Promo picture by Tatu Neejärvi/Tatu Neejärvi Productions.

The Finnish death/thrash metal band Gates Open is set to release their debut album ‘Voice After Silence’ on February 9th 2024 via Inverse Records. The third and final single named after the band, Gates Open is released today and lyric video is available here: https://youtu.be/KcgtVqrLHsQ 

The band comments:
“Today we live in a world where the majority of people only pursue their own interests, without caring about others and the environment. Mankind is blinded by its own greed.
In the end, most people are willing to betray another person if the benefit to themselves is great enough. We dance with our own demons. We are consumed by our own sins.
Fear, doubt and sins both gnaw the soul deep inside. The world is a stage, but at the end of the day we are just pawns in this big picture. But, you yourself choose your path.” 


LISTEN Gates Open single on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/gates-open-st 
 

LISTEN the first single ‘The Awakening’ on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/gates-open-the-awakening 
LISTEN the second single ‘Let The Night Become Your Guide’ on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/gates-open-night 

PRE-SAVE album: https://music.imusician.pro/a/kzDdL_G8/ 

BIOGRAPHY:
Gates Open is a Finnish blackened death/thrash metal band. Gates Open is a band founded in early 2023 by two men, the band includes Jere Neejärvi, in the role of guitarist/composer, and Tommi Manninen as singer.

The members’ united history began already in 2007 during the previous band’s time. Our band moved to the distribution of the Inverse Records label in June 2023. The first official single “The Awakening” under Inverse Records was released in June 2023. The second official single “Let The Night Become Your Guide” was released in October 2023. Our third single, by the band name “Gates Open” was released in December 2023. Our full-length debut album “Voice After Silence” will be released in early 2024.

Line-up:
Tommi Manninen – Vocals
Jere Neejärvi – Guitars, Bass, Drums 
 
Links:

https://www.facebook.com/gatesopenband 
https://www.instagram.com/gatesopenband 
https://gatesopen.bandcamp.com 

The Zach Bair Band

based in Memphis, Tennessee, delivers a distinctive blend of powerful rock with a captivating ‘wall of sound.’

The band’s core is:Zach Bair, Lead Vocals, Guitars. Zach is well known in the music business for being the visionary behind the global commercialization of “instant live” recordings, and for the last 15 years has produced live records all over the world for artists such as Peter Frampton, Slash, Rob Thomas, Seether, and many others, with his companies VNUE and DiscLive, and produced “The Awakening: Live,” for Oscar-winning artist Melissa Etheridge. He has performed professionally for over 20 years in his band No Control, and is a voting member of The Grammys. Jeff Cobble, Lead Guitar. Jeff brings to the band a unique flavor that gives every song more life. Also from the Memphis area, Jeff toured globally with the “epic rock” act Medieval Steel, and worked extensively with Seventh Sundown. Chris Cook, Drums and Percussion.  Chris brings to the band international touring and recording experience from legendary epic rock band Medieval Steel. He is also frontman of his own project, Hairspray Nation, a tribute to the greatest hair metal bands in history.  Chris is widely regarded as one of the best drummers in the Mid-South. Mötley Mattila, Bass and background vocals.  Mott has a long history as a singer, guitarist and bassist in the Mid-South area.  Prior bands, all well-regarded, include Toy Jester and Chosen, to name just a couple.  Mott has been performing with Bair for over 10 years in other projects, such as his longtime cover band, No Control.Bair, a multi-instrumentalist, left Charlotte when his mother and father divorced, and grew up mostly in Arkansas and East Texas, eventually joining the Air Force and spending a few years stationed in Louisiana, where, while serving as an SP (security police) and EST (SWAT) in the military, seemed to find his calling performing music in rock bands.After being honorably discharged, he eventually found his way to Houston, Texas, where he was immediately enamored by the music scene there, and formed his own band. After spending several years in Houston, and “getting his chops,” so to speak, Bair relocated to Dallas, choosing to pursue his career in technology, which helped to fuel his first record, “Zach Bair & No Control,” and that was released regionally in 1998 to positive reviews, and was immediately followed up by another regional EP.

Belgian gruff punks and self-proclaimed perennial underachievers Rich Widows are back at it with a digital only three song EP. ‘Jackie’ is, of course, named after Jacqueline Bouvier-Kennedy-Onassis, whose life is probably the most tragic story any rich widow could experience.
 
The EP kicks off with ‘Them Angels Only Know’. “It’s a song we’ve been playing live for a while now and the response has been pretty great”, guitarist Christophe gloats, “People have been throwing around compliments like Jawbreaker-ish or a mix of Alkaline Trio and the Lawrence Arms. Seriously… Even my mom thinks it isn’t all that terrible.”
 
Strange how a song about the appeal of substance abuse in times of depression and isolation can get motherly approval. ‘Them Angels…’ also comes with a unique video: a darkly comedic mix of AI-generated images, animation, and live footage.
 
“That blend was actually an idea by Croque Boulot, the artist who made it for us, because it would save time and we wanted to launch quickly”, Christophe continues, “But we couldn’t be happier with the result. It looks professional, especially for our standards.”

The second track is ‘Winter Snow’, a full-on rager of a track that was inspired by the likes of Good Riddance, old Rise Against, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite and… yes… loneliness.  It’s got the right singalong-parts and a healthy dose of dual vocals.
 
Closing track ‘Shake Hands’ is somewhat of a departure from the usual gruff punk Rich Widows has been making for 7 years now, with a bouncy backbeat in the verses and a chorus that grunge bands in the 90s used to make.
 
Recording was done by the sweet Tim Van Doorn (Antillectual, Joe McMahon, Billy Liar,… ). Mixing was done by Rich Widows’ own drummer, Adriaan De Belder, at The Noisefloor. And mastering was handled by Troy Glessner at Spectre Studios, known for his work on albums by New Found Glory, MxPx, August Burns Red, Devin Townshend and other crazy big names.
 
The digital only EP contains 3 songs, available for streaming (and download via Bandcamp) through most platforms. Due to not having sent any music to any record label, there are no plans to release physical copies. For now, at least.

Biography:
Rich Widows is a gruff punk band with songs about 3 am dive bars, bad decisions, wreckage and remorse. Back in 2017, a drunken discussion about Hot Water Music, The Lawrence Arms and Samiam quickly turned into the plan to start a punk rock band. Funny thing is they never really got to sound like any of those bands. On their first two EP’s, they borrowed hints of Jawbreaker, Dillinger Four and Pegboy if they were all soaked in beer, while debut album ‘Wreckage & Remorse’ saw the band releasing a more diverse set of songs, ranging from fast hardcore punk ragers to midtempo punk rock. Hell, there’s even a piano ballad on the album. Those releases helped them land gigs with bands like Get Dead and Nothington, as well as a spot on the famous Groezrock festival. 

Still not hindered by the lack of mainstream success, the band is now back with ‘Jackie,’ their latest and most accomplished offering to date.

https://linktr.ee/richwidows
https://richwidows.bandcamp.com/album/jackie
www.facebook.com/richwidows
richwidowspunkrock@gmail.com