hard rock
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster: Cheatin’ on Death Tour 2024
Alabama-based metal band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster are hitting the road this spring with special guests Letter Kills, Islander, LIMBS, and Saltwound. Tickets can be found at mayleneandthesonsofdisaster.net!
- 4/24 – Baton Rouge, LA – Varsity Theatre#
- 4/25 – Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live*#
- 4/26 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar*#
- 4/27 – San Antonio, TX – The Rock Box*#
- 4/28 – Dallas, TX – Trees*#
- 5/2 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile*#
- 5/4 – Pomona, CA – Glass House*#
- 5/5 – Los Angeles, CA – 1720#
- 5/7 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar*#
- 5/8 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge*#
- 5/10 – Denver, CO – HQ+#^
- 5/11 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep+#^
- 5/13 – Chicago, IL – WC Social Club+#^
- 5/14 – Columbus, OH – King of Clubs+#^
- 5/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Jergels+#^
- 5/17 – Brooklyn, NY – Monarch+^
- 5/18 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium (Upstairs)+^
- 5/19 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz+^
- 5/21 – Reading, PA – Reverb+^
- 5/22 – Richmond, VA – The Canal Club+^
- 5/23 – Greensboro, NC – Hangar 1819+^
- 5/24 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Hell)+^
- 5/25 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum+^
# w/LIMBS
* w/Letter Kills
+ w/Islander
^ w/Saltwound
Song of the Day – Pain: “Go With the Flow”
Song of the Day – Seilies: “My Last Smile”
Alestorm: Tour of the Dead Marauder 2024
Scottish metal band Alestorm has announced the Tour of the Dead Marauder with special guests Elvenking and Glyph. This North American run is in support of the release of their new EP, Voyage of the Dead Marauder, which will be released March 22nd! Tickets are available at alestorm.net.
- 3/19 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
- 3/20 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
- 3/22 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
- 3/23 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
- 3/24 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
- 3/26 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
- 3/27 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic
- 3/29 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
- 3/30 – Omaha, NE – The Admiral
- 4/2 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre
- 4/3 – Saskatoon, SK – Coors Event Centre
- 4/5 – Edmonton, AB – Midway Music Hall
- 4/6 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theater
- 4/8 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore
- 4/9 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
- 4/10 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
- 4/12 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
- 4/13 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
- 4/15 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
- 4/16 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
- 4/18 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
- 4/19 – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag
- 4/20 – Indianapolis, IN – Old National Centre
- 4/21 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
Nothing More Shares Additional North American Spring Dates With Veil of Maya and Sleep Theory
Nothing More will be touring alongside Wage War, Veil of Maya, and Sleep Theory throughout April and May, but the alt-rockers from Texas have announced a few extra dates that Wage War will not be appearing on (and two that Sleep Theory will be missing from, as well). Tickets and VIP packages are available at nothingmore.net!
- 4/25 – San Diego, CA – Observatory Northpark
- 5/11 – Columbus, OH – Kemba Live^
- 5/12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
- 5/18 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre^
^ No Sleep Theory
Nita Strauss Announces March 2024 Dates With Diamante and Starbenders
Metal and guitar goddess Nita Strauss will be playing some shows this March with support from Diamante and Starbenders! You can grab your tickets and VIP packages at nitastrauss.com.
- 3/12 – Worcester, MA – Palladium
- 3/13 – Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedraft’s (w/special guest Anoxia)
- 3/15 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave/Eagles Club
- 3/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Studio B at Skyway Theatre
- 3/17 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room Lounge
- 3/18 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
- 3/20 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep
- 3/22 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
- 3/23 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
- 3/24 – Memphis, TN – Growlers
- 3/26 – Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s
- 3/28 – Fort Smith, AR – Temple Live
- 3/29 – Cedar Park, TX – Haute Spot
Six Scars’ New EP Grants a Glimpse Into the Dark Side of Life and Love
Six Scars is a one-man metal project hailing from southwest Virginia. Heavily influenced by the many subgenres of rock and metal, Six Scars began his journey by exploring the more melodic and ethereal realms of shoegaze on his debut album, To Wilt and to Bloom. He has played with other subgenres, such as nu metal and alt-rock, in the intervening years, yet now, in 2024, he has returned to his roots.
The Silence and the Withering, the latest EP from Six Scars, was released on February 16, 2024. Driven by introspection, this record offers six hauntingly beautiful songs, written with self-reflection and painted in sounds.
The EP opens with “Another Scar,” a track lamenting wasted time and a life not lived. “Another scar, another excuse to not get off your ass and move/There’s a whole world waiting, but you already died,” the chorus erupts in frustration, and how often is this the case? How many times have we had plans, goals, dreams, that we were too afraid to pursue, and then suddenly, we’re looking back on the years that have passed with regret? “I wanna rewind, I wanna live my life,” our narrator says in conclusion, but that is an impossibility.
The next four songs – “Damaged From the Start,” “Dead Nothing,” “Dionysius,” and “Mausoleum” – are a tableau dedicated to the one thing none of us are immune from: love. Six Scars pendulums from the depths of heartbreak to a seemingly idyllic representation of that endlessly discussed emotion. For instance, in “Damaged From the Start,” he writes, “I owned you, you owned me, this orgasmic catastrophe,” hinting at a mutually toxic relationship.
“Dead Nothing” ventures a step further, diving into the depths of manipulation and torment the narrator experiences – and the resulting desire for vengeance. “You played me like a puppet, dancing to your every whim/But not the tables have turned, and it’s your turn to face this sin.”
We are then taken back to when the love was new, pure, perfect, though there is still an acknowledgment that it was tainted from the start. In “Dionysius,” the narrator fondly reminisces on the past. “My Dionysius, my odyssey…we’d fly away into the ether, never knowing what we were leaving/And the cosmos united for us when we retreated…” However, he soon admits that he lost himself to his lover and their shared addictions, including what could be the most damaging one – each other.
The lovers’ tale ends with “Mausoleum,” and despite the title, it is not as dark as one would assume. “Holding onto each other’s energy to feel the grip of love, a burning desire to become one/Holding onto each other’s energy to feel the grip of love/A burning desire to fill this mausoleum.” In the throes of passion, perhaps our narrator finds himself so happy he could die? Their union is still referred to as “unholy,” the underlying awareness that they are not meant to be ever-present, yet it is easy to overlook when “I’m dreaming, I’m feeling alive for the first time/I’m holding onto you.”
The Silence and the Withering closes with “My Finale,” a song that seems to tie together the opening and the four-part tableau. He mentions wanting there to be “no regrets about the life that I have led,” then says “Leaving ever-after, I’ll see your face again one day.” This could be a reference to any number of people in his life, but I perceived it to be aimed at his lover. Interestingly, his final line is “I, the villain, close the curtain.” Was our narrator truly his own worst enemy?
This EP is an unflinching study of the storyteller, and there are parts that will universally resonate with listeners. We have all wasted time, feared rejection, dragged our heels when we should have been chasing dreams. We have all fallen in love, romantically or otherwise, and been burned for our efforts. And we have all, by necessity, played the villain at some point in our own story.
The Silence and the Withering is available to stream everywhere now!
Links:
Skies of Terra Teams Up With Seethe on New Single, “Invincibility Codes”
Post-hardcore/prog rock band Skies of Terra is back with a new single entitled “Invincibility Codes,” which features alternative/trap metal artist Seethe. The track is now available to stream everywhere!
Hard-hitting from start to finish, “Invincibility Codes” is sure to satiate the tastes of even the most discerning heavy music fan. When asked about the story behind the song, vocalist/instrumentalist Euclides Polanco had this to say:
“‘Invincibility Codes’ is about the anxiety-driven feeling of falling. [In this case] ‘falling’ could be used as running out of time, losing sight, close to giving up, and negative contemplations. Phrases like ‘leave the lights on, I’m on my way home’ are calls to the ones the main character is speaking to before deciding…to leave this life. There is a lot of talk about confusion and being driven off the deep end while trying to hide behind a fake smile each day.”
The frustration and hopelessness behind living this way is expressed through music, vocals, and lyrics, all knitted together into a piece that is relatable to anyone who has had to put on a brave front in their day-to-day life. The verses are host to a rapid-fire beat, matched by a driving riff, all topped by Euclides’ clean vocals. “Am I alive? Or barely just breathing?/This isn’t living or existing, behind a malignant smile/And I cannot break free!”
This combination climbs to the bridge and chorus, during which, conversely, the music is more rhythmic while vocalist Justin Townsend unleashes a tidal wave of pent-up rage. “Falling from the sky/Above my head, you are watching me from a vengeful drone/I’m falling fast/The darkness spreads/Leave the lights on, I’m on my way home!”
As the second bridge reaches its close, Euclides announces “Wait, we’re not quite finished yet!” and we are launched into the final breakdown, penned and delivered by Seethe. The story of this collaboration makes it seem as if it were always meant to be.
“Skies of Terra and myself, we’re from the Pittsburgh scene,” explains Seethe. “In 2019, my band signed to a label called Brutal Business Entertainment, but going into 2020 [when Covid happened], the owner wanted to step down. He essentially gave me the label to run. Skies of Terra was one of the first bands that I personally signed.”
“Seethe showed us love very early on,” Euclides recalls. “I had written the demo for ‘Invincibility Codes’ in January 2020. It was originally written for the EP, The Party is Over, but it didn’t fit the narrative and vibe. It just wasn’t ready. Seethe had written a section that sounded pretty sweet, but we left the track alone until fall of 2022. [That’s when] I re-wrote it and sent it to Seethe to work on. He’s the one that ended up creating a big foundation for how things were articulated throughout the album. ‘Invincibility Codes’ has very important motifs that are revisited in other tracks.”
“Clides brought [‘Invincibility Codes’] to me, and he was like, ‘I really want you on this outro’,” Seethe says. “The track was kinda the same as it is now, but a lot of the kinks weren’t worked out. We went back and forth about it, then we shelved it. Out of nowhere, [in 2022], Clides gave me the music and they had me write my breakdown for the end.”
“It was nerve-wracking,” Seethe adds. “They gave me a blank slate at the end to do whatever I wanted. I felt the pressure, because Clides and Justin are both great vocalists, so without knowing what they were gonna do ahead of time, I had to make sure I sent the track out on a high note.”
True to his aim, Seethe does conclude “Invincibility Codes” on a high note. He grants the listener a final eruption of anger, an audible picture of hitting the breaking point. “Push it to the brink/Push, push/I’m coming!/I’m coming home!”
Stream “Invincibility Codes” now, and check out the lyric video below!
Follow Skies of Terra on all their socials so you never miss anything!
Nothing More and Wage War Announce 2024 North American Tour
Nothing More and Wage War are teaming up this spring for a North American tour, and they’re bringing along special guests Veil of Maya and Sleep Theory. You can get tickets and VIP at nothingmore.net and/or wagewarband.com!
- 4/16 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
- 4/17 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewery
- 4/18 – New Orleans, LA – Fillmore New Orleans
- 4/20 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater*
- 4/22 – Grand Junction, CO – Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park
- 4/24 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Auditorium
- 4/27 – Las Vegas, NV – Sick New World Festival 2024^
- 4/28 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel Entertainment Center
- 4/30 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theater
- 5/1 – West Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom
- 5/3 – Green Bay, WI – EPIC Event Center
- 5/4 – East Moline, IL – The Rust Belt
- 5/5 – Omaha, NE – The Rose Theater
- 5/7 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
- 5/8 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe*
- 5/10 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Event Center*
- 5/14 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
- 5/15 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
- 5/17 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
* No Sleep Theory
^ Festival; Wage War only
Mostly Music 