The Comalaska Tour: Apr 29 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD Apr 30 House of Blues – Cleveland, OH May 1 Elevation – Grand Rapids, MI May 2 Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS May 3 Waiting Room – Omaha, NE May 5 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM May 6 Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ May 7 The Belasco – Los Angeles, CA May 8 The Observatory – San Diego, CA May 9 Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA May 11 The Grand @ The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT May 13 The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO May 15 The Vanguard – Tulsa, OK May 16 Delmar Hall – St. Louis, MO May 17 Milwaukee Metal Fest – Milwaukee, WI (No PTH/Different Set) May 18 Deluxe at Old National Center – Indianapolis, IN May 19 The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC May 21 The NorVa – Norfolk, VA May 23 House of Independents – Asbury Park, NJ May 24 Preserving – New Kensington, PA
RIVERS OF NIHIL will return to North American stages this Spring on a month-long headlining tour! The Aggressive Progressive Tour runs from May 22nd in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through June 22nd in Toronto, Ontario. Support will be provided by Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, and Glacial Tomb.
The band comments, “We are stoked to bring The Aggressive Progressive tour to North America. We are also honored to have Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, and Glacial Tomb along with us. Can’t wait to see you all.“
RIVERS OF NIHIL will release their fifth full-length album later this year. The record will feature two previously released songs – “The Sub-Orbital Blues” (2023) and “Criminals” (2024) – plus eight new tracks. Stay tuned for a new single to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Tickets and VIP packages are available now at: ron.soundrink.com. See all confirmed dates below.
RIVERS OF NIHIL w/ Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, Glacial Tomb: 5/22/2025 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA 5/23/2025 The Palladium (Upstairs) – Worcester, MA 5/24/2025 Rec Room – Buffalo, NY 5/25/2025 The King Of Clubs – Columbus, OH 5/27/2025 Pike Room @ Crofoot – Pontiac, MI 5/28/2025 Reggies – Chicago, IL 5/29/2025 The Cabooze – Minneapolis, MN 5/30/2025 Bourbon Theater – Lincoln, NE 5/31/2025 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO 6/01/2025 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 6/03/2025 Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC 6/04/2025 El Corazon – Seattle, WA 6/05/2025 Dante’s – Portland, OR 6/06/2025 Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA 6/07/2025 Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA 6/08/2025 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA 6/10/2025 Nile – Mesa, AZ 6/11/2025 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM 6/12/2025 Jake’s – Lubbock, TX 6/13/2025 The Rail – Ft. Worth, TX 6/14/2025 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX 6/15/2025 Scout Bar – Houston, TX 6/17/2025 Basement East – Nashville, TN 6/18/2025 Eulogy – Asheville, NC 6/19/2025 The Canal Club – Richmond, VA 6/20/2025 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY 6/21/2025 Fairmount Theatre – Montreal, QC 6/22/2025 Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
TesseracT will be heading to the US/Canada with the brilliant Devin Townsend in May 2025 for a run of shows. Tickets go on general sale at 10am local time on Friday November 22nd.
Speaking on the upcoming shows, TesseracT bassist Amos Williams said “What a wonderful and weird scenario to be in. Our first North American tour was before One was released and was supporting Devin all the way back in 2010. We have some firm life affirming memories from that run and made some lifelong friends as well. Dev’s new album is a MONSTER of a record. Our new album is one of our favourites. So, it’s going to be a ridiculously awesome tour. We can’t wait!”
DEVIN TOWNSEND POWERNERD TOUR WITH TESSERACT: 2-May Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works 3-May Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle 4-May Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues (Orlando) 6-May Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s 7-May Raleigh, NC – The Ritz 9-May New York, NY – Palladium Times Square 10-May Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring 11-May Boston, MA – House of Blues 13-May Montreal, QC – MTELUS 14-May Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre 16-May Detroit, MI – Masonic Cathedral Theatre 17-May Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Metal Fest 19-May Dallas, TX – Granada Theater 21-May Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre 23-May Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
TesseracT recently announced the new Tour Edition of their masterpiece 2023 album War Of Being, out on January 10th and set to coincide with the ‘War of Being Part 2 Tour’ – an extensive run of European shows kicking off in February 2025.
The new edition is available on 2LP and 2CD, with both formats including the Live At Radar EP – 3 bonus tracks recorded live from TesseracT’s headline set at Radar Festival 2024 (Manchester, UK) where they were joined on stage by Choir Noir’s Kat Marsh. The LP edition has also been newly mastered at half-speed for the highest audio quality and is pressed on black and red marble vinyl.
The double vinyl edition of War of Being is presented on transparent Red & Black Marble 2LP and includes the Live at Radar EP – 3 bonus tracks recorded live at Radar Festival in July 2024 – “Natural Disaster,” Tender” and “War Of Being.” The LP edition has also been newly remastered at half-speed for the highest audio quality.
The 2 Disc CD Tour Edition of War of Being features two digipacks in a slipcase, including the original album and the new Live at Radar bonus ep.
UPCOMING TREK INCLUDES THE BAND’S FIRST EVER SOUTH AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN PERFORMANCES
Oct. 28, 2024, LOS ANGELES – TOOL, who recently announced their first-ever South American dates as well as the band’s debut Caribbean outing with “TOOL Live in the Sand,” have added two additional Mexican performances to the 2025 trek: March 12 at Explanada del Estadio Mobil Super in Monterrey and March 18 at Calle 2 in Guadalajara.
Tickets for the newly added Mexican shows are on-sale Monday, Nov. 4, at 12 noon cst with an exclusive, 24-hour pre-sale for TOOL Army members starting Thursday, Oct. 31, at 12 noon cst. More information about TOOL Army memberships can be found at Toolband.com/join. VIP packages for the March 15 Mexico City show are available via Toolband.com/VIP. The Cult and Seven Hours After Violet open on both dates.
TOOL has also confirmed performances at three Lollapalooza festivals: Argentina (March 22), Chile (March 23) and Brazil (March 30), along with a headlining spot at the Estéreo Picnic festival in Bogotá on March 28.
“TOOL Live in the Sand” is a three-day event featuring two sets from TOOL, with additional performances by Primus, Mastodon, Coheed and Cambria, Eagles of Death Metal, and more. The destination festival runs March 7 to 9 at the Hard Rock and Royal Resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Tickets are available via Toolinthesand.com.
TOOL – tour dates:
March 7 to 9 Punta Cana, DR TOOL Live in the Sand March 12 Monterrey, MX Explanada del Estadio Mobil Super March 15 Mexico City, MX Explanada del Estadio Azteca March 18 Guadalajara, MX Calle 2 March 22 Buenos Aires, AR Lollapalooza Argentina March 23 Santiago, CL Lollapalooza Chile March 28 Bogota, CO Estéreo Picnic March 30 São Paulo, BR Lollapalooza Brasil
TOOL formed in 1990, releasing five studio albums: Undertow(1993), Ænima (1996), Lateralus(2001), 10,000 Days (2006), and Fear Inoculum (2019); two EPs: 72826 (1991) and Opiate (1992), and the limited-edition boxset Salival (2000). The band has won four GRAMMY Awards®: Best Metal Performance (1998, “Ænima”), Best Metal Performance (2002, “Schism”), Best Recording Package (2007, 10,000 Days) and Best Metal Performance (2020, “7empest”). TOOL is Danny Carey (drums), Justin Chancellor (bass), Adam Jones (guitar) and Maynard James Keenan (vocals).
Introducing The Colors Experience 2024! A 2 night soirée of shred which will begin with a performance of 2007’s Colors on the first night, and culminate with 2021’s Colors II on the second. If you think that’s not punishment enough, fear not…we will be accompanied by the merciless might of The Acacia Strain on both nights. Tickets go on sale this Friday, and we look forward to seeing y’all there!
-The Colors Experience 2024- Mar 07: Charlotte, NC – The Underground Mar 08: Charlotte, NC – The Underground Mar 09: Baltimore, MD – The Recher Mar 10: Baltimore, MD – The Recher Mar 12: Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Mar 13: Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Mar 14: Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club Mar 15: Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club Mar 16: NYC, NY – Webster Hall Mar 17: NYC, NY – Webster Hall Mar 18: Toronto, ON – The Opera House Mar 20: Toronto, ON – The Opera House Mar 21: Detroit, MI – Magic Stick Mar 23: Detroit, MI – Magic Stick Mar 24: Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge Mar 25: Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge Mar 26: Nashville, TN – Basement East Mar 27: Nashville, TN – Basement East Mar 29: Dallas, TX – Trees Mar 30: Dallas, TX – Trees Mar 31: San Antonio, TX – Vibes Apr 01: San Antonio, TX – Vibes Apr 03: Denver, CO – Summit Apr 04: Denver, CO – Summit Apr 06: Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom Apr 07: Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom Apr 08: Santa Ana, CA – Observatory Apr 09: Santa Ana, CA – Observatory Apr 11: Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post Apr 12: Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post Apr 13: Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom Apr 14: Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom Apr 15: Seattle, WA – The Croc Apr 16: Seattle, WA – The Croc
Finnish progressive metallers Damnation Plan have released their third single ‘Dreamdead’ off their new upcoming album ‘The New Horizon’. The new single represents a more straightforward metal side of the new album than the previously released 8 minute progressive epics ‘The New Horizon’ and ‘Under The Veil Of Sea’.
Guitarist / songwriter Kalle Niininen comments: “Dreamdead was one of the first new songs we came up for the new album. It got its form by us exploring a little bit lower tunings than usual for this album. The song got its final heavier feel after we introduced the theme riff with its slower drum beat. The chorus is classic Damnation Plan.”
Single / lyricist Asim Searah comments: “When a soul goes deep into oblivion with sadness and despair, one gets into a state of mind which is hard to fathom. It’s like a constant battle of belief in hope if you keep failing. Dreamdead resolves around such theme and reflects on constant failures in life that make one become hopeless and miserable.”
Witherfall continue their march towards album number 4 with a select appearance opening for the iconic bands Cynic and Atheist! Get your tickets for June 17th at the Teragram ballroom in Los Angeles now before they sell out! Its an early show with Doors open at 6:00 Witherfall on at 6:30 with Cynic closing the night at 8:30.
Finnish heavy metal sextet BATTLE BEAST will be bringing their Circus of Doom to town and playing Day 3 (Sept. 8) of ProgPower USA. They will be replacing WIND ROSE. Tickets are still available for days 1 & 2 of the festival.
ProgPower USA is a progressive and power metal festival held annually in the United States since 2001. Its upcoming edition, ProgPower USA XXII, will occur Sep 6 – Sep 9, 2023 at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, GA. This year’s lineup features KAMELOT, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, the final USA show for POWER QUEST, and the first announced USA show for THE HALO EFFECT. Other acts include DORO, BEAST IN BLACK, SWALLOW THE SUN, VOLA, CYNIC, and more!
Day 1 | September 6 DORO SWALLOW THE SUN CYNIC ELVENKING ICE AGE
Day 2 | September 6 BEAST IN BLACK VOLA THE HALO EFFECT ZERO HOUR SEVEN KINGDOMS
Day 3 | September 8 – SOLD OUT
KAMELOT CALIGULA’S HORSE GREEN CARNATION AD INFINITUM BATTLE BEAST THE CRYPTEX
Day 4 | September 9 – SOLD OUT
MYRATH UNLEASH THE ARCHERS DELAIN VISIONS OF ATLANTIS EVIL INVADERS POVERTY’S NO CRIME
Glenn Harveston reflected, “Our festival has established itself as one of the most unique and exciting events for progressive and power metal worldwide, and the history of sales speaks for itself. I’m thankful for yet another sell-out for days 3&4, and hope the trend continues for Milton and Nathan’s shows as well.”
Milton Mendonca continued, “This year’s Day 2 roster calls back to the quintessential blend of genres that made our festival so successful to begin with. You cannot find a show like this anywhere else in the States, so last call to join the best metal party of the year.”
ProgPower USA has served as the USA debut for iconic bands like Nightwish, Blind Guardian, Epica, Kamelot and more. Tickets for days 1 & 2 of the festival have limited quantities still available. Be a part of heavy metal history and join in on ProgPower USA XXII!
Famed rock vocalist Zak Stevens and producer / guitar player extraordinaire Aldo Lonobile make up the force behind Archon Angel and this album, aptly named ‘II’ is their second album together. Like their first effort, but even more in tune and perfected, ‘II’ is an impressive and powerful work of prog metal.
Having aced the crystal perfect production and found a fluidity with their songwriting teamwork, these two veterans need no roses considering their impressive back catalogs, but ‘II’ is a project worth being very proud of and fans will be more than satisfied with the results.
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to present the upcoming release of Archon Angel’s second album, “II” on April 14, 2023. It follows the band’s 2020 debut, “Fallen”, which saw vocalist Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle, Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and producer/guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Edge Of Forever) delivering a fantastic slab of power/progressive metal. Fans of Archon Angel’s debut will surely find no sophomore slump awaits them on “II”. In fact, the two have locked in on all the key parts that worked so well on their debut and amplified and perfected them for this glorious follow-up.
The seeds of Archon Angel were planted when producer/guitarist Lonobile and vocalist Stevens were collaborating on songs for Timo Tolkki’s Avalon’s ‘Return To Eden’ album, which Aldo produced and played guitar on and Zak did some guest lead vocals for. After some discussions about what musical direction they wanted to take, Aldo sent Zak some demos that were reminiscent of classic Savatage records like Edge Of Thorns and Gutter Ballet. The two felt they were onto something and followed their musical muse, ultimately culminating in what would become Archon Angel’s debut album, “Fallen”.
Zak Stevens first came to prominence in the metal scene when he was hand-picked by Savatage‘s Jon Olivia to take over as lead vocalist for the band. Starting with 1993’s Edge Of Thorns, he would record four studio albums with the band, including the aforementioned album plus Handful Of Rain, Dead Winter Dead, and The Wake Of Magellan. He has also performed on multiple Trans-Siberian Orchestra releases, including Christmas Eve and Other Stories, Beethoven’s Last Night, and more, while also being a member of the band’s touring production. Around 2001, Zak started a band, Circle II Circle, which has recorded seven studio albums, with the most recent being 2015’s Reign Of Darkness. Additionally, he has appeared on albums by Timo Tolkki’s Avalon, Machines Of Grace, Jon Olivia‘s Pain, and more.
PYRAMAZE are an exceptional phenomenon in the international prog- and power metal scene. Their sound brings along numerous traditional melodic and progressive metal trademarks, but gets an immensely high recognition value by their unique feeling for great melodies – in connection with a certain open-mindedness for contemporary arrangements and further development.
It’s no secret that the band is currently working on a new album – and already the first single “Broken Arrow” stands as the epitome of what PYRAMAZE is about. Cast in a first-class production by PYRAMAZE guitarist and renowned producer Jacob Hansen, the track is elevated to highest quality realms not least by the fabulous organ of singer Terje Harøy.
Says keyboardist Jonah Weingarten: “Broken Arrow represents the perfect mixture of Disciples of the Sun- Pyramaze era with a splash of our modern Epitaph sound. It has the big chorus, huge strings, big powerful vocals, and catchy melodies that we are known for. It was an easy choice for our first single for our upcoming album!”
Watch the brand new video for “Broken Arrow”, now streaming below, and stay tuned for many more album news and details to follow soon.
Promo pic by Sami Hinkkanen. (From left to right: Rasmus Raassina, Harri Annala, Marko Loukamaa, Miika Erkkilä, Ari Lempinen, Esa Lempinen
Finnish progressive metal band Sum of Seven released a new single and music video ”The Monster…The King’. The track is released in collaboration with Inverse Records.
Ari Lempinen comments: “In the song The Monster…The King we wanted to give more room to the instruments to tell the story supporting the vocals. The song flows with tasty solos and tight riffs in synergy with Marko’s vocals and dances between succulent blasting and a relaxing respite. The music reflects the atmosphere of the lyrics, which dive deep into a dreamlike space where the monsters and kings within us are in juxtaposition. The music video features the skilled breakdancer Jose Granados aka Bboy Kalaco who interprets the mood and the message of the song with his skillful moves.“
Single cover by Ari Lempinen
The Monster…The King (single 2023)
Composed by Ari Lempinen Lyrics by Ari Lempinen, Esa Lempinen & Marko Loukamaa
Line-up: Ari Lempinen: Guitar, backing vocals Esa Lempinen: Keyborads Rasmus Raassina: Drums Harri Annala: Guitar Miika Erkkilä: Bass Marko Loukamaa: Vocals
New Album, “I Am The Storm”, Out On March 17, 2023 Via AFM Records!
Following the band’s recent announcement, to release their forthcoming, eighth studio offering IAm The Storm on March 17, 2023 through AFM Records, today, Los Angeles-based progressive metal masters Redemption have unleashed a brand new single! By the end of 2022, the band already shared a first album foretaste with a music video for the colossal album title track I Am The Storm.
Band mastermind Nicolas van Dyk reveals: “If I Am The Storm showcases the heaviest aspect of Redemption, Seven Minutes From Sunset showcases a more melodic metal current of prog metal, as Someone Else’s Problem did on our last CD. As for the lyrics…they’re a metaphor. For the listener to decipher.”
Listen to “Seven Minutes From Sunset”, now streaming HERE
Redemption belongs to one of the leading progressive metal bands in the heavy music world today. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 2000 by guitarist / keyboardist / songwriter Nicolas van Dyk, the band features iconic vocalist Thomas England of Evergrey, the rhythm section of Chris Quirarte (drums) and bassist Sean Andrews, as well as keyboard phenom Vikram Shankar.
As the album title already promises, I Am The Storm is a gripping, stirring, overwhelming and dramatic, new record by the power prog metal act. Combining unapologetic melodies and hooks with technicality, complexity and thundering riffs, Redemption once again occupies a unique place with its powerful, heavy, intelligent and deeply emotional music.
I Am The Storm was produced by van Dyk, Vikram Shankar and sound engineer/guitarist Simone Mularoni (DGM), who – alongside Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth) and Henrik Danhage (Evergrey) – will be also featured as a guest musician on the album. The new Redemption record also contains two cover songs, ‘Turn It On Again’ by Genesis and ‘Red Rain’ by Peter Gabriel.
Set to be released on March 17, 2023 via AFM Records, the album pre-sale has just started at THIS LOCATION!
I Am The Storm – track listing:
I Am The Storm
Seven Minutes From Sunset
Remember The Dawn
The Emotional Depiction Of Light
Resilience
Action At A Distance
Turn It On Again
All This Time (And Not Enough)
The Emotional Depiction Of Light (Remix)
Red Rain
Vinyl Bonus Tracks: The Pearl Clutchers (feat. Chris Poland) The Far Side Of The Clouds (feat. Henrik Danhage)
Finnish Progressive metal band EDGE OF HAZE are pleased to announce that they will release their new album The Convoy of Ruin on November 1st, 2022. The album tells a story about humanity’s journey towards destruction by violence, exploitation and global warming and will be released exclusively on Bandcamp.
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
Witherfall are happy to announce that Multi-Instrumentalist Gerry Hirschfeld will be joining the band. We are excited to have a second guitarist back in the live show. Gerry is also an accomplished Pianist and Vocalist. The band sounds better than ever and we are looking forward to the new versatile journey ahead.
RIVERS OF NIHIL has confirmed headlining performances in Arkansas, New Mexico, Iowa, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee through September and October during the off-dates of their North American tour supporting The Contortionist.
The full, month-long journey begins on September 11th in Dallas, Texas and runs through October 15th in Indianapolis, Indiana and will find RIVERSOFNIHIL performing their latest full-length, the critically adored TheWork, in its entirety with the bonus of a special encore on all headlining dates. Tickets are on sale now! See all confirmed dates below.
Icelandic metal unit CULTOFLILITH will support VenomInc. this Fall on their There’s Only Black Across America 2022 tour. The trek will commence on October 27th in New York City and run through November 12th in Boston. Additional support will be provided by EyeHateGod and Ringworm.
Comments CULT OF LILITH vocalist Mario Infantes Ávalos, “We are thrilled to finally be able to bring Mara to America. After two years of its release, we haven’t had the chance to do any touring. We can’t wait to meet our US fans!”
See all confirmed dates below.
CULTOFLILITH w/ Venom Inc., EyeHateGod, Ringworm: 10/27/2022 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY 10/28/2022 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY 10/29/2022 Odeon – Cleveland, OH 10/30/2022 The Loving Touch – Detroit, MI 11/01/2022 Wildwood – Iowa City, IA 11/02/2022 The Forge – Joliet, IL 11/03/2022 King Of Clubs – Columbus, OH 11/04/2022 Blue Note – Harrison, OH 11/05/2022 Mass Destruction Festival 3 – Atlanta, GA 11/06/2022 One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA 11/07/2022 Growlers – Memphis, TN 11/09/2022 Black Circle – Indianapolis, IN 11/10/2022 The Crafthouse – Pittsburgh, PA 11/11/2022 Reverb – Reading, PA 11/12/2022 Genos Rock Club – Portland, ME 11/13/2022 Music Hall – Boston, MA
CULT OF LILITH will be touring in support of their debut full-length, Mara, released in 2020 via Metal Blade Records. A frantic collision of death metal, prog, complex classical structures, and more, Mara is a restless, constantly shifting collection that is as imaginative as it is compulsive.
The flagbearers of modern Italian progressive metal, AVELION, have been churning out bombastic singles for more than a decade, dropping a string of releases that have been helping shape the genre. In 2022, they return with “Bound To Blackness”, the first single recorded with new vocalist Riccardo Rizzardelli.
The song – recorded, produced and mixed by Simone Mularoni – is now available at THIS LOCATION.
“‘Bound To Blackness’ is a song that manages to encompass all the main elements of our music: melody, groove, oddly shifting time signatures, electronics, ambient and cinematic arrangements, as well as dense progressive instrumental sections. We worked very hard in the studio with Simone Mularoni to create a truly original and modern mix, suitable not only for progressive metal fans, but also for power and melodic metal listeners, as well as for djent and modern metal enthusiasts.
We can’t wait to take old fans and new listeners on this journey through the different nuances that make up our sound. The concept of the song is open to each listener’s interpretation, but there is a message of self development and inner growth, which involves awareness, acceptance and finally overcoming our darkest side. It’s a song about fighting your inner nightmares to find yourself. A journey in which acceptance and redemption are to be sought within ourselves”.
Photo by Egon Reboldi
Each AVELION release expands and clarifies the band’s mission to bring forth the most dynamic sonic offerings. Marrying progressive and modern metal influences, AVELION approach each song as a unique opportunity to destroy and rebuild the listener’s perception.
June 2022, LOS ANGELES –TOOL’s critically-acclaimed, GRAMMY®-Award winning fifth album, FearInoculum, arrives as a 3-disc, 180g vinyl release on Aug. 5 via RCA Records.
The collection, which is available for pre-order now (https://store.toolband.com/product/TLLP002), features new artwork from Adam Jones, and is housed in a triple gatefold jacket with an exclusive poster.
Fear Inoculum vinyl tracklisting:
Disc 1: “Fear Inoculum,” “Pneuma,” and “Invincible”
Quite possibly the era’s most highly-anticipated album, Fear Inoculum arrived in August of 2019. Debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200, the album earned heaps of critical praise with NPR saying, “Fear Inoculum was worth the 13 year wait,” Revolver proclaiming the album “a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come” and Consequence saying the release finds “Tool in peak performance.”
Earlier this year, TOOL released “Opiate2” (https://TOOL.lnk.to/Opiate2), a re-imagined and extended version of the 1992 EP’s title track and an accompanying short film, marking the band’s first new video in 15 years. The band also unveiled the first incarnation of Fear Inoculum vinyl, dubbed the Ultra Deluxe edition, the limited offering included five 180g vinyl discs emblazoned with a unique etching and accompanied by an elaborate pictorial booklet including never-before-seen artwork.
TOOL formed in 1990, releasing five studio albums: Undertow(1993), Ænima (1996), Lateralus (2001),10,000 Days (2006), and Fear Inoculum (2019); two EPs: 72826 (1991) and Opiate (1992), and the limited-edition boxset Salival (2000). The band has won four GRAMMY Awards®: Best Metal Performance (1998, “Ænima”), Best Metal Performance (2002, “Schism”), Best Recording Package (2007, 10,000 Days) and Best Metal Performance (2020, “7empest”). TOOL is Danny Carey (drums), Justin Chancellor (bass), Adam Jones (guitar) and Maynard James Keenan (vocals).
Promo pic by Sami Hinkkanen. (From left to right: Rasmus Raassina, Harri Annala, Marko Loukamaa, Miika Erkkilä, Ari Lempinen, Esa Lempinen
Finnish progressive metal band Sum of Seven released a new music video TheEnemy. Famous Finnish model, dancer & singer Joalin Loukamaa, known from global Pop band Now United is featured on the video. The track is released in collaboration with Inverse Records.
“We wanted to create a video that has a nice balance of story and the band playing. Originally we planned this to be purely the band playing the song but the place we found for the shoot inspired us to add a story element. Joalin Loukamaa did an excellent job in our last video and we asked if she would join the project. Fortunately she said yes and did an amazing job again. We got Saku Suominen from Sakuvisuals to direct and work his magic behind the camera and we had an absolute blast filming this. We feel that the atmosphere of the video and the song complement each other in just the right way and the finished product definitely makes us proud.
The Enemy is a song that starts out fast and aggressive and really carries that momentum from start to finish. It is one of the heaviest songs that we have made so far. When that intro explodes you know that we’re going somewhere fast. But at the same time when the vocal melodies kick in they steer the song into a different direction than you might expect, still carrying the aggressive momentum. That element of surprise is really what crowns the song for me. The Enemy has one of the best melodies we have written in my opinion and Marko’s delivery is just absolutely breathtaking. The lyrics talk about freedom, victory and survival, but they also have connotations to the questionable interpretations of those subjects. The message can be interpreted as positively empowering, but also as a disturbingly delusional illusion.”
Single cover by Aki Niemi
The Enemy (single 2022) – Composed by Ari Lempinen – Lyrics by Ari Lempinen, Esa Lempinen & Marko Loukamaa
Line-up: Ari Lempinen: Guitar, backing vocals EsaLempinen: Keyborads RasmusRaassina: Drums Harri Annala: Guitar MiikaErkkilä: Bass MarkoLoukamaa: Vocals
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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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