Spy-themed surf rock from GUITARMY OF ONE. New single ‘Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’ is out now

July 4, 2023

“An accomplished ex-punk who has made the striking transition to atmospheric soundtracks” ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Helland has tapped something interesting and, dare we say, magical... Soundtracks for the movie in our minds" ~ PopMatters

"Fom hardcore punk to thrash metal, to folk-punk cabaret, to working with J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), and more; Helland never fails to surprise with his continuous evolution as an artist" ~ Ghost Cult Magazine

"Outlandish, playful, mysterious... plays out like the soundtrack to an old detective television show" ~ Alt77

NYC-based surf rock artist Guitarmy of One presents the single ‘Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’, the first taste of his forthcoming album ‘The Wave Files’. Crowdfunded via Kickstarter, this record picks up where ‘The Spy Detective Collective’ LP left off.

Guitarmy of One is the solo project of guitarist Scott Helland, who combines the thrilling sounds of spy-themed instrumental surf guitar music with punk vitality. Taking listeners on a sonic adventure to the realms of intrigue, danger and surf-soaked excitement, Helland channels that raw and unconventional spirit into a quirky fusion of genres.

Helland got his start playing bass guitar in the 80s-90s hardcore punk scene, first with Deep Wound, which he formed with J Mascis and Lou Barlow (of Dinosaur Jr.) and later with East Coast hardcore and crossover thrash stalwarts Outpatients, School of Violence and Darkside NYC. Going solo in the mid-90s, he released numerous eclectic instrumental albums before forming post-punk dark pop cabaret duo Frenchy and the Punk in 2005 with French singer Samantha Stephenson.

"I wanted this album to be music you want to travel with - in your mind or physically. It’s action music, and I think it should ignite your imagination and take you on a journey. Wordless music relies on the visuals it creates so if it can take you on a sonic adventure across continents, or at least counties, my work is done," says Scott Helland.

"The idea for this album is rooted in spy and detective shows from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I want the music to be a sonic equivalent of those shows and movies where you’re riding the waves of intrigue and espionage so the music has to match that sense of urgency and excitement."

Influenced by Spanish guitar, punk and metal, Guitarmy of One conjures up images of secret agents, high-speed chases, and hidden agendas through his intricate layered compositions. His mix of surf guitar techniques (i.e. reverb-drenched chords, lightning-fast tremolo picking, and tremolo bar vibrato albeit with a Bigsby bridge pedal) creates a sonic landscape that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

As a full-fledged espionage-inspired surf rock act, Guitarmy of One takes us on a thrilling musical journey, blending the realms of instrumental guitar, surf music and the mystique of spy themes within the one person band format. Helland weaves his mysterious and generous acoustic-electric melodies over propulsive spy riffs and electro beats, layering and building patiently toward engrossing payoffs.

Scott Helland explains, "Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’ is inspired by the 1966 song by Johnny Rivers ’Secret Agent Man’. It starts with a reverb soaked low guitar octave and then goes into the main driving bass line and drum beat and the reverbed guitars blast in after that. It was one of the last songs I wrote for the album so naturally I thought it should be the first single as it has this fresh upbeat vibe. I think for the first single it captures the excitement of The Waves Files theme."

Guitarmy of One’s live performances are a spectacle as the stage becomes a laboratory of sound, as layers of guitar riffs, bass lines, and percussion intertwine and overlap, creating a lush and dynamic musical tapestry. Armed with a guitar, loop pedals, drum pads and an array of effects pedals, Helland creates a symphony of sound right before your eyes.

As of June 23, "Top Secret Agent Man on a Wire Tapped Phone at Sea’ will be available across digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the full album can already be pre-ordered. On August 18, 'The Wave Files' album will be released on CD, as well as digitally.

CREDITS
Written, performed and produced by Scott Helland
All instrumentation by Scott Helland
Engineered by Jason Sarubbi Split Rock Studio, New Paltz, NY
Mastered by Jason Sarubbi
Cover Art by Nukui Bogard
Layout and Single Design Samantha Stephenson
Video Filmed and Edited by Guitarmy of One
Artist photos by Samantha Stephenson

CLOAK Premieres Crushing New Single, "Seven Thunders"

March 28, 2023

Blackened heavy metal masters CLOAK are now unveiling the crushing new single, "Seven Thunders," which is taken from their upcoming third full-length, 'Black Flame Eternal!' The song can be found along with a lyric video, which was created by CLOAK frontman Scott Taysom.

Cloak comments:
"The Lord thundered from Heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals.”

"A song based more in religious mythology and tradition, 'Seven Thunders' is a tale of the end times."

CLOAK is following up 2019's 'The Burning Dawn,' which was named one of the Best Albums of the year by Metal Insider (#6), A&P Reacts (#8), Treble Zine (#11), and others.

'Black Flame Eternal' is due on May 26, 2023 and can be pre-saved across all streaming services HERE and pre-ordered HERE.

CLOAK will be performing a hometown album release performance, which will take place place at The Earl in Atlanta, GA on June 10!

Prior to that, the band will be performing at the Carolina Chainsaw Massacre Fest II in Greensboro, NC on May 6 followed by an appearance at the inaugural Hell in the Harbor festival, which takes place the weekend of the album's release in Baltimore, MD. All dates and tickets can be found below!

CLOAK Live U.S. Dates:
05/06: Greensboro, NC @ Carolina Chainsaw Massacre Fest II [TICKETS]
05/27-28: Baltimore, MD @ Hell in the Harbor Fest [TICKETS]
06/10: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl [TICKETS] **HOMETOWN SHOW**

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” - Rudyard Kipling

In an era that is designed to beat down and weaken the individual, Black Flame Eternal is an album that represents strength, empowerment, and total opposition. With mounting pressure to engage in modern societal tribalism, Cloak invokes a spiritual rebellion that exists beyond good and evil with album number three.

“All of our albums are created with a spiritual focus, dealing with how we see life, death, and everything in between. I think the earlier records dealt more with the mysteries that surrounded delving deeper into the world of dark spirituality, whereas the new material has taken what we’ve learned and used it to move forward with force,” says Cloak frontman Scott Taysom of the record’s underlying philosophy. “Black Flame Eternal is a statement of spiritual empowerment in every sense. For the first time we want people to grasp on to this sentiment, instead of keeping it completely personal within our world of Cloak. The themes and the sheer power can be felt much more within the songs that this album contains."

“Our goal is complete spiritual liberation, which is where true power and freedom exists,” he adds. “We’ve reached a point in history where people are forced to pick a side or to join a team, so to speak. Cloak stands in complete opposition to this. We aim to be a giant middle finger in the face of the empty modern world.”

While Cloak might rage against societal conventions, the Atlanta quartet embraces the rebellious and time-tested traditions of heavy metal. Whether it be the conjuring the chaotic spirit of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain and Dissection, summoning the deep, dark and sensual groove of Danzig, or evoking the raw speed and raucous energy of Motörhead, the influence of metal’s founding fathers is deep within Cloak’s DNA. Cloak’s charm, however, does not merely lie within its romanticism of the past, but rather is the way each of these genres has shaped Cloak’s own personal identity. And with Black Flame Eternal, the record sees Cloak continue to strengthen its own unique established sound.

Cloak recognizes the importance of a band’s third record, with Taysom explaining, “These influences will always be important to us, as they are some of the best and most important bands of our time. On the other hand, what is so special about getting to the third record of our career is that inspiration starts to move inwards. We had enough experience and material at this point to really know what we do best and how we can utilize these skills in the best way possible. If you look at some of the most iconic bands, their third albums were massive steps towards greatness. So to us, we feel our third record will be a very important one in our time as a band.”

The Atlantan’s evolution is evident in the fury displayed on Black Flame Eternal,which flawlessly compliments the grandiose melodic atmosphere. “This was a conscious effort. Early on before the album even started, I knew it was going to be a much more aggressive and powerful album. I wanted to take a step away from certain sounds and add a bit of brutality back in. The overall vibe matches who we are much more, so it was only fitting to move towards this sound. It almost feels like we are going back to our roots as people in certain ways,” explains Taysom.

Black Flame Eternal follows up sophomore effort The Burning Dawn, which was released in November 2019, with hell unleashing its fury on the globe just a few short months later. As plans to tour the new album around the world came to a screeching halt, the band did not stagger or falter, and instead used this gift of time to write. When reflecting upon the lost years and its impact, Taysom seemingly embraces the situation with little regrets, “Considering Cloak is a sacred space for us, these exterior things did not have as much of an impact as one might think. But it was impossible to ignore some of what was going on throughout these tumultuous years. It’s bound to affect people’s personal lives and the way the mind works during these interesting times. One thing that it did greatly affect was the fact that we could not promote The Burning Dawn properly after the one U.S. tour we did with 1349. We feel this hurt the record, but there was nothing we could do. We were one of the earliest out of the gate after venues started to open back up, and we’ve been continuing to tour in promotion of that album all the way up until now.”

Cloak utilized every minute of this time to focus on fully realizing its vision for Black Flame Eternal. “The initial stage of the writing process started in January of 2020, and lasted all the way until May 2021. It was the longest spanning album process for us so far, with many long days, nights, and weeks trying to piece the songs together the best we could.” While the record did not come together swiftly or easily, the care and attention put into its creation is evident in its powerful composition.

Making up for lost time, these road warriors have already embarked on several high profile North American tours since the autumn of 2021, commanding audiences in every major city with their chaos magick. Each performance merges the spirit of black metal with the backbone of rock ‘n’ roll as the band consistently delivers a blistering set from start to finish. Taysom describes Cloak’s live approach as “a mixture of ethereal atmosphere and total abrasive chaos. The mixture of these two opposing energies is where Cloak lies; the meeting of high and low. To us, this is where the most interesting moments happen, both emotionally and physically.”

With no borders or boundaries, Cloak is ready to embark on this new chapter as the leader of its own pack. The band bows to no one, forging its own path as one of the governing metal forces of this decade as ‘Black Flame Eternal’ promises to scorch the earth and leave its hallowed mark.

Lineup:
Scott Taysom - vocals/guitar
Max Brigham – guitar
Billy C. Robinson – bass
Sean Bruneau - drums

Links:
http://www.facebook.com/cloakofficial
https://www.instagram.com/cloak_atlanta/
https://cloakatlanta.bandcamp.com/

Recording Studio: The Green House

Mixing: Cameron Webb

Mastering: Audiosiege

Cover Art: Jordan Barlow

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

Pre-order (Worldwide): https://cloakatlanta.bandcamp.com/
Pre-order (U.S.): https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/band/cloak

NOVA KOLOSO Release Official Music Video for "Hallucinate Your Faith"!

November 1, 2022

Baltimore based, Alternative Rock trio NOVA KOLOSOhas released the official music video for "Hallucinate Your Faith." The title single off of their upcoming, sophomore album, set to release 11/8/2022 via BIG CURVE MUSIC, "Hallucinate Your Faith" was directed by Mark Colegrove and features footage from the public domain film “The Arrival,” a 1980 promotional film for the UFO cult, Church of Unarius.

"With Hallucinate Your Faith, we were interested in creating a wall of intricate sounds, textures, and deep heavy grooves. I think the growth from our first album just a year ago is immense, and everything we’re striving for as a band really shines thru on this album.” – MARK COLEGROVE

Pre-Order 'Hallucinate Your Faith' Online NOW!

Nova Koloso was born during the pandemic and released their first self-titled album in early 2021. While brothers Mark and Tom Colegrove were able to play together on a handful of tracks, the remainder of the album was finished by Mark alone as the pandemic waned on.

“Hallucinate Your Faith” is the celebration of the two being able to play together in person once again, along with a few new collaborators including Ken Moore handling the majority of bass duties, along with guest appearances from Jenny Rae Mettee (Fun Never Starts) and Fiona Crowley (Handapple).

The album was mixed and mastered by Steve Wright at Wright Way Studios in Baltimore.
The new album: ‘Hallucinate Your Faith’ includes 8 brand new tracks. The CD includes a bonus track: a cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Supernaut”

Catch NOVA KOLOSO LIVE:
11/05 @ 49 West – Annapolis, MD w/ Swampcandy, The Shit, Daphnie Eckman
11/20 @ Hank Dietles – Rockville, MD w/ American Jetset, The Neuro Farm