June 2015
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Aiden frontman WiL Francis or known as his solo project trademark William Control posted the following apology letter message to former Aiden members and regards to the band's future on his William Control Facebook page. It reads as follows;


"Standing on the grimy corner of enthusiasm and optimism waiting for my taxi to pull up and it’s raining but somehow I know I’m in the right place at the right time.

A dear friend once told me.

This life is filled with fantastic peaks of grandeur and then when you’re having the time of your life you will fall down into a valley of despair, uncertain if you can make the connection again to the heavens above us.

If only I could tell him now how disastrously on point that sentiment is. I suppose it’s like that for many people in this life, especially for those who enter a work force that is highly competitive and as unreliable as the music industry. Hard work does pay off… but sometimes it backfires. Sometimes you stick a metal plate into the microwave, turn it on and walk away. Sometimes your house burns down. Yet as a species, tribal in nature, with tenacity engrained into our DNA, survival in our blood, we are able to pick ourselves up, rebuild our house and carry on with a courage we have never felt before.

This is an open letter to the former members of my band Aiden. I know you’re busy with your lives and your families and your jobs but I want you all to know how truly grateful I am that you came into my life. Through my adolescence and early twenties all I wanted to do was make music with a band and travel the world playing shows. I met you when I was twenty-one and we began the process of writing punk rock songs that mattered to us. It was shaky in the beginning with Jake D and Angel still in high school, but somehow we managed to write and practice and actually play a decent amount of shows.

I remember the moment that I knew this band was going to work. We were playing a place called Club Adrian, you remember that weird kid that use to put on shows in the south end? It was when we brought Nick on stage to play bass for World by Storm at the end of the set. He came up, I threw him the bass and grabbed the mic, everyone in the crowd was singing along. It’s in our heads, it’s in our hearts, the world by storm. From that moment on I knew we had something special. Drawing inspiration from the solidarity of Strike Anywhere, riffs like early Death by stereo and sing-alongs like the Unraveling by Rise Against. The early influence is all there.

We created our own little horror punk scene there in the northwest. Fueled by the ambition to set the world on fire and armed with young Danzig inspired devil locks we set out to carve our names into the history books. We all know that’s not how it turned out, but we sure made some cool records and travelled on some fantastic tours in the mean time. Besides a few fans here and there the world has largely forgotten about Aiden. Which is okay with me. It was the experience that matters most. I remember the excitement encompassing our shitty little tour van. That first one we had that we named Alexa. The one that we wrecked on our way out to Port Townsend to play that VFW hall or whatever it was. That’s where we first met Dakotah! Sitting here thinking about all of this brings up a lot of fond memories. I’m sorry it went so pear shaped in the end.

To Jake Wambold,

Here in my heart I’ve held a grudge for so long that it’s poisoned a lot of relationships, created bitterness inside and has cost me so much emotionally I care not to recount it. Which is not your fault at all. That burden lies with my inability to let go of the past.

The decision to kick you out of the band sat heavy on our shoulders like a sack of bricks made of mercury for months and months. We kept thinking it would get better, like being in a toxic relationship with someone you love wholeheartedly but know that they are a cancer and if you don’t cut it out it’s going to kill you both very soon. We felt as though you didn’t want to be there, and since you have a very powerful presence about you, that deepening sense of pessimism affected everyone.

You’ve always been able to walk into a room and put smiles on everyone’s faces, make women fall in love and generally you are the life of every party. I’ll never forget that line you used on a girl once when we were on east coast. You remember it? “I want to dip your ass in ranch and lick your butthole.” I still can’t believe that worked, and I tell that story to this day.

I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was our clashing egos, maybe you just didn’t want to be a musician anymore. All the time you spent out in Chicago between tours with your girlfriend took you further and further away. Granted. I had my own issues being engaged to that horrible broad from Idaho who made me so miserable that I wanted to quit the band myself and go live in Antarctica. I can’t imagine I was easy to be around. We were traveling the world on Taste of Chaos playing in arenas in front of tens of thousands of people and I hated my life because the woman I supposedly loved was a wretched human being. What a shit storm. But we carried on. It wasn’t until the spring of 2008 that we decided as a band it couldn’t go on. After the successful European tour we returned to play Bamboozle, I broke up with my girlfriend and we were supposed to do some dates with Scary Kids routing out back to Seattle. Remember that Poughkeepsie show? The worst show of our career. We looked at each other on stage and just shook our heads. “wiL Francis” died that night.

That was the last time I saw you. We ended our friendship playing the worst fucking show imaginable as a band.

What hurt the most is the lawsuit you brought against the band. Knowing how much money we had, it was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. The litigation cost us twenty thousand dollars alone. That cut deep. We never wanted it go down like that.

Listen old boy. I am sorry for everything. I thought we are going to be friends forever but only ended up strangers. Those lyrics I wrote about burning your friends ended up becoming more than just metaphors. Somehow the irony of it all is too much, I just have to laugh about it now. There’s no turning back the greedy hands of time and fixing it. All I can say is that I’m sorry, from the bottom of my heart. I’ve heard through mutual friends that your wife had a baby. Congratulations. My son is nearly six and starts school this fall. It’s crazy how quickly time is flying by, and now that you’re in your thirties I’m sure you can attest to that as well. I heard Troy is living in Hollywood trying his hand in the comedy world. I surly hope he succeeds. That is one of the funniest kids I have ever met in my life. He never failed to impress us with character impressions or made up skits and dialogue. He deserves all the success in the world. Tell your parents thank you for me. Thank you for allowing us to set our crappy amps up in their garage and write Our Gangs Dark Oath. Their support was integral to our early success. Tell them that I am sorry if I hurt them in anyway.

I’m not asking forgiveness. You don’t need to grant my clemency. I just want you to know that I love you and that I thank you for coming into my life. I feel that after all these years of separation it needs to be said. I wouldn’t still have a career in music if Scott hadn’t introduced me to you all those years ago when we were young men. Take care of yourself. Take care of that wife and that baby girl. I wish you all the best in life old friend.

To Jake Davidson

Or rather, to the best drummer I’ve ever met. What a spectacular artist you were. Everyone I meet or talk to will still agree. But they don’t even know the true depth of your talent. So let me give you all a little example of the expertise that is Jake D.

When we recorded Knives, we did sixteen songs. I set the drum mics up in a couple of hours and dialed in some great sounds through that Trident 80 series we were using. You came in and recorded all of the drums in less than eight hours. Most of them it only took one take. It took more time for me to set up the session in pro-tools than it did for you to bang them out. But it doesn’t stop there. In this day and age bands are recording drums and then editing the fuck out of them so they sound perfect, right on the click, placed on the tempo like a drum machine. The drums on Knives are AS-IS. There is no editing, no sampling. That’s Jake “Machine Gun” Davison.

It’s a shame that you couldn’t parlay that talent into studio sessions or go on to join a bigger band. Even Eric the drummer of one our favorite bands NOFX told me that if he were ever injured you would be the only drummer he would have replace him. Wow.

But I digress. I know that punk rock alone could no longer sustain us all. I’m sorry I couldn’t make our band more financially successful. I understand why you had to let it go. Playing music with an uncertain future was not as appealing as having a job with security, a steady paycheck and health benefits.

In short, I thank you. I thank you for being the greatest drummer in the world, I thank you for being someone I could rely on, thanks for joining the band in high school and foregoing a college education for the opportunity to travel around the world, playing shows and making kick ass records. I’m really proud of the work we accomplished together. Trox told me that you’re getting married this summer as well. Congratulations on that old friend. You will make a fantastic husband and provider for the woman you have chosen to walk through this life with.

To Angel Ibarra,

Getting the opportunity to watch you grow up from awkward teenager into a man with responsibilities was truly a pleasure. But witnessing your growth as a guitar player and artist was even more enjoyable. Thanks for sticking around as long as you did. I know the concept of doing tours and coming home with hardly any money seemed a pointless one, and like Jake I know that if this band could have sustained you financially you would have stayed.

I broke out my old mustang right before the start of this tour I’m currently on with William Control. Remember the white one with Fuck Religion written on it? The one I used for Knives and Warped Tour 09? It still sounds like a beast. That Duncan invader you suggested I get installed still sounds amazing, blood and rust and all. Thanks for that. Thanks for being my riffing wingman. Thanks for pushing me to write better songs and become a better guitar player. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. Hope you and Rose are doing well up there in West Seattle.

To Nicholas Wiggins,

The mystery man, the enigma, you’re one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and had the pleasure of calling my friend. For years you stood beside me on stage playing and singing your heart out. Every stage we shook together, every laugh we shared, every terrible journey overseas, everything we had in common I am grateful.

Listen.

Don’t worry about the t-shirt debacle that occurred a couple years ago. I know exactly why it happened. I know you never set out to fuck up all those orders. It costs a lot of money to get shit made and even more money to package up and ship everything out. Having my own screen print shop has taught me a lot. Everything works out in the end. Don’t sweat it.

Good luck with Girl on Fire and tell your old man thanks for all the twinkies he supplied us with in the early days.

Stay gold pony boy.

You guys are the reason I am still on tour playing shows and making records, without Aiden I would still be working in a warehouse shipping boxes of shit for a company I don’t like. Without Aiden I wouldn’t have some of the most cherished and incredible memories I continue to tell stories about to this day. Without the oath we took when our dark gang was young I wouldn’t have accomplished a fraction of the things I have. I wouldn’t have met my heroes, played legendary places like Brixton Academy or The main stage at Download, Reading and Leeds festivals, Warped tour or the far off countries we’ve traveled to like Japan and Australia. I wouldn’t have become William Control, or been given the opportunity to shine brighter than I ever could have imagined. I can thank you a million times but it still doesn’t feel like enough.

I also want to let you all know that I’ve decided to make one more Aiden record. I want to make one without victory records. I feel as if the last cycle for Some Kind of Hate ended so abruptly we never got to go out and say goodbye. It was a rough time for everyone involved and it feels unresolved. I hope you get the chance to hear it when it comes out, I’m going to try and stick to the formula that made Aiden so fun to begin with. Maximum riffage and sing along chorus’. I want to look back on the legacy and feel closure. Who knows, you might hate it, fuck you might love it. Either way I hope you get the chance to listen to it at least once.

It will be in honor of the four other kids that believed we could transcend the blurry routine of a regular suburban existence and change the world with distorted guitars, thundering drums and a little bit of goofy face paint.

All my fucking love, William."
2:49 PM
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Progressive metal/rockers Xakestar got it's start in the 90's building themselves up, playing live performances, writing and recording their own work, and much more, that they have yet to slow down. Mo Khojasteh discusses their most recent release, the band's past, present, and future ahead of them.


1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Mo: Xakestar was formed in early 1999 by Mo Khojasteh (lead guitars, bass, keyboards, back vocals and lyrics). Hani Rajabi joined the band as the pianist, guitarist and the lead vocalist. Behruz Bazargan was invited to play the drums, percussion and electronics. Now Xakestar works with session drummers, mostly Swedish. Moreover, all songs are written by Mo Khojasteh and Hani Rajabi. 

The lyrics are all written by Mo Khojasteh. Xakestar was firstly established in Tehran-Iran. The band had a number of live performances in the universities and Farabi Hall which were extremely successful. However, as the band intended to expand and have more performances, the Iranian authorities, represented by the ministry of culture and the armed forces of national security prevented the band from making music, performing and recording it. 

Mo Khojasteh was officially warned that any attempt to resume the band’s musical activities is prohibited. Mo Khojasteh as the frontman of Xakestar was threatened to be prosecuted in the court of law if Xakestar members go on making music. Since the band, in the early performances, was inclined to play black and gothic metal, the ministry of culture found their music as a movement against Islamic beliefs and against the national security and they described their music in this way: “Xakestar's music contains blasphemous and highly misleading and offensive material.” 

Therefore, Xakestar stopped its musical activities for a period of time but the members chose to leave their homeland, in order to make music in the way they wanted to, a situation of exile were forced on the band and they suffered a lot in Sweden to regain the right to publish their music.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Mo: The band’s name is a Persian word meaning something which has turned to black as a result of being exposed with fire but it has not burned completely. The X is pronounced similar to what international phonetic alphabet recommends for [X].

3. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?

Mo: Currently the band is in the move between Falun/Sweden and Tehran/Iran despite the fact that Iranian ministry of culture still holds Xakestar under the prohibited category. Xakestar’s current sound can be considered an inclination towards impressionistic arts as each song rises from Mo and Hani’s temporal mental state, personal issues and tensions, their predisposition to a new point of view which they personally achieve or distinctive sets of thoughts which they encounter in their dynamic and gradual approach. The mentioned factors mark the progressive direction of the band; however, there are global patterns, characteristic traits, conventions and well-defined and well-spread structures of the rock and metal genre that the band tends to follow and retain while Xakestar has always tried to maintain the decisive elements of music which are innovation and creativity, and on some occasions the band disregards certain rules and codes which the mainstream rock bands or the preceding bands have considered obligatory to follow.

For example, Xakestar puts stress on the bass and the way Mo Khojasteh plays the base guitar can be described as overactive, independent and excitable and it opposes the ordinary well-established methods through which bass follows the guitar line or simply it is in the direction of vocals. Xakestar’s music includes occasions which reminisce references to Celtic folklore; on the other hand, there are sections which Middle-Eastern scales can be recognized. The ambiance, eeriness and dark and melancholic atmosphere of the songs is mixed with Hani’s extensive taste for Romantic era or Baroque music. In some songs, such as Rebel, the harmonies bring 17th century’s music into mind. All musical materials are shaped and directed by various, and ornamental support of keyboards, synths and piano since creating a gloomy and dark atmosphere, or melancholic context has been one crucial goal for Xakestar. 

The mentioned musical features are accompanied by lines of vocals which are multi-layered, dynamic, modal, rock-oriented and embellished with an attitude of self-determination. Guitars vary in each piece and they range from creating an ambient context to thrash metal solos; however, guitars prefer to create more subtle and sophisticated riffs and scales. Despite the descriptions above, guitar lines which Mo has played are mostly compared with Pink Floyd and performances of David Gilmour. The lyrics contain modern elements and they are subjective while they benefit from certain literary styles such as Gothic Revival, Romanticism and etc. The lyrics are suggestive and they encourage various interpretations and on certain occasions there can be found traces of mythical or medieval references. Certain issues and philosophies can be detected in the lyrics such as left hand paths, nihilism, individualism, anarchism or tragic relationships, self-destruction, drugs, alienation and etc.

Since the latest set of Xakestar’s songs constitute the basic content of the first release, sometimes Xakestar tried to avoid going beyond the standards and primary expectations of the contemporary audiences who prefer to listen to a polished sound, a convenient and digestible piece which would put the hook on them at the first 20 seconds. For example, the arrangements are adjusted in line with what 90’s pop or alternative music have to offer.

The genres which the members are influenced by and try to reach are Gothic, progressive, stoner doom and alternative. For example, as I listened to Tiamat’s masterpiece “A deeper kind of slumber” for the first time, I somehow knew for sure that the direction of the band I would establish some years later would be determined by this album. The bands which can be listed as the ones who directly influenced the band are: Pink Floyd, Tiamat, Anathema, Depeche Mode, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, Moonspell and etc. Hypocrisy is another band that I have always recommended as an ideal in Doom/Death metal genre, also they are from Sweden and not so far from Falun.

Xakestar has always suffered from the lack of a sufficient budget and necessary equipment. All the songs are recorded, mixed and mastered by the band members themselves and that is why the overall sound quality can be considered a problem which would decrease the audience’s pleasure and joy; indeed, this shortage is overshadowing all the band’s efforts and innovation because of the fact that even though the music can be assumed to be good enough to be presented, the poor sound quality and bad mastering are the decisive factors which determine and dictate the level of popularity. Hence, from the audience’s point of view and with regards to ordinary assessments, the band’s capabilities and competence are dependent on the overall sound; in fact, the sound quality unconsciously affects the listeners’ judgments and in Xakestar’s case, the consequence of such casual evaluations is being underrated.

Another unique characteristic of Xakestar is the diversity of songs in terms of genre and style. We already got a thrash metal song and yet we have some soft tunes far away from the brutality which some other tunes represent. The said issue of diversity can be considered both good and bad. For instance, a listener’s reasoning would be like this: they are versatile enough in terms of writing and performing which will allow them to compose in any genre they like; on the other hand, these distinctive tunes cannot be classified under one single category, and they fail to be congregated as a whole in an album. However, as we progress and as we learn more in each song we write, we are reaching to a solution and reconciliation which will integrate the both opposing styles which two separate songs exhibit and epitomize. Another judgment, will be based on the point that, having studied the lyrics, and having analyzed the factors in song-writing such as keys, scales, chords and having examined the overall emotions or possible messages we try to deliver, the distinctive songs can be assumed to be representatives of one single set of thoughts and one single set of aesthetic values. It is only the “outside” that is different, while the “inside” is the same.

4. What's your favorite song on "Crystal Shadow" right now?

Mo: In the upcoming album, I like all the songs, some songs are written by me and some by Hani and in both cases we have helped each other, we like Crystal Shadow and Rebel more than the others.

5. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Mo: You can reach us by this link which takes you to our official website, the links to social medias and online purchases can be found here as well: www.xakestar.com.



6. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Mo: I have reached to the end of the road many times, maybe I have been dead for a large portion of my life, but I guess, if there was something or there is something called “love”, love could save me. 
12:00 PM
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Instrumentalist, producer, composer, engineer, plus much more, Ric Delozier  or Delozier discusses how he got involved with music and the plans he has in-store!


1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Ric: Well I had been recording instrumentals by myself as a side project from whatever band I was in since I was a teenager but this is the first time that I've actually released a CD to the public.I am the only member I program the drums and play everything else.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Ric: From my name Ric DeLozier.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Ric: I'm in Shelby NC we have a decent indie scene because we are close to Charlotte there are a lot of awesome bands.

4. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?

Ric: I guess if it had to be classified this CD is considered rock instrumental.I had a lot of blended and different influences from baroque music to hendrix and deep purple and beyond.It's hard to nail that down to a few.

5. What's your take on "Delozier" as a whole?

Ric: It's a piece of my soul.I hear the songs in my head completed almost a lot of the time.So for me its a process of transferring what I hear in my head onto the recorder and bringing it to life.And hopefully capturing the emotion or passion on the instruments that will translate to a special connection between the music and the listener.

6. What's your favorite song on "Delozier" right now?

Ric: I have no favorites they are all special to me.

7. Can you tell us about your next set of shows/tours and why we should be there?

Ric: I am currently working with Kim Jones Pride Management on booking a tour later this year across America from North Carolina to California and back with a full band doing the instrumental material from this CD and vocal material from the 2014 Revolution X CD.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Ric: Just to continue to grow and carry on forward.It will be with members however from here on in..

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Ric: Get everything DeLozier at www.rockharddistribtors.com/delozier/.

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Ric: It's my hope that the listener can experience some connection or feeling or emotion to the material much like I do when I record it.I think it's awesome that music is a universal language that everyone can understand and connect with.
11:35 AM
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A lot can happen in just over a year, for the guys in The Relapse Symphony whose tight lips would not even let slip of a word of what they had been up too. Well except for update posts about the progress of new material of what it would be on was un-telling until..... The release of their debut hit song and single for "A Perfect Lie", a hard hitting top notch classic right off the bat off their sophomore release "Born To Burn".

While the other remaining tracks 10 to be precise, aren't that far behind, such as; "Born To Burn", "Terror Generation", "Down In Flames", are likable hits just as "A Perfect Lie" came to be. Other noted tracks include "The Bitter End", "Die Alone", and "Tear Me Down" taking a more died down approach, their notch being turned off if you will, the songs are still heavily hearable but more modernly driven being just good old rock n' roll.


This is by far, a step up and improvement from their previous catalog of work. Having them set up for a whole another generation of rockstars to build up for themselves, just as these guys have done, by creating material that keeps hitting back.
11:34 AM
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Thrash metalheads Mortal Strike give us the rundown from their history, namesake, influences, and what can be expected from their new album to much more! Guitarist Chrir Nielsen discusses.


1. Please tell us about the History of your band and its member.

Chrir: We were founded on New Years Eve 2009/10 during a living room concert at a friends house.  Back then we were 5 guys and 5 nationalities (Denmark,Germany,Luxembourg,Romania & South Africa). Since then we have only known one way, to cite Matthias: "Komanndo Vollgas!". And it is forward with full speed and aggression.

After we won the Austrian Wacken Metal Battle in 2011 and played on the Open Air, it became clear to us, that it would be something, which we would strife to do professionally.

However it came to a small change in members, with 2 leaving but having Max & Etzi joining, which turned out to work out perfectly for everyone involved. The songs got more technical and aggressive. The speed was increased significantly. There are only 3 Nationalities left in the Band, but that works just as fine as before. So our Lineup now is:

Matthias (Singer), Chrir (Rhytm Guitar), Etzi (Lead Guitar), Dominique (Bass), Max (Drums).

2. Why did you pick the name for your band.

Chrir: It sounds like a sledgehammer to the face, and the name reflects the aim.

3. Where is the Band based out of.

Chrir: Out of Vienna, Austria. We actually had to, pretty much, build up our own thrash scene in Austria. And til this day the scene remains very intimate, with aprox. 10 Bands country wide that purely play thrash metal, which is one of the reasons that we are eager to come out and play internationaly.

4. Style? Band Influences.

Chrir: Thrash Metal! Teutonic 4 (Kreator,Sodom,Destruction,Tankard). In generel more european thrash than overseas.

5. What can people expect from the album?

Chrir: Full Scale Thrash Metal Attack! Fast, Aggressive and straight to the point. Our aim was to bring a bit of new blood to the scene!

6. Do you play live as well?

Chrir: Of course we do. We are a full blood Live-Band! We have played with a fuckload of great bands, to name a few: Sodom,Tankard,Destruction,Exodus, Warbringer, Suicidal Angels. And great Festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Kaltenbach Open Air, Total War Fest. We have been around, mostly in Austria and Germany, but got to play in Finnland, Hungary aswell. Great experience!

7. What should labels etc. know about your band.

Chrir: A Promoter once described us as follows: "Du kannst Mortal Strike in jedes Kaff auf der Welt reinfallen lassen und die sorgen für Stimmung!" Which basically means: You can let Mortal Strike play anywhere, even the remotest village ,and they will make sure the atmosphere will be there!

8. What plans do you have for your future as a band?

Chrir: Bigger Shows, Bigger crowds, bigger stages, bigger everything! All the long, hard way to the top!

9. Where can we listen to your band.

Chrir: Numerous online radio stations. Our website www.mortal-strike.com. Spotify, iTunes,YouTube. Basically wherever you would normally listen to music. You can also get our album illegally on some Russian and Chinese torrent sites, but you will have to find those on your own :)  (5000 download and counting).

10. What is it what you'd like listen remember (?????????)

Chrir: We would love to invoke that awesome goosebumps feeling you get when you listen to truly awesome music. Where the hairs in the neck stand up. And we want the listeners to remember that feeling every time they listen to us.
12:42 PM
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Bay Area natives and thrash metal band Hatchet recently completed the highly anticipated follow-up to 2013’s acclaimed Dawn Of The End (The End Records/ADA). Their third studio album, entitled Fear Beyond Lunacy, is set for release Fall 2015, and will debut the new Hatchet lineup behind founding member, vocalist, and lead guitarist, Julz Ramos: Clayton Cagle on guitar, Kody Barba on bass, and Ben Smith on drums. The new members have injected the band with a surge of raw energy, and fans of Hatchet will be overly satisfied with this revived enthusiasm laid into the recordings.

In advance of the album release, Hatchet will showcase the new lineup and preview select tracks from Fear Beyond Lunacy this August supporting Kobra And The Lotus, the female-fronted Canadian traditional metal/hard rock band that recently shared stages opening for KISS and Def Leppard.

Says Ramos, "Hatchet is excited to be taking part in this run of shows. This is another hard working band that is doing some cool things right now and it will be great to accompany them this August. This will be the first that the new Hatchet lineup hits the stage and we are beyond excited to play live after recording our latest album. People in attendance to these shows will get a sneak peak at a couple of our new songs. Stoked!"

TOUR DATES:

Aug 05 - Music Garage; Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 06 - Sunshine Studios; Colorado Springs, CO
Aug 07 - The Roxy Theatre; Denver, CO
Aug 08 - The Juggernaut; Gallup, NM
Aug 09 - LVCS; Las Vegas, NV
Aug 11 - Club Red; Phoenix, AZ
Aug 12 - Slidebar; Fullerton, CA
Aug 13 - Rockbar Theater; San Jose, CA
Aug 14 - DNA Lounge; San Francisco, CA
11:39 AM
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Borderlands is a progressive metalcore band from sunny Lisbon, Portugal. Formed in August of 2012, the band quickly spread the name through the country with "Awaken Dreamers" their debut EP.

The band recently parted ways with former vocalist and recorded a new album that will be out in September which goes by the name of "Voice Of The Voiceless", a more melodic and progressive record mixed & mastered by Nicolas Delestrade (Betraying The Martyrs, Novelists, etc.).

Check out the song "Voice Of The Voiceless" off their upcoming new album HERE.
11:16 AM
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New Jersey-based post-hardcore band Elite have released their second single and debut music video for the explosive new track "Heartbeats Last Forever."

The track, which was produced by Joey Sturgis (Asking Alexandria, The Devil Wears Prada), successfully mixes abrasive musical composition with indelible vocal melodies. The music video accompanying the song was produced by Sam Link (Sleeping With Sirens, Memphis May Fire).

The band, which was founded by former In Other Words' guitar Jimmy Ruggiero, is set to release a series of music video singles culminating in a debut LP due out later this year. The song follows the band's debut track, "Endless," which premiered via Bryan Stars earlier this year which can be seen HERE.

Check out the video for "Heartbeats Last Forever" HERE.
11:05 AM
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German horror rockers The Other have been doing their thing, for the past 13 unlucky years, releasing six albums in which "Fear Itself",  being their most recent with plans to return to the U.S. as well as playing shows in their home turf, along with touring elsewhere. Frontman vocalist Rod Usher gives his discussion on their six release, show plans, and whether or not acoustic or live material would ever creep up.


1. First of all, who are you, and what do you do in the band?

Rod: My name is Rod User, I am the singer of The Other and I have been the very first singer since the day the band was founded and I hope to remain that front guy until the end of the band, and I hope that is going to take another 50 years!

2. Can you give me the reason as to why you went with calling the band The Other? Who is The Other?

Rod: Well we did give it a little thought because there is always this thing that you call the other, that thing that is always strange and alien to you. Like in psychology there's this thing called the monstrous other so something we cannot comprehend but looks a little human a bit like us. But it's not the same like for example Dracula, would be something like a monstrous other, looks human but is definitely different.  That is why we called the band The Other,  obviously we like horror things,  and ya know The Other that is something strange and weird, alien and different so it definitely reflects who we are and who we want to be.

3. Your style is horror punk but what sets you apart from all the other variety of horror punk acts out there?

Rod: Haha that's a good question. We're the best!  No seriously, I think starting out as a Misfits cover band in 1999 we slowly found our way to our unique sound. I think now we have the perfect mix of the horror punk roots, The Misfits style, but we mixed a lot of metal riffs in there, we have a lot of gothic atmosphere, we some very doomy slow songs, but we have punk rock songs, I think this diversity  that The Other has sets us apart from a lot of the three court horror punk bands, that's not to discredit them. There are a lot of great bands out there. But I think you can pretty much tell our style when you hear The Other songs. I think it's a little different to other bands out there, not meaning to sound arrogant.

4. Why horror punk?

Rod: That's pretty easy in a way. But I was always a fan of horror movies since I was 9 years old, so my first Hammer Studios film was with Christopher Lee, that just passed away, Peter Cushing's films. Then came Tarantula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon,  all that kinds of stuff. So then after listening to a lot of metal, the 80's metal  especially Kiss and Alice Cooper, stuff like that. I discovered punk rock for me, as a teenager like Bad Religion, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, all that type of stuff. What I found punk to be was punk was always a rebellion, always discussing things about society that people didn't like to discuss. Always mentioning taboo subjects and that's what horror does as well. Horror always touches upon issues that other movies will not touch. So I think that horror and punk rock form like an unholy alliance if you want to call it that. And we love costumes, love horror, dressing up, Halloween atmosphere, it all came natural. Discovering Kiss, Alice Cooper then The Misfits, Danzig, punk rock, horror, there you are you have horror punk! It was just natural.

5. You shot a video for the single "Dreaming of the Devil" Is that a process you enjoy? Are there any plans to release any more videos from the album and will they be a continuation of the first one?

Rod: Ya know shooting a video is a lot of fun for the first 2-3 hours when it takes 14 hours it's not much fun anymore I can tell you that. But we do have a good way of dealing with it, we have beer at the shoot! So after a while and getting a little relaxed and just have fun. It's great and you know it's going to be a good video. This video even turned out better than what we anticipated. We are very happy with the results and have done videos before that were great but this one looks very like we spent a lot of money which we didn't. But the guy who recorded us did a good job. So we are very happy with it, especially since it was received so well. The producer actually asked us if we wanted to do another one with them which we definitely want to do, because he is a real great guy. So the next video is going to be for either the song "Bloodsucker" or the song "Doll Island". We have to make up our minds but ya there will be another new video. Seeing the results is what makes us keep doing this I would love to do a whole movie but we're not good actors so I guess it has to be music videos until then.

6. Your upon your 666th album to date "Fear Itself", what makes fear itself?

Rod: Well fear itself was something that Franklin Roosevelt had said "There is nothing to fear but fear itself".  My interpretation that a lot of people are frightened by things they don't need to be frightened by. On the album cover there's a spider and a maze, a lot of people myself included are afraid of spiders, but there's only 1 in a hundredth thousand that is actually poisonous. So there is no need to be afraid of spiders. You will probably always find yourself out of a maze. So that is something that you don't actually need to be afraid of. But what actually made me choose this title was that there are so many political fears in society right now, about foreigners, strangers and all kinds of similar things. There's well if you're in Germany there's a very bad atmosphere right now, with a lot of right wing tendencies, people from other countries not being welcomed. It's all because of the fear of the unknown. People don't know who these people who come to this country are, they need to get to know them because then they will lose the fear of these people. It's just the fear is not reasonable. Just get to know those people and loose the fear and everything will be good.

7. Out of all of your releases, you have yet to release material in acoustic format, will we ever be seeing something like that from you guys?

Rod: Another good question because our guitarist Ben Crowe and I played a show at a Birthday Party for an ex-girlfriend. She asked us to do an acoustic set and we did. Then we found out that our punk rock songs don't sound so great in acoustic forms. You need like the two guitars and this and that, so just having 1 guitar and a singer, doesn't sound that great. It was cool at the party everybody loved it, but recording our songs in acoustic versions, we really need to make them different, need to choose different chords, different ways of playing, picking the strings, and everything. That's a lot of work so it may be a chance but it's not a priority.

8. How about doing a live album or a live DVD, have any thoughts on doing something along those lines?

Rod: Ya know since I am a huge Kiss fan and Kiss Alive is one of the best live albums out there. I am totally for recording live material, but I don't a live album is really up to date. A DVD would be great because there are so many live clips of us on the internet, and they all sound like shit because people record them using their phones. I would love to record a whole set and have a show. But ya know having all of the camera guys, sound guy, this and that, that's going to be very costly. In the end, we would rather spend the money on recording a new album than a live DVD. So if somebody out there wants to finance a live recording by The Other we would be happy to do that. Until then it's a great idea that we have in the back of our heads, but it might not happen in the next few months or years.

9. You guys will be touring in the U.S. come next year, how many times will this appearance make it?

Rod: This will be only be our second time. We came in 2007 and played only in California, Nevada, and Arizona.  This is going to be the second time with a much longer tour, going 3 weeks, we are going to be doing 14 or 15 dates. It's going to be very hard, driving 10-12 hours from show to show then playing. Over there we drive in a night liner, where we have a big bus with bunks and everything, having a driver driving us throughout the night while we sleep. That is something we cannot do in America because we are simply not that big over where you guys are.  So it is going to be a really nice van tour, really looking forward to the 14-15 dates and playing on the West Coast next time East Coast, another plan for maybe late 2016. But we love playing the U.S. we really do. I have been to America more than 30 times but playing there as a band, I have dreamt of playing in America so it is great that it is happening again.

10. Since you have so many albums, does it keep getting more difficult to put together a setlist?

Rod: Oh man totally! We're really arguing about this in the rehearsal room because everybody has different songs. I'm the guy that likes to play the songs that people want to hear. We have some songs from the first album "Beware of Ghouls",  there's "The End of Our Time", "In The Dead of Night" whatever. There's songs that we have been playing since the beginning that people just love to hear. But then there's for example our drummer who always says let's play more obscure stuff, ya know the stuff we haven't played for 10 years. Which I can totally understand as well, but ya know if I go see  Metallica, Kiss, Slayer, whatever or The Ramones back then, which I did, I want to hear "Rockaway Beach",  "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker", and if they hadn't played that I would have been sad and angry. So I know what our duty is and that is playing some of our hits, but we will mix our new songs in there, but it is getting more and more difficult.

11. Will we ever be seeing you guys performing any your albums in full from front to back?

Rod: Ya know we have discussed that but jokingly. That trend started by I don't know what band, and I simply don't like that idea. There's just I don't know what band there is that has an album full of hits. Or a band I would not like to hear other songs by. Ya know I would like to hear Kiss play "The Elder" or Bad Religion play "No Control", or "Suffer", but would miss so many other songs. I'm not a big fan of that idea, even though our celebration of our second album "We Are Who We Eat", is coming up and have been giving this some thought, but I am opposed to it let's say that way, so it may night happen. If The Other guys decide that they want to do, I am in if not it's all good.

12. What are the plans that you guys have for the rest of this year, leading right into next year?

Rod: Our plans are that there are more plans than ever, being around for 13 years, but have never played that much, we are as luck as now, playing a lot of festivals, playing some big festivals here that you may not know but bands like Rob Zombie or whatever. Then going on tour in Germany in October with the goth legend Christian Death, Nim Vind, Argyle Goolsby. Then we will be playing England in November with a band called AL B. DAMNED doing a week there, then coming over to the U.S. in March. All between that there is going to be some single shows on the weekends. There have been some promoters asking from Italy, Poland, and whatever I am hoping to return to Moscow someday. Yeah just trying to keep busy, getting out there, we do all have our regular jobs so it is kind of hard to play that much.

13. Do you have any last words for fans, or potential new fans?

Rod: Well it's going to be a lot of new fans that's for sure.  We know a lot of people in America and get a lot of feedback on Facebook and everything. But I do realize that we're virtually unknown over there, except for the horror punk scene. I would really appreciate it, if the people out there listening or seeing this would take the time to check out this new horror rock band from Germany because I am sure you have never heard anything like this!
3:00 PM
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Fractured Fairytales have all to tell in terms of their musical style and approach to their music. They have released albums, videos, played shows, and so much more they just never stop. As a matter of fact, the whole group banned together to discuss their so called fairy tales that involves their creativity with their music and plans ahead.


1. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?

Drudge: A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...... four badasses came forth to unleash the most brutal shit the world had ever seen.

2. Your genre of choice is industrial metal but your image is more black metal, is that the look and feel you were intending or am I way off?

NyX: Our look does tend to jump genres but we are a genre jumping band, we tend to have a little bit of something for everyone, from industrial to black metal and everything in-between. So our image reflects that, from Lutachrist looking like a necromancer to Drudge looking like he’s out of a Mad Max movie, O.C. to me looks like a Viking warlord and I'm the blood drinking vampire witch. So you are not way off at all.

3. So how did the name Fractured Fairytales come into the picture?

Drudge: That's all Lutachrist there. To me, it's always been the embodiment of a world gone awry. All the stories we were told as children and adolescents being total bullshit. The American Dream being the carrot that's dangled in front of our faces while they prepare us for the stick.
 
Lutachrist: When I was at the tender age of 12 I began getting into music heavily and learning to play guitar. When I was 14 or 15 I began to compose songs. The first song I ever wrote was called Fractured Fairytales and it was about taking happy things and turning them into something dark, like possessed children's toys, haunted doll houses, zombie house pets, tales with unhappy endings and so on. Everyone that I showed the song too said...hey, that would be a great band name. More songs were written, the vision was developing and every time a friend would talk about my music they would say, hey, let them hear the new Fractured Fairytales song. That is what everyone has always known my music as. I still see people from middle school that remember me handing out cassette tapes of shit I recorded on a boombox. I would hand draw and cut and paste a bunch of pictures together then make copies of it on a copy machine as the covers and dub each tape one at a time then give them out at school. I also carried a Necronomicon with me and would always start up conversations by saying, excuse me miss, Have you read the Necronomicon today.

4. Do you have any Fractured Fairytales worth telling?

NyX: We have our share of Fractured stories from our time on the road and from fans that have gone a tad bit too far with their obsessions, People are strange to say the lest, from poems written to us in blood, a painting done in blood and god knows what else, someone has put in their Will that upon their death Lutachrist will get the body to do with as he wishes, to the other normal things like roadies flying through windows in NYC, band members being left in faraway cities as the bus rolls on, tons of good times which cannot be spoken of here and so on. We have had in interesting run if I do say so myself.

5. Since your name is Fractured Fairytales, does your name involve any fairytales within your music or are the name and music separated?

Orpheus: The music is the fairytale. The tells we speak of are all fractured. Even though it's a reflection of what we see in the world today.

6. If you could come up with your own Fractured Fairytale based on one of the real fairy tales which would you pick and how would you tell it in your own words?

Drudge: It's really hard to narrow any one fairytale down. They're all based off horrible, sadistic, and most time psychotic "heroes" doing battle with a mostly reclusive and misunderstood villain who only struck out at them in defense or retaliation. Or as a slight against their arrogance or vanity. The only thing I would change is that the witch, or evil wizard or ogre or dragon or giant or whatever antagonist fits the part actually wins for a change. I mean honestly, when does the good guy ever win outside of movies and works of fiction anyways.
 
Lutachrist: I have always had my eye on Alice in Wonderland. Way before the remake, way before the games, I saw a blighted and darkened Fairytale land. I had night terrors as a child that are eviler than anything that I have seen since. I am still not sure how my child mind could produce such horror. I have always seen an Alice plummet into my night terrors just to show the world what I have hidden away. Just to be able to recreate what drove me mad as a child. No one can fathom until they have seen.

7. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?

Orpheus: Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Cannibal Corpse, Megadeth and believe it or not Mozart.

8. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?

Lutachrist: Our lyrical theme changes somewhat from album to album. Musically thus far we have not written any Fairytales. We see our music as a reflection of the world and of the collective human consciousness. The lyrics are dark in a positive way. We are not sobbing or saddened at the state of things, though way worse than most are aware of or can imagine. I live pleasantly with knowledge that would madden the average spirit. Like everyone we have songs about death but we have no love songs. We have songs of anger, a wide array of negative human emotions, disconnection, isolation, spirits, haunting, the world ending over and over again....government con.....we are working on our fourth studio full length album so we have covered a lot of ground. We have also shared forbidden knowledge in which are cursed for. It's true, ask anyone who has ever done work for us.....anytime someone tries to record us....there computers crash...anytime anyone tries to film us and give us a video either their cameras malfunction on site or their computers crash while editing. That is one of the reasons we do everything ourselves. I guess no one else can sustain the curse. We rock that shit.

9. So you guys don't sing about fairies, castles, Princess's and magical wonderlands?

NyX: No, more like, the world is dying thanks to greed and corruption on a global level from this planets governments and humanity has been killing itself off with a sick smile on its ignorant little face. We may look one way but the truth to Fractured Fairytales lays within the lyrics and in the imagery of the music videos we create. So no magical wonderlands at all.

10. If you did, what types of stories would you come up with revolving around those topics?

NyX: Gothic wonderlands with whips, chains, blood and pentagrams. The kind of stories you only see in your head at night just before jumping awake in a cold sweat shaking and terrified.
 
11. Your latest release "Egregore" has been out for a year, have you gone on to write anything new in terms of a follow-up?

Orpheus:  Absolutely the fractured train never stops moving. We're 4 dedicated individuals that live, eat, sleep music.

12. You released not one but three singles "Null and Void", "Blighted", and "Dear Human". Why were these songs picked out as singles and will these be it for the "Egregore" release or will there be more?

NyX: We knew from the start of the recording process that “Egregore” was going to turn out pretty heavy. We didn’t want to leave our older fans or the ones who like Fractured Fairytales for our industrial work high and dry so before we melted the worlds face with a very heavy and metal album we decided to release the “Blighted” video to act as a bridge to the rest of the album. Before “Egregore” dropped we released the “Dear Human” single to prepare the masses for what was to come. We knew we wasn’t going to make a physical video for it so we made it a lyric video to try and get some of our message out clearly. “Null and Void” is our heaviest song to date in my opinion and we made it into a dark and, like our other videos, with lots of occult imagery in it. We are currently working on two more videos for the album, one of which will be coming out soon as we approach the end of filming. Both songs are completely opposite and will hopefully please both our metal fans and the industrial ones.

13. Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?

NyX: We do play live, that’s for sure. Our live activity is best seen on our YouTube channel with the “SO Red Its Black” live video and “The Great Abomination” live video. Blood, smoke, fire breathers, pole dancers, and the occasional virgin sacrifice and so on.

14. Tell us about your next set of shows and or tours that you have in-store and why we should go check you guys out.

Lutachrist:  We always try to revamp and grow between every albums era. The theme of the next album is something completely different and we are going bigger this time than we ever have. We are known for having blood, fire breathers, dancers, flag bishops, jumping all over the place and just an all out throw down. We drink beer and blood and smash guitars, the crowd gets amped up and that just feeds us, we just let that inner beast free and it really connects with our audience. It lets them know that it's ok, sets them free. There is no tomorrow every night. We wake up all bruised and cut up, can't tell which blood is real or fake, everything hurts. Drink some coconut water, take an ibuprofen, do it again.

15. Are you guys signed or unsigned?

Drudge: We were previously a part of Secular Records but stepped away to take a different more hands on approach. We wanted total control of every gear in the Fractured Fairytales machine.

16. If you are not, what should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?

Drudge - Fractured Fairytales is a loaded gun, ready to blow the back of the world's head out. We are what people have been waiting for. There's plenty of imitations, but we are the genuine article. There's no one out there that does what we do at the level at which we do it. We are the best in our "weight - class" for a lack of better words. We're the number one contenders, and it's high time we got our title shot.

17. What else can the fans expect to see from you in the future?

NyX- Within the next 12 months there will be 3 videos, two more tours, and another album which is halfway done coming out. We never stop.

18. Any final words of wisdom?

Orpheus: Stay in school. It's less responsibility and from what I've learned throughout my years people can take everything away from but your knowledge.
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Barbarous hellhound, Cradle of Filth, will release its forthcoming album, Hammer of the Witches, on July 10 via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band has teamed up with Revolver to release a new song and lyric video, for "Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess".

 Frontman Dani Filth commented on the track: "'Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess' is based on the ancient belief of the world personified as Mother Goddess, concerning itself with her self-preservative measures when assailed by her final abuse by the human race. Violated, poisoned and unknowingly left for dead, Gaia's is a pre-emptive, violent and justified retribution; without tears for creed or culture. Nature versus Mankind. A total renewal of species. The song spirals onward at a frenetic, apocalyptic pace to climax and was originally one of guitarist Ashok's contributions to the album, along with 'The Vampyre at My Side.'"

Check it out HERE.
10:56 AM
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After a four year hiatus, Grammy Award-nominated, multiplatinum hard rock titans Disturbed have announced their return with their sixth studio album, entitled Immortalized, to be released August 21 through Reprise Records.  Lead single "The Vengeful One" is out now, along with the accompanying animated video from award-winning filmmaker Phil Mucci, and Immortalized is available for pre-order everywhere today. The upcoming release follows 2010's gold-certified Asylum, Disturbed's fourth consecutive #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and the group's subsequent four-year hiatus, which gave members David Draiman [vocals], Dan Donegan [guitar], Mike Wengren [drums], and John Moyer [bass] the necessary reprieve to make this imminent and deliberate return

"The idea was to leave when we were at our peak, which we were, and to come back when we felt reinvigorated," asserts Draiman. "We had basically been going nonstop since 1998," adds Wengren. "We got to do our own things. It didn't take too long until the itch started coming back." And Donegan agrees: "We wanted to return when we collectively had that fire underneath us. We missed it so much that we could tap into this energy and deliver the right album. We did it on our own terms."

In January 2014, Draiman, Donegan, and Wengren met for dinner in their hometown of Chicago. Shortly thereafter, without notifying friends, families, or their label, the three began to fly back and forth to each other's respective home studios for writing sessions, marking the beginnings of Immortalized and the first time they collectively wrote together since 2001.

"For this album, everything was written in the same room," Draiman remarks. "It was wonderful experiencing how it used to be back in the day for us. That became apparent in the material, whether it was the passion of the performance, the power being harnessed, or the feelings evoked. We could feel the difference."

To push themselves further, the group headed to Las Vegas' Hideout Recordings to work alongside producer Kevin Churko [Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch]. "The goal was to find a producer we felt creatively comfortable with, but who could challenge us and spark a new evolution," said Donegan. "Churko did that."

The resulting record features the unshakable first single "The Vengeful One" - "Musically, it's got that old school metal sound," says Donegan. "It's definitely Disturbed!" - along with an outside-the-box cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence," unlike anything in the group's catalog.

"I think the fans will feel like it was worth the wait," says Donegan. "We've been planning this for the past year and keeping it a secret so we can't wait to hear the response. I hope fans realize we have a lot more left in us. This album reassured me of that. To be away from it for almost 5 years, get back in a room, write together, and tap into that fire is awesome. Part of me didn't want to leave the studio! We still have a lot more to say. We still have a lot more to do. We're returning stronger than ever. I think Immortalized shows that."

TRACKLISTING:

1. The Eye Of The Storm
2. Immortalized
3. The Vengeful One
4. Open Your Eyes
5. The Light
6. What Are You Waiting For
7. You're Mine
8. Who
9. Save Our Last Goodbye
10. Fire It Up
11. The Sound of Silence
12. Never Wrong
13. Who Taught You How To Hate
14. Tyrant*
15. Legion of Monsters*
16. The Brave And The Bold*
* Deluxe Only

Pre-orders are available HERE and the video is HERE.
12:08 PM
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After their celebrated performance at 2014’s J-Pop Summit, Japanese pop duo YANAKIKU will return to San Francisco this summer. This year, YANA and KIKU will become “Nakai,” the concierge of Japanese traditional inns at the festival’s “Ryokan Pavilion” at the POP TRAVEL Area inside Fort Mason Center. At the pavilion, visitors can experience the culture of Japanese traditional “ryokan,” including rooms, foods, hot-springs, views, souvenirs. Guests are invited to wear yukata and geta (Japanese kimono robes and wooden sandals) and enjoy a virtual tour which recreates ryokan stays through a combination of HD video projection and life-sized scale model rooms.

http://www.j-pop.com/events/pop-travel-area

Last week, YANAKIKU released a new music video for “Guru Guru Choice”, from their first full album YANAKIKU NO ENBAN. The video features the girls as contestants on a wild game show hosted by Japanese comedian King of Comedy Takahashi, battling dancing sushi and giggling their way through spinning games. Known for their kimono cosplay fashion, YANA and KIKU also premiered new outfits for the video.

Check out the video HERE.
11:57 AM
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Latin metallers Ill Nino currently wrapping up The Civil Unrest Tour, have been playing shows as they play tracks off their latest album Till Death, La Familia (2014). But not only have they been doing this, they have been infamously known for their appearance on the movie soundtrack for horror flick, Freddy VS, Jason with their track "How Can I Live". That's not all though, they are also currently writing material for a follow-up release, that will have them in the studio soon enough, with further plans of more tours, shows, and even some festival showcases! Frontman vocalist Christian Machado discusses these matters!


1. You will be headlining The Civil Unrest Tour, how were you guys chosen as headliners and why did you want to do it?

Christian: The Civil Unrest tour is something that came up on our radar in February of 2015. We were approached by the owner of the tour and we were asked if we'd be interested in taking part. The tour was at first supposed to be a co-headline billing that unfortunately did not occur the way it should have. Luckily, the bands included make a killer line up and we are honored to share the stage with them: Straight Line Stitch, Motogrator, The Bloodline, Thira, Darkcell, Davey Suicide, Unloco, and more. We are very happy to be out on tour with so many great friends. It's been nearly a year since we did a full US tour and we certainly wanted to get back out to some of the markets we visited during last year's Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour. Check the dates and come rage with us!

2. How will this headlining tour be different or similar to previous tours?

Christian: We'll definitely be playing more music from our newest album "Till Death, La Familia". I am especially excited about playing the track "Blood is Thicker Than Water". We recently shot a video for that song and we couldn't be more stoked and grateful that Victory Records saw this tour as a great opportunity to release that song as a single. In my honest opinion, it is the best song on our newest album. Expect new music and expect some killer classic Niño as well. The addition of Oscar Santiago as our new percussion player has been amazing. He certainly has added a lot of great back rhythm to our groove so you can expect him to tear shit up with us onstage! It's going to be a great tour with many great friends!

3. What will the setlist be looking like for this touring cycle, what can the fans expect to hear?

Christian: We'll be playing about 18-19 songs a night so I am sure we'll have plenty of tracks from our entire catalog. As I mentioned, I do look forward to playing our new single "Blood is Thicker Than Water". Besides that, we'll also have all the Niño hits, if you will, "How Can I Live", "God Save Us", "This Is War", "What Comes Around", and many more. It's gonna be a lot of music but after almost 7 full albums we have to pick them wisely.

4. Once this tour has wrapped up, what else do you guys have planned for the rest of this year, leading right into next year?

Christian: After the Civil Unrest tour we are taking 2 weeks off. Mid July we will be playing the Gathering of The Juggalos along with In This Moment, King 810, and also the entire Psychopathic artists. I hear it should be an amazing experience as we've never done that festival before. At the end of July we will be heading to Europe for a month long European Festival run that should be as intense as it is rewarding. It's been a while since we did the EU festivals and I certainly look forward to getting there and having an awesome time with all the great bands we will be sharing stages with: Korn, Judas Priest, Crowbar, Biohazard, Obituary, Suicide Silence, Skindred, Queensryche, and many many more.

5. Can you tell me the story as to how and why the band went with calling themselves Ill Nino? What does it mean and represent for you guys?

Christian: Ironically, our band name started out by throwing around the idea of calling ourselves El Niño. That name was inherited through the great Billy Milano of the bands MOD & SOD. Billy was a friend of Dave, our drummer, who played in MOD for many years. Apparently, Billy called Dave from Europe after having the epiphany that we should call ourselves El Niño. We quickly accepted the challenge and little by little the name was morphed. Somehow through the Latino grapevine our first vocalist Jorge Rosado of the band Merauder thought it would be a great idea to call the band Ill Niño and that's where it's been since then. Thank you Billy, thank you Jorge, without you both we might have just been called “Taco”! No, bad joke. Sorry, I retract!

 6. Back in 2003, your song "How Can I Live" off your second album "Confession" was also featured on the 2003 film Freddy VS. Jason, this is how I discovered you guys, but how did you get involved with being included on that soundtrack? What do you think of people discovering bands through this type of method?

Christian: The Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack was a great opportunity presented to us by Roadrunner Records in partnership with New Line Cinema. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to include our track in the movie and to also attend the premier of the movie. I guess with something like this you have to realize that sometimes luck and a little hard work can be a godsend, if you're in the right place at the right time. That's exactly how it played out for us and we have many people to thank for it, much credit of course goes to the Roadrunner staff that made this track inclusion a reality.

7. To this day, do you still perform "How Can I Live" in your sets, do you think people notice you more because of that song and film?

Christian: Yes, we play "How Can I Live" every night but by no means is it the only song that crowds are there to hear. I think the novelty of the film wore off many years ago. At this point in our career our fans are mostly interested in the first 2 albums along with what new music we may have just released. I can comfortably admit that our fans are not trend hoppers and have stuck by us for many years. In many ways I believe they might be more interested in the deeper album cuts such as "When It Cuts", "Unreal", "My Resurrection", etc so we shall deliver!

8. It's been sometime since the release of your first DVD "Live from the Eye of the Storm" back in 2004, will we be seeing another DVD or even a LIVE album in the future?

Christian: Would be great to do a live DVD sometime soon. We were planning on shooting one not too long ago but honestly, the plan fell through after a lack of budget. It's still something we discuss and certainly something we will chase given the right opportunity.

9. What about going acoustic, will you guys ever take this into consideration and release your material in this format?

Christian: We've done a couple songs in the past but I'm not sure that doing an entire album of acoustic material is our thing. There are other bands such as Sevendust that can do that with much more efficiency and serenity. Inside, we're collectively distortion addicts that have yet to have their fill.

10. Have you or will you ever perform any of your releases in their entirety from front to back?

Christian: We would love to if given the right tour headlining opportunity. Perhaps our debut "Revolution, Revolucion" would be a main contender. I think it would be a lot of fun but then again it could be cliché and predictable considering the vast number of bands doing so lately. That's something we've liked to do but may need to wait for the right time and the right opportunity.

 11. Do you guys have any new music in the works, in terms of a follow-up to your seventh studio album "Till Death, La Familia"?

Christian: We're all constantly writing and I am sure talks of going into the studio will begin shortly. As I mentioned, Victory Records will be releasing a new single for what I believe is the best song on "Till Death, La Familia". We shot a video for it a week ago and though the album came out a year ago, if the planets align precisely it may buy us a little more touring time before we head into the studio to record a new album. The song is called "Blood is Thicker Than Water". If you're a fan of our band, I urge you to call your local radio station and ask them to play it and also share the video when it comes out. I truly feel it's a song the world should hear and I hope it can connect with our fans on a higher level.

 12. Anything else you would like to say or want to add?

Christian: First and foremost, thank you for this cool interview and thank you to Victory Records. Secondly, but most importantly, thank you to our fans for being the life force that drives us to continue. Third, but not last, help us spread our new music, buy our album "Till Death, La Familia" and share it with your friends, request the new single "Blood is Thicker Than Water" on your local radio station, check our tour dates and come hang with your gang, pick up some merch! It's a tough time in the industry and every fan makes a difference, without their belief and loyalty we would not exist. Thank you!
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