Metal Riot

Striker by Dana Zuk

Edmonton’s STRIKER will be hitting the road this summer for the ‘Deadly Ripping North American Tour’ with Holy Grail and Bewitcher. The 21 date tour will kick off in Phoenix, AZ on July 12th and wrap up in Los Angeles on August 4th (dates listed below). STRIKER is touring in support of their sixth studio album Play To Win released this past October via their independent label Record Breaking Records.

This band, wow…they remind me of everything that first made me fall in love with heavy metal. So good, killer musicianship, fun and not too self-conscious. Just big, killer tunes and massive harmonies paired with squealing guitars and crazy drums and riffs. Fuck yeah! Rock! Wow, thus tour is gonna be a real vocal steel cage match!

The band comments:

“Hitting the road with our brothers of shred Holy Grail this summer to bring our new album Play to Win to fans across North America! This is the summer of the Road Dogs, and we will be doing many more shows across North America and the rest of the world before it’s all said and done. There’s never been a better time to headbang in the front row!”

Champions in blending classic heavy metal, hard rock, and 80’s hair metal, Canadian shredders STRIKER’s sixth studio album Play To Win features 10 fist pounding shredtacular anthems produced by the band plus mixed and mastered by Hendrik Udd (Firewind, Powerwolf, Hammerfall, Delain). The album follows their 2017 self-titled full length that the band supported with tours across Europe and North America with Sonata Arctica, Dark Tranquility, and Warbringer along with festival appearances at 70,000 Tons of Metal, Bang Your Head Festival (Germany) and more to add to their almost 1000 shows performed in their decade-plus career. That fifth studio album also garnered them a nomination from Canada’s JUNO awards, the country’s highest music prize, along with wins at the Edmonton Music Awards and Western Canadian Awards.

Guitarist Tim Brown comments on Play To Win:

“Play to Win: if you want to win you have to play the game. Find the rules and break them. This is our 6th album and 3rd independent release. If we followed the rules and listened to the industry people we’d have gone absolutely nowhere. Play To Win is about listening to yourself, following your own path, and playing that 5th ace hidden in your sleeve. This album is designed to light a fire under your ass and get you moving, and we made sure to get the most modern, ear melting sounds possible. It’s all about where metal is going, not where it has been, and this is our soundtrack to success.”

Album CD order, stream and download available on www.Striker-Metal.com, iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.

Sound architects of the highest magnitude, prog maestros Animals As Leaders have announced the full line up for their upcoming ’10 Year Anniversary Tour’ of the USA. The Contortionist will be main support on all dates and Buke and Gase, Evan Marien & Dana Hawkins and Moon Tooth will join as the opening act, each on select dates (full list of dates and supports below). The 18 date tour will kick off on May 1st in Tickets for the 10 Year Anniversary Tour are on sale now from animalsasleaders.org

Animals As Leaders are also hosting their ‘Camping With Animals’ Music Masters Camp at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian in New York this July (16th-19th). Right near where I grew up! Hit up that fancy newfangled Phoenicia Diner, y’all. Anyway, the camp is an all-inclusive summer vacation masterclass program that offers instrument specific intensive masterclasses – Guitar With Tosin Abasi | Drums With Matt Garstka | Guitar & Production With Javier Reyes as well as sessions such as ‘How to Use Technology for Self-Improvement, Writing and Recording’, exclusive performances from Animals As Leaders, special guests, group writing sessions and open panel discussions. Full information and tickets can be found at campingwithanimals.org

Tour dates BELOW.

Gore/death metallers Exhumed are a legendary act known for lots of destroyed guts in their aesthetic. Who knew that included not only chainsaw mauling but also extended to cover guts destroyed by hot peppers?!! Who among us knew?!! The band have teamed with Hella Hot Sauce to create Forged In Fire Sauce and are taking it on the road on their latest tour.

I had the Bad Brains hot sauce once when Doc thoughtfully gave me some to try and I loved it. I think hot sauce is a neat merch item. Bands make a lot of beer these days but hot sauce seems a little more niche and inventive, honestly. Like, who really expects that? Anyway, it is kind of funny Exhumed are bringing their hot sauce on the road with them though cuz it reminds me vaguely of this kid I knew who once said he thought bands should have salad bars as opening acts. Random.

Frontman Matt Harvey talked a little about the tour and the “meet-and-eat” events that will be unique to each show:

“We’re excited to do something a little different this time. It’s gonna be fun to do something food-related every night and see people’s reactions first-hand to the hot sauce, and since it’s called Forged in Fire, we’re loading up the set with older stuff we haven’t played in years, so it should be a rager every night!”

Check your local show for more information about when to show up and face the heat. As well as featuring a setlist focused on their early material, the band will be selling limited quantities of “Forged in Fire” hot sauce and a special shirt design exclusive for this tour, so come out and get your face melted!

If I had $100 I would bet you that some hot sauce ends up covering someone in the mosh pit on more than one of these dates. I feel bad for any venue janitor who has to clean up hot sauce and beer shit bathrooms! Can we get a new song called The Gravemakers of Eatin’ Burgs? Ok, I am stopping now.

EXHUMED Tour Dates:
4/24 San Luis Obispo, CA – The Graduate
4/25 Mesa, AZ – Club Red (w/Lago)
4/26 Los Angeles, CA – 5 Star Bar
4/27 Oakland, CA – Eli’s Mile High Club (w/Necrot)
4/28 Portland, OR – Tonic Lounge

Man, after seeing some of the Cohen testimony today and wondering if just maybe the Government shouldn’t seem shadier than an episode of Ozark, it was nice to get the some feel good ‘aww yeah’ feels from iconic funky hard rockers Living Colour after spending most of the day feeling generally pretty darn bleak.  The brilliant act will be hitting the UK to wow crowds very soon! Still one of the all time greatest rock bands and tremendously good live, if you are anywhere near these dates you gotta go. Great support acts as well! Check the announcement below.

We’re excited to announce Vivid 30th celebration shows in the UK in July 2019 w/ special guests Wayward Sons + Jared Nichols James

Tickets on sale Feb 28th at 9am https://t.co/zM745TSlmc pic.twitter.com/qBqKZLSgk3

— Living Colour (@LivingColour) February 27, 2019

Metal and hard rock institution Queensryche have a slew of new dates below for both the US and newly announced European tour dates. Loving  the lean and mean classic replicating sound of “Man The Machine.” This version of the band just gets more and more refined somehow. Grateful to have such a killer Queensryche in 2019 as a longtime fan!

“We are very excited that we will touring Europe again! Really looking forward to seeing you all in support of our new album! Thank you all for your embrace and support,” states singer Todd La Torre.

Dates BELOW.

The members of LIGHT THIS CITY declare, “Mexico! We are SO thrilled to announce our first ever Mexico Tour! And it’s just three weeks away! Spread the word, let’s do this!”

LIGHT THIS CITY Gira Por México 2019:
1/31/2019 Cactux Morelia – Morelia, MX
2/01/2019 Anexo Independencia – Guadalajara, MX
2/02/2019 Loud Open Stage – San Luis Potosí, MX
2/03/2019 Real Under – Mexico City, MX

LIGHT THIS CITY has also posted a slew of new drum and guitar playthrough videos for the album. Watch guitarists Ryan Hansen and Steve Hoffman shred through “A Grotesque Reflection,” “Neverlanding,” and “Dormant Tide,” and see Ben Murray deploy “Reality in Disarray,” “A Grotesque Reflection,” “Neverlanding,” and “Dormant Tide.”

See the LIGHT THIS CITY playthrough videos and the official video for “Agents Of Fate” at Creator-Destructor’s YouTube page and subscribe for more action RIGHT HERE.

Terminal Bloom is available on CD, LP, and digital formats now through Creator-Destructor Records. Find order options at the label webstore HERE and Bandcamp where the album is streaming HERE.