Introducing...Amaryllis

Amaryllis are a five piece alternative rock band out of London, comprised of Sante Moonie (vocals), Alex Whiteford (guitar), Daniel Harris (guitar), Alex Osborne (bass) and Michael Mann (drums).

They released their first self titled EP last year, which went down a storm with over 10,000 downloads and over 25,000 views/plays online, far from shabby for an unsigned band which only formed back in 2012. If you haven't yet heard them, you can download the EP Amaryllis free on their bandcamp page. Then once you've been converted you need only wait another month for new material, as they have just announced the release of their sophomore EP, Revolt due out May 12th.

These boys keep busy and in-between making two records they have built up some great live experience, supporting The Dirty Youth, Elliot Minor and Boy Jumps Ship and are now set for a co-headline tour with Ugly Love this summer. I've had the pleasure of seeing Ugly Love before, and if you add Amaryllis to the bill then this tour is more than certainly going to be jam packed with energy, enthusiasm and tons of fun.

Amaryllis Live in June: 

4th - London, Surya
5th - Cardiff, Fuel
6th - Birmingham, Scruffy Murphy's
7th - Leicester, The Shed
8th - Norwich, B2
9th - Manchester, Retro Bar
10th - Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
11th - Newcastle, Think Tank

For more information:

www.twitter.com/AmaryllisUK
www.youtube.com/AmaryllisUK
www.reverbnation.com/AmaryllisUK
https://www.facebook.com/AmaryllisUK

Lacey Announce Single & Tour

Lacey are an alternative pop/rock quartet from Nottingham, who have been steadily gathering momentum but in my opinion are set to reach bigger heights this year as they head out on tour next month with two huge names in American punk rock. If you haven't heard of them before, they are probably suited to those who listen to bands such as Kids In Glass Houses, Jimmy Eat World and Funeral for a Friend.

They currently have a new EP out called Outlaws, and the band will release new single Reach Out on 21st April to coincide with their live dates on the Spring Break UK Tour with Patent Pending and People on Vacation (Jaret of BFS's side project), as well as their performance at this year's Hit The Deck Festival in Nottingham. 

 

 

 

Live dates:

April 20th - Hit The Deck Festival - Nottingham
21st - Sheffield Corporation
22nd - Leeds Cockpit 2
23rd - Newcastle Academy 2
24th - Glasgow The Garage
25th - Manchester Club Academy
26th - London Relentless Garage
27th - Bedford Esquires
28th - Birmingham 02 Academy 2
29th - Norwich Waterfront Studio
30th - Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms

 

 

For more information check out their facebook page.

Onslaught add support to UK tour

UK thrash metal band, Onslaught are touring the UK in July this year, with Danish band Artillery as their support. However, they have now named Hatriot as their second support act, which will see Steve 'Zetro' Souza return to the UK.

The Brew UK Tour

The Brew is a band I think need more recognition, people are missing out on their beautifully bluesy, classic rock sound and they shouldn't be! Luckily there is a UK tour coming up in May which can put an end to that, check out the dates and then go check them out!




They are far from new and inexperienced, they've been together for ten years now, have toured and shared the stage with some true rock legends including, Lynyrd Skynryd, ZZ Top and Ozzy Osbourne and have now just released their fourth studio album Control.

To get an idea of what the band are all about, listen to the track Repeat and I dare you not to like them.

The Brew are: 

Jason Barwick - Guitar & Vocals

Kurtis Smith - Drums

Tim Smith - Bass & Vocals
Official website: www.the-brew.net Facebook: thebrewofficial Twitter : TheBrewUK

Elvenking UK Tour

Elvenking have been producing metal out of Italy since 1997 and have some what of a cult fan base in mainland Europe, which is more rapidly spreading to the UK. They have previously played at Metalfest and Bloodstock Festival where they performed with ex-Skyclad singer Martin Walkyier. This month they will once more join with Walkyier for 4 exclusive shows, entitled The Viking Funeral Tour.

These shows will be taking place in two different formats, one being Elvenking's set where they will play stuff from their Era album and possibly a few new tracks from the album they are currently recording and the second as the backing band for Walkyier as he performs his take on Skyclad material, which has appropriately been called Martin Walkyier Goes Skyclad.

“I consider this new album to be the closest to the original conceptual idea of the band we’ve yet done. When we founded Elvenking, our idea was to mix up strong epic and intense music with influences from folklore and with lyrics based on our personal idea of life and what we consider as a personal sort of paganism. Through the years, we moved steps away from our original path in search of new stimuli and ways to express ourselves as songwriters, but now we want to carve the name Elvenking firmly into our music and define exactly where the origins of our band are. We are really looking forward to these shows, because it will be really special to see how people react to Elvenking in the UK today…” - Aydan (guitars)

 

Iron Knights UK Tour & Free Download

It's about time there was some Iron Knights news! This month they will be on tour in the UK with their brand new line up to promote their new album which is due out around April this year.

I can't bring you information about the new album just yet, but watch this space and in the meantime why not listen to Destroyer? It's a stand alone track as it isn't featured on the album, and can be downloaded for free from their website! Everyone likes free stuff!

February/March Tour Dates:

21 Feb - The Unicorn, London

22 Feb - The Flying Shuttle, Bury

23 Feb - The Victoria Inn, Derby

26 Feb - The Head of Steam, Newcastle

27 Feb - The Venue, Dumfries

28 Feb - The Moorings Bar, Aberdeen

1 March - Bannermans, Edinburgh

2 March - Rock Zombie, Dudley

BlackWolf - New Album & Tour Dates

Initially this was going to be an 'Introducing' post, but BlackWolf don't quite fit the bill because they've already been gathering some epic momentum and touring with established names like Reckless Love, Jettblack and VooDoo Six. If you’re into classic and hard rock ‘n’ roll, or listen to bands like Airbourne, Western Sand, or even Mr Big, then BlackWolf may be for you. 

Formed 2012 in Bristol, BlackWolf are; Scott Sharp (vocals), Jason Cronin (rhythm guitar), John Greenhill (lead guitar), Ben Webb (bass) and Thomas Lennox-Brown (drums), and are a band to be watched in 2014. They call themselves “Soulful, Boot-Stompin', Blues-Fused, Hip-Swingin', Swagger-Laden Hard Rock'n'Roll” and they definitely live up to it. You’d be hard pushed, or not have a musical bone in your body, to stand still listening to them.

Above is a new video for the track Mr Maker off their first full length album, The Hunt. The album which was made with the help of fans and friends via PledgeMusic last year, is due to be released on March 2^nd which coincides nicely with them touring as The Answer’s special guests. 

I've been listening to the album myself recently and there are a few tracks which stand out to me, but of course these are just my opinions so you'll have to go get the album for yourself!

• House of Emerald Wine - This track in particular has some guitar solos, which made me wish I was able to jam along. (I'd probably need to learn to play in order to do that though!) 
• Black Hole Friend - To me, this is the catchy song, the one that gets stuck in your head and that's mostly down to the bass I think, as it really hooked me in and kept me listening.
• Sea of Mercy - Couldn't have picked a better track to end on, powerful finish to a hard hitting album.

For more information on the band, you can go to Facebook or their own website and maybe I will see some of you at their show in Southampton on March 10th. 

Volbeat/Trivium North American Tour + Tour Poster Comp!

Volbeat are returning to North America on April 3rd in support their most recent album, Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies and are taking Trivium with their album Vengence Falls as main support. You can find a list of the dates they are set to play below, starting in Denver Co and ending up on the East Coast in the second week of May.

There's additional exciting news as Volbeat and Trivium have teamed up to allow fans the chance to design the official tour poster for these upcoming shows. If you reckon advertising and design is your speciality then why not give it a go. For more details on how to enter and all of that pesky eligibility information, head on over to Creative Allies.

APRIL
01 Minneapolis, MN 93X Low Dough Show Series*
03 Denver, CO The Fillmore Auditorium
04 Mescalero, NM Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort
06 Anaheim, CA The Grove
08 Modesto, CA Modesto Centre Plaza
09 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Theatre
10 Medford, OR Medford Armory
11 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
12 Mesa, AZ KUPD UFest *
14 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
15 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
17 Fargo, ND The Venue
18 LaCrosse, WI LaCrosse Center
19 Clive, IA 7 Flags Event Center
21 Ft. Wayne, IN Piere’s
22 Cleveland, OH The Agora
23 Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
25 Tampa, FL WXTB 98 Rockfest*
26 Ft. Meyers, FL Fort Rock *
27 Jacksonville, FL Welcome To Rockville*
28 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
30 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE

MAY
01 Bethlehem, PA Sands Event Center
05 Niagara Falls, NY Rapids Theatre
06 Poughkeepsie, NY Mid Hudson Civic Center
08 Huntington, NY Paramount Theatre
09 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
16-18 Columbus, OH Rock On The Range*

All Dates w/ Volbeat & Digital Summer except*

Pretty Reckless add London show

Following on from my previous post on The Pretty Reckless, they have announced an extra one off London date, 24th March at the Electric Ballroom. Germany has two additional shows and Italy and Switzerland both have one. 

They have also released the track listing from the new album, Going to Hell which is due to hit stores on the 17th March. 

Tracklisting for GOING TO HELL:
1. Follow Me Down
2. Going to Hell
3. Heaven Knows
4. House on a Hill
5. Sweet Things
6. Dear Sister
7. Absolution
8. Blame Me
9. Burn
10. Why'd You Bring a Shotgun to the Party
11. Fucked Up World
12. Waiting for a Friend
 
Available on LTD Edition physical & Itunes Deluxe ONLY:
13. Going to Hell (Live Acoustic)
14. Sweet Things (Live)
 
*Itunes Deluxe will also have track ‘Only You’ available as an exclusive.
‘Going to Hell’ will also be available to pre-order from Amazon & Itunes.

Japan's Coldrain Announce Tour + New Single

Coldrain Are:
Singing & Screaming - Masato
Lead Guitars - Y.K.C
Rhythm Guitars & Vocals - Sugi
Bass & Vocals - RxYxO
Drums - Katsuma

Formed in 2007 in Nagoya, Japan Coldrain have been going from strength to strength. They have played festivals in their home country, provided soundtracks for video games, Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven and popular Anime/TV shows, and are about to go out on tour with Bullet For My Valentine to play their first shows outside of Asia. 

Before heading to mainland Europe to do that tour they will be doing a few UK gigs to show us what they've got. If you've never listened to Coldrain before, you can download their latest single Inside of Me for free from MusicGlue.

Coldrain in the UK:
Fri 31 Jan  Barfly, London 
Sat 1 Feb The Thekla, Bristol  
Sun 2 Feb Red Rooms, Nottingham
 

Butcher Babies Tour + New Single

On 17th February, the L.A based metal band Butcher Babies are releasing their new single Magnolia Blvd, taken from their debut album Goliath via Century Media. They were recently confirmed as main support for The Defiled on their UK tour and have now announced a string of headline dates, that will see them travel the length and breadth of mainland Europe. 

This band doesn't just have one frontwoman but two; Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd who are joined by guitarist Henry Flury (Amen), bassist Jason Klein (Azdachao) and drummer Chris Warner (Scars of Tomorrow). 

 If you've never listened to them before and want to get a feel for what they're about, go on over to the Mayhem festival website to watch the lyric video for I Smell A Massacre.

European Tour + The Defiled:
08.02. UK Nottingham, Rock City*
09.02. UK Newcastle, Academy 2*
10.02. UK Glasgow, King Tut’s*
11.02. UK Manchester, Academy 2*
12.02. UK Norwich, Waterfront*
13.02. UK Brighton, The Haunt*
14.02. UK London, Islington Academy*
15.02. UK Southampton, Talking Heads*
16.02. UK Bristol, Thekla*
17.02. UK Birmingham, Asylum*
18.02. UK Leeds, Cockpit*
21.02. ES Erandio, Sonora
22.02. ES Madrid, La Boite
23.02. ES Zaragoza, Sala Utopia
24.02. ES Barcelona, Rocksound
26.02. IT Romagnano Sesia, Novara, Rock’n Roll Arena
27.02. DE Munich, Backstage Club
28.02. DE Bochum, Matrix
01.03. NL Amsterdam, The Winston
* Supporting The Defiled

Dyscarnate - In The Face Of Armageddon - Official Video

UK death metal band Dyscarnate, have unveiled their video for In The Face Of Armageddon taken from the And So It Came To Pass album due for re-release on February 2nd. Following on from that on February 10th, their Enduring The Massacre album will be re-released on an international level as it sold out within a couple months when it was originally released back in 2012.

That isn't it though, Dyscarnate have also been announced as main support for Chimaira on their upcoming European/UK tour.

Lacuna Coil - New Album

I'm always happy to receive news about Lacuna Coil and today it was to announce that their new album Broken Crown Halo will be released on March 31st, April 1st if you're in the USA or Canada.

"What conflict could run so deep that it takes you to the deepest corners of your inner world? Today we are surrounded by a lot of lies, aliases, and people acting like they are wearing an invisible crown - but you better have thick skin if you want to wear this crown! ‘Broken Crown Halo' is a cinematic album that could be the soundtrack of our days - it is a dark vision of a near future when survival is second nature, and failure is not something to be avoided, but rather cultivated with lessons learned along the way.
  We set the bar pretty high with 'Dark Adrenaline' and it hasn't been easy bringing our sound to the next level, but we have lived, learned and grown through a year full of personal issues and changes. We learned to be strong and get stronger, and we felt an inner vibe in this band that we haven't felt before. We locked ourselves in an age-old studio in Milan, Italy, where history was strong and the past met with our future, vintage gear and the influence of classic Italian horror movies and bands like Goblin meeting the fresh and rough sounds of the modern world with unique and invigorating results. ‘Broken Crown Halo' is LACUNA COIL introducing a new order, and letting nothing stand in our way..."

This is the band's seventh album and is the follow up to Dark Adrenaline which was released back in 2012, the same year they had an incredible run of tour dates with numerous bands including Volbeat, Megadeth, Motorhead and Paradise Lost.

L-R: Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati, Marco "Maki" Coti-Zelati, Andrea Ferro, Cristina Scabbia,
Marco "Maus" Biazzi and Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore.

As far as dates this year go, they have been confirmed for Bloodstock here in the UK and will be on the road in North America as part of Revolver's Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock Tour. Not sure what the non female members think of this! Although they will be sharing the stage with Sick Puppies, so it's sure to be a kick ass show!

Circle Of Reason - Themes Amongst Thieves

Southampton based alternative quartet Circle of Reason have just released their new single, Themes Amongst Thieves, complete with hilarious music video. Usually I'm wary of anything supposedly 'hilarious' but I did laugh out loud at its bizarre content.

They say one of their influences is The Smashing Pumpkins and in this new single you can hear a resemblance, with possibly a hint of Third Eye Blind, however they are by no means attempting to imitate! This is a band for those of you who like variety, Circle of Reason don't just fit into a specific rock or metal category and this sets them apart from other unsigned bands at the moment.

They are about to go on tour with Inherit The Stars, and you can check them out at the following dates: 

If you want to know more about these lovely chaps, then why not head over to their facebook page.

Caliban Tour + New Video

German based metal band Caliban have announced the launch of Devil's Night, the first video from their fourthcoming album Ghost Empire. The album is due out on the 27th January and you can view the video here. In addition to this they will be doing a European tour in May this year with The Ghost Inside, The Devil Wears Prada and Breakdown of Insanity.

If like me you're in the UK and want to see them, panic not as they are performing at the ever popular Slam Dunk Festivals also held in May. Slam Dunk takes place in various locations around the UK and Caliban will be appearing at the Leeds, Hatfield and Wolverhampton dates.

The quintet are by no means new to the scene, they were established back in 1997 and have played at almost every  European festival out there. They've also had a fair amount of international success, including a North American tour, a tour in Japan with Killswitch Engage and a spot at Australia's Gigantour which saw them alongside Megadeth and Soulfly . If the latest album is anything to go by you can see the worldwide appeal, they can hold their own when it comes to riffs and growling vocals but manage to seamlessly merge into catchy choruses more akin to Arcane Fire than Arch Enemy, making them popular across multiple genres.

Ghost Empire Track List
1. King
2. Chaos - Creation
3. Wolves And Rats
4. nebeL (feat. BastiBasti / Callejon)
5. I Am Ghost
6. Devil’s Night
7. yOUR Song
8. Cries And Whispers
9. Good Man
10. I Am Rebellion
11. Who We Are
12. My Vertigo

Bonus track ltd. Edition + digital: 13. Falling Downwards (feat. Matthew Heafy / Trivium)
Bonus DVD ltd. Edition: On Tour With Caliban 2013 (104min.)
 

Voodoo Six UK Tour

Another show I'll be adding to my list this year. Following on from their successful release of Songs to invade Countries to, and their European tour supporting the mighty Iron Maiden, Voodoo Six have announced their own tour in March.

12 March - Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

13 March - Sound Control, Manchester

14 March - Audio, Glasgow

15 March - Buskers, Dundee

17 March - The Cluny, Newcastle

19 March - Warehouse 23, Wakefield

20 March - Rock City Basement, Nottingham

21 March - The Underworld, London

22 March - The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes

23 March - The Joiners, Southampton 

More dates are due to be announced as is the main support. 

INHERIT THE STARS Announce UK Tour

Sheffield's emerging alternative/metal-core outfit Inherit The Stars are excited to announce details of their debut tour in January 2014. Titled the Ground Zero tour, the band are set to bring their explosive sound to venues across the UK.

If you want to know more about the band then head on over to their facebook page or go listen to the track Ground Zero taken from their We Were Made To Walk The Skies album to give you a feel for the powerful riffs and anthemic choruses that they are becoming increasingly known for. 

 January's Ground Zero Tour Dates:

Sat 18th Jan - The Leadmill, Sheffield

Sun 19th Jan - Kraak Gallery, Manchester

Tues 21st Jan - Three Tuns, Gateshead

Thurs 23rd Jan - O'Reilly's, Hull

Fri 24th Jan - Lounge 41, Workington

Sat 25th Jan - Woolpack Live, Doncaster

Tues 28th Jan - BCB Radio (Live session), Bradford

Wed 29th Jan - Hennigans Bottombull, Bolton

Fri 31st Jan - Bank Top Tavern, Oldham

 

Turisas announce special guest.

Finnish Battle Metal heroes TURISAS are happy to announce their label mates STARKILL as special guest on the upcoming “We Ride Together European Tour 2014”. The young quartet hailing from Chicago has just finished a successful tour supporting Amorphis.

"Even if we spent much of fall 2013 on the road, we only managed to scratch the surface of Europe, and now it's time to give it a deeper blow - something of a flesh wound I would say. In many cities, and even some countries, these are going to be our very first full headlining shows and we are all super excited to hit the road with a set that really allows us to fully show what we go for and include all the variety of the band that isn't possible to squeeze in into shorter performances. Brothers and sisters of Europe: it's time to saddle up and join us. It's going to be a hell of a ride!" - Mathias Nygård (vocals)

"Europe, we're excited to announce we'll be returning for another full tour, this time supporting our brothers of the sword: TURISAS! We're honored to be touring with one of our favorite bands and influences, and can't wait to see you all again!" - Starkill
 

The Browning Announce Tour With Chelsea Grin

The Browning are: Jonny McBee - Vocals/Electronics, Collin Woroniak - Guitar, Drew Ellis - Bass and Cody Stewart - Drums.

****

The Browning are a metal/electronica outfit from Kansas City, MO with influences from all over the metal spectrum but mixed with dance and trance that you wouldn't expect from alternative bands.Their new album Hypernova which was recorded at Planet Red Studios, Virginia with Producer Andreas Magnusson (The Black Dahlia Murder, Impending Doom) is out at the moment and the video for the single Fifth Kind can be seen on YouTube here.

The band are currently on tour in Europe but will be coming back to the UK in March for a headline tour with Chelsea Grin, More Than A Thousand and Silent Screams. Tickets have gone on sale TODAY. You'll find me at the Southampton show on March 19th at Joiners, great small venue ideal for this type of music in my opinion. Pack it out people!

"Hi everyone, so excited to be heading out as direct support for our friends in Chelsea Grin.  We have toured with their singer and drummer in Hearts and Hands, and we can't wait to hit the road in Europe with them.  Come out to a show and hang out, it is sure to be a great time." - Collin Woroniak

Asking Alexandria return to UK for mammoth headline tour.

Asking Alexandria really don't need an introduction, they have just finished a UK tour with Bullet For My Valentine and no sooner have they stopped then they are announcing another tour. This will be their biggest domestic tour to date, and while their last headline tour sold out to around 15,000 people this tour will be to approximately double giving more fans the chance to get tickets. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 13th December.

Here's what Ben Bruce (guitarist) had to say about the announcement:

“We are coming home!!!! This October we will be doing our longest UK run of our careers. The BFMV tour was fucking awesome...BUT this October run is OUR run. A tour for us to share with our AA Family. A long set filled with songs from all three of our albums. Huge production, copious amounts of alcohol and rock n fucking roll every night! We can't wait to get back to the UK and see you all. Stay sexy Britain.”

Their latest album, From Death To Destiny came out earlier this year and has been doing exceptionally well. It debuted at number 5 in the US Billboard charts, made it into the top 20 in the UK charts and reached Number 1 in the UK Rock and Metal Charts.

  

Asking Alexandria 2014 Headline Tour

 

Wed 22 Oct            Norwich UEA            
Thu 23 Oct              Nottingham  Rock City   
Fri 24 Oct               Newcastle Academy 1    
Sun 26 Oct              Edinburgh Picture House
Mon 27 Oct            Glasgow Barrowland     
Tue 28 Oct              Belfast Ulster Hall          
Wed 29 Oct            Dublin Olympia            
Fri 31 Oct               Manchester  Academy 1 
Sat 01 Nov             Leeds Academy            
Sun 02 Nov            Cardiff Great Hall          
Tue 04 Nov            Bristol Academy 1       
Wed 05 Nov          Southampton Guildhall  
Thu 06 Nov           London Roundhouse      
Fri 07 Nov             Birmingham Academy 1

                                                Sun 09 Nov           Brighton Dome