Brooklyn punk band SAVAK announce their new album Human Error / Human Delight, and a Spring tour, with multiple dates in the NY Metro area.
SAVAK, photo by Taylor Sesselman.
The band is led by Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski, and Matt Shulz on drums. Jaworski and Habibion have both been doing singing and songwriting together since the band was created in 2015.
All the members played in bands in the 90s, which helps them reform their sound, as touches of the scene are heard in their music.
The album art for SAVAK’s Human Error/Human Delight.
SAVAK have released a number of singles ahead of the album’s release, which is set to come out April 15. The title of the album comes from the fascination of just existing as a human. The newest release, “No Blues No Jazz,” speaks of what life would be if genres didn’t exist. The album was written over Zoom, and grapples with the idea of creating an album during a pandemic, and if it is justified.
The group have also announced a Spring tour, with many NY metro dates, and tickets to that can be found here.
SAVAK LIVE 2022 Fri. Mar. 4 – Providence, RI – TBD
Sat. Mar. 5 – Northampton, MA – Bishop’s Lounge*
Wed. Mar. 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Thu. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Fri. Mar. 18 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Sat. Mar. 19 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Thu. Apr. 7 – Brooklyn, NY – Littlefield #+
Fri. Apr. 8 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s #
Sat. Apr. 9 – Lowell, MA – The Town and the City Festival (early show)
Sat. Apr. 9 – Boston, MA – Midway Cafe #
Fri. May 13 – Philadelphia, PA – TBD +
Sat. May 14 – Washington, DC – TBD +
Fri. Oct. 21 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge !
* w/Pays P. # w/Chris Brokaw + w/Upper Wilds ! w/June of 44
In light of the fact that COVID-19 and its variants are going to be with us for the foreseeable future, bands and concert venues are trying to adapt in order to keep the curtains raised. One particular challenge was on clear display Wednesday night for the Thursday and Cursive show at Irving Plaza, when positive COVID tests amongst three of the four bands on the bill threatened to cancel the show. Instead of making the easier (yet painful) decision to cancel dates on the tour for a second time, the bands came together to put on a truly memorable night at Irving Plaza for the veteran emo bands.
Thursday at Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour was originally announced back in November 2021 and was set to feature Thursday as the headliner with Cursive, Jeremy Enigk and The Appleseed Cast providing the support. Cursive have toured with Thursday on and off since the 00’s; the two bands’ stage presence complement each other quite well and one could find an equal number of Cursive and Thursday T-ees throughout Irving. The first show was scheduled for 1/6 in Virginia but the Omicron surge late in 2021 forced the postponement of the first couple weeks of shows, leading to an opening night on 1/19 in Detroit. As a result, Jeremy Enigk was forced to drop off the bill but was replaced by Nate Bergman (solo) from Lionize.
Tim Kasher of Cursive. Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Cursive was the only band to be spared from any positive COVID tests and were thus the only band to play a full set with all their members. Bergman performed solo and The Appleseed cast was whittled down to mostly a solo set from frontman Chris Crisci. Chris admitted on one song that he roughly recorded a backing drum track right before the show and was later joined by Bergman on guitar and Cursive frontman Tim Kasher on drums for a noisy jam to end the set. At this point in the show, even though it was clear all aspects were being put together on the fly, the two opening acts had done it so successfully that had you been unfamiliar with the music you would have never known.
Cursive took the stage to an enormously warm welcome from the Irving Plaza crowd. Not many bands from the emo/hardcore heyday of the 2000s are still touring (let’s call the upcoming When We Were Young festival an outlier for the time being) but Cursive have released two solid LPs in recent years and still garner support from fans all over the world. Their blend of horns and strings with emo and hardcore was unique back in the 2000s and remains to be so today. Featuring an electric cello, brass horns, keys, and Tim Kasher’s eclectic vocal delivery all blend together to create an infectious “baroque-emo-core.” Cursive played a career-spanning set featuring Ugly Organ tracks “Art is Hard” and “Gentleman Caller” as well as personal favorite “The Martyr” from 2003’s Domestica.
Cursive at Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photos by Buscar Photo
Right before Thursday kicked off their set, frontman Geoff Rickly came out on stage to let the crowd know what was going on. He explained that guitarist Norman Brannon had tested positive and that instead of cancelling the show they decided to “play a basement hardcore show at Irving Plaza.” Several of the touring guitar techs were tasked with learning as many of the guitar tracks as they could and they filled in throughout the show, including on the opener with War All The Time’s “For The Workforce, Drowning.” Thursday made their name in the NJ/NYC DIY hardcore scene so the band was channeling their roots to come through for the fans who came out.
Thursday at Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Thursday closed the main set at Irving Plaza with their emo anthem “Understanding In A Car Crash” and while a very recognizable guitar track was missing, the void was filled by a guest vocal appearance from Wax Idols singer, Heather Fortune. This show had every reason and excuse to be cancelled, but the will to make it work created one of the more memorable shows NYSM has seen in quite some time. Nate Bergman showed off his vocal prowess, Chris Crisci stripped down The Appleseed cast to its bare songwriting genius and jammed out with Tim Kasher, Cursive held down the fort with a perfect dose of nostalgia, and Thursday sounded as heavy and emotional as ever even if our ears were tingling with missing guitar notes. The crowd provided all the energy needed to overcome COVID in a very typical 2000’s way.
Thursday at Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour is continuing on as planned with a couple shows in New England before the bands return to New York for a show at The Paramount in Huntington. A big hometown show for Thursday is planned at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ for 2/27. Nate Bergman will continue to open the shows until Jeremy Enigk rejoins the bill in February. Find the full itinerary HERE and check out our full photo gallery below.
Cursive at Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photos by Buscar Photo
Thursday at Irving Plaza, 1/26/22. Photos by Buscar Photo
Following Umphrey’s McGee’s show at the Palace Theatre on Saturday, January 22, bassist Ryan “Little King” Stasik, World’s Okayest Bass Player, joined with a trio of Buffalonians for a heavy post show at Empire Underground as Death Kings. Aqueous guitarist Uncle Mike “Muerto” Gantzer, former Turkuaz drummer Michelangelo “Ox” Carubba, and guitarist Brett Fernway channeled metal and alternative from the 1990s at their fourth show as a band.
In a venue that Stefon would rave about – “Albany’s hottest coldest place for hardcore fusions jams is Empire Underground. They’ve got everything – an entrance down a parking garage ramp, cement walls, PBR for days, and look in the corner, is that a wook? No, those are Gremlins, and not the Gizmo kind.” Yes, Empire Underground was the place to be post-Umphrey’s McGee.
Opening with Harvey Danger’s 90’s anthem “Flagpole Sitta” gave the audience a taste of what was to come, with deep shredding metal, especially on the original “Suicide Tuesday.” Stasik noted that even though it was their fourth show as a band, it “feels better every time.” Death Kings is the post show of choice if your prog metal needs aren’t met. Ween’s “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night” stood out among an original filled setlist, as the band pushed past 3am and into the cold of Sunday morning.
Setlist: March, 86, Flagpole Sitta, Dead Memories, Cyco, Flom, Welcome 2 Hell, It’s Gonna be a Long Nite, Suicide Tuesday, Easgles, Territorial Pissings, Burn Enemy, Fuck Authority, Bad Mouth, Disembodied Encore: Breed, Blackout, Fight
NYC is a melting pot of musical genres, and is the breeding ground for some of the most creative acts that our country has to offer. There’s everything from horror punk, thrash, doom, stoner, and much, much more. One of those genres is called horror punk, and within that genre tag is Cut Like This, a band who have recently released a single for their incredibly catchy song, “The Boogeyman.”
Cut Like This features Rose Blood on vocals, guitarist Thorn Black, and Corey Carver on bass guitar; together they take influence from artists like Wednesday 13, Shulla, Phantasmagoria, In This Moment, Dir En Grey, Korn, Nothingface, Jack Off Jill, and many more.
When asked about this new song, Rose Blood says:
“The Boogeyman” was really fun to write and we tried a lot of new things with this track, including adding synths to it, as well as collaborating with our friend Xian Murder of the Amatory Murder, who helped us record it and helped produce it. It was inspired by my real life issues with insomnia, with mythologies and films centered around the idea of the Boogeyman, especially our favorite Boogeyman of all, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm street.
Rose Blood, Cut Like This
The synth work is something that fans of their self titled first album will consider new, but their addition helps to give Cut Like This a fuller sound, and is a perfect compliment to what they are doing in “The Boogeyman.”
Aside from the addition of synth, one of the most notable influences stems from Wednesday 13, whose work with Joey Jordison in the Murderdolls, and as a solo artist, helps to fuel “The Boogeyman;” it’s difficult to not hear that influence on the vocals and guitar riffs.
“The Boogeyman” is a cool horror punk song, and if you like the original you should also check out the remix done by Angelspit. You can find the original here, and the remix link is also available for viewing below. So get on it, and show Cut Like This some love by liking and following them on all of their social media accounts.
Buffalo metalcore legends Every Time I Die announced their split across social media on Monday, January 17. The split comes with some controversy as members Jordan Buckley, Andy Williams, Stephen Micciche, and Clayton “Goose” Holyoak released a statement separate from lead singer Keith Buckley.
Every Time I Die Photo by Michael Watson
Every Time I Die started back in 1998 and is an American metalcore band in Buffalo. Over the years they have released nine studio albums including their latest album Radical which dropped on October 22, 2021. Their latest lineup consisted of Jordan Buckley, lead guitarist (1998–2022), Andy Williams, rhythm guitarist (1998–2022), Stephen Micciche, bassist (2001–2005, 2011–2022), Clayton “Goose” Holyoak , drums (2017–2022), and Keith Buckley, lead singer (1998–2022).
The band’s split was announced originally on Jordan Buckley’s twitter saying, “Andy, Jordan, Steve and Goose’s last show with Every Time I Die was on Dec 11, 2021. While we hoped to come to an agreed upon legal statement that outlined the truth, we were informed today of something planned to be released not mutually agreed upon that consists of inaccuracies and controls a narrative to benefit one.” The post continued saying that the band was not going to be replacing their singer and that they are forever grateful for their fans. The post also touched on some of the reasons behind the split saying, “There has been no direct communication with Keith, because it’s either impossible for direct communication with him solely or we’ve been cut off to any and all communication by him himself. Every Time I Die was these 5 members, and we were never budging or accepting any changes.”
Keith Buckley responded to his former bandmates by posting a legal notice given to him in late December and by speaking his truth on what went down with the separation of the band on January 19, 2022. Prior to the split, Keith Buckley was currently on a break from the band for his own mental health. He stated on his twitter that this needed hiatus was due to talks from his bandmates replacing him, in particular his brother. He spoke on why he prioritized his mental health over the band after the band made an “official statement” indicating that they would finish the tour without their singer which has since been deleted. Keith Buckley said back on December 3, 2022 that his experience was quite different from the statement and that “while meditating in a side room yesterday I overheard my own brother tell an outsider that ETID had been in talks to replace me this entire time. I thought they were my biggest supporters. but Jordan had lied. his concern was a cruel trick. their statement is proof.”
while meditating in a side room yesterday I overheard my own brother tell an outsider that ETID had been in talks to replace me this entire time. I thought they were my biggest supporters. but Jordan had lied. his concern was a cruel trick. their statement is proof.
Steve Miccich chimed in on January 19, 2022 saying it was actually Keith Buckley who wanted Jordan Buckley out of the band and that there were a lot of complications while on tour that played into the decision to split but that it was what was needed in the end. You can read the entire thread here. He said, “I know some people don’t want the fairy tail ruined, but the band is a business. And the 4 of us rightfully so, were setting boundaries and protecting our interests. That’s it. That’s all that is. And for this to have even gotten to where it is is soooo sad..”
Our MGR retired in June. There was a seamless transition to a new MGR who was formerly our day to day point woman. She was incredible at her job so we were all comfortable with her and all 5 agreed to bring her on board. Privately, and behind our backs, Keith made a call to her..
saying he wanted Jordan out of the band. Immediately, an internal rift started. We canceled a live stream event, canceled a video shoot. The band paid for therapy for them. After ONE session, ONE, Keith had convinced the band that he could continue on and keep the band rolling..
it’s not. Look, at some point, you have to take your own life back. There were completely irrational tweets sent out ruining the thing that EVERYONE in the band built. We read between the lines enough to come to the conclusion that Keith could and would continue without us…
Every Time I Die was originally supposed to head out on tour with Underoath and Spiritbox next month but it has been confirmed that new support will be announced on Monday January 24, 2022 by Underoath on their social media.
Slipknot, the notorious heavy metal band, will pass through Brooklyn and Albany this May. This information comes amidst the announcement of Knotfest Roadshow 2022. Special guests Cypress Hill and Ho99o9 are expected to join Slipknot amidst the second leg of their tour and will perform in the two New York venues.
Slipknot was first formed in 1995 in Des Moines, Iowa and their 1999 debut self-titled album propelled them to international fame, selling over two million US copies to date. Since then, the band has dominated the heavy metal scene for over twenty years. Their most recent studio album, We Are Not Your Kind, was released in 2019 and debuted at #1 in 12 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Mexico.
The Grammy-award-winning band announces their 2022 tour following the success of Knotfest Roadshow 2021, which sold out amphitheaters across the country. Moreover, Slipknot’s highly anticipated seventh studio album is expected to drop this year, and their 2021 single, “The Chapeltown Rag,” which debuted at Knotfest Los Angeles, has fans craving for more music. Former Knotfest attendees describe the event as an immersive, apocalyptic, and unforgettable experience.
Slipknot
Hip hop groups Cypress Hill and Ho99o9 are also set to follow Slipknot on the second leg of their tour and will be joining the band in Brooklyn and Albany. Cypress Hill initially gained notoriety from 90’s rap songs such as “Insane in the Brain” and “Hits from the Bong.” Since then the group has dabbled in numerous other genres and gained respect from the likes of rock legends Mike Shinoda and Tom Morello. To this day, the group remains a permanent staple of the 90s West Coast hip hop scene. Ho99o9, on the other hand, is a horrorcore rap group, more emblematic of the metal themes that Slipknot portrays. Their music is significantly more uproaring in the way it mirrors and pays respect to heavy metal vocals. The group may not be well known, but they have gained respect between the genres that they envelop, working with the likes of rapper GHOSTEMANE and industrial metal band 3TEETH.
Cypress Hill
Listed below are the tour dates and venues for Knotfest Roadshow 2022. Brooklyn will host the band at Barclays Center on May 20th and Albany will host the band at MVP Arena on May 24th.
Knotfest Roadshow 2022 LEG 1 – Slipknot w/ In This Moment & Jinjer
Wed Mar 16 Fargo, ND FARGODOME Fri Mar 18 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Sat Mar 19 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena Tue Mar 22 Memphis, TN FedExForum Wed Mar 23 Tulsa, OK BOK Center Fri Mar 25 North Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena Sat Mar 26 Durant, OK Choctaw Grand Theater Tue Mar 29 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC Wed Mar 30 N. Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum Fri Apr 01 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex Sat Apr 02 Reading, PA Santander Arena Mon Apr 04 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Wed Apr 06 Green Bay, WI Resch Center Thu Apr 07 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Sat Apr 09 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Mon Apr 11 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre Tue Apr 12 Regina, SK Brandt Centre Thu Apr 14 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre Fri Apr 15 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place Sun Apr 17 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Knotfest Roadshow 2022 LEG 2 – Slipknot w/ Cypress Hill and Ho99o9
Wed May 18 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center Fri May 20 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center Sat May 21 Providence, RI Dunkin’ Donuts Center Sun May 22 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena Tue May 24 Albany, NY MVP Arena Thu May 26 Montreal, QC Bell Centre Sat May 28 Québec, QC Videotron Centre Sun May 29 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre Mon May 30 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage Wed Jun 01 Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center Thu Jun 02 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena Sat Jun 04 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre Sun Jun 05 Moline, IL TaxSlayer Center Tue Jun 07 Bonner Springs, KS Azura Amphitheater Thu Jun 09 Colorado Springs, CO The Broadmoor World Arena Sat Jun 11 Nampa, ID Ford Idaho Center Mon Jun 13 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena Tue Jun 14 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater Fri Jun 17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Garden Arena Sat Jun 18 Chula Vista, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tickets for all Knotfest Roadshow 2022 dates go on sale at 10 AM local on Friday, January 21st, 2022 from KnotfestRoadshow.com. To stay updated on Knotfest Roadshow 2022, check out the official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
Hungarian Punk-Metal band The Hellfreaks are here to prove themselves with their cover of ‘Sabotage’ by NYC legends, the Beastie Boys.
Following their recent signing to Napalm Records and the release of their single ‘Old Tomorrow,’ the group have focused on finding ways to showcase their full potential. ‘Sabotage’ serves as the kickstart to their upcoming full-length album.
The four members of the group worked hard to find a sound that would work for all of them and they struck gold after agreeing to do a Beastie Boys cover. The song perfectly encapsulates each member’s musical prowess while allowing them to incorporate their own special twist.
We love to challenge ourselves and see this mindset as the oil for our engine, that is why we decided to do something we never did before – to cover a song that represents a legendary piece of rock music history.
The Hellfreaks
Instead of recording each part of the song instrument by instrument or section by section, it was recorded with all the members together. The method of live recording ensured that they would keep the essence of the Beastie Boys without making an exact replica of their hit song. As homage to the rap icons’ hometown pride, The Hellfreaks recorded the music video in their hometown of Budapest.
‘Sabotage’ is now available on youtube, all streaming platforms and at Napalm Records.
On Jan. 14, Long Island pop punk band, Lupopunk, released its second single, “Before You Go,” from their upcoming untitled EP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa9SudVKJG0
Lupopunk’s previously released single, “Don’t Think I Forgot About You” from their upcoming EP.
On “Before You Go,” Lupopunk delivers a vintage pop punk performance, one that was frozen in ice back in 2003 and made to be thawed out under the blazing studio lights of an MTV stage. Except that MTV doesn’t play music anymore and pop punk turned out to be a fad. Which complicates the whole ordeal. How do you judge a good single from an outdated genre that barely holds any cultural bearing? Or should it not even matter because art should exist for its own sake and not to please, serve, and/or be sold to an audience?
Lupopunk’s recorded their new single “Before You Go” with John Naclerio of Nada Recordings.
If you’re a fan of pop punk Lupopunk’s new single, “Before You Go” is like a fond childhood memory that triggers a rush of emotions and a longing for a time when all the things you loved were at the center of your world. The powerful guitar riffs with the emphatic chords, the angst-ridden vocals, the drums which demand attention all combine to make for a true “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” performance.
When I first started Lupopunk it was going to be just an acoustic project…[but] I started to record that and demo it and realized that I’m going to finally do my pop punk stuff.
Matty Lupinacci, Lupopunk front man
Lupopunk’s lead vocalist, Matty Lupinacci, a long-time staple of the Long Island punk scene, will perform live for the first time in 14 years on Saturday 1/15 at the Massapequa VFW Hall.
New York State has some of the finest bands in the U.S. From Clouds Taste Satanic, to Diluted, Wasted Space to Caustic, and Less than Hate, NYS knows how to throw down a heavy riff or three. With that in mind, our focus today is on a band from Troy, the immensely talented The Final Sleep.
The Final Sleep is a five piece that features founding members of Arsis (drummer Mike Van Dyne), Burning Human (bassist Jason Van DerVoort and guitarist Mike Stack), and Withstand (guitarist Kevin Maloney) joined by Jeff Andrews (guitar and vocals). Together they utilize melody, heavy riffs, sizzling lead guitar work, expertly performed vocals, and a ton of power in order to get their message across; they also throw in some progressive elements to bring their music up to new levels. Their upcoming album, Vessels of Grief, is due out February 4th.
I was shocked as I listened to Vessels of Grief for the first time, mainly because The Final Sleep hits upon several different genres, and manages to keep the record cohesive despite that. I can hear influences from viking metal, dark melodic metal like Witherfall, death metal, hardcore, and a bit of black metal; the band specifically states that they take influence from Opeth, Edge of Sanity, Control Denied, Amorphis, and Mercyful Fate/King Diamond.
The first single is called Screaming in Silence, and it’s easy to see why they chose this one to lead off with; it’s heavy, the vocals are incredible, and it has a serious Witherfall vibe thanks to those excellent vocals. A huge selling point for me are the heavy vocals, which ride the line between death metal and your standard metal vocals.
Tracks four and five, Soul in Between and Funeral Seed respectively, are everything that I love about heavy metal. The band utilizes a diverse approach in both tracks by incorporating dark and light, heavy and melodic, and it all hits like a ten ton hammer of awesomeness. There also seems to be a splash of black metal, particularly in Funeral Seed, but only as coloring for an already amazing piece of art; this one also has that Witherfall feel in its slower, clean sections, and in how the vocals are performed during them.
I would highly recommend The Final Sleep to any metalhead out there, without even taking their genre of choice into consideration, because Vessels of Grief hits so many sweet spots, and uses influences that are far ranging. This album will be one of New York’s finest metal releases.
