Just recently, Germany's medieval folk rockers Feuerschwanz announced their upcoming studio album, Memento Mori. Now, Feuerschwanz present a true ode to life with "Memento Mori", accompanied with a great audio-visual, which reveals the secret about the title track of the upcoming full-length.
 
With singing guitars, "Memento Mori" starts its heroic journey through epic soundscapes. The song emerges as a melodic rock anthem with familiar medieval character full of blazing guitar riffs and violin solos. Lyrically, Feuerschwanz encourage self-reflection on one's own existence in "Memento Mori" and confront with human transience, following the motto of living your life to the fullest - right here and right now.


Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Prinz Hodenherz on the new song: "The title track of the new album is the logical continuation of our previous album Das Elfte Gebot. The saying "Memento Mori" (Latin for "Be aware of mortality") originates from ancient Rome and was one of the main ideas in the poetry of the High Middle Ages as well as the Vanitas movement of German Romanticism. It is still a frequently quoted motif in the visual arts world today. In the song, the Gregorian chant "Dies Irae" (Latin for "Day of Wrath") is quoted with bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy and Hans’ heavy guitars.


Nerdfact: If you listen closely, you will also find the central motif of world-famous film scores, including the soundtrack of "The Lord of the Rings"!
What does all this have to do with  Feuerschwanz? Since the band was founded, it has always been about living in the here and now and celebrating existence. In ancient Rome there was a ritual where a slave stood or walked behind the victorious commander during the triumphal procession. He held a gold or laurel wreath over the head of the victorious and continuously admonished them with the waits "Memento Mori". To us this means: Even if you have something to celebrate - everything could be over at any moment! That's kind of what happened to us when we played by far our biggest headlining shows shortly before the pandemic began and our most successful album, Das Elfte Gebot, was released. For us as a band, it was a formative experience that united us even more and allowed us to look forward creatively.
We are looking forward to experiencing, enjoying and capturing all the great concert moments again together with our fans on Memento Mori... as if the ferryman was already standing by.




We invite everyone who, like us, thirsts for life."





Memento Mori, the follow-up to the successful album Das Elfte Gebot (#3 German charts), sings about great adventures, past battles and outstanding heroic deeds in typicalFeuerschwanz fashion. Feuerschwanz manage to stay true to their trademarks, and at the same time, venture musically into new realms.


Feuerschwanz on the new album: “You take nothing with you to your grave, except your coffin... Memento Mori is the direct successor to Die Letzte Schlacht! The world of Hauptmann Feuerschwanz is in flames, overrun by the living dead and scourged by religious zealots... All of this sounds frighteningly real, even in Anno Domini 2021, so it's time to defy the storm once again and celebrate life. Let's live here, let's live now - until death sharpens his knife!”


As a special highlight, some versions of Memento Mori will feature a bonus CD with seven cover songs by Manowar, Amon Amarth, but also O-Zone, among others.


Memento Mori will be available in the following formats:


- 2CD Mediabook + 40 pages booklet
- 1CD Jewel Case + 20 pages booklet
- Digital Album
- Digital Deluxe Album


Pre-order here.





2CD tracklsiting:


Disc 1:
"Memento Mori"
"Untot im Drachenboot"
"Ultima Nocte"
"Rausch der Barbarei"
"Krampus"
"Feuer & Schwert"
"Das Herz eines Drachen"
"Rohirrim"
"Am Galgen"
"Hannibal"
"Skaldenmet"


Disc 2:
"Blinding Lights"
"Warriors of the World United"
"Twilight of the Thunder God"
"The Bad Touch"
"Dragostea Din Tei"
"Square Hammer"
"Der Graf"


“Untot im Drachenboot” video:





A few days after album release, Feuerschwanz will go on an extended tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They will be accompanied by fearless heavy metal kings Warkings.


Feuerschwanz are:


Hauptmann Feuerschwanz - vocals, guitar
Johanna von der Vögelweide - violin, hurdy-gurdy
Rollo - drums
Jarne Hodinsson - bass
Prinz Hodenherz - flutes, bagpipe, vocals, guitar
Hans der Aufrechte – guitar


(Photo - Nikolaj Georgiew)

Toundra have released the second part of their 22-minute-long piece, “El Odio”, the first track on the new album Hex, which is due out on January 14 via InsideOutMusic. The song is conceived, written and produced as a single song, which was then divided into three parts on the album. It represents the band’s various musical influences: post rock, psychedelia, crust, progressive rock, celtic folk or stoner all have a place in it.


The band comments: “There’s Tool, there’s The Who, The Mars Volta and John Lennon. We’ve been inspired in so many ways by so many artists: from Fugazi to Scott Walter, from Paco de Lucía to Schostakovich and Fucked Up.”


"Odio" translates to "hatred" in English.




Guitarist Esteban Girón comments on the song title: "Since birth, human beings are struck by innumerable impulses that lead them to hate instead of love. Hate is not in the nature of any animal, not even in the nature of a human being. Life in this world of screens, numbers, and false justifications of mathematics, theories even more perverse than social Darwinism, denature the human being and lead them to hate whoever is next to them. I have never seen an animal hate and I have grown up among them."


For the video of “El Odio. Parte II”, which is a continuation of the first video that has been released so far (“El Odio. Parte I”), the band collaborated with Asturian director Jorge Carbajales again. Watch both videos below.


Hex is available as Ltd. Edition CD, 180g Gatefold LP (incl. the album on CD) and as Digital Album. Click here to pre-order the album now.





Hex tracklisting:


"El Odio. Parte I"
"El Odio. Parte II"
"El Odio. Parte III"
"Ruinas"
"La Larga Marcha"
"Watt"
"FIN"


"El Odio. Parte I" video:





"El Odio. Parte II" video:

Power metal newcomers Northtale recently announced their new album, Eternal Flame, which is set to be released on November 12 via Nuclear Blast. Produced by Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Unisonic), the album features 12 brand new tracks and a whole range of new influences, from thrash metal, classical citations, and Brazilian traditional music, all fused into Northtale's own brand of melodic power metal.


Eternal Flame features guest appearances from legendary icon Kai Hansen (Helloween/Gamma Ray), his son Tim Kanoa Hansen (Induction), Jonas Heidgert (Dragonland), and Mary Zimmer (Helion Prime).


Hansen has submitted a video reflecting on his experience recording the song "Future Calls".










Tracklisting:


“Only Human”
“Wings Of Salvation”
“Future Calls” (feat. Tim and Kai Hansen)
“The Land Of Mystic Rites”
“Midnight Bells”
“Eternal Flame”
“In The Name Of God”
“Ride The Storm”
“King Of Your Illusion”
“Judas Be My Guide” (Iron Maiden cover feat. Jonas Heidgert)
“Nature’s Revenge”
“Ivy (Outro)”


“Only Human” lyric video:





The album artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes (Machine Head, Amaranthe, Kamelot) Find pre-orders here.

Dymytry and AFM Records have announced that they will team up for future releases. With this collaboration, the “Psy-Core” act takes the next big step towards expansion. Together with their new singer Alen "A.L." Ljubic, the boys from the Czech Republic are ready to conquer Europe and the rest of the world. 


"We’re happy to have joined the AFM family and we are looking forward to releasing our first international album Revolt, on the 14th of January, featuring our new English-speaking singer Alen "A.L." Ljubic on vocals," says Dymytry.  


With more than 1000 concerts performed, five successful studio albums, and a platinum award for their current album Revolt, Dymytry is already very successful and well-known in the Czech Republic. 




For their next big move, the band installed a second front singer Jan “Protheus” Macků, with the newest member Alen on board, who re-recorded the album Revolt, originally sung in Czech, into English. The result: Dymytry will continue to work with “Protheus” in the Czech Republic, but also with Alen on the international market. 


The brand-new English version of the successful Revolt album will be released on January 14th, 2022 via AFM Records and marks the beginning of a new time period for a band that achieved so much, and will achieve so much more in the future. 


"Four years ago we came up with the idea of expanding our musical operating radius beyond the Czech Republic. We probably wanted to get out of our comfort zone and try something new and different. After translating a few of our tracks into English, we started to look at the option of playing some shows abroad," explains bassist Artur “R2R” Mikhaylov.


After a joint single with German act Hämatom in September 2018, both bands went on tour together in October 2018; these were Dymytry’s first shows outside their home country. Mikhaylov: “The tour proved to us that our music also works for an international audience, and in English.” So the band decided to take this remarkable step. 

Warmen, featuring and launched by former Children Of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman in 2000, has checked in with the following update:


"Hello friends! We are back at the cabin writing songs! Super exited as we are back in business and planning on releasing a new album next year. Working on other releases too. We will get more active and keep you posted. Have a great fall and stay metal!"


Warmen have released five albums since 2000: Unknown Soldier (2000), Beyond Abilities (2001), Accept the Fact (2005), Japanese Hospitality (2009), and First of the Five Elements (2014).




Warmen was launched as an interumental project that features guest singers on a few tracks from album to album. Vocalists in the past have included Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodom, Bodom After Midnight), Kimberly Goss (Sinergy), Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius), Pasi Nykänen (Throne of Chaos), Jonna Kosonen, and Pasi Rantanen (ex-Thunderstone).

Last Temptation has launched their new single "Stronger Than Fate". A fast paced, Ozzy Osbourne-style track with a chanting chorus and shredding guitars, the song describes people who feel they can do anything, be stronger than anyone and seem to forget that they can’t beat death. These people do or say stupid things, and believe nothing can reach them until their day comes to face the music.





The first important step has been mastered effortlessly; now Last Temptation are going whole hog. Following up their successful debut album, shows with Dream Theater, plus festivals such as Hellfest, the band surrounding guitarist Peter Scheithauer (Killing Machine, Belladonna, Temple Of Brutality) and vocalist Butcho Vukovic (Watcha) is all set to embark on the second stage of its career. Last Temptation have signed a new record deal with Crusader Records / Golden Robot Records and are presenting several new singles, followed by their brand-new album Ashes ’N’ Fire in February 2022. 




“You can feel that we’ve made a major step forward, both as a live band and as songwriters, all thanks to the shows we’ve played so far.” - Peter Scheithauer


Talking of the new lineup: In bassist Julien Rimaire (Los Dissidentes Del Sucio Motel) and drummer Vince Brisach (Mitch Ryder), along with Scheithauer and Vukovic, the band have a whole new rhythm section supporting them on Ashes ’N’ Fire. While Last Temptation’s self-titled debut still boasted a number of international guests, such as Bob Daisley, Vinny Appice, Stet Howland, James Lomenzo, Don Airey, Steve Unger and Rudy Sarzo, the band now consists exclusively of European musicians. “This step was necessary to make Last Temptation more flexible when it comes to the organizational side,” explains Scheithauer. “The new lineup makes it so much easier to rehearse spontaneously, play gigs at short notice and prepare album productions.”


No doubt about it: Last Temptation have grown into an even tighter unit, musically as well as logistically, and are positively bursting with enthusiasm. The songwriting team consisting of Scheithauer and Vukovic, together coming up with 16 tracks for Ashes ’N’ Fire, eleven of which have made it onto the album. They range from up-tempo numbers such as “Stronger Than Fate” and “Free Strong And Loud” to the Black Sabbath-esque “Going Crazy” and the ballad “In The Mirror”.








 

The second album by Austrian melodic death metallers Fearancy, Daemonium, hit the shelves in August 2021. With "Voices", the quartet now releases another song from the almost 40-minute long-player. This time it's a lyric video animated by K-Drumworm-Media. 





The ten songs on Daemonium were recorded at the Romes recording studio in Hartberg, Austria, while the mix and mastering were done by J-F Dagenais of Kataklysm, who put the finishing touches on the whole thing at JFD Studios in Texas.







Tracklisting:


"Last Disease"
"Rise And Fall"
"Dæmonium"
"All Is Lost"
"Sacrifice"
"Voices"
"Instincts"
"Rise Again"
"Coldened"
"Agony"





 

Spooky season was in full swing last month and New Jersey hard rock band N.A.S.H. arrived with the aptly titled “Scary House”. You won’t see any dark houses with cobwebs and skeletons in the music video though, because horrors can happen in the light of day just as they do in the dead of night.


"We knew we would have to really make a strong concept to keep people interested,” says vocalist/guitarist Bryan Nash. “So I begged the question: What is a 'Scary House' to a serial killer? Answer: Home Sweet Home. In order to evade being caught, most have dawned the mask of ‘normalcy.’ Hiding in plain sight. Living in an average home. An act. To hide something twisted. That has to be hell. So to we wanted to find the cleanest, brightest and most welcoming house with a white picket fence and plop our psychopath in the middle who is tired of the mask and wants to shed it."


Too bad the band happens to be the family the killer chose to hide with (cue the violence).







Hailing out of a small town not too far from New York City, N.A.S.H. came to fruition when a triad of brothers took their basement jam sessions to a whole new level of musicianship. At a young age – Bryan, Jim Bobbi and Joe began their venture jamming to nostalgic hits from bands like Metallica and Pearl Jam (joined later by Dylan Johnson on lead guitar). Their music maintains a blend of hard rock adaptations that heavily incorporate crunchy guitars, epic solos, solid back beats, commanding bass lines and vocal passages that can woo even the most stubborn of music connoisseurs.


N.A.S.H. has independently released their debut album Regain The High Ground, and issued their sophomore album Incredible Villains, with Heavy Metal Records. N.A.S.H. is set to go back into the studio in the fall of 2021.





For further details, visit N.A.S.H. on Facebook.


 


 

KISS / Soul Station frontman Paul Stanley's father, William Eisen, has died at the age of 101. Stanley took to social media with the following announcement:



My dad William Eisen has left this earth after 101 years & 7 months. His thirst for knowledge never wained. He could speak on virtually any subject. His pride in my accomplishments was heartwarming as was seeing his love of my family. He said he'd always be with me and he will. pic.twitter.com/uKWHP9Okax
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) November 8, 2021







All of us at BraveWords send our sincere condolences to Paul Stanley and his family.