The djentlemen in Volumes just let loose with an update detailing two things. First of all, the new album is well on it's way to completion. The band has completely finished tracking instruments and is currently moving forward with vocal sessions. However, there is still much to be done on the production front. For this reason, Diego Farias (guitarist / producer) will opt out of the band's upcoming tour with The Devil Wears Prada to polish things up. Here's the word from the band themselves:
__________________________________________________________________________________
“#VTEAM! The instruments for our new album is done! However the Production is still ongoing. Vocal sessions now in place. Diego will stay home from The Devil Wears Prada tour to do a final mix of the record while our friend Dane takes up guitar duty. He is staying home so that WE can get the album out to you sooner in 2014 then later..again, we are aiming to have it out late Winter 2014–we will keep you posted though..we are very proud of this album and have put our HEART and SOUL into it!! SEE YOU ON THE ROAD SOON!!!”
__________________________________________________________________________________
While you're waiting, jam the pre-pro version of the new track "Vahle" along with some goodness from the last record.
I'm not sure why Mediaskare always insists on releasing pre-production tracks before the real deal, but this is somewhat different. Supposedly a pre-pro demo, the new Volumes song could be mistaken for an official album track. Not too surprising though considering Diego Farias (guitarist of Volumes) is known to be a beastly producer.
That aside, the new track is actually pretty awesome. Picking up where they left off, Volumes delivers an emotionally charged, melodic, and heavy hitting return with their latest song "Vahle". The track was actually named and written as a tribute to a deceased friend of the band, James Vahle. It's the kind of song that anyone who's lost a good friend can relate to. Beyond that, it's considerably well written, bouncy, and very damn moshable.
Take a listen for youself down below. And if you enjoy, be on the look out for more from Volumes. Rumor and evidence has it their new album is coming soon-ish. Stay tuned!
Mark your calendars ladies and gents because starting in November the headliners, TDWP, will hit the road and storm stages with the seductive sounds from hardcore heavy hitters The Ghost Inside, Volumes, and Texas In July on the 8:18 North American Tour. From all across the states to the Canadians in the far north this 33 stop tour will be within reach of millions of thrill seeking fans looking for a memorable experience with their hXc family.
Expect chaos, nothing more and nothing less, when the cult following that travels with the Devil Wears Prada invades a town near you for a night filled with colossal breakdowns overflowing with high intensity that is so forceful, that it could knock the Incredible Hulk on his heels.
We had one helluva time at Warped Tour this year. It was absolute madness from beginning to end with experiences a plenty. We did everything from covering insane live sets in front of thousands of people to meeting the man Kevin Lyman himself (owner and mastermind behind Warped Tour, Mayhem Festival, etc.). And that's barely even scratching the surface... We sincerely thank Warped Tour for the opportunity. They don't call it the best day ever for nothing.
Of course, being a metal site, we covered the heavy side of the show. We saw (in order) While She Sleeps, Letlive, The Amity Affliction, The Black Dahlia Murder, Volumes, Stick To Your Guns, Like Moths To Flames, Architects, and August Burns Red. We also had an interview with Jake Luhrs from August Burns Red for the sake of supporting his good cause Heartsupport. You can check out all the footage below.
Stay tuned for next year when the madness happens all over again! Also be sure to keep an eye out for additional concert / festival coverage from us (including Kevin's Mayhem Festival). Let's just say we've been busy these past few weeks...
Concert season has officially arrived! You know what that means North America... It's time for Vans Warped Tour! The events officially kick off TODAY. First stop is Seattle, Washington. Grab your tickets here!
This will be the tour's 19th year running and there's no sign of them slowing down. Warped Tour 2013 is moving full speed ahead, packing in well over 100 bands for the tour's duration and all kinds of ways to have fun. Warped Tour is more than a concert. It's a moving city of pure entertainment.
This year we'll be covering the heaviest bands they have. August Burns Red, The Black Dahlia Murder, Volumes, Upon A Burning Body, Texas In July, Architects, and more will be in our sights.
While you're waiting for the best day ever, kill some time with our live video recap of Warped Tour 2012 here. Then realize our coverage this year will be ten times stronger! See you in the pit.
It's almost summer! The season comes with a slew of heavy tours / festivals covering the world. America's The All Stars Tour is no exception, boasting a hard hitting line-up. Headlined by Every Time I Die, the festival will also be supported by Chelsea Grin, Veil Of Maya, Terror, and Stray From The Path among others. Volumes and Structures will also be joining the party on select dates!
The dates themselves were recently announced. The bands will make a full circuit of the states starting in July and ending up in August. You can take a look at the official flyer down below along with music from some of the bands. If this sounds like a good time to you, grab your tickets right here!
It's
finally here. Volumes have released an intense music video for
that masterpiece of a song called "Edge Of The Earth". It's actually a
live music video filmed during their last tour with Of Mice & Men,
Woe Is Me, Texas In July, and Capture The Crown. The video features a guest appearance from Hance Alligood of Woe is Me to perform clean vocals.
The band's first music video for "Wormholes" reached more than 1,100,000
views on Youtube and the band's popularity is quickly on the rise. "Edge
Of The Earth" is definitely one of the most amazing, touching songs
off the band's memorable debut "VIA". The official audio stream for the song hit 600,000 views on Youtube recently and it's finally getting the
official recognition it deserves through this video. Volumes are known for their
energetic live performances and this video entirely shows how captivating and funny they can be on stage.
Stay tuned because the
band has started on new material for a possible album release
in 2013. So get stoked for the new stuff and in the mean time sing along with the "Edge Of The Earth" chorus as loud as you can!
Time for some drama... Some of you may have heard about the ignorantly owned and operated Rocketown venue in Tennessee. This is the same place that banned Asking Alexandria along with a list of other artists for not conforming to similar southern Bible belt views. Well it looks like Volumes is the next band on that list after vocalist Mike Barr dedicated a song to a gay friend of his. Also, it should be noted this venue fired an employee last week for wearing an "I Support Same-Sex Marriage". Closed minded to say the least.
Turns out there was also a fight. There are several versions of the story. There has also been a death threat among other challenges to the band. This includes one of the most embarrassing "tough guy" photos I've ever seen.
Fist off, here's the initial Volumes version of the story told via (pun intended) twitter and relayed through the website Property Of Zack. Apparently the fight broke out shortly after Mike Barr's dedication. Here's what they had to say afterwards.
Next up, we have the wannabe thugs... both Dalton McNeal and Anthony Ochoa threatened the band for messing with their "krew". Apparently Dalton gave a death threat then Anthony proceeded to post this this laughable "tough guy" picture including himself standing on the left, Dalton in the back, some people holding hands, and a cat. I sure hope they send us some death threats too.
Finally, we have a seemingly logical eyewitness version of the event - "It
was simply a fight in the mosh pit between the singer and some other
dude in the pit (I'm not sure if that guy was affiliated with
rocketown). Anyway one of the bouncers broke up the fight, the singer
went around the bouncer at the other guy. Another bouncer came in and
grabbed the singer and pulled him back, he tried to get loose again so
the bouncer threw him down on the ground. That's pretty much the whole
story."
UPDATE:
More stories have emerged in the past few days which seem to point to the conclusion that the fight itself was not sparked by any gay rights issue. Other eyewitness accounts (the comments below for example) state that Mike Barr was acting with unreasonable aggression it the pit shortly after making his dedication.
Also, promoter Mark Mosley recently spoke with Property Of Zack, giving his first person account of some actions taken that night. You can read below.
"Tonight, for the first time in my career I experienced, well, I
don’t even know how to describe it. I was the promoter for the
Volumes/Of Mice and Men show tonight and got to experience the
“incident” with Mr. Barr first hand. As Mr. Barr was being removed from
the venue I was standing next to the exit having a conversation with a
friend. As an extremely agitated Mr. Barr tried to re-enter the venue, I
calmly stepped in front of him and as calm as could be (people get
excited at shows often) to please stay outside and cool off for a
minute. Mr. Barr then proceeded to verbally attack me calling me
“faggot” repeatedly as well as accusing me of being a Christian (I am
neither gay nor a Christian). He then proceeded to spit on me 2x before
being escorted away by security. All the while still calling me a
“faggot”, “Christian faggot”, and so on.
I think
it’s important that you know more of the story seeing as how its being
presented that he was the victim. I do not believe for one second that
he was attacked or removed for any reason relating to gay rights. For
me personally, I take gay rights very seriously and fully support
equality for all. Anyone who knows me or has worked with me over the
years will vouch for my professionalism. As for the
rest of the members of Volumes, they were very courteous and
professional and I look forward to working with them in the future."
Guess we'll see if any video footage or further details emerge. In the mean time, blast some tracks from Volumes.
Another band with a name I can't pronounce..... is great. I stumbled across Aristeia while surfing the web and was pretty impressed. They've been making ripples through the metal underground with their EP "Era of the Omnipotent", but soon they will make waves. The band was recently signed to Rite of Passage Records (which I believe is a branch of Mediaskare) and just released a pre-pro for a new track "Lethal Devotion" featuring Gus & Diego Farias of Volumes. Aristeia is currently gearing up to put out their debut full length record so keep an eye on them. Listen to "Lethal Devotion" and the other Aristeia tracks under that.
Veil of Maya will be teaming up with The Acacia Strain to tour the US starting this November. Upon A Burning Body and Volumes will also be tagging along. This tour will wreck places. We're forecasting bigass pits at every show. If this sounds like a good time to you, check out the flyer and grab your tickets here. We also have music from the bands for you to mosh to.
Everyone living out on the west coast should definitely check out this festival. California Metalfest VI has a huge line up of great, and not so great bands. The bands worth seeing include Killswitch Engage (who will be playing the classic KSE album "Alive or just Breathing" in it's entirety), As I Lay Dying, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Unearth, Born of Osiris, The Faceless, Shadows Fall, Veil of Maya, For Today, Suicide Silence, Memphis May Fire, Upon a Burning Body, and Volumes among others. The festival will be taking place on November 24th in San Bernardino, Californ-i-a. Check out the festival poster and the music we have for you under that.
It's official. California djentlemen, Volumes are writing a new album to follow up 2011's "VIA". With the conclusion of the "Scream It Like You Mean It" tour, they are taking advantage of the time off the road to do so. Expect to hear tons of heaviness and bwow now (if you know what I mean). If you never heard these dudes before, check the music video below.
Back in 2010, the band Elitist unleashed one of the most rhythmically complex records to ever bless my ears. The EP "Caves" bent the listeners mind from start to finish. The multi-talented Sean Hall (aka Sean Thall) was one of the two guitarists in the band at the time but left after the release of the band's second EP "Earth". I'm assuming he did this with the intention of pursuing personal artistic goals, but don't take my word for it.
Earlier this month, Sean came back good as ever with a self-released instrumental EP titled "Terrestrial" which might as well be called "Sean Hall's Guide To Playing Tight As F%@k." Produced and co-written by Diego Farias of Volumes, the EP has a very legitimate feel to it. It starts out atmospherically with the track "Terraform" which features a sound bite from the movie Prometheus if I'm not mistaken (actually I think a good bit of the EP may be inspired by the "Aliens" universe which is beyond awesome). But the atmosphere is soon ripped into by a sharp "djent" tone leading into the type of awesome, in your face rhythmic pattern you should come to expect from him. The second track "Arrival" was released well before the rest of the EP but might be my favorite song off it. You can listen below. This track is incredibly tight and technical. It has a simple, yet very powerful lead starting a little over a minute in which really drives the song. This can be found in a couple parts of this EP. The lead guitar work isn't always the most complex, but it is definitely effective. But Sean Hall is always driving the complexity of the rhythmic elements which is what he does best in my opinion. The same is true for "Orrery", which is probably the most uplifting and melodic song on this release. It still manages to sound huge and provides an ear candy solo towards the end. When the 4th song "Xenomorph" (another "Aliens" reference) isn't busy crushing your skull, it really brings the melody. It definitely has shades of Elitist, which makes sense considering it was co-written by Julian Rodriguez from Sean's old band. The final track "New World" is just plain great. It really showcases Sean's musical ability and probably has some the best lead guitar work on the entire release. It ends with a strong piano solo which really makes this song stand out.
This EP is a tight, technical feast for the ears. If you dig it as much as I do, you should consider buying it. The money will go towards making physical copies and shirts. This guy is a real jack of all trades artist (musican, tattoo artist, painter, etc.) who deserves all the support he can get.
In other news, Sean Hall is currently working with Elitist's lead guitarist Julian Rodriguez again on a joint side project. Get stoked because they make a dangerous combo.
The djentlemen in Volumes just let loose with an update detailing two things. First of all, the new album is well on it's way to completion. The band has completely finished tracking instruments and is currently moving forward with vocal sessions. However, there is still much to be done on the production front. For this reason, Diego Farias (guitarist / producer) will opt out of the band's upcoming tour with The Devil Wears Prada to polish things up. Here's the word from the band themselves:
