West coast metal veterans Metal Church will release The Final Sermon(Live in Japan 2019) via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe) on July 26, 2024. Produced by Kurdt Vanderhoof, this Special Edition live release features one of the final recorded performances of Mike Howe with Metal Church, which took place over two nights at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan during their 2019 “Damned If You Do” Tour.
Kurdt Vanderhoof comments, “We recorded these two shows in Japan with the intention of Mike entering the studio to polish-up any inconsistencies and/or to re-track anything that didn’t come out correctly, but he never got the chance. First the pandemic hit, and then of course his tragic passing, so what you are hearing is exactly what the audience heard that night, Mike giving it his all, live and uncensored! This album not only commemorates our 2019 Damned If You Do tour, but also pays homage to our friend and brother’s legacy. The album will arrive on the 3rd Anniversary of his passing, and it is our hope that Mike will continue to be remembered for the music and love he brought to the world.”
Track Listing: 01. Damned If You Do 02. Needle and Suture 03. Fake Healer 04. In Mourning 05. Human Factor 06. Date with Poverty 07. The Black Things 08. Gods of A Second Chance 09. Start the Fire 10. Watch the Children Pray 11. Beyond the Black 12. By the Numbers 13. No Friend of Mine 14. Badlands Bonus Tracks (cd and digital) 15. Agent Green 16. Anthem to the Estranged
Perfect in time for their upcoming performance at this year’s Wacken Open Air, August 2, 2024 will see Swedish modern metal act MISTER MISERY release their much-awaited, self-titled studio offering! The band’s third album will be released on AFM Records, pre-order your copy now at:https://mistermisery.bfan.link/mister-misery
Following a series of previously-released album singles, today, MISTER MISERY have shared a brand new song taken off their forthcoming full-length! “Eye Of The Storm” is out now and available via all digital streaming providers here: https://mistermisery.bfan.link/eye-of-the-storm
The band comments: “Eye Of The Storm is a song that’s about finding yourself in a very dark place or rock bottom in life and you’re faced with 2 options: Fight through it or succumb to the darkness.As sung in the song, “Do or die, there’s no other way out! We hope this song will serve as a beacon of hope to those who struggle everyday with their thoughts and to give them new energy to fight through whatever may come their way!”
MISTER MISERY: Harley Vendetta – Vocals/Guitar Alex Nine – Lead Guitar/Backup Vocals Rizzy – Drums/Backup Vocals Alex Alister – Bass/Backup Vocals
The new full-length was produced by MISTER MISERY at Unalive Studio, the cover art was designed by Stefan “GraveArt” Röhm. Pre-order your album copy now at https://shop.afm-records.de/de/mister-misery/
Band leader Marta Gabriel comments: “I found the “The Silver Key”, that unlocks the gates of space and time. It was once owned by Randolph Carter, but it’s now in my possession, and helped me to write songs for the new CRYSTAL VIPER album! Our second single is one of the most epic tracks on the album, and you can clearly hear in it echoes of our heroes such as Ronnie James Dio, Tony Martin era BLACK SABBATH or even MANOWAR. The video for this song includes footage from the studio, and which we filmed at last year’s Full Metal Cruise festival, where we played 3 shows”
Gods Of Thunder Of Wind And Of Rain (5:22) – CD bonus track
Scream! (2:33) – LP bonus track
The album will be promoted on European headlining tour, on which CRYSTAL VIPER will be joined by the US heavy metal act SAVAGE MASTER.
CRYSTAL VIPER: Marta Gabriel – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, piano Lukasz ″Andy Wave″ Halczuch – lead and rhythm guitars Kuba Galwas – drums and percussion Eric Juris – lead and rhythm guitars
Ten years SERIOUS BLACK, ten years of melodic power metal, with the license to create anthems! Since their founding in 2014 the band enthuses their fans not only with five studio albums to date (while their last offering, “Vengeance Is Mine”, charted at a phenomenal #16 in Germany), but also at frenetically acclaimed concerts and festival appearances around the globe.
To celebrate their decadal birthday in glorious style, SERIOUS BLACK have announced the release of a brand new album, entitled “Rise Of Akhenaton”, to arrive on September 27, 2024 via AFM Records! The album pre-sale has just started at https://seriousblack.bfan.link/rise-of-akhenaton
At the same time, the band will be on tour throughout Europe, with Sonata Arctica and Firewind. To shorten your wait, SERIOUS BLACK will unleash three singles, including video clips, starting today with the uptempo track “Metalized”. With its powerful guitar riffing, the dynamic of drum and bass and the hymn like catchy tunes this song unites all the band’s excellences!
Band mastermind Mario Lochert comments: “10 years of Serious Black! 10 years was the intro of Akhenaton the first track which blasted like a rolling thunder through the loudspeakers at over 200 concerts worldwide . Now it’s time to bring Akhenaton and his army to life “Rise of Akhenaton” the album. So what would be better to start the journey into the album with a song, that reflects the lifestyle, heart and love to the music of every heavy metal fan – aren’t we all a little “Metalized”?”
July 5, 2024 sees India’s heavy metal powerhouse KRYPTOS strike back with their furious, new studio album Decimator via AFM Records. Watch the band’s latest music video for their new single “Electrify” now premiering below!
Decimator continues where the band left of with their critically-acclaimed, 2021-album ‘Force Of Danger’, and sees them combine crushing riffs, barbwire vocals and powerful songwriting that grabs the 80s by the throat and drags it kicking and screaming into the modern age.
About their new single the band suggests: “Feel the power of the 80s surge through your veins with the crackling new Kryptos single ELECTRIFY off the upcoming album DECIMATOR!”
KRYPTOS were formed in 1998 in Bangalore, India, and have long been considered one of the spearheads of the Indian heavy metal revolution. With six critically acclaimed albums under their belt, they have supported some of metal’s biggest names, like Iron Maiden, Testament, Kreator, Exodus and many more, earning themselves a reputation as a fiery and exciting live act.
As frontman Nolan Lewis recently revealed, “Decimator is without question our finest hour so far. We’ve sharpened our songwriting to a razor point and the album is absolutely exploding with pure heavy metal power and attitude. Once you’ve popped it into your stereo, you’re going to be raising your fist, air-guitaring to the riffs and humming the solos all year long. It’s as perfect a combination of classic 80s metal and caustic thrash sensibilities as you’re ever going to get!”
Tracklist: 01. Sirens of Steel 02. Fall to the Spectre’s Gaze 03. Turn Up the Heat 04. Electrify 05. Solaris 06. Decimator 07. In the Shadow of the Blade 08. Pathfinder 09. We Are the Night
KRYPTOS: Nolan Lewis (vocals, rhythm guitar) Rohit Chaturvedi (lead guitar) Ganesh K (bass) Vijit Sing (drums)
Accompanied by a busy tour plan, that will see them storm stages from Sweden to Poland to Germany and everywhere in between, KRYPTOS will cement their reputation as a live act to be reckoned with.
KRYPTOS have announced an extensive touring schedule for 2024, including a first-ever headlining tour in Australia. Find all upcoming dates of the band listed below!
KRYPTOS live: 08.05.2024 – DE – Monheim Am Rhein, Sojus 7 10.05.2024 – BE – Oostende, Huggins Awakening Fest 11.05.2024 – PL – Goleniów, Metal Mayday 3 12.05.2024 – DE – Selb, Rockclub Nordbayern 13.05.2024 – CZ – Prague, Tba 16.05.2024 – SE – Helsingborg, Flatcap 17.05.2024 – SE – Jönköping, Klubb Dissonans 18.05.2024 – DK – Viborg, Heavy Agger Fest
AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2024: 31.10 | AUS | Brisbane | Stranded Bar 01/11 | AUS | Sydney | Marrickville Bowling Club 02/11 | AUS | Newcastle | Hamilton Station Hotel 03/11 | AUS | Geelong | Medusa 04/11 | AUS | Melbourne | The Gasometer Hotel 07/11 | AUS | Canberra | The Baso Keep up to date with all tourdates: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/126074-kryptos
Good morning folks, today is the day and it’s time to release the cover artwork (made by Stan W. Decker) of our upcoming album “Rise of Akhenaton” which includes 11 powerfull new tracks! Presale is starting soon! Stay tuned Serious Black – Official
Challenge The WindDue Out This May On AFM Records!
May 31, 2024 will see symphonic melodic metal overlords Rhapsody Of Fire release their hotly-anticipated, new studio epos ‘Challenge The Wind’ via AFM Records. A new music video for their latest colossal single, “Diamond Claws” (now available on https://rhapsodyoffire.bfan.link/diamond-claws), is premiering today! Watch the band’s new clip below, and pre-order your album copy now athttps://rhapsodyoffire.bfan.link/challenge-the-wind
For more than thirty years, Rhapsody Of Fire have been able to rely on one thing: there’s nothing half-hearted about this band. The Italian masters of their craft can look back at an impressive catalogue of 14 studio albums, three EPs and two live recordings to date, all marked by lots of heart and soul, passion and a virtually inexhaustible wealth of ideas. Since 1993, mastermind and founder Alex Staropoli has been hailed as the creator of the film score metal genre and his band as one of the most charismatic acts worldwide.
In addition, Staropoli has enlisted a highly creative first-rate guitarist in Roby De Micheli, who joined the fold in 2011, contributing lots of gritty metal riffs and virtuoso solos to contrast the band’s symphonic orchestral style.
Challenge The Wind will mark Rhapsody Of Fire‘s most fast-paced rager to date, as the composer and keybordist Staropoli recently revealed: “Compared to all previous Rhapsody Of Fire releases, the current album consists exclusively of up-tempo numbers, not a single ballad in sight. None of our other records have featured as much pure, unadulterated metal as ‘Challenge The Wind’!”
In support of their forthcoming album, the band is gearing up for a busy touring schedule in 2024, with many more shows to follow soon. Find all upcoming Rhapsody Of Fire dates listed below!
Challenge The Wind was produced by Alex Staropoli and mixed by Seeb Levermann (Orden Ogan), who is responsible for the homogeneous sound of the ten songs’ elaborate arrangements. As all of the band’s first single releases prove, one can be sure: Rhapsody Of Fire’s fast-paced adventure is set to continue with undiminished intensity! Pre-order Challenge The WindHERE!
Challenge The Wind track-list:
Challenge the Wind
Whispers of Doom
The Bloody Pariah
Vanquished by Shadows
Kreel’s Magic Staff
Diamond Claws
Black Wizard
A Brave New Hope
Holy Downfall
Mastered by the Dark
Rhapsody Of Fire: Giacomo Voli (vocals) Alex Staropoli (keyboards) Roby De Micheli (guitars) Alessandro Sala (bass) Paolo Marchesich (drums)
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Rhapsody Of Fire Live: 05.05.2024 (MX) EL CONDE, Foro 360 07.05.2024 (CO) BOGOTA, Astor Plaza 09.05.2024 (BR) SAO PAULO, Caricoa Club 10.05.2024 (CL) SANTIAGO, Blondie 11.05.2024 (AR) COMUNA 1, El Teatrito 18.05.2024 (IT) TREZZO SULL’ ADDA MI, Live Club 29.06.2024 (FR) CLISSON, Hellfest 13.07.2024 (BG) MOGILOVO, Midalidare Rock in the Wine Valley 2024 19.07.2024 (FI) PERUNKA, John Smith Rock Festival 07.11.2024 (SE) MALMOE, Plan B 08.11.2024 (SE) GOTHENBURG, Surr Arena 09.11.2024 (SE) STOCKHOLM, Fryshuset Klubben 10.11.2024 (SE) GAVLE, Centralteatern
Following their 2021’s Blood In The Water, Veteran Arizona thrashers FLOTSAM AND JETSAM have shared a first single taken off their forthcoming and 15th studio album entitled I Am The Weapon, that is slated for a 2024-release via AFM Records! A lyric video for the album title track is now premiering below.
More album details and pre-order options will be revealed on May 24, 2024. At the same time, a repress of the band’s 2016-album, Flotsam And Jetsam, will be issued as a strictly limited, Gatefold Clear 2-Vinyl!
The band comments:“We’re very excited about this new album, “I Am The Weapon.” We put a great amount of effort and thought into the music, and we can’t wait to start unleashing this metal assault on the music community…”
2024 will see FLOTSAM AND JETSAM return with their thunderous and new studio album I Am The Weapon. Watch out for more news and details to follow in the weeks ahead!
Canadian metal legends ANVIL have announced their new studio album, ‘One And Only’, for a release on June 28, 2024 via powerhouse label AFM Records! A first video single, “Feed Your Fantasy” has just been premiered and is now streaming below.
When it comes to the most influential bands in the history of heavy metal, authorities on the subject regularly vote ANVIL among the top positions. The group from Toronto, Canada, with its two masterminds, Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and Robb Reiner, with bassist Chris Robertson, not only looks back at an impressive career with countless highlights – as well as a number of well-documented difficulties – but has also had a lasting influence on lots of internationally renowned musicians, from Metallica to Slayer and beyond.
One And Only sees the band provide first-rate ANVIL entertainment: While Guitarist/vocalist Lips is considered to be one of the most creative and interesting storytellers of the metal genre, Chris Robertson and Robb Reiner keep the up the pace with their usual confidence, providing the perfect rhythm section for Lips. Although they have experienced the tough and frequently merciless side of the music industry on a number of occasions, ANVIL never lost their idealism, motivation and energy, which is immediately evident on One AndOnly.
Like its four predecessors,One And Only was produced by Martin ‘Mattes’ Pfeiffer (U.D.O., among others) and Jörg Uken at his Soundlodge studio. As far as Lips is concerned, Pfeiffer and Uken are “… our one and only choice. As usual, Mattes and Jörg did a great job in choosing our best playing and making sure it has top notch sound. Great guys who understand the band and know what suits us best.”
Pre-Order One And Only – due out on June 28, 2024 via AFM Records, HERE!
One And Only – tracklisting: 01 – One And Only 02 – Feed Your Fantasy 03 – Fight For Your Rights 04 – Heartbroken 05 – Gold And Diamonds 06 – Dead Man Shoes 07 – Truth Is Dying 08 – Rocking The World 09 – Run Away 10 – World Of Fools 11 – Condemned Liberty 12 – Blind Rage
ANVIL live: 02.05.2024 (CA) Ajax / The Edge 25.05.2024 (DE) Schönenberg-Kübelberg / Iron Fest Open Air 29.06.2024 (FR) Clisson, Hellfest 22.11.2024 (DE) Weissenhäuser Strand / Metal Hammer Paradise
Brace yourself for a chilling journey through an album that tells the harrowing story of demonic possession and mind control.
Tales of Woe, the album from Dutch black metal band CODEX MORTIS, tells about an evil spirit that tortures a man through demonic possession and mind control. With horrific visions of its previous victims, the evil spirit tries to turn the man into a murderer. The man escapes its hold by taking his own life, as a desperate attempt to end the circle of terror…
CODEX MORTIS has unveiled part of this chilling narrative with the album’s first single, “Capricious Disembodied Villain.” Watch the lyric video at youtu.be/gI4nDC1Y3F8?si=ESTXiu81IwZr6GSq
Black Lion Records will release Tales of Woe on June 21. Pre-order/pre-save the album at snd.click/Codexmortis
In Tales of Woe, a harrowing history filled with injustice, agony, violence, and death unfolds as a tortured soul, the antagonist of the story, finds itself in an undying state, compelled to inflict suffering and death upon others trying to undo its own misery. It describes the troubles of its latest victim, the protagonist, as he is possessed and haunted by horrid visions.
Track-list:
Forsaken
Capricious Disembodied Villain
Chosen
Trenched in Blood
Fire Screams and Death
It Dies with Me
The album was mixed and mastered by Björnström Ljud & Produktion. Artwork by Vladimir ‘Smerdulak’ Chebakov.
CODEX MORTIS; Vocals by Dirk Willems Lyrics by Jos Schilder Drums by Michiel van der Plicht Guitars by Arjan van Dune Bass by Mathieu Westerveld
CODEX MORTIS is a Dutch Black Death Metal band with explosive and hypnotic skull-crushing music that will haunt you into the afterlife. Incorporating the influences of the 90s, CODEX MORTIS crafts a sonic landscape characterized by ferocious speed and an abyssal depth, with each arrangement a relentless devouring sound.
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the new album from Virginia’s blistering old school Death Metal destroyers HumanInfection. Gravesite is now up for pre-order and will be released May 3rd on CD and Digital formats along with merch.
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions welcome Human Infection to the roster with a deluxe edition of their third album Gravesight! Human Infection were formed in Roanoke, Virginia in 2009 and play classic Death Metal with a modern twist.
This revamped edition of Gravesight features a brand new remaster courtesy of guitarist Jeremiah Tuck, giving the album a fuller and more powerful sound. Human Infection also have comissioned legendary Spanish artist Juanjo Castellano (Coffins, Ribspreader, Rottrevore) for breath-taking new artwork, as well as all four tracks from the band’s 2016 promo are included as bonus material. Spread the infection!
Legendary UK metal giants Orange Goblin are back with details of their long awaited new studio album Science, Not Fiction. Set for release on July 19th, Science, Not Fiction will be the band’s first release on the iconic Peaceville label (Darkthrone, Autopsy, Candlemass).
To accompany the announcement, the band have shared their new single “(Not) Rocket Science” – a matter of fact observation on the human tendency to over-complicate life – alongside a swirling animated lyric video by Matthew Vickerstaff (https://www.instagram.com/matthew_vickerstaff)
Speaking on the track, frontman and lyricist Ben Ward says “It’s basically saying that life can be pretty simple and straightforward if you just stop wasting your time and make each day count. Be prepared to work hard, don’t expect any hand outs and basically enjoy yourself along the way.When Chris came up with the music he said it needed something that could be delivered in a Bon Scott / Lemmy style and I think it came out really well”.
Science, Not Fiction was recorded at Woodworm Studios UK in late 2023, with production and mixing duties carried out by Grammy winning producer Mike Exeter (most notable for his work with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Tony Iommi) and mastering conducted by the esteemed Peter Hewitt-Dutton at The Bakery in LA.
From the explosive death-boogie of opener “The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine” onwards, the band’s tenth album crackles with energy and belligerence. Following the departure of long serving bassist MartynMillard in 2020, Orange Goblin welcomed close friend Harry Armstrong (formerly Hangnail) into the fray, making Science, Not Fiction his first studio outing with the band.
With the new line-up fizzing with chemistry, the hard rocking likes of “(Not) Rocket Science”, “The Fury Of A Patient Man” and “The Justice Knife” breathe new life into some classic Orange Goblin tropes. Meanwhile, twisted prog-doom detours like “False Hope Diet” and “Cemetary Rats” take the Londoners into epic new territory, with everything from skull-shattering punk ‘n’ roll to transcendent space rock hurled into the swirling brew.
“It is a continuation of what we’ve been doing, and that’s because when we write, it’s a big mixing bowl of all of our influences and favourite artists, and we try and create the perfect band that we always wanted to hear,” Ben states. “This album, it’s just more accomplished and mature, I guess. None of us are spring chickens anymore and we’ve got ten albums under our belts now. I feel like we’re more professional in the recording studio, I feel like we’re better musicians and writers, and now with me looking after myself, I feel like my performance is better as well. It’s all moving in the right direction.”
For the last 30 years, Orange Goblin, London-based hard rock lifers, have tirelessly flown the flag for balls-out heavy metal and maximum rock ‘n’ roll. Driven by passion, persistence and heartfelt love for metal’s dark magic, Orange Goblin have always been a vital force and a risk-free bet. While some may be content to trade on past glories, Orange Goblin view heavy metal as a lifelong pursuit. In 2024, they open a new chapter in their heroic saga, marking it with the release of their tenth studio album: Science, Not Fiction.
“People have funny ideas about what heavy metal is. But to me, it’s an attitude, it’s a lifestyle, it’s not something you decide to dip into. You either are or you’re not. And it’s for life.” Ben Ward, Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction track-list:
The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine
(Not) Rocket Science
Ascend The Negative
False Hope Diet
Cemetary Rats
The Fury Of A Patient Man
Gemini (Twins Of Evil)
The Justice Knife
End Of Transmission
Bonus track on CD Deluxe & LP: 10. Eye Of The Minotaur
Orange Goblin are: Ben Ward – vocals Joe Hoare – guitar Chris Turner – drums Harry Armstrong – bass
The band will be supporting the release of Science, Not Fiction with a full live campaign starting on April 6thwith a tour in April, of Japan, Australia and New Zealand, more shows and festivals are due to be announced very soon.
It’s time to set the world on fire! The new POWERWOLF album “Wake Up The Wicked” will be released on July 26, 2024! The once again mesmerizing artwork by Zsofia Dankova perfectly reflects the elemental force of the album and embodies its sheer intensity! At this point we will keep it short, because we will go into more detail over time! Available for pre-order now!
One of the early bastions of true U.S. metal, New Jersey’s Attacker is back to celebrate their 40th anniversary on The GodParticle, a triumphant, eight song classic metal offering! The new album will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats through Cruz Del Sur Music on April 12.
A lyric video for the first single, “The Mighty Have Fallen” is available at: youtu.be/cVpamPWzZg8.
New Jersey heavy metal legends Attacker are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2024. A milestone marked by their influential 1985 Battle at Helm’s Deep debut and 1988 The Second Coming sophomore effort, as well as post-2001 reformation full-lengths like 2004’s Soul Taker and 2006’s The Unknown that served as reminders of Attacker’s staying power.
While it hasn’t always been easy for Attacker, founding member and drummer Mike Sabatini attributes the band’s longevity to their love of heavy metal music. That red thread and never-ending appreciation for what Attacker means to them and so many across the globe helps define the band’s newest studio foray, The God Particle.
The follow-up to 2016’s Sins of the World LP and 2018’s Armor of the Gods EP was recorded at Sabatini’s Bandmother Recording Studio in Jersey City, New Jersey, from November 2023 to January 2024. The album was mixed by Sabatini alongside C.J. Scioscia, with mastering by Joe Lambert.
The God Particle is a tried-and-true dose of pure, unbridled heavy metal with ample broadsides of aggression and melody; both permanent elements of Attacker’s sound. The band rounded out by vocalist Bobby Lucas, the guitar tandem of Mike Benetatos and Jon Hasselbrink and bassist Brian Smith, have gelled into a formidable writing unit, offering what is perhaps Attacker’s most varied batch of songs.
The album’s gestation period was longer than normal (see: Covid). The extended time writing afforded Attacker the opportunity to craft new songs that are primed and ready for European festival sing-along participation. Lucas is responsible for the album’s soaring choruses and its concept, which is based on the Large Hadron Collider Particle Accelerator in Cern, Switzerland, that is used to create energetic collisions of particles like protons, breaking them into subatomic components that are detected and studied. Adding to the intrigue: supposedly a satanic ritual was performed at the Collider site to call in evil from another dimension. Whether that actually happened or not, it serves as the perfect tie-in to Marc Sasso’s cover art (DIO, HALFORD, Marvel Comics).
Sabatini has been on record that he was reluctant to reform the band during its 1990s dormancy. Only the passing of original guitarist Jim Mooney and vocalist John Leone (who performed on The Second Coming) reignited the Attacker fire. The band now exists to honor its storied legacy and to create new, compelling music to satisfy a worldwide fanbase that remains hungry for Attacker music. Consider the job complete on The God Particle.
Overlooking the ancient lands of sensational heavy metal, Norway’s Coffin Storm is the new band consisting of a trio of Kolbotn veterans, with the line-up of Apollyon (Aura Noir/Lamented Souls) and Bestial Tormentor (Infernö/Lamented Souls) completed by Darkthrone’s Fenriz on vocal duties.
Fenriz explains the origins of the band: “Kolbotn is a hilly forest-y place directly south of Oslo, Norway. When Ole Jørgen and Olav and me grew up there in the 80s we had easy access to all the metal in the massive amounts of record stores in Oslo. Olav and Ole Jørgen started playing doom metal together in the 90s (Lamented Souls) but in 2020 they teamed up again and making riffs in the slow thrash/doom/classic heavy metal style. When the songs started to take form, Ole Jørgen took his place on the drum throne and soon started to record them. Wanting it to be a 100% Kolbotn project, they asked if I wanted to lay down vocals for it and after a couple of sessions in 2021 and 2022 COFFIN STORM was born.”
Apollyon adds “Me and Bestial Tormentor have been playing together since we met in college in 1990 and formed the doom metal act Lamented Souls. However with most members being busy with other bands LS kind of faded away. Our last rehearsal was around 2007.
After I had stopped playing live with Aura Noir we decided to meet up weekly and play guitar together. It was not going to be Lamented Souls and we had no serious plans of any kind. – but as songs were starting to emerge I switched to drums and we made recordings that Bestial Tormentor played to Fenriz, who apparently approved! I would never have dared to ask him to do the vocals! I was considering doing them myself but he was secretly our first choice. Fortunately Bestial Tormentor popped the question and he said yes, so we recorded 3 songs with an extra pair of drum mics(4 in total )in the rehearsal place. Added bass and guitar in my house and went to Fenriz’ to record the vocals. Then we had two more sessions before the album was finished.
Initially I was assuming the music would be doom metal. I think all of us had “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” in mind but even if our songs are slow/mid tempo, the riffs ended up being more thrashy than I had expected. Only the title track is pure doom simply because it’s a song me and Bestial Tormentor made some 20 years ago that we were über eager to hear Fenriz’ ravishing vocal lines on.”
And so the first fruits of their toil manifest in the form of debut album, ‘Arcana Rising’, with a sterling concoction of classic heavy metal, slow thrash and doom. The result is a torrent of rousing, accomplished titanic riffing from both Apollyon & Bestial Tormentor, commandeered by Fenriz’s unmistakable vocal prowess as witnessed with his own Isengard project as well as multiple Darkthrone releases, with vocal inspiration summoned from bands such as Agent Steel.
Having exclusively premiered the first track “Over Frozen Moors” on the Fenriz Metal Pact Podcast he comments on the single “Right off the bat it’s a chunky 1984 style Exodus verse riff followed by a myriad of melodics in a levitating refrain. The middle of the song just proceeds with an even more killer slow-thrash riff and a surprising vocal part baked into it which gives the song an added epic layer. For the heaviness of the rhythm shift in the closing part I just have one thing to say: Wait for it!..”
‘Arcana Rising’ contains six sprawling metallic epics covering the 45 minute running time, and was recorded at a variety of studios in the band’s native Norway, with work originally commencing back to 2021. With production overseen by Apollyon himself, ‘Arcana Rising’ truly channels & encapsulates the spirit of the 80s, with inspiration from such masters of metal as Candlemass, Pentagram, Metallica & early Kreator, with musical nods to early Paradise Lost & Cathedral from the more extreme side of the doom spectrum, as well as including traces of the DNA from Apollyon & Bestial Tormentor’s own prior work together with their cult doom act Lamented Souls, to create a sensational and majestic opus.
Mastering work was completed by Jack Control at Enormous Door (Darkthrone), and cover art appears courtesy of Polish artist Maciej Kamuda.
ALTERIUM, the new Italian power metal quintet led by Nicoletta Rosellini (ex. Kalidia, Walk in Darkness), has revealed new details about their hotly-anticipated, first full-length studio album! “Of War And Flames” will be out on March 8, 2024 via AFM Records, the pre-sale is now available via: https://alterium.bfan.link/of-war-and-flames
Following previously-released, first album appetizers, “Siren’s Call”, “Drag Me To Hell” and the epic cover version of Sabaton‘s “Bismarck”, ALTERIUM have unleashed their powerful title track “Of War And Flames”!
Born in late 2022, ALTERIUM consists of vocalist Nicoletta and former bandmates Paolo Campitelli (guitars) and Dario Gozzi (drums) from Kalidia, soon joined by Alessandro Mammola (guitars, also in Draconicon) and Luca Scalabrin (bass, also in Altair).
After Kalidia parted ways, Nicoletta decided to take a different approach and finally unleashes her whole potential as both a singer and a songwriter. Produced by Lars Rettkowitz (Freedom Call), and featuring 9 original classy power metal tracks including the cover of “Bismarck”, “Of War and Flames” turns out to be a triumph of catchy choruses, terrific vocal lines, powerful sounds, strong guitar riffs, explosive drums, majestic choirs and captivating grooves, all skillfully mastered by Achim Koehler. Pre-order your album copy now, and get ready for new power metal hope ALTERIUM, when theywill take the metal scene by storm!
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"
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