Music can save your life...LITERALLY

            Hey guys. I hope you all are staying safe during this pandemic. Just remember to stay healthy, wash your hands, and stay inside. Now I know being in quarantine is lonely and depressing, I've found that for me, music is a great way to cope, and I feel the majority of you all can relate to that. If not, then I hope today's post will help you see the benefits of music relating to your health, and how you can incorporate it into your routine while at home.
    So today, I'm gonna share some facts and tips on how music can help you mentally, and how you can work it into your day. Now before I start, I read two articles to help me gather some facts, and I will link those at the end of this post. The tips come from me personally, on how I fit music into my routine and how you can to. So let's get started.

Facts:
Now most of the facts I found related to music therapy, which is basically a practice some therapists use in which they do exercises with their patients on creating music and using it to express their feelings. Like songwriting can help one to express feelings they may never have before, or maybe didn't know how to properly express them.
The first article I read had a few good things to say about it: "Music therapy is classified as a form of expressive therapy that works to improve physical and mental health through expression of emotions. It consists of playing music, singing, or listening. It can help you deal with past trauma, improve social skills, and give you more confidence."

Now the second article I read had quite a bit about how music helps you and how you can incorporate it. The two facts I enjoyed were how having music in the background can help boost mental performance, I know for me, when I'm working on an outline for a post and doing some research, like I did today, listening to music can really help me stay focused. So if you're doing work from home, or are a student doing online classes, maybe putting some soft music in the background can help you.
But it could be used for other things such as cooking and doing chores.
   The other fact I enjoyed was how it can help reduce and manage stress. One thing I like to do is take time out of my day to just pop in a CD I love, and relax. Let it take me away to a world full of peace, and maybe even good memories associated with those songs. Doing so has helped me feel less stress, and I highly recommend doing so if you haven't already.

I really hope this post helps you out in managing your stress and sadness during this difficult time. Just remember that it won't last forever, and we will all get through this. If you're interested in reading these articles, here are the links: https://www.mycpid.com/how-music-helps-with-mental-health-mind-boosting-benefits-of-music-therapy/

https://www.verywellmind.com/surprising-psychological-benefits-of-music-4126866.

Thank you for reading this. Please stay safe out there and be considerate of others, so as to prevent this disease from spreading more. It's a time for us to love one another so we may pull through. If you wanna keep up on future posts, you can follow me on twitter @fozzydeth. i'm gonna work hard and try to do a post everyday, because I know it helps me, and I hope it helps you all as well. Have a great day!

My take on new bands

        Hello everyone. I know I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but that's because I needed to take a break to try to find good topics to write about. One thing that has come up recently is people have asked me my opinion on new bands. The reason being because I'm an old school rock and metal fan, so most people are curious as to what I think about upcoming bands or even bands that may have been around a few years, but would be considered new to me. So today I'm just gonna talk about my opinion on new bands.
       

        Now first off, please be aware that I am in no way talking bad about newer bands. Every band works hard and does their best, and may have a big fan base. This is just how I feel about them. I'm not gonna rant and say they suck and you're a loser for listening to them. But rather share how and why i feel a certain way.
    So I get a ton of recommendations of bands to listen to. Either bands that are considered new to me, or upcoming bands trying to build a fan base. I will pick one song from each band and listen for about a minute. That usually is enough to give me some lyrics and the chorus. I'll usually listen to a few bands at a time, but I tend to notice something strange. To me, they all sound the same. Like, they're all different bands, with different styles and different singers, but their songs sound the same.
      Like whenever I listen to the radio, let's say Sirius Octane as an example, they'll play a song and I'm like okay cool. Then they'll play the next song, and honestly, if they didn't mention it was by a different artist, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. This is more with the instrumental stuff and less of the singing. I'm not gonna say a rap song sounds like a normal singing song. But this includes guitar work, and drums as well.
      I'm not saying it's a problem, I just find it strange. I know it takes a band awhile to find their sound and what they want to produce, it's all a big journey. It's just hard to differentiate between bands sometimes as a result. But there have been a few times where I'll find an upcoming band that has a totally different sound from most, which can be refreshing.

    But like I said before I started, I'm not hating on anyone or anything. I just wanted to share my opinion on this subject. I would also love to hear your take on it. So feel free to leave a comment or hit me up on twitter @fozzydeth. I'll have more posts coming soon. Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day!

Shaun Glass Interview

    Hello everyone. Hope you all are doing well. Sorry for lack of posts, being feeling unwell. But I think this post will make up for it. I had the pleasure of chatting with Shaun Glass of the upcoming band Repentance. Was so cool getting to talk to him. Hope you all enjoy.


So first off, i wanted to ask what your upbringing in music was? Did you listen to a certain genre or did you check out a bit of everything?

"I grew up on Rock first bands like KISS were my first real love and introduction to hard music then I went full bore into REAL Heavy Metal like Judas Priest,UFO,Scorpions,Motörhead then as those bands began to get soft with the rise of hair metal and I was much more into newer acts like Venom,Mercyful Fate,Anvil, & Metallica..
Obviously I liked other genres then and still do  love bands like the Cure,Depeche Mode,Mission uk,Sisters Of Mercy."


Did any of those bands kind of influence your style of how you play, and did anyone inspire you?

"Absolutely everyone of them played a role in shaping my style sound and visions.

My Father inspired me because he believed in me and let me chase my crazy dream to be a musician...College really doesn’t teach you that ha!"

That's awesome! 

So some people reading this may not know about the band you're in, Repentance. Can you give a little background about how you guys got together and what your style is?

"Well I‘be been in a few bands some may have heard of Soil,Dirge Within probably the two most known bands I formed and played in... Repentance came together a year ago with my desire to just write something really Heavy and not care about trends etc.

Our first gig was opening for Trivium in Illinois and we released some demos to n YouTube and a few singles on all the typical digital outlets.We are currently recording a full album for 2020!!!"

I've heard the singles you guys have released and i am so excited for this album. I wish you guys all the best.

As we wrap up a here, i have a couple more questions. Do you have any advice for those who may have the same dream you did and aren't sure how to get started?

"Thanks glad they impressed you. My advice is work hard and write songs as that’s the key.GOOD stuff shines and Hard Work is the key and whenever you face a downer move on and kill it!"

Very good advice indeed.

So last thing, besides the new Repentance album, do you have anything else we can expect in 2020?

"Check out a few killer acts I manage both have new albums out!"

Arrival Of Autumn - Harbinger

Skinlab - Venomous 

Big thanks again to Shaun Glass for taking the time to chat with me, it was very cool. If you haven't already, please go check out Repentance. They have two singles out, Enter the Gallows and Only the Damned die young. Also go check out Shaun's other acts as well and support them if you like what you here. You can also follow Shaun on twitter @shaunglass666 and Repentance @wearerepentance.

Thank you so much for reading and have an awesome day!

Rock bands don't believe in farewell tours

        It seems the current trend these days are "farewell tours". I put it in quotation marks because they usually last for a number of years, before the band reunites for another one of these said tours. This tends to result in large amounts of money, causing the bands to do whatever it takes to make the tour happen.
    Now I'm sure you've all heard that Motley Crue is reuniting next year to perform with Poison and Def Leppard. Two things: One, I find it interesting that Motley Crue is coming back. In a 2014 interview, bassist Nikki Sixx said, "There is no amount of money that would even make me do it again because I have such pride in how we're ending it". So my question is, just how much are they getting paid for this? From what I've heard, it's a couple dates for a festival. That's gotta be one expensive gig.
    Second, are we not gonna address that AC/DC is rumored to be the fourth band in the line up? With the 'Back in Black' lineup nonetheless. I've read that Brian Johnson has high demands in his contract, and rightfully so, but the possibility itself is huge. Not much else to say on that topic. Guess we'll wait and see what happens.


    I will keep you all updated more on this as it's released. Expect more posts this week, got some interesting topics I'm excited to share.
But definitely an intriguing week with all this news. Leave a comment or let me know what you think. You can hit me up on twitter @fozzydeth. You can also follow me there for future updates.

Thank you so much for reading.

Orphans by The Agonist

   It's been a couple weeks since it's new release but there's still quite a bit of buzz around the release of their new album "Orphans" by The Agonist, and rightfully so. After reading some other reviews and comments from the metal community, I can't help but agree that this may be their best album to date. It's one of those albums where you think you may know your favorite song, and then the next one plays so you begin to second guess yourself. Every song is a heavy banger.
    Vicky Psarakis has the voice of an angel with an almost demonic twist. With a mix of melodic and metal growling, she brings beautiful singing and headbanging in perfect harmony. It's a combo that, if executed properly, can work well and go hand in hand. Which is exactly what Vicky brings to the table, from the first song "Vertigo", to the last song "Burn it Down". It's an album that takes you on a journey all the way through. So sit back, crank it up, and enjoy. It's definitely a 10/10.
    I did see one person comment something that I thought was great. Can't remember it exactly so I'll paraphrase, but he basically said that "Orphans" has now been adopted by the metal community, and I can't help but agree. Great job to all the amazing people in The Agonist and also all the producers who helped this make this enjoyable album.

Go check out the album if you haven't already. It's out for purchase now and is also available on music streaming services. Enjoy and happy headbanging.

Is old school thrash dead?

Hey guys. So today I’m gonna discuss if old school thrash is dead. Now, old school thrash was defined in the mid to late 80’s and carried out through the 90’s. Bands like Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and more, were taking the lead in bringing to the people thrash metal. Now, most of those bands are still around today, but does that mean old school thrash is still alive? I would say yes and no. I say that it’s still alive in the sense that most of these bands are still around and are also still doing great. But at the same time I say thrash is dead because some of these bands like Metallica, have changed their style of music. Metallica for example, sounds more hard rock then metal. Whereas other bands like Megadeth, have changed their style in the past, but still hold true to the genre they have helped developed.

They may have tried something new just to shake things up, but are still the great metal bands they always were. Like Megadeth had albums such as “Endgame” and “Super Collider”, which was a little softer than your typical Megadeth album. But still hold true to their thrash genes which is shown in their latest album “Dystopia”.

So in all, I would say the old school thrash isn’t completely dead. Now if bands like Megadeth and Slayer didn’t exist, I think it would be dead completely. But because these bands are still around and are holding true to their genre, it’s helping keep thrash alive. Plus, there are bands out there that have been inspired but these old school thrash bands, and are trying to continue the thrash tradition. I will do a post next week on these bands because they are pretty good. But for now, I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this topic.

If you would like to share your own thoughts on if thrash is dead, you can leave a comment or hit me up on twitter @Fozzydeth. But thanks for reading. Have a great day, and stay metal.

I’m back/Band recommendation

Hey guys. I know it’s been awhile since i’ve done a blog post, and I do apologize. But I had been dealing with personal issues that were slowing me down. I’m doing better though, so i’m bringing back my blog. Should have a post out weekly for you all to enjoy. So without further ado, here is my post for today.

I’m starting off my comeback with a band recommendation. The band is called Repentence. They are a metal band from Chicago, formed by Stuck Mojo frontman Robby J Fonts. Now they’re fairly new and only have two songs released so far. But they are very good. Their two songs Collide and Born to Choose will have you head banging and smashing that replay button. So go check those out and show your love in the YouTube comments or on twitter @wearerepentence and @robbyjfonts.

In the future, i’m hoping to interview all the guys in Repentence. If not, then i’ll try to interview Robby J just to get some insight on what Repentence has planned. I’ll also keep you guys updated on more music releases and other information. You can also get that stuff on their twitter account, @wearerepentence. But i’m very excited to see what this band brings, and if you’re a metal head like me, I think you’ll love these guys.

So like I said, check out those two songs. If you like them, go show your love. If you don’t like the songs, then that’s ok. Thanks for checking it out anyway. Also, thanks so much for reading. I really appreciate it. If you want blog updates and other good stuff, check me out on twitter @fozzydeth. Till next time. Stay metal.\m/