Archive for March 4, 2025

ARMSTRONG METALFEST – Unveils 2025 Lineup w/ BORN OF OSIRIS, HAVOK, GLYPH, RIOT CITY, THE BROWNING, VIRVUM And More!

Posted in Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal bands, Metal, metal bands, metal festivals, metal music, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

July 11-12 – Armstrong, BC, Canada – 15 Years of Mountain Moshing In The Okanagan!

AMF Weekend Passes are available at https://armstrongmetalfest.ca/tickets

Celebrating 15 Years of mountain moshing in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Armstrong MetalFest unveils its conquering 2025 lineup with BORN OF OSIRIS, HAVOK, GLYPH, RIOT CITY, THE BROWNING, VIRVUM and lots more from across Canada and beyond.

All tickets provide general admission and grant access to the festival grounds, camping area, and arena from 9:00 AM on Friday, July 11, 2025, until 10:00 AM on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Free camping is included.

Tickets will be mailed starting after March 1st if you have chosen the “Ticket Mailed” option.

Hosted on July 11th and 12th in Armstrong, BC at the Hassen Arena, this year’s two days of moshing, headbanging, and camping is a very special one as festival council members comment:

“The band council worked hard on this year’s lineup. I am so excited to have the Browning back. They were amazing on stage. I have been wanting to see Born of Osiris play live for years. I love them, and now I get to see them in my own little town.” – Heather Valstar, Vice President of West Metal Entertainment Society

“I’m really excited about the diversity of this year’s line-up. The selection team has really put in the work. There’s sure to be something for everyone: a great mix of trusted favorites and new additions to your playlist for the rest of the year!” – Kate Kutzner, President of West Metal Entertainment Society

“This year’s festival is a work of art! I can’t believe we are on the 15th year already. Time flies when you’re setting up a festival full of crushing riffs, soaring vocals and down right nasty beats. Life rules, bring on the summer!” – Festival Co-Founder / General Manager – Jessie Valstar.

Headlining opening night, Friday, July 11th, Denver thrashers HAVOK are no strangers to the mosh pits, these veterans have unleashed five studio albums – Burn (2009), Time Is Up (2011), Unnatural Selection (2013), Conformicide (2017), V (2020) – and recently surprised fans this past November with the EP “New Eyes”. Music Video – Death Is An Illusion – https://youtu.be/hkUgz-DeFAo

Also supporting the Friday night stage, the Pacific Northwest’s Glyph (ft. members from Gatekeeper, Greyhawk, Hjelvik), which is not just a heavy metal band, they are a crew of intergalactic mercenaries escaping a dying planet in their spaceship, the VSS Dragonlord. Clearly, Glyph isn’t just writing songs, they’re building worlds and they bring it forth in their latest album “Honor, Power, Glory” released in March 2024. Lyric Video – March of the Northern Clan (feat. Nathan Harrison) – https://youtu.be/htSyUb25wD4

Another highlight for Friday is the screaming heavy metal from Calgary’s speed demons Riot City, who bring forth their steel, spikes and leather! A youthful band that represent the new face of Canadian metal. An amalgam of ripping and hot heavy metal, created in pure and youthful madness, they’re bullet belts feature two full lengths “Electric Elite” (2022), “Burn The Night” (2019) and their latest live album “Live in Newcastle” (2023). Album Stream – Electric Elite – https://youtu.be/j3hA1nrG7M0

Saturday, July 12th will be headlined by international tour de force, progressive deathcore titans, Chicago’s BORN OF OSIRIS. The group is signed to Sumerian Records and has released seven full lengths and two EPs. Their album, A Higher Place, reached number 73 on the Billboard 200. Their second full-length album, The Discovery, debuted at 87 on the Billboard 200. The band unveiled their latest single “In Desolation” this past August. Visualizer – In Desolation – https://youtu.be/9OyMRRAq9fI

Also featured on Saturday is AMF alumni Kansas City’s THE BROWNING who will be unleashing their unique eclectic blend of electronicore and deathcore. This past November, they released their sixth album “OMNI” that features 10 powerful tracks, including collaborations with Nik Nocturnal and the eponymous song with THE DEFECT. Music Video – OMNI (feat. THE DEFECT) – https://youtu.be/VhyuduP3MdY

Performing for the first time at AMF and adding to the nostalgia of Saturday night, VIRVUM, progressive / technical death metal all the way from Zürich, Switzerland that many in Canada have been waiting a long time to witness. There’s no better place to see them along with the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies than at AMF 2025. The Cypher Supreme – https://youtu.be/9W9Kp38I9yY

Other to be treasured highlights of this year’s fest not to miss is Montreal, QC up and coming thrashers DROWNING IN BLOOD, who are notorious pit mongrels and have made quite a name for themselves in Eastern Canada. Vancouver’s GRAVEMASS, they might be a new band, but they feature some serious experienced metalheads from Zimmers Hole, West of Hell, The Golers, Punch Drunk, 3 Inches of Blood and Revocation. Switzerland’s technical death/black metal Stortregn, they deliver a mix of charging riffs, blast beats and brutality that leaves the listener begging for more. 

The Defect is an electronic rock/metal project created by husband and wife duo – Jonny McBee (The Browning) and Moon McBee. Their debut album “Death X Destiny” was recently released on Feb 7th, 2025 under record label FiXT. From the Salish lands of Spokane, WA, Hísemtuks Hími•n introduce their Indigenous melodic black metal of hard hitting riffs, fast paced drumming and a lot of melody. This project has strong roots in the Spokane Tribe/Nez Perce. Most songs are about Native American mythology, history, and folklore.

AMF 2025 Lineup:
Havok (Denver, CO)
Born of Osiris (Chicago, IL)
Glyph (Seattle, WA)
Riot City (Calgary, AB)
The Browning (Kansas City, KS)
Virvum (Zürich, Switzerland)
Atavistia (Vancouver, BC)
Drowning In Blood (Montreal, QC)
Convictions (Fremont, OH)
Scalding (Vancouver, BC)
Syryn (Calgary, AB)
Stortregn (Geneva, Switzerland)
The Defect (Kansas City, KS)
Gravemass (Vancouver, BC)
Lover (Calgary, AB)
Yegg (Vancouver Island, BC)
Hísemtuks Hími•n (Spokane, WA)
The Spruce Moose (Edmonton, AB)
Volt (Fort McMurray, AB)
Jisei (Vancouver, BC)
Nomad (Okanagan Valley, BC)
Planetkiller (Kelowna, BC)
Shackled To The Throne (Edmonton, AB)
The Cadavor Dog (High River, AB)
Famous Strangers (Edmonton, AB)
Valley of Despair (Edmonton, AB)
Naitaka (Kelowna, BC)
FloodGate (Kelowna, BC)

Partners:
WCMFA
AlumaPro Welding & Fabrication Ltd
Vox and Hops
Rancho Vignola
Creative BC
Province of BC
Shepherds Hardware
Askews Foods
ACE Containers
Asher Media Relations
Staggs Head
Sunbelt Rentals
Bravewords
V13
Metal-Rules
Absolute Underground Mag
Broken Neck Radio
Ghost Cult Magazine
This Day In Metal
Valstar Electric
Voets

Source: ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

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MOONLIGHT HAZE – New Studio Album “Beyond” Out In May

Posted in Heavy Metal, Metal, metal bands, metal music, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

MOONLIGHT HAZE will release the new record Beyond on May 23th 2025 through Scarlet Records.

Lead by sensational frontwoman Chiara Tricarico (currently one of the live vocalists of Avantasia and special guest on the Highlights From The Revenge Of Odysseus (2022 ManowarEP), MOONLIGHT HAZE has joined forces with extraordinary producer Sascha Paeth for their upcoming fourth studio album.

Beyond is a perfect mixture of heavy, melodic and super catchy songs recorded in the old fashioned way with little to no edits. MOONLIGHT HAZE went ʻorganicʼ this time, with a little help from Sascha Paeth, who was able to make some of the classic features of the band emerge and shine even more.

The Italian unit keeps delivering its trademark killer refrains while exploring new musical territory, further experimenting throughout ten tracks highlighted by yet another stellar vocal performance courtesy of Chiara Tricarico.

MOONLIGHT HAZE’s fourth record is a journey through time and space, galactic landscapes and earthly elements; a never-ending quest for a deeper reality and a purest inner truth. Soul searching symphonic power metal, if you please.

Produced by MOONLIGHT HAZE at Bridge Produzioni Audio and Studio & Sascha Paeth at Pathway Studio, and illustrated by the talented Beatrice Demori, Beyond will be released in the following formats:

CD digipack
LP in vinile: 350 blu trasparente; 150 trasparenti (esclusiva mailorder)
Digitale

Preorders: https://bfan.link/beyond-6

Tracklist:

01. Beyond
02. Tame The Storm
03. Crystallized
04. Chase The Light
05. Would You Dare?
06. L’Eco Del Silenzio
07. D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize)
08. Untold
09. Time To Go
10. Awakening
11. A Brand New Sky (bonus track CD)
12. Alive Again (bonus track vinile)

Total running time – 40:05

Line-up:

Chiara Tricarico – Vocals
Marco Falanga – Guitar
Alberto Melinato – Guitar
Alessandro Jacobi – Bass
Giulio Capone – Drums & Keyboards

For fans of: Sonata Arctica, Avantasia, Nightwish, Stratovarius, Within Temptation, Beast In Black

MOONLIGHT HAZE:

https://moonlighthaze.bandcamp.com/

https://www.moonlighthaze.com/

https://www.instagram.com/moonlighthazeband/

https://www.facebook.com/moonlighthazemetalband

Scarlet Records:

https://www.scarletrecords.it/

https://scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/scarletrecords/

https://www.facebook.com/scarletrecords/

https://www.youtube.com/@ScarletRecordsYT

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SUDDEN DEATH – Italian Death Metallers To Release New Album: In Sinner Hate

Posted in Death Metal, death metal bands, Metal, metal bands, metal music, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , , on March 4, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

SUDDEN DEATH‘s fourth album, In Sinner Hate, is set for release on May 19th, 2025, via Time To Kill Records.

The title plays phonetically with the word “Incinerate”, but takes on the meaning of In the sinner’s hate, reflecting the dark and introspective themes that permeate the entire work. In this new effort, the band delves into concepts such as violence, monotony, loneliness, alienation, respectability, and hardship, while also tackling broader topics like war, pollution, and social isolation, exploring them in their most visceral form.

While maintaining the claustrophobic, minimalist, and massive approach that has always defined SUDDEN DEATH, the new material ventures into more intricate and elaborate directions. The band’s death metal carries a modern edge, yet retains clear nods to the old-school brutality of Cannibal Corpse and Sinister. The guitars intertwine constantly, layering different yet harmonized riffs before reconverging into a single, powerful sonic force, creating a complex and dynamic listening experience.

The first single “Human Death Machine” is now streaming HERE.

The album was mixed and mastered by Stefano “Saul” Morabito (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance, Hideous Divinity), with additional recordings by Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono (Hour Of Penance, Shores Of Null) and Giuseppe Orlando (Novembre, Stormlord).

The band commented: 

“Human Death Machine is a track whose themes draw inspiration from certain elements of cinematic works such as The Shining, reinterpreted from a more introspective and personal perspective. The protagonist, suffering from a dissociative disorder, experiences an identity crisis, undergoing what can be described as an authentic and progressive process of rationalizing his emotions. This leads him to a state in which, following the complete annihilation of his emotional side, only cynicism and inner emptiness remain. His distorted perception of reality drives him to see murder as the only possible solution. As a result, the protagonist transforms from a man into a kind of flesh-and-bone robot, a killing machine, a human death-machine”.

Line-up:

Luis Maggio – Vocals
Giorgio “Giorgioni” Cifuni – Guitar
Francesca Mancini – Guitar
Giuseppe Ciurleo – Bass
Emanuele Aleo – Drums

Track-list:

1. In Sinner Hate (Intro)
2. The Modern Pharisee
3. Destined to Fall
4. The World is Hate
5. Living Corruption
6. The Beast Awakening
7. Channelling Misery
8. The Torture Wheel
9. Acidic Ways of Parity
10. Human Death Machine
11. The Human Demise

Preorders:

https://timetokillrecords.com/collections/sudden-death-in-sinner-hate

https://suddendeathofficial.bandcamp.com/album/in-sinner-hate

Formed in 1997, SUDDEN DEATH are a death metal band hailing from Genzano (Rome). The band’s sound, initially inspired by the rawest old school death-thrash metal waves, slowly and progressively developed into a more brutal style, influenced by Cannibal Corpse and early Deicide. Nowadays the band set forth on a masterclass in technical and claustrophobic death metal with dense and intertwining guitars, sudden tempo and metric changes and more consistent and exasperated vocal parts.

So far the band has released three albums – Devoured Inside (self-produced) in 2001, Injection of Hate (Deadbang Records) in 2004, Monolith of Sorrow (Killerpool Records) in 2015 and the EP Stillborn (Art Gates Records) in 2018.

SUDDEN DEATH have played several shows throughout the Italian peninsula and around Europe, sharing the stage with important acts such as Suffocation, Gorgoroth, Vader, Napalm Death, Exodus, Dark Tranquility, Possessed, Pestilence and many others.

Time To Kill Records:

https://timetokillrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/timetokillrecords/

https://www.facebook.com/timetokillrecords/

https://www.youtube.com/c/TIMETOKILLRECORDS

https://timetokillrecords.com/

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