celebration back to the future: old Sepultura new again by Cavalera Conspiracy

Hot doggity, amigo, Max and Igor Cavalera answer their own question: What would those old Brazilian garage-bedroom thrash/death/black metal recordings sound like if the brothers re-recorded them in a proper studio with all the experience they have now?!

Cavalera Conspiracy - Bestial Devastation [EP - Re-recorded] (2023) - July 14, 2023 - Nuclear Blast Records

Cavalera Conspiracy - Morbid Visions [Re-recorded] (2023) - July 14, 2023 - Nuclear Blast Records

Personally, I still like the old recordings because that's how I hear them in my head, but I love the crazy idea of making the effort to give those old songs a better production. At least it piques one's curiosity. Anyway, the new recordings sound wonderful, and it's fun to hear that they can still get down and boogie in that raw thrash/death/black metal style. Now it's fancy. Come to think of it, maybe it's a bit too fancy, and I don't think I'm quite this fancy.

I'm more like that guy hanging out every day at the Burger King street corner in Everett, the one who always has dried-up ketchup on his shirt, eating his good old trusty Whopper and asking if you can spare a dollar for his next one—because really, that's pretty much all I think about: eating and when my next nap is. In other words, these fancy new recordings are great. I love it, top notch, good job, thumbs up, you guys, you hit it out of the park! But just so you know, I'm not going to stop listening to those original Sepultura recordings. The old ones sound just fine to me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with those 1985–1986 sessions where the band tracked everything in a couple of days, got it done, got out, and the job was finished, but you crazy kids always looking for next fancy shiny thing to play with. Here you go. I might join you for a bit, but then I gotta go. My next Whopper awaits.

CAVALERA - Bestial Devastation (OFFICIAL FULL ALBUM STREAM)

CAVALERA - Morbid Visions (OFFICIAL FULL ALBUM STREAM)

celebrating the anniversary of Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction

July 14, 1992, marks the official street date for Megadeth’s massive fifth studio album, Countdown to Extinction, dropped via Capitol Records. This landmark release stands as the second studio effort to showcase the legendary line-up of Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, David Ellefson, and Nick Menza. The album delivered some of the band's most iconic, career-defining anthems, including "Symphony of Destruction," "Sweating Bullets," and "Skin o' My Teeth," all of which got significant airplay. I think fans to this day want to hear these hits!

Countdown to Extinction was met with widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its sharp, politically charged lyricism and a more streamlined, hard-hitting sonic direction compared to the hyper-technical thrash of Rust in Peace. The record made a massive commercial impact, debuting at Number 2 on the Billboard 200. It went on to achieve double-platinum status and earned a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards, while the title track itself took home the Humane Society's Genesis Award for spotlighting animal rights. Wikipedia points out that to honor the record's legacy, Megadeth launched a special 20th-anniversary tour in 2012 where they performed the masterpiece in its entirety, accompanied by a deluxe reissue later that November and a definitive live album chronicle in September 2013.

I like this album, it's Megadeth!

Megadeth - Architecture Of Aggression

remembering Megadeth drummer Gar Samuelson

Gary Charles Samuelson (February 18, 1958 - July 14, 1999) is most known as the 1980s drummer for Megadeth: 1984 Last Rites (demo); 1985 Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!; 1986 Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?. The Metal Archives shows that he worked with: Megadeth, Fatal Opera, Metalist, and The New Yorkers. Personally, I like Gar's work with Megadeth a lot. A reviewer on The Metal Archives named BlackMetal213 observes things to be this way: "He was a skilled drummer playing in jazz fusion bands before and the jazz influence in his drumming is completely obvious here. He was probably the most skilled drummer Megadeth ever employed, dare I say."

Megadeth - Mechanix [Original 1985 Studio Recording]

in memory of bassist Dave Z

David Zablidowsky (June 29, 1979 – July 14, 2017), known affectionately throughout the rock and metal community as Dave Z, had a diverse musical legacy. According to The Metal Archives, his extensive bass work spanned numerous prominent projects, including Adrenaline Mob, Legend, October Thorns, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Chris Caffery, Doctor Butcher, S.O.T.O., and ZO2. The database specifically tracks his 2017 contribution to Adrenaline Mob's final chapter, on the "King of the Ring" single, the "Chasing Dragons" single, and the full-length studio album We the People.

ADRENALINE MOB - King Of The Ring (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

in memory of Cinderella guitarist Jeff LaBar

In the world of rock and metal music, guitarist Jeffrey Philip LaBar (March 18, 1963 – July 14, 2021) is best known for his work with the long-running American blues-infused hard rock band Cinderella. His primary discography with the band spans four celebrated studio albums: Night Songs (1986), Long Cold Winter (1988), Heartbreak Station (1990), and Still Climbing (1994). Outside of Cinderella, LaBar released the solo effort One for the Road (2014), recorded with Naked Beggars (Naked Beggars in 2003 and Spit It Out in 2005), and played with Freakshow on their self-titled 2009 debut.

While their debut Night Songs broke into massive commercial success on rock radio and MTV, it is the sophomore record Long Cold Winter that really let the cat out of the bag. It showcased a serious love for the blues, and in a surprisingly cunning maneuver, wove those roots seamlessly with a classic 1980s heavy rock production. The result was the sound of a band reborn and renewed, standing out in a major way from the dominant, lightweight poodle rock of the era.

Cinderella - Gypsy Road

brutal death metal anniversary: Suffocation - Blood Oath

According to The Metal Archives, July 14, 2009, is the release date for this particular South American version of the album: Suffocation – Blood Oath (2009, CD, Mutilation Productions). The original first pressing listed on the database dropped earlier that month on July 3, 2009, via Nuclear Blast Records.

The factory settings recommend that Suffocation always sounds best when played loud. Furthermore, in controlled lab tests, there have been observed cases of spontaneous mosh pits breaking out among listeners reacting to the heavy slams. You may want to consult a physician before beginning a strenuous regimen of Suffocation mosh pit activity, especially if you are 35 years of age or older. Some pain medication may help with body aches.

Frank Mullen vocals - Terrance Hobbs guitars - Guy Marchais guitars - Derek Boyer bass - Mike Smith drums

Suffocation - Pray for Forgiveness

death metal vocalist-drummer Mike Browning

Pioneering death metal vocalist and drummer Michael George Browning (May 26, 1964 – July 13, 2026) has passed away. Best known as a co-founder of Morbid Angel and the mastermind behind the sci-fi technical death metal band Nocturnus, his work on releases like The Key (1990) was notable in the Florida death metal scene. While some early database updates noted July 12, official reports and label confirmations mark his passing on July 13, 2026. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Browning left an massive footprint across underground metal. His extensive musical legacy includes work with Nocturnus AD, After Death, Acheron, Incubus, Backlash, Lisa the Wolf, Devine Essence, Argus, Lethal Prayer, Voodoo Gods, Headshock, Heretic, Ice, and his solo project, Mike Browning's Inner Workings.

Nocturnus - Andromeda Strain (Official Audio)

in memory of producer Michael James Jackson

American record producer, engineer, and composer Michael James Jackson (June 20, 1945 – July 13, 2022) is best known in the rock and metal community for producing Kiss during landmark albums like Creatures of the Night (1982) and Lick It Up (1983). Throughout his career, Jackson’s studio work earned him eight gold and six platinum record awards. His diverse resume included engineering and production work for heavy metal and hard rock acts like Armored Saint's debut full-length March of the Saint (1984), in addition to L.A. Guns, and Hurricane, as well as Red Rider and Pablo Cruise. He also frequently collaborated with prominent songwriters and artists, including Paul Stanley, Paul Williams, Jesse Colin Young, Hoyt Axton, and Lauren Wood. Jackson passed away at age 77 on July 13, 2022, in Los Angeles due to complications from COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Kiss - Creatures Of The Night (Visualizer)

Harry Potter black metal anniversary: Slytherin - Has Only Just Begun

The themes of Harry Potter become the sound of atmospheric epic black metal. The Metal Archives says that this is a duo from Los Angeles, California, USA, and their names are Sirius and Paul. Let's go, it's Harry Potter and black metal! Expect midtempo melodic music, and in a few spots there is some melodic singing from what seems to be a guest who is not named nor mentioned.

Slytherin - Has Only Just Begun - July 13, 2024

1. Has Only Just Begun (Part I. Intro) 02:48

2. A Silver Light In the Darkness of Night 03:38

3. The Unforgivable Spells 05:25

4. Four 04:00

5. Forbidden Forest (Part II) 03:34

6. Quidditch (Medieval Folk Version) 02:42

7. We Are the Serpents 04:02

8. Winter Wind 04:04

9. Hoggy Warty Hogwarts 03:48

10. Has Only Just Begun (Part II. Outro) 04:21

total time 38:22

Has Only Just Begun by Slytherin

album anniversary: Dokken - Hell to Pay

I like this album, and a reviewer named hells_unicorn on The Metal Archives seems to agree, even if he is a bit too negative in the assessment. He says, in part:

All around, the collection of songs on here is pretty solid, though stylistically a tad bit inconsistent. When you listen to high octane speed songs like “Don’t Bring Me Down”, coated with brilliant lead guitar breaks and agitated riffs in the vain of “Tooth And Nail”, or catchy mid-tempo rock that hearkens back pretty heavily to classic “Back For The Attack” style ass kicking, you’re certain that this album is going for a retro sound. But then you throw in darker though still heavily catchy and fun songs like “Escape” and “Better Off Before” and you have a hard time believing that it’s the same album, though Don Dokken’s vocals act as a pretty effective anchor in this respect. If there is one song that really captures the duality at work here, it would be the opener “The Last Goodbye”, which somewhat loosely resembles the atmosphere of “Dysfunctional”, but presents a riff set that is more intricate and attention grabbing.

Dokken - Hell to Pay - July 13, 2004 - T&T Records

Don Dokken lead vocals - Jon Levin guitars - Barry Sparks bass, backing vocals - Mick Brown drums, backing vocals

1. The Last Goodbye 04:37

2. Don't Bring Me Down 03:24

3. Escape 04:37

4. Haunted 03:40

5. Prozac Nation 04:32

6. Care for You 04:11

7. Better Off Before 03:01

8. Still I'm Sad 04:37

9. I Surrender 03:03

10. Letter to Home 04:28

11. Can You See 04:09

12. Care for You (unplugged version) 03:59

total time 48:18

Dokken - Don't Bring Me Down

album anniversary: Wytch Hazel - II: Sojourn

Bandcamp shows that these visionaries of melodic classic rock heavy metal delivered their wonderful, excellent second album on July 13, 2018: "Our King He stands triumphant. No death shall not prevail. A reigning hero we call. King of all the land. A King that left His throne and, Gave us a sacrifice. That we may know Him and not. Sins enslaving vice (such a sacrifice). Victory is found in Thee. We were blind but now we see. Victory is found in Thee. We were blind but now we see. A gentle noble leader. The Lion and the Lamb. What royal gives His life all. For the sake of man. When He said 'It is finished'. A victory from the one.Eternal, final battle. That for us was won (that for us was won)."

Wytch Hazel - II: Sojourn - July 13, 2018 - Bad Omen Records

The Devil Is Here - Save My Life - Still We Fight - Wait on the Wind - See My Demons - Barrow Hill - Chorale - Slaves to Righteousness - Victory - Angel Take Me

II: Sojourn by Wytch Hazel

Happy birthday to Petra drummer Louie Weaver!

Born July 13, 1951, American drummer Adrian Louis Weaver III is best known as the long-time powerhouse behind the drum kit for the legendary foundational classic rock missionary band Petra (1972-present) from 1981 until 2001. Joining the lineup in time for their landmark 1982 album More Power to Ya, Weaver anchored the band's rhythm section through their most commercially successful and prolific eras. His steady precision and arena-ready drumming drove over twenty releases (according to Wikipedia), including More Power to Ya (1982), Not of this World (1983), This Means War! (1987), On Fire! (1988) and Beyond Belief (1990). That particular era, saw the band distinguish themselves with a hard rock and heavy metal sound! Across his core tenure lasting until 2001, Louie performed on standard studio records, live outputs, and acoustic projects spanning labels like StarSong and Word/Epic, later returning to record with the Classic Petra project in 2010.

Petra - Creed (Lyrics)

Happy birthday to Napalm Death vocalist Barney!

Born July 13, 1969, British extreme metal vocalist Mark Andrew "Barney" Greenway is best known as the longtime lead singer and primary lyricist for grindcore pioneers Napalm Death. He also notably served as a member of death metal band Benediction and crust punk/grindcore mainstays Extreme Noise Terror.

Napalm Death - Throwaway (Official Audio)

album anniversary: Sons of Liberty – Brush-Fires of the Mind (2010)

According to The Metal Archives, released on July 12, 2010, through Century Media Records, Brush-Fires of the Mind is the debut full-length studio album from Sons of Liberty—the politically charged solo project formed by Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer. The 45-minute, 9-track record heavily featured Schaffer handling the primary vocals, rhythm guitars, and drum programming. It was supported by studio guest contributions including bass by Ruben Drake, piano from Howard Helm, and guitar solos from Troy Seele and engineer/producer Jim Morris. The music is galloping heavy metal and it is rather catchy and thrashy, too.

Jon Schaffer's Sons Of Liberty - Don’t Tread On Me

black metal anniversary: Slechtvalk's album A Forlorn Throne

Released on July 12, 2010, via Whirlwind Records, A Forlorn Throne marks the fourth full-length studio album from Dutch symphonic black/death metal band Slechtvalk. Clocking in at just over 61 minutes, the 9-track release sees the band push deeper into a heavy, battle-driven melodic death/black metal direction. The album features standout epics like "Forsaken" and "Enthroned." The album remains highly regarded by fans, holding a strong 84% average score across reviews on The Metal Archives. I agree! I like this album, and I would give it a higher rating.

Slechtvalk - Forsaken

====

remembering legendary KISS drummer Eric Carr on birthday

Eric Carr (born Paul Charles Caravello; July 12, 1950 – November 24, 1991) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Kiss during their heaviest era. Joining the band in 1980 following the departure of Peter Criss, he adopted the stage name Eric Carr and designed his signature "The Fox" persona. Carr anchored the drum throne for over a decade, playing through the band's transition into the 1980s heavy metal landscape on albums like Creatures of the Night (1982) and Lick It Up (1983). He remained an active member of Kiss until his death from heart cancer in November 1991. Personally, I like many, many KISS albums, including all those albums with Eric Carr starting in 1982 until his death.

KISS - Exciter

remembering The Hidden Hand's Bruce Falkinburg

According to the information on The Metal Archives, Bruce Falkinburg (January 26, 1969 – July 12, 2022) was an American bassist, vocalist, and audio engineer born in Vincentown, New Jersey. He is best known as the bass player and co-vocalist for the heavy rock trio The Hidden Hand, working alongside guitarist/vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich from 2002 until the band's dissolution in 2007. Bruce performed on all of the band's major studio releases, including Divine Propaganda (2003), Mother Teacher Destroyer (2004), and The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (2007), as well as the 2025 archival release Live In Leipzig. Outside of performing, he was an audio engineer and producer who co-owned Phase Recording in College Park, Maryland, and later operated Bruce's Barn Studio. Falkinburg passed away at age 53 on July 12, 2022.

The Hidden Hand - The Crossing

remembering the late Jesse Pintado on his birthday

Born July 12, 1969, Jesse got his start in California with the legendary Terrorizer, laying down the riffs for their 1989 masterpiece World Downfall. Jesse moved to Birmingham, England, to join Napalm Death for the landmark album Harmony Corruption and worked with them until 2004. In addition, Jesse worked with extreme metal supergroups Lock Up and Brujeria and eventually revived Terrorizer for one last ride. Terrorizer!

Terrorizer - Storm of Stress (Official Audio)

Happy birthday to Within Temptation singer Sharon den Adel!

Born July 12, 1974, the brilliant Dutch singer and songwriter is best known as the iconic lead vocalist of symphonic metal giants Within Temptation. Performing since the age of 14, she co-founded the band in 1996 alongside her partner, Robert Westerholt. Fun fact for mainstream music fans: she was also elected as the Dutch chairperson of the jury for the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2018!

Within Temptation - Faster (Music Video)

Happy birthday drummer extraordinaire Jayson Sherlock!

The Metal Archives shows that drummer Jayson Sherlock was born on July 12, 1970. The site gives quite a list of bands and projects involving Jayson. He first came to fans' attention with Australian death metal missionaries Mortification, with whom he worked from 1990 to 1993, and recently rejoined in 2026. Aside from rejoining his original band, he actively plays drums for the brutal death metal band Revulsed. He has been a member of influential underground metal acts including Horde (a pioneering solo unblack metal project), Paramæcium (doom metal), and the thrash band Deliverance. He has lent his talent to numerous studio projects and live lineups over the years, including Light Force, InExordium, Altera Enigma, Soundscape, Ninth Sphere, Beheadoth, Generator, and Where Shadows Lie. Additionally, he has been a live session drummer for Teramaze and Fearscape.

Mortification - Brutal Warfare

shred guitar anniversary: Howe II - Now Hear This

Now Hear This is the second album by hard rock band Howe II, featuring both of the Howe brothers: Albert Howe on vocals, and the fretboard-incinerating guitar wizard, sonic magician, and master of disaster, Greg Howe on guitar. It looks like Howe II (two Howes in the same band, right?!) was active for only a couple of years. Their first album was called High Gear and was released in 1989. After this second album, it looks like the guitar maestro left Howe II in order to focus on his solo guitar career. Below is a sample song from Now Hear This, but check this out: On YouTube, some awesome people managed to find and upload a live concert of Howe II from back in the day! I am really enjoying watching this old concert, and on YouTube there are a couple of comments from people who actually got to see this shredding, rocking machine live back then, and they say it was an incredible show. Thank you to the people that uploaded the video and made it available for us to witness history.

Howe II: Now Hear This - July 1991 - Shrapnel Records

Fat Cat 4:18 - The Ride 3:48 - Now Hear This 4:46 - Motherlode 3:56 - Bigger the Bite 3:34 - Crowd Pleaser 4:08 - A Delicacy 2:05 - Tip of My Tongue 3:59 - Heart of a Woman 5:12 - A Few Good Men 3:36 - total length: 39:22.

Albert Howe lead vocals – Greg Howe guitar, background vocals, production – Mike Mani keyboard – Kevin Soffera drums, background vocals – Vern Parsons bass, background vocals - Steve Fontano engineering, production - Shawn Michael Morris engineering - Paul Stubblebine mastering - Mike Varney – production

Howe II: Crowd Pleaser

Howe II Electrifies the Stage at Musicians Institute

metalcore anniversary: Alove for Enemies' album Resistance

Alove for Enemies – Resistance - July 11, 2006 - Facedown Records

Track List: The Resistance - Tread On My Dreams - Hall Of Mirrors - Wishes For The Cloth Of Heaven - Call It Faith - EC-10 - Rise Of The Phoenix - Not Without Incident - Welcome To The Underground - Emotion Is Chaos - Will Of Father

Alove for Enemies was a heavy, chugging metalcore band from New York in the 2000s. They were well-known in the underground faith-based extreme music scene for blending heavy metallic breakdowns and raw, screeching vocals with melodic elements—something you will certainly find all over this album, Resistance. If you like ugly-face breakdown metallic hardcore, I think you are going to be making faces when you listen to this record.

Wikipedia information about the band : Alove for Enemies was a Christian hardcore band from Long Island, New York, US. They claim Shai Hulud, Darkest Hour, and Few Left Standing as their influences. The band was founded in 1999, and released their first six-song EP independently in 2000. The group was founded by singer Erich Barto and drummer A.J. Gonzalez. The band was signed to independent label Polytope records and toured twice under this label. After A.J. Gonzalez left the band, they replaced Gonzalez with Mike Desario for most of 2003. In late 2003 Jon Hernandez joined just before the band signed to Californian label Strikefirst Records, a subsidiary of Facedown Records. They released the EP Broken Pledge in December 2003 and played many gigs to support it.

In March 2004 Alove for Enemies signed with the main Facedown Records label. A year later, the album The Harvest was released; it was supported by a full US tour and by a European tour in spring 2005. 2006 saw the release of The Resistance on Facedown Records. All the song titles on the album are references to the movie Equilibrium. On September 4, 2007, Alove For Enemies announced their break up on their Myspace blog. They played Facedown Fest East Coast in Maryland as their penultimate show, on Sept. 29, 2007. Their final show was played on Long Island Oct. 5, 2007. Former guitar player Bill Meis joined them for "Center of Attention" and "Angels Don't Burn". On May 14, 2012, Alove For Enemies announced a reunion show for August 17 at the annual Long Island Fest 3 day Hardcore Festival. No further shows have been announced.

Alove for Enemies - Call It Faith

black metal anniversary of ARALLU's "Sierra Nevada"

"Sierra Nevada" (06:36), according to The Metal Archives, was released as a single on July 11, 2025, ahead of the ferocious full-length DMoon - From the Ancient World, on which it is the second track.

"Sierra Nevada" is a deeply personal song for the black metal band Arallu. While they are famous for their fast, frenetic Middle Eastern black metal focusing on regional history and warfare, this track tells an emotional, true story of real-life survival. In September 2003, four young Israelis embarked on a trek through the Colombian jungle toward the ancient ruins of "The Lost City" in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They, along with tourists from other countries, were kidnapped by the leftist ELN (National Liberation Front) narco-trafficking guerrilla group. One of those hostages was Beni Daniel, the younger brother of Arallu’s founding frontman, bassist, and vocalist Moti Daniel (known on stage as Butchered or Genie King).

Refusing to just sit and wait, Daniel launched his own desperate mission into the Colombian jungle alongside a close friend to find his brother. Following 101 grueling days of captivity and intense international negotiations, Beni and the other hostages were finally released and returned safely to Israel. "Sierra Nevada" is the direct sonic retelling of that traumatic event and a testament to brotherly love.

Musically, the song acts like a six-minute movie tracking the timeline of the kidnapping ordeal. It opens with blistering, chaotic black metal blast beats and desperate, razor-sharp thrash riffing to mirror the sudden violence of the ambush. Midway through, the chaotic metal abruptly breaks into a haunting, slower section, and the band layers in actual archival audio recordings of news reports in Hebrew covering the 2003 kidnapping, adding a stark, sobering layer of reality to the track. The piece then builds back up into a fierce segment, concluding with a final audio in Hebrew excerpt marking the end of the 101-day hostage crisis.

DMoon From The Ancient World by Arallu

anniversary: Stryper - The Roxx Regime Demos

According to The Metal Archives, this compilation was released on July 10, 2007, on Fifty Three Five Records. This is Stryper back when they were called Roxx Regime. The Metal Archives shows that from 1980 to 1981 they were called Roxx. Then, from 1981 to 1983, they went by Roxx Regime, before finally changing their name to Stryper in 1983. On The Metal Archives, the demo is titled The Yellow and Black Attack! The lineup already featured the classic 1980s roster: Timothy Gaines on bass, Robert Sweet on drums, Oz Fox on guitars, and Michael Sweet on vocals and guitar. The site notes that "The songs of this demo reappear on Stryper's The Yellow and Black Attack! EP." Anyway, these songs sound exactly like Stryper! It sounds like a great demo. It would have been an impressive tape back then, and it clearly was, because it built the foundation for a heavy metal career that has lasted decades. I like!

1. From Wrong to Right 04:00 -- 2. My Love I'll Always Show (original rock version) 03:28 -- 3. Loud N Clear 03:42 -- 4. You Know What to Do 05:04 -- 5. You Won't Be Lonely 03:55 -- 6. Co'mon Rock 03:42 -- 7. Tank (Robert Sweet drum solo) -- 00:43 8. Honestly 04:05 -- total time 28:39

Roxx Regime - Loud N Clear

celebrating composer Carl Orff on his birthday

Carl Orff is one of the most well-known composers to metal fans! It's possible that some people don't know they already know Orff's music, but they do. Sepultura, Vital Remains, Iced Earth, Therion, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra —among who knows what other bands— have covered or used his music. I'm just mentioning the ones that I know for a fact, but above all, metal audiences know Orff's music because Ozzy Osbourne used it as the introduction to his concerts. Check out this biography from Wikipedia.

Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator who is best known for composing the cantata Carmina Burana and formulating concepts of his Schulwerk (lit. 'schoolwork'), which became influential for children's music education.

Born in Munich, Orff was raised in a military family that was fairly musical and later attended the Munich Academy of Music. After composing a number of Lieder and other orchestral works, he completed his Carmina Burana for voices and large orchestra in 1937, setting 24 poems from the medieval poetry collection of the same name. Its première was an immediate great success and Orff considered it the first time he had done exactly what he wanted. While the cantata's popularity continued to rise throughout and after World War II, Orff never received nearly as much recognition or attention for his later works like the latter two parts of his triptych Trionfi, of which Carmina Burana is the first instalment.

Orff was also an influential pedagogue who developed an approach (the "Orff Schulwerk") to teaching children, which is a collection of fundamental principles to ensure every child learns music, much like a new language, in a comfortable environment. It involves tools like elementary forms of instruments and specifically composed music (the original form of the Schulwerk).

Part of the Reichsmusikkammer, Orff's relationship with the Nazi Party has been analysed by many as he was considerably successful (musically and financially) under its rule and whose work was well-liked by contemporary critics. Having concealed his part-Jewish ancestry throughout his life, Orff underwent denazification and was rated "acceptable" by his evaluator who characterised him as a passive anti-Nazi. He went on to be granted an unrestricted license with no further prohibitions from public musical activities and continued to compose stage works and rework previous compositions up till his death in 1982.

CARL ORFF - André Rieu - O Fortuna (Carmina Burana - Carl Orff)

Therion - O Fortuna

Trans-Siberian Orchestra & Savatage: Carmina Burana (Wacken 2015)

remembering Dio on his birthday

Wikipedia shows that Ronnie James Dio was born on July 10, 1942:

Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell.

Dio's music career began in 1957 as part of the Vegas Kings (later Ronnie and the Rumblers). In 1967, he formed the rock band Elf, in which he sang and played bass. In 1975, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore founded the band Rainbow and hired Dio as lead singer; during his tenure, the band released three studio albums. Dio quickly emerged as one of heavy rock's pre-eminent vocalists. In 1979, Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as Black Sabbath's lead singer and appeared on three studio albums with the band, all three of which met with success: Heaven & Hell (1980), Mob Rules (1981) and Dehumanizer (1992). In 1982, he left to form the band Dio, which itself had two albums certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2006, he founded the band Heaven & Hell with his prior Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice. In November 2009, Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died of the disease six months later.

Dio is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal vocalists of all time. He is known for popularizing the "devil horns" hand gesture in metal culture and his medieval-themed song lyrics. According to a version provided by the singer himself, the act derives directly from the classic Italian apotropaic gesture, which his grandmother often displayed. Dio had a powerful, versatile vocal range and was capable of singing both hard rock and lighter ballads. He was awarded the "Metal Guru Award" by Classic Rock Magazine in 2006. He was also named the "Best Metal Singer" at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2010 and ranked as the genre's best vocalist in 2013 by music journalist Sacha Jenkins.

Rainbow - Live in Munich 1977 Full Show

SKILLET RELEASES NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR SINGLE "SCREAM"

I've been enjoying the new video from Skillet. The band has released the official music video for their new single, "Scream," directed by Josiah "JOSIAHx" Moore. The track marks the band's transition into operating as independent artists and features a mix of clean guitar melodies, heavy distortion, and electronic accents.

Frontman John Cooper stated that the song's themes focus on the volatility of modern social media culture and the desire to find meaning amid societal chaos. The release coincides with the announcement of the band's upcoming fall headlining run, the Comatose: 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of their landmark album Comatose.

Skillet - Scream (Official Music Video)

celebrating the anniversary of Distorted Harmony's album Chain Reaction

Distorted Harmony: Chain Reaction - July 9th, 2014

1. Every Time She Smiles 06:49

2. Children of Red 05:13

3. Misguided 08:33

4. Nothing (but the Rain) 02:14

5. As One 05:52

6. Hollow 06:08

7. As You Go 03:13

8. Natural Selection 05:16

9. Methylene Blue 07:53

total time 51:11

I like this melodic-progressive metal album by this Israeli band. It balances heavy, complex polyrhythms and technical guitar work with melodic hooks. If you like the heavy-but-melodic approach in prog metal, then this album should be interesting. I definitely recommend it. The Metal Archives shows three albums, and this is the second one. The Metal Archives shows that they were active from 2009 to 2018.

Chain Reaction by Distorted Harmony