Hear 'n Now supports Vocalist Steve Grimmett's surviving widow and family with free download

Vocalist Steve Grimmett passed away unexpectedly on August 15, 2022. Steve rose to fame in the early 80s with the NWoBHM band Grim Reaper. The band carried on in recent years touring worldwide and continuing to release music under his namesake, Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper.

A GoFundMe Campaign has been organized to assist his surviving widow and family.

The Hear 'n Now project's first single, "No Road to Ruin" has been made available as a free digital download in an effort to encourage Heavy Metal fans everywhere to donate to the Steve Grimmett GoFundMe Campaign. You can pick up the song here.

The cover of "No road to ruin".

It is a great song that not only rocks out straight but also has a uplifting note in it. Steve Grimmett's vocal performance quickly sticked into my mind with his voice being present boldly in front and sometimes a little held in the backround.

The single has roughness and this typical 80's feeling in it at the proper moments when it sometimes feels as if the song could become a bit flat - you know it just get's a kick in with the refrain coming a little dirty.

It's also a fine track if you see the list of artists who joined the project. I'm sure you'll remember some of them you may have heard of some time ago but lost sight of. It's great to see them still being active in the music scene of today.

Steve Grimmett (vocals) of Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper

Patrick Kennison (lead guitar) of Lita Ford/Heaven Below

Chris Natalini (vocals) former Blood Feast

Ed Mischke (lead guitar) of Veronica Freeman

Danny Gomez (vocals) of Gothic Slam/Messonic

Frankie Cross (vocals) of Corners of Sanctuary

Alex Olivetti (lead guitar) of Threatpoint

Mick Michaels (rhythm guitars, keys, backing vocals) of Corners of Sanctuary

Mad T (drums) of Corners of Sanctuary

James Pera (bass) of Corners of Sanctuary

Billy Loney (backing vocals) of Keep it Metal Promotions

Written and Produced by Mick Michaels

Post-Production Producer Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Armored Saint)

Anfitrite offer EP for very fair price to backers

Some bands can deliver a broken sensible sound with their music. I've found out that the symphonic gothic metal band Anfitrite set's a breathtaking feeling when it comes to calming your mind down. 

The beautiful artwork accompanies to the music of Anfitrite.

 

Recently they've released a teaser of the track "Helena de Troya" and it gave me a moment of well-feeling in all the rushing times we're living in. A fine moment of being balanced. 

Besides this the project needs your support to finish their upcoming EP. This is due to the serious political, economic and social crisis that Venezuela is suffering at the moment, making it very difficult to complete the EP by their own means. 

Starting with a small price of just 3 dollar the band offers a digital copy of the songs with artwork along with the booklet to be send directly to your E-Mail inbox. But of course you're invited to give a higher amount if you can spare more with them. The EP will also be available later as a limited edition CD and USB stick. 

You can directly access the campaign page on Ko-Fi. 

Make sure to see the band's homepage and Facebook site for additional information.

Brutai will turn your world upside down

Bands go through evolutional steps. It's like we all are going through changes, changes and even more changes. The progressive rockers Brutai recently went through one of these steps and are back with a brand new track.

Stranger Things inspired Artwork by Mark Leary @ Asylum Seventy7

That's what came to my mind when I listened to the brand new Brutai single. It came as a surprise to me. "Upside down" has a different soundstyle. It's less rough and the ongoing rhythm is set a bit slower yet it constantly moves along with the melodies and the many layers inside of the track. The mix of the new single is more detailed than ever. The progressive rockers seem to have given more room for a expanded sound experience with deeper emotions and breathing atmosphere.

Lyrically this one also comes with a special message. Felix Lawrie, vocals and guitars, says this about 'Upside Down'

“Upside Down is semi-inspired by the series Stranger Things. It relates to people being in situations that they can’t see a way out of, and it’s about asking people for help. It’s about being in an ‘upside down’ universe and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. Empathy is the core emotion we hope people take away from this. The soundscapes are somewhat eerie and we felt Halloween was the perfect time to launch this track as an interlude to our new material from album 2."

You can download the track in any format from http://www.brutai.bandcamp.com alongside merch bundles and the final physical copies of the band's debut album 'Born'.

'Upside Down' is also available on iTunes and Spotify.

Brutai will return to the stage in December for the Incendia Music Christmas Party as the headline act. The band will also perform at HRH Metal in February.

Tickets for Brutai's headline show in December can be bought here.

Now having reverted to unsigned status again, the band recommencew their journey. Make sure to follow Brutai on this way.

www.facebook.com/brutai
@Brutaiband
Brutai.bandcamp.com

Elswhere put a spotlight on mental health topic

Whilst the subject of mental health is a difficult one to approach, Elswhere are devoted to this issue. They provide a positive message about helping each other, which is conveyed in their material. 

Drawing from personal experiences and tragic losses, their songs portray painful emotions accompanied with a hopeful attitude. Frontman Ethan uses the bands Facebook page in efforts to support fans who may be struggling with mental illnesses “If you are in need of advice, guidance, or you have negative thoughts in your head that overpower your everyday life, call 116 123 - or even email us at elswhereofficial(at)gmail.com where I will personally reply to try my best to
help.”

Musically the band has recently signed to Marshall Records and given out a snippet of the material they are currently working on.

It impressed me with it's slowness and the fat sound it features. So far it comes around riffy and powerful. It breathes a lot of atmosphere in it's core. It's hard to say how the track may go on. It could easily explode at some point or maybe move on further in this calm but constant moving sound and change into something else.

The band has raised the attention of Marshall Records at a Battle of the Bands in Milton Keynes. They recently entered the studio with award-winning producer Romesh Dodangoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine) and will unleash new music in the coming weeks.

Live Dates
Wilkestock Festival -  August 31st

Elswhere online
Facebook.com/elsewhereband
Twitter + Instagram: @Elswhereband

Iranian metal musicians from Confess imprisoned - lawyer or goverment help wanted

We often forget how much freedom of spreech is worth. Please help and spread the word about the band members of the thrash band Confess. Maybe we can help them to get a specialist lawyer or someone else in goverment position who can make his influence count to get them out.

What happend? Nikan Siyanor Khosravi and Khosravi Arash Chemical Ilkhani are members of the thrash metal band Confess. Both men were arrested by the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution and are facing now charges of blasphemy, advertising against the system, running an illegal and underground band and record label promoting music considered to be Satanic, writing anti-religious lyrics and granting interviews to forbidden foreign radio stations.Both band members, aged 23 and 21 have been imprisoned since last November until finally making bail on February 5th, paying the equivalent of  $30,000 US.

The penality they could face is a minimum of six months to six years in prison, and worse, if they are found guilty of the blasphemy charge, they could be executed,

In a public statement a friend of the musicians reported that all online accounts of the bands have been taken over by the government.

I'm posting this to help spread the word and as said to find people out there that could really help in the case. Other sites such as Metal Injection have set up articles, too. I've decided to grab the image below from Metal Injection for a faster spreading of the word.
If you can also spread the image and/or this article on your sites / networks or drop by on Twitter with the hashtag #FreeConfess that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!!!

Update 2016/02/12: A online petition on change.org has been started. It is adressed to the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani with the aim to free the band from jail. I hope signing it can help further to create some positive influence in the matter.

Help to free Confess, please spread the image as often as possible.

If you don't know the band yet, here is a song for streaming.

Exes for Eyes and more bands help fan in dire need with low priced album sale

Toronto, ON based metal outfit EXES FOR EYES along with the support of Canadian metal bands Endast, Great Sabatini, Last Scattering, Odium, Planet Eater, Sparky, Out of The Ruins, Ninjaspy, KYOKTYS, Mad Trapper, BornBroken and Of Reverie are teaming up to help raise cancer treatment funds for a long time metal fan whom has been battling AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia).

All the bands have come together by selling all their albums for $1 at the following link: http://www.exesforeyes.com/#!help-josh/oj2ce

More music will be available in the coming days so please keep checking back for updates at the website of Exes For Eyes.

Exes for Eyes have recorded the following video to explain the reasons behind the campaign:

Big James (vocalist of Exes For Eyes) comments the situation with these words:
"This picture was taken at Heavy Montreal, right after one of the most important performances/moments of Exes For Eyes' career. Josh was there showing us love and support, and now it's our turn to show HIM love and support through some difficult times.

Back in March, Josh was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia). After several treatments, chemo, and a stem cell transplant, Josh and his family were informed in December that the Leukemia had returned. The doctors are doing what ever they can to help Josh, but some of the treatments are not covered by OHIP...one of the treatments will cost almost 7000 dollars.

We've banded together with some close friends in the scene to help raise money for these medical expenses. Several bands (including Exes For Eyes, Endast, The Great Sabatini, Last Scattering, Planet Eater, Out Of The Ruins, Sparky, Ninja Spy etc.) will all be selling their album for $1.00 here at ExesForEyes.com with all proceeds going towards Josh's treatment for the duration of his GOFUNDME campaign. Keep checking back, as more music will added in the coming days. On top of purchasing music, if you wish to make additional contributions directly to Josh's campaign, please click HERE."

Exarsis helps people in need with care packages

Instead of talking about crisis and problems greece Thrashers Exarsis have decided to do something against the problems that really need a solution. They invested the mony they got for shooting their second video clip "Change of Plans" into food and other stuff that people living in the streets (immigrants, homeless etc.) desperately need and went out to share the care packages.

The whole action was filmed and is meant to be a motivational example for all the people watching it. It should engage people to follow the band's idea and help those who are in need. That's in short the message behind the clip like the band pointed out in a statement underneath their post of YouTube.
Heavy Metal Underdogs would like to support this great idea with sharing the video all around. I hope many people will pick the idea up and start something similar usefull like the band did with their time and money.



Exarsis are going to hit the road in a few days playing shows all across Europe together with Suicidal Angels, Lost Society and Fuelled By Fire. Check the flyer below for a city near you.

(c) by Exarsis, used with kind permission

The track is the second single release of the current output "The human project". For more information on the band make sure to see their Facebook page or keep a eye on the band's website.

Dark Music collection helps victims of tragedy in Bucharest

On October 30 2015 local band Goodbye to Gravity were celebrating the release of their second album at the nightclub Club Collectiv n Bucharest when the tragedy occurred and a massive fire began to spread. First hints point to a massive lack of security as the reason for this sad event. 

More than 50 people died and many dozens more are still in hospital. The victims and their families continue to need help with all sorts of things from funeral expenses to medical care.

Happily the Romanian artist, Costin Chioreanu has released a collection of avant-garde dark music, entitled "The Quest For A Morning Star", to raise funds for the people in need. The download features one hour of very dark tunes that in my ears perfectly fit to the dark situation we are all facing these days. 

Chioreanu is well known and highly respected for his graphic works for At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Napalm Death, Arcturus, Darkthrone, Mayhem, Ulver and many others. A musician himself, he has collaborated with various artists to create "soundtracks" to accompany his exhibitions in the past. The result can be purchsed now for the first time as a download album.

So if you want to help out the people affected by this sad event please consider buying a copy of the digital album through Bandcamp. This download is available for a limited time until November 27th 2015. You can listen to the full record below to get a idea of how the record sounds like.

Update 30.11.2015: The campaign is over and was a big success. The exact amount that has been raised will be announced on 5th December on the Facebook page of Costin Chioreanu. The digital compilation will remain on Bandcamp for the price of 1 Euro to keep it online forever.

If you still want to help the victims of the Club Collectiv tragedy you can purchase a physical copy of the record through Avantgarde Music. 

Limited to 300 copies, this A5-sized digipack features 8 beautiful art works by Costin Chioreanu on a 7 pages booklet. Includes unlimited streaming of The Quest For A Morning Star via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

All profits of this physical edition will be collected and donated to the Foundation “fundatiamereuaproape.ro". You can check out all the details of the release and find the pre-order link on the pages of Avantgarde Music.

Metalheads help Refugees with download sampler

Currently a lot of people are fleeing from the desolate situation in their home countries. They hope to find a better way of living in other parts of the world. But their start into the new life often is a problem. Some don't speak the language and most of all they are not common with the new situation and surroundings.

Happily there are organisations out there that help these people out. But of course these organisations need to have the money to be able to help. Radio Diabolus has decided to set up a call to the bands out there. Bands are able to contribute music to a sampler that is released via Bandcamp in two parts. It is a non-profit sampler - all proceeds will go to organizations helping and supporting refugees. Part one has been released yesterday and can be streamed for free below. If you'd like to support this great idea please head over to Bandcamp and buy the sampler for 7,49 Euro. It features 20 tracks in total.

Since so many songs were contributed so far the organizers decided to split the release into 2 volumes! The second one will be released in about 2 weeks. Bands and artists who still want to join sampler vol. 2 can still send the digital material until the 21st of September 2015.

The songs need to meet the following conditions:

- Songs must be in 320 KB MP3 format.
- Songs must sound clear and mastered - Please NO Demos.
- Band biography
- Band picture if available

It doesn't matter whether the band is under contract with a record label or not because it is not a sampler only for newcomers. If the participating band has a contract binding we would need the label's permission to use the song for the planned sampler.
Please send entries to: this E-Mail adress.
(please use the sampler title in the subject line)

James Murphy fighting cancer again- a call for help

James Murphy, the well known guitarist who played for bands such as Death and Testament is facing the fight against cancer again.

The tumor seems to have returned and he needs a medical treatment for six months which he cannot pay due to his illness which doesn't allow him to work properly.

Please help out in any way you can, e.g. with a donation. You can find more detailed info in the article linked below from the Decibel magazine along with the data needed to do a proper donation via Paypal.

Donate to James Murphy | Decibel Magazine