David Ellefson to release companion LP to upcoming memoir More Life With Deth

Today we received news from the David Ellefson camp that couldn't have surprised me more. There wasn't a glimpse to be seen of it before but Ellefson will be coming up with a Compact Disc that works as a companion to the upcoming memoir. What a cool idea to give readers of the book the chance to listen to some material of the time he is writing about. Here are more details:

Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has announced the release of SLEEPING GIANTS, a companion LP to be released July 5th (CD/DIGITAL, Aug 30th on LP) on COMBAT RECORDS, in conjunction with his upcoming memoir MORE LIFE WITH DETH, in stores July 16th via Jawbone Press. Co-written with Ellefson’s business partner Thom Hazaert, MORE LIFE WITH DETH is the follow up to Ellefson’s celebrated MY LIFE WITH DETH, and delves deeper into the later stages of Ellefson’s career, as well as a thorough exploration of the earliest days of Megadeth and beyond.

The cover of Sleeping Giants, (c) by David Ellefson, used with kind permission

Featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Altitudes and Attitude, Marc Rizzo, Escape The Fate), SLEEPING GIANTS will be a retrospective featuring several new tracks recorded by Ellefson and Hazaert, plus a collection of demos, and unreleased material, from F5 and David’s other projects, including the unreleased demo “If You Were God”, featuring John Bush (Anthrax, Armored Saint), plus several unreleased demos featuring House of Lords/Giuffria vocalist David Glen Eisley. The CD version will also include a second bonus disc, featuring a compilation of EMP and COMBAT RECORDS Artists.

Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with additional production from ICON guitarist John Aquilino at the Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Sleeping Giants is tentatively set to include a multitude of guests including legendary MC Daryl “DMC” McDaniels, who shares vocals with Hazaert on the title track, Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Flotsam and Jetsam), Steve Conley (Flotsam and Jetsam, F5), Ethan Brosh, Bumblefoot, Dave Sharpe and Opus Lawrence of Dead By Wednesday, Mark Tremonti, Juan Garcia (Abbatoir, Body Count), Illias Papadakis (Memorain), Dave McClain (Machine Head, Sacred Reich), a remix by Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn, and more.

Check out a teaser video of the title track right here:

Pre-order SLEEPING GIANTS on CD, LP, and in bundle configurations at this location: http://empmerch.com/?submit=&s=sleeping%20giants&post_type=product&fbclid=IwAR2P1_lRbOKxiq2kWAsBDnKG2cVS-TqZ844yyEsyqRguJeWO8CVorrAtGH0

Note: I changed the URL of the pre-order link. The old one seemed to be corrupted so I think it's safe to do do.

Says Hazaert, “David and I were in Tampa for PBX - Playback Independent Music Expo, and had just finished an amazing run of BASSTORY, where I ended up performing with him, and several of our friends, including Bumblefoot, and Dave Sharpe and Opus from Dead By Wednesday. We capped it off with an amazing all-star BASSTORY jam at the Brass Mug in Tampa with Dirk Verbeuren, Troy Sanders from Mastodon, Jason Bieler of Saigon Kick, Head from Korn, Kyle Sanders from Hellyeah. It was insane. So, we went into a local studio, MASTERSOUND in Tampa, with the Dead By Wednesday guys, and ended up writing and tracking “VULTURES”.

He adds, “David had all these other amazing instrumental songs and parts, laying around, that I had always loved, and we just ended up getting a bunch of guests to play on them, polished some of them up, I wrote lyrics, laid down vocals, and the rest is history.”

Says Ellefson, “I love to collaborate and It’s timely and fitting to work up these song ideas with my friends, and get to break out and release some of these great demos and oddities from over the years, the stories behind many of which are told in the book. And to be able to include many of the EMP and COMBAT artists, I think it really brings another dimension to the stories we’re telling in More Life With Deth.”

Adds Hazaert, “It truly was just writing and making music from the purest place of writing and making music… like, buddies in the garage jamming on songs. And while everyone knows him as a bassist, David is such an incredible guitar player, and songwriter, and I love that we can finally showcase that. And to have a bunch of our friends who are IN the book play on it, and for me and David to collaborate the way we did. I think it’s really special. And, at first, we really didn’t know what to do with it, or if we would even do anything with it, for that matter. We’d discussed the idea of releasing the new tracks as singles, then an EP, and then we came up with the idea to create a sort of “island of misfit toys” b-sides release, with all this killer stuff David had been involved with over the years, and it really all just kinda fell into place.”

The tracklist of "Sleeping Giants":

1. Vultures
2. Sleeping Giants (ft. DMC).
3. Hammer Comes Down
4. Vultures (Kristian Nairn Remix)
(Unreleased Demo)
4. If You Were God” (ft. John Bush)
(F5 Demos)
5. Deadman Rise
6. I Fall
7. Bleeding
8. Why Can’t We Die
9. Dying on The Vine
10. Faded
11. Undeniable
12. Feel Your Pain
(Unreleased Demos)
13. Out In The Rain (ft. David Glen Eisley)
14. Voices (ft. David Glen Eisley)

Silent Line release concept album talking about being lost on a island that fades away

Some bands these days really have a idea of how they can capture one's attention. This thought came to my mind when I head about Silent Line's new album "Shattered Shores". Not only was I curious to get to know more about the band after I read that they make Melodic Death Metal in the style of old In Flames (and old Amorphis also comes to my mind when listening to them) but moreover the album concept got me quite quickly.

Having read about the concept I ended up listening to the album teaser numerous times. Please don't blame me if the same thing will happen to you yearning for the full record at the end of the day. ;-)

It is the band's first attempt on a concept record that depicts a tortured island stuck in time being slowly worn away by an endless ocean. A single person is referred to throughout the album and everything is told from their point of view as they wander, stuck on the island -- unsure of how they got there, and unsure if they will ever leave.

The cover expresses the concept perfectly in my eyes. Just look at the rocks. They show the signs of time and one can easily say that they will break away soon. (c) by Silent Line, used with kind permission

The lyrics revolve around the themes of overcoming hardships, anxiety, and “weathering the storm” in order to persevere. The title track is split into two parts, and throughout the album several thematic riffs and lyrics are repeated, creating a motif for listeners. The title references being stranded and trapped forever as the shores become more eroded and the reality of isolation sets in.

Themes of frost, snow, fire, night, and stars are used to illustrate feelings of hopelessness, fear, and loss. Another recurring theme is the storm, which brings change and renewal; it is – for lack of a better term – the symbol of hope and of a brighter future.

The band had the aim to create a album that leaves hope at the end of the day. Silent Line said about the record in their own words:
"(...) It’s not meant to be depressing, but it deals with real issues and lots of the time those are not pretty. While it is a darker album, the message is not. Overcoming internal issues and feelings is the prime focus, and to describe how important that is, it is necessary to spend time describing the more pessimistic side of things and what makes it so crippling.(...)"

Just check out the trailer to get a idea of the sound of the band and record. You can buy the full album as a physical CD over at CD Baby or digitally through stores such as iTunes, Amazon or Google Play.

For more info about the band and to stay in touch with them make sure to see the Facebook page of Silent Line.

Chasing Dragons funding upcoming album teaser EP

Leeds, UK based Metal Band Chasing Dragons are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to help getting the cash needed to record a 3-track record, fully produced by Lee Batiuk of Regal House Studios, featuring songs from the debut album "Faction".

The EP entitled "Faction: Prologue" is meant to be a teaser to the band's upcoming first full length record that the Chasing Dragons are working on since some time. Having found a new bass guitar player in the meantime the band decided to give the album the time it needs to be a decent recording. Since the fans are waiting for new material it sounds a good idea in my ears to build a bridge to the debut record with a EP teaser.

Being a independent band the campaign has been set up to raise the money for the whole recording process as well as for creating a video to help promote the release. The goal has already been reached but there's still time to reserve your copy and help the band to get a bigger and better PR & radio campaign and produce more merchandise for their fans.

There are lots of nice goodies available at the Kickstarter page to choose from that many fans may like, amongst them singing along to one of the EP's tracks, a guest appeareance in the music video as well as music teaching lessongs for vocals or drums via Skype or also in-person. You may also go on stage with the band during their set if you decide to choose that reward. The basic download comes along for 3 GBP and the other options are of course a bit more expensive.