SPINEFARM is pleased to welcome New York-based band DEADLANDS to the roster.
To kick off this new partnership, the band has shared the video for the new single “VILLAIN.”
“The narrator’s journey is one of empowerment, as they reclaim their strength and flip the script on their oppressor,” the band shares. “The imagery of setting traps and planning attacks symbolizes the strategic, calculated response to pride’s manipulative grip, transforming the victim into a formidable force. As the song culminates, the protagonist embraces their role as the ‘villain,’ illustrating how the fight against pride can lead to a dark realization of one’s own power by succumbing to the sin, losing themselves and ultimately their life in the process.”
DEADLANDS are infusing fresh and unexpected energy into traditional metal. Founding member and frontwoman Kasey Karlsen is used to laying her cards face up on the table, as she has been writing about her toxic relationships, friendships, hardships, and current events — basically all topics that are near and dear to her heart — since she was in high school. She is also a social media star, drawing over a million followers across platforms, thanks to her compelling content. CJ Arey, professionally known as “NO SHADE,” creates melodies for the guitar and bass while simultaneously inputting his own flare of trap and cinematic references into the production of the music. Kyle OBraitis creates all the drums for Deadlands. His hard-hitting rhythms and strategic placement for each song really drives the feel and direction for each track.
The band is currently working on new material for the label that is themed around the seven deadly sins. Fans of bands like Asking Alexandria, Motionless In White, Escape the Fate, Falling in Reverse, Wage War, and Bring Me The Horizon will be magnetically drawn to DEADLANDS.
“Villain” is just one of the seven deadly sins coming your way from Deadlands. Stay tuned for more.
Photo by Sami Lustig & Janne Partanen – EP cover by Sini Helenius
Finnish Alternative Death Metal band Unjoyful Play is set to release the self-titled debut EP on September 19th 2024 via Inverse Records. A music video for the first and only single ‘Fight Till The Last Man’ can be seen below.
Sami Lustig comments: “A powerful story of humanity’s fight for survival. Song is the second chapter of the story, where the resistance rises up to fight dictaturism. Song was chosen as the first single because it is the most approachable of the songs.”
-Arrangements, composition, recording & mixing: Sami Lustig -Mastering: Lassi Pitkänen -Drum composition: Teemu Roth
Line-up: Guitars, bass, synth & backing vocals: Sami Lustig Clean vocals: Tomas Ahlroos Drums: Jimi Myöhänen
Vocals on “Stand For The Empire” Iiro Juntunen. Vocals on “Annihilation” Janne Partanen & Martin Pick. Guitar solo on “Annihilation” Topi Pitkänen. Shout choir on “Stand For The Empire” & “Fight Till The Last Man” Janne Partanen, Martin Pick & Sami Lustig.
Unjoyful Play is a solo project by Sami Lustig from Hautajaisyö and Uhriristi. It mixes fictional storytelling with metal music. It is a dystopian story about humanity at the end of the world. Dictatorship and resistance are in constant battle. The apocalypse comes and the total destruction of mankind. In the last song, mankind wakes up in the morning fog, confused and bewildered to find that they have been living in a part of God’s hell machine. A barrel organ, operated by a faceless and timeless figure. As the barrel organ plays its last note, the nightmare and destruction begins again and eternity plays its melody of damnation.
SUMMONING THE LICH have shared a new lyric video for The Carrion Fleet, taken from their recently released sophomore album, Under the Reviled Throne. The Carrion Fleet thematically serves as a perilous turning point on the St. Louis, MO band’s latest full-length, which is set in the fictional fantasy universe of the Kingdom of Arrias, where SUMMONING THE LICH‘s malevolent mage brings war to the city of Bastell.
Speaking on the track release, David Bruno (vocals) comments: “This song is a personal favorite and one of the darker songs we’ve ever written both thematically and melodically. The city of Bastell burns as the Lich and the vile creatures that follow him lay waste to all leading to the shore. This is where the album shifts as hope truly begins to dwindle for all who wish to oppose the madness of the Lich, and we worked to reflect that with the ominous brooding tone of The Carrion Fleet. Also a bunch of ships half made of mangled corpses held together by magick sounds sick and heavy.”
After three years of extensive US touring and shows with the likes of Allageon, Gorod and Inferi among others, as well as headline stints, SUMMONING THE LICH set about bringing Under the Reviled Throne to life. Intended as a death metal equivalent to The Empire Strikes Back in scope, the group set their sights on raising the stakes in both story and songwriting.
SUMMONING THE LICH took the considered approach of eschewing superfluous technicality in favor of a leaner and more streamlined focus on song structure. Each of the tracks on Under the Reviled Throne were written with the purpose of guiding the listener through the eponymous Lich’s descent into misanthropy and tyranny, without sacrificing their idiosyncratic sound.
This balancing act of dexterity and structure is exemplified best on cuts like Return to the Soil and lead single, My Horrors Unending. The latter of which succinctly merges SUMMONING THE LICH’s inclination for extremity and stop and start dynamics with rhythmic pummelling and memorable hooks.
With Arrias under existential threat, Under the Reviled Throne is a dazzlingly ambitious tale of hope and resistance in the form of its protagonist Taane (introduced on previously released album track, The Forest Feasts). Elsewhere, The Carrion Fleet’s narrative of the city of Bastell succumbing to flames at the hands of the Lich’s army ushers in the ominously brooding
Upping the stakes to dizzying heights, SUMMONING THE LICH offers plenty in the way of light among the shadowy figures that lurk within the Lich’s universe of malevolent chaos. All is not lost.
Under The Reviled Throne tracklist: 1. Return to the Soil 2. Reviled Crystal Wielders 3. The Forest Feasts 4. My Horrors Unending 5. Bastell Dirge 6. The Carrion Fleet 7. Arrias Groans 8. Will to Survive 9. Potion Seller 10. The Void Gate 11. Praise to the Bog
SUMMONING THE LICH is: David Bruno – Vocals Ryan Felps – Guitars Nick Muckerman – Guitars TJ Chilton – Drums
Formed in Germany in 1969, Nektar favored extended compositions and concept albums over the constraints of pop. They were among the progenitors of the progressive rock movement of the 1970s as well as the jam-band scene that arose in the late 1990s. Their sound traveled well to the States, where they enjoyed Top 40 success with “A Tab in the Ocean” (1972) and “Remember the Future” (1973). Nearly 20 albums later, the band’s artistic and personal charisma has earned them masses of devoted fans along with their album “The Other Side” (2020) which was Number 1 on Amazon Progressive Music. For over half a century, Nektar has been the guiding star for countless fans, leading them on mesmerizing expeditions through the vast expanses of the cosmos and the depths of the ocean. With their unique fusion of progressive rock and stunning visuals, these trailblazing prog-rock legends have ignited the imaginations of generations.
As they began the next 50 years of their career, they kicked it off earlier this year with “Journey to The Other Side – Live at The Dunellen Theatre June 10, 2023”. Capturing the band with a 2CD/Blu-Ray set clocking in at over 2 and 1/2 hours and spanning the band’s entire career with classics like “Remember the Future Parts 1 & 2”, “A Tab in the Ocean”, and the last to have primary member Ron Howden who died suddenly at the age of 78 on September 29th, 2023.
TRACKLIST Mission To Mars Long Lost Sunday One Day Hi One Day Lo I’ll Let You In
Now Nektar is broadening their horizons with the first in the Mission to Mars trilogy. Their first to feature new drummer, Jay Dittamo, alongside longtime members Ryche Chlanda (guitars, vocals), Kendall Scott (keyboards, synths), Maryann Castello (vocals) and original founding member Derek “Mo” Moore (bass guitar, vocals). From the rocking title track “Mission to Mars” to the beautiful “I’ll Let You In,” Nektar covers all the prog rock bases while venturing into some new melodic territories. As both Mo and Ryche state, “Mission to Mars’ hails back to Nektar’s early roots before prog music was even a term, a blend of rock and progressive elements that define Nektar’s musical evolution. From day one we had a special feeling about our new album ‘Mission to Mars. ’ We hope you do too.”
The band kicks off the next leg of the Mission to Mars tour in August.
AUG 24: Williams Center, Rutherford, NJ – Home of Progstock AUG 25: My Fathers Place, Glen Cove, NY AUG 27: The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ SEPT 6: Nene Valley Rock Festival 2024, Grimsthorpe, UK
BLACK TUSK‘s latest album, The Way Forward, is a testament to resilience. Losing bassist Jonathan Athon hit them hard, but they’ve powered through, pressing on with new additions to their lineup: former collaborators Chris “Scary” Adams and Derek Lynch on bass. They got back to their roots, blending metal, sludge, and punk to spit out something raw and real.
Now, the band is stoked to announce their 2024 European Co-Headline Tour with Lord Dying. It’s time for them to unleash the beast on stage and rip through Europe with the raw, gritty sounds that define them. Whether you’re in the pit or screaming from the back, this tour is for you—the faithful who crave authenticity and the brutal honesty only BLACK TUSK‘s unique blend of swamp metal can deliver.
Tour Dates: 5 October: Leeuwarden, NL @ Into the Void 6 October: Berlin, DE @ Cassiopeia 7 October: Hamburg, DE @ Headcrash 8 October: Kobenhavn, DK @ Stengade 9 October: Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Hornstulls Strand 10 October: Oslo, NO @ Vårland Bar & Scene 11 October: Tallin, EE @ Blow Up Fest 12 October: Jena, DE @ Rosenkeller E.V. 13 October: Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse 14 October: Budapest, HU @ Robot 15 October: Zagreb, HR @ Vintage Industrial Bar 16 October: Munich, DE @ Backstage Halle 18 October: Antwerpen, BE @ Desertfest Antwerp 20 October: Portugalete, ES @ Groove 21 October: Vigo, ES @ Pub Transylvania 22 October: Madrid, ES @ Wurlitzer Ballroom 23 October: Barcelona, ES @ Sala Upload 25 October: Lille, IT @ Bloom 28 October: Carquefou, FR @ La Bulle Cafe 29 October: Strasbourg, FR @ The Black Shelter 31 October: London, FR @ Le Molodoi 2 November: Manchester, UK @ Damnation Fest 3 November: London, UK @ Heavy Psych Sounds Fest
The Way Forward is a relentless, unapologetic march into the future, carrying the scars and stories of BLACK TUSK‘s past but never looking back. Lead single Brushfire is a mean, ugly riff that hits you straight in the gut. Dance on Your Grave is the anthem for those pits that keep us alive, and Breath of Life pushes through like a raging thunderstorm. Each track on this album is a brick in the wall of the band’s legacy.
Listen to the full album, released on April 26th through Season of Mist, on the official YouTube Channel, below.
The Way Forward is still available for purchase on CD Digipak.
Tracklist 1. Out Of Grasp – 2:47 2. Brushfire – 2:22 [LISTEN] 3. Harness (The Alchemist) – 2:35 4. Lessons Through Deception – 2:14 5. Breath Of Life – 5:12 [WATCH] 6. Dance On Your Grave – 2:54 [WATCH] 7. Against The Undertow – 3:06 8. Lift Yourself – 3:31 9. Ocean Of Obsidian – 2:50 10. Flee From Dawn – 3:38 11. The Way Forward – 4:40 Total runtime: 35:54
Cover artwork by Brian Mercer
“The big theme of this record is putting your life back together.” That’s Black Tusk guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler talking about the band’s new album, The Way Forward. “When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create.”
The Way Forward might be the Savannah swamp metal crew’s seventh album, but it marks many firsts for Black Tusk. It’s their first with their new lineup, which sees guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch joining Fidler and drummer James May. Which also makes it Black Tusk’s first record with a two-guitar lineup. “We were able to add leads and harmonies and all kinds of stuff on the new record that we haven’t done in the past,” Fidler says. “As far as our records go, this one has the most guitar work.”
You can hear it in the squealing solo of “Dance on Your Grave,” the killer harmonies on ripper “Harness (The Alchemist),” and the glorious dual guitar interplay of the powerful title track.
“‘The Way Forward’ is my favorite song on the record,” Fidler says. “It’s based on a personal experience that everyone can probably relate to. I got divorced in 2020, and I kinda felt like my entire world was collapsing when that happened. But I pulled myself out of it. I realized that this one thing ending in my life isn’t the end of everything. I’m gonna find a way forward. I’m gonna figure out how to live my life and create and be happy and make new relationships. Which is what I’ve done.”
In true Black Tusk fashion, the new lineup has expanded their triple-vocal approach to quadruple. “Everyone is doing vocals,” Fidler says. “That’s always been a thing in Black Tusk. Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’ I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”
That’s Lynch on lead single “Brushfire,” a song for which he wrote the main riffs and lyrical concept. “That was my first real contribution to the band,” the bassist says. “Thematically, I wanted the aggressiveness of the lyrics to keep with the idea of pushing forward even when the world is trying to drag you down. The mood of the lyrics needed to match the pulverizing tempo of the song.”
The lyrics for second single “Dance on Your Grave” were written by May, who moved from Savannah to Athens, GA, in the time since Black Tusk’s last album. “It’s about his struggles through Covid and what this lifestyle can do to people,” Fidler says. “It’s about getting past the party lifestyle and continuing to do things that are creative.”
Meanwhile, “Breath of Life” distills Black Tusk’s lyrical philosophy into a righteous five-minute pummeling. “Scary came up with the main riff of this song, and it’s one of my favorite riffs on the record,” Fidler says. “I wrote the lyrics, and it’s just about darkness crushing everything. The world is a fucked-up place that we have to navigate through. That’s what a lot of Black Tusk songs are about.”
Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Adams’ own Hidden Audio studio just outside of Savannah. Adams engineered the album and the whole band produced. “I actually helped him build the studio in the detached garage next to his house,” Fidler explains. “Me and my carpentry company went out there to do it, and Scary helped.”
“We had about 90% of the riffs and song structures going into the studio, while still experimenting with ideas and inspirations,” Adams explains. “Sometimes we completely reworked parts, which made all the difference. For example, early versions of ‘Breath of Life’ and ‘The Way Forward’ are quite different than the record, and I love where they ended up. Though we did use a few effects and synths here and there for texture and space, to me this record still feels raw and powerful. It captures the feeling of being at a Black Tusk show.”
The cover art for The Way Forward was done by Brian Mercer, who also created the sleeve for Black Tusk’s 2018 album, T.C.B.T. “T.C.B.T. had a dark cover because it was a dark time for the band,” Fidler says, referring to the period immediately after the passing of their longtime friend and bassist Jonathan Athon. “This time, it’s full blown, full-color Black Tusk. Brian Mercer and James collaborated on the concept, and Brian really knocked it out of the park.”
“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”
Line-up:
Andrew Fidler: guitar, vocals James May: drums, vocals Derek Lynch: bass, vocals Chris “Scary” Adams: guitar, vocals
Recording Studio Hidden Audio
Producer/sound engineer Chris “Scary” Adams
Mixing studio and engineer Chris “Scary” Adams
Mastering studio and engineer Brad Boatright at Audiosiege
September 6, 2024 will see STONEMAN, the great provocateurs of the gothic and NDH scene, return with a brand new studio album after a musical absence of over 6 years! The band’s forthcoming offering, entitled “NEU !”, will be released as CD Digipak, Ltd. Box Set, Ltd. Vinyl LP (colors: black), and Digital formats via Massacre Records, the Box Set will content the CD Digipak, a Beanie, Sunglasses & Case, and an Autograph Card. Pre-order your album copy at: https://lnk.to/stonemanneu
Following the recently premiered, first album appetizer, “Ferrari Pferd”, today, STONEMAN have shared a music video for their latest single, the album opening track “Heimatdiebe”! Produced by drummer Rico Horber, the song is now streaming on all digital providers at: https://stonema n.bfan.link/hei matdiebe
STONEMANfrontman Mikki Chixx says: “Heimatdiebe” is deliberately based on the popular hit by the German band Die Toten Hosen, whose song “Sascha” brings xenophobia to the stage.”
Over the last two decades, the band has established itself as a household name in their genre. With several smash hits such as “Mord ist Kunst” and numerous appearances at festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Eurorock, Wave-Gotik-Treffen or Rock The Ring, STONEMAN have catapulted themselves out of the shadows of the prevailing mainstream.
Just in time for the band’s 20th anniversary in 2024, STONEMAN are back with their album “NEU !”, accompanied by various live shows Germany! With eleven new songs, STONEMAN will provoke and polarize as never before. Sometimes hated, sometimes loved, but always with the band’s typical style and humor!
The album was produced by Rico Horber, and was mixed in Switzerland, Mallorca, as well as in Los Angeles. Once again, Steve van Velvet was involved in the songwriting, as was Dan Suter, who took care of the album’s mastering in Switzerland. The artwork was created by Chiara Cerami.
Tracklist:
Heimatdiebe
Korrekt
Helene
Ferrari Pferd
Wahnsinn
Halloween
Sex
Keine Zeit
Puppentanz
Neu !
Heute Nacht
STONEMAN live:
05.09.2024 DE München – Backstage 06.09.2023 DE Oberhausen – Kulttempel 07.09.2023 DE Hannover – Lux 08.09.2023 DE Deutzen – NCN Festival 02.11.2024 DE Magdeburg – Factory (***) 03.11.2024 DE Augsburg – Spectrum (***)
(***) supporting Ost+Front
STONEMAN is: Mikki Chixx – Vocals Dom – Guitars Maehna – Bass Rico H – 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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