Month: November 2024

The nominations for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards were announced on Monday, with Zach Bryan leading the nominees, earning 21 nominations across 18 categories.  Taylor Swift follows with 17 nominations, while Morgan Wallen earned 11 and Sabrina Carpenter received nine. Bryan, Swift, Wallen, Carpenter, along with Drake, will compete for top artist at this year’s ceremony.

The BBMAs honor the year’s most successful artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts.

Bryan has topped the pop, rock and country charts with his albums The Great American Bar Scene and Zach Bryan. Swift and Drake (who earned eight nods) are tied as the most decorated artists in the show’s history with 39 wins each.

Comedian-actress Michelle Buteau will host the Billboard Music Awards, sharing in a press release.: “Music is just one of those magical devices that can bring people together no matter what walk of life they’re from. And that’s what makes the Billboard Music Awards so special. These amazing, chart topping artists deserve to be celebrated and that’s exactly what we’re going to do!”

The 2024 Billboard Music Awards will air live on Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, on-demand on Paramount+.

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Killswitch Engage returns to the road in 2025, marking the band’s first tour of North America since late 2022. The tour kicks off on March 5th in Nashville and runs through April 12th in Portland, Maine, featuring support from Kublai Khan TX, Fit For a King and Frozen Soul.  Tickets for the tour are on sale now; head HERE for more information.

Vocalist Jesse Leach says: “Excited is an understatement for the way that I feel about this tour. We will be playing a solid amount of new songs, as well as old. That alone makes me very stoked. On top of all that, the lineup we have chosen is a powerful and eclectic blend of hardcore and metal with Kublai Khan TX, Fit For a King, and Frozen Soul. It is going to make for a really great live experience for everybody who comes to check out this tour. I feel like the band is firing on all cylinders and the timing for this tour couldn’t be more perfect. This will be a tour to be remembered…mark my words.”

Killswitch Engage later announced their new album This Consequence, will drop February 21st, and shared the video for the first single “Forever Aligned.”  Leach shared: “‘Forever Aligned’ is one of those songs that is not just about us as humans, our love, and connection, but that connection to the unknown, the greater power, the universe, or God. It feels like a really good first song to release not just sonically, but lyrically, as it is all about connection. The device of world we live in could use a lot more connectivity. This Consequence, to me, is the combination of everything the past five years has thrown at us as a band, as humans, and society as a whole. This album is just as much about everybody and their stories as it is for me about my journey personally. Sonically, I love the combination of everybody’s ideas and contributions on this album. It feels more like a collaboration than the past few records have been. When all is said and done, I wouldn’t change anything about this album. I think it’s the exact record we needed to make. I’m honored and proud of what we all were able to create and refine through this music and message.”

Check out the video for Forever Aligned – HERE.   To preorder This Consequence, head to the band’s website.

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Slayer will headline the 11th edition of the heavy music festival Louder Than Life in 2025, set to take place at Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center on September 18-21st, 2025.

Slayer was forced to postpone this year’s reunion appearance due to the extreme weather in Kentucky last month; a social post read: “All hail the return of the one and only SLAYER to Louder Than Life 2025. One of the most anticipated metal events of the year descends on Louisville, September 18-21, 2025. Hurricane Helene may have stopped them this year, but we’re bringing @slayerbandofficial back just for you! Your Early Bird onsale drops in November, and for everyone hit by the chaos, check your inbox for compensation details. And, if you just can’t wait until Slayer takes the Louder Than Life 2025 stage, the band welcomes you to check out their just-posted archive, Slaytanic Verses, which will take you on a deep dive into Slayer’s diabolical 40+ years history of mayhem, and will be updated regularly with new collections and artifacts, as it explores different facets of the band’s career. Fans are encouraged to check back often for an even deeper dive into the world of Slayer. Sign up, spread the word, and show no mercy!”

Festival promoter Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents said in a statement: “We can’t wait to welcome fans back to finish what we started this year and celebrate the return of Slayer. Our team is hard at work finalizing an incredible lineup that we can’t wait to reveal this winter. It’s going to be epic, and we can’t wait to see everyone back in Louisville next September.”

Slayer are the only band confirmed for next year’s fest as of press time; fans can sign up to gain first access to the passes over on the Louder Than Life website: HERE.

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Linkin Park -featuring Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, Joe Hahn, along with Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain—have shared the video for their new song “Over Each Other,” off their comeback album, From Zero. The album is the band’s first full-length release since 2017’s One More Light, which was their final album before the passing of lead vocalist Chester Bennington.

The band’s new singer, Emily Armstrong, shares: “This song is an extra special one for me, as it’s my first solo vocal in Linkin Park. I can’t believe I’m saying that!  As I spent more time with the band over the past year, I gradually started contributing more to the music-making process, so on this one, [co-vocalist and multi-instrumentalist] Mike [Shinoda] and I wrote the lyrics together,” she continues. “And then add in shooting this video with [turntablist] Joe [Hahn] in Korea – it’s all a dream come true.”

“Over Each Other” is the third From Zero cut to be released, following “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown.”  The accompanying video, which was directed by Hahn, is streaming on YouTube.  Check it out: HERE.

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