Frontiers Music Srl has released the debut album, Overload, from Brazil's Spektra, a new, exciting project by BJ, a stellar vocalist from the modern Brazilian hard rock scene.
Watch a video for "Running Out Of Time" below, and order/save Overload here.
Tracklisting:
"Overload"
"Runnin' Out Of Time"
"Just Because"
"Since I Found You"
"Our Love"
"Breakaway"
"Don't Matter"
"Back Into Light"
"Forsaken"
"Behind Closed Door"
"Lonely Road"
"Runnin' Out Of Time" video:
"Just Because" video:
"Overload" video:
Lineup:
BJ - Vocals
Leo Mancini - Guitars
Edu Cominato - Drums
Henrique Canale - Bass
Norwegian blackened Viking metal band, Hjelvik, unleashes a brand-new single called "Synkverving:, that features a guest appearance by Lars Nedland from White Void and Borknagar. The single follows the release of Hjelvik's debut album, Welcome To Hel, in late 2020 and is also strongly based on Norse mythology and Viking themes, paired with the raw and sinister tone that is typical for the band.
The single comes with an animated music video, that you can watch below. Get the single digitally here.
Frontman Erlend Hjelvik comments: "This doomy little ditty was recorded during the Welcome To Hel sessions and is now released in all its glory with a brand new mix and master courtesy of fellow countryman Endre Kirkesola (Abbath & Green Carnation). Making things sound extra Norwegian, 'Synkverving' features the debut of Hjelvik rhythm guitarist Remi André Nygård and awesome guest vocals and organ by Lars Are Nedland (White Void, Borknagar & Solefald). The cherry on top of this pagan pie is an animated video created by Zak Kirwin (Ghoul & Spirit Adrift) who brings the "mound people" to life! Listen loud!"
Hjelvik is the solo-band of ex-Kvelertak frontman, lyricist and co-founder Erlend Hjelvik. After touring worldwide with some of the world's greatest bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Ghost and earning four Norwegian Spellemann awards, Erlend parted ways with his bandmates in 2018 and has spent the last two years songwriting and creating Hjelvik's first solo album.
Hjelvik is:
Erlend Hjelvik - Vocals, Lyrics and Songwriting
Rob Steinway - Lead Guitar
Remi André Nygård - Rhythm Guitar
Alexis Lieu - Bass
Kevin Foley - Drums
Classical metal collective Lost Symphony, have issued a new video for “Acceptance”, a grand musical piece featuring guest performances by guitar wizards Alex Skolnick, Angel Vivaldi and Richard Shaw, from the collective’s latest album, Chapter III. Watch below.
“I was instantly moved when I first heard this song,” says Vivaldi. “The solo came out almost instantly and with much ease thanks to the uplifting, melodic nature of the arrangement. It’s a stunning piece of music and I'm quite grateful to have been able to contribute to it!”
Having performed on other tracks on Chapter III, when asked to contribute to “Acceptance,” both Skolnick and Shaw were excited to lend a hand. “After becoming familiar with the Lost Symphony gang and working on ‘Take Another Piece,’ I was more than happy to jump in for an additional guest spot on ‘Acceptance,’” Skonick says. “This tune has a flavor that is different from the first one and it was nice to get the chance to bring in some other elements. It's been great to see the response to ‘Take Another Piece’ and I'm sure all those listeners will appreciate this one as well.”
Shaw adds, “I chomped at the bit to work with Lost Symphony again, especially when I was told the other players would be Alex and Angel, both of whom I've admired for a long time. When I was sent the track, I loved that it had a different feel to the other songs I had contributed solos to. ‘Acceptance’ was a little more Andrew Lloyd Webber, and allowed for more grand melodic statements alongside the shred that LOST SYMPHONY are known for. It's hard not to smile when I listen back. It's a great composition and I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of it.”
Lost Symphony was set in motion when multi-instrumentalist and producer Benny Goodman invited guitarists Kelly Kereliuk and Conrad Simon to add another dimension to the classical demo he had composed. An early recording of “Leave Well Enough Alone,” which appeared on the band’s Chapter II album, made its way to Herbert, who quickly jumped aboard as a chief collaborator.
The group’s tribute to Herbert, “My Last Goodbye,” featuring some of the guitarist’s last recordings, was unveiled last month.
The collective founded by multi-instrumentalist and producer Benny Goodman and comprising his brother Brian (compositions, arrangement), Cory Paza (bass, guitar), Kelly Kereliuk (guitar), Paul Lourenco (drums), and Siobhán Cronin (violin, viola, electric violin), has once again welcomed a revolving cast of virtuosos to join them for Chapter III. This installment includes Marty Friedman, Nuno Bettencourt, Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson, Richard Shaw, Angel Vivaldi, Jimi Bell, Jeff Loomis, Joey Concepcion, Matt LaPierre, Oli Herbert, Matt LaPierre and Ryan Formato.
Rockborn’s new single/video, “Rock Me Harder,” serves as a preview of the group’s forthcoming studio album, arriving in spring 2022.
Comprised of members Lu Reid (vocals), John Lyell (guitar), Dino Serna (bass), and Gary Gabaldon (drums), Rockborn is a female-fronted heavy rock band that is intense, sexy, bluesy yet edgy with raspy, sassy power vocals performed with dynamic emotional passion.
Dark, tasty guitar riffs and funky fresh bass lines are lifted up to the stratosphere by hard-hitting, solid drum rhythms and powerful, soaring vocals. Rockborn creates music with heartfelt lyrics, emotional depth, melodic intricacies that have modern, contagious hard energy, down-to-earth classic grit, heavy with mystical “Zeppelinesque” romance and enduring timeless appeal.
The “Rock Me Harder” single/video sums it all up perfectly. Watch the video below, and stream/pre-save the single here.
“‘Rock Me Harder’ was born out of a couple of rough ideas between John, who had this incredibly heavy riff, and some lyrics I had been toying with for quite some time,” explains Lu. “His riff gave me a shove in the right lyrical direction. I needed the foundation and inspiration that his riffs gave me to finish the lyrics, and of course after hearing Dino and Gary throw in their ingenious licks to John’s riffs, I was able to come up with the melody lines and the phrasing needed to kick this song into gear.
“Overall, this song is a culmination of the synchronicity of all the members of Rockborn. I’m very pleased with the ferocity and impactful energy that John, Dino, Gary and I gave to this very powerful female empowerment song. I hope that everyone, digs on this fantastic groove that Gary and Dino masterfully perform and also the badass riff and the brilliant lead guitar of John. Most of all I want women to know that they deserve what they want and they can have what they want. Just be bold and ask for it, like ‘Rock Me Harder’ does!”
Rockborn is perfectly poised to build upon the buzz created by the Michael Wagener-produced, engineered and mastered previous album, Born To Rock, which spawned the popular video “Reasons Why I Cry,” which has received 2.25 million views on YouTube. “Rock Me Harder” most certainly delivers.
Florida death metal veterans MASSACRE will release their fourth full-length album, "Resurgence", on October 22 via Nuclear Blast. The official visualizer for the LP's first single, "The Innsmouth Strain", can be seen below.
Commenting on the upcoming album and new single, vocalist Kam Lee states: "It's all about Lovecraft, isn't it? Honesty though, aesthetically MASSACRE needed two main things to return to be proper. A) The return to the core roots of O.S.D.M. (Old School Death Metal) style death metal that late '80s, early '90s sound. Musically, the record has to retain that nostalgic retro style. B) To return to the lyrical aesthetics laden with influences heavily drawn from the stories and fictional mythos that is all Lovecraftian.
"'The Innsmouth Strain' is heavily influenced by the H.P. Lovecraft story 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' yet has my own twisted take on transmutation body horror aspects thrown in. I sort of lyrically give it a David Cronenberg/Junji Ito-type spin on a Lovecraft fiction. So lyrically it is basically about body horror of aquatic transmutation. Any deeper meaning then that is just speculative, but could simply be metaphor for our world's current situation with the pandemic and other threats of the spreading of viral infection. Musically it's just proper O.S.D.M. the way it's meant to be played and properly represented by MASSACRE."
Joining Lee and bassist Mike Borders for the new album are guitarists Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER), Jonny Pettersson (GODS FORSAKEN, WOMBBATH, HENRY KANE) and Scott Fairfax (MEMORIAM, AS THE WORLD DIES), along with drummer Brynjar Helgeton (CRYPTICUS, THE GROTESQUERY). There are additional guest performances by Marc Grewe (INSIDIOUS DISEASE), Dave Ingram (BENEDICTION), Anders Odden (CADAVER) and Pete Slate (DRUID LORD) The LP was recorded with producer and death metal icon Dan Swanö (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, ex-BLOODBATH) and Pettersson as engineer/mixer.
MASSACRE's upcoming album will be the first to feature Borders, as well as the band's first recording in 25 years to feature Lee (ex-DEATH, ex-MANTAS).
Nuclear Blast's U.S.A. general manager Gerardo Martinez, who signed MASSACRE, said: "For many of us at Nuclear Blast, MASSACRE is one of our favorite bands, and instrumental in the formative years of death metal and with their debut album alone. It paved the way to many artists to follow. It's an honor to be working a brand new record with Kam Lee on vocals after nearly 30 years!"
Last September, drummer Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC., THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG) and guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG) announced their departure from MASSACRE. The duo had joined the group less than a year earlier and were said to be working on MASSACRE's fourth studio album at Kling/Nordberg's own Smoke & Mirrors Productions in Spring Hill, Florida.
Kling and Nordberg said in a statement that "what was presented as a democracy turned out to be a dictatorship with an excruciating lack of communication."
MASSACRE parted ways with guitarist Rick Rozz and drummer Mike Mazzonetto in September 2019. At the time, Lee and Borders blamed the split on "contract infringement violations," "poor performance, incompetence, and lack of professionalism."
MASSACRE's latest album, 2014's "Back From Beyond", featured Rozz and Mazzonetto alongside bassist Terry Butler and vocalist Ed Webb.
In early 2017, Butler — who is now playing bass for OBITUARY — told Metal Wani that Rozz and Mazzonetto "destroyed" MASSACRE with their "behind-the-scenes backtalking and backstabbing." He went on to make it clear that Rozz and Lee's then-collaboration could not be called MASSACRE. He said: "They can do all they want and write all the songs in the world they want, but it's not gonna be called MASSACRE."
California rockers PAPA ROACH have unveiled their swagger-packed motorcade music video directed by Darren Craig (SLIPKNOT, RIHANNA, BIG SEAN, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) for their new track "Swerve". The high-octane thrill ride featuring the outspoken frontman of FEVER 333, Jason Aalon Butler, and rising Los Angeles-based rapper Sueco is the first track pulled from the band's forthcoming studio album.
"This track came at the very end of the writing process for our upcoming album and truly feels like the culmination of years of experimenting with our sound coming back to a new version of PAPA ROACH," shares PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix. "Filming this music video with Jason and Sueco was one of the most fun experiences we've had and I am so excited to share it with the world."
The genre-bending banger was produced by Colin "Doc" Brittain and Nick Furlong (ALL TIME LOW, A DAY TO REMEMBER, AVICII), and features the saxophone stylings of co-collaborator Spencer Nezey, showcasing PAPA ROACH's bravado at an all-time high.
"This is one of the favorite songs I've ever made," Sueco shares on the collab. "PAPA ROACH has been an inspiration of mine since I was a kid, so working with them was super dope and a dream come true!"
Butler adds: "I've said it before and I'll say it again — this band has somehow managed to be a legacy AND relevant all at once. So, naturally, when I got the call to hop on this track there was no question. With Sueco doing his thing, the track's got three different vibes that all work together. This shit is different and that's exactly what rock needs. More DIFFERENT shit. Thanks to these modern legends for making sure it happened."
Along with the song release, PAPA ROACH also announced that it has entered into a new global distribution and marketing services agreement with ADA (WMG's independent label and artist services arm). Of the partnership, Cat Kreidich, ADA president, shares: "We couldn't be more elated to have PAPA ROACH in the ADA family. With our talented teams and strong relationships across various territories, we look forward to activating an even wider global audience, as we support them in this new musical chapter." In addition, PAPA ROACH has also reactivated its own label, New Noize Records, a second incarnation of the band's early 2000s label enterprise.
PAPA ROACH will be joining BREAKING BENJAMIN on a handful of shows this fall while also taking the stage at both the Blue Ridge Rock festival and the inaugural Rebel Rock Fest.
'Abschaum' - a groovy, catchy song with industrial influences. This new single of SCHATTENMANN comes with a lot of hit potential and great expressive statement. The German Rock outfit speeds up on the way to mainstream rock and wide perception and catching up to established acts like EISBRECHER and HÄMATOM.
With their new, third album 'Chaos', Schattenmann demonstrate unmistakably: their music becomes harder, more metallic, more multifaceted and uncompromising in terms of content. They have taken the decisive third step and move the essence of the new songs with relentless consistency into the focus of their uncompromising sound. The band has purposefully expanded their sound to include modern and fresher elements. Musically there are no restrictions, the new songs get more character through the influences of metal and industrial.
‘Chaos’ will be the decisive third step in Schattenmann’s career, moving with unyielding consistency the essence of the new material into the focus of their uncompromising sound. Herzig: “Due to the fact that almost all new songs were composed on the guitar, the material sounds more metal-oriented, heavier, you could say: it’s more crash, bang, wallop!” The Schattenmann frontman is referring to numbers such as ‘Spring’ or ‘Alles auf Anfang’, but also to ‘Abschaum’ and ‘Chaos’ with their unmistakable metal roots, which contrast with a pop-oriented number like ‘Cosima’ and Schattenmann-typical tracks such as ‘Amnestie’ and ‘Extrem’.
In line with its musically harsher pace, the lyrics on ‘Chaos’ are also honest, direct and straight-in-your-face. “Socio-critical topics are nothing new for us, ‘Generation Sex’ and ‘Amok’ on our debut already touched on a number of sore points,” Herzig explains, “but this time the lyrics are even more focussed and direct. We question things, comment on negative developments, excesses, the underbelly of society, ranging from social deficiencies to self-hatred.” He is referring to tracks like ‘Cosima’ with its underlying question of whether love is still needed in the digital age. On ‘Alman’ and ‘Abschaum’, Schattenmann highlight the positive and negative sides of society, before ‘IYFF’ focusses on another brand-hot topic: “The acronym stands for ‘In Your Fucking Face’ and addresses the deplorable trend of shitstorms on social media. Mind you, the term “social media” is a contradiction in itself. Social is definitely not what happens on the Internet a lot of the time.”
On September 3, TUESDAY THE SKY will release its new album, "The Blurred Horizon", via Metal Blade Records. The official music video for the disc's title track can be seen below.
TUESDAY THE SKY's origins could almost be considered accidental. Guitarist Jim Matheos, famed for his work with progressive metal giants FATES WARNING alongside projects such as OSI and his collaboration with John Arch, ARCH/MATHEOS, penned a few songs that did not fit in with any of his established outlets, and intrigued by this, decided to write more and see where this took him. The result was 2017's "Drift", a record that drew influence from the likes of Brian Eno, SIGUR ROS, BOARDS OF CANADA and EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, and now he returns with its successor, "The Blurred Horizon". A mixture of ambient, electronica, post-rock and more, "The Blurred Horizon" is perhaps best described as a beautiful record, having a natural grace to it. While predominantly the work of Matheos, he is not the sole performer on the record, enlisting the help of other musicians where necessary.
"It's primarily a solo project, but with the idea of having different guests on each record to help fill it out and, hopefully, give each one a slightly different sound," Matheos says. "With the first record, there was Anna Lynne Williams on vocals for a couple of songs, and Lloyd Hanney of GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT on drums. For this one, the live drums on five tracks were handled by Gavin Harrison of THE PINEAPPLE THIEF, KING CRIMSON and PORCUPINE TREE. He's my absolute favorite drummer, so he was the first person I thought of when I decided that some of the songs could benefit from real drums. I originally was thinking of just one or two songs, but once I heard how good he made them sound, I kept asking him do more, which, thankfully, he agreed to. His playing added a whole new dimension to the songs, particularly on 'Hypneurotic', where he plays two different full drum kit takes, panned left and right, to achieve a kind of 'double drummer' effect."
"Everything Is Free" — the closing track and only one on the record to include vocals — is a cover of a Gillian Welch and David Rawlings song from 2001.
"FATES WARNING were thinking about doing some cover tunes as bonus tracks for 'Long Day Good Night' (2020), and when that didn't happen, I kept this one in mind for a future project," Matheos says. "It seemed to fit nicely here, even though it's an otherwise instrumental album, and the vocals are by Tim Bowness. Like Gavin, Tim is someone I've worked with in the past, with OSI and several other projects. He's got a beautiful voice and his gentle delivery is just what I wanted for this one."
Frontiers Music Srl recently released the debut album from one of their most exciting new projects, a collaboration between powerhouse Finnish vocalists Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast) and Netta Laurenne (Smackbound), under the banner Laurenne/Louhimo.
The Reckoning is available on CD/LP/Digital. Order/save The Reckoning here, and watch the new video for "Striking Like A Thunder" below.
"With this album, I wanted to capture the essence of classic heavy metal and hard rock and combine it with great melodies and lyrics that have value. It was clear from the beginning, having two strong voices on the album, that this album was going to be full of power, energy, attitude and emotion. I envisioned it lovingly kicking everyone’s ass, my own included, and I think it does just that. It’s pushing us to do better and evolve, yet having great empathy towards the struggles we all face as humans," says Netta Laurenne.
”My inspiration was definitely the thought of empowering and the songs giving a feeling of strength and sensitivity. And us interpreting the songs from our hearts and souls with full force, leaving no question about how passionate we are as vocalists and artists," adds Noora Louhimo.
After Perugino approached Netta about the possibility of some new projects for the label, including a duets album, Netta realized this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill her idea of a collaborative album with Noora. And now, these two incredible singers have put together a storming melodic metal album.
Tracklisting:
"Time To Kill The Night"
"The Reckoning"
"Tongue Of Dirt"
"Striking Like A Thunder"
"Bitch Fire"
"Hurricane Love"
"To The Wall"
"Viper's Kiss"
"Walk Through Fire"
"Dancers Of Truth"
Canada’s Ravenous have announced that their third release Hubris is coming out this year and the first single “Die 1,000 Deaths” is out now, complete with both English and Japanese animated music videos.
“Hubris” is chock full of anthemic hits and this single may be the most fist-pumping one on the album. According to the band, the aim of the track is to give listeners the drive to break their limits and fight for every shred of glory in their lives - to always strive for the apex and conquer anything that stands in their way. Ravenous share their thoughts on the album:
“Take a journey with us to an arcade tower in Japan and experience the sensory overload equivalent to a Kaiju battle in an early-2000's anime. Die 1000 Deaths was Rav’s delirious and frantic output in the chemically imbalanced early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and underwent zero changes from its initial structure and tone. He based the lyrics off of Akuma - his favourite street fighter character - to properly represent the feeling and themes of the music. Try and stay calm as Akuma takes over your computer in the ‘Die 1000 Deaths’ video.”
This song is the perfect introduction to the album as it embodies everything the band wants to represent with the album. It’s fast, busy, symphonic, and tongue-in-cheek, featuring a whirlwind of riffs and breakdowns, three guitar solos (including a guest solo by Aether Realm guitarist Heinrich Yoshio), and was also recorded entirely in Japanese as an alternate bonus version.
Fast and frantic, the song can be coined as “very anime”, clearly inspired by Japanese Power Metal and following the Eastern Hirajoshi scale. Lyrically, the song is about a murderous figure that kills his master in pursuit of ultimate power. His only goal is to finally find a foe worthy of his full strength, and his hubris will kill all in his path in that pursuit.
“Die 1,000 Deaths” is best served with a sake bomb along with a spicy bowl of ramen and will be enjoyed by fans of Dragonforce, Galneryus, and Orden Ogan. BraveWords is premiering the video; check out both versions below:
Hubris will be released on October 22, 2021 via Feast Beast Records for North America plus Europe and for Asia via Spiritual Beast with exclusive bonus tracks. Preorders begin August 9 at Indiegogo .
Tracklisting:
"Carnage In Carthage"
"Astral Elixir"
"Son Of Storms"
"Die 1000 Deaths"
"Bridgeburner"
"The Alder Queen"
"March Of Hunger"
"Claw Is The Law"
"Onwards & Upwards"
"…Of Beasts And Faust"
Melodic metal outfit Dead Atlantic from Baltimore, Maryland have released their debut full-length album Lost, via Zombie Shark Records.
Lost boasts 11 tracks and was produced by Sean Underwood and Parker Yowell at Fatemaker Recording Co. & Parkolepsy Productions. Dead Atlantic’s music can be described as a creative mixture of thrash metal and modern metalcore with tinges of death metal, groove metal, nu-metal, and hardcore.
Tracklisting:
"Victim"
"Shock Trauma"
"Isolator"
"Lost In The Deadlights"
"Lessons In Betrayal"
"Shapeshifter"
"A Life Re-Animated"
"And The Path Will Lead Home"
"Burial Atlas"
"Falling Into The Grave"
"The Fog That Surrounds Me"
Dead Atlantic has also released an official music video for the track "Falling Into The Grave", directed by Jared Bell and featuring a special cameo appearance from actor Julio Bana Fernandez, from shows such as House Of Cards and Nightmare Next Door, as well as horror films Killer Campout and Wrestle Massacre.
Dead Atlantic is:
Alex Lupin - vocals
Sean Atlantic (Underwood) - guitar / vocals / keys
Mike Stearns - guitar
Greg Cook - bass
Parker Yowell - drums
The new video below, uploaded to Motörhead's official YouTube page, features guitarist Jitse Zonneveld and keys player Frank Steijns performing "Ace Of Spades" as part of this year's Torenfestival Weert, which took place in the centre of Weert in the south of the Netherlands on July 17.
A Killer's Confession, the band led by vocalist Waylon Reavis, have released its brand new single “Tell Your Soul", featuring Hellyeah and Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray today via Wake Up! Music Rocks. The single is from the band's third album, Remember, coming out later this year.
“This song was an amazing collaboration between Sahaj Ticotin, Chad Gray, and myself,” states Waylon Reavis. "It was an honor to work with such true professional artists on such a powerful song. I hope everyone can feel the raw emotion and are moved just like I am when they listen. This song is about forgiveness and acceptance of one's own shortcomings. I want to thank Chad and Sahaj for being such great friends and recording this song with me. Wombat absolutely crushed this video. Amazing talent all the way around!"
“Waylon has wanted to do a song with me for a very long time, and earlier this year, we tried, but the song just didn’t fit either one of us,” says Chad Gray. “So we went back to the drawing board with Sahaj Ticotin. The song really spoke to me, so we went for it. Everything just seems to fall into place. I’m really excited about this release. My boy Wombat absolutely killed the video. I’m stoked for this song to drop. It’s a nice prelude to some more solo stuff I have on the way. I can’t wait for you all to hear this. Enjoy.”
A Killer's Confession is on tour now with Gemini Syndrome. This summer, the band will be playing several festivals, including Orlando Metal Fest, Metal In The Mountains, Incarceration Festival (with Mudvayne), and a sold-out hometown show in Akron, OH, on August 6th to celebrate the release of the new single.
Irish thrashers, Gama Bomb, have released a video for "Thunder Over London", the title track of the Thunder Over London digital EP, out Friday, August 6, via Prosthetic Records.
Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of Leverage's new album, Above The Beyond, on October 15. Today, fans can get their first taste of the new album with the release of the new single and music video, "Emperor". Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Above The Beyond here.
Leverage continue to showcase their contemporary heavy rock sound on their new album, Above The Beyond, which takes influence from the golden past while still offering their own unique personality. Plenty of ear-catching melodies delivered skillfully with pristine production on the band’s latest album.
"We’re a heavy rock band. Our music has echoes dating back all the way to the '70s, like it always has. On the new album, that heritage is heard louder and clearer than ever before. It has tons of guitars, riffs, choruses, choirs, and solos. All the goods," says guitarist Tuomas Heikkinen of the band's upcoming release. "What makes our trademark sound is the mix of shadow and light, simple and complex, old and modern. And I trust we have now polished that approach with the Leverage MK 2 line-up."
"I am happy and proud of everything we’ve ever done. Yet somehow this new album is very special. Musically, I feel we have gone full circle. I sense a lot of the ”Tides” vibes on it, only almost 20 years later. It's all about the music, not trying to fit in a box, not purposely cover some ground, or take steps away from something," he continues.
Leverage first landed on the scene in 2006 with the independent release of their debut album, Tides. With their blend of symphonic metal and melodic hard rock, with some progressive metal twists, they created a buzz on the scene and were signed by Frontiers for the release of their second album, Blind Fire in 2008, before moving to Universal/Spinefarm for their next album, Circus Colossus (2009). The band became inactive not too long after the release of that third album though, sadly leaving fans craving more music from the band.
In 2018, Leverage returned with a new lineup featuring an amazing new singer Kimmo Blom (ex-Urban Tale, Raskasta Joulua) and a new guitar player Mikko Salovaara. They first released an EP, The Devil’s Turn and then a full-length, Determinus. The band showcased that they are still able to cover a pretty wide ground musically. Again, not power metal, not AOR, not thrash. Just great heavy rock with stunning melodies. That same result is also evident on their new record, Above The Beyond.
Tracklisting:
"Starlight"
"Emperor"
"Into The New World"
"Do You Love Me Now"
"Angelica"
"Under His Eye"
"Falling Out Of Grace"
"Galleria"
"Silence"
"Emperor" video:
Lineup:
Kimmo Blom - vocals
Mikko Salovaara - guitars
Tuomas Heikkinen - guitars
Sami Norrbacka - bass
Valtteri Revonkorpi - drums
Marko Niskala - keyboards
Ulver will release Hexahedron (Live At Henie Onstad Kunstsenter) on August 20 via House Of Mythology.
Hexahedron documents the second of the two dazzling, sold-out Ulver shows in the legendary Studio at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter at Høvik- odden back in April 2018. A special commission and “an honourable undertaking”, as Tore Ylwizaker put it in their career-spanning book Wolves Evolve - The Ulver Story, published last year.
“To orientate our music into an art setting is appealing to me”, he said. “Doing whatever we want, not knowing what it’s supposed to become or where it will end up.”
Various formats are available for pre-order here. Watch a video for "A Fearful Symmetry" below.
Tracklisting:
"Enter The Void"
"Aeon Blue"
"Bounty Hunter"
"A Fearful Symmetry"
"The Long Way Home"
Two decades into their journey as ritualistic black metal conjurers, Wolves In The Throne Room have emerged from the forest with Primordial Arcana, their most majestic album to date, and their first release via Century Media Records (outside of US and Canada) and Relapse Records (US and Canada) out August 20.
In the visuals, Wolves In The Throne Room are taking us on a journey through Cascadia, a bioregion that has been highly influential for the band’s aesthetics and sound. From the forests in “Mountain Magick” and rivers and streams in “Spirit of Lightning” we are following them to the ocean in their latest video for “Primal Chasm (Gift Of Fire)”.
The band comments: “’Primal Chasm (Gift Of Fire)’ is an explosion of cosmic grandeur, a symphonic rendering of the hermetic maxim As above, so below. The lyrics are a dreamtime retelling of creation. The act of the universe creating itself comes from the same impulse—it all springs from the same source, the same union of fire and ice. It’s the interplay between polarized opposites, and it’s from their contradiction and chaos that life happens and music and the planets are created.”
Primordial Arcana is the band’s first completely self-contained work: In addition to composition and performance, brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver alongside guitarist Kody Keyworth handled all aspects of recording, producing and mixing at their own Owl Lodge Studios in the woods of Washington state.
Primordial Arcana is out August 20 via Century Media Records outside of USA/Canada and available in the following formats with the Ltd. Gatefold 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster variants being cut to 45rpm and coming with an additional track, “Skyclad Passage”:
- Ltd. Gatefold olive green 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (limited to 1.600)
- Ltd. Gatefold deep blood red 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (limited to 1.000) only available at Kings Road Merch Europe (Official Store)
- Ltd. Gatefold clear 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (limited to 300) available at Distro Wholesale EU
- Ltd. Gatefold dark green 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (limited to 200) only available at Supreme Chaos
- Ltd. Gatefold transp. light blue 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (limited to 200) only available at Evil Greed
- Ltd. Gatefold creamy white 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (limited to 200) only available at EMP and Nuclear Blast
- Ltd. brown LP & LP-Booklet (limited to 300) available at all UK Indie outlets
- Ltd. transp. sun yellow LP & LP-Booklet (limited to 200) only available at Consouling Sounds
- Ltd. CD Mediabook
- Digital Album
Album cover art by Amjad Faur and Wolves In The Throne Room.
Tracklisting:
"Mountain Magick"
"Spirit Of Lightning"
"Through Eternal Fields"
"Primal Chasm (Gift Of Fire)"
"Underworld Aurora"
"Skyclad Passage" (additional track only available on the Ltd. Gatefold 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster variants)
"Masters Of Rain And Storm"
"Eostre"
Alien Weaponry return with a vengeance, announcing the release of their fervid sophomore release, Tangaroa, out September 17 via Napalm Records.
Today, the band invites fans to come together in a worldwide "stomp" showdown. Recently, the band united international fans in lockdown by asking them to submit a video of themselves performing a signature "stomp" and star in the official "Buried Underground" music video. Today sees the release of both the track and official video - so now you can join the fun at home or wherever you are.
Show Alien Weaponry your stomp! Make sure to hashtag #AWburiedunderground and tag the band for a chance to have your stomp shared with the world via the band's social media!
Watch the brand new fan-driven official music video for “Buried Underground”:
Alien Weaponry are poised to dominate with Tangaroa. The album coalesces the band’s growing maturation with an undisturbed songwriting process, resulting in their most inspired, honest and informed material yet. Tangaroa is immersed in important historical accounts and cultural heritage of the Māori people – in addition to lyrics written in te reo Māori, many tracks feature traditional instruments, called taonga puoro, providing the tracks their own warrior-like attitude. Rhythmic, dynamic album opener “Titokowaru” begins with determined rowing chants and depicts the tale of a famous war chief that challenged the colonial government in New Zealand and led a rebel army, backed by quick riffage and driving drums. Following standout “Hatupatu”, inspired by the harrowing, legendary tale of a de Jong ancestor facing off with a witch, is carried by frenzied guitars, spirited chanting and tribal-like percussion. While Alien Weaponry sourced inspiration from their culture and environmental surroundings while writing most of Tangaroa, the band also looked inward – drawing vision for other portions of the album from within. The album dives into some of their most effecting personal experiences, with English-language songs like the pensive “Unforgiving”.
Accented by personal touches like its entrancing album art originally conceptualized from drawings by Lewis de Jong, Tangaroa is a massive next step for a band on the rise, encompassing all of the elements that make Alien Weaponry heavy metal’s most authentic rising stars.
Tangaroa will be available in the following formats:
- 4 page CD Digipack
- 4 page CD Digipack + Patch
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Turquoise
- 2LP Gatefold Marble Light Blue/Cream (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 500)
- 2LP Gatefold Marble Orange/Transparent Black (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 500)
- Wooden Box Edition: CD Digipack, pendant, patch, cover flag, canvas tote bag (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 500)
- Die-Hard Edition: 2LP Gatefold Marble Crystal Clear/Curacao, hand numbered with guitar pic set and back patch (Napalm Mailorder only - limited to 400)
- Digital Album
Alien Weaponry recently added more dates to their upcoming US tour with headliners Gojira and fellow special guests Knocked Loose. For all information, visit alienweaponry.com.
Alien Weaponry on Tangaroa is:
Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong - Drums, Backing vocals
Lewis Raharuhi de Jong - Guitars, Lead vocals
Ethan Trembath - Bass guitars, backing vocals & lead vocals on “Dad”
Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds - Backing vocals & guitar on “Unforgiving"
Canadian folk black metal band Hexenklad (ft. members of SIG:AR:TYR, Eclipse Eternal, Pagan Ritual) recently unleashed their second album Heathenheart via CDN Records on July 23. The 13 track album has something for everyone, from the chilling black metal “Cold Beauty Of Winter” to the mid-tempo headbanger “Dark Moon In Capricorn” to the instrumental ”A Forest Of Dead Trees” to the acoustic “We Raise A Horn”. This variance makes Hexenklad shine, their versatility is a true display of their talent and passion.
Hexenklad has a very distinct chemistry, which is only amplified by years of experience in music. Almost everyone in the band comes from another band in the Ontario metal scene including Eclipse Eternal, Pagan Ritual, Battlesoul and Of Hatred Spawn. The album also features several local guests including Emmanuel “Audeath” Audet (Black Empire/Winterfog); Nick Sauter (Treats for Addicts) and Alex Chalmers.
“This album was written very differently than the first album, which was mostly written by Hexenklad’s founder Michael Grund. It was very organic and the songs just grew together. Guitar parts were written first by both Michael and John with a few ideas put in by myself. Then drums were added by Andrew. Once those were all down and arranged, and then rearranged until everything flowed and made sense, then I let the melodies tell me what the songs were about and wrote the lyrics. Once we had the guitars, drums and vocal parts recorded, then the keyboards and bass were added.” adds the band.
Today, Hexenklad guitarist John Chalmers shares his playthrough for the album's title track.
Chalmers adds:
"‘Heathenheart’ is a folk metal anthem. As soon as it started to come together, we knew this had to be the single we released first. It is just so memorable and so poignant and relevant to the times we are all going through. It is a song about being alone, yet all connected. All Lone Wolves yet all part of a larger pack. About protecting and raising each other up. The song feels like its message. It is uplifting, powerful, memorable, anthemic."
As a whole Heathenheart is an intense black metal-influenced folk metal album full of heathen anthems to raise a horn to. The heathen’s heart is full of chaos, creation through destruction, Hagalaz, and this is a journey into it.
Heathenheart is recommended for fans of Amon Amarth, Ensiferum, and Insomnium. Order the album via CDN Records here.
Tracklisting:
“Heathenheart”
“Cold Beauty Of Winter”
“Huginn And Muninn”
“Rootbound”
“The Raven Returns To The Knoll”
“A Thousand Paths To Wisdom”
“Olde Gods Awaken”
“Beware The Outstretched Hand”
“A Forest Of Dead Trees”
“Upon The Wings Of Valkyries”
“A Moment Of Silence”
“We Raise A Horn”
Video footage of MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil performing the band's classic songs "Dr. Feelgood" and "Looks That Kill" at a private concert last night (Thursday, August 5) in Austin, Texas can be seen below. Also appearing at the event was Sammy Hagar, according to SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk, who shared the clips on his Instagram page.
Last night's show came more than two months after Neil struggled to complete his solo concert at the Boone Iowa River Valley Festival in Boone. Based on fan-filmed video footage of the gig posted on YouTube, the 60-year-old rocker, who hadn't performed in more than a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began losing his voice several songs into his set, which consisted exclusively of CRÜE classics and cover songs previously recorded by the band.
14 songs into the performance, Vince attempted to sing CRÜE's smash hit "Girls, Girls, Girls" but gave up mid-song, explaining to the crowd: "Hey, guys… I'm sorry, you guys. It's been a long time playin'. My fuckin' voice is gone… Eh… We love you, and we'll hopefully see you next time, man. Take care."
After Neil walked off the stage, his backing band — which still consists of bassist Dana Strum and guitarist Jeff "Blando" Bland from SLAUGHTER, along with drummer Zoltan Chaney — continued to play the song, singing along to what appeared to be pre-recorded backing vocals.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place last summer but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In December 2019, CRÜE manager Allen Kovac told Fox Business that "some of" the bandmembers had enlisted outside help to get in shape for the trek. Kovac was referring to criticism of Neil for his supposed diminished singing ability and weight gain, as well as the health status of guitarist Mick Mars, who has been dealing with a chronic form of arthritis that led him to undergo a hip replacement.
Kovac explained: "Some of them are working with a trainer, some of them are working with a nutritionist to make themselves the best they can be. The greatest insecurity for an artist is: Is anyone going to care about my music? Is anyone going to buy a ticket? We were in November [2019] when the discussions were happening, and these guys were already into regimens of how they get ready for a tour."
Speaking specifically about Neil, Kovac added: "Let's see what Vince sings like and looks like when the tour goes out."
CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx also said that Vince was "killing it" while working with "trainers" and "nutritionists" in preparation for "The Stadium Tour".
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