An elusive name born amidst Switzerland's highest mountains, Xaon never quite fitted in any of the numerous galleries metal has to offer, drifting through the extremes whilst juxtaposing finesse and vehemence from an unworldly orchestra, endlessly exploring the vast echoic gloominess of the human mind.
In only a few short years, the combo led by Vincent Zermatten (guitars) and Rob Carson (vocals/orchestrations) has managed to tour the world through the release of their critically acclaimed debut album The Drift, notably across Europe with gothic metal monsters Sirenia and folk metal legends Tyr, in Japan with Obscura and Archspire, in the US with The Veer Union, and sharing the stage in festivals across Europe with bands such as Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, Gojira, Paradise Lost, Eluveitie and many more.
Xaon returned with their 2nd album somberly entitled Solipsis available through Mighty Music, bringing the band's grandiose aggressiveness to a whole new level, pummeling their way through a cataclysmic atmosphere while reaching a new majestic apotheosis. This album is set to debut in the spring, which will see the band performing across Europe with Septicflesh and Krisiun while continuing to prove themselves as an upcoming force around the Metal world.
Solipsis is out on CD, LTD LP & digital on through Mighty Music and BraveWords is premiering the video for the track “Eros”.
Rob, vocalist of Xaon about “Eros”:
"We are very excited to finally unveil this new music video for our song "Eros", directed once again by Brice Hincker from CHS Prod and shot between the Tabernas desert in Spain and a chapel in Mulhouse (FR). The thematic follows the solipsistic concept present throughout the album and delves into the realisations of, not only absolute solitude, but also total abandonment."
Netherlands' black metal classicists Asagraum has premiered a new video for "They Crawl From The Broken Circle". The track hails from the band's second album, Dawn Of Infinite Fire, set for North American release on September 27th via Edged Circle Productions.
The cover art and tracklisting for Dawn Of Infinite Fire are as follows:
"They Crawl From The Broken Circle"
"The Lightless Inferno"
"Abomination's Altar"
"Guahaihoque"
"Dawn Of Infinite Fire"
"Dochters Van De Zwarte Vlam"
"Beyond The Black Vortex"
"Hate Of Satan's Hammer"
"Waar Ik Ben Komt De Dood"
Stargazer has premiered their third single, “So Now You're Leaving”, through BraveWords! After years of struggle on the tiny hard rock scene of Norway playing festivals and support for bands like Jorn, Stage Dolls, D-A-D, Gary Moore, Nazareth and more, Stargazer is now ready to take on the world with their second album, The Sky Is The Limit. The album will be released October 11 through Mighty Music.
The line-up consists of founding members William Ernstsen on guitars and Tore André Helgemo on vocals. New members are drummer BP Hovik (Peer Gynt, Ronni Le Tekrø+Terje Rypdal) and last but not least, on bass Erik Svendgard. Erik has played with JORN, Mickey Moody of Whitesnake, Kee Marcello of Europe, Torstein Flakne of Stage Dolls and a lot more.
On the recordings for this album you will listen to the bassplaying of Morten “Morty Black” Skaget (TNT), and drums by Morten Skogstad (Stage Dolls). Morty Black also played on their debut album, whereas Skogstad is in with Stargazer for the first time. A fun fact is that the only time this rhythm section has played together on record before this album, is on TNT’s classic album Intuition (1989).
To mix and master their new album Stargazer has joined forces with star producer and guitarist Søren Andersen (Glenn Hughes) at Medley Studios, Copenhagen. The result is a modern production with a vintage twist.
Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH have released a brand new music video for their stomping, anthemic call to arms "Shield Wall". The rabble-rousing clip chronicles the plight of an enemy ship come to invade a viking village. But, as Johan Hegg's gutteral growl chants "Vikings, Raise The Shield Wall, Hold the Front Line, Fight Till Death", the fate of the enemy becomes uncertain. Who will emerge victorious from battle? Watch the video to find out.
Directed by Phil Wallis and produced by Alexander Milas/Twin V Ltd — the same team behind AMON AMARTH's 2018 feature-length documentary "The Pursuit Of Vikings" — the aim of "Shield Wall" was to produce a historically accurate portrayal of the battlefield tactics that Vikings were known and also notorious for. Working closely with noted Viking scholar and battle re-enactor Igor Górewicz of the Triglav and Jomsborg vikings, the video was shot on location in Wolin, Poland — site of the world-renowned annual Festival Of Slavs And Vikings — and featured extras from the world's foremost Viking reenactment groups, including Triglav, Maximas von Bracey's Ulflag and Germany's Blóðvítnir, longtime friends of AMON AMARTH, whose longtime member Sana portrays the story's raiding party commander.
Hegg stated about the lyrical inspiration for "Shield Wall": "It's about the fighting technique that Vikings used in battle where they would form a wall with their shield to let the enemies beat themselves tired, basically, until they open up and cut them to pieces."
"Shield Wall" is taken from AMON AMARTH's latest album, "Berserker", which was released in May via Metal Blade Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, URIAH HEEP and STONE SOUR.
Earlier this summer, Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup, The Night Flight Orchestra, released their new single, "Satellite". Now, footage of the band performing the song at Germany's Wacken Open Air 2019 can be seen below:
"Satellite" was recorded mostly in NSL studios, Skara, Sweden by the NFO and Thomas Plec Johansson, Mixed by Sebastian Bremen Forslund and mastered by Thomas Plec Johansson. Video directed by René U Valdes. The song includes guest features by a variety of musicians, such as Rachel Hall from british progressive rock icons Big Big Train.
Watch the official music video for "Satellite" below.
The Night Flight Orchestra members:
Björn Strid - vocals
Sharlee D' Angelo - bass
David Andersson - guitar
Richard Larsson - beyboards
Jonas Källsbäck - drums
Sebastian Forslund - guitar, percussion, special FX
Anna-Mia Bonde - backing vocals
Anna Brygård - backing vocals
"Satellite" also features the following guest musicians:
Rachel Hall - violin
Daniel Fäldt - kaval
Rasmus Ehrnborn - percussion
Johan Coma Courten Svensson - percussion
Past The Fall, featuring Will Wright (vocals/bass) and Thomas Cope (vocals / guitars) along with Sam Mclean (drums), have announced they will release their long awaited debut album From Insanity‘s Ruin on October 18.
More info on the album will be released soon, but before that check out the video for the new single “Beholden” below. Pre-order the album here.
Tracklisting:
"Into The Ruins"
"Drainer"
"Epitaph"
"Poison Mirror"
"Seldom Reason"
"Above The Negative"
"Full Circle"
"Maurice"
"Beholden"
"Through Insanity's Ruin"
There are few things more powerful than an inspirational shared vision. For bassist/vocalist Will Wright and guitarist/vocalist Thomas Cope, friendship and creativity have collided in a shower of brilliant sparks with the arrival of From Insanity’s Ruin, the debut album from UK-based metal ingenues Past The Fall. A formidable display of modern metal braggadocio, refined classicism and subtly progressive flair, it is an album that has been a very long time in the making and which represents the long-awaited achievement of childhood dreams.
“Thomas and I have known each other since we were 12 years old, and we started playing music together when we were 15!” says Will. “We were doing okay in a project called Leaden and we’d racked up a fair bit of touring experience, but we all had a meltdown in our early twenties and it seemed like that was the end of it. But once we’d had a few months apart and all the bullshit cleared away and me and Thomas wanted to play together again, and we started the band now as Past The Fall. We always felt there was something special about the music we made together, and I love him like a brother so it felt like fate!”
Formed in 2011, Past The Fall hit the ground running, recording their first EP, Beggars At The Liars Banquet the following year and releasing it early in 2013. Mixed by Andy ‘Hippy’ Baldwin (Faith No More/Tesseract) and graced with artwork by the legendary Costin Chioreanu (Arch Enemy/Ghost), it was an audacious starting point but one firmly rooted in recognisable thrash and groove metal tropes.
Several years down the line, Past The Fall have been transformed by time, progress and maturity. Years of touring experience, including extensive jaunts around the UK, Europe, Mexico and North America have sharpened the band up immeasurably: sharing stages with everyone from cult thrashers Hirax to ex-Judas Priest singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens has clearly helped to push Will, Thomas and drummer Sam McLean to new levels of virtuosity and verve.
"From Insanity’s Ruin" is vastly more adventurous than the band’s early recordings, with both a distinctive and unprecedented blend of nails-hard musical elements and a newfound sense of subtlety and exploration setting the band apart from just about everything else.
“The record we are about to release is special because I would say it’s the culmination of all that work and experience but put into brand new songs,” says Will. “There’s no element on there that we’re not 100 percent happy with. It’s both a fresh start and a fantastic example of all our years of life experience. It feels like the record we had in our heads from day one but now we have the skills to make it.”
Produced by Will and Thomas themselves, "From Insanity’s Ruin" is full of smart ideas and thrilling dynamics, but it’s also a record full of great songs, powerful melodies and moments of tender melancholy. Above all, it’s an album full of passion, heart and humanity, whether cracking skulls via the brutal, explosive likes of Drainer and Poison Mirror or meandering through genteel, prog-tinged pastures on the multi-faceted Seldom Reason and the trippy and grandiose Maurice. Although still exhibiting plenty of thrash and groove metal ferocity, Past The Fall have evolved into something far more interesting, with inspired vocal harmonies and detours into quasi-grunge territory all adding texture and tension to this dark but weirdly uplifting tour-de-force.
“A number of life changing events accrued during the making of this record which fuelled its dark edge,” states Will. “Due to the time invested in the album, I would say it even started to reflect our personal lives and the changes we experienced, which probably makes the experience much more intimate. The songs encompass quite a lot of our experiences in that time, from deaths in the family, long term relationship break-ups, psychopath stalkers, depression and new beginnings, but somehow it has coalesced around a theme. The songs are very introspective and deal with mental health, strength through perseverance and rejecting normal ideals of what’s socially acceptable. But I also think there’s a strong current of hope and honour running through the album too, as well as a lot of excitement about finally having the sound to kick some ass!" [Laughs]
Custom designed to get heads banging and hearts pounding, the songs on From Insanity’s Ruin are destined to grow in stature and might when Past The Fall hit the road to take their magnum opus to the masses. With their passion for making music at an all-time high and a wildly idiosyncratic and compelling debut twitching in the starting blocks, these life-long metal brothers are in this for the long haul and ready for anything.
“Next year we want to tour for six months and hit the UK, Europe and North and South America again, and hopefully some more exotic places too,” Will concludes. “We’ve never played any large festivals so that would be the icing on the cake, if we could pack that in too! We’re big believers in the DIY ethic, so to get recognition for the new record and travel and still keep the keys to the kingdom would be the ultimate dream for us. We’ve been doing it the hard way for so long now we don’t mind the extra work!”
Progressive power metal veterans, Noveria, have released a video for the song "Broken", the first single from their new album, Aequilibrium, out on October 25 via Scarlet Records. Watch the clip below.
Aequilibrium marks the third chapter of Noveria’s musical journey by further refining the band's signature sound into a massive cinematic experience. The lyrics will take you from the middle of a massive earthquake to the darkest corners of the human mind, all the way to discovering a brand new life after losing everything that mattered.
Virtuoso guitar solos, full throttle riffs and blasting drum grooves merge with beautiful melodic vocal lines and choruses, while the atmospheric keyboards and orchestrations give it an intense and powerful feel. Aequilibrium takes the progressive power metal standards to a whole new level and showcases the band's finest songwriting, top notch musicianship and overall metal mastery.
The cover art is based on an original oil painting by an Italian contemporary artist, and created by Brasilian graphic designer Vini. Aequilibrium was mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (DGM).
Finnish hard rock quartet, Santa Cruz, will release their fourth album, Katharsis, on October 18 via M-Theory Audio. The group's new music video for “Testify” was filmed this summer in Tallinn, Estonia - where the band performed alongside rock icons Bon Jovi. Watch below.
“Testify” is also available for streaming across all digital platforms and is one of four “instant grat” tracks that are being offered with digital pre-orders of Katharsis. The album - the cover art for which was designed by Tim LeNoir (Guns N' Roses, Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons) - can be pre-ordered on CD and neon-colored vinyl here.
Katharsis tracklisting:
"Changing Of Seasons"
"Bang Bang"
"Into The War"
"I Want You To Mean It"
"True Believer"
"Tell Me Why"
"Testify"
"Smoke Signals"
"It Was You"
"Salvation"
"Time After Time"
"Testify" video:
"Into The War" lyric video:
"Tell Me Why":
"Changing Of Seasons" lyric video:
Santa Cruz is:
Archie Cruz - lead vocals, guitar
Toxy Cruz - drums
Ero Cruz - bass guitar, backing vocals
Pav Cruz - lead guitar, backing vocals
Japanese pop metal act BABYMETAL has released a music video for its song "Shanti Shanti Shanti". The track is taken from the band's third album, "Metal Galaxy", which will be released on October 11 via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" is based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".
"Metal Galaxy" contains 14 songs, including include the four singles that have been released over the course of the last few months: "Pa Pa Ya!!", "Starlight", "Distortion" and "Elevator Girl". The album expresses light and darkness, emotions like duality and ambivalence, and "new metal" created by various chemical reactions as other entities evolved and expanded in this album.
Just like the sun and the moon changes the appearance of this world with its daylight and moonlight, with evermore new type of various sound, BABYMETAL's music paints the metal galaxy in different colors.
The album includes five songs that feature guest appearances from worldwide musicians who were perfect to the character of each song.
Guitarist Tak Matsumoto from B'Z is featured on "Da Da Dance". Vocalist Joakim Brodén from SABATON is featured on "Oh! Majinai". Guitarist Tim Henson and Scott LePage from POLYPHIA are featured on "Brand New Day". Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz from ARCH ENEMY is featured on "Distortion". Rapper F.Hero is featured in "Pa Pa Ya!!" The guest musicians add more colors to the odyssey of the metal galaxy.
"Metal Galaxy" track listing:
01. Future Metal
02. Da Da Dance (feat. Tak Matsumoto)
03. Elevator Girl (English version)
04. Shanti Shanti Shanti
05. Oh! Majinai (feat. Joakim Brodén)
06. Brand New Day (feat. Tim Henson and Scott LePage)
07. Night Night Burn!
08. In The Name Of
09. Distortion (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
10. Pa Pa Ya! ! (feat. F.Hero)
11. Kagerou
12. Starlight
13. Shine
14. Arkadia
"Metal Resistance" debuted at No. 15 on the official U.K. chart, the highest rank for a Japanese artist in recorded history. The album was very well-received in all other territories as well, including another record-breaking position for a Japanese artist in the U.S. with a No. 39 position on the Billboard chart.
Last fall, BABYMETAL digitally released a new song called "Starlight". It marked the rebirth of the band in which Su-Metal and Moametal form the core.
BABYMETAL spent all of 2018 touring without Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the group's core trio. She later exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.
Over the last few years, BABYMETAL has established itself as the most globally successful J-pop group of the past decade.
The band describes itself as kawaii metal, kawaii meaning "cute" in Japanese.
BABYMETAL has just embarked on a U.S. headlining tour in support of its upcoming album. The band's first-ever full-scale headlining U.S. tour kicked off on September 4 in Orlando, Florida, and will run through October 16 in Seattle, Washington. The trek includes the previously announced October 11 gig at The Forum in Los Angeles, which will mark BABYMETAL's first headlining arena show in the States.
Arizona death metal band, Gatecreeper, return with their new album, Deserted, out on October 4 via Relapse Records. The band have released a music video for the track, "From The Ashes", directed by Ian Shelton and available for viewing below.
Vocalist Chase Mason comments: “'From The Ashes' is the most anthemic song we have ever written. Although we have flirted with the idea in the past, there are more melodic guitar leads in this song than ever before. I’d say this one is primed and ready for the European Metal Festival circuit.”
Deserted is due out October 4th on CD/LP/CS/Digital. Physical packages are available for pre-order here. Digital Downloads / Streaming Services are available here.
Deserted was recorded at Homewrecker Studios in Tucson, where Gatecreeper co-produced the album with engineer Ryan Bram. Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou handled the mix at Godcity in Salem, MA, and Brad Boatright mastered the album at Audiosiege in Portland, OR. Deserted’s hallucinatory cover art was created by Brad Moore.
Additionally, Gatecreeper comment on Deserted: "We are very proud to finally unleash our second full length album. There are plenty of new and exciting elements mixed into our songwriting formula, but the most apparent evolution is simply getting better at what we have been doing since the beginning. Our experiences over the 3 years have made us a stronger band all around. With Deserted we wanted to solidify and define the Gatecreeper sound of memorable songwriting with both infectious hooks and crushing riffs."
Tracklisting:
"Deserted"
"Puncture Wounds"
"From The Ashes"
"Ruthless"
"Everlasting"
"Barbaric Pleasure"
"Sweltering Madness"
"Boiled Over"
"In Chains"
"Absence Of Light"
Norwegian black metal masters 1349 have released the official music video for the song "Dødskamp". The track was originally recorded in conjunction with the Edvard Munch museum and will appear on the band's new record, "The Infernal Pathway". The clip, which was filmed and edited by Carl Eek Torgersen of Necrolust Productions at Inferno Festival 2019 in Oslo, Norway, can be seen below.
Earlier this year, "Dødskamp" was commissioned by Innovation Norway, Visit Norway and the Munch Museum. Along with four Norwegian artists within four different genres of music, 1349 was asked to interpret its angle on a freely selected work by the famous painter Edvard Munch.
Since the release of the single, Visit Norway has shared a video in which 1349 gives detailed insight as to their inspiration behind the song and why they chose that particular piece.
"The Infernal Pathway" will be released on October 18 via Season Of Mist. The disc was recorded earlier this year at Amper Tone studios and Studio Nyhagen with engineer Jarrett Pritchard.
The cover artwork of "The Infernal Pathway" was created by Jordan Barlow.
1349 will embark on a European tour with ABBATH and VLTIMAS in January.
1349 is aural hellfire. That has been, and continues to be, the primary concept since the band first rose from the ashes of ALVHEIM in 1997. Conceived around the founding members — vocalist and former drummer Ravn, guitarist Tjalve, and Seidemann on bass — 1349 completed its lineup with the addition of guitarist Archaon in 1999 and SATYRICON drum legend Frost in 2001.
Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Spit Out The Bone" on June 13 at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany can be seen below.
METALLICA played "Spit Out The Bone" live for the first time ever in October 2017 at The O2 Arena in London, England. The track is taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016. Frontman James Hetfield told Colombian radio station Radioacktiva that the songtitle was inspired by how people are connected to each other through mobile devices and how everyone is becoming more dependent on technology. "[It] is getting rid of the human flesh part," he said. "And machinery is so much more efficient. And ourselves as people, [we're] very… I don't know… We want things quicker, we want the convenience of technology, but at what point is convenience leaning into dependency, and we need it, or else we don't know what to do."
The original version of "Spit Out The Bone" was close to 10 minutes long before METALLICA realized it needed to be trimmed, making it leaner and thinner, more concise. Drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone: "That was just an adventure, man. I have versions of that song that are two to three minutes longer. We just kept going and going and going. That was also the first song where we went, 'Wait a minute. Is there too much of a good thing here?' And then we started peeling it back.
"It was one of those where you just keep going to different universes and different modes and areas because it was super fun," he continued. "It was like this journey. Old-school MERCYFUL FATE–type stuff was kind of the inspiration for that."
Hetfield spoke in more detail about the song's meaning during an interview with METALLICA's fan-club magazine So What!
"This is a little different, just the wonder and fear of, again, what's happening to man," he said. "Without future tripping too much, just the possibilities of 'Terminator', stuff like that, you know. We're wearing smart watches, things are getting closer and closer to just being in us.
"Why would I not have the Internet in my head all the time? Why do I have to worry with all these 'emotions' and stuff? Falling in love and getting your heart broken? That doesn't do anybody good. You know, the heart and blood? It's in the way of efficiency! We could be a much more efficient race if we just allow computers to help us.
"And yeah, they are helping us, but how far does that go? All of that craziness. So 'Spit Out the Bone' is that your bones aren't needed. They break!"
Hetfield reportedly lifted the title from legendary U.K. punk band GBH's 1982 track about the 1972 Andes flight disaster titled "Passenger On The Menu". James said: "Yeah, thank you, GBH, for the 'spit out the bone' line. I know their song was a little different. Their song was about the Donner Party and cannibalism."
METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour has played more than 130 shows across the world since its 2016 kick-off.
Last November, Ulrich told The Mercury News that the trek could last through early 2020.
SAINT ASONIA, the act led by ex-THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier and STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, has shared a brand new video for "The Hunted", featuring GODSMACK's Sully Erna. The track continues to be one of the fastest-growing songs at rock radio over the past few weeks and is poised to break into the Top 20.
"I'm super excited to share 'The Hunted' video with our fans," says Gontier. "We worked with P.R. Brown, who did our 'Better Place' video from the first record, again. He's also done all of SAINT ASONIA's record artwork and is absolutely brilliant. He's an amazing photographer and his vision always seems to line up perfectly with ours.
"'The Hunted' video sort of has a Little Red Riding Hood vibe to it. But it's a little more 'creepy,' if you will. It's kind of a straightforward song, and I really wanted the video to be simple and visually intriguing. I think we've achieved that."
"The Hunted" is the first single from SAINT ASONIA's forthcoming album, "Flawed Design", due out on October 25 via Spinefarm Records.
To herald the release, the band has also dropped the new track, "Beast".
"The thing about 'Flawed Design' is that it took longer than we expected to make," Gontier explained. "But in the end, because of that, it turned out to be a really good piece of work. There were so many things happening in my personal life when we started the process in early 2017. I basically took a step back, took care of the things I needed to, and I went through a lot of extremely difficult situations I found myself in a bad place. But when I finally came out on the other side, I focused, we focused, and we made 'Flawed Design'. It's a very real, vulnerable look into the last few years of my life — the good, the bad, and the ugly."
He finished: "I feel confident in saying 'Flawed Design' is, without a doubt, the best body of work/music I've ever created. I hope it has the same impact on fans as it has on me."
SAINT ASONIA sparked into life four years ago when Gontier and Mushok (also an important part of the NEWSTED setup in 2013) decided to turn their joint ambition to make music that is "raw, real, and straight from our hearts" into a new band and a fully-fledged studio outing.
The result was their acclaimed self-titled debut, released in 2015, which charted Top 10 in Canada and entered the Billboard U.S. Rock Albums chart at #2. The album was driven by the Top 10 radio tracks "Better Place" and "Let Me Live My Life", as well as the high-concept video to the featured track "Fairy Tale".
Given the pedigree and profile of the musicians involved — they are collectively responsible for 28 Top 10 U.S. rock radio hits, including 17 No. 1s — the demand was immediately there for SAINT ASONIA to take to the road. Following an inaugural main stage appearance at Rock On The Range in 2015, the band set off on U.S. amphitheater tours with BREAKING BENJAMIN and DISTURBED.
In Europe, they guested on an arena run with MÖTLEY CRÜE, visiting the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, and Finland, as well as playing several dates in Russia and Eastern Europe. As a consequence, Gontier has been back to the region for extensive solo acoustic shows.
With Adam's cousin Cale Gontier of Canadian band ART OF DYING on bass and STAIND's Sal Giancarelli on drums, the latest SAINT ASONIA lineup is now primed for a comprehensive live campaign in support of the forthcoming sophomore release; this will include key festivals and headline shows, both at home and abroad. With a new deal in place and a new chapter primed to unfold, the four musicians are keen to place as much emphasis on the international arena as continuing to build their success story at home.
The official music video for DRAGONFORCE's new single, "Razorblade Meltdown", can be seen below. The song is taken from DRAGONFORCE's eighth full-length album, "Extreme Power Metal", which will be released on September 27. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, "Extreme Power Metal" was also recorded, in part, on guitarist Herman Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.
"Extreme Power Metal" track listing:
01. Highway To Oblivion
02. Cosmic Power Of The Infinite Shred Machine
03. The Last Dragonborn
04. Heart Demolition
05. Troopers Of The Stars
06. Razorblade Meltdown
07. Strangers
08. In A Skyforged Dream
09. Remembrance Day
10. My Heart Will Go On
Regarding "Extreme Power Metal", Li said: "This album again combines the best of DRAGONFORCE in an even bigger, more epic way than we have ever done before. We are so excited for fans to hear it." Following the departure of Vadim Pruzhanov from the band last year, the keyboards of this new album were performed by Coen Janssen of symphonic metal titan EPICA, bringing a new dimension into a DRAGONFORCE album. Guitarist Sam Totman says: "We worked really closely with Coen on this new album. We are so happy with what he has brought into this new album. Every fan will be so happy to hear his majestic playing."
On September 27, DRAGONFORCE will perform at TwitchCon 2019 in San Diego, California during the opening ceremony at the Glitch Theatre, to celebrate the launch of "Extreme Power Metal". In addition to the live audience of thousands, this performance will be streamed live on Twitch.
DRAGONFORCE recently parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq.
Leclercq, who became an official member of DRAGONFORCE in 2006, played his last show with the band in August at Elb-Riot in Hamburg, Germany.
Filling in on bass for the U.S. leg of DRAGONFORCE's upcoming world tour will be musician and YouTube personality Stevie T (Steve Terreberry).
Dawn Of Disease return with their new single, “Shrine”, which is digitally available on all streaming platforms today. The combination of the classic Swedish death metal parts with a dash of black metal, all held in a dark atmosphere, shows the versatility of the five-piece from Osnabrück.
With “Shrine”, the band tap into the mystical parts of the world and accompany their newest album with a bone-chilling second single. Additionally, the five guys bestow upon us the corresponding video. Watch it below.
Says Dawn Of Disease: “Today we present another song of our upcoming album Procession of Ghosts to you. 'Shrine' is a really exceptional song as it combines elements of typical Swedish death metal with a very various drumming and an obscure atmosphere that is highlighted by a tiny punch of black metal. For this video we chose an old church as a location in order to put the atmosphere of the song into visual form. But while one would expect a fast video we decided to go a completely different way to highlight the deep and metaphorical meaning of this track. Enjoy our new video and open the shrine!”
Dawn Of Disease will their new album, Procession Of Ghosts, on November 1 via Napalm Records. The album represents phenomenal melodic death metal sounds, with more than enough energy to stand out from the masses. It secures Dawn Of Disease's status at the forefront of German death metal. Melancholy meets relentless brutality, while hymnal passages, dark growls, fast riffs and catchy hook lines create a perfect sonic landscape.
The Procession Of Ghosts album will be available in the following formats:
- 1 CD Jewel Case + Cardboardsleeve + Bonus Tracks
- LP Gatefold BLACK + Download Card + Bonus Tracks
- LP Gatefold GOLD + Download Card + Bonus Tracks
- Music Cassette + Bonus Songs
- Shirt + Jewel Case CD
- Shirt + Vinyl Black
"Lapsarian"
"Procession Of Ghosts"
"May The Waves Take Me"
"Shrine"
"Where The Clouds Reach The Ground"
"As Heaven Shatters"
"Autumn Days"
"Apotropaic"
"In Death We Blast" (Bonus)
"Hypnosis" (Bonus)
AFM Records will release the new Crystal Viper album, Tales Of Fire And Ice, on November 22. A video for the track "Still Alive" can be found below.
The female fronted heavy metal act from Poland was founded by singer, guitarist and composer, Marta Gabriel. While the band is often labeled as a new wave of traditional heavy metal act, their new album presents a bit of a different approach. New songs are heavier, more intense, but first of all: more melodic.
The album will be available as a CD, limited edition vinyl LP and digital download, the cover photo was taken by the famous Belgian photographer Tim Tronckoe, known for his cooperation with acts such as Nightwish, Delain and Epica.
CD and digital version of the album will include a bonus track in the shape of a Dokken cover, "Dream Warriors" (originally recorded for the A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 movie), while the vinyl LP version will include Crystal Viper's rendition of the I-Ten song "Alone", mainly known as the power ballad recorded by Heart.
Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Metalite will release their AFM Records debut, Biomechanicals, on October 25th. Pre-orders can be placed now by clicking here. Second single, "Apocalpyse", is streaming below.
The cover art and tracklisting for Biomechanicals can be seen below.
"Far From The Sanctuary"
"Apocalypse"
"Biomechanicals"
"Warrior"
"Mind Of A Monster"
"World On Fire"
"Eye Of The Storm"
"Breakaway"
"Social Butterflies"
"Rise Of The Phoenix"
"Victory Or Death"
On November 22, doom metal wizards AVATARIUM return with their dark gospel to open another chapter of their hauntingly beautiful otherworld. Only two years after taking the fans by storm with "Hurricanes And Halos", which has been named "album of the month" by magazines worldwide, the Swedes announce the completion of their fourth full-length release. "The Fire I Long For" sees them return to their epic doom roots whilst paying their respects to rock legends like RAINBOW, LED ZEPPELIN and THE DOORS.
Founded in 2012 by Leif Edling of CANDLEMASS, AVATARIUM soon saw the arrival of Marcus Jidell (producer of CANDLEMASS) and Jennie-Ann Smith who brought an air of charisma with her soulful grace. By now, the band has become an entity of its own, and while Leif still contributed three songs for the new album, the band's current nucleus consists of Marcus and Jennie-Ann, who are accompanied on this record by organist Rickard Nilssonand new drummer Andreas "Habo" Johansson (THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM). Together, this open-minded-yet-doom-laden collective draws elements of folk, jazz and psychedelic brilliance into a grandiose amalgamation that manages to maintain an almost pop-like elegance.
Recorded at Studio DeepWell in Stockholm, the album was produced by Marcus Jidell, mixed by Grammy Award winner Niklas Flyckt and mastered by Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN).
Today, the band unveils the first single off their new album, titled "Rubicon" with a new music video. Check it out below.
Smith comments on the track: "A point of no return, a line drawn in the sand, it's a dark gospel..."
"The Fire I Long For" will include nine mezmerising new tracks featuring Jidell's soaring guitar solos and Smith's powerful soul voice.
Norwegian rock outfit LEPROUS has released the official music video for its new single, "Alleviate". The clip was directed by directed by Troll Toftenes of the Vardøger Story Agency. The song is taken from the band's sixth and most ambitious studio album, "Pitfalls", which is due on October 25 worldwide via InsideOut Music.
LEPROUS vocalist and keyboardist Einar Solberg checked in with the following comment about "Alleviate": "'Alleviate' is a very important song to me. It carries hope within the melancholy. Not only is it one of, if not the most accessible tune we've ever done, but it also carries a deeper message. No doubt it for some will be a controversial track considering where LEPROUS started, but that's what LEPROUS is all about: moving forward! Also, we couldn't be happier about the amazing piece of visual art done by the extremely talented video director Troll Toftenes."
"Pitfalls" was once again recorded with David Castillo at Ghostward Studios (OPETH, KATATONIA). The disc was mixed by Adam Noble (PLACEBO, BIFFY CLYRO, NOTHING BUT THIEVES, DEAF HAVANA). The cover artwork is a painting by Indonesian artist Elicia Edijanto.
"Pitfalls" will be available as limited mediabook CD with two bonus tracks, as a standard jewelcase CD and as gatefold 2LP on 180-gram vinyl (on black vinyl and various limited colored editions) with the album on CD as bonus and an etching on the D side.
"Pitfalls" track listing:
01. Below
02. I Lose Hope
03. Observe The Train
04. By My Throne
05. Alleviate
06. At The Bottom
07. Distant Bells
08. Foreigner
09. The Sky Is Red
Solberg stated about the upcoming album: "We're incredibly proud to announce 'Pitfalls'! It's the album no-one is expecting from LEPROUS. When you think you know where it's headed, you'll realize that you're wrong. It's not only by far the biggest production and musical departure we've done, but the also most personal and honest.
"The album has been written through one of my toughest years, where I struggled with depression and anxiety. No filters, no metaphors, just the truth. They say that writing music is therapeutic. but I would say that it's an understatement. For me, 'Pitfalls' is the result of one and a half years of learning how to get through the dark tunnel. The music has been my torch."
Upon "Pitfalls"' release, LEPROUS will head out on an extensive European headlining tour with THE OCEAN and PORT NOIR.
The official music video for the song "Phantoms" from STRIGOI, the new project featuring PARADISE LOST guitarist Greg Mackintosh, can be seen below. The track is taken from STRIGOI's debut album, "Abandon All Faith", which will be released on November 22 via Nuclear Blast.
When Mackintosh put to rest his VALLENFYRE side project in 2018, he closed a difficult but an ultimately cathartic period in his life. Created as a tribute to his father John, who passed away in 2009, VALLENFYRE originally served as a sounding board for Greg's grief, but then delved into his nihilistic take on the world. VALLENFYRE's brief existence was intentional — the band always knew they could go no further than the three studio albums that bore their name. A mere few days after VALLENFYRE played its last live show in September 2018, Mackintosh announced the formation of a brand-new band, STRIGOI.
Named after the troubled spirits in Romanian mythology who could rise from the grave and assume an entirely different form, STRIGOI's lineup is rounded out by former EXTREME NOISE TERROR and VALLENFYRE bass player Chris Casket. (PARADISE LOST drummer Waltteri Väyrynen provided studio drums but will not be a full-time member.) Recorded at Mackintosh's Black Planet studio between January and March 2019, the resultant 12-song LP finds Greg culling from his love of old-school death metal, grindcore and punk for a visceral, but cinematic offering of extreme metal. Whereas VALLENFYRE was down-and-dirty, crusty and often "in the gutter," STRIGOI conjures feelings of both dread and hostility, laced with Mackintosh's trademark lead guitar lines and biting death metal roar.
"With VALLENFYRE, we went down this path where it got more and more crusty," Mackintosh explains. "I thought we couldn't take it any further, so I needed to put in some new elements. With STRIGOI, there's a bit of spookiness, even some subtle elements of industrial and even black metal. The goal was to switch it up a bit. I was perfectly content with what I was doing in VALLENFYRE, but for STRIGOI to stand on its own, I wanted to try new things to separate ourselves from the pack."
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