Danish composer, vocalist and classically trained multi-instrumentalist Myrkur (a.k.a. Amalie Bruun) has always paved her own path and challenged underground preconceptions of heavy genres. Just after newfound motherhood, Bruun set out on a journey into the very heart of the Scandinavian culture that marked her own childhood with the release of her new album, "Folkesange". Due out March 20 via Relapse Records, "Folkesange" relinquishes black metal for a refined yet far-reaching evocation of traditional folk, combining songs ancient and new to sublimely resonant effect.
Today, Myrkur has unveiled lead single and album opener "Ella" which she explains is "the result of years of studying, playing and listening to traditional Nordic folk music. This is my version of a new folk song, with roots planted in history and in the past. It is my ode to mankind and our connection with nature — a rite of passage as a woman and a rebirth ritual in the sea."
She continues: "Three years ago I decided to share a video where I performed an old Scandinavian folk song on the nyckelharpa. After this, I realized that I had a strong need to create an album within this universe and that other people also wished to hear this. So I started working on picking out what old songs to reinterpret as well as write my own version of this. 'Ella' is this."
On Myrkur's first two full-length studio albums (2015's "M" and 2017's "Mareridt"), she recast black metal in the most personal yet expansive of terms, their blending of Bruun's Danish folk roots with tempestuous internal struggles breathing new life into a subgenre whose followers can be rigidly possessive.
After the nightmare-induced visions that wrought themselves throughout 2017's immensely acclaimed "Mareridt", "Folkesange" offers an emotional sanctuary, a means to reconnect to something permanent and nature-aligned. It's an awareness that's become deeply bound to the album's organic, regenerative spirit.
Storytelling, rites of passage, and the invocation of a continuity that passes through time and generation are all part of folk music's tapestry, and "Folkesange" taps into all these currents in their most essential form. In part a purist's approach to the genre, free from over-interpretation and fusion, the use of Kulning (an ancient Scandinavian herding call) and traditional instruments throughout, such as nyckelharpa, lyre and mandola offer a deeper, more tactile connection to their source, an unbroken line of communication back to the past.
But the album is no museum piece; it resonates in the here and now, aided by the spacious production of HEILUNG member and musical collaborator Christopher Juul. Cinematic yet intimate, "Folkesange" exists in a state of boundless reverie, bourne by string-led drones, cyclical, elegiac rhythms and Bruun's frictionless voice, all carrier signals for deep-rooted, ancestral memories, and associations felt on an elemental level.
An immersive experience in its own right, but also belonging to a wider, pagan folk-based renaissance that has attracted a devoted following worldwide, "Folkesange" answers a need that has become ever more pressing in turbulent times. A zeroing in on a resonance that is both intrinsic and enduring, it's a rediscovery of personal grounding, and an experience that reaches beyond culture to remind us of a shared, deeply rooted inheritance. A tuning fork that binds the personal and the universal, "Folkesange" is a reminder that the most transcendent experiences are those closest to home.
There will be several "Folkesange" limited deluxe vinyl versions available.
Israeli symphonic/progressive metal band, Scardust, have unveiled a new taste of what to expect on the follow-up recording that they're currently prepping for a fall 2020 release.
At the band's recent, sold-out Scarfest in their home city of Tel Aviv, the group debuted the new song “Tantibus II”, complete with backing vocals by the 12-person “Hellscore” choir. Professionally filmed live footage of the song - which showcases the band's impeccable musicianship and the diverse range of vocalist Noa Gruman, can be seen below.
Says Gruman, “Scarfest was a magical evening, and our full-length set with the Hellscore choir featured several songs from our upcoming album. ‘Tantibus II’ was one of them, and it's now released for the world to see as a teaser for what's to come.”
“Tantibus II” is a sequel to “Tantibus”, a song from the group's 2015 debut EP, Shadow. It further explores a common theme scattered throughout Scardust's music - the human desire to escape from reality. In its lyrics, sleep is used as a metaphor for the things that we do to detach ourselves from our day-to-day routines. The demon described in the song is the Old Hag, the villain in a fable about a supernatural creature who sits on dreamers' chests and strangles them. The tale relates to a phenomenon called sleep paralysis, in which dreamers are struck with great fear and a feeling that they cannot wake up.
LINDEMANN, the project featuring vocalist Till Lindemann of German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN and Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN), has released three new music videos for the song "Ach So Gern". The track is taken from LINDEMANN's second album, "F & M", which arrived in November. The follow-up to 2015's "Skills In Pills" was once again produced and mixed by Tägtgren.
The three new clips — "Pain Version", "Clemens Wijers Version" and "Drago Baotić Version" — were made available just one day after the arrival of the "One-Shot Version" and one month after the release of the song's official video.
Zoran Bihac, who directed the "Ach So Gern" video, stated about the "One-Shot" vesion of the clip: "In order to create an authentic atmosphere and draw real reactions from Till, we decided to shoot the interrogation scene in a one-shot. It was complicated because I also wanted to have the wide shot at the end within the same take, so we decided to shoot it with a drone. While Till is performing and getting beaten, the rotors had to start up and the drone had to be released at the right time. Till, our cast and the camera team had to synchronize perfectly to the timing of the song or else it wouldn't work. In the end, we decided it was best for the music video to cut in some other nice scenes, but I always had the idea to show the one-shot in its raw form some day."
"Skills In Pills" reached gold status in Germany and was entirely in English. On this second opus, the rules have changed: German lyrics sung by Lindemann's unmistakable voice are set in an intense and unique musical composition.
The starting point of these new LINDEMANN songs was a collaboration between Lindemann and the Hamburg Thalia Theater in the context of a modern adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Hänsel & Gretel", which addresses topics such as fear, hope, poverty, abundance, cannibalism or death.
Five songs from this critically acclaimed play have been supplemented with six brand new masterpieces to form the impressive new studio work from LINDEMANN.
Tägtgren told Australia's Heavy about "F & M": "We actually started it right after the first one. We started writing this theater piece ['Hänsel & Gretel'] that they wanted us to work on. They wanted us to do a couple of songs for this 'Hänsel & Gretel' thing that they were doing, but they wanted more bizarre shit. Till was already involved with it, so they asked us if we could write a couple of songs for it, so we did. We did, like, two songs, and then we just kept on writing after that. That is the second time in a row when we started out with a couple and ended up with twelve or fourteen songs… I don't know what the hell happens."
LINDEMANN will embark on a European tour in February.
Swiss heavy metal band BURNING WITCHES will release its third studio album, "Dance With The Devil", on March 6, 2020 via Nuclear Blast.
The official visualizer video for the disc's latest single, "Sea Of Lies", can be seen below.
The quintet says: "We are delighted to present you our second single 'Sea Of Lies'. In our humble opinion, the track mirrors the album really well. The old-school vibe, the heavy as hell approach and the growly yet very melodic moments showcase the evolved WITCHES of 2020! The lyrical content deals with very personal events that took place during 2019, when there was a lot of challenges around the band. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!"
"Dance With The Devil" was recorded at Little Creek Studio and produced once again by V.O. Pulver and German thrash titan Schmier (DESTRUCTION). The magnificent cover artwork was created by Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák (BLIND GUARDIAN, TWILIGHT ORCHESTRA, ACCEPT, POWERWOLF, STRATOVARIUS) and DESTRUCTION guitarist Damir Eskic.
"Dance With The Devil" track listing:
01. The Incantation
02. Lucid Nightmare
03. Dance With The Devil
04. Wings Of Steel
05. Six Feet Underground
06. Black Magic
07. Sea Of Lies
08. The Sisters Of Fate
09. Necronomicon
10. The Final Fight
11. Threefold Return
12. Battle Hymn (feat. Ross The Boss and Michael Lepond)
Bonus CD (digipack only)
01. Mansion In Darkness (also available on the 2LP version)
02. Black Magic (acoustic) (also available on the 2LP version)
03. Executed (live)
04. Open Your Mind (live)
05. Hexenhammer (live)
Last month, BURNING WITCHES released an EP, "Wings Of Steel", featuring the brand new title track alongside three songs that were recorded during the band's appearance at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. The EP was made available on black and colored vinyl.
BURNING WITCHES' first live performance with new singer Laura Guldemond took place in June 2019 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
The vocalist of the Dutch symphonic metal band SHADOWRISE, Guldemond was recruited by BURNING WITCHES following the departure of Seraina Telli.
In a statement, Seraina said that she was leaving BURNING WITCHES "for personal reasons," vowing to "fully dedicate" herself to her band DEAD VENUS.
Formed in 2015, BURNING WITCHES has released two full-length studio albums, 2017's "Burning Witches" and 2018's "Hexenhammer".
“We Are Right”, the new video and single from Italian hard rock/modern metal band Game Zero, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming second album, W.A.R. – We Are Right', due on February 28th, 2020 via Art Gates Records.
The album was recorded at The Fog Studio 2.0/Studio Compresso mixed and produced by Antonio Aronne, mastered at Elephant Mastering by Riccardo Parenti. Vocals Production by Enrico ‘Erk’ Scutti.
The cover artwork has been designed by Fabio Timpanaro (Deathstars, Ancient, The Foreshadowing); visual concept by Alessandro ‘Alexincubus’ Pallotta.
Tracklisting:
“We Are Right”
“Goodbye”
“You’ve Got To Move On”
“Don’t You”
“Believe”
“The Ghost”
“Compromise”
“The Stranger”
“Blow Me Away”
“You Choke Me”
“Lying”
“Full Of Nothing”
THE WORD ALIVE will release its new new album, "Monomania", on February 21 via Fearless Records. The disc was produced by Eric Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, GODSMACK).
The official music video for the "Monomania" title track can be seen below.
"With 'Monomania', I wanted to capture the emotional roller coaster we go through as we continually kill our true selves battling the 'madness' we feel as we struggle with who we are, wondering at times if there's any point to all of this," says vocalist Telle Smith. "Sometimes, we're so desperate to be heard that we get lost attempting to fit in or to stand out. It's fucking hard learning what feels like hard lessons over and over. We fail to take ownership of our thoughts and actions, pulling us further away from facing who we are. You only really overcome that by trusting in yourself, because that's the only way you can break the cycle."
The Arizona-based band previously released the anthemic track "Burning Your World Down".
"When you listen to our new music, I hope you have a better understanding of our entire career," Smith says about the album as a whole. "Maybe you can see the whole story and realize that we're not different from you. We've been through it all, but we're always trying to learn, grow, and leave something behind we feel will help people. This is our purest work. This is everything we've been through in the last couple of years. It's the best conclusion of the last 10 years and the best opening to the next 10."
"Monomania" track listing:
01. Monomania
02. No Way Out
03. Searching For Glory
04. Another Year In The Shadows
05. Greatest Almost
06. Thank You
07. Numb Love (Misery II)
08. K.F.
09. Burning Your World Down
10. Comfort & Chaos
11. I'm Sorry You're Sorry Now
12. Death Is Only The End If You Assume The Story Is About You
Since emerging in 2009, THE WORD ALIVE's first decade comprised "Deceiver" (2010), "Life Cycles" (2012), "Real." (2014) and "Dark Matter" (2016), reaching a high watermark on "Violent Noise" in 2018. Bringing their total streams past 100 million, the latter included "Why Am I Like This?" (9.7 million Spotify streams) and "Red Clouds" (4.7 million Spotify streams).
California's HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD will release its sixth full-length studio album, "New Empire, Vol. 1", on February 14 via Dove & Grenade Media/BMG. Produced by Matt Good (SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, ASKING ALEXANDRIA), the record is comprised of nine high-energy tracks that showcase the band embracing a heavier, hard-rock sound with this effort.
The official music video for "Empire", the third single from the album, can be seen below.
"This album is our attempt at reimagining HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, not just a new sound for this release, but a new sound for the band altogether," explains Johnny 3 Tears (vocals, bass guitar). "Our goal from the outset was to make music that stands alone from our other albums, yet seamlessly fits with what we've made before. Building upon the old to create a new sound and a New Empire."
"New Empire, Volume 1" track listing:
01. Time Bomb
02. Heart Of A Champion
03. Already Dead
04. Empire
05. Killin' It
06. Enemy
07. Upside Down
08. Second Chances
09. Nightmare
Released in October, "Already Dead" marked HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's first music released since 2018's "Psalms" EP, which has racked up over 50 million streams worldwide.
Since the release of HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's RIAA-platinum-certified 2008 debut album, "Swan Songs", their distinctive and infectious music has incited a cult audience of millions of fans, resulting in sold out shows across the globe and huge festival appearances at Reading and Leeds, Rock Am Ring, Rock On The Range, and more. The band has shared the stage with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, KORN, STONE SOUR and CYPRESS HILL, in addition to receiving nods in the press from the likes of Consequence Of Sound, Billboard, Alternative Press, Rolling Stone and Revolver. The quintet has also garnered massive mainstream appeal, with its 2011 sophomore record, "American Tragedy", going gold and hitting No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Their 2013 full-length, "Notes From The Underground", seized the #2 spot, and in 2018, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD crossed one billion total global streams across its catalog.
Swiss rockers GOTTHARD will release their 13th studio album, "#13", on March 13 via Nuclear Blast Records. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Missteria", can be seen below.
Leo Leoni comments: "It´s been great fun writing a track with Francis again, and with 'Missteria', I believe we delivered a real killer!"
Among the usual straight-up rock and roll that GOTTHARD is known for, "#13" offers remarkable variety between songs — such as the powerful opener "Bad News", the fast hard-and-heavy "Every Time I Die", the straight-to-the-point lyrical message of "Man On A Mission", old-school blues-rock with "Another Last Time", epic ballads like "I Can Say I'm Sorry" and unbridled '70s psychedelia with "Rescue Me".
Aside from the obvious standout of the record, the cover of ABBA's world-famous hit "SOS", the first single "Missteria" confidently displays the band's passion for experimentation that is on show throughout "#13". The eccentric track, whihc was written in collaboration with none other than Francis Rossi himself, combines an unmistakeable rock structure with flourishes of oriental instrumentation and is a perfect basis for the video, recorded at the Madi-Zelt in Berlin. Exotic mysticism, the sense of illusion and sensual dancers that remind the watcher of Salma Hayek's legendary appearance in "From Dusk Till Dawn", frame the band's performance between velvet, deceptive mirrors, fog and fascinating LED effects.
After 16 #1 albums, over three million records sold worldwide and more than 2000 live shows, "#13" proves that GOTTHARD, even after 25 years, still knows how to provide its fans with exactly what they love about the band. "#13" was produced by U.S. producer Paul Lani, while Leo Leoni upheld the role of co-producer for the album. The recordings of "#13" took place at the Yellow House Studio in Lugano, while the mixing was done in Los Angeles and the final touches were added by the renowned Darcy Proper at Valhalla Studios in New York.
"#13" will be available on CD (jewelcase) with 13 tracks and as a special edition collector’s box (including a digipack with two bonus tracks, a bandana and a poster-booklet) as well as a double LP with two bonus tracks.
"#13" track listing:
01. Bad News
02. Every Time I Die
03. Missteria
04. 10,000 Faces
05. S.O.S.
06. Another Last Time
07. Better Than Love
08. Save The Date
09. Marry You
10. Man On A Mission
11. No Time To Cry
12. I Can Say I'm Sorry
13. Rescue Me
Bonus tracks:
14. No Time To Cry (Demo Version)
15. I Can Say I'm Sorry (Piano Version)
GOTTHARD kicks off its German tour this April, joined by MAGNUM as special guest, before returning to Switzerland with old friends from SHAKRA.
The dark veil between Nergal's enigmatic blackened blues project and its dedicated congregation has finally been lifted. Napalm Records has announced the official release of ME AND THAT MAN's sophomore full-length album, titled "New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1", on March 27. It will be celebrated with a special record-release show in London on the same day, including special guests from the album.
Three years after their initial debut, ME AND THAT MAN has returned with an offering that is indeed different from the first, but in no way less brilliant. The mysterious collective has surpassed themselves with their bewitching new collection — featuring ominous lyricism atop unfiltered blues, gothic-laced folk, outlaw country and Americana-influenced anthems. The enthralling album visits a completely new spectrum of dark desert vibes and sees notable heavy music icons such as Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT), Brent Hinds (MASTODON), Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM), Ihsahn (EMPEROR) and Sivert Høyem (MADRUGADA) join the pact with the devil. "New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1" is a diversified, dynamic masterpiece that presents Nergal in a completely new light, providing a strong contrast to the heavier sounds of BEHEMOTH. Evil has truly never sounded so good.
Nergal comments: "With the utmost pride and… kind of relief;,I present to you, the second ME AND THAT MAN album — 'New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1'. This time 'round, I wanted to take on a different challenge and curated an album of 11 songs — each with their own character and vibe, alongside the most talented and important individuals across the whole scene. Together, we take trips to the lands of blues, folk, country and even spaghetti western. Only time will tell if we hit the mark, but I deeply believe so. I'm very proud of this piece of work and it has been a monumental task to achieve.
"I would like to thank EACH one of our guests for being part of this project: Mat and Matt, Niklas and Jørgen, Corey, Alan, Addi, Brent, Vegard, Sivert, Anders, Rob, Jerome, Johanna and Nicke. I LOVE you all from here to the moon and back! Without the passion and heart you granted us, this wouldn't have been possible!"
After just having released the upbeat "Run With The Devil" featuring Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian blackjazz collective SHINING and the outlaw-infused "Burning Churches" featuring Mat McNerney of GRAVE PLEASURES, ME AND THAT MAN have dropped a third single — the gloomy, soulful "Surrender", cut from "New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1". The track features the Swedish industrial doom blues standout DEAD SOUL and Rob Caggiano's (VOLBEAT) distinctive guitar playing. It shows yet another aspect of the band's versatility.
"New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1" track listing:
01. Run With The Devil (feat. Jørgen Munkeby of SHINING)
02. Coming Home (feat. Siver Høyem of MADRUGADA)
03. Burning Churches (feat. Mat McNerney of GRAVE PLEASURES)
04. By The River (feat. Ihsahn of EMPEROR)
05. Męstwo
06. Surrender (feat. Anders Landelius of DEAD SOUL)
07. Deep Down South (feat. Nicke Anderson of ENTOMBED / Johanna Sadonis of LUCIFER)
08. Man Of The Cross (feat. Jerome Reuter of ROME)
09. You Will Be Mine (feat. Matt Heafy of TRIVIUM)
10. How Come? (feat. Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR) / Brent Hinds of MASTODON)
11. Confession (feat. Niklas Kvarforth of SHINING)
ME AND THAT MAN released its debut album, "Songs Of Love And Death", in 2017 — introducing the world to its unique brand of folk and blues, mixed with hints of outlaw country. The atmospherically dark album provided a strong contrast to BEHEMOTH with its catchy melodies and relaxed rhythms, and gave Nergal space to express his creativity in a different setting. Since its release, the album's lead single, "My Church Is Black", has racked up over 2.5 million streams on Spotify.
Darski has been a fixture in the music industry for years. As the frontman of black/death metal band BEHEMOTH, Darski has been known to preach unholy sermons, praise Satan and sing about explicit blasphemy. Naturally, the next step was to channel those themes into another genre commonly dubbed as the Devil's music — blues. ME AND THAT MAN is exactly that — Nergal's solo project will surprise and bewitch the listener. The visionary creative founded the band in an effort to showcase his true ability to adapt to any genre. In summer 2018, British/Polish rock musician John Porter left ME AND THAT MAN after the band completed a number of gigs in support of "Songs Of Love And Death".
"Desolate July", the new Christian Rios-directed video from SONS OF APOLLO — featuring former DREAM THEATER members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Billy Sheehan (THE WINERY DOGS, MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-JOURNEY, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE) — can be seen below. The song is taken from SONS OF APOLLO's second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20), which will be released on January 17 via InsideOut Music/Sony. Produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers (Portnoy and Sherinian), "MMXX" will be made available as a standard CD package, limited-edition 2 CD package (which includes instrumental mixes and a cappella excerpts), 2 LP + CD package, and on all digital formats.
"Desolate July" is a tribute to musician David Z, who tragically passed away in 2017.
Soto comments: "From the few seconds of hearing this song, it guided me to write the lyrics about our dear friend and colleague, David Z. David was one of the greatest, funniest and kindest humans I have ever known. He had friendships with most all of us in SONS OF APOLLO, but Mike and I were certainly the closest. I thought it fitting to include this tribute to him from us in this haunting, incredible body of music."
Adds Portnoy: "This video is a great tribute to our dear friend David Z. Jeff and I were particularly close with him and I was honored that Jeff invited me to sing the harmonies with him on the choruses for us to both share our love for our friend that was tragically taken from us way too soon."
"MMXX" track listing:
01. Goodbye Divinity (7:16)
02. Wither To Black (4:48)
03. Asphyxiation (5:09)
04. Desolate July (6:11)
05. King Of Delusion (8:49)
06. Fall To Ascend (5:07)
07. Resurrection Day (5:51)
08. New World Today (16:38)
"Stylistically, we have followed the same path as the debut," outlines Portnoy. "But we feel that it has come out stronger, simply because we know one another better. 'Psychotic Symphony' was the first time the five of us had worked together, so there was bound to be an air of experimentation happening. Now, we can draw on having the experience not only of recording that album, but also of touring together a lot. And now there is clearly a lot more obvious chemistry going on."
"We did 83 shows on the last tour," adds keyboardist Derek Sherinian. "And it was so worthwhile, because we came out of it with a stronger bond, and that is certainly reflected in what we wrote."
The writing process began at the start of the year, as Portnoy, Sherinian and guitarist Thal got together. "The three of us were at my home studio in Pennsylvania," explains Portnoy. "And it took about three weeks to get all the music written. That was a very smooth process. The last time, it certainly must have felt a little weird for Bumblefoot to be writing with Derek and me, because we were strangers to him. Now, we know one another better and that helped things push along."
"Because we all have our home studios, it meant everyone could record there as and when they had opportunity," continues Sherinian. "We all had the luxury of being able to take our time to get all the parts done, which was a huge help in the way the album's come out. I suppose in all, it took about eight months to record everything."
The lyrics were written by Soto, who also came up with the melody lines with input from Sherinian. "While Jeff was left to come up with the words on his own, as the melody lines are part of the music, it made sense for me to be involved with that part," says the keyboard player.
There are eight tracks on "MMXX", with variations in length totaling 60 minutes. "The final song is 'New World Today', which is 16 minutes long," says Portnoy. "This one has elements similar to 'Opus Maximus' and 'Labyrinth' on the previous album. It has some insane, brilliant instrumental moments, which I am sure the fans will love."
"We wanted to do something epic here, as we did with 'Opus Maximus' last time around," adds Sherinian. "You have to remember that Mike and I come from DREAM THEATER, where we never bothered about how long a song was. So, for us doing a 16-minute track is not a problem."
The album title was inspired by a simple chronological fact. "This will be released in mid-January 2020," says Portnoy. "That means it will be one of the first releases in what is a new decade. So I came up with the idea of calling it '2020', except having it written in the Latin form of 'MMXX'." And the album's artwork has been created by Thomas Ewerhard (who was responsible for the cover design of "Psychotic Symphony"), which inevitably reflects the title. As Portnoy explains, "For the first record, we had a mythological feel. This time around though, there's a much more futuristic style to what we've got. It has a very 21st century appeal. And the band crest is more polished, cleaned up and a lot more modern than last time, when it had an old-fashioned look."
"Each member of this band has their own signature sound on their instrument," adds Sherinian. "And when you put all of this together what you get is a wonderful five-headed beast. It makes this a sonically special band, which is definitely what comes across on 'MMXX'. You can hear odd time signatures and amazingly crazy performances here. Overall, we've been satisfyingly more adventurous this time than we were before, and I know people are sure to love what we've done."
In touring news, the band's headlining "MMXX" world tour will launch January 24 in Pomona, California and will take them around the world throughout the new year. They have also just announced European tour dates for March 2020.
STITCHED UP HEART's official music video for the song "Warrior", directed by Ron Thunderwood and STITCHED UP HEART frontwoman Alecia "Mixi" Demner, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's forthcoming full-length sophomore album "Darkness", due out on March 13 via Another Century.
"I'm really excited about this video because I was able to come up with almost the entire creative vision for it," said Demner. "From wardrobe, makeup, to cinematography. We wanted to go for a visual aesthetic similar to the movie 300. The director, Ron Underwood, went above and beyond taking every idea I had and making it more than I ever dreamed it to be! I'm very happy with the end result."
"Darkness" will feature previously released tracks such as "Lost" (featuring a guest appearance by Sully Erna of GODSMACK), "Bones", "Darkness", "Warrior", "Problems", "Crooked Halo", "Dead Roses" and "This Skin". The upcoming full-length album was produced by FROM FIRST TO LAST singer/guitarist Matt Good (producer of ASKING ALEXANDRIA and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD).
Fans can grab "Darkness" on CD and vinyl along with merchandise bundles exclusively at CenturyMedia.store, including a "Darkness" t-shirt, logo pullover hoodie, logo beanie, and signed "Darkness" lithograph posters (limited to 200).
Demner told Live Metal about STITCHED UP HEART's decision to release one new song every few weeks until "Darkness" arrives: "The way that music is these days, you give people an album, and then they play that album for a month, and then they're done and they've moved on to the next whatever's new. But if you give them the whole album, you've spent, 30, 60, 100 grand — however much the producer is, however much everybody negotiated the price, blah blah blah; it costs a lot of money. You give them everything you've got, and you're, like, 'All right, well, I've got nothing new for a while.' I figured — and the powers that be had brought this to my attention — let's do a song at a time and see what happens and keep things going and moving along."
She continued: "Not too many rock bands have really tried that. I believe that music will start going into that, where people release smaller segments or just one song at a time, because the way people’s attention span is. You give people a whole album, and then it's done and moved on. Now, we still have a whole album. If we had released it already, then you guys would already have it and that's it. But this also is cool because it separates every song that we release individually. They all get their own lyric video, instead of that one song on the album that you all forget about. They all get their own moment."
STITCHED UP HEART recently completed a North American tour with STEEL PANTHER.
Grammy-nominated band CODE ORANGE has announced details of its new LP, "Underneath", which will be released on March 13 via Roadrunner Records. The official Max Moore-directed music video for the album's title track, offering a glimpse into the reconfigured and urgent compositions of a band at their most ambitious, can be seen below.
CODE ORANGE's Jami Morgan detailed the band's new LP: "'Underneath' is about facing the duality in ourselves as individuals and as a society in an overcrowded, overexposed, all-consuming digital nirvana. Everyone has a voice and no one's seems to matter… plummet down the rabbit hole of your deepest fears, anxieties and regrets to confront the monster that has been building underneath."
"Underneath" finds CODE ORANGE once again confounding expectations, piling element on element, and towering towards the sky. Rattling drum loops give way to bursts of rage as "Underneath" transforms into something colossal, daring, and resilient, setting the tone for one of the year’s most exhilarating heavy records.
"Underneath" is available today for pre-order with bundles and four limited edition vinyl colorways, each featuring a gatefold jacket with a lenticular cover, also available. Produced by Morgan and Nick Raskulinecz with co-producer Will Yip, "Underneath" features additional programming from Chris Vrenna, and was mixed by Yip and CODE ORANGE's own Eric "Shade" Balderose.
In 2017, CODE ORANGE flipped the heavy music world on its head with their breakthrough album "Forever", a collection that masterfully mixed hardcore aggression with urgent industrial textures, earning the band a breakthrough grammy nomination and top placement on several "Best of 2017" lists, including Rolling Stone's "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017", Revolver's "20 Best Albums of 2017" and The Independent's "Top 20 Rock & Metal Albums of 2017."
This past summer, CODE ORANGE made headlines in the professional wrestling world with the release of "Let Me In", their official entrance theme for WWE superstar "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. CODE ORANGE previously featured at WWE's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III performing a rendition of wrestler Aleister Black's entrance theme alongside Incendiary's Brendan Garrone. "Let Me In" followed CODE ORANGE's 2018 release of "The Hurt Will Go On", a digital EP featuring "3 Knives" and "The Hunt" featuring Corey Taylor, as well as "The Hurt Will Go On" (Shade Remix), an official remix of CODE ORANGE's "Hurt Goes On" helmed by the band’s guitarist and vocalist Shade. More recently, CODE ORANGE has collaborated with a wide array of artists, co-producing Injury Reserve's "HPNGC" featuring JPEGMAFIA, as well as serving up a pair of remixes for alt-J's "Hit Me Like That Snare" and "Adeline".
Comprised of Jami Morgan (drums / vocals), Eric "Shade" Balderose (guitar / electronics / vocals), Reba Meyers (guitar / vocals), Dominic Landolina (guitar) and Joe Goldman (bass), CODE ORANGE is set to perform at an array of festivals this spring, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 10 and April 17 and Columbus, Ohio's Sonic Temple festival on May 15. Additional tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Toronto's Scarlet Sins, who called it quits in 2009 after several years together and only one album (released in 2008), performed two reunion shows in late 2019, on October 19th and November 2nd in Ottawa and Toronto respectively. Video of the band performing their cover of Depeche Mode's "Strangelove" at the Bovine Sex Club in Toronto is available below.
Scarlet Sins have re-released their debut album via Bandcamp with the following message:
"Time to be reborn... our album is available on BandCamp. Stream or download."
It is available for streaming and for purchase below.
The tracklist is as follows:
"Let Go"
"Drown"
"Above Ground"
"Own Truth"
"With You"
"Reborn"
"Strangelove"
"Are You Worth It"
"Backstabber"
"Broken"
"Fire Inside"
"Entre"
"No Arguments"
Watch the band's official Facebook page for updates here.
On January 31st, Finnish bashers Kaos Krew release their new album, From The Ostrobothnian Plain, on Inverse Records. To get a feel of their new hard and heavy sounding album, watch the video for "Whiteout" below. Album details will be revealed soon.
The video was shot by Kasper Dalkarl at Ahlskog Tannery in Ostrobothnia, Finland and features Petter Löf from the Finnish metalcore band IAmSin as vocalist.
For information on Kaos Krew go to their official Facebook page here.
Lineup:
Göran Fellman – guitar
Petter Löf – vocals
Mats Norrgård - drums
Ulf Skog – lead guitar
Sven Wannäs – keyboard
Massi Wickman – bass
Danish death metal band, Urkraft, have released a new live video for "A Scornful Death", filmed in Tokyo on the band's latest tour. Watch below.
"A Scornful Death" is taken from the album of the same name, originally recorded in 2008 but released in 2019.
Urkraft was formed in 1995 as one of the first bands in the Danish metal scene displaying a ”New Nordic” expression with lyrics in their Danish mother tongue revolving around the mystery of time and the evolution of man. Originating from these musical roots, the debut album Eternal Cosmic Slaughter was released in 2004, and in 2006 The Inhuman Aberration was released by British label, Earache Records.
KISS have posted pro-shot video footage of “Dr. Love” trom their December 19th show in Nagoya, Japan at Dolphins Arena below:
Japanese rock star Yoshiki will team up with American rock legends KISS for a once-in-a-lifetime television performance on Japan’s NHK network. The artists will appear together as Yoshiki Featuring KISS (YOSHIKISS) during the New Year’s Eve Red and White Music Battle (Kouhaku Uta Gassen), the most-watched television program in Japan, which is also broadcast worldwide.
Yoshiki’s televised performance with KISS follows his surprise on-stage appearances with the band at Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome Osaka during their End Of The Road World Tour, electrifying the audience with a piano performance on “Beth" and playing the drums on “Rock And Roll All Nite”.
Yoshiki worked previously with KISS to create a 72-piece orchestral cover of “Black Diamond” for the 1994 tribute album Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved. In 2016, Gene Simmons joined Yoshiki on stage to perform “Rock And Roll All Nite” at the Visual Japan Summit in Tokyo.
The upcoming performance will mark the first time Yoshiki and KISS have appeared on television together. “I want us to create a performance that will have a big impact,” Yoshiki said. “I think we’re really going to shock people.”
"It’s an honor to perform on NHK in my favorite country in the world,” says Gene Simmons of KISS. “Yoshiki is a Japanese legend, but he never forgets to have a humble heart. I’ve been influenced by his humble approach to his work."
Paul Stanley of KISS also praised Yoshiki adding, "Not only is Yoshiki a wonderful pianist and drummer, but he continues to express the importance of living and has had a great impact on us."
For Yoshiki, KISS was a life-saving force in his childhood as he dealt with the despair caused by the sudden death of his father. “KISS saved my life,” explained Yoshiki, who studied classical piano throughout his youth and began drumming as a way of releasing his emotional pain.
“Instead of banging things, I started banging drums,” Yoshiki said in the X Japan documentary film We Are X. Gene Simmons appears in the film to praise the band which was in fact inspired by KISS. “If those guys were born in America,” Simmons said, “they might be the biggest band in the world.”
Yoshiki's Kohaku Uta Gassen appearance will mark his fifth consecutive performance since 2015 as both a solo artist and as leader of the rock group X Japan. He defeated Godzilla in 2016, played the drums for the first time following his cervical vertebra surgery in 2017, and made history in 2018 as the first artist to perform on the program for both the red and white teams, appearing as Yoshiki Feat. Hyde for the Attack On Titan theme "Red Swan" and playing the piano with Sarah Brightman on vocals for the chart-topping crossover single "Miracle".
German legends Scorpions keep releasing classic live material, this time it’s “Lovedrive” from the Reading Festival on August 25, 1979. Hop in the time machine and relive this classic with lineup of Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (guitars), Matthias Jabs (guitars), Francis Buchholz (bass), and Herman Rarebell (drums).
Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jabs was recently a guest on New Zealand’s The Metal Bar, and confirmed that the band is working on a new album, and are planning a July 2020 residency in Las Vegas.
Jabs says, "We've been writing some material before we went on tour, before we went on tour this summer. It's always difficult to come up with stuff on tour. You get the inspiration, but to actually put it down, that's a different story, when you travel every day. So we have songs, about ten, I guess, but we will have to do some more writing once this tour is over, and then prepare for the rehearsals and recordings right after our shows in New Zealand and a couple in Asia. So we will be back in early March. And we know that we work with the producer Greg Fidelman, who is known for doing Metallica and Slipknot and others, and he's a great guy. And he came to visit in our studio in Hannover, Germany already. So the plan is to record until the first of July, where we have a residency in Las Vegas for a whole month. And then, during that time, we can either do the final touch-ups or mix. And then the album should come out in the fall of 2020. And then, of course, we go on the road again."
Get ready for the biggest hard rock tour of 2020. Scorpions and Whitesnake are coming for their first ever double headline tour of Australia and New Zealand. Feel the bite of Whitesnake and the sting of the Scorpions.
"We’re gonna rock you like a hurricane,“ promises Scorpions vocalist, Klaus Meine.
Dates:
February
19 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
22 - Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, Australia
24 - Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
27 - Spark Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
Swedesh metal band Cynical Existence has released a video for the song "No Way Out" from their new album, Rebirth.
Rebirth is the fifth album by Cynical Existence. It also marks a milestone in the band's history as their first pure metal album. If the album Dying Light laid the foundation for the new Cynical Existence sound, then Rebirth has perfected that and turned it into a metal monster. Rebirth is a gritty and aggressive album full of atmosphere and melodies. Combined with Fredrik's distinct screams and growl, the circle is complete.
Tracklisting:
"No Way Out"
"Nightmare"
"Killing You"
"Static"
"Crawling Chaos"
"As We Fall"
"The End Times"
"Wither Away"
"Cursed"
"We Bleed"
For further details, visit Cynical Existence on Facebook.
Norway’s riff monster Hex A.D. returns with its fourth full length album, released February 21st 2020 by Fresh Tea.
Astro Tongue In The Electric Garden is a record full of psychedelic vibes and vintage progressive heavy rock. This new record showcases a wide musical pallet ranging from down tuned doom riffs to bombastic mellotron swirls and epic Maiden-esque guitar melodies.
Hex A.D. has built a strong reputation as one of Norway’s finest ambassadors for the classic heavy rock we know and love from bands such as Uriah Heep and Rainbow. 2018’s Netherworld Triumphant saw the band dive deep into the golden darkness of the early 1980s.
Here they are again with the brand new album Astro Tongue In The Electric Garden.
Where Netherworld Triumphant was dark, majestic and mysterious, Astro Tongue In The Electric Garden is slightly more progressive, upbeat and varied.
On Astro Tongue In The Electric Garden, the band has let their different musical inspirations flow, and there is a stronger sense of melody on this record compared to the three previous ones. The over-all feel is slightly psychedelic and has a taste of the late 1960s scene in London where bands such as Pink Floyd, Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience changed the world of popular music for ever. The bluesy riffs in “Hawks & Doves”, the vintage guitar sounds and the epic organ and mellotron runs leave no doubt that Hex A.D. tips the hat off to the aforementioned greats on this album.
After the death of long-time producer Chris Tsangarides, production duties have been handled by Rick Hagan, who started Hex A.D. together with Chris back in 2011.
There are several guests appearing on “Astro Tongue in the Electric Garden”.
The legendary hard rock singer Eirikur Hauksson known for his outstanding work with Norwegian metal band Artch and Uriah Heep legend Ken Hensley brought one of the record’s centre pieces “Hawks & Doves” to new hights with his bluesy efforts.
Former Paul DiAnno and current Audrey Horne axe slinger Thomas Tofthagen has brought his outstanding skills to the heavy blues track “Hawks & Doves”.
Former Dio guitarist, and close partner of the band, Rowan Robertson has contributed with all the guitar parts to the bonus track “Grace & Pain”, and delivers another one of his fantastic performances.
Lyrically, Astro Tongue In The Electric Garden deals with drug abuse, psychedelia, science fiction and the Vietnam War. All themes that hail back to the late 1960s.
Turn on, tune in, drop out!
Tracklisting:
"Elle Est Mort"
"Deadly Nightshade"
"Astro Tongue"
"The Day The Sky Exploded"
"Au Revoir Jardin Electrique"
– The Monsoon Suite –
"Hawks & Doves"
"Old Bones"
"A Stone For The Bodies Not Found"
Swedish metallers AVATAR have uploaded the official music video for their song "King's Harvest". The clip was originally featured in the band's "Legend Of Avatar Country: A Metal Odyssey" short film, which the group released last month after completing a crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly $190,000 in 2018. The video was directed by AVATAR's longtime collaborator Johan Carlén.
AVATAR's live album, "The King Live In Paris" , was released in May via eOne. The 11-track set was recorded at the 2018 Download Festival in Paris, France.
The group's most recent studio album, "Avatar Country" , came out in January of 2018.
This past fall, AVATAR completed a North American tour as the support act for BABYMETAL.
Earlier this year, AVATAR frontman Johannes Eckerström spoke about the importance of the band's live show. He said: "Personally, I write songs to get to play them live. That has changed slightly through the years, because I used to just feel like the studio experience was something I wanted to be finished with quickly and learn from, but that was during a period when we had way fewer resources and couldn't stay long in the studio and didn't know what we could do in there. After our skillset and knowledge grew in terms of what you can do when you record, we started to enjoy spending more and more time in the studio, and I enjoy it more. But, before anything else, these songs were written to play live. I view myself as a performing artist, and the stage is our main canvas."
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