"Lost In The Grey", the new video from Ohio metallers MISS MAY I, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Ramon Boutviseth, who has previously worked with ASKING ALEXANDRIA and VEIL OF MAYA, among others.
"Lost In The Grey" is taken from MISS MAY I's upcoming album, "Shadows Inside", which will be released on June 2 via SharpTone Records. The disc was co-produced by Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, EMMURE, CROWN THE EMPIRE) and Nick Sampson (ASKING ALEXANDRIA, BORN OF OSIRIS). Andrew Wade (A DAY TO REMEMBER, THE WORD ALIVE, NECK DEEP) handled all mixing duties.
MISS MAY I vocalist Levi Benton states: "Our new video for 'Lost In The Grey' was by far the most extreme video we have ever done! The shoot involved an entire forest landscape set, live action volatile weather elements and rodents in mouths. We have never had a video like this before. The vibe for the song is really captured well and sets a great image not only for the song, but the record as a whole.
"'Shadows Inside' is the most honest record we have ever created and a big part of that was just having the freedom and time to put everything we had into it.
"This is a great first track to release to the mass as it represents the effort it takes to get out of the complacent and stale life people live. The song is about finding that hope and drive to push you to a new and better life. The lion has always represented hope and ambition and now with this video it's physical and represented as a mask that one needs to show them there is a better life for everyone, if you push for it."
According to a press release, "Shadows Inside" "doubles as monster riff-fest and forcefully vocal driven statement shaped by changes both within and without. Make no mistake, this isn't an about-face album full of contrived sentiment or glossy emptiness. It's a record where the band challenged each other to work from outside of their comfort zone, to really hone in on what makes MISS MAY I vital, and deliver something fully authentic and raw."
MISS MAY I will kick off their European run in support of THY ART IS MURDER and BEING AS AN OCEAN, dubbed "The Heaven And Hell Tour", on Sunday, April 16. Their first appearance on the Impericon Festivals 2017 is today in Vienna, Austria.
Swedish death metallers, Sarcasm, have released a video for “Scars Of A Land Forgotten”, the track from the new album, Within The Sphere Of Ethereal Minds, to be released April 28th via Dark Descent Records. Watch the new clip below.
Following the unearthing of their first proper full-length, Burial Dimensions (originally recorded in 1994 and officially released in 2016), the new long player is in a sense the payoff of a long, bumpy history that included demos, compilations, and an EP (Scattered Ashes in 2000). Indeed, it is the full realization of Sarcasm's blackened Swedish death metal sound, yet with an identity all its own.
While the music of all eight tracks was written by guitarist Peter Laitinen, he somehow did find that perfect balance in between that very specific sense of melody that could only be summarized as “typically Swedish” (fans of the early No Fashion records catalogue will know exactly what we mean here), raging speed and brutality. With one foot firmly planted in the mid-‘90s and another in the present, Sarcasm is no nostalgia trip, but a genuine return to form to that specific mix of black and death-metal. Moving from the melancholic leads of "Embodiment Of Source," they answer with the blast-o-thon that is "Scars Of A Land Forgotten" or the epic-to-kill-all-epic that is the eight-minute-plus "A Black Veil For Earth."
Tracklisting:
“Bloodsoaked Sunrise”
“From The Crimson Fog They Emerged”
“Embodiment Of Source”
“Scars Of A Land Forgotten”
“In The Grip Of Awakening Times”
“Silent Waves Summoned Your Inner Being”
“A Black Veil For Earth”
“The Drowning Light At The Edge Of The Dawn”
"Lady Of 1000 Sorrows", the new video from FIREWIND, can be seen below. The clip was filmed, directed and edited by Panagiotis Kountouras.
"Lady Of 1000 Sorrows" is taken from FIREWIND's eighth studio album, "Immortals", which was released on January 20 via the band's longtime label partner Century Media Records in Europe. The disc marks the first time FIREWIND used an outside co-producer, having worked with Dennis Ward (UNISONIC, PINK CREAM 69), who not only engineered, mixed and mastered the album, but also co-wrote it together with guitarist and main songwriter Gus G.
Gus G., who is currently on the road performing solo shows as support to Steve Stevens, checked in with the following comment about the clip: "'Lady Of 1000 Sorrows' is, in my opinion, one of the best tracks on our new album and for sure one of our best power ballads. We were really overwhelmed by how well this song was received at our recent European tour, and we decided to capture some of these moments on camera and make a cool clip for you."
"Immortals" is FIREWIND's first release to feature singer Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS), who previously toured with the band on various continents in 2007 and was most recently the singer in Gus's solo touring group.
Gus told Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon about the concept behind "Immortals": "Doing a concept record with the guys is something we talked about for years. It's not something new, but you need to have the right kind of material for that. You need to be in the right mindset, and of course, you have to decide what it's going to be about. For us, since most of us are Greek, we thought it would be cool to talk about our heritage, or some part of Greek history."
He continued: "In 2013, we took a break from touring and recording and I went on to do solo stuff. When I started gathering all this material over the years, I realized the character was very epic and more focused, like into power metal, and this epic style, so I thought it would be a good idea to do the concept record we talked about now. I needed a co-writer for this, so I reached out to Dennis Ward. To make a long story short, we decided to do a record about the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis during the second Persian invasion in 480 B.C."
Starting this June, the Sabbath Highway Tour will see San Francisco Bay rockers The Watchers - vocalist Tim Narducci and bassist Cornbread (SpiralArms, White Witch Canyon), Orchid drummer Carter Kennedy and guitarist Jeremy Von Eppic (BlackGates, The Venting Machine) - hitting the highways of the American heartland, crossing from their West Coast homes all the way to their stop at The Maryland Doom Fest, where they will lay waste to waiting audiences alongside such heavyweights as The Skull, Wo Fat, and Bang.
Before the tour commences, The Watchers will enter the studio to record their next full length offering, anticipated to be released by Ripple Music in September 2017.
Finally, to rev up for the tour, The Watchers just released a new video for “Just A Needle”, from the Sabbath Highway EP. Check it out and prepare for the Sabbath Highway!
Finnish progressive melodic death metal band, Damnation Plan, have released a video for “Rise Of The Messenger”, a track from their new album, Reality Illusion, released on March 10th via Inverse Records.
Songwriter-lyricist-drummer Jarkko Lunnas comments: "The new album Reality Illusion deals lyrically with some of the most current and controversial topics of our modern world. This song is an integral part of it and in particular is dedicated to all the unsung heroes sacrificing themselves for the greater good."
Reality Illusion was mixed by Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity, Nightingale, Bloodbath) at Unisound Studios. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
"Intro"
"Beyond These Walls"
"Rulers Of Truth"
"Rise Of The Messenger"
"Blinded Faith"
"The Empowerment"
"Maze Of Despair"
"Iron Curtain Falls"
"Reality Illusion"
"A Chapter In Greed"
"The Final Destination"
"Don't Talk To Strangers" (Bonus Track)
On June 16th, Igorrr - the brainchild of French musician and eclectic composer Gautier Serre - will release their new album, Savage Sinusoid, via Metal Blade Records. On this record, electronic manipulations, accordion, saxophone, sitar, harpsichord, mandolin and strings sit comfortably alongside ruthless blastbeats, chunky riffs, death grunts and soaring operatic vocals - and as chaotic as this might sometimes seem, there is no lack of heart behind everything thundering from the speakers.
For a preview of Savage Sinusoid, a video for the first single, "ieuD", is available for streaming below. The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:
- Digipak CD
- pale skin clear vinyl (limited to 500 copies)
- cream/white splatter (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- golden yellow vinyl (limited to 100 copies - Bandcamp exclusive)
- tan-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - US exclusive)
* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available.
To realize Savage Sinusoid as a completely sample-free record, Serre reunited with vocalists Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec, along with drummer Sylvain Bouvier, and collaborated with more musicians than on any of his previous releases - one of those guests being Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan, who lends his vocals on "Cheval", "Apopathodiaphulatophobie" and "Robert".
While Savage Sinusoid draws from a plethora of genres, Serre has no intention of baffling or alienating potential listeners. As he explains: "I just want to make the music I love, without asking myself if it's gonna be too complex or too far from what people like. I want to make the music which has sense to me, with no restrictions, like a big party with metalheads, electronics nerds, classical and baroque-heads and gypsy violinists getting drunk and joining together to bring the best of every genre."
Igorrr will give European fans their first taste of new songs this spring/summer, with more shows to be announced soon.
Igorrr tour dates:
April
29 - Opera National Du Rhin - Strasbourg, France
May
5 - Circasismic Festival - Besancon, France
June
17 - Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France
July
7 - What The Fest?!#2 - Vendargues, France
9 - UK Tech Fest - Winthorpe, United Kingdom
15 - Dour Festival - Dour, Belgium
August
11 - Brutal Assault - Jaromer, Czech Republic
Belgian/Dutch modern metal outfit, Spoil Engine, have released a video for “Doomed To Die”, a track from the band’s new album, Stormsleeper, out on May 5th via Arising Empire/Nuclear Blast. Watch the new clip below.
Stormsleeper contains 10 songs (mixed and mastered at Fredman Studios). The cover artwork was created by Heilemania (Nightwish, Kreator, Legion of the Damned).
Tracklisting:
“Disconnect”
“Silence Will Fall”
“Doomed to Die”
“Weightless”
“Stormsleeper”
“Hollow Crown”
“Black Sails”
“The Verdict”
“Singing Sirens”
“Wastelands”
“Doomed To Die” video:
“Stormsleeper” video:
Spoil Engine have announced dates in Germany and the UK supporting Prong. Their schedule is as follows:
July
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
14 - Münster, Germany - Sputnikhalle
15 - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany - Dong Open Air
18 - Glasgow, Scotland - Audio
19 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Voodoo
20 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
21 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
22 - London, UK - Underworld
26 - München, Germany - Free & Easy Festival
27 - Stuttgart, Germany - Keller Klub
28 - Weinheim, Germany - Café Central
Japanese trance metal act Blood Stain Child, who have been plagued in recent years by line-up changes, recently returned with a new single/video entitled "Tri Odyssey", released on April 3rd on all digital platforms (iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, etc.). It was produced by Jacob Hansen and features new vocalist Saika, along with new bassist Yakky. They replace Kiki - who joined in 2012 replacing Sophia (Season Of Ghosts) - and founding bassist/vocalist Ryo respectively.
Blood Stain Child have posted the official video for a new single, "Trance Dead Kingdom", which will be officially released on May 9th. The video for "Tri Odyssey" is also available below. A third single, "Gaia Evolution", will be released on June 6th.
Sammy Hagar's video for "No Worries" can be seen below. The song is one of the new tracks included in his solo compilation "This Is Sammy Hagar Volume 1 - When The Party Started", which came out last November via Mailboat Records. The collection, which starts from his solo album post VAN HALEN, "Red Voodoo" in 1999 through to "Livin' It Up" in 2006, also includes a new remix of "Sam I Am", which is the new theme song for season two of his acclaimed TV show "Rock 'N' Roll Road Trip", as well as two new Hagar-penned tracks, the aforementioned "No Worries" and "I Never Got To Say Goodbye".
"With this collection, I wanted to revisit the music which would come to redefine my career post VAN HALEN," explained Hagar. "It was the first time since I'd joined MONTROSE in 1972 that I was free from the weight of being in a superstar, high-pressure band and the commercial machine that came with it. I was in a place of experimentation and discovery and that's when the party started again for me."
"This Is Sammy Hagar Volume 1 - When The Party Started" track listing:
01. Stand Up (5:58)02. Serious Juju (3:50)03. Little Bit More (3:37)04. Ten 13 (4:35)05. The Real Deal (3:12)06. Tropic Of Capricorn (4:34)07. Maui Wowie (2:11)08. Shag (Outtake Mix) (3:54) (+)09. Halfway To Memphis (4:29)10. Sam I Am (3:30) (+)11. Livin' On A Coastline (4:20)12. One Sip (2:18)13. No Worries (3:36) (*)14. Never Said Goodbye (3:09) (*)
Sleaze/punk influenced metal outfit, Sister, who hail from Stockholm, Sweden, has been working hard during the last ten years earning the reputation of being one of the best live acts out there. The band have now launched a brand new video for the song “Endangered Species”, taken off their latest longplayer Stand Up, Forward, March!
Comments Sister’s Cari Crow: "We went to the dirty streets of London to shoot the video for “Endangered Species”. The video touches the current mode in today's rock n' roll scene but also reflects the contrast of people living in large cities. We wanted to capture the raw reality and London was the right place to connect these two themes. We once again worked with René U Valdes and Greenworks Television and they really captured what we wanted to show."
Sister live dates:
April
13 - Jönköping, Sweden - Bongo Bar
28 - Oslo, Norway - All Is One Festival
29 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Rockfest
August
16-19 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival
"Sins Of The Mechanical" is the name of the first single from The Interbeing's new album Among The Amorphous. The song marks the first release for The Interbeing since their debut album Edge Of The Obscure in 2011. The new album Among The Amorphous is set to be released worldwide through Long Branch Records in CD, LP, download and streaming formats on June 23rd. Check out the video for "Sins Of The Mechanical":
The challenging second album for The Interbeing has been underway for some time. Numerously all the songs have been under review due to the band's ultimate determination to perfect each track and the album as a whole. The result appears in the form of the visionary dystopian concept album Among The Amorphous. An album that lifts the bar in regards of storytelling and songwriting in the world of technical metal. The songs have a sinister David Lynch feel to them, while the massive sections of polyrhythmic Meshuggah-inspired sonances envelop the listener. In conclusion the soundscape peaks with great evoking choruses that would most likely get Devin Townsend's stamp of approval. The Interbeing plunges into a futuristic music journey in which Dara Corcoran's constant shifting between growls, whispering, chanting and grand melodies makes this album one of the most ambitious albums in Danish Metal in many years.
Among The Amorphous was mixed by producer Jonas Haagensen and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios (Volbeat, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Pretty Maids); the cover art can be seen below:
BARDSPEC, the ambient project/band led by ENSLAVED composer/guitarist Ivar Bjørnson, will release its debut album, "Hydrogen", in June via By Norse.
Having launched at Roadburn in 2015, BARDSPEC has since evolved into a fully-fledged band, with Steve Austin on guitars/effects, David Hall presenting the live visual aspect of the project, and the layout created by Josh Graham (SOUNDGARDEN, NEUROSIS).
The official video for the song "Fire Tongue" — created by David Hall — can be seen below.
BARDSPEC combines stirring, hallucinatory synth-sounds with mercurial guitar effects and hypnotic rhythms that navigate illusory landscapes. Field recordings, and other found-sounds also drift and evaporate into the ether. Working intuitively with these elements and with sharpened senses, attuned to inner impulses, this is immersive music that can exist anywhere and anytime within the minds of the listener.
Whilst BARDSPEC might essentially be the same brain and personality making the music, compared to ENSLAVED, it is a widely different entity. Thematically and sonically, BARDSPEC is about minimizing, subtracting, and meditating upon the simplest essence of "things;" the single points exemplified through song titles like "Bone", "Salt" and so on, the basic elements and foundations that make up the whole. There is an element of "space" in the music and the artwork, as a representation of the inner workings of the mind and the subconscious.
BARDSPEC is inspired by the German masters TANGERINE DREAM, Klaus Schultze and Conrad Schnitzler, in addition to contemporary ambient music like Norwegian one-man-band BIOSPHERE and abstract modern electronic music like WHEN (Norwegian also), as well as the electronic/industrial-driven metal like GODFLESH. Ivar describes the appeal and trance-inducing aspects of such music to him. "I remember listening to Richard Burmer and his album 'Mosaic' from 1984," he says. "I thought I fell asleep but I was in a semi-lucid state where I still registered music — but not much else. At the end of side A there's an explosion so violent and extreme that I jumped two feet into the air and was totally shocked. The weird thing is, I couldn't remember it being there. When I revisited the music again, it was just a little 'thud.' I was just experiencing a trance so deep into the music that this deviation from the pattern and frequencies in the foregoing half hour of monotony totally shocked me. I loved it!" Roadburn festival will play host to a very special public listening session of "Hydrogen" by BARDSPEC, a chance for people to hear the album from start to finish in advance of the official release date. This event shall take place on April 21.
"Hydrogen" track listing:
01. Intro - Deposition02. Bone03. Fire Tongue04. Gamma05. Salt06. Teeth (bonus track) "Hydrogen" willl be released on June 23 across all formats. The six-panel CD digipak is available as limited first press to a thousand copies including bonus track "Teeth". The double gatefold LP is limited to five hundred copies on black vinyl, and the digital format also including the bonus track.
The gritty southern metal groove chiefs known as Undercover Devil have premiered the official music video for “Burn It Black”. BraveWords is unleashing the track that combines attitude, infectious melodies and a true southern metal sound that hits you harder than a bottle of Evan Williams.
“We are excited to finally unleash this song as it basically gives an inside view into our overall sound. We are a groove based band. No Groove is no good. If you don't leave hummin' that chorus then you might want to re-evaluate your life. Everyone has those days when they want to just burn it all down. We are the soundtrack to your bad days.” -Undercover Devil
Undercover Devil is a 5-piece group from Malvern, Arkansas rooted in their music which highlights the authenticity of their sound. Fans of Down, Pantera, Crowbar will certainly raise an eyebrow and feel the relentless urge to head bang with the Devil.
Band manager Mark Müller from Extreme Management Group mentions, “These guys have a sound that reels you in, their roots are strong and they know how to put it all out there. We’re ecstatic to be working with Undercover Devil, they’ve put in tremendous work to get where they are and have a lot more coming.”
The debut album Burn It Black will be available worldwide through Rock Avenue Records USA on June 2nd.
Japanese rock band VAMPS — featuring Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel) and K.A.Z. (Oblivion Dust) — has released the official music video for its new single, "Calling". Filmed in an old, abandoned building in Downtown Los Angeles with award-winning director Nick Peterson (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's "Wrong Side Of Heaven"), the clip portrays the polarized sides of an impassioned relationship.
"The video follows the intertwined stories of two people: a guy who's infatuated with and holding on to this idealistic version of his lover…which is not really who she is though. And the woman ultimately breaking free from his confines," says Hyde.
"Calling" is the new single off VAMPS' forthcoming album, "Underworld", due out April 28 on Eleven Seven Music. Produced by Howard Benson (HALESTORM, PAPA ROACH, MOTÖRHEAD) and Kane Churko (IN THIS MOMENT, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH), the disc includes the band's biggest streaming success to date, "Inside of Me", featuring Chris Motionless from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. Also included on the album is "Rise Or Die", a collaboration with RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe.
Upon the release of "Underworld", VAMPS will embark on a spring U.S. tour, kicking off May 2 in Birmingham, Alabama. The trek includes dates with I PREVAIL and STARSET, as well as a string of headline dates with support from newcomers PALAYE ROYALE and DARKE COMPLEX. The tour will wrap on May 27 with an appearance at Blackest of The Black festival in Irvine, California where VAMPS will play alongside DANZIG, MINISTRY and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, amongst others.
Swedish horror death metal outfit, Vampire, have released a video for “He Who Speaks”, a track from their upcoming second full length album, With Primeval Force. The video was created by Daniel Garptoft for Dirt Frame, and is available for streaming below. Pre-order the new album at this location.
With Primeval Force will be released on April 21st as limited deluxe CD Digipak (unfolding to cross shape) and deluxe LP (with Gatefold sleeve, 180 g vinyl and 12-page LP-booklet). The LP version is available in the following vinyl colours:
Black vinyl: unlimited
Clear vinyl: ltd. to 100, exclusively available at CM Distro
Transparent-blue vinyl: ltd. to 400, available at various mailorder stores
The album cover is a monstrous piece of handcrafted art by renowned artist Nick Keller.
Tracklisting:
“Knights Of The Burning Crypt”
“He Who Speaks”
“Metamorfosis”
“Skull Prayer”
“Midnight Trial”
“Revenants”
“Ghoul Wind”
“Initiation Rites”
“Scylla”
“He Who Speaks” video:
“Revenants”:
“Ghoul Wind”:
“Skull Prayer” rough mix:
With the release of their self-titled debut album and the follow-up EP Cimmerian Shade, Vampire have made quite an impression on the scene of extreme metal with their unique mixture of harsh Teutonic thrash metal riffs, sombrous melodies and ghoulish vocals from the grave. Now Vampire will return with the worthy successor of previous deeds, With Primeval Force, offering nine tracks of furious and nightmarish death/thrash metal. Still remaining true to the path they have chosen, Vampire have further embedded a dimension of eeriness, a baleful aura that indwells every track like a black spell.
Vampire lineup:
Hand of Doom: Vocals
Black String: Guitars
Command: Electric Bass
Sepulchral Condor: Guitars
Abysmal Condor: Battery
While the majority of the scene is aiming for a more melodic and overall accessible sound, Caliban are plunging into darkness with their latest album and heaviest offering to date, Gravity.
After playing selected shows and a highly successful European tour with Suicide Silence, Any Given Day and To The Rats And Wolves, Caliban have just started another run of live dates. It is the perfect timing to release an edit as well as a video clip for one of the crowd favourites, “brOKen”.
The video was done by Mirko Witzki in cooperation with Nova Event Solutions and make up arts coming from Kami Zero, check it out below:
“brOKen” (Edit) is also out as digital single. Get it here.
Caliban perform next on April 7th at Garage in Saarbrücken, Germany. Find the band’s live itinerary at this location.
"Cleanse The Bloodlines" is the first track off of Unleash The Archers’ upcoming album Apex.
Powerful front woman Brittney Slayes states:
"We are beyond stoked to finally debut a track from the new album, and this song was unanimously chosen as the first single by the whole band, no question. It's a heavy song so we wanted a heavy video, and we think that Richard (Olak, director) did an incredible job of capturing the essence of the album perfectly. It was a brutal two days of filming in zero degree weather, but it was worth it, and we think it turned out well. We filmed with a 6K RED Weapon, one of the best cameras out there right now, and the cinematic quality adds to the dark nature of the lyrical content. We think our fans are really going to like this one!"
It has now been 10 years of Unleash The Archers. These heavy metal heroes are celebrating this honour with an exhilarating feast on their upcoming album, Apex, out on June 2nd via Napalm Records.
The band states: “We are extremely excited to release another full on concept album; it's just so much fun to play out a story when you're up on stage. This one has a protagonist that we call 'The Immortal' being forced to serve the antagonist, a.k.a. 'The Matriarch' as she embarks down a very dark path to achieve immortality. We had a great time writing this record, and I think the cohesiveness of the story has really shone through in the music as well. It has a certain vibe throughout, from beginning to end, and we can't wait to hear what our fans have to say about the direction this album has taken. We don't like to write the same record over and over again and we are very happy with the progression of our sound on Apex. We think it will appeal to all of our fans old and new; it has the best parts of our past albums combined into one with just a little more spit and polish.”
Ken Sarafin created the picturesque album artwork for Apex. This album takes nerves of steel; from its opener “Awakening” to the title track that closes the album, the listener will partake in a furious adventure, weaving through elements of the strongest metal genres of our time. You’ll be guided by the shimmering heat of sweeping lead guitars, face-melting solos, deafening growls, pummeling bass lines and of course the thrilling hooks of Brittney Slayes' queen-size voice.
Tracklisting:
“Awakening”
“Shadow Guide”
“The Matriarch”
“Cleanse The Bloodlines”
“The Coward's Way”
“False Walls”
“Ten Thousand Against One”
“Earth And Ashes”
“Call Me Immortal”
“Apex”
"Cleanse The Bloodlines" video:
Lineup:
Brittney Slayes - Vocals
Scott Buchanan - Drums
Grant Truesdell - Guitar, Vocals
Andrew Kingsley - Guitar, Vocals
Nikko Whitworth - Bass
"Sacred", the new video from Maryland doom legends THE OBSESSED, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's first studio album in over twenty years, which is being released today (Friday, April 7) via Relapse Records.
"Sacred" is being made available on CD, LP, deluxe double LP, and digital formats. The deluxe 2xLP bundle includes an enamel logo pin, signed art print, and two bonus tracks.
With renewed energy and purpose, THE OBSESSED sounds heavier and more relevant than ever before. On "Sacred", the band doubles down on enormous, heaving riffs and pummeling low-end across twelve tracks of eternal doom. Rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich's lyrical honesty and iconic throaty vocals, "Sacred" is an album that further pushes THE OBSESSED into the annals of heavy metal history, well worth the two-decade-plus wait. "Sacred" track listing:
01. Sodden Jackal02. Punk Crusher03. Sacred04. Haywire05. Perseverance Of Futility06. It's Only Money07. Cold Blood08. Stranger Things09. Razor Wire10. My Daughter My Son11. Be The Night12. Interlude13. On So Long (bonus)14. Crossroader Blues (bonus)
Weinrich, who has also played with SAINT VITUS, SPIRIT CARAVAN, THE HIDDEN HAND and SHRINEBUILDER, is joined in THE OBSESSED's current touring lineup by Reid Raley on bass, and Brian Constantino on drums.
Weinrich announced THE OBSESSED's return in March 2016 on social media, explaining in a statement: "All over the world I've listened to friends tell me, 'We want you to bring back THE OBSESSED,' so I have decided to resurrect THE OBSESSED." He added that he was "waiting for the right combination of ability, attitude and personality to accomplish this goal."
Forged in 1976 in Maryland, THE OBSESSED weathered various lineup shifts and an on-again-off-again status over the course of a winding, forty-year history. The band released three now-legendary full-lengths — 1990's "The Obsessed", 1991's "Lunar Womb" and 1994's "The Church Within" — as well as a gaggle of seven-inch singles and compilation appearances.
"The Church Within" was Wino's most critically hailed album. Despite being co-released by Hellhound Records and the major label Columbia Records, the music-buying masses were not ready to embrace doom in 1994 and instead fixated on buying records by rehashed pop-punk bands. Several factors led to "The Church Within" becoming THE OBSESSED's last full-length album. Despite not becoming a top-seller, the album remains hugely influential.
The official video for the song "Blood And Salt" from the Amsterdam-based metal band THE CHARM THE FURY can be seen below. The track is taken from the group's sophomore album, "The Sick, Dumb & Happy", which was released on March 17 via Nuclear Blast / Arising Empire. The disc was recorded at Wisseloord, ICP Belgium. The mixing was completed by Josh Wilbur (MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED) with additional mixing by Stefan Glaumann (WITHIN TEMPTATION, RAMMSTEIN, PARADISE LOST). Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound in New York City and Brian "Big Bass" Gardner handled the mastering.
The cover artwork for the follow-up to 2013's "A Shade Of My Former Self" can be seen below.
"The Sick, Dumb & Happy" track listing:
01. Down On The Ropes02. Echoes03. Weaponized04. No End In Sight05. Blood And Salt06. Corner Office Maniacs07. The Future Need Us Not08. Silent War09. The Hell In Me10. Songs Of Obscenity11. Break And Dominate
Commented the group: "This record is a cross-section of the metal sound we hope will resurrect in the next ten years — a return to thrash roots, headbanging anthems, and tried-and-tested songwriting that made metal so great back in the '80s and '90s.
"We found Robert Sammelin via an app, saw his work and immediately knew that this was our guy. He still hand-draws his designs, creating some completely surreal comic-style images. While working with him we actually found out that he did key artwork for 'Battlefield 1', which is crazy. We gave him the rough idea for the spiral eyed skull, the color scheme and blood spatters was all his idea. We wanted something different and we feel he created a completely unique piece, better than anything we could come up with."
THE CHARM THE FURY has matured since their debut. With several of Europe's biggest festivals under their belts, they have transformed their sound into a startling slab of ultra-modern but utterly distinctive metal that shrewdly and honestly redefines what THE CHARM THE FURY is all about. Driven by a collective distaste for the state of the world in the 21st century, the band recorded an angry album underpinned by ferocious intelligence and a heartfelt desire to wake people out of their digital stupors.
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