The short series is called, ‘Songs I Wrote A Decade Ago’ and features four songs, ‘Life With Strangers’, ‘Timezones’, ‘Cave In’ and ‘No One Should Play God’. Josh thought he had lost them all and with very little memory has shared them one by one with details on how each song was created and what inspired them.

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Back when I was 18/19 I recorded some songs with @mattyjogrady which until very recently I had assumed had disappeared for good. He hit me up recently when clearing out some old hard drives and said he’d found a bunch of tunes we’d done & didn’t think he should just bin them. So that’s exactly what they are, songs that we haven’t just chucked in the bin. Shout out to @nathancottenham for putting some art together for it. I figured some people may wanna hear them, so its for you. I’ll be posting these tunes at 6pm tonight. Josh x

A post shared by Josh Franceschi (@joshfranceschivi) on Jul 2, 2020 at 1:55am PDT

Here’s a little explanation the man himself wrote: 

“Back when I was 18/19 I recorded some songs with Matt O’Grady which until very recently I had assumed had disappeared for good. He hit me up recently when clearing out some old hard drives and said he’d found a bunch of tunes we’d done & didn’t think he should just bin them. So that’s exactly what they are, songs that we haven’t just chucked in the bin.” 

So, without further ado, let’s check out ‘Songs I Wrote A Decade Ago’. 

LIFE WITH STRANGERS 

“So, I’m pretty sure we did this around about June 2009. This is the first song that Matt and I recorded that wasn’t a Ymas song. Like all of the songs I’m posting tonight, this has been untouched since we tracked it then.” 

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So I’m pretty sure we did this around about June 2009. This is the first song that @mattyjogrady and I recorded that wasn’t a Ymas song. Like all of the songs I’m posting tonight, this has been untouched since we tracked it then. Here’s the first one off ‘Songs I wrote a decade ago’. Josh x Produced by @mattyjogrady Artwork by @nathancottenham

A post shared by Josh Franceschi (@joshfranceschivi) on Jul 2, 2020 at 9:58am PDT

TIMEZONES 

“I vaguely remember recording this after we put out ‘Hold Me Down’. To be honest, if we’d done like a deluxe edition of the album, I would’ve showed the lads this one as I felt an acoustic song on HMD could’ve been cool. Anyways, we didn’t and again this one has been uncovered from the deep abyss that is Matt’s studio hard drive.” 

 

 

 

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I vaguely remember recording this after we put out ‘Hold Me Down’. To be honest, if we’d done like a deluxe edition of the album, I would’ve showed the lads this one as I felt an acoustic song on HMD could’ve been cool. Anyways, we didn’t and again this one has been uncovered from the deep abyss that is @mattyjogrady ‘s studio hard drive. Second song from this collection. Produced by @mattyjogrady Artwork by @nathancottenham A post shared by Josh Franceschi (@joshfranceschivi) on Jul 2, 2020 at 10:15am PDT

CAVE IN 

“Ok, when it comes to this one I had genuinely forgotten it existed. I don’t remember writing it, I don’t recall recording it. If Matt says we did & got it on tape so to speak, then it must be true.”

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Ok, when it comes to this one I had genuinely forgotten it existed. I don’t remember writing it, I don’t recall recording it. If @mattyjogrady says we did & got it on tape so to speak, then it must be true Produced by @mattyjogrady Artwork by @nathancottenham

A post shared by Josh Franceschi (@joshfranceschivi) on Jul 2, 2020 at 10:59am PDT

NO ONE SHOULD PLAY GOD

“During these weird times, I’d actually been working on a new song, not sure what I was going to do with it. Turns out it was the same as this. Same guitar parts but different lyrics & melodies. Was weird when Matt sent me this tbh. Spun my head out. Anyway, this is how it is & how it’ll remain.” 

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During these weird times I’d actually been working on a new song, not sure what I was going to do with it. Turns out it was the same as this. Same guitar parts but different lyrics & melodies. Was weird when @mattyjogrady sent me this tbh. Spun my head out. Anyway, this is how it is & how it’ll remain. Last one of the four lost songs from a decade ago. X Produced by @mattyjogrady Artwork by @nathancottenham

A post shared by Josh Franceschi (@joshfranceschivi) on Jul 2, 2020 at 11:32am PDT

You can listen to all these songs here. 

The five stage plan is as follows:

Stage one of the plan, band rehearsals or preparations for live performances will be permitted, as long as social distancing guidelines are in place. No audiences would be allowed at this stage.

Stage two opens the door for performances to be granted a place to be shown for broadcast and recording with social distancing still a key factor. Again no audiences would be allowed at this point. A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC that the first two stages of the plan could start immediately.

Stage three would see the return of outdoor performances and concerts. They will only be allowed to take place with an socially distant audience.

Stage four would see the return of outdoor and indoor music performances but with limited audience present.

Stage five will be performances now will be regular with a larger and fuller audience, given that all of the previous steps are met. However, given these instructions there was no mention of a date or time frame as to when this plan will begin.

Despite the government having some sort of idea as to when concerts would return, there still isn’t much information regarding the financial crisis music venues are currently facing, with summer approaching, these venues are relying on the government to help them stay afloat during the pandemic.

The plan wasn’t well received as it has been described as “unworkable” by the trade body UK Music, which has warned that venues will not be able to get “back into business” under the current guidelines.

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We are sure you will have seen the Government’s roadmap to reopening. Taking a look at that roadmap, we are concerned it doesn’t seem to establish an actual route to Grassroots Music Venues reopening. So we made one ourselves. Five steps to Reopen Every Venue Safely #saveourvenues @oliverdowden.mp @rishisunakmp @borisjohnsonuk

A post shared by Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) on Jun 26, 2020 at 12:03pm PDT

Mark Dayvd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said: “When we eventually emerge from lockdown, grassroots music venues, the absolute bedrock, the foundations, the cornerstone on which our world beating £5.2billion per year industry has been built, are going to be essential to live music bouncing back.”

Culture secretary explains music, theatres and culture in the UK were “the soul of our nation and a lynchpin of our world-beating creative industries.” He continued: “We know the challenges – theatres must be full to make money, and performers need to be safe on stage as they sing, dance and play instruments. But I am determined to ensure the performing arts do not stay closed longer than is absolutely necessary to protect public health. I know the public wants its theatres open, our brilliant performers want to go back to work, and we will do all we can to get them fully back up and running. Our roadmap provides a clear pathway back.” 

The quartet was set to drop a music video that was going to include a compilation of live shows and footage from their tour, but given the current climate that was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid –19. This resulted in the band losing the ability to create content for their upcoming music video.

However, there was a silver lining! The band used their socials to reach out to their fans, asking them to send them footage of themselves singing along to the song while being in lockdown and stuck at home, “2020 has been a tough year for the world, but we hope this can bring a little happiness and connection to you too.”  

‘Are You Ready To Live? Celebrates fans coming together to make light of a dark situation, while sending their home videos they were able to feel part of something bigger and really be connect with the band’s single.

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A post shared by DREAM STATE (@dreamstateuk) on Jun 24, 2020 at 2:03am PDT

Vocalist from Dream State, CJ Gilpin explains what ‘Are You Ready To Live?’ really means to her in an interview with Rock Sound, “We all at some point in our lives hit rock bottom, and the only road from there is one of change – only you can really pick yourself up and find the meanings that fit you. To be a fully whole being, you must first conquer your fears and pain by yourself; this life is the journey of self and no one can live it like you. No one will see it like you. Are you ready to live?” 

You can watch Dream State’s Are You Ready To Live?’ here. 

Dream State are one to watch on the scene as they won Best UK Breakthrough Heavy Act at the Heavy Music Awards in 2019 and Primrose Path was met with excellent reviews across the globe. While also receiving the Kerrang! Award for Best Newcomer, which has been previously won in the past by rock royalty such as, Asking Alexandria, Neck Deep and Royal Blood. 

Make sure to check out their debut album if you haven’t already! 

After postponing their long awaited come back with their single to be released on the 10 June, Bring Me the Horizon have announced their hugely anticipated new single, Parasite Eve, will be landing this week! 

The announcement comes after the Sheffield metal pioneers decided it didn’t feel right to release a single as global protests broke out following the in justices and death of George Floyd. The band wrote, “With the incredible movement that is taking place currently we don’t feel comfortable releasing and promoting anything that takes the focus off what’s important right now…” 

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25/06

A post shared by ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʀɪᴢᴏɴ (@bringmethehorizon) on Jun 22, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

However, fans have not been left in the dark, the band have taken them with them for the ride, with weekly daily lockdown updates that provide a real taste for their new musical projects and showcasing that they have been working hard remotely during the global pandemic. Watch here.    

Parasite Eve originally a survival game that was released in 1998 by PlayStation, the game and single both share the same name as Bring Me the Horizon’s new single. In their new YouTube video, front man Oli Sykes explains how the inspiration for Parasite Eve came about.  Sykes explained: “Although the inspiration for the song didn’t come from the current pandemic, as we were writing it the similarities started to get weird, I guess. It felt important for us to carry on with this song in particular because the message really hits differently, because it feels like something we need right now.” 

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thank u very much Cameron for my parasite eve sweater diggin the crop Our new song will be out June 10th oh shit

A post shared by Oliver Sykes (@olobersykes) on May 23, 2020 at 1:26am PDT

In an interview last year with NME, when asked if the band was working on any upcoming projects, Oli Sykes explained that the band might be changing the way they release music. He said, “We’re not going to do an album again, maybe ever. We’re thinking about doing shorter records… the plan is to release multiple records [in 2020].”  

With the band having released their sixth studio album last year, amo, Oli responded further, “There’s all this shit you need to think about and how it’s going to sit on a 15-track album. I don’t want to do that. When we wrote Ludens, it was crazy but it was fun. We just had to write one song and it just had to serve the video game. We didn’t have to write the biggest song in the world. I just love to sit and go, ‘Let’s just write a song and not worry about how it needs to be.’ 

Birmingham born metal legends Black Sabbath have taken their stance in the fight against injustice and equality by releasing an exclusive t-shirt, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, in which all proceeds will be going straight to Black Lives Matter.  

The attention-grabbing t-shirts can be pre-ordered right now and will be sold at $25 each. They can be ordered from anywhere in the world, with orders being shipped out from the band’s official website from mid-July. The artwork takes inspiration from Black Sabbath’s third notorious album ‘Master of Reality’, which was released in 1971. Black Sabbath have tastefully transformed their artwork to read the powerful message Black Lives Matter in solidarity with the movement.

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#BlackLivesMatter 100% of the proceeds to @BlkLivesMatter https://blacksabbathapparelshop.com/

A post shared by Black Sabbath (@blacksabbath) on Jun 16, 2020 at 9:24am PDT

The inspiration for this one of a kind piece of merch was taken from none other than Rage Against The Machine’s founding member, Tom Morello, who was wearing the Tshirt with his mother in an Instagram post a week before.

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My 96 yr old mom has been a tireless advocate for Black Lives her whole life. From being a foreign student advisor at the Univ. of Illinois, to teaching in Kenya and supporting the anti-colonial movement there, to teaching African Studies and bringing a radical perspective to a white conservative high school for 30 yrs, to being a member of the Illinois Urban League and campaigning for civil rights, to helping homeless African American men get their GED at the Salvation Army, to telling anybody who came at our family with any racist garbage to go straight to hell, to arming me with pride & confidence, to being a lifelong proponent of racial justice and ruthless critic of racist police. Proud to stand with her today, as always, in solidarity in the fight for a more just and humane country & planet. (Photo by Rhoads Morello)

A post shared by Tom Morello (@tommorello) on Jun 7, 2020 at 5:58pm PDT

This is not the first time Black Sabbath have come forward in support of charitable and progressive causes. The band have come together recently when guitarist Tony Iommi raised over 19,000 euros in an auction to support the United Kingdom’s National Health Services during the Coronavirus pandemic. The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler have also spoken out against animal abuse and have openly supported organisations like PETA.

Black Sabbath are not the first to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, they are amongst a long list of many other artists and bands who have released merchandise with all proceeds being donated to the organisation following the death of George Floyd. The Story So Far, Fall Out Boy, Machine Gun Kelly, Knocked Loose, Dying Wish and Beartooth are just some of the famous who are actively donating to related Black Lives Matter charities. 

Pre Order your Black Sabbath t-shirt right here.

Check out Black Sabbath’s Children of the Grave, from Masters of Reality.