Greek Epic Metal Heroes BATTLEROAR have entered Devasoundz Studio in Athens, Greece to start the recording process for Blood of Legends, the band’s first studio album since 2008’s To Death and Beyond… The album will be produced by Thymios Krikos (INNERWISH) together with the band and is expected to be in April of next year on Cruz del Sur Music.
Blood of Legends is the first BATTLEROAR album to feature SACRED STEEL vocalist Gerrit Mutz, who joined the band last year. It also marks the recording debuts of bassist Stavros Aivaliotis and guitarist Antreas Sotiropoulos, both of whom joined BATTLEROAR’s ranks after the release To Death and Beyond…
The song Poisoned Well, taken from Blood of Legends, appears in the Greek fantasy feature film, The Dragonphoenix Chronicles : Indomitable. The instrumental track has been posted for streaming at this location.
As Germany’s heroes of true heavy metal, ATLANTEAN KODEX, prepare to proudly unveil their sophomore LP, The White Goddess (A Grammar Of Poetic Myth), today the first full single from the epic new opus is playing at Revolver Magazine; the mammoth eleven-minute “Sol Invictus (With Faith and Fire).”
Founding guitarist Manuel Trummer states of the magnificent tune: “‘Sol Invictus’ takes you on a trip through the dark underbelly of European folklore to a realm of fertility cults, fire-worship and corn-demons, older than Bethlehem and Babylon, older than dreaming Sumer and mankind itself. Now grab a beer, turn the volume to 11 and bang your head like a man possessed.”
Arm yourself and meet us for the ceremonial unleashing of the mighty “Sol Invictus (With Faith and Fire)” at Revolver HERE:
The band has also compiled a shortened/edited video for “Sol Invictus,” which can be seen below:
The White Goddess (A Grammar Of Poetic Myth) will see stateside release on CD on October 1st, with the mammoth 2xLP version to follow shortly after. Outside of North America, Germany’s Ván Records will disburse the vinyl edition while Italy’s Cruz Del Sur will handle the CD release.
Self-described as falling somewhere between Twilight of the Gods-era Bathory, early Ross The Boss-era Manowar and other classic US bands like Fates Warning, Cirith Ungol and Warlord, ATLANTEAN KODEX retains a singular modernity and heaviness via their incredible production and recording technique, and through singer Markus Becker, who has the naturally blessed pipes to rival the best heavy metal vocalists past or present. There is no irony or pretense going on in their music; ATLANTEAN KODEX plays deeply reverent and devoted metal with an emphasis on superior, timeless songcraft. Continuing on 2010’s universally praised The Golden Bough, ATLANTEAN KODEX has built upon their sound to achieve an album like no other released in 2013.
Many bands and labels lay claim to the word “epic” to describe a particular band’s sound but on The White Goddess, their name becomes synonymous with the term in a way very bands ever manage. Drawing from traditional heavy metal, doom and Norse metal influences, The White Goddess achieves the bands strongest songwriting, lyrics, vocal performance and production yet, already nearly without equal on their previous LP.
Stay tuned for further international release and tour updates on ATLANTEAN KODEX in the coming weeks.
Manilla Road is back with their landmark 16th full length album, Mysterium; due out February 19th on Shadow Kingdom Records.
After a career that has spanned more than three decades, the band shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. In fact they’re more active now than ever with all of the live shows booked for 2013; including an appearance at this year’s Maryland Death Fest. The time has come for Manilla Road to break out of the underground bubble and get to the level where they can get some wider acclaim to all of the hard work that’s been put forth all of these years. Mysterium is another quality Manilla Road release that sounds a lot more classic/traditional than their previous, more experimental album Playground of the Damned.
The production on Mysterium is a step above anything Manilla Road has released in the past, bringing the band into the modern era without sacrificing an ounce of their legendary style. With all of their albums, there’s nothing that’s ever the same with the albums they create or the production they have, but that’s what makes Manilla Road, Manilla Road.
2013 promises to be a huge year for MANILLA ROAD. The release of Mysterium sees this legendary band firing on all cylinders. With a successful appearance at the Metal Assault III Festival in Germany under their belts, MANILLA ROAD is set to dominate more stages throughout the year. Performances at Maryland Deathfest, Chaos In Tejas, Sweden Rock Festival and Hellfest Open Air are only a handful of shows announced for 2013 thus far. For a complete listing of MANILLA ROAD live dates, visit http://www.manillaroad.net.
Originally released to the underground in 2009, MAELSTROM’s It Was Predestined is now available in digital format via Los Angeles’ Itchy Metal Entertainment (IME).
Few self-released EPs have been met with the kind of critical acclaim and fan reception as It Was Predestined. Famed music journalist Martin Popoff called the release “A symphony of progressiveness the likes of which has pretty much never been articulated, invented, or heard, before now,” and world-renowned publications such as Terrorizer, Metal Hammer and MetalSucks.net all sang MAELSTROM’s praises upon the EP’s release.
When MAELSTROM signed with IME earlier this year, it seemed only natural for the EP to be offered once again to metal fans around the world. Visit http://www.itchymetal.com to order your copy today.
Check out the video below of MAELSTROM guitarist and Julliard guest lecturer Joey Lodes in the studio demoing solos for the EP.
International Critical Praise for It Was Predestined:
Named in the Top two Unsigned Bands Worldwide – Terrorizer
Demo of the Month, January 2009 – Rock Hard
“Fusing a dizzying array of styles – death, power, thrash and prog-metal – with cinematic elements, jaw-dropping musicality and Gary Vosganian’s eccentric, staccato vocals, cult New York band Maelstrom have ended a two-decade hiatus to present something thunderously unique.” – Metal Hammer
A symphony of progressiveness the likes of which has pretty much never been articulated, invented, or heard, before now.- Martin Popoff –Editor in Chief BWBK
“This band is on their way to becoming the next big thing.” – Metal Asylum
“Pagan/folk/viking/whatever metal has fallen out of favor since it momentarily exploded onto the scene in 2008-2009, but every so often a band in that micro-genre comes along that piques our interest. Long Island crew MaelstroM have some of the trademarks of that genre – vocals that occasionally soar, fantasy-themed artwork, keyboards – but theirs is a brand that’s distinctly thrashier and a whole lot less cheesy than most of what we hear. Great guitar work, too.” – Metal Sucks
“These tracks will leave you breathless…their power is undeniable” – The Gauntlet
“It Was Predestined is a flattering combination of old school and new school power, and it works surprisingly well.” – Metal Review
“Maelstrom is not your typical power metal act and It Was Predestined is going to strike a nerve with classic fans.” – Teeth of the Divine
“MaelstroM are not only back, they’re stronger than ever and dedicated to bringing their wildly inventive brand of metal to a new generation of listeners.” – Ultimate Guitar
“Maelstrom are a mean and snarly power metal band, and they aren’t afraid to keep things raw instead of sparkly.” – Unrestrained!
“If you love huge, massively melodic metal with an off the wall touch, ‘It Was Predestined’ is worth a listen.” – Chronicles of Chaos
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