Anthrax Set To Appear On Late Night With Seth Myers Tonight


 

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Thrash metal legends Anthrax will appear as musical guests tonight on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Oscar-winning-actor Robert DeNiro is also a guest on the show. Late Night with Seth Meyers airs on NBC at 12:35AM/11:35PMc. The band did a Q and A style event with fans earlier today from backstage at the “Late Night” studios.

Anthrax is touring behind their recent release For All Kings (Megaforce/Nuclear Blast). After headlining in Europe and playing festivals the band will return to the USA this fall with Slayer and Death Angel.

 

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Anthrax - For All Kings ghostcultmag


Video: Anthrax – Evil Twin, New Lyric Video


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Anthrax has released a new lyric video and single for a brand new song, ‘Evil Twin’. You can watch the lyric video at this link or below:

‘Evil Twin’ comes off of the long-awaited new Anthrax album, coming in early 2016 from Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in the Europe/UK. The track is also available digitally, and can be purchased via Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon.

Charlie Benante comments on the thrashiness of ‘Evil Twin’:

“Yeah, that opening riff is really evil. We had done a lot of touring with Death Angel and Exodus, so I was in a really thrashy state of mind when I starting writing the riffs for that song. I think along with Scott’s lyrics and Frank’s melodies, we came up with a really great, old school thrash metal feel.”

The pointed lyrics of the track denounces the self-righteous religious extremists who spread their bloody terror under the guise of a Holy War.

You represent your discontent

Slaughtering the innocent

Insolence

You’re no martyrs

Scott Ian comments on the lyrics of the track:

“I was very affected by the Charlie Hebdo massacre as I have been with all of the shootings that have taken place at schools and movie theatres. I can’t figure out what would cause someone to think that was the right thing to do. ‘I’ll show the world, I’ll make my God happy.’ It’s just such bullshit. I’m not bagging on religion, that’s not my intent, but people who go to that extreme, who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man because you or I don’t believe the same thing they do, I think that’s the ‘Evil Twin’ of humanity. Writing words about that is my only catharsis.”

Anthrax, photo credit Ignacio Galvez

Anthrax, photo credit Ignacio Galvez

Anthrax remaining tour dates, with Slayer:

Oct 25: Theaters Tilburg- Tilburg, NL**

Oct 26: Zenith Paris, Paris- FR**

Oct 28: La Cooperative De Mai- Clermont-Ferrand, FR

Oct 30: Santana 27- Bilbao, ES**

Oct 31: Coliseum- La Coruna, ES**

Nov 01: La Riviera- Madrid, ES**

Nov 03: Razzmatazz- Barcelona, ES**

Nov 05: Alcatraz- Milano, IT**

Nov 07: Planet.tt Bank Austria Halle Gasometer B- Vienna, AT**

Nov 08: Haus Auersee- Leipzig, DE**

Nov 10: Zenith, die Kulturhalle- Munich, DE**

Nov 12: Columbiahalle- Berlin, DE**

Nov 13: RuhrCongress- Bochum, DE**

Nov 14: MHPArena- Ludwigsburg, DE

Nov 16: Jahrhunderthalle- Frankfurt, DE**

Nov 17: AB Main Hall- Brussels, BE**

Nov 19: Rockhal- Esch Sur Alzette, LU

Nov 21: Newport Centre- Newport, UK**

Nov 22: Plymouth Pavilions- Plymouth, UK**

Nov 24: O2 Apollo Manchester- Manchester, UK**

Nov 25: O2 Academy Glasgow- Glasgow, UK**

Nov 27: O2 Academy Birmingham- Birmingham, UK**

Nov 28: O2 Academy Leeds- Leeds, UK**

Nov 30: O2 Academy Brixton- Brixton, UK**

Dec 03: Kulturvaerflet – Helsinger, DK**

Dec 04:Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NO**

Dec 05: Lisebergshallen- Goteborg, SE**

Dec 09: Stadium Live – Moscow, RU**

** w/ Slayer


Anthrax Launches Devil You Know Bourbon


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Anthrax today unveiled their new line of Burbon dubbed “The Devil You Know”, named for their song ‘The Devil You Know’ from 2011’s Worship Music (Megaforce) album. The limited-edition Bourbon retails for $59 and is available here. http://bit.ly/1egO347 “Hand selected” by the veteran thrash band and created in conjunction with Kentucky-based Knob Creek distillery, ever order comes with an autographed card from the band.

Scott Ian comments on the creation of Devil You Know Bourbon:

“If we find something we really like and that we actually drink ourselves, we think maybe our fans might like it too, so we want to make it available for them”. “We really enjoyed ‘Indians,’ the bourbon we produced last year, and obviously our fans did as well as it sold out really quickly.”

The band promised the drink will be truly unique due to the blend of specially selected aged bourbons and rye whiskeys, as well as the wood barrels they were aged in.

 

 

Frank Bello remarked about the process:

“We had a great time sampling the different bourbons to find the one we thought was the best… And we hope our fans have the same good time drinking it. Responsibly, of course.”

Anthrax is on tour all year as the progress towards the follow up to Worship Music, due out in early 2016.

Scott Ian of Anthrax, shot by Echoes In The Well

Scott Ian of Anthrax, photo by Echoes In The Well

 

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Josh Middleton (SYLOSIS): My Top 5 (Non “Big 4”) Thrash Albums


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To celebrate the upcoming release of dark, progressive thrash opus Dormant Heart (Nuclear Blast) Josh Middleton of Sylosis spoke of his love of Thrash, including his Top 5 (non-Big 4) Thrash albums…

In no particular order (except the first one, apparently):

 

SEPULTURA ‘Arise’ (Roadrunner)

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After upping the ante in a serious way with the seminal Beneath The Remains Max Cavalera and crew cemented their place in the annals with one of the heaviest and one of the best slabs of thrash known to man, beast or beyond. Produced by the legendary Scott Burns at Morrisound, Brazil’s greatest musical export refined their delivery while maintaining the aggression, with an album chock full of anthems from ‘Dead Embryonic Cells’ and its neck-snapping groove, to the epic ‘Desperate Cry’ and the crunching pace of closer ‘Infected Voice’, while the opening title track boasts one of the greatest heavy riffs of the last forty years and is a bone-fide extreme anthem. A genuine Death/Thrash classic.

 

VIO-LENCE ‘Oppressing The Masses’ (Megaforce)

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There’s a certain writing team currently topping the metal charts (and coming in third in Ghost Cult‘s Albums of the Year 2014), a writing team that includes Messrs Philip Demmell and Robert Flynn. Back in 1990, Machine Head‘s creative force were cutting not just their teeth, but an album of jagged thrash intent with no lack of cerebral content, from stomping tour-de-force ‘I, Profit’ to closing title-track, more of a traditional thrasher operating in the Overkill ball park, replete with Sean Killian‘s Blitz-deranged vocals.

 

FORBIDDEN ‘Twisted Into Form’ (Combat/Relativity)

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Another band that operated as a stepping stone for some of its’ members, with drummer Paul Bostaph to move on to Slayer and Testament and highly-regarded guitar-wizard Tim Calvert to later join Nevermore for their defining album Dreaming Neon Black (Century Media). Twisted Into Form was the San Franciscan’s second opus, and with Calvert joining (at the expense of Glen Alvelias, who himself was later to also join Testament), saw a more melodic, technical and progressive approach to the debut.

 

 

HEATHEN ‘Victim of Deception’ (Roadrunner)

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Another early 90’s great, “This is pretty much …And Justice For All Part 2!” states Middleton. Along with the Vio-lence and Forbidden selections, this is another sophomore album that saw a band at the top of its game really define their sound second time around. Widely regarded as one of the most technical thrash albums, Victim… is renowned for its many complex structures, time changes and guitar work, retaining little of the NWOBHM influence exhibited on their debut. Coming in at over an hour, with the majority of its tracks over six minutes in length, Heathen made a statement that thrash could be complicated and could be progressive.

 

TESTAMENT ‘First Strike Still Deadly’ (Spitfire)

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“I haven’t had any Testament yet… and, you know what, I know it’s a cop out, but I really enjoy First Strike Still Deadly. I know it’s effectively a best of, but I like it.”

Featuring guest appearances from original vocalist/Exodus screamer Steve “Zetro” Sousa and Joey Tempesta, who had sat on the drum stool at various points in Testament’s career, as well as Alex Skolnick returning for the first time since 1992’s The Ritual, this compilation of re-recordings was Steve Di Giorgio‘s last with the band. Comprising of tracks from their classic first two albums, The Legacy and The New Order (Atlantic/Megaforce) and old demo track ‘Reign of Terror’, this was the start of the re-recording trend and has been widely panned by critics, which seems harsh as the tracks are, still, incredible. Besides, at least one person (Mr Middleton) likes it… Here at Ghost Cult we support First Strike… but would recommend getting hold of the first two Testament albums, if you don’t already own them. You can pick up pretty much every Testament release while you’re at it, too…

 

 

Words by STEVE TOVEY

 

 

 

 


Overkill – White Devil Armory


 

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There are very few bands that are instantly recognisable and have their own “sound”. Even within the distinctive refrains of Thrash Metal, Overkill have always retained identity, honed and refined over 30 years. Yet when Nuclear Blast picked them up on a multi-album deal five years ago (the are on eOne in the USA) a few eyebrows were raised as, despite a W.F.O. (Atlantic) or From The Underground And Below (CMC), it had been over twenty years since the release of the bone fide classics of their canon, the seminal thrashmeister-pieces Feel The Fire, Taking Over, and Horrorscope (Megaforce).

 

Overkill started their recent run with Ironbound in 2009, an album that stands comfortably replete in hi-tops and leather jacket shoulder to shoulder with the best of the bands’ career. This was big dog reclaiming the yard stuff. Any concerns this return to form was a flash in the pan were quickly dispelled as the band, always a force live, backed up the acclaimed Ironbound tour by releasing its follow-up The Electric Age, which continued in the same vein. Overkill was more than back, and was more than flying.

 

White Devil Armory completes the hat-trick of belters, possibly outshining its two companions and proudly ranks among their stand-out releases. Alongside having two trademarks elements – DD Verni’s snarling metallic bass growl and Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’s unmatched nasal spit – one of the key aspects to the East Coast thrashers’ sound has always been their ability to marry aggressive thrash with melody and to produce memorable anthems. From the opener, the gut-punch pummelling ‘Armorist’, to the closing epic chug of ‘In The Name’, that is what you get. Aggressive staccato riffs welded into memorable, powerful thrash tunes, tunes with the vibrancy and commitment of the bands earlier days, but the muscle and know-how of seasoned veterans. These guys know how to get it done, and the win is what matters.

 

Whether that’s pulling out a manic, catchy chorus in track three ‘Down To The Bone’ and dovetailing that with some choice ‘Use Your Head’ riffage, or reprising the punk/hardcore battery of ‘The SRC’ with the face-smashing ‘Pig’, the consistency and delivery is high-level throughout. The darker stomp of ‘Bitter Pill’, all channelled hammer-to-anvil, leads into stand-out rager ‘Where There’s Smoke…’, a heads-down-see-you-at-the-end opening that hurtles out of the blocks and runs headlong into a trademark Blitz snarl, before seguing into a grooving, juddering mid-section. Any fears of the album petering out are laid to rest by a closing trio of ‘King Of The Rat Bastards’, a classic Overkill slam-dunk mix of the hook and the heavy, the neck-snapping tightness of ‘It’s All Yours’ and finale ‘In The Name’, an Overkill closer in the tradition of an ‘Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)’, bring matters to a conclusion with its studded-wristband-pumping call-and-answer.

 

White Devil Armory presents a band at the top of its game. Health issues seemingly long behind him, Blitz personifies this, producing a performance of vigour and confidence, nailing and owning as you’d expect. He brings to the table an assurance in delivery as he knows, even 30 years on, no one does it like he does. He is the boss. This asserted presence filters across and applies to all parties. Guitar twins Dave Linsk and Derek “The Skull” Tailer have partnered each other for over a decade now and with seamless self-assurance bring the riffs, the finger-flurrying solos and the structured melodic links. Elsewhere DD Verni shows off his skills, bass runs filtering through the mix at appropriate times, while Ron Lipnicki is the perfect backbone, punishing when needed, able to groove when required, but at all times driving everything, and releasing the reigns when it’s time for the powersurge.

 

It may be patronising to say, but to maintain this level of quality, consistency, force and vitality at their age and this deep into their career is testament (sic) to the professionalism and ability of all involved with Overkill, but above all to the passion within the band to keep producing the very best of thrash. Thrash may have come and gone and come back and gone again, with very few of their contemporaries surviving, but when Overkill decreed “We are strong, We will always be” back in 1987 (‘In Union We Stand’) they uttered a statement that sums up their career. This is no Indian summer; White Devil Armory is simply Overkill doing what Overkill do best.

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9.0/10.0

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STEVE TOVEY

 


IKILLYA – Vae Victis


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Considered by many to be “New York’s answer to Lamb of God,” IKILLYA is back and better than ever with their sophomore full length entitled Vae Victis (Megaforce). As good as Recon (the debut full-length release of IKILLYA) was, Vae Victis has been able to improve the foundation already laid by its predecessor, but also experiment into new grounds. This album clocks in at just about 36 and a half minutes with 9 tracks that will leave you begging for more! Vae Victis has a characteristic that is so far and few between with metal and hardcore albums nowadays, and that is the ability to listen to it, front to back, and be pleased by every song. In fact, every since I got my dirty hands all over this album, I have not gone more than a day or two without a solid listen to the whole album!

It’s hard to really breakdown which songs were my favorite especially where every song brings its own feel, groove, and energy to the listener while staying fresh throughout all 9 tracks. Fortunately, I enjoy a challenge, so l would like to start off with the first track, the title track, ‘Vae Victis’. Wasting no time destroying your hearing as a quick drum fill opens up the album, and vocalist Jason Lekberg, immediately follows. This track was one of the more groovy tracks that you can’t help but keep head banging to. Just for those who did not study Latin back in school, how I envy you, Vae Victis is translated literally to “woe to the conquered.” As good as all the tracks are on this album, the guys in IKILLYA did a great job ensuring that the most in your face song was going to jumpstart the album. Another great tune I will admittedly enjoy yelling the lyrics to out the window on a nice day is the fourth track, ‘Jekyll Better Hyde’. Not only is this song title brilliantly worded, but the chorus tends to get stuck in my head throughout the long day. Jason’s vocals continue to grow on this album and this track proves it without a doubt. The outro of the song features a pretty sweet breakdown (don’t worry, IKILLYA did not become a deathcore band 4 songs in) with hair raising gang vocals, one of my favorite aspects adopted from the hardcore genre. One last song that really stands out for me is ‘Mission to Mars’, the seventh track. This track features a handful of bass breaks that will make just about any subwoofer go to its knees. I also was treated to more gang vocals during the chorus. The guitars also continue their very catchy riffs into ‘Mission to Mars’, but even a killer solo finds a nice spot towards the end of the song before the final reprise of the chorus.

As I mentioned prior, this album is great listen from the first snare hit to the final second of the last track, ‘Last Breath’ (which may I say, dips a bit into the good aspects of metalcore during the chorus). IKILLYA has yet again, impressed me with the few tracks they do release, yet keep me itching for more for the second album in a row. As for the Lamb of God reference, quite honestly, I really cannot find any other words to better explain it. This is only the beginning for these New Yorkers and I am happy to see them continue climbing the ladder to bigger and better things. However, I still have not witnessed these guys live yet, and this needs to change!

 

9/10

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TIM LEDIN