Mad About Rock

Check out the new Stencil Mag featuring the above - loads of awesome interviews and features, as well as my reviews of front page band, Papa Roach, 36 Crazyfists, In This Moment, With Dawn, Storm The Sky, Ok Go & Summer Cruise !! This issue isn't to be missed, especially if you are looking for some new music for 2015!! See it all here: http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue29 Also special thanks to Andrew Dex (Editor) and the rest of the crew at Stencil for featuring my ad for my site in the issue too!

The air of anticipation just got a lot thicker as we're delighted to announce that the immensely awesome new Evil Scarecrow video for Space Dementia will be getting its premiere on the Metal Hammer website at 12 noon on Wednesday 4th Feb.   http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/ Space Dementia will be airing exclusively on the Metal Hammer site for the following 24 hours so during that time this is the only place you'll be able to see this galactically fabulous video!! It's guaranteed to leave you shocked and stunned at its sheer awesomeness, you might be giggling a little too. Download Festival I'm also utterly delighted to say that Evil Scarecrow are now officially announced to play DOWNLOAD Festival this summer! The excitement is rising at ES HQ and plans are afoot to create an even more fabulous show than was seen last at Bloodstock last year, in the words of Dr Hell: " We are working on a very special show for this, one that will defy the world of p...

AIRBOURNE – unswerving champions of the hard rock cause whose spectacular global success, live and on record, has consistently clenched a fist for the genre as a whole – have signed a worldwide deal with  Spinefarm Records . Driven by a formidable work-hard/play-hard ethic, and keen to entertain on the grandest of scales, this award-winning quartet (formed in regional Australia in 2003) have been proudly walking the rock ‘n’ roll path since their early teenage years, inspired by the music’s great and glorious past, yet determined to move things  forward on a wave of blurred limbs & boundless energy. Led into action by brothers Joel & Ryan O’Keeffe (vocalist / lead guitarist & drummer, respectively; the line-up is completed by  David Roads on guitar and Justin Street on bass), the four have spent the past 10 years establishing themselves as a  true force of nature – living on the road, selling out major venues, charting albums and appearin...

MAMMOTHFEST ADD YET MORE CRUSHING OFFERINGS TO THE 2015 BILL! 75 BANDS - 4 STAGES - 3 DAYS - JUST £60! Today, Mammothfest adds another incredible seven bands set to blow the minds of fans in 2015!   Quirky duo OAF grace Mammothfest for the first time in 2015 bringing with them their hilarious lyrics and songs with titles such as "Fuck Off, Seagull" and "No More Tickets For The Time Machine". If you don't catch these guys you'll regret it. With a new album out, expect uproarious fun and plenty of head nodding grooves from the drummer and bassist from Brighton. Head to their Bandcamp and see what to expect : http://oafmusic.ban dcamp.com/ The brutal Brighton based wrecking crew, JONESTOWN truly kick ass. And they're coming to kick everyone's ass at Mammothfest. Their supremely heavy "angry and honest" form of Hardcore is sure to please anyone that wants a good kicking. We can't wait! Check their...

VON HERTZEN BROTHERS TO RELEASE SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM, NEW DAY RISING, ON MARCH 23 RD VIA SPINEFARM RECORDS BESPOKE ALBUM ARTWORK BY SAMULI HEIMONEN REVEALED HEADLINE UK DATES  CONFIRMED FOR APRIL PRE-ORDERS LIVE + INSTANT GRAT TRACK AVAILABLE VIA iTUNES The follow-up to ‘Nine Lives’ (2013), ‘New Day Rising’ is the sixth studio album from Von Hertzen Brothers, Finland’s Number One rock act… This time, the brothers – Mikko, Kie & Jonne Von Hertzen – entered the studio, The Farm in Vancouver, with Grammy-nominated Canadian producer Garth ‘GGGarth’ Richardson (Biffy Clyro, Rage Against The Machine, etc.), plus regular drummer Mikko Kaakkuriniemi & keyboard player Juha Kuoppala , and the result is their most ambitious release to date. Says Mikko Von Hertzen, VHB frontman: “Working with GGGarth and Randy felt like we finally got to operate with true maestros – the crème de la crème of Canadian know-how. All bullshit aside, the end r...

Robototron & the mystery of the missing track! Evil Scarecrow’s missing track finally released! A message from Dr Hell! Okay, so when we released Sixty-Six Minutes Past Six (6:66) we felt obligated to try and do something with our most popular track Robototron. The original recording of this was horrible, it made our ears sad and, as with a lot of our original album Crowcifiction, was not really representative of our live show. So we recorded it again. We also made a video for the new recording. We were also thoughtful enough to then include this as a bonus track on the physical 6:66 CD. But there was a problem. A problem we didn’t even really notice until we started looking at the digital distribution of our latest album. We never included this bonus track on our digital release of 6:66! This means for the past 6 years the only way people were able to listen to the (half decent) version of Robototron is from the original CD, the video (via Scuzz or youTube...

Following on from their triumphant and long awaited return to these shores, one of the late great John Peel's favourites MORDRED officially release their first new single for over 20 years, THE BARONESS on February 3rd. As fierce and funky, brash and brilliant as ever, this is a metaliciously groovy taste of what's to come this summer from this innovative band of San Franciscan musicians when they release their long awaited new EP, with an album pending for later in the year. MORDRED will be supporting this new release with a UK and European tour, including a slot on Sunday on the Sophie Stage at BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR festival which we're all incredibly stoked about! This band blazed a rip-roaring trail across both sides of the big pond back in '89 with their superb debut 'Fools Game', it's taken a couple of decades to get them back in full gear again but with a new EP pending, it's a very exciting time for fans, both new and old alike, of this...

Greek Thrashers Biotoxic Warfare Release 'Lobotomized'! A couple of days ago I posted about Biotoxic Warfare's new title single "Lobotomized" being released and now the record itself is out, so check it out and read all the details below!!.... Lobotomized , the debut album from Greece’s Biotoxic Warfare is out now via Slaney Records. The eight track, thrash infested opus from the Cretan band sounds like a bastard child between both Teutonic thrash and American death metal. Add to this combination, 'dark melodies, shredding guitar solos and the technical riffing’ that the band say make up their debut release, and you’ve neatly combined a ferocious cocktail that will induce an inevitable, headbanging hangover. What more can you want? Listen to the band's title track for 'Lobotomized' here http://youtu.be/yShCdJahEOs Here’s what press are saying about the album. "If Lobotomized is a sign for al...

DECADE ANNOUNCED AS SPECIAL GUESTS ON THE USED UK TOUR ‏   CONFIRMED FOR  HIT THE DECK AND TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL DECADE have been revealed as special guests to The Used  on their February run of shows up and down the UK. Decade complete the bill, joining UK hardcore outfit,  Landscapes who are also confirmed to appear at all dates. Says Alex Sears , Decade frontman; “We are completely made up to be touring with The Used. I think every band currently on the UK circuit would agree that they are a massively influential band so to be able to tour with them is an honour. Plus our mates in Landscapes are coming out too so it’s gonna be one big party!” Furthermore , Decade are confirmed to play two festivals following their dates with  The Used ; the first of which will be Takedown Festival , Southampton (UK), on March 7 th alongside acts such as Mallory Knox , Charlie Simpson &  Arcane Roots , followed by Hit The Deck Festival which take...

At the end of 2014 I caught up with inspirational rock band, The Mendenhall Experiment from California to discuss what it's like to be a positive influence, their current EP, "Return To Chaos", the highlights of 2014 and of course what the future holds the band!.. Firstly can I just say it’s fantastic that you are raising awareness and inspiring musicians with disabilities, how does this make you feel to have such a positive impact? TMX: Thank you very much for having us! Brandon, our founder and rhythm guitarist has cerebral palsy and Nate, our bass player, is hearing impaired and night-blind, so we're proof that disabilities are nothing more than an obstacle, so for people to recognize that and draw inspiration is why we do what we do. What would you say to fans who are struggling to overcome their disabilities? TMX: Don't let your disabilities keep you from doing anything you want to do. If you want it enough, and you stick with the plan and w...

BAND TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM AMERICAN SPRING IN MAY JANUARY 19 th SHOW IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, TO STREAM ON YAHOO Spinefarm is thrilled to announce the signing of Pittsburgh's incendiary punk rock iconoclasts Anti-Flag, who have served as a constant voice of and agent for change by advocating peace and human rights through their tireless work with and support of organizations such as Amnesty International, ACLU, Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, Rainforest Action Network, PETA and more. Spinefarm welcomes the band to its worldwide roster. Anti-Flag, who never have and never will shy away from issuing inflammatory, political statements encased in a fast, furious and unforgettable musical package, will release American Spring, their Spinefarm debut and tenth album overall, this May. The band last released an album in 2012 in the form of The General Strike. American Spring, produced by AWOLNATION's Kenny Carkeet, Jim Kaufman (Funeral For A Friend, Skindred, H...

  In order to whet appetites, Biotoxic Warfare have released a single from their upcoming album ‘Lobotomized’ which is released this coming Monday 19th January via Slaney Records. The track, also named ‘Lobotomized’ is a meaty introduction to the band’s debut full-length release. Listen to 'Lobotomized' Here! http://youtu.be/yShCdJahEOs Since their formation little over two years ago and having already supported the likes of Enforcer and Suicidal Angels and released one highly lauded EP, ‘Baptized in Blood and Greed’ [2013], Biotoxic Warfare are emerging from the Greek underbelly as a force to be reckoned with. This is demonstrated in full on their debut album release, ‘Lobotomized’. ‘Lobotomized’ is a blistering aural attack from the start and does not let up the onslaught through the album’s eight tracks. Talking of the album, the band had this to say - “The sound of ‘Lobotomized’ is mostly influenced by the European Thrash Metal s...