Ahead of their fifth studio album, Kingdemonium, Hammer King frontman Titan Fox reveals the secrets to heavy metal success in 2022.
Have you heard about Hammer King? They’re not the biggest band in the world, but they’re on their way. For the better part of a decade, Hammer King has been working toward global domination with an incendiary take on heavy metal that emphasizes storytelling and precision musicianship over commercial viability. Their latest record, Kingdemonium, continues this trend with an unforgettable collection of tracks that challenges the listener while still delivering on the unique promise of the band.
People have a skewed perspective of the music landscape. There may be more musicians competing for attention and sales, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there is more great music to consume. If anything, listeners have to dig deeper to find relevant music, and that requires time many aren’t willing or able to make.
Thankfully, marketing and publicity can still do wonders for the right talent. There are no guarantees in this life, but an artist or group can find a promotional partner that helps them achieve the impossible—get noticed. Hammer King has done that by partnering with Napalm Records and Freeman Promotions. By surrounding themselves with people who understand their vision, the group can focus more on their craft, knowing the other work is being handled with their best interest at heart.
In this Music Biz update, host James Shotwell chats with frontman Titan Fox V about the new record, evolving as a musician, and thinking globally about music with deep personal meaning. It’s an engaging and inspiring chat that lasts just under ten minutes. Enjoy!
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From Born of Osiris to Postcards From New Zealand, there are several can’t miss new music releases this week.
The world is changing. After a year of forced isolation, artists and fans are finally starting to reconnect. Dozens of great albums are hitting shelves every week, and we know that nobody has time for everything. We want to help you find the can’t miss albums and keep you up-to-date on the records everyone will be talking about next week. We realize that documenting every new release would be virtually impossible, but here you will find several new albums from Haulix clients that we feel deserve your time and support. This is the new music you need to hear:
Born Of Osiris – Angel Or Alien (Sumerian Records)
There is a moment near the end of “Poster Child,” the opening track on Born of Osiris’ latest album, where the track is stripped down to reveal its jazz-friendly foundation. In those few fleeting seconds, Angel Or Alien shows its true colors. For as heavy and digitally engineered as the production may be, BOO continues following the footsteps of music legends from previous generations. Their sound may be more chaotic than their influences, but the technical skill of the group is never up for debate. There is a craftsman-level quality to every aspect of this record. Finding that kind of precision in metal today is increasingly rare, but BOO makes it look easy.
Postcards From New Zealand – We Watched Them Devour, Vol . 3: City Islands (Self-release)
It’s hard to explain Postcards From New Zealand to the uninitiated. In the simplest terms, the group crafts atmospheric rock records that distort your sense of time and reality to illustrate epic tales of people grappling with an impossible reality. The band comments: “City Islands is the third chapter of a saga that we started in 2017 with We Watched Them Devour. The music follows a group of survivors who experienced that “something” came down from heaven and wiped out all life and all of society.”
If you’re looking for a sonic journey unlike any other, look no further than this record.
There are very few successful parody metal bands in the world. We can debate the reasons for this all day long, but suffice to say, writing genuinely good heavy metal that is also humorous can be difficult. Nanowar of Steel more than rise to the challenge with Italian Folk Metal. The ambitious thirteen-track collection blends the band’s signature powerhouse sound with elements of Italian folk music to create an engrossing journey through some of the country’s incredible folk tales. We admittedly don’t speak Italian, but we know good music and storytelling when we hear it. Manowar Of Steel is making history fun again. Don’t miss out.
New Music Friday recommendations feature a collection of new releases from Haulix clients chosen by the company staff. Join Haulix today and gain immediate access to the industry’s leading digital promotional distribution platform: http://haulix.com/signup.
Three of the brightest minds in music publicity come together for a one-hour discussion that offers something for everyone pursuing a career in entertainment.
We never knew Haulix LIVE! would become an event series. The plan at launch was to host one or two events that shared insight into how the current pandemic was changing the music business. As soon as the first panel ended, however, we knew we would never look back. The conversations and sense of community were too great to give up.
On July 16, representatives from Season of Mist, Napalm Records, and Asher Media Relations came together for a one-hour discussion of all things music PR. There were laughs, educational tidbits, and lots of outspoken affection for Deftones. It was the kind of event that not only soothed our worried souls, but it also reminded us why we all started our careers in the first place. We’re here for the music, and as much as COVID-19 may change our ways of operating, it cannot take away the art we love.
But we know not everyone caught the broadcast as it happened. We know you have lives that keep you busy, and we respect that. We always record our events for this reason, and we are now able to share the full panel, free of charge, to anyone that wishes to catch up. Check it out:
About the panelists:
Katy Irizarry is an NYC native who currently lives in Philadelphia. She started her music career in 2007 as an intern and eventual writer for Metal Edge magazine. Since then, she has worked for Sirius XM, Eddie Trunk, Skateboard Marketing, Freeman Promotions, Revolver Magazine, Loudwire, Minus HEAD Records, and many others in which she has done production, journalism, marketing, social media, and publicity. Currently, she is employed full time with Season of Mist as North American publicist where she works with a variety of bands from extreme metal to folk music, such as Abbath, Heilung, Archspire, Rotting Christ, Gorguts, Solstafir, and more. Ever the over-achiever, she also still contributes to Loudwire, produces Eddie Trunk’s podcast, and co-hosts the “Last Words” podcast via The Pit. She is also a proud cat mom who loves traveling, pin-up culture, horror movies, and of course, heavy metal!
Jon Asher, known for being a regular fixture on the Montreal music scene, founded ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS in September 2007 to aid bands and labels in celebrating their headbanging tunes to the world. A musician himself, and a McGill University graduate in public relations, Jon had his epiphany – to help out the struggling artists and help them gain the attention they need to support their music. He has worked with a number of independent and established artists such as Annihilator, Gene Hoglan (Testament, Death, SYL, Fear Factory), Quo Vadis, Fuck The Facts, Striker, Psychostick, Necronomicon, Hibria, Titans Eve, Kill Devil Hill ft. Rex Brown (Pantera) + Vinny Appice (DIO, Black Sabbath)), Drum Wars (Vinny Appice vs. Carmine Appice), Nephelium, Ninjaspy, Scythia, All Else Fails, Auroch, Fatality, Sanktuary, Mutank, Planet Eater, Vesperia, Rockshots Records, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Armstrong Metal Fest, Loud As Hell MetalFest, Calgary Metalfest, Metalocalypstick Fest, Obscene Extreme America Fest and many more. He has also guest lectured at McGill University on Music Publicity for the public relations program plus has spoken on panels for Alberta Music (Calgary), Indie Week (Toronto), Noctis Fest (Calgary), Halifax Pop Explosion and mentoring sessions at SXSW (Austin, TX).
Philadelphia born and Maryland raised, Natalie Camillo began her music industry trajectory during her studies at York College of Pennsylvania, majoring in Communications with a focus in Music Industry/Recording Tech and radio. As Program Director and reporting Metal Music Director at her college radio station, WVYC, she attended/networked at several CMJ and Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conferences. By mingling with industry professionals at said events, she secured internships with radio promotions firm Heavy Hitter Inc., Relapse Records and MetalSucks. She also interned in the sales/marketing department at WCYR 98.5 The Peak, an classic rock format FM station based in Hanover, PA, took part in onsite “street” marketing for The Syndicate and published news clips for Metal Insider, all before graduating in 2009. Upon graduation, Natalie took a position as a publicist at renowned boutique PR firm Adrenaline PR, and along with the team led by PR icon Maria Ferrero, represented artists such as Lamb of God, Dethklok, Motorhead, Ronnie James Dio, John 5, Twiztid and more, and massive events such as the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and Alternative Press Music Awards. After departing the company as Campaign Manager/Senior Publicist after 10 amazing, formative years, she accepted her current position as North American Public Relations Manager at esteemed Austria-based international rock and metal record label Napalm Records. Alongside her PR teammates in North America and Germany, Natalie currently represents premier artists such as Dee Snider, DevilDriver, Jinjer, Alestorm, Life of Agony, Candlemass, Mushroomhead, Warbringer and many others. Outside of her work at Napalm, she also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Great South Jersey Chorus, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, singer-managed organization. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, playing video games (PlayStation Nation), listening to a questionable amount of electro-pop and binging costume dramas, can be found spending countless hours scoring deals in thrift/consignment shops, and considers herself a certified RuPaul’s Drag Race superfan. You betta work!
Haulix LIVE! is your chance to learn from and engage with the greatest minds in music publicity today.
With Coronavirus making music conferences and festivals impossible, Haulix LIVE! is here to fill a void in the entertainment business. Twice a month, Haulix brings together the greatest minds in music publicity and promotion to share their knowledge with anyone hoping to hear it. These events are 100% free, and they are open to everyone.
Join us on Thursday, July 16, at 2PM EST for a free PR roundtable with special guests Katy Irizarry (Season of Mist), Jon Asher (Asher Media Relations), and Natalie Camillo (Napalm Records). The event will cover the evolving role of publicity in music promotion, emerging trends in the field,, and advice for people hoping to work in music PR. Viewers will also have an opportunity to ask our guests questions. Click here to register.
About the panelists:
Katy Irizarry is an NYC native who currently lives in Philadelphia. She started her music career in 2007 as an intern and eventual writer for Metal Edge magazine. Since then, she has worked for Sirius XM, Eddie Trunk, Skateboard Marketing, Freeman Promotions, Revolver Magazine, Loudwire, Minus HEAD Records, and many others in which she has done production, journalism, marketing, social media, and publicity. Currently, she is employed full time with Season of Mist as North American publicist where she works with a variety of bands from extreme metal to folk music, such as Abbath, Heilung, Archspire, Rotting Christ, Gorguts, Solstafir, and more. Ever the over-achiever, she also still contributes to Loudwire, produces Eddie Trunk’s podcast, and co-hosts the “Last Words” podcast via The Pit. She is also a proud cat mom who loves traveling, pin-up culture, horror movies, and of course, heavy metal!
Jon Asher, known for being a regular fixture on the Montreal music scene, founded ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS in September 2007 to aid bands and labels in celebrating their headbanging tunes to the world. A musician himself, and a McGill University graduate in public relations, Jon had his epiphany – to help out the struggling artists and help them gain the attention they need to support their music. He has worked with a number of independent and established artists such as Annihilator, Gene Hoglan (Testament, Death, SYL, Fear Factory), Quo Vadis, Fuck The Facts, Striker, Psychostick, Necronomicon, Hibria, Titans Eve, Kill Devil Hill ft. Rex Brown (Pantera) + Vinny Appice (DIO, Black Sabbath)), Drum Wars (Vinny Appice vs. Carmine Appice), Nephelium, Ninjaspy, Scythia, All Else Fails, Auroch, Fatality, Sanktuary, Mutank, Planet Eater, Vesperia, Rockshots Records, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Armstrong Metal Fest, Loud As Hell MetalFest, Calgary Metalfest, Metalocalypstick Fest, Obscene Extreme America Fest and many more. He has also guest lectured at McGill University on Music Publicity for the public relations program plus has spoken on panels for Alberta Music (Calgary), Indie Week (Toronto), Noctis Fest (Calgary), Halifax Pop Explosion and mentoring sessions at SXSW (Austin, TX).
Philadelphia born and Maryland raised, Natalie Camillo began her music industry trajectory during her studies at York College of Pennsylvania, majoring in Communications with a focus in Music Industry/Recording Tech and radio. As Program Director and reporting Metal Music Director at her college radio station, WVYC, she attended/networked at several CMJ and Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conferences. By mingling with industry professionals at said events, she secured internships with radio promotions firm Heavy Hitter Inc., Relapse Records and MetalSucks. She also interned in the sales/marketing department at WCYR 98.5 The Peak, an classic rock format FM station based in Hanover, PA, took part in onsite “street” marketing for The Syndicate and published news clips for Metal Insider, all before graduating in 2009. Upon graduation, Natalie took a position as a publicist at renowned boutique PR firm Adrenaline PR, and along with the team led by PR icon Maria Ferrero, represented artists such as Lamb of God, Dethklok, Motorhead, Ronnie James Dio, John 5, Twiztid and more, and massive events such as the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and Alternative Press Music Awards. After departing the company as Campaign Manager/Senior Publicist after 10 amazing, formative years, she accepted her current position as North American Public Relations Manager at esteemed Austria-based international rock and metal record label Napalm Records. Alongside her PR teammates in North America and Germany, Natalie currently represents premier artists such as Dee Snider, DevilDriver, Jinjer, Alestorm, Life of Agony, Candlemass, Mushroomhead, Warbringer and many others. Outside of her work at Napalm, she also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Great South Jersey Chorus, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, singer-managed organization. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, playing video games (PlayStation Nation), listening to a questionable amount of electro-pop and binging costume dramas, can be found spending countless hours scoring deals in thrift/consignment shops, and considers herself a certified RuPaul’s Drag Race superfan. You betta work!
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
Some things become better with age. Wine, for example, is believed to taste better after it has been allowed to age for months or even years. The same can be said for several kinds of liquor, as well as the bond between two friends. The reasons for this are as varied as the list of things you could say improve with time, but perhaps the most interesting evolution aided by time is that of those who create. It’s one thing to write a song, teach it to your friends, record said song, and then perform that song every night for as long as people are willing to see you play. It’s something else entirely to do all of that and then, just as interest is beginning to wain, retreat to your secret lair and do it all over again, but that is the career musicians agree to when they decide to dedicate their lives to music.
For some creative types, the time between releases is a time to focus on refining what works for their sound without necessarily trying to change the status quo. There is this belief in popular music that most listeners want more of the same. They like who they like because of a certain sound or style and all they ask moving forward is for that artist or group to give them more of what they’ve already bought. What fans fail to realize, as do those artists who try to meet this demand, is that all creative types are people just like you or I at the end of the day. They might like certain things or think certain ways right now that they won’t even be able to relate to in six months times, let alone six years. People, regardless of career or status, must evolve to survive. It’s change and challenge that keeps our mind thinking and our muscles growing, and if we want to become the best versions of ourselves we have to first accept that it’s possible no one will enjoy what comes next. We have to accept that we will change regardless of our best efforts to stay the same, and when we do that we can begin to make the most out of the people we have become.
Otep has been a force for rock and roll creativity for the better of part of two decades now, but you would be hard-pressed to find any two albums in the band’s catalog that sound the same. From record to record, EP to EP, Otep has been a band that prides itself on setting a new standard not only for the members of the group, but the rock world at large as well. You might not know some of the band’s material, but the band’s you idolize do, and they’ve probably committed a large part of that material to memory because Otep is, and for some always have been, just that good.
All of this is why, just days away from the band’s seventh studio album hitting shelves, we felt compelled to bring their name to the Haulix blog. In our decade of existence we have yet to encounter a rock fan who did not know the name Otep, and that is not something that can be said for the vast majority of musicians working today. Somehow, despite changing consumer behaviors and the increasingly overcrowded genre they call home, Otep have been able to establish a presence beyond the world of cookie-cutter rock that demands just as much attention and respect as the bands currently making a living off the success of radio singles. We wish we could explain how this came to be in a way you could imitate in your own career, but to do so would be to express a basic misunderstanding about why Otep is considered so great in the first place. This band, perhaps more than any other group working in rock today, understands and embraces the uniqueness of who they are as people, and that acceptance of self is then conveyed through the art they create in such a way that fans feel inspire to live similarly lives.
When you hear Generation Doom you feel a fire ignite within your soul. You’ve probably felt this same fire before, most likely when you were just beginning to grasp how big the world actually is, and for one of the few times in your adult life you begin to believe anything is possible. When tracks like “God Is A Gun” plays you feel the strength of ten thousand armies coursing through your veins as the double bass bounces off the walls of your brain, and your body believes you can do anything. You feel empowered to express who you are, go after what you want, and altogether be whoever it is you feel you are regardless of what others might think. Even “Royals,” which is admittedly a metal cover of Lorde’s hit single of the same name, feels as if it could only be created by the group of musicians bringing this album to life. It is, just like every other song, a unique moment in time captured to digital tape in such a way as to not lose an ounce of the beauty found in the initial performance. This is raw rock, captured and preserved just as it was performed, and it’s utterly mesmerizing.
We don’t kid to ourselves and believe everyone will see this release the way we do, but it would be pretty great if that we the case. It should be, after all, as Otep have crafted an album with Generation Doom that will be looked upon in years to come as one of modern rock’s great accomplishments. It’s an intoxicating and pulsating musical romp that grabs you by the collar from the opening moments and never lets go. This album wants to make you think almost as much as it wants to inspire you to fight for change, and we believe it accomplishes both those goals in a big way. If you’re feeling as if your connection to music has begun to slip, this record may be the savior you have been seeking. This record is a reminder of the positive influence at can have on the world, and we would give anything to see more records like it appear in the years to come.
Generation Doom hits stores April 15, 2016 via Napalm Records.
James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique 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.
