Thursday, December 23, 2010

Happy Festivus!


Today, being December 23rd, is Festivus! One of the greatest (not necessarily happiest) times of the year!

According to Festivus tradition, the "Airing of Grievances" requires us to bring up things that aggravate us and make them known to the world!

This blog is here to serve that exact purpose! if you have any grievances about anything, this is the place to air them. Just comment below and tell the world exactly what you can't stand about it!

We'll save the 'feats of Strength" for another place and time.

It's Festivus for the rest of us!

Friday, December 10, 2010

RED in the Face


RED is quite easily one of the most well-recognized bands out there right now. Having produced two albums and released multiple hits to radio, they quickly gained a following over the last four years. Now, at the peak of their popularity, RED is preparing for the release of their third studio album, their second with Sony Music Entertainment.

The new album, Until We Have Faces, takes it's name from the book Till We Have Faces, which was the last novel written by author C. S. Lewis, showing that the band is remaining true to their Christian roots. Those roots have produced two bestselling albums, so we should take heart that this album will be equally epic.

Until We Have Faces
is scheduled to be released on February 1st 2011.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Monday, December 6, 2010

What the Hell Ever Happened to Crisco?


It has kind of felt something like that picture...except it would be me sitting at the desk rather than some chick. I wonder who she is. She looks like she could use some serious help with all that work.

Anyway, bottom line is I've been a busy beaver. There has been a lot going on for me the last few months, including a promotion at the radio station. Yep...you can now hear me Nights on 97.9X! As in EVERY NIGHT...rather than just when Dan "The Man" can't do it. So tune in!

With the promotion came a whole slew of new responsibilities, all of which I am finally beginning to settle into. Now that I've found a relative groove, I'll be back to updating this blog regularly.

I've been gone for a while, but now I'm back from outer space. Get ready for a Crisco-gasm.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Nightmare Comes to Life


Avenged Sevenfold released their brand new album Nightmare yesterday. To celebrate, A7X is doing some stuff on the web this week that you can take part in.

1. The band will host a LIVE CHAT online where they will talk to their fans tomorrow night (Thursday, July 29th @ 5p EST).

2. The band will air a LIVE FEED of their concert in Syracuse, NY on Saturday, July 31st.

Both events will happen on Avenged Sevenfold's UStream page.

So there you have it...a few really cool things going on this week that you can be apart of from the comfort of your computer chair. Enjoy!

Friday, July 9, 2010

A Thousands Suns Burst Forth


Finally! I'm not even going to waste my time with an introduction to this. Linkin Park have announced that their new album, A Thousand Suns, will be released on September 14th.

Score!

Now that the nitty-gritty of the news is out of the way, I'm going to discuss. After all of the back and forth and all the waiting, our patience has finally paid off. We need but wait another two(ish) months.

It's interesting to see that Linkin Park is sticking with the "nuclear" theme. If you don't know what I'm talking about, allow me to enlighten thee. The band's last album title, Minutes to Midnight, is in reference to the Doomsday Clock which marks the theological, philosophical, and hypothetical number of minutes until midnight; midnight being representative of mankind's annihilation via nuclear war. The lower the number of "minutes to midnight", the closer humanity is, in theory, to blowing ourselves to smithereens.

In case you were curious, the Doomsday Clock is currently (at the time of writing this blog) at 6 Minutes to Midnight.

The new album title, A Thousand Suns, is a reference to a statement made by J. Robert Oppenheimer, the developer of the Atomic Bomb, after bearing witness to the first successful detonation of a nuclear weapon.

"Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds."

At the time of the statement, Oppenheimer was quoting The Bhagavad Gita.

"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds."

What does any of this have to do with Linkin Park? Probably nothing. I just thought it would be fun to give you a history lesson.

Linkin Park's new album, A Thousand Suns, hits stores September 14th. That's all you probably care about.

Do keep an ear out for their new single "The Catalyst", which will be released August 2nd.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Trapt and Unapologetic


The band known as Trapt has seen a large burst of popularity since it's inception and debut single "Headstrong". Their last album Only Through the Pain debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 and it had two wildly popular singles "Who's Going Home With You Tonight?" and "Contagious".

Personally, while I enjoyed Only Through the Pain, it was obviously an album of ballads. There weren't any songs on the record that really reached out and punched you in the good'n'plenties, if you know what I mean. It was a softer, more melodic album lacking any powerful anthems like "Headstrong" of "Stand Up". I'm not saying it wasn't good, because it was good. In fact, it was very good. Still, it just felt like something was missing.

It was for these reasons that I was excited to learn that Trapt was putting out a new album this year. I was curious as to which direction the band would go from here. Finally, word came down yesterday that the new album is called No Apologies, and it is due out on September 14th*.

Having listened to "Sound Off", the first single off the new record that is due to hit radio on July 20th, I can say with some certainty that Trapt understands the grievances that myself and many more of their fans had with their last studio effort. I say that because "Sound Off", the very FIRST new single, is exactly the type of song that Only Through the Pain was missing. It's an anthem through and through, and the fact that it is the lead-in single to the new record implies that Trapt is making a statement with it. This song is evidence of a great new record, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

* UPDATE 08/12/10 - The release date for No Apologies has been pushed back to October 12th.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

How To Destroy Angels


When Nine Inch Nails called it quits, a great many people were depressed. I sure was. However, Trent Reznor assured all of the fans that Nine Inch Nails was only through with touring, and that he was still writing new material for the band. That was enough to satisfy a lot of people since NIN would still be active in at least some capacity.

Starting in February of this year, a lot of speculation took shape when Reznor posted numerous pictures on NIN.com of various recording equipment, including one picture of Reznor himself singing into a microphone. Many believed that we were on the verge of getting some new NIN. Alas, we were wrong. But we are getting something.

As it turns out, Reznor has been very busy working on a side-project with his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and musician/composer Atticus Ross. This side-project is now known as How to Destroy Angels.

This new collaboration has a self-titled, 6-track EP due to come out as a physical release on July 6th. However, if you just can't wait, How to Destroy Angels - EP is available RIGHT NOW as a FREE digital download on the band's website.

From the little I've heard, this is going to be an incredible band. I've never gotten into downloading music though. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to wait for the physical release. You'll have to tell me how it is if you take the time to download it.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A Nightmare Scenario


It's always difficult to see a talented musician pass away, especially at an early age and at the height of their career. Avenged Sevenfold had to deal with this exact scenario when their drummer "The Rev" passed away at the end of 2009.

At the time, A7X was in the middle of writing and recording a new album. In fact, they were just about to enter the studio when it happened. Most people, myself included, believed that The Rev's death was going to throw the recording of the new album into an indefinite hiatus. Who could blame the band for wanting to take a break?

Avenged Sevenfold did not take a break, however. Still armed with all of the already written material, much of which was written by The Rev himself, the band hit the studio with the intention of finishing the album in The Rev's honor and dedicating it to him by using all of the music that he had written, and even using The Rev's previously-recorded vocals.

With the help of Dream Theater's drummer, Mike Portnoy, Avenged Sevenfold recorded their new album Nightmare which is set to be released on July 27th. Meanwhile, Mike Portnoy has agreed to tour with A7X as their stand-in drummer until the band can find a permanent replacement.

For fans of Avenged Sevenfold and the band alike, this album will serve as a rebirth. I, personally, cannot wait to hear it.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Looking Forward to Yesterday


It was more than a year ago that I announced here on the ol' blog that 12 Stones was busy working on recording a new album that was (at the time) due out in the Fall of 2009. Well, the Fall of '09 came and went and I heard nary a thing.

Finally, though, at the top of the new year, 12 Stones began slowly releasing information about the new record, even debuting a new single "We Are One" to radio. Still, we did not have an album name or release date. Today, we finally do.

The new release from 12 Stones will be titled The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday, and it is set to be released on July 20th. The title has been public knowledge for a while, but I wanted to make sure I had all the info before I wrote a blog on it.

But hold on to your hat. If you are expecting an album from 12 Stones, I hate to tell you that you're out of luck. Yes, as it turns out, the new release will only be an EP and not a full length album, which defies everything we have been told over the past year.

The tracklisting is as follows:
  1. Welcome to The End
  2. We Are One
  3. Disappear
  4. Tomorrow Comes Today
  5. Enemy
Even I have to admit that only getting an EP is somewhat disappointing, especially considering that I've been eagerly awaiting news on this release for so long, but what can you do? I can only hope that because this release is only an EP that we can expect a complete album sometime within the next year. Time will tell for sure. Still, getting this is better than getting nothing.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Only Roaches Will Survive Annihilation


In my first post in a long ass time, I'm hitting you with some New Rock news. This time it's coming from Papa Roach, one of the most popular bands out there today.

P.Roach has had one hell of a year, starting with their split from their label Interscope Records. In that time, fans worried and rumors abounded. What was to become of Papa Roach? As if there was any real worry, the band was picked up by a new record label. They are now on board with Eleven Seven Music, a more or less indie label presided over by Nikki Sixx that is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

Since joining with Eleven Seven, Papa Roach has been hard at work on a brand new album. The new record is called Time For Annihilation...On the Road and On the Record, and it is set to hit stores on August 31st. The new album is very unique in that is will feature a collaboration of both brand new music and live recordings. There have been a total of five new tracks confirmed, and anywhere from nine to eleven live songs (depending on the source). The first new single, "Kick in the Teeth", should be getting airplay on 97.9X by the end of the month.

On top of the new album, Papa Roach has another CD coming out on the 29th of this month (June). To Be Loved: The Best of Papa Roach is a greatest hits compilation being released by Interscope Records, the band's former label. However, numerous rumors have reported that Papa Roach has been telling their fans not to buy it, indicating that they (Papa Roach) are making no money from the album's sales and that it is not one of their official releases. Is that going to stop YOU from buying it?

In a year featuring a radical number of new music releases, Papa Roach is rocking the boat with something new and different with Time for Annihilation. Keep an ear out for that new single...it's coming soon.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Back From Paradise

Just checking in to report that I have, indeed, returned safe and sound from my little slice of paradise in Florida and with a new lease on life to boot. I'll make another blog with greater detail in time.

Hope you didn't miss me TOO much!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Stick It Where The Sun Shines!


That, dear greasers, is a picture of the sun. Now I know you are probably wondering why I bothered to put a picture of the sun on my blog that I haven't updated in a while. Well, it's because I'm going on vacation to the Sunshine State (Florida) until April 21st and I was trying to be witty and clever. Also, in this picture the sun kind of looks like an orange, and Florida is a mass producer of oranges. You're getting the point. I'm going to Florida. Don't wait up.

When I get back, I promise I'll start regularly updating this blog again. I swear.

Later, suckers!

Friday, March 19, 2010

FRESH POTS!!!

It only makes sense that Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures) would have an out-of-control addiction to caffeine.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Save The Date


Few bands experience the sudden explosion of popularity that Saving Abel has seen. You may recall a little song called "Addicted", which was the very first single off of Saving Abel, the band's self-titled debut. It was an instant hit, peaking at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks and #20 on the Hot 100. Since then, the band has garnered quite a following.

Now, two years after the release of Saving Abel, the band is preparing for the release of their second studio album. All of the songs were written on the road while Saving Abel toured with the likes of Nickelback, Hinder, Papa Roach, RED, Pop Evil, and more. Following the end of a tour in January, the band immediately hit the studio to record all that they had written. The final product will be titled Miss America, and it's due to hit stores on June 8th, 2010.

Saving Abel's first album was a great one, and I can't wait to hear what they've got in store next. We should have a new single playing on 97.9X within the next few weeks so stay tuned.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mayhem in 2010


The 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival has officially announced the band line-up for this year's tour! Can you feel it? I know I can!

Last year's Mayhem Fest ruled in unimaginable ways. If you want to read up on all the went down in '09, check out the entry I wrote about it.

As much as last year rocked, we can rest assured that this year is going to rock just as hard! This morning, Roadrunner records and Mayhem Festival's website sent out press releases detailing this year's tour...and what a year it is going to be!

So, without further delay, I give you this year's band line-up:

HEADLINING (Main Stage)
KoRn
Rob Zombie
with
Lamb of God
Five Finger Death Punch

2ND STAGE
Atreyu
Norma Jean
3 Inches of Blood
In This Moment

JÄGERMEISTER STAGE

Hatebreed
Chimaira
Shadows Fall
Winds of Plague

This is going to be sick! Although some tour dates have already been announced, nothing has been mentioned yet for the Toyota Pavilion. But don't worry, it took them a few months to post a date here in NEPA last year too, so you just need patience. Besides, you can count on myself and the rest of the DJs at 97.9X to keep you up-to-date.

Stay tuned for further details...and get ready to thrash!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Disturbing


Well, this has been an exciting couple of days for New Rock announcements.

As it turns out, one of our most popular 97.9X bands, Disturbed, is going to be hitting the studio next month (February) to record their next album. This info came in an interview with Disturbed's guitarist Dan Donegan.

Donegan says that there are about "15 to 18 songs" already written out and ready to be recorded so long as vocalist Dave Draiman finalizes the lyrical content. According to the interview, the new album will land in the summer of this year (2010), though no album title has been revealed yet.

Also on the way from Disturbed is a 10th Anniversary re-issue of their debut album The Sickness with exclusive B-side songs recorded during Disturbed's early days and expanded artwork. The Decade of Disturbed DVD is also expected later this year as well.

2010 is going to be a huge year for Disturbed and their fans. I hope you guys are ready for it.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Saints of Sin!



Keeping you guys up to date as usual with the latest juiciness. This is a big one though.

I, personally, am a huge Godsmack fan...and I am psyched about this new record. Apparently, as this trailer suggests, more of these webisodes will be available at Rockpit.com in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes on that site for more. I'll do my best to keep up on them.

The biggest news is that we now have the title of Godsmack's forthcoming fifth studio album: Saints and Sinners.

Still no artwork or release date...but I'll stay on top of it!

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.

UPDATE 1/4/10 - Apparently, the album has been re-named The Oracle according to new webisodes at Godsmack.com.

UPDATE 2/22/10 - The current, tentative release date for the album is May 4th of this year. Source

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Snuffed Out

At long last, I found it. This is the short film for the song "Snuff" taken from Slipknot's album All Hope Is Gone. It was directed by M. Shawn Crahan and P.R. Brown.

Enjoy!