Shadows Fall Brian Fair Meet & Greet at Purchase Street Records!
This past weekend, we headed to Purchase Street Records on Popes Island in New Bedford for the Brian Fair meet and greet. This unassuming parking lot with an adjoining Dunkin Donuts has become the mecca of Heavy Metal record shops(cds, cassettes too) on the East Coast. We hit up the shop around start time (1pm) and who did I find first in line? Youtube sensation and vinyl guru “The Flip Side with JC “, aka Joshua Costa. Now Josh and I go back to our teens and he’s such a solid dude. I’m genuinely happy for all of his success with the channel. If you visit Purchase Street Records, you’re more than likely to find him either behind the counter displaying his monthly recommendation or diving head first into the vinyl bins. Josh knows records and loves music. So it was no shock to see that he and his wife had brought copies of Shadows Fall “Of One Blood”. Josh purchased one for himself and one to give away on his youtube channel (Mega CD & Vinyl Grail / plus we give away a signed Shadows Fall Album)
I brought along with me a Shadows Fall dvd called the Art of Touring (I picked up at Armageddon Records in PVD years ago) and a print out of my interview with him on this very blog. It was great to chop it up with Brian after all these years. I spent a good portion of the early to mid 90’s following Shadows Fall around New England. I’d see them several times a year in small and large venues. Living in Springfield where they had a practice space, I’d oftentimes run into Shadows Fall guitarist Matt Bachand. I was fortunate to sit with Matt on Spineshank’s tour bus years after I moved back to Southeastern Mass. Their last album “Fire from the Sky” had dropped around that time and we talked about that great recording.
Back to Brian. He’s such a solid dude and makes everyone feel noticed when he’s chatting it up. He signed both items I brought with me and we talked a little about the Dead, the work out videos I hope he starts doing again and seeing him play with Transient at the Brass Cat in Easthampton back in the day. Off I went with my signed items and my wife met Brian for a quick selfie. IT made my weekend. Brian would later put on a killer set in Providence with beloved metalcore act Overcast. There are some great videos of that set floating around on the internet this week. Check’em out!
A signed print out of Brian and I’s interview for this very Blog!
All of this wouldn’t have happened without Roger Chouinard the main man behind Purchase St. Records and the drum kit of an awesome band ALL SINNERS. If you are in the New England area, you must stop into the shop and while you’re there pick up the latest ALL SINNERS release. This was another FREE meet and greet event put on by Roger and the shop. Such a rare occasion these days. It’s events and people like Roger that not only keep Metal alive but also accessible to folks especially during this economy.
My signed copy of Art of Touring and a cool Hardcore Trading Card
Gloryhammer has released a new single, “Starfighters Of Leuchars,” from its fifth album, Space 1993: Wrath Of Kor-Virliath. The song introduces a group of ace pilots who join hero Angus McFife V on his quest to save the universe. The same pilots appear on the album artwork. The track sits in a big orchestral setting, and like earlier singles it comes with an animated video.
Gloryhammer said: “Mighty warriors! Set H-foils to attack position. You may Hoot when ready.”
The album arrives Friday, Oct. 16, through Napalm Records. That same day, the band starts its tour in Toulouse, France, and works its way across Europe and the U.K. before ending in Glasgow in November.
Space 1993: Wrath Of Kor-Virliath is a direct sequel to 2015’s Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards and continues the McFife saga. Angus McFife V, the Crown Prince of Fife, was last heard from on the 2022 single “Fly Away.” Here he travels through spacetime to 1993, where his destiny waits.
The 11-track album pulls from a wider set of styles than past records, covering classic power metal, thrash, high-energy synth rock and large orchestral passages, while keeping the hook-heavy songwriting the band is known for. Gloryhammer produced it and Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe) mixed it. The outcome is a version of the band listeners haven’t heard before. Whether Angus and his allies win, or the galaxy falls into demonic chaos, is left for the album to answer.
Gloryhammer said: “Mighty warriors, rejoice! The almighty Gloryhammer return triumphantly with a new chapter in the long and tumultuous history of the Intergalactic Empire of Fife. Multidimensional wormholes, abandoned space stations, and EPIC BATTLES await at the final frontier of Space 1993. FOR THE ETERNAL GLORY OF DUNDEE!”
Space 1993: Wrath Of Kor-Virliath will be available here in these formats:
1LP White Label Edition, with 24-page LP-sized booklet, certificate and cover card (strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only)
Wooden boxset, with digipak CD, five miniatures, 7″ bonus LP and autographed card (strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only)
1LP Gatefold Splatter, with 24-page LP-sized booklet (strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only)
1LP Gatefold Marbled, with lyric sheet (strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only)
Black metal collective Befouled Malediction—an offshoot of the larger Ordo Vampyris Orientis collective—will release their debut album, Desperate Necromancy, on October 13. An exploration of the darker, more occult story-focused side of black metal, Desperate Necromancy specifically focuses on a warlock seeking ways to bring his deceased lover back from the dead.
The dark story is matched by the musicianship, which finds heavy inspiration from bands like Sacramentum, Dissection and Arckanum, using bright, almost triumphant, harmonies against bleak synthesizers and heavy black metal. These elements are extremely present on the song “Deliberation,” which you can stream below. The contrasting sounds feel like a sonic representation of the story—the brightness of love and wild hope to reclaim it juxtaposed against the darkness.
Metallica’s first decade saw the San Francisco quartet grow from scrappy, snotty outsiders into the world’s biggest cult band over the course of four peerless albums – Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets and …And Justice For All.
The ‘90s were a much more divisive period for supporters of the band, with founding members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich determined, as ever, to break fresh ground for their group and re-draw the blueprints of what Metallica could be. The result was some of the best, if most contentious, music of their career…
10. Fuel
When Lars Ulrich told the world that, post-Black Album, Metallica were exploring a more “greasy”, dirty sound, he obviously had Fuel in mind. A Battery for the NASCAR demographic, there’s nothing subtle about the dumbed-down petrol head turbo-blues blaster which introduces 1997’s Reload album but there’s no denying its full-throttle roar.
9. No Leaf Clover
One of two previously unreleased songs to feature on S&M, the document of Metallica’s bold collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (the other being the unremarkable –Human), the dramatic No Leaf Clover is one of the band’s most under-rated compositions, with James Hetfield’s bleak lyrics (‘It comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train coming your way…’) accentuated by Michael Kamen’s brooding orchestration.
8. Hero of The Day
Originally titled Mouldy, as James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich considered its main riff reminiscent of Husker Du/Sugar mainman Bob Mould’s guitar style, this slow-burning Load highlight is a masterclass in employing light and shade and push/pull dynamics to take the listener on a journey. The song’s video, meanwhile, is memorable for employing a rare use of erectile dysfunction in the story-line.
7. Wherever I May Roam
Towards the end of the ‘90s, with their cover of Bob Seger’s Turn The Page, Metallica dealt with the mundane, often soul-sapping, realities of being a touring musician, but on this Black Album highlight, with its memorable ‘Rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond’ refrain, James Hetfield makes life on the road sound positively heroic.
6. Until It Sleeps
The world’s first taste of the controversial and unfairly maligned Load album, this 1996 single is a Southern Gothic-tinged reflective meditation upon death and loss, all the more powerful and affecting for being inspired by James Hetfield’s knowledge that his estranged father Virgil had incurable cancer.
5. Enter Sandman
Metallica’s first single of the 1990s was both their passport to the mainstream and the song by which their decade would be defined. Thrillingly direct, immediate and impactful – in stark contrast to the labyrinthine twists and turns of the …And Justice For All album – it kicked down the doors for the band on US radio, and ensured that the Black Album became first true ‘event’ album of the ‘90s.
4. Sad But True
An absolute beast of a song, Sad But True laughs in the face of anyone claiming that Metallica turned their back on ‘heavy’ music in the ‘90s. Proving the old age that less is sometimes more, its elemental, down-tuned riff is given room to breathe in a spacious arrangement that would have mystified the youthful thrashers who made Kill ‘Em All, lending the track a rare authority and power.
3. Bleeding Me
Dealing with themes of rebirth, regeneration and renewal, Bleeding Me is a perfect encapsulation of Metallica’s mindset when approaching the Load album. ‘I’m digging my way to something better’ sings James Hetfield at the outset of this masterfully controlled, suspenseful eight minute epic, a song undeniably influenced by the singer’s burgeoning infatuation with mid-‘90s stoner rockers Corrosion Of Conformity.
2. The Unforgiven
Though the Black Album was released one month ahead of the fifth anniversary of Cliff Burton’s death, the late bassist’s colossal influence upon Metallica resonates in every bar of this majestic metallic symphony. There are echoes of Ennio Morricone’s iconic spaghetti western soundtracks in this sobering, thoughtful treatise on life, love and liberty, but it would have been impossible without Burton’s schooling of the band in the sturm-und-drang dynamics of European classical music.
1. The Outlaw Torn
The highpoint of Metallica’s ‘90’s output, Load’s closing track is an atmospheric weighing up of loss and regret, which, as with The Unforgiven, unfurls into a widescreen cinematic epic. Metallica were forced to cut a whole minute from the song’s outro on Load to accommodate the CD’s running time – the full length version later surfaced on the B-side of the The Memory Remains single, wryly sub-titled (Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version) – but the breath-taking version on S&M shows this remarkable band at their transcendent, untouchable best.
(written by Islander) We’ve had a couple of reviews today that are well worth reading — DGR’s take on Behemoth’s new compilation and Andy Synn’s writing about the fantastic new album from Great Falls. I was supposed to prepare the premiere of a full album stream for today as well, but that fell through because […]
Ian Hill, the longest-serving member of Judas Priest, has explained why he is retiring from the band. He spoke with Ukrainian metalhead Vladyslav Stadnyk, who runs the Metal Pilgrim YouTube channel. Hill told fans about his exit in a long statement on Oct. 9, pointing to the “evil arthritis” and other injuries as his reasons.
Asked why this was the moment to step away from Priest, Hill told Metal Pilgrim (transcribed by Blabbermouth), “It is funny, because the last couple of tours have been a bit of a struggle, because this trouble is basically my shoulder and my thumb — [I’ve got a] great big lump on my thumb, which is all arthritis. I’ve been struggling with that for the past couple of tours or so. And it doesn’t go away, unfortunately, and it’s one of those things that just gets worse as time goes by. And I almost retired at the end of the last tour.
“It’s funny the way it came about,” Hill continued. “Iron Maiden said, ‘Do you fancy doing a four-week tour of America this year?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, that sounds okay, a four-week tour of America, quick four weeks.’ Then they pulled out. In the meantime, we’d put in Bloodstock in Britain, which is the festival in Britain. So you can’t tool up to do one show. So the next thing, ‘Oh, we’ll do one or two dates in Europe around Bloodstock.’ And nine weeks later… And that’s what did it. We did six shows in eight days. That was running up to Brussels, so that’s when the tendon snapped.
“Because we were averaging maybe a day on, a day off, day on, day off, so the crew could get to the next gig and what have you. And, of course, it was recovering on the days off. Obviously, I wasn’t doing anything, so it recovered. And then, of course, you go on stage and you aggravate it all over again. But then it was sort of, like I say, six shows in eight days, and I’d never had time to recover. And right before the encores on the Brussels show, I just felt a snap and a real sharp, searing pain, and I thought, ‘That’s it. That’s the end of it.’ And for the encores, I had to actually get my elbow and rest it on my stomach and pull the bass back so I could get down to the bottom of the neck.
“And it’s easing off a lot now. I can sort of lift it and do things that I couldn’t do immediately after that. I mean, I couldn’t move it at all. From the elbow down, everything was fine. It worked a treat, but I just could not move my shoulder. And that’s why I had to miss the London show. I physically could not play the bass.”
The 74-year-old bassist said he was able to record parts for Judas Priest‘s upcoming album. There were worries about whether he could get through the recent European run, though, so the band lined up Uriah Heep‘s Davey Rimmer as a backup. Rimmer filled in for Hill at the band’s Sept. 21 show at the Eventim Apollo in London, after Hill was reported to have suffered “a badly damaged tendon in his left arm.”
“There were some questions about whether I’d be able to make it through because of the troubles I’d had in the past,” Ian explained. “So we did ask Davey to come, and he came over to Andy‘s [Sneap, Priest producer and touring guitarist] place in Derbyshire. And he learnt the set and went through it with the rest of the guys. I just sat out in the kitchen listening to him. And he did a fucking unbelievable job, really. So short, two days’ notice. You’re on stage. Wow. So, he’s flying. He had to use all my equipment and everything. He just brought his basses with him, and he pulled off an incredible, incredible performance.”
Hill went on to say that he “was really, really gutted that I couldn’t make that last show [in London]. I mean, it would’ve been the last one. But no. And then I’ve seen specialists since. In fact, I’m there tomorrow. He’s got some kind of plan for me, whatever that entails. He doesn’t wanna send me for surgery, which is good news all around. If I go for surgery, he said there’s no guarantee it’s, it’s gonna work. So he’s gonna try and avoid that if he can.
“So I had no choice, really, than to knock it on the head,” Hill explained. “I couldn’t put the rest of the guys in jeopardy and go out on another tour, and it happen all over again in the middle of a tour. It’s not fair on anybody — the fans, the rest of the guys, the people have put money into us to get us out to these places, and suddenly you’re having to cancel shows and things. It’s not fair. So I decided to call it a day, and I have. I’ve neglected family life. It’s cost me two marriages over the years. So I decided to spend a bit of time with the folks.”
Metal Pilgrim asked whether the London show would have been Hill‘s last with Priest even without the snapped tendon in Brussels. Hill answered, “I think I’d have retired anyway because, like I say, we had to get Davey in at the start of this last tour, just in case something happened. And he did. A good job he did. And like I say, it ain’t getting better. Arthritis doesn’t get better. You either have to go and have your joints replaced and stuff like that. But it’s just one of those old fart things that happen to you when you get of a certain age.”
Metal Pilgrim also asked whether Rob Halford would have told the London crowd it was Hill‘s final show. Ian said, “I don’t think so, no. I think it would’ve been… I don’t know. I just didn’t think it felt right doing that, saying, ‘This is Ian‘s last show. This is the last chance to see Ian.’ Then you’ve gotta go everywhere else and get the last chance to see Ian. That obviously wasn’t on the cards. I couldn’t do that.”
Hill said he is confident Rimmer will do well with Priest, even though “he’s gonna get flack” from some fans. “I mean, the other [members of Priest who replaced other musicians] did. Richie [Faulkner, Priest guitarist] got it when he took over from Ken [K.K. Downing]. And Andy got it when he took over from Glenn [Tipton, Priest guitarist]. He’s gonna get flack for the first year or so, until he’s settled down and he builds up that confidence, if you know what I mean, which is what it’s all about. It’s always nerve-wracking when you’re doing something totally different, which he will be doing, from Uriah Heep. And, of course, we’ve known him for ages. And Richie knows him really well. I mean, he’s known him for decades. So, we know what kind of character he is, and he’s not bringing any baggage with him from a purely human point of view. He’s a wonderful bloke. He really is. And a great bass player, so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to get on with it. And I wish him all the best of luck.”
On what comes next for him with the band, Ian said, “I’ve managed to put bass down to the new album coming out next year. There’s a bit more work to do. [But if] I hold the bass in the right position. I’ll be able to complete it. So, at least I’ll be on the record, if nothing else.”
Hill also left the door open for occasional guest spots at Priest shows.
“I’m not gonna be a stranger,” he explained. “Every now and again, I’ll show up and just go stand on the sound desk and really see what it sounds like. I’ll probably be knocked out, because everything’s happening behind you. You can’t see a thing. You’re concentrating what you’re playing and the audience, and then every now and then you turn around and see what’s going on.”
Asked whether he might join the band for a song or two at a show, Ian said, “Yeah, I’ve told the guys I’m wide open to stuff like that. If they need me for a special occasion or what have you, I’m more than happy to come up and do what I can. I won’t be able to do more than I can now, for instance — not that I’m gonna push Davey out again — but I’ll get up there and I’ll do what Glenn did. Go and play an encore or two or whatever at one of the landmark shows. That’s if the guys want me to do that. And whether Davey‘s gonna be happy for me to do that. He might claim his spot, and, ‘This is mine now.’ [Laughs]”
Hill was the last original member still in Judas Priest, which formed in 1969. Halford came aboard in 1973 and Tipton in 1974. Halford left in the early 1990s to start his own band and returned in 2003. Original guitarist Downing departed in 2011, and Faulkner took his place.
Music has a profound impact on how we experience the world around us, but for me, Fall does the opposite. Its intoxicating atmosphere influences my musical tastes more than any other season. While my playlist always feels familiar this time of year, the little details keep shifting, feeding my sadistic craving for sinister sounds. It’s no secret that I prefer dark, brooding gothic soundscapes, but how they get delivered into my ears varies from season to season. So let’s dive into what’s been poisoning my palate as I prepare for the hallowed holiday we all know and love.
Sinoia Caves
1983 – Main Theme
Recorded for the 2010 sci-fi horror film Beyond the Black Rainbow, this track and its siblings represent a score that is not only reminiscent of the great horror scores of yesteryear, but also reflects a new landscape of mesmerizing melodies laid at the feet of our favorite genre.
Hole
Gold Dust Woman
As a massive fan of the original Crow movie, I wasn’t too thrilled when they announced the sequel, but when this heavy cover of a Fleetwood Mac tune hit before the film came out, it stuck with me like blood on a bat.
Disasterpeace
Detroit
From the modern horror classic It Follows, this is a short track with a huge impact. The synths carry a nostalgic vibe while still remaining as fresh and vibrant as any new horror score could, during a time in my life when nostalgia hits like a drug.
Type O Negative
World Coming Down
Much like drawing poison from an open wound, this song extracts all of the emotional dread that lingers inside of me, and releases it under the guise of beautifully written chord progressions with hauntingly poignant vocals.
Goblin
L’Alba dei Morti Viventi
Yes, you must pronounce it like that, in Italian, and in the spookiest voice you can conjure. Jokes aside, this is from one of the best horror soundtracks ever recorded: Dawn of the Dead, as it’s known by many, or just plain Zombi, depending on where you are in the world.
Cradle of Filth
Saffron’s Curse
Creepy keyboards and devastatingly delicious guitar riffs carry this track through its paces as Dani Filth sets the mood with more lyrics that on paper read more beautifully than the work of most modern poets.
John Harrison
Prologue/Welcome to Creepshow
As iconic to me as any other horror soundtrack you could conjure, the use of synths on this song not only influenced my own music with Autumns Eyes, but countless other metal bands as well. Just listen to the track “Creatures that Kissed in Cold Mirrors” by Cradle of Filth for an overt homage.
Opeth
Ghost of Perdition
This entire album has been on repeat many times these past few weeks, and this song plays a huge part in that. It’s a never-ending maze of complexity hidden within punishing riffs and lush melodies.
Shiro Sagisu & Mike Wyzgowski
Who Will Know
With lyrics that could fit on any goth metal album this side of Transylvania, this track actually comes from a Godzilla movie believe it or not. Shin Godzilla belongs in a category all its own, with a monster that is equal parts tragic and devastating.
My Dying Bride
My Wine In Silence
Having a title eerily similar to how I prefer consuming a bottle of Pinot Noir over the weekend, this track strips out all the distortion we’re used to hearing from bands of this caliber. It proves that melancholy can live within the goth metal space just as strongly without such a wall of noise doing all the heavy lifting.
John Carpenter
Laurie’s Theme
As classic as classic gets when it comes to music that encompasses everything this season represents. Yes, the main theme is more well known amongst the general population, but Laurie’s Theme is what hits my veins like a drug every time I hear it.
Autumns Eyes
Death of October
Shameless self-promotion? Yes. Do I love listening to this track as much as I loved recording it? Absolutely. If you don’t enjoy your own work as an artist, what’s the point? So much of my music is inspired by this time of year, and listening back always brings things full circle. This song in particular conjures memories of spooky seasons past and reminds me why I fell in love with making music in the first place.
JUNO-nominated and SOCAN Award-winning (and more importantly former Band Of The Day) Canadian alt-rock duo cleopatrick have officially returned with their monstrous new single, “WHAAT”. Packed with fuzz-drenched distortion, swagger, and visceral energy, the track marks the first preview of the Cobourg duo’s highly anticipated third full-length album and is available to stream now. Co-produced … Continue reading cleopatrick drop fuzz-drenched new single “WHAAT” and announce 2027 UK headline tour
Stern Pinball has confirmed the rumors: an AC/DC Remastered machine is on the way.
It follows the MetallicaRemastered and The Walking Dead Remastered releases, part of Stern‘s ongoing effort to bring older tables back for a new crop of players. The AC/DC game is a sensible pick. Steve Ritchie designed its quick, flowing layout, and its soundtrack is among the best rock has had in pinball, which makes the table worth another look.
Stern has not shared images or confirmed details yet. Wizard Mod is lined up to supply rock and roll artwork for AC/DC Remastered.
Stern put out a teaser video with a short caption, “For those about to rock. Coming soon.”
Sign up for AC/DC Remastered pinball updates at the official page.
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