The Witzard

Chesty Malone & The Slice 'em Ups - Torture Rock vinyl re-issue promotional cover artwork (CREDITS: Anthony Allen Begnal / Holly Neal Hawkins) Brooklyn's own Chesty Malone & The Slice 'em Ups are re-issuing their second album (originally released in 2011) on vinyl for the first time. Boise, Idaho's most evil record label, 1332 Records, is releasing Torture Rock on red/white and red/black splatter vinyl, along with classic black. The album, recorded back in the Fall of 2009 at Queens, New York studio Wild Arctic by engineer Shawn Kimon, also, features maniac drummer Angel Cotte ( Demolition Hammer ) who said recording Torture Rock was "the best experience of my life!!!" When it came out in 2011, it was only on CD and streaming, so the band is pretty excited about this release. "Torture Rock is finally coming out on vinyl, just like the devil intended!" singer Jaqueline Blownaparte said. The album's artwork was faithfully re-created fr...

As we all well know by now (or SPOILER ALERT:) Stranger Things is a Science-Fiction/Horror web television series created, written, and directed by The Duffer Brothers and executive-produced by Shawn Levy. The show was released as a Netflix original series premiering on July 15, 2016. The show takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the early-to-mid-1980's. When a young boy vanishes, Hawkins becomes embroiled in an extraordinary mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying super-natural forces, and one strange little girl... Mega Ran released STRANGERS in 2017 and a follow-up is upon us! Inspired by the events of the record-breaking fourth season of Stranger Things (seriosuly, no SPOILERS here,) RandomBeats & Soul Mates Present: Mega Ran & Amerigo Gazaway's STRANGERS: Back to The Lab, a follow-up to Ran's 2017 STRANGERS EP. STRANGERS: Back To The Lab by Mega Ran & Amerigo Gazaway Featuring production work from DJ DN³, Lost Perception,...

L-R: Metallica's James Hetfield with Mike Davenport & Donald Spence from Versus The World at Soundwave 2013 (SOURCE: Mike Davenport) We've Got A Flyer On You will (hopefully!) be a new recurring column here at The Witzard. It's set to feature, examine, and re-visit mixed bill/genre, once-in-a-lifetime, iconic, and otherwise noteworthy Punk/Hardcore show flyers and their corresponding line-ups. As often as possible, we plan to speak directly with the promoters, bookers, flyer artists, soundmen/women, show attendees, and, most importantly, the artists themselves. If all goes well, we’re even hoping to, eventually, cover a handful of shows we attended ourselves in years past, as well. For this slightly re-vamped edition of We've Got A Flyer On You, we'll be spotlighting a noteworthy musician, rather than an infamous show. Mike Davenport is a veteran Punk bassist and vocalist who has played with The Ataris, Versus The World, and Cave Mummy, and served as Antifr...

OFF! - L-R: Dimitri Coats, Autry Fulbright, II, Keith Morris & Justin Brown (CREDIT: Jeff Forney) OFF! the Punk/Hardcore super-group, which, since its 2010 inception, has featured Circle Jerks & ex-Black Flag frontman Keith Morris, guitarist Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides, Ten Commandos,) bassist Steven McDonald (Redd Kross, Melvins/Dale Crover Band,) and drummer Mario Rubalcaba (ex-Rocket from The Crypt, Hot Snakes.) OFF! have been fairly quiet since the release of their 2014 EP, Wasted Years, but all that has changed as of yesterday afternoon: OFF! unleashed a frenzied cover of Metallica's "Holier Than Thou" from their upcoming expansive 53-song tribute to The Black Album fittingly dubbed The Metallica Blacklist. Along with it came a music video, a new band/press photo, an announcement they were signing to Fat Possum Records for re-issues and future releases, and news they were working on a new album, as well as a long-planned Sci-Fi feature film. Nestled...

" Mustaine & Ving created the band name by reversing their initials. Dave Mustaine 's reversed are "MD" and Lee Ving 's are "VL," which is 45 in Roman numerals, hence, the name MD.45 ... The initials, also, stand for members of the band: Mustaine, DeGrasso, Ving, and LeMieux," according to an answer given on Megadeath's website . MD.45 was, in fact, a short-lived Punk/Metal side-project of Megadeath guitarist and frontman Dave Mustaine , along with FEAR 's founding guitarist Lee Ving , Electric Love Hogs and future Goldfinger bassist Kelly LeMieux , and former Suicidal Tendencies drummer Jimmy DeGrasso . DeGrasso would, later, join Mustaine's Megadeath between 1998-2002 for Risk, The World Needs A Hero , and Rude Awakening ; in-between his time spent with Electric Love Hogs & Goldfinger , LeMieux was, also, briefly a member of FEAR from either 1995-97 or 1997-98. Lest we forget, FEAR were one of the first and only Punk...

"EBE Records was created by DJ/producer Afrika Islam and rapper/actor Ice-T. This creative team came together to combine all their musical tastes into one label, looking to the future by pulling from their past. Ice-T, Zulu Beats, Body Count, Rhyme Syndicate, MR.X, Charlie Funk, Bubbleheads, and Analog Brothers [Ice Oscillator, Keith Korg, Mark Moog, Silver Synth, Rex Roland JX3P & Keith Kurzweil]—to name a few of the musical exploits they have already conquered. Not to mention, TV and film, studio and tour, raves and super-raves, clubs and concerts, radio and documentaries. Afrika Islam & Ice-T bring to the label a different level of musical and visual understanding. The label's collaboration-based music project from act to DJ, from legend to new-comers, Hip-Hop to EDM, from House to Techno, from Dub to Glitch to Funk to Electro-Funk. WE CALL IT "HYBRID MUSIC!'" - Ice-T & Afrika Islam (EBE NATION) I. How did Ice-T & Afrika Islam initially m...

Download Mixtape Just in time for All Hallow's Eve , Yelawolf & DJ Paul unleashed a 5-track FreEP, Black Fall late Wednesday night. The former Three 6 Mafia producer crafted some pretty sinister-sounding beats using primarily Rock & Metal samples; so far, I've heard Metallica , Pink Floyd, Muse , Michael Jackson, and Black Sabbath (Dio) . I never really used to like Yelawolf 's hillbilly-tinged brand of Southern Hip-Hop , until I heard his genre-blending collaboration with singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran , The Slumdon Bridge EP . It's a truly timeless Alt. Hip-Hop EP that I would've gladly paid good money for and I guess Travis Barker & Eminem 's separate Yelawolf co-signs didn't hurt either. Leaked pre-release single "Light Switch" expertly manages to sample English Prog-Rock band Muse 's radio-friendly hit "Uprising," while elsewhere, "Thriller" and Pink Floyd are sampled on one track. Yelawolf &...

Once you get past the deeply religious/Satanic imagery, 5 Nameless Ghouls , and dark brooding undertones, Ghost [B.C.] are a damn good Heavy Metal/Rock band; However, I'd personally liken them more to formative Heavy Metal bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult , etc. despite repeated allusions to the occult. Ghost are fronted by a mysterious Pope -like figurehead who goes by "Papa Emeritus II" (formerly Papa Emeritus ) and he's usually flanked on-stage by 5 cloaked Nameless Ghouls , which each represent the five elements: fire, water, wind, Earth , and ether. Filmed by Rob Semmer at 2 recent Los Angeles and New York -based gigs, the band's new video "Monstrance Clock" is pretty much your standard Rock "N" Roll performance clip. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to catch the tail-end of the Swedes' blistering set at Metallica 's first annual Orion Music + More Festival last summer... It's the last track on Ghost 's ...

Rock "N" Roll is an expressive art form: Whether it makes you want to passionately sing, dance, play, or even write. Blak & Blu is such a BIG, comprehensive album that'll undoubtedly get a lot of coverage. Sometimes I tend to stray away from potential "big ticket" pieces of that level. But fuck it - Blak & Blu is such a great collection that it honesty deserves every damn ounce of coverage it's getting! While a handful of critics have already started raggin' on Gary Clark Jr. for supposedly "selling out," abandoning his Austin Blues Rock roots, and making an eclectic [slightly "commercial"] album ... I feel like it's a pretty smart move right outta the gates; This way Clark won't get labelled a one-trick, guitar-playing pony. Plus, if he played grandiose guitar solos on nearly every track, people would call him a dick anyways. "Bright Lights" is a guitar feedback-soaked middle finger aimed @ Clark...

Even though I only caught roughly 35 minutes-worth of their set sunday afternoon [running 2-3], Ghost undoubted made the biggest impact on my musical ear this weekend @ Metallica 's first annual Orion Festival . Frontman "Papa Emeritus" and his band of 5 cloaked Nameless Ghouls flew in from Sweden @ buddy James Hetfield 's special request. Ghost has been garnering a note-worthy amount of blog-based buzz since about 2010 coinciding with the release of their debut album, Opus Eponymous . Somehow warranting rumored claims of "Satanism" practice , I personally think Ghost make music that sounds like Classic Rock/Metal : Black Sabbath , Cream, Blue Öyster Cult , Metallica, The Rolling Stones , etc. Donning their now infamous priest/peasant-inspired hooded garb, Ghost ripped through a 10-12-somg set, including a spot on "Here Comes The Sun" cover, in the blistering 90° Atlantic City heat. Visually, it all vaguely reminds me of what KISS grew oh...

Before I head down to Atlantic City for a debauchery-filled weekend @ Metallica 's "Orion" Festival with a few buddies, Arctic Monkeys , Modest Mouse, Fucked Up , Best Coast, Ghost , and 30-some other bands... I figured I'd dub up a quick post on this nice little slice of Southern Rock: JEFF The Brotherhood - Hypnotic Knights EP . It's essentially a sampler EP, featuring 4 tracks that will eventually end up on Hypnotic Nights LP , which is slated for a July 17th release date. In honor of Hypnotic Knights EP and sticking with the "Sixpack" theme, Jake & Jamin Orrall shotgunned a few beers on camera @ Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ) the other night. Hypnotic Nights LP is now available in a number of pre-order packages over @ JEFF The Brotherhood 's site. METALLICA!

It appears as though Fucked Up are pulling a "Beatles" - Taking a much-needed break from writing, recording, and playing shows . No word if inner-band emotions have actually played a part in the temporary split, but hopefully Fucked Up come back 10-fold after the break. Fucked Up 's primary members are currently keeping fairly busy... logging time with a number of Hardcore Punk -tinged side endeavors. Young Guv & The Scuzz , CrimSane , baby-making, Looking for Gold , etc. For the record, frontman Damian Abraham is the one procreating and making new sounds with Matt Delong from No Warning and Violent Minds . Earlier today, Stereogum writer Tom Breihan took the liberty of debuting CrimSane 's premier Kushcore track, "ChinaFastGrow," which may or may not appear on an upcoming [possibly non-existant] EP/album release. Formerly known as "Criminally Insane" and then featuring Ben Cook (drums), the band previously released an underground ...

Eventhough they're from Huntington Beach, CA, EdstanleY 's brand spankin' new 9-Track Demo CD somehow manages to effectively channel the sheer angst and passionate, DIY nature of "D.C. Hardcore" (1980's Punk) . I've personally known the guys for about a year now and it's been great to see them gradually progress and morph into what EdstanleY is today. Scott Gripe, Justin "Bobby" Brescia , and Dave Rees have been holed up in the studio these past few months; Steadily chipping away at what has now become this very LP-length demo [read: rough album]. Without giving too much away: EdstanleY Demo is the true audiofile embodiment of what this band really stands for... originality, sun-drenched Rock "N" Roll , peace, respect, and a good fucking time! Genre-wise, I'd say they fit somewhere between Nirvana and Metallica . Following a few days of repeated listenings, my personal [albeit early] favorites from the advance I rece...

I recently found myself describing Brandon McCartney as, "[ Lil B ]'s TOTALLY "mental," yet fucking genius! Like if Biz Markie was off his meds." With that said, let me clarify that I'm a long-time fan of both Biz and Lil B . I harvest a certain amount of respect for anyone who's able to get that un-hinged, honest, and revealing. 9 times out of 10, Lil B employs the "#BASED" [stream-of-conscious] rapping technique throughout his original compositions. Since the June release of "street album," I'm Gay, Lil B has somehow managed to release 2-4 mixtapes - Roughly one every 2-3 weeks. The Silent President is the latest mixtape liberated in this string of on-going releases. Highlighted here, for your listening pleasure, are "Great China Sea" and "Beat the Cancer:" Freestyles over Kanye/Jay-Z and Metallica -driven beats, respectively. If that sounds like it just might pique your interest... or if Lil B ...

" Guns N' Roses headlined the first show I ever saw. This was July 1992 at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC , the first night of their massive co-headlining tour with Metallica . A couple of weeks later, a Montreal show would end in a riot when both bands ended their sets early: Metallica because James Hetfield caught on fire, Guns N' Roses because Axl Rose was upset after being upstaged by the guy who caught on fire. As legend had it, Axl had attempted to recruit Nirvana as the tour's opener, but Nirvana turned it down because Kurt Cobain didn't like the way Axl talked about women in his songs. Faith No More ended up opening instead. As a 12-year-old, I was happy about Cobain's decision - Not because I supported his reasoning, but because I was more excited to see Faith No More than I was to see Nirvana . (Back then, I thought The Real Thing was a better album than Nevermind . When I'm in the right mood, I still think The Real Thing is a better ...