Lamb Of God
Is it live? As close as a studio recording comes to it anyway. Mark Morton joins Brock to discuss the unique way they created and recorded Lamb Of God's new release Omens. Which included all of them getting together and laying down the tracks together in the studio. Somehow they end up talking about Cinderella t-shirts and some even say... bring on the old ladies. Listen to find out who.
Across their career Lamb Of God grew from basement shows and grimy DIY venues to headline arenas. The New Wave of American Heavy Metal architects earned a reverence akin to musical forefathers (and road companions) Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth.
"For millions of headbangers, Lamb Of God are simply the most important contemporary metal band in the world," Guitar World observed. Timeless songs like "Laid to Rest," "Redneck," "Walk with Me in Hell," and "Now You've Got Something to Die For" became anthems in the heavy metal songbook, with gargantuan vocals born from both righteous anger and devotion, and unrivaled riffs for the ages.
Now, the Grammy-nominated goliath follows 2020's self-titled slab with a vicious new testament. Riding high on an insatiable drive, a focused collective camaraderie, and a creative renaissance saluted by the likes of Rolling Stone and NME, Lamb Of God returned to longtime producer Josh Wilbur (Megadeth, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold) and carved the gloriously unhinged Omens into sonic stone.
Even as D. Randall Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton (lead guitar), Willie Adler (guitar), John Campbell (bass), and Art Cruz (drums) enjoy one another's company and chemistry like never before, Omens is possibly the angriest Lamb Of God album yet. Densely muscular, soaked in unnerving spite, with a pessimistic eye toward inner struggles and global affairs alike, Omens is a furious entry in the catalog.
Most of the album was recorded live in the studio, including Blythe's vibrantly unhinged vocal attack. Morton and Adler's riffs threaten, challenge, and devastate. Cruz and Campbell's unstoppable rhythms lurch and beckon. Having shined on 2020’s Lamb Of God, Cruz injects even more nuance and personality into his playing across Omens’ songs.
It's a potent, palpable energy Lamb Of God first tapped when they shoved heavy metal into the new millennium with New American Gospel (2000). As the Palaces Burn (2003) joined Rolling Stone's Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. Ashes of the Wake (2004) was the first Lamb Of God album certified gold by the RIAA, a feat once all but impossible for a contemporary extreme metal band.
Sacrament (2006), Revolver's Album of the Year, went gold as well. The raw and organic malice of Wrath (2009) began the band's enduring relationship with Wilbur. Both the diverse Resolution (2012) and the explosive VII: Sturm und Drang (2015) debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200.
The 2020 self-titled set, their first new material in five years, added instant classics "Memento Mori" and "Resurrection Man" to the repertoire, alongside eight more monster tracks. Revolver, Metal Hammer, Loudwire, and Consequence included Lamb Of God on their year-end Best Albums lists. The momentum continues with Omens, arguably the band's most aggressive and ambitious yet.
The hardcore fire at the heart of Lamb Of God still burns as hot as the 12-foot flames blazing the stages on their co-headlining trek with Megadeth, appropriately called "The Metal Tour of the Year." Even as the state of the world descends, the state of the union for Lamb Of God remains strong.
Nothing More
Does a record that takes twice as long to record than your other records turn out twice as good? Danny from Nothing More sure hopes so as takes a deep dive into their new release "Spirits". Brock also tries to find out where all those shirt sleeves go, and who they have build all that awesome stuff for their live show on this Episode of DNM.
ABOUT NOTHING MORE
Rock audiences count NOTHING MORE among the most cherished acts, the kind of band who straddle the line between populism and intimacy with every performance. The San Antonio, Texas-born quartet builds unapologetically massive anthems from catchy hooks. Crowd-pleasers clear a path for heady, confessional, thought-provoking emotionalism. Fresh rewards reveal themselves with repeat listens, welcoming like-minded seekers with rich melodicism, like the best of Deftones or Tool.
Those who saw the band on tour with hard rock heavyweights like Shinedown, Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Papa Roach, and Disturbed will attest to what The Guardian observed: “There’s a sophistication to NOTHING MORE’s angst that raises them above the tumult-tossed pit.”
Kerrang! named NOTHING MORE one of 22 Artists Shaping the Future of Rock, alongside Nine Inch Nails, Twenty One Pilots, and Bring Me The Horizon. And frontman Jonny Hawkins, who met guitarist Mark Vollelunga before they were old enough to drive, appeared with Billie Joe Armstrong, Dave Grohl, and Hayley Williams in the English tastemaker’s Top 50 Greatest Rockstars in the World.
Hawkins and Vollelunga started the band in 2003 and were quickly joined by bassist Daniel Oliver and later by drummer Ben Anderson. The band’s blend of explosive bombast and nuanced storytelling resulted in a half dozen Top 10 singles at Mainstream Rock Radio, including the No. 1 hit “Go to War” and the Sirius XM Octane song of the decade and Active Rock chart-topper “This is the Time (Ballast).” The Stories We Tell Ourselves earned a head-turning three Grammy nominations. They’re set to follow it up with a new album in 2022, which is filled with their most philosophical and primal music to date. The first offering, “TURN IT UP LIKE,” released in March 2022, is a fitting first taste of what’s to come.
NOTHING MORE appeals to fans of Linkin Park, Incubus, Rage Against The Machine, and all crucial acts that stoke relatable passion with authenticity and integrity. Memorize the arena-ready hooks. Get mesmerized by the intimate, communal live show. Dig deeper down the rabbit hole into the work of philosophers and artists like Eckhart Tolle, Carl Jung, and Alan Watts, who inspire the band. There’s a place for every type of rock fan with NOTHING MORE. Built to last, here to stay.
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Alter Bridge
Frontman Miles Kennedy joins Brock to discuss their latest release "Pawns & Kings" We find out how a songs becomes epic. How it is to work with guitar legends. Plus, we clear the air as to whether Myles was shouting at ... OR ... with the devil in his early project SPYDER. Is it a coincidence Myles is wearing a Bigfoot hat when Brock asks him about Bigfoot? This too will be revealed in this episode of JJO DNM.
In every underdog story, an ordinary beginning reaches an extraordinary conclusion. The unexpected become the undisputed. The excluded become the exalted. The passed over become the most powerful. The pawns become the kings…
In this spirit, Alter Bridge have steadily climbed to the forefront of hard rock worldwide. They’ve exceeded all expectations and benchmarks with over a billion streams, millions of units sold, glowing critical acclaim, real estate on the covers of Classic Rock Magazine and Guitar World, and storied sets at Royal Albert Hall, the O2 Arena and Download Festival. On this journey, 2004’s debut LP One Day Remains bowed in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200 and went gold. In 2007, Blackbird’s title track took flight on the wings of the “Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time,” as voted in Guitarist Magazine, while countless fans etched its lyrics and logo onto their bodies. That album also recently went gold in the United Kingdom. Critical plaudits surrounded the 2013 opus Fortress with “5-out-of-5 stars” from KERRANG! and Total Guitar, as well as Eddie Trunk’s declaration of, “A Top 10 album of the last 10 years.” 2016’s The Last Hero saw them return to the Top 10 on the Top 200.
Maintaining this momentum, Walk The Sky made impressions around the globe when it reached #1 on the Swiss Album charts, landed in the Top 5 on the UK, Germany, Austria, Scotland and Switzerland charts and closed out the year on Loudwire’s “The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019.” These musicians have unassumingly done all of this with a quiet dedication to writing meaningful songs and performing unforgettable shows (and they’ve delivered both with almost alarming consistency). Still, the influential quartet—Myles Kennedy [vocals, guitar], Mark Tremonti [guitar, vocals], Brian Marshall [bass], and Scott Phillips [drums]—ascend to yet another level on 2022’s Pawns & Kings[Napalm Records]. The thunderous rhythms groove harder, the basslines rumble thicker, the guitars rip deeper, and the vocals tower even higher above the heavens.
Slipknot
V Man joins Brock to discuss the newest release from long time friends of the JJO Slipknot, The End, So Far'. Should we look deeper into that title er no? Listen and you will know. Plus find out what playing the new songs live means and what may actually scare V man's new wife more than his mask.
Produced By SLIPKNOT and Joe Barresi, THE END, SO FAR is available for pre-order today with several vinyl variants available at www.slipknot1.com. THE END, SO FAR includes the band’s 2021 surprise single “The Chapeltown Rag” and follows their widely celebrated 2019 album WE ARE NOT YOUR KIND, which marked SLIPKNOT’s third consecutive #1 on the Billboard 200. The release made a massive global impact with #1 debuts in the Official Album Charts of twelve countries around the world, including the UK, Australia, Canada and Mexico, with Top 5 debuts in an additional twelve countries including Germany, France and Sweden.
This fall SLIPKNOT will embark on the third leg of their enormously popular KNOTFEST Roadshow headline tour, VIP tickets for which are available now. Leveling up their live show yet again, the upcoming tour will begin September 20th in Nashville, TN and will see the band joined by special guests Ice Nine Kills and Crown The Empire. The fall run will also include highly-touted festival appearances at Louisville’s Louder Than Life and Sacramento’s Aftershock (tour itinerary below). Furthermore, SLIPKNOT are set to spend the summer traversing Europe for a slate of international festival and headline dates including their own KNOTFEST Germany and Finland festivals. For tickets and more information on SLIPKNOT’s KNOTFEST Roadshow Fall 2022 tour and upcoming international dates, visit www.slipknot1.com.
Eva Under Fire
If you learn one thing from this episode of DNM it is, if you have a back up plan you may end up with three jobs. Eva joins Brock to discuss the bands chart topping debut, being from Detroit Rock City and how taking a chance on both things she loved lead Eva to become a rock singer, licensed clinical psychologist and eventually an actress that does her own stunts. And if that is not enough, her and Brock give a Michigan geography lesson using only their hands.
ABOUT EVA UNDER FIRE
If you think rock n’ roll fairy tales are a thing of the past, you haven’t met Eva Under Fire. These Detroit rock upstarts got their start five years ago and instantly began cutting their teeth in the underground rock scene, building an enthusiastic fan base the old-fashioned way. However the band’s trajectory shifted toward the stratosphere when they sent an unsolicited demo to Better Noise Music, who recognized the band’s hybrid of rock, metal, pop and classic rock as something wholly unique.
That said, it took a lot of hard work for them to get to this point. The group’s roots go back to 2015 when Eva, guitarists Chris Slapnik and Rob Lyberg, bassist Ed Joseph and drummer Corey Newsom, decided to get together and write music that represented their diverse set of influences. The chemistry clicked and after releasing a well received full-length and two EPs, the band signed to Better Noise and spent the past two years working on their next album, their most ambitious and fully realized release to date.
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Parkway Drive
Ever wonder what it is like to be stranded on an island for a year? Parkway Drive does not have to wonder. It happened, at least it was a big island. Lead Vocalist Winston McCall discusses how being stuck down under in their native Australia and not knowing if the world would every open back up gave them the freedom to create a record they did not even know they had in em. What is a Thunder Box? You have one and you did not even know it. Winston will explain, plus the real shrimp and more in this episode of DNM.
In the kitchen of the Byron Bay home of Winston McCall stands a refrigerator, adorned on one side by a quote from Tom Waits: “I want beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.”
This, the Parkway Drive vocalist says, is a pretty good summation of himself. It holds true, too, as one of the guiding principles behind Darker Still, the seventh full-length album to be born of this picturesque and serene corner of north-eastern NSW, Australia, and the defining musical statement to date from one of modern metal’s most revered bands.
Darker Still, McCall says, is the vision he and his bandmates – guitarists Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick, bassist Jia O’Connor and drummer Ben Gordon – have held in their mind’s eye since a misfit group of friends first convened in their parents’ basements and backyards in 2003. The journey to reach this moment has seen Parkway evolve from metal underdogs to festival-headlining behemoth, off the back of close to 20 gruelling years, six critically and commercially acclaimed studio albums (all of which achieving Gold status in their home nation), three documentaries, one live album, and many, many thousands of shows.
“When Parkway originally started out, we all were trying to push ourselves to do more than we possibly could,” is how McCall explains it. “What you hear on Darker Still is the final fulfilment of our ability to learn and grow catching up with the imagination that we have always had.”
To understand that growth is to understand Darker Still, both musically and thematically. Those who thought they had Parkway Drive figured out – the unrivalled energy, the high-octane breakdowns, McCall’s trademark bark – need reconsider everything they know about Australia’s masters of heavy. Darker Still stands as the culmination of a transformative time that has seen Parkway reach new heights of creativity and success by eschewing the restrictive, safe conventions of genre and abandoning their own self-imposed rules in favour of a wide-eyed appreciation of bold new horizons. “There are compositions and songs that we’d never attempted before – or, to be more accurate, which we have attempted in the past, but not had the courage, time or understanding to pull off,” McCall reveals.
And so while Darker Still remains irrefutably Parkway Drive, it finds the band sonically standing shoulder to shoulder with rock and metal’s greats – Metallica, Pantera, Machine Head, Guns N’ Roses – as much as it does their metalcore contemporaries. It is a revivified sound that provides the backdrop for some of McCall’s most personal and introspective songs yet. Exploring the concept of the ‘dark night of the soul’ – “The idea of reaching a point in your life where you are faced with a reckoning of your structure of beliefs, your sense of self and your place in the world, to a point where it's irreconcilable with the way that you are as a person,” as McCall describes – Darker Still unfurls like the great rock concept albums, from Pink Floyd to, most comparably, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, its 11 tracks taking in ruminations on society’s fear of death, isolation and a loss of humanity in its journey to redemptive enlightenment.
This is the Parkway Drive the band have been striving to be for two decades. Ling says it best: “I’m really proud of what we have achieved together, and feel that as musicians, we have really ascended to new realms of class and ability.” Emerging from the darkness of the past few years, this is the true face of Parkway: redefined and resolute, focused in mind and defiant in spirit.
––––––Sam Coare, April 2022
Collective Soul
A band of brothers that actually gets along? WHAT? Find out how from guitarist Dean Roland. He also discusses the creation of their latest release Vibrating. Plus get the inside scoop on how Collective Soul spent their Covid down time, touring now vs the 90s and does Dean Roland's future include playing guitar in a ballet band?
Vibrating positively pulsates with the boundless energy that has been Collective Soul’s aural calling card for going on three full decades. From the propulsively gnarly kiss-off of “Cut the Cord” to the reflective midtempo jangle of “Take” to the heart-wrenching reality check of “Rule #1” — replete with a soaring string section, no less! — to the choir-backed emotional crossroads of “Where Do I Go,” Vibrating contains 42 minutes of irrefutable sonic evidence of a band wholly uninterested in sitting still. “I think we’re on a roll,” observes Roland. “We’re not afraid to stretch the boundaries — but we do know how to stay in our lane when we need to. Sometimes, though, we just have to go faster.”
The next logical acceleratory step, of course, resides in taking Vibrating out on the road where the band belongs, and test-driving how this electrifying new material meshes with indelible Collective Soul setlist classics like “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” “Gel,” “AYTA,” “Why, Pt. 2,” “Precious Declaration,” and “Heavy” — in addition to more recent, Blood-spawned tracks like “Right as Rain,” “Observation of Thoughts,” and “Over Me.”
“We’re ready to go,” declares Roland. “Most of us grew up together and knew each other as kids, so that helps with the live chemistry. I’ve always said this about this band — we know when to knock each other out, and we know when to hug each other. We won’t put up with any crap, but if you’re feeling down and need help, we’ll pick you up. We’re coming up on 30 years as a band, so we have to be friends first and foremost to keep it all going. If we aren’t friends like that, then we’re not going to have longevity in our career in order to continue doing what we love to do. That’s just the bottom line.”
Seeing eye to eye, and ear to ear, is part of the secret sauce of why Collective Soul continues to both record and play together at an uncompromised level of high quality. “That’s the end goal for everybody in this band,” agrees Roland. “Just because I write the songs doesn’t mean I’m the only one who wants it all to come out right. We all want it to be right — and that’s because this is a band that acts like a band.”
Working in tandem, sharing unbridled opinions, and listening to what everyone else has to say without recrimination are all key proponents in fostering Collective Soul’s perpetual harmony. “That’s the forte of this band,” Roland acknowledges. “We discuss things together, we figure them out together, and we make sure to get everything right. That’s how we love to do it. And I say this out of confidence, and not out of ego — we’re really, really good at it, too.”
You’ll get no arguments here. As 2022 unfurls, it’s clear heaven continues to shine its light down on Collective Soul, a formidable five-man band humming along in unison with many more good vibrations of their own to share with the masses far and wide. There’s a reason Collective Soul are made for me and you — so be sure to see and hear them for yourself first-hand, the next time they make their presence known in your neck of the woods.
—Mike Mettler, official Soulographer
Megadeth
Thrash Metal pioneer and heavy metal legend Dave Mustaine shares his thoughts on their 16th release, The Sick, The Dying and They Dead. The joy of getting to do something you love for so long. The struggle to make sure people don't take that away. What do Sammy Hagar and ICE-T have to do with a Megadeth record? Listen and discover that and much more on this episode of DMN.
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy® winning- Dystopia, while pushing forward musically and marking Mustaine’s recent triumph over throat cancer. Reuniting visionary MEGADETH leader and sonic architect Dave Mustaine with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (Danzig, Parkway Drive), who together helmed 2016’s Dystopia, the album was recorded at Mustaine’s home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album–with the kick off of MEGADETH’s recent tour, Megadeth-alumni James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.
“For the first time in a long time, everything that we needed on this record is right in its place,” Dave Mustaine enthused. “I can’t wait for the public to get hold of this!”
Featuring some of Mustaine’s strongest songwriting while also incorporating writing from the rest of the band, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! brings together everything that’s exhilarating and distinctive about MEGADETH. From the blistering throwback fury of “Night Stalkers” (featuring icon Ice-T) and first single “We’ll Be Back,” to the more mid-tempo and melodic “Soldier On!,” and the very personal title track, with its enthralling twists and turns.
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! melds the ultra-frenetic riffing, fiercely intricate solos, and adventurous spirit the quartet are known for, all laced with signature virtuosity and precision and Mustaine’s singular sardonic snarl. This album combines all the crushing musical motifs that have made MEGADETH both repeat metal disruptors and revered genre flagbearers.
Jackyl
You might want to invest in the company that makes wooden bar stools because Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl makes it very clear that, while he has cut up quite a few over the last 30, there are more to come. Brock talks to JJD about the new tunes and the live tunes on their latest release Jackyl 30 Coming in Hot. We also find out what has kept em together all these years, how gas prices affect chainsaw solo costs and ponder the notion of using a hand saw during a Jackyl acoustic set.
Band Bio
It’s been 30 years since Jackyl shot out of Georgia with its wild, untamed and uncouth approach to rock ‘n’ roll. Equal parts hard rock, heavy metal and Southern rock, Jackyl formed in 1991 and brought back rock ‘n’ roll back — back to its down-to-earth, wild, fun-loving origins. Full of spit and swagger — and a “dirty” sense of humor to boot — Jackyl quickly earned a deal with Geffen Records. Jackyl’s live shows were already legendary before the ink dried on the Geffen contract.
The 1992 self-titled debut album went platinum and featured notable rock radio hits like “Down On Me,” “When Will It Rain,” “I Stand Alone” and, most notably, “The Lumberjack,” during which vocalist Jesse James Dupree performed a chain-saw solo. Dupree’s chain-saw escapades on album and in concert became one of many Jackyl trademarks. With the release of ‘Jackyl’ hit the road and barely left it since. Just long enough to record new albums. Touring mates in those early days included Aerosmith, Kiss, ZZ Top, Ted Nugent and Damn Yankees. 1993 saw “Mental *@%.!” featured on ‘The Beavis & Butt-head Experience,’ a compilation album of songs tied in with MTV’s hit cartoon series; it was eventually certified triple platinum. 1994 was one of the most important years in the band’s career. The second album, ‘Push Comes To Shove,’ hit the streets and went gold. That August, Jackyl turned in one of the most acclaimed performances at Woodstock ’94 in Saugerties, NY, and the resulting double album ‘Woodstock 94’ went platinum and included “Headed For Destruction” (a track from ‘Push Comes To Shove’). The live recording ‘Night Of The Living Dead’ was released exclusively in Europe on Mayhem Records in 1996.
It wasn’t long before Jackyl followed A&R legend John Kalodner (who had signed them to Geffen) to Sony Music’s imprint Epic Records. ‘Cut the Crap’ was released in 1997 and benefited from two industry heavyweights overseeing its recording: producer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica) and mixer Kevin Shirley (silverchair, Aerosmith). This album spawned the rock radio hit “Locked and Loaded,” which included guest vocals by AC/DC’s Brian Johnson. It was the first time Johnson had ever recorded with any artist but AC/DC since he joined the band 17 years earlier. A collection of B-sides titled ‘Stayin’ Alive’ appeared on Shimmering Tone Records in 1998 but the biggest highlight of the year was Geffen’s release of the best-of collection ‘Choice Cuts’ and the related promotional events Jackyl did to help promote it.
The band earned two Guinness Book of World Records citations and the designation “The Hardest Working Band in Rock ‘N’ Roll” for performing 100 shows in 50 days as well as 21 shows in 24 hours. Dupree says the most grueling of the two was 21 shows in 24 hours; Jackyl completed that task in Texas, and the shows were all done with full lights and sound. The daytime sets were 45 minutes long whereas the ones done at nighttime were between 90 and 120 minutes long. Jackyl released ‘Relentless’ on Humidity Records in 2002. It contained the second collaboration with Brian Johnson, “Kill the Sunshine.” Universal Music/Geffen Records also issued a Jackyl volume as part of its acclaimed ’20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection’ best-of series in 2003. For a band that built its reputation as road warriors, it’s surprising that a full-length live album meant for worldwide release did not appear until 2004 with the separate release of the ‘Live at the Full Throttle Saloon’ CD and DVD on Sanctuary Records. ‘Live at the Full Throttle Saloon’ was recorded and filmed in summer 2003 in Sturgis, South Dakota, as part of the legendary annual biker rally festivities held there.
In 2010, the band completed their release titled “My Moonshine Kicks Your Cocaine’s Ass”. Staying true to their working band roots, ever since 2008 Jackyl has been on the road playing the summer festival circuit as well as many other choice, off-season venues.
Band Members:
- Jesse James Dupree - Vocals & Guitar
- Jeff Worley - Guitar
- Chris Worley - Percussion
- Roman Glick - Bass
Shinedown
Frontman Brent Smith discusses the bands longevity, generation spanning fanbase and surprising roles each member of the band plays in creating new music. Plus we also find out if he believes he can take a punch from Mike Tyson and a lesson in respect he learned from Momma Smith.
Multi-platinum, record-breaking band Shinedown – Brent Smith [vocals], Zach Myers [guitar], Eric Bass [bass, production], and Barry Kerch [drums] – have cemented their status as one of the most vital and forward-thinking powerhouses in modern rock. They were recently named #1 on Billboard’s Greatest Of All Time Mainstream Rock Artists Chart, after notching the most ever #1s (17) in the 40-year history of the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart with a string of consecutive #1 hit singles “Atlas Falls,” “ATTENTION ATTENTION,” “GET UP,” “MONSTERS,” “DEVIL,” and now “Planet Zero.” With 10 million albums sold worldwide, 14 platinum and gold singles, over 4.5 billion global streams, platinum or gold certification for all their albums, 18 #1 Active Rock hits, all 28 career singles reaching the Top 5 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs Chart, and countless sold-out arena tours, Shinedown have also become an essential cultural force as evidenced by their major media acclaim.