Bad Religion

Bad Religion is a punk band from Los Angeles, California, known for poignant, erudite lyrics, and biting social commentary. The band was formed in 1980 by high school students Greg Graffin (vocals), Jay Bentley (bass guitar), Jay Ziskrout (drums), and Brett Gurewitz (guitar). In 1981, they released their eponymous debut EP on their own newly-formed label, Epitaph , managed and owned by Gurewitz. 1982 saw the release of their first full-length album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?  which gained them a sizable following. During the recording, Ziskrout left the band and was replaced by Peter Finestone.

What followed their debut, was an amazing thirty year career in music spanning 15 studio albums and countless live shows. While their line-up has seen a few changes over the years, what has not changed is their authentic and credible approach to punk rock, which can be traced through the Greg Graffin’s continually challenging lyrics. In 2010, the band released 15th studio album ‘The Dissent of Man’, celebrating the beginning of their third decade as a band. An incredible feat, and we’re thrilled to have them on the roster for online press.

Former Ghosts

Former Ghosts is the collaborative synthpop project of Freddy Ruppert, formerly of This Song is a Mess But So Am I. The band is also comprised of Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza and TEARIST’s Yasmine Kittles. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this brutally gloomy project, who released their debut album ‘Fleurs’ on Upset the Rhythm in 2009.

It wasn’t until their second album ‘New Love’, also on Upset the Rhythm, that Former Ghosts joined Division for print press. This record sees the band move into darker territory still, albeit with a pop sheen that wasn’t present on its predecessor. There’s no doubt that Ruppert has continued to grow as an artist with every new release, and ‘New Love’ is surely his most accomplished work to date.

Foxy Shazam

Citing influences as varied as Marvin Gaye, Queen, The Stooges, Elton John and “Born To Run”-era Bruce Springsteen, Foxy Shazam have been creating unique, genre-defying music since they formed in 2004.  From the anthemic “Unstoppable” to doo wop power ballad “Bye Bye Symphony” , the swooning “Connect Me,” and Rob Cavallo produced, Justin Hawkins featuring “Count Me Out”,  Foxy Shazam is an amalgam of blues, soul, and brash pop bound by a no holds barred punk-rock aesthetic.

Sublime With Rome

Early in 2010, the legendary Sublime officially announced their return to the stage with new frontman Rome. Their first outing in 14 years, a sold out spring theatre tour run, was followed by a televised performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live where the band showcased their first new song written together, ‘Panic.’ The band launched their first full scale U.S. tour earlier this summer. In addition to performing ‘Panic’ on tour, the band has been performing songs from Sublime’s back catalog, many of which have actually never been performed live before.

Rome, a 21-year-old northern California native, was introduced to Gaugh and Wilson in 2008. Last year, a handful of jam sessions led to an impromptu show at a small club in Nevada flooring a packed-house crowd. The trio played several further shows together before officially announcing themselves as Sublime With Rome. Rome is currently featured on the chart-topping Dirty Heads breakout single ‘Lay Me Down.’ Co-written with the band, ‘Lay Me Down’ broke Billboard chart records holding the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks, as an independent release.

One of the most notable and successful ska-punk bands of all time, Sublime has sold over 17 million albums worldwide with the group’s music remaining in constant radio rotation across the country. Influential Los Angeles rock radio station KROQ has listed Sublime as the #3 act in their annual “biggest bands” list for the last six years in a row with the single ‘Date Rape’ ranking as the all-time most requested song at the station. To this day, the group’s multi-platinum landmark debut album ‘40oz. to Freedom,’ lo-fi follow up ‘Robbin’ the Hood,’ and multi-platinum self-titled major label debut (a virtual greatest hits set in itself) are all widely regarded as music collection staples. Formed in Long Beach in 1988, Sublime’s final performance was in the spring of 1996.

What Now

Originating from South Africa, Tyron Layley (vocals/bass), Ryan Morris (vocals/guitar), Adam Jenkins (drums) created WHAT NOW in Ballito, a small coastal town just north of Durban.

Soon after forming, WHAT NOW quickly developed a strong set of songs; realising they had crafted a sound that could appeal across the board, it was essential for them to take these songs and play them to the masses. Gig offers began to pour in and after a series of impressive shows, they caught the attention of festival promoters and national radio stations. Profiled festival slots and national radio play followed which increased their fan base overnight. WHAT NOW suddenly became one of the hottest bands in SA but naturally felt separated from the rest of the world. They felt drawn to take their band elsewhere to expand the band’s popularity internationally.

WHAT NOW relocated to the UK, settled into jobs and took some time out from band duties to become familiar with their new surroundings. In the summer of 2009 the band started to get attention from London industry folk and began to prepare for their debut release in the UK.

The songs which feature on ‘Take Control’ (the debut EP) are quite simply infectious, melodic and with the ability to appeal to the masses. After one listen you’d be forgiven for thinking the tracks were recorded in some fancy London studio… but you’d be wrong. The entire EP was made in a bedroom.  The release was produced entirely by the band themselves then mixed and recorded by vocalist/bassist Tyron Layley.

Cradle of Filth

Never shy of embracing the epic, Cradle of Filth have constantly sought to push the boundaries of their art. Whether through elaborately theatrical stage shows (incorporating giant lumbering puppets, fire-breathing dancers, freaks and stilt-walkers from the notorious Circus Of Horrors), provocative merchandise (including the now legendary ‘Jesus Is A C***’ t-shirt), breathtaking artwork or the weighty subject matter of their albums (their previous one was a concept album telling the story of a French Lord who fought alongside Joan Of Arc, before embarking on a horrific killing spree), this is a band who have refused to be confined by the labels that have been placed on them.

The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years‘ 2010 album ‘The Upsides’ is a record about hope. During the past year, The Wonder Years found themselves trudging through their early twenties alongside an army of downtrodden friends. It felt like sadness had become the status quo and that didn’t sit well with them. On a bike ride around the fountain at Logan Circle in their hometown of Philadelphia on the first day of spring, the idea struck that this constant state of defeat was no way to live and out of that, ‘The Upsides’ was born. Instead of a writing format derived from the ideas of one member, The Wonder Years built a record out of opposing influences, colossal arguments and gallons of sweat. In writing ‘The Upsides’, The Wonder Years have created a soundtrack for the hopeful.

Pantera

Pantera found its growl and groove on COWBOYS FROM HELL, a landmark album whose bone-powdering intensity, razor-sharp riffing and pummeling rhythmic assault represented a turning point in modern metal when it was released in 1990. More than just Pantera’s major label debut, many consider this album to be the official debut of the Pantera lineup with singer Philip Anselmo, guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Rex Brown.

To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of COWBOYS FROM HELL, Rhino rounds up a three-disc Ultimate Edition, a three-disc Deluxe Edition, and a two-disc Expanded Edition. All three editions include a newly remastered version of the original album along with unreleased and rare live performances from the “Cowboys From Hell” Tour.

The Ultimate and Deluxe Editions will also feature a disc of unreleased demos for nearly every album track, plus, “The Will To Survive,” a previously unreleased song recorded during album’s sessions.

“’The Will To Survive’ is a great track. With so many killer songs, it was hard to pick and choose the ones that should make our major label debut,” says Paul. “After hearing it for the first time in about 20 years, it’s a pretty stellar performance and I am definitely proud that it will see the light of day for all the die hard Pantera fans around the world! It shows the true musical diversity of the band at that time!”

The Deluxe and Expanded Editions of COWBOYS FROM HELL will be released September at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.co.uk

The Ultimate Edition will feature all three discs included in the Deluxe Edition and will be housed in an intricate box including several replica memorabilia pieces from the Cowboys era. The Ultimate Edition will be available in November.

Along with the remastered version of COWBOYS FROM HELL, all three sets include a disc of live music recorded during the tour for the album. It begins with seven unreleased performances from Pantera’s September 15, 1990 appearance at the Foundations Forum metal convention in California, a show recorded for radio broadcast but never released commercially. The remainder of the disc contains the five-song EP Alive And Hostile, a collection of performances recorded in 1991 at the Monsters of Rock festival in Moscow that was previously available only in Australia as part of a 1994 boxed set.

The Ultimate and Deluxe Editions of COWBOYS FROM HELL include a third disc that contains the previously unreleased “The Will To Survive,” along with demos for 10 of the album’s 12 songs, including early versions of the title track, “Psycho Holiday,” “The Art Of Shredding” and “Cemetery Gates.”

After being turned down “twenty-eight times by every major label on the face of the earth,” ATCO Records A&R rep Mark Ross saw the band when Hurricane Hugo stranded him in Texas. The rest, as they say, is history, including another seven years and over a million miles of touring for COWBOYS to be certified Platinum (one million album sales) by the RIAA.

The album’s liner notes include essays by each of the band’s surviving members, producer Terry Date, and the aforementioned Ross. Recalling the first time he saw Pantera, Ross writes, “By the end of the first song, my jaw was on the floor. The sonic power of it all—the attitude and the musicianship—blew me away. Basically, you had to be an idiot to not think they’re amazing. I mean, how could you see these guys and not think, Holy shit!?”