KORPIKLAANI - Release Video For Brand New Single 'Saunaan' + Pre-order For New Album "Rankarumpu"

Finnish folk metal superstars KORPIKLAANI have released a brand new single called 'Saunaan', the first song to whet your appetite for their upcoming new studio album, Rankarumpu, which is due to be released on April 5th, 2024. The pre-order for the album starts today!

Rankarumpu, like the two previous records, was executed with recording / mixing engineer and producer Janne Saksa. It seems that the collaboration between the band and Saksa has reached a whole new level with Rankarumpu.

KORPIKLAANI's twelfth studio album is once again full of tasty folk metal and its different flavors, but it also offers new spices. One of the most wonderful features of Rankarumpu is related to the folk instruments. Although KORPIKLAANI has done one or maybe even a couple of unforgettable things in the realm of folk metal, this time new permanent member Olli Vänskä's violin and Sami Perttula's accordion may surprise even die-hard fans.

One of the best showcases of this new chapter in KORPIKLAANI's career is the fast paced, violin-driven and playful folk metal tune 'Saunaan'. With its irresistable lead melody and a chorus for the ages, 'Saunaan' is one of the strongest KORPIKLAANI songs to date, and it should fill any fan of the genre with pure delight.

Olli Vänskä commented:
"I actually composed 'Saunaan' already months before I even knew I would be playing for Korpiklaani. I was working on an upbeat folk metal song and less surprisingly KK – Kings of Folk Metal – was definitely one of the influences.
 
Then, one thought led to another and suddenly I found myself actually playing for Korpiklaani and we were talking about material for an upcoming album. One night during a festival van ride I played a couple of demo tracks for the guys and Jonne was immediately giving me thumbs up. We worked with the arrangement a little bit and the end result is a pretty pretty good song!"


LISTEN TO 'SAUNAAN':
https://korpiklaani.bfan.link/saunaan

PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE THE NEW ALBUM RANKARUMPU:
https://korpiklaani.bfan.link/rankarumpu

WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR 'SAUNAAN' Below.

KORPIKLAANI have massive touring plans for 2024, starting with an extensive UK tour with Alestorm and Heidevolk in February and March, two album release shows in Mexico on April 5th and 6th, followed by a North Amercan tour with Visions Of Atlantis & Illumishade (feat. members of Eluveitie) in April and May, a good number of big European Summer festivals and a European tour towards the end of the year.

RANKARUMPU NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2024
w/ Visions Of Atlantis & Illumishade

08.04.    US    Reading  -   Reverb
09.04.    US    New York City  -  Gramercy Theatre
10.04.    US    Boston  -  Brighton Music Hall
11.04.    CA    Montreal  -  La Tulipe
12.04.    CA    Ottawa  -  Brass Monkey
13.04.    CA    Toronto  -  Phoenix Concert Theatre 
14.04.    US    Pontiac  -  The Crofoot
15.04.    US    Milwaukee   - Turner Hall
17.04.    US    Minneapolis  -  Skyway Theatre
18.04.    CA    Winnipeg  -  Park Theatre
19.04.    CA    Regina  -  The Exchange
20.04.    CA    Edmonton  -  Starlite Room
21.04.    CA    Calgary  -  Dickens 
23.04.    CA    Vancouver  -  Rickshaw Theatre
24.04.    US    Seattle  -  El Corazon
25.04.    US    Portland  -  BossaNova Ballroom
26.04.    US    San Francisco  -  DNA Lounge
27.04.    US    Los Angeles  -  1720
28.04.    US    San Diego  -  Brick By Brick
29.04.    US    Phoenix   - The Nile
01.05.    US    Denver  -  Gothic Theatre
02.05.    US    Lincoln  -  The Bourbon Theater
03.05.    US    Joliet  -  The Forge
04.05.    US    Pittsburgh  -  Mr Smalls Theatre
05.05.    US    Baltimore  -  Baltimore Soundstage

TICKETS: https://linktr.ee/rankarumpu_america_2024

KORPIKLAANI ONLINE:
https://linktr.ee/korpiklaani

The Last Ten Seconds Of Life Unveil New Single + Music Video "Broken Glass Incantation" via Unique Leader Records

Deathcore powerhouse The Last Ten Seconds Of Life are kicking off the new year by unleashing their new single "Broken Glass Incantation" and the official music video. The track is taken from the band's upcoming new album 'No Name Graves', which will be released in one month on February 9 (via Unique Leader Records). Watch the music video for "Broken Glass Incantation" in the thumbnail below, stream the track here, and pre-save 'No Name Graves' at the link here.

Taken From Forthcoming New Album

'No Name Graves'

Out Friday, February 9

Pre-Save HERE

The Last Ten Seconds Of Life Are:

Wyatt McLaughlin

Tyler Beam

Andrew Petway

Dylan Potts

SLAUGHTERROR Announce New EP "Endless Lust For Gore"; Release First Single/Video "Incarnation"!

Death metal powerhouse Slaughterror is set to unleash their stunning debut EP, Endless Lust For Gore, on February 23 via Noble Demon.

Formed in 2022, Slaughterror is a formidable trio of talent hailing from the cold heart of Finland. Their music is a relentless onslaught of aggression and groove, capturing the essence of classic death metal. Drawing inspiration from American death metal giants like Six Feet Under and Cannibal Corpse, Slaughterror'ssound takes you back to the golden era of the genre. The first single from the band's upcoming EP, entitled "Incarnation", is out now and accompanied by an intense video that perfectly complements the powerful death metal track.

Slaughterror comments: "Incarnation is a brutal and punchy death metal song about a man who projects his self-hatred upon the world, killing and tormenting anyone who he thinks is unworthy of this life. Crushing riffs and a great groove accompany this brutality."

Watch the video here:

Stream the single HERE

Slaughterror's music is a testament to their deep love and admiration for the pioneers of the scene. While paying homage to the classics, they skillfully infuse their own modern twist, creating their very own powerful sound.

Beyond their endeavors in Slaughterror, the band members have notable roles in other projects within the metal music scene. Juuso Turkki, for instance, is a multi-talented musician who also plays in the dynamic outfit One Morning Left. Okko Solanterä is recognized for his contributions to Horizon Ignited, while Saku Moilanen is not only a guitarist for Slaughterror but also a mastermind of Red Moon Architect, as well as renowned studio producer within the metal music scene, shaping the sound of countless acts.

So stay tuned for the release of Endless Lust For Gore on February 23! The EP will be released digitally by Noble Demon and is available for pre-save at THIS LOCATION

KMFDM Doing it Again? Not quite so – ‘AIRHEAD’ single previews new album and US tour dates

Hot on the heels of the release of KMFDM’s banger 'LET GO', the first single from their forthcoming album of the same name – set to be released on Metropolis Records on February 2 – comes their second single, 'AIRHEAD'.

Defying all common definitions and shredding all pre-conceived notions about who or what KMFDM is or isn’t genre-wise, on their second offering, the band delivers a unique gem that lyrically harkens back to growing up in America during the 70s and 80s. It'll have you reminiscing with a wink and a laugh as Lucia Cifarelli delivers the opening lines: "Born the year of the Chia pet - Blondes were in, but I’m brunette - Vietnam and Donkey Kong - I was busy getting high with Cheech & Chong.”

The accompanying video for 'AIRHEAD', directed and produced by 210 Media, is a sentimental joyride that takes you on a trip down memory lane through the eyes of a child from a bygone era of American life.

Rising up lean and mean, KMFDM icelebrates 40 years of conceptual continuity in grand style, 'LET GO' marking their 23rd studio album. The core lineup of Sascha “Käpt’n K” Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Andy Selway and Andee Blacksugarpresent their signature onslaught of pulse-pounding rhythms, scorching electronics, blistering guitars, and vocals full of grit, growl and grind, addressing the social, political, and cultural ills of a world in perpetual turmoil.

From the driving techno, dance, and funk infused thrust of 'LET GO' to the airily melodic and swirling vibes of 'AIRHEAD' and 'TOUCH', the grooving revolutionary oratory and percolating spaghetti western guitar and glitch-laden synth leads of 'TURN THE LIGHT ON' to the sneering and seething riot grrl fury of 'WHEN THE BELL TOLLS', the sinister hip-hop injected 'NEXT MOVE', the downright cinematic and Teutonic electro of 'ERLKÖNIG', and the virulent dub warcry of 'WW 2023' – KMFDM continues to break down barriers and immerse audiences in a bold new reality.

Always stylistically diverse, KMFDM continues to bridge the gaps between genres, coalescing into what we know and love as the Ultra Heavy Beat!  Konietzko and Cifarelli prove as vicious a team as ever, equally sharing vocal and lyrical duties, with longtime associate MC Ocelot appearing to give 'NEXT MOVE' an extra touch of raucous rap energy. All the while, Blacksugar’s prowess on six-strings continues to awe and astound, backed by Selway’s dynamic drumming, meshing with Konietzko’s masterful programming.

Mixed and mastered by Benjamin Lawrenz (VNV Nation, Deep Purple, Saga, Mono Inc., Lord of the Lost), at Chameleon Recording Studios in Hamburg, 'LET GO' signals KMFDM’s 40th anniversary loudly and proudly, with Aidan “BRUTE” Hughes’ distinctive cover artwork mirroring the album’s breakneck power. After four decades, the Ultra Heavy Beat simply refuses to rest in pity and regret, raising a sharpened middle finger at a world in chaos.

As of January 26, the 'AIRHEAD' single will be available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. On February 2, the full 'LET GO' album will be released digitally, on CD and as a Limited Edition Vinyl double LP. Following this, they embark on a month-long US tour, for which tickets are already available for pre-order.

ALBUM CREDITS
Sascha Konietzko - Bass, Beats, Synths & Vocals
Lucia Cifarelli - Vocals
Andy Selway - Drums
Andee Blacksugar - Guitars
MC Ocelot - Rap
Written by Blacksugar, Cifarelli, Konietzko, Selway
Produced by Sascha Konietzko
Recorded  at Kommandozentrale (Hamburg), Swamp Studios (Florida) & Casa Blacksugar (Brooklyn NY)
Mixed by Benjamin Lawrence & Sascha Konietzko
at Chameleon & Kommandozentrale (Hamburg)
Vocals on 'Airhead' mixed by Veronica Ferraro
Mastered by Benjamin Lawrence at Chameleon (Hamburg)
Art by BRUTE!
Layout by Chris Zander
Artist photos by Bobby Talamine

TOUR DATES
03/06 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
03/07 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
03/08 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
03/09 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
03/10 Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl
03/11 Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts CEnter
03/12 Boston, MA – Royale
03/14 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom
03/15 Chicago, IL – Metro Chicago
03/16 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave/Eagles Club
03/17 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
03/18 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
03/20 Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater
03/21 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
03/22 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
03/23 San Diego, CA – The Observatory
03/24 Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco Theater
03/25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
03/27 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
03/28 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile


Keep up with KMFDM
Website | Bandcamp | Merch | Facebook | Instagram | KMFDM Twitter | Lucia Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | BandsInTown | Press contact

Keep up with Metropolis Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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Atoll Unleash New Single "Autonomic Autosarcophagy" and Visualizer via Unique Leader Records

Extreme metal quintet Atoll has unleashed their unbelievably brutal new track "Autonomic Autosarcophagy" along with the official visualizer. The track can be found on the band's upcoming new album 'Inhuman Implants' set for release on February 23 (via Unique Leader Records). Before today, the band released "Berdella of Blood", the lead single from their forthcoming full-length. Speaking on today's release, the band commented:

"'Autonomic Autosarcophagy' is a descent into the abyss of our own primal urges, an exploration of the uncontrollable hunger that resides within. It's a sonic manifestation of the visceral struggle between self-preservation and the consuming desire to devour one's own flesh. In this auditory odyssey, we confront the raw, unbridled instincts that linger in the shadows of the human psyche. Brace yourselves for an unforgiving journey into the darkest corners of the mind, where the boundary between existence and self-destruction blurs into a symphony of unrelenting brutality."

The band is also offering their double-vinyl offering 'Human Extract & Inhuman Implants: The Double Penetration', also set for release on February 23. Pre-order 'Inhuman Implants' and double-vinyl here, stream "Autonomic Autosarcophagy" here, and watch the visualizer below.

Emerging from the scorched desert wasteland in 2014, the Phoenix, Arizona-based death metal quintet, Atoll, has been aggressively serving up their unique style for nearly the last decade. Brilliantly blending groove-based slamming brutal death with more traditional death metal elements, grind, and at times even a sprinkle of ‘core, funk, and thrash. Their composition favors a "riff piling" approach rather than the more common and simplistic verse-chorus-verse arrangement, giving the music something of a progressive element with very few repeated riffs, and less predictable movements. Atoll has remained a staple in the metal fest scene, and you may have caught them live playing with the likes of Skinless, Gorgasm, Ingested, and Aborted. Their love of the tour bus life and an importance placed on always having the highest quality, high-energy performances have gained them a reputation for being a consistent, unrelenting live force.

April 2014 birthed this bulbous abomination that has grown into the mighty Atoll when they conspired to create percussive, not frills, chugging brutality. The band immediately shot up in the local AZ scene and very quickly began to expand their live performances throughout the southwest United States, building up momentum for their 2016 debut album, and straight up slammer, The Gathering Swarm. Produced by the late Griffin “The Father” Kolinski (Knights Of The Abyss) and Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me) the album was quickly picked up and released by Amputated Vein subsidiary, Ghastly Music. 

The initial success of their debut album caught the eye of Gorehouse Productions who went on to release the 2017 sophomore album, Fallout Frenzy. The vocals on this album show significant expanse in dynamic range, incorporating highs, mids, and some of the most nasty gutterals you’ll ever hear. Lyrically Fallout Frenzy expanded further on the origins of the band name, embracing themes of the atom bomb tests of Bikini Atoll in the 1950’s, and the subsequent radioactive fallout and mutations that occurred after the bombings. 

The critically acclaimed album, Zoopocalypse is released in 2019 through Gorehouse Productions. This album is in-your-face aggression from front to back. A departure from the more rudimentary slams of their earlier works, Zoo implements more technicality, more tremolo and scaling, mathier leads, and a generally more advanced death metal sound that would represent the direction of the band moving forward. The mix/master was completed by Miguel Tereso of Demigod Recordings (Analepsy, Organectomy), and features a guest vocal spot from Matti Way (Disgorge, Abominable Putridity, Pathology)

During the global limbo of lockdown Atoll was able to strike a deal with the legendary Unique Leader Records, and in 2022 put out the Prepuce EP. The mini-release serves as a taster of things to come as Atoll has completed the production of two upcoming full-length albums, scheduled to drop through Unique Leader in 2023 and 2024. This two-part release will be the most technically ambitious to date. Keep your eyes peeled on the tour front, and ears open because, like an atomic tsunami, Atoll is primed to decimate the masses.

EXOCRINE Streaming New Album

EXOCRINE have been turning heads with their philosophical bent on technical-death metal for more than a decade. But on their new album, the daring and deadly French architects spin razor-sharp riffs and precision blast beats into a truly legendary tale.   

Legend comes out Friday, January 26. But you can listen to the whole album a day earlier by visiting Season of Mist's YouTube channel. 

Listen to the full album stream below.

Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Exocrine-Legend
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/exocrinelegendpresave

Exocrine are locked and loaded on Legend. "Eidolon" fires off laser-guided riffs and a bass that grooves with all the flattening force of a tank. "I will rise and your ashes hollow!" the band shout in unison on "Life", as if charging into battle behind a hail of blast beats.       

But for all its metallic might, Legend flexes just as much brain power. Heck, the title track breaks down into a slithering trumpet interlude. "We wanted to create a more intimate atmosphere with this album", says lead guitarist Sylvain Octor Perez. "The production is more organic and the tempos are calmer at times".

The band took their time with this album, writing for well over the course of a year while sequestered at a house in the Bordeaux countryside. What they came up with reads more like a blockbuster film. Legend combines the most fantastical elements of Warhammer, Mad Max and Kaiju. The story follows the intersecting paths of three characters: a knight, a godlike destroyer and an immortal man. What unfolds between them is a Dante-like confrontation that tests just how much they're willing to sacrifice in order to secure their place in the universe. 

"This is our most personal album", Exocrine says. "We decided to go back to something more organic, with more relief, and tried different things in order to bring a stronger atmosphere and connect the music with the story. Legend has a good balance between technicality and lyrics, with each aspect serving the other".

Early praise for Legend

"Exocrine have absolutely mastered the art of sounding as gigantic as possible". - No Clean Singing

"[Legend] does just about everything right. It might turn out to be a legendary album within the world of technical and progressive death metal". - Man of Much Metal

"There's some phenomenal talent here and the production is second to none" - Ever Metal

"Another top-tier tech death album from a band at the top of their game" - Metal Epidemic

"A showcase of their immeasurable heavy talents, but also their ability to make the heaviness mean something" - Games, BRRRAAAINS & A Head-Banging Life

"A wildly underrated band in tech-death who deserve a ton more notoriety. They keep pushing the boundaries of technical death metal" - Technical Music Review.

Photo credit: ©Exocrine

Born from the depths of Bordeaux, France, EXOCRINE is a technical death metal juggernaut, a force that has redefined the very essence of the genre. Founded by the guitar-virtuoso Sylvain Octor-Perez, alongside the formidable talents of Nicolas La Rosa and Jordy Besse, this trio embarked on their relentless journey in 2013, marking the inception of a musical saga that would leave an indelible mark on the world of extreme music.

Exocrine's debut album, 'Unreal Existence,' unleashed in 2015, was nothing short of a revelation. It showcased the band's audacious creativity, instantly distinguishing them within the technical death metal scene. With labyrinthine compositions, ferocious riffs, and relentless drumming, Exocrine's music delved into uncharted territories of sonic complexity.

In the years that followed, Exocrine solidified their signature sound, with albums such as 'Ascension' in 2017 and 'Molten Giant' in 2018, upon the latter release, Théo Gendron joined as a new member – forming the current-standing quartet of musicians. These releases cemented their reputation as pioneers of the genre, pushing the boundaries of what technical death metal could achieve. The band's compositions are like sonic mazes, constantly evolving, keeping listeners captivated at every twist and turn.

Their 2022 release, 'The Hybrid Suns,' was yet another testament to their musical prowess. It demonstrated their unyielding commitment to pushing the envelope and exploring new realms of technical complexity.

Now, as the anticipation reaches a fever pitch, Exocrine is poised to release their next full-length opus, 'Legend.' This forthcoming masterpiece promises to be an epic chapter in their already storied career, destined to secure their place as legends within the hallowed halls of technical death metal.

Exocrine are architects of sonic transcendence, explorers of the uncharted, and pioneers of the unimaginable. With each release, they redefine the limits of technical death metal, and 'Legend' is poised to be their most audacious and groundbreaking endeavor yet, a true testament to their status as legends in the making.

Line-up:
Sylvain Octor Perez: Lead Guitars
Nicolas La Rosa: Guitars
Jordy Besse: Bass, Vocals
Theo Gendron: Drums

Recording Studio:
Triceraprod Studio

Sound, mixing & Mastering Engineer:
Sylvain Octor Perez

Biography:
Sébastien J. Gamez

Cover art:
Armaada Art

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/exocrinelegendpresave
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Exocrine-Legend

Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exocrine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exocrine_official/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Exocrine_band
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0JmFaHWcs3bFMtNzJnDFKw
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/9621858
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/exocrine/1391841323

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Black Vinyl Gatefold
12" Clear Translucent - Coloured Vinyl Gatefold
12" Aqua Deep - Coloured Vinyl Gatefold

NYC indie rock-power pop outfit Otherworldly Things debuts 'Time Turns To Memories', previewing their sophomore album

"A tantalising upbeat British beat offering for discerning music connoisseurs and lay-men alike... High-energy feel-good music, this is as infectious as The Kinks and The Monkees ever were... loaded with new vigour and vitality, coupled with classic power pop stylings, synchronous drum-guitar sequences and tight delivery" ~ The Spill Magazine

NYC rock outfit Otherworldly Things presents 'Time Turns To Memories', offering an irresistible first taste of their 'Heavy Dream Cycle' EP, out February 16 via New Jersey-based Magic Door Records.

With a band name that brings to mind everything from aliens to angels and other creatures, Otherworldly Things is actually a four-piece band from New York City, formed in 2014 and made up of Jim Browne (guitar, lead and backing vocals, violin), Matt Revie (guitar, keyboards, glockenspiel), Jason Binnick (bass, backing vocals, keyboards, cello) and Travis Harrison (drums, percussion).

It's been a few years since the band's first full-length album 'Beeline to the A-List', released in 2017. Like many artists, Covid and its respective lockdowns put a dent in any tangible plans for the band.  

As the world began to return to normal, Jim Browne spearheaded the effort to record new material at Serious Business Records in Brooklyn with Travis Harrison (Guided By Voices, Built To Spill), who also joined the band on drums and percussion, adding some notable pizzazz for this release.  

The resultant 5-track EP is entitled 'Heavy Dream Cycle'. Released on Magic Door Records, based in Montclair, NJ, it was mastered at Listen Up Studios by Jamal Ruhe (Guided by Voices, Phoebe Bridgers, Death, Jimmy Eat World, Misfits).

Formed in autumn of 2014, Otherworldly Things would deliver their debut concert in great company, opening for Buzzcocks at New York City's Irving Plaza in April 2015, even before releasing their debut album.

The band recorded their early material in Brooklyn at the legendary BC Studio, run by Martin Bisi, some of which can be found on their 'Beeline to the A-List' album. Additional material was recorded at the home studios of bassist Jason Binnick and former drummer Kevin Hudson, who ended up moving away from New York during the pandemic. The band ultimately went on hiatus... until now..  

'Time Turns To Memories' is out now, available from fine online music platforms, including Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon. On February 16, Otherworldly Things will release their 'Heavy Dream Cycle' EP, which can be pre-ordered directly from the band.

CREDITS
Jim Browne - Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals, Violin
Matt Revie - Guitar, Keyboards, Glockenspiel
Jason Binnick - Bass, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Cello
Travis Harrison - Drums, Percussion
All songs written by Jim Browne
Recorded at Serious Business Studios (Brooklyn, NY)
Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Travis Harrison at Serious Business Studios
Mastered by Jamal Ruhe at Listen Up Studios
Artist photos by Julia Khoroshilov
Single cover photo by Renée LoBue
Single and EP cover design by Ray Ketchem


Keep up with Otherworldly Things
Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Apple MusicSpotify | Amazon | Booking contact| Press contact

Keep up with Magic Door Label
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Alpha Wolf Announce New Album "Half Living Things" + Share Video For "Sucks 2 Suck" (Feat. Ice-T)

Never ones to do anything in halves, Aussie metalcore behemoths Alpha Wolfreturn today with the announcement of their third full-length album Half Living Things, officially set to unleash on Friday, April 5 via Greyscale Records and SharpTone Records. Pre-order it here.

Leveling up the group's infamous ability to smash expectations and genre boundaries without breaking a sweat, Half Living Things is Alpha Wolf at their most potent and ferocious to date. And heralding the announcement of the upcoming album, the band has also released a sonic battering ram in the form of "Sucks 2 Suck," a brand new single featuring none other than the legendaryIce-T.

Watch the music video for "Sucks 2 Suck" featuring Ice-T below.

The ultimate fusion of hip hop and metalcore, "Sucks 2 Suck" is yet another ferocious party-starter from Alpha Wolf HQ, oozing with menacing grooves, grinding bounce, and vocalist Lochie transcending into beast mode alongside Ice-T's unforgettable verse, venomously declaring: "You coming for me? You gotta come better than that!"

"It's about biting back at anyone saying you didn't work hard for the shit you have," shares Lochie of the latest track. "If you had the ethic and tenacity, you'd have it too, but you suck, so you don't."

"We decided to shoot for the stars and reach out to Ice-T," adds guitarist Scottie. "We gave him no reference, but he did exactly what we were hoping for! It's classic."

On album number three, Alpha Wolf harness and heighten their trademark intensity, crafting the self-produced Half Living Things in 2023 entirely on their own terms. A collection of tracks that are simultaneously heavy, fun as hell, and beating with chugs, grooves, melodics, breakdowns, and more, Half Living Things is a hard-hitting celebration of the entire Alpha Wolf sonic gamut that stings and salves equally with dazzling finesse.

  "There can be no inner conflict without the constant tug of war between desire and disdain, the things you want versus the things you need, or the things that make you feel alive against the parts of it that do not," Lochie shares about the album. "You cannot grow new parts without leaving the dead ones behind. You cannot be settled until you have truly known the opposite. Find out what makes you tick and just keep running around the clock until you're happy enough to die.”

The road has been far from easy for Alpha Wolf but they refuse to let anything stand in their way. Throughout the chaotic and turbulent times of the pandemic, the band released their sophomore album A Quiet Place To Die in 2020 to critical acclaim, including a #6 spot on the ARIA charts and a nomination for Best Heavy Album at the ARIA awards, and multiple sold-out shows around Australia, Europe, UK, U.S., and Asia.

In 2022, Alpha Wolf released a split EP, The Lost & The Longing, with Welsh rockers Holding Absence, and also launched CVLTFEST, their very own curated festival aimed to showcase the best Aussie talent in the heavy scene alongside some exciting international acts. And furthering their global reach to new heights in 2023, Alpha Wolf recently embarked on their biggest North American run to date with Motionless in White, and also tore up multiple stages at home earlier this year as part of the inaugural Knotfest Australia with Slipknot, Parkway Drive, and Megadeth.

Recently releasing the single "Bring Back The Noise," a neck-snapping delight that will also feature on Half Living Things, Alpha Wolf are also currently on the road supporting The Amity Affliction regionally, before headlining the return of their very own festival CVLTFEST in February, alongside Emmure, Crossfaith, Ocean Grove, and more.

Alpha Wolf know how far they have come, but it's what lays ahead of them that's keeping the band hungry.

Ministry Has Something To Say About “B.D.E.” The Latest Track From HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES Out March 1; Industrial Giant’s Tour Kicks Off February 27

Toxic misogyny, violence against women, and incels are the latest target Al Jourgensen takes aim at in the song “B.D.E.” (aka “Big Dick Energy”) out today, including a spellbinding music video that draws the line on the poisonous behavior seen in both politics and everyday life in 2024.

 

See the music video for “B.D.E.” below.

 

The song’s whiplash riffs, barreling drums, punchy keys, and pummeling bass all come to a head in the thrash breakdown mid-song, putting the aggressive talents of Jourgensen and the full band — John Bechdel (keyboards), Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto (guitars), Roy Mayorga (drums) and Paul D’Amour (bass) — on full display.

 

Says Jourgensen of the track: “The incel subsect and general misogynistic tendencies in our society are dangerous yet seem to fly under the radar so we figured it’s time to shine a light on it. In true Ministry fashion we battle it with sarcasm”

 

“B.D.E.” hails from Ministry’s upcoming 16th studio album

HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (out March 1, 2024 on Nuclear Blast Records) and follows the release of earlier singles  “Just Stop Oil” and “Goddamn White Trash,” all of which give a preview of the state of mind of creator and band leader Jourgensen who is cantankerous as ever about a f***ed up world ripe for a boot up its ass. Like always, he's merely looking around at the same dumpster fire we all are, but he's got a microphone and uses it well to rage on about the state of the world.

 

Joined by Ministry’s current frontline of musicians, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES also has a slew of special guest contributors including Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, long-time collaborator and Lard companion Jello Biafra and Corrosion of Conformity frontman Pepper Keenan.

HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES will be available in three vinyl variants, a CD jewelcase and digital/streaming platforms. The vinyl variants include: green with yellow splatter (in stores everywhere); blue with pink splatter (nuclear blast exclusive); red with white splatter (band/tour exclusive).

 

Pre-order HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES HERE

 

Find HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES exclusive merchandise and Red Splatter LP at: https://ministryofficial.store/

Ministry will play the new songs live on a Spring 2024 tour, kicking off February 27, supported by Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly.

 

VIP upgrades are available and include:

 

  • Meet and Greet with Al Jourgensen

  • Ministry Back Patch

  • VIP Silkscreen Poster

  • Souvenir VIP Laminate w Lanyard

  • Crowd Free Merch Shopping.

 

Find more information at: https://tix.soundrink.com/tours/ministry

 

MINISTRY SPRING 2024 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Joined By Gary Numan & Front Line Assembly

 

February 2024

27  San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

29  Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre

 

March 2024

1    Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

2    Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo

3    Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom

5    Calgary, AB @ Palace Theatre

6    Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall

8    Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre

9    Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore

10  Madison, WI @ The Sylvee

12  Columbus, OH @ Kemba Live

13  Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater

14  Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom

16  Toronto, ON @ History

17  Montreal, QC @ MTelus

18  Boston, MA @ Roadrunner

19  New York, NY @ Terminal 5

20  Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Casino

22  Cherokee, NC @ Harrah’s Cherokee

23  Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live

24  Tampa, FL @ Jannus Landing

26  Birmingham, AL @ Avondale

27  Biloxi, MS @ Hard Rock Casino Biloxi***

29  Houston, TX @ House of Blues

30  Dallas, TX @ The Factory

31  Tulsa, OK @ Tulsa Theater

 

April 2024

2    Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom

4    Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas

5    Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre

 

***Front Line Assembly is not appearing

 

For tickets and more information, visit www.ministryband.com/tour

ABOUT MINISTRY

Born in 1981 in Chicago, Ministry has been the lifetime passion project of founder Al Jourgensen, considered to be the pioneer of industrial music. In its early days, Ministry was identifiable by its heavy synth-pop material in line with the new sounds and technology that were being developed in the ‘80s. Ministry’s output began with four 12” singles on Wax Trax! Records in 1981 before the first LP With Sympathy in 1983 via Arista Records. As time progressed however, so did Ministry, quickly developing a harsher, and more stylized sound that the band soon became infamous for on seminal albums Twitch (1986), The Land of Rape and Honey (1988), and The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste (1989). With the release of Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and The Way to Suck Eggs (1992), Ministry hit an all-time high in the mainstream musical realm and received its first Grammy nomination. In total, Ministry has been nominated for a Grammy award six times. Eight more albums would follow before an indefinite break in 2013, only to be unearthed again in 2018 with AmeriKKKant, continuing to reflect Jourgensen’s views on the frightening state of society and politics. The 2021 album Moral Hygiene marked a new creative era of Jourgensen and the band. Ministry’s 16th studio album, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, will be released in early 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.

 

Find Ministry Online

Website: www.ministryband.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WeAreMinistry

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/WeAreMinistry

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/WeAreMinistry

 

Ministry Press Contact

Selena Fragassi

selena@fr-pr.net

SKELETAL REMAINS Unleashes Music Video for New Single, “To Conquer the Devout,” U.S. Album Release Shows Announced

PRE-ORDER // STREAM

American death metal purveyors SKELETAL REMAINS are now unleashing yet another brutal new single, "To Conquer the Devout," along with another mind-bending music video! The track is taken from the band's upcoming full-length, 'Fragments of the Ageless,' which is due via Century Media Records on March 8, 2024! The video, which was directed by Dillon Vaughn, can be found below.

The band comments: “It is a speed driven groove fest perfectly capturing the aggression of an archaic deity ridding the world of all who follow the incoherent word of their false religion through blasphemy inspired by the power of ignorance and blind faith which continues to poison the minds of millions throughout this fucked up planet.”

In addition, SKELETAL REMAINS will be embarking on a run of album release showsthroughout the U.S. West Coast this March! The trek will kick off on March 7 in Santa Rosa, CA and will conclude on March 10 in Las Vegas, NV. The full itinerary can be found below while tickets are available HERE.

Pre-orders and additional album details for 'Fragments of the Ageless' are live HERE and can be found in the following formats:

Ltd. CD Digipak

Ltd. Gatefold transp. magenta LP

Ltd. Gatefold lemon colored LP (300x) available at cmdistro.de and Evil Greed

Ltd. Gatefold transp. light blue LP (300x) available at cmdistro.de and various other retailers

Ltd. Gatefold Opaque Spring Green LP (US version)

Ltd. Gatefold Sunspot LP (500x) available from US Indie outlets and SKELETAL REMAINS

Digital album

GET TICKETS HERE

SKELETAL REMAINS (Record Release Shows):

03/07: Santa Rosa, CA @ Arlene Francis Center

03/08: Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom (+ Kommand & Apparition)

03/09: Santa Ana, CA @ La Santa (+ Upon Stone & Crematory Stench)

03/10: Las Vegas, NV @ The Usual Place

Skeletal Remains’s ultra-brutal new album, Fragments of the Ageless, is upon us! The Americans—featuring Mike De La O (guitars), Chris Monroy (guitars/vocals), Pierce Williams (drums), and newcomer Brian Rush (bass)—kept busy after their much-hailed The Entombment of Chaos landed into a chaotic world in 2020. Rather than sit idle, the re-energized quartet crafted their penultimate statement. Tracks like “Void of Despair,” which Monroy describes as “aggressive and spastic,” “To Conquer the Devout,” “Relentless Appetite,” and “Verminous Embodiment” are death metal manifested in sound fundamentals, killer musicianship, and the right attitude. While Skeletal Remains have had four full-lengths since forming in 2011, Fragments of the Ageless is the band in their highest grotesque gear yet.

“With every record, we try to push ourselves to make a better record,” Monroy says. “We don’t get into, ‘We need to sound more like this or that.’ What comes out of us is natural. Actually, that’s how it’s been since the first record [Beyond the Flesh]. As death metal fans, we write what we enjoy and want to listen to. Having Pierce and Brian join the band played a big part in the new album. They live in Portland, and the rest of the band is in Los Angeles, so there’s a bit of a gap, but we use technology a lot when we write. They gave us a fresh set of ears.”

The principal songwriting for Fragments of the Ageless started during the pandemic but picked up considerable steam once the band were back on the road in 2022, where they played countless shows and festivals in the U.S., Europe, South America, Central America, and Australia. With Pierce and Brian fully in the fold, Monroy and De La O found themselves, in a way, back to square one, namely the “entire band effort” that comprised their 2012 debut, Beyond the Flesh. The savage DNA of Skeletal Remains is intact, but it’s been altered—no, improved!—iteratively to attack more, devour absolutely, and technically inspire. Tracks like video singles “Void of Despair,” “To Conquer the Devout,” “Relentless Appetite,” as well as deeper album cuts “Forever in Sufferance,” “Verminous Embodiment,” and “Unmerciful” are ravenous.

“It’s more brutal than the last one,” says Monroy. “We were pushing ourselves to be more extreme—vibing on that as much as possible. Obviously, we’re not tech-death now, but I think we took inspiration from the techier side of things. We took things up a notch and dialed in on the technicality and ever-increasing intensity while maintaining catchiness. We still have songs like ‘Eternal Hatred’ [from The Entombment of Chaos]. There’s always room for super-simple mid-paced songs in Skeletal Remains. On one end, we’ve increased in density and brutality; on the other, we wrote a few songs with longer and more ‘epic’ structures. 'Fragments' is simply the next evolutionary step in our sound.”

Lyrically, Skeletal Remains took the left-hand path. Rather than topics and themes inspiring the cover art, Dan Seagrave’s (Suffocation, Entombed, et al.) famously atramentous detail conversely informed the lyrics and album title. Monroy says they had working titles that they conveyed to Seagrave, but the final painting sparked the title, Fragments of the Ageless. Of course, the usual influx of sci-fi, historical, personal struggles, and fantastical also played a part.

“Seagrave completed the cover art before we had a title,” Monroy says. “That was kind of weird, but it worked in our favor. The cover art directly inspired a few of the lyrics and musical themes, tying multiple pieces together, which is a first for us. We did show him different pieces of art—10 in all, I think—that we liked, so there was direction. We wanted a mixture of things, with the final idea being a creature being taken apart and its DNA extracted. Seagrave’s crazy brain made it all come to life.”

Skeletal Remains recorded Fragments of the Ageless at various home and professional studios. Most of the guitars, bass, and solos were tracked DIY. The band wanted the drums to sound as imposing as possible, so they booked Trench Studios (Intronaut, Hirax) with John Haddad, while the vocals were cut at Birdcage Studios with Allen Falcon (Pestilent Death). Once the album’s core had been recorded, Monroy and the team sent their sick slab to Swedish studio ace Dan Swanö (Asphyx, Incantation) for mixing and mastering. If the blistering leads of “Void of Despair” and “Verminous Embodiment” don’t impress, then check out the blasting drums of “Cybernetic Harvest” and “Relentless Appetite.”

“Dan really gets it,” says Monroy. “He’ll send us mixes, and he’ll automatically add stuff like effects and little details throughout the back and forth. He knows what we want before we can tell him. Dan understands what we’re going for. There’s mutual understanding and respect. Of course, he’s been mixing and mastering for a long time and has made a name for himself, but we’re really happy with the production on 'Fragments.' It jumps out at you.”

Monroy says the band’s goal with Fragments of the Ageless is to continue death metal’s lineage—to honor the past and present. The future, however, is lined with more touring and festivals. Having just come off a stateside run with Suffocation and Incantation late last year, Skeletal Remains are poised to ravage more of the world, with high-profile slots at Wacken (Germany) and Alcatraz (Belgium) festivals already secured.

Death… Is just the beginning with Skeletal Remains’s Fragments of the Ageless.

Line-up:

Chris Monroy - guitars/vocals

Mike De La O - guitars

Pierce Williams - drums

Brian Rush - bass

Album Art:

Dan Seagrave

Album Title Logo:

Kyle Bowen

Bio:

Chris Dick

Follow:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

STREAM // DOWNLOAD

VIPASSI Streaming New Album

VIPASSI have been carefully unlocking a mystery. The Australian quartet's new album, Lightless, explores all sorts of twisted phenomena, from the hooded ritual of "Phainesthai", the distorted maze of "Labyrinthine Hex" to the star-gazing mastery on "Morningstar".

Lightless comes out this Friday, January 26. But you can get a sneak peek at the whole album today by visiting our YouTube channel. 

Listen to the full album below.

Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/vipassi-lightless

Early praise for Lightless:

"Vipassi have managed to take the prior achievements of their debut and interlaced them with fresh ideas and approaches that show a massive development in their sound" - Distorted Sound (9/10)

"What makes Lightless truly stand out is its genuine sense of personality...a chemistry that cannot be imitated or manufactured. I'll take that kind of real vision and know-how over noodle salad any day of the week" - Metal Sucks (4/5)

"A superb follow-up...a fine example of why Vipassi is among the best up-and-coming instrumental progressive metal acts" - Metal Injection (8/10)

As a purely instrumental band, Vipassi are blessed with a telepathic chemistry. No wonder they can spin epic stories without uttering a word.

Watch as they weave as one through a full band play through of "Labyrinthine Hex", then conjure spirits deep in the dark, twisted woods of "Phainesthai" before venturing off into the mind-bending space caves of "Morningstar".  

Photo by Joe Ritson

In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.

With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.

Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).


Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, Vipassi is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.

Lineup
Daniel Presland - Drums
Ben Boyle - Guitars & Synths
Arran McSporran - Fretless Bass
Benjamin Baret - Guitar Solos

Recording
Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.

Production
Sound Engineer - Troy Mccosker
Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Mark Lewis

Cover Art
Xenoyr - https://www.xenoyr.com/

Bio
Sébastien Gamez

Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/vipassi-lightless

Available formats:
CD Digipak
Digital Download
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Black & White Splatters

Links
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vipassi/1082297817
Bandcamp: https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipassiband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipassiband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GWniL0LcVnR9Ptiaa5J1

NONEXISTER Share Video For "Where Does Your Mind Go"

DEBUT ALBUM DEMONS OUT MARCH 15

Zurich's NONEXISTER have released their new single "Where Does Your Mind Go." Watch the video below.

 Since their first single "Your Pain Up My Veins," the band has consistently delivered captivating and cinematic videos and their latest output is no exception. 

Singer Nik Leuthold says, "The video for ''Where Does Your Mind Go' is a radical, stunning piece of art by Elias Ressegatti, portraying the topic of the song perfectly: a woman underwater, literally running out of air. It was filmed in one take and is completely real. Since both her struggle to hold her breath and her suffering are real, we as spectators feel it ourselves almost physically, we're with her. Luckily, we knew the perfect actress for the role — Martina MoMo Kunz, who is also a free diver. It would have been impossible for someone without the right training to do the job."

Director Elias Ressegatti says of the video, "In this increasingly fast-paced world full of constant distractions, the video forces the viewer to experience the length of the song in an increasingly oppressive state — watching a young woman nearly drown herself during the four minutes of the song, almost in real time — without much to distract us visually."

He continues, "It's a distillation of the essence of 'Where Does Your Mind Go' a multi-layered, visual composition, always in service of the song's lyrics. A quiet piece to meditate on, to contemplate, to take in in an ever-expanding world, built of layers of noise."

Actress Martina Momo Kunz commented on the song, the video, and her demanding work, saying "When Nik asked me to do the breath-hold, I was both excited and scared at the same time. Holding your breath in front of the camera and an entire team is a big challenge, as you have to put yourself in a meditative state in order to counteract the fears that arise by calming down. 'Where Does Your Mind Go' somehow describes this process exactly; first the thoughts become calm, you drift into a dreamland, into a fantasy world, like the reverberating guitar riffs, and when the chorus comes, the fear rises and the battle between instinct and will begins. The battle with the edge, the lust for the edge, the lust for life and the lust for death."

NONEXISTER's latest release may not be as loud and heavy as the band's previous releases, but it's just as intense. In "Where Does Your Mind Go," the desert-like wideness of sound meets the isolation of introspection, and the sonic landscape mirrors the deepest depths of the soul.

On March 15, NONEXISTER's debut album, Demons, will be released digitally, on CD and as a 2xLP gatefold vinyl (180g) including a bonus track via the band's own label (Distribution: The Orchard). Pre-order as CD and white vinyl here.

NONEXISTER thrive on the interplay between the energy of electronic music and the catharsis of heavy music. As if they were soundtracking an after-hours club in the middle of nowhere, the Zurich-based band, consisting of Marco Neeser (electronics, songwriting, production), Nik Leuthold (vocals, songwriting, production), Reto "Fu" Gaffuri (bass), Siro Müller (drums, backing vocals), and Silvan Gerhard (guitar, backing vocals), swings like a pendulum between moments of industrial ecstasy and moshpit-ready outbursts.

About Demons, Nik says: "I'm over the moon that our debut album Demons is finally finished and will be released in March. It's been a long journey and I'm very proud of the result. Working with Marco has been a real stroke of luck, taking us both to places we wouldn't have reached on our own. So many great people have helped shape the final product, tweaking every detail so that this baby is a real beauty."

Demons is a journey through the depths of the human soul — dark, disturbing, dynamic, contradictory, and deeply emotional. The lyrics explore these depths and sonically, so does the album. While it's full of pummeling grooves, ready for the mosh pit, there are also eerie, strange moments that gnaw at the listener's brain. The album was recorded at Marco's home studio, New Sound Studio, with producer Tommy Vetterli, known as the mastermind behind Coroner and member of legendary thrashers Kreator, adding another dimension to the production. Vetterli also composed the backings and adlibs together with Nik.

KILL THE THRILL Streaming New Album

KILL THE THRILL are blessed with an elusive vision. Over the past 30 years, the French duo have been dreaming up an abrasive-but-hypnotic blend of industrial rock, post-punk and dark wave.

Their new album, Autophagie, immerses audiences in a cinematic fever dream that would give David Lynch nightmares. The title track swarms with feedback-laden guitars, while "Capitan" crests into an industrial-sized groove. "They come back from afar / With nothing", Chris Dick sings on "A la  dérive", his voice raw with bitterness, straining each note to a breaking point.

Listen to all of Autophagie on Season of Mist's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/q1NZ2CkSl-0  
 

Autophagiecomes out this Friday, January 26, 2024 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order:https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/kill-the-thrill-autophagie
Pre-save:https://orcd.co/kttautophagiepresave

Praise for Kill The Thrill and Autophagie

"A great post-punk album that doesn't shy away from musical experiments...haunting, exciting and beautifully arranged" -Power Metal

"Too sparse for metal, too morbid for new wave, too humanized for industrial, and definitely too alternative for alternative rock" -All Music

"Relentlessly heavy...overwhelmingly atmospheric" -Sputnik Music

KILL THE THRILL was formed in 1989 and is composed of Nicolas Dick on vocals, guitar and lap-steel, Marylin Tognolli on bass for its founding members. Stemming from the French noisy wave of the early 90's, their music is often described as dark, abrasive and hypnotic, full of epic moments, with a dense and rich sound mixing elements of industrial rock, post-punk, dark new wave and experimental metal.

Forging an atmosphere as dreamy as chaotic, with multiple layers and atmospheres, sometimes ambient, sometimes more hostile. Kill The Thrill interlaces orchestrated soundscapes, enriched with innumerable layers and arrangements, playing amongst the rifts to create a unique and personal work, so far from everything and so close to everyone.

The group released its first album in 1993 entitled DIG, followed by an EP: PIT (on the labels Noise Product CH and Semetary), and at that time had three musicians, already working with samples and playing with blocks of sound.

In 1996, the trio became a duo with a second album entitled LOW (Noise Product CH), recorded, mixed and produced by Nicolas Dick. The artist ErikM intervened on the interludes with sound tracks which frame each title of the group. The album is hailed by the press as a perfect balance between melody and distortion.

Over the years, tracks have appeared on a large number of compilations: La Famille (Noise Product Belgium), Serial Killer Vol 1 (Roadrunner), Brutale Generation (Semetary / WMD), Ah Quelle Belle journée (Amanita records), A Wild State Of Noise And Disorder (Pandemonium), 5 Years Of Fury (Noise Product CH), Tribute To Godflesh (Nihilistic H. Rec.), Fear Drop 14 : "Coal Fire" The Cure masterpiece Pornography, Dark 80's (Atropine Records) etc.

Frederic De Benedetti joined the band on guitar and it's again as a trio that the album 203 BARRIERS was released by Season Of Mist in 2001, the album again entirely recorded and produced by Nicolas Dick. With this new opus Kill The Thrill ’s music has evolved towards a daring, disturbing and more extreme sound. With international promotion and distribution, signing with the label Season Of Mist allowed an opportunity of further development for the band.

Kill The Thrill has shared stages all over Europe with other artists such as Godflesh, Killing Joke, Zeni Geva, Isis, Young Gods, Treponem Pal, Einstürzende Neubauten, La Muerte, Neurosis, Jesu, Jim Rose Circus, Grötus, Dillinger, Escape Plan, Dälek, etc.

The album TELLURIQUE released in 2005 (Season Of Mist, recorded and produced by Nicolas) combines a cold and clinical industrial/metal sound with a new wave sensibility, bathed in a heavily melancholic atmosphere, but leaning more in the direction of noisy, distorted shoegazing mists than the fires of metal. The album is described by the press as an organic journey in which you must immerse yourself to feel its harshness and beauty.

This exacerbated trio asserts itself as a true entity in symbiosis, with an unfiltered and no holds barred take on music and sound. Anger has no origin, and when the events from which it arises, physical bodies and soundwaves, can no longer contain patience and intelligibility, the sounds become the violence.

But with Kill The Thrill , violence is always suggested more than frontally expressed, it remains hemmed in and contained.

In 2015 the band reissued its first under the title 1989 (Atypeek Records), a digital-only album intended as a nod to Kill The Thrill ’s origins.

During a few years of silence put to good use on the personal and musical projects of the members of the group, Kill The Thrill took the time to polish a new version which should be released at the beginning of 2024.

The band has released a limited number of albums in its career so far, but is resistant to all erosion, the secret of its longevity residing in the timelessness of the music.

An atypical band whose music is enough to itself ; a discrete band for imposing music ; a group which reveals next to nothing but pursues its sonic quest, outside of common standards. A living ambiguity: cold and hot, the calm and the storm.

"A long flow of orgasmic lava, a wave of shimmering noises that carries away everything in its path. One immerses oneself entirely in its bewitching atmospheres. We leave for a long descent on a carpet of guitars, their richness is inside, under this heap of notes and noises, under this black and disturbing mass. It's up to you to understand what you can during a journey that is sublime".

To Kill the Shiver reaches for the ineffable.

Line-up
Nicolas Dick - Lead vocals, guitar, lap steel, sample
Marylin Tognolli - Bass Guitar
François Rossi - Drums

Recording Studio            
Le Puits Sonore

Sound, Mixing & Mastering Engineer
Nicolas Dick

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/kttautophagiepresave

Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/kill-the-thrill-autophagie

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
2x12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
2x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Clear Transparent
2x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Green
2x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Clear Transparent w/ Black & White Splatter

Links:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kill-the-thrill/73438869
Bandcamp: https://killthethrill.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killthethrill/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/killthethrill_band/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KillThe_Thrill
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KillTheThrill-band

Photo by Pierre Gondard

LEON FREAR releases 'A Town Called Chapel', a mixed emotion ode to his hometown, ahead of debut album

"Frear has a voice which somewhat recalls Marty Willson-Piper of The Church fame and his side project Nocturum... This is something for fans of Nick Cave and related"~ Side-Line Magazine

"Track of the Day. The way he tells the story makes it seem like he and the listener are commiserating together... a song with a great story" ~ Chasing Destino

"With a unmistakeable voice deserving of becoming a regular fixture in the mind-memory of music lovers everywhere... catchy and contemplative, showcasing clever lyrics channeled through his smooth and deep timbre.  fabulous from start to end and is obviously confessional while also being an invested labor of love" ~ Rock n Roll Biz

"The combination of evocative lyrics and a dynamic musical backdrop creates an immersive experience, inviting listeners to delve into the complexities of love, longing, and self-discovery" ~ Skylight Webzine


Indie musician and songwriter Leon Frear presents 'A Town Called Chapel', the second offering from his debut album 'Wild Rice', which introduces the listener to a man still affected years later by the frisson and fallout of a clandestine love affair.

A seasoned musician, this album represents a new start for him under this moniker. Now based in Chicago, Frear describes this single as “a poison pen love letter to an historically musical time and place, to big blown-up plans and irreplaceable, lost relationships. No matter what else I say, It's a letter I sign with love.”

“The song ‘A Town Called Chapel,’ is the opening track on my album because it paints the landscape and provides background on the insular, dissolute college town / former-small-town music mecca that this whole experience sprang from," says Leon Frear.

"It's a song about knowing that you need to leave a situation that is grimy, bad for you and a little hedonistic. But you're so used to it - the feeling is so warm and comfy that you just can't bear to leave. I might sound hypercritical of the place and maybe that makes me a hypocrite. But I’m also from there and a fair target for these less flattering descriptions myself. Love, lust, and naïveté. All that stuff. It's part of me. It's my home."

'A Town Called Chapel'  https://soundcloud.com/ leonfrear/a-town-called- chapel/s-VCNCkxe9f2j
Bandcamp  https://leonfrear.bandcamp.com/track/a-town-called-chapel-2
Spotify
  https://open.spotify.com/track/68Y8SNjt59ezItWDuTMiyM

This follows the artist's debut single 'Secret Second Moon' with its fantastic animated video, created by French artist Ronald Grandpey. It's a powerful introduction to a collection of songs that reflects a dramatic period in which Frear experienced a life-altering love affair, its implosion and aftermath, followed by a decade of reflection and changes.

Informed by his own personal experience, Frear's music speaks of love, lust, broken promises, broken phones, and multiple incinerated bridges. This 10-track collection was produced by Frear in his home studio in Chicago, playing every instrument and capturing every breath to tape during a recording process that took years in isolation to complete.

About the forthcoming album, Leon Frear says, "'Wild Rice' is the story of those times, but told in reflection. The songs came from a place of true grief, regret and a little bit of anger. But through all of those things, I gained wisdom and became a better person. And while the details may be different, I think every human on this planet shares in the experience of feelings of grief. Ultimately, I think it is an album about empathy."

"Sonically, I was inspired to make Wild Rice while listening to old Leonard Cohen albums, Harvest by Neil Young, Stories from the City by PJ Harvey and lots of old ballads by Nick Cave. Those albums and artists sound weary and world worn and I did my best to capture a similar feeling."

Laced with hints of sadness and regret, anger and remorse, somehow the lyrics are tempered with a sardonic wit that leaves the listener wondering if Frear doesn’t secretly savor feeling bad, just for laughs. If there’s an opportunity to mock an uncaring universe, this is an opportunity Frear doesn’t let go to waste.  

Dubbing his brand of post-alternative music “vocabulary rock”, Frear aims to shift the emphasis away from the man and towards the music and lyrics, while inviting the listener to commiserate together through this exploration of grief, depression and sadness.

'A Town Called Chapel' is out now, available from fine music platforms, including SpotifyApple Music and Bandcamp.  The 'Wild Rice' album will be released (on vinyl and digitally) on March 1.

CREDITS
Music and lyrics written by Leon Frear
Recorded by Leon Frear in his Chicago home studio
Mastering by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Studios
Vocals and instruments performed by Leon, except
Faye Whitt - backup vocals on 'Murder of Crows'
Front cover collage by Faye Whitt
Ronald Grandpey - Director / animator for  'Secret Second Moon' video
Artist photos by Jeremy Glickstein

Keep up with Leon Frear
Bandcamp | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
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College radio-inspired indie rock trio Onceweresixty presents 'Don’t Get Stuck', previewing sophomore album

"A glorious slice of jingle jangle indie pop that has an atmospheric build like a slow burning fuse... With clear genetic links to US college indie rock, a touch of Dinosaur Jnr or Galaxie 500 mixed in with David Berman/The Silver Jews, and REM, ‘Don’t Get Stuck’ shimmers like a star in the firmament with its gentle reflective delivery and melodic refrain" ~ Backseat Mafia


Italy-based indie rock outfit Onceweresixty present their new single 'Don't Get Stuck', the first taste of their forthcoming album 'Loco Sunset Boulevard / Ghetto Blast Noise Machine'. This 8-track offering in two parts, structured as a double EP, released on CD and vinyl by Uglydog Recordstogether with Beautiful Losersand PrettyOK Records.

Onceweresixty was founded by Marco Lorenzoni (guitars, vocals and keyboards) and Luca Sella (drums, guitar and vocals), who began collaborating in 2001 via their old band MR60. The band is rounded out by Enrico Grando (keyboards and saxophone), who joined the band shortly after their 2021 release 'The Flood', a concept album about the consciousness of the insignificance of humans against the force of nature, and a society bent on self-destruction.

Over the past three years, this double EP took form at Villa Albrizzi Marini, a magical place in the Venice countryside hills en route to the Alps. Onceweresixty set up their studio on this 1400-villa property, owned by the Armenian Church. Marco Lorenzoni explains, "The Villa - an ongoing project of urban regeneration via art activism - is absolutely inspiring and amazing, and we’re glad to be part of it. Onceweresixty and our own label Uglydog Records have always been at the forefront of promoting the arts, supporting artists and creating social connections. This is our little Warhol Factory in the countryside."

Describing their own music as "weird psych folk pop", Onceweresixty draws their roots back to an ancient tale about the ghost of a beatnik biker living in a broken toy keyboard. "Sometimes he takes control of our minds and makes us play strange weird songs," says Lorenzoni, who continues to tell the tale of the band's origin.

“Immediately upon entering Texas from Las Vegas, drunk on tequila, we lost our way, the desert all around us and not a drop of water. Desperate, we recited a few passages from the Bible by heart, inventing what we didn't remember. It was at that moment that MR60 came to our rescue. He hosted us on his ranch, quenched our thirst and gave us bags of top quality tobacco. There we found everything we needed: out of tune guitars, out of tune tuners, Paleolithic barrel organs, a Stradivarius and a buffalo skull... We never left…  

"Well actually, we did leave," Lorenzoni admits. "somehow adult life took us one by one into everyday office routines and familiar responsibilities with bills to pay and so on."
 
Relaunched as Onceweresixty in 2018 after a 10-year hiatus, the band began conquering new musical territory, while still paying homage the sonic ghosts of such artists as Belle & Sebastian, Pavement, Morphine, Low, Herman Dune, Silver Jews and The Velvet Underground,.
 
Their indie dream of the early 2000s ultimately gave way to colder and leaner sounds, better reflecting the current times. Luca Sella explains, "If MR60 used to compare the north-eastern Italy cultural desert to the Texan desert landscapes, today that desert is a post-apocalyptic land populated by brain-eating zombies. Anger and ignorance are everywhere. Everything is lost. Or maybe not”
 
As of January 23, 'Don't Get Stuck' will be available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The double EP 'Loco Sunset Boulevard / Ghetto Blast Noise Machine' will be released on March 22, is available for pre-order directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Music written by M.Lorenzoni, L. Sella, E. Grando
Lyrics written by M. Lorenzoni
Marco Lorenzoni - guitars, vocals & keyboards
Luca Sella - drums, guitar & vocals
Enrico Grando - keyboards, vocals & saxophone
Recorded and produced by Onceweresixty at VAMpires! Room  
Mixed by Mauro Martinuz at Bottega Sonora
Mastered by Federico Pelle at Basement Studio
Cover artwork by Freddy Mason
Studio photos of Onceweresixty by Ilaria Baggio
Live photos of Onceweresixty by Veronica Bassani and Freddy Mason
This record is dedicated to Loco, who was known to be a good dog, and Enrico Pese, who was known to be a good guy

Keep up with Onceweresixty
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Ugly Dog Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter| Soundcloud | YouTube 

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
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Northlane Announce "Mirror's Edge" EP + Share Video for "Miasma"

Australian heavy vanguards Northlane have announced their new EP, Mirror's Edge, out April 12 (Independent). Alongside the news comes the colossal new single "Miasma," featuring Winston McCall from Parkway Drive.

Pre-order the EP here.

Watch the video below.

"Miasma" is a throwback to Northlane's early heavy canon with its scathing and complex guitars, dynamic drumming, and commanding vocals. A tense song born out of frustration that has reached its tipping point, "Miasma" features a crushing performance from Parkway Drive frontman Winston McCall. McCall's guest appearance is a significant one for Northlane because, as guitarist Josh Smith explains, Parkway Drive set the blueprint for all heavy bands in Australia. 

"Parkway Drive were always our number one inspiration as a band," Smith says. "When we first started, their DVD created a roadmap to success, which we did our best to follow. At a time where every band was ripping their sound off, we chose to take our own path but instead emulate their work ethic, and for us it paid dividends. Over time, that respect has flowed both ways. With this track being so heavy, we could'’t think of a more perfect guest than Winston. He flew down from Byron just after we toured together in North America and we tracked his parts in Jon's home studio. His brute voice just tore the track to pieces and we were stunned with the result."

Mirror's Edge was recorded with their old friend and revered producer Will Putney in August this year. Described by Jon Deiley (songwriter/guitarist) as "the greatest hits of Northlane sounds," the EP is a nostalgic journey through all the colors on their sonic palette, with bonus shades from special guests Winston McCall (Parkway Drive) and Ian Kenny (Karnivool/Birds of Tokyo) — two of the most influential artists in Northlane's history. Their former bass player, Brendon Padjasek, also stopped by the studio to lend his scream to one of the tracks. 

Penned just over a year after the release of their #1 award-winning album, Obsidian, the road to Mirror's Edge was a bumpy one. Instead of riding high from the success of the album, the simmering tension and communication breakdown between band members threatened to engulf Northlane at any moment. Northlane tackled their issues head-on at a writing retreat in Victoria's Yarra Valley, where they worked through their problems and unlocked new channels of creativity in the process that reflects through the EP. From the expansive prog of "Afterimage" to their signature bottom-heavy groove and viscous breakdown of "Kraft" and compulsive beat and electronic focus of "Dante," Mirror's Edge is full of Northlane's most vivid colours and textures. 

Thematically, the EP is about looking at yourself and reflecting on the past one final time before leaving it all behind to find hope in what lies beyond the mirror's edge. With the recurring theme of acceptance binding these songs together, frontman Marcus Bridge is hopeful that Mirror's Edge will be the coda on this part of his personal life, so much of which he has shared in the last couple of Northlane releases.

"It's like looking at your reflection, looking at the past and everything I've been thinking about, or caught up within the last little while," Bridge says. "There's not much positivity in these songs, but it is about acceptance. Hopefully, by putting these songs out, I can leave that stuff behind and I can kind of find a new direction and something to be positive about on the other side of this mirror's edge."

PHOTO CREDIT: Kane Hibberd

ABOUT NORTHLANE:
Northlane are a chart topping, award-winning metal band from Sydney, Australia. Through fearless evolution and unmatched innovation, Northlane have become vanguards of heavy music across the globe, entirely on their own terms. The band have released six acclaimed albums, including ARIA Chart #1 records Obsidian (2022) and Node (2015), alongside Singularity (2013), Mesmer (2017), and Alien (2019) which all debuted at #3. Northlane have also won three consecutive ARIA Awards for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album, as well as two AIR Awards for Best Independent Heavy Album.

ROTTING CHRIST Announce North American Tour

Back in 1987, Sakis Tolis and his brother Themis started climbing through the dark catacombs of Greece's metal scene as a grindcore act. Now, 35 years later, Rotting Christ tour the world as one of the biggest bands in black metal.  

Rotting Christ just announced their 14th album. ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ (Pro Xristoy) is bound to hold a revered place in the band's heretical history. Always true to their name, with Pro Xristoy ("Before Christ"), the band pay tribute to the last of the Pagan kings who resisted the spread of Christianity.     

Pro Xristoy comes out May 24. But lucky fans will get a sneak peek at the new album come March when Rotting Christ tours North America. The band will hit two dates on the West Coast of the United States before playing a string of five shows across Canada. Joining them for this run are Uada and Abigail Williams.   

Rotting Christ 2024 Northwest US and Canadian Tour

March 25 - Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom [TICKETS]
March 26 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS]
March 27 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater [TICKETS]
March 29 - Calgary, AB @ Dickens [TICKETS]
March 30 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room [TICKETS]
March 31 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange [TICKETS]
April 1 - Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theater [TICKETS]

Before touching down in North America, Rotting Christ are heading off on a tour of Latin America. Fans from Mexico to Argentina will have the pleasure of banging their heads to an unholy litany of the band’s greatest hits. They’ll also be treated to new songs off Pro Xristoy that are bound to become setlist staples.

In the dimly lit catacombs of extreme metal, one name stands as a monolith: ROTTING CHRIST. Sakis Tholis and his brother Themis started this band together back in 1987. In the three decades since, these Greek titans have left their blackened imprint all over the metal world. They’ve released 13 studio albums and played more than 1,3000 concerts around the globe.  Underneath all this hard work, Rotting Christ have but one vision – an urge to not only push the boundaries of extreme metal, but to keep reinventing themselves along the way.

Rotting Christ’s evolution has unfolded across several distinct chapters. After starting out closer to the barely controlled chaos of grindcore, they went on to establish the iconic sound of Hellenic black metal. Their albums often embraces refined gothic soundscapes, only to plunge back into the depths of blasphemous fervour. Each chapter marked another, further exploration, and an unwavering commitment to bush boundaries.

But the real turning point came in 2007, when Rotting Christ signed a pact with Season of Mist. They unleashed a series of albums for the French label that defied any  and  all expectations. From the piercing Theogonia and the symphonic grandeur of Aelo to the ritualistic intensity of Κατά Τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού, the cinematic experiences created by Rotting Christ became a spectacle of bombastic atmospheres, mesmerizing choirs, and neo-classical arrangements. The unexpected is their modus operandi, with the use of various languages (Latin, Arabic, Greek,  English) as well as the extensive use of famous poetry woven into their music, like Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ on The Heretics.

In 2019, Rotting Christ’s epic journey continued with The Apocryphal Spell compilation, which offers fans an intimate glimpse into unreleased and rare material. This allowed them to gather strength, preparing for the release of their next, highly anticipated, 14th full-length studio album: Pro Xristoy.

Pro Xristoy
(‘Before Christ’ in Greek), serves as a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who resisted the onslaught of Christianity, guarding their ancient values and knowledge. In this thematic odyssey, intricately woven through tracks such as ‘The Apostate’ and ‘Ygdrassil’, Rotting Christ delves into the legacies of historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, embodying the might of Pagan wisdom in the face of Christian adversity. The album encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ’s signature style – melodic, yet harsh at times – reinventing themselves yet again, while remaining rooted in their 35-year legacy.

Line-up
Sakis Tolis: Guitar/Vocals
Themis Tolis: Drums
Kostas "Spades" Heliotis: Bass
Kostis Fouk: Guitar

Guest Musicians
Amdroniki Skoula - Vocals (on 'La Letra Del Diavolo')
Nikos Kerkiras - Keyboard
Christina Alexiou - Choir
Maria Tsironi - Choir
Alexandros Loyziotis - Choir
Vasilis Karatzas - Choir

Andrew Liles - Narration (on 'The Apostate', 'Pretty World, Pretty Dies')
Kim Diaz Holm - Narration (on 'Ygdrassil')

Recording Studio
Deva Sounds Studios (Athens, Greece)

Producer
Sakis Tolis

Sound Engineer
Fotis Bernando
Aggelos Karatzas

Mixing
Jens Borgen at Fascination Street Studios (Örebro, Sweden)

Mastering
Tony Lidgren at Fascination Street Studios (Örebro, Sweden)

Artwork Artists
Thomas Cole - Artwork
Adrien Bousson - Digital Processing

Biography
Sebastien Gamez

Links:
Official Website: https://www.rotting-christ.com/en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rottingchristofficial/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rottingchristofficial/
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/athanatoieste
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RottingChristOfficia
Bandcamp: https://rottingchristofficial.bandcamp.com/
Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/rotting-christ/id28441629
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FhkwcO8Jd7BRWdllBpXBJ

Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/rotting-shop
Stream/Download: https://orcd.co/rcheretics

Sylvaine Announces New EP

SYLVAINE has grown into a guiding light for ambient post-metal and atmospheric black metal. But today, she's tracing back to her roots on Eg Er Framand.

Growing up in Norway, amidst the contrasts between nature and urbanity, Kathrine Shepard often performed in the Kampen Church in Oslo. This 19th century relic is where she recorded the entirety of her ethereal new EP.

Lead single "Dagsens Augo Sloknar" comes from mysterious origins. The lyrics were written in 1891 by Elias Blix, a professor-turned-politician, who also wrote hymns. Staying true to the original's delicate, reverent melody, Sylvaine sings in a breathy, elongated whisper that's both haunting and soothing.

The music video for "Dagsens Augo Sloknar Ut" was directed and produced by William Lacalmontie. Kathrine dances and enchants across a magnificent tapestry of poetic landscapes, striking the beautiful balance that's at the heart of Eg Er Framand.

Watch the video below.

Eg Er Framand is out March 22 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineEgErFramand
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/egerframand

With "Dagsens Augo Sloknar Ut", Sylvaine opens the book on an intricate, transformative fairy tale.

"A beating heart so pure
Who wished to feel once more
As her eyes slowly opened to the world

She lifted her head
And at once beheld
A light in front of her

A path to take
The choice to make
To lead her on her way

A story about to begin
Of a soul ignited again
On a road to turn loose dismay?
"

Kathrine Shepard, the visionary artist behind the evocative musical project SYLVAINE, weaves an intricate tapestry of emotions through the language of music. A transcendental bridge between worlds, a mesmerizing duality that encapsulates the beautiful and the harsh, light and darkness, serenity and chaos, and the delicate balance between the external world and the inner sanctum of the soul. It is a symphony that harmonizes the human experience with its spiritual origins – a resonance of something beyond the tangible.

Sylvaine’s compositions are a visceral journey through the vast spectrum of emotions that the complexities of the human experience have to offer. They encapsulate the inherent struggle of being an entity in this world, yet not entirely of it. Katherine’s music serves as a conduit for her innermost feelings, a cathartic expression of the eternal longing that resides within the very core of her melodies.

Akin to a fairytale spun from the threads of Norwegian folklore, a narrative that resonates with the spirits of ancient woods and the whispers of long forgotten creatures. With every ethereal note and haunting melody, she conjures images of untamed forests, of misty clearings inhabited by mystical beings. In this artistry, there is an undeniable sense of transcendence, where listeners are transported beyond the confines of the ordinary into a dreamscape where reality and fantasy converge. A profound sense of wonder and allure creates a unique musical alchemy – with a touch of enchantment that lingers long after the music has ceased.

With four albums and one split-EP released to date, Sylvaine’s ethereal soundscapes have been taken to stages across Europe, North America and South America, leaving audiences mesmerized by the transcendent power of the band’s live performances. Two of these albums have been nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Awards Spellemannprisen in the category of metal. The ability to transport listeners to otherworldly realm through her music is a manifestation of the artistry & profound impact the band can bring.

As Sylvaine prepares to unveil her upcoming EP, Eg Er Framand, she embarks on a deeply introspective and serene journey through the rich tapestry of Norwegian heritage and tradition. Folk tales of old are brought to life in this new chapter of her musical odyssey, offering a glimpse into the depths of her creative spirit and an exploration of the roots that anchor her artistry. A reflection of myths is embraced through exquisite sonic realms.

Line-up
Sylvaine - Vocals, Church Organ, Guitars, Synthesizers & Percussion

Recording Studio
Kampen Kirke

Sound Engineer
Sylvaine

Mixing Engineer
Magnus Lindberg (Magnus Lindberg Productions/VRTKL Audio/Redmount Studio)

Mastering Engineer
Karl Daniel Lidén

Biography:Sébastien Gamez

Cover art & Photography:Helena Aguilar Mayans

Layout & Graphic Design: Dehn Sora

Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/egerframand

Pre-order:
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/sylvaine-eg-er-framand 

Links:
Official Website: https://www.sylvainemusic.com/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sylvaine/455094955
Bandcamp: https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5C9ocrDvsfSz8qcxG70QEe
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/SylvaineMusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoMxOgKpnqGrj-impj1wDQ
Last.FM: https://www.last.fm/music/Sylvaine

Booking Contact:
Alexander Obert - alexander@doomstarbookings.com

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Coke Bottle Green

Photo by Helena Aguilar Mayans

NECROPHOBIC Shares Lyric Video for Melodic New Song, “As Stars Collide”

Swedish blackened death metal masters NECROPHOBIC are now unveiling their melodic new single, "As Stars Collide." The track can be found along with a cosmic lyric video, which was created by Brendan McGowan, below..

"As Stars Collide" is taken from NECROPHOBIC's upcoming tenth studio album, 'In the Twilight Grey,' which is due on March 15, 2023 via Century Media Records!

Lead guitarist Sebastian Ramstedt says that "As Stars Collide" is “The most important song on the album for me personally. It starts off with the main melody, that was actually something my mother sang to me as a kid in the early 70’s. It is almost like a chant, or a dark lullaby. I wanted to honor her melody, but put it in my own context. I used one of the oldest stories ever told and drew inspiration from 'Innana’s Descent' - the tale where the morning and evening star meet in the underworld to decide whether good or evil should reign. I wanted to create something that stretched beyond the metal barriers.”

'In the Twilight Grey' is now available for pre-orders HERE and can be found in the following formats:

Ltd. Deluxe Gatefold combat green 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster incl. 2 bonus tracks (1.000x)

Gatefold black LP

Gatefold dark green LP (300x)

Ltd. CD Mediabook (comes with a special, extended booklet and 2 bonus tracks)

Standard CD Jewelcase

Digital album

Enigmatically titled 'In the Twilight Grey,' NECROPHOBIC’s tenth studio album immediately asserts its separation from everything that has gone before. Colder and more biting than recent efforts, the album is full of brutish metal songs, hewn from unnamed obsidian horrors.

NECROPHOBIC has always been a dynamic and daring band. 'In the Twilight Grey' hammers the Swedish blackened death metal masters' boldness home via some of the most hard-hitting and direct songs they have ever recorded. Equally, the new album is home to several songs that push NECROPHOBIC’s music down strange, new avenues. Fueled by the dark side, lead guitarist Sebastian Ramstedt understands the importance of retaining the essence of the band’s early days, even as the means of expression continues to evolve.

Yet again 'In the Twilight Grey' was produced, mixed and mastered by Fredrik Folkare (of death metal icons Unleashed) at Chrome Studios, Stockholm and engineered in close collaboration by Folkare and the band themselves. For the artwork they teamed up with Jens Rydén, another likeminded and highly regarded institution from the Swedish metal scene.

With over thirty years of active, nefarious service under their spikes and bulletbelts, NECROPHOBIC are undisputed legends of the death and black metal scene. Formed in 1989 by drummer Joakim Sterner, the Stockholm blackhearts propagated a singular and fearless vision from the very start.

Eschewing the self-conscious amateurism and primitive sonics that many of their peers held dear, NECROPHOBIC established a bold and vivid identity of their own, conjuring a densely melodic, but endlessly wicked take on macabre extreme metal that countless lesser bands have since emulated.

You can take a deep dive into their history via the rereleases of their entire back catalogue that Century Media Records made available in 2022 HERE.

Line-Up:

Johan Bergebäck - Rhythm guitar

Joakim Sterner - Drums

Sebastian Ramstedt - Lead guitar

Anders Strokirk - Vocals

Tobias Cristiansson - Bass

Cover Artist + Photos: Jens Rydén

Production, Mixing, Mastering: Fredrik Folkare @ Chrome Studios

Engineering: Fredrik Folkare + Necrophobic

Links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

SHOP

Photo by Jens Rydén

VLTIMAS Bring Righteous Scorn on New Single

VLTIMAS are legends of the underworld. Any good Satanist knows to bow down and worship at the horned feet of David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel), Rune Eriksen (ex-Mayhem) and Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy). Their debut was greeted with a rapturous procession of devil horns. But with their new album, these gods of dark, extreme metal have ascended to truly epic heights.

Today, VLTIMAS are releasing "Scorcher", the album's hellacious second single.

Watch the visualizer below.

EPIC comes out March 15, 2024.

Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/VLTIMASEPIC

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/vltimasepic

Some metal songs prefer to slowly unfold before blowing out your ear drums. But rest assured, "Scorcher" is not a slow burn. Sure, the guitars lure you in with a smoky seance. Once Rune tightens those chords into icy black tremolo picking though, VLTIMAS take off like a bat out of hell. The amps crank up; Flo fires off blast beats that are hot enough to singe an angel's wings, while David Vincent unleashes a miles-long battle cry.       

"Satan laughs as worlds collide!"

His growl is so massive, so heartless, you'd better believe that he's talking about himself.


"'Scorcher' brings to life a fantastic story of the great purge that's coming our way", says Vincent. "Humanity has been sleepwalking toward this reckoning for centuries. There will be no refuge, nor mercy granted".

Visualizer made by Aimed & Framed.

VLTIMAS have been making grand declarations of war for more than 30 years, but the lead single off EPIC isn't just another offering at the altar of madness. 

"I spread my misery, biblically evolved", David Vincent sings on "Miserere" in a  baritone that's so monstrous it could summon an army of the dead.

The drums speed ahead mercilessly, mowing down all onlookers under a barrage of surgical blast beats, as riffs hail from all directions with enough firepower to shatter bulletproof glass. 

Watch the blistering music video: https://youtu.be/AR8LhYBaRfw

Extreme metal powerhouse VLTIMAS (pronounced 'uhl-tuh-mas') assault metaldom once more with their highly-anticipated sophomore album, EPIC, through Season of Mist. Featuring Norwegian guitarist Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen (ex-Mayhem, RUÏM), American vocalist David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel), and Canadian drummer Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), the multinational quintet, rounded out by Dutch bassist Ype TVS (ex-Dodecahedron) and Portuguese guitarist João Duarte (Corpus Christii), continue to venture down their path. Moored by strength and integrity, VLTIMAS fortified their signature with wicked invention, as applauded by Decibel Magazine, BangerTV, Louder, and many others, on their debut, Something Wicked Marches In (2019). Singles "Miserere," "Scorcher," and "Invictus" showcase a band of musicians at the top of their game, united in their pursuit of oneness.

"We wrote every bit of EPIC together at my ranch in Dime Box, Texas," offers Vincent. "The writing sessions were as organic as they could be. There were times when, at the end of the night, Rune would take his guitar and play something ridiculous. Flo would play something even more ridiculous on top of it. I'd say to the guys, 'I need to capture this.' So, the magic [of VLTIMAS] is being in the same room together, discussing, playing, and recording music and everything else we're doing together. We have unbelievable camaraderie."
 

While the members of VLTIMAS are not atavists, their preferred creative methods are time-tested and battle-hardened. Technology has its place, but the group thrive when they're together, not separated by the world. Eriksen, renowned as a riff innovator, is more effective when he's got a highly capable sideman like Vincent or Mounier, whose drumming in Cryptopsy and his celebrated instructional Extreme Metal Drumming 101 DVD has proven to be a no-limits player, by his side. Whether it's the moody, angular attack of "Miserere," the wicked groove of "Mephisto Manifesto," or the dark fury of "Nature's Fangs," the chemistry and enterprise of VLTIMAS is undeniable.

"The main goal [of VLTIMAS] is to be real," Eriksen reveals. "To channel the very moment, to let true inspiration out. I don't believe I ever set myself a goal on what an album should or needs to sound like before I or we write it because that means I have to compromise during the process. For EPIC, we focused on more direct songs, trimming the fat, as opposed to Something Wicked Marches In, which had a progressive and 'playful' flair."

VLTIMAS was a profane concept—a constellation of riffs against a modest frame—when formed by Eriksen in 2015. After departing Mayhem in 2008 and putting his gothic doom outfit Ava Inferi to rest in 2013, the Norwegian's fingers still itched with infernal fury. VLTIMAS was his vent, and when Mounier and Vincent joined, he finally had the cadre of professionals to make it a reality. Together, they devised complementary schemes and themes rooted in rightness. In a world gone mad, VLTIMAS had a vision. On Something Wicked Marches In, they commanded attention with metaphors about the apocalypse, the ancient goddess Lilith, and truth. Lyrically, EPIC spears into the very nucleus of strength through Vincent's brio of double entendre and clever wordsmithing. The songs are designed to be heard, read, and interpreted—there are no shortcuts.

"Everything we're doing and messaging is about strength and honor," says Vincent. "These are the fundamentals that I incorporate into my life, which I believe in. I want to share with others, hoping they'll incorporate strength and honor into their lives. I wouldn't say I like spelling lyrics out. I use a lot of double meanings on purpose because I want to inspire the listener to think. I'm not a short attention span guy, and I don't appreciate it. EPIC is holistic and meant to be experienced that way."


EPIC was recorded by producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Paradise Lost, Grave Miasma) with engineer Jonathan Mazzeo (First Fragment, Sickening) at Arda Recorders in Porto, Portugal. VLTIMAS tracked the album throughout May 2023. Arellano also handled the mix and master. Like everything the band does, the main goal was to be honest. The maxim of no sample replacement or re-amping—EPIC was captured on outboard gear—was adhered to and enjoyed by the team. The result is a sonic expression that sounds like nothing else. From the crushing title track to the epic musicality of closer "Spoils of War," EPIC is an absolute beast.


"Stress, long walks, too much alcohol, yet very focused once in the recording mode," Eriksen says of the sessions. "We booked a month, but somehow, that flew by instantly. We worked up until the very end. I even added a few solos at my local Soundscape Studio in Almada, Portugal. Art unfolds, and once you think you are done, there's always another idea popping up."


VLTIMAS brought Italian artist Daniele Valeriani (Mayhem, Unanimated) to visualize EPIC. The aesthetic, as illuminated by music and message, was iconic boldness. The three-eagle head crest with three different crowns, accompanied by transfigured symbols of the Passion and the "impossible triangle," projects effortlessly. In EPIC, the group will dominate. There's no escape from "Miserere," "Mephisto Manifesto," "Scorcher," and "Invictus." Together, they thrust, by resolve and inventiveness, VLTIMAS into the uppermost echelons of extreme metal.


"[EPIC is] old meets contemporary, a symbiosis of all the great things we love about extreme metal," offers Eriksen. "All combined into one album."


"I want to be as emotional and honest [with VLTIMAS]," Vincent adds. "I want to tell stories; I want to have the themes that appeal to me; I want to have some messaging that someone can take away, in this case, strength. EPIC is strength."


Lineup
David Vincent - Vocals
Rune Blasphemer Eriksen - Guitars
Flo Mounier - Drums
Ype TVS - Bass
João Duarte - Guitars

Recording studio
ARDA Recorders

Producer
Jamie Gomez Arellano

Sound engineer
Jonathan Mazzeo

Mixing and mastering engineer
Jaime Gomez Arellano

Mixing and mastering studio 
Arda Recorders, Orgone Studio

Cover art
Daniele Valeriani

Additional artwork and layout
Adrien Bousson

Biography
Chris Dick

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/vltimasepic

Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/VLTIMASEPIC

Links:
Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vltimas/1445457453
Bandcamp:https://vltimas.bandcamp.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/vltimas/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/vltimas/
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kz64zyv2xtkdhboztpdwa
Twitter:https://www.twitter.com/vltimas?lang=en

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Skull Gold
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Dracula
12" Picture Vinyl