Today marks the release of “Rebel For Life,” the latest single from the powerhouse singer and guitarist Isa Nielsen. Composed by Dy Moob and expertly mixed at DMG Studio by renowned Portuguese producer and multi-instrumentalist Kebras, this track is a blazing proclamation of independence and resistance.
“Rebel For Life” features Isa Nielsen’s riveting vocals and impressive guitar skills, delivering a potent message of rebellion and self-determination. With its compelling melody and impactful lyrics, “Rebel For Life” is set to become a standout hit in the rock and metal genres.
Dy Moob’s songwriting brilliantly captures the raw energy and rebellious essence of Isa Nielsen’s sound, while Kebras’ expert mixing ensures every note and lyric resonates with maximum effect. The result is a song that stands as both a personal declaration of freedom and a rallying cry for those who refuse to be subdued.
“Rebel For Life” is now available on all major streaming platforms. Join Isa Nielsen in celebrating the spirit of rebellion and the transformative power of music.
We had the opportunity to interview the band and learn more about this band, follow the details with us:
1. Can you tell us about the origins of Stone Grave and how the band came together?
Well Stone Grave was formed in 2023, it started with a song idea after getting my first 8-string guitar. The result was “Torech Ungol” off my debut EP “Cracks of doom”. I had so much fun writing that song I decided to create Stone Grave as a way to continue to write Heavy Metal and dedicate myself to learning and improving low tuned extended range instruments.
2. What was the inspiration behind your latest song, “Cosmic Colossus”?
The inspiration behind Cosmic Colossus was the Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy. I am a huge fan of the comics and films so it was fun creating a song based on the lore.
3. How did the collaboration with Johnny Ciardullo of Carcosa come about for “Cosmic Colossus”?
I am a huge fan of Carcosa and they have been a huge inspiration for me personally. I reached out to Johnny on instagram for a feature and between tours he was able to record a killer verse for it! I appreciate the opportunity to have one of my favorite vocalists on my song and Johnny was super professional and a great dude.
4. Can you describe the creative process behind writing and recording “Cosmic Colossus”?
The creative process for writing and recording Cosmic Colossus was pretty simple I had a riff I really liked and built the song around that. I do all the instruments for Stone Grave myself and then I send a skeleton track out to my vocalist César Moreira. We go back and forth on lyrics and then he will record vocals and send them to me and I finish writing, mixing and mastering the track.
5. What message or theme are you hoping to convey through “Cosmic Colossus”?
I was hoping to convey the lore of the Celestials in The Guardians of the Galaxy stories and the underlying themes of cosmic horror while still keeping a sense of hope.
6. How would you describe Stone Grave’s overall musical style and influences?
It’s always hard for me to place a “style” on Stone Grave because I take
a lot of inspiration from a variety of Metal sub-genres. I am heavily
influenced by Bands like Gravemind, Carcosa, and Relations to name a few.
7. What has been the most memorable moment for the band since its formation?
The most memorable moment for me is my recent endorsement with Artificial guitars. I am so proud to work with such a great guitar company. They make great guitars at a killer price point!
8. What can fans expect from Stone Grave in the near future, in terms of new music or upcoming projects?
I have an 5 song EP with this single coming out in August title “Knowhere”. I plan to regularly put out new music and collabs.
We had the opportunity to interview the band and learn more about this band, follow the details with us:
1. Can you tell us about the origins of Stone Grave and how the band came together?
Well Stone Grave was formed in 2023, it started with a song idea after getting my first 8-string guitar. The result was “Torech Ungol” off my debut EP “Cracks of doom”. I had so much fun writing that song I decided to create Stone Grave as a way to continue to write Heavy Metal and dedicate myself to learning and improving low tuned extended range instruments.
2. What was the inspiration behind your latest song, “Cosmic Colossus”?
The inspiration behind Cosmic Colossus was the Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy. I am a huge fan of the comics and films so it was fun creating a song based on the lore.
3. How did the collaboration with Johnny Ciardullo of Carcosa come about for “Cosmic Colossus”?
I am a huge fan of Carcosa and they have been a huge inspiration for me personally. I reached out to Johnny on instagram for a feature and between tours he was able to record a killer verse for it! I appreciate the opportunity to have one of my favorite vocalists on my song and Johnny was super professional and a great dude.
4. Can you describe the creative process behind writing and recording “Cosmic Colossus”?
The creative process for writing and recording Cosmic Colossus was pretty simple I had a riff I really liked and built the song around that. I do all the instruments for Stone Grave myself and then I send a skeleton track out to my vocalist César Moreira. We go back and forth on lyrics and then he will record vocals and send them to me and I finish writing, mixing and mastering the track.
5. What message or theme are you hoping to convey through “Cosmic Colossus”?
I was hoping to convey the lore of the Celestials in The Guardians of the Galaxy stories and the underlying themes of cosmic horror while still keeping a sense of hope.
6. How would you describe Stone Grave’s overall musical style and influences?
It’s always hard for me to place a “style” on Stone Grave because I take
a lot of inspiration from a variety of Metal sub-genres. I am heavily
influenced by Bands like Gravemind, Carcosa, and Relations to name a few.
7. What has been the most memorable moment for the band since its formation?
The most memorable moment for me is my recent endorsement with Artificial guitars. I am so proud to work with such a great guitar company. They make great guitars at a killer price point!
8. What can fans expect from Stone Grave in the near future, in terms of new music or upcoming projects?
I have an 5 song EP with this single coming out in August title “Knowhere”. I plan to regularly put out new music and collabs.
MelodicRock Classics dives back into the original MelodicRock Records catalogue for the fourth time to reissue an album long out of print, but still in high demand.
Scherer/Batten – ‘Battlezone’ was one of the most acclaimed releases signed to MRR. The 2017 release featured vocalist MARC SCHERER (Scherer/Peterik) and star guitarist JENNIFER BATTEN (Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson) alongside Jim Peterik and band.
For this 2024 re-issue, MRC is offering the Battlezone Deluxe Edition, which gathers the original album plus a selection of rough mixes and demo versions, plus 2 additional unreleased writing demos, ‘Change Everything’ (from MRCD9) and the bonus track ‘Blue Letter’, which previously appeared on the MRR100 compilation release.
Thanks to Danette Pahl, Marc Scherer and Jim Peterik for the assistance in getting this reissue going. It will be limited to just 500 units only.
Track Listing:
CD1:
01. Crazy Love 04:22
02. Rough Diamond 04:05
03. What Do You Really Think 04:14
04. The Sound Of Your Voice 05:14
05. Battle Zone 04:30
06. It Cuts Deep 05:59
07. The Harder I Try 04:58
08. Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open 04:06
09. Space and Time 04:43
10. Tender Fire 05:30
11. All Roads 04:47
CD2:
01. Sound of Your Voice (Rough Mix)
02. Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Demo)
03. Rough Diamond (Rough Mix)
04. What Do You Really Think (Demo)
05. Space And Time (Rough Mix)
06. Harder I Try (Rough Mix)
07. Tender Fire (Rough Mix)
08. Change of Heart (Writing Demo)
09. In My Lifetime (Writing Demo)
10. Change Everything (Writing Demo)(From MRCD9)
11. Blue Letter (‘The Blue Letter Breakdown’)(From MRR100)
‘BattleZone’ features material exclusively from the Jim Peterik (ex-Survivor, Pride Of Lions, The Ides of March) songbook. Featuring 8 rare musical gems from Jim’s songwriting vault, the album also features 3 brand new tracks, written for this project.
That’s 11 new classic songs, produced by Jim Peterik and featuring the impressive lineup of:
All Lead Vocals: Marc Scherer
All Lead Guitars: Jennifer Batten
Backing Vocals: Marc Scherer, Bill Champlin, Bryan Cole, Brian Hemstock, Danette Pahl
Alternate Lead and Rhythm Guitars: Jennifer Batten, Mike Aquino, Dave Carl, Jim Peterik
Bass Guitars: Bill Syniar, Klem Hayes
Keyboards: Jim Peterik, Christian Cullen, Chris Neville, Barb Unger
Drums: Dave Kelly, Ed Breckenfeld
Sax: Mindi Abair
Additional credits include:
Executive Producer: Danette Pahl
Engineered by: Larry Millas
Mastered by: Larry Millas at World Stage Studios and JK Northrup at Alien Productions
Mixed by: Jim Peterik and Larry Millas
Keyboard Programming: Larry Millas and Christian Cullen
Art Direction and Cover Art: Nello Dell’Omo
Jim Peterik comments: “As a long-time enthusiast of Marc Scherer’s vocal chops and the expertise of rock guitar goddess Jennifer Batten, you can imagine how excited I am at the release of Scherer/ Batten ‘BattleZone’ album. As a song writer and producer, it was a dream come true mining some lost gems from my many years in rock, producing them to a new lustre and even writing three brand new cuts with Marc and Jennifer – Cuts Deep, The Harder I Try and the title track BattleZone.
Andrew McNeice and Danette Pahl of Melodic Rock Records gave me the artistic leeway and financial support to create the album of a lifetime.
Working with one of the best engineers in the business, Larry Millas, and musicians like multiple Grammy Award Winner Bill Champlin of Chicago, bassist Bill Syniar (formerly of Survivor), Mike Aquino (guitarist and singer from World Stage), and two-time Grammy Nominated saxophonist, Mindi Abair, along with Dave Kelly and Bryan Cole, brought depth and texture to the tracks that is palpable.
You can hear our excitement in every song. I guess you can see I’m pumped.
I dare you to crank up BattleZone or Tender Fire or Crazy Love and not rediscover why you fell in love with melodic rock in the first place. I double dare ya!!”
Jennifer Batten: “It was such a pleasure to jump into such a high-level inspiring project! Marc’s vocals are out of this world, the grooves are kickin’, and working with Jim Peterik is so joyous and creative. I can’t wait to take this to the stage!”
And finally, the vocalist fronting this extraordinary project, Marc Scherer: “Even something as innocuous as lunch with Jim Peterik can inspire great things…
It was during one such meeting that Jim and I conceived of an album showcasing his lost musical treasures. Thanks to the contributions of long-time Peterik enthusiast and personal friend Danette Pahl, we now have lift-off!
While the brain trust of talent surrounding Jim enhances any idea, this album is extra special because it features a collaboration with one of the world’s greatest guitarists, Jennifer Batten – who played three world tours with Michael Jackson and two with Jeff Beck. They say you know when it’s right in the first 30 seconds, but in this case, you can sense the magic in the first few notes. BattleZone blends the songwriting craftsmanship and storytelling genius of Jim Peterik with the artistry of some of the most amazing musicians in the business. As Jennifer observed, the battle can be internal: the fight to be better, to raise the bar and challenge yourself while stirring the musical cauldron. I truly believe that we have captured lightning in a bottle and I’m so eager for everyone to share in this experience.”
Scherer/Batten ‘BattleZone Deluxe Edition’ will be released via MelodicRock Classics on CD & Digital July 26.
Despite a terrifying bus wreck, several drastic line up changes and member relocations, Baroness has consistently been able to put out great releases and put on killer live shows! Which is why we’re so excited here at DCHM to see Baroness at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sunday, June 23rd! In fact we’re so excited that we’re going to give away a free pair of tickets to one lucky DCHM reader! To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Baroness song is! I’ve been loving “Anodyne” off their 2023 release Stone but if you need help picking you can always find their discography here. On Sunday, June 16th, 2024 at 5pm Eastern the contest will close and a winner will be selected from all valid entries using Random.org! Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly when you enter so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info to Sleazy P. Martini. If the selected winner hasn’t written me back within 24 hours then another winner will be selected. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can purchase tickets here.
Baroness is one of those bands that has straddled the line between heavy metal and hard rock but one thing has always been obvious: John Baizley’s ability to bring his vision for the band to life through uncompromising songwriting. They’re sure to put on a killer performance at the Fillmore Silver Spring later this month however there’s two other bands on the bill as well! Direct support will be provided by Ruby The Hatchet, a psychedelic doom band with haunting vocals by frontwoman Jillian Taylor. The opening act is Filth Is Eternal, a pissed off Seattle rock band with lots of punk influences known for their high energy live shows. Now hurry up and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Baroness song is!
Another hectic Tuesday afternoon here in my surreal life in Helsinki, currently listening to and writing about a passionate up-and-coming band: Waves of Distortion, hailing from Sacramento, California. Their second studio album, Shattered, has been on my radar for the last week, and now I finally found the time to write about it. The album was released not long ago, on May 25, 2024.
Waves Of Distortion – ECLIPSE (Official Music Video). Video Production: Eval Entertainment Director: Eval Producers: Glen Evans – Brennen Von Slack.
First of all, I would like to start by emphasizing the fact that Shattered is a good-sounding album with the necessary quality to make an impact on the listener, although imperfect. Waves of Distortion prefers trendy-sounding modern soundscapes for their concept. I found my listening experience positive each time, and I firmly believe that they have done a good job.
Secondly, the album consists of melodic, easy-listening music regardless of its heavy instrumentation, reminding me of a modern melodic metalcore version of Linkin Park. The musical concept incorporates additional alternative and melodic metalcore influences in its origins as mentioned above, performed by a passionate collective that stands out for its commercial value. In this case, my favorite track, Mars, caught my full attention on my first listen, and that doesn't happen very often. So my conclusion is, after listening to the album a few times on repeat, that Waves of Distortion is talented at writing new music, even though they are in the early stages of development.
Moreover, the vocalist naturally stands out for his role and character, reminding me of Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Jonathan Davis of Korn, and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. He can sing melodically and also deliver growling performances that emphasize Waves of Distortion's modern metalcore side. He solely provides the main character to the band's sound, also supported by the producer with additional vocal personalities. I see all these as part of the collective's creativity and experience.
Waves Of Distortion, performing live. Photo credit: unknown.
On the other side of the coin, I can see a few things that can help this band become better, which I would like to share not as an expert but as a music enthusiast. However, I don't want them to sound like criticism, so I will put it this way: If I were asked to produce their upcoming record, this is what I would have in mind.
First of all, I think Waves of Distortion needs to have the main focus on their vocal characterization. In other words, their sound design has to start from the vocal character and build on top of it because that is the basis of everything humanly happening in the music, which at the same time is the most foundational element in music regardless of everything else.
Secondly, has the band already dropped their tuning specifically for the vocalist's vocal range? Or did they just drop it to the most trendy and generic tuning and continued with it because it's somehow the standard? I asked myself this while listening to the record because I am not convinced that this is his best-performing range, and that can cause a problem. This would be another element that I would work on as a must.
Lastly, the band can deliver good songs, so they can use all the character and value the producer can provide. Shattered is a good-sounding album objectively, as I mentioned earlier. However, this is just a step forward in the band's development, and they have so much room to improve in terms of distinctive sound designs.
Waves Of Distortion, performing live. Photo credit: unknown.
In conclusion, Shattered is a good-sounding album that was performed, recorded, mixed, and produced properly, which I enjoyed most importantly for its balanced standards. A good-sounding modern melodic metalcore record that stood out to me for its balanced approach and commercial value, evoking memories of Linkin Park and their ability to write catchy songs with heavy instrumentation and electronic elements. Thank you for reading.
Waves Of Distortion, Shattered front album cover artwork. Art credit: Unknown.
Waves Of Distortion: Bass: Glen Evans Drums: Dustin Slack Guitar: Brennen Von Slack Vocals: Joe Fox
Audio Production: Producer: Brennen Von Slack Written and Performed by: Waves of Distortion Produced, Engineered, and Mastered by: Nick Miller Drums recorded and edited By: Jesse Fíoren “CrowKeeper Studios” Drums written and performed by: Isaiah AR
