There hardly seems be something more incongruous than covering other artists’ songs, because this musician has occupied a class of his own for so long that whatever influences he may draw upon for his albums, the results always sound totally … Continue reading
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“I need to want to make a record. I need to have something to say.”
The post Tobias Forge On Stepping Away From Ghost For Now: “I’m Not Gonna Just Go Back To Make An Album Or Force Myself To Make An Album For No Reason” appeared first on Theprp.com.
Progressive death metal act DYSTOPIA A.D. announce the upcoming studio album Wasteland Empire, alongside the unveiling of the new single “Breath of Decay.” Wasteland Empire is scheduled for independent release on January 15, 2027.
With “Breath of Decay” DYSTOPIA A.D. demonstrate their appreciation of genres both within and beyond metal. Musically, “‘Breath of Decay’ begins with frenetic Latin percussion in a nod to ‘Chasin’ the Voodoo’ by jazz fusion legend Al Di Meola before making way for dissonant mid-paced black metal riffage accompanied by ferociously snarled vocals,” the band explains.
The single conjures imagery of a natural landscape awash with waterways contrasted against a shadowy darkness of negative emotions. “Lyrically, ‘Breath of Decay’ transports the listener to the backwaters of the Louisiana bayou while exploring themes of guilt, fear, and helplessness, invoking an unshakeable feeling of panic”.
Wasteland Empire was produced, mixed and mastered by DYSTOPIA A.D.. Additional percussion on “Breath of Decay” was performed by Gabriel R. The band’s logo is by Luciferium War Graphics, with the album cover artwork by Hans Trasid of Dis-Art Design.
Wasteland Empire – Track List:
1. The Last Citadel (3:44)
2. Breath of Decay (5:35)
3. Fires of the Astral Forge (6:16)
4. Wasteland Empire (5:04)
5. The March (5:12)
About DYSTOPIA A.D.:
Formed in 2018 by Aki Shishido (ASH & ELM, STRAINS OF BELLUM) and Chris Whitby (HELLBORE, BLACK NEGATIVE DOMINATION)., the progressive death metal act from New Jersey, USA, incorporate an array of musical influences notably technical/melodic death metal with elements of progressive rock and power metal.
DYSTOPIA A.D. draw inspiration from the likes of SEPULTURA, BLIND GUARDIAN, TESTAMENT, REVOCATION, and SHADOWS FALL. The genre fusion across the band’s sound heightens the impact of their music with relentless power and attack, emotion and understanding.
DYSTOPIA A.D.‘s first release Designing Ruin arrived in 2018, followed by Rise of the Merciless (2020) and the critically acclaimed Imperial Dawn in 2022. Now moving into their next chapter with the forthcoming full-length, Wasteland Empire, DYSTOPIA A.D. are joined by UK based Charlie Munro (HELLBORE), a longtime friend, collaborator, and producer. Wasteland Empire is set to arrive independently on January 15, 2027.
DYSTOPIA A.D. Is:
Aki Shishido – Lead guitar
Charlie Munro – Lead guitar
Chris Whitby – Vocals, rhythm and lead guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming
DYSTOPIA A.D. Online:
Bandcamp: https://dystopiaad.bandcamp.com/
E-Shop: https://dystopiaad.bandcamp.com/merch
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DystopiaAD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dystopiaad/
Source: C Squared Music
Thirty years after its original arrival, Holy Land is finally getting its first vinyl pressing. The 1996 album, a key release in Angra’s catalog and an important record in Brazilian metal, will be issued by Voice Music on October 30, 2026.
The anniversary edition answers a long-running demand from Angra fans. Holy Land helped establish the band’s broader musical identity by bringing heavy metal together with progressive influences, Brazilian musical traditions, orchestral passages, and themes connected to Brazil’s history and culture.
For its 30th anniversary, the album has been remastered and expanded into a double-vinyl package. The release comes in a gatefold sleeve with previously unreleased photos and a 30 x 60 cm insert, giving the classic record a physical edition designed specifically for collectors.
The vinyl will be available through Black Rock Store in two limited color variants: blue and red.
Shipping begins October 29, 2026, with the official release following on October 30 through Voice Music. For Angra, the edition marks three decades of Holy Land with the album finally receiving the vinyl treatment it has long been missing.
The post ANGRA Marks 30 Years Of “Holy Land” With First-Ever Vinyl Release appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
For as long as I can remember – 13 years? maybe? – the great Tim Barry has made an annual appearance at a traditional-style Irish pub in the old mill town of Manchester, New Hampshire. It’s a seemingly random place for Barry to make a stop that is almost exclusively a one-off, not part of a greater tour of the Northeast or a stop on the way to/from a place like Pouzza. And yet, in many respects, it’s almost a perfect spot, as Manchester shares a parallel history with Barry’s beloved hometown of Richmond, Virginia; Shaskeen is a nondescript spot on a main drag in a generationally working-class city that traces its roots to pre-Revolutionary times based around a mighty river and which has influenced numerous cycles of rise and fall and reinvention. (And yes, we know that Richmond has a neighborhood named Manchester that Barry named his third solo record after in 2008, although it seems that the two Manchesters draw their names from different sources, oddly enough.)
For the last handful of these annual Shaskeen shows, Tim Barry has been joined by a couple of New England heavyweight singer/songwriters, Matt Charette and Lenny Lashley. Like Barry, both play largely acoustic Americana-tinged music that doesn’t stray too far from their respective punk rock roots. Charette was first up on this night, and in a unique turn, he was joined on acoustic guitar for the evening by his partner, Isabella Febbroriello. The pair were both severely injured in a motorcycle accident back in May and a broken bone in his left wrist has left Charette unable to play guitar for the foreseeable future. Luckily Febbroriello is no slouch with a guitar, which she normally dons in her own band, The Welcoming Committee. The duo kicked things off with “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” from Charette’s brilliant 2015 record Back East, a three-and-a-half-minute singalong that is always heavy and is especially poignant given the events of the last year. Same goes for the equally singalongable “4X4” that closed the set. While maybe frustrated that he couldn’t play and stomp along as he’s been accustomed to for a few decades, Charette soudned as good as ever and appeared appreciative of the opportunity to get back out on stage, now with Febbroriello by his side.
Lenny Lashley filled the middle spot on the bill. Len’s been one of the more unique and vital voices in the Boston punk scene for as long as I’ve been around it, even as a 61-year-old roofer by day circa 2026. Lashley’s brand of punk-tinged Americana works in a variety of settings and musical formats; we’ve seen him run a gamut that ranges from totally solo to fronting full rock bands featuring horn sections, and we’ve seen him pair with any number of stringed instruments manned by talented local artists. That was front-and-center at Shaskeen on this occasion, when he was backed by Tom West on accordion and Troy Caruana on pedal steel. This particular combination allows Lashley to lean into the sometimes melancholy side of his songwriter chops, adding a certain beautiful heaviness to the texture. Particularly weighty were “Gone World” from his latest full-length, last year’s Pray For Death, and “Bruiser” which is an ode to a lost pup as written but took on extra gravity given the very recent loss of Boston scene icon Babs O’Brien, which left nary a dry eye in the house.
As he is wont to do, Tim Barry kicked things off with “Dog Bumped,” a barn-burning anthemic ode to a friend who’s doing a few decades of prison time for doing what he had to do. It’s been more than two decades since began his full-time solo career as a Martin-wielding working class troubadour. Barry is at his best – and his most punk rock – in venues like Shaskeen and among crowds like that from the greater Manchester area. Blue collar, honest people who aren’t afraid to dance and sing at the top of their lungs about love and loss and redemption and picking yourself up and keeping things moving. There’s frequently very little difference between audience and performer at a Tim Barry show. There’s a sense that we’ve all worked through some shit – and maybe that we’re still working through some shit – and that it’s better to do that in a communal setting. It leads to maybe not a religious feel but certainly a revivalist one, even to the new Clear Blocks Ahead tracks like “WW Pool” and “Waltzing The Cell” and “Hello From Roanoke” and especially the somber “Loads East, Empties West,” that are already peppered into the setlist like the classic singalong staples that they’re destined to be. Barry seemed as happy as we’ve seen him in a minute and it lead to maybe the best set we’ve seen from him in a long time; free, passionate, energetic, at one with the crowd.
Check out more shots from a cathartic night at the galleries below!
Sometimes Carlos Santana makes regrettable comments, like when he dissed Beyoncé and then apologized in 2017. Well, he may have to apologize for this. At Red Rocks on Monday (Aug. 24), the Santana frontman shared an extremely dubious “cure” for cancer.
The post Carlos Santana Shares Cure For Cancer appeared first on Stereogum.
They’ll be playing the returning venue next week.
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