Oceansize: Last News

Empire State Bastard have announced their newest single ‘Stutter’. Check it out below.The band is the latest project from Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil and touring guitarist and former Oceansize musician Mike Vennart – who launched back in March with the debut single ‘Harvest’.Enlisting Slayer and Testament drummer Dave Lombardo and Naomi Macleod of Bitch Falcon on bass, the band recently embarked on a sold-out headline tour across the UK and this week announced their debut album ‘Rivers Of Heresy’.Now, the band have shared their second single, ‘Stutter’.

Empire State Bastard have announced details of their debut album ‘Rivers Of Heresy’.This new project is the work of Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil and touring guitarist and former Oceansize musician Mike Vennart, who formally introduced the band with the release of their debut single ‘Harvest’ back in March.The pair are now gearing up to release their debut album ‘Rivers Of Heresy’ on September 1, which, in a press release, has been described as “pure sonic annihilation”.“I set about making the most fucking poisonous vile music I possibly could, just unabridged hatred in musical form,” Vennart is quoted as saying about the record, while Neil added: “Lyrically, it’s as misanthropic and nihilistic as I’ve ever written.”The new record features drumming by Slayer, Testament and Dead Cross drummer Dave Lombardo.

Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil has shared an update on new albums from Marmaduke Duke and Tippie Toes.Back in August 2020, the musician said he said he had four albums lined up with his various musical outfits – Biffy Clyro, Marmaduke Duke, Empire State Bastard and Tippie Toes.Now, the Scottish musician has told NME exactly what stage the new albums are currently at.“Well believe it or not, I did just spend two weeks working on Tippie Toes. We do have an album’s worth of material, we just need to edit it,” he said in a recent In Conversation chat.“I don’t want to be flippant with music and would never put it out because it’s almost ready.

Empire State Bastard – the side project of Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil – have played their first-ever live gig. Check out fan-captured footage and the full setlist below.The gig took place at the Cathouse venue in Glasgow last night (March 26), and saw the Extreme Metal band perform some of their heaviest hits to date.Founded by Biffy Clyro frontman Neil and former Oceansize guitarist Mike Vennart, the band features the iconic Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Mr Bungle) on the drums, and Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) on the bass.The band opened the show with the first live performance of their debut single, ‘Harvest’, which was released last week.

Empire State Bastard have released their debut single ‘Harvest’ – you can listen to it below.The group, which is the side-project of Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil and Mike Vennart (Biffy live guitarist, solo artist, and ex-Oceansize singer), teased the track earlier this month after announcing a brief UK tour.“Empires fall, States rise, B*stards sing…it’s Harvest time mother*ckers!” the group said in a statement upon the brutal noise/metal song arriving today (March 24) via Roadrunner Records.Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Fantomas) played drums on the single, and will perform in ESB’s live band alongside Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) on bass.Per a press release, ‘Harvest’ “emerged from the dark recesses of the duo’s mind, inspired by spending downtime during Biffy Clyro tours by sharing the heaviest, most avant-garde or the most sickeningly confrontational music they could find”.In turn, Empire State Bastard ended up with a collection of tunes that “adventurously probes almost every dark crevice imaginable from the myriad sounds of metal and genre-adjacent extremity”.This month will see the band play a trio of intimate sold-out gigs in Glasgow (March 26), Manchester (27) and London (28).