AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: XXXTENTACION/SKINS

XXXTentacion was one of modern Hip Hop’s most controversial figures. In his short life – he was shot and killed at the age of 20 in June, 2018 – he achieved more fame and infamy than most rappers twice his age. Active on the Hip Hop scene for just a handful of years. XXXTentacion – real name Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy – left behind a small but beloved catalog of what some have referred to as Soundcloud Rap. Essentially, Soundcloud Rap is a lo-fi movement that relies on heavily distorted bass and intentional lack of polish in the sound. While that description may work well with XXXTentacion’s contemporaries, it certainly only describes a small portion of what X’s sound was all about.

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FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH returns with AND JUSTICE FOR NONE!

 

Five Finger Death Punch has unleashed “When The Season’s Change,” marking the most massive, melodic song in their repertoire yet, the new song is off the group’s album AND JUSTICE FOR NONE, due out May 18.  A brash bloodletting of airtight riffs, muscular grooves, and seismic melodies, AND JUSTICE FOR NONE’s 13 tracks see Five Finger Death Punch maintain their signature intensity, all while pushing themselves into new territory.

On AND JUSTICE FOR NONE, the quintet—Ivan Moody [vocals], Zoltan Bathory [guitar], Jeremy Spencer [drums], Jason Hook [guitar], and Chris Kael [bass]—fuel the beating bloody heart of 21st century hard rock. Once again, the group hunkered down in its home base of Las Vegas with longtime producer Kevin Churko [Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed] behind the board a year after GOT YOUR SIX. In the studio, they collectively stepped up their game as a unit. “We just understand each other so well,” says Jeremy Spencer. “There’s a huge level of respect on both sides. He gets the best out of us.”

Five Finger Death Punch’s current single, “Gone Away” (their own rendition of The Offspring’s 1997 hit single) has received over 27 million streams in the U.S., is currently charting #2 on Active Rock and topped the iTunes rock and metal charts globally. Earlier this month, the group released “Fake” (out 4/6) which generated just under 1 million streams in the U.S. during its first week and made the viral chart on Spotify in multiple countries.

5FDP will be hitting the road for a massive series of co-headlining North American dates with Breaking Benjamin this summer, along with special guests Nothing More and Bad Wolves. The summer amphitheater tour, co-produced by Live Nation and Frank Productions, kicks off on July 16, 2018 in Seattle, WA and will make stops in 32 North American cities.

FIVE FINGERS DEATH PUNCH

AND JUSTICE FOR NONE

5.18.18

 

Catch Five Finger Death Punch on tour in the following cities:

5FDP Spring Festival Dates 

5/5/18 – Carolina Rebellion – Concord, NC

5FDP/Shinedown Spring US Tour Dates

5/6/18 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN

5/8/18 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY

5/10/18 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK

5/11/18 – Westfair Amphitheatre – Council Bluffs, IA

5/12/18 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI *

5/14/18 – Salem Civic Center – Salem, VA

5/16/18 – Legacy Arena – Birmingham, AL

5/17/18 – Ford Center– Evansville, IN

5/18/18 – Mark of the Quad – Moline, IL

5/20/18 – Alerus Center – Grand Forks, ND

5/30/18 – Casper Events Center – Casper, WY

Five Finger Death Punch

5/29/18 – Red Rocks Amphitheater – Morrison, CO

6/1/18 – Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel – Deadwood, SD

6/2/18 – KQRC Rockfest – Kansas City, MO

6/14-6/16– Montebello Rockfest – Montebello, SC

Five Finger Death Punch + Breaking Benjamin Summer Tour Dates:

* – 5fdp & Bad Wolves only/ ** – 5fdp, Breaking Benjamin & Bad Wolves only

7/16/18 – White River Amphitheatre – Seattle, WA **

7/18/18 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA **

7/20/18 – Taco Bell Arena – Boise, ID

7/21/18 – USANA Amphitheatre – Salt Lake City, UT

7/24/18 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – San Francisco, CA

7/25/18 – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre – San Diego, CA

7/27/18 – FivePoint Amphitheater – Irvine, CA

7/29/18 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM **

8/1/18 – Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX

8/3/18 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX **

8/4/18 – Starplex Pavilion – Dallas, TX

8/6/18 – BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove – Southaven, MS

8/7/18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO

8/9/18 – Heritage Park Amphitheatre – Simpsonville, SC

8/11/18 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL

8/12/18 – Verizon Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA

8/14/18 – KeyBank Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA

8/15/18 – BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ

8/17/18 – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA

8/18/18 – Xfinity Center – Boston, MA

8/20/18 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON

8/22/18 – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse, NY **

8/24/18 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA

8/25/18 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ **

8/28/18 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH

8/29/18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL

8/31/18 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Indianapolis, IN **

9/1/18 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI

9/3/18 – Darien Lake Amphitheater – Darien Center, NY

9/6/18 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY **

9/7/18 – XFINITY Theatre – Hartford, CT

9/9/18 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH **

About Five Finger Death Punch

Confidently leading heavy music in the 21st century, Five Finger Death Punch continue to make the impossible a reality at every turn. Since their emergence in 2007, the hard rock band has achieved six consecutive RIAA Gold-certified albums, three of which have gone Platinum since, as well as a Platinum single culminating in their 2015 #1 album GOT YOUR SIX, while at the same time being one of the top rock streaming acts with over 2 billion global streams to date. In 2016, the band also received the prestigious “Soldier Appreciation Award” from The Association of The United States Army. 5FDP frequently play all major festivals globally from Download to Rock Am Ring to Rock on the Range and sell out arenas around the world to countless screaming “Knuckleheads.” Their 2017 Greatest Hits album A DECADE OF DESTRUCTION, boasts two new singles, amongst them “Gone Away”, a cover of the 1997 song by The Offspring which is currently storming the rock charts. 5fdp’s forthcoming seventh full length album, AND JUSTICE FOR NONE, to be released on May 18, 2018 will undoubtedly raise the bar again. The band will emerge on the biggest North American amphitheater rock tour of 2018 from July through September.

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BLOODSHOT RECORDS’ 13 DAYS OF XMAS!

     I’m either the right guy to be writing a review of a ‘new’ Christmas release… or I’m the wrong guy. You see, I’m a connoisseur of Christmas music and I’m extremely picky about the holiday music that I listen to.  I don’t care who performs the song or in what style – I’m looking for the FEELING of the season in the song. And for someone who loves Christmas music, there’s very little that has tickled my fancy since the ‘70s. There are exceptions but my favorites tend to be random singles (XTC, Band Aid, Status Quo, etc.) and very few albums. Sure, I appreciate the attempts to create a new classic Christmas album but it is very obvious to me when it is merely a cash-grab by the artist or the label. Or almost as worse – when an artist is only interested in celebrating their own voice and not the holiday they sing so joyfully about. So, sadly, I now approach every Christmas album with trepidation and fear. And suddenly, Bloodshot Records’ 13 DAYS OF XMAS landed in my lap and I needed to take some anxiety medication before I could even listen to it….

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AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS/NEW WORLD ARISIN’

In the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll, it is rare for a band to hit the 31-year mark with all original members intact. Big Head Todd & The Monsters is one of those rare beasts. Formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1986, Todd Park Mohr, Rob Squires and Brian Nevin (along with longtime member Jeremy Lawton, who joined the original trio in 2003) have achieved commercial and critical success, sold boatloads of albums, traveled the world and built up a huge, devoted following. And on their 2017 album NEW WORLD ARISIN’, they prove that they still have something to say.

BMX BANDITS FOREVER review!

For over three decades, BMX Bandits has been creating some of the most melodic, thoughtful Pop  music of the Alt-Rock era.  From their humble independent beginnings in Scotland during the C86 movement up through their albums on Creation Records in the ‘90s and beyond, Duglas T. Stewart and the boys & girls in the band have never steered away from their Pop purpose. Unafraid to show their humor and sensitive sides, the Bandits’ albums could go from whimsical to reflective without batting an eyelid. The Bandits have always managed to play with your emotions using plenty of charm and wit. While their albums have been pretty eclectic affairs over the years, the band’s revolving line-up (with Duglas being the only constant member) has continued to shine even if they weren’t always in the spotlight. And with at least nine albums and a few dozen singles behind them, BMX BANDITS FOREVER might be their most truthful and honest musical statement to date.

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GLEN CAMPBELL says ADIÓS with final studio album

Los Angeles – April 14, 2017 – Legendary singer and guitarist Glen Campbell’s final studio album, ADIÓS, , will be released June 9 on UMe, capping off an extraordinary career that has spanned more than five decades and 50 million albums sold. The album will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally and is available for pre-order beginning today.

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RIGHT SAID FRED/Exactly!: SPAZ reviews the new album!

     Right Said Fred may be considered a ‘one hit wonder’ in the U.S., but I’m here to tell you that they are much more than that. Their worldwide hit “I’m Too Sexy” has become a slice of Pop Culture and is still used in advertisements, films and TV shows. The mere mention of the song title will inspire people to spontaneously sing a line or two out loud no matter who else is around.  However, as I once wrote over at allmusic.com: “If you’ve never heard anything by Right Said Fred apart from ‘I’m Too Sexy,’ then you are missing out on one of the best dance-pop bands of this generation. To base your opinion of the band on that one song is like judging The Beatles entire catalog on a song like ‘Yellow Submarine.’ Sure, it’s fun and catchy, but there is so much more to the band than that one piece of pop fluff.” In other words, if you haven’t  heard anything else by RSF, then it is time to change that.

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TRAIN Does Led Zeppelin II: Available June 3rd, 2016!

TRAIN

Does Led Zeppelin II

 

Available on CD and Vinyl LP

6.3.16

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Train, the San Francisco-based Rock/Pop band led by Pat Monahan, will release Train Does Led Zeppelin II (via Crush Music/WEA) on June 3rd , 2016. On this release, Train performs the entirety of the 1969 sophomore album by Led Zeppelin, one of Rock’s greatest quartets. The Train album’s nine-song track list mirrors the original Zep release from first track to last.

This bold artistic move will present Train in a new musical light as well as introduce their audience to a classic album that wrote the blueprint for Blues-influenced Hard Rock.

Traincover

 

TRACK SEQUENCE:

  1. Whole Lotta Love
  2. What Is and What Should Never Be
  3. The Lemon Song
  4. Thank You
  5. Heartbreaker
  6. Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)
  7. Ramble On
  8. Moby Dick
  9. Bring It On Home