Finnish melodic death metal one-man-band SHADE OF SORROW released a new song named METEOR. The song and the video is produced by all-around metal heavyweight Tuomas Saukkonen (Wolfheart, Dawn of Solace, Before the Dawn etc). METEOR is is described as cold beautiness as the northern blizzard.
Composer MIKA KANKAINEN comments:”METEOR is a product of black, destroyed heart filled with emotions. Heavy, straight forward and raw. The strongest song I have ever written.”
“Grand forger of cold and melodic metal Shade of Sorrow is back with a new single “Meteor”. This one of the most promising new flag-bearers of Finnish metal scene is ready to take the world by storm and that storm is coming from the North!”
Vancouver (BC) – New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal newcomers Maule have released a new song from their forthcoming debut album. “Sword Woman” is available to stream at: youtu.be/i9E0IYetTF4
Maule will release their self-titled, full-length debut album January 14, 2022 on Gates of Hell Records (a Cruz Del Sur Music sub-label). Pre-orders are available at the following links:
A lyric video for opening track “Evil Eye” is available at: youtu.be/eB5noCcqIRM
Pure, aggressive traditional metal that captures the spirit of NWOBHM for the 21st century! On their self-titled album, Vancouver’s Maule reinvigorates the sounds of the early 1980s with a fresh, energetic twist, making it one of the year’s most exciting debuts!
More than four decades after its arrival, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) continues to inspire new musicians. Its first wave, of course, helped create thrash and laid the groundwork for the European and North American metal scenes that would take shape throughout the ensuing decade. And while Iron Maiden and Saxon emerged as the unabashed mainstays of the style, bands like Angel Witch, Blitzkrieg, Diamond Head and Tygers of Pan Tang established the core sonic tenants that now live on through bands a generation removed, including Vancouver, British Columbia’s Maule.
Formed in 2017 by rhythm guitarist/vocalist Jakob Weel and bassist Johnny Maule, Maule broke onto the scene in 2019 with their From Hell demo. The five-song offering made waves throughout the metal underground, showcasing a young band with a deft grasp on traditional metal. As it turns out, Johnny Maule and original lead guitarist Daniel Gottardo came from a classical and jazz music background, informing their unique sense of riffs, rhythms and songwriting arrangements. The momentum from the From Hell demo carried the band into 2020 when they began work on what became their eponymous debut, their first release for Gates of Hell Records.
Recorded in February 2020 at Little Red Sounds Studio with producer and engineer Michael Kraushaar, who previously manned the From Hell sessions, Maule’s self-titled debut is an nine-song realization of the band’s sound, stocked with thrash-inspired riffing, anthemic choruses, blazing leads and Weel’s sharp, biting vocal approach that capably handles aggressive and mid-tempo material. (Gottardo played all leads on the album, but has since been replaced by Justin Walker.)
Lyrically, Maule embraces the storytelling philosophy embraced throughout classic metal with tales of life and death, with additional nods to Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft. The album’s cover art was created by Dave Levi Holland and was based on a sketch from Johnny Maule.
Track Listing:
Evil Eye
Ritual
Summoner
Maule
Red Sonya
Sword Woman
Father Time
March of the Dead
We Ride
Album Line-Up: Jakob Weel – Vocals/guitars Daniel Gottardo – Lead guitars Johnny Maule – Bass Eddie Riumin – Drums
Current Line-Up: Jakob Weel – Vocals/guitars Justin Walker – Lead guitars Johnny Maule – Bass Eddie Riumin – Drums
Arising from the red metal sands of Central Australia is HELL MACHINE. Equal parts Thrash and Black Metal, the deuce of Dave Hellrazor (Bass/Vocals) and Mal Machine (Drums) are a finely tuned weapon borne of searing desert heat and old-school heavy metal influence.
2018 saw the release of their first division of liturgies – Merciless Hate – before HELL MACHINE exploded onto stages, including cult underground festivals Blacken Open Air and Hell On The Bay. Congregations of crazed fans have been left wanting more ever since.
Now as 2021 closes, HELL MACHINEcome armed again with another sonic rampage in Relentless Aggression. Eighttracks expertly crafted and recorded at Pony Music in Melbourne. The new disc lays siege to the temples of hypocrisy, and night terrors to feeble happy clapping stooges. Upon closing, nothing is left but particles of the faithful.
2022 will see HELL MACHINE deploy their large-calibre assault at Steel Assassins 10 (Sydney) and Churches of Steel Festival (Adelaide). Forewarned is forearmed. Get ready to ride into the dust on power strokes of razor sharp riffs, relentless drumming and the sledgehammer attack ofthe one and only HELL MACHINE! This is the adrenaline charge that fans of blackened thrash need.
Track Listing:
Devil Spawn
She-Demon
Burn In Hell
God Is Nowhere
Gates of Hell
Lowlife
Possession
Hammer of Hate
Line-up:
Bass/Vocals: Dave Hellrazor Drums/Vocals: Mal Machine
Creator-Destructor Records presents Oakland, California-based melodic death metal band DARKNESSEVERYWHERE. The new act has completed production on their debut EP, The Seventh Circle, set for release in late February, today unleashing the lead single, “Reign Of Chaos,” alongside the cover art and more.
DARKNESS EVERYWHERE unites vocalist/guitarist/drummer Ben Murray, guitarist Cameron Stucky, and renowned producer engineer Zack Ohren on bass. The band formed in late 2020 with the goal of writing songs heavily influenced by the classic mid-1990s Swedish melodic death metal sound. This isn’t the individual members’ first round around the block when it comes to melodic death metal, as Murray is a founding member of Bay Area band Light This City, and Stucky is a member of symphonic melodic metal act, Crepuscle. Ohren recorded and produced all of Light This City’s albums throughout the past twenty years and continues to be one of the leading metal producers in the industry, having worked with Machine Head, All Shall Perish, and many more.
The glory years of early In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity are what largely inform the sound and aesthetic of DARKNESS EVERYWHERE. The core of the band is built on the feel of those legendary records, while offering a refreshing take on the no frills melodic death metal sound akin to the output of modern outfits Darkest Hour, The Haunted, and God Forbid. The band wastes no time in getting to the point of melodic death metal riffing and driving, thrashing tempos.
The Seventh Circle refers to the Dante’s Seventh Layer Of Hell, where acts of violence in life are punished in death. The endless torture inflicted upon human souls for their past sins of hatred is an all-consuming reality in the lyrical themes of the seven songs that comprise DARKNESS EVERYWHERE’s debut EP. The record was recorded in late 2020 at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, engineered and produced by Zack Ohren, and completed with cover artwork by Samuel Nelson. Additionally, The Seventh Circle features guest vocals from Laura Nichol (Light This City) on “Survival Of The Sun,” John Henry (Darkest Hour) on “The Grand Impact,” and X on “The Seventh Circle.”
The lead single from DARKNESS EVERYWHERE and The Seventh Circle, “Reign Of Chaos,” is now playing at all digital streaming services including YouTube HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
The Seventh Circle will see digital release on February 25th through Creator-Destructor – the label owned and operated by the band’s Ben Murray – with a vinyl version to follow shortly after. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp HERE.
Watch for vinyl/merch details and preorders to post alongside additional audio previews, videos, and more from the album over the weeks ahead.
“Huldufólk” is the new album by Italian legendary Speed/thrash metallers CELTIC HILLS, the band continues to tell and describe their land, but the intention of this new work is to walk the road in a different way! “Huldufólk” is coming out in 2022 via ElevateRecords.
Band’s singer and guitarist Jonathan Vanderbilt reveals on the album cover artwork:
“The cover was again entrusted to Sheila Franco with the input of drawing a brighter cover, with the predominant green between the green that characterizes the MATRIX movie and the green of uncontaminated nature. A record in the balance between the enchanted world of legends, heroic deeds performed by people who wanted a better world. A record that looks to the past, projecting itself into a future to be built. A passing disc that wants to take past history with it to go further …to draw.”
The tracklisting reads the following: 1 – The Secret of the Grail 2 – Metal Message 3 – After The Eartquake 4 – Hidden Folk 5 – Green Forest 6 – Gate Of Hollow Earth 7 – Living Out Of The Egg 8 – The Sound Of Earth 9 – The Hammer Of Thor 10 – Villacher Kirktag Bonus track Words In Out (remix 2022) Living Out Of The Egg sung by Simone Cescutti
Photo-edit by Pino Magliani
The drummer Simone Cescutti after this job leaves the band to pursue a career as a singer and guitarist with his own band! So, to greet his fans, he sings a song called “Living out of the Egg”. The other texts dedicated to the history of Friuli are “After the Earthquake” which speaks of the strength and courage of the Friulian people in rebuilding the territory devastated by the earthquake of 6 May 1976. “The Gate of Hollow Earth” tells of the legends of the mountains behind the city of Pordenone where there would be a secret entrance to the hollow earth.
The album ends with the track “Villacher Kirktag” which tells of the Beer Festival in the city of Villach in Austria where every first Saturday of August Friulian boys go to party getting drunk and harassing beautiful Austrian girls! The text is sung in English with “notations” in Friulian and Austrian.
The album was produced also this time by Michele Guaitoli singer of Temperance and Vision of Atlantis in the studios of the Groove Factory in Udine and for the realization of the cover again the talented Sheila Franco.
Just recently was announced the guest guitarist, GabrielePala (Karnak, Azure Agony, Goldenseed), playing two solos in the album for the songs ‘Green Forest’ and ‘Gate of Hollow Earth’. In addition to being a very good guitarist, Gabriele is an expert connoisseur of Chapman Stick, an instrument played with the tapping technique.
Earlier Jonathan revealed on “Huldufólk”: “Again this time we will talk about Friuli, and the theory is at work that the location of the American Air Force Base Aviano is used to control an ancient access to the underground world, which has been used by the pagan gods since ancient times. The magical rites of the inhabitants of the mountains and the places where elves, fairies and gnomes once lived among the people are revealed. There are already definitive titles such as The Sound of the Earth in F sharp minor. A text tells how you can use the beneficial energy of the trees at dawn to strengthen your energies, but there will be no lack of historical events that accompany every CELTIC HILLS album.”
2021 was a very positive year for CELTIC HILLS! The reviews of the ‘Mystai Keltoy’ album have been many, published on the major world newspapers and all with an average rating of around 9.
With All Hallows’ Eve and the Day of the Dead fast approaching, the L.A.-based thrash/death/shred quartet EXMORTUS has unveiled a visualizer for the title track for their just-released horror-themed EP Legions of the Undead. Check out the clip – which was designed by Wayne Joyner (Dream Theater, Devin Townsend). Watch it HERE or below:
Says guitarist Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez, “Just in time for Halloween, enjoy this video of the new EP title track, ‘Legions of the Undead,’ inspired by the darker themes in Tolkien & Lovecraft lore. We are extremely excited to perform the new songs on Death Angel’s North American Humanicide Tour this November and December. See you on the road, Legions!”
As Gonzalez acknowledged, the song “Legions of the Dead” nods to the Dead Men of Dunharrow in “Lord Of The Rings.” It is joined on the new EP by one other new original track – the “Evil Dead”-inspired “Swallow Your Soul” – as well as three instrumental covers: renditions of Danny Elfman’s “Beetlejuice” theme and Bernard Hermann’s theme from Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic “Psycho,” as well as a neoclassical shred take on 19th Century Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s haunting “Night On Bald Mountain.”
Recorded earlier this year with longtime producer Zack Ohren (Machine Head, Immolation) at Oakland’s Sharkbite Studios, “Legions Of The Undead” – the cover art for which was designed by Toha “AHOT” Mashudi – is now available via the band’s own Exmortus Music in cooperation with M-Theory Audio. Physical copies can be ordered on CD and limited-edition green slime-colored vinyl HERE.
“Legions Of The Undead” marks the first EXMORTUS release featuring the lineup – founding guitarist/vocalist Gonzalez, guitarist Chase Becker (also of Warbringer), bassist Cody Nunez and drummer Adrian Aguilar – that has logged numerous miles on the road together over the past two years with the likes of Obituary, Venom Inc., Sabaton, Kreator, Havok, Allegaeon, Hatchet, Homewrecker and The Absence. The group – whose most recent performance was alongside Exodus at the legendary thrash group’s sold-out “Bonded By Con” concert during San Diego’s recent Comic-Con – will support another iconic Bay Area act this fall, when they team up with Death Angel for a five-week tour across the U.S. and Canada. See below for the complete itinerary.
Founded by Gonzalez when he was just 12 years old, EXMORTUS released their debut album, “In Hatred’s Flame,” via Heavy Artillery in 2008. After gaining additional acclaim with their 2011 sophomore effort “Beyond The Fall Of Time,” the group signed a three-album deal with Prosthetic Records in 2013. In support of that acclaimed trilogy of releases (2014’s “Slave To The Sword,” 2016’s “Ride Forth” and 2018’s “The Sound Of Steel”), the band toured alongside some of metal’s biggest names, including Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, Abbath, Dark Tranquillity and Marty Friedman, earning extensive praise along the way for their live power, prowess and proficiency.
EXMORTUS on tour with Death Angel:
Nov 13 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst (EXMORTUS only)
Nov 14 – Chico, CA – Metal Shop (EXMORTUS ONLY)
Nov 15 – Bend, OR – Third St. Pub (EXMORTUS only)
Nov 16 – Seattle, WA – Club Sur
Nov 17 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
Nov 18 – Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw Theater
Nov 19 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite
Nov 20 – Calgary, AB – Dickens
Nov 21 – Regina, SK – The Exchange
Nov 22 – Winnipeg, MB – Pyramids
Nov 23 – St. Paul, MN – The Amsterdam
Nov 25 – London, ON – London Music Hall
Nov 26 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
Nov 27 – Montreal, QC – Piranha Bar
Nov 28 – Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
Nov 29 – Quebec City, QC – L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
Nov 30 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus
Dec 1 – New Bedford, MA – Vault @ Greasy Luck
Dec 2 – Waterford, NY – Chrome (EXMORTUS only)
Dec 3 – Lancaster, PA – Chameleon
Dec 4 – Baltimore, MD – Otto Bar
Dec 5 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club
Dec 6 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
Dec 7 – Tampa, FL – Brass Mug
Dec 8 – Orlando, FL – The Haven
Dec 9 – Mobile, AL – Alabama Music Box (EXMORTUS only)
W.A.S.P. is happy to announce their participation in the upcoming KnotFest Festival in Bogota, Colombia, on December 6th 2019.
We look forward to seeing you there!!
The newly minted Connecticut Metal Coalition has released its first compilation, aptly titled Connecticut Metal Coalition Volume One. Organizer Ryan Early told Alternative Control, “The CMC is intended to be an ever-evolving group of both established and up-and-coming local musicians with the common goal of promoting and advancing our scene as a whole entity. […] The compilation is mostly just a vehicle that we can use the promote the scene to newcomers. It’s certainly not an unheard-of idea, but the goal was to put together an eclectic collection of songs from CT indie bands across all genres of metal.”
Featured Artists:
Dread These Days
Murder Monday
Iblissian
Owl Maker
Piercing Immortality
Apostasy
Continuum
Enemy of Reason
Glass Divide
Condition Zero
Archaic Decapitator
The Shape
She Walks Without Legs
Cyperna
Physics of Demise
Italian metallers NEBULAE are ready to reveal details of what will be the band’s second full-length studio album. Titled “Pulse”, the nine-track album is set for release on the 18th October via Time To Kill Records.
Groove is clearly evident in the band’s style which however includes references to several metal genres, old and new. The album with its varied and intensively composed songs will surely appeal to fans of Gojira, Tesseract, Deftones, Jinjer and Klone.
“The new album has a mission: to make peace understood through a specific mantra ‘Listen. Understand. React.’ The title ‘Pulse’ – Impulse is the basis of all that animates us, of everything that makes us resist to events. It is the primary push to improve and evolve. The sequence of tracks into the album examines the unfolding over time of human experiences that lead the human being to evolve and fight, marked by everything he has faced and is still preparing to face”.
The record’s first single, “Removal”, is now streaming HERE and below:
Please join us in celebrating the life of our Brother and Bandmate, with a very special event: HELLYEAH: A Celebration of the Life of Vinnie Paul this summer.
Vocalist Bruce Corbitt Announces Retirement Following Cancer Diagnosis – Final Farewell Footage Posted + Medical Fundraising Campaign Launched
___________________________
Texas metal titans WARBEAST will release their long-waited new full-length, Enter The Arena, this August via Philip H. Anselmo‘s own Housecore Records. Captured at Anselmo’s Nodferatu’s Lair, mixed by Mike Thompson at the Riff Factory and mastered by Lee Russell, Enter The Arena features newest WARBEAST recruits, guitarist Drew Shoup and bassist Lyric Ferchaud and stands among the band’s most potent, volatile, and unrepentant powerful offering yet.
“We recorded Enter The Arena exactly a decade after we formed WARBEAST,” notes vocalist Bruce Corbitt. “The nucleus and founding members of this band [guitarist Scott Shelby, drummer Joey Gonzalez, and Corbitt] provided the essential veteran leadership that was vital for us to reach our goal of creating our magnum opus. The three of us also contributed our unique individual styles to guarantee that we still sound like WARBEAST. But with the addition of our two newest members – guitarist Drew Shoup and bassist Lyric Ferchaud – who I call the ‘Youngbloods,’ it was like adding a breath-of-fresh-air to our chemistry. We definitely sound like a well-oiled-machine on this album. So get prepared for the upcoming onslaught of pure, fresh, and quintessential Texas thrash!”
“Enter The Arena is WARBEAST at its finest in performance, writing and tone quality,” adds Shelby. “I’m confident that it will please any rivethead out there! I believe it’s mine and our best work to date.”
Enter The Arena will see release on August 4th. Preorder bundles are currently available. For CD bundles visit THIS LOCATION. For vinyl bundles go to THIS LOCATION.
The release of WARBEAST‘s Enter The Arenafollows Corbitt’s recent and tragic announcement that he’s been diagnosed with esophageal cancer –a treatable though rarely curable disease – facing the likelihood that he will never be able to sing again.
In a recent Facebook message to fans, Corbitt revealed, “After much discussion with the doctors and specialist, they’ve told me there’s no chance within any reasonable time that I’ll ever be able to perform again. So it breaks my heart at this time that I’m forced to announce my retirement from singing. I’m sorry to all of my bandmates for letting them down. I’m devastated with all of this hitting me so fast. I’m still in shock. Thanks for all of the great support all these years,” he continues. “You’re the best fans and I love all of you! We at least have a great WARBEAST album and music video coming soon. I can’t even begin to explain my feelings. You guys have given me the strength I need to even prepare for this fight. Honestly, I was close to losing hope that there was any good to come out of this. Of course, I’m scared for my life, like any normal human being would be. Those moments when I can get on Facebook and scroll through all of your messages, the emotion takes over. I cry, I get stronger, I also realize what all of you mean to me. I do believe in the power prayer and positive vibes. And I have all of you to thank for that.”
Corbitt, who recently began an intensive schedule of radiation treatments, played his final show on Saturday May 27th at the Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas. View the farewell footage at THIS LOCATION.
Additionally, the band’s previously scheduled CD release party will be taking place on Friday, July 14th at The Rail Club in Ft. Worth, Texas. Vocals will be handled by Anselmo, Edwin Neal (Texas Chain Saw Massacre), and Wayne Abney of Hammer Witch.
**A special fund to help with the Corbitt family’s escalating medical expenses has been set up. To donate visit THIS LOCATION.
Enter The Arena Track Listing:
Centuries Of Poisoned Soil
Punishment For Gluttony
Orchestration Of Violence
Maze Of The Minotaur
Hitchhiker
Chemicals Consuming
Enter The Arena
The Scalping
Conjuration With The Devil
Ancient Hate
WARBEAST:
7/14/2017 The Rail Club – Ft. Worth, TX * CD Release Party [info]
With the “retro-thrash” trend in full-swing, and hordes of bands trying to re-create “old school metal,” Texas monsters WARBEAST offer the real thing. Their music is not the result of careful study of ’80s thrash or classic metal; it just comes naturally because that is who they are.
The roots of WARBEAST are firmly entrenched in the legendary ’80s Texas underground metal scene. Vocalist Bruce Corbitt was the voice of speed metal splatter kings Rigor Mortis, who achieved major label success on Capitol Records in 1988. Guitarist Scott Shelby was part of the riff machine behind Gammacide, one of Texas’ most furious thrash exports. Drum tornado Joey Gonzalez now also provides blasts and mayhem for Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals and Superjoint.
The band’s Krush The Enemy debut was released in 2010 on Housecore Records. It featured ten tracks covering a wide range of Metal terrain aimed squarely at the neck-snapping headbanger in the front row. For WARBEAST, “Metal” signifies high-speed riffing, thunderous double bass, roaring vocals, and plenty of blazing guitar solos. By the spring of 2012, WARBEAST hunkered down to record Destroy with legendary Pantera and Down frontman and label founder Philip H. Anselmo behind the board at his own Nodferatu’s Lair. The result was an uncompromising and unbridled thrash assault.
Living up to its moniker, the collection saw the Texas outfit sharpen their claws and bare their teeth even more than before. “I want people to feel like they’ve been hit with a sledgehammer ten times in a row when they hear this,” said Corbitt of the release. “As long as they feel strongly about, we’ve accomplished our mission.” Five years later, it’s time to unleash the sonic battery of Enter The Arena.
New England Death Squad SCALPEL will self-release new album Methods to Delusionon July 25. A promo video for “Labors of Loathing” is available at the following link:
Crusted severed toes nailed to walls; humans covered head to toe in needles administering horrific psychoactive chemicals; an infant’s head being turned to apple sauce on a kitchen counter’s edge – these are only fragments of the surreal and vicious stories told on SCALPEL’s Methods to Delusion. Wielding chainsaw guitars and sledgehammer percussion, Methods to Delusion brings back a psychedelic element to extreme music, inflicting chaos and sickening truth unto the listener. The album was engineered by Colin Marston (GORGUTS) at Thousand Caves Studios.
Death Metal is a visceral art that is dependent upon the extreme dedication of its loyal fans. We have no other purpose but to deliver a version of this art to those same fans like us, whose lives have been claimed by the likes of SUFFOCATION, CARCASS, and DEATH. It is in this vein that we construct our own brutal dirges, devoid of genre restriction and eager to explore the darker realms of music.
SCALPEL is a four-piece band hailing from various cesspools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Guitarists Manny Egbert and Taylor Brennan assume dual vocal duties layered on top of blistering guitars; Matt Bellows belches deafening low-end proficiency on the bass guitar, and Chip Fay thunders behind the drum set, collectively driving the chaos that is the SCALPEL sound.
Colorado’s ALLEGAEON will return to the road next week on a co-headlining run with label mates Act Of Defiance. Set to commence in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 22nd, the band will conquer the stages of over two dozen venues including a stop at the Providence Metal Fest in Providence, Rhode Island, the tour coming to a close on December 5th in Pomona, California.
ALLEGAEON will be touring in support of their Elements Of The Infinite full-length, released last year via Metal Blade Records. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage etc.) at Flatline Audio in Colorado, Elements Of The Infinite serves as the band’s most realized and mature release to date; rightfully claiming spots on a medley of year-end lists, including Loudwire.com, MetalSucks.net, and HeavyBlogisHeavy.com.
For the first time ever, ALLEGAEON cracked the Billboard Charts and Canadian Charts with the record earning the #25 spot on the Billboard Hard Music Chart, #31 on the Canadian Hard Rock Charts and #141 on the Canadian Digital Music Charts. On the day of release in Canada, the album was #1 on iTunes Metal Chart, #6 on the iTunes Rock Chart and #38 on the iTunes Top 200 Current Album Chart. In the US, the album peaked at #3 on the iTunes Metal Chart.
Elements Of The Infinite can be ordered now at http://www.metalblade.com/allegaeon, where the band’s previous videos for “1.618,” “Our Cosmic Casket,” and “Dyson Sphere” are also streaming.
____________________________
ALLEGAEON w/ ACT OF DEFIANCE:
10/22/2015 Count’s Vamp’d – Las Vegas, NV
10/23/2015 Club Red – Mesa, AZ
10/24/2015 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
10/26/2015 Psychedelic Ballroom – Reno, NV
10/28/2015 Area 51 – Salt Lake City, UT
10/29/2015 Moxi Theater – Greeley, CO * no Act Of Defiance
10/30/2015 Marquis – Denver, CO
10/31/2015 Aftershock – Merriam, KS
11/01/2015 Fubar – St. Louis, MO
11/03/2015 Vintage Villains – Danville, IL
11/04/2015 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
11/05/2015 Token Lounge – Westland, MI
11/06/2015 The Foundry – Lakefield, OH
11/08/2015 Flour City Station – Rochester, OH
11/09/2015 Mod Club – Toronto, ON
11/11/2015 Petit Campus – Montreal, QC
11/13/2015 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY
11/14/2015 Waterfront Tavern – Holyoke, MA
11/15/2015 Fete Ballroom – Providence, RI @ Providence Metal Fest
11/16/2015 Championships – Trenton, NJ
11/18/2015 Ziggys – Winston-Salem, NC
11/19/2015 Ziggys by the Sea – Wilmington, NC
11/20/2015 Drunk Horse – Raleigh, NC
11/22/2015 Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
11/29/2015 Rail Club – Fort Worth, TX
11/30/2015 Dirty Dog – Austin, TX
12/01/2015 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
12/04/2015 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
12/05/2015 Glass House – Pomona, CA
This Fall, California metallers, SAVIOURS, will drop the molten fruits of their new full-length this Fall via a new partnership with France’s Listenable Records. Titled Palace Of Vision, their first full-length in four years was captured at Type Foundry in Portland, Oregon with the inimitable Billy Anderson (Neurosis, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, Eyehategod, Taurus, Ommadon etc.) and boasts nine tracks of SAVIOURS‘ signature brand of towering riffs, colossal rhythms, infectious guitar harmonies and an obsession with the end of times, the occult, psychedelics and the arcane.
“It’s a natural and logical continuation of where we left off with [2011’s] Death’s Procession,” said drummer Scott Batiste of the offering. “There are some doomy crushers and faster ragers.” As an added bonus, the record comes sheathed in the fittingly dark, intricately transfixing cover renderings of Derrick Snodgrass (Obliterations, Lecherous Gaze).
In anticipation of its arrival, today Cvlt Nation offers up the first helping of Palace Of Vision in the form of opening bruiser, Burning Shrine. Comments Batiste, “‘Burning Shrine’ is about watching the world burn as it is ruined by religious zealots. Crank it up, live evil or die!”
Adds Cvlt Nation: “This motherfucker is a straight raging jam! Fasten your seat belt, press play and let the mammoth riffs the band kicks out do the rest. Caution: SAVIOURS have been known to cause non-stop headbanging – you have been warned!”
In related news, SAVIOURS will bring their riffs to the stage with a pair of east coast/west coast fest performances with additional live incursions to be announced in the coming weeks.
SAVIOURS:
9/05/2015 Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous Festival @ The Wick – Brooklyn, NY
11/1/3015 Day Of The Shred Festival @ The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
Still building upon the foundation that Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and Motörhead laid, SAVIOURS enters their second decade in a new partnership with French label Listenable Records. Rooted in hardcore punk but preferring to cruise in outer space, the lysergic of SAVIOURS hessians have always brought a ton of swing and swagger to their forward-charging Heavy Metal. The band melds sounds from the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, progressive rock, and proto-doom, and delivers it all with a snarling West Coast hardcore edge. The result is an absolute beast of a sound that is all SAVIOURS‘ own.
Since the 2005 release of SAVIOURS‘ debut EP, Warship, the band has worked relentlessly, touring North America, Europe, and Japan with the likes of Mastodon, Corrosion Of Conformity, The Sword, High On Fire, Saint Vitus and Clutch. In a few short years, SAVIOURS have risen to become stalwarts of the world’s Metal scene, ambassadors of an aggressive-yet-stoned West Coast vibe, inspired by the ’70s but totally real and relevant in 2015.
SAVIOURS:
Austin Barber – guitar, vocals
Sonny Reinhardt – guitar, vocals
Scott Batiste – drums
Andy Anderson – bass
Palace Of Vision will be released via Listenable Records on October 30th, 2015. Preorders to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
__________________________
Critical Praise:
“Cult heaviness…” – Spin
“A dual-guitar riff-fest inspired by NWOBHM and ’70s proto-doom.” – Revolver
“You know you’re playing a good set when your music not only commands the attention of the likes of J Mascis and Matt Pike, but you’re sounding so tight that it compels the two guitar greats to air shred like a couple of Maiden fans circa 1980.” – Decibel
Vampire strike back and announce the release of a new mini-LP Cimmerian Shade coming out September 25th!
Side A
Pyre Of The Harvest Queen *
Sleeper In The Deep (instrumental)
Side B
Night Hunter
Hexahedron
Known from the “Whispers Through The Black Veil” LP-only compilation (Wyrd War, 2014)
The beautiful, detailed cover artwork was done by the very talented Dilek Baykara. Check out her art at www.dilekbaykara.us/.
One track of the MLP will be launched on August 28th. And the pre-order for “Cimmerian Shade” starts on that day, too.
Watch out for golden and silver vinyl versions! Both are limited to 100 copies only and available at CM Distro Europe (golden vinyl) and CM Distro US (silver vinyl) exclusively!
Chicago-based Metal powerhouse TRIALS will release their third full-length, “This Ruined World” on July 24.
Following a pair of critically acclaimed independent releases – Witness to the Downfall (2011) and In the Shadow of Swords (2013), TRIALS has returned with their most evolved effort to date. Featuring nine tracks of intricately woven, relentless and forward-thinking metal, This Ruined World blends aggression and progression for devastating results. Diehard DIYers, TRIALS is a band determined to blaze its own path, free from label interference. This unwavering dedication to substance over style has never been more apparent than it is on This Ruined World.
“This Ruined World contains some of the darkest, most complex music that we have made yet. We put a lot of blood and sweat into this project, and ended up with a record that represents us at our very best,” stated guitarist / vocalist Mark Sugar.
The album was recorded by Pete Grossmann at Bricktop Recording (Weekend Nachos, Hollow Earth) and mixed by Quentin Poynter at Gunpoint Recording (The Skull, Veil of Maya), with art work courtesy of Eva Bialecki (Jar’d Loose).
TRIALS will self-release This Ruined World on July 24, on CD and digital formats. Stream album track “Don’t Believe the Word” and the band’s cover of Strapping Young Lad’s “Far Beyond Metal” at trials.bandcamp.com or below:
This Ruined World – Track List:
Truth Defiled
Don’t Believe The Word
Digging My Own Grave
Disgraced and Erased
Blink Of An Eye
Beat The System To Death
They Hide Behind the Law
Inheritance
This Ruined World
Mark Sugar – Vocals, Guitar Ryan Bruchert – Guitar Adam Kopecky – Drums Usha Rajbandari – Bass
Horror N’ Gore connoisseurs BONE GNAWER returns to apex form with the band’s much-anticipated sophomore full-length record Cannibal Crematorium! The album will be released July 10 on Pulverised Records. The album will be available on CD and limited edition gatefold vinyl, both of which can be pre-ordered at this location.
Once again led by Death Metal legend Kam Lee (ex-MASSACRE, ex-MANTAS, etc) and with the prior emphasis on composing (dead) catchy riffs that plant the hooks in deep, the music of Cannibal Crematorium is impossible to dislodge from memory. The album features an army of special guests, including Dave Ingram (ex-BENEDICTION, ex-BOLT THROWER), Mark Riddick (FETID ZOMBIE), Vincent Crowley (ACHERON), Noel Kemper (GRUESOME STUFF RELISH), and many more!
Simply put, there are is no mindless brutality or distasteful technicality when it comes to BONE GNAWER; this is good ol’ fun ‘n ferocious Death Metal the way this genre intended it to be.
Track List:
Anthropophagist Inferno
Modern Day Cannibal (Featuring Sly Goregnome of FONDLECORPSE)
Chainsaw Carnage (Featuring Adam Scott & Tom Knizer of CARDIAC ARREST)
Horrors In The House Of Human Remains (Featuring Matt Witchclan of DEADMAN’S BLOOD & WITCHCLAN)
Chawed, Mauled & Gnawed (Featuring Noel Kemper of GRUESOME STUFF RELISH & ALTAR OF GIALLO)
Il Sesso Bizzarro Di Cannibali (Featuring Miss Desideria Gabreiella Annuziata)
Chrome Skull (Featuring Vincent Crowley of ACHERON)
Below A Murder Of Carrion Crows (Featuring Patrick Bruss of CRYPTICUS)
Carnivore Beneath (Featuring Dave Ingram of DEAD AMON THE DEAD MEN)
Untold Story: Human Pork Bun (Featuring Mark Riddick of FETID ZOMBIE)
Cannibal Crematorium (Featuring Dany Dead of DEAD)
About Cannibal Crematorium
________________________________________
Featuring Death Metal legendary singer Kam Lee, who used to be a part of the short-lived Mantas that eventually became Death. After which, Kam went on to join Massacre and later on with Denial Fiend.
____________________________
Spawning the idea to create BONE GNAWER with Kam Lee is none other than Rogga Johansson of Paganizer, Ribspreader, Demiurg and countless other active projects.
____________________________
Joining this extraordinary group would be Morgan Lie, a former member of one of Sweden’s most prominent Black Metal act Naglfar.
____________________________
Taking care of all mixing and mastering duties for Cannibal Crematorium is BONE GNAWER’s guitar player Ronnie Bjornstrom, who also is involved with other well-known projects such as Taedeat, Ribspreader, etc to name a few.
____________________________
The album cover artwork for “Cannibal Crematorium” was conceived by Malaysian illustrator Irwan of Ironworx Gravefix (Deathevoker, Thorns Of Hate, etc) and the layout was designed by Silvester Koorevaar of Fondlecorpse fame.
____________________________
Cannibal Crematorium features a string of prominent guest singers such as Dave Ingram (ex-Benediction, Down Among The Dead Men, etc), Mark Riddick (Fetid Zombie), Vincent Crowley (Acheron) and many more.
For fans of Bloodbath, Autopsy and early Cannibal Corpse!
Dark Matter, the debut album from Russian power/speed metal act DISTANT SUN is out now on Metalism Records. Stream it in its entirety at this location.
The album is the follow-up to 2012 EP Sunless Citadel (Sublimity Records) and features 10 songs in the finest traditions of melodic European power metal, bolstered with elements of American thrash metal. A deluxe digipak edition that includes several bonus cover songs will be released later in the year.
Though DISTANT SUN‘s main influences are speed and power metal bands like ANNIHILATOR, ICED EARTH, BLIND GUARDIAN and RAGE; listeners will note a James Hetfield (METALLICA) vocal style. No keyboards or drum samples were used during the recording, and the overall sound brings the feel of the heavy ’90s. The drums on Dark Matter were recorded in Kiev, Ukraine, while the remainder was produced in various Moscow studios. The lyrics deal with a variety of topics, including science fiction, space travel, mysticism, fantasy and adventure. The cover art was designed by W. Smerdulak (ARKONA).
The band is planning its very first gigs for the autumn of 2015 in promotion of Dark Matter, after which DISTANT SUN will begin work on a sophomore full-length.
Dark Matter – Track List:
1. Prophet of the Mean
2. Kill the Fremen
3. Dark Matter
4. Godsdoom
5. Matrix Hacked
6. Shattered Empire
7. Gifts of Journey
8. Apocalypto
9. Healer of Souls
10. Zero to Hero
Critical Praise:
“Distant Sun have a precocious talent for cranking out high-powered romps that will get your blood pumping fast, while incorporating melodies that prove to be damned memorable – No Clean Singing
“A great sounding mixture of power, speed and thrash metal” – UndergroundMusickZine
“If you’re looking for truly recallable power/thrash with both the thrash and power metal elements melding together in perfect harmony, in addition to worthy leads and solos, then you’ll be very happy with this one.” – The GrimTower
Following an extended slumber, Mammoth Lake, California-based black/death merchants, VALDUR, emerge from their crypts with the infernal fruits of latest offering, lovingly dubbed Pathetic Scum.
The follow-up to 2013’s soul-devouring At War With full-length, which Meat Mead Metal appropriately heralded for filling, “that void of anger and disengagement with society that may be darkening your heart,” Pathetic Scum was tracked entirely at the band’s clandestine Bloody Mountain Bunker, mixed by drummer Matthew, mastered by Dan at Morbid Mastering and offers up seven cruel odes of audio abhorrence as only VALDUR can conjure.
Featuring the addition of new guitarist, Vuke, the record delivers a blizzardy onslaught of warring riffs, bestial blasts, wrath-infused vocal offensives and an overwhelming atmosphere of pandemonium, trepidation and all-encompassing ruthlessness. Indeed, Pathetic Scum is a true testament of a diseased society gone sour and maintains VALDUR’s place as one of America’s best kept extreme metal secrets.
Relays VALDUR, from the tombs, “Guitarist/vocalist Samuel is still with us so to speak, but he is so busy with personal/family matters at the moment. Vuke, new guitarist, is not a replacement, but a full-time member of VALDUR. And for live dates this spring, Roskva will be on vocals again. And we have William on bass and Matthew on drums. We all appreciate anyone who takes the time in this world to have a listen to our music. It is built and molded by our own hands to the form and shape that we like. With these new songs, we give you something different yet again along the obscure VALDUR timeline…”
Pathetic Scum – Track Listing:
1.Tank Torture
2. Impending Doom
3. Blessings Of The Goat
4. Pathetic Scum
5. Incantre Pt. II
6. Morbid Emanations
Featuring past and current members of Weverin, Endless Blizzard and Plutocracy, VALDUR was forged at the turn of the century in a small mountain town located in the pulsating heart of the Sierra Mountains, where the Death Valley desert lands meet the ascending Mt. Whitney and where the unholy collective dwells without interference of fashionable scenes or rulebooks.
VALDUR 2015: Vuke – guitars William – bass Matthew – drums Roskva – (live) vocals
Pathetic Scum will be officially unveiled digitally and in digipak format via the band’s own Bloody Mountain Records on June 30th, 2015.
L- R – Steve Spitzbart – Drums, Bradzilla – Vocals, Erik Hanson – Guitars, Carl Larsson – Bass, Matt Be Roth – Guitars (Photo Credit – Aaron Meyers)
Seattle, WA thrashers FALLEN ANGELS return in 2015 with their third studio release ‘World In Decay’ produced by Grammy award-winning metal producer/engineer Michael Rosen (Forbidden, Testament, Death Angel, Flotsam and Jetsam, Tesla, Vicious Rumors). The album is set to be released on August 4, 2015 via their indie label Cyberdyne Records to follow 2010’s ‘Engines of Oppression’ and their 2008 debut ‘Rise From Ashes’ – released on Metal On Metal Records. The band also plans to tour extensively this summer, bringing their explosive live show full of thrash and shred, which they are known for as a local favorite in the Pacific Northwest.
“We want to thank everyone who has supported us, and we hope you’re as excited as we are about the release of our upcoming album “World in Decay”. We know you’ve been waiting a long time for this third release and we can’t wait for you to hear it. We hope this album will quench your thirst for new Fallen Angels music. See you on the road thrash fans!” comments drummer Steve Spitzbart.
Track Listing – Fallen Angels – World In Decay
The Hammer’s Blow (4:25)
Nightmare (4:58)
Forsaken Existence (5:05)
Leading the Blind (4:36)
Fire At Eden’s Gate (6:13)
Into The Abyss (5:39)
The Hour of the Time (5:40)
Mortis Ex Machina (4:28)
Album Length: 41:08
About:
Capturing the classic thrash sound of the Big Four in their prime; early Metallica, Testament, Slayer, and Megadeth as well as other known cult heroes Exodus, Annihilator, Forbidden and Havok. FALLEN ANGELS is influenced by a wide range of 80’s thrash as well as classic metal from the 70’s and 80’s. The band combines these elements in a fresh, modern sounding album with the explosive riffs and solos that one might have expected to hear on the radio around 1989. FALLEN ANGELS is a band that thrash fans and more classic metal oriented fans can agree on because the music is catchy but also very aggressive.
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
You must be logged in to post a comment.