JOHN GARCIA ANNOUNCES FREE MEET & GREET
Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano, Vista Chino – vocalist John Garcia is a legend of the desert rock sound, and he’s bringing his solo material to his Australian fans this September as part of a desert rock showcase that sees Palm Springs USA natives Waxy and Melbourne’s Mammoth Mammoth rounding things out. Garcia will be playing songs off his new record as well as tracks from all his previous bands including songs from the legendary Kyuss albums Blues for the Red Sun, Welcome to Sky Valley and …The Circus Leaves Town.
And Garcia has just announced that a free signing and meet & greet will take place before he takes the stage at every show on the tour. What a guy! No need to buy a special ticket, no VIP status, everyone is welcome! Just grab your ticket, head into the venue foyer at 6.30pm and come and say hi! He’ll also have strictly limited number of heavy card stock tour posters available for purchase at the merch desk that have been signed by their artist Jared Conner as well as two different Australian tour t-shirts, and of course his brand new debut self-titled record. He’ll be at The Gershwin Room at The Espy on Friday September 12. Tickets from Oztix for $50 + booking fee.
NEW JUDAS PRIEST OUT NOW
Holy. Crap. Have you heard the new Judas Priest album, Redeemer of Souls? It’s their first to feature new guitarist Richie Faulkner and at the time of this writing it’s on track to debut in the Billboard Top 10 in the USA, which would make it the first Judas Priest album ever to do so. Richie has co-write credits on every song alongside Glenn Tipton and Rob Halford, and in many ways this feels like classic Priest.
STREAM THE NEW ORDER OF CHAOS ALBUM
Melbourne death metal/hardcore punk trio Order of Chaos have made their brand new album Deadweight Undertow available for streaming in its entirety on Soundcloud. Formed in 1995, the band features a who’s who of Australian metal including former members of acts such as King Parrot, Damaged, Blood Duster, Earth, Insomnius Dei, Abremalin, The Eternal and Subterranean Disposition. The new album is a mixture of the band’s roots in death metal with their mid-era metallic hardcore smarts and newfound punk undertones. You can find it at http://bit.ly/orderofchaosalbum
DIAMOND NOIR KICKING ASS
Australian female-fronted heavy band Diamond Noir released their debut EP and music video on Friday July 4. The EP reached #2 on the Australian metal iTunes charts within two days, knocking The Amity Affliction down to third spot. It was produced in Los Angeles by Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head and Soulfly guitarist, currently producing the new Limp Bizkit album).
DREADNAUGHT AT THE BENDIGO
Those hard rocking legends of metal Dreadnaught are gonna be tearing things up at The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood this Saturday July 19. This’ll be their first gig in Melbourne for 2014 and they’ll be playing alongside the very brutal and always entertaining Whoretopsy (who are launching their brand new EP), Tasmanian tech death skronks Mephistopheles and equally Tasmanian dirty dawgs of heaviness Gape for their first ever Melbourne show, and thrash cats Seppuku. Doors open at 8pm and entry is only $13.
OH THE BREWTALITY
Heavy Magazine, Desert Highways and Good Brew.com.au present Brewtality 2014, a celebration of metal, rock and beer! Held over two of Melbourne’s most loved pubs – The Tote and The Bendigo Hotel – collectively these powerhouse venues will hold a multitude of Australian’s heaviest, loudest and fastest on Saturday August 2. Headlining this year’s festival are Tassie’s tech metal devils Psycroptic and Melbourne’s answer to flames, mead and metal, Barbarion. Also check out South Austalia’a heavy metal sons Se Bon KiRa, WA hard rockers Hailmary and Chainsaw Hookers, and hometown heroes Dead City Ruins, Frankenbok, Jericco, Witchgrinder and Don Fernando, plus more! Presale tickets are $20 through heavymag.com.au
NEW ACE FREHLEY ALBUM NEXT MONTH
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ace Frehley will release Space Invader, his first new solo album in five years, via Entertainment One Music (eOne Music) on August 19. I’m listening to it as I write this and it’s lots of fun – like an outer-space party album or something. “Life on Earth has been very good to me, and the body of work I’ve created over the years has withstood the test of time,” Ace says. “Today I see no obstacles before me and my creativity has never been more fine-tuned. Growing up in an alien world has enhanced my senses and allowed me to succeed where others would have failed. The best is yet to come!”
PORTAL JOINS GORGUTS TOUR
Canadian metal visionaries Gorguts will tour Australia for the first time this November, and they’ve just announced that Australia’s kings of the dark realm and masters of cinematic aural horror, Portal, will leave their unholy cavern to join them on the road. Portal’s addition brings chaotic dissonance and total sonic frequency annihilation to an already extreme situation and completes the hellish atmosphere awaiting all who dare enter the world of Gorguts. Catch them at Northcote Social Club on Friday November 14.
