News
Head to sunsetstrip.eventbrite.com and enter code SSMF13REVOLVE to get 15 percent off tickets to the Sunset Strip Music Festival on August 3!
Boston-based thrashers Razormaze will release their sophomore album, Annihilitia, in North America on July 16. The CD version will be available from Slaney Records and the band, while digital downloads will be available via iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, and CD Baby. In anticipation, the group has teamed up with Revolver with premiere new song "Sink Below." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
SECRETS, who are out on the Vans Warped Tour this summer, will release their new album, Fragile Figures, July 23 via Rise Records. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere a new song, "The Architect (Part Two)," right here right now.
"When I joined the band, I really wanted to try to bring something new to the table," vocalist Aaron Melzer says. "While writing the record, we decided it was time to step out of the box a bit with this song and really try to show off our range. This is the first song we've put out as a band without a normal kind of structure. The song is mostly screaming and it's the only song on both records where Richard doesn't sing the chorus. The song is really personal to me and I'm glad we had the chance to do something a bit different with this one."
Check out the song below and let us know what you think in the comments.
West Virginia's Bobaflex have teamed with Revolver to release their brand new music video for the track "Bad Man." The track is from the band's forthcoming fifth album, Charlatan's Web, to be released later this summer. This is the follow up to 2011's Hell in My Heart.
Marty McCoy from the band simply says of the song "'Bad Man' is pure rock-and-roll attitude. It's time for the cry babies to get out of the way and make room for real men again." Of the video, he adds, "All I can say is, Dude, there's fucking fire in it."
The single "Bad Man" is available for purchase at all digital retailers now.
Mark Hunter is the vocalist and founding member of Cleveland metal act Chimaira. For more than a decade, Chimaira has been imposing its gravity on the metal community by continually touring the globe and selling more than a million albums worldwide. Their brand of heavy music has evolved and transcended both itself and the trends while maintaining its persistent, bludgeoning force. The band will release Crown of Phantoms on July 30th. Watch the video for the new song "No Mercy" at the bottom of this post.
breathe |brēð|
"No breathe, no life."
—Mr. Miyagi
Summer, 2006. We had just finished headlining the "Sounds of the Underground" European tour when I took the first step towards what would become a major life transformation. The catalyst was an interest in weight training. That year, I was terribly out of shape, often sick with colds and bronchitis. I needed to improve my health. I hated feeling like crap on tour, and I didn't want to burn out. Something had to change.
A big influence on me was our drummer at the time, Andols Herrick. He was all about fitness and used science, data, and logic to back up his advice. He was ahead of the curve in many aspects, and to this day I follow a good amount of what he recommended. He taught me the basics of weight training and nutrition, as well as recommended websites and experts to follow. After I hit the gym hard for a few months, his advice started to work, and I started to take an interest in the science of it all.
Weight training led me to nutrition. At first I used food as "fuel" to put on size, but years later I discovered that understanding the foods we eat could help with disease, stress management, and overall self-improvement. Not only for me, but those close to me. This process has not been easy by any means. We live in an era of disinformation, trendy diets, and Netflix documentaries confusing people with propaganda. What do we really know about food?
I am far from an example of perfect health, and I'm the furthest thing from an expert on wellness, fitness, or nutrition, but for being a band guy, who are stereotypically known as out of shape alcoholics, I can honestly say that I'm pretty darn healthy. I rarely get colds anymore, I have no sign of disease, and my blood work is phenomenal. How much of this can be attributed to diet and exercise? A good chunk, but there is much more to the equation. One rather interesting aspect that tends to be overlooked is the basic function of life: breathing.
It's amazing how much breathing plays a role in overall self-improvement, and it can be utilized in several different ways. With singing, I had to learn to breathe properly. During my FarmClub performance in the year 2000, you see a guy that's out of breath at the end of the song. While I certainly put my all into it, and was definitely out of shape, I didn't know how to breathe correctly. With weight lifting, I had to learn how to breathe in a completely different manner so I could build up stamina as well as increase my gains. Stress management, controlling my brain, enhancing creativity, all different outlets that I used breathing to improve. Right now, to remain focused and calm while writing this, I am concentrating on my breath.
I started to practice meditation in 2011. I became heavily involved with self-exploration and learning to operate my brain. Shutting off for 10-30 minutes a day, sitting outside with my eyes closed, breathing. Concentrating on every breath. If you've ever tried Yoga or watched a Yoga video, I breathe in a similar fashion. Slowly breathing in for 8-10 seconds, holding for 8-10 seconds, then exhaling for 8-10 seconds. No, I don't wear Yoga pants. I was blown away by how much breathing helped me improve my skills, confidence, and health.
Now before you get the image of me sitting lotus-style with incense burning and Buddhist tapestries all over the wall, I assure you that you don't need any of that to meditate. Although I have participated in the above-mentioned way, it was mainly for a laugh, and did nothing to enhance the experience. No magic minerals or crystals are necessary. You can meditate anywhere, anytime. It's all about shutting down your brain and breathing. Stop thinking about whatever it is you are thinking about, and shift all focus to your breath. Think about nothing. Try it next time you feel on edge.
At first it's a bit difficult because it seems as though every single thought you could have wants to rush in and flood your mind all at once. The trick is not to follow any of those thoughts and keep the focus on your breath. I find ambient music or the sounds of nature are the best to help with this. There are a few clips on YouTube that offer music to guide you. I like the spacey, ethereal stuff or sitar music from India. I'd love to make a relaxation album like this, and just might. It would be quite the opposite of what you're used to from Chimaira.
Stress management has been an area of interest of mine for many years. I used to be extremely uptight, worrisome, and ornery. I never knew how to calm down. I had panic attacks in my teens, and a few more in my 20s and early 30s. Stress is a silent killer. I started to see how methods of Zen mixed with exercise, and a good diet, was making me feel better than ever.
Angry? Breathe. Sad? Breathe. Anxiety? Breathe. Happy? BREATHE! People are always looking for a panacea, or a "cure-all"—this certainly is a candidate, and it's FREE! The more you practice the better you get. The more you mediate the deeper you go. The deeper you go the more you realize. The more you realize the more you improve. The more you improve the better you will feel and perform…and so on and so on.
Fans always thank me for lyrical content, which they say, helps them through their day or certain emotions. While diet, exercise, and meditation are common sense things, it's amazing how often we disregard them, forget about them, or neglect them. Then we wonder why we feel like crap. Maybe besides lyrical content, this blog can help you to remember how to feel great. Just breathe.
Thanks for reading and don't forget our new album, Crown of Phantoms, hits stores July 30th!
Below are a few references if you are interested in learning more about the benefits of meditation.
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/features/meditation/
http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation
http://blog.ted.com/2013/01/11/4-scientific-studies-on-how-meditation-can-affect-your-heart-brain-and-creativity/
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-training/SM00028/NSECTIONGROUP=2
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=60918
And if you really want to go far into the depths of your mind, check this out!
The legendary Phil Anselmo—frontman for Pantera, Down, and Superjoint Ritual—will release his first solo album, Walk Through Exits Only, on Tuesday, July 16, but you can hear it first and exclusively right here at RevolverMag.com.
Walk Through Exits Only, released on Anselmo's own Housecore Records, was recorded over the past couple of years at his New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band The Illegals—guitarist Marzi Montazeri and drummer Jose Manuel "Blue" Gonzales. You can preorder the album at iTunes or Amazon, or in a variety of bundle options at the Housecore online store.
Anselmo and The Illegals kick off their North American tour in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 31. For more information, visit TheHousecoreRecords.com.
Death of an Era have teamed up with Revolver to debut their new music video, for the track "Shapeshifter," off their recently released EP, The Great Commonwealth (Artery Recordings/Razor & Tie), which is available on iTunes here. Check out the clip and let us know what you think in the comments.
Hard rockers Black Water Rising will release their new album, Pissed and Driven, on August 13. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere new song "Last Man Standing." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Like Moths to Flames just released their new album, An Eye for an Eye, on Tuesday. Now the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere the music video for the track "I Solemnly Swear." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
An obscure and frankly slightly disturbing promotional TV teaser for Nirvana's classic third album, In Utero, has surfaced and can be viewed below.
The rarely seen 1993 clip features Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl being coached by Bob "Bobcat" Goldthwait at, well, just watch it.
The September 2013 tag at the video's end refers to the upcoming 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of
In Utero.