Karnivool
Sound Awake

Ian Kenny – Vocals
Andrew “Drew” Goddard – Lead Guitar
Mark Hosking – Guitar
Jon Stockman – Bass
Steve Judd – Drums

When I received Karnivool’s Sound Awake in the mail I was a bit scared. I am not really in the mood for scream-o music right now. I was actually in need of a musical cleansing. I popped Sound Awake in my car’s player and was pleasantly surprised. It sounds like metal with the crunch of the guitars, but then the vocal track started and Karnivool’s heavy metal scream-o image I had in my head disappeared.

Karnivool reminds me of A Perfect Circle and since we haven’t heard from A Perfect Circle in a while I was more than happy to have Sound Awake in my possession. The melodies are incredible as Karnivool incorporates all the bells and whistles. Ok, maybe not the bells part but it sounds like bells and xylophones are used on several of the tracks. One track that really has my attention right now is “The Caudal Lure.”

More of Sound Awake and Tour Dates after the jump…

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Godsmack Releases “The Making Of” Webisode Series In Anticipation of The Oracle

Multi-platinum selling artist Godsmack are preparing to release their highly anticipated album, The Oracle. With two consecutive number one albums on the Billboard Top 200 (Faceless and IV) and their latest single “Cryin’ Like A Bitch” rapidly climbing the charts, this is one album you do not want to miss.

Drummer, Shannon Larkin describes the sound of The Oracle as much more like the band’s self-titled album, “It’s going to be a monster. The drums sound incredible, Sully Erna’s voice is on fire… it’s gonna be much more like the first record; much heavier, with simple, catchy guitar-driven riffs.”

To build anticipation for The Oracle’s May 4th release, Godsmack has unveiled a series of webisode’s titled “The Making Of The Oracle,” which follows the band through the recording process of their first studio album in four years. In the latest installment, the band takes their fans inside the studio and gives them an exclusive peek at two new tracks titled, “What If” and “Forever Shamed.” But gears quickly shift from music to sports when front man Sully decides to place a friendly wager on a New England Patriots vs. New Orleans Saints football game with producer/engineer Jeremy.

Watch the fourth webisode on Godsmack’s official YouTube channel to find out who loses the bet and see what happens when they take the dispute to the mechanical bull.

Godsmack’s lead single, “Cryin’ Like A Bitch,” is available now on iTunes!

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REVOLVER MAGAZINE’S
FIRST EVER TATTOO ISSUE,
FEATURING A COVER IMAGE OF SLAYER’S KERRY KING AND HIS LEGENDARY PAUL BOOTH HEAD TATTOO,
AVAILABLE TOMORROW;

INCLUDES FREE BOOTH-DESIGNED TEMPORARY TATTOO;
“THE HISTORY OF TATTOOS IN HARD ROCK” COVER STORY FEATURES INTERVIEWS WITH KING, BOOTH, Tommy Lee, Chester Bennington, KAT Von D, ORIGINAL ROCK STAR TATTOO ARTIST LYLE TUTTLE, AND MORE

REVOLVER Magazine will release their first-ever tattoo issue this spring, featuring a striking cover image of Slayer’s Kerry King and his legendary Paul Booth-inked head tattoo. King is pictured with blood dripping from his head onto his shoulders, an homage to Slayer’s “Raining Blood.” The March/April 2010 issue of Revolver will also feature “The History Of Tattoos In Hard Rock,” an in-depth feature by writer Christopher R. Weingarten exploring when tattoos first became rock staples, how they have evolved, and their future. Interview subjects include Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, L.A. Ink’s Kat Von D, Slayer’s Kerry King, Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, tattoo artist Paul Booth, original rock star tattooist Lyle Tuttle and many others. The story also features sidebar pieces on the “The Hottest Female Tattoo Artists,” “The Most Ridiculous Rocker Tattoo Fails,” “How to Get Your First Tattoo,” “The Most Painful Spots to Get Tattooed,” and more.

The Revolver tattoo issue–which will only be available on newsstands and in stores from March 2 to May 10–includes a free temporary tattoo featuring an exclusive design by Booth (pictured below).

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 NORMA JEAN ENTER THE STUDIO TO RECORD FIFTH ALBUM!!

SIGN UP FOR THE NORMA JEAN EMAIL LIST AND GET A FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE LIVE MUSIC VIDEO FOR THEIR NEW SONG “KILL MORE PRESIDENTS,” FEATURING CLIPS SHOT BY FANS!

BAND WILL PERFORM ON UPCOMING ROCKSTAR MAYHEM TOUR THIS SUMMER

(NEW YORK, NY) Norma Jean is back in the studio this month to record their fifth studio album and debut for new record label, Razor & Tie. The currently untitled album will be released this summer, and is being recorded in Atlanta, GA at Glow in the Dark Studios with producer Jeremy Griffith.

A new live music video for the demo of the song “Kill More Presidents” is now available as a free download with sign up for the Norma Jean email list. It is comprised of video shot by fans during the EXPLOSIONS 2009 Tour with HORSE The Band and The Chariot. The band ran a contest for fans to submit live concert footage, which was made into a live music video for the new song. A grand prize winner was chosen at random to receive a large prize pack including the existing Norma Jean catalog and products from such companies as Activision, Alternative Press, Rockett Clothing, Keep A Breast, Monster Energy, Denny’s and Hot Topic.

Norma Jean have also launched a new fan club to give fans unprecedented access to the beast they call the NORMACHINE. Head to NORMACHINE.com to become an official member and gain exclusive access to custom merch, select meet & greets, and unique contests.

“Kill More Presidents” will appear on the forthcoming release from Norma Jean, out this summer on Razor & Tie. Shortly after the release the band will head out on the road on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival, playing the “Mayhem Festival Stage” with Atreyu, In This Moment and 3 Inches of Blood.

“one of noisy hardcore’s more convincing and dexterous.” Alternative Press

“swinging, furious urgency…” Revolver

“sounds like a thousand rabid children hacking away at a piñata packed with explosives.” Decibel

“Norma Jean’s hidden strength lies in their dedication to melody.” All Music Guide

“Norma Jean sounds like extra time in a brutal pit. Awesome.” Kerrang!

“this band kind of totally rules.” Altpress.com

“Norma Jean have transcended the metalcore scene entirely …..raw, melodic and extremely angry” Artist Direct

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TAKING DAWN TEAM UP WITH KILLSWITCH ENGAGE AND OTHERS ON GODS OF WAR 3 SOUNDTRACK

Las Vegas rockers Taking Dawn have been included on the soundtrack to the highly anticipated Gods of War 3 video game. The soundtrack (available March 2nd) will feature the unreleased Taking Dawn track “This is Madness”, as well as new and unreleased tracks from Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Dream Theater, Opeth, and Mutiny Within.

Pre-order your copy of the soundtrack here.

Taking Dawn have just released their debut album Time To Burn and are taking the rock world by storm, one city at a time. Blurring the lines between rock and metal, their Roadrunner Records debut boasts huge vocals, epic choruses and even bigger guitars.

“If you are a fan of well-produced, well-written Rock And Roll this is a must have disc for you. I know it is only February but I feel this is going to be a contender for one of the best albums of the year.” (Pure Grain Audio)

“The Las Vegas band Taking Dawn is a new and upcoming act with all the ingredients to make it big. Their Roadrunner debut, Time to Burn is a pure rock ‘n roll timebomb just waiting to explode on an unsuspecting public.” (Melodic)

Tracklisting for the Gods of War 3 soundtrack is as follows:

1. Killswitch Engage – My Obsession

2. Trivium – Shattering The Skies Above

3. Dream Theater – Raw Dog

4. Taking Dawn – This Is Madness

5. Opeth – The Throat Of Winter

6. Mutiny Within – The End

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CHELSEA GRIN DEBUT ON BILLBOARD! #21 NEW ARTIST CHART WITH OVER 1,500 COPIES SOLD!

ON TOUR NOW WITH THE RED CHORD!

“This is an assured debut by six youngsters with bright futures.”

-AlternativePress.com (3.5 out of 5 Score)!

Chelsea Grin debuted at #21 on the Billboard New Artist Chart this week. The band moved over 1,500 copies of their debut full-length Desolation Of Eden which was released last week on Artery Recordings. Chelsea Grin is the premiere artist on Artery, which is a new imprint of Razor & Tie Entertainment. The band is currently on tour with The Red Chord as well as My Children My Bride and Those Who Lie Beneath. Guitarist Jaek Harmond comments from the road, “The tour is going great! We have had handful after handful of problems with our van, but the shows themselves are awesome. The experience touring with The Red Chord is doing us very well. They are teaching us a lot, and we definitely have noticed WAY more fans. We are very happy with the first week sales as well. We beat the original goal we had set and know we can do even better next time. We aren’t happy settling on any number.”

Check out tour dates after the jump!

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ROCK ON THE RANGE 2010:
GODSMACK, ROB ZOMBIE, THREE DAYS GRACE &;
THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED RETURN OF LIMP BIZKIT
HIGHLIGHT THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL
MORE THAN 38 BANDS
INCLUDING SEETHER, RISE AGAINST,
DEFTONES, PAPA ROACH, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, SLASH, MASTODON AND Five Finger Death Punch
TO CONVERGE ON COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM
MAY 22 & 23

More than 38 bands will once again come together to celebrate rock at the fourth annual ROCK  ON THE RANGE, set for May 22 and 23 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The line-up includes first-timer “Rangers” Rob Zombie, Godsmack (in their first announced show of 2010), the return of Limp Bizkit and the festival solo debut of Slash. The two-day line-up for America’s premiere destination rock festival includes some of the most rocking artists in music today. In addition, marking another first for ROCK ON THE RANGE, Mistress Juliya of Fuse TV has signed on as the hostess and Mistress of Ceremonies for the event. (See below for the full line-up.)

Sully Erna from Godsmack says: “Fasten your seatbelts baby, here comes Godsmack! I can’t WAIT to get to Columbus for what will be the best Rock On The Range yet! Godsmack is gonna kick some major *@%*!”

Del Williams, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment, explains: “We designed ROTR 2010 to be the biggest weekend of ROCK at an incredibly low ticket price for the fans affectionately referred to as the ‘Rangers.’ This year’s line-up represents the most compelling mix of bands that we have ever had. Godsmack is one of the most prolific Active Rock bands of all time, and the intrepid Rob Zombie is an unrivaled performer. We are particularly excited about the return of Limp Bizkit, who have been tearing it up at European festivals. It is time for them to come back to America and remind people why they were at one time one of the biggest bands in the world.”

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(editor’s note: YAY!!!) Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has announced the return of original bassist David Ellefson (1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group. This reunion is appropriately timed to Megadeth’s upcoming historic month-long Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour which launches March 1 in Spokane, WA. At these incredibly special shows, Megadeth will play their landmark, genre-defining 1990 album Rust In Peace in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites.

“This shows the power of brotherly love and forgiveness,” Mustaine says. “David Ellefson belongs in Megadeth. Next we are going to show you the power of getting your asses kicked…HARD!”

David Ellefson concurs: “This is a huge moment for all of us, band and fans alike. It is a great celebration of the music from one of the biggest landmark albums of our career.”

Ellefson will join Mustaine and Megadeth band members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar) on tour in support of the group’s current CD Endgame, which has received some of the highest critical accolades of the band’s career.

“We’d like to thank James LoMenzo for several years of loyal service on the bass, and wish him the very best,” Mustaine adds.

For more information on Megadeth, go to: www.megadeth.com.

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BLEEDING THROUGH TOUR AND NEW ALBUM ANNOUNCED

Rise Records and Bleeding Through are pleased to announce “The Spring Breakdown Tour: 2010″. Bleeding Through is one of the most important bands to take the mixture of metal and hardcore to international prominence in the last decade, touring with Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine, AFI, HIM, Cradle Of Filth, Ozzfest, Vans Warped Tour and MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball: The Tour.

Currently on a European tour supporting Machine Head, Bleeding Through commence the new decade with a US headlining tour in support of their upcoming release which is in stores April 13th. Their ominously self-titled new album, their first for Rise Records, is the perfect distillation of their past with a solid look forward to the future: dark, aggressive, full of rage and sorrow. Look for Bleeding Through, Born of Osiris, Sleeping Giant, Oceano and fellow Rise supporting band Legend at your favorite venue this spring! Bleeding Through also posted a new song from the album called, “Anti-Hero” on their MySpace page which features their new album artwork and exclusive pre-order bundle packages.

www.myspace.com/bleedingthrough

www.riserecords.com

Headlining tour dates after the jump:

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COHEED AND CAMBRIA
YEAR OF THE BLACK RAINBOW
FIFTH ALBUM OUT APRIL 13-PRE-SALE TO BEGIN THIS WEEK AT http://www.coheedandcambria.com

Deluxe Edition To Include 300+ page “Year of the Black Rainbow” Novel, Penned by Claudio Sanchez and Bestselling Author Peter David
Four Of Eight Pre-Release Club Shows Completely SOLD OUT
Appearing April 17 at Coachella

Coheed and Cambria has confirmed April 13 as the release date of Year of the Black Rainbow, its heavily anticipated fifth studio album. The eagerly awaited prequel to “The Amory Wars” tetralogy, Year of the Black Rainbow will be released by Columbia in both a standard format and a deluxe edition including a 352-page Year of the Black Rainbow novel, penned by the band’s Claudio Sanchez and New York Times Bestselling author Peter David.

Presale orders for the deluxe edition of Year of the Black Rainbow can be placed beginning this week at http://www.coheedandcambria.com. In addition to the CD and novel, the deluxe edition will include a “Making of” DVD featuring studio and interview footage as well as a Coheed and Cambria “Black Card,” which will allow fans early entrance to shows, discounts on band merchandise and exclusive downloads and offers. Sneak peeks at the new album’s artwork and other exclusive visuals can be seen at http://www.coheedandcambria.com.

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