Video: Anthrax – Evil Twin, New Lyric Video


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Anthrax has released a new lyric video and single for a brand new song, ‘Evil Twin’. You can watch the lyric video at this link or below:

‘Evil Twin’ comes off of the long-awaited new Anthrax album, coming in early 2016 from Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in the Europe/UK. The track is also available digitally, and can be purchased via Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon.

Charlie Benante comments on the thrashiness of ‘Evil Twin’:

“Yeah, that opening riff is really evil. We had done a lot of touring with Death Angel and Exodus, so I was in a really thrashy state of mind when I starting writing the riffs for that song. I think along with Scott’s lyrics and Frank’s melodies, we came up with a really great, old school thrash metal feel.”

The pointed lyrics of the track denounces the self-righteous religious extremists who spread their bloody terror under the guise of a Holy War.

You represent your discontent

Slaughtering the innocent

Insolence

You’re no martyrs

Scott Ian comments on the lyrics of the track:

“I was very affected by the Charlie Hebdo massacre as I have been with all of the shootings that have taken place at schools and movie theatres. I can’t figure out what would cause someone to think that was the right thing to do. ‘I’ll show the world, I’ll make my God happy.’ It’s just such bullshit. I’m not bagging on religion, that’s not my intent, but people who go to that extreme, who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man because you or I don’t believe the same thing they do, I think that’s the ‘Evil Twin’ of humanity. Writing words about that is my only catharsis.”

Anthrax, photo credit Ignacio Galvez

Anthrax, photo credit Ignacio Galvez

Anthrax remaining tour dates, with Slayer:

Oct 25: Theaters Tilburg- Tilburg, NL**

Oct 26: Zenith Paris, Paris- FR**

Oct 28: La Cooperative De Mai- Clermont-Ferrand, FR

Oct 30: Santana 27- Bilbao, ES**

Oct 31: Coliseum- La Coruna, ES**

Nov 01: La Riviera- Madrid, ES**

Nov 03: Razzmatazz- Barcelona, ES**

Nov 05: Alcatraz- Milano, IT**

Nov 07: Planet.tt Bank Austria Halle Gasometer B- Vienna, AT**

Nov 08: Haus Auersee- Leipzig, DE**

Nov 10: Zenith, die Kulturhalle- Munich, DE**

Nov 12: Columbiahalle- Berlin, DE**

Nov 13: RuhrCongress- Bochum, DE**

Nov 14: MHPArena- Ludwigsburg, DE

Nov 16: Jahrhunderthalle- Frankfurt, DE**

Nov 17: AB Main Hall- Brussels, BE**

Nov 19: Rockhal- Esch Sur Alzette, LU

Nov 21: Newport Centre- Newport, UK**

Nov 22: Plymouth Pavilions- Plymouth, UK**

Nov 24: O2 Apollo Manchester- Manchester, UK**

Nov 25: O2 Academy Glasgow- Glasgow, UK**

Nov 27: O2 Academy Birmingham- Birmingham, UK**

Nov 28: O2 Academy Leeds- Leeds, UK**

Nov 30: O2 Academy Brixton- Brixton, UK**

Dec 03: Kulturvaerflet – Helsinger, DK**

Dec 04:Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NO**

Dec 05: Lisebergshallen- Goteborg, SE**

Dec 09: Stadium Live – Moscow, RU**

** w/ Slayer


Anthrax Launches Devil You Know Bourbon


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Anthrax today unveiled their new line of Burbon dubbed “The Devil You Know”, named for their song ‘The Devil You Know’ from 2011’s Worship Music (Megaforce) album. The limited-edition Bourbon retails for $59 and is available here. http://bit.ly/1egO347 “Hand selected” by the veteran thrash band and created in conjunction with Kentucky-based Knob Creek distillery, ever order comes with an autographed card from the band.

Scott Ian comments on the creation of Devil You Know Bourbon:

“If we find something we really like and that we actually drink ourselves, we think maybe our fans might like it too, so we want to make it available for them”. “We really enjoyed ‘Indians,’ the bourbon we produced last year, and obviously our fans did as well as it sold out really quickly.”

The band promised the drink will be truly unique due to the blend of specially selected aged bourbons and rye whiskeys, as well as the wood barrels they were aged in.

 

 

Frank Bello remarked about the process:

“We had a great time sampling the different bourbons to find the one we thought was the best… And we hope our fans have the same good time drinking it. Responsibly, of course.”

Anthrax is on tour all year as the progress towards the follow up to Worship Music, due out in early 2016.

Scott Ian of Anthrax, shot by Echoes In The Well

Scott Ian of Anthrax, photo by Echoes In The Well

 

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Josh Middleton (SYLOSIS): My Top 5 (Non “Big 4”) Thrash Albums


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To celebrate the upcoming release of dark, progressive thrash opus Dormant Heart (Nuclear Blast) Josh Middleton of Sylosis spoke of his love of Thrash, including his Top 5 (non-Big 4) Thrash albums…

In no particular order (except the first one, apparently):

 

SEPULTURA ‘Arise’ (Roadrunner)

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After upping the ante in a serious way with the seminal Beneath The Remains Max Cavalera and crew cemented their place in the annals with one of the heaviest and one of the best slabs of thrash known to man, beast or beyond. Produced by the legendary Scott Burns at Morrisound, Brazil’s greatest musical export refined their delivery while maintaining the aggression, with an album chock full of anthems from ‘Dead Embryonic Cells’ and its neck-snapping groove, to the epic ‘Desperate Cry’ and the crunching pace of closer ‘Infected Voice’, while the opening title track boasts one of the greatest heavy riffs of the last forty years and is a bone-fide extreme anthem. A genuine Death/Thrash classic.

 

VIO-LENCE ‘Oppressing The Masses’ (Megaforce)

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There’s a certain writing team currently topping the metal charts (and coming in third in Ghost Cult‘s Albums of the Year 2014), a writing team that includes Messrs Philip Demmell and Robert Flynn. Back in 1990, Machine Head‘s creative force were cutting not just their teeth, but an album of jagged thrash intent with no lack of cerebral content, from stomping tour-de-force ‘I, Profit’ to closing title-track, more of a traditional thrasher operating in the Overkill ball park, replete with Sean Killian‘s Blitz-deranged vocals.

 

FORBIDDEN ‘Twisted Into Form’ (Combat/Relativity)

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Another band that operated as a stepping stone for some of its’ members, with drummer Paul Bostaph to move on to Slayer and Testament and highly-regarded guitar-wizard Tim Calvert to later join Nevermore for their defining album Dreaming Neon Black (Century Media). Twisted Into Form was the San Franciscan’s second opus, and with Calvert joining (at the expense of Glen Alvelias, who himself was later to also join Testament), saw a more melodic, technical and progressive approach to the debut.

 

 

HEATHEN ‘Victim of Deception’ (Roadrunner)

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Another early 90’s great, “This is pretty much …And Justice For All Part 2!” states Middleton. Along with the Vio-lence and Forbidden selections, this is another sophomore album that saw a band at the top of its game really define their sound second time around. Widely regarded as one of the most technical thrash albums, Victim… is renowned for its many complex structures, time changes and guitar work, retaining little of the NWOBHM influence exhibited on their debut. Coming in at over an hour, with the majority of its tracks over six minutes in length, Heathen made a statement that thrash could be complicated and could be progressive.

 

TESTAMENT ‘First Strike Still Deadly’ (Spitfire)

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“I haven’t had any Testament yet… and, you know what, I know it’s a cop out, but I really enjoy First Strike Still Deadly. I know it’s effectively a best of, but I like it.”

Featuring guest appearances from original vocalist/Exodus screamer Steve “Zetro” Sousa and Joey Tempesta, who had sat on the drum stool at various points in Testament’s career, as well as Alex Skolnick returning for the first time since 1992’s The Ritual, this compilation of re-recordings was Steve Di Giorgio‘s last with the band. Comprising of tracks from their classic first two albums, The Legacy and The New Order (Atlantic/Megaforce) and old demo track ‘Reign of Terror’, this was the start of the re-recording trend and has been widely panned by critics, which seems harsh as the tracks are, still, incredible. Besides, at least one person (Mr Middleton) likes it… Here at Ghost Cult we support First Strike… but would recommend getting hold of the first two Testament albums, if you don’t already own them. You can pick up pretty much every Testament release while you’re at it, too…

 

 

Words by STEVE TOVEY