Artist
The following article is from Revolver's June/July 2016 issue. It is on newsstands now and available for purchase in our webstore.
by Chris Krovatin
Most death metal bands playing songs about violence, anguish, and the darkness within want nothing to do with the nu-metal scene of the late '90s. But California deathcore progenitors Suicide Silence refuse to be typical, and when the chance came to work on its upcoming new album with producer Ross Robinson—whose client list includes Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and Vanilla Ice—they jumped on it.
"It was a joint effort," says frontman Hernan "Eddie" Hermida. "He was pursuing us while we were pursuing him. We're really fired up to work with him, and he's really fired up to work with a band as hungry as us. That we're massive fans of his just greased the wheels."
Even though it's only a few days into Suicide Silence recording its follow-up to its crushing 2014 release, 'You Can't Stop Me,' Hermida is giddy to lay down the band's new material, even if the writing process has been at times grueling.
"I've been in this hot, stinky garage for five months now," says the vocalist, "and I fucking hate driving the 65 miles I do to rehearse here seven days a week. But I'd do it 50 times over. I feel like I'm that 16-year-old in his first band, sleeping on his friend's couch."
Though his history with All Shall Perish and his exhilarating performance on 'You Can't Stop Me' make him a genre veteran, Hermida is still learning the ropes with Suicide Silence. "Every single day, there's a small smidgen of a reminder that I'm the new guy in the band. As much as this band is mine now—and it's become that, I'd say—there's still so much to learn, and to gain."
To be fair Hermida's "new guy" situation isn't a common one. Suicide Silence's former vocalist Mitch Lucker died in a motor- cycle accident on Halloween night, 2012. According to Hermida, his presence still lingers on. "Mitch is still pretty much around in this room," he says of the band's practice space. "We have two portrait pictures of the band before I was in it, and they look down on us. So as much as it is our spot, it's the house that the band built before."
That introspection seems to be the guiding light behind Suicide Silence's existence after Lucker. That kind of tragedy turns some bands into addicts and monsters, but Hermida says he's quit all his vices, and tells bands that things that might seem "emo" or "hippified" have made this most recent writing process the band's best to date.
"I'll let you in on a little secret," says Hermida. Every day, when we start writing, we sit down for two to three minutes in complete silence, where everyone does not think about a single thing other than what we're doing, and man, it has done wonders. So if you and your band want stuff to work, you just walk into that room and be a service to your bandmates."
Flint, M.I.-based metalcore act It Lies Within recently released its new album, 'Paramount'–which features guest vocalist appearances from The Word Alive's Telle Smith, Fit for a King's Ryan Kirby and The Browning's Jonny Mcbee– via Luxor Records.
Last year while on tour with Conquer Divide, the band filmed a three-part documentary which they will be sharing with Revolver! Check out part 3 below and let us know what you think in the comments!
To get 'Paramount,' visit iTunes or their merch store. For more on It Lies Within, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
When heavy metal supergroup Hellyeah were looking for a song to cover for their new album, 'Unden!able,' guitarist Christian Brady suggested Phil Collins' 1982 hit "I Don't Care Anymore." It suddenly struck drummer Vinnie Paul that he and his brother, the late Dimebag Darrell, recorded that song with their post-Pantera band, Damageplan, more than a decade ago. However, their version never saw the light of day.
Intrigued by the thought of a lost Dimebag guitar solo (on the very song they wanted to cover in 2016), Hellyeah hit the studio—and employed some studio magic.
"When Kevin [Churko, producer] got the tracks isolated, he synched them up, and when we listened them it totally gave me goosebumps," Paul told RollingStone.com. "We've always felt like he's been a part of this band since day one. We felt like his energy and his spirit was always with us. And for people to be able to hear him again in 2016 puts a big smile on my face."
"It was like Dime was in an iso-booth tracking in the next room while I was singing my parts," adds vocalist Chad Gray. "Tracking that song was one of the most magical moments I've felt in my entire career. … After we recorded the first four vocal lines, Kevin called me on the intercom and said, 'I'm just gonna tell you right now. You're gonna be singing this song for the rest of your life. It's going to be amazing."
You can check out the results below.
Vimic, the new band featuring former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, have premiered the video for "My Fate." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!
The track will appear on the band's upcoming debut album, 'Open Your Omen.'
Recorded at Sound Farm Studios in Jamaica, Iowa, 'Open Your Omen' was produced, mixed and mastered by Kato Khandwala whose production and engineering credits include My Chemical Romance, Blondie, Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, The Pretty Reckless, and more.
![mizery_4_bw_web-[photo-by-Nic-Samayoa].jpg, Nic Samayoa](https://www.revolvermag.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_954_x_537/public/old-assets//mizery_4_bw_web-%5Bphoto-by-Nic-Samayoa%5D.jpg?itok=dEHajAjS×tamp=1501739918)
6/10-11/2016 Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA @ Sound And Fury
6/12/2016 Programme – Fullerton, CA *
6/13/2016 51 West – Tempe, AZ *
6/15/2016 Barracuda – Austin, TX *
6/16/2016 RBC – Dallas, TX *
6/17/2016 Walter's – Houston, TX *
6/19/2016 Transitions – Tampa, FL *
6/20/2016 The Granary – Miami, FL *
6/21/2016 The Birdhouse – Jacksonville, FL *
6/22/2016 529 – Atlanta, GA *
6/23/2016 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA *
6/24/2016 Longbranch Saloon – Knoxville, TN w/ Will To Die
6/25/2016 house show – St. Louis, MO w/ Will To Die
6/26/2016 Flux Capacitor – Colorado Springs, CO
7/03/2016 The Industry - Chula Vista, CA w/ Blistered, Eternal Sleep
8/20/2016 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA **
8/21/2016 Drunk Horse Pub - Fayetteville, NC **
8/22/2016 Rockin' Hard Saloon - Myrtle Beach, SC **
8/23/2016 The Local 662 - St. Petersburg, FL **
8/24/2016 Cloud Springs Deli - Ringgold, GA **
8/25/2016 The High Note - Birmingham, AL **
8/26/2016 Walter's - Houston, TX **
8/27/2016 TBA - Dallas, TX **
8/28/2016 Jackpot Music Hall - Lawrence, KS **
8/30/2016 Beat Kitchen - Chicago, IL **
8/31/2016 The Sanctuary - Detroit, MI **
9/01/2016 4th Street Bar - Mansfield, OH **
9/02/2016 Cattivo - Pittsburgh, PA **
* w/ Response, Lock, Gag, Unified Right, Society Abuse, Skourge
** w/ Merauder, Malfunction
The following is an excerpt from the Pierce the Veil feature in the June/July issue of Revolver. Here, the San Diego-based post-hardcore group's frontman Vic Fuentes and bassist Jaime Preciado talk about why its latest, 'Misadventures,' was four years in the making.
To read the rest, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or get your copy here. Story by Richard Bienstock.
"The idea was to get the record done in two or three months," Preciado says. "And the whole band was there working all day and all night. We actually lived in the studio." He pauses to emphasize his point. "And I'm just saying that—we literally had beds in the studio and slept there. We went at it 12 to 15 hours a day, every day, for about two-and- a-half months, and we had all the music done. Then the band flew back home and Vic stayed behind to finish up."
Fuentes picks up the story: "Basically at that point the album was sitting there on a silver platter for me. And I was writing lyrics in the studio, and even finished a few songs... But it just didn't feel right." Worried they were starting to spin their wheels, the band decided to make a move. "I'm the kind of guy who will keep going and going," Fuentes continues. "And I was in the studio a couple extra months, working with Dan. But eventually the guys had to be like, 'Yo, just get out of there. Let's do some touring.' And that's what had to happen. I needed to get out on the road. I needed to see my friends, see my band, see the fans." And so with the album still not completed, Pierce the Veil headed out on tour with Sleeping with Sirens, and followed that up with a summer run on the 2015 Warped Tour. Here, another misadventure hit when, roughly a week before the start of Warped, guitarist Tony Perry was involved in a mountain biking accident and sustained several broken ribs, a torn shoulder, a collapsed lung, and a broken sternum. "He had to have a couple surgeries and sit out the tour, but luckily he was OK," Preciado says. "But it was definitely a scare for us all."
Following the Warped Tour, Fuentes continued on the road—only this time, alone. "I started traveling again," he says. By the time he completed all the lyrics to the new songs, he had journeyed through- out California—a cabin in the mountains of Big Bear, a rental house in his native San Diego, a "rustic" place in Santa Barbara, and yet another rental in Marina Del Mar. "I'm basically an Airbnb expert at this point!" he laughs. "I stayed in a lot of them while I was bouncing around trying to finish up the lyrics. I liked the stimulation from being in different locations, different houses, different cities. It helped a lot because writing every day in the same room wasn't working for me."
"Vic was trying to find these words that he knew were there somewhere," says Preciado. "Because for us, everything we write and everything we do, it's gotta mean something. We're not the kind of band that writes stuff to sound cool. We have to feel it and it has to make sense."
For the rest of the story, pick up the June/July issue.
6/16/2016 The Sandbox – El Paso, TX
6/17/2016 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
6/18/2016 Rudyards – Houston, TX
6/19/2016 Siberia – New Orleans, LA
6/20/2016 New World Brewery – Tampa, FL
6/21/2016 Burro Bar – Jacksonville, FL
6/22/2016 The Jinx – Savannah, GA
6/23/2016 Reggies – Wilmington, NC
6/24/2016 Maryland Doom Fest – Frederick, MD
6/25/2016 Ace of Cups – Columbus, OH
6/26/2016 5th Quarter – Indianapolis, IN
6/27/2016 Skeletunes – Ft. Wayne, IN
6/28/2016 Vaudeville – Des Moines, IA
6/29/2016 O'Leaver's – Omaha, NE
6/30/2016 Flux Capacitor – Colorado Springs, CO
7/01/2016 Metro Bar – Salt Lake City, UT
7/02/2016 Chateau le Punk – Las Vegas, NV
7/17/2016 Slidebar – Fullerton, CA #
7/19/2016 Mission Tobacco – Riverside, CA #
7/20/2016 Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA #
7/21/2016 Hi Water Mark – Portland, OR #
7/22/2016 Funhouse – Seattle, WA #
7/23/2016 The Palace Lounge – Missoula, MT #
7/24/2016 Railyard – Billings, MT #
7/26/2016 Reggies – Chicago, IL *
7/27/2016 High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI *
7/28/2016 Franks Power Plant – Milwaukee, WI *
7/29/2016 Shakespeare Pub – Kalamazoo, MI *
7/30/2016 Corktown Tavern – Detroit, MI *
7/31/2016 Howlers – Pittsburgh, PA *^
8/01/2016 Now That's Class – Cleveland, OH ^
8/02/2016 Rockin Buffalo Saloon – Buffalo, NY ^
8/03/2016 Geno's – Portland, ME ^ w/ Hessian
8/04/2016 Ralph's – Worcester, MA ^ w/ Pilgrim
8/05/2016 Acheron – Brooklyn, NY ^ w/ Pilgrim
8/06/2016 The Fire – Philadelphia, PA ^ w/ Pilgrim
8/07/2016 TBA – Washington, DC
8/08/2016 Riffhouse Pub – Chesapeake, VA
8/09/2016 Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN
8/10/2016 The End – Nashville, TN
8/11/2016 Vino's – Little Rock, AR
8/12/2016 The Grotto – Ft. Worth, TX
8/13/2016 The Lost Well – Austin, TX
8/14/2016 The Elbow Room – Wichita, KS
8/16/2016 The Underground – Santa Fe, NM
8/17/2016 The Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
8/18/2016 Flycatcher – Tucson, AZ
8/19/2016 The Merrow – San Diego, CA
8/20/2016 The Complex – Los Angeles, CA
# w/ Disenchanter
* w/ Brimstone Coven
^ w/ Blizaro
Hard rock act Sons of Texas are currently touring across America with Texas Hippie Coalition. Here, for Revolver, the rockers will be providing updates that will give you a behind-the-scenes insight to life on the road. Check out Part 3 below and let us know what you think in the comments!
It's been a rad four weeks on the "Dark Side Of Black Tour" with Texas Hippie Coalition and we're reaching the home stretch of dates. We're happy to have hit several cities we've never been to these last couple weeks like Manchester, N.H. and Rochester, N.Y.! Pittsburgh, P.A.; Flint, M.I.; Fort Wayne, I.N.; and St. Louis, M.O. we're memorable stops for us on this tour. It's always fun to make new fans and see cities we've never seen before. We got to see the downtown Pittsburgh area, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and squirrels the size of freaking Jack Russell Terriers in New Hampshire. Dude, what the fuck, they're massive! I swear, these things are just out there on street corners lifting weights and shit. It's wild!
One of the things we like to do at our shows is hang out at the merch table and meet fans. Before the show and after the show, at least a couple of us are at the merch table to meet fans. Even those just walking by the table, I always make it a point to smile and nod to make them feel welcome. Giving our fans the time of day is extremely important to us. After all, they did exactly that for us by giving our music a listen and catching our opening sets. We'll shake hands, sign anything, take pictures, or just hang out with anyone who comes by. We've met some really amazing people all over the country. A lot of them have become extremely loyal fans of ours. Some are even nice enough to bring us care packages with things that might be of use to us on the road. We've gotten hand sanitizer, ibuprofen, vitamins, snacks, books, and other goods. It really helps lift our spirits and keep us motivated to keep grinding along even after weeks of being away from our families.
Like I had mentioned in our first tour diary entry, there's a lot to learn in a young band's early years of their career. And one of those things we've learned, witnessed and experienced is the impact that fans can have on us as not only musicians but as people. We have felt so driven and so influenced to keep pouring our hearts and souls into our music and performances. We give our fans everything we've got every night. Speaking of which, we're excited to get home and continue writing new music for our next record. This tour's conceived so many amazing ideas and I'm as eager as ever to see what we can make of them! We've got more tour dates lined up in July with Otherwise that we're also excited about. But for now we're going to enjoy the NBA and NHL finals, as well as plenty of time with our families. We'll see y'all back out on the road soon!
For more on Sons of Texas, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
Sons of Texas Tour Dates with Otherwise:
July 6 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep
July 8 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
July 9 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre
July 10 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
July 12 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly's
July 13 – Tulsa, OK – The Shrine*
July 14 – Springfield, MO – Outland Ballroom*
July 15 – Dubuque, IL – The Venue*
July 18 – Merriam, KS – Aftershock^
July 19 – Fayetteville, AR – George's Majestic Lounge*
July 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
July 23 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock
July 24 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress*
*headline shows
^festivals
Hellyeah is on the We're All in This Together Tour 2016 (see dates below). They will be joined by Escape the Fate, New Years Day and From Ashes to New on the 18-date trek across the U.S. For the tour, the bands are giving Revolver a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road, live clips and band member interviews. Check out part 3 below which focuses on From Ashes to New.
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based group released its latest, 'Day One,' earlier this year.
For more on From Ashes to New, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
We're All In This Together Tour 2016
HELLYEAH Solo/Festival DATES *
New Years Day will not appear **
New Years Day & From Ashes To New will not appear ***
April 30th – Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome To Rockville *
May 2nd – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
May 3rd – Clifton Park , NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
May 4th – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
May 6th – Concord, NC @ Carolina Rebellion *
May 7th – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
May 9th – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
May 10th – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
May 11th – Traverse City, MI @ Ground Zero Nightclub
May 13th – Council Bluffs, IA @ KIWR Rock Fest *
May 14th – Kansas City, MO @ KQRC Rockfest *
May 15th – Somerset, WI @ Northern Invasion *
May 17th – Flint , MI @ The Machine Shop
May 20th – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere's
May 21st – Columbus, OH @ Rock on The Range *
May 22nd –Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse at the International
May 24th – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
May 25th – Arlington Heights, IL @ H.O.M.E.
May 27th – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
May 28th – Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma *
May 29th – San Antonio, TX @ River City Rockfest *
May 31st – Denver, CO @ The Summit Music Hall **
June 1st – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex- Rockwell ***
June 3rd – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues – San Diego ***
June 4th – Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium ***
June 5th Las Vegas, NV @ The Foundry at SLS ***
Meek Is Murder will release its new album, 'Was,' which was produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou and mastered by Alan Douches (Dillinger Escape Plan, Tombs) on July 15. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere its new song, "A Prison, A Life Raft." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!