Absolva, the powerhouse of British hard rock / metal, confirm their remaining shows for 2024, promoting their latest single ‘The Thrill of the Chase’. On the back of a highly successful run in Europe, followed by an exhilarating performance last weekend at London, Underworld, the band brings soaring melodies, hard-hitting riffs and mind-blowing harmony guitars to the following venues:
November 8th: Greece, Athens, Gagarin 205 (supporting Blaze Bayley – Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999) 9th: Greece, Thessaloniki, Eightball Club (supporting Blaze Bayley – Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999) 10th: Bulgaria, Sofia, Club Pave (supporting Blaze Bayley – Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999) 23rd: UK, Glasgow, Ivory Blacks 24th: UK, Newcastle, Trillians 28th: UK, Trecco Bay, Planet Rockstock 29th: UK, The Billesley, Birmingham
December 21st UK, Manchester, Academy 3, ‘Absolva’s Xmas Bash’
Currently in the advanced stages of writing for a new album in 2025, Absolva have been touring relentlessly during 2024, and by the end of the year will have completed in excess of 80 shows.
‘The Thrill of the Chase’ is available now to stream on all digital platforms and the accompanying video can be viewed below.
Expect new announcements in respect of further new music and tour dates for 2025 soon.
Absolva is: Chris Appleton – lead vocals, lead guitar Luke Appleton – backing vocals, lead guitar Martin Mcnee – drums Karl Schramm – backing vocals, bass
Formed in 2008 by experienced musicians from Rio de Janeiro/Brazil, REVENGIN presents the track “Decadent Feeling”, the second single from the album “Dark Dogma Embrace”, scheduled to be released in early 2025.
Following the overwhelming reception of “Circle of Mistakes”, Revengin’s new single delivers a powerful yet graceful narrative of an intense love that gradually becomes platonic after a series of heartbreaking disappointments. With a striking melody and an intense chorus, the song portrays an internal battle of feelings where reason and emotion lead to the certainty of anguish.
Providing a unique cinematic experience, the music video for “Decadent Feeling” was filmed in the band’s hometown Rio de Janeiro.
Produced by Caio mendonça and Revengin, the recording was carried out at Tellus Studio (the renowned studio that has worked with artists such as Onslaught, Ektomorf & Borknagar), mixing and mastering by Caio Mendonça.
Tours
Revengin establishes itself as one of the great Brazilian exponents of global heavy metal, having toured through several countries in Europe and South America, such as Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, and Argentina, in addition to playing at major festivals, such as Rock in Rio, sharing the stage alongside big names like Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, and Gojira.
The current lineup of Revengin features the formidable Bruna Rocha (vocals), the gutturally gifted Thiago Contrera (guitar), the shredding Themys Barros (guitar), the groove master Diego Pirozzi (bass), and the powerhouse Nacife jr (drums).
Mexico and U.S.-based extreme metal band SIGLOS will release their highly-anticipated second EP “Renacer De Las Cenizas” independently via all major streaming platforms and Bandcamp on November 15th, 2024. Consisting of five tracks rooted in black metal, doom metal and industrial metal, the quintet are also releasing the featured single and music video for ‘El Paso De Mis Ancestros’.
The second EP follows on the heels of the their debut EP “Rituales Sagrados” and singles ‘Morir Para Vivir’ and ‘Por Los Siglos’, and was also produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Crescioni of Stygian Sound. In reference to teaming up with Crescioni again for “Renacer De Las Cenizas” and SIGLOS’ evolving career, Grammy-nominated guitarist, songwriter and founding member Sin Quirin said this EP is about pushing boundaries.
“Throughout my career, I’m often thought of as that guitar player from Ministry, and there’s so much more music inside me that I’m starting to flex now with SIGLOS,” said Quirin. “I don’t want to be complacent and stagnant when it comes to songwriting, and this new EP {and SIGLOS} helped me to push myself and continue to do so.”
One of the first singles on this EP is ‘El Paso De Mis Ancestros’, which features a corresponding music video filmed, directed and edited by cinematographer Bobby Field. The music video includes footage of the band in the recording studio, giving behind the scenes looks at their recording process and ritual roots.
“All of the footage was shot in the recording studio and shows off some of the spiritual tools Pedro (Sanchez) uses for performing,” said Quirin. “Ritual is a big part of SIGLOS and something Pedro really brought forth with this band.”
Artwork by Nestor Avalos
Renacer De Las Cenizas Track Listing:
El Camino Del Guerrero
El Paso De Mis Ancestros
En Resiliencia
Sombra
Piel Fría
What the music industry is saying about Sin Quirin and SIGLOS:
“Sin is a singularly unique talent, underrated guitar hero, and a key dynamic member of every project he’s done, and I can’t wait to hear what he does next! I know it’s going to be stellar!” – Gary Holt
“Sin has been a solid back bone to everything he’s been involved in and it’s great to see him stepping out now to do his own thing. He is a true rockstar in every sense of the word” – David Ellefson
“SIGLOS, Dark, Powerful, Magic! Listening to SIGLOS brings all this and more weaving through the stories of old and bridging through to the world of today. Hypnotic vocals and entrenching melodies prove SIGLOS to be a Dark Force for the future worldwide.” – Todd La Torre
SIGLOS’ second EP “Renacer De Las Cenizas” comes out on November 15, 2024 Music Video Link for El Paso De Mis Ancestros can be watched HERE: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/XtQYoZrXNd
EP Renacer De Las Cenizas produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Crescioni of Stygian Sound
Music video El Paso De Mis Ancestros filmed, directed and edited by cinematographer Bobby Field
EP artwork by Nestor Avalos
SIGLOS band photo by Jon Fischer
About SIGLOS: SIGLOS is a Los Angeles, California-based extreme metal quintet featuring two-time Grammy-nominated guitarist Sin Quirin, Pedro Sanchez, Adrian Villanueva, Juan Pina and Iorden Mitev. Blending various sub-genres of black metal, doom metal and industrial metal, the Mexico and U.S.-inspirited band mesmerized audiences with their ancestral-inspired debut EP Rituals Sagrados released January 2023. Known for their atmospheric and raw sound, their live performances often incorporate shamanic ritual offerings to transport the band and audience on a sacred journey through space and time.
After Forever– the band where Mark Jansen (now known from Epica) began his musical journey – is returning to the stage for a unique live experience. For their 25th anniversary, they will perform together on October 4 and 5, 2025, at the iconic 013 Poppodium in Tilburg, Netherlands. Jansen announced this exciting news earlier this week on social media:
“Dear AFTER FOREVER fans, 2025 marks a monumental milestone.25 years have passed since AFTER FOREVER left a timeless footprint in the world of symphonic metal with their debut album ‘Prison Of Desire’.The follow-up ‘Decipher’ pushed their music even further, combining progressive elements with a heavier sound that helped shape the symphonic metal of today (…).After five successful albums, the sextet’s journey ended in 2009, but the music lived on and continued to inspire the next generations of musicians and fans.With a loyal following that is still passionate about the band’s musical legacy, the time has come to bring the music of those two albums that started it all back to life and back on stage.”
The Line-Up For the After Forever Anniversary Concert
Since the original singer, Floor Jansen, considers the After Forever chapter closed, she will not be joining the performance. Instead, founding members Mark Jansen, Sander Gommans, Luuk van Gerven, and André Borgman will perform with singer Angel Wolf-Black (SheWolf), guitarist Bas Maas (After Forever/Doro), and keyboardist Jeffrey Revet (Stream of Passion) to honor the music and influence of After Forever in an unforgettable live experience.
Tickets and Pre-Sale
Tickets for October 4, 2025, are unfortunately already sold out, but tickets for October 5 are still available through Ticketmaster.
KINGS OF MERCIA‘s 2022 approachable, world-class self-titled debut was termed “truly a hybrid: it’s heavy, but not metal. It’s got tones of melodic AOR hard rock but with an edge.” Now, 2024 brings the band’s sophomore album written and recorded throughout 2023, ‘Battle Scars‘ sees the core writing team of Matheos and Overland expanding on their obvious chemistry.
“I think it was a bit easier this time around because we’ve established a good working rhythm,” states Matheos, “I’ll send Steve at least a few songs every couple of months, and I try to keep them varied. This allows him to work on whichever ones he feels strongly about.”
“What Jim sends me is the first draft of that song,” says Overland. “So once he’s heard all the melodies and the harmonies I sing, he can chop it about and make it how he thinks it should be. He always sends me three or four different versions. He’ll say, ‘What do you think? Which do you like?’ Then we work it out between us and come up with the one we’re both happy with.”
“Steve and I started working together in 2021,” says Matheos. “I was aware of FM-they came up around the same time as Fates Warning – but I’d lost touch with them and wasn’t familiar with their more recent work. When Steve was recommended to me, I checked out some of the newer releases and felt Steve was exactly what I was looking for.”
“It’s a different genre of music that I’m normally involved in,” says Overland, whose voice has been likened to other British greats Paul Rodgers and Glenn Hughes. “Obviously, I’d heard of Fates Warning – they’re a very big cult band in their field. Jim and I touched base, and I told him to send me one backing track. If it sounds great, then it’s a win-win. If it doesn’t, we’ll just call it a day, knock it on the head, not take it any further. That song became ‘Humankind’ from the first album. I wrote the melodies and the title and put it all together. Jim got it and he was blown away. So we made a couple more. I loved doing it. It was just such a different challenge for me.“
Those songs would become the self-titled debut album, which was released in 2022. Written during lockdown, bouncing tracks across the Atlantic, KINGS OF MERCIA found its mojo. Fans of Fates Warning, FM, and Armored Saint all rejoiced at the common ground on KINGS OF MERCIA, the sweet spot in the middle of the Venn diagram.
It’s a true collaboration that has led to KOM‘s ‘Battle Scars.’ However, despite the unfolding sound and clear chemistry between the four Kings, Overland has never met his bandmates in person. ‘Battle Scars,’ like its predecessor, is a slab of transatlantic magic.
‘Battle Scars‘ Track List: 01. Guns and Ammunition 02. Eye for an Eye 03. Between Two Worlds 04. Legend 05. Battle Scars 06. Don’t Ask 07. Aftermath 08. Hell ‘n’ Back 09. Cold 10. Angels & Demons
“An enjoyable call back to an era when rock’s purest elements powered the most timeless music.” – Loudwire
“It’s a phenomenal album full of some incredible performances (from Steve Overland, Simon Phillips, and Joey Vera, as well as Matheos) with great songs that really get you fired up as a listener. This KINGS OF MERCIA album is simply phenomenal!” – KNAC
“A testament to the creative vision of these two musicians. The album offers a refreshing departure from their comfort zones and is sure to please most rock fans.” – My Global Mind
“‘Battle Scars’ is full of blistering power! The fury that erupts from the Matheos guitar creates a volcanic, seismic noise… While Steve Overland pushes his range with such inspired magnitude it takes your breath away.” – Rock ‘N’ Load
KINGS OF MERCIA are: Jim Matheos – Guitars Steve Overland – Vocals Simon Phillips – Drums Joey Vera – Bass
An exciting signing to legendary label, Century Media Records, LOVE IS NOISE have released the title track taken from their forthcoming debut album, To live in a different way, which is set for release on February 14th, 2025. With influence from Portishead, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, Bad Omens, Bowery Electric, Boards of Canada and Deftones, the band set about to create a record that makes you feel every emotion possible. PRE-ORDER HERE
Speaking of the album, vocalist Cam Humphrey says: “To live in a different way is the story of a kid from Bolton trying to understand the world he lives in. It’s 11 tracks full of love, heartache and dream-soaked melody, I believe we’ve created something special. To be able to have a physical release of this record, pictured by the GOAT Carl Battams and put together by the legend GARJK is a true blessing. The fact we get the pleasure of releasing it on Century Media is such a trip and 16-year-old me wouldn’t believe the chances he’s now getting. Big up Century Media and all the team over there, none of this would’ve been possible without you”.
LOVE IS NOISE have released the anthemic title track from the album. “’To Live in a Different Way’ is the song that made me realise this album has the potential to be something solid.” says Cam. “Recording the demo version of this track made me cry with happy tears, it brought out so much emotion within me. This was also when I realised ‘yeah this singing thing really is for me”.
This song is for anyone who needs a release, a sound that will transport you to a better place. The line “Visions of you, let me escape this barren world” speaks wonders to how we’re all feeling living in today’s climate. I’m blessed to have people to escape this world with.
You can also catch the band live in London at their record release show “A Night In The Capital” which will take place at The Lower Third on February 22nd.
LOVE IS NOISE is an exercise in empathy, both lyrically and musically. The band’s Century Media debut, To live in a different way, straddles the roughshod riffing and volume of their DIY origins while embracing shoegaze-facing melodiousness, hints of Brit-pop, and a beating (and bleeding) heart erupting from Cam Humphrey’s plaintive vocals. Co-produced by the band with engineer Kel Pinchin and mixed by John Markson (Drug Church, Drain, The Story So Far), To live in a different way is a startling debut album. From the opening track, “Devotion,” where Humphrey’s voice invokes passion and positivity, to the second track, “Soft Glow,” the album’s first single where he croons, “You are the one that shines on me,” before launching into a throat-shredding exaltation of emotion amidst a crushing battery of slashing guitars and battering drums, it’s clear from the onset that LOVE IS NOISE’s heartbeat is a thunderous one.
“We made a conscious decision to make the record feel like a live band, mistakes included!” says Cam. “In an era where perfection is heavily favoured, we wanted to do the complete opposite and dive head first into creating something our idols would’ve set out to create.”
Love Is Noise began its journey in 2021 as a collaboration between Humphrey and former guitarist Tom Mellon (who recently left the band to explore other musical endeavours) balancing the ethereal and intense. While sonic signposts include modern-day shoegaze as well as the likes of Glassjaw and Deftones, the band’s 2022 EP, Euphoria, Where Were You? (released on FEVER 333 frontman Jason Aalon Butler’s 333 WRECKORDS CREW) pointed towards a soul-crushing sonic heartache all their own. A string of singles led to the band inking with Century Media and beginning work on their debut album. Love Is Noise released the first taste of new music with the acclaimed singles “Soft Glow” and “Jawbreaker” which appeared on numerous playlists across the streaming platforms and were featured on BBC Radio One (Daniel P Carter, Alyx Holcombe and Nels Hylton all showing their support).
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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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
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