Music

As previously reported, Four Year Strong are releasing their new album, In Some Way, Shape, or Form. (Decaydance/Motown), on November 8. But you can hear the new song "Just Drive" for the first time right here. Vocalist-guitarist Dan O'Connor fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of the track in the comments.

REVOLVER What's this song about?
DAN O'CONNOR "Just Drive" is about being on the brink of disaster, and just saying "fuck it" and living your life like there's no tomorrow. We've all been in situations where it feels like everything is collapsing around you, and this song is about knowingly not giving a shit and realizing you're in control of your own life.

Which part of it did you come up with first?
The chorus was the first part written, more specifically the melody and chord structure. I came up with it in bed after waking up in the morning. The lyrics came later that day. Lyrically the inspiration came from times in life when everything feels like it's spiraling out of control, but then I realize no matter what happens as long as I live life without dwelling on anything, or hold myself back, then I'll have no regrets. I wrote the song with the visual of the world ending and getting in a car and driving to out run it, never looking back and still remembering to have fun even though the demise of the planet it right behind you. I thought it was a fun way to get my point across.

Was this an easy song to record?
Recording this song wasn't easier or harder than any other song. It came with its own issues, just like every other song. But was a ton of fun to do. It's one of the first mid-tempo songs we've written and it's always a fun challenge to change up the way you write. We wanted to make sure that every song on this record had a new element for our band, we really wanted to challenge ourselves and our fans.

What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
Everyone we've played this song for seems to really enjoy it. I hope everyone likes listening to the song and much as we enjoyed writing and recording it. We recently filmed a video for it too and can't wait for everyone to see it!

Atlanta prog-metal masters Mastodon are streaming their new album, The Hunter, a week before it's release next Tuesday, the 27th. Check out the record below and let us know what you think in the comments!

Swedish heavy rockers Corroded will release their new album, Exit to Transfer, on September 27. But you can get a taste of the album right now by listening to their song "Forget About Me" below. Frontman Jens Westin fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

REVOLVER What's this song about?
JENS WESTIN We try to write most of the lyrics so that they will have a lot of layers and just the chance for everyone to have there own interpretation of what the song means just to them. So for me to describe what the song means to me would be to defeat its own purpose, lyrics-wise. My advice is listen to the song and make your own opinion.

Which part of it did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
The first part was the main riff, and I think that we wanted to have something along the lines of Rammstein. When we wrote the riff we were playing a small summer concert in the northern part of Sweden. We had just found out that our previous record, Eleven Shades of Black, had made it into Top 10 chart of the best-selling hard-rock albums in Sweden, so we were kind of pumped and high on some sort of euphoria. Later that night it became freezing cold and there was no audience around so we came back down on earth pretty hard. After that, the rest of the parts in the song came sort of natural for us.

Was this an easy song to write?
It's always easy to write, and it's always harder to record. When you write a song you have an idea in your head, but to get that idea to your fingers and your voice can sometimes be hard.

What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
It's been good so far. It's a great song to play live, and I think that the audience ?can see that we love play it.

Ever since Editor in Chief Brandon Geist stumbled on video of the Butcher Babies covering Pantera's "Fucking Hostile" live, the staff of Revolver have kept their eyes on this band. And there's plenty to see: Fronted by Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd (former Playboy TV and radio personalities that are rarely seen wearing more than strategically placed electrical tape and a gallon or so of stage blood) and featuring guitarist Henry Flury (Amen), bassist Jason Klein (Azdachao), and drummer Chris Warner (Scars of Tomorrow), the Butcher Babies could be described as the new faces—and boobs—of shock rock. The band will be playing the upcoming 48 Hours Festival, and today they're unleashing their first single, "Blonde Girls All Look the Same." Crank the song, read the interview with the band about it, and let us know what you think below.

REVOLVER Carla and Heidi, how did you guys meet? Was it love or hate at first sight?
CARLA HARVEY We met in a punk cover band in 2008, and of course it was love at first sight!  I don't think either of us had ever met a girl like us before: We both have really strong, outspoken personalities so we occasionally butted heads, but we were pretty much instant best friends.

How did the Butcher Babies form?
HEIDI SHEPHERD We were tired of playing covers, so we quit the band that we were in, but we didn't want to quit each other [laughs]. We both love metal so we decided to make our sound heavier. We started writing together, had to go through some member changes, but finally found musicians that shared the same dream and vision as us.

How would you describe your music?
HARVEY Heavy fucking metal co-fronted by two girls that don't give a shit, and backed by three guys with writing techniques so different that they complement each other. Between our combined influences of thrash, punk, experimental, death, and nu-metal, we've managed to create our own sound that, in a nutshell, is pure sex, blood, and rock and roll.

You guys refer to yourselves as "slut metal." What the hell is slut metal?
SHEPHERD We can't go balls out—so we go tits out! When girls are perceived as sexual or outspoken, they get labeled sluts, but we embrace those qualities and bring them to our music as well. Butcher Babies is true slut metal: We're doing what we want, how we want.

What is your goal with the band?
HARVEY To bring slut metal to the masses—duh! In all seriousness, we feel like we are just touching on what we are capable of, and we want to continue to grow, get our music out there, and get on the road! There are so many repressed people out there that need to see a show like ours. Hopefully they will take home with them the message that they are able to do everything they want to do regardless of who they are told they are supposed to be.

What's the best reaction you've gotten to your band so far?
SHEPHERD We have managed to get a ton of female fans so far and that really touches us, because in general women ostracize each other and can be pretty shitty to each other. We're all about bringing each other up, not tearing each other down…and getting the message out that it's OK to be who you want to be. It's nice when a guy tells you you're hot and your band rocks…but when a 15-year-old girl from middle America tweets that you are her hero that is fucking cool. We also have gotten great reactions from our parents! It's not expected for them to be supportive of a band like this, but they have all been very proud.
HENRY FLURY The best reaction I've ever gotten is "Wow, after I started watching you guys, I barely remembered there were half-naked girls onstage!" Either he loved the band or he was gay.

What's the worst?
HARVEY Believe it or not, the worst reaction came from people who were actually in our band at one point and quit because they said we'd never be anything more than a dumb gimmick band. But we turn negatives in to positive. Comments like that are fuel for our fire!!
SHEPHERD I'd say the worst reaction we've gotten was from a silly German show we appeared on recently. Das Supertalent flew us over to Germany, and then criticized our performance! They were so shocked that we jumped onstage in nipple tape, spit beer, and shook our bon bons! Again—fuel for our fire!

Tell us about the song "Blonde Girls All Look the Same."
JASON KLEIN "Blonde Girls All Look the Same" is the first song that we wrote together as a band, so it is special to all of us.  It brings five different genres together and all of our influences went in to it.
SHEPHERD We always start our set with it because it's really aggressive and it sets the mood for the rest of our show. It is about that common statement of "Boyfriend is a goddamn motherfuckin' cheater!" Lyrically, this song was furiously put together in 30minutes.
HARVEY We generally don't speak about relationships in our songs, but the feelings of hurt and anger associated with being lied to are so strong and universal that people really connect with this one. Love hard—hate harder!

Carla, you have a degree in Mortuary Science.  What made you want to pursue that? And what's the craziest thing you've seen or been part of in the experience of getting your degree?
HARVEY I've been fascinated with death since I was a kid. When I heard I could actually make a career out of the thoughts that preoccupied me, I was sold! I had no idea when I enrolled in Mortuary college how graphic embalming really is. I'm not ashamed to admit that I almost fainted at my first autopsy—I'm also qualified to be an autopsy tech—when they showed us how to open up the skull with an oscillating saw. Opening up the chest and abdominal cavities didn't bother me in the least, but there is something truly creepy about peeling someone's scalp forward and hearing the whirr of that saw.  After awhile you start to become numb to what you see and the bodies become more like science projects: How can I make this drowning victim/burn victim/baby/person torn to shreds in an accident look normal again for their funeral? A little word of advice: Wear your seatbelts and don't smoke in bed, people!

Who are your biggest musical heroes and why?
HARVEY Slash and Hendrix have always been musical heroes for me simply because as a biracial kid growing up in the Detroit area, I got a lot of shit for loving hard rock and metal, and seeing musicians that were also African American playing the music I loved made me strong enough to say, "Fuck you, I'm going to like what I want."
SHEPHERD My heroes are Slipknot, Wendy O. Williams, Gwen Stefani, and Joan Jett. Most of them being females that defy the male dominance in music!
CHRIS WARNER If I had to choose a couple, they would be Marilyn Manson and Orgy. Not only is the music great but the entertainment value is there as well. When you are paying $50 or however much for a show, not only are you there for the music but for the entertainment factor! Look, anyone can throw on a CD, but at a Butcher Babies show, not only will you hear heavy music, you will witness self- and accidental mutilation, tape, tits, and blood everywhere. You will be entertained, like my favorite musical heroes did for me.

What is the sexiest hard rock or metal song and why?
SHEPHERD At the moment I've been R.A.F.T. ing—"Rolling Around Fun Time—to the Skrillex remix of Korn's "Get Up." Rawwwwwrrr!
HARVEY This is such a hard question since music is sex for me! [Laughs] I'd have to say "Love You to Death" by Type O Negative or "Magdalena" by A Perfect Circle. The lyrics and groove of those songs—so perfect for slinking around a stripper pole!
FLURY "If I Close My Eyes Forever" by Lita Ford and Ozzy. Lita in torn jeans with a black Ovation acoustic still gets me hot!
KLEIN The sexiest metal song to me is "Addicted to Vaginal Skin," Cannibal Corpse!

Metallica are releasing a collaborative record, titled Lulu, with underground rock legend Lou Reed on November 1. You can hear a sample of the song "The View" below. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

Prog-metallers Giant Squid are set to release their new album, Cenotes (Translation Loss), on October 25. You can get an early taste of what's in store, however, by taking a listen to one of the songs, "Figura Serpentinata (Pycnopodia Sapien)." Let us know what you think of it in the comments. You can preorder the album by clicking here.

Photo by Daryl Darko

Prog-influenced extreme metallers Betraying the Martyrs are releasing their debut album Breathe in Life on September 20. You can get an early preview right now. though, by listening to the track "Man Made Disaster." Frontman Aaron Matts also gave us the background on the new song.

REVOLVER What's this song about?
AARON MATTS Lyrically this song is written from the perspective of the earth and life itself, as though it is a person telling a story. Although it is the most negative song on the album, it has an underlying positive message: that is in order to save the earth we live on and the life we live, we must first save ourselves and see that we are only destroying what keeps us all alive.

Which part of it did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
Looking at the song as a whole, the instrumental was written without the song theme in mind, but the song has a certain ambiance, and a change of emotions that made it right for this story. I wanted to write a song on this subject since starting the album, but wanted to stray away from the usual hate life attitude that we are bombarded with today in modern metal, the inspiration literally comes from life itself.

Was this an easy song to record?
The whole album was a challenge for us all, but this song was definitely one of the most enjoyable to see come together. It was written very quickly and we didn't do a full preproduction for this song so it's always hard to know how a song will sound when finished. We had a lot of fun on this song, so for that reason it came together quite naturally.

What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
So far the feedback has been overwhelming, people have been very receptive and open minded about our music and we couldn't be happier. We understand that we have a different approach with our music and some people may not have heard the mix of genres that we are doing. In this scene we all have a music taste more diverse than most so we urge people to keep open and check out all we have to offer. Thank you very much!

New York hardcore act This Is Hell are coming out with a new album, Black Mass (Rise), on October 11. You can get a preview right now, though, by taking a listen to new track "Salt the Earth." We also got the lowdown on the song from guitarist Rick Jimenez. Let us know what you think in the comments.

REVOLVER What's this song about?
RICK JIMENEZ Grudges...settling grudges. People talk and talk; such is life, but sometimes people just can't let things go. It's even worse when a grudge stems from jealousy and lies. After some bullshit keeps getting brought up by people I've long since forgotten, my initial reactions is to become more extreme. I decided the greatest revenge, at this moment in time, was writing a song about destroying the enemy; first mentally and then physically.

As I Lay Dying are releasing a new album, Decas, to coincide with the band's 10th anniversary. The record, due out on November 8, features three new songs, covers, and remixes of classic As I Lay Dying tracks by various artists. Bands covered on the record include Slayer and Judas Priest, while remixes come from Innerpartysystem and Benjamin Weinman (the Dillinger Escape Plan), among others. Full track listing is below.

The metalcore quintet has also released a lyric video for one of the album's original tracks, "Paralyzed," which you can check out below. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Track listing for Decas:

1. "Paralyzed"
2. "From Shapeless to Breakable"
3. "Moving Forward"
4. "War Ensemble" (Slayer cover)
5. "Hellion" (Judas Priest cover)
6. "Electric Eye" (Judas Priest cover)
7. "Coffee Mug" (Descendents cover)
8. "Beneath the Encasing of Ashes" (Re-recorded medley)
9. "The Blinding of False Light" (Innerpartysystem remix)
10. "Wrath Upon Ourselves" (Benjamin Weinman remix)
11. "Confined" (Kelly "Carnage" Cairns remix)
12. "Elegy" (Big Chocolate remix)

Australian hard rockers Dangerous! are releasing their debut, Teenage Rampage (Epitpah), next Tuesday. They recorded it in L.A. with Grammy-nominated producer Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Pantera) and mixed it with Marc McClusky (Weezer). You can hear it first, in its entirety, and watch their video for "Not One of You" right here. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.