I watched a lot of new music videos yesterday, many of which made me smile, though not all for the same reasons. I decided to put all the smile-inducing ones right here for you — five of ’em, in alphabetical order by band name. That’s right, five. Settle in, fix a bucket of popcorn and douse it in that movie theater goop that should be labeled IT TASTES LIKE BUTTER BUT IT’S NOT!, and watch. And listen. Listening is important.

If none of these makes you smile, then I surrender and will take my lashes without complaint. Because I never complain when that happens.

DEMONIC RESURRECTION

As we’ve previously reported, India’s Demonic Resurrection have a new album entitled The Demon King that’s due for release on July 14 by Candlelight Records (and by Universal Music in India). Yesterday the band started streaming the album’s first single, “Trail of Devastation”, and it’s a winner — well-written, well-produced, dynamic, memorable, and made for fist-pumping.

It combines swirling guitar melody, sweeping orchestration, and riffs that alternately twist insidiously and jab like a prize-fighter. The Demonstealer puts his multifaceted vocal talents to good use in the song, too, with an array of harsh roars, scalding shrieks, and carefully placed, soaring clean vocals that really work. Continue reading »