Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Gets on Tame Impala’s Wings of Time!

Fans of Tame Impala will soon get a chance to listen to his latest tune for D&D: Honor Among Thieves. Wings of Time may well be the closing track.

Theatrical Poster for D&D Honor Among Thieves and Wings of Time Today, Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) has released “Wings of Time,” an original song written for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne. The track is out everywhere via Fiction (distributed by Virgin Music Group). Listen to “Wings of Time” and links to where it can be heard is compiled in this collection here.

Alternatively, we’re offering a YouTube link in the middle of this article.

“Being asked to do a track for the D&D soundtrack seemed like an unmissable opportunity to indulge in my long time love of fantasy prog rock,” says Parker. “I recruited my good friend Nicholas Allbrook, who is the person I know appreciates this subject matter the most. We rented a villa in Spain, that kind of felt like a castle, for two nights whilst on tour for Primavera. That location got us in the right frame of mind and it went from there. We stayed up late coming up with weird ideas and song lyrics.”

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Don’t Call It Hair Metal in Review. It’s Exquisite Art in the Excess of 80s Rock.

This author’s journey to the heart of rock and roll in Don’t Call It Hair Metal is the same as mine when when I discovered this genre at an early age.

Call It Hair Metal
Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Release Date:
May 16, 2023

Everything you want to know but were afraid to ask about what went on behind the scenes and in the evolution of heavy metal is well accounted for in Sean Kelly’s Don’t Call It Hair Metal. This deft exploration of the 80s music scene in 320 page book published by ECW Press is great at delving into the origin of many famous bands from the 70s onwards. From Slade to KISS to Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career after Black Sabbath, the examination even dives deep to reveal something new about each act that I’m a fan of.

This book isn’t about random bits of trivia. It’s an excellent scholarly study on why a lot of bands are still performing. What they produce is for the love of the sound, not the look, or even the glam that shook up the stage to draw in crowds. Alice Cooper is the godfather of the scene for a reason, and we get some great stories from various talents remembering those times.

Instead of exploring the decade as a whole, each chapter deals with a few years at a time. We get even more studies about how talents like Randy Roads developed their signature sound, and the interviews from industry observers and other fellow guitarists only add to the picture. Whether that’s about their heydays or something anecdotal, I’m certainly enjoying this read. It’s best not to power through this book, either, as there’s a lot of terrific quotes from the talents Kelly interviewed.

This author’s journey to the heart of rock and roll is the same as mine when when I discovered heavy metal at an early age. And to hear the stories about how some bands persevered is sweet. Also, to read about what this author believes are the best platinum hits only affirms why I loved one album over another. For me, Def Leppard‘s Pyromania will always be my number one album to put on the turntable. Twisted Sister never came into my radar until “We’re not Gonna Take It,” and watching them transform into a glam act; but after a while, they took the makeup off and went back to the sound that is their roots.

As this book insinuates, it’s not about the hair, but the intention of why each group wanted to make a dent in the industry. Poison and Ratt were huge during this time, and it’s not because of the acts put on stage, their life behind the scenes or something else. Regarding the former, Brett Michaels’ journey is a book in itself, and it’s been looked upon in those documentaries made by VH1.

Even MTV’s influence is recounted here, and without them and the music videos which showed these bands at their craziest (or best), I doubt this era would be remembered fondly. Kelly’s love for the genre and his personal journey makes for the perfect narrative device to move readers year to year, and I suspect writing Don’t Call It Hair Metal took more than a a year to craft. Although the preview edition doesn’t contain any snapshots, that may change when the hard copy finally comes out.

AmPM and Belle Humble is all West Side with this Music Single!

This music video also includes Belle Humble’s interpretation of what West Side is about (and the New York vibes are present).

WestSide 1 finEver since AmPm broke into the global dance music scene with their debut release, they have been riding high on countless waves of success. It started in  2017 with the single ‘Best Part of Us,’ and where they can be heard spread worldwide. Their next album is based on travelling the world, and where they’re heading is to the UK!

Their latest single, titled ‘West Side,’ is now available to stream, and it looks to take inspiration by the musical of a simliar name. This dance track is a collaboration with the UK-based singer and songwriter Belle Humble, and has everything that’s distinct to both talents. She also appears in the track’s official performance video. It is also based on Humble’s interpretation of West Side, and will leave a deep impression on viewers. Be sure to check out the video and soak in the lyrics along with the unmistakable vibe.

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When a Digital Collectable Card Game Strikes a Power Chord for Rockers

You’re playing Power Chord more to admire the love and attention put into the concept than anything else. 

Power ChordNow Available on Steam (PC)

Fans of online deck-building games should find something to like in Big Blue Bubble‘s Power Chord. It’s a heavy metal roguelike game where you play as a group of punk rockers out to save the Midverse from demons who weren’t tossed back to their dimension. Those who remained must be tracked down!

Here, you’re already an axe wielding musical superstar, and I imagine the developers got a few ideas from the movie, Scooby-Doo and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery to put into this game. Although we don’t have direct connections to Starchild, The Demon, Space Ace and the Catman, I suspect some incarnation of them exists. There are characters I have yet to unlock, so I’ll be continuing to play just to find them!

I’m loving this game moreso for the fantastic character designs. There’s a lot of costume and artistic tropes used for those who know the genre well, and as a punk rocker, I’m really digging it! (please see below for a video)

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Boom Boom Back Music Video Shows BE:FIRST is Ready to Track!

‘Boom Boom Back’ has already been shared and published by local dancers and choreographers in the lead up to the actual single release date, creating a wave of mystery and excitement to all BESTYs (BE:FIRST fans) who wondered if this was the group’s latest single.

BE:FIRST Boom Boom BackReleasing 13 February 2023 on all major digital streaming platforms.

After the remarkable achievements in 2022, which includes officially debuting as a group, music chart topping hits, as well as performances at prestigious events from the likes of 2022 Asia Artist Awards, the 65th annual The Japan Record Award, and the 73rd NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen (Kouhaku Song Festival; Apple Music link), Japanese group, BE:FIRST are back with their first single of 2023, ‘Boom Boom Back.’

From the Press Release:

With a new year, BE:FIRST welcomes a new approach with a global team on ‘Boom Boom Back’ which includes US-based artist and music producer, Grant Boutin and music producer, Luke Shipstad, songwriters Will Jay and 3onawav, who proactively provide music to great artists in South Korea as well as otherAsian countries. This brand-new infectious single expresses the sincere, yet greedy determination to aim even higher, despite already achieving high accolades.

‘Boom Boom Back’ is a hybrid Hip Hop danceable track which is mixed with a 90s flavor, a touch of 2000s teen beat, and current sensibility of musical beats. In terms of choreography for the music video, BE:FIRST worked together with dancer and choreographer, KAITA, as well as KAZ the FIRE. KAITA previously worked on their Hip Hop number, ‘Milli-Billi’, which was taken from their first album ‘BE:1’. With ‘Boom Boom Back’, it is a promise that this is going to be another ‘must-see’ dance performance. The music video is scheduled to premiere on BE:FIRST’s official YouTube channel at 7PM (Singapore time) on 13 February 2023, Monday.

<BE:FIRST / Boom Boom Back -Music Video->

Celebrating the new digital single release, BE:FIRST will have a series of live streams on their social media accounts. This is the first comeback for BE:FIRST since the release of their debut album, ‘BE:1’ last August.

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‘Boom Boom Back’ has already been shared and published by local dancers and choreographers in the lead up to the actual single release date, creating a wave of mystery and excitement to all BESTYs (BE:FIRST fans) who wondered if this was the group’s latest single. On TikTok, the #BBBチャレンジ (#BBBChallenge in English) was published without revealing the group or song title, and has created a massive buzz on social media even before the official announcement from BE:FIRST.

To date, this has garnered over 5.0 million views alone, establishing BE:FIRST’s digital first approach and commitment to their love for music and dance. BE:FIRST published their TikTok videos for ‘Boom Boom Back’ on 26 and 27 January 2023. Get excited for their new release and await for what is coming next from BE:FIRST.

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