Collaboration Of The Week: Outlaws & Outsiders by Cory Marks featuring Ivan Moody, Travis Tritt, and Mick Mars

We only did one of these Collaboration Of The Week posts before and with a new song on the horizon, I figured this was a good time to bring it back. Now, I am not usually a fan of country music. but I have enjoyed some outlaw country rock and just about any kind of country that mixes rock music with it. This week, I am presenting to you brand new music from country artist Cory Marks who collaborated with country legend Travis Tritt, Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody (whose no stranger to country, check out FFDP’s cover of Blue On Black), and Motley Crue’s Mick Mars for Outlaws & Outsiders. It might sound like the strangest collaboration for a country artist or even the other guys involved, but when you listen to it, it just makes sense. It has the foot stomping country twang to it during the verses and the louder than hell rock sound attached to it that just blends so perfectly to create some modern day Southern Rock. Five Finger Death Punch is apparently working on new music while Mick Mars is going to be a busy man with the Motley Crue reunion and his solo album that he says he will not release until he is satisfied with it. While you wait for those, check out Outlaws & Outsiders below:

Metal Single Of The Week: Love Me To Death by Suicide Silence

Suicide Silence is one of those bands that took a lot of crap over the sound and clean singing that was on an album that I personally loved in the self titled fifth album that came out in 2017. Now, we fast forward two years later and the band is ready to shut their haters the f**k up as they turn the volume and the intensity up in this week’s Metal Single Of The Week and the band’s brand new single Love Me To Death. The track is the fourth song on the band’s upcoming sixth album Become The Hunter and it goes right back to the band’s Deathcore roots which means it’s going to deliver some blunt force trauma to all the naysayers. The album comes out on February 14, 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records and the album was produced by the great Steve Evetts who has produced albums by Hatebreed, Sepultura, and more while the album was mixed by Josh Wilbur (Trivium/Gojira) and mastered by the one and only Ted Jensen (Pantera/Slipknot). Believe me as soon as you hit play on the player below, you will be a fan of the track so check it out and check out the artwork below and the track listing too.

Become The Hunter Tracklisting:

1. Meltdown
2. Two Steps
3. Feel Alive
4. Love Me to Death
5. In Hiding
6. Death’s Anxiety
7. Skin Tight
8. The Scythe
9. Serene Obscene
10. Disaster Valley
11. Become the Hunter

Metal Single Of The Week: Masquerade of Madness by King Diamond

For the last 40 years, there has been no one better in the world of conceptual horror and metal music then Denmark’s King Diamond. Whether it was in Mercyful Fate or on his own, King Diamond has delivered some of the most amazing stories through his music and he has always stayed true to his style since day one. Now it has been 12 years since the last time we heard new music from King Diamond which was 2007’s Give Me Your Soul…Please and a lot has happened since then, but he has back now with brand new music in the track Masquerade of Madness which is classic King Diamond to the core from the eerie feeling to the mixture of high pitched wails and low growls, and the monstrous guitar riffs that shake you to your very core. The track is the first single off the forthcoming 2020 release The Institute which if it’s anything like this track then it promises to be an absolute banger. As of right now, King Diamond is currently on tour, but in 2020, he promises to be apart of the Mercyful Fate reunion that is slated to happen. So stay tuned here for more information as it becomes available to us including the release date of the new album. Otherwise, check out the track below and bang those heads.

Rock Single Of The Week: Under The Graveyard by Ozzy Osbourne

It has been ten long years since the last time we had a single from the Prince Of Darkness, the Godfather of Metal himself Ozzy Osbourne. In 2010, he had released the album Scream with Guitarist Gus G and the album’s success was short lived. Fast forward ten years later and Ozzy has already recorded an album with Black Sabbath (13), did a farewell tour with them, and recorded a single with Rap artist Post Malone (Take What You Want). Ozzy has also had some downs to go with he ups as he had to cancel the rest of his farewell tour in 2018 due to some complications to pneumonia that sidelined the legend, but it was the recording with Post Malone that gave Ozzy hope again as he had a blast working with Post’s produce Andrew Watt. He had so much fun with Andrew Watt that he decided to record a solo album with him playing guitar and rounding out the band was Duff McKagan (GNR) on Bass and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on drums. There are reports that are saying that even Ozzy is calling this new album the best work he has ever done and when you listen to Under The Graveyard (This week’s rock single of the week) which is the latest single, you are hopeful for the rest of the album. Ozzy himself sounds absolutely amazing on the track that isn’t your prototypical ozzy song. There is a lot of alt-rock influence in it and you can hear the inspiration for Post Malone’s track in this one. My only problem with the song is the initial guitar solo which is way too fuzzy for my liking, but we’ll see how Zakk Wylde (who had nothing to do with the album) interprets it live. Check out the single below:

Rock Single Of The Week: Talk To Me by Sixx: A.M.

The Opioid crisis in America is real and it’s absolutely no joking matter because I myself know at least 4 people I was close with at one time that has passed away and is just another victim of the opioid crisis. That is why it is my pleasure to make Sixx: A.M.’s new single Talk To Me this week’s Rock Single Of The Week. Nikki Sixx has really taken the bull by the horns on this subject matter as he is a board member of the Global Recovery Initiative Foundation. Their mission reads as, “#TalktoMe is a movement by the National Opioid Action Coalition to use the power of conversation to overcome the stigma plaguing opioid use disorder. Join us in the conversation at http://www.noac.org.” That message accompanies the new track that gives various situations of when Doctors and various situations had gone wrong. Earlier this year, Johnson & Johnson were forced to pay out over 570 million dollars to the state of Oklahoma in their involvement in the crisis there. In an interview on MSNBC, Nikki commented saying, “This is a fantastic ruling in my opinion, but the question is ‘what’s going to happen with the money? I hope that it’s used for organizations to help with treatment facilities and to help, also, erase the stigma of addiction.”

Nikki goes on to recount a situation where he was prescribed Opiates, “I just had my right shoulder reconstructed from years of performing and for six days, I had to take pain medication to get through that. I was prescribed that, I took it for the right reasons and then I got off of it. There are purposes for it, but if doctors are overprescribing and they just keep giving and giving and the pharmaceutical companies aren’t being honest about how addictive these pills are, this epidemic is just gonna keep getting worse and worse and worse.” The band has been kind of inactive since 2016, but this year they got together to write four songs for the greatest hits album so this track may be an extra the band had recorded. Nikki meanwhile stays busy as he attempts to bring The Heroin Diaries to the stage and I certainly can not wait for that. So for the time being check out the track Talk To Me and help spread the word so that we can all fight this epidemic together.

Metal Single Of The Week: One Day Closer To The End Of The World by Cattle Decapitation

In a world where bands come and go just as quick as the fad sub-genres of metal come and go, no other has had the kind of staying power as San Diego’s very own Extreme Metal kings Cattle Decapitation. There are quite some few that slip under the radar, but these guys have been grinding it out on the road for years and fans of the band should be excited. I say that because the band has just announced that they are going to release their long anticipated ninth studio album Death Atlas on Black Friday in November via Metal Blade Records. It’s the band’s first effort since 2015’s The Anthropocene Extinction and it promises to be epic and we here can not wait to hear it. So to get us ready for the album’s release, the band has unleashed the single One Day Closer To The End Of The World. The track itself is punishing and in your face as it should be as they grind your bones into ash. The album has some incredible pre-order packages that you definitely need to check out and you can do that here. You can catch the band in Europe for most of the fall just before they return to the states for The Geocidal Tendencies Tour with Atheist, Primitive Man, ands more that leads right into the release of the album. Check out the single below:

Metal Single Of The Week: Ravenous Cadavers by Exhumed

There are only 79 days left until the greatest holiday of the year for horror freaks alike is here, but if you are like me then you celebrate Halloween every day. That is exactly what Gore obsessed death metal act Exhumed has done for the last 21 years as they’ve filled our ears with their brand of terror. Now the band is gearing up to release their ninth studio album simply titled Horror and Matt Harvey promises, “If you’re a fuckin’ maniac that wants to pound some beers and smash up some tombstones, this is the record you’ve been waiting for.” The album is special for the band as it marks the first album the band recorded in their brand new home studio Darker Corners which they co-produced with Alejandro Corredor (Brujeria/Nausea). To get fans ready for the album which features 18 new tracks and will be released October 4TH Via Relapse Records, they have released the single Ravenous Cadaver for the world to hear. When talking about the single, Harvey says, “Ravenous Cadavers’ is a great taste of the album – and this is one of the more mid-paced tracks on the record, so… Horror is all about stripping away everything and getting down to the core elements of our sound: raw and nasty aggression. The album’s like mainlining grinding death metal at a lethal dose. If you liked the more intricate, melodic stuff that we’ve done, this may not be the one for you. If you’re a fuckin’ maniac that wants to pound some beers and smash up some tombstones, this is the record you’ve been waiting for.” One thing I will say is that you definitely have to check out the cool items the band has for pre-order which includes a VHS set and it’s all at this location. Otherwise check out the track below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horror Tracklisting:

1. Unsound

2. Ravenous Cadavers

3. Scream Out In Fright

4. The Red Death

5. Utter Mutilation Of Your Corpse

6. Slaughter Maniac

7. Ripping Death

8. Clawing

9. Naked, Screaming, And Covered In Blood

10. Playing With Fear

11. Dead Meat

12. Rabid

13. In The Mouth Of Hell

14. Shattered Saity

15. Re-Animated

16. Crypt Of Terror (Bonus Track)

17. Re-Entry And Destruction (Bonus Track)

18. The Day Man Lost (Bonus Track

Rock Single Of The Week: Decompose by Wednesday 13

“The track ‘Decompose‘ is one of the first songs that was written for the new album, and one of the songs I was most excited about. Our drummer Kyle came up with the music, and once the band all got together, it took on a new life. With the addition of the eerie keyboard/piano pieces added in by Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour, HELLYEAH), this is another classic Wednesday 13 graveyard sing along” is what Wednesday 13 said about the new single which is off of their upcoming release Necrophaze which will hit the shelves on September 27TH via Nuclear Blast Records. The track and album was produced by Mike Spreitzer who you may remember from Devildriver while the album features guest appearances from the likes of Alice Cooper, Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodom), and Jeff Clayton (ANTiSEEN). As far as the album is concerned, Wednesday said, “To say we are excited about this release would be an understatement. We have re-built and Frakensteined an all new Wednesday 13. This is the next chapter, the next experience, the next phase into our world…Enter the Necrophaze. This is the most elaborate, horror themed album I’ve ever released under the name Wednesday 13.

Channeling the atmosphere of early 80s horror films, tv shows, cartoons and movie soundtracks the ‘Necrophaze‘ was complete. To add a little more Blood to the party, we had the complete honor of having the Godfather of shock rock, the legendary Alice Cooper. Alice is a guest doing the introduction to the album and the title track ‘Necrophaze‘. We wanted to give the listener the ultimate listening experience as if our band was the soundtrack to a horror film. The artwork for the CD and vinyl is a visual guide to the songs, and the live show will be the living breathing horror movie version. There will be a Wednesday 13 action figure, music Videos, movie soundtrack trailers, commercials and more all on the way with the release of ‘Necrophaze‘. The artwork and packaging is a tribute to the classic art and packaging from my favorite time of the 1980s. So welcome to Party…but bring your own blood.” I don’t think that Wednesday 13 ever lost his thunder at all, but the track is absolutely bad ass. It definitely is a new chapter for the band and for him as well. Check out the track below and be sure to check out some of the presale options here.

Track Listing for Necrophaze: 

1. Necrophaze (Featuring Alice Cooper)
2. Bring Your Own Blood
3. ZODIAC
4. Monster (Featuring Cristina Scabbia)
5. Decompose 6. Be Warned (Featuring Jeff Clayton)
7. The Hearse
8. Tie Me a Noose
9. Life Will Kill Us All
10. Bury The Hatchet
11. Necrophaze Main Theme (End-Credits)
12. Animal (Fuck Like A Beast) (Featuring Alexi Laiho

Metal Single Of The Week: The Camp by Necropanther

There are bands in this world that you hear their name and you say to yourself that the name is so bad ass that the band must be as well. Sometimes you are letdown when you finally hear them and then most of the time they live up to their bad ass name like Denver Death Thrash act Necropanther. The minute I saw the name Necropanther I was like why haven’t I heard of these guys before? The band which is made up of former members of Havok have just unleashed their latest EP titled Oppression and it definitely will not disappoint fans of both the Death Metal or Thrash Metal genres. Bassist Marcus Corich spoke to Kerrang about the EP saying, “This EP has been a decade in the making. I wrote these songs between 2008 and 2010, and they’re indicative of my music from that time. The songs feature elements from thrash, death metal, punk, and classical music. After I joined Necropanther last year, the guys and I decided to produce the material as a DIY-style follow-up to [our debut] Eyes of Blue Light, and I couldn’t be more proud of the results.” The track I chose for today’s single is the second track The Camp which combines the swagger of Thrash Metal with the death metal style vocals which absolutely works. Marcus spoke about the track saying “The original concept behind this song was to be a “fuck you” to anyone tainting music I hold dear, especially metal. I wanted a song that was catchy yet heavy, thoughtful but primitive. I melded straight riffing with punk sensibilities, death metal wrinkles, and some nods to composers I enjoy. The story fluctuates between raw suffering and cerebral reflection, united under a banner of “fuck you!” Check out the track below and check out the rest of the EP here. I have just found my new favorite band!!!

Rock Single Of The Week: What It Is by Jonathan Davis

One of my all time favorite vocalists has always been Jonathan Davis of Korn ever since the first time I heard him on the self title debut album. I have always wondered what direction Jonathan would ever go in if he decided to go solo and we may have the answer right in front of us. Jonathan according to one article that I read has been at work on solo material since 2008 and we will all see how different his music will be from Korn’s music. The track is called What It Is and it was featured on the American Satan (Starring BVB’s Andy Biersack and Asking Alexandria’s Ben Bruce) Soundtrack. The song is very haunting in nature which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to fans, but the music itself is like a well planned symphony. The song is driven by the piano as it becomes more haunting in nature with every note, but it’s a beautiful haunting sound. It’s definitely an industrialized symphony as one article described it, but Jonathan’s voice is always the centerpiece of everything. We don’t know any information about when a solo record will materialize and land in stores, but I am sure that I will be paying close attention to it. Check out the single below: