THE DAMNED THINGS — what are they? Why are they? These are questions NO ONE ever asks. And yet, here we are... 9 wee years ago, Scott Ian - guitarist, beard-man and co-founder of legendary thrash metal outfit, ANTHRAX - took a meeting with the lowly Joe Trohman (also a guitarist, and a co-founder, of the band FALL OUT BOY). While Joe had no beard to speak of, he and Scott hit it off, and started making songs together. Weird, right? Well, they both love Thin Lizzy, and catchy, dirty rock ’n roll music — and doggone, they were going to make some of that greasy stuff! So, with the help of Cross Fit enthusiast/drummer Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy) and the sensual yet sardonically irreverent vocals of Keith Buckley(EVERY TIME I DIE), The Damned Things were formed. Some other guys played other instruments too at some point — and that’s all fine, IF THIS WERE A DANG BOOK! All that matters is that Dan Andriano of ALKALINE TRIO is on bass now. The Damned Thing’s first album in 8 years - HIGH CRIMES - comes out April 2019 on NUCLEAR BLAST. Why make a record 8 years later? It wasn’t planned, that was for sure. But the lore goes: Joe Trohman started writing songs secretly, scantily clad and afraid. He then played them for the rest of the band. They said “Ok, I guess we’ll make this.” Then everyone texted their parts over to producer Jay Ruston and...VOILA! 2019, what a time to be alive!

There was a time when rock radio was dominated by great riffs. From Deep Purple’s “Smoke On the Water” and Derek And The Dominoes’ “Layla” to Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of” it was all about that unmistakable guitar sound that instantly identified a band or song. The members of Crobot have united to bring that back. Blending funk, blues, metal and good old-fashioned rock and roll into a howling vortex of Yeagley’s vocals and Bishop’s guitar, Crobot have crafted an album of endless good time rock hooks that sound as inspired today as they would have on AOR radio in 1974.

Belief can be a powerful thing. When shared even among a small group, possibilities remain endless. That brings us to He Is Legend’s fifth full-length offering, few [Spinefarm Records]. The communal faith belonging to a cadre of musicians, artists, and fans brought the collection to life. That’s why the title, a nod to Madame Helena Blavatsky’s occult treasure The Voice of the Silence, feels so cosmically apropos for the Wilmington, NC quartet—Schuylar Croom [vocals], Adam Tanbouz [lead guitar], Matty Williams [bass], and Denis Desloge [guitar].

Hailing from Chicago, Bubbles Erotica is a driven, passionate and charismatic 4-piece hard rock band. The band set out to develop an eclectic blend of rock androll, unleashing a few weapons within their arsenal: fuzz distortion, war-beat drum patterns, granitic riffs and powerful vocals. The band strikes with a sonic assault that offers a great compromise between energy and melody.