Skillfully fusing the aesthetics of black metal with the atmospherics of post-rock in order to create a soundscape that is both breathtaking and mesmerizing, Norwegian blackgazers AVAST are set to release their debut full-length album “Mother Culture” on October 26th through Dark Essence Records.
As a prelude to the release of “Mother Culture”, Dark Essence Records has released the title track as a single, which is available from and can be heard at https://avastband.bandcamp.com/track/mother-culture.
Hailing from Stavanger, Norway, AVAST consists of Hans Olaf Myrvang (AGENDA) on bass and vocals, Trond Salte (AGENDA), Ørjan Lund (NAG) on guitars, and Stian Steensnæs (LIK) on drums, AVAST is a band that reviewers and promoters place in a variety of genres. Whilst the band’s roots lie in punk rock and hardcore, it would be safe to say that blackgaze and post-black metal are genres that could be applied to AVAST, given that AVAST’s lyrical themes are not centered around the usual black metal topics, but tend more towards a philosophical and poetical take on social and environmental issues.
The members of AVAST themselves describe “Mother Culture” as “a concept album that examines the myths upon which modern civilization is based”, and “an apocalyptic tale about the rise and fall of human civilization, and how we have exploited the Earth’s resources to such a degree that we are now standing on the brink of our own extinction. Musically the record borrows equally from the black metal and post-rock genres, and lyrically it draws inspiration from Daniel Quinn’s philosophical novel Ishmael.”
With artwork by Ole Nymoen, the track-listing for “Mother Culture” is as follows:
1. Mother Culture
2. The Myth
3. Birth of Man
4. The World Belongs to Man
5. An Earnest Desire
6. Man Belongs to the World
“Mother Culture” will be released in CD, Digital and limited edition white vinyl formats, and is now available to pre-order from:
The Canadian heavy metal heroes SKULL FIST are set to unleash their third album, “Way Of The Road” on October 26th, 2018 through NoiseArt Records.
Today, the band released the first album trailer on YouTube. Check it out:
The band states: “This is the first record without all of the graphic art, It just felt right to do something a little more real this time around. The sound is more natural, I wanted the cover to be more natural as well. Raw, nothing to hide behind. The songs and lyrics can probably give you an idea on why we choose to present it all like this. We released “You belong to me” first since it’s got more of a staple Skull Fist sound. If you’ve ever stood in a room and been told the walls are red even though you hear that voice of reason sayings its blue then you’ll get this track. There’s a lot of different extremes in songwriting on this record and I don’t think any one song is standout on this thing. I think if you’ve got the time and are interested in how we see things then just listen to the whole record from start to finish. Do people still sit and listen to albums at this point? “
“Way Of The Road” tracklisting:
1. You belong to me
2 . No more running
3. I am a slave
4. Witch hunt
5. Way of the road
6. Heart of Rio
7. Better late than never
8. Don’t cross me
9. Stay true
A strong moral compass in battle with even stronger drinks
When SKULL FIST set off their first riffs and deliver their third studio album full of authenticity, honesty and shady lyrics, it feels like drowning in a sea of confusing heavy metal morality. The quartet from Toronto, Canada are locked in a life long struggle with a twist on nostalgic heavy metal and a persistent desire for spiritual glory and personal peace. Relight the fire that was started with the debut record and take another step further with every note and word of the new nine song album “Way Of The Road”.
On November 2nd, Swedish progressive metal legends OPETH will release their new live album “Garden of the Titans: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre” via Moderbolaget Records / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Captured for DVD, Blu-Ray and Vinyl formats during their performance on May 11th, 2017 at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, CO, this concert showcases the unique beauty of both classic and new OPETH tracks.
Ahead of the album, OPETH will release the limited 10” vinyl ‘Ghost Of Perdition (Live)’ on October 19th in the following formats:
10″ pink sparkle in sleeve (limited to 700)
10″ violet sparkle in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 300)
10″ toffee in sleeve (US NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 250)
10″ summer bronze in sleeve (US NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 250)
Side A contains the haunting live version of the band’s classic ‘Ghost Of Perdition (live)’, while the previously released ‘Sorceress (live)’ can be found on Side B.
In case you missed this first excerpt,you can listen to ‘Sorceress (live)’, here:
Video footage for “Garden of the Titans: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre” was overseen by The Deka Brothers (CARPENTER BRUT, THE PRODIGY) and audio was mixed by David Castillo (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH). All versions feature the masterful artwork of revered artist Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, KATATONIA, TESTAMENT).
“Garden of the Titans: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre” track listing:
01. Sorceress (live)
02. Ghost Of Perdition (live)
03. Demon Of The Fall (live)
04. The Wilde Flowers (live)
05. In My Time Of Need (live)
06. The Devil’s Orchard (live)
07. Cusp Of Eternity (live)
08. Heir Apparent (live)
09. Era (live)
10. Deliverance (live)
Always an unstoppable force for uniqueness amid a sea of generic swill, OPETH has been setting the rulebook ablaze, and ploughing a uniquely progressive and exploratory furrow for over 25 years now. Neither conforming nor exhibiting any desire to be restricted to a single genre, OPETH, quite simply, has a time honored tradition of blowing our minds with both class and forward thinking. All these years later, nothing and everything has changed once again with their most recent album, »Sorceress«.
“Sorceress” was released in September 2016. For the band’s first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH‘s imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from QUEEN, RUSH and JUDAS PRIEST, where the Swedes had tracked “Pale Communion” in 2014 with Tom Dalgety.
On September 21st, symphonic death metal collective MaYaN will enlighten your spirit with their epic new album “Dhyana”. For this prodigious third studio masterpiece, the international 10 piece raised over €40.000 through a crowdfunding campaign and enlisted the skills of The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, known for their work in cinematic features such as the Star Wars saga, Hannibal and many more. The new full-length release reflects on conceptual themes such as self awareness and relinquishing our ego and self-conceited tendencies to find out who we truly are.
Today, the band unveils another part of their ‘Behind The Scenes’ series, in which Marcela Bovio, Frank Schiphorst, George Oosthoek and Mark Jansen speak about the overall concept and the songwriting process of the new album. Watch the trailer here:
The band will celebrate the new album with several “Dhyana Release Parties” in September and has also announced a first festival appearance for 2019:
21.09. NL Reuver – De Schakel (Try out show)
22.09. NL Utrecht – De Helling (Dutch release show)
23.09. B Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont – Le Cercle (Belgian release show)
2019
16.-17.08. A Graz – Metal On The Hill Festival
“Dhyana” will be available in the following formats:
Jewelcase incl. bonus instrumental CD in O-card
Black vinyl
Gold vinyl (mailorder exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
The current line-up of MaYaN reads as follows: Mark Jansen, George Oosthoek | grunts Adam Denlinger / Henning Basse (special guest) | clean male vocals Laura Macrì, Marcela Bovio | clean female vocals Jack Driessen | synths, orchestral arrangements Frank Schiphorst, Merel Bechtold/Arjan Rijnen/Jord Otto | guitars Roel Käller | bass Ariën van Weesenbeek | drums
BEHEMOTH mastermind Nergal says “it’s more than just music. More than just music. More than just black metal.” and talk the cover and artwork in the second part of the “ILYAYD” interview series. Watch the piecehere:
ICYMI:
Episode 1 (‘God=Dog’):
Produced by the band themselves, with drum co-production by Daniel Bergstrand(MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES), mixing by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, CHILDREN OF BODOM) mastering by Tom Baker (NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON), and a 17-piece Polish orchestra arranged by Jan Stoklosa, »I Loved You At Your Darkest« can be pre-ordered digitally now at: http://behemoth.lnk.to/ILYAYD – where the video for the first single, ‘God = Dog’ (directed by Grupa 13 / http://www.grupa13.com), can also be viewed.
To pre-order the album in various physical formats (see below) – and to pre-order an exclusive ‘God = Dog’ 7″ picture disc – please visit: http://nblast.de/BehemothILYAYD
“I Loved You at Your Darkest” Tracklisting
01. Solve
02. Wolves ov Siberia
03. God = Dog
04. Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica
05. Bartzabel
06. If Crucifixion Was Not Enough…
07. Angelvs XIII
08. Sabbath Mater
09. Havohej Pantocrator
10. Rom 5:8
11. We Are the Next 1000 Years
12. Coagvla
“It doesn’t get more blasphemous than this,” declares BEHEMOTH mastermind Nergal, about the band’s upcoming album, »I Loved You At Your Darkest« – due out October 5th via Nuclear Blast (Europe) / Metal Blade Records (North America). While it certainly seems an unlikely title for a black metal band, its origin might surprise fans even more than the words themselves. “It’s a verse from the Bible,”Nergal reveals. “It’s actually a quote from Jesus Christ himself. For BEHEMOTH to use it as the basis of our record, it’s sacrilege to the extreme.”
A crushing salvo of black metal majesty replete with hellish riffs, thundering drum cannonades and soaring liturgical choirs reminiscent of classic horror cinema, »I Loved You At Your Darkest« is the group’s most dynamic record yet: extreme and radical on one hand, but also more rock-oriented than any other BEHEMOTH release.
This October/November, BEHEMOTH will hit the road across North America to headline the“Ecclesia Diabolica America 2018 e.v.” tour, featuring special guests AT THE GATES and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. This must-see show will also make its way to Europe in January/February 2019, to follow-up the band’s festival appearances this month. See below for all dates!
BEHEMOTH “Ecclesia Diabolica America 2018 e.v.” tour dates w/ AT THE GATES, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM
Oct. 20 – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren
Oct. 22 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Oct. 23 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
Oct. 24 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Oct. 27 – Tampa, FL – Jannus Landing
Oct. 29 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
Oct. 30 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
Nov. 1 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
Nov. 2 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
Nov. 3 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater
Nov. 4 – Montreal, QC – M-Telus
Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
Nov. 7 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
Nov. 9 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Nov. 10 – Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
Nov. 11 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
Nov. 13 – Denver, CO – The Ogden Theatre
Nov. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Nov. 16 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Ballroom
Nov. 17 – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
Nov. 19 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore Ballroom
Nov. 20 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Market
Nov. 21 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
Nov. 23 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
Nov. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern Theatre
BEHEMOTH “Ecclesia Diabolica Evropa 2019 e.v.” tour dates w/ AT THE GATES, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM
Jan. 10 – Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp
Jan. 11 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle
Jan. 13 – Vienna, Austria – Arena
Jan. 15 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex 457
Jan. 16 – Milano, Italy – Alcatraz
Jan. 17 – Lyon, France – Le Transbordeur
Jan. 18 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz
Jan. 19 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
Jan. 21 – Toulouse, France – Le Bikini
Jan. 22 – Paris, France – Bataclan
Jan. 23 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinenhalle
Jan. 24 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys
Jan. 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
Jan. 26 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet
Jan. 29 – Helsinki, Finland – The Circus
Jan. 30 – Tampere, Finland – Pakkahuone
Feb. 1 – Hamburg, Germany – Grosse Freiheit 36
Feb. 4 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
Feb. 6 – Bristol, UK – Motion
Feb. 7 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
Feb. 8 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
Feb. 9 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
Feb. 10 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
Feb. 11 – Glasgow, UK – QM Union
Nuclear Blast is pleased to announce the worldwide signing of Greek symphonic death metal outfit, SEPTICFLESH! The group’s unique blend of symphonic arrangements, avant garde elements, atmosphere and eviscerating extreme metal has been converting legions into fans since the 90s. Now, with a streak of modern classic albums under their belt such as »Sumerian Daemons« (2002), »Communion« (2008), »The Great Mass« (2011), »Titan« (2014), and now »Codex Omega« (2017) there seems to be no stopping this creative juggernaut.
“We are honored to have signed with one of the world’s leading record labels, Nuclear Blast records,” commented the band. “SEPTICFLESH has always been a hard working band looking to the future while keeping traditional elements and utilizing a modern and dark feel to our music. We needed someone who would understand this and we are happy to have found our new home with Nuclear Blast. In the meantime, our latest album »Codex Omega« continues to gain ground worldwide. We will keep touring in support of it and prepare for the conquests set before us!”
Nuclear Blast comments: “We at Nuclear Blast are fans huge fans of SEPTICFLESH, and we’re extremely excited to be working with one of the most revolutionary and forward thinking extreme metal bands around. We very much look forward working with the band on their upcoming pieces of sonic art!”
SEPTICFLESH plan on releasing their Nuclear Blast debut in 2019. More information to be announced in the near future, so stay tuned.
SEPTICFLESH‘s latest album “Codex Omega” is the first to feature former DECAPITATEDdrummer Kerim “Krimh” Lechner. Months of hard work and experimentation crafted the album, and resulted in 10 compositions of dark sonic bliss. Lyrically and musically, “Codex Omega” is by far the most infernal release of SEPTICFLESH to date. The album was produced by highly acclaimed metal producer, Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KREATOR). Besides the orchestral side represented once again by the Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague, the band utilized traditional instruments such as Oud and Duduk and also a 12 string electro-acoustic guitar, enhancing the mystical atmosphere of the compositions. Of course as always, “Codex Omega”is dominated by the relentless death guitar riffing and the pale melodies that are the trademark of SEPTICFLESH.
SEPTICFLESH is: Seth (brutal vocals, bass) Christos Antoniou (guitars, orchestral) Sotiris V. (guitars, clean vocals) Kerim “Krimh” Lechner (drums)
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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