Two of the biggest names in metal today are coming together for a music publicity panel, and we have all the details you need to know. This is one Haulix LIVE! event you cannot miss.
If there is anything to learn from the age of COVID-19, aside from the need for personal hygiene, it is the importance of connection. Human beings are not meant to live in isolation. We need relationships as much as we need air in our lungs and water in our cups. Friendships are the key to everything, including happiness and success, which explains why these long periods without human interaction are so tricky. Haulix LIVE! is not a perfect solution, but it has the potential to keep us connected until life as we knew it resumes.
On Thursday, November 12, two of the most successful publicists in metal today appear on Haulix LIVE! to discuss their careers and the role PR plays in musicians’ success. Join us as Becky Laverty (Prosthetic Records) and Vince Edwards (Metal Blade) talk about music publicity in the COVID era, emerging trends in their field, and their hopes for 2021. Viewers will also have the chance to ask questions, but only if you RSVP! Don’t wait!
The event is free, but attendees must register in advance to ask questions. Click here to RSVP TODAY!
About our panelists:
Becky Laverty has been a freelance publicist for 13 years, working for labels, events, and independent artists. Believing that each project is unique, she has forged relationships across the music industry and around the globe to deliver creative and engaging press campaigns. Although she still squeezes in the occasional side project, the majority of her time is now taken up by Roadburn Festival (Press & Communications) and Prosthetic Records (European Label Manager).
Vince Edwards has worked at Metal Blade Records since 2007 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a BS in business administration. Fans may have seen his work on YouTube in the form of music videos for Anaal Nathrakh, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amon Amarth, and more. Additionally, Vince works with radio stations & shows such as SirusXM Liquid Metal, Full Metal Jackie, WJJO Overdrive, Music Choice, and dozens more to try and keep metal on the airwaves across the US. Fans may also have seen his graphic design work across the Metal Blade social pages and beyond. Metal Blade Records is an independent record label where staff wear many hats and work with bands on a daily basis to help bring their vision to fans globally.
About our host:
James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement for Haulix. His music career began with the opening of a music venue when he was just 14 years old. From there, James cut his teeth booking and promoting events until he enrolled at Ferris State University to pursue a degree in Music Industry Management. From there, James found a passion for writing that led him to work with some of the biggest publications in music. He later graduated from school and moved to Boston, where he worked for a music startup before starting with Haulix. In addition to his current role, James currently hosts the Inside Music Podcast, the High Notes podcast, the Music Biz channel on YouTube, and regularly contributes to multiple entertainment publications.
Black metal masters Behemoth are leveraging the attention garnered from their recent cover of The Cure to share their most exciting music to date.
Behemoth is a band that needs no introduction. For the better part of thirty years, the Polish metal titans have been blazing a trail entirely their own through the world of music. They are partially responsible for making black metal something people around the globe recognize as art, and they spare no expense in seeing just how far they can push themselves as both musicians and creatives. No two Behemoth offerings are the same, but the group’s latest, A Forest, is in a league all its own.
A four-track release arriving just coronavirus cabin fever is setting in, A Forest speaks to Behemoth’s relentless pursuit of musical mastery. Highlighted by a cover of The Cure’s 1980 track “A Forest,” which appears twice (once as a studio cut and once as a live cut), the record showcases the group’s innate ability to make any idea their own. Behemoth builds on the already dark themes and energy of the original track to produce an expansive black metal offering that lures you into a brooding state of madness from where there is no escape. It’s a song you want to live inside, and the video plays like the arthouse horror film:
At the risk of overstating its brilliance, A Forest is Behemoth at their very best. Their cover of The Cure transforms a classic rock song into something far more sinister without sacrificing the core elements that make the track great, which is enough to warrant a purchase, but the EP also features two new songs that fans won’t soon forget. “Shadows ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha” finds the group delivering a driving anthem with ferocious riffs and thundering drums, while the closer, “Evoe,” feels like a call to arms for the devil’s army. It’s the kind of heavy songwriter that inspires uprisings and leads to chaos in the streets. In other words, it’s precisely what we need.
Inside Music Podcast returns with Mike D’Antonio of Killswitch Engage discussing music, Covid-19, and more.
As many of you may have noticed, we took a month off from podcasting in February. Between business developments at Haulix and the looming Coronavirus developments, we have been busy focusing on many other things. However, we never stopped working on the show, and we currently have four episodes in various states of completion for release shortly. A few were recorded before the global shutdown of the touring and live events industry, but we believe the content outside that aspect of each conversation is worth sharing. Our show has never been about ‘the state of the world,’ but we recognize that will most likely be a recurring theme moving forward. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
In early March, Killswitch Engage embarked on the North American leg of their worldwide tour in support of the band’s 2019 release, Atonement. The group performed twice before postponing their remaining performances over concerns about Covid-19. Luckily, we got to speak with the band before that happened.
Hours ahead of what would prove to be the last Killswitch Engage show for the foreseeable future, Inside Music host James Shotwell sat down with bassist and founding member Mike D’Antonio to discuss the state of the world. The conversation started by addressing the elephant in the room, Coronavirus fears, before turning to a discussion on the band’s legacy, lessons learned, and how Mike found his most villainous bass tone to date.
With bands off the road, buying and streaming music are the best ways to support your favorite artists. Atonement is a thrilling release that combines the signature sound of Killswitch Engage with a heaping dose of heaviness, both lyrically and sonically, that makes for an altogether crushing experience. You can find the record wherever you access music, and we highly suggest you give it one or fifty plays as soon as your schedule allows.
You can also subscribe to Inside Music on Spotify!
Some say life is for the living, but in order to truly live I believe life is for the dreamers. The creative people who put no limits on their exploration of the world around them, who take risks when others would play it safe, they are the ones who truly live. They accept that their perception of reality differs from everyone else and they embrace it. They find a way to hold a mirror to their soul and they show it to the world. Things don’t always work out the way they desire, but when their body is lowered into the ground and people throw dirt on their coffin they can rest knowing they tried. When everyone else turned back, they forged ahead and embraced whoever they felt they were meant to be.
This brings me to Rivers Of Nihil, otherwise known as the Metal Blade Records artist you should probably be listening to, but for some reason haven’t gotten around to completely devoting your life to just yet. Their new album Monarchy drops this Friday, August 21, and it is absolutely killer. The growth from The Conscious Seed Of Light to now is undeniable from the very beginning, and the evolution in storytelling, not to mention technical skill, is downright jaw-dropping. We have been jamming the album around HQ for the last several weeks, but you can get a taste right now using this handy stream:
Rivers Of Nihil are at a pivotal point in their career. They are largely a support band in the world of touring, making very little to open for large bands while hoping their brand builds to the point they can one day headline. This means every show is as much about selling the new album as it is simply trying to make people give a shit. That’s a tough balance to manage, especially when your new album is the second in a planned four-part concept album that takes place in a reality that is nothing like the world we know today. Somehow, the band is pulling it off, and with each round of live dates their recognition in metal seems to further develop. We believe they are the future of heavy music, and we know they’re reaching that point by being entirely themselves.
Recently, Rivers Of Nihil bassist Adam Biggs hopped on the phone with us to discuss Monarchy, touring, and the state of metal today. It was a fascinating conversation that shed light on the band’s work in the studio, as well as their hopes and goals for the future. They know they have big plans, but they’re determined to make them. You can read highlights from our conversation below.
H: Monarchy is a great record. I’d love to talk a bit about the concept behind the album, as well as the outside influences that added to its final sound. You have a story that runs through your catalog, but I’ve read there was also a lot of real life influence on this album. Can you shed a little light on the creation of this record for us?
AB: Great question. You’re actually talking to the right guy about this because I’m the guy who writes 90% of the lyrics. The influence from Brody is based on the actual music itself. Brody has always written the majority of our music and I think you can really hear him dealing with some personal struggles as the album progresses. That’s where his role in this album’s sound comes into play.
As for the story of the record, it’s kind of a complicated plot, but it continues a thread that was started on The Conscious Seed Of Light. That album dealt with a bunch of stories from different people who inhabited this planet throughout history as they ascended into a state where they are one with their planet. They become this voice, the conscious seed of the planet. At the end of the record everything unravels when a solar flare kills the majority of life on the planet. Now, millions of years later, there is a new race of life developing on that planet, and that is the story we are telling with this record.
H: I love big concepts. You are essentially the member of the band responsible for maintaining the narrative found within your albums, as well as our ability to follow it. Can you tell us about the challenges you face in telling a story as big and unique as this through music?
AB: It has admittedly been kind of a bumpy road as far as that is concerned. On our first record, there were a few songs I felt really served the narrative well, but there were also tracks from our first EPs thrown in that kind of diluted the story. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted from a concept album, but with this one we got a lot closer. We were able to start from scratch musically, and before we wrote anything I knew the direction I wanted to take with the story. I knew the title, I knew the story I wanted to tell, and I was able to present to the band up front. Brody is going to write what he’s going to write. I don’t rule with an iron fist or anything, but I do tell everyone where I feel certain things need to go in order to tell the story or set a certain mood. I think things worked our pretty well with this record.
H: Could not agree more. I have to say, my favorite part of the record is the middle. The concept as a whole works, but I think you find your stride somewhere around “Ancestral, I.”
AB: Interesting. I was initially worried that part of the record may be a bit too close to death metal for our fans, but what I’ve heard from people who have the record already is the opposite. They seem to dig the heavy stuff, and once the album starts to pull back a bit they go along with it. That kind of feedback is really sick.
H: Is there anything behind the title Monarchy? I have to say, I expected another title along the lines of The Conscious Seed Of Light.
AB: Originally, the title I had in mind was ‘The Monarchy Of The Sun,” which is pretty much the tag line from the title track. I decided to draw back a little bit though, just because I liked the idea of having something short and percussive. Monarchy. Bam. There it is.
It ties into the concept as well. The people living in this society have a Monarchy, and throughout the album we detail the way they live their lives. Hopefully people pick up on that (laughs).
H: I was actually going to bring up the sun because he appears in your new video. How did you manage to wrangle the most popular star in our galaxy to appear in the footage?
AB: You know, we just sent him an email. We told him we appreciated his work and wanted him to appear, and thankfully he got back to us.
H: Did he hang out at all?
AB: Yea, he hung out on set all day. I gave him a high five and it pretty much torched my hand. He had to leave at one point to heat the other side of the planet, but we understood.
H: Let’s talk about the single a bit. What lead you to choose “Sand Baptism” as the track to promote the new album?
AB: From pretty much the first time I heard that song, even in instrumental form, I was telling everyone it was the one we needed to share with people. Something about it just clicks.
H: When it comes to bringing the new material and story elements into the live show, what can fans expect to see this fall? There is something awesome about catching you live because there is a story being shared, and before now your shows basically shared that story without issue because there was only one album of material to pull from. The new album adds more songs, which I imagine only complicates your ability to tell a clear story in a live setting. Is that something you concern yourself with much right now while on the road?
AB: Most of the sets and tours we are doing right now are support slots. That kind of thing is something I want to work on in the future. Maybe after the story is completed we can do something to commemorate our work before moving on to the next thing, but for now when you catch us live you’ll see a collection of tracks from both records.
H: That makes sense for a band in your position. Right now it’s about getting people to care at al. Once that happens, then you can share your story.
AB: Exactly. Once we’re in a position to make a production out of it we will see what happens. Until then, we just want to put on a great show.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder ofAntique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
A new week has begun, and if you’re anything like the Haulix staff then you’re relying on the latest and greatest music to motivate you enough to get out of bed and explore all the world has to offer. We don’t blame you. We also like to party hard on the weekends. In fact, we love it almost as much as we hate waking up early on Monday for work, but if we have learned one thing over the last nine years it’s that you have to work towards your dreams every single day if you hope to have any chance in achieving them.
This week, we’re relying on Between The Buried And Me to provide the motivation needed to propel us through the ling list of tasks we have each been given for the week ahead. Metal Blade Records has long been a client of our, and BTBAM are one of many fantastic bands on their roster who plan to release new music in the months ahead. You can stream the band’s latest single, “Memory Palace,” above. If you like it, and we know you will, then you need to head over to Metal Blade’s online store and order a copy of the band’s new album, Coma Ecliptic, right away.
