DEFILED Announce New Album

"For fans of the classic era of death metal" - Blabbermouth
"Nobody sounds like these guys; they make art out of riffs, snares and death" - New Noise

"The one-two punch of tight musicianship and an inclination to pummel into submission without the need for flashy antics makes for a dazzling experience" - Ghost Cult

"Straight to the point and relentless" - Distorted Sound

"Encapsulates both the oldschool familiarity and the modern aesthetics of death metal" - Metal Trenches

When it comes to Japanese death metal, there is no shrewder sensei than Defiled. Since they started their training in the world's most vulgar of art forms back in the early '90s, the band have toured everywhere from their native Tokyo to Milwaukee Metal Fest with the likes of Mayhem, Incantation, Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse.

Now, after 30 years of destroying the opposition at the highest level, these self-proclaimed samurai of death metal are back with their eighth album. Horror Beyond Horror is the kind of good ol' fashioned ass-kicking that only a true master can deliver.     

Horror Beyond Horror comes out September 20 on Season of Mist.

Watch the video for "To See Beyond the Wall" below.

Pre-order & Stream: https://orcd.co/defiledhorrorbeyondhorror

After they first took to the stage in 1995, Defiled needed nearly a decade before finally erupting with wrath on their debut album. But ever since the band's lineup solidified around original member Yusuke Sumita, they haven't  stopped to look back and admire their war path. Horror Beyond Horror comes hot on the heels of the album they released just last year, which Metal Injection listed as one of the can't-miss releases of 2023.

Anyone who took The Highest Level at face value will be pleasantly surprised to hear that Defiled have only added another grimy coat of blood to their blade. "To See Behind the Wall" is the final boss on Horror Beyond Horror, but the album's first single wastes no time charging into the fray behind a barrage of old-school death metal. Whether they're slicing, dicing or leaping into a furiously fast solo, the riffs take no prisoners.   

"The path to your elimination", Shinichiro Hamada cries, digging in amidst a flurry of blast beats, before unleashing an ungodly war cry.

"What is behind the wall?", Defiled ask on their new single. "The truth that has been hidden? Our sanity as human beings? Are we, who are inside the wall, now in a world of deceit and madness?"

From the depths of Tokyo's darkest alleys, Defiled have emerged once again, claws sharpened, eyes bloodshot, ready to unleash a fresh dose of unadulterated savagery with their latest full-length studio album, Horror Beyond Horror. Marrying the grotesque with technical prowess, these samurais of sickness are poised to carve another notch into the archives of death metal's sordid history.

Since crawling from the primordial soup of the underground scene in the early '90s, Defiled have forged a path littered with broken souls. Their journey of destruction first sank its teeth into the international jugular with Erupted Wrath, mixed by the masterful Jim Morris in Tampa, Florida. This brutal assault opened gates to a global bloodletting, from leveling stages in South Korea to crushing skulls at the Milwaukee Metalfest, and not even the November to Dismember fest could foresee the carnage they'd bring.

Commandeering the technical tightrope between anarchy and precision, Defiled evolved, much like an aberrant spawn isolated on the Galapagos, grotesque yet ultimately superior. Their subsequent onslaughts — Ugliness Revealed, Divination, and the sheer violence of In Crisis — built a monument to atrocity that ascends to new heights with Horror Beyond Horror.

Taking no prisoners in their three-decades-long campaign of terror, Defiled have become the indestructible behemoth of Asia's death metal scene, powered by the relentless engine of their oldschool roots and the twisted wreckage of technical thrash and progressive rock innovation.

But enough with the history lesson, you came here for the carnage, didn't you? Horror Beyond Horror is a 14-track massacre, riddled with riffs sharp enough to slit your throat and a rhythmic onslaught that'll pulverize your pathetic bones. Each track, from the visceral "Smoke and Mirrors" to the haunting "To See Behind the Wall", is a calculated strike, precision-engineered to leave no survivors. Let's not forget the eponymous "Horror Beyond Horror", a track that cements Defiled's legacy as harbingers of the apocalypse.

With a sound as raw as exposed nerve endings and as unrefined as a mass grave, Defiled stands defiantly apart from the polished poseurs and shameless sellouts. They don’t peddle in cheap gimmickry or nostalgia; they deal in the currency of pure, unfiltered destruction. As they look out upon the charred landscape of the genre they’ve helped to define, Defiled is not content to rest on their laurels. Horror Beyond Horror sees them, once again, ascending to the blood-soaked throne of death metal sovereignty.

Line-up
Shinichiro Hamada - Vocals, Guitar
Yusuke Sumita - Guitar
Takachika Nakajima - Bass
Keisuke Hamada - Drums

Recording Studio
Studio Zot, Tokyo, Japan

Production Credits
Sound Engineers - Shinichiro Hamada & Keisuke Hamada
Produced by Yusuke Sumita
Mixed & Mastered by Kenji Kikuchi at Studio Nest, Chiba, Japan

Biography
Defiled, with edits by Sébastien Gamez

Cover Art
Wes Benscoter

Photographer
Shigenori Ishikawa

Booking Contact:
Yusuke Sumita - info@defiled.info

Stream & Order: https://orcd.co/defiledhorrorbeyondhorror

Available formats
Digital Download
CD Digipack
12" Vinyl Colored (Crystal Clear & Transparent Green)

Follow Defiled
Website : http://www.defiled.info/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/defiled
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/defiledjapan
Bandcamp : https://defiledjapan.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/defiled
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@defiled
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6KDc0SB4ero6zAgrafjVrt
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/defiled/72867298
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B001GJ407S/defiled

WITHIN THE RUINS ANNOUNCE 'PHENOMENA II' FULL-LENGTH ALBUM

Progressive deathcore outfit WITHIN THE RUINS will unleash their long-awaited new full-length, Phenomena II, August 23rd through MNRK Heavy today, releasing the record’s first single and preorders. Phenomena II serves as the sequel to the band’s critically adored Phenomena full-length, which was released a decade earlier and has over 18 million streams to date!

Evolution drives longevity. WITHIN THE RUINS relentlessly pushes forward, incinerating complacency and innovating out of its ashes. The Western Massachusetts quartet — Joe Cocchi (guitar), Kevin McGuill (drums), Paolo Galang (bass, clean vocals), and Steve Tinnon (lead vocals) — razes convention with a sonic sensory onslaught anchored by polyrhythmic bludgeoning, head-nodding grooves, viscerally evocative vocals, and vivid storytelling. Their controlled chaos has resulted in tens of millions of streams (a rarity for acts this uncompromisingly heavy), packed houses on tour, and widespread acclaim courtesy of Alternative Press, American Songwriter, Loudwire, Metal Injection, Phoenix New Times, and many more.

Now, they continue to evolve on their seventh full-length offering, Phenomena II. “When you listen to us, we hope you feel like you found some fresh metal,” notes Cocchi. “After doing anything for a long time, it’s easy to get stuck in your ways. So, we always try to present something you haven’t heard before—and you aren’t going to get anywhere else.”

That’s what the band has done since their formation in 2003…

As the story goes, Cocchi and McGuill first linked up back in high school. They slogged it out locally for a long time, solidifying the initial core lineup of WITHIN THE RUINS with previous vocalist Tim Goergen. Building a devout fan base one gig and project at a time, they served up Creature (2009), Invade (2010), and Elite (2013), paving the way for the fan favorite, Phenomena (2014). Drawing its primary subject matter from Marvel and DC characters, the latter yielded two of their most popular anthems “Gods Amongst Men” and “Enigma,” which reeled in 4.7 million Spotify streams and 3.5 million Spotify streams, respectively. Following Halfway Human (2017), the musicians welcomed Steve Tinnon to the fold and ignited Black Heart during 2020. Highlighted by “Deliverance,” “Devil In Me,” and “Black Heart,” the latter incited critical applause. American Songwriter praised how “ WITHIN THE RUINS takes deathcore to a new level with Black Heart.” 

Tinnon’s addition had injected fresh fire into the band as they continued to write and record. In the meantime, Cocchi opened up his own brewery Tin Bridge Brewing where he and McGuill both work. Tin Bridge Brewing also serves as the band’s homebase, including their studio on site. With the decade anniversary of Phenomena looming, the musicians made a conscious decision to leap forward by looking back. The band wrote and recorded in their hub of Westfield, Massachusetts with Cocchi at the helm as producer once again.

“We had written a handful of songs, and we were searching for inspiration,” recalls Cocchi. “We wanted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Phenomena, because it was a pinnacle point of our career. I wrote a demo that reminded Steve of Phenomena. So, it was his idea to create Phenomena II. The styles really aligned in terms of the unique guitar effects and the themes where each track tells a story from a comic book character’s point-of-view.”

The record’s first single, “Castle In The Sky,” opens with ominous orchestration as Tinnon’s distinct growl weighs heavy on the production. Between gunshots, wailing sirens, and a haunting choir, pummeling guitars hit like a battering ram, and a fret-burning solo strikes with the precision of a smart bomb.

“It has everything people want to hear from us out of the gate,” says Cocchi. “There’s some old-school WITHIN THE RUINS in there. Lyrically, it’s based on The Punisher. He’s a war veteran who has his family taken away from him. The central struggle is, ‘Would he rather be alive or reunite with his family in the castle in the sky?’”

Within The Ruin's 'Phenomena' 10 year anniversary vinyl is available for pre-order, as well.

LEARN MORE HERE

NYC post-punk duo FRENCHY AND THE PUNK to release 'Midnight Garden' album June 28 as their U.S. tour launches

"Explosive, subdued, confrontational, soothing, spikey and accessible" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"With melancholic grace, Frenchy and the Punk weave light into their darkness, both visually and aurally... a potent goth-alternative concoction, a boozy blend of classic post-punk infused with daring, catchy guitar work that pushes the boundaries of the genre" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Penetrating psych-soaked post-punk... Brimming with their signature cinematic drama and that unforgettable voice" ~ Global Texan Chronicles

"An inspiriting slice of post punk hued, new wave nurtured rock ‘n’ roll... under the skin and hungrily stirring the imagination in a flash" ~ Ringmaster Review


NYC post-punk duo Frenchy and the Punk presents their eighth album, 'Midnight Garden', via NYC indie imprint EA Recordings, arriving one year since their critically-acclaimed 'Zen Ghost' album. This record bursts with dance grooves, guitar-driven upbeat melodies and soaring vocals. Written in France and the USA, this is a post-punk, new wave, dark alternative collection to kick off the summer season.

Torchbearers of a new era in post-punk, their latest single 'Like In A Dream' bathes the listener in it’s reflective, beautiful moodiness, piercing the gloom with flickers of light, following the lead track - the dance floor frenzy 'Hypnotized'.

Formed in 2005, Frenchy and the Punk is vocalist, percussionist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, co-founder of Deep Wound (with Dinosaur Jr. icons J Mascis and Lou Barlow) and Outpatients. Named one of the Top 25 duos in the US by Yahoo! Music, they profess a vivid blend of post-punk, dark folk, new wave, goth and punk cabaret. Helland is also known for his exceptional solo music project Guitarmy of One.

On 'Midnight Garden', Stephenson hits her stride - lyrically, vocally and with the synth sounds peppering the album. Helland shows his knack for infectious, and often euphoric, guitar melodies, propelling these tracks and perfectly complementing Frenchy's vocals.

Samantha Stephenson explains, "Midnight Garden feels like a new beginning of sorts. Even though this is our eighth studio album, there’s a lot of rising from the ashes, or starting over energy in these songs. I had a sense of things coming to an end, a kind of clearing the air and moving forward with a renewed sense of clarity and purpose. I feel like I am fully engaged in this music process, more so than ever before. I’m giving it my all, whereas up until a couple of years ago, I was fighting internally with the push and pull of visual arts vs music. I’m ready to let go of the past, I’m ready for a new chapter."

The euphoric title track 'Midnight Garden', with its gothic re-imagining of the Garden of Eden, speaks to soulmates who want to leave the world’s problems behind. 'Sleepwalk Shuffle' is a quirky post-punk track that questions the cultural path we find ourselves on as a society. 'Mr. Scorpion' laments the off-kilter balance of power and imagines a world free of planarian bygone ideologies. The remaining tracks offer up guitar-driven dance grooves with soaring vocals. The album ends with 'End of An Era', a straight up synth-driven track that leaves the listener with the ominous drone, capturing the zeitgeist of our time.

The duo has forged their own distinct path, touring the US and Europe with their artful two-person powerhouse of sound. To date, they've performed with Dead Can Dance's Peter Ulrich and Dresden Dolls' Brian Viglione, Thomas Dolby, Dinosaur Jr., The World Inferno Friendship Society, Rasputina, Cruxshadows, Aurelio Voltaire and Faun.

'Lost In A Dream' is available everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. On June 28, the 'Midnight Garden' album, now available for pre-order, will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally.  After a successful UK tour, the band kicks off their American tour on June 22.

CREDITS
Samantha Stephenson - Vocals, Percussion, Keyboard
Scott Helland - Guitar, Bass, Drums and Drum Programming
Recorded at Split Rock Studios (New Paltz, NY)
Recorded & mixed by Jason Sarubbi
Mastered by Martin Bowes at The Cage (Coventry UK)
Written, performed and produced by Frenchy and the Punk
Single artwork by Samantha Stephenson
Artist photos by Nicola Bee

TOUR DATES
JUN 22  Salem, MA - Darq Salem
JUN 25  Transmission Radio Show on WFDU.FM
JUL 11  Pomeroy, OH - Starwood Festival
JUL 13  Pittsburgh, PA - TBA
JUL 14  Columbus, OH - Dirty Dungarees Alt Music Space
JUL 16  Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
JUL 17  Cincinnati, OH - The Comet
JUL 18  Detroit, MI - Corktown Tavern
JUL 19  Akron, OH - Buzzbin
JUL 20  Maple Heights, OH - Maple Grove Tavern
JUL 21  Dayton, OH - Blind Bob’s
JUL 23   St Louis, MO - The Crack Fox
JUL 25  Cleveland, OH - Wizbang Theater
JUL 26  Sherman, NY - Sirius Rising Festival
SEPT 6   Pittsburgh, PA - Pitts Art Fest
SEPT 22  York, PA - Enchanted Festival
SEPT 26 Dark Castle Festival, Louisville, KY
OCT 5/6  Attleboro, MA - Jewelry City Festival
OCT 12  Upper Lake, CA - Hexenfest
OCT 25  Shepherdstown, WV - TBA
NOV 16  Baltimore, MD -  Fairy Scary Ball


Keep up with Frenchy and the Punk
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok | Soundcloud | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal | Songkick | BandsInTown | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email

A Wake In Providence Drop New Track "Agonofinis" + Official Video via Unique Leader Records

Symphonic deathcore titans A Wake In Providence have released their latest banger "Agonofinis" and the official video (via Unique Leader Records). The single is taken from the band's upcoming new album 'I Write To You, My Darling Decay'out on Friday, July 26. Speaking about the track, the band commented:

"'Agonofinis' is really part II to the orchestral piece “Agony, My Familiar” that precedes it on the album. This one is fast, and angry. There’s a lot of rage in this one."

Prior to today, the quartet released "Mournful Benediction" featuring Ben Duerr from Shadow Of Intent. Stream "Agonofinis" here, watch the official video below, and pre-save 'I Write To You, My Darling Decay' here.

The band are currently on the road with Filth, 9 Dead and Resistor, and will next hit the stage on the Decade Of The Swarm tour with Signs Of The Swarm, Cane Hill, Ov Sulfur and 156/Silence. For ticket information, please click here and be sure to stay tuned for more A Wake In Providence news coming soon.

Tour Dates with Filth, 9 Dead + Resistor:

6/25 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge

6/26 Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz

6/27 East Haven, CT - The Beeracks

6/28 Providence, RI - Alchemy

6/29 Bangor, ME - Queen City Cinema Club

6/30 Manchester, NH - Jewel

Decade Of The Swarm Tour Dates:

8/29 Worcester, MA - The Palladium

8/30 Brooklyn, NY - The Meadows

8/31 Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount

9/1 Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace

9/3 Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary

9/4 Chicago, IL - WC Social Club

9/5 Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s

9/6 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

9/7 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge

9/8 Richland, WA - Rays Golden Lion

9/10 Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater

9/11 Seattle, WA - El Corazon

9/12 Portland, OR - Dante’s

9/13 Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post

9/14 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction

9/16 San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick

9/17 Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater

9/18 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad

9/19 Lubbock, TX - Jake’s

9/20 Dallas, TX - South Side Music Hall

9/21 Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live

9/22 Houston, TX - Scout Bar

9/24 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)

9/25 Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819

9/26 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts

9/27 Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving

9/28 Lakewood, OH - The Winchester

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE ANNOUNCE FALL 2024 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Italian Symphonic Death Metal maestros FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE just revealed their long-awaited 6th studio album, Opera, will be released August 23rd with Nuclear Blast Records. Now, the band has announced their return to North America in support of the impending release for a co-headline tour with SHADOW OF INTENT, and support acts INGESTED, THE ZENITH PASSAGE and DISEMBODIED TYRANT, which kicks off September 14th in Cleveland, OH and wraps on October 15th in Denver, CO.

Commenting on the tour frontman Francesco Paoli states:

“We’re overly excited to announce the ultimate extreme symphonic metal experience across North America, which we’ll have the honor to headline along with our long-time friends Shadow of Intent. 

It’s going to be an event you don't want to miss, with the best clubs, a top-notch line-up and our most spectacular show to date.

We can’t wait to play some brand new material from our upcoming album “Opera” for you all, so grab your tickets as soon as you can because they won’t last long. The worldwide Opera madness has just begun…”

Artist Presale: Wednesday June 26 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST

Local Presale: Thursday June 27 @ 9am LOCAL

General On Sale: Friday June 28 @ 9am LOCAL

Purchase tickets at https://bnds.us/8idszb

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE Tour Dates:

9/14 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues

9/15 - Chicago, IL - Metro

9/16 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theatre

9/18 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew’s Hall

9/19 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House

9/20 - Montreal, QC - L'Olympia

9/21 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey

9/22 - Worcester, MA - New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

9/23 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw

9/25 - Reading, PA - Reverb

9/26 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage

9/27 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground

9/28 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues

9/29 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum

10/01 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live

10/02 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger

10/03 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater

10/04 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom

10/05 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater

10/06 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theater

10/08 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge

10/09 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades

10/10 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues

10/11 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium

10/12 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

10/13 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall

10/15 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE are finally back with their brand new, 6th album titled Opera, a gut-wrenching musical journey inspired by the tragic mountain climbing accident occurred to their frontman and mastermind Francesco Paoli, in 2021.

Due out August 23rd via Nuclear Blast Records, Opera is structured like a 10-act theatrical piece, as the title itself, Opera, draws a clear thread with the everlasting tradition of Italian classical music theater combining it with the epic brutality of death and symphonic metal, which has become their trademark sound. Mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica, Arch Enemy), Opera definitely marks another step forward for the band, incorporating new suggestions into that unique blend that FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE are renowned for: sheer violence, majestic orchestrations and soaring melodies. Such an ambitious musical endeavor called for an equally impressive artwork, a team effort between two arising Italian talents (artist extraordinaire Felicita Fiorini and visionary photographer Francesco Esposito), following the path traced by baroque painters like Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi. The cover art portrays Veronica as Music, a superior entity that defeats the social and artistic decay of modern age.

With this new record, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE are setting the bar even higher than before, pioneering what looks like a completely new sub-genre that might be called “Opera Metal”: an unprecedented mix of extreme music and theatrical elements.

“The best stories always come from pain, it's a bitter truth yet undeniable.” Francesco P. states. “We managed to turn one of the worst things in life into a work of art, that embodies our personal and artistic growth and takes the listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, where they can experience what I've been through hand in hand with me. It's a waking nightmare but that's how life is sometimes, just scary.”

Francesco P. continues: “In my visionary representation of this journey, that begins with my near death experience and culminates in a much desired physical and psychological rebirth, I wanted to frame every single step of my calvary, as if they were acts of an "Opera Lirica", with dialogues or even confessions to imaginary characters, who have been constant presences throughout my whole (mis)adventure.

This album tosses you in a vortex of discomfort and uncontrollable feelings, where you can experience pain, fear, desperation, anger, frustration, but also resolve, courage, hope and a profound desire for redemption. I strongly believe that this album is a solid manifest of resilience, and I hope that my story will inspire people who got “lost” for whatever reason.

We can’t wait for you to hear the full album and play it live at the four corners of the world. We’re planning to take everyone to “Opera” with a massive new show, so get ready!”

Pre-Order Opera:

https://fga.bfan.link/opera

With the album’s announcement comes the new single ‘Bloodclock’, a roaring song seething with anguish, pain and visionary tales of life and death.

Stream “Bloodclock’ here: https://fga.bfan.link/bloodclock

Francesco P. says of the new song:

"What do we see right before we die? Well, with ‘Bloodclock’ I bear my witness and reveal the personal visions I had while hanging on a rope, unconscious, a few hundred meters above the ground. It's insane how reality can be much more terrifying and soul crushing than  imagination.

Soon after my discharge from the hospital, me and Francesco Ferrini started writing immediately, even if I was still bedridden and unable to play. The idea was to capture the mood of those dramatic days and make sure to keep intact the sense of desperation and fear that was still running through my veins after the accident. Later on, we worked with the others to develop those ideas and create the music that such a strong story deserves, music that takes your breath away and tosses you into a vortex of mixed feelings and discomfort.
I believe we nailed it 110%.  

And the video is a spectacular representation of that disaster. I pushed Martina (McLean, video director) to the limit because I knew she could find a poetic, metaphorical yet extremely impactful way to match the fury of the song with awe-inspiring images. She did an amazing job and we're proud to state that this is the best music video we've ever had in our career."

‘BLOODCLOCK’ MUSIC VIDEO BELOW;

“But this song is not only about death, it's also about life. ‘I’m not dead yet’ was some sort of  mantra that became my battle-cry. The moment I woke up, I started my war to stay alive, that with time turned into a true and never-ending calvary as I'm still carrying the cross for what happened that day. But this is another story and its time is yet to come…”

About FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE:

Formed in 2007, Italian Symphonic Death Metal maestros Fleshgod Apocalypse are finally back with their sixth and brand new album titled “Opera”, a gut-wrenching musical journey inspired by the tragic mountain climbing accident occurred to their frontman and mastermind Francesco Paoli, in 2021:

“The best stories always come from pain, it's a bitter truth yet undeniable” says Francesco.

“That's why human struggles have always been an unending source of inspiration for artists throughout history. But one thing is creating art that gives voice to someone else’s tribulations, another is accepting to bare your soul to the world and reveal your weaknesses and frailties, while attempting to turn them into new resources for your own creativity. It's a dangerous game, since we never know what our twisted mind has in store for us, but it's a game you must play if you really want to bring your art to the highest level and leave a trace that has a deeper meaning, not just mere entertainment for distracted people.

After my fall while mountain climbing, I woke up in a hospital, underwent several surgeries, constantly getting terrible news and spending many months not knowing if I would ever be able to play an instrument again. I felt condemned. Fear, painkillers, wheelchairs have been daily food for my frustration. Retracing what happened that day, as well as the days, months, years after, has been such an exhausting and frightening journey, in which I had to face my demons once again and deal with memories I hoped I had left behind.

Was all this worth it? Let the others tell. All I can say is that, although it was clear that this was the right thing to do, we could not even remotely imagine how strongly this process would have affected our songwriting, igniting our creativity and reinvigorating our attitude after years of deep coma due to the pandemic. We managed to turn one of the worst things in life into a work of art, that embodies our personal and artistic growth and takes the listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, where they can experience what I've been through hand in hand with me. It's a waking nightmare but that's how life is sometimes, just scary.”

The whole album is structured like a 10-act theatrical piece, as the title itself, “Opera”, draws a clear thread with the everlasting tradition of Italian classical music theater and its icons, from Giuseppe Verdi to Giacomo Puccini, combining it with the epic brutality of death and symphonic metal, which has become their trademark sound.

On the trail of such powerful heritage, embodied by Veronica Bordacchini’s outstanding vocal performance, each chapter enlightens a different angle of Francesco’s story, both musically and lyrically.

Francesco adds:

“In my visionary representation of this journey, that begins with my near death experience and culminates in a much desired physical and psychological rebirth, I wanted to frame every single step of my calvary, as if they were acts of an "Opera Lirica", with dialogues or even confessions to imaginary characters, who have been constant presences throughout my whole (mis)adventure.

Death, Life, Hope are among these entities, masterfully interpreted by Veronica, that from time to time assist or prevent me from digging deeper in my memory and personality, examining objectively my emotional states and behaviors and finding a sense to all this.

This album tosses you in a vortex of discomfort and uncontrollable feelings, where you can experience pain, fear, desperation, anger, frustration, but also resolve, courage, hope and a profound desire for redemption.

In fact, besides being grateful for the privilege of sharing my personal experience through Fleshgod Apocalypse art, I strongly believe that this album is a solid manifest of resilience, and I hope that my story will inspire people who got “lost” for whatever reason. Since the accident I’ve been posting on socials about my rehab and received hundreds of messages of appreciation for that. People need motivation, need examples that can make them restart believing in themselves. And for me, this is part of the game, this is the best way I can give them something back after all these years of loving support.

Life is a wonderful thing, even when everything around us seems to be falling apart we must find a meaning for existing and, unexpectedly, sometimes second chances can be way more exciting than the first ones.”

Mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica, Arch Enemy), “Opera” definitely marks another step forward for the band, incorporating new suggestions into that unique blend that Fleshgod Apocalypse are renowned for: sheer violence, majestic orchestrations and soaring melodies.

While showcasing new maturity in songwriting, the album retains a strong stylistic bond with the band’s previous efforts, from the furious blast beats of “Mafia” and “Agony” to the epic, grandiose atmospheres of “Labyrinth” or “King”, along with the unquestionable technical prowess that made “Oracles” and “Veleno” instant classics among fans of the genre.

Such an ambitious musical endeavor called for an equally impressive artwork, a team effort between two arising Italian talents (artist extraordinaire Felicita Fiorini and visionary photographer Francesco Esposito), following the path traced by baroque painters like Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi.

Born in 2007, Fleshgod Apocalypse quickly established themselves among the leaders of symphonic death metal.

As of today, some of their most acclaimed releases such as “Agony” (2011) or “King” (2016) are still considered milestones by fans and critics alike. With this new record, they're setting the bar even higher, pioneering what looks like a completely new sub-genre that might be called “Opera Metal”: an unprecedented mix of extreme music and theatrical elements.

For sure, this won't sound surprising for anyone who has witnessed one of their intense live performances.

The band is now preparing a huge worldwide touring campaign in support of this new masterpiece.

Fleshgod Apocalypse are now ready to take everyone to “Opera”.

Follow FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE:

https://shop.fleshgodapocalypse.com/

https://www.facebook.com/fleshgodapocalypse

https://www.instagram.com/fleshgodofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@fleshgodofficial

https://twitter.com/FApocalypse

https://www.youtube.com/@FleshgodApocalypse

Ireland's enigmatic PERRY BLAKE presents rapturous album 'Death of a Society Girl', marking robust 26-year career

"One of music's great untapped resources and still on top of his game" ~ Music OMH

"The Last of The Great Songwriters" ~ Radio Nova

”Blake sounds like a cross between Bowie and Michael Nyman – only better” ~ Uncut

"Blake's glimpses of people living a state of mind is one of those great escapes, it's very hard to get away from. His gift here is to take a subdued, grown-up collection of songs but make them sound like they deserve daytime radio" ~ RTE.ie
 
'"A resilient rebirth’’ ~ The Observer
 
"We can luxuriate in Perry Blake’s generous, comforting voice – spotting traces of Nick Drake, trip hop and Gary Numan” ~ Hot Press

"A rich evolving sound-scape that cocoons Blake's almost surrealist lyrics. The limits of the Downtempo rulebook are broadly stretched with a weaving instrumentation that dips and wanders" ~ The Goo Review


Irish singer-songwriter Perry Blake, who largely came to fame in France and flourished with a career that brought opportunity throughout Europe, presents his new album 'Death of a Society Girl', released via Moochin' About Records with nine compositions on offer, including the focus track 'Let's Fall In Love'.

A stunning body of work and his first music in five years, following the critically acclaimed ‘Songs of Praise’ (5 Stars MOJO), this album marks 26 years for Blake as a recording artist. Very much of the here and now, this album also offers traces of Perry’s previous heady work - not dissimilar to his French Top-40 eponymous debut album.

Known for his delicate, downtempo and beautifully melancholic output and uniquely soothing timbre, he is well known as a collaborator of Françoise Hardy, who sang on 'War in France' (from his album 'Still Life'). He also contributed lyrics for her platinum-selling album 'Tant de belles choses’, having co-written, mixed and produced two songs ('Moments' and 'So Many Things') on this record, together with Marco Sabiuhe. Blake would later release his own version of the latter track.

Earlier, Blake released the epic title track 'Death of a Society Girl' featuring British actor Paul McGann, known worldwide for his roles in BBC's 'Doctor Who', 'Withnail & I', 'Empire of the Sun', 'Alien 3' and 'Queen of the Damned'. He also teased the light-filled cinematic single  'Concertina' shortly before the album's release.

Co-written and co-produced with long-term collaborator Graham Murphy (Clannad, Sharon Shannon, Marie Brennan), this album features Blake's hallmark surrealist lyrics and original artwork by Syrian-born artist Helen Abbas.

Hailing from Sligo county, Perry Blake has been dubbed one of music’s great untapped resources. Polydor UK released his debut album ‘Perry Blake’ in 1998 (with three 'Singles of the Week' on Jo Wiley BBC Radio 1), after which he moved to France. He achieved cult status there and across Europe, releasing a string of critically-acclaimed studio albums, a live album recorded at Cirque Royal Brussels with a full orchestra, as well as the soundtracks for ‘Presque Rien’ and 'Trois Petites Filles'.

Over the years, his musical endeavours has led him to collaborate with numerous musical luminaries, including Toby Pitman (Paul McCartney, George Michael, David Arnold, Clint Mansell, Shirley Bassey), Steve Jansen (Japan, Rain Tree Crow), Glenn Garrett (Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry), Neil Conti (David Bowie, Prefab Sprout), Rik Carter (The Mission, All About Eve), Marco Sabiu (Ennio Morricone, Tanita Tikaram, Luciano Pavarotti), Dickon Hinchliffe (Tindersticks), and world-renowned French electronic artist Émilie Simon.

Perry Blake’s melancholic, melodic soundscapes have featured in many European TV series and cinematic works. Between 2006 and 2011, these include 'Tiger Lily'and 'Clara Sheller' (France’s version of 'Sex in the City'), plus hit Italian movie 'L’uomo cheama'  starring Monica Belluci. He has also appeared regularly on French TV and toured Europe with Carla Bruni, as well as with the French National Jazz Orchestra.

Perry Blake has published the children's book 'Gatos em Lissadell', as part of a collection by 12 authors, including former U.S president Jimmy Carter, Will Smith and Julie Andrews. He also has a separate collaborative music project with Glenn Garrett and Graham Murphy, called Electro Sensitive Behaviour.

'Death of a Society Girl' is now available exclusively for download via Bandcamp - this edition includes three bonus remixes by UK electronic artists KosmetiQ and Inertia. On July 5, the album will be released on CD and digitally via other fine music platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. 

ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Recorded at Orchardleigh, North West Ireland & the Production Suite Dublin
Engineered and mixed by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy at the Production Suite Dublin
Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc America
Produced by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Perry Blake - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Graham Murphy - Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Additional Drum Programming, String Arrangements.
Artwork by Helen Abbas
Album cover design by Jason Lee Lazell
Released by Moochin’ About @2024
Distributed via PIAS @2024
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Artist photos by Sid Rainey

DISCOGRAPHY
Perry Blake (Polydor 1998)
Still Life (Naive 1999)
Presque Rien Ep (Naive 2000)
Broken Statues - Live album (Naive 2001)
California (Naive 2002)
Songs for Someone (Naive 2004)
The Crying Room (Warners/Blu Orchard 2006)
Songs of Praise (Moochin’about/PIAS 2019)
Death of a Society Girl (Moochin’about/PIAS 2024)


Keep up with Perry Blake
Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter| Facebook | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | Press contact

Keep up with Moochin' About Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Soundcloud | Instagram | Link edIn | Email

WORMED Traverse the Pleoverse on New Single

WORMED open portals into destructive new dimensions. The brutal Spaniards upcoming fourth album was charted at Thousand Cave Studios by Gorguts bassist Colin Marston, who's also worked on records by Origin and Pyrrhon. Omegon chases the timeline of Krighsu, a shadowy hacker who's in search of a cosmic substance that defies the grasp of mere mortals. On the album's third and final advanced single, "Pleoverse Omninertia", the tech-death space invaders condenses the raw essence of their cosmic dissonance into a quaking battlefield. 

Listen to "Pleoverse Ominertia"  Below

Omegon comes out July 5 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order & Pre-save: https://orcd.co/wormedomegon
 

"Pleoverse Omninertia" crashes through quantum entanglements at warped speed. Beneath the veneer of chaos lies an ordered dance of subatomic particles: syncopated pings, crushing distortion, grunts that dig deeper than a black hole. Mixing brutal elegance and technical precision, Wormed unravel a narrative steeped in the struggle for the fate of the universe.

Space – the final frontier. Yet, when WORMED reach out into the void, the results sound far more like a dark space opera inhabited by bizarre aliens, genetically and technically evolved meta-humans struggling for power and survival in galactic empires. Now, the nano-technological war has been unleashed in the void to defeat the last sower of human life, Krighsu!

Odd-time signatures, avalanches of breaks and complex rhythmical as well as melodic patterns will excite every aficionado of extreme technicality, while growls down-tuned strings and double-bass assaults will more than satisfy extreme metal connoisseurs. While being outstandingly skilled musicians WORMED are avoiding any self-indulgent show of prowess for its own sake. Instead, the five-piece from Madrid clearly lays its emphasis on creating atmospheric songs, which develop and grow along the underlying story.

Originating from Spain's capital Madrid in 1998, WORMED immediately made an impact in the death metal scene with the release of their 'Floating Cadaver in the Monochrome' MCD (1999). Following a promo CD under the title 'Voxel Mitosis' (2001), the first studio album 'Planisphaerium' received high acclaim by critics and fans alike in 2003. In the wake of their debut full-length, the Spanish received invitations to international festival shows and touring around the globe. WORMEDperformed in Japan alongside GORATORY and VOMIT REMNANTS and afterwards hit Europe with MALIGNANCY and DESPONDENCY.

A creative hiatus, partly due to line-up changes and filled with re-issues of their previous released as well as the single 'Quasineutrality' (2010) finally ended, when their sophomore album 'Exodromos' came out in 2013. On their third full-length 'Krighsu' (2016), the fast-rising Spanish Sci-Fi tech death prodigies are telling a dystopian cosmic story with lyrics and music joined into an overarching concept. Its intense brutality, dissonant dynamic riffing, and tremendous heaviness combined with an amazing futuristic concept, which introduced the character Krighsu – last human in the cosmos, harvested top reviews and saw WORMEDheadlining in the US and co-headlining in Europe.

In the summer of 2019, WORMED brought their ultra-technical cosmic sonic onslaught to new heights on their 4-track EP ‘Metaportal’, released through Season of Mist. Praised as a monstrously satisfying addition to their catalogue, the EP bridged the gap between their previously released 2016 ‘Krighsu’ and their newest project. Atmospheric yet faithful to the skull-crushing mindboggling textures they’ve given fans over the years, ‘Metaportal’ allowed WORMED to come to terms with the loss of Guillermo Calero in 2018 and move forward.

On ‘Omegon’, WORMED’s upcoming 2024 release, they continue the story of Krigshu, a timeline hacker entangled in manipulation by cosmic forces. As viciously as the aggression they bring on their technically impressive instruments, Krigshu battles his way to unlock the mysteries of Omegon, a mysterious cosmic substance holding ultimate power. With 9 tracks of ultimate interstellar chaos, a story unfolds and WORMED prove yet again that they reign supreme on the technical death metal genre.

Line-up
Phlegeton - Vocals
Migueloud - Guitars
D-Kazar - Guitars
Guillemoth - Bass
V-Kazar - Drums

Recording Studio
BlackStorm Studios (Karrantza, Basque Country)

Production Credits
Ekaitz Garmendia - Producer & Sound Engineer
Mixed & Mastered by Colin Marston at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves (Queens, NY, USA)
Editing by Simon Da Silva at The Empty Hall (Madrid, ES)

Cover Art
Phlegeton - "Phlegeton Art Studio"

Stream & Order: https://orcd.co/wormedomegon

Links/Follow Artist:
Official Website: http://www.wormed.net/
Bandcamp: https://wormed.bandcamp.com/
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/324196
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wormed
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wormedband/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wormedband
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WormedTV
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/artist/wormed/id341334269
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1YXwL0RvyKn9swZ6CsVDwk
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B002XOX5EY/wormed

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - White
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Transparent Blue
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Blue, Black & White Marbled

SPECTRAL WOUND Announces New Album, Unleashes Visceral New Single, "Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal"

Québec black metal horde SPECTRAL WOUND is pleased to reveal that their fourth studio album, 'Songs Of Blood and Mire,' will be released on August 23, 2024 via Profound Lore Records. To celebrate this revelation, the band is now unleashing the visceral first single from the offering, "Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal." The song can be heard below.

Spectral Wound play black metal. Furious and visceral, untrammelled by esoteric posture or grasping idealism. It is music for the poisoned, the futile, the debauched and profane. The blooming of a flower of corruption, torn by cold winds. 

Pre-orders are now live HERE.

Spectral Wound play black metal. Furious and visceral, untrammelled by esoteric posture or grasping idealism. It is music for the poisoned, the futile, the debauched and profane. The blooming of a flower of corruption, torn by cold winds. 

Following the raw early offering of Terra Nullius (Arcane Angels/Out of Season 2015) Spectral Wound continued their path of creeping, opulent decay and searing melody, weaving strands of Métal noir Québécois with the weft of the Scandinavian canon. Refining its sound over Infernal Decadence (Vendetta, 2018) and the towering, exultant melancholy of A Diabolic Thirst (Profound Lore, 2021), with Songs Of Blood and Mire (Profound Lore 2024) the band delivers an elegy of the void, seething with the venom and clamour of an ever-emptying world.

The album was recorded and mixed by Patrick McDowall (Guitarist in Spectral Wound) at his studio Black Gate and mastered by James Plotkin. 

Lineup:

Jonah - vocals

Illusory - drums

Patrick - guitars

Sam - bass

A.A. - guitars

Recorded and mixed by Patrick McDowall

Mastered by James Plotkin

Links:

Facebook

Instagram

Bandcamp

Pre-order // Stream

Photo by Ben Zodiazepin

Iodine Recordings to Release Hassan I Sabbah's "Untitled" + It's a Definitive Document of the Long-Lost Band

UNTITLED IS THE DEFINING DOCUMENT OF THE LONG-LOST YET MUCH-LOVED BAND, WHICH WAS ACTIVE FROM 1999 THROUGH 2000 

Collectors, scene kids, and lovers of the rarest of the rare — it's time to rejoice.

Hassan I Sabbah were a short lived, yet legendary, emo-violence band that originated during a chance meeting of its core members in 1999 in Boston, who shared a love for bands like Heroin and Mohinder. Featuring members of Puritan, Prevail, and Forcefedglass, to name a few, the band started when Fall of Leningrad bassist Ryan Daniels met Tommy Davis. The lineup was rounded out by drummer Mike Justain and then 16-year-old Forcefedglass guitarist Zac Davis, eventually coming to rest with Chad Pfeiffer of Puritan on vocals. 

Existing for less than a year, Hassan I Sabbah canceled, or vanished, from more shows than they actually played and ended without ever releasing a full album — yet the ink they left in the ledger of New England Hardcore persists.

They found their way to many basements and VFW halls coming up alongside and playing with genre defining bands such as Orchid, Jeromes Dream, American Nightmare, Saetia, and PG.99. There were more stories and tales of the band's shows than there were recorded songs. Their influence and live performances were chaotic, powerful and the stuff of messageboard lore.

After disappearing at the end of 2000, some members would go on to play in bands such as Unearth, The Red Chord, and Madball. 

Iodine Recordings will release Untitled on September 13. Pre-save it here.

Listen to "Not So In Tune With Shells" below.

"'Not So In Tune With Shells' is a reflection on memories of childhood and the tour, finding a moment of beauty and night of sleep in insomnia haze, 'the feel of laying one's head down to rest in the forest, or outside of life's hustle and bustle," the band shares.

Go ahead and crank it — it's a slab of noisy, dissonant post-hardcore that leaves a mark — as only a short-lived but fondly remember band like this can.

Untitled serves as the lovingly assembled and defining document of Hassan I Sabbah, archiving all of the known recordings, photographs, and show posters, which took years to find and collect. This complete discography includes their self-titled EP produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge) at God City Studio, the split with Usurp Synapse, their track from Ghost in the Gears (Iodine Compilation), and a demo recording of "Not So In Tune With Shells." The first four tracks were also remixed and remastered by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden (Deafheaven, Loma Prieta). The release is complete with a 12-page retrospective zine with thoughts and reflections from the band on their short history and is accompanied by photographs and poster art.

Although they were only active from October 1999 through August of 2000, the legacy of Hassan I Sabbah is a lasting one.

Dark Tranquillity Launch Pre-Orders + Share New Single "Not Nothing"

Iconic melodic death metal pioneers, Dark Tranquillity, are back with the next revelation of their new musical chapter that is Endtime Signals.

The Swedes present their next single "Not Nothing." The song is about the insignificance of humanity in the big scheme of things. This philosophical provocation fits seamlessly in the overall gloomy themes of Endtime Signals.

Listen to "Not Nothing" here.

In addition, the eagerly awaited pre-order phase of the album has started, and fans worldwide are now able to secure their copies of the various LP and CD formats as well as the digital version of Endtime Signals.

Mikael Stanne comments, "Finally, we can announce that the pre-orders for Endtime Signals start today. And to mark this monumental occasion, we also have a brand new single for you fine folks. 'Not Nothing' is an existential piece of Endtime Signals that we feel showcases some of the diversity that the album holds. Turn up the volume and let us know what you think!"

Endtime Signals is available for pre-order in the following formats:

Ltd. Deluxe 2LP Gatefold edition w/ 14 tracks (“Midnight Haze” ink spot effect vinyl incl. additional black LP with 2 bonus tracks and etching & extended 8-pages LP booklet, housed in an O-Card with special die-cut)

Ltd. Deluxe 2LP Gatefold edition w/ 14 tracks [US version] (“Neuronal Fire” splatter effect vinyl incl. additional black LP with 2 bonus tracks and etching & extended 8-pages LP booklet, housed in an O-Card with special die-cut)

Ltd. Deluxe CD Digipak edition w/ 14 tracks (incl. 2 bonus tracks & extended 28-pages booklet, housed in an O-Card with special die-cut)

Standard CD Jewelcase w/ 12 tracks

1LP Gatefold in black and various colours w/ 12 tracks

1LP Gatefold in black [US version] w/ 12 tracks

Standard CD Jewelcase [Japanese version] w/ 14 tracks

Endtime Signals not only marks the 13th studio album of the band, but also their 10th album collaboration with their label Century Media Records. Building on the success of previous releases such asAtoma(2016), which climbed up to #2 in the Swedish album charts, andMoment(2020), which earned the band a Swedish Grammis award, the band is set to continue to redefine and deliver a top-tier musical experience withEndtime Signals.

DARK TRANQUILLITY ON TOUR:
9/3 — Richmond, VA — Canal Club
9/4 — Greensboro, NC — Hangar 1819
9/6 — Atlanta, GA — Center Stage (AMORPHIS Headliner)
9/7 — Orlando, FL — Conduit 
9/9 — Houston, TX — White Oak Music Hall
9/10 — Dallas, TX — Trees
9/11 — San Antonio, TX — The Rock Box
9/13 — Mesa, AZ — Nile Theater
9/14 — San Diego, CA — Brick By Brick
9/15— Los Angeles, CA — Echoplex
9/17 — San Francisco, CA — DNA Lounge
9/18 — Roseville, CA — Goldfields Roseville
9/20 — Portland, OR — Hawthorne Theatre
9/21 — Vancouver, BC — Rickshaw Theatre
9/22 — Seattle, WA — El Corazon
9/24 — Salt Lake City, UT — Metro
9/26 — Denver, CO — Marquis Theatre
9/27 — Lawrence, KS — Bottleneck
9/28 — Minneapolis, MN — The Cabooze
9/29 — Joliet, IL — The Forge
10/1 — Toronto, ON — Opera House
10/2 — Montreal, QC — Fairmount Theatre
10/3 — Quebec City, QC — La Source de la Martinière
10/4 — Cambridge, MA — The Middle East Down
10/5 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage
10/6 — New York, NY — Gramercy Theatre

DARK TRANQUILLITY ARE:
Mikael Stanne — Vocals
Johan Reinholdz — Guitar
Martin Brändström — Electronics
Christian Jansson — Bass
Joakim Strandberg Nilsson — Drums

Zeal & Ardor Share Visualizer For "Fend You Off" — WATCH

ZEAL & ARDOR isn't just a band; it's a living and breathing entity.

Like any sentient being, it consumes, evolves, and transforms from one season to the next. It has only sharpened its claws, lengthened its teeth, and steeled its nerves over the years, growing more undeniable and unpredictable in the process.

The band will drop its fourth album, the self-produced GREIF, on August 23. Pre-order it here.

Today, the band has shared the visualizer for the album's third single "Fend You Off."

Watch and listen below.

"Another color joins the tapestry with 'Fend You Off," says band leader Manuel Gagneux. "By now, it might be apparent that we're sharing new sides of ours. This is us at our core honest and vulnerable. We hope you like it. Stay strange."

Rather than stagnating, basking in global acclaim garnered from three previous albums — Devil Is Fine [2017], Stranger Fruit [2018] and Zeal & Ardor [2022] — Manuel opted to shake things up for GREIF.

Instead of creatively flying solo again, this time he welcomed his bandmates into the studio, featuring three voices for the first time and emboldening the sound from every angle. As such, the musicians — Tiziano Volante [guitar], Marc Obrist [vocals], Denis Wagner [vocals], Lukas Kurmann [bass], and Marco Von Allmen [drums] — spread their wings alongside him. Decamping to Obrist's studio Hutch Sounds in Switzerland, the record came to life in just five months.

"We've really evolved into a tight-knit unit," explains Obrist. "Before Zeal & Ardor, we were basically strangers, but we're like a little family now. Each member brings his own unique flavor to the mix, and we all try to make Manuel's songs better in our own way. The most interesting part for me was the new approach of how we work together in the studio."

"I wanted to expand upon what we had and introduce new colors," Manuel continues. "There are angry and accusatory moments, but there’s also some solace and happiness. I’m widening the palette of colors we have to paint with. These are avenues we haven’t tried."

"We invite listeners to hear the full spectrum of the different sides and sounds that make Zeal & Ardor," Tiziano leaves off. "There are some gorgeous moments, but it packs in a lot of intensity and charm. In Manuel's songwriting and the process with every member, there's a certain intentionality as well as an element of randomness and accident. I can't wait to see people’s reactions."

In January 2024, ZEAL & ARDOR released Play With The Devil, a documentary film by Olivier Joliat and Matthias Willi. The documentary intimately chronicles Manuel Gagneux's journey from the inception of ZEAL & ARDOR through initial tours and a soul-searching period of crisis. The bold mix of Black Metal with old work songs and field hollers by the enslaved — his answer to a racist provocation on the internet — is politically explosive. As a person of color in metal, Gagneux and his music have shone a light on religion, racism, segregation, and cultural appropriation.  However, the sudden surge in acclaim and the weight of being hailed a visionary leader by fans threatened to overwhelm the softly-spoken, introverted artist. Play With The Devil is available now for streaming on major platforms. For more information and to watch, visit here.

Tigirlily Gold Release “End Up Us” Off Forthcoming Debut Album ‘Blonde,” Out July 26

As reigning ACM New Duo of the Year Tigirlily Gold readies their debut album Blonde for July 26, the sisters offer another sneak peek of what’s to come today with “End Up Us.” Listen HERE.
 
“‘End Up Us’ is the first love song released off our Blonde album. We believe real love, if meant to be, will always find its way,” share sisters Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh. “Every love has its own journey, and we can’t wait to see people share their love stories with this song!”
 
Written by Kendra and Krista Slaubaugh, alongside Todd Clark and Jason Cole Saenz, “End Up Us” expands on the notion that two people who are meant to be together will always make it work in the end. 

“End Up Us” is the final release off Blonde, the duo’s debut full-length album arriving July 26 via Monument Records. The Billboard-dubbed “harmonically savvy sibling duo” teamed with producers Shane McAnally, Pete Good and Alex Kline to create the album.
 
In addition to “End Up Us,” the debut will feature current single “I Tried a Ring On,” which was one of the most-added singles at country radio, with 47 first-week adds, along with the rowdy viral sensation and Top 40 hit “Shoot Tequila.” Filled with deeply personal tracks and poignant tales of love and loss alongside powerful anthems and songs of female empowerment, the pair says their goal was to bring girl group energy back to country music. 
 
“Blonde is all about being undeniably and unapologetically yourself,” Krista says. “We want everyone to feel confident and vulnerable enough at the same time to say what they need to say.”
 
The forthcoming album follows the duo’s 2021 self-titled debut EP and 2023 EP Blonde and features a cover of the Leona Lewis hit “Bleeding Love,” a favorite in the girls live show, as well as original tracks like the seductive “Move On” which encourages women to make the first move. 
 
For the latest information visit, tigirlily.com  and follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @tigirlily and on TikTok @TigirlilyGold.

About Tigirlily Gold:
ACM New Duo of the Year Tigirlily Gold has been playing music together since they could walk, and officially formed their band in high school. Growing up, they crisscrossed the mid-west, growing a fierce fan base and selling out amphitheaters across their home-state of North Dakota. After moving to Nashville, they landed a weekly residence at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row on Nashville’s famed lower Broadway. Playing four-hour sets, three to four nights a week, the sisters developed a performance style that’s not only captivating and fun but shows just how entertaining is in their blood. After releasing their original song “Somebody Does,” in 2021, the track topped the iTunes chart and Tigirlily Gold was signed to Monument Records. They released their self-titled, debut EP in July 2021, working with multi-Grammy Award Winner Shane McAnally, and hit the road with artists like Walker Hayes and Ashley McBryde. Now, the powerhouse duo has embarked on a new musical chapter with their debut album, Blonde –a deeply personal project that includes tales of love and loss alongside powerful anthems and songs of female empowerment – out July 26. Their debut single at country radio, “Shoot Tequila,” reached the Top 40 and found viral success with millions of views across social media, and millions of streams across platforms, as well as two CMT Award nominations earlier this year for Breakthrough Female Video and Duo/Group Video of the Year. Their much anticipated follow up single “I Tried A Ring On” is at Country radio now. After making their Grand Ole Opry debut and performing to a national audience on the “TODAY Show,” Tigirlily Gold is ready to bring girl group energy back to country.

Future Palace Share "DREAMSTATE" Video — WATCH

Female-fronted, post-hardcore high flyers Future Palace will release their newalbum Distortion, due out September 6 via Arising Empire! Pre-order it here.

Today, the band has shared the video for "DREAMSTATE." Watch it below. 

Sometimes, the world is so overwhelming that the thought of another reality seems like salvation. With "Dreamstate," this Berlin post-hardcore trio describes the escape into a dream world with musical vigor.

Dense synthwave arpeggios put the epic instrumentals into fluid hovering states, and the energetic drums sound like a racing heartbeat, while singer Maria Lessing lets all emotions run free in a monumental hook. With the crashing breakdown in the finale, in which the constructed illusion finally collapses like a nightmare, it becomes clear that this escape offers no real way out. Future Palace emphasize — both sonically and lyrically — a desire for escapism that arises from deep pain.

That "Dreamstate" has become such a massive sonic demonstration of power is not at all evident from the song's genesis.

 "At first, I actually intended to write a piano ballad," says guitarist Manuel Kohlert. "But the song quickly became much harder."

"It's now one of my favorite songs on our new album," adds Lessing.

The organic development process of the song, in which quiet sounds were ultimately overtaken by massive anger, can perhaps even be read symbolically — after all, the singer was also thinking about her career as a musician, which sometimes seems just as overwhelming. "Very often I lack the strength to see it all through," she continues. "I think many people can empathize with this feeling of being overwhelmed in our performance-oriented society."

 For the music video of "Dreamstate," the band once again collaborated with Pavel Trebukhin and traveled back to Riga, Latvia.

The world is a firework of overstimulation, and Future Palace have dedicated their latest album Distortion, to this overwhelming feeling.

On the new record, the band delves into a mass of mental illnesses and societal problems, creating music that, fittingly, delivers more hooks than ever before, shifting seamlessly from the quietest depths to the loftiest heights.

While their previous album, Run, leaned toward musical extremes, Distortion is the ultimate culmination of all the tones Future Palace have absorbed on their Europe-wide journey as one of the most exciting acts in alternative guitar music. The album features the most powerful metalcore breakdowns meeting trembling darkwave beats, anthemic emocore refrains à la Bad Omens contrasted with sacred choirs, and the coldness of industrial clashing with the powerful emotionality of Sleep Token, making Distortion more like a manifesto.

Future Palace's music has always explored internal struggles, and Distortion is the brutal climax of this approach. The album title, derived from the psychological term cognitive distortion, reflects a world where changing perceptions trap individuals in recurring pitfalls. Distortion addresses various mental illnesses and personal struggles, from ADHD to depression to narcissism. The band's third album is a powerful force of emotions, cycles, and cries of desperation, overwhelming listeners with its intensity.

The band's creativity shines as they tackle demanding topics with fresh perspectives. On Distortion, they build on their previous work by incorporating new elements, like orchestral interjections in "The Echoes of Disparity," which combines brutal screams and chant-like passages to convey psychological struggle. "Panic Paralysis" features a massive vocal motif with an arabesque touch, while "They Take What They Want" dives into emotional depths, blending raw metalcore with gentle vocal passages and massive choirs.

Despite the album's emotional intensity, Distortion was created amid excessive demands. Produced by Julian Breucker and Christoph Wieczorek, known for their work with Annisokay, Beyond the Black, and Smash Into Pieces, the recording process was grueling. Lessing recorded the album with a root infection and after wisdom tooth surgery, adding stress but enhancing the songs' authenticity. Guitarist Manuel Kohlert notes that the album reflects the band's experience as a heavy touring band, capturing the feelings of being on the road and contemplating their existence.

FUTURE PALACE ARE:
Maria — Vocals
Manuel — Guitar
Johannes — Drums

Replacire Premiering 'The Center That Cannot Hold'

"A band on their way to the top" - Angry Metal Guy 
"Leave you with a smile on your face and the horns in the air" - Metal Injection
"Mixes the pummeling intensity of Dying Fetus with the proggy eccentricity of Leprous" - No Clean Singing
"Engrossing brutality and neck-breaking charm. Truly the best of both worlds" - Dead Rhetoric

"This is tech death via the impersonal beating of Meshuggah at their harshest, or Norma Jean's utterly punishing classic Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, or maybe The Dillinger Escape Plan's legendary first album Calculating Infinity. It's the sort of album I haven't heart for years, one that's both unconventional and well-crafted, making for music that's impenetrable yet addictive nonetheless." - Wonderbox Metal

"A majorly intense album that could turn on a dime, roar up like a mountain lion, or retreat with the skill of a mongoose" - Metal Temple(8/10)

"These guys are the real deal of tech" - The Progressive Subway

The idea behind Replacire's new album was simple. Write some straight-ahead chuggers to feed the mosh pit the next time these tech-death brainiacs went on tour. 

It wasn't so easy. But despite countless Zoom calls, bouts with sleep paralysis and one near trip to the hospital, the Boston band sound stronger than ever on The Center That Cannot Hold. 

The Center That Cannot Hold comes out tomorrow, Friday, June 20 on Season of Mist. But you can run through all 11 brain-busting tech-death workouts today thanks to No Clean Singing, who are premiering the full album stream.

Listen to The Center That Cannot Hold

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2024/06/20/an-ncs-album-premiere-and-a-review-replacire-the-center-that-cannot-hold/

Pre-order and Stream

https://orcd.co/replacirethecenterthatcannotholdpresave

Take a closer look at their name and it’s clear why Replacire has become synonymous with Eric Alper. After all, Alper is their sole original member, having started the band all the way back in 2009 as a student at Berklee College of Music. When he's not producing other people's records at Ugly Duck Studios, Alper is sculpting his own physique as a competitive body builder. But during the sessions for The Center That Cannot Hold, he was feeling weighed down by the world.

"The pandemic was hard on us", Alper says. "We were all set to hit the studio together in March of 2020. But after the pandemic shut everything down, I had to sell our tour van and give up our rehearsal space just to keep my head above water". 

The mounting stress would've left a lesser band bloody-tongued and screaming. "All hope lies crimson on the hill / sinking", groans James Dorton on the album's dissonant and demolishing opener. "Living Hell" was inspired by a nasty spell of sleep paralysis that Dorton suffered after witnessing a traumatic event. Meanwhile, Alper was battling his own bouts with anxiety and depression that were brought on by a nagging case of writer's block. The opening frenzy of "The Helix Unravels" has been hammering through his skull since 2017. 

"There were days when all I could do was lay on the couch and hum a half-finished riff", he says.

But despite this perfect shit storm, Replacire banged their heads together and pulled through on The Center That Cannot Hold. Poh Hock twists and turns those unfinished sections on "The Helix Unravels" into a tight, three-minute burst that works all of tech-death's core muscles: glitching fret bends, jazzy interludes and downpicked chugs that could break even the thickest of necks. The band's rhythm section takes the reins on the title track. Joey Feretti starts off fully aslant with harsh syncopated drum thwacks, only for bassist Zak Baskin to dunk the song's middle passage into a trippy breakdown. 

Of course, Dorton is no slouch either. "James recorded vocals for the title track in one full take, with no stops, over and over, until we got it right", says Alper, who was looking for his mighty vocalist to spit out the same uncontrolled vulnerability as Slipknot's self-titled LP. Clearly, Dorton took that inspiration to heart. When the song suddenly cuts out with a muffled thump, you might think that’s his body hitting the floor instead of the mic.

“The next morning, he woke up shaking uncontrollably and his face was white as a sheet" Alper remembers. "He came back to life after we got some fluids into him, though for a moment, I was worried that he needed to go to the hospital”  

Thankfully, Replacire are seasoned pros. Hock, Ferretti and Baskin are also Berklee graduates and Dorton was the vocalist for Black Crown Initiate before he filled in on tour for Ne Obliviscaris.  "I am your lord god", he roars on "A Fine Manipulation", as if throwing the weight of the world off his shoulders, before the rest of the band launches into the album's most muscular breakdown. 

"We poured all of our blood, sweat and tears into The Center That Cannot Hold", Alper says. "It took years off my life. There were plenty of days where I wanted to quit. But I'm glad we didn't, because this is our best album. Everything from the overall production down to the lead guitar parts took a step up. The tone is more serious. The songs are still techy, but they're also a lot heavier. I'm proud of us".  

On The Center That Cannot Hold, Replacire stand stronger than ever.   

Line-up
Eric Alper - Guitars
James Dorton - Vocals
Kee Poh Hock - Guitar
Zak Baskin - Bass
Joey Ferretti - Drums

Recording Studio
Ugly Duck Studios

Production Credits
Eric Alper - Producer & Sound Engineer
Jens Bogren - Mixing & Mastering Studio Engineer (Fascination Street Studios)

Cover Art
Andrew Tremblay (@actremblayart)

Biography
Will Yarbrough

Order & Stream: https://orcd.co/replacirethecenterthatcannotholdpresave

Follow Replacire:
Bandcamp: http://replacire.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Replacire
Instagram: https://instagram.com/replacire
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/replacire
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Replacire
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Replacire/videos
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/replacire/576863051
Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/6prhUUWzLoxLRVhK8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0t8nNth1Y9dRxGoiHHSSoa

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black

THE TRAGICALLY HIP ANNOUNCE DELUXE BOXSET, UNRELEASED TRACKS AND MUSIC VIDEO

Today, The Tragically Hip announces a commemorative boxset of their Diamond-certified debut album, Up To Here, the latest installment of special deluxe packages, set to release on November 8. Up To Here was originally released on September 5, 1989, as The Tragically Hip’s first full-length studio album, an introduction that brought them breakthrough success, including two Canadian rock radio #1 singles, “Blow at High Dough” and “New Orleans is Sinking” as well earning the band a JUNO Award for “Most Promising Artist” in 1990. Fans can pre-order the boxset today here.

The expanded reissue of Up To Here is a must-have for collectors, presented as a four-LP set on 180g vinyl alongside a book documenting the history of the debut album era. The reissue includes a 2024 remastering of the original album and four previously unreleased songs that didn’t make it on the original Up To Here album - “She’s Got What It Takes,” “Get Back Again,” “Rain, Hearts And Fire” and “Wait So Long” – that are also shared as part of this expanded package, are remastered and mixed in Atmos. A recording of Live at Misty Moon, the special filmed for MuchMusic in 1990 from the Misty Moon Cabaret in Halifax, with an accompanying 1-hour concert film, is also included on Blu-ray. The package also contains demos from 1988 recorded before the Up To Here recording session. The package will be available as a three-disc CD format.

Today, as a sneak peak, The Tragically Hip officially releases “Get Back Again,” which fans consider the holy grail of unreleased tracks from the band. The track was recorded before signing to their first major record deal with MCA (now Universal Music Canada), produced by Chris Wardman in November 1988, before the Up To Here sessions, now recently remixed and mastered to today’s standards. The band performed “Get Back Again” as part of the Live At Misty Moon set, which has been the only recorded version of the track from the band until now, making this a meaningful release for the band and their fans. A brand-new official music video for “Get Back Again”- directed by Cleveland Henderson, son of Pete Henderson, who had previously directed many videos of the band, including the award-winning “Locked In The Trunk Of A Car” and “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan),” will premiere tonight at 7:00PM on The Tragically Hip’s YouTube.

Established in 1984, this year marks 40 Years of The Tragically Hip – a milestone for the beloved band. 2024 sees The Tragically Hip break open the archives, reminiscing with fans on four decades of music, friendship, and philanthropy. The band’s legacy will be honored with a yearlong celebration, which started with the designation of the Record Store Day Canada Ambassadors, the upcoming launch of a four-part Amazon Prime Documentary titled No Dress Rehearsal, and on October 1, the release of a deluxe, hand-crafted book titled This Is Our Life, the band’s story as told in their own words and features more than 300 pages of unseen rarities pulled from the band’s personal collections. The Up To Here boxset celebrates the early days of The Tragically Hip and is the latest installment of a series of reissues released over the last few years honoring the band’s extensive catalog – Road Apples 30th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset (2021), Fully Completely Vinyl Release (2022), Phantom Power 25th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset (2023).

40 YEARS OF THE TRAGICALLY HIP:
The Tragically Hip has been at the heart of the Canadian musical zeitgeist, evoking an unrivaled emotional connection between their music and their fans. A five-piece group of friends including Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Downie (vocals, guitar), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (guitar) and Gord Sinclair (bass), who grew up in Kingston, Ontario, The Tragically Hip have achieved both mass popularity with more than 12 million albums in Canada and over 2 million sold in the U.S, as well as peer recognition through 17 Juno Awards – picking up the distinguished Humanitarian Award in 2021 at the 50th annual JUNO Awards, which recognizes Canadian artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond. In 2022, they were inducted into Canada’s Walk Of Fame for Humanitarianism in pursuit of social and environmental justice. They received a star on the Walk Of Fame in 2002 for Arts & Entertainment. Most recently, the band and their manager, Jake Gold, received the War Child Canada Founder’s Award, celebrating over 20 years of support for the global humanitarian organization. The Tragically Hip’s tireless activism and philanthropic pursuits have raised millions of dollars for multiple social and environmental causes, such as Camp Trillium, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Sunnybrook Foundation, WAR Child, the Special Olympics, and the Unison Benevolent Fund. Their studio catalog includes their self-titled debut album The Tragically Hip (1987), Up To Here (1989), Road Apples (1991), Fully Completely (1992), Day For Night (1994), Trouble At The Henhouse (1996), Phantom Power (1998), Music @ Work (2000), In Violet Light (2002), In Between Evolution (2004), World Container (2006), We Are The Same (2009), Now For Plan A (2012), Man Machine Poem (2016) and Saskadelphia (2021). A National Celebration was the final show of The Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem Tour, recorded on August 20, 2016, at the K-Rock Centre in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario. It is their last performance as a five-piece band. Through their career, the band became a cultural touchstone in Canada, who, despite their accolades and numerous recognitions, will always be proudest of the humanitarian work they have done over the years through numerous charitable organizations and causes. The legacy of the band’s frontman, the late Gord Downie, continues with The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund, which aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Follow The Tragically Hip:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tik Tok

DARK FUNERAL Shares New Reworked Single, "Shadows Over Transylvania (Re-Recording 2024)" ⛧

Swedish black metal stalwarts DARK FUNERAL are now celebrating three decades of blasphemywith a re-worked version of their debut album! 'Dark Funeral (30th Anniversary Edition)' is due on August 9 via Century Media Records and has been remixed by David Castillo and re-mastered once again by Thomas "Plec" Johansson. The band is now sharing the second offering from the record, "Shadows Over Transylvania (Re-Recording 2024)" along with a visualizer! The clip can be found below.

DARK FUNERAL has previously commented about the special edition, “In January 1994, Blackmoon (RIP) and I put our entire income and savings into a recording session and pressing 1,000 copies of our 4-track debut Mini-CD. A Mini-CD we released ourselves too. To now reach the significant milestone with an epic 30th anniversary is of course very honorable for me & the band. Three decades of Swedish Black Metal filled with precious memories. It is now time for us to reflect on what started it all, a 30-year epic journey, filled with experiences and an unbreakable bond. And in this honor, we have breathed new life into these legendary songs & given them an honest but modern update. Enjoy!“

In addition, DARK FUNERAL will be embarking on a U.S. tour later this year as direct support for GWAR! The trek will kick off on October 17 in Las Vegas, NV and will dominate the states until the final stop on November 20 in Nashville, TN. The full itinerary can be found below while tickets will go on sale tomorrow, June 21 @ 10:00 A.M. local time.

Find rare material from the band's ominous beginnings in 1994 — an ultimate rendition and must-have for devoted disciples of darkness! Pre-Order this exclusive collector's edition HERE

Dark Funeral Live U.S. Dates

The Stoned Age Tour w/ Gwar

10/17: Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues

10/18: Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee

10/19: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues

10/20: San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom

10/22: Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo

10/23: Garden City, ID @ Revolution Concert House

10/24: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

10/26: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

10/27: Denver, CO @ Summit

10/29: Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre

10/30: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre

10/31: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave

11/01: Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre

11/02: Albany, NY @ Empire Live

11/03: Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally's

11/05: Boston, MA @ The Paradise Rock Club

11/06: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

11/13: Orlando, FL @ The Beacham

11/15: Dallas, TX @ The Studio at the Factory

11/16: San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center

11/17: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live

11/19: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Heaven)

11/20: Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

Dark Funeral line-up (1994):

Lord Ahriman – Guitars

Blackmoon – Guitars

Draugen – Drums

Themgoroth – Bass & Vocals

Dark Funeral line-up (2024):

Lord Ahriman – Guitars

Heljarmadr – Vocals

Chaq Mol – Guitars

Jalomaah – Drums

Adra-Melek – Bass

Music & Lyrics by Blackmoon & Lord Ahriman

1994 Recordings & Mixes by Dan Swanö, Mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson

2024 Recordings & Mixes by David Castillo, Mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson

Video Production by 12 Inch Media

Artwork: Blackmoon & Lord Ahriman

Album Formats:

CD Jewelcase

Limited hand-numbered Transparent Blue-Black Marbled 180g Vinyl

Limited hand-numbered Clear Smoke Marbled 180g Vinyl (US EDITION)

Strictly Limited hand-numbered transparent Blue-Black Marbled 180g Vinyl including signed Art Print - Only 300 copies worldwide (Century Media Exclusive)

Digital Album

Links:

Official Website

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook X

YouTube

Spotify

Apple Music

WORMWITCH Unveils Music Video for New Song, "Draconick Sorcerous Canadian Witchknights"

Blackened speed metal entity WORMWITCH will unleash their eponymous fourth studio album on July 26, 2024 via Profound Lore Records! The Canadian necromancers are now unleashing the pummeling second single from the offering, "Draconick Sorcerous Canadian Witchknights," along with a music video! The clip, which was created by George Allen & Eric Tremblay, can be found below.

Wormwitch comments, "Another favourite… this one is our grim ode to 'Travelin’ Band.' We shot the video with some good friends at Hipposonic Studios in Vancouver, formerly Vancouver Studios where Metallica, AC/DC and Mötley Crüe made classic records. Not that it matters because we filled the place with fog and darkness. Enjoy, friends.”

WORMWITCH sets out to combine a melodic blackened death assault with the ferocity and attitude of crust punk and classic rock and roll, jettisoning the burdens of ceremony and pomp that dominate the genre today. 

The album can be pre-ordered in various formats HERE.

Like black wings from an obsidian sky, WORMWITCH descended from the darkness in 2015, somewhere upon the rain-soaked woodlands of coastal British Columbia. Animated from the bones of several local punk and metal bands, the new entity set out to combine a melodic blackened death assault with the ferocity and attitude of crust punk and classic rock and roll, jettisoning the burdens of ceremony and pomp that dominate the genre today. 

WORMWITCH released their first demo, 'The Long Defeat' in 2015, and shortly after signed to Prosthetic Records, under whom they released 'Strike Mortal Soil' (2017), 'Heaven that Dwells Within' (2019), and 'Wolf Hex' (2021). During that time the band toured with the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Suffocation, Midnight, Necrot, Uada, Bewitcher, and many others, earning themselves a dedicated cult following and international critical praise. In 2022, WORMWITCH struck out to independently release a string of singles and embark upon several tours of North America. After a busy festival season, 2024 saw the release of a six-song split with Atlanta black-thrashers Sadistic Ritual.

Now, with blades meticulously honed and tempered under the light of a feral Canadian moon, WORMWITCH emerges once more to offer their fourth full length record. Simply self-titled, “Wormwitch” is a statement of a band coming into it’s own - a revelrous celebration of devilish speed, searing melody and diabolical intensity.

Wormwitch Lineup:

Robin Harris: Bass, Vocals

Colby Hink: Guitars

Israel Langlais: Drums

Recording & Mixing: Michael Kraushaar at Little Red Sounds at New Westminster, BC

Mastering: Brad Boatright at Audiosiege

Guest vocals: Erlend Hjelvik (HJELVIK) on "The Helm And The Bow"

Cover Artwork: Abomination Hammer

Photos: Lucien Cyr

Links:

Bandcamp

Instagram

Facebook

Apple Music

Spotify

YouTube

Official Website

Pre-orders

Tracheotomy Announce EP + Drop "Deliberate Dehumanization" Video — WATCH // Announce Headline Tour

Tracheotomy, a violent force in the new Florida deathcore scene, have announced their destructive new EP Fixated Propensity For Destruction, produced by Bodysnatcher's Chris Whited. Pre-order it here.

The have also shared the take-no-prisoners video for the "Deliberate Dehumanization."

Watch it below.
 
 "Deliberate Dehumanization" delivers a relentless onslaught of guttural vocals, thunderous blasts, and bone-crushing riffs. Bringing together the hardcore violence of Hatebreed, the tech death ferocity of Necrophagist, and the vocal terror of Ion Dissonance, Fixated Propensity For Destruction will be unleashed July 19 on 1126 Records.

 About the single, vocalist Simon Mariante says, "This is definitely our most pissed off track. We wanted to take heavy elements of the genre, without getting stuck in the 'OG Deathcore' box. The song is a coalescence of every member's taste, something we'd mosh to, with a modern spin."

Catch Tracheotomy on their headlining tour this summer with Surfaced, Girl Of Glass, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

TRACHEOTOMY ON TOUR:
7/19 — Hollywood, FL — American Legion Post 92
7/20 — Orlando, FL — Conduit
7/21 — Augusta, GA — Grantski Records      
7/22 —Greenville, SC — Radio Room            
7/23 — Raleigh, NC — Schoolkid Records     
7/24 — Richmond, VA — Canal Club
7/25 — Hartford, CT — Webster Underground         
7/26 — Lake Como, NJ — Salty's        
7/27 — Brooklyn, NY — Kingsland     
7/28 — Albany, NY — Empire Underground  
7/29 — Erie, PA — Basement Transmissions
7/30 — Pittsburgh, PA — Preserving
7/31 — Detroit, MI — The Sanctuary
8/1 — Columbus, OH — Ace of Cups
8/3 — Cincinnati, OH — Madison Live           
8/4 — Chicago, IL — Beat Kitchen      
8/5 — Nashville, TN — The End         
8/6 — Atlanta, GA — Masquerade

Black Tusk Announce North American Tour

"Harder and heavier than ever" - Metal Sucks
Powerful, defiant music... a record that fills you with the urge to fight for the future, windmilling like a maniac" - Distorted Sound

"A raucous style of punky, hard rocking sludge, with minimum fuss and ample bursts of energy and ballsy aggression" - Angry Metal Guy

"Chaotic and raw, but also extremely catchy and memorable" - Metal Injection

"A no frills band that goes full throttle. Black Tusk are here to stay" - Heavy Music HQ

"An engine-wrecking riff-fest from the Savannah badlands" - Metal Hammer

"Black Tusk are pretty much the only Georgia metal act who still sound like they hail from the home state of Sandra Dee and Uga" - Invisible Oranges

"Alive, raw, furious, loud...they almost make your face vibrate" - Heavy Blog is Heavy

"Black Tusk's combination of sludge, rock, hardcore and death metal remains fluid, fertile and most importantly, full of life" - Pitchfork

Black Tusk came roaring out of the Savannah swamplands nearly twenty years ago, but they aren't looking back anytime soon. The sludge metal veterans just released their seventh album of heavy, no-frills riffs behind the strength of their new-yet-familiar lineup. Now, they're blazing ahead with a tour of North America to support The Way Forward.

"This record represents our steadfast resolve to keep making music together as a band and evolve our sound", says Andrew Fidler, Black Tusk's longtime guitarist and co-vocalist.

Catch Fidler, Black Tusk's steadfast drummer James May and the band's newest members Derek Lynch (bass, vocals) and Chris "Scary" Adams (guitar, vocals) as they tour across the American South, Midwest and West Coast. Along the way, they'll make a pit stop north of the border to perform "Brushfire", "Dance on Your Grave" and other songs from The Way Forward for their fans in Canada.

Joining for the ride are Brooklyn sludge metal band Somnuri and West Virginia stoners Horseburner.  

Black Tusk The Way Forward 2024 Tour

July 13 - Athens, GA @ The World Famous* [TICKETS]
July 14 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy* [TICKETS]
August 23 - Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia [TICKETS]
August 24 - Nashville, TN @ The End [TICKETS]
August 25 - Memphis, TN @ Growlers [TICKETS]
August 27 - Austin, TX @ The Lost Well [TICKETS]
August 28 - El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse [TICKETS]
August 29 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad [TICKETS]
August 30 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge [TICKETS]
August 31 - Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing [TICKETS]
September 1 - San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick [TICKETS]
September 3 - Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand [TICKETS]
September 4 - Fresno, CA @ Strummer's [TICKETS]
September 5  - San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge [TICKETS]
September 6 - Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theater Pub [TICKETS]
September 7 - Portland, OR @ The High Water Mark [TICKETS]
September 8 - Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt [TICKETS]
September 10 - Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club [TICKETS]
September 11 - Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper [TICKETS]
September 12 - Richland, WA @ Ray's Golden Lion [TICKETS]
September 13 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder [TICKETS]
September 14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Crucial Fest [TICKETS]
September 15 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive [TICKETS]
September 16 - Wichita, KS @ Wave [TICKETS]
September 17 - Tulsa, OK @ Whittier Bar [TICKETS]
September 18 - Dallas, TX @ Double Wide [TICKETS]
September 19 - New Orleans, LA @ The Goat [TICKETS]
September 20 - Jackson, MS @ Hal's and Mal's [TICKETS]
September 21 - Pensacola, FL @ The Handlebar [TICKETS]
*Black Tusk only

The Way Forward is out now on Season of Mist

Order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/black-tusk-the-way-forward

Stream: https://orcd.co/thewayforwardpresave

“The big theme of this record is putting your life back together.” That’s Black Tusk guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler talking about the band’s new album, The Way Forward. “When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create.” 

The Way Forward might be the Savannah swamp metal crew’s seventh album, but it marks many firsts for Black Tusk. It’s their first with their new lineup, which sees guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch joining Fidler and drummer James May. Which also makes it Black Tusk’s first record with a two-guitar lineup. “We were able to add leads and harmonies and all kinds of stuff on the new record that we haven’t done in the past,” Fidler says. “As far as our records go, this one has the most guitar work.”  

You can hear it in the squealing solo of “Dance on Your Grave,” the killer harmonies on ripper “Harness (The Alchemist),” and the glorious dual guitar interplay of the powerful title track.  

“‘The Way Forward’ is my favorite song on the record,” Fidler says. “It’s based on a personal experience that everyone can probably relate to. I got divorced in 2020, and I kinda felt like my entire world was collapsing when that happened. But I pulled myself out of it. I realized that this one thing ending in my life isn’t the end of everything. I’m gonna find a way forward. I’m gonna figure out how to live my life and create and be happy and make new relationships. Which is what I’ve done.”  

In true Black Tusk fashion, the new lineup has expanded their triple-vocal approach to quadruple. “Everyone is doing vocals,” Fidler says. “That’s always been a thing in Black Tusk. Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’ I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”   

That’s Lynch on lead single “Brushfire,” a song for which he wrote the main riffs and lyrical concept. “That was my first real contribution to the band,” the bassist says. “Thematically, I wanted the aggressiveness of the lyrics to keep with the idea of pushing forward even when the world is trying to drag you down. The mood of the lyrics needed to match the pulverizing tempo of the song.”  

The lyrics for second single “Dance on Your Grave” were written by May, who moved from Savannah to Athens, GA, in the time since Black Tusk’s last album. “It’s about his struggles through Covid and what this lifestyle can do to people,” Fidler says. “It’s about getting past the party lifestyle and continuing to do things that are creative.”  

Meanwhile, “Breath of Life” distills Black Tusk’s lyrical philosophy into a righteous five-minute pummeling. “Scary came up with the main riff of this song, and it’s one of my favorite riffs on the record,” Fidler says. “I wrote the lyrics, and it’s just about darkness crushing everything. The world is a fucked-up place that we have to navigate through. That’s what a lot of Black Tusk songs are about.”  

Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Adams’ own Hidden Audio studio just outside of Savannah. Adams engineered the album and the whole band produced. “I actually helped him build the studio in the detached garage next to his house,” Fidler explains. “Me and my carpentry company went out there to do it, and Scary helped.”  

“We had about 90% of the riffs and song structures going into the studio, while still experimenting with ideas and inspirations,” Adams explains. “Sometimes we completely reworked parts, which made all the difference. For example, early versions of ‘Breath of Life’ and ‘The Way Forward’ are quite different than the record, and I love where they ended up. Though we did use a few effects and synths here and there for texture and space, to me this record still feels raw and powerful. It captures the feeling of being at a Black Tusk show.”  

The cover art for The Way Forward was done by Brian Mercer, who also created the sleeve for Black Tusk’s 2018 album, T.C.B.T. “T.C.B.T. had a dark cover because it was a dark time for the band,” Fidler says, referring to the period immediately after the passing of their longtime friend and bassist Jonathan Athon. “This time, it’s full blown, full-color Black Tusk. Brian Mercer and James collaborated on the concept, and Brian really knocked it out of the park.”  

“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”  

Line-up:

Andrew Fidler: guitar, vocals
James May: drums, vocals
Derek Lynch: bass, vocals
Chris "Scary" Adams: guitar, vocals

Recording Studio
Hidden Audio

Producer/sound engineer
Chris "Scary" Adams

Mixing studio and engineer
Chris "Scary" Adams

Mastering studio and engineer
Brad Boatright at Audiosiege

Cover artwork
Brian Mercer

Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/black-tusk-the-way-forward
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/thewayforwardpresave
 

Follow Black Tusk:
https://blacktusk.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tcbt/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackTusk
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7iontmL8hXqoJcSA5oTZqa
https://twitter.com/BlackTusk
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/black-tusk/292231967

VOLA Announce New Album 'Friend Of A Phantom' Out November 1 via Mascot Records + Release New Official Music Video "Break My Lying Tongue"

VOLA have announced their new studio album ‘Friend of a Phantom’ which will be released via Mascot Records on November 1. In celebration of today's announcement, the quartet have revealed the official video for their new song, “Break My Lying Tongue”. The band will also play festivals over the summer and their headline Friend of a Phantom European tour begins also on November 1 (tickets available here). Pre-order 'Friend Of A Phantom' here, stream "Break My Lying Tongue" here, and watch the official music video below.

It has been three years since the release of VOLA's defining album, ‘Witness’. It was a sonic assault that captured their signature blend of thoughtful labyrinthine narratives with crushing riffs and experimental sophistication. Heavy/quiet and dark/light were combined with elements of tech-metal, progressive alt-rock, electronica, and stadium-sized choruses. Surpassing an incredible 27.5 million streams, the album was lauded with international acclaim from Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, Distorted Sound and Kerrang Radio & TV in the UK, reaching #7 in the Rock & Metal Album Charts. SiriusXM picked them up for multiple tracks, also featuring on the SXM Liquid Metal Next Wave Concert Series. The album also reached the Top 20 in the Billboard Current Hard Rock Charts, Top 25 in the Billboard New Artist/Heatseekers Album Chart, and named one of Loudwire's albums of the year.

VOLA has since wrapped up two tours of the US with several venues upgraded due to overwhelming demand, as well as sold-out shows in New York, Chicago and the iconic Troubadour in Los Angeles, where the band struck up a friendship with In Flames' Anders Fridén - who features on the new album. Their first tour of Canada resulted in sold-out shows in Toronto and Montreal, and they rounded off the continent with triumphant South American shows in Mexico, Brazil, and a sold-out show in Chile.

The Danish-Swedish quartet - Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar), Martin Werner (keys), Nicolai Mogensen (bass), and Adam Janzi (drums) - are now, to set free their fourth studio album. Their strength has always been combining a multitude of ideas within a single song, packing it in with a grandiose power that can be as ferocious as it can be delicate.  

Talking about their evolution, Janzi says, "We have had the time to internalise ‘Witness’ and let its aftermath sink in, which has shaped how we approached ‘Friend Of A Phantom’. Our personal tastes have changed, the way we approach our instruments and songwriting has changed, our lives have changed, time has passed, and adventures have been had. Whatever piece of melancholy that ‘Witness'had, has just grown and become a central part of this new album. I feel that VOLA has grown and reached a new moment in its life, maturing."

With the announcement of the new album, they have revealed the video for "Break My Lying Tongue". The song showcases VOLA's signature blend of introspective lyrics and intricate soundscapes, offering a deep dive into themes of misalignment and emotional vulnerability. With its haunting melodies and thought-provoking lyrics, it stands out as a powerful and evocative piece.

Last year they released the first taster of new material when they dropped "Paper Wolf". Talking about the song, Mygind offers, "We never put boundaries on our songwriting but merely search for a direction that feels unexplored and exciting to us. With 'Paper Wolf,' we suddenly found ourselves in a territory where an old-school metal atmosphere crept into our blend of sounds. We liked what we heard and then ran with it at full speed.”

"Cannibal" kicks off ‘Friend of a Phantom’. Featuring In Flames’ Anders Fridén on vocals, it plants a marker in the ground for what you're about to experience as the album navigates around the hypnotically ethereal "We Will Not Disband" through to "Hollow Kid", with Mogensen “Frankenstein riff,” as he explains, “I wanted to blend the essence of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" with the low tuning and polyrhythms of Meshuggah. The song's intro riff was the result, and it inspired the rest of the track."

VOLA has been one of Europe's most exciting metal bands in recent years, catapulting them onto the international stage. They've become a formidable live draw that has seen them also tour with Devin Townsend - including playing the Royal Albert Hall London; they've opened for Evanescence and played festivals such as ArcTanGent (UK), Graspop (Belgium), Tuska (Finland), Roskilde (Denmark), Copenhell (Denmark), CL Prog (Chile) and more. 

Talking about the touring, Janzi opens up: "It is very tough with all the travelling, short nights, and intense work. But it is so rewarding! Playing music, meeting nice people from all over the world, and seeing these places. Culture is important!"

Known for their innovative approach to progressive metal, VOLA continues to captivate audiences with their blend of intense rhythmic complexity and poignant lyrical narratives. With this perpetual evolution, the pressure doesn't consume them. "There is always the pressure of continuing to climb the mountain," reflects Janzi. "Embracing change and whatever new chapters may wait around the corner is a way to make life more enjoyable."

VOLA Is:

Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar)

Martin Werner (keys)

Nicolai Mogensen (bass)

Adam Janzi (drums)