New Music: King Ultramega, Blackbriar, Scars On Broadway, D.D. Verni & The Cadilac Band & Fit For A King

King Ultramega: Rusty Cage

The tribute project honoring the legacy of Chris Cornell delivers a reimagining of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”

The lineup for “Rusty Cage” has vocalist William DuVall (Alice In Chains), guitarist Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), bassist Mark Menghi (Metal Allegiance) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax/Pantera).

Each King Ultramega single will feature different musicians that aim to celebrate Cornell’s musical genius while raising funds and awareness for MusiCares, a non-profit of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) that provides mental health, addiction recovery, and emergency services for music creators.

Blackbriar: A Last Sigh Of Bliss 

The song will appear on “A Thousand Little Deaths,” which will be released on August 22nd.

“A It’s a sultry, seductive, and euphoric song with heavy guitars and a chorus that makes you want to run barefoot through a moonlit field in a lace gown,” said vocalist Zora Cock.

Blackbriar is a Dutch Alternative Metal band formed in 2012. They have released two albums (“The Cause of Shipwreck” – 2021 and “A Dark Euphony – 2023).

The band mixes “a healthy dose of Gothic imagery into their brand of symphonic Metal,” according to Finland’s Tuonela Magazine.

Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway: Destroy The Power

The song is on the recently released “Addicted To The Violence.” Malakian, guitarist for System Of A Down, composed, produced, and recorded the album with contributions from longtime bandmates Orbel Babayan (guitar) and Roman Lomtadze (drums).

“I’m always writing songs, because it’s the only way I know how to live,” Malakian stated. “It’s my purpose. When I write, I try to stay honest. I don’t put myself in a box, which is why you have both heavy and mid-tempo material.

According to Malakian the album has been in the works since 2005 when he was recording System Of A Down’s “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize.”

“Even though I might have written some of these (songs) awhile ago, they still seem pretty relevant to the world we’re living in now… certain things haven’t changed much.

D.D. Verni & The Cadilac Band: Lucky 13 

The song is from the band’s sophomore set “Buckle Up,” due September 19th.

“This was the first song I had written for this new album and kinda set the tone,” offered D.D., who’s also bassist/songwriter for Thrash Metal’s Overkill. “Really wanted the first song and video to let people know again where the heart of the band is.”

The band, reminiscent of the Brian Setzer Orchestra, marries Rock ‘n’ Roll’s visceral energy with suave, swinging throwback Big Band arrangements and aesthetics with a full 13-piece band. “Buckle Up” reflects D.D.’s lifelong love of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Fats Domino. 

Fit For A King (featuring Chris Cerulli): Witness The End

The track will appear on Fit For A King’s’ upcoming eighth album, “Lonely God,” due August 1st.

“We didn’t care what anybody thought — we just wanted to write a Deathcore song,” remembered Fit For A King. “It turned out to be really special. Chris (Motionless In White’s Chris “Motionless” Cerulli) did not disappoint either.”

The Texas Metalcore band formed in 2007 and released their debut full-length album “The Descendants” in 2011.

The band has regularly landed in the Billboard Hard Rock Top 20 and in the Top 5 on the Christian Albums chart.