With 2012 right around the corner, now is the time to try and figure out who’s releasing what and when. Will PANTERA‘s massive classic “A Vulgar Display Of Power” get the Deluxe Re-issue treatment that “Cowboys…” did? Will your avorite band be releasing anything new this year? Who knows. I took the time to compile a few of my Most Anticipated releases for ’12, as well as a few that I knew people would want to know about. If I missed something here, leave a comment and add it!
LIONHEART The follow up to 2011’s ‘Built On Struggle‘ is slated for an early 2012 release. “It’s an exciting opportunity to be able to work with Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED & TERROR) and Nick Jett (TERROR) on this album,” says LIONHEART vocalist Rob Watson. “Matt Hyde’s resume speaks for itself, and we know Nick from previous tours done together so it will be awesome to work together on something like this. We’ve been working on this record since the release of Built On Struggle, and we can’t wait to start recording it. It’s heavier, harder, and more pissed than anything we’ve done to date.”
THE ACACIA STRAIN With a slew of tour dates being announced in the new year, it looks as if TAS plan to continue their live dominance over the world at large. The follow up to ‘Wormwood’ will most likely be recorded and released later this year. The bands original guitarist DL has been demoing tracks for both TAS as well as an unnamed project. Hopefully we wont have to wait too long.
THE GHOST INSIDE As of August, TGI announced they were heading to the studio around October or November to begin tracking with Jeremy McKinnon (A DAY TO REMEMBER). No other news has been announced minus the tour with ATTACK ATTACK! to start off the new year. The new record is expected soon. As for the ‘Returners’ re-release with the DVD? Who knows what happened to that…
PARKWAY DRIVE The band have said that they’ve got some “ideas that are bigger than anything we’ve done in the past” for their fourth studio album. “We’ve got ideas for this record that are bigger than anything we’ve done in the past. We’re trying to pencil it in, but we want to get in the studio sooner rather than later.” Also stating that they don’t believe the material would be written with bigger crowds in mind. Winston McCall added: “We’ve never written like that in the first place, we always wrote for ourselves. I mean, it’s cool to be able to write a part that loads of people can sing along to, but you can’t really factor that in. It just happens.” Hopefully we’ll get to hear and see some new material before the end of 2012.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE As is the norm, rumors have been getting kicked around now about RATM finally recording and releasing some new material. The bands last offering, ‘Renegades’ was released in 2000. Fans have waited patiently (for going on 12 years now! Some real GUNS N ROSES shit here folks!) for a new record. Guitarist Tom Morello has had this very cryptic message to say on the matter: “Right now there are no… You know, the band is not writing songs, the band is not in the studio,” he said. “We get along famously and we all, you know, intend to do more RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE stuff in the future, but beyond sort of working out a concert this year, there’s nothing else on the schedule.” Hmmm…
HIGH ON FIRE The band has entered Salem, Massachusetts’ GodCity Studios with producer and CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou to begin tracking its as-yet-untitled new album. “We are really stoked about recording this album,” said bassist Jeff Matz. “The new songs are turning out absolutely punishing; there are some seriously sledgehammer riffs on this one! Working with Kurt has been awesome as well. He’s super easy to work with and is full of good ideas. The sounds that the guy gets are ridiculous and raw as fuck but also clear and HUGE. I think this album will capture the essence of the band really well. It’s still early in the process, but so far it’s sounding amazing.”
STONE SOUR On Corey Taylor‘s recent solo tour he told crowd’s to expect a new record sometime next year. Speaking on the new material Taylor said: “We’ve got about 13 songs demoed,” Corey said. “We’ve got about six more than I’m gonna record. A handful more than me and Josh [Rand, guitar] are working on. Josh and Jim [Root, guitar] are in a secret location in Florida right now working on things. And Roy’s [Mayorga, drums] got some stuff that he’s bringing in; he’s still building his home studio right now so that he can play drums and not piss off his neighbors!” Adding, “We’re probably gonna record in Iowa with [producer] David Bottrill, who’s done ‘Ænima’ by TOOL and he’s done work with MUSE… pretty much everybody from TOOL to PETER GABRIEL he’s worked with. He’s a band’s producer, he’s an album producer. What I wanna do with this album is very grandiose. It’s gonna be a little bit of everything for everybody, but just really kick-ass and hard.” As a side note, there has been NO talk of when SLIPKNOT will get together and write again. There hasn’t been sufficient healing time but they are however, touring the US in 2012 on the Mayhem Festival alongside UNEARTH and LAMB OF GOD.
LAMB OF GOD ‘Resolution’, the band’s 7th full length will be released January 23, 2012. The 14 tracks were produced by Josh Wilbur, who was also at the production desk for ‘Wrath’ and who has also worked with HATEBREED, BLACK TIDE and (pffft) LIMP BIZKIT. Let’s hope this is more of a return to the glory and majesty that once was LoG.
BLEEDING THROUGH The band will be releasing their new record January 31 via Rise Records. The new outing will be titled ‘The Great Fire’. It will be released as a CD/DVD combo, as of this moment there has been no word on what will be included on the DVD. Following along the same path they’ve been on the new record should prove to be one of the most volatile in the bands career.
ATTACK ATTACK! Rise Records will also be releasing the new AA! record, ‘This Means War’ on January 31. This will actually be a very important record for the band as they have attempted to define themselves as a more mature sounding band than on previous efforts.
CALIBAN German metalcore giants are set to explode with their highly anticipated (at least by me!) new album, “I Am Nemesis”, on February 28. Caliban’s music has been getting heavier with each release — almost transcending into deathcore territory with their 2009 full-length, ‘Say Hello to Tragedy. “It was important to us to have an elaborate album without any fillers,” declares lead guitarist Marc Görtz. “Additionally, the sound of the album is the best we’ve ever had by far: it is heavy and brutal without being chaotic. The album breaks new soil without forgetting our roots. There are new influences such as shimmering guitar melodies and technical grooves with Meshuggah-like heaviness.”
A FIGHT FOR LIFE Unsigned at the moment but with great management behind them, Atlanta’s own young-blood’s have every intention of recording a full length this year. “We are planning on doing a new single to try and play around with a newer sound, the direction will definitely be harder. We aren’t going for any particular sound though. We’re writing what we feel. Nothing mainstream by any means but a bit heavier while still keeping the melodic hardcore aspect,” says drummer/vocalist Casey Butler. He continues, “After we get a record deal, we will do a full length. We’d love to work with Brian Hood at 456 again. We are also toying with doing a cover song, but something special that we could actually do credit to.”
GIDEON Alabama’s answer to THE GHOST INSIDE will be releasing their new as-yet-untitled record this summer. It’s sure to be as beast as “Costs” was, if not more. Starting off 2012 as part of the HardknocTour featuring: SOVEREIGN STRENGTH, KING CONQUER and AS HELL RETREATS, with several more in store! The band just recently released a new track on their Facebook that proves they are, and will be a force to be reckoned with.
EVERGREEN TERRACE Seemingly always on the road in the US and abroad, the ET boys have been gearing up and getting ready to record their 6th full length, which we can hope will be sooner than later. With their blistering combination of melodic hardcore, metal and punk rock, fans can only expect more of the same.
THE UNKNOWN A new ‘super-group’ of sorts, that features the talented contributions of members from WHITECHAPEL, DR. ACULA, FORTY WINTERS and a guest that can’t be named as of press. The project is the ‘brain-child’, of sorts, by Atlanta’s own Jon Hole. The project focuses on the ‘good and evil’ in man and music is well, uncompromisingly heavy and filled with groove. It will be produced, mixed and mastered by Shaan Singh of Sing-A-Ling Productions and Alex Wade (WHITECHAPEL). Even more enticing? The upcoming EP will be free upon release. Just don’t expect a tour: “This is strictly a project for the sake of making music, trying to get out a message that there just might be some good in all the bad out there and, I honestly just wanted to do something with this group of talented individual’s and am happy to call them friends.” says Jon Hole on the upcoming EP.
BIOHAZARD January 20 will also see the release of the Brooklyn Bashers 9th studio album. It also marks the return of the groups original line-up. This hasn’t been seen in 18 years. It’s also a sad but powerful farewell to bassist/co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. “BIOHAZARD has always been a mixture of our personalities, passion, chaos and angst that makes us who we are,” says vocalist and guitarist Billy Graziadei. “It’s this energy that comes out of us when we’re together that is BIOHAZARD.” Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, METALLICA, SEVENDUST, KORN) was brought in to produce the 13-track “Reborn In Defiance”, which was recorded in Los Angeles.
STICK TO YOUR GUNS The band is recording with Jason Livermore and Bill Stevenson at the helm, at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO with an early spring release expected. The band recently released a single, “Bringing You Down (A New World Overthrow)” featuring a vocal contribution from Karl Schwartz of FIRST BLOOD. The song is a perfect representative of the bands newly focused and renewed direction, mixing hardcore, melody and quite frankly, some of the best and most passionate lyrics around in this genre. Next to the new THE GHOST INSIDE record, fans should expect this to be one of the years best releases.
EVERY TIME I DIE Everyone’s favorite dirty swagger, southern tinged hardcore band ETID have been at it again. Ripping up stages once again and debuting, while opening for a less than impressive GWAR, a new track tentatively titled “Underwater Bimbos From Outerspace”. It keeps the trademark sound the band are known for and if the song is any indication as to where any new material is headed, we are in for one hell of a record! Going out on their own headline tour in the first few months of 2012 (with TERROR, STRAY FROM THE PATH and FORMER THIEVES) it is unclear if and when they will actually record and release a new record, but fingers crossed it would most likely be late summer/fall.
ARCHITECTS (UK) Are Brighton, UK’s sons working on a new full length? The release of the “Devil’s Island” two track single would lead many to believe, yes. They start off 2012 with a major European tour with RISE AGAINST. Let’s hope they make time to record a full length this year.
As you can tell, 2012 is shaping up to be a huge year for quality releases. Other bands to watch out for this coming year include CATALEPSY, the possible reformation/reunion of xAFBx, MY TICKET HOME, KING CONQUER, KILLWHITNEYDEAD, CHELSEA GRIN and many more. Don’t be shy. Don’t be cheap. Go see you’re favorite bands when they come through your town. Shake their hands. Buy their merch. Buy a cd. If it’s only in your budget to buy just one a month, do it. Make it count. -Jon Hole
