Alt-metal titans Carbonstone are coming out swinging with their latest single and music video, “Standoff,” which releases May 30th. The new track boasts a vocal collaboration with Jonny Santos of Silent Civilian, Spineshank, and The Less Dead. With “Standoff,” Carbonstone has taken their raw emotion and relentless energy to the next level, and it packs the punch of a speeding freight train.
This song is multi-layered, both musically and in its history. Says Carbonstone frontman Corey James, “I actually wrote this way back in 2010. [“Standoff”] was originally released as a demo on an old EP called Strength in Silence. It was completely organic with zero electronic elements.”
But the track stuck with him, as some songs do, and James found himself circling back to it. “I sometimes revisit songs from the past, and this one has always spoken to me. I thought it would be really cool to bring it back and give it a complete makeover.”
Enter Jonny Santos, an influential figure in James’ musical journey. The two artists began talking after James reached out. “I literally saw him make a post and took a shot in the dark.” The conversation turned to the topic of a collaboration and, says James, a reimagining of “Standoff” immediately came to mind. The result is an in-your-face piece with the electronic/industrial/nu metal stylings so true to Carbonstone.
“Standoff” is roughly four minutes of vented fury, unleashed in the form of crunchy guitars, steady percussion, and the vocal interplay between James and Santos. The track calls out those who take advantage of the people around them and gives a hearty middle finger to anyone who believes your only worth is in being used and controlled.
“It’s such a shame you betray everyone with the fucking words you say/You believe I’m so weak/Come and get a motherfucking piece of me!”
The song is another example of a story carefully constructed with music, something at which Carbonstone excels. Using a maelstrom of instrumentation with a dance between a low tortured growl and an outburst of rage-filled screams, it carries the listener through the narrator’s emotional journey of becoming fed up with somebody who is manipulative and breaking the chains that once bound them together.
Catharsis is then reached after the second chorus, when James and Santos declare “I’m letting you go.” Echoing the release of all the anger and the sense of resolve that has been found, there is a brief acoustic interlude, and the track reaches its conclusion with a sprinkle of flamenco style picking.
“Standoff” will be available on May 30th. The music video premieres at 8 p.m. EST, and the song will hit streaming services at midnight!
You can pre-save “Standoff” here, and you can find links to all of Carbonstone’s socials and streaming profiles at carbonstone.net.
Tennessee rockers Sleep Theory have announced The Afterglow Tour, featuring special guests Nevertel, Oxymorrons, and Stray View. This late spring/early summer run of shows is in support of the band’s upcoming album, Afterglow, which will be available May 16th. You can stream Sleep Theory’s latest single here and grab your tickets/VIP to The Afterglow Tour at sleeptheoryofficial.com!
5/14 – Nashville, TN – Vinyl Tap Acoustic In-Store & Signing (Not an official tour date, but…)
5/18 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville 2025*
5/20 – Birmingham, AL – Workplay
5/21 – Mobile, AL – Soul Kitchen Music Hall
5/23 – Corpus Christi, TX – Brewster Street Ice House Southside
5/24 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Metal/electronicore veterans Asking Alexandria are hitting the road this spring with From Ashes to New, Royale Lynn, and What Lies Below. This short spring tour kicks off April 23rd in Buffalo, New York, and wraps up at Welcome to Rockville 2025 on May 15th. Tickets/VIP on sale at askingalexandria.com!
4/23 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks
4/24 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
4/26 – Syracuse, NY – Sharkey’s
4/28 – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
4/29 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Clyde Theatre
4/30 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
5/2 – Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom
5/3 – Wichita, KS – The Cotillion
5/4 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live
5/6 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
5/7 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
5/8 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
5/10 – Davenport, IA – Capitol Theatre
5/11 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2025*
5/14 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
5/15 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville 2025*
Powerman 5000 is kicking off a West Coast run in six days. Featuring special guests Julien-K and Makes My Blood Dance, this 12-date mini-tour includes stops in Anaheim, San Francisco, Tucson, and Las Vegas. Tickets can be purchased via the venues’ sites or Powerman 5000’s Bandsintown!
4/11 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
4/12 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
4/13 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
4/15 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
4/16 – Portland, OR – Star Theater
4/18 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
4/19 – Fresno, CA – Full Circle Brewing Co.
4/20 – Modesto, CA – Persuasion Brewing
4/22 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock
4/23 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
4/25 – Bakersfield, CA – The Nile Theater (There was a change. This is the correct city and venue.)
4/26 – Temecula, CA – Temecula Sports Lounge/Restaurant
Seethe is an alternative/nu metal artist hailing from Pittsburgh. Spawning from the isolation of Covid lockdowns in 2020, this project has taken on a life of its own. With a handful of albums and EPs and an expansive catalog of singles to his name, Seethe shows no signs of slowing down.
One of the first people to let me review his music when I started my own journey, I’m surprised it has taken us this long to do an interview! We discussed his musical beginnings, inspiration, dream collaborations, and much more – and I feel like we only scratched the surface! Check it out!
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Mostly Music: So let’s talk some background first. How did you get started making music?
Seethe: Music has always been there. It’s in the blood on both my mom’s side and my dad’s side. I grew up around anything from oldies, to bluegrass, to metal, rock, and hip hop. I was air guitaring and singing with a brush as a microphone before I was even potty trained!
MM: That vast array of exposure explains a lot. Lol. Your music definitely has quite a bit of variety.
Do you have any particular band/artist that was, like, The One that made you really wanna pursue this? Or a song? I know it’s not always that specific, but…
Seethe: There are many layers to that. First, I was a guitarist that dabbled in some piano and bass, then over time, transferred to lead vocals. Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jerry Cantrell made me wanna pick up and sling the ole six string. In my high school years, I was deep into acoustic pop rock with the likes of John Mayer, Secondhand Serenade, Dashboard Confessional, and Five Times August. When it came down to vocals (waaaaay early on), I hadn’t found my voice and was attempting very bad Creed/Breaking Benjamin vocals til I started actually singing and exploring my voice round 3, 2016. Phil Anselmo, Tim Williams, and Billy Keeton were very, very influential in where I was trying to go vocally as I began to explore my voice.
MM: Okay, with all that going on, how did you find your sound? I know your sound varies, but for a while, you leaned heavily into the trap metal end of things, so to speak. Was that a conscious decision, or was it more…you played around with ideas and found that that particular genre fit what you were going for?
I feel like I’m wording that badly…
Seethe: Covid honestly was really responsible for the creation of Seethe. I had begun to dabble in electronic music but never had the guts to release it. Anything I had released up to that point I had a band or a partner in crime, and I always had that comradery and support, but never enough guts to put something out solely by myself. At the start it was mainly just to make some music with an electronic edge like the “Queen of The Damned” soundtrack with the modern soundscape of the trap metal genre that had been blowing up in recent years. While a niche genre, it allowed me to develop and grow. After 4-ish years of producing and releasing trap metal tracks, I had decided it was time to start branching out and shifting my sound. That’s honestly the beauty of being a solo artist. Yes, there is more work, and it literally all falls on my shoulders, but I could/can do what I want, when I want.
MM: So, this may be a stupid question, but with the recent releases veering into a less electronic/trap-oriented direction, are you still working solo?
Seethe: Nope. If I had the equipment and better resources, I definitely would (Lord knows it would probably be cheaper if i did, given my rate of output). Fortunately, I have met many different and awesome producers along the way. Sometimes, we work together on a project from the ground up, or it’s a matter of me merely scavenging beats/instrumentals I find and lease or purchase. Some awesome producers I’ve worked with (but not limited to) – Slaughter, APXLLYXN, Exor, Gus Wallner, VIXLENCE, Last of a Dying Breed. Can’t forget Aura Abnormal, and Dead Prophet Alive.
MM: You have released four tracks so far this year. Congratulations on that, by the way. Can you give me a bit of background on the most recent single, “Oceans”?
Seethe: “Oceans” is one of the first songs in a while that wasn’t written introspectively. It’s more of an observation about the world as we see it now. All of the doom and gloom and tension that hangs in the air. REM said it best: “it’s the end of the world as we know it.”
In the recording side of things, this was a fun/challenging one to work on. Jacob Lizotte is an amazing producer/composer, and that forced me to really up my game vocally. The music not only goes hard in the paint, but it’s also very open and has a sort of ambient atmosphere to it, so I had plenty of room to paint the canvas with my craft.
MM: I wanna ask a question that’s kinda just for fun, but I love the answers I get. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Seethe: Dream collabs would be Layne Staley, Phil Anselmo, Damien Starkey, Brock Lindow, and Chad Gray.
MM: A Chad Gray collab would be SO good!!! So what is your creative process? How do you piece songs together? (I’m interested in both the writing and recording aspects, but hands down, I grasp the writing part a lot more easily. I know nothing about recording.)
Seethe: The creative process varies. It’s honestly one of my favorite things about art. I am a multi-instrumentalist, but I unfortunately don’t have a means to record anything besides vocals. I have been fortunate enough to work alongside multiple producers and composers to build songs from the ground up. Sometimes, someone will hit me with a piece of music and want me to man vocals. Other times, it’s merely me scavenging on BeatStars or YouTube, looking for a beat that catches my ear. A lot of times, the songwriting for me is very spur of the moment or if something catches my ear. You never know when inspiration is gonna strike.
Or other times I will have a song written up and it’s a matter of finding or creating the music to bring it all together. There are times I will sit on a song or idea for months, or it comes out on the spot in minutes. Collabs are always fun as well. It’s a different energy when you have someone bring you on and you are putting your craft with someone else’s vision.
MM: We could probably keep talking for ages, but I’ve already used up a lot of your time. Thank you very much for this interview. I look forward to hearing what you come up with next and perhaps having another conversation about…well, everything!
***
In the time since we wrapped up our chat, Seethe has announced the release of his fifth single for 2025, “Reprieve.” The track will hit streaming services on April 26th. You can pre-save it here!
But while you’re waiting, be sure to listen to the other songs he has dropped since January – “Mandela Effect,” “IDT (Falling in Wait),” “Depths,” and “Oceans.” These four offerings grant a glimpse into the wide creative range Seethe possesses and the varied stylistic choices he makes. If you enjoy what you hear, follow him on your favorite platforms so that you never miss any Seethe music news!
Hot on the heels of releasing their first new single in four years, Chevelle has announced a 2025 summer tour with special guests Asking Alexandria and Dead Poet Society. This 39-date trek (not including the spring festival dates) kicks off August 7th in San Antonio and has stops in New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Nashville before wrapping up October 4th in Sacramento. Tickets are now on sale at getmorechevelle.com! Or you can visit askingalexandria.com for tickets and VIP experiences!
Spring Festival Dates (Chevelle Only)
4/20 – Palm Springs, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2025
5/11 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2025
5/17 – Ocean City, MD – Boardwalk Rock 2025
5/18 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville 2025
5/24 – The Woodlands, TX – BuzzFest 2025
5/25 – Dallas, TX – 97.1 The Eagle’s BFD 2025
Summer 2025 Dates w/Asking Alexandria and Dead Poet Society
8/7 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port
8/9 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater
8/10 – Kansas City, MO – VooDoo Lounge
8/12 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
8/14 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
8/15 – Chicago, IL – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
8/16 – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater
8/19 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
8/20 – Toronto, ON – The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort
8/21 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
8/23 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
8/24 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
8/26 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
8/27 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Event Center
8/28 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
8/30 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome
8/31 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
9/3 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
9/4 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
9/5 – Simpsonville, SC – CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
9/7 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
9/9 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
9/10 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion
9/11 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave/Eagles Club
9/13 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
9/14 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
9/16 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
9/17 – Grand Junction, CO – Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park
9/18 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel
9/20 – Las Vegas, NV – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
9/21 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
9/23 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
9/26 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
9/27 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
9/28 – Redding, CA – Redding Civic Auditorium
9/30 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
10/1 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
10/2 – Airway Heights, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest
10/4 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival 2025 (Chevelle only)
South African alt-metal band Seether will be touring the U.S. this May with support from Mammoth WVH, POD, and Nonpoint. This 21-date run is to promote Seether’s upcoming album, The Surface Seems So Far, which was released on September 20, 2024. Tickets and VIP are available at shopseether.com!
5/3 – Phoenix, AZ – 98 KUPD U Fest 2025+
5/5 – Colorado Springs, CO – Ford Amphitheater+*
5/7 – Cedar Rapids, IA – McGrath Amphitheatre+*
5/8 – Peoria, IL – Prairie Home Alliance Theater+*
5/9 – Green Bay, WI – EPIC Event Center^*
5/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe^*
5/12 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave/Eagles Club^*
5/13 – Mankato, MN – Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center^*
5/14 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center^
5/16 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma*
5/17 – Billings, MT – The Pub Station Ballroom*
5/18 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center^*
Evil disco pioneers Static-X have shared dates for the Machines Vs. Monsters Tour. Featuring support from Gwar, Dope, and A Killer’s Confession, this late spring/early summer run kicks off May 23rd in Tucson, Arizona. Tickets and VIP are available at static-x.org! (Dope and A Killer’s Confession are also offering VIP experiences.)
5/23 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre (No Gwar)
5/24 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel Entertainment Center
Mostly Music 