Louder Than Life

Tool

Tool (formed in 1990) is a Grammy Award-winning American alternative metal and art rock band that also lends influences from progressive and psychedelic rock, hailing from Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Gojira

It has always been hard to put a tag on GOJIRA, one of France’s most extreme bands the country’s musical pallet has ever known. But then again, the band has never really sought out such a tag, instead letting the music do the talking, preferring introspection and intelligence over preconceived notions and preexisting tags. Ever since the 1996 formation in town of Bayonne in the southwest of France, GOJIRA has been an ever-evolving experiment in extreme metal ultimately built upon a worldly, ever-conscious outlook with roots firmly-planted both in the hippie movement and an environmentally-conscious, new age mentality. This time, with The Way of All Flesh, GOJIRA harnesses a spiritual consciousness as well, but still culminates in a sound wholly heavy.

Originally dubbed Godzilla, after the scaly, green film star with an equally huge reputation as the newfound band’s sound, the brothers Duplantier – guitarist/vocalist Joe and drummer Mario – and fellow Frenchmen Jean Michel Labadie on bass and Christian Andreu on guitar, quickly released several demos, ultimately changing the band’s name and independently releasing the first GOJIRA album, Terra Incognita, in 2001, offering up a brief glimpse into the giant GOJIRA would eventually become through persistent hard work and years of toiling in the metal underground.

After the 2003 release of the band’s follow-up, The Link, throughout Europe and the subsequent live DVD release the next year, of the aptly-titled The Link Alive, 2005 brought the release of From Mars To Sirius, the band’s breakthrough release, garnering high praise and a North American release through Prosthetic Records in 2006. Fans of not only heavy, extreme music took notice, but so did the intellectual world, thanks to Sirius’ thoughtful and expansive inner examination of the world at hand and the consequences of humanity’s struggle to coexist without harm. The metal world was amused and amazed: much of it hadn’t yet seen an equally intelligent and pummelingly heavy release that was as expansive and open as it was dense and concise.

Following the immense praise of From Mars To Sirius and recurring trips across the Atlantic for North American touring alongside the likes of Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, and Behemoth among others, GOJIRA established its stranglehold on the extreme metal spectrum with a linguist’s touch, a lyricist’s finesse, and a crushingly heavy live show that left audiences astounded, establishing the band’s live performance as a spot-on recreation of the band’s increasingly adept and intelligent studio output.

While 2007 wrapped with GOJIRA again touring North America on the Radio Rebellion Tour alongside Behemoth to the best reaction yet, the dawn of 2008 saw a nearly 10 month wait for while the band assembled The Way of All Flesh, one of the year’s most anticipated records. This time revolving around the undeniable dilemma of a mortal demise, GOJIRA’s soundtrack to the situation seems fitting. Shifting ever-so-slightly from the eco-friendly orchestra of impending doom on From Mars To Sirius to the band’s new message of the equally uncontrollable inevitability of death, The Way of All Flesh melds the open and airy progressive passages GOJIRA has become famous for with the sonically dense sounds and bludgeoningly heavy rhythms that makes the band an equally intelligent force as it is unmatchably heavy.

Featuring a guest vocal spot on “Adoration For None” from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe – one of GOJIRA’s most vocal supporters from their first moment making an impression in the Americas – and the now familiar Morbid Angel-isms of The Way Of All Flesh’s title track join the angular riffing more akin to Meshuggah on “Esoteric Surgery” and the epic, artful plodding of the nearly 10-minute “The Art of Dying,” showing that GOJIRA have indeed opened a new bag of tricks for The Way Of All Flesh, while not abandoning the sound that first showed a massive promise of potential on Sirius.

“It’s more inventive than From Mars To Sirius and at the same time more straight to the point,” GOJIRA frontman Joe Duplantier says of The Way of All Flesh. “The whole album is about death, death is like a step on the path of the soul. The mystery surrounding this phenomenon is just so inspiring, and death is the most common thing on earth.”

“This album is also a ‘requiem’ for our planet,” Duplantier continues. “We don't want to be negative or cynical about the fate of humanity, but the situation on Earth is growing critical, and the way humans behave is so catastrophic that we really need to express our exasperation about it. It's not fear, but anger. But we still believe that consciousness can make a difference and that we can change things as human beings.”

The Prodigy

Rising out from Essex, UK, The Prodigy have become one of the biggest electronic acts for over the past 20 years.

Danny Elfman

Daniel Robert 'Danny' Elfman is an American composer, record producer, and actor originally from California who was the lead singer of the rock band Oingo Boingo.

The Mars Volta

Mastodon

Art is a cyclical beast. The same can easily be said of Grammy Award nominated hard rock juggernaut Mastodon. The group’s four members recognize the importance of life’s omnipresent cycles on their sixth full-length album, Once More ‘Round the Sun. The band orbits around themes of loss and rebirth, twirling a sonic spiral of its signature robust riffing, hypnotically haunting soundscapes, triage of dynamic voices, and thundering seismic grooves. At the same time, this particular collection proves personal for Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, and Troy Sanders. The very title says something slightly different for each member.

"Quite literally, Once More 'Round the Sun means a year-in-the-life," explains Dailor. "Lyrically, we were discussing things that happened to us recently, whereas in the past we looked further back for inspiration. It's about 365 days in this band. It was a tough and strange journey. We happened to be in the middle of completing a full rotation musically as everything else was going on."

"It's about being a man and trying to survive in the world. You’re facing all of the crazy shit that goes along with it," adds Hinds. "You've got to just keep rolling. It's the daily grind everybody deals with. It's grinding and rewarding."

Kelliher concurs, “A lot of crazy and epic things have happened in the nutshell of the past year. For me, I had recently gotten sober. I really focused my time on writing music instead of drinking and being hung-over. We were in a different space here. Another year has gone by, and we wrote this record.”

Sanders smiles, “The title itself deals with a cycle. Writing, recording, and touring are kickass experiences that we get to relive over and over again. We’ve got the ability to strap it on and go out another time. I look forward to riding this out once more with my three friends.”

Mastodon’s own collective cycle encompasses a staggering string of accolades. Whether it’s the public endorsement of peers as diverse as Metallica, Pearl Jam, Queens of the Stone Age, CeeLo Green, and Feist or unanimous praise from the likes of Time and Rolling Stone, the band continue to make an impression at every turn. 2011’s The Hunter saw them achieve their highest chart debut yet, reaching #10 on the Billboard Top 200, while the single “Curl of the Burl” notched their second Grammy Award nomination in the category of “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance”. In between scorching stages everywhere from Sonisphere and Download to Bonnaroo and Coachella, they scored the Josh Brolin sci-fi western Jonah Hex and have been sought out for soundtracks including Pixar’s box office smash Monsters University. As far as rock ‘n’ roll goes, their legacy irrefutably stands alone. However, that legacy expands yet again with Once More ‘Round the Sun.

In order to uphold a modus operandi of experimentation and evolution, the boys enlisted the talents of super producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice In Chains, Deftones, etc.) for the very first time. They holed up in his Falcon Rock studio in Nashville throughout the fall of 2013, cutting what would become Once More ‘Round the Sun. Given his passion for the band, Raskulinecz immediately clicked with the musicians.

“He was very hands-on,” says Sanders. “We were fans of the Deftones and Alice In Chains records he’d done, and we initially met him during the BlackDiamondSkye tour. He literally called Brann every six months reminding us that he was on the hunt to work with us when we were ready. This was the right time.”

“He was like a coach,” Kelliher goes on. “He brought some energy to the band. I remember he was like, ‘You guys are Mastodon. You’re one of the biggest bands in metal. Give me some of those chunky and thick riffs!’ He let us be who we are.”

It’s indisputable that Once More ‘Round the Sun is Mastodon through and through. Kelliher’s twelve-string acoustic guitar ominously heralds the record’s onset during album opener “Tread Lightly” just before crashing into an unmistakable roar from Sanders. Hinds churns out a psychedelic slide guitar solo during the title track that entwines with Dailor’s drums in entrancing, yet enigmatic union. The Kelliher-penned first single “High Road” pummels with an intense polyrhythmic guitar groove before snapping into another unshakable refrain from Dailor.

Kelliher explains, “I wrote that on a day off while we were on tour in Luxembourg. I was sitting in this rainy city on a Sunday. Nothing was open. I felt like I needed to write something to reflect how I was feeling. I started banging on a guitar. I was thinking Neurosis and The Melvins low-tuned with a little more pop sensibility for the chorus.”

“You can headbang to that one for days,” grins the drummer. “I love the simplicity of it. Lyrically, it’s an angry number where you want to see someone destroyed. It’s heavy-handed in that sense, but it’s the fantasy I felt at the time.”

Then, there’s “The Motherload”. Sharring vocal duties between Dailor and Sanders the track cruises from a propulsive six-string onslaught into an riveting chorus—one of the band’s biggest to date. “That one is personal for me,” Dailor admits. “It’s not wanting to lose someone and the powers-that-be are trying to take that person away, or the world is just against it. You’re doing everything you can and scrambling to hold on and salvage it.”

Nodding to their roots, “Chimes At Midnight” sees Sanders call out the words “Hearts Alive”, making a connection to the centerpiece of the band’s critically acclaimed 2004 breakout Leviathan. He reveals, “I never repeated a line on purpose, but I felt like it was time to!”

On the other end of the spectrum, Hinds delivers a raucous and raw departure in the form of “Halloween”. Wielding a thrashed-up punk riff, the song eventually explodes into incendiary soloing from the axeman in homage to his favorite holiday. However, the biggest surprise comes during “Aunt Lisa”, an anthemic send-off to Brann’s late aunt featuring Atlanta femme punks The Coathangers on a rousing gang vocal.

“This one came out pretty effortlessly. It’s about Brann’s Aunt Lisa, her wild spirit, and free personality. I love what The Coathangers did. They’re good friends of mine, and they owed me a favor because I got the Mastodon guys to dance around like girls in their video,” chuckles Hinds.

Brann continues, “My aunt liked anything I did. She definitely lived life to the fullest. If she walked in the room, all eyes were on her. I loved it. I don’t think I’ve ever come across energy like that before, and I don’t know that I will. You never knew what was going to happen when she was around. She had a huge impact on my life. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her properly. This is me trying to say goodbye.”

Everything culminates on the expansive finale “Diamond in the Witch House”. Boasting a vocal call-and-response between Sanders and Neurosis’s Scott Kelly, on his fourth Mastodon collaboration, the track unfolds in cinematic fashion over eight minutes punctuated by Kelliher’s hulking riffs. “It’s about the fragility of taking responsibility,” admits Sanders. “That’s what happens when you have kids. Precious lives are in your hands and dependent upon your actions. The idea spun from that. It’s about proving your worth and prevailing.”

Mastodon continue to prevail artistically, and this particular rotation, Once More ‘Round the Sun, upholds that tradition of progression. “We’ve built a band that’s been able to morph, evolve, and change,” Dailor concludes. “Our fan base expects greatness, but they also expect things to be weird and different. I feel confident that we’ve risen to that challenge.”

Hinds leaves off, “It would be nice if people walk away enjoying the listening experience. That’s the ultimate goal. It’s interesting to see. One thing I know for sure.they can’t walk away and say it’s not original.

Black Label Society

ORDEN OGAN (ORDEN = german for a religious “order”, OGAN = old celtic for “fear”)

often referred to as a power-metal band, germany’s ORDEN OGAN have developed their very unique style of hard yet melodic heavy metal, that makes them totally stand out from the crowd. having their roots in traditional german power metal ORDEN OGAN implemented folk, symphonic and elements of modern metal into their sound, transferring the german legacy into the new millenium and creating their very own genre. welcome to the age of DARK POWER METAL!

having entered the official german album charts (media control) with “To The End” in 2012 at #41, with “Ravenhead” (2015) at #16 (3 weeks!), "Gunmen" at #8 (3 weeks!, "Final Days" (2021) at #3 and "The Order of Fear" (2024) at #3 again, having hit several international charts at top 50 positions, being featured on germanys biggest tv station RTL in trailers of the formula 1 broadcast with “we are pirates!” (approx. 11 million viewers), having played several european tours with bands like hammerfall, powerwolf, grave digger or van canto, to name a few, having played festivals with packed infields like WACKEN OPEN AIR (GER), 70000 TONS OF METAL (USA), SUMMER BREEZE GER), METAL FEST (CZ), MASTERS OF ROCK (CZ), HELLFEST (FR), BLOODSTOCK (UK), ALCATRAZ (BE), EVOKEN FEST (JP), ROCKSTAD: FALUN (SWE), PROG POWER USA (USA), ROCK FEST BARCELONA (ES), ROCK HARD FESTIVAL (GER), being tweeted by megadeths dave mustaine (“listening to orden ogan. anyone heard of these guys before? pretty cool me thinks. what is an orden ogan anyway? =)“) and having reached millions of views on their youtube clips - ORDEN OGAN today is an internationally established heavy metal act with a big and growing following.

Killswitch Engage

Atonement Available Now

Official Site: www.killswitchengage.com

Twitter: @kseofficial

IG: @killswitchengage

Ministry

Born in 1981 in Chicago. In its early days, Ministry was identifiable by its heavy synth-pop material in line with the new sounds and technology that were being developed in the ‘80s. Ministry’s output began with four 12” singles on Wax Trax! Records in 1981 before the first LP With Sympathy in 1983 via Arista Records. As time progressed however, so did Ministry, quickly developing a harsher, and more stylized sound that the band soon became infamous for on seminal Sire/Warner albums Twitch (1986), The Land of Rape and Honey (1988), and The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste (1989). With the release of Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and The Way to Suck Eggs (1992), Ministry hit an all-time high in the mainstream musical realm and received its first Grammy nomination (the first of six). Eight more albums would follow on various labels including their own 13th Planet imprint. After a break in 2013, the band reformed, toured and signed to Nuclear Blast with three releases. AmeriKKKant (2018), Moral Hygiene (2021), and HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (2024). Late 2024, Ministry signed with Cleopatra Records and released The Squirrely Years Revisited. Celebrating the early synth pop years with new studio takes.

Dethklok

Black Veil Brides

In an era when rock music is regularly declared “dead,” Black Veil Brides music videos have been viewed over half a billion times. The band (and its members) Instagram and Twitter accounts command over 10 million followers between them.

With a rightful reverence for the pop-cultural icons of the past, the young outfit has nevertheless fashioned their own collective future, with relentless fury. In the hearts and minds of their fans, Black Veil Brides represents an unwillingness to compromise and a resistance to critics (personal and professional), fueled by the same fire as the group’s own heroes, the iconoclasts whose creative output, once dismissed, is now canonized.

Underoath

TEETH. OUT NOW. tpato.com

They’re Only Chasing Safety World Tour // Tix on sale now ⬇️

http://underoath777.com/pages/tour

Alexisonfire

Animals As Leaders

Sometimes, a band’s music registers just as seismically on an emotional wavelength as it does on a sonic spectrum. Animals As leaders—Tosin Abasi [guitar], Javier Reyes [guitar], and Matt Garstka [drums]—reimagine, reinterpret, and refresh instrumental prog, experimental metal, modern jazz, alternative, and even world music to a point where the reaction becomes primal on their fourth full-length album, The Madness of Many [Sumerian Records]. “What you’re hearing is the madness of the band, what happens in our heads, and what it sounds like when you put it all together,” exclaims Javier. “For us, that’s the sound of the new album. It’s simply the madness of these three individuals. We’re trying to create something that only we can do.” That’s why Animals As Leaders have risen to celebrated heroes of their respective instruments since first emerging in 2007. Most recently, 2014’s The Joy of Motion bowed at #24 on the Billboard Top 200, moving 13,000 copies first-week. Along the way, the trio has earned acclaim from the likes of Consequence of Sound, Revolver, Ultimate Guitar, and Rolling Stone who extolled them, “as satisfying in their visceral kick as they are in dazzling displays of dexterity.” Tosin would grace the cover of Guitar World twice, while Matt covered Modern Drummer. Consistently delivering a captivating show, they’ve toured alongside Deftones, Between The Buried And Me, Periphery, and many others in addition to Tosin joining Joe Satriani at the G4 Experience and Steve Vai and Nuno Bettencourt for the Generation Axe Tour. Matt remains a sought-after talent, performing on Late Night With Seth Meyers and at drum clinics and festivals worldwide, and Javier’s solo project Mestis stands out as a fan favorite. When it came time to begin working on new music in late 2015, the musicians possessed a clear vision for their next evolution. “Instead of enlisting a producer, we ended up doing everything ourselves for the first time,” says Javier. “We were really influencing each other, and it’s the most collaborative effort so far.” The band opened up the writing process like never before since Matt joining in 2012. Ideas were flowing freely, and his contributions added another dimension to the group’s signature style. Another first, Tosin and Javier actually wrote guitar to the drums of six-minute album opener “Arithmophobia.” It’s polyrhythmic percussive palette provided the perfect backdrop for distinct dexterous riffing and a hypnotic hummable lead. “That was something I sent the guys, and I sat down and explained it,” reveals Matt. “It turned into a very cool track.” “Eventually, it didn’t seem so foreign,” chuckles Javier. “It challenged us to create a new style while still persevering who we are.” “Most people would expect a heavy song,” he goes on. “It moves like a dance, ballet, or something very theatrical. That’s where the title came from. It’s literally a journey in your head.” Ultimately, The Madness of Many will impact listeners like only Animals As Leaders can. Javier leaves off, “I just want to blow people’s minds and leave them speechless, so they want to share the record.”

Thrice

To emerge from a global pandemic with a renewed sense of situational awareness, hard won insight, and a new album is the kind of move we’ve come to expect from Thrice over the last twenty years. With Horizons/East, Dustin Kensrue and his bandmates address, with candor and courage, the fragile and awkward arrangements that pass for civilization, while inviting us to dwell more knowingly within our own lives. Without surrendering any of the energy and hard edge of their previous albums, they’ve given us a profoundly meditative work which serves as a musical summons to everyday attentiveness.

Since forming Thrice with guitarist Teppei Teranishi, bassist Eddie Breckenridge, and drummer Riley Breckenridge in 1998, Kensrue has never been one to back down from a mental fight. This mood is set by the opening synth-driven number “Color of the Sky,” which sounds well-suited to accompany the closing credits of the Stranger Things season finale. Think Flying Lotus giving way to Elbow and setting the listener down in a new dimension. A self-recorded effort, Horizons/East conveys a palpable sense of danger, determination, and possibility. Scott Evans (Sleep, Kowloon Walled City, Yautja, Town Portal) is on mixing duties, conjuring a landscape of gloom, glow, and glory.

On “Buried in the Sun,” which had the working title of “D.C. Bass,” the band’s fondness for bands like Fugazi and Frodus comes to the fore. In it we learn that there’s a military-industrial complex, a vast apparatus of legal bullying, to take on (I saw the fire on the television/the DoD or the CIA), but the threat to our mental health in acknowledging our own country’s participation in the terror trade is both immersive and interior. The psychic struggle will often come down to what we’re doing with our tools, how we hold what passes before our minds in dreams and on screens. There’s a lot to take in and a lot to be mad about, but Horizons/East invites us to slow tape and see.

The Home Team

Sophomore LP "Slow Bloom" out 10/22/21. Real Rockers Only.

IG: @thehometeam
TW: @thehometeamnw
Merch: thehometeammerch.com

Sleep Theory

pain is only temporary

Atreyu

Named after the lead character in the fantasy novel “NeverEnding Story”, Atreyu is a metalcore band based in Orange County, California, US, noted for crossing intense screamo stylistics with strong pop sensibilities.

Sunami

Filter

Richard Patrick’s career is a vision of multifaceted creativity, which he has delivered throughout his 30+ years producing music professionally through his band Filter, various collaborations, side projects, super groups, scoring films and writing for soundtracks.

Patrick’s initial foray into the public eye was as Nine Inch Nails’ first touring guitarist. Patrick had met NIN’s founder Trent Reznor in the late ‘80s in a music store in Cleveland. The two became close friends and then bandmates. Patrick played with the band from 1989-1993, appearing in numerous music videos including “Down in It,” “Head Like a Hole, “Wish” and “Gave Up.”

Filter was formed in Cleveland, OH in 1993 when Patrick left Nine Inch Nails.

Filter’s debut album Short Bus was released in 1995 and went platinum, largely due to the success of their first single “Hey Man Nice Shot.” The follow up, 1999's Title of Record, also went platinum driven by the huge crossover success of the song “Take a Picture.”

Filter’s third album, The Amalgamut, was released in 2002, though sales stalled when Patrick checked into rehab after years of heavy alcohol and drug abuse just as touring and promotion began for the album. The album still spawned such classic songs as “Where Do We Go from Here” and “American Cliché.”

After rehab in 2006, the Army of Anyone project - a supergroup led by Patrick with Dean and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots and Ray Luzier of Korn – came to light, releasing one album and a tour before each went back to their respective bands. Patrick refocused on Filter, releasing Anthems for the Damned in 2008, The Trouble with Angels in 2010, The Sun Comes Out Tonight in 2013 and Crazy Eyes in 2016, and two singles in 2020.

Now 20+ years sober, Patrick is more prolific than ever.

Celebrating 30 years of Filter, 2023 saw the much-anticipated release of a new Filter album The Algorithm. Singles “Face Down” and “Obliteration” both had innovative music videos which garnered attention from new and long-time fans alike.

Filter began an extensive worldwide campaign, including The Freaks on Parade tour featuring Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and Ministry, which continues this year with shows in the UK, EU, Australia, Canada and back to the U.S. again.

Between The Buried And Me

Formed at the turn of the millennium and adopting progressive metal sound, Between the Buried and Me, have made some large waves in the metal scene. Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, the band continue to do so.

Toadies

Toadies’ long-awaited eighth album, The Charmer, is their most personal and visceral release to date. One of the final recordings by legendary producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey), the album captures the platinum-selling Fort Worth quartet playing live together in the studio for the first time, bottling their Southern-tinged grunge with raw power and urgency.

Formed in Fort Worth in 1989, Toadies broke through with “Possum Kingdom” and their million-selling 1994 debut Rubberneck, earning a reputation for unpredictable songwriting, heavy dynamics, and a sound that blends alt-rock intensity with the band’s roots in country, classic rock, and Texas grit. Their music has remained a cult favorite and live staple ever since, with growing crowds and celebrated anniversary tours.

The band partnered with Austin’s Spaceflight Records to release The Charmer, embracing the label’s artist-first, nonprofit model. Written largely during the pandemic, the album dives into themes of isolation, self-reflection, and inner conflict—delivered with the same restless energy and dark edge that has defined Toadies for over three decades.

Escape the Fate

ESCAPE THE FATE is a three-word phrase synonymous with heavy rock n’ roll and hooks, post-hardcore with weight, and unrelenting genre-redefining anthems built for diverse audiences. Over a decade into their young career, they have proven to move crowds equally at major rock radio festivals, the legendary Vans Warped Tour, or on the road with Five Finger Death Punch.

NEW ALBUM is the sound of a band that’s more comfortable in their own skin than ever, recharged for the next era of their career, reinvigorated, and redefined, without losing any edge.

“I hope that people think of Escape The Fate as a good time, but a good time in a better way,” singer Craig Mabbitt explains. “We want people to connect deeply with the music and disappear in it. Get lost and then return from the album, or show, feeling inspired about themselves. We want to make people feel better about life, to know they can take on all of its hardships. That’s what the music does for us as a band. That’s what we want it to do for the audience, too.”

Mabbitt, Thrasher, TJ Bell, and Robert Ortiz have each been making music, and on the road, before they were old enough to drive. Almost ten years into the group’s best known and longest lasting incarnation, ESCAPE THE FATE is poised to shatter all preconceived notions about the past, with a bold step forward into their future. It’s not their storied and beloved music, which regularly captures roughly 2 million listeners across streaming services each month, that requires any distance. It’s the decadence, drama, and retrograde “bad boy” image that they’ve left in the dust.

An authentic, visceral, and electric connection with the audience is the heart of what ESCAPE THE FATE is about. The guys in the band understand what it means to be broken, from childhood trauma, to the tumultuous downsides of the music business. They know how music can heal.

It’s what has made the band’s message transcend any sense of “difference” in genre, all around the world, touring with Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Papa Roach, I Prevail, Bullet For My Valentine, Hollywood Undead, HELLYEAH, All That Remains, and on multiple Vans Warped Tours. The tangible passion and energy of the music and lyrics transcend language and culture, whether ESCAPE THE FATE performs at Rock on the Range, Graspop Metal Meeting, or Rock am Ring.

Smashing forward with the momentum from Billboard Top 5 Independent Album Hate Me (2015) and I Am Human (2018), which produced the Top 20 Billboard Mainstream Rock single “Broken Heart,” the four men of ESCAPE THE FATE have crafted an ambitious third entry to what could certainly be described as their most powerful trilogy of albums. Made together with A-list producer John Feldmann (Panic! At The Disco, 5 Seconds Of Summer, The Used) and co-produced by Kevin ‘Thrasher’ Gruft (ETF guitarist and production pro in his own right), NEW ALBUM delivers an arsenal of driving bangers and melodic ballads, among the best of the hard rock world. Thrasher has been working with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker on other projects and running from studio to studio to create new music. His packed production schedule in recent times has greatly sharpened his skill set, making NEW ALBUM a real show of his musical strength.

Ortiz is a big fan of megastar violinist Lindsey Stirling, so the band were elated when she accepted their invitation to contribute to one of their songs. “She is an angel – she has so much light in her. But the primary reason I wanted to work with her… strictly speaking musically, she is gnarly - her music is epic,” adds Ortiz. Travis Barker, best known as the drummer for blink-182, makes a handful of appearances as well. Songs like “Lightning Strike,” “Not My Problem,” “Hand Grenade,” and “Invincible” are destined to take their place alongside classic ETF anthems like “One for the Money” and “The Flood.”

ESCAPE THE FATE have always emphasized diversity in their sound. Each record seamlessly blends soaring melodic hooks, powerful riffage, shredding solos, and some of the most instantly recognizable drumming in the genre, with Mabbitt’s heartfelt, authentic, lyrical missives on top.

ESCAPE THE FATE conquered the burgeoning metalcore scene on the strength of their breakout album, This War is Ours (2008), which led to a major label deal and the rock crossover success of Escape the Fate (2011), produced by hitmaker Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Korn, Avril Lavigne). The album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums, the first of three ESCAPE THE FATE records to debut at No. 1 or two on that chart. Ungrateful (2013) boasts the roaring “You’re Insane.” Hate Me is equally defined by stunning singles like “Just a Memory” and “Remember Every Scar.”

I Am Human, released in 2018, marked the band’s second collaboration with GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Skillet, Seether). That album saw fan-favorite songs like “Empire” and “Do You Love Me?” added to the ETF songbook, but it was the title track that really blew down the doors, heralding the new chapter begun on NEW ALBUM.

“I started doing this because music was my ‘escape’,” says Mabbitt. “I was running from unresolved feelings or chasing things away with a bottle. But music was always there for me. The whole experience of making NEW ALBUM, while reflecting on the other records; it was a beautiful realization to contemplate the power of music. It’s been such an escape for so many people that it puts me in my place. I become so humbled. I’m so grateful, not only that I’m still alive, but that I can get this music out of my head and that it will hopefully help some other people, too.”

It may be the same guys, with the same name, but it’s a brand-new ESCAPE THE FATE. “We get up on that stage, we go into the studio, for different reasons now,” Mabbitt insists. “Throw out everything you thought you knew about this band. NEW ALBUM is a new beginning for us.”

SHORT FORM BIO

ESCAPE THE FATE is a three-word phrase synonymous with heavy rock n’ roll and hooks, post-hardcore with weight, and unrelenting genre-redefining anthems built for diverse audiences. Over a decade into their young career, they have proven to move crowds equally at major rock radio festivals, the legendary Vans Warped Tour, or on the road with Five Finger Death Punch.

Craig Mabbitt, Kevin Thrasher, TJ Bell, and Robert Ortiz have each been making music, and on the road, before they were old enough to drive and playing as this incarnation for roughly a decade. An authentic, visceral, and electric connection with the audience is the heart of what ESCAPE THE FATE is about. The guys in the band understand what it means to be broken, from childhood trauma, to the tumultuousness of the music biz, and they know how music can heal.

It’s what has made the band’s message transcend any sense of “difference” in genre, all around the world, touring with Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Papa Roach, I Prevail, Bullet For My Valentine, Hollywood Undead, HELLYEAH, All That Remains, and on multiple Vans Warped Tours. The tangible passion and energy of the music and lyrics transcend language and culture, whether ESCAPE THE FATE performs at Rock on the Range, Graspop Metal Meeting, or Rock am Ring.

ESCAPE THE FATE have always emphasized diversity in their sound. Each record seamlessly blends soaring melodic hooks, powerful riffage, shredding solos, and some of the most instantly recognizable drumming in the genre, with Mabbitt’s heartfelt, authentic, lyrical missives on top.

ESCAPE THE FATE conquered the burgeoning metalcore scene on the strength of their breakout album, This War is Ours (2008). Crossover smash Escape the Fate (2011) hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock album chart, the first of three ESCAPE THE FATE records to debut at No. 1 or two on that chart. The I Am Human (2018) title track heralded the new chapter begun on NEW ALBUM.

Made together with A-list producer John Feldmann (5 Seconds Of Summer, The Used), it delivers an arsenal of driving bangers and melodic ballads that are among the best of the hard rock world.

It’s still about a good time, but with a deeper meaning, the kind that empowers listeners to overcome all obstacles. It may be the same lineup, but it’s a brand-new ESCAPE THE FATE.

LINEUP

Craig Mabbitt – Vocals

Kevin Thrasher – Guitar

TJ Bell – Bass

Robert Ortiz – Drums

Jutes

As a 90's baby, Jutes' earliest musical influences were rock bands like Radiohead, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind and Smashing Pumpkins. These are the sounds that have shaped Jutes' recent full length project titled “Ladybug.” From growing up on a farm in Ottawa, Canada to couch surfing in LA, Jutes has seen all walks of life. This contrast of culture comes through in the music, his personality and on stage.

Haste the Day

NEW SINGLE - OBLIVION - OUT 3/20! Music, shows, and merch 🎟️ 👕 🔗

https://linktr.ee/hastetheday

Holywatr

Locked Shut

I See Stars

‘𝑩𝑳𝑼𝑬 𝑺𝑲𝑰𝑬𝑺’ 𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑵𝑶𝑾!⌛️☁️

The Word Alive

The Word Alive are an American metalcore band hailing from Phoenix, Arizon. They have been together since 2008 and are signed to Fearless Records.

Emery

Emery is an American post-hardcore band from Seattle, Washington. Emery formed in 2001 in Rock Hill, South Carolina but moved to Seattle, Washington in search of a better music scene.

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster

Arrows In Action

Feel It Again is out now! Listen here: https://arrows-in-action.ffm.to/feelitagain

The Pretty Wild

End It

Rivers Of Nihil

Self-titled fifth album out May 30th. Preorder at riversofnihil.com

200 Stab Wounds

Riffs From the Septic Tank

156/Silence

If you know, you know.
If you don't, you will.

foxlakeband.com

sace6

Greyhaven

Greyhaven have magnified the scope of heavy music since emerging in 2013. The group transfixed audiences with Empty Black [2018] and This Bright and Beautiful World [2022], gathering streams in the tens of millions. Beyond praise from Revolver, KERRANG!, and more, New Noise Magazine professed, "Greyhaven have proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the post-hardcore and the heavy music scene at large with their latest release," and Blabbermouth applauded how "musicianship and eloquence are apparent." Throughout 2023, they assembled what would become Stereo Grief with producer Will Putney [Body Count, Norma Jean, Every Time I Die].

Expanding on the EP, which takes inspiration from the classic short story And He Built A Crooked House by Robert A. Heinlein, Mills states,"The EP is a loose story of someone navigating existential fear relating to all life and all death on a grand scale through a multi-dimensional lens. I was inspired by a short story I read while we were tracking that sort of serves as a backdrop for what's going on in the lyrics. Overall, I feel like this is the best material we've written so far and it's only hinting at where we're going. We couldn't be more excited to release it with a new team behind us."

He Is Legend

Hailing from Wilmington, North Carolina in the U.S., He Is Legend is a rock band that was formed in the 1990’s. Their genre of music is a mash of southern rock, screamo, punk and metalcore.

AVIANA

Swedish Alternative Metal act AVIANA are back with new singles "EVERMORE", “STORM ABLAZE”, “FATHER” and “DELIRIUM” since the release of their critical acclaimed album ‘Corporation’ in 2022 via Arising Empire. After touring worldwide alongside bands like Silent Planet, Imminence, Currents, Invent Animate and more AVIANA are once again to be seen live on tour in November on their Europe headline tour. Stay updated in social media: @avianaswe Find tickets and merch at: http://www.avianaofficial.com