melodicmuse

For the final time as a collective, Grammy-nominated band Sum 41 have announced their upcoming double album, Heaven :x: Hell, expected for release on March 29th, 2024 via Rise Records.

Heaven :x: Hell is the most ambitious album from Sum 41 yet – Heaven is 10 tracks of snarling high energy pop punk, while Hell consists of ten heavy metal anthems spiked with fret-burning solos, thrashing riffs, and fist-pumping hooks. The band has been straddling the line of pop-punk and metal for their entire career, and Heaven :x: Hell is a testament to their innovative sound and unmatched skill, proving them as pioneers 27 years after the bands inception.
Heaven :x: Hell is available to pre-save and pre-order now at https://sum41.lnk.to/HeavenHell

On the new album, vocalist Deryck Whibley says, “Once I heard the music, I was confident enough to say, ‘This is the record I’d like to go out on.’ We’ve made a double album of pop punk and metal, and it makes sense. It took a long time for us to pave this lane for ourselves, but we did, and it’s unique to us.”

Alongside the announcement, Sum 41 has released a new single and music video, “Rise Up”. The first offering from the upcoming album’s metal-filled Hell side, “Rise Up” opens with a flurry of guitar riffs and pounding drums fit for a mosh pit straight out of the band’s early years. “Writing ‘Rise Up,’ I felt the way I did when I first got signed,” says Deryck. “I felt the pressure and the need to create something great, but I felt so excited at the same time.”

Previously, Sum 41 shared “Landmines”, from Heaven :x: Hell’s pop-punk Heaven portion. The track, with an anthemic chorus and ground-shaking drunk hits, was released alongside a nostalgic music video. The track gained the attention of notable outlets such as Entertainment Tonight, Consequence, NME, Exclaim!, BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, KNOTFEST, and countless others.

Earlier this year, Sum 41 announced their breakup after 27 years of making music together – the news was reported on by The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, CNN, Bloomberg, Pitchfork, TODAY, CBS, Billboard, and countless other major news outlets globally. Heaven :x: Hell is aiming for nothing short of greatness, a perfect parting gift from the band to the fans that have supported them endlessly. Deryck spoke about it with GQ, here.
“I love Sum 41, what we’ve achieved, endured, and stuck together through, which is why I want to call it quits,” Deryck leaves off. “There were so many times we could’ve broken up. For some reason, we kept sticking it out. I’m proud of that. It’s the right time to walk away from it. I’m putting all of my energy into what’s ahead. This is going to be the biggest tour of our lives, and I want to make it the best show we’ve ever done. That’s it.”

Looking back at the band’s storied 27 year career, Sum 41 has firmly cemented their place in rock history with over 15 million records sold worldwide, multiple Billboard Charting releases, a Grammy Award nomination, 2 Juno Awards (7 nominations), a Kerrang! Award in 2002, multiple Alternative Press Music Awards, and countless other accolades.

Upcoming Sum 41 Festival Dates:
January 12 – San Diego, CA – Music Box* – SOLD OUT
January 13 – Anaheim, CA – iHeartRadio ALTer Ego
March 16 – Tokyo, Japan – Punkspring
March 30 – Monterrey, Mexico – Pa’l Norte
May 12 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville
May 17 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple
June 14 – Hradec, Czechia – Rock For People
June 15 – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock
June 16 – Derby, United Kingdom – Download Festival
June 21 – Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany – Southside Festival
June 23 – Schneesel, Germany – Hurricane Festival
June 28 – Ysselsteyn, Netherlands – Jera on Air
June 29 – GeiselWind, Germany – Mission Ready
June 30 – Marmande, France – Garorock
July 4 – Nantes, France – La Nuit de l’Erdre
July 5 – Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter
July 9 – Milan, Italy – I-Days
August 7 – Saguenay, Quebec – La Baie’s Harbor Village Agora
August 8 – Québec, Quebec – Quebec City Old Port Agora
August 9 – Victoriaville, Quebec – Rock La Cauze
November 23 – Nanterre, France – Paris La Défense Stadium Arena – SOLD OUT**
*Warmup Show
**Headline Show

The essence of rock’n’roll has always been a utopian one, an idea that music can be transcendent and take the listener out of their everyday lives to somewhere beautiful. On their forthcoming sophomore album, ‘Promised Land’, London-based rockers The Karma Effect aim to do just that.

Emerging from the UK’s vibrant hard rock scene during the pandemic, The Karma Effect meld the hip-shaking blues rock stylings of contemporaries like The Temperance Movement and Greta Van Fleet, with the keyboard sheen and melodic songwriting of classic stadium rock bands like Foreigner.

The first single from the album, ‘Livin’ It Up’ is the perfect introduction to the band’s anthemic sound. A huge southern rock riff is complemented by melodic organ lines, a shout-a-long chorus, and frontman Henry Gottelier’s otherworldly voice to create a modern rock anthem.

“The song refers to people in power taking advantage of the everyday person, and feeding off of that,” says Gottelier. “Lyrics such as ‘they’ll be breaking your back, fill their pockets from the stack of every little bit of joy I’m owed.’ The song is about not letting ‘the man’ get you down, and having a good time regardless. During the writing process for this album, we were massively inspired by the album ‘Pump’ by Aerosmith, and loved the a cappella vocal that you hear at the end of ‘Love In An Elevator’, so we wanted to add that in to our album somewhere – the start of ‘Livin’ It Up’ just felt right.”

The track comes with a high energy video which encapsulates the good time vibes of the song. The band shot the video with Shaun Hodson of Loki Films at the majestic Kingswood Manor down in Surrey.

‘Promised Land’ offers 10 tracks of raw, hook-laden rock’n’roll positively gleaming with 80s shimmer. Recorded at MRC Studios and The Hive Studios with Michael Charman, the album was built on escapism from start to finish. “When we were creating the album, it felt like we had found our own bubble of utopia – nothing in the outside world mattered in those moments. That’s exactly what we want to offer anyone who takes the time to listen to the album,” the band elaborate.

The Karma Effect Announce Their Sophomore Album ‘Promised Land’ Out 3rd May 2024New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The essence of rock’n’roll has always been a utopian one, an idea that music can be transcendent and take the listener out of their everyday lives to somewhere beautiful. On their forthcoming sophomore album, ‘Promised Land’, London-based rockers The Karma Effect aim to do just that.

Emerging from the UK’s vibrant hard rock scene during the pandemic, The Karma Effect meld the hip-shaking blues rock stylings of contemporaries like The Temperance Movement and Greta Van Fleet, with the keyboard sheen and melodic songwriting of classic stadium rock bands like Foreigner.

The first single from the album, ‘Livin’ It Up’ is the perfect introduction to the band’s anthemic sound. A huge southern rock riff is complemented by melodic organ lines, a shout-a-long chorus, and frontman Henry Gottelier’s otherworldly voice to create a modern rock anthem.

“The song refers to people in power taking advantage of the everyday person, and feeding off of that,” says Gottelier. “Lyrics such as ‘they’ll be breaking your back, fill their pockets from the stack of every little bit of joy I’m owed.’ The song is about not letting ‘the man’ get you down, and having a good time regardless. During the writing process for this album, we were massively inspired by the album ‘Pump’ by Aerosmith, and loved the a cappella vocal that you hear at the end of ‘Love In An Elevator’, so we wanted to add that in to our album somewhere – the start of ‘Livin’ It Up’ just felt right.”

The track comes with a high energy video which encapsulates the good time vibes of the song. The band shot the video with Shaun Hodson of Loki Films at the majestic Kingswood Manor down in Surrey.

‘Promised Land’ offers 10 tracks of raw, hook-laden rock’n’roll positively gleaming with 80s shimmer. Recorded at MRC Studios and The Hive Studios with Michael Charman, the album was built on escapism from start to finish. “When we were creating the album, it felt like we had found our own bubble of utopia – nothing in the outside world mattered in those moments. That’s exactly what we want to offer anyone who takes the time to listen to the album,” the band elaborate.

Self-releasing their debut album in 2022, the band actually released that record before they’d had a chance to properly play live (due to Covid restrictions). However, they’ve been making up for lost time, playing 11 festivals in 2023 alone, including Planet Rock Radio’s Winter’s End and Steelhouse Festival, as well as enjoying sold-out headline shows across the UK and support slots with UK Top 10 artists like Massive Wagons and Scarlet Rebels, all the while refining a colossal live sound. The result being that the band captured this lightning in a bottle for the set of highly impressive songs on ‘Promised Land’.

Recently signed to legendary independent label Earache Records, the band look set to take the next steps to becoming one of the most exciting names in British Rock. They are currently out on a UK-wide tour with These Wicked Rivers, plus a show with labelmates The Bites in Tunbridge Wells, and with more new music to come, 2024 looks set to be a huge year for The Karma Effect.
‘Promised Land’ is available to pre-order now at earache.com/thekarmaeffect on limited edition vinyl, signed CD and more.

UK Tour Dates with These Wicked Rivers:
1st Dec – The Loft – Southampton
6th Dec – UEA Waterfront Studio – Norwich
7th Dec – Asylum – Birmingham
8th Dec – Corporation – Sheffield
9th Dec – Audio – Glasgow
12th Dec – The Forum – Tunbridge Wells*
13th Dec – O2 Academy2 – Islington, London
14th Dec – The Live Rooms – Chester
15th Dec – Anarchy Brew Co – Newcastle
16th Dec – The Hairy Dog – Derby
17th Dec – Thekla – Bristol
*with The Bites.

Alternative folk band Judah & the Lion (Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald) released “Leave It Better Than You Found It (feat. Ruston Kelly),” a powerful ode to living a life worth living.
The song delves into themes of humility, embracing mistakes as opportunities for growth, and acknowledging that life is a bit like going to school. It candidly admits fear of the unknown while expressing a commitment to moving forward in compassion for oneself and others. Truthfully the best kind of song for the holidays!

Of the track, Judah says, “Life sucks – haha. While that may be true, what is also true is that life is beautiful. It’s funny how the older I get the more I realize the following statement speaks volumes when it comes to life. ‘Accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.’ This song, Leave It Better Than You Found It, embodies this belief. We were so happy to work with Ruston Kelly on this track – he writes simply and understands the dichotomy of life – the pain and the beauty. We can control how we leave things, and we all agree we want to leave it well.”

Ruston Kelly adds, “There isn’t much oomph or charisma to someone singing about doing good in the world unless they’ve personally experienced their own self-displacement, despair, or perceived lack of value. I think great change occurs at the hands of greatly wounded people. A road full of failures can truly temper hope into something tangible and healing not just for yourself, but for the people around you. I see this song as an acknowledgment that, because life is so brief, and this world can be so hideous, it matters even more that you act with a good heart and leave more love behind before you go.”

Judah & the Lion just finished the first leg of a North American tour. The second will start in April 2024.

Since their 2012 debut EP, Judah & the Lion have garnered widespread acclaim for their genre-bending music, received platinum/gold certifications and have accumulated over 910 million career streams. Six of their hit singles have gone Top 15 on Alternative radio and the band won an iHeart Music Award for Best New Alt Rock Band of 2018. Never a stranger to vulnerability, the band’s previous albums addressed themes of heartache and addiction (2019’s Pep Talks), as well as resilience, and reclaiming their innocence after years of chaotic success (2022’s Revival).

Renowned heavy alternative rock sensation ROGUE ROYAL is set to captivate audiences once again with their latest release, a high-energy single and accompanying music video titled “Now or Never.” The band, known for their electrifying performances and genre-defying sound, has raised the bar yet again with this adrenaline-fueled anthem that pushes the boundaries of alternative rock.
“‘Now Or Never’ challenges authority and stares adversity in the face. Overcome your inner demons.” – ROGUE ROYAL

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Brett Havens at Essential Sessions Studio, “Now or Never” is a sonic tour de force that showcases ROGUE ROYAL’s signature blend of gritty vocals, thunderous guitar riffs, and pulsating rhythms. The track exudes a raw intensity that is characteristic of the band’s unique style, drawing inspiration from their diverse musical influences while delivering a fresh and innovative sound.

In tandem with the release of “Now or Never,” Rogue Royals is unveiling a visually stunning music video that complements the song’s powerful narrative. Produced by Adam Standon, the video takes viewers on a cinematic journey that perfectly mirrors the emotional and sonic intensity of the single. With striking visuals and a narrative that resonates with the theme of seizing the moment, the “Now or Never” music video is a must-watch for fans and newcomers alike.

Hailing from Minneapolis, ROGUE ROYAL is a hard hitting, high energy rock band that captivates audiences with their powerful sonics. Their music is known for its blend of soaring guitars, thick vocals, and thunderous rhythm section. Drawing inspiration from a variety of modern and classic acts like ALICE IN CHAINS, ALTER BRIDGE, the FOO FIGHTER, AEROSMITH, JIMI HENDRIX and southern rock heroes LYNYRD SKYNYRD, ROGUE ROYAL has roots that run deep. With their boundless energy and ambitious spirit, the band delivers unforgettable live performances that will leave you craving for more. Stay tuned for their upcoming releases and catch them live as they command stages near you. Noteworthy accolades include supporting ADELITAS WAY and BUCKCHERRY, as well as performing at prestigious events like SXSW, Rockfest WI, and Northwoods Rock Rally.