BLACKBRIAR - Release New Song 'My Soul's Demise'

Having refined their broody, mesmerizing vision of gothic/symphonic metal to cinematic levels, with three EPs and a full-length album behind them, BLACKBRIAR continue to set their sails towards the future. The Netherlands based band are currently working towards their second full-length album, accompanied by long-time collaborator, Joost van den Broek. Today, the band have released a brand-new song titled 'My Soul´s Demise'.

Stream 'My Soul´s Demise' here: 
https://blackbriar.bfan.link/my-soul-s-demise

Watch the new video for 'My Souls Demise' below:

Singer, Zora Cock about the new song:  

"My Soul's Demise is a song about love and pain, where you're willing to do anything for the one you love, no matter what, even if that means that it will destroy you in the meantime. Yet sometimes you wonder, would that person do the same for you? It's inspired by the medieval practice of sin-eating, a ritual where mourning families hired a sin eater to consume their loved ones' sins. The sin eater would eat food left on the dead person's chest. The food was believed to have absorbed the deceased's lingering sins. Sin eaters were paid next to nothing for their service, they were reviled, and seen as filthy people, full of sins. Villagers even avoided looking them in the eye. I learned about the sin-eater when watching an episode of Outlander, where a sin-eating ritual got introduced. 

"Now it gets a bit more personal. While reading about the sin-eating ritual, and writing the lyrics, it reminded me of a story my dad once told me. A long time ago, my dad suffered from psychosis and was admitted to a psychiatric clinic. He told me a lot about his experiences, what it was like, and how his mind worked at that moment. He thought he was the devil incarnate, possessed by something dark, and he felt like everyone felt his evil presence as he walked by, everyone would flinch away from him. This made me write the bridge of the song “No one can even look me in the eye, everybody is flinching away from me as I pass by”. Somehow the story of a medieval sin-eater reminded me exactly of the way my dad explained how he felt, as if he had consumed the world’s sins and darkness. 

"I read about the last known sin eater of England as well, which was a very heartfelt story. His name was Richard Munslow, and he died in 1906. It is believed that the tragic loss of four of his children at very early ages that died within one week may be the reason he resurrected the macabre ritual. This made me write the song from the perspective of willing to do anything for the ones you love.

"The songwriting process of My Soul’s Demise went pretty fast. After writing the lyrics, I recorded some of my vocal ideas a cappella. This is how we mostly start writing a new song. I then sent it to René, with a note saying that it sucks and that he could probably throw it in the bin right away. Haha! Luckily he didn’t throw it away, and he actually liked what he heard, and made the basics for the song that same night. We brought the draft version of the song to our producer Joost van den Broek, and worked on it some more. Another instrumental part was added, so I needed to come up with some more vocals for that extra part. This was the more ‘quiet’ bridge part where I am doing some weird stuff. I wanted to do something with my voice as if I just consumed so many sins that I couldn’t handle it anymore, as if it had taken over my body, sort of possessed, and got inspired by Anna von Hausswolff.

"We shot the music video at a medieval 12th-century church in the north of the Netherlands, and it took us two days to shoot it all. I always get fascinated by the atmosphere of standing in such an old building, shooting this video there felt perfect and so fitting. We were very lucky to be able to get all the freedom and time to be creative. 

"Another thing that was perfect, is that the whole band portrayed a role in this story, even our ex-bass player Frank. Frank played the corpse, and it felt like we held a funeral for his bass-playing years for Blackbriar, celebrating the awesome time we spent together. A symbolic farewell. For this video, we needed some extra actors to witness the ritual. We opened up a casting call to my Patrons, so the people you see sitting in the benches are all Patrons. But not only Patrons, you can also see my parents! For me, the video story itself was more challenging than other videos we did so far. I can say that I gave it my all, and I hope that you feel something when watching it. It’s one of the more personal songs of the album." 

About BLACKBRIAR:
Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, Blackbriar crafted their first single in 2014 with 'Ready to Kill,' but it was 2015’s second single 'Until Eternity' that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the band with over 18.1 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding them, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP laid down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal, breath-taking sound, and brought about new opportunities, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where they played alongside EPICA, HALESTORM, IN THIS MOMENT, DELAIN and MAYAN. To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, We’d Rather Burn, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek, and this fruitful collaboration allowed BLACKBRIAR’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for 'I’d Rather Burn,' the EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. Keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) began to take on a larger role and began playing shows, having been involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.

A busy 2019 followed, the band released the haunting single 'Snow White and Rose Red' in May. A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairy tales featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairy tale realms, BLACKBRIAR closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breath-taking musicianship, the EP brought about new live opportunities as well. Small, sold-out tours with EPICA in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold-out opening performance for Delain’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with future plans then put on hold due to COVID-19. Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, BLACKBRIAR reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fanbase for assistance to make their full-length debut album a reality in 2020.

Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours, ending with a total of € 70,000. It was an impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which shows their strong internet presence, with over 214,000 YouTube subscribers and 46.1 million channel views, as well as 27.6 million Spotify streams and 150,000 monthly listeners. Entering 2021, the band relinquished a bit of control in signing with Doomstar Bookings to help properly support their first full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, which was released in April. It was recorded with renowned producer Joost van den Broek (Epica, Ayreon, Powerwolf) at Sandlane Recording Facilities, and this release showcased the band’s continued evolution into masterfully dark gothic storytelling and theatrical aesthetics. On the live front, the band launched into success with six sold-out Dutch club shows, later extending into more European territories such as Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and the Czech Republic.

Despite a very successful 2021, the band still hungered for more, unleashing their latest single, 'Fairy of the Bog' in December. The track is a mixture of folklore, myth, and ancient local history in a more mystical and magical package, showcasing what BLACKBRIAR does best. In April, the band parted ways with founding member and bassist Frank Akkerman, welcoming Siebe Sol Sijpkens from The Netherlands as their new bassist. A happy and energetic performer with a lifetime of global performances, he is a welcome addition to the act as they continue to strive forward. With their vision looking firmly into the future, with a major label behind them, they’ve set their sights on 2023 to conjure their most deadly siren song yet. With accolades behind them, such as being nominated three times for ‘Best Artist’ in EuroSonic/Noorderslag‘s Popgala Noord Awards (2018, 2020, 2022), and continued fan support with current monthly streaming totals on YouTube and Spotify nearing 1 million streams, the world is primed and ready for a spectacular journey ahead. BLACKBRIAR continues to soar, ready to lure you into the sea to be swept away by addictive hooks, cinematic soundscapes, and darkly whimsical storytelling.

BLACKBRIAR is:
Zora Cock - VOCALS
René Boxem - DRUMS
Bart Winters - GUITARS
Robin Koezen - GUITARS
Siebe Sol Sijpkens - BASS
Ruben Wijga - KEYS

STONED JESUS Reveals New Song, "Get What You Deserve"

Ukrainian psychedelic rock trio STONED JESUS will release its new album, 'Father Light,' on March 3, 2023 via Season of Mist, making it the band's debut to the label! The band is now sharing the sludgy new song, "Get What You Deserve," which can be heard below!

Lead vocalist and guitarist Igor Sydorenko comments on the track: "We previewed 'Get What You Deserve' live on our autumn dates in 2022 and all the people absolutely loved it, even without hearing the studio version first! I love how the first and the last parts are almost the same riff, but then you also have this weird atmospheric breakdown in the middle. The lyrics were written with an environmental message in mind, but I guess they could be taken differently now...Either way, please enjoy this track and expect it to be the main set closer during our 'Father Light' tour!"

For those who might be unfamiliar with STONED JESUS, the band is well-known for their explosive single, "I Am The Mountain," which reached a whopping 15 million views on YouTube! The iconic clip can be found HERE.

Pre-orders for 'Father Light' are now live and can be found HERE.

Pre-save 'Father Light' on your favorite streaming service HERE.

STONED JESUS recently announced their appearance on the mighty Hellfest of 2023! More information on tours/festival for 2023 will be announced on a later stage.

Ukrainian prog-stoner trio STONED JESUS held their first rehearsal since the Russian invasion in the middle of July 2022. It was a moment the band dubbed as “surreal” and justifiably so — the regular ritual of band practice was made impossible by the war. The members of STONED JESUS — Igor Sydorenko (vocals/guitar), Sergii Sliusar (bass) and Dmytro Zinchenko (drums) — captured the moment for their social media channels. A broad smile of defiance and satisfaction can be seen on their faces. Regardless of the senseless havoc and destruction reaped upon their homeland, STONED JESUS would play on. It was the resumption of a music career temporarily thwarted but not defeated by evil.
 
Since 2009, STONED JESUS has served as one of Ukraine’s leading forces in heavy rock. Sydorenko, a veteran of the Ukrainian music scene, formed the band after stumbling upon some heavy and angry riffs that would become the song “Occult.” He fed off his Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin influences and was soon turned onto Electric Wizard and Sleep, two bands who mastered the art of bold, lurching heaviness, thus creating a sonic template to abide by.
 
The band was initially dubbed “STONED JESUS from the Outer Space” but shortened to the much crisper Stoned Jesus. The name was trimmed down out of necessity — Sydorenko wanted to legitimize the band immediately. “I realized that this may cause some problems,” he told the Psychedelic Baby webzine in 2010. “Some people wouldn’t take our music seriously, then. I don’t mind jokes and having fun, but music is always the most serious thing for me.”
 
Two demos ensued before STONED JESUS’s debut LP, 2010’s First Communion. Recorded in two hours, First Communion was a promising offering that dove headlong into the world of heavy stoner rock, with three songs going over the ten-minute mark for hypnotic effect. The album eventually saw a proper reissue in 2020, introducing it to a new group of fans. Seven Thunders Roar followed in 2012 and included “I’m the Mountain,” a 16-minute epic jam that has since become a live staple. The album also introduced a bevy of acoustic guitar and softer vocal approaches from Sydorenko.
 
The Harvest came next in 2015, deftly transitioning Stoned Jesus from sludge into new terrain, including alternative and progressive rock. This is a credit to Sydorenko’s evolving songwriting style and desire to never allow STONED JESUS to repeat itself. “It works brilliantly for the likes of Motörhead or AC/DC, but we’re not that legendary yet,” he told Outlaws of the Sun webzine in 2015. “So, let’s experiment, shall we? Let’s play with the genres, the sound, the song structures, the melodies, the timings — yes, my favorite trick!”
 
Pilgrim came next in 2018, which until now, has been the band’s career-defining moment. Stoned Jesus’s original plans were to record its follow-up in 2020. That, of course, was sidelined by the pandemic. The band then entered Spivaki Records in Kharkiv in July 2021 to record nine songs at 75 minutes. Two-thirds of the material was mixed and mastered before the invasion, leaving the final run-time of six songs at 43 minutes.
 
The result is Father Light, the band’s first for Season of Mist. The album catches Stoned Jesus in full bloom. The foundational elements of STONED JESUS’s sound remain (fuzzed-out rock, driving bass lines and maximum groove) and are once again augmented by the combination of Sydorenko’s gentle clean vocals and hook-laden chorus choices, along with an array of ornamental guitar melodies. And, in true STONED JESUS fashion, the journey is often the reward: The cuts on Father Light expand and shift — all the while, the band’s trademark heaviness serves as the guide.
 
STONED JESUS subsequently resumed live activity in July 2022 with European festival dates and runs with countrymen (and labelmates) Somali Yacht Club and then VOVK. The shows provided the band the opportunity to air two of the songs that would end up on Father Light: “Con” and “Porcelain.” Moreover, the dates were an outlet for the band to connect with waiting audiences who supported their music and cause of raising money to help those impacted by the war.
 
The idea that music is the ultimate escape has never rung truer in light of what happened to Ukraine in 2022. The prospect of brighter days lies ahead, making the Father Light album title even more appropriate.

As 2022 drew to a close, the members of STONED JESUS posted their final message for the year, epitomizing their resilience and optimism:
 
All the missiles in the world can’t destroy freedom. Nothing will stop truth.

Line-up:
Lead-Vocals and Guitar: Igor Sydorenko
Bass and backing vocals: Sergii Sliusar
Drums and backing vocals: Dmytro Zinchenko

Recording studio - Spivaki Records, Ukraine
Producer / sound engineer - Artem Altunin and Dmytro Zinchenko
Mastering: Metropolis Studio, London, UK - Andy “Hippy” Baldwin

Recording line-up
- Igor Sydorenko (Arlekin, Voida, Krobak, Snakerider) – lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, organ on track 3
- Dmytro Zinchenko (Doomed City, Orkectr Che, Sekunda Kota, Smeyushiysa Tigr, Small Depo) – drums and percussion, backing vocals
- Sergii Sliusar – bass, backing vocals

Links:
instagram.com/stonedjesusband
http://facebook.com/stonedjesusband
twitter.com/stonedjesusband
youtube.com/c/StonedJesus
stonedjesus.bandcamp.com

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/stoned-light
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/STJ-FL

Photocredit: Mateusz Kluba
Artwork: Anton Pcholkin
Bio: David E. Gehlke

Booking:
Sound Of Liberation
facebook.com/soundofliberation
instagram.com/soundofliberation

Formats:
Digital
Digipak
Vinyl in various colours 
Merchandise

OMEGA INFINITY Launches New Song, "Death Rays"

Void metal outfit OMEGA INFINITY, the project of Xenoyr (NE OBLIVISCARIS) and Tentakel P. (TODTGELICHTER), is firing off "Death Rays," the brand new single ft. guest vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft! The song is taken from the band's upcoming full-length, 'The Anticurrent.' Step into the galactic void and listen at THIS LOCATION and watch the video Below.

OMEGA INFINITY comments: "The life cycle of the universe comes to a close. Stars are dying. Cosmos devouring itself. Piercing rays of light incinerating all that is left. Everything that ever was implodes into one supermassive Black Hole. The next Big Bang is imminent and the cycle will start again. We will see you on the other side of The Void soon!"

ICYMI: The band previously revealed a mind-boggling 360° VR music video for the first single, "Iron Age," which can be found HERE.

"The Anticurrent" is due on February 24 and can be pre-saved HERE pre-ordered HERE.

OMEGA INFINITY: The story of the endless cycle of birth and death told on a cosmic scale, being viewed from The Void that permeates the whole existence.
The debut album “Solar Spectre” (released in 2020 by Season Of Mist) created a dark and disturbing soundtrack for a journey through our own solar system, combining furious Black Metal of the 90‘s, harsh electronic and menacing ambient sounds with ancient growls and screams and gathered overwhelmingly positive press and fan response when it was first unleashed upon earth.

Not content with only one small statement and following their greater vision for The Void, Tentakel P. (TODTGELICHTER) and Xen (NE OBLIVISCARIS/ ANTIQVA) had already finished their sophomore album at that time, with only the pandemic preventing the vocal recordings and thus an earlier release. 

“The Anticurrent” unleashed a very different view of The Void unto the listener. Rather than the blackness of space, the second album explores Time: From the Big Bang and the chaotic birth of the universe, the album’s focus moves through the rise and fall of human civilisation, while zooming back out to a cosmic scale to witness the inevitable end of the universe in the menacing finale. 

No OMEGA INFINITY album would be complete without cover versions (SEAR BLISS and EMPEROR) and the addition of friends as guests to the ensemble: Heralding The End together with the band are (in order of appearance) Adrienne Cowan (SEVEN SPIRES/ AVANTASIA), Lindsay Schoolcraft (ANTIQVA/ ex-CRADLE OF FILTH), Andras Nagy (SEAR BLISS) and Marta J. Braun (TODTGELICHTER/ VYRE).

If you ever wanted to know how a myriad of Black Holes devouring themselves in a time distortion sound – look no further than OMEGA INFINITY’s sophomore album “The Anticurrent”!

Style: Void/ Black metal

Cover art: Adrien Bousson

Line-up:
Xenoyr
Tentakel P.

Recording line-up:
Xenoyr (NE OBLIVISCARIS, ANTIQVA, SPIINE): Vocals
Tentakel P (TODTGELICHTER, ENMERKAR a.m.m.) :  Everything else

Guest musicians:

Adrienne Cowan (SEVEN SPIRES) – Clean vocals and screams on „Iron Age“
Lindsay Schoolcraft (ANTIQVA, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH a.m.m.)– speech and screams on „Death Rays“
András Nagy (SEAR BLISS) – screams on „Voices From The End Of Time“ and „Night Journey“
Marta J. Braun (TODTGELICHTER, VYRE) – clean vocals and screams on „Ye Entranceemperium“

Recording studio: Deep Void Studio

Producer / Mixing engineer: Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio)
Vocal Engineering For Xen By Xenoyr And Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio)
Vocal Recordings By Adrienne Cowan herself
Adrienne Cowan Appears Courtesy Of Frontiers Music
Vocal Recordings For Lindsay Schoolcraft By Tyler Williams (Monolithic Prod.)
Vocal Recordings For András Nagy By Viktor Scheer (Intercellar Studio)
Vocal Recordings For Marta J. Braun By Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio)
All Other Recordings, Engineering And Mix By Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio)
 

Mastering studio and engineer: Markus Stock At Klangschmiede Studio E. Mellrichstadt

Biography: Omega Infinity

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/thedeepdarkvoid
https://www.instagram.com/omegainfinity666/
https://omegainfinity.bandcamp.com/
 

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Omega-Infinity-TA
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/oi-anticurrent

Available Formats:
CD digipak
Digital
12” vinyl in various colours
Merchandise

ROTTEN SOUND Reveals Music Video for New Song, "Suburban Bliss"

The apocalypse is nigh and Finnish grindcore entity ROTTEN SOUND has crafted the perfect soundtrack to accompany humanity’s impending extinction. Aptly titled ‘Apocalypse,’ the band’s eighth studio album is dropping into 2023 with the same blistering speed and chaotic impetus as an asteroid searing through atmosphere and crushing everything upon impact.

Each song delivering abrupt yet violent aftershocks, delivering an auditory assault with its unstoppable, seismic force. The band is now sharing the vicious second single, "Suburban Bliss," along with a music video, which can be found below.

'Apocalypse' is due on March 31, 2023!

In addition, ROTTEN SOUND is now launching pre-orders for 'Apocalypse,' which cab be found HERE.

The album can be pre-saved across streaming services HERE.

ROTTEN SOUND have firmly established themselves as one of the leading acts of the grindcore scene. Expertly wielding the fierce brutality and massive aggression of their genre, the Finns add intelligent songwriting, effective arrangements, and musical proficiency as well as subtle death metal elements to their sound.

Their forthcoming album ‘Apocalypse’ embodies those aforementioned virtues to the point. The full length delivers eighteen short sharp chops that hit home perfectly.

ROTTEN SOUND was conceived in the city of Vaasa, Finland by guitarist Mika Aalto in 1993, who was soon joined by vocalist and word-smith Keijo Niinimaa. The duo still remains in place, while the original members in all other positions have been replaced several times until today.

The Finns can field an impressive catalogue of now eight highly acclaimed studio albums, eight EPs, three split singles, a single, and a live DVD. Furthermore, ROTTEN SOUND have already conquered the stages of all major metal and hardcore oriented festivals and also toured in regular intervals alongside such renowned acts as MALEVOLENT CREATION, PHOBIA, DISFEAR CARCASS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, EXHUMED, NAPALM DEATH, and PIG DESTROYER – among many others.

With ‘Apocalypse’, ROTTEN SOUND are gearing up their musical juggernaut just in time before crushing stages all over Asia and Europe this spring. 

Recording Studio: 
Sound Supreme (drums and vocals)
Nordic Audio Labs (guitars and bass)

Recording engineer: Janne Saksa 
Mix: Rain City Studios by Jesse Gander
Master: Audio Siege by Brad Boatbright

Cover artwork: Error Design

Line-up:
Mika Aalto - guitars
Matti Raappana - bass and backing vocals
Sami Latva - drums
Keijo Niinimaa - lead vocals

Links:
https://www.rottensound.com
https://www.facebook.com/rottensoundofficial
https://www.instagram.com/rottensoundgrind

Pre-sales:  https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/RottenApocalypse

NE OBLIVISCARIS Unveils Music Video for Emotional New Song, "Graal"

Progressive metal outfit NE OBLIVISCARIS is now revealing another emotionally charged single and music video! "Graal" is taken from the band's long-awaited full-length, 'Exul,' which is due on March 24 via Season of Mist! The song and stunning video can be found below.

Exploring the result of oppression and mistreatment, Ne Obliviscaris' new song  "Graal" is about the inner journey and struggle to understand our individual worth. In lieu of a comment, violinist/clean vocalist Tim Charles offers this thought-provoking poem inspired by the song 'Graal' and its intensely charged video:

Lost, he lies… 
His failing body beaten down by the totality of existence, 
The strength to rise, To persevere, To overcome,
Gone.
 
His inner world torments him with the weight of every moment passed by, but not yet forgotten.
 
And yet
He is found
He is lifted
 
And as the essence of his line is fed forth
He breathes
He moves
He rises

The band recently released the new single, "Equus," along with a music video, which commemorates the lives lost in the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. The clip can be found at THIS LOCATION.

Pre-orders for 'Exul' can be found HERE while the album can be pre-saved on streaming services HERE.

NE OBLIVISCARIS + BEYOND CREATION (w/ PERSEFONE):

10/05: Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage [TICKETS]

10/06: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts [TICKETS]

10/07: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry [TICKETS]

10/08: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade [TICKETS]

10/10: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum [TICKETS]

10/11: Orlando, FL @ The Haven [TICKETS]

10/13: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live [TICKETS]

10/14: Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge [TICKETS]

10/15: San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center [TICKETS]

10/17: Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater [TICKETS]

10/18: Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile Theater [TICKETS]

10/20: San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues [TICKETS]

10/21: Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco Theater [TICKETS]

10/22: San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge [TICKETS]

10/24: Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall [TICKETS]

10/25: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory [TICKETS]

10/26: Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse [TICKETS]

10/27: Portland, OR @ BossaNova Ballroom [TICKETS]

10/28: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS]

10/29: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater [TICKETS]

10/31: Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room [TICKETS]

11/01: Calgary, AB @ The Palace Theatre [TICKETS]

11/03: Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre [TICKETS]

11/04: Lincoln, NE @ Royal Grove [TICKETS]

11/05: Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line [TICKETS]

11/07: Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge [TICKETS]
11/08: Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom [TICKETS] **NEWLY ADDED**

11/09: Toronto, ON @ Opera House [TICKETS]

11/10: Montreal, QC @ Club Soda [TICKETS]

11/11: Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall [TICKETS]

11/13: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater [TICKETS]
Drum tracking for Exul, the fourth long-player from Australian extreme progressive metallers NE OBLIVISCARIS, started in March 2020. There is an ominous tone to that date: March 2020. The pandemic demarcation line. That month, Daniel Presland laid down his drums in Nashville, Tennessee, with American producer Mark Lewis. As flight cancellations increased and borders shuttered, Presland made it home literally hours before Australia closed theirs. Lewis, guitarist Benjamin Baret and bassist Martino Garattoni weren’t as lucky. They were due to land in Australia in the days that followed to continue tracking, but were forced to remain overeseas indefinitely. With recording studios shuttered throughout Melbourne, a slow, tedious, life-altering two-year grind to complete Exul ensued for NE OBLIVISCARIS. 

What should have been the continued upward swing after 2017’s critically acclaimed Urn turned into the most fraught moment of NE OBLIVISCARIS’s career. Clean vocalist and violinist Tim Charles says the period “came close to breaking us completely.” It was a time filled with death, relationships breaking down, despair and financial loss. Presland, NE OBLIVISCARIS’s drummer since 2005, amicably parted ways in early 2022, throwing yet another wrench into the band’s plans. 

There are, however, happy accidents scattered throughout the creation of Exul. The extra, unexpected downtime allowed the band to fine-tune and even re-write parts previously set in stone before the pandemic. Charles’s violin solo at the end of “Graal” is a prime example: His original idea wasn’t fully realized until he revisited the song in early 2021 and promptly came up with a new part. It was a classic “a-ha” moment that improved the song. 

“Getting an opportunity to have a song mostly done for a year or so and then go back to it, find what you loved about it the first time and maybe even improve it in some ways was a nice silver lining from all the delays,” says Charles. “I think because we had so many delays that were out of our control, we were even more determined to take our time to make sure when the time came to record and to mix, that we ensured it was the absolute best it could be in every way.” 

Seven additional studios and three more countries later, Exul was finally mixed and mastered in July 2022.

The album personifies NE OBLIVISCARIS’s distinctive, boundary-pushing ethos. The band’s trademark blend of emotion and beauty is as towering as ever, if not even more compelling, particularly how Charles’s violin lines carefully weave their way around Baret and fellow guitarist Matt Klavins’ riffing. The duality of Charles’s clean vocals and Xenoyr’s growls remains the narrative anchor, elevating songs that emanate sophistication and are a masterclass in composition. 

“Our approach is always the same,” says Charles, “which is essentially to just write and see what comes out. Exul definitely had its challenges during the songwriting process. Part of the beauty of how our music comes together is that we are quite different individuals bringing an array of ideas together. From there, we work out how to combine them into something that is seamless and beautiful to us. We were determined to make this our best and most complete album yet, which definitely resulted in it taking longer. But we are so proud of this album and it’s exciting to finally share it with the world.” 
 
The album’s centerpiece is the two-part “Misericorde I – As the Flesh Fails” and “Misericorde – Anatomy of Quiescence.” (A NE OBLIVISCARIS album is not complete without a multi-part epic!) According to Charles, Part II began by taking a song they thought was finished (Pt I) and asking, “What if after that…?” The band then wrote a section that took the piece in a new direction and what was a 7 minute song, became an almost 17 minute 2 part epic. 

“The bulk of Part I was written more so by Benji and Martino,” notes Charles. “You can hear the very guitar-driven approach present throughout that track. Part II, by contrast, was written more so by myself in collaboration with others and the emphasis changes more towards expansive solos and slow-developing sections that build towards the epic finale. These two tracks are a great example of how it’s the combination of our different strengths as songwriters spread across an album that results in the sound that is 'NE OBLIVISCARIS'.”

Charles’s violin parts, whether on “Misericorde II,” “Equus” or “Suspyre,” exude confidence. The instrument has always been central to the band’s sound. On Exul, Charles’s violin playing is taken to another level. “I think that over the years, in regards to how my violin interacts within NeO’s music, I’ve simply continued to add more strings to my bow, so to speak,” he says. “With ‘Exul,’ I definitely explored even further the use of layers of violin and viola parts to create a more textured feel compared to other albums. ‘Mesericorde II’ was definitely a bit of a breakthrough song for me, where I felt I could utilize the strings in a way that hadn’t been done in NeO’s music before. In the end, whatever serves the song best is always the aim and having more ways of creating music makes it easier to serve the song.”

The Exul album title came to Xen when he was summing up the album’s feeling musically and lyrically. Coincidentally, it matched the experience of most people during the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I think everyone at some point has felt at odds with the world around them, felt alone, cast out, or misunderstood,” says Xen. “Exul felt right to use in a broader sense and as a lone word, for we each have our own history and a story of exile.

“Overall, there’s a darker core to this album, perhaps more ominous than previous releases,” he continues. “However abstract the lyrics are, they involve some form of unwanted departure — all journeys into torment, passion, longing and even despair. They touch on the process of physical and psychological destruction that comes from that sense or reality of being exiled, whether forced from one’s land, ostracised from a community, shunned by a religion, or even simply being treated differently for being who they are.” 

Touring will factor heavily into NE OBLIVISCARIS’s 2023 plans. The band will embark on headlining tours worldwide that will hit new territories. As luck would have it, the return to live show activity will coincide with the release of Exul and the band’s 20th anniversary. As one of Australia’s leading extreme metal exports, there is a distinct sense of gratitude from Charles and his bandmates. They’re looking forward to sharing it with fans when they resume touring. 

“Simply getting the opportunity to perform music that we’ve written on stages around the world to people that genuinely love and connect with it,” finishes Charles when talking about NE OBLIVISCARIS’s 20-year journey. “There is something incredibly special about the energy that exists between an artist and audience at a concert and it’s an honor to get the opportunity to spend 2023 connecting with people in that way once more.”

Style: Progressive Extreme Metal

Recording Info:
•    Exul was produced, mixed & mastered by Mark Lewis, Nashville, USA
•    Co-produced by Ne Obliviscaris
•    Drums Performed by Dan Presland & Engineered by Mark Lewis at Addiction Studios, Nashville, USA
•    Additional Drum Engineering by John Douglass
•    Bass recorded at Domination Studio, Italy by Simone Bertozzi and Simone Mularoni
•    Acoustic Guitars recorded at Bud Studios, Merignac, France by Mathieu Pascal
•    Harsh Vocals recorded at Audio Ninja Studios, Melbourne, Australia by Troy McCosker
•    Violin and Viola on all tracks and Clean Vocals on tracks 5 & 6 recorded and engineered by Troy McCosker at Pony Music, Melbourne.
•    Clean Vocals on Tracks 1, 2, 3 & 4 recorded at Studio TC, Melbourne, Australia
•    Additional Clean vocal engineering by Anthony Iorio
•    Benjamin & Matt’s rhythm guitars were recorded in their home studios in France and Australia and re-amped by Mark Lewis in Nashville.

Recording line-up:
Xen- Harsh Vocals
Tim Charles – Clean Vocals, Violin, Viola & Keyboards
Benjamin Baret- Lead Guitars
Matthew Klavins- Guitar
Martino Garattoni - Bass
Dan Presland- Drums

Current line-up:
Xen- Harsh Vocals
Tim Charles – Clean Vocals, Violin, Viola & Keyboard
Benjamin Baret- Lead & Acoustic Guitar
Matthew Klavins- Guitar
Martino Garattoni – Bass

Guest musicians:
Additional Violin on tracks 1, 2 & 3 performed by Emma Charles
Additional vocals on Track 1 performed by Alana K Vocal
Cello on Tracks 1 & 4 performed by Dalai Theofilopoulou
Cover artwork: Xen

Links:
www.facebook.com/NeObliviscarisBand
www.instagram.com/neobliviscarisofficial
www.twitter.com/neobliviscaris3
www.youtube.com/NeObliviscaris
www.neobliviscarissom.bandcamp.com
www.patreon.com/neobliviscaris
https://www.neobliviscaris.com.au/

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/NeO-exul
Download/Stream: https://orcd.co/neoexul

Formats:
Digital
Digipak
Digibox
Vinyl in various colours
Cassette

OAK Shares New Song + Music Video, Reveals New Album Details

Portuguese death doom duo OAK will be releasing its sophomore effort, 'Disintegrate,' via Season of Mist on February 10, 2023, making it the band's debut to the label! The album artwork, tracklisting, and info can be found below!

In conjunction with the forthcoming full-length, OAK is now sharing the first part of the 45-minute long offering, "Disintegrate I," along with a performance music video! The clip, which was directed by Guilherme Henriques, can be seen below.

OAK comments: "Before managing to free himself from the unbearable weight carried on his back for an eternity, this giant knelt down and surrendered his own body to be consumed by the sun.

"Afterwards, there was only the cold that accompanied him on his passage to the immaterial world. This excerpt is about that passage and also aims at a transition from sound to image, so that this moment becomes as visual as it is audible."

Pre-sales for 'Disintegrate are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved on streaming services HERE.

With the birth of their first full-length album ‘Lone’ in 2019, atmospheric death doom duo OAK emerged from Portugal with a slow and steady force, like roots breaking concrete. After four years of slumber, the band has awakened like the old gods, ready to release utter suffering and devastation onto the masses with its sophomore effort, ‘Disintegrate.’ For nearly 45 unforgiving minutes, this mournful maelstrom drags the listener asunder, while tormented growls and agonizing riffs echo deep despair within the atmospheric abyss. 

OAK’s path was forged by two kindred musicians; the mysterious pair recognized that they were an unstoppable force together when it came to creating painful, emotionally driven music. “We always wanted it to be a duo because of how fluid our jams have always been and this freedom we get when writing for OAK is really one thing that drives us,” explains the band.

The writing process took place under the cover of darkness, setting an intimate mood for the record’s creation. The pair worked with a totally clean slate, writing everything organically in their sessions together rather than coming with prepared compositions or ideas. As project took shape and began to come into its own identity, it yielded OAK’s agonizing and ferocious sound.  “We can have clean guitars, clean vocals, distortion, deep grunts, whispers, slow beats, blast beats, ghost notes and all this glues together nicely,” says OAK of the project’s many textures and layers.

Thematically, ‘Disintegrate’ tells the epic tale of a Titanic Giant who seeks to be unburdened from carrying the weight of the world, demonstrating that even the strongest have a threshold for just how much pain and heaviness they can endure.

However, the story doesn’t end here as this is only the first chapter of the Giant’s tale. “We are continuing our jam sessions and writing more and more. We will grow further with each release in the attempt of making our sound almost visible/cinematic. We need to tell the story of this giant's burden and liberation through our music and lyrics. We feel like there is much more to be told.“

Lineup:
Guilherme Henriques - Vocals/Guitars
Pedro Soares - Drums

Recording line-up
Guilherme Henriques - Vocals/Guitars
Pedro Soares - Drums
Lucas Ferrand - Bass

Recording studio: Stone Sound Studio
Producer/Mixing engineer: Ricardo Oliveira
Mastering studio and engineer: Stone Sound Stydio by Ricardo Oliveira

Cover Artwork:Belial Necro Arts

Photo credit: Catarina Rocha

Pre-sales:https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Oak-Dis
Pre-save:https://orcd.co/oak-disintergrate

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/OAKDOOM
https://www.instagram.com/oak_officialbandpage/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp_xtwetsv2ZTMow2kmfEOQ
https://oakdoom.bandcamp.com/

THE ABBEY Unveils New Song + Music Video, "Widow's Will"

Progressive doom rock new-comers THE ABBEY, ft. Natalie Koskinen (SHAPE OF DESPAIR), Jesse Heikkinen (HENGET, ITERUM NATA, etc), Vesa Ranta (SENTENCED, THE MAN-EATING TREE), and Janne Markus (THE MAN-EATING TREE), are now revealing a brand new song, "Widow's Will," along with a dark and beautiful music video! The song is the second single from the band's forthcoming debut full-length, 'Word of Sin,' and can be found below.

THE ABBEY comments on the offering: "This is the first song that guitarist-vocalist Jesse Heikkinen wrote for The Abbey. 'Widow’s Will' is maybe the most straightforward track of the album. It is a love song for Death, dedicated to our late loved ones."

In conjunction, THE ABBEY is now launching pre-sales for the CD and digital formats of 'Word of Sin,' which are due on February 17, 2023! The vinyl counterpart will be released on July 7 and pre-sales will be revealed at a later date.

Pre-order 'Word of Sin' on CD + digital HERE.
Pre-save 'Word of Sin' on streaming services HERE.

Aleister Crowley’s Abbey of Thelema was located in Sicily, Italy, and functioned as ground zero for many of the occultist’s most complex and groundbreaking hedonistic pursuits. Here, Crowley codified his ritual practices and took his concept of “Magick” to new, unforeseen levels. He rebranded the temple as “Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum,” translating to “A college towards the Holy Spirit.” But the Abbey of Thelema was not without its controversy: A young disciple died in 1922 after contracting typhoid fever from the drinking water. And a year later, Crowley was evicted by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s regime, yet the mystery and intrigue behind the Abbey of Thelema remain.

It was only appropriate, then, that Jesse Heikkinen, a veteran of the Finnish music scene and a solo artist under the Iterum Nata banner, branded his newest musical pursuit as The Abbey. Drawing lyrical inspiration from esoteric organizations, their beliefs and his own practices, Heikkinen and co-lead vocalist Natalie Koskinen (Shape of Despair) weaved ritualistic tales from the darkest corners of themselves to pair with music that is a provocative, alluring kaleidoscope of dark, heavy rock. The result is the mystical Word of Sin, The Abbey’s nine-song debut long-player.

The Abbey tale began when Heikkinen generated the sudden urge to try his hand at singing in a doom metal band after laying down guest vocals for fellow countrymen Fuzzifer. His idea was to form a doom metal band with “big vocals” — a project for fun’s sake that would thrive off writing from the heart and improvisation. Those plans involved former Sentenced and The Man-Eating Tree drummer Vesa Ranta — the first name that came to Heikkinen’s mind for the project.

Ranta, now a professional photographer and filmmaker, provided the steady backbone behind Sentenced’s groundbreaking career that was brought to its conclusion in 2005. According to Heikkinen, Ranta plays “like a battalion of marching giants,” a not-so-subtle nod to the drummer’s mastery of the quarter-note. Ranta quickly took to Heikkinen’s early demos and suggested they add a female singer. Enter Koskinen. Koskinen knew Ranta from a video shoot where she was serving as a makeup artist. Reluctant to try a new band considering her Shape of Despair and career obligations, Koskinen listened to Heikkinen’s first demo and decided to give the project a go. Janne Markus (guitar, also of The Man-Eating Tree) and Henri Arvola (bass) were soon tapped to complete the band’s lineup.

Word of Sin was recorded between April and November 2021 in several locations across Finland. Drums, bass and Markus’s guitars were tracked at Kratio Studio in Oulu by Kyösti Rautio. Rautio also served as co-producer and mixed the album, becoming the unofficial sixth member of The Abbey. Heikkinen, who recorded most of his vocals and guitars in his stepdaughter’s room, surrounded by My Little Ponies, Disney figurines and a pile of esoteric literature, is careful to point out that The Abbey fails to drop into any neat, little subgenre.

“The album was made purely for self-expressive reasons,” he says. “My music is the channel where I can be as true and authentic as possible. It is also a somewhat safe way to explore and express the dark side of myself and the collective consciousness. Word of Sin may seem like a tremendously dark piece as a rock album, but it’s pretty lightweight for a doom metal album! The material proved so strong that it was obvious that it wasn’t going to be another side project. I think using the means of improvisation made the music sound more like its creator instead of it being forced to be this or that — and that seemed to work really well for us!”

Regardless of where Word of Sin falls between the vast channels of doom and heavy rock, the vocal interplay between Heikkinen and Koskinen is undeniable. Each has songs where they take the lead, but their harmonies and trade-offs carry songs like “Rat King” and “Desert Temple” to the fore, creating a restless, captivating atmosphere resembling vintage rock from the 1970s. And, for his first go at singing lead in a band, Heikkinen proves to be quite the capable vocalist, carrying a smooth, almost airy delivery on “Crystallion” and “Widow’s Will.”

“I didn’t think of it that much — my vocals all came naturally,” he says. “I still think I’m more of a guitarist than a vocalist, really. During the writing and recording, I listened to King Crimson’s Red quite a lot, so I’m sure I got some influences from John Wetton’s singing on that album. The vocal harmonies were heavily inspired by bands like E.L.O, Queen and Yes.”

Heikkinen and Koskinen didn’t know each other before the formation of The Abbey. Heikkinen met Koskinen for the first time when she tracked vocals at his home studio, but their partnership generated immediate results. “Nowadays, I usually record my vocals at home, but in this case, as I had yet to meet Jesse in person, I wanted to record my parts at his place,” says Koskinen. “It’s very important to see what kind of energy is between the musicians I’m going to work with in the long run. It turns out that we are a perfect match musically. Later on, I traveled to Oulu to meet the rest of the guys [Janne and Henri] and I must say that we had a very strong bond from the beginning. Sometimes things just happen even when you don’t plan them.”

“The right lines for each were found really easily,” adds Heikkinen. “There already were dozens of vocal tracks in some of my demos, but every time Natalie found her place in the song, she added something new into it.”

The creative process behind Word of Sin proved so fruitful that the members of The Abbey are already thinking about a follow-up. It’s a testament to the material’s inherent strength and the immediate bond between all five musicians.

“The Abbey will most definitely be an active and serious project for me - I do hope it will turn out fun as well,” wraps Heikkinen. And closes Koskinen: “I do have a feeling this band will make a long trip together.”

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/abbeyceremonial
https://www.instagram.com/theabbeyceremonial/
https://theabbey.bandcamp.com

Lineup:
Jesse Heikkinen – Guitar, keyboard, percussions, vocals
Natalie Koskinen – Vocals
Janne Markus – Guitar
Vesa Ranta – Drums
Henri Arvola – Bass

Cover Art: Alexander Reisfar

Bio: David E. Gehlke

Booking contact & management:
erin@aflyingfox.com (Erin Lynch)
https://aflyingfox.com


Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/TheAbbeyWOS
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/theabbeysin

BIZARREKULT Reveals Music Video for New Song, "Du Lovet Meg"

Solo black metal project BIZARREKULT is now sharing a brand new single, "Du Lovet Meg," along with a thought-provoking music video! The track is taken from the project's upcoming sophomore full-length, 'Den Tapte Krigen,' which will be released via Season of Mist on January 27, 2023, making it BIZARREKULT's debut to the label! The song and video, which was directed by Guilherme Henriques, can be found at THIS LOCATION.

BIZARREKULT mastermind Roman V. comments: "I am happy to reveal the opening track from the new album. 'Du lovet meg' (You promised me) is a song about the mismatch of our expectations and actions, promises that never get implemented, forgiveness and eternal love. A soundtrack for anyone who has ever been in relationship with another person. Embrace the emotions, don't hide your feelings from yourself."

'Den Tapte Krigen' can be pre-ordered HERE and the album can be pre-saved on all digital streaming services HERE

Since the genre’s inception, black metal has been ruled by lone wolves. Individuals who blur the lines between “masterminds” and “madmen,” creating in solitude and willful confinement. From first and second wave purveyors such as BATHORY and BURZUM to this century’s revivalists like SAOR and PANOPTICON, these anomic souls have made incomparable contributions to the dark arts. And in 2022, BIZARREKULT paves a new yet familiar path, establishing itself as one of the cult visionaries of this decade.

Before finding his way to music, multi-instrumentalist Roman V was first a poet. Since childhood, Roman found an outlet in writing and by 2006, he created BIZARREKULT as an auditory accompaniment to his verbal expressions. “BIZARREKULT since the beginning was a quest of identity and philosophical search for answers on the questions that bother the mind at night and day,” explains Roman.

Despite the project’s inception 16 years ago, BIZARREKULT’s music did not make its debut until the release of ‘Vi Overlevde’ in 2021. As he started feeling challenged by the declining state of the world, Roman pursued a new path and decided to go straight to the environment that incubated and birthed the genre that he loves. As he relocated from Siberia to his current home of Norway, his new surroundings had its intended purpose and greatly impacted his musical journey. “After some initial recordings the project was set aside in order to deal with increasing mass challenges from the surrounding world. And then it ended up getting a spark a decade later in a different environment, nature, language and culture. So distant, but so close. Norway has become my second home and the last few years that led to revitalization of BIZARREKULT were spent on reflecting on myself, meaning, purpose and reuniting with the things that were important – art and creativity.”

Meaning “We Survived,” ‘Vi Overlevde’ was a very intimate, vulnerable, and personal offering. Roman describes the record as “a testament to survival through personal crisis” and notes that it is “filled with reflections on childhood, family and societal relations.” The musician took care to ensure that the record delivered a comprehensive package, aligning the music, artwork, and lyrics with exact precision.

As the world was collectively reckoning with the turmoil of year two of a global pandemic, the album’s message gave many hope. Fans started to emerge, reacting to the record with their own artistic interpretations as a way to pay tribute. The album also won the hearts of the media, appearing on a handful of “album of the year” lists, including scoring a third place position from Sweden’s biggest newspaper, Aftonbladet.

Now, BIZARREKULT is ready to enter a new chapter, forging a new union with Season of Mist and completing the work on its sophomore full-length, ‘Den Tapte Krigen.’ Meaning “The Lost War,” ‘Den Tapte Krigen’ thematically picks up the thread from where ‘Vi Overlevde" left off, but sees a musical evolution as BIZARREKULT continues to find and establish its identity. “The main message of ‘Den Tapte Krigen’ is about a constant war inside our lives, war with ourselves, our closest ones, our societies,” says Roman. “It’s a war in which we can lose everything, including our personality, faith, honour and dignity. However, similar to ‘Vi Overlevde’ that ends on a rather positive note, ‘Den Tapte Krigen’ contains a message of hope and reconnection, of necessity to make a peace with yourself, accept what you are, your identity, and share forgiveness and love. This is the only way out of the vicious circle.”

Line up:
Roman V.: music, lyrics, vocals

Studio line up:
Roman V.: vocals
Ignat P.: guitar, bass
Alexander P.: drums
Dina: vocals

Mixing + Mastering: Miguel Tereso - Demigod Recordings
Artwork: Ivan Gladkikh

Photo credit:
Chantik Photography

Links:
www.instagram.com/bizarrekvlt
www.facebook.com/bizarrekult
www.bizarrekult.bandcamp.com
www.vk.com/club3949218

Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Bizarrekult-DTK
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/bizarrekult-krigen

...And Oceans Unveils New Song, "Likt Törnen Genom Kött"

Symphonic black metal formation ...AND OCEANS is now unveiling a brand new single, "Likt Törnen Genom Kött." The song is taken from the band's upcoming full-length album, 'As in Gardens, so in Tombs,' which will be released on January 27, 2023 via Season of Mist. Listen below:

...AND OCEANS comment on the track: "After the latest straight forward track, we are exploring the sound of the 90s a bit more with a lot of melodies and taking down the tempo a bit with this third single. This is also the first song fully in Swedish in ages and like Mathias mentioned; 'this song just screamed for Swedish lyrics.'"

The album can be pre-ordered HERE and pre-saved HERE.

It’s rare for a band to commandingly return with their best effort to date, but Finland’s ...And Oceans are here to prove that 2020’s Cosmic World Mother was the sound of creative floodgates bursting through into a new body of water, an ocean if you will. Well, that was their pinnacle up until their new album, As In Gardens, So In Tombs, is let out into the world. Everything that ...And Oceans’ first full-length in 18 years did well – blistering symphonic black metal, heady themes that dealt with the connection between philosophy and psychics, and ...And Oceans’ trademark adventurous songwriting - As In Gardens, So In Tombs manages to eclipse and recontextualize. It’s the sound of a band seizing every ounce of momentum and upping the ante in every way. While ...And Oceans has never written the same album twice, in many ways, their latest sounds like an opportunity for the Finnish group to pick up and improve upon what they started. Symphonic black metal is never this fun, free, and fantastic.

Lead single “Cloud Heads” is a great introduction into the magic and serves as a statement of intent. Swirling melodies, blastbeats that sound like the rumbles after The Big Bang, and ethereal symphonic touches result in a song that’s equally fierce and pleasant to take in. A kinder, gentler (but not gentle) version of ...And Oceans.

“’Cloud Heads’ is certainly one of my favorites!” vocalist Mathias Lillmåns shares. “It was sort of an icebreaker song. It was one of the first songs we wrote straight after Cosmic World Mother was finished, and the first lyrics I wrote for the album. It was the song that paved way (or broke the ice) for the rest of the album.”

Part of the reason the band even needed to “break the ice” with this record is the pace at which their last was written, as guitarist Timo Kontio acknowledges:

“Well for me starting to do Cosmic World Mother was more nerve wrecking and even in doubt whether we should make new music or not. In the end it was quite an easy project to do, to our relief. So when we started to make this album, it was more relaxed and more or less go with the flow mentality. We had the first ‘difficult comeback album’ done, and everything came quite easily! It was really refreshing to make this kind of music after so long.”

“I was only supposed to produce guitars for Cosmic World Mother,” Lillmåns adds, “but a month before the recordings were supposed to start, my phone suddenly rang. I could sense that this phone call was going to be important when I saw it was Timo calling. I was asked to join the band and also to write lyrics for the whole thing. Immediately when I saw the first version of the [album] cover, I got this vision of what the concept of the album would be, and I wrote most of the album in sort of a frenzy with the next few weeks.”

“It’s strange with the new album,” he continues, “because I have always been forced to use tight deadlines for myself when writing music or lyrics. It seems I need the pressure to create something I’m happy with. Also, for some reason I get most done when traveling, I used to take trains to nowhere just write sometimes back in the day! This time there were no pressure, no traveling, and I was not on the edge of a burn out, and it went smoother than ever before! The lyrics just kept on coming, not as fast and not in such a trancelike frenzy as the last album, but good stuff on a steady basis.”

So while Cosmic World Mother was the sort of ravishing fever dream of an album that poured out of ...And Oceans in fits and starts, As In Gardens, So In Tombs was the result of the band taking the time to sweat the small stuff. The result can be found everywhere – melodies are brighter, the orchestral elements feel more essential, and Lillmåns’ vocals have swallowed a mushroom (in a garden or tomb?) as done a Mario-like levelling up. Even in the way the album sounds, As In Gardens, So In Tombs sounds warmer, the kind of record meant to be played while walking alone in nature. That sense of measured purpose was very intentional as Lillmåns notes:

“[The record] definitely feels grander and more melodic. I think stepping up the production also was something that helped in this sense! Having Juho Räihä at SoundSpiral Audio taking a bigger role in the recording and having it sent over to Tore Stjerna at NBS Production definitely made it sound more massive and took a load off our shoulders to focus on the music itself!”

Who could’ve guessed that leaving the musicians to focus on the music would have good results?

As noted earlier, musically and thematically, everything about Cosmic World Mother was rapidly birthed from its creators. The themes of that record weighed heavily on the band and carried over into this record. Cosmic World Mother was about how energy is eternal and how only changes form. This record doubles down on that notion by focusing on how humanity's energies toward enlightenment are often the same path, even if we have different languages, religions, customs, etc. I have this vision of us all playing different levels of a video game but ending up at the same ending. Energy is the most efficient recycler in the universe. So where and how did Lillmåns find inspiration to write the lyrics for this album? Did he end up walking gardens and pacing graveyards?

“I went back to gardens, moved away from the city into the nature. I always felt like I needed to be in a dark place to create lyrics that came from the heart, ‘when the body suffers, the mind flowers,’ kind of state. This time I was at ease, and it was surprisingly efficient. I usually don’t want to spoil too much and having people to think for themselves, but yes, I had the time to sit down and read during the pandemic and came to some conclusions (as in nature, so in books). I think it’s a very calming thought, that whatever happens, whenever it happens, makes no difference. We have always and always will be a part of the circle of eternal energy; we have always existed and will always exist in some form. A notion that became ever so clear when reading up on different religions, worldviews, customs, and philosophies.”

Recording Studio:
Drums & Bass at D-studio
Guitars & Vocals at SoundSpiral Audio
Keyboards & electronics at Ryijy’s cave.

Producer/Sound engineer: Juho Räihä
Mix/Master: Necromorbus Studio / Tore Stjerna

Line-up:
Timo Kontio - Guitar
Mathias Lillmåns - Vocals
Teemu Saari - Guitar
Pyry Hanski - Bass
Kauko Kuusisalo - Drums
Antti Simonen - Keyboards

Cover artwork: Adrien Bousson
Bio: Nick Senior
Pictures: M.Laakso

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/AndOceansShop
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/andoceans-gardens

Formats:
CD Digipak
CD Clamshellbox
2x 12” Gatefold (Black)
2x 12” Gatefold (Crystal clear, red & blue marbled / limited to 600)
2x 12” Gatefold (Gold & black marbled / limited to 300)
Cassette

BLACK LAVA Unleashes Music Video for New Song, "Northern Dawn"

Emerging blackened death metal quartet BLACK LAVA will release its debut full-length, 'Soul Furnace,' on November 25, 2022 via Season of Mist! The band is now sharing a blistering performance video for the brand new single, "Northern Dawn." The video, which was filmed and edited by Colin Jeffs and produced by BLACK LAVA and Ten of Swords, can be found below.

BLACK LAVA drummer Dan Presland comments:
"After shooting up in the mountains for two days for the 'Eye of the Moon' video, we drove straight down to our next location the next morning - to take one extreme, the freezing fucking cold, to the other, hot as fuck! We present to you our final single for our debut record 'Soul Furnace' - we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it!"

Pre-orders for 'Soul Furnace' are now live HERE and can be saved on all digital streaming services HERE.

During the turbulent and uncertain years of 2020-2021, perhaps none were plunged deeper into darkness than those from down under as Australia imposed some of the strictest, harshest, and most devastating lockdown measures in the world, forcing their civilians into years of isolation. However, through solitude and desolation, some of the greatest art is created, as is the case with BLACK LAVA, the emerging blackened death metal quartet from Melbourne (AU). Founded by drummer Dan Presland (Vipassi, AMDBL, ex-Ne Obliviscaris) and guitarist Ben Boyle (Vipassi, AMDBL, Hadal Maw), BLACK LAVA draws influence from old school death and black metal bands while injecting groove-laden melodies and progressive elements to create their own experimental sound.

“The idea came about from just pure frustration of the situation at hand during 2020/2021,” explains Presland of the band’s formation. “Ben and I live locally together, and in the beginning of the pandemic, I built a working studio, so we got together to just initially jam to release some frustrations and vent some music around the second half of 2021. We had a pretty casual jam together and Ben came back with a few fleshed out ideas a few days later.” As the ideas started to come to fruition, the duo quickly realized that the project had more potential than just a jam session. “Both of us were really into the direction Ben pushed,” continues Presland, “and it was something pretty new to both of us - we have worked together quite extensively over the years within music, playing in several bands together (Vipassi, AMDBL, Aphotic Dawn and more) - so to go in a totally new direction was pretty refreshing.”

As the pair fleshed out more ideas, they turned to their good friend Rob Watkins of Blackhelm to fulfill vocal duties. “Within 10 minutes we had found a vocalist and the search for a bassist was on. Tim Anderson (Blackhelm) was found pretty quickly and was keen to jump on board the idea also, so within a very short time frame we had a full lineup, a record ready to go, and 4 guys full of enthusiasm to push something new.”

Sharing a diverse love for black metal, death metal, and progressive music, the quartet quickly found their sound and hit a stride. And thus, Soul Furnace was born - a searing 34-minute aural assault that conjures up nostalgia while still sounding fresh and current. While the record promises to usher in a new musical era of the 2020s with its forward-thinking and contemporary energy, the lyrics dwell somewhere between fantasy and the old world.

“In the world of Black Lava, the lyrics are set in a time and world long gone and forgotten, mostly made up of fantasy and a medieval theme, fitting for the realms of our style of music,” explains vocalist Rob Watkins of the album’s themes and inspirations. “We draw inspiration from the natural environment and mother nature, ancient witchcraft and the glory of warriors in battle. I picture Black Lava as visiting an ancient beast in a cave giving you a chance to escape the outside world through its tales and mythology.”

With a new deal with Season of Mist and a team of some of the music industry’s most revered artists, producers, engineers, and professionals behind them to help render their vision, Black Lava is ready to make its debut and unleash its fury upon the masses.

Lineup:
Dan Presland (drums)
Ben Boyle (guitar)
Rob Watkins (Vocals)
Tim Anderson (bass)

Links:
https://instagram.com/blacklava.aus/
https://facebook.com/BLACKLAVA00
https://blacklava-aus.bandcamp.com/

Recording Studio: Bushido Studios, Melbourne

Producer / sound engineer: Troy Mccosker

Mixing studio and engineer: Kurt Ballou

Mastering studio and engineer: Alan Douches

Artwork: Paolo Giradi

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/BlackLava

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/blacklava-soulfurnace

WOODS OF DESOLATION Premieres Video for New Song, "Far From Here"

Atmospheric black metal project WOODS OF DESOLATION will be releasing its new full-length, 'The Falling Tide,' on December 9 via Season of Mist, making its debut to the label! The band is now sharing the stunning music video for the brand new single, "Far From Here," which can be seen and heard below.

'The Falling Tide' is now available for pre-order HERE.

Pre-save on your favorite streaming service HERE.

Australian visionary Woods of Desolation returns with The Falling Tide, a bewitching crescendo of atmospheric black metal and post metal elements. Unlike the act’s Australian contemporaries who are known for their raw, unrefined grit, Woods of Desolation takes a different approach, showcasing the genre’s beauty and elegance with their grand melodic passages and radiant aura.

Formed by multi-instrumentalist D. in 2005, the project started as a means for personal expression through music. Firmly built upon this ethos, a series of demo recordings garnered attention and a solid following within underground black metal circles worldwide. Continually evolving and working with different guest musicians in pursuit of new artistic territory, D. began to showcase his talent for crafting melancholic, yet at times uplifting, melodies on the debut album Toward the Depths (2008), further refining it on the Sorh EP (2009) and the influential sophomore full-length Torn Beyond Reason (2011).

In 2014, Woods of Desolation released the critically acclaimed third full-length As the Stars, receiving strong placements on Decibel’s “Top 40 Albums of 2014” and Stereogum’s “50 Best Albums of 2014” list. This album saw D. further introduce a wider array of musical influences, such as post rock and shoegaze, into his unique take on black metal, becoming one of the main protagonists in what would become the burgeoning genre of post black metal. Additionally, lyrical themes were expanded beyond what had come before – nature, life, sorrow – now personally exploring the metaphysical aspects of spirituality and the afterlife.

In the intervening years that followed, D. created and worked on two new black metal projects Remete & Unfelled, simultaneously writing and developing material for the next Woods of Desolation full-length. In 2021, finally ready, D. teamed up with Vlad (Drudkh, Windswept) on drums & keys to record The Falling Tide, the long-awaited follow-up to As the Stars.

This forthcoming album sees the musical palette of D. and WOODS OF DESOLATION continue to grow, exploring higher peaks, deeper depths, all the while maintaining honest artistic expression, unfettered and free – remaining ever faithful to those principles that lead the way all those years ago.

Lineup:
D. – Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Vlad – Drums, Keyboards

Links:
www.facebook.com/woodsofdesolationofficial
www.instagram.com/woodsofdesolationofficial
www.woodsofdesolation.bandcamp.com

Recording Studio:
Cold Ways Studios (Australia) & ViTeR Music (Ukraine)

Producer & Sound Engineer:
D. & ViTeR Music

Mixing + Mastering:
ViTeR Music

Cover Artwork:
Lucas Ruggieri

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/WOD-TFT

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/wod-fallingtide

BLACK LAVA Reveals Music Video for New Song, "Eye of the Moon"

Emerging blackened death metal quartet BLACK LAVA will release its debut full-length, 'Soul Furnace,' on November 25, 2022 via Season of Mist! The band is now sharing an epic music video for their brand new single, "Eye of the Moon!" The video, which was filmed and edited by Colin Jeffs and produced by Black Lava and Ten of Sword,s can be found below.

BLACK LAVA comments:
"'Eye of the Moon' tells a story of a man embarking on a journey through harsh landscapes - such as snow, forests and mountains - in search of a witches lair, looking for strength and guidance. The clip was shot in the beautiful scenes of Mt Buffalo, in Victoria, Australia. With its stunning landscape, dramatic cliffs and peaks, it was the perfect location for the story to take place. Filmed in the heart of winter over three days, the conditions were extremely difficult with temperatures dropping from -1 to -7 Celsius, which proved especially hard on camera equipment and the crews, with the constant snow, rain, and wind, made it near impossible to capture the artistic vision. Our hands were freezing at times and could hardly move, but with an amazing dedicated team we persevered with its creation, and what you see is the result.

"We are extremely proud to present 'Eye of the Moon.'"

Pre-orders for 'Soul Furnace' are now live HERE and can be saved on all digital streaming services HERE.

Release Date: November 25, 2022
Genre: Blackened Death Metal

During the turbulent and uncertain years of 2020-2021, perhaps none were plunged deeper into darkness than those from down under as Australia imposed some of the strictest, harshest, and most devastating lockdown measures in the world, forcing their civilians into years of isolation. However, through solitude and desolation, some of the greatest art is created, as is the case with BLACK LAVA, the emerging blackened death metal quartet from Melbourne (AU). Founded by drummer Dan Presland (Vipassi, AMDBL, ex-Ne Obliviscaris) and guitarist Ben Boyle (Vipassi, AMDBL, Hadal Maw), BLACK LAVA draws influence from old school death and black metal bands while injecting groove-laden melodies and progressive elements to create their own experimental sound.

“The idea came about from just pure frustration of the situation at hand during 2020/2021,” explains Presland of the band’s formation. “Ben and I live locally together, and in the beginning of the pandemic, I built a working studio, so we got together to just initially jam to release some frustrations and vent some music around the second half of 2021. We had a pretty casual jam together and Ben came back with a few fleshed out ideas a few days later.” As the ideas started to come to fruition, the duo quickly realized that the project had more potential than just a jam session. “Both of us were really into the direction Ben pushed,” continues Presland, “and it was something pretty new to both of us - we have worked together quite extensively over the years within music, playing in several bands together (Vipassi, AMDBL, Aphotic Dawn and more) - so to go in a totally new direction was pretty refreshing.”

As the pair fleshed out more ideas, they turned to their good friend Rob Watkins of Blackhelm to fulfill vocal duties. “Within 10 minutes we had found a vocalist and the search for a bassist was on. Tim Anderson (Blackhelm) was found pretty quickly and was keen to jump on board the idea also, so within a very short time frame we had a full lineup, a record ready to go, and 4 guys full of enthusiasm to push something new.”

Sharing a diverse love for black metal, death metal, and progressive music, the quartet quickly found their sound and hit a stride. And thus, Soul Furnace was born - a searing 34-minute aural assault that conjures up nostalgia while still sounding fresh and current. While the record promises to usher in a new musical era of the 2020s with its forward-thinking and contemporary energy, the lyrics dwell somewhere between fantasy and the old world.

“In the world of Black Lava, the lyrics are set in a time and world long gone and forgotten, mostly made up of fantasy and a medieval theme, fitting for the realms of our style of music,” explains vocalist Rob Watkins of the album’s themes and inspirations. “We draw inspiration from the natural environment and mother nature, ancient witchcraft and the glory of warriors in battle. I picture Black Lava as visiting an ancient beast in a cave giving you a chance to escape the outside world through its tales and mythology.”

With a new deal with Season of Mist and a team of some of the music industry’s most revered artists, producers, engineers, and professionals behind them to help render their vision, Black Lava is ready to make its debut and unleash its fury upon the masses.

Lineup:
Dan Presland (drums)
Ben Boyle (guitar)
Rob Watkins (Vocals)
Tim Anderson (bass)

Links:
https://instagram.com/blacklava.aus/
https://facebook.com/BLACKLAVA00
https://blacklava-aus.bandcamp.com/

Recording Studio: Bushido Studios, Melbourne

Producer / sound engineer: Troy Mccosker

Mixing studio and engineer: Kurt Ballou

Mastering studio and engineer: Alan Douches

Artwork: Paolo Giradi

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/BlackLava

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/blacklava-soulfurnace

STRIGOI Premieres New Song + Music Video, "An Ocean of Blood"

Blackened death doom outfit STRIGOI, the brainchild of Greg Mackintosh (PARADISE LOST, VALLENFYRE) and CHRIS CASKET (VALLENFYRE), will be releasing its sophomore full-length, 'Viscera,' via Season of Mist on September 30, 2022, making it the band's debut to the label. The band is now premiering the official music video for the latest single, "An Ocean of Blood." The video can be found below

STRIGOI comments: "We chose this track as the third single taken from our new album VISCERA due to it's almost cinematic take on the internal and external conflict of existence. A transformational journey into the bloodshed and horror of the human condition."

Pre-save 'Viscera' across streaming services HERE and pre-order physical copies HERE.

Unsettling: it’s a word which can be used to describe a good swathe of the music which has come from the mind of Greg Mackintosh over the years, but in the context of Strigoi, it feels particularly apt.

Formed immediately after previous side project Vallenfyre had run its course, Strigoi found Greg and Vallenfyre bassist Chris Casket reconfiguring the aesthetics of that band. Their 2019 debut, Abandon All Faith, was a notable transition, taking the crust punk, death metal and grind influences which had defined Vallenfyre and deriving from those an extreme music amalgam which was altogether more...well, unsettling.

But if Abandon All Faith was a record where the memory of Vallenfyre exerted an inevitable, but important, influence, then second album Viscera is where Strigoi define and express themselves on their own terms.

“It’s the second album and we’re pushing those limits,” says Chris Casket. “The longer songs are longer; the shorter songs are shorter. It’s fully realising the concept. When we did the first album, there were certain expectations as we were coming from Vallenfyre. I felt that it was a really good transition from one to the other. But I feel that with this record, it’s more of a fully fleshed out concept. It’s pushing the light and shade further out.”

“The first album was us giving it its own identity separate from Vallenfyre, even though it’s kind of an obvious continuation, in a way,” adds Greg. “But with Viscera, it’s a combination of pushing the envelope a little bit, making it a bit less raw. Because, we had done that to the Nth degree with Vallenfyre. I’d also say there’s a bit of sound design in there, too, to make it very creepy and, yes, unsettling, sound wise.”

With Covid thwarting Strigoi’s plans to do shows to promote Abandon All Faith, Greg and Chris used the down-time to work on what would eventually become Viscera.

“We have a strange way of working,” says Chris. “I will send words, prose, whatever it may be to Greg. He likes that process, because he reads what I’ve written and it inspires the music he comes up with. I’ve never worked that way before. But that and the added time we had, the space away from things, is what I think has made Viscera what it is.”

Greg adds, “If it’s a song where Chris’ lyrics sound angry, I’ll do a song that’s more, I guess, grounded in the essence of early grindcore. Something that expresses that mood. But if it’s something more sombre or unnerving, then I’ll start with a bit of sound design and work towards riffs. I’ve always thought of music in terms of visuals, and that might come from the lyrics. The last song on the album, ‘Iron Lung’, for example: I actually said to Chris that I had an idea for a song where it feels that you can’t breathe, that it feels like you’ve got a weight on your chest. And the result is probably the toughest going song on the record to get through. But I think it does get that across.”

Viscera, then, clearly defines the Strigoi sound and vision – as Chris says, it’s a “mix tape of misery” and points at ways in which the band may develop in the years ahead.

“I get bored easily,” Greg laughs. “I’ve got a very short attention span. I love doom metal, I love funeral doom, crust punk, grindcore...all these things. But usually after two songs of each I’m thinking, ‘Right, what’s next?’ And that’s my problem, but it does determine what this band and this music is like.”

“There’s not much light on this record at all. If there’s any, it’s there just to emphasise how dark the shade is, really. And what I loved about early death metal, which is when I got into it, is that everything had its own feel back then. That was at the back of my mind the whole time when making Viscera – that I wanted to give it its own feel. But the listeners are going to have to decide whether that was successful or not.”

www.facebook.com/strigoibandofficial
www.instagram.com/strigoi_official

Recording Studio: Oregon Studios
Producer/Sound engineer: Jamie Gomez and Strigoi
Mixing studio/engineer: Kurt Ballou - Godcity Studios
Mastering studio/engineer: Brad Boatright – Audiosiege

Recording line-up:
Greg Mackintosh: Vocals and Guitar
Chris Casket: Bass
Guido Zima: Drums
Ben Ash: Guitar

Cover artwork: Brian Sheehan - Legerdemain Art

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/StrigoiViscera
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/strigoiviscera

Formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
12” Gatefold (Black)
12” Gatefold (Snowy White / limited to 500)
7” + 12” Gatefold (Dracula / limited to 300)

RAZOR SHARE NEW SONG “A BITTER PILL”

'CYCLE OF CONTEMPT' IS OUT SEPTEMBER 23 

ON RELAPSE RECORDS

LISTEN/PRE-ORDER HERE

Canadian thrash metal legends RAZOR return with 'Cycle of Contempt', their first new full-length album in 25 years! 'Cycle of Contempt' is a direct, cutthroat record that pulls no punches and takes no prisoners.

Listen to RAZOR’s new song “A Bitter Pill” on YouTube HERE.

'Cycle of Contempt' is out September 23 on LP/CD/CS/Digital. 

Physical pre-orders are available via Relapse.com HERE. 

Digital Downloads/Streaming HERE.

Watch RAZOR’s “Flames of Hatred” official lyric video HERE.

Listen to "A Bitter Pill" (Official Audio) HERE 

Anyone that cut their metal teeth with The Big Four, and then dug a little deeper into the indie scene, should receive a major endorphin rush when they discover that speed and thrash masters RAZOR are about to release their first studio offering in 25 years entitled 'Cycle of Contempt'.

From the catchy, concise riffs and insistent beats of album opener “Flames of Hatred” to the double-barreled assault, muted power chord chugging and combative gang vocal of album closer “King Shit”, 'Cycle of Contempt' is a trenchant reminder of a time when clubs around the world were packed with long-haired bands that played as fast as they could to mosh pits that spun and tumbled like clothes in a short-circuiting dryer.

As energetic and exciting as "Evil Invaders" and as urgent and powerful as RAZOR’s1989 speed-fest "Violent Restitution", 'Cycle of Contempt' showcases a band that never stopped spewing venom.

“I tried to write songs that everybody could listen to and say, “Yeah, I know a guy who's done that to me or done this, or I know that situation. I can relate to that,” band founder Dave Carlo says. “And I didn’t want to make everything specifically about me because when you do that, you exclude people. I wanted to include everyone that’s ever felt pissed off about anything.”

An unrelenting slab of old-school thrash that showcases RAZOR's encyclopedic knowledge of the past along with Carlo’s growth as a songwriter, player, and lyricist, 'Cycle of Contempt' is here to show that RAZOR are as dominating as ever.

FOLLOW RAZOR:

www.razorband.com

https://www.facebook.com/razorofficialthrash/

https://www.instagram.com/razorbandofficial/

https://razorband.bandcamp.com/

DYING FETUS SHARE NEW SONG “COMPULSION FOR CRUELTY”

DYING FETUS SHARE NEW SONG “COMPULSION FOR CRUELTY”

ON TOUR NOW THROUGHOUT US/CANADA

WATCH/LISTEN

https://orcd.co/compulsionforcruelty 

Death Metal Overlords DYING FETUS share the “Compulsion For Cruelty” music video to kick off their September US/Canada tour! Watch the full music video below.

Listen & save “Compulsion For Cruelty” on all streaming services AT THIS LOCATION.

DYING FETUS TOUR DATES

Dying Fetus Only

Sep 02 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance

Sep 03 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground

Sep 04 Rouyn-Noranda, QC @ Festival De Musique Émergente

Sep 05 Ottawa, ON @ The Brass Monkey

Sep 09 Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon

w/ Knocked Loose, Terror & Omerta

Sep 07 Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia 

Sep 08 Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall

Sep 13 Harrisburg, PA @ Hmac

Sep 14 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

Sep 20 Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse

Sep 21 Huntington, WC @ The Loud

A full collection of DYING FETUS music videos and live performances is available via YouTube HERE.

Self-reliance and musical integrity are the two principles to which DYING FETUS have always lived by. Formed in 1991, during the height of the death metal explosion, DYING FETUS have matured into one of the premiere extreme death metal/grindcore acts to emerge from the massive global metal underground. Combining an innovative mix of technical virtuosity and catchy song structures to create the ultimate blend of death metal, hardcore and grind, the band is recognized worldwide as a prime example of songwriting perfection across eight studio albums: (Purification Through Violence (1996), Killing On Adrenaline (1998), Destroy The Opposition (2001), Stop At Nothing (2003), War Of Attrition (2007), Descend Into Depravity (2009), Reign Supreme (2012)) Their latest album, Wrong One to Fu*k With (2017), was hailed as a “menacing motherfu*ker“ by Metal Injection.

Now over 25+ years into their distinguished career, DYING FETUS cement their legacy and uphold their position as the most dominant force in death metal today.

DYING FETUS ONLINE: 

Dying Fetus on Bandcamp

Dying Fetus on Facebook

Dying Fetus on Twitter

Dying Fetus on Instagram

STONED JESUS Shares New Song, "CON"

Ukrainian sludge rock trio STONED JESUS is now releasing a brand new song, "CON!" The song and visualizer, which was created by the band, can be found below.

The single release is in conjunction with the band's massive upcoming performance in support of DIE TOTEN HOSEN, which will take place on August 20, 2022 at Airport Tempelhof in Berlin (DE). The 60,000 capacity venue is currently sold out!

Lead vocalist and guitarist Igor Sydorenko comments on the track: "'CON' is a pure experiment, a crossroad of many 'what if's' - what if we play a Motorik-type beat in some weird time signatures, what if every word in the lyrics starts with 'con-,' what if the song is constantly evolving despite its short runtime, etc. I'm really happy that trying all these things led to this absolutely brilliant result! Also the guys in the band not only embraced my ideas but also helped on other levels, too: Dmytro (drums) recorded and mixed the whole thing, and Sergii (bass) did the video. Enjoy!"

"CON" can be pre-saved HERE.

"CON" is taken from STONED JESUS' forthcoming psychedelic rock album, 'Fatherlight,' which will be released in 2023. The band previously released the first single, "Porcelain," which can be streamed HERE. Stay tuned for more details!

For frequent updates on the recordings and the band in general, check out STONED JESUS' Facebook or Instagram! 

Formed by Igor Sydorenko in Kyiv in 2009, STONED JESUS quickly progressed beyond their tongue-in-cheek moniker. The Ukrainian trio's second full length "Seven Thunders Road" converged doom, prog and grunge in their own recognizable way and the album's centrepiece, 13-min long "I'm the Mountain", boasts 15 million plays on YouTube.

STONED JESUS's next LP "The Harvest" sounded like a blend of MASTODON, PORCUPINE TREE and SOUNDGARDEN, and their charismatic live shows and relentless touring schedule helped to double and then triple their fanbase in mere months.

While being integral to the European psychedelic rock scene STONED JESUShelped popularize, creatively STONED JESUS never stopped pushing the envelope, taking influences for their newer material from such diverse acts like SWANS, THE CURE, KING CRIMSON and DEFTONES.

Line-up:
Lead-Vocals and Guitar: Igor Sydorenko
Bass and backing vocals: Sergii Sliusar
Drums and backing vocals: Dmytro Zinchenko

Links:
instagram.com/stonedjesusband
http://facebook.com/stonedjesusband
twitter.com/stonedjesusband
youtube.com/c/StonedJesus
stonedjesus.bandcamp.com

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/stonedjesus-porcelain

Photocredit: Daria Mangubi

Booking:
Sound Of Liberation
facebook.com/soundofliberation
instagram.com/soundofliberation

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Premieres New Song, "Bonefire"

Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand new album, 'Banefyre,' on September 9 via Season of Mist! The band is now sharing the third new single from the offering, "Bonefire," which can be heard below.

Singer/percussionist Belinda Kordic explains, "'Bonefire' is targeted at the politicians, who’re some of the wealthiest people around, and also the most un-empathetic sons of bitches towards the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. These people in government have the power to change things around, make a difference, but they choose not to. It’s an ideological choice they make. The bottom line is.. these people just don’t give a hoot about anything but themselves. They are not all bad. But there sure are some rotten eggs. Chuck em on a fire of bones and let them contemplate on their actions for a while. 

"Ps! No politicians were hurt during the making of this song."

Mastermind Justin Greaves adds, "This song makes so much sense to me. When Belinda told me what it’s about and sent me the lyrics, i saw how pissed off she is at the way things are with the ruling class. And so am I. And so are a lot of people. I mean, the song was written two years ago, and it was bad then, but now, especially here in the UK it has reached a new low when it comes to the massive class divide and the utter contempt the dumb government scumbags show to people. The people who are supposed to be taken care of. I personally think we should burn the whole damn political system down. Throw the politicians on the fire and cleanse the energy of the world."

Pre-orders for 'Banefyre' are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved across digital streaming services HERE.

The thread that binds CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s bold and towering discography — a dozen studio albums, a half-dozen mini-albums, a handful of compilations and swaths of bootlegs — could not be more apropos circa 2022. Since its 2004 creation by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Justin Greaves, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX has served as the voice for the voiceless, whether it be animals, the unequal and the different. Greaves and longstanding vocalist and lyricist Belinda Kordic have often proffered that these beings cannot fend for themselves. Henceforth, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s mission has been to shed light on the human condition and the inequalities that befall humankind and its creatures. Their battle marches on with their latest studio album, Banefyre.

Banefyre follows 2020’s Ellengæst — an effort that found CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX employ a series of notable guest vocalists alongside Kordic, prompting Metal Hammer to describe it as their “most cohesive and emotionally devastating record.” Kordic is now paired with Swedish vocalist Joel Segerstedt, who made his CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX debut last year via the “Painful Reminder/Dead is Dead” single. Piano, synth and trumpet player Helen Stanley and additional guitarist Andy Taylor complete the lineup. Greaves says Stanley and Taylor “fit so well creatively,” which has made CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX feel like a band when making plans and decisions.

Also central to this is Segerstedt. According to Kordic, the vocalist and lyricist lives a mere five minutes from her in Sweden and has quickly integrated himself into the band. “What I like about Joel is that he’s a good person,” she says. “There’s no fakeness with him; he has cajones. He’s not a bitch-talker, either. I can’t handle people who don’t have a backbone, but Joel is real and can speak his mind.”

“I like how Joel has come in and spoke for himself,” adds Greaves. “He’s in the band for the right reasons. I see him the same way as Belinda — she took an interest in the whole artistic thing behind CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, like the vocals, lyrics, artwork and aesthetic. It’s the same with Joel. He has taken an interest in all of those things. In the past, we had people who didn’t contribute artistically and only cared about what they got out of the band. But Joel is really proactive and takes the initiative.”

Greaves assembled 13 songs (including “No Regrets,” a bonus track for his new project with Kordic, Johnny the Boy) imbued with the depth and introspection that will reinforce CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s standing as a band that defies genre. The album was tracked at Chapel Studios in South Thoresby, Lincolnshire, with vocals cut at Monolith Studio and Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. Kurt Ballou handled mixing in GodCity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts — a pivotal move in determining the album’s overall sound.

“I love the album so much because it was a different approach with the production,” says Greaves. “For my part, it was a little bit of a reaction. I didn’t want to do the same warm, safe CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album. I’m aware that when we did [2012’s] I, Vigilante, everyone wanted I, Vigilante again. As it so often happens with this band, people complain about the next one, then grow into it. Ellengæst is like I, Vigilante. It’s a shorter album. It hit the mark and was done really well, but everyone will expect another Ellengæst. I feared that, but I care enough not to make another Ellengæst. It’s the right thing to do. That’s why we got Kurt to mix it — we wanted that analog, raw power. Even though the album has mellow moments, those are edgy as well. We just didn’t want to do the same album twice. We’re never going to be a band that people can rely on.”

Greaves’ summation of his band notwithstanding, his distinctive guitar playing and enduring knack for immersive songwriting is the propellent behind the haunting, chant-laden “Ghostland,” pensive “The Reckoning” and forlorn “Everything is Beautiful but Us,” the band’s spot-on analysis of the retreat of humankind indoors during the pandemic that revealed nature’s priceless beauty. The album is also stocked with no less than four ten-minute-plus cuts (“Rose of Jericho,” “Down the Rabbit Hole,” “I’m Okay, Just Not Alright” and “The Scene is a False Prophet”) that are intermixed with drama and melancholy.

It all ties into Banefyre’s central theme of the persecution of people who are deemed “different” by society. The album title is a play on the song “Bonefire” that Kordic named and wrote lyrics for. In classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, Greaves turned it into the Olde English translation to represent the bonfires that engulfed witches and politicians through the 15th and 18th centuries, hence, the name Banefyre.

The album begins with “Incantation for the Different,” which was written and orated by Chicago-based witch, artist, author and occultist Shane Bugbee, who, according to Greaves, “brought us some positive, dark energy.” Banefyre then delves into the Salem Witch Trials (“Wyches and Basterdz”), fox hunting in Great Britain (“The Reckoning”), politicians of an unscrupulous and dishonest kind (“Bonefire”) and the New York City Blackout of 1977 (“Blackout77”).

Greaves says Banefyre’s topics may have a decidedly negative and pessimistic tone, but a glimmer of hope and joy remains. “There’s always the random bits, but overall, Banefyre is about the people who have suffered because they are different. The album covers inequality and oppression, like ‘Incantation for the Different,’ which is about overcoming when you’re put down because you’re not like everyone else.”

In true CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, the Lucy Marshall-created Banefyre cover leaves plenty to the imagination, depicting four animals seated at a table — interacting and dressed like human beings. “It’s sort of like Planet of the Apes showing what animals could do to humans,” says Greaves. “The cover was specially commissioned and is unique to the album. It’s incorporating all the classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX elements with the love for animals and twisting the narrative around.”

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s reputation was built on the back of their studio albums and live shows. The pandemic prevented the band from supporting Ellengæst, but it did provide them additional time to bring in new members to their live configuration.

“We’ve done one show since 2019,” says Greaves. “We are going to do something in Europe this year. Hopefully, we can get back on track. We’re also going to do something in the States — that’s not just talk, we’re actually going to do it. It’s well overdue. The live band is fucking amazing. We have the five of us and now we have Jordi [Farré] on drums, Paco [Fleischfresser] on synth and a really good friend of mine, Matt Crawford on bass.

“We did the Leipzig show and even though the rehearsals were better than the show itself, that lineup, our live band, is so good. Because we haven’t been under pressure to put a live band together since 2019 and spent so long talking to people, we’ve got a better band from those results. Out of disaster, we’ve got quite a good, positive thing.”

Line-up
Justin Greaves : Guitars, Drums, Bass, Samples, Saw
Belinda Kordic : Vocals, Percussions
Helen Stanley : Grand Piano, Synthesisers, Monochord, Trumpet
Andy Taylor : Guitar, Baritone Guitar, 12 String Guitar
Joel Segerstedt: Vocals, Guitar

www.facebook.com/CBP444
www.instagram.com/cbp_444
www.crippledblackphoenix.net
https://evilgreed.net/collections/crippled-black-phoenix
https://crippledblackphoenixsom.bandcamp.com
https://riseupandfight.bandcamp.com

Recording:
Recorded at Chapel Studio, Lincolnshire, November 2020 & April 2021.
Engineered by Pieter Rietkerk
Additional vocal sessions recorded at:
Kapsylen Studio, Stockholm - Engineered by Jörgen Jugglo Wall.
Monolith Studio - Engineered by Tomas Asklund
Churchstreet Studio, Bergen - Engineered by Rene Misje
Mixed live by Kurt Ballou at God City Studio
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg
Produced by Justin Greaves

Artwork: Original paintings created for this album by Lucy Marshall
Layout master: Benedikt Demmer

Pre-Save link: https://orcd.co/cbp-banefyre
Pre-sale link: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/CBP-Banefyre

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Reveals New Song, "Everything is Beautiful But Us"

Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand new album, 'Banefyre,' on September 9 via Season of Mist! The band is now sharing the second new single from the offering, "Everything is Beautiful But Us," at THIS LOCATION.
 

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX mastermind Justin Greaves explains, "Although this is not a 'lock down' song, Belinda's lyrics were certainly inspired by the lack of human activity we found when the first lock down began. We were going for walks where I live in the countryside and the silence was amazing, the air seemed more fresh and there was a definite increase of wildlife activity. So it made us both realise more than ever how ugly we are as a race, humans basically ruin everything.
 

"Musically this is one of my personal faves on the new album, 'BANEFYRE, The Musical!' It plays an integral part in the sound journey, it’s simple but powerful. Very CBP."

Singer/percussionist Belinda Kordic adds, "Justin sent me the demo with the title, I thought the song was beautiful, so I couldn’t just plonk down (write) just anything. It had to be right. The inspiration for the song hit me during the first wave of Covid. When I was over visiting Justin in the UK, and I couldn’t get back home for quite some time due to travel restrictions. So, we were spending a lot of time outside in the countryside and i was amazed at the quick turn nature took for the better, as soon as humans were removed out of the equation.

"The increased symphony of birdsong, bumble bees the size of my fist turning up in the garden, animals coming out of hiding and popping up here, there and everywhere. Nature and its inhabitants were thriving to the very fullest. As they should.

"It was beautiful, but also sad at the same time. knowing that when we get back to 'normal,'the destruction continues."

Pre-orders for 'Banefyre' are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved across digital streaming services HERE.

The thread that binds CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s bold and towering discography — a dozen studio albums, a half-dozen mini-albums, a handful of compilations and swaths of bootlegs — could not be more apropos circa 2022. Since its 2004 creation by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Justin Greaves, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX has served as the voice for the voiceless, whether it be animals, the unequal and the different. Greaves and longstanding vocalist and lyricist Belinda Kordic have often proffered that these beings cannot fend for themselves. Henceforth, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s mission has been to shed light on the human condition and the inequalities that befall humankind and its creatures. Their battle marches on with their latest studio album, Banefyre.

Banefyre follows 2020’s Ellengæst — an effort that found CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX employ a series of notable guest vocalists alongside Kordic, prompting Metal Hammer to describe it as their “most cohesive and emotionally devastating record.” Kordic is now paired with Swedish vocalist Joel Segerstedt, who made his CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX debut last year via the “Painful Reminder/Dead is Dead” single. Piano, synth and trumpet player Helen Stanley and additional guitarist Andy Taylor complete the lineup. Greaves says Stanley and Taylor “fit so well creatively,” which has made CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX feel like a band when making plans and decisions.

Also central to this is Segerstedt. According to Kordic, the vocalist and lyricist lives a mere five minutes from her in Sweden and has quickly integrated himself into the band. “What I like about Joel is that he’s a good person,” she says. “There’s no fakeness with him; he has cajones. He’s not a bitch-talker, either. I can’t handle people who don’t have a backbone, but Joel is real and can speak his mind.”

“I like how Joel has come in and spoke for himself,” adds Greaves. “He’s in the band for the right reasons. I see him the same way as Belinda — she took an interest in the whole artistic thing behind CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, like the vocals, lyrics, artwork and aesthetic. It’s the same with Joel. He has taken an interest in all of those things. In the past, we had people who didn’t contribute artistically and only cared about what they got out of the band. But Joel is really proactive and takes the initiative.”

Greaves assembled 13 songs (including “No Regrets,” a bonus track for his new project with Kordic, Johnny the Boy) imbued with the depth and introspection that will reinforce CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s standing as a band that defies genre. The album was tracked at Chapel Studios in South Thoresby, Lincolnshire, with vocals cut at Monolith Studio and Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. Kurt Ballou handled mixing in GodCity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts — a pivotal move in determining the album’s overall sound.

“I love the album so much because it was a different approach with the production,” says Greaves. “For my part, it was a little bit of a reaction. I didn’t want to do the same warm, safe CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album. I’m aware that when we did [2012’s] I, Vigilante, everyone wanted I, Vigilante again. As it so often happens with this band, people complain about the next one, then grow into it. Ellengæst is like I, Vigilante. It’s a shorter album. It hit the mark and was done really well, but everyone will expect another Ellengæst. I feared that, but I care enough not to make another Ellengæst. It’s the right thing to do. That’s why we got Kurt to mix it — we wanted that analog, raw power. Even though the album has mellow moments, those are edgy as well. We just didn’t want to do the same album twice. We’re never going to be a band that people can rely on.”

Greaves’ summation of his band notwithstanding, his distinctive guitar playing and enduring knack for immersive songwriting is the propellent behind the haunting, chant-laden “Ghostland,” pensive “The Reckoning” and forlorn “Everything is Beautiful but Us,” the band’s spot-on analysis of the retreat of humankind indoors during the pandemic that revealed nature’s priceless beauty. The album is also stocked with no less than four ten-minute-plus cuts (“Rose of Jericho,” “Down the Rabbit Hole,” “I’m Okay, Just Not Alright” and “The Scene is a False Prophet”) that are intermixed with drama and melancholy.

It all ties into Banefyre’s central theme of the persecution of people who are deemed “different” by society. The album title is a play on the song “Bonefire” that Kordic named and wrote lyrics for. In classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, Greaves turned it into the Olde English translation to represent the bonfires that engulfed witches and politicians through the 15th and 18th centuries, hence, the name Banefyre.

The album begins with “Incantation for the Different,” which was written and orated by Chicago-based witch, artist, author and occultist Shane Bugbee, who, according to Greaves, “brought us some positive, dark energy.” Banefyre then delves into the Salem Witch Trials (“Wyches and Basterdz”), fox hunting in Great Britain (“The Reckoning”), politicians of an unscrupulous and dishonest kind (“Bonefire”) and the New York City Blackout of 1977 (“Blackout77”).

Greaves says Banefyre’s topics may have a decidedly negative and pessimistic tone, but a glimmer of hope and joy remains. “There’s always the random bits, but overall, Banefyre is about the people who have suffered because they are different. The album covers inequality and oppression, like ‘Incantation for the Different,’ which is about overcoming when you’re put down because you’re not like everyone else.”

In true CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, the Lucy Marshall-created Banefyre cover leaves plenty to the imagination, depicting four animals seated at a table — interacting and dressed like human beings. “It’s sort of like Planet of the Apes showing what animals could do to humans,” says Greaves. “The cover was specially commissioned and is unique to the album. It’s incorporating all the classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX elements with the love for animals and twisting the narrative around.”

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s reputation was built on the back of their studio albums and live shows. The pandemic prevented the band from supporting Ellengæst, but it did provide them additional time to bring in new members to their live configuration.

“We’ve done one show since 2019,” says Greaves. “We are going to do something in Europe this year. Hopefully, we can get back on track. We’re also going to do something in the States — that’s not just talk, we’re actually going to do it. It’s well overdue. The live band is fucking amazing. We have the five of us and now we have Jordi [Farré] on drums, Paco [Fleischfresser] on synth and a really good friend of mine, Matt Crawford on bass.

“We did the Leipzig show and even though the rehearsals were better than the show itself, that lineup, our live band, is so good. Because we haven’t been under pressure to put a live band together since 2019 and spent so long talking to people, we’ve got a better band from those results. Out of disaster, we’ve got quite a good, positive thing.”

Line-up
Justin Greaves : Guitars, Drums, Bass, Samples, Saw
Belinda Kordic : Vocals, Percussions
Helen Stanley : Grand Piano, Synthesisers, Monochord, Trumpet
Andy Taylor : Guitar, Baritone Guitar, 12 String Guitar
Joel Segerstedt: Vocals, Guitar

www.facebook.com/CBP444
www.instagram.com/cbp_444
www.crippledblackphoenix.net
https://evilgreed.net/collections/crippled-black-phoenix
https://crippledblackphoenixsom.bandcamp.com
https://riseupandfight.bandcamp.com

Recording:
Recorded at Chapel Studio, Lincolnshire, November 2020 & April 2021.
Engineered by Pieter Rietkerk
Additional vocal sessions recorded at:
Kapsylen Studio, Stockholm - Engineered by Jörgen Jugglo Wall.
Monolith Studio - Engineered by Tomas Asklund
Churchstreet Studio, Bergen - Engineered by Rene Misje
Mixed live by Kurt Ballou at God City Studio
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg
Produced by Justin Greaves

Artwork: Original paintings created for this album by Lucy Marshall
Layout master: Benedikt Demmer

Pre-Save link: https://orcd.co/cbp-banefyre
Pre-sale link: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/CBP-Banefyre

TOMBS Premieres New Song, Announces Gimme Radio Listening Party

New York/New Jersey metal collective TOMBS is now sharing "Murder Legendre," ft. Dwid Hellion of INTEGRITY. The song can be heard below.

"Murder Legendre" is the final single from TOMBS' upcoming 'Ex-Oblivion' digital EP. All songs will be available via Bandcamp, YouTube, and across all streaming services while a vinyl counterpart will be announced at a later date.

In conjunction with the EP release, TOMBS will be hosting a very special listening session via Gimme Radio THIS Friday, July 15 @ 3:00 P.M. EDT // 21:00 CEST. The band will be spinning the new EP as well as a specially curated playlist from mainman Mike Hill. The event will last for two hours and members of the band will be present in the live chat to connect with fans. It's FREE to sign up and listen! Download the Gimme Metal app or sign up at GimmeMetal.com.

About Gimme Metal:

Gimme Metal is the ultimate new music service for the true music fan, and the only online music service designed with the idea of community at its core. Fans can connect directly with their favorite artists by listening to their music (for free) and supporting them through tipping, joining the monthly vinyl subscription, and merchandise sales. Gimme is a community of over 350k fans from around the world where artists and tastemakers choose the music, and everyone is welcome to chat and socialize while they're listening. Musicians and fans can use Gimme's unique tools to connect and curate a music channel, while the entire fanbase chats and reacts in real time, building a new kind of community around music curation. We are home to DJs like Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Jeff Becerra from Possessed, Blasko, Brian Posehn, Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth, Will Carroll from Death Angel, numerous writers, metal scholars, labels like Nuclear Blast, Decibel Magazine, and festivals like Wacken. Our founders are all music executives with extensive experience at digital music services like Beats, Apple Music, Google Play, & Napster. Learn more at www.gimmemetal.com, or download the free Gimme Metal app.

'Ex-Oblivion' can be streamed or downloaded HERE.

The EP follows up TOMBS' 2020 full-length, 'Under Sullen Skies,' which was released in November of 2020. The record has been named one of the best metal releases of 2020 by Metal Insider, Decibel Magazine, The Pit, Riff Magazine, Chicago Music Guide's Global Music Podcast, and others while drummer Justin Spaeth has been dubbed one of the best drummers of 2020 by Sick Drummer Magazine.

There’s a line from Mike Hill’s audiobook/tour diary of ANODYNE’s 2004 European tour in which the gravel-throated frontman affirms, “I will always outwork you.” In that case, Hill was referring to an incident in Germany early on during a six-week long overseas jaunt with his previous band. In actuality, however, he could have been talking about any instance between when he first picked up a guitar as a teen and the present. Whether it’s his history dating back to previous bands OTIS, ANODYNE, KING GENERATOR or VERSOMA, his ongoing solo work in VASILEK, the more recent SCORPION THRONE  project or his thirteen year reign as the driving force and nerve center of post-black metal institution TOMBS, hard work is second nature and nothing will keep the guitarist/vocalist from creative endeavor and expression. And it’s not just music in which his propulsive work ethic has gleaned results: Hill also is the CEO and roast master at Savage Gold Coffee (a labelling nod to TOMBS’ 2014 album of the same name), the host/producer/creator of the Everything Went Black podcast, host and producer of Gimme Radio’s Metal Matters flagship podcast, the creator and co-host of horror podcast Necromaniacs as well as a stalwart in the print and online journalism world covering music and MMA fighting. His is, has been and always will be a life steeped in dedication and with unassailable drive in the cross hairs. And despite the world being put on pause, Hill refuses to curtail his innate determination and ongoing tenacity with the result being TOMBS emerging with the next chapter in its impressive catalog and growing legacy: the band’s fifth full-length, 'Under Sullen Skies'.

“The week VERSOMA broke up in 2007, I started TOMBS,” he says, recalling how, characteristically, the band started before any dust was permitted to settle. “The initial rehearsals ended up being the bulk of material that showed up on the first [self-titled] EP. The intent from the beginning was to get back to playing music I wanted to hear and to not be so concerned with genre or satisfying anyone else’s desires. It was to do music on a personal level and be a reflection of the darkness I’ve felt throughout my life.”

Formed in the gritty corners of pre-gentrified Brooklyn, NY, TOMBS’ early mandate was steeped in the harshness and atonality of black metal but dosed with trace amounts of the varied influences and inspirations ingrained in Hill’s musical muscle memory by previous bands. “The canon of music TOMBS has created has spanned several different genres, but I’ve always had it my intent for there to always be a certain amount of violence and hardness lurking the background.”

Those early years delivered splits and singles, the highly revered 'Winter Hours' debut in 2009 and Decibel’s 2011 Album of the Year, 'Path of Totality'. Never one to sit still, 'Path of Totality' was followed by appreciable and impressive amounts of touring in accordance with the lauding afforded by critics and fans and the braying of foes, which only served as fuel for Hill’s perseverance. Savage Gold came three years later after which a restless Hill began nudging TOMBS’ black metal base into territories populated by gothic and death rock artists like FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM and SISTERS OF MERCY as well as avant-garde purveyors Caspar Brotzmann and Live Skull while never forgetting – or being able to – scrape the grime of NYC from under his fingernails. The addition of a second guitar and live keyboards/samples brought a fuller sound and allowed noise sequences and soundscapes to be brought to the live show. It was around the time of 2016 'All Empires Fall' EP that TOMBS punctuated its iconoclastic spirit and thought process. Despite then-being part of the Relapse Records family, the band struck out with the intent of self-releasing the EP in order to retain as much independence as contractual obligations would allow – retaining the digital and publishing rights while eventually licensing the record back to Relapse. A one album stint in 2017 under the Metal Blade banner birthed 'The Grand Annihilation' into the world where TOMBS took broader and more daring steps into buffering black metal with morose melody, sullen death rock and classic METALLICA chugging. Following a parting from Metal Blade, the band – now completed by drummer Justin Spaeth, guitarist Matt Medeiros and bassist Drew Murphy, who are also 3/4ths of New Jersey death metal crew KALOPSIA - quickly found a home on Season of Mist and issued the 'Monarchy of Shadows' EP literally a week before the world went into Coronavirus lockdown.

“The original strategy assumed we would be on the road for most of 2020,” says Hill with a lamenting laugh. “We had a sick tour with Napalm Death planned right after the EP’s release. We were going to record the new full-length before the tour and have it come out in the fall. There was all kinds of tour talk and plans and 2020 would have been a tour-de-force of TOMBSactivity in the United States and Europe. Obviously, none of that is happening, but we’re still going ahead with the record.”

Of course they are. Throw a hurdle in front of Mike Hill and he’ll never shy at rolling up his sleeves and taking on the challenge. Even with the world in shutdown mode, Hill is still brimming with enthusiasm about the input and work ethic of the current TOMBS lineup and how Spaeth, Mederios and Murphy stepped up to the plate in the creation of 'Under Sullen Skies'.

“Everyone contributes on this record and the door has always been open for others to do so. There has always been this misconception that I’m some sort of tyrant always telling people what to do and play. The fact of the matter is that most of the time I outwork people; that’s just the way I am. No one is ever going to outwork me on any level in any area of my life and I was always coming up with material. Now, I have these maniacs in the band who are equally motivated and there’s a whole new life injected into TOMBS. That’s awesome and I love it. These days we’ll try anything and we actually write stuff and throw it out because it’s not perfect. It’s more like a writing committee, which I really appreciate. It’s not just me writing everything. It’s a big difference from 'The Grand Annihilation' which was basically a solo record.”

'Under Sullen Skies' is this lineup’s second kick at twisting black metal’s DNA around dank emotional corners, psychological turmoil and the urban underbelly all of which is unavoidably coloured and touched by the present-day status of life on this here Earth.

“The album’s title came during all this and the sort of post-apocalyptic world we’re living in,” Hill explains. “It encapsulates an overall feeling of gloom and depression which is pretty much how we’ve been living for most of this year. The title was the last piece to fall into place. I remember standing on the roof of the building I was living in at the time on a grey day and it was raining – actually, it wasn’t even raining; it was a half-assed attempt at rain! – and depressing and I just thought, ‘What a sullen sky’ and it just stuck with me.”

The album starts with “Bone Collector,” a furious blast of melodic black metal that shifts gears towards an anthemic fist-pumping slog through the goth rock-thrash metal VENN DIAGRAM. “Void Constellation” takes as many cues from Peaceville Three gloom and doom as it does the death metal stomp of OBITUARY and INCANTATION. “Descensum” mines the various well-worn parts of Ride the Lightning for influence before blasting the doors open with some startlingly spacious chromatic single-note atonality. As the album progresses, further textures and moods are employed via acoustic instrumentation and keyboards as well as sampled soundscapes all butting heads with furious second wave black metal and sly to nods to death rock heroes SISTERS OF MERCY and FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, all of the band’s motivations and interests being dropped into the chameleonic pair of tracks closing the album, “Sombre Ruin” and the appropriately titled “Plague Years.”

“‘Barren’ stands out as the song that’s most collaborative,” notes Hill. “Justin wrote the bulk of the riffs on that one, that sort of NWOBHM/SCORPIONS ending part is something I came up with, Matt added a bunch of guitar harmonies over it and Drew’s bass is laid thick underneath. That one is one of the biggest group efforts and one of the strongest songs on the record.

“I explore a lot of the archetypes that are used in folklore on this record, like werewolves and vampires which I’ve always been interested in, and on a song like ‘Secrets of the Black Sun’ I talk about the finite nature of our time on this planet, that nothing is really permanent and being aware of that whether as an individual or as a civilization, which I guess fits in with the pandemic and the changes that are going on. There are all kinds of other people, civilizations and creatures that have come and gone long before us and if you think about it over a long enough time span, everyone’s life expectancy goes down to zero.”

The new album not only sees Hill expanding his creative and collaborative comfort zone by wholly embracing the offerings of his band mates, but he’s also let down the drawbridge to allow folks from beyond the immediate TOMBSfamily to include what he describes as “mad guest spots.”

“There’s Cat Cabral, who does the spoken word piece on ‘Angel of Darkness.’ She’s not a musician per se; she’s more from the occult and witchcraft world. I’ve been friends with her for a really long time and she’s a great resource for esoteric knowledge. She’s also an actress who has done plays and commercials and been in films, so I figured she’d be the perfect person to deliver dialogue in an emotionally deep way, and be good at taking direction. Ray Suhy from SIX FEET UNDER rips the guitar solo in ‘Barren’ and that solo is its own masterpiece, in my opinion. BLACK CROWN INITIATE and former TOMBS live guitarist Andy Thomas contributed a guitar solo in ‘Void Constellation.’ Todd Stern from PSYCROPTIC plays the solo in ‘Mortem.’ Sera Timms from IDES OF GEMINI  and BLACK MATH HORSEMAN does guest vocals on ‘Secrets of the Black Sun.’ We’ve got INTEGRITY’s Dwid Hellion singing the chorus on ‘The Hunger’ and BLACK ANVIL’s Paul Delaney also doing a couple of verses on ‘Angel of Darkness.’ So, yeah, there are a bunch of people on there and it’s like a community effort which I enjoy. I like involving people I respect and having them be a part of the whole thing.”  

After spending his entire adult life navigating the pitfalls and pratfalls of the industry for expressive and creative opportunity, Hill has amassed an impressive legacy, one that 'Under Sullen Skies' contributes to admirably and irreverently. Like most, the extreme music underground lifer and veteran is probably justified in approaching the future with very muted optimism, but while the world works at screwing its head back on straight, Hill is going to do what he wants to do as well as he possibly can. Uncertainty may reign at the moment, but Hill and TOMBS are still going to do their thing and will be content to please themselves in the process. If anyone else happens to be along for the ride, then welcome aboard.

“'Under Sullen Skies' is a dark and introspective album,” he asserts. “It’s not a happy record that anyone is going to use to get pumped up on a Friday night. We wanted to pull out the stops, go full-on and make a nice body of work. I could care less if anyone likes the band or not because I’ve been through so many ups and downs with this thing that I don’t give a fuck if people enjoy the music. I know I like it, I know the guys in the band like it and we’re just rocking and rolling. This record and the EP came out about as close as I could imagine to what I have in my brain about how this band should sound. The whole trajectory of the band has had each record never quite hitting, but 'Monarchy of Shadows' and 'Under Sullen Skies' have both really come out how I envisioned the songs to be.”

TOMBS Line-up:
Mike Hill – guitars, vocals, electronics, synth
Todd Stern – guitars
Drew Murphy – bass, vocals
Justin Spaeth – drums, guitars, electronics, synth

Recording Lineup:
Mike Hill – guitar, vocals
Justin Spaeth – Drums
Drew Murphy – Bass, vocals

Guest Musicians:
Dwid Hellion (INTEGRITY) - modified piano & noise on "Murder Legendre"
Dan Higgins (HAMMERFIGHT, ENGINEHEAD)– lead guitar on "Killed by Death"

Album Credits:
"Ex Oblivion"
Recorded by Justin Spaeth at the Tombs Metal Compound, Keyport, NJ May, 2021
Mixed by Bobby Torres at Frightbox Studio, Clifton, NJ, June, 2021

"Killed by Death" + "Commit Suicide"
Recorded and mixed by Justin Spaeth at the Tombs Metal Compound, Keyport, NJ June 2021

"Sombre Ruins Nothing Remains"
Original stems recorded by Bobby Torres at Frightbox Studios, Clifton, NJ March – May 2020
RKGD audio remix recorded and mixed by Alap Momin at Uptown Mixers, Harlem, NY November, 2020

"Murder Legendre"
Recorded by Dwid Hellion and Mike Hill at remote locations over the course of 2020 – 2021

Cover Art: Mike Goncalves

Bio: Kevin Stewart-Panko

Links
https://www.facebook.com/TombsBklyn/
https://www.instagram.com/tombscult/  
https://twitter.com/TOMBS666  
https://tombscult.bandcamp.com/
EverythingWentBlack.podbean.com

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

Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/tombs-skies

For more on TOMBS, visit their official FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and BANDCAMP.

For more on SEASON OF MIST artists, visit our official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and TWITTER.

GAEREA Unveils New Song + Music Video, Reveals New Album Details

Cathartic black metal entity GAEREA will be releasing its third full-length album, 'Mirage,' on September 23, 2022! The album artwork, tracklisting, and other details can be found below! In conjunction with this revelation, the enigmatic band is now unveiling the pummeling first single, "Salve," along with a music video. The video, which was directed by Guilherme Henriques, can be seen and heard below.

GAEREA comments: "Today we finally unleash 'SALVE' upon you all, the first glimpse of music which will take part of our new album 'MIRAGE.' 'SALVE' is an excruciating voyage into the Vortex's Abyss. A burning Carriage which will lead us all to the Golden Walls of Mental Catharsis and endless suffocating whispers trapped within our bleeding corpses. The Journey between Reality and Perception is about to begin. Join us."

The band additionally offers this deeper explanation into the track's concept, stating, "'Salve' explores the depths of our most disgusting desires. To be trapped inside a world who seeks to rip your body apart. It tells the story of a man who has been placed in a room destined to destroy his soul and then his body. An automated experiment of his own living condition which will ultimately lead to his final form."

'Mirage' is now available for pre-orders HERE.

Pre-save the album on your favorite streaming platform HERE.

GAEREA will be supporting legendary black metal band WATAIN for three dates in Mexico this December!

Prior to the dates in Mexico, GAEREA will be embarking on their first ever Latin America tour this November! The headliner will kick off in Brazil on November 15 and will conclude in El Salvador on November 30! The band will then head to Mexico City to headline Mexico Black Metal Chaos Festivalfrom December 2-4 (Exact date TBA). Venues and tickets will be announced soon!

GAEREA is also be appearing at several European festivals this summer, with their next performance taking place on June 24 in Clisson (FR) at Hellfest. In addition, they will be supporting label-mates Gaahls WYRD and SAOR on an extensive European tour this fall.

Behind black shrouds of obscurity and desolation, the men of GAEREA deliver their odes in cascading maelstroms of aggression and beauty. Emerging from the age of pandemic to whatever awaits humanity next, the Portuguese horde remains on the frontlines of the next generation of extreme metal. With an EP and two albums to their name, GAEREA has rapidly distinguished themselves from the thousands of bands toiling away in the underground. Brewing their cauldron of sound from a recipe of pounding black-metal blast mixed with a touch of harrowed, reflective longing, many devotees of the darkened arts have flocked to their banner. With the emergence of third full-length album Mirage, those numbers are sure to grow.

Underground metal itself is a strange and cyclical beast. Trends come and trends go. But at no point in the genre’s history have we borne witness to what happened to the world in 2020. GAEREA met this challenge by releasing their second album, the aptly titled Limbo, to excellent world reception. In the meantime, they found the total suspension of interactive life as it was previously known to be the perfect breeding ground for further creation and making. As the troupe’s main songwriter elaborates, “I lost two precious years of my life, years that I would rather have spent touring and growing as an artist. But they were crucial for us, these years, because not too many bands stayed relevant and productive. The pandemic gave us the time to make the best release we could. All the promo-shoots, interviews, videos, we all had time to prepare for everything. Mirage was the product of a sudden inspiration. The basic parts were written over about two weeks.”

Such a stunning admission goes to show that art is fickle, and the artist is merely a vessel through which the sweet sorcery we call music may flow. It can mute itself to frustrating silence – or it can explode into being regardless of all consideration. For this band on the rise, it is most certainly the latter. Sizzling with ambition from day one, GAEREA may present one unique face to their audience, masked and enshrouded, but the truth is they have not remained changeless. “We are not the same band who recorded Limbo,” he insists. “We are more eager to take on the world. If the pandemic taught us anything it is that nothing is certain.”

This lack of certainty plays heavily into newest creation Mirage. As its name suggests, the inability to trust what our senses are telling us could be construed as one of the album’s central themes. Rather than constrict their art to mythological references or anti-religious tropes, GAEREA instead plumb the depths of the human experiences of isolation and suffering. “The concept, the subject, of each song is everyone, you, me . . . if people were alone together in Limbo, in Mirage they are truly alone. Nobody is truly real until they are alone.”

If existential dread could be turned into sound, GAEREA have carved their own philosophical path through its stygian tunnels. It isn’t Satan, demons, death, or even suicide that is waiting for us there. “What if people finally reached their goal,” he posits, “to end their suffering, and instead of dying they find themselves in a new reality, lost in a big city they were once a part of – they don’t know if anyone else is still alive. They are alone inside their own world.” This theme of being alone in a world full of familiar scenes, unable to end things and unable to reach anyone else, might well terrify the listener more effectively than any glimpse into the imagined hellscapes of our nightmares. Being isolated in your own world is the real nightmare, and GAEREA strum the chords of this horror with nuance and a miserable grace.

Boasting a superior production that threads the needle between clarity and causticness, GAEREA unwaveringly admit their loyalty to countryman and producer Miguel Tereso of Demigod Recordings. “Miguel is fantastic,” enthuses the band’s primary composer. “He comes from a brutal death metal background. I thought if this guy can pull off a punchy, modern, but still authentic production with a slam / death metal band, I wonder what he can do with a band like GAEREA. He has a vision for a sound, and that is what I really like. He is not a black metal fan, but it’s this very external set of ears and eyes from a guy who really knows his craft, and he brings all of that to our sound.” The fruits of this union are quite evident, as the turbulent moods of the title track are so wonderfully tossed between tension-building moments, and the explosive payoffs which set GAEREA apart from so many who try but come up short.

Tormented leads and building riffs sit atop some seriously explosive drumming, waxing and waning, on “Arson,” a tempest of moods and one of the album’s centerpieces. Emotion, at times sounding triumphant in brilliantly wrought guitar leads, is skewered by vocals that bustle with shattering despair. The dichotomy is magnificent to behold. GAEREA’s composer makes no mistake. “I want to hear the throat on the album, and if we are a vocals-driven band, I don’t want to over-process them during the recording. Striking that balance is one of the beauties for me in this record.”

In a world that increasingly elevates the shallow and the narcissistic, GAEREA pursues an artistic struggle of inward isolation, honest self-examination, and a dogged refusal to bow to the void that awaits. Thus, the persistence of their shadowed visages, draped in the masks which codify their anonymity while also creating a reliable extreme metal brand that fans can appreciate, especially in the live setting. “GAEREA are truly ourselves when we put these masks on, and we transcend into something different, and primitive,” he asserts. “It still makes total sense, and this band would not be a band anymore if we ever dropped the masks.”

As GAEREA prepares the release of Mirage, the world has resumed functioning, and as it lurches onward into its bleak future, one could stipulate that the pressure may be on to continue its rise amid the clamor of this renewal of activity. Does this challenge intimidate GAEREA? “We want to do better, but I don’t feel any pressure because we are in very good hands with the people we work with. We are building a strong team that really cares for us, stage-wise, promotional-wise, website and sales-wise. We are building a very structured confident teams that aims for the same goals we do. What I truly care about is continuing our ever-growing concept of the band GAEREA, and not becoming sterile, and I would not want people to be unaffected by our music. In the end we’re trying to express something within ourselves, and I don’t want it to be too complicated.”

The beauty of GAEREA lies in the directness and simplicity found within their florid tapestry of extremity and aggression. Whether it is in the less-polished aural dynamite of their self-titled EP, or in the lustrous textures of Mirage, GAEREA is building a mighty edifice of underground metal. With talons dipped in the inky blood of black metal and scraped across the flesh of human suffering, GAEREA is leading a charge into the future of darkness, and all those who find beauty and power in the dark side of existence would do well to take heed.

Style: Cathartic Black Metal

Recording Studio: Demigod Recordings

Producer/Sound engineer: Miguel Tereso

Mix/Master: Miguel Tereso (Demigod Recordings)

Cover artwork: Saros Collective

Bio: Nicolas Franco

Links:
http://www.facebook.com/gaerea
http://www.instagram.com/gaerea
https://gaerea.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/gaerea_official

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/GaereaMirage
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/gaerea-mirage

Formats:
CD Digipak
CD Digibook
2x 12” Gatefold (Black)
2x 12” Gatefold (Dracula / limited to 300)
2x 12” Gatefold (White / limited to 500)
2x 12” Gatefold (Gold / limited to 700)