For people who love to hate musicians theyâve probably never listened to, today is the day! You can rejoice because today delivers new albums from both Nickelback and Disturbed!
Many of the same issues we just identified in our review of that Nickelback album also relate to Disturbed. One big criticism being the âby numbersâ approach to their releases, each album a clone of the previous, and that may well be true.
Still, its horses for courses, odds are if Iâm hitting play on a Disturbed album Iâm after some simple, relentless metal that allows me to sing-along and punch my fist in the air. If Iâm after straight rock Iâll go for Foo Fighters, something a little softer then its R.E.M., a bit of indie rock then I may revisit Oasis, radio rock then hey Iâm headed for Nickelback!
Well, you get what Iâm getting at. If Iâm listening to Disturbed, itâs because theyâre what I want to listen to. So, how do you review an album by such a divisive band? It certainly helps when they name that very album, âDivisiveâ.
Opinions will naturally differ on any new Disturbed album. Ultimately, does it deliver for the bands fans? Does it hold up to their previous work? Does it get those fists pumping and voices singing?
Undoubtedly, the answer to all of the above is yes. Everything that youâd want from Disturbed album is here and the band are still doing what they do and they are doing it well!
So there you have it, if you already like Disturbed, check out this album itâs very much for you. If you donât like Disturbed, why are you reading this review, the chances are that there is nothing I could write that would change your mind on the band!
Download Festival reveals 20th Anniversary line-up
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with festival announcements and where else could we start other than the monster 20th Anniversary line-up announcement from Download Festival!
Extended to four days this year the event will feature two unique headline sets from Metallica, the return of Donington icons Slipknot and a well deserved top billing for Bring Me The Horizon.
Other big slots are taken by the likes of Alexisonfire, Architects, The Distillers, Disturbed, Evanescence, Ghost, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, Pendulum, Placebo, Simple Plan, Ville Valo and Within Temptation.
It doesn’t stop there and also playing will be the likes of The Blackout, Fever 333, Kid Kapichi, Nova Twins, Seether and Witch Fever.
Welsh rock fans are in for a treat when Airbourne bring the party on Saturday night at next years Steelhouse Festival!
The Aussies will headline the event which also features The Answer, Blues Pills, Kris Barras Band, Florence Black, The Cruel Knives, Austin Gold and more, with plenty more to be announced.
Crystal Palace Bowl in London will once again host South Facing festival next summer and this week Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and more were amongst the first acts revealed.
Peter Gabriel announces first EU tour in nearly a decade!
We stay with the live side of things next as our News Report moves onto the best tour announcements from the past week!
Peter Gabriel has revealed his first European tour in nearly a decade including UK dates in Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Manchester.
Gabriel said of the tour: âItâs been a while and I am now surrounded by a whole lot of new songs and am excited to be taking them out on the road for a spin. Look forward to seeing you out there.â
Primal Scream & Happy Mondays to team up in Margate
We continue our News Report with news that Saturday 5th August will see Dreamland in Margate taken over be a co-headline show from Primal Scream and Happy Mondays.
In celebration of their 40th Anniversary, James have announced a new UK ‘James Lasted’ Tour complete with 22-piece orchestra and gospel choir!
Tim Booth says âThere are a number of great bands who have been around for 40. But to get here and to be having the best time of our lives. To be part of a supportive loving family that still has something to say and new ways to say it. To be turned on by every gig and song. To fall in love over and over again, Groundhog Day, with our bandmates and audience. Damn. Thatâs time well spent.
We should have recorded the orchestra tour first time round, as many of you have reminded us. Well, weâve done it now. And here comes the tour. The Orchestra and Gospel singers expand our palette, heighten the tenderness, heighten the celebration and, despite their numbers, somehow leave us feeling more naked and raw. It will be different, probably each night, because we are James and Joe knows how to dance with us. And because you are different, each night. Please leave your phones behind, come and play in the moment.â
Jim Glennie says âHas it really been 40 years? In some ways it feels like yesterday and in others, many lifetimes. I’ve lived a blessed existence, being in a band I’m supremely proud of with musicians that would grace any stage. A family of brothers and sisters, willing to support each other musically and emotionally. We are bloody minded and independent to the core. Uniquely challenging, always pushing ourselves into the new and taking risks collectively and individually, looking for transcendence. With love, trust, and acceptance we grow. Somewhere in a parallel universe, James are the biggest band on the planet. Here’s to another 40 years.â
Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris will once again be taking British Lion on the road in the UK next January. Joining them for these shows will be Coney Hatch and Airforce.
Steve Harris comments, âWeâre excited to be touring the UK again especially as weâll be visiting many places weâve not had a chance to play before. Itâs fantastic that weâve got long-time friends Coney Hatch coming over from Canada to join us. We had great fun when they were our special guests on the British Lion Canadian shows in 2018. And weâre happy to have our old mates Airforce back out on the road with us too. Everyone is really looking forward to this tour and we canât wait to see everyone.â
Rockers Dirty Honey have announced a UK/EU Tour taking place early next year.
Prior to the tour, in January 2023, the band are set to release a brand new, re-recorded version of album track ‘Heartbreaker’.
âSome songs really come to life after theyâve been performed a bunch of times. You can really see an audience react to a line being sung a certain way or a riff grooving that you didnât think of while recording in the studio. Over time we realized the song took on a new life on the road in both North America and Europe and we wanted to capture that energyâŠ.â – Marc Labelle, vocalist of Dirty Honey, talking about Heartbreaker 2.0
We move our News Report on now to the best new releases from the past week and we begin with Skindred!
The group this week announced new album, ‘Smile’, will be released August 4th. The band also shared new single, ‘GIMME THAT BOOM’, which you can check out above.
The track is based on a frustrating encounter lead singer Benji Webbe had with an overfamiliar fan.
âI was out shopping one day and I could hear someone building up asking me for a picture,â Webbe recalls. âThe person didnât care who I was with or what I was doing – they just wanted their picture. In this day and age, people want you and they expect to get you on tap, constantly giving you that âboomâ so they can get their Instagram Likes up. Itâs important to remember that people can’t give you that âboomâ all the time. People think because they follow you on social media, they own you.â
Ahead of their UK Tour next month, The Dead Daisies have released new single, ‘Born To Fly’, which you can listen to above.
âDoug & I got together in New York earlier in the year and worked on a riff that I had written previously. Doug had a chorus that just fitted, we messed around with the melody and came up with the name âBorn To Flyâ. This is a straight-up rock song. For me it’s literal, I was born to fly. However weâre all born to fly in our own way.â â David Lowy
This week saw REWS share new single, ‘The World That Left You Behind’, which you can check out above.
âAh! Iâm ecstatic about finally releasing this song!! Itâs got so much energy, riffâs for days and a great message!! I wrote it with a great friend of mine from NI, Cahir OâDoherty (New Pagans). It is a song that journeyâs through how we can support those people in our lives who get carried away with negative thoughts and feel utterly lost and alone. Hopefully the song will provide a nice audio net for people to fall into at times of need, so they know they arenât alone!â – Shauna
Dissonants have shared their huge new single âGrave Mindâ.
âLyrically, Grave Mind is more conceptual than our previous work. I wrote the track from the viewpoint of someone on their deathbed looking back on their life and wondering if, now that itâs over and coming to a close, they can be happy and at peace. For this track we wanted to draw less from our own experiences and look at concepts such as mortality and happiness, and how one can affect the otherâ. – Frontman Benjie Allen.
M(h)aol – ‘Asking For It’
M(h)aol will release debut album, ‘Attachment Styles’ on February 3rd. This week they shared new single, ‘Asking For It’.
On the track singer RĂłisĂn said, âI wrote it initially in 2016 then revisited it in 2020. I was shocked by how much internalised victim blaming there was in the lyrics. I rewrote it, then we recorded it and it was released to raise money for Women’s Aid in 2021. The album version is a lot angrier than the 2021 one and almost satirical insofar as it’s highlighting how ludicrous the notion of anyone ‘asking for it’ is.â
Chasing Kites – ‘Shiver’
Bath-based indie-rock four-piece Chasing Kites return with their fourth single âShiverâ.
Speaking about the writing process, vocalist and lyricist Matt Donnelly explains, ââShiver came together extremely quickly. Iâd had the lyrics lying around for a very long time and felt they fit perfectly with the sonic side of the track when the melody was written. As we built on the skeleton of the song, our aim was to take us back into the realms of indie rock through powerful injections of energy in the choruses, while maintaining our commercial sound throughout.ââ
Watch Episode 21 of our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast with guests Dissonants
‘Discover’ New Music Podcast – Episode 21 – Dissonants
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with the latest live announcements and they didn’t come any bigger than the revelation that Arctic Monkeys will be performing a huge UK Stadium Tour next Summer.
The band will perform 13 dates in May and June 2023 including double dates in London and hometown Sheffield.
Making the events even more unmissable will be special guests The Hives and The Mysterines!
Roger Waters reveals UK ‘This Is Not A Drill’ dates
The legendary Roger Waters also had UK Tour news on offer this week as he revealed three dates for next Summer on his ‘This Is Not A Drill’ Tour.
âThis Is Not A Drill is a groundbreaking new rock and roll/cinematic extravaganza, performed in the round, it is a stunning indictment of the corporate dystopia in which we all struggle to survive, and a call to action to Love, Protect and Share our precious and precarious planet home. The show includes a dozen great songs from Pink Floydâs Golden Era alongside several new ones, words and music, same writer, same heart, same soul, the same man. Could be his last hurrah. Wow! My first farewell tour! Donât miss itâ. Love R.
Fontaines D.C. share video for ‘The Couple Across The Way’
Fontaines D.C. – ‘The Couple Across The Way’
Fontaines D.C. shared the video for their single, ‘The Couple Across The Way’, this week and you can check it out above.
Speaking on the track and video, frontman Grian Chatten says, âI was living in a tiny little flat in North London with my girlfriend and there was this Hitchcock – esque view of an elderly couple across from us. They had these blazing arguments that sent pigeons flying around, and after each one the man in the couple would come out onto this little balcony he had and just breathe for about 10 minutes. I couldn’t help but imagine it as a reflection of myself and my girlfriend in years to come, and ourselves as a reflection of a younger, happier version of themâ
The mighty Saxon have released a new single to preview their upcoming tour. You can watch the video for ‘Black Is The Night’ above.
Frontman Biff Byford comments: âLooking forward to the Seize The Day Tour. See you all on the road and enjoy the new video for Black Is The Night!â
Skid Row also had a new single to share this week, and you can check out, ‘Time Bomb’, above.
The track comes from new album, ‘The Gang’s All Here’ which is available October 14th.
The video for âTime Bombâ was helmed by director Dale âRageâ Resteghini who Rachel Bolan sought out to realize his artistic vision for the song about humanityâs continuing struggles with self-indulgence and monotony.
âWhat would it be like to be in that position?â Rachel asks. âJust be completely going about life, your normal everyday thing, but youâre thiiiiis close to just completely losing your shit?â
AWOLNATION have debuted their new single, ‘Freaking Me Out’, which you can watch the video for above.
Aaron Bruno shared his inspiration behind the song: âI had a sense of a hopeful paranoia of sorts in creating this song, plus you can disco dance to it, or bang your head. Or both. Itâs up to you.â
The Murder Capital share new single ‘A Thousand Lives’
The Murder Capital – ‘A Thousand Lives’
We continue our News Report with The Murder Capital. The band this week debuted new single, ‘A Thousand Lives’, which you can check out above.
The band also revealed that their second album, ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ will be out January 20th.
Front man James McGovern had the following to say about the themes behind the new single:
“Knowing that the day is only X-hours long, alongside my understanding of how love can be the true restorative seed, means that if and when you are so lucky to find it (and it is true) the seemingly small glance that is our lifetime could never contain enough of those days or those hours. Even a thousand of those lifetimes would never be enough.”
The band had the following to say about the new album and next year’s tour:
âFor us, having worked on Gigiâs Recovery over the past two-plus years, now knowing every detail of every room in this house that we have built together, all we want to do is invite everybody in. We canât wait to reveal more and more of what weâve been creating with this record, and eventually in the new year, to reveal the full story.
The greatest thing about making a record is touring a record. The connection we make and the energy created at our live shows is the highest point for us. We canât wait to meet new faces in the crowds, and to see this record under the new light that each and every one of you will shine on it. No better place to be than in the centre of it all.â
Following the release of their latest album, ‘North East Coastal Town’, last month, LIFE have shared the video for, ‘Shipping Forecast’, which you can watch above.
Speaking on the single, singer Mez Green:
“The ‘Shipping Forecast’ is a track that is awash with Hull’s nautical heritage. The music channels the power of the waves somewhere between Dogger and Humber.
It’s an urgent and powerful track that grapples with the need to get home and pins themes of toxic social media and control to its mast.
The track was one of the first to be written from North East Coastal Town and its energy and mood very much set the scene of our recording process.â
October Drift will soon release their second album, ‘I Don’t Belong Anywhere’, with the record available on October 14th.
This week the band revealed the video for their single, ‘Waltzer’, which you can watch above.
Regarding the video the band say, âWe wanted to make a video which visually encapsulated what the song was about. We knew we wanted to film it at an empty seaside location, so we got up at 3am and drove to a beach in Dorset to shoot at sunrise. Somehow we roped a friend into getting up that early to pour the water over Kiran, but managed to misjudge the sunrise so ended up standing around in the dark for two hours before it was light enough to film anything. Not sure how many takes we did in the end, but it was enough to give Kiran mild hypothermia.â
Courting have just released their debut album, ‘Guitar Music’, and this week shared the video for new single, ‘Famous’, which you can check out above.
Speaking on the new song, frontman Murphy-OâNeill says, âFamous is about growing up, finding comfort in smaller things, It is a song about nights forgotten and days of just watching sitcoms with your friends. Musically, we wanted to create something truly euphoric, something we could cry to. We intended for this song to be the centerpiece of the record, a bit like a carousel.”
Our News Report turns now to PVA who this week share the video for their recent single, ‘Bad Dad’, which you can watch above. The track comes from new album, ‘Blush’, which is out October 14th.
Speaking on the themes of the single, Ella Harris says âBad Dad explores the internal world of a new father checking in on his son at night, afraid of the lineage of masculinity and how it might impact someone so untainted.â
Closing out this section of our News Report are The Hot Damn!. This week saw the rockers share their latest single, ‘Live Laugh Love’, which you can check out above.
Set to support Incubus on their UK Tour, Softcult this week shared their new track, ‘One Of A Million’.
On the track Mercedes says, âOriginally, I was writing from a frustrating perspective, expressing my feelings about the people in our society who think they are the exception and can justify repeating selfish actions, no matter who they harm in the process.
As the song began to take shape, it also became about my own personal insecurities and fear of being ordinary and unexceptional, but the more I thought about it and wrote about it, I realized that accepting how similar we all are as human beings is a comforting sentiment, if not a vital one.
The more we relate to each other and acknowledge our similarities, the more empathy and compassion we will have for one another. The more divided we are, the longer these issues get drawn out instead of solved. Itâs important to not only celebrate our diversity and unique-ness, but also to remember that at a very basic level we are all more the same than different.â
No Windows – ‘Shout (Red Song)’
Edinburgh duo No Windows share their new single, ‘Shout (Red Song)’, from newly announced debut EP ‘Fishboy’.
Morgan had the following to say about the themes behind the track:
“Shout (Red Song) felt loud, thrashy and noisy – which to me felt most like the colour red. Red reminds me of things that are intense like anger or love which, and while neither of those things are explored directly, they feel present as an undercurrent in the melody and sonic set-up of the final recording.”
noyou – ‘Love is Enough’
Synthetic Pop-Rock band noyou have dropped just dropped their debut EP âThis Game We Startedâ amd alongside the EP comes new single âLove Is Enoughâ.
â’Love is Enough’ explores the challenges often faced in the world of an independent artist. Whether it be battles with egos, gigs to no one or overwhelming self-doubt, the song is a reminder to ourselves and to anyone who can relate to soldier on and keep doing what it is you enjoy, for as long as you continue to enjoy it.â – Connor Jobes
Speaking also of special one off London shows, this week saw the return of We Are The Ocean who revealed that they will play at OMEARA in the capital this October!
Within Temptation debut video for ‘Don’t Pray For Me’
Within Temptation – ‘Don’t Pray For Me’
We move our News Report on now to the best music releases from the past week and begin with the new video from Within Tempation. You can check out ‘Don’t Pray For Me’, above.
Vocalist Sharon den Adel comments: ââDonât Pray For Meâ strives against forcing beliefs and fears onto others and bears witness to being acceptive of everyoneâs own journey. It is an anthem about coming to terms with the fact that beliefs can be fluid, multiple or frankly: different. The song is about allowing people to pursue their own destiny.â
Finally our News Report concludes the week’s releases with the new single from Skid Row. Listen to their latest track, ‘Tear It Down’, above.
ââTear It Downâ is about breaking down barriers, because coexisting isnât about building walls, itâs about getting rid of them.â â Rachel Bolan
Bristol-based rock five-piece IOTA share their new single, ‘Take It’.
Speaking about the single, the band reveal, âTake It was inspired by the fight with yourself in a multitude of circumstances, work, relationships, socially and mentally. The continuum of holding yourself back and having this other side to yourself that is constantly telling you, âyou arenât good enough, you wonât make anything of yourselfâ.
The persistent reminder of how well everyone else is doing, social media controlling us and having a huge effect on us mentally. Constantly taking that push back and battling with your own mind as if it is a whole other person inside of you.
We wrote the song during and before lockdown with Lee Kiernan who helped us build on the track instrumentally and melodically.â
Rosen Bridge – ‘Watchers’
UK Metal outfit Rosen Bridge make their return with a punishing new offering titled âWatchersâ. The Welsh originated 5-piece have teamed up with vocalist Jot Maxi of the formidable Hacktivist on the track.
âWe were privileged to have Jot Maxi feature on the track having been huge fans of Hacktivist for some time. The song continues the sound weâve established in our recent singles, pairing an intense heaviness with big melodic moments. We enjoyed experimenting with lots of dark electronic sounds in the track as well, with platinum producer Andrew Wade bringing the cohesiveness we needed in the final mixâ â Alex Woodall, vocalist.
“It’s crazy that they (Rosen Bridge) approached me to feature on a song that’s about corruption within organised religion because I actually spent the first 26 years of my life in a cult! In fact, I didn’t find the true God of the bible until very recently… So, directing my verse against false, man-made and twisted religions that are designed to glorify humans instead of God was very natural for me, as I obviously have a lot of passion for the subject!â â Jot Maxi of Hacktivist.
Trashed – ‘Memories’
Bristol-based emo punk-rock three-piece Trashed have released their new single âMemoriesâ, the third single taken from their debut full-length album due later this year.
Speaking about the single, the band state, âMemories came together very quickly. Itâs about trying too hard to let go of someone while your brain clings tighter and tighter to them. Of course written during a dose of heartbreak Jimmy was going through, itâs relatable and sincere⊠and will probably stick in your head like heartache does.â
Watch Trashed on our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast
‘Discover’ New Music Podcast – Episode 20 – Trashed
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… and then the music hits and the fans go mad!
Itâs almost time for that famous countdown as WWEâs Royal Rumble is this month. In honour of that countdown to wrestlers entering the ring, we are going to countdown our Top 10 WWE Entrance Theme Songs.
WWEâs Royal Rumble officially kicks off the road to Wrestlemania, so what better time than now to celebrate our favourite WWE Entrance Theme Songs? But, what are the rules?
For this countdown we will be heavily focusing on themes supplied by artists other than Jim Johnston and CFO$, as thatâs another list altogether! Therefore you wonât find the likes of The Rock, D-Generation X or John Cena in this list; although Iâm sure Johnstonâs influence will be present.
As we are celebrating WWEâs Royal Rumble this will only feature WWE entrance themes so no âJudasâ by Fozzy!
So letâs get ready to rumble…
10
Boy Hits Car – ‘LoveFuryPassionEnergy’
Lita
Starting off our list at number 10 is Lita whose entrance theme was provided by Boy Hits Car. âLoveFuryPassionEnergyâ is a kickass theme which fitted perfectly with the legendary Lita’s rebellious attitude.
9
Story Of The Year – ‘Just Close Your Eyes’
Christian
WWE – Christian Entrance Video
When Christian returned to WWE he took on âJust Close Your Eyesâ as his theme song. Originally by Waterproof Blonde, we have gone for the later Story Of The Year cover as the definitive version.
Interesting Fact! When in TNA, Christian used an adapted – or ripped off – version of ‘My Last Breath’ by Evanescence!
8
Killswitch Engage – ‘This Fire Burns’
CM Punk
WWE – CM Punk Entrance Video
This awesome track from Killswitch Engage was kicked around for a while, with Randy Orton using it for a short time. âThis Fire Burnsâ found itâs home however as the entrance theme for the brash young CM Punk.
7
Rev Theory – ‘Voices’
Randy Orton
WWE – Randy Orton Entrance Video
Speaking of Randy Orton, he eventually settled on âVoicesâ by Rev Theory and the Viper never looked back.
6
Saliva – ‘Booyaka 619’
Rey Mysterio
WWE – Rey Mysterio Entrance Video
Another wrestler to never look back having settled on an iconic theme song is Rey Mysterio who we canât imagine hitting the ring and not being accompanied by âBooyaka 619â from Saliva.
5
Disturbed – ‘Glass Shatters’
‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
Whilst ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is probably most remembered for his classic entrance theme, he for a while was introduced by an awesome version created by Disturbed. âGlass Shattersâ gave a great new twist to his classic song and we actually prefer it!
4
Limp Bizkit – ‘Rollin”
Undertaker
Limp Bizkit – ‘Rollin”
The Undertakerâs well known demonic entrance number is truly iconic, and itâs easy to forget that during his American Badass phase he actually had a few epic entrance tracks.
You could argue for âAmerican Bad Assâ by Kid Rock here, but personally we loved his spell with the classic âRollinââ by Limp Bizkit.
Interesting Fact! Fred Durst and co even played Undertaker to ring at Wrestlemania 19.
3
Living Colour – ‘Cult of Personality’
CM Punk
WWE – CM Punk Entrance Video
Whilst we have tried hard to select just one track from certain wrestlers who have been graced by multiple awesome theme songs, CM Punk is the only wrestler that had to feature twice.
After returning from a short hiatus, Punk took the incredible âCult of Personalityâ by Living Colour as his new entrance theme. This combination became so iconic that Punk even used the theme when he transitioned to the UFC.
2
Motorhead – ‘The Game’
Triple H
WWE – Triple H Entrance Video
If we had broken down Triple Hâs theme songs and also included original WWE compositions then we could well have had a Top 10 of Triple Hâs theme songs.
For the bulk of his career Triple H has been serenaded to the ring by the legendary Motorhead. Both âKing of Kingsâ and âLine In The Sandâ are epic but we had to pick his classic âThe Gameâ.
1
Alter Bridge – ‘Metalingus’
Edge
WWE – Edge Entrance Video
If Triple H is the king of theme songs, Edge is very close. âNever Gonna Stopâ by Rob Zombie was epic and it was a surprise when he ditched the song.
Who knew at the time that he would pick the greatest wrestling theme song ever as its successor? âMetalingusâ by Alter Bridge accompanied Edge through the greatest years of his career.
Whilst we of course were excited by Edgeâs return at the Royal Rumble in 2020, we were even more excited by the return of this epic theme song!
What is your favourite WWE Entrance Themes? Let us know on social media!
