The track starts slow, letting the blues simmer before it builds with real purpose, eventually peaking with those guitar solos that remind you exactly why this guy is a Gibson global ambassador. It’s a proper rock ‘n’ roll track, one for whacking on a Sunday and just vibing out to.

Written and recorded in Nashville with producer Roger Alan Nichols (Larkin Poe, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Hayley Williams), ‘Killing Time’ finds Nichols channelling stripped back emotion through blues driven hard rock. The video was shot in the basement of Halestorm Manor, the home of Halestorm‘s Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger, which gives the whole thing a fittingly raw, lived in feel.

“‘Killing Time’ is not being able to cut the loss of a relationship when you know you have to move on,” Nichols explains. “It’s about walking a lonely path while hanging onto hope, even when all is lost. Writing this song was a personal reminder that it is OK to close chapters and move on to new beginnings.”

Louder Than Fate was produced and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour, Amon Amarth, Skindred, Steel Panther) with additional production from Roger Alan Nichols. Several songs were recorded at the Foo Fighters‘ Studio 606 in Los Angeles.

“What’s cool with this record is this is the first time I ever took my time as a songwriter,” Nichols says. “Every record has another shade, it’s been like cutting a little deeper into the fruit.”

Now a decade into a career that’s seen him share stages and jam with the likes of Zakk Wylde, Slash and Joe Perry, Nichols heads to London for an album release party at The Lexington on June 6th. If these singles are anything to go by, Louder Than Fate could well be the record that takes him to the next level.

‘Killing Time’ is out now. Louder Than Fate is released June 5th via Frontiers Music Srl.

Louder Than Fate Track List:

1. Let’s Go
2. Ghost
3. Way Back
4. Bending Or Breaking
5. Killing Time *
6. Dust N’ Bones
7. Show Me *
8. Looks Like That Felt Good *
9. Runnin’ Hot
10. Pretend

Produced & Mixed by Jay Ruston Except * Produced & Mixed by Roger Alan Nichols

The post Jared James Nichols Shares New Single ‘Killing Time’ appeared first on RAMzine.

The track opens with something almost theatrical, a powerhouse introduction that builds with sweeping intensity before detonating into absolute fury. Fast-paced, headbanging madness takes hold. Then comes the melody, cutting through the chaos. There’s so much happening here that repeat listens reveal new layers. You should definitely analyse this one for yourself because there’s plenty to discover.

This is the final preview from Love Is Not Enough, arriving 13th February via Epitaph/Deathwish, and if it represents the album’s closing hurricane as the band suggests, then we’re in for something special. Vocalist Jacob Bannon, guitarist Kurt Ballou, bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller have been refining their craft for over three decades, and this record sounds like everything they’ve learned distilled into something razor sharp.

Bannon’s words carry particular weight this time. He wrote the lyrics in a funeral home car park, reflecting on loss and asking uncomfortable questions about how we treat each other. “Why do we gather to mourn but not to cherish?” he poses. “Grief brings clarity. We all must do better.” It’s raw, honest, and cuts deeper than any breakdown could.

Recorded at God City in Salem, Massachusetts with Ballou at the helm and Zach Weeks assisting, the production captures that balance of vitality and viciousness the band have always chased. Bannon handled the artwork too, creating visuals for each track and a striking cover depicting a celestial witness to a world on fire.

For a band who gave us Jane Doe back in 2001 and continued pushing boundaries with their 2021 Bloodmoon: I collaboration, Converge remain essential.

UK fans can catch them at Outbreak Festival in Manchester on 27th June, with European dates including Jera on Air (25th June), Superbowl Of Hardcore in Rennes (26th June), Obscene Extreme Festival in Czech Republic (1st July), and Resurrection Fest in Spain (4th July).

Love Is Not Enough is available for pre-order now.

The post Converge Drop Epic New Single ‘We Were Never The Same’ appeared first on RAMzine.

This 15th anniversary version features revised vocals from Momometal, and her growls are absolute fire. Momo’s addition brings a ferocity that breathes new life into a beloved classic, proving she’s more than earned her place in the Fox God’s ranks.

The accompanying visual carries extra weight for longtime fans. It serves as an homage to Mikio Fujioka, the legendary Kami Band guitarist who passed away on January 5th, 2018. His return as a ghost in the video is a touching tribute that reminds us why this band means so much to so many.

And can we talk about Su-metal’s Matrix-style jacket? Absolutely badass. Where can I buy one!?

A limited edition CD will be available at their Saitama Super Arena shows on January 10th and 11th. Meanwhile, their latest album METAL FORTH continues smashing records, debuting at number one on Japan’s Oricon Rock Chart and cracking the top ten in Germany (their best performance there yet).

The record features an impressive roster of collaborations including Spiritbox, Electric Callboy, Polyphia, Tom Morello, Bloodywood, Slaughter to Prevail, and Poppy. Standout singles ‘RATATATA’, ‘Kon! Kon!’, and ‘from me to u’ showcase just how far BABYMETAL have pushed their sound.

Now we just hope the girls give us updated videos for ‘Karate’ and ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’.

BABYMETAL hit the road in 2026 with Australian dates in March, followed by a massive European festival run including Download Festival, Rock Am Ring, and Graspop, before joining The Black Parade Stadium Tour in San Diego.

The post BABYMETAL Honour Mikio Fujioka in Anniversary Video ‘Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!’ appeared first on RAMzine.

Sally Cato started as a singer in the art rock band The Concordes, while guitarist Bart Lewis did a brief stint with Canada’s most dangerous band, The Viletones, before departing for NYC. Soon after relocating to Gotham, the pair met songwriter Tommy Boyce, who (along with his partner Mickey Hart) had coined most of The Monkees’ songs. Under Boyce’s guidance, the group began rehearsing at a well-known studio in midtown Manhattan.

With Matt Stellutto on drums and bass player, Ken Fox (Toronto’s Raving Mojos, Jason And The Scorchers, The Fleshtones), Smashed Gladys played venues in and around the NYC area, during which time they met Gene Simmons of KISS fame, who offered them a production/management deal.

With the addition of Hilly Micheals, drummer from Ian Hunter’s band, Smashed Gladys went into the studio and recorded close to an album’s worth of material produced by Simmons. He captured the personality and raw grittiness of the band perfectly and by the end of 1984, the band were in the UK recording their first album, Smashed Gladys, with Mark Dearnley as producer.

Smashed Gladys returned to the states and began touring and doing opening slots with The Dead Boys, Van Zant, Nazareth, Ace Frehley, Cheap Trick, Poison, Rick Derringer, Blue Oyster Cult, Krocus and others. It was during this feverish period that they established their infamous Wednesday night series at The Cat Club. The night became a launching pad for several bands, and grew to become a showcase venue, late night hang, and playing party stage for artists such as David Bowie, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger and several others.

Selling out venues in Manhattan and the surrounding tri-state area, Smashed Gladys caught the attention of Elektra Records A&R rep Michael Alago. In 1986 they were signed by Elektra VP, Howard Thompson.

The band played a signing gig to a packed house at one of the first venues they played in NYC – CBGB’s. Elektra picked up the rights to the first record and then sent the band into the studio to work on their next record, Social Intercourse, recorded in NYC with Rick Browdie and in L.A with Michael Wagner doing additional tracking and mixing.

While making the record, they met the artist working in the adjacent studio, Ozzy Osbourne, who made a guest background vocal appearance on the song ‘Cast of Nasties’. Osbourne had warned the band that some of the titles and subject matter on the record might get them in trouble in certain markets and banned altogether from retailers such as Walmart. He was right, and touring in certain Midwestern states became dangerous at times forcing the band to bring along new members … Mr Smith & Wesson!

While making demos for their third record, Smashed Gladys received offers from producers John Paul Jones and Mick Ronson. They went with Ronson and began pre-production, but he fell ill. The band was then picked up by Teddy Slatus, Johnny Winter’s manager and label.  Tragically, Smashed Gladys’ third bass player, Mark Sliker, then died from a drug overdose. Following all these trials and tribulations, Sally Cato left the music business and returned to being a graphic artist, then on May 19th 2020 she passed away.

With the intention of honouring Cato, Golden Robot Records will be releasing the album Raw, a collection of some of the works that were initially the demos for the third record. These have been remixed by the band’s first producer, Mark Dearnley, whose wide ranging credits stretch from AC/DC to Paul McCartney. The album will be rounded out with an additional four songs from the Gene Simmons sessions.

Prior to the album’s release, a series of singles are being released. First off was ‘Bump In The Night’ – A classic 12-bar boogie rock ‘n’ roll song with a twist on the horror movie trope in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the song, singer Cato is looking for a partner to celebrate the bumps in the night, and the guitar driven band is there for the party.

That was followed by ‘Go To Hell‘ back in May. “If you don’t know how to save your soul, you better learn to rock n roll” preaches singer Sally Cato in this high energy boogie number about making it in the Big Apple. Every artist has a love/hate relationship with New York City, and you can feel the fun as Smashed Gladys paints a musical picture of the dark side of Gotham with a stroke of humour. 

You can order previous singles ‘Go To Hell’ here and ‘Bump in the Night’ here., and new single ‘Never Take No‘ here.

The post Smashed Gladys… Never Take No! appeared first on RAMzine.

Fence was nominated for Australian Women In Music’s Best Emerging Female Development Artist of 2019.  She has accumulated eight Gold Coast Music Award nominations (having won two), was named as finalist at the 2019 Carol Lloyd Award and  collectively has near 3 million streams of her music on Spotify.

There’s an intellectual scrutiny in Fence’s music but it’s neither condescending or overtly highbrow, it’s all accessible as music listeners internationally will find out through No Thank You, a five track EP due 26^th March through Golden Robot Records.

Tracks featured are ‘Hurricane’, ‘More To Life’, ‘This Was Supposed To Be My Freedom’, ‘Move to Slow’ and ‘Known Better’.

You can order No Thank You here.

Dropping alongside the EP is the music video for focus track, ‘More to Life‘. Manifested during the covid lockdown, the song is a musical examination of society’s addiction, that despite best intentions there’s still a culture that demands people mask over emotional battles with a smile.

“It’s a song that documents that sometimes we have to wear multiple faces to adapt and cope with life. We live in a world whereby you have to be constantly “on”, forever pressured to be the most fantastic version of yourself, all day, every day,” said Fence. “It’s exhausting and unrealistic.”

‘More To Life‘ is intended to acknowledge the facades we all have to wear, the painted on smile that camouflages pain. It doesn’t encourage anyone to dwell on feeling low, though, and it isn’t about wallowing or being defeated. Its narrative underpins a summoning of personal strength, a strength that motivates you to vanquish troubled times. The song offers a realistic perspective that we can’t constantly seize the day.

The song’s video clip highlights a clowns lot in life. As Fence explained: “The  clown’s always expected to be upbeat, entertaining and forever smiling, bringing joy to the world. The frenetic Big Top, ring master, high wire tight ropes and roller coasters is, I believe, the perfect imagery, that symbolises life’s sometimes chaotic wild ride.”

Heavily atmospheric, emotional and intense, it celebrates life’s wonderful moments, while appreciating human beings can fall into a wounded state and need time to rejuvenate, before once again taking on the world.

The post Ella Fence appeared first on RAMzine.

Her admirers, though saddened, can take heart in how excited she was regarding what will now be the posthumous release of a collaboration with singer/multi-instrumentalist David Longdon of Big Big Train, on an album titled Between A Breath And A Breath that will now be released on 25^th September. 

Going out under their surnames, as Dyble Longon, the record will be released on English Electric, and distributed by RSK, with the gatefold vinyl edition released on the Plane Groovy label.

Withdrawing from the music scene in the early 1970s, to concentrate on her family she was invited back to the Fairport fold in 1997 for the 30^th anniversary reunion at The Cropredy Festival. To her great relief, her worries, ahead of the event, disappeared as “suddenly the years fell away”. Further Fairport Convention anniversary appearances took place and reassured her and showed that her passion for music had remained through the years and she would go on to make three albums with Marc Swordfish, of Astralasia, as she began a revival of her solo career.

This had included numerous guest appearances on albums by a host of artists including, in 2017, Big Big Train, with Dyble forming a close working relationship with Longdon.

David Longdon is best known as the vocalist for multiple award-winning progressive rock band Big Big Train, whom he joined in 2009. Since then he has recorded six studio albums with the band, including 2019’s Grand Tour, and has fronted the band for a series of acclaimed live shows in the UK and Germany.

Prior to joining Big Big Train, Longdon pursued a variety of musical avenues. These included leading Nottingham based band The Gifthorse, playing within Louis Philippe’s band alongside future Big Big Train member Danny Manners, reaching the final two in the auditions to replace Phil Collins in Genesis and performing on The Old Road, 2008’s farewell album by former IQ keyboardist Martin Orford, that brought him to the attention of Big Big Train. An accomplished producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger, Longdon has also previously released a solo album, 2004’s Wild River.

The collaboration that is Between A Breath And A Breath contains seven original compositions with lyrics by Dyble and music and production by Longdon. The songs are, said to be: “At times, haunting and, at others, beautifully fragile.”

The collaboration is something Dyble has hoped for, for some time. “I first heard David sing with Big Big Train at King’s Place in London 2015 and immediately decided that I really wanted to sing with him someday. And here we are with a collaborative album, which I think is wonderful!” she had said.

Prior to her death, Longdon had said: “Judy asked if I would like to work with her. She sent me some great lyrics which inspired the music and over the years we’ve become good friends. Judy duetted with me on ‘The Ivy Gate’, which appears on Big Big Train’s Grimspound album. The Dyble Longdon album is a natural development on from this piece.”

Dyble, who was then fighting a serious illness, expanded on the subject matter of the songs: “The lyrics for these songs virtually wrote themselves, with minor tweaks, as music grew around them. All were written before I was diagnosed and before the dreadful virus stamped its footprint on our world.

“Quite a few of my lyrics have a touch of sadness about them but always with an optimism for the future and a desire to know what happens next. ‘France’, ‘Whisper’ and ‘Obedience’ tell stories suggested in conversations and ‘Between A Breath And A Breath’ is sheer magic. ‘Astrologers’ was a simple ‘Hmmpph! Stop it!, while ‘Heartwashing’ and ‘Tidying Away’ were just poems which wrote themselves.”

Alongside Judy Dyble on vocals and autoharp and David Longdon on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, piano and keyboards, musicians featured on Between A Breath And A Breath are Jeff Davenport (Jade Warrior, drums), Longdon’s Big Big Train bandmates Danny Manners (double bass), Rikard Sjöblom (accordion), Rachel Hall (violin), Greg Spawton (bass guitar and Moog Taurus pedals) and Nick D’Virgilio (drums), plus Dave Gregory (ex-Big Big Train and XTC, guitar), Andy Lewis (Paul Weller, bass guitar), Luca Calabrese (Isildurs Bane, trumpet), Dave Sturt (Gong and Steve Hillage, fretless bass).

The album was recorded at Real World Studios in Wiltshire and Playpen Studios in Bristol, and mixed by Patrick Phillips (Elbow, Kate Bush and Sir Paul McCartney), with album artwork by Sarah Ewing.

Between A Breath And A Breath can be pre-ordered by clicking here.

The post Between A Breath And A Breath – Dyble & Longdon appeared first on RAMzine.

Acclaimed American guitarist Geoff Tyson, former member of T-Ride and Joe Satriani student, whose music has been featured on film and TV alike, will release his first instrumental guitar album Drinks With Infinity on Friday 31^st July.

The album finds Tyson returning to his guitar-hero roots with a cutting-edge album with sounds ranging from blistering rhythm and solo performances, to production vibes that range from heavy rock, to 1980s Brit-pop.

Drinks With Infinity will be available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download. It will be distributed by Cargo Records. You can pre-order the hard editions by clicking here and pre-save and stream on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and Google Play here.

He has already released a video of the track ‘Six Weeks Of Tina’ that you can watch right here at RAmzine.

Born in Berkeley, California, at the age of 13, back in 1983, Tyson studied with no less than Joe Satriani, and is the only person other than Steve Vai who Satriani has said “Graduated’ from his lessons.

“Guitar was my first love,” Tyson reflected. “I first met Joe Satriani when I was 13 and he helped to develop my passion for playing guitar. I soon became one of his favourite students, alongside Alex Skolnick, Steve Vai, Kirk Hammet and Charlie Hunter.

“Satriani and I met weekly for about 2 ½ years, and he became my mentor and inspiration, always challenging me to do something unique and personal. It’s a lesson I have applied to all aspects of my musical endeavours.”  

He also refined his skills jamming with high school buddies, the likes of which being the aforementioned Skolnick, Hunter and Redmond, as well as Jude Gold and Third Eye Blind’s Kevin Cadogan.

As a member of the San Francisco based heavy metal band T-Ride, Tyson toured the world supporting the likes of Ugly Kidd Joe, Joe Satriani, White Zombie, Tora Tora and Asphalt Ballet. And, although they only released one album (T-Ride on Hollywood Records) their videos appeared on MTV, and their music featured in various movies, television shows and their soundtrack albums including Encino Man, Captain Ron and Baywatch.

He would go on to appear on Snake River Conspiracy’s debut album in 1999 and tour with Monster Magnet and Queens of the Stone Age, among others. In 2003, he formed Stimulator with singer Susan Hyatt, signing to Universal Records in 2005 and with that their music appearing in the Disney  film Ella Enchanted and  MTV’s The Real World alongside touring supporting the likes of Duran Duran and The Go-Go’s.

“Over time, as popular music trends changed, I evolved into a singer-songwriter, recording engineer, producer, and recording studio entrepreneur,” said Tyson, further noting the reason he’s now decided to bring out this new album.

“After much encouragement from Satriani and fans, I decided to finally do this instrumental guitar album. Guitar music has changed over the years, so I did a lot of internet research. Wow, there is so much talent in the world today! I knew I had to create something that encompassed my experience and skills.”

Discussing the technicalities, he said: “For my main instrument, I experimented with a variety of guitar brands, pickups, necks, and wood types. I eventually chose something that was definitely not a shredder guitar, but rather a hybrid that was a bit difficult to play. You can hear me struggling with the instrument on the recordings which I feel gives it a feeling of intensity. The rediscovery of the instrument was cathartic, and a big part of the artistic process.”

“I partnered with the great Czech drummer Eduard Štěpánek (Dymytry, Abraxas) and recorded it at home and at various Prague recording studios. Recording and producing it on my own gave me the freedom to experiment and get really wild with things.”

Check out the video and if you like what you hear get hold of Geoff Tyson’s Drinks With Infinity.

The post Geoff Tyson Drinks With Infinity appeared first on RAMzine.

Check out the video below:

Gossow had this to say about the collaboration:
“It was thrilling to join AMARANTHE for a more extreme track and shooting a cutting edge video for it! This is no cozy studio performance, but real ice cold winds, sewages, cadavers and pouring rain – the reality we live in, the devastating legacy we leave to our future generations. Time to wake up, turn – and bang – some heads! Watch out for these guys and killer lady, they are going to crush you this year with a new album and some heavy touring!!!”

This follows the great news that Amaranthe are now signed to Nuclear Blast.

Amaranthe are currently touring Europe with Sabaton and Apocalyptica and then moving on to North America with Battle Beast and Seven Spires.

Check out our interview with Amaranthe vocalist Elize Ryd here.

The post Amaranthe and Angela Gossow team up on new track ‘Do Or Die’ appeared first on RAMzine.

Vocalist Mark “Barney“ Greenway checked in with the following comment about the clip:

“Videos I find one of the trickiest mediums to make vibrant and impactful. Costin, the producer though, had a lot of stuff from our Roadburn Festival presentation which seemed to fit the music quite nicely and reflect the song’s subject matter about the utter despair of a colourless life and desire of more conservative forces for a homogenous world according to gender, sexuality, human habits and, well, generally everything. No thanks!”

Two singles were previously launched in anticipation of the release of ‘Coded Smears And More Uncommon Slurs’, ‘Call That An Option?’ and ‘Oh So Pseudo’ you can find the links to those and the brand new video for “STANDARDIZATION” below.

The post Video Of The Week: Napalm Death unleash ‘Standardization’ appeared first on RAMzine.

This is the next single from In This Moment’s album Ritual and can be seen below:

The video features Rob Halford, Maria Brink and members of ITM performing a gothic style wedding ceremony.

Ritual is out now via Atlantic Records. Click here for our review of the album. 

In This Moment are playing the main stage at Download Festival on Sunday 10th of June. Expect RAMzine to bring you all the news on the festival.

Rob Halford is also a busy boy as Judas Priest are headlining Bloodstock Festival on Friday August 10th.

The post Video Of The Week: In This Moment and Rob Halford unite for ‘Black Wedding’ appeared first on RAMzine.