LaZarus A.D. Forced To Drop Off 'Baptized In Beer' Tour

Kenosha, Wisconsin-based thrashers LaZarus A.D. have been forced to pull out of the final four dates on the "Baptized in Beer" tour with BISON B.C. "due to an accident." LaZarus A.D. says in a statement, "Unfortunately, Dan Gapen [guitar, vocals] broke his hand last night in Vegas and will not be able to play the remaining shows. We apologize and look forward to seeing you all on the next tour."

Affected dates:

Jul. 30 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
Jul. 31 - San Jose, CA @ Voodoo Lounge
Aug. 01 - Portland, OR @ Ash St Saloon
Aug. 02 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

Skeletonwitch Unveils New Album, "Breathing the Fire," Cover Art

Athens, Ohio’s SKELETONWITCH has unveiled the cover art of their new full length, "Breathing the Fire," due out October 13th on Prosthetic Records. The cover is designed by Andrei Bouzikov, who has previously worked with Municipal Waste. It is viewable at the end of this post.

Scott Hedrick, the band's guitarist, commented on the cover, “The art really sums up the new album and what drew me to heavy metal in the first place: it’s brutal, evil, and in a sadistic way, it’s fucking fun! Breathing the Fire is meaner, faster, and far more sickening than Beyond the Permafrost, and the art reflects that. We went for the jugular, and so does Andrei’s art. He did an amazing job. It’s fucking killer when the artist and band share a similar approach: organic. Blood and sweat, ink and paint, tubes in amps, and non-triggered drums. A set of balls. Not gym shorts, sterile computer generated art, effects pedals and redundant arpeggios."

The band will be touring with Black Dahlia Murder in support of Children of Bodom in September and October. The tour dates are as follows:

September 18 - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI
September 19 - Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
September 20 - Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY
September 22 - Theatre Capitole, Quebec City, QC
September 23 - Metropolis, Montreal, QC
September 25 - Elements Night Club, Kitchener, ON
September 26 - Sound Academy, Toronto, ON
September 27 - House of Blues, Chicago, IL
September 28 - Epic, Minneapolis, MN
September 30 - The Garrick Centre, Winnipeg, MB
October 01 - Odeon Events Centre, Saskatoon, SK
October 02 - MacEwan Hall Ballroom, Calgary, AB
October 03 - Edmonton Events Centre, Edmonton, AB
October 05 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
October 06 - Showbox at the Market, Seattle, WA
October 07 - Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
October 09 - Regency Center @ The Grand, San Francisco, CA
October 10 - The Glass House, Pomona, CA
October 12 - Marquee Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

Anger As Art Issues Studio Update

LA thrashers, Anger As Art, is currently in the studio recording their new album, entitled "Disfigure." The band has issued the following update on the progress:

"The sessions with John Haddad at Trench have really exceeded my expectations thus far. I had worked with John about 5 years ago on a project that never was completed... nothing that was his or my fault. Others involved, not really important. But to get the tones we have, the performances we have, and to really capture band energy while multi-tracking... it is amazing.
Rob came in and just blasted his tracks out - most in one take. I started guitar tracks on Tuesday, finishing Wednesday morning. Then Dan came in on Wednesday - we were so far ahead, we took Thursday off. Danny finished his tracks Friday, then Angelo did bass tracks and finsihed on Friday. There was no effort to rush anything - it just flowed that way. Not that money or budget is an issue (yet, LOL) but we are easily a week ahead of schedule. I will go in on Monday or Tuesday and start doing vocal tracks - then Danny do his vocals, then guitar solos, then one more day to recruit a gang choir to do the group background vocals on a few songs like Seed Of Hate, The Crush, Disfigure... a couple of others. Doubtful that we will complete the recording by next weekend, but we will be very damn close. No doubt we will be done by Labor day with everything!"

"I can tell you something - when you fight an uphill battle to achieve your goals, specifically when recording music you wrote... if you can harness that emotion and channel it into what you are doing, you will win. This recording as it stands right now (with no vocals or guitar solos) is more alive sounding than Callous And Furor, and I love Callous. But- there was a struggle to do this one. A positive struggle - a fight for what you believe, other than a fight to have others understand. These songs have existed since before any of these 3 guys joined the band, and in rehearsals I was just liking them, but wasn't feeling it! Now with Angelo, Rob, and Danny you cannot help but feel these songs. Same arrangements in most cases, but the vibe is amazing. I have always said that I will go however far I needed to go to find the right studio - whether it was down the hall from my rehearsal room, the mountains in Malibu, or in the inland empire. Some guys flat refused to drive east of the 57 Freeway (what was the quote? 'Geez, just say it Steve'. Well, I just said it). It was and is totally worth it!"

Gama Bomb at Hellfest

Irish thrashers GAMA BOMB recently played at the notorious Hellfest in France as part of their Summer festival run, with cameras there to capture the performance.

GAMA BOMB vocalist PHILLY BYRNE comments, "Hellfest was probably the most fun I've ever had at a festival or show, seriously. The gig was 20 times bigger and better than I'd hoped, and I spent the rest of the day sitting in the sun drinking. They had this beer called Wolf Balls, and they gave us a bottle of Jack Daniel's, and this other stuff that tasted like the water in a toothbrush mug. We drank it anyway. At one point the guy from Papa Roach was at the bar beside me. I couldn't stop laughing."

Check out video footage of GAMA BOMB's performance at Hellfest: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

Catch GAMA BOMB live at the following festivals this year:

08 Aug 2009 - Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Festival
28 Aug 2009 - Belfast, Ireland - Warzone Fest
21 Nov 2009 - Hamme, Belgium - Hammerfest
28 Nov 2009 - Giessen, Germany - Thrash Inferno Festival

D.R.I. To Return To Stage In Fall

Not necessarily to do with modern thrash, but awesome nonetheless. Hardcore/metal crossover pioneers D.R.I. are currently scheduling rehearsals and gearing up to play shows again starting in the fall. The band says, "We expect to start playing on weekends, then week-long mini-tours, and eventually being able to tour again spring or summer 2010."

In early 2006, Spike Cassidy, guitarist and founding member of D.R.I., was diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent surgery (a one-foot section of large intestine was removed through an eight-inch incision in his stomach on March 27, 2006), radiation and chemotherapy and is said to be winning the battle against the disease.

For the past 27 years, D.R.I. has been the epitome of the aggressive, hardcore-punk thrash sound that we've all become accustomed to hearing. Throughout this time, they've been one of the few genuine underground bands to remain true to their pure punk roots. Still actively touring and recording, the only thing that may have changed is that they're a little older now, but time hasn't gotten the best of the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. They're still thrashing just as hard, and just as loud as ever, continuing to overload our senses with the sound that is, and will always remain, uniquely D.R.I.

Havok announces North American tour

Colorado thrash metallers Havok have announced a North American tour to support their brand new debut album, entitled Burn. Incredibly talented band with a GREAT first album, I urge anyone in the cities listed below to attend!

Havok @ MySpace!

7.27.09 *** "Burn" in stores - EUROPE ***
8.06.09 3 Kings Tavern w/ Saviours (21+) Denver, CO
7.07.09 The Compound w/ Dread, Tedbrudos, Vetalas Albuquerque, NM
8.19.09 Sandrini’s w/ Mobius Dick (21+) Bakersfield, CA
8.20.09 The Bunkhouse (21+) Las Vegas, NV
8.21.09 UB’s Bar w/ PinHed (members of Divine Heresy, Mushroomhead) Mesa, AZ
8.22.09 Vaudeville w/ The Besmirchers, Limbless Torso, Chainsaw Justice Tucson, AZ
8.24.09 FREE SHOW @ Music Trader w/ Nihilist San Diego, CA
8.25.09 Royal Dive (21+) w/ Nihilist Oceanside, CA
8.26.09 Pharoah’s Den w/ Witchaven, Nihilist, Kombat Riverside, CA
8.27.09 Pizza Factory w/ Witchaven, Nihilist, Kranial Damage Modesto, CA
8.28.09 Four Eighteen Project w/ Witchaven, Nihilist Santa Cruz, CA
8.29.09 Kennel Club w/ Psychosomatic, Cheapskate Sacramento, CA
9.04.09 Thee Parkside w/ Hatchet San Francisco, CA
9.05.09 Musichead w/ Hatchet Medford, OR
9.06.09 Satyricon w/ Hatchet Portland, OR
9.07.09 Charlie’s Bar & Grill w/ Hatchet Olympia, WA
9.08.09 Bit Saloon w/ Hatchet Seattle, WA
9.09.09 Gusto Bar w/ Hatchet Boise, ID
9.10.09 Club Vegas w. Hatchet SLC, UT
9.11.09 Marquis Theater w/ Hatchet Denver, CO
9.12.09 TBA w/ Hatchet Omaha, NE
9.14.09 Memory Lanes w/ Hatchet Minneapolis, MN
9.15.09 TBA w/ Hatchet Milwaukee, WI
9.16.09 Jordan Music w/ Hatchet Kenosha, WI
9.17.09 Beat Kitchen w/ Hatchet Chicago, IL
9.20.09 Waterfront Tavern w/ Hatchet Holyoke, MA
9.21.09 The Meatlocker w/ Hatchet Montclair, NJ
9.23.09 The Charleston w/ Hatchet Brooklyn, NY
9.25.09 Millcreek Tavern w/ Hatchet Philadelphia, PA
9.26.09 The Tavernackle w/ Hatchet Blacksburg, VA
9.27.09 Volume 11 Tavern w/ Hatchet Raleigh, NC
9.29.09 Joey G’s w/ Hatchet Madison, IN
9.30.09 Bulldog Café w/ Hatchet Louisville, KY
10.01.09 TBA w/ Hatchet St. Louis, MO
10.02.09 Riot Room w/ Hatchet Kansas City, MO
10.03.09 Bora Bora w/ Hatchet OKC, OK
10.04.09 HELP US BOOK! Dallas/Ft. Worth TX
10.05.09 Stafford Main Street w/ Hatchet Bryan, TX
10.06.09 TBA w/ Hatchet Austin, TX
10.07.09 The Ten Eleven w/ Hatchet San Antonio, TX
10.08.09 Chics w/ Hatchet El Paso, TX
10.09.09 UB’s Bar w/ Hatchet Mesa, AZ
10.10.09 Vaudeville w/ Hatchet Tucson, AZ

Band of the Week #2 - Bonded By Blood

Rising out of Pomona, in the Los Angeles, Ca. outer suburbs, Bonded by Blood have rapidly emerged as one of the youngest (average age just 18) and arguably one of most proficient of the New Thrash wave of acts pouring out of that city in recent times. Formed in the summer of 2005 by a 17 year old hardcore-punk-thrash driven vocalist (Aladdin), he soon teamed up with like-minded young guitar shredders (Alex Lee and Juan Juarez), then found a drummer influenced by more classic metal (Carlos Cervesa), and finally added a bassist who was more than a little “out there ” (RuDo) to round out the line-up.

Although partly influenced by different styles of music, they all met through a love of one genre: THRASH METAL.

The band’s prowess was noticed when they won first place in the TNT productions battle of the bands at Riverside, which included over 250 bands. That was no mean feat in a notoriously competitive LA scene- but as a young band starting at the bottom of the food chain, Bonded By Blood knew a solid practise regime was required to hone their razor sharp riffs with one single purpose- to become a respected LA thrash metal band

2 decades on from the origination of the genre, the big 4 have since become part of the regular metal mainsteam, leaving legions of fans starved of the Old-school thrash vibes. Bonded By Blood aim to change all that - and hence lead the pack of bands playing old-school Thrash but with an added energy, fun and youthful vigour, with a modern twist all of their own making. Bonded By Blood are no mere 80’s rehash.

After playing a countless number of shows in a short amount of time, BBB began to gather genuine momentum, rapidly amassing a rabid LA fan base, helping the band to play their part in putting the LA New Thrash Wave on the map as undoubtedly one of the most exciting, fast-rising scenes currently in metal. Word spread, and they soon shared the stage with Testament, Flotsam and Jetsam, Sadus, and recently got to play main support to their heroes - Exodus.

Recording-wise, 2006 saw the release of their first demo, ‘Four Pints of Blood’, which finally showed what Bonded by Blood was all about. BBB got attention from many more fans after promoting that release. August 2007 saw BBB’s ‘Extinguish the Weak’ self-released EP hit the web and the streets, resulting in instant acclaim from the awaiting hordes of thrash fanatics, and label interest was swift to follow, as the spotlight had by then begun to shine on the burgeoning LA Thrash scene.

Weeks before the EP was released however, Bonded by Blood had received an offer from the label which is doing the most to put the new Thrash wave of acts on the global map- Earache Records. So, naturally, in September of 2007, Bonded by Blood and Earache inked for a long-term worldwide recording deal.

Feed The Beast is the first full-length released by Bonded By Blood on May 12, 2008. The artwork for the album was created by Tom Martin of Lich King fame.


Bonded By Blood @ MySpace

Bonded By Blood - Immortal Life