
  • 10/27 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post Roseville
  • 10/28 – San Jose, CA – The Ritz
  • 10/29 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
  • 10/31 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater
  • 11/1 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
  • 11/3 – Dallas, TX – Sundown at Granada
  • 11/4 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
  • 11/5 – Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live
  • 11/6 – Tulsa, OK – The Shrine
  • 11/7 – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
  • 11/9 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
  • 11/10 – Madison, WI – The Red Zone Madison
  • 11/11 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
  • 11/12 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
  • 11/14 – Belvedere, IL – Apollo Theatre
  • 11/15 – Flint, MI – The Machine Shop
  • 11/16 – Lakewood, OH – The Foundry
  • 11/17 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Crafthouse Stage & Grill
  • 11/18 – Lititz, PA – Mickey’s Black Box
  • 11/19 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz
  • 11/22 – Spartanburg, SC – Ground Zero
  • 11/24 – Winston-Salem, NC – Millennium Center
  • 11/25 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club
  • 11/26 – Leesburg, VA – Tally Ho Theater
  • 11/28 – Atlanta, GA – Hell at The Masquerade
  • 11/30 – Knoxville, TN – The Concourse
  • 12/1 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
  • 12/2 – Columbus, OH – The KING of CLUBS
  • 12/3 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi
  • 12/5 – Des Moines, IA – Lefty’s Live Music
  • 12/6 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
  • 12/8 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater
  • 12/9 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep

5 Neue Deutsche Härte Bands to Follow (That Aren’t Rammstein)

September 30, 2023 — Leave a comment

This is far from a comprehensive list, of course, but here are five bands I’ve discovered from the neue Deutsche härte genre that don’t get nearly enough recognition in the U.S.

1. Oomph!

Formed in 1989, Oomph! actually pioneered the neue Deutsche härte movement, according to some sources The thing I really love about them is the fact that they change a little (sometimes a lot) every couple of albums. They started with a more electronic/dance/industrial sound, but they quickly morphed into guitar-driven rock/metal. Several bands that came after drew inspiration from Oomph!, including – most notably – Rammstein.

From the self-titled record released in 1992
From GlaubeLiebeTod (2006)
From XXV (2015)

2. Eisbrecher

I actually discovered Eisbrecher years ago, but I didn’t know the band’s name. My best friend had their song “Wilkommen im Nichts” downloaded to her computer, and I loved it. Later, I searched for the song, found that it was by Eisbrecher, and went down the rabbit hole. I bought a copy of their 2010 release Eiszeit and I’ve been a fan ever since.

From the self-titled record (2004)
From Eiszeit (2010)
From Liebe macht Monster (2021)

3. Stahlmann

I found Stahlmann after I’d begun listening to Eisbrecher (and obsessing over the track “Wir Sind Wir” by Paul van Dyk and Peter Heppner). I think at that point I was simply looking for similar bands because I really enjoy the genre. The first song I remember hearing by Stahlmann was “Schwarz.”

From the self-titled record (2010)
From CO2 (2015)
From Quarz (2021)

4. Erdling

Erdling was founded in 2014 by Neill Freiwald and Niklas Kahl. They are a blend of heavier rock and neue Deutsche härte. I remember listening to “Mein Element” and really being able to hear the Rammstein influence.

From Aus den Tiefen (2016)
From Yggdrasil (2020)
From Bestia (2023)

5. Die Kreatur

Die Kreatur is a project formed by Chris Harms (Lord of the Lost) and Dero Goi (Oomph!). The two artists had made guest appearances on tracks for each other’s bands, and they finally decided to merge into a separate entity. The project meshes together the more gothic metal sound of Lord of the Lost with the neue Deutsche härte elements that started with Oomph! Thus far, they have only released one album, entitled Panoptikum, but here’s hoping there will be more from them in the future!

Lacuna Coil: October Dawn 2023

September 24, 2023 — Leave a comment

Italian goth metal act Lacuna Coil is returning to the U.S. this October with metal legends Fear Factory* and special guest Lions At The Gate! Tickets available at lacunacoil.com.

Note: Fear Factory will not be on the final three dates. God Forbid is replacing them on both 10/28 and 10/29.

  • 10/13 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
  • 10/14 – Knoxville, TN – The Concourse
  • 10/15 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
  • 10/18 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
  • 10/19 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada
  • 10/20 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
  • 10/21 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
  • 10/23 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
  • 10/24 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre
  • 10/26 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live*
  • 10/28 – Destin, FL – Club LA#
  • 10/29 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live#

* No Fear Factory

# God Forbid instead of Fear Factory

New Music Alert! Till Lindemann: “Zunge”

September 17, 2023 — Leave a comment

I’m linking a generic video with the audio because the actual video is age restricted. Sign in and you can watch it here.

Lamb of God Presents: Headbangers Boat 2023

August 28, 2023 — Leave a comment

Music cruises are all the rage these days, with Shiprocked being the most talked about. None of the current cruises focuses solely on metal, hence Lamb of God bringing us Headbangers Boat!

Lamb of God will be playing two sets, including Ashes of the Wake in its entirety. Mastodon, Hatebreed, Testament, Gwar, and others will also be in attendance on this cruise, which sets sail on Halloween from Miami, Florida. For all the details, visit headbangersboat.com.

Black Veil Brides & Ville Valo Share Dates For Their 2023 Co-Headlining Tour [Updated 8/23]

August 23, 2023 — Leave a comment

Update: Two shows have been added in southern California – 10/21 in Ventura and 10/22 in San Diego. Tickets for these dates go on sale Friday, 8/25.

Black Veil Brides and Ville Valo will be sharing the stage this fall alongside special guest Dark Divine. Tickets are available at blackveilbrides.net, Ville Valo’s Bandsintown, or dark-divine.com. Black Veil Brides are also offering VIP experiences!

  • 9/10 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
  • 9/11 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company
  • 9/12 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
  • 9/14 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
  • 9/15 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
  • 9/16 – Niagara Falls, NY – The Rapids Theatre
  • 9/17 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
  • 9/19 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
  • 9/20 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
  • 9/22 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
  • 9/23 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Event Center
  • 9/24 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
  • 9/25 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
  • 9/27 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
  • 9/28 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
  • 9/29 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!
  • 9/30 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
  • 10/1 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory
  • 10/3 – Austin, TX – 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
  • 10/5 – Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater
  • 10/6 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
  • 10/7 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
  • 10/9 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
  • 10/11 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Convention Centre
  • 10/12 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Event Centre
  • 10/14 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
  • 10/15 – Spokane, WA – The Podium
  • 10/16 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
  • 10/18 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House
  • 10/19 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live
  • 10/20 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
  • 10/21 – Ventura, CA – Majestic Ventura Theater (New date!)
  • 10/22 – San Diego, CA – Soma San Diego (New date!)

A Tribute Album to Rammstein is Coming Soon!

August 21, 2023 — Leave a comment

When I say “soon,” I mean soon. As in, August 25th. Four days from now.

I had heard the covers of “Feuer Frei!” by The 69 Eyes and “Engel” by Priest, and I thought it was kind of odd (and awesome) that suddenly everyone was releasing their take on infamous Rammstein tracks. Then, I stumbled across a post on a Front Line Assembly fan page and saw that those two releases are part of a bigger project.

I’m pretty excited about this! The album features versions of songs such as “Du Hast,” “Sonne,” “Radio,” and “Deutschland,” by a slew of artists, including Front Line Assembly, Skold, Julien-K, and more. I will include the full track list below. You can order your copy on Cleopatra Records’ site.

1. “Du Hast” – Burton C. Bell, Paul Ferguson, and MGT

2. “Deutschland” – Front Line Assembly

3. “Sonne” – Skold

4. “Engel” – Priest

5. “Amerika” – Laibach

6. “Feuer Frei!” – The 69 Eyes

7. “Ausländer” – Jah Wobble & Jon Klein

8. “Radio” – Julien-K

9. “Ich Will” – Stoneman

10. “Keine Lust” – Lacrimas Profundere

11. “Links 2 3 4” – Manntra

BONUS TRACKS

12. “Mein Teil” – Original God

13. “Du Hast” – Læther Strip

Not My God Announces Farewell Tour

August 20, 2023 — Leave a comment

Not My God is an industrial project that features Tim Sköld (Shotgun Messiah, Marilyn Manson) and Nero Bellum (Psyclon Nine). The pair came together in 2020, releasing the self-titled Not My God on Valentine’s Day. This was followed by Simulacra in 2021 and, earlier this year, the twelve track Obverses.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and it seems that Not My God is calling it quits – after a final tour, of course…which also happens to be their first tour. Alongside Not My God will be Snakes of Russia, Clockwork Echo, and Death Loves Veronica. Tickets and VIP are available at skold.com.

  • 10/14 – Las Vegas, NV – Dive Bar
  • 10/15 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
  • 10/17 – Portland, OR – Star Theater
  • 10/18 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
  • 10/20 – Denver, CO – The Crypt
  • 10/21 – Kansas City, MO – Encore (VIVO)
  • 10/22 – West Chicago, IL – WC Social Club
  • 10/23 – Ann Arbor, MI – Necto
  • 10/24 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo
  • 10/25 – Richmond, VA – Fallout
  • 10/26 – Salem, MA – Koto
  • 10/27 – New York, NY – Stimulate
  • 10/29 – Atlanta, GA – Boggs
  • 10/30 – Dallas, TX – Ruins

Not My God: “Ashes”

Snakes of Russia: “Dos Thrones”

Clockwork Echo: “Hellfire”

Death Loves Veronica: “Red Leather”