Denver (CO) – Released on Halloween 2022, TheVile Domain, the debut EP from Colorado extreme metal horde LACERATED, features five songs of blistering old school inspired death metal. The album is available to stream and/or purchase at the following links:
Formed in Denver in 2020 and featuring extreme metal journeyman Ivan Alcala (Nexhymn, Throcult, Serberus, etc), LACERATED injects its compositions with anti-trend acidity. Indeed, the EP is authentic, violently performed Death Metal that seeks only to eviscerate and leave memorable scars on the psyche.
Track Listing:
Agitator
Lacerated
Clone
Grotesque
Rellik
Line-Up:
Greg Bueno – Guitar Rodney Lathrop – Guitar Jeff Rivera – Vocals Andrew Rodriguez – Bass Ivan Alcala – Drums
Credits:
Music by Lacerated. Tracked, mixed and mastered by Ivan Alcala. Produced by Ivan Alcala & Lacerated. All songs written by Lacerated, lyrics by Jeff Rivera. Cover artwork by Hand Rotart. Logo designed by Ardha Lepa. Band photo design by Luis Corral.
In The Woods… return with a brand new studio album of avant-garde, progressive black rock and metal managing to deliver another epic masterpiece following untrodden paths and pagan tongue. With the band’s new label SoulsellerRecords and new vocalist Bernt Fjellestad, the sails are set out to reach new heights. In The Woods… set out on this journey a long time ago, and is with Diversum once again true to the spirit that is In The Woods… with changes, with difference, with diversity. The result is all that In The Woods… has been, and what the band will be, captured in the absolute unique album that is Diversum.
Track Listing:
The Coward’s Way
Moments
We Sinful Converge
The Malevolent God
A Wonderful Crisis
Humanity
Master of None
Your Dark
Photo Credit: Runar Haugeland
Line-Up:
Anders Kobro: Drums Bernt Sørensen: Rhythm & lead guitars Nils Olav Drivdal: Bass, keyboards Bernt Fjellestad: Vocals Kåre André Sletteberg: Rhythm & lead guitars, acoustic guitars, keyboards Alf Erik Sørensen: Session keyboards
Album Credits:
Recorded in Kristiansand, Norway, December 2020 – May 2022
Mixed & mastered by Frédéric Gervais (Studio Henosis)
Italian melodic death metallers CULTØ have launched their new lyric video of “Frost”. The song is featured on the band’s debut album, “Of the Sun”, out now via Time To Kill Records. Watch the clip HERE or below:
CULTØ was born from an idea of mastermind Dave, who, in a very short time span, nmanaged to put together a line-up made up of well-known musicians from the Lombardy underground scene (Ghostheart Nebula, Vide, Perfidious, etc.) and record an album of nine songs.
The style of “Of The Sun” comes straight from the Gothenburg sound of the 90s (In Flames, Dark Tranquility, etc.) opening on to more aggressive musical tones. The album is not only a personal interpretation of this music style, but revolves around a message on the awakening of generative consciousness and on the power of artistic expression.
The concept of the lyrics is focused on the awareness of the artist and his creative abilities, through the metaphor of a star that, following a flare, becomes a creator and destroyer god in search of himself and his kind.
Line-up:
Dave – Vocals Panta – Drums Ema – Guitars BT – Bass John Pino Lisi – Guitars
CULTØ combine a number of genres and influences, ranging from In Flames to Bloodbath and Septicflesh, filtered through a prism of metallic extremity. The result is fierce melodic death metal, mixing the best of old and new school into their own sound.
Tracklist:
1. Flare 2. Experiment 1 3. Excrete 4. Frost 5. The Desert Of Shadows 6. Void 7. The Ashes Of Annihilation 8. Darkness Leads To Light 9. Fire From Inside
Like a bat out of hell, thrash attack Gamerrai is coming at you hard and fast from Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. Their sound can be summed up as if Ghoul were written by doomsday preppers hopped up on PCP that listen to too much Revocation. They have a shiny new EP out that will scratch your thrash itch by filling your ears with tight riffs and speedy solos. “Couillon Death Squad” provides a twenty-minute thrash ride over three tracks that expand on the lore of the band. They explain the release:
“Over the years we have gotten a lot more intense and progressive musically and the vocal patterns and lyrics have gotten considerably more mature (not in content, but in quality). We’re pretty far forward from the sound people heard on “Detached from Reality” (2019). We hope that people will enjoy “Couillon Death Squad”. It is a big step up from our previously released material and we’re sure people will notice the difference.”
The EP features a varied collection of music, the first song and the last are polar opposites of each other. The opener “Couillon Death Squad” is fast and furious with a slower section in the middle and has a short runtime; the closer “Sugar Mill Headhunt” is slower, chunkier, and spaced out with a speedy section in the middle and a long runtime. The middle song “H.O.A.” has a Havok vibe to it, a good jam song for the classic thrash fans to sink their teeth into with a deadly solo. Gamerra definitely put a focus on holding the listener’s interest on this one.
“Couillon Death Squad” was produced by lead guitarist/vocalist Jacob Broussard and lead vocalist Jake Meche; it was mixed by Broussard, Meche, and guitarist Reece Benoit and mastered by Broussard. The EP art was done by Splezz.
Fast, weird, fun, and heavy, “Couillon Death Squad” is classic thrash suitable for any maniacs, especially those who enjoy Exodus, Death, and Warbringer.
Arizona thrash metal practitioners INCITE will close out the year with a North American headlining tour. The journey will commence on November 17th in Louisville, Kentucky and run through December 17th in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Comments singer Richie Cavalera, “We’re beyond fired up to get part two of our Wake Up Dead headlining tour started. We’ll be hitting a lot of killer cities we haven’t been to in quite a few years. We hope to see you all in the pits burning and shredding with us!”
Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
INCITE – Wake Up Dead North American Tour2022: 11/17/2022 Germantown – Louisville, KY 11/18/2022 Legends – Cincinnati, OH 11/19/2022 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI 11/21/2022 Sneaky Dee’s – Toronto, ON 11/22/2022 Turbo Haus – Montreal, QC 11/24/2022 Dominion Tavern – Ottawa, ON 11/25/2022 Backstage – Windsor, ON 11/26/2022 Corktown – Hamilton, ON 11/27/2022 Photo City – Rochester, NY 11/28/2022 Kingsland – Brooklyn, NY 11/29/2022 Planet Trog – Whitehall, PA 12/02/2022 Furnace41 – Atlanta, GA 12/03/2022 Slam House – Bradenton, FL 12/04/2022 The Haven – Orlando, FL 12/05/2022 The Goat – New Orleans, LA 12/07/2022 Boozers – Corpus Christi, TX 12/08/2022 Wonder Lounge – Laredo, TX 12/09/2022 Ridglea Room – Dallas, TX 12/11/2022 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX 12/12/2022 The Vanguard – Tulsa, OK 12/14/2022 Reggies – Chicago, IL 12/15/2022 Zymurgy – Menomonie, WI 12/16/2022 Lefty’s -Des Moines, IA 12/17/2022 1867 Bar – Lincoln, NE
INCITE’s latest full-length, Wake Up Dead, was released in April via Atomic Fire Records. With Wake Up Dead, INCITE jettisons the extraneous bloat of slicker bands in favor of authentic grit and determination, consistently churning out “headbanging riffs with concussive force (Kerrang).” Ghost Cult champions, “a massively enjoyable collection of aggression from a band led by someone who has literally lived and breathed metal since the day he was born,” while Dead Rhetoric observes, “Consistent road warriors that they are, INCITE brings another platter to the table that should have no trouble adding more staples to the setlist – ensuring sweat infested hordes a glorious time.”
The very spirit and attitude of heavy music culture, courses through the veins of INCITE. Over the course of five albums — The Slaughter (2009), All Out War (2012), Up In Hell (2014), Oppression (2016), and Built To Destroy (2019) — the band has cemented their reputation as one of America’s leading groove armadas, heavily hitting home with their blend of old-school thrash majesty, frantic aggression, melody, and skill. Written over the course of several bouts of feverish inspiration throughout the pandemic, with recording duties again handled by legendary producer Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, Everytime I Die), Wake Up Dead delivers in the most relentless way possible.
INCITE’s Wake Up Dead is available on CD, LP, and digitally. Find ordering options at THIS LOCATION.
Watch the band’s previously released videos for “Deadbeat” HERE, “Mental Destruction” video HERE, and “War Soup” (feat. Max Cavalera) HERE.
Maryland-based Crossover Thrash Metal quintet NINTH REALM will release their debut full-length album AFateUnbroken November 4 on Mercenary Press. The album is a perfect blend of of crossover thrash and traditional heavy metal that represents the band’s refined vision. “Plea to the Heavens,” the album’s first single, is streaming now at:
“Plea to the Heavens” is also streaming on Spotify.
A Fate Unbroken is a nine-track album that takes the influence of the widest range of heavy metal, 80s-toned thrash, death thrash, and hardcore that the decisive genres have to offer. Not only do the riffs, consistent guitar solos, and blackened vocals take the listener through a whirlwind of Slayer/Demolition Hammer era thrash metal, but the lyricism and quintessential raw fantasy style of their art and themes harken back to a Frank Frazetta/Ralph Bakshi age of pure Sword & Sorcery. A Fate Unbroken, for all intents and purposes, is a Maryland band’s attempt to bring a reunion of heavy metal and hardcore punk back to its raw, old-school roots.
Basing their lyricism and overall theme around the original fantasy realm of Tythorin, NINTH REALM delivers an electrifying synthesis of traditional heavy metal and hardcore punk for fans of both respective genres to enjoy.
Line-Up:
Joey Burke – Drums Ben Hageage – Vocals Jared Henry – Bass Liam McMahon – Lead Guitar Charles House – Rhythm Guitar
Pulling from a range of influences that span everything between blackened thrash to old-school death metal, the music of NINTHREALM rips and tears with a ferocity and cadence that perfectly encapsulates the epic scale and grisly atmosphere of grim-dark fantasy. Between the use of aggressive thrash d-beat and viscerally direct song structure of classic metal acts such as Celtic Frost, combined with the melodic riffage of classic bands like Testament/Mercyful Fate, and an added twist of Cro-Mags/Leewaystyle crossover, NINTH REALM wields what is perhaps one of the most poignant new sounds to emerge from the metal underground in recent memory.
FFO: Power Trip, Eternal Champion, High Command, Iron Age
BIO: Sharing a bond for all things heavy metal and high fantasy, college classmates Joey Burke (drummer) and Liam McMahon (lead guitarist) joined forces in the fall of 2018, writing and practicing every week to produce the 2019 demo, Gates of Tythorin. Later adding Jared Henry (bassist) and Ben Hageage (vocalist) to the mix, Ninth Realm solidified their sound with their succeeding 2020 EP, All Hail Treachery. In 2022, to offer a glimpse at what is to come with their debut LP, Ninth Realm released Ondreis MMXXII, a promo tape featuring two songs that both share a track space on the debut full-length record.
Progressive death metal outfit REVOCATION will kick off their North American headlining tour later this week. The trek begins on September 9th and runs through October 16th with support provided by Krisiun, Alluvial, and Inoculation. See all confirmed dates below.
REVOCATION w/ Krisiun, Alluvial, Inoculation: 9/09/2022 Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON 9/10/2022 Les Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC 9/11/2022 La Source de la Martinière – Québec City, QC 9/13/2022 Elsewhere Brooklyn – Brooklyn, NY 9/14/2022 Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub – Cambridge, MA 9/15/2022 Lovedraft’s Brewing CO – Mechanicsburg, PA 9/16/2022 The Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD 9/17/2022 Elevation 27 – Virginia Beach, VA 9/18/2022 The Blind Tiger – Greensboro, NC 9/19/2022 The Masquerade (Purgatory) – Atlanta, GA 9/20/2022 Brass Mug – Tampa, FL 9/21/2022 Respectable Street – West Palm Beach, FL 9/23/2022 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX 9/24/2022 Amplified Live – Dallas, TX 9/25/2022 Rockhouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX 9/27/2022 Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ 9/28/2022 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA 9/29/2022 1720 – Los Angeles, CA 9/30/2022 Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA
10/01/2022 Santa Cruz Vets Hall – Santa Cruz, CA 10/03/2022 Dante’s – Portland, OR 10/04/2022 El Corazon – Seattle, WA 10/06/2022 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 10/07/2022 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO 10/08/2022 The Royal Grove – Lincoln, NE 10/09/2022 Bigs Bar – Sioux Falls, SD 10/11/2022 Turf Club – St. Paul, MN 10/12/2022 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL 10/13/2022 The Sanctuary 2 – Hamtramck, MI 10/14/2022 No Class – Cleveland, OH 10/15/2022 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY 10/16/2022 Enclave – Pittsburgh, PA
The tour kick off coincides with REVOCATION‘s latest full-length, Netherheaven, set for release on September 9th via Metal Blade Records. Four years in the making, the Billboard-charting trio – Dave Davidson (vocals/guitars), Ash Pearson (drums), and Brett Bamberger (bass) – meticulously explore the allegorical and literal aspects of Hell as they dig deeper into the darker, more diabolical side of death metal.
In short, where the previous album, The Outer Ones (2018), jettisoned REVOCATION into the horrific maw of the cosmos, Netherheaven bores deftly through the nine rings of Hell to directly confront Lucifer and his multitudinous faces.
Swedish metal titans MESHUGGAH will kick off their long-awaited US headlining tour this month! Set to commence on September 16th in Worcester, Massachusetts and run through October 16th in Atlanta, Georgia, the month-long trek includes a stop at this year’s editions of the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky and Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California. Support will be provided by Torche throughout the tour’s duration as well as special guests Converge from September 16th through September 30th and In Flames from October 2nd through the tour’s conclusion. Tickets are on sale now at meshuggah.net/tour. See all confirmed dates below.
MESHUGGAH will be touring in support of their critically lauded Immutable full-length, released earlier this year via Atomic Fire. Recorded at Sweetspot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden, mixed by Rickard Bengtsson and Staffan Karlsson, and mastered by multiple Grammy award winner Vlado Meller (Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System Of A Down), the band’s ninth studio album and follow-up to their Grammy-nominated full-length The Violent Sleep Of Reason showcases just how far ahead of the pack the band continues to be.
Full of surprises and yet instantly recognizable as the work of metal’s most idiosyncratic force, Immutable redefines and redesigns the MESHUGGAH sound across more than an hour of the most stimulating and engaging music the band has ever composed. Despite the challenges of the last few years, the progressive principles that have always cemented the band’s artistic efforts remain as steadfast as ever. As we spiral towards a dystopian MESHUGGAH still stands unique with Immutable, their most fearlessly creative studio album to date.
Immutable is available on CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital formats. Find ordering options and additional merchandise at THIS LOCATION.
View the band’s previously released videos for “The Abysmal Eye”HERE and “Broken Cog”HERE.
MESHUGGAH: Jens Kidman – vocals Mårten Hagström – guitars Dick Lövgren – bass Fredrik Thordendal – guitars Tomas Haake – drums
Progressive Death Metal quartet LAMENTATIONS will release sophomore full-length album Passion Of Depression on CD, double-vinyl LP, and digital formats November 11 via WillowtipRecords.
The album’s first single, “Prodigal,” is streaming now on: YouTube and Bandcamp.
LAMENTATIONS are back with their second full-length, following 2016 debut album, “Echoes in the Wind”. Frontman Danny “Jungle” Jacob is now working with members from the sister band Monotheist: Chris Stropoli (Drums), Prophet (Guitar); and Jose Figueroa (Bass).
“Passion Of Depression” is a cinematic concept album that portrays the pain, pleasure, joy and sorrow that encompass one’s life journey. Razor sharp, methodical riffs drive complex, serpentine compositions supported by a myriad of keyboards, and other classical instrumentation.
The music on the album is supported by various guest musicians, who add a sense of mysticism to an already otherworldly journey, including guitarists Jason Gobel (ex-Cynic), Santiago Dobles (ex-Cynic), Ole Borud (Extol), Ethan Mckenna (Black Crown Initiate), Max Phelps (ex-Cynic, Exist), which are sure to elevate the album’s already multi-layered, grandiose and emotional sound even further.
In a partnership that has been years in the making, GRAMMY® Award winning bassist David Ellefson and acclaimed metal vocalist Jeff Scott Soto have joined forces for an all-new collaboration, Ellefson-Soto. The band follows the tradition of successful individuals that joined forces to create memorable music: David Coverdale & Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi & Glenn Hughes, Tommy Shaw & Jack Blades, Michael Sweet & George Lynch to name a few examples. The metal duo is joined by Andy Martongelli on guitar and keys and Paulo Caridi on drums to unleash their debut album “VacationInTheUnderworld”. The album features eleven tracks and three bonus recordings that demonstrates why Ellefson-Soto are considered legends by many in the metal world.
From the fiery guitar lead of the album opener “Vacation In The Underworld” to the prog-metal fury of closer “Rise To Win,” Ellefson-Soto have created a debut that is sure to capture metal fans from all over the globe. Combining different styles of metal, songs like “Sharpen The Sword,” “The Revolution” and “Live To Die Another Day” showcase the various influences Ellefson-Soto have picked up over their four decades in music. Jade Etro from the Italian power metal band Frozen Crown makes a guest appearance on “The Day Before Tomorrow.” Steve Conley and Ken Mary from FlotsamandJetsam perform on the title track “Vacation In The Underworld.” “Vacation In The Underworld” ignites an inimitable hybrid of thrash firepower, rock swagger, and anthemic arena-ready thunder. Official Worldwide Release Date is Friday, October7, 2022.
TRACK LISTING:
Vacation In The Underworld
Like A Bullet
Sharpen The Sword
The Reason
S.T.N.
The Revolution
Celebrity Trash
Live To Die Another Day
The Day Before Tomorrow
Hercules
Rise To Win BONUS TRACKS [CD, Digital & Download Card]
More than ten years without a new studio album could be reason enough for a band to fall into oblivion, unless of course they left a lasting impression on their fans before their hiatus. In case of Swedish melodic metal masters DRAGONLAND, who have inspired their extensive following repeatedly since the release of their debut “The Battle Of The Ivory Plains” in 2001, the anticipation of new material has continued to grow from year to year since their 2011 release “Under The Grey Banner”. Finally, DRAGONLAND returns to the heavy music scene, with their brand new, colossal album “The Power Of The Nightstar” which is slated for a release on October 14, 2022 via AFM Records!
Following the previously-released, first single and album title track, now, DRAGONLAND shared a music video for a new song, “Flight From Destruction”, showcasing the album’s amazing range of wonderfully haunting, fast-paced melodic metal the band is known and loved for!
Watch DRAGONLAND’s brand new music video for ‘Flight From Destruction‘ HERE
“The Power Of The Nightstar” impressively illustrates, that DRAGONLAND continue to be among the most energetic and passionate bands of their genre. The album is not only the band’s longest and most elaborate record to date, it also documents a remarkable artistic development.
“The overall approach is a bit more cinematic sound-wise than our earlier releases,” keyboardist Elias Holmlid explains, adding: “Compared to ‘Under The Grey Banner’, the new album features more electronic elements while retaining and refining the symphonic parts. Fans of Dragonland will definitely recognize the songwriting style, which we’ve taken to even more epic proportions this time around, with dense choirs and maximized production values.”
DRAGONLAND‘s upcoming magnum opus was mixed and mastered by studio icon Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, and will be available on October 14, 2022 through AFM Records. The pre-sale has just started at THIS LOCATION!
“The Power Of The Nightstar” – track listing:
01. The Awakening 02. A Light in the Dark 03. Flight from Destruction 04. Through Galaxies Endless 05. The Scattering of Darkness 06. A Threat from Beyond the Shadows 07. Aphelion 08. Celestial Squadron 09. Resurrecting an Ancient Technology 10. The Power of the Nightstar 11. Final Hour 12. Journey’s End 13. Oblivion
The traditional metal powerhouse from Portland, Oregon, are beginning their next chapter by unleashing the high-octane recordTheGreaterGoodofManon August 19th 2022. Refining their classic metal sound fused with progressive hard rock and striking melodies, SPLINTEREDTHRONE have created a majestic and vivacious release.
Well known for their high energy live performances, and having supported the likes of FLOTSAM & JETSAM, PRIMAL FEAR, LITA FORD, and more, TheGreaterGoodofMan sees the band distill their captivating sound. Following the departure of vocalist and founding member Brian Garrison, two-time Blues Music Award winner and European Blues Award nominee Lisa Mann stepped into the role.
Lisa Mann Comments: “I still pinch myself that I’m even in this band- and now we’ve written and recorded a kick ass album? It’s as good a feeling as sex and chocolate. Can’t wait to unleash it upon the world!”
Lisa was by no means a stranger to the world of metal having released her heavy debut album under the pseudonym of WHITECRONE receiving raving reviews in the underground scene. Despite the pandemic disrupting initial plans, the band have produced an astounding new record. Opening with the enthralling “The Reaper is Calling”, SPLINTEREDTHRONE bring a high-spirited energy into the deadly track. Channeling their melodic essence, this opening number aptly establishes the mood of the album.
The title track, “The Greater Good of Man” delivers bluesy influences with dynamic bass, groove rhythms, and soaring vocals. Yielding a thrilling pace of high-speed riffs and unrelenting energy, the epic lyrical narrative of “Night of the Heathens” draws the listener into the storytelling. Also included on the album is a moving re-recorded version of the power-ballad “Immortal”.
TheGreaterGoodofMan is the eagerly anticipated next milestone in SPLINTEREDTHRONE’s career. Showcasing compelling composition and genre fusion across the tracks, the album is a dynamic collection of energy, emotion and storytelling.
SPLINTERED THRONE: Brian Bailey – bass Matt Dorado – guitar Kris Holboke – drums Lisa Mann – vocals Jason “JMo” Moser – guitar
Track Listing: 1.The Reaper is Calling* (4:10) 2. The Crossing (6:09) 3. Morning Star Rising (5:50) 4. The Greater Good of Man (3:55) 5. Let it Rain (4:04) 6. Underdogs** (4:50) 7. Night of the Heathens (3:23) 8. Time Stands Still (4:03) 9. Immortal 2020 (Remastered)** (4:34)
Credits: All songs written by Jason Moser & Lisa Mann except: *written by Jason Moser, Lisa Mann, & Fred Osborn,**written by Jason Moser ALL SONGS ARRANGED BY SPLINTERED THRONE
“Underdogs” was inspired by those struggling with addiction and to those who made it into Recovery.
Italian melodic death metallers CULTØ have signed to Time To Kill Records for the release of their debut album “Of the Sun”.
Watch for more details on the album, new tour updates, and more news on other upcoming activities to be posted shortly.
CULTØ combine a number of genres and influences, ranging from In Flames to Bloodbath and Septicflesh, filtered through a prism of metallic extremity. The result is fierce melodic death metal, mixing the best of old and new school into their own sound.
Line-up:
Dave – Vocals Panta – Drums Ema – Guitars BT – Bass John Pino Lisi – Guitars
Indiana death/thrash band DEMIRICOUS have unleashed their song “Smoke Chaser”. The track is taken from their highly anticipated album III: Chaotic Lethal, which is out on May 13, 2022. The song is now available on all streaming platforms.
The band comments:
“From a writing standpoint, we took a bit of a different approach on this one. With the chorus, we wanted to open it up with a huge melodic riff, and a catchy, anthemic hook. And to counteract the catchiness of the chorus and melody, we wanted to cap it with one of the ugliest moments on the entire record. “Smoke Chaser” lyrically is about how humanity has a false sense of relevance, as a result of technology. We are all addicted, and constantly chasing something we will never actually obtain.”
Rising from the depths of the abyss, DEMIRICOUS are preparing to unleash their most monstrous record yet III: Chaotic Lethal. The death/thrash quartet from Indianapolis, Indiana, initially formed in 2005 and released two successful full lengths gaining international regard. Following an extended hiatus, the outfit are making an impactful return.
“It’s been 15 years since we’ve released a record. We are so unbelievably proud of this one, and this is the DEMIRICOUS record we’ve always wanted to make. Prepare yourselves. It’s a fucking monster.”
DEMIRICOUS delve into heavier instrumentation and sinister moods, releasing a plethora of hard-hitting sounds across the tracks. Immersing eerily into a desolate landscape, “Unconditional Hate” smothers the senses. As guitars begin to screech and grapple through the murkiness, it’s not long before the sheer speed and power of DEMIRICOUS breaks through.
Demonic low tones dominate the instrumentation and aggressive vocals. From the high fuelled groove rhythms of and blast beats of “Smoke Chaser”, to the unearthly doom and gloom of “Chaotic Lethal”, DEMIRICOUS venture across realms of dynamic metal influences creating a thrilling and hauntingly theatrical experience. The album operates in a cyclical nature seeing the final track, “Faith Crime” withdraw to the void from which III: Chaotic Lethal emerged.
III: Chaotic Lethal marks a monumental milestone. It is an epic collection of tracks exploring a dark narrative of the barbaric and grotesque. DEMIRICOUS’s sound is revived and restored, as the band have evolved into their next chapter.
Line-Up: NateOlp DustinBoltjes Scott Wilson Ben Parrish
Canadian death merchants MISCREATION will unveil themselves to the world with the release of MiscreationMMXXI. This three track offering was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Christian Donaldson of Cryptopsy.
MISCREATION’s intelligent and song oriented approach to tech-laden death makes them one of the most promising new acts in modern death metal and MiscreationMMXXI is only a taste of what’s to come.
MISCREATION was formed in 2018 with the intention of creating an eight chapter concept album that follows one cohesive storyline. After spending more than three years perfecting this meticulously crafted collection of death metal, MISCREATION is ready to share its vision. MiscreationMMXXI showcases Chapters II, IV, and VI in a foreshadowing of the impending full-length album. Cover art by Daniel Corcuera.
March 11, 2022 – HauntedShores, the duo of Periphery’sMark Holcomb and Misha Mansoor, has released their debut full-length, Void (https://lnk.to/hs-void), today via 3DOTRecordings.
“Misha and I have wanted to do another Haunted Shores album for quite some time, and we finally made the time necessary to focus on these songs,” explains Holcomb. “I have always loved writing Haunted Shores songs, but this one in particular feels special – a little crazier, a little more unhinged, and in my opinion, a step above what we’ve done in the past.”
Photo credit: Ektarina Gorbacheva
The pair have done a series of playthroughs to accompany the release: “OnlyFangs” featuring both Misha and Mark, “Hellfire” with Mark, “Nocturnal Hours” with Misha, and a sax playthrough from JørgenMunkeby (Shining) for “Nocturnal Hours” can also be viewed here.
Void CDs and merch bundles are available now via the 3DOT webstore. Void was co-produced by Holcomb and Mansoor, with Mansoor also tackling mixing duties. The album cover features a Paoli Girardi painting.
There are few rock guitarists on this planet who’ve had such a lasting influence on so many renowned musicians as MICHAEL SCHENKER. With his outstandingly fluid style, inexhaustible wealth of ideas, and instinctive feel for hooks and melodies, MICHAEL SCHENKER is a living legend who, despite his longstanding and distinguished history, still impresses with his unflagging energy and drive.
The blond stringsman from Sarstedt, Germany began his international career in the early 1970s with the Scorpions, achieved worldwide fame after joining British rock group U.F.O., and then seamlessly continued his exceptional global success story under his own name, as well as with acts such as MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (otherwise known as MSG), Temple Of Rock, and MICHAEL SCHENKER Fest. SCHENKER and his career, which has spanned more than five decades, are absolute exceptions in the otherwise short-lived music industry.
Now his latest MSG album is about to be unleashed, scheduled for release on Atomic Fire Records on May 27th under the programmatic moniker of Universal. His latest offering will feature all the strengths of this exceptional musician: first-rate songs with anthemic melodies, catchy guitar riffs, and inspiring solos.
As we have come to expect from him, SCHENKER has once again enlisted a number of prestigious fellow musicians for the recording of his new studio production, among them, as main vocalist, Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Vandenberg), who will also be MSG’s frontman on their upcoming tour, Michael Kiske (Helloween), and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), keyboard player Steve Mann (Lionheart), drummers Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who), Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow), and Bodo Schopf (Eloy), as well as legendary bassists Bob Daisley (Black Sabbath), Barry Sparks (Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken), and BarendCourbois (Blind Guardian, Zakk Wylde), with Tony Carey as a very special guest. But more about that later.
First, let’s talk about the basic parameters of the new recording: Like its predecessor Immortal (2021) and the MICHAELSCHENKERFest albums Resurrection (2018) and Revelation (2019), Universal was produced by MICHAEL SCHENKER and Michael Voss (Lessmann/Voss, Mad Max) at Voss’s Kidroom Studio, which has become something of a creative home-away-from-home for SCHENKER. “Michael Voss is happy to wait until I have worked out an idea and takes the time to really get to know the song, simultaneously developing ideas for the vocals,” SCHENKER describes of the fruitful collaboration which has one cog intermesh with the other. “Then we work out the drums, bass, and some keyboard parts together. He always has plenty of great ideas up his sleeve.” Compositional highlights abound on Universal, from the haunting opener “Emergency” and the subsequent “Under Attack” with its casually driving groove to “The Universe,” featuring an atmospheric duet by Ronnie Romero and Gary Barden, “Wrecking Ball,” performed as brilliantly as ever by Ralf Scheepers, and “London Calling” with its homage to the British capital’s musical spirit.
The rock anthem “A King Has Gone” and its intro “Calling Baal” both have a special significance: The track, sung by Helloween frontman Michael Kiske, is a tribute to the immortal Ronnie James Dio, in particular to his performance on the 1976 hard rock classic RainbowRising. For this reason, SCHENKER has brought together an original Rainbow rhythm section consisting of Bobby Rondinelli and Bob Daisley, additionally enlisting keyboardist Tony Carey, who also played on Rainbow Rising, for a terrific Moog synth intro – a direct reference to the iconic intro of the 1976 album opener “Tarot Woman.” The impressive result “Calling Baal / A King Has Gone” is already considered to be one of the most important and successful songs in SCHENKER’s career to date, both musically and lyrically.
In line with all these highlights, the spectacular MSG album cover designed by ZsofiaDankova (Powerwolf, among others) features SCHENKER in a futuristic spaceship, floating high up in orbit. The artwork is based on the guitarist’s own visions, “I had the original idea for the album cover a few years ago, but only now does it seem to fit perfectly. So, I sent some older sketches to my label Atomic Fire Records and based on this the final artwork and album title were created.”
No doubt about it: The title, artwork, and new songs suit MSG as perfectly as his characteristic Flying V suits MICHAEL SCHENKER! Stand by for more from MSG in the weeks to come.
Michigan stoner metal outfit, GRAVENEXTDOOR, have released their new video for their single ”As Heavy As Texas” via Ghost Cult Magazine.
Please note that their upcoming album, SanctifiedHeathen, will be releasing via BlackDoombaRecords on March 18, not January 28th as previously stated.
The band comments:
”We filmed our video for “As Heavy As Texas” in the little town of Hubbard, Texas, where the inspiration of the song came from. We filmed on a severely hot day at the end of July after we played a show there the night before, at the Red Barn Winery And Tasting Room. The town really opened itself to us with their generous and genuine hospitality.
We were able to shoot at two locations, a working ranch and an old roadhouse bar. We feel that the footage of the ranch enabled us to show the light and space of Texas. The other location was a dark dank roadhouse bar, which had been a speakeasy during the prohibition years and it was a direct contrast to the ranch. The video also features a cameo by local Hubbard, Texas artist Tommy Kruger.”
Formed back in 2018 by brothers Patrick and Anthony Salerno, and aptly named after the graveyard situated next to their home, GRAVENEXTDOOR delves into the dark and macabre. Drawing from the iconic sounds of BLACK SABBATH, BLACK FLAG and even CREAM, all blended with the trio’s individual edge. Sanctified Heathen sees the band deliver brutally heavy distortion, doom grooves and powerful vocals. A morbid exploration awaits with lyrical themes of addiction, mortality, war, and their own personal experiences seeping through the album.
Line Up: Patrick Salerno Anthony Salerno TravisSoleski
Destined to be one of 2022’s most hailed and talked-about releases, Immutable once again showcases MESHUGGAH’s collective brilliance, including some of the most jaw-dropping ensemble performances they have ever executed.
Six years on from the band’s most recent full-length, The Violent Sleep Of Reason, 2022 brings a fresh and fearsome revelation from MESHUGGAH. Shattering even the highest of expectations, the band’s ninth album is simply their wildest and most esoteric sonic adventure yet and will be released on April 1st via AtomicFire. Recorded at Sweetspot Studios in Halmstad (Sweden), mixed by Rickard Bengtsson and Staffan Karlsson and mastered by multiple Grammy award winner Vlado Meller(Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System Of A Down), Immutable will be available in various CD, vinyl, and tape formats. Presales will begin on January 28th, and the first single will be revealed very soon. The stunning cover artwork was once again created by visionary artist Luminokaya.
For guitarist Mårten Hagström, the task of embarking on another unprecedented tech-metal odyssey was impossible to resist.
“The title fits perfectly for where we are as a band,” Hagström concludes. “We’re older now. Most of us are in our fifties now and we’ve settled into who we are. Even though we’ve been experimenting all along, I also think we’ve been the same since day one. The way we approach things and why we still make new albums, and why we still sound the way we do, it’s immutable. Humanity is immutable, too. We commit the same mistakes over and over. And we are immutable. We do what we do, and we don’t change.”
Legendary. Unique. Immutable.
MESHUGGAH is still operating on a higher level of metallic consciousness than just about everybody else. This band blow minds for a living, and Immutable is their most explosive work of monstrous art yet.
MESHUGGAH stand alone. The most inventive and creative metal band of the last thirty years and one of the most widely revered, MESHUGGAH has been standard bearers for forward-thinking creativity in heavy music throughout their illustrious careers. Over the course of more than three decades and eight studio albums, Sweden’s widely worshipped progressive mavens have consistently redefined what it means to be heavy, while exhibiting a ferocious intelligence that belies the crushing weight of their riffs. From the ground-breaking savagery of 1995’s Destroy Erase Improve, to the psychedelic tech-splorations of CatchyThirtyThree, and on to the streamlined grotesquery of ObZen and Koloss, MESHUGGAH has always been way ahead of the game and plainly without peer.
Photo: (c) (MESHUGGAH)
Keep your eyes peeled on all MESHUGGAH channels, sign up for email updates and receive more news about MESHUGGAH’s upcoming album Immutable, along with exclusive offers with some of the newsletters: https://immutable.se.
MESHUGGAH: Jens Kidman – vocals Mårten Hagström – guitars Dick Lövgren – bass Fredrik Thordendal – guitars Tomas Haake – drums
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