Ahead of its release this Friday on the twisted Time To Kill Records roster, Everything Is Noise today presents an exclusive stream of “Hellhole”, the brooding new LP from Finnish post-hardcore unit RATS WILL FEAST.
The album will be released via Time To Kill Records this Friday, May 17th 2024.
RATS WILL FEAST draws their musical landscape from extreme aggression and hallucinatory chaos. Hailing from Jyväskylä, Finland, the band has been touring actively in its current form since 2018. Varying between crushing hardcore, noisy psychedelia and more mellow post-rock sounds on their 2019 album “Scarcity”, 2020 EP “Songs of a Racehorse” and 2021’s “Malady”, the band’s new album “Hellhole” continues the development of the bands destructive chaotic hardcore sound.
“Hellhole” is the culmination of the band’s all the previous work. It’s a bruising demonstration of the bands core sound: chaotic rhythms, battering drums, screeching vocals, varied guitar melodies and crushing riffs with gritty low frequencies. Characteristic of the band, the album is defined by the twisted song structures and desolate, emotional lyrics which deal with the artificiality of the modern world.
Tracklist:
01. Penetration 02. None Fated 03. Dog Technology 04. Hellhole 05. Lukewarm Futures 06. Goodbye John Wayne 07. Tourmaline 08. Replacement
After the rather intimate power ballad Shadows (Walking Through), NOTURNALL are now back with another, even more ambitious music video. In a suitably fast-paced fashion, the album title track Cosmic Redemption is set to put the power back into metal. Starting off with a demonically speedy yet highly melodic guitar solo, the song is indeed a deep bow to the crazy days of good old silly fast power metal. And it’s kinda paradox, too! Because yes, Cosmic Redemption bears the chance of making us feel nostalgic – but it does not, however, sound like new old stock. Instead, NOTURNALL take a transparent and clean, almost futuristic approach while maintaining all the warmth you need: Both the composition and its interpretation emit it en masse from captivating melodies, full-bodied harmonies and, once again, from the heart and soul that speak through singer Thiago’s powerful yet relatable voice.
So that’s what we have. Now, what shall we do with it? Hack it to pieces! You’re not being kidded, that’s exactly what our Brazilian pranksters did – and skillfully, too, mind you! But Why?, you might ask, and What’s the outcome? The answer is pretty straight forward, so everyone should be able to come to the same conclusion: SCIENCE FICTION METAL SPACE OPERA SHORT FLICK, of course! You should totally check out NOTURNALL’s brand new video, if the following statements apply to you: 1) I love metal. 2) I know some science fiction. 3) I may or may not suffer from meteorophobia. 4) I love me some good old-fashioned Lithotripsy*.
Alright, here we go – watch NOTURNALL take on a massive asteroid that’s headed for earth by performing a ginormous Lithotripsy on the damn thing, featuring scientists, o presidente, space travel and all the good stuff mentioned above:
Also, don’t miss out on the song in all its catchy shortness as the title track for the international release of their latest album Cosmic Redemption, which marked a pathway for NOTURNALL into global metal territory by the end of last year. On the CD, 13 magnificent tracks, including features from renowned artists, such as James LaBrie, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) and others, deal with the cosmic turns the world takes – on the micro level, as the struggles of individuals, as well as on the macro level, in the shape of corruption and battles in society. The term Cosmic Redemption represents the objective for each human to grow as a person and leave the world as a better place than it was. The album was written during the disruptive time of the pandemic and motivated the band members to keep going. And they did, as they even made it onto 70000TONS OF METAL for two remarkable shows with guitar hero Mike Orlando, who greatly contributed to the album. With their trip back to Brazil after the cruise, the band has closed the great circle that led them lapping around the world: Brazil – Europe – Australia – USA – Brazil.
Shadows (Walking Through) (feat. Orchestra by Michael Romeo)
Cosmic Redemption
Scream! For!! Me!!! (feat. Mike Portnoy)
O Tempo Não Para (feat. Ney Matogrosso)
Take Control (feat. David Ellefson)
The Great Filter
Never Again (Bonus Track)
Hey! (Live Bonus Track feat. James LaBrie)*
Scream! For!! Me!!! (Live Bonus Track feat. Mike Portnoy)*
*The digital Release contains bonus track Shallow Grave (Edit) instead
About NOTURNALL
NOTURNALL. This is the name of the young group that, in less than 10 years on the road, is already considered one of the biggest and most important bands in Brazilian Heavy Metal history. Starting in 2014, the band’s brief but intense history brought some legends of the Brazilian metal scene together that left their marks on worldwide renowned bands, such as Shaman, Angra and Project46. They also have in their line-up legendary North American guitarist Mike Orlando, who sold hundreds of thousands of album copies with ADRENALINE MOB and was listed a Top 100 guitar Player Of All Time and also a Top 10 Superstar Of The Year 2008 by Guitar Player Magazine. Iconic concerts, bold tours, thrilling music videos and guest appearances by Heavy Metal legends from all over the world, such as Michael Kiske (Helloween, Unisonic), Mike Portnoy, James Labrie (Dream Theater), Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob), Michael Romeo (Symphony X), Edu Falaschi, among others, consolidate the band as a true jewel of Brazilian Heavy Metal. In 2022, after almost 2 years away from stage, NOTURNALL started the year with a nostalgic concert in SESC 24 de Maio, presenting classic songs. They also released their fourth studio album, entitled Cosmic Redemption, showcasing the band’s best shape and also featuring very special guests: bassist DAVID ELLEFSON (former MEGADETH), founding SYMPHONY X guitarist MICHAEL ROMEO, the internationally renowned prog metal drummer MIKE PORTNOY (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS, SONS OF APOLLO), who previously toured with the band and appeared in the video for their single SCREAM! FOR!! ME!!!, as well as Brazilian MPB legend NEY MATOGROSSO.
As the frontman of legendary Swedish maniacs Nifelheim, Hellbutcher stands among the most elite figures of the black metal underground, and with his eponymous new band, HELLBUTCHER, his frenzied mission continues conjuring sounds of pure blasphemy and absolute musical Armageddon. Nothing less than total metal devastation will do!
Following the end of Nifelheim, who played their final show in late 2022, Hellbutcher wasted no time in forging forward. Teaming up with old compadres in evil, guitarists Necrophiliac and Iron Beast, bassist Eld, and drummer Devastator (ex-Nifelheim), HELLBUTCHER quickly set about bringing their new vision to life. Together, they had quickly amassed enough material to record their raging, hellish, self-titled debut album, set for release on May 31st through Metal Blade Records.
Recording in various locations around Sweden, such as Devastator’s own Red And Black Hall Drum Studio and Iron Beast’s Chrome Studios, and producing and mastering everything themselves – “No need for an outside producer since we knew exactly how our band should sound” – it is a record that stands proud and unambiguous as a work or pure, metallic mayhem.
From the album’s opener, the crazed “The Sword Of Wrath,” HELLBUTCHER‘s intent is loud and clear: Channeling the spirit of Venom, Bathory, Iron Maiden, Exciter, Motörhead, Mercyful Fate, and the aggressive spirit of true heavy metal. It’s an explosion of diabolic evil, performed relentlessly by true masters of the form.
Elaborates Hellbutcher of the band’s latest single, “The title ‘Hordes Of The Horned God’ was inspired by an old Dissection song where Jon [Nödtveidt] mentions ‘my god has horns.’ I crafted the song with an epic yet raw and thrashing feel. The intro riff recurs in various forms, shaping both the chorus and the end of the mid-section of the song. Additionally, our great guitarist, known as Iron Beast, delivers some fantastic guitar solos on this track.”
Stream HELLBUTCHER‘s “Hordes Of The Horned God” at THIS LOCATION.
Watch the band’s previously released video for first single, “The Sword Of Wrath,” HERE.
With an enviable musical pedigree and a killer album to their name, HELLBUTCHER are certain to scorch a mark onto the black metal scene. “I believe this band has the potential to surpass Nifelheim; we’ve accomplished more in a year than I did in the last decade with Nifelheim,” Hellbutcher states. “The key difference lies in the fact that this band shares a common goal. I am now filled with tremendous inspiration, and I plan to create new songs, records, and gigs at a completely different pace than before.“
Insisting in so many words that posers should die, and promising that their live shows “will be a neck-breaking experience,” the underground is about to be hit with an outbreak of evil unlike anything it has seen for a long time. Time to turn the cross upside down: HELLBUTCHER is here, and they mean evil business.
Hellbutcher Track Listing: 01. The Sword of Wrath 02. Perdition 03. Violent Destruction 04. Hordes of the Horned God 05. Death’s Rider 06. Possessed by the Devil’s Flames 07. Satan’s Power 08. Inferno’s Rage
Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2024 proudly presents its full line up!
It’s that time of year again when we prepare to gather in the heart of Eindhoven for a celebration of all things heavy and extreme. Thus, mark your calendars for Friday 13th & Saturday 14th of December 2024!
From the old-school legends to the hottest newcomers, Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2024 boasts a diverse and hard-hitting roster of bands that will satisfy every metal appetite.
For the warm up evening on Thursday December 12th, 2024 DEADHEAD and THE OMEGA SWARM have been added! Two more bands will be announced very soon…
The full line up:
DARK FUNERAL (Friday headliner) | KATATONIA (Saturday headliner) | ASPHYX | THE KOVENANT | AGENT STEEL | M.O.D. | ANAAL NATHRAKH | IMPALED NAZARENE | CARPATHIAN FOREST | REVEL IN FLESH | HOUR OF PENANCE | EMPYRIUM | SCHAMMASCH | CHAPEL OF DISEASE | AKHLYS | ALFAHANNE | SVARTTJERN | SOULBURN | SAVAGE GRACE | THY ANTICHRIST | MALPHAS | FRACTURED INSANITY | VIOLENTHOR | THREE EYES OF THE VOID
Though they formed with the ease of a natural stream, BLACK LAVA whisk together a wickedly wide cauldron of influences. Sludgy grooves boil with melodic dissonance and old-school death metal, bubbling over into medieval fantasies.
The Australian band are now adding a fresh layer of dark and doomy atmosphere to this potent concoction with their upcoming second album The Savage Winds to Wisdom. Today, they’re revealing Unsheathing Nightmares, the album’s second single, which summons a coven of witches amidst a punishing thunderstorm.
As with all things that go bump in the night, Unsheathing Nightmares lures you in before hooking its claws into your skull. Drummer Dan Presland (Vipassi, ex-Ne Obliviscaris) crashes and rumbles behind clouds of buzzing distortion, only for a riff to reign down with the headbanging force of an executioner.
“There was greater care taken with compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom”, says guitarist Ben Boyle, who also handles axe duties for Vipassi. “Our new album has a greater sense of depth than our first one. The riffs and melodies are more layered, while staying true to what BLACK LAVA does: heavy but catchy anthems that tell an epic story with a real sense of atmosphere”.
On Unsheathing Nightmares, Rob Watkins still growls with all the towering menace of a ravenous ogre. “Speak to me, O silent one!”. But beneath the song’s snaking leviathan of a bass line stirs an even more menacing and elusive force. You can practically hear his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he calls upon an ancient evil amidst hellish, rain-soaked ambience.
“When writing lyrics, I try and stay true to the spirit of metal, but really I’m just channeling how the music makes me feel,” Watkins says. “‘Unsheathing Nightmares’ is one of the songs on The Savage Winds to Wisdom that really excited me. I hope our fans will feel that way, too”.
The video for “Unsheathing Nightmares” was filmed and directed by Colin Jeffs. It was edited and coloured by Dan Presland and produced by Black Lava.
Tracklist 1. Colour of Death (6:44) 2. Dark Legacy (4:08) 3. Wrapped in Filth (4:03) 4. Unsheathing Nightmares (4:45) [WATCH] 5. Summoning Shadows (6:03) 6. Ironclad Sarcophagus (4:08) [WATCH] 7. Pagan Dust (4:46) 8. Sanguis Lupus (5:21) 9. The Savage Winds to Wisdom (7:07) Total runtime: 47:12
Not even the most stifling period in recent history could contain Black Lava. Despite being kept under strict lockdown during the pandemic, these Aussies were just stewing together, waiting to erupt. Now, only two years removed from their smoldering debut, the band are roaring back with even more mythical firepower on The Savage Winds to Wisdom.
“Our second album is a step up from the first in all aspects”, drummer Dan Presland says. “We took more time on the songwriting. The Savage Winds to Wisdom shows exactly where we want to take our music”.
Though possessed by an ancient and mysterious alchemy, Black Lava formed with the ease of a natural spring. Over the past decade, all four members have crossed paths around the various corners of Melbourne’s metal underground. On top of their progressive all-instrumental vision quests in Vipassi, Presland also drums alongside Hadal Maw guitarist Ben Boyle in the grinding, tech-death, underground curiosity A Million Dead Birds Laughing. But when the two got together to blow off steam amidst quarantine at Presland’s newly minted home studio, they were pleasantly surprised by the darkness that swept over these jam sessions.
“Both of us were dealing with a lot of pent-up frustrations”, Presland remembers. A few weeks before, his flight home from America (where he was supposed to track the drums for Ne Obliviscaris’ fourth album Exul) touched down hours before Australia closed its borders. “But that anger, coupled with our need to keep creating, led us in a different direction”.
Progressive metal was still a clear undercurrent, but the songs that came spewing out were unusually heavy. Death and black metal held more sway, though sludgy rock n’ roll also found its way into the mix. Such a peculiar range of influences required a vocalist with a very particular set of pipes. Fortunately, Rob Watkins jumped at the opportunity to reunite with Presland, who was the drummer in their thrash band Metalstorm. With Watkins’ Blackhelm bassist Tim Anderson added to the fold, Black Lava burst onto the scene in 2022 with their smoldering debut.
“Soul Furnace more than lives up to those lofty expectations”, Distorted Sound hailed, “proving to not only be a late contender for album of the year, but also one of the more impressive debut albums of recent years”.
Black Lava wasted no time in keeping the juices flowing. The band was already hard at work on their second album while the first one was hot on the shelves. The Savage Winds to Wisdom stirs from the same cauldron of influences. Lead single “Ironclad Sarcophagus” echoes from the crypt with eerie countermelodies and a rhythm section that’s more bewitching than a spell book.
“I pictured this ancient wizard sending out evil vibes into the world in hopes of tricking someone into opening his coffin”, Watkins says. “When writing lyrics, I try and stay true to the spirit of metal. But really, I’m just channeling how the music makes me feel”.
If Soul Furnace was like stumbling upon the entrance to an ancient cave, then The Savage Winds to Wisdom is a fiery, full-blown descent into the belly of the beast. “Dark Legacy” rings through the long black night with one sustained roar of a guitar roar, like an angry, one-eyed ogre. But while the songs came quickly, with Presland and Boyle carving out monstrous riffs and scaly grooves for Watkins to splatter his medieval fantasies, Black Lava took their time with this album. It’s not until nearly three minutes into the opening number, after “Colour of Death” has boiled to a full headbang, that the first of its many horns-up roars is unleashed.
“There was greater care taken with compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom”, Boyle says. “There’s more depth and layering to the riffs and melodies. Calling on a more broad list of inspirations and tones, the album has a real sense of balance, a certain quality that will lend itself to repeat listens and attention to detail, while still staying true to what Black Lava set out to do; create heavy, yet energetic and catchy anthemic tunes that tell a story and emanate a sense of atmosphere and power for the listener.”
True to its name, The Savage Winds to Wisdom swirls within a deeper and darker sense of atmosphere. Whereas before their bang-bang approach to songwriting resembled something closer to a punk rock band, this time around, Black Lava concentrated more on atmosphere. “Unsheathing Nightmares” reveals its root source of terror in careful layers, mutating from raw black metal and razor-sharp tech-death into a rainy, ambient hellscape. “That’s one of the songs that really excited me”, says Watkins, who calls upon a coven of witches by digging into the slimier depths of his baritone.
The title track is big enough to stand alone as its own self-contained world. Winding over the course of seven eventful minutes, it’s the longest and perhaps most ambitious song in Black Lava’s musical geology. Blast beats pound like hail beneath waves of distortion that crash with the force of a monsoon. “The silents of fate” Watkins reckons, like a sea captain stranded among the wreckage. “The thousand winds swirl the soul”. Swept up by a screeching solo from special guest Ben Baret (Ne Obliviscaris), the song whirls into an unstoppable force, a torrential finale that brings this album to a truly epic conclusion.
“We sharpened our tools with this album”, the band says. “We went a little more brutal and that sets the tone for where we’ll head in the future.
On The Savage Winds to Wisdom, Black Lava conduct a perfect storm.
Recording line-up Dan Presland (drums) Ben Boyle (guitar) Ben Boyle (bass) Rob Watkins (vocals)
Guest musician Benjamin Baret (Ne Obliviscaris, Vipassi) plays the guitar solo on “The Savage Winds to Wisdom”.
Live line-up Dan Preslans (drums Ben Boyle (guitar) Nick Rackham (bass) Rob Watkins (vocals)
Recording studio Bushido Studios in Melbourne, Australia
Producer and sound engineer Troy Mccosker
Mastering, mixing and engineering Studio Fredman and Fredrick Nordstrom
Five weeks prior to the release of new album “Cutting the Throat of God,” New Zealand Death Metal legends ULCERATE offer a third glimpse into their impending masterwork. ‘To See Death Just Once‘ is the final installment of a video triptych made by Dehn Sora (AMENRA, BLUT AUS NORD, THROANE), whose surreal and brooding work perfectly represents the band’s melancholic savagery.
‘To See Death Just Once‘ is an immersive and haunting experience, expertly fusing flawless musicianship with atmospheric depth. ULCERATE combine their trademark unorthodox Death Metal brutality, widescreen Black Metal abandon and post-Metal contemplation, via volleys of relentless drumming, a complex lattice of riffs and ominous dynamic layering to enhance the pervasive aura of despair.
Discover the first two parts of the visual triptych below:
All details about the new album can be found here!
Scheduled for release on June 14th, “Cutting the Throat of God” will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital. Accompanying the launch are specially designed t-shirts (men/women) and hoodies. Pre-orders are possible via the label’s EU, US (no women shirts) and Bandcamp shops.
Additionally, ULCERATE is set to take the lead at our inaugural label festival, Servants of Chaos. This momentous event is scheduled to take place on October 18th and 19th at Resonanzwerk, in Oberhausen, Germany. In a special showcase, ULCERATE will perform an exclusive, extended set that will not only feature new album, “Cutting the Throat of God“, in full but will also include a selection of their earlier work.
Originating from Auckland, New Zealand, the unorthodox Death Metal ensemble ULCERATE was conceived in 2000 by guitarist Michael Hoggard and drummer Jamie Saint Merat. Their initial intention was to craft dark, oppressive Death Metal – a vision that subsequently evolved into an innovative, nuanced approach embracing atmospheric and mood-rich elements. This progression was significantly influenced by the addition of bassist/vocalist Paul Kelland, pushing the band’s will for constant development even further.
ULCERATE‘s artistry is characterized by a whirlwind of scything art-metal guitars, thunderous, intricate drumming, and guttural vocal roars which create an overwhelming sense of impending doom. This signature sound was perfectly executed on their first three groundbreaking and highly dissonant albums: “Of Fracture And Failure” (2007), “Everything Is Fire” (2009), and “The Destroyers Of All” (2011), each of which have become milestones.
Recognition from fans/critics and extensive touring brought about a partnership with the esteemed label Relapse Records. The resulting two albums “Vermis” (2013) and “Shrines Of Paralysis” (2016) found the band heading to deeper and darker climes, proving ULCERATE to be at the vanguard of modern Death Metal.
In 2020 ULCERATE joined pioneering French Extreme Metal label Debemur Morti Productions due to a shared artistic vision. The same year marked the release of the band’s sixth album, “Stare Into Death And Be Still,” a groundbreaking exploration of melody, harmony, and power. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and limited touring opportunities due to travel restrictions, “Stare Into Death And Be Still” garnered widespread acclaim, noted for its unique mixture of emotive melodicism and crushing darkness.
In 2022 and 2023, ULCERATE were finally able to triumphantly tour Europe, Australasia and the United States, showcasing their unparalleled technical skill and creative vigor as they presented the compositions of “Stare Into Death And Be Still” on stage.
The year 2024 will herald the arrival of “Cutting the Throat of God“, a mind-bending seventh album from these unparalleled Death Metal titans.
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 