Swedish progressive metal veterans LOCH VOSTOK are celebrating the release of their brand new studio album, “Opus Ferox II – Mark of the Beast”, that is out now on ViciSolum Productions!
“Opus Ferox II – Mark of the Beast” expands on the groundwork set by its forerunner, “Opus Ferox – The Great Escape” (2021), featuring infectious chorus melodies and vibrant songwriting that highlights LOCH VOSTOK‘s distinctive sound. The record brims with a superb display of unbridled energy, delivering compelling new tracks that are bound to enthrall audiences.
Guitarist Teddy Möller about the album: “Opus Ferox II – Mark of the Beast, provides all your needs for prog nerdery of the highest rank. Soaring vocals over atmospheric progressive music with thrashy djent tendencies. Growls accentuates the aggressiveness, and the super professional production makes this the progmetal album you always asked for“.
“Opus Ferox II – Mark of the Beast” is out now on ViciSolum Productions. Get the album HERE
Additionally, to promote their latest album, LOCH VOSTOK have released a captivating performance video of their song “The Great Wide Open.” This exceptional live recording took place at Söderhamns Teater during an unforgettable evening with Scar Symmetry in January 2024. Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing realm of LOCH VOSTOK by watching the video:
Loch Vostok are: Jonas Radehorn – Lead Vocals Teddy Möller – Guitars and Vocals Niklas Kupper – Guitars Patrik Orwald – Bass William Parkstam – Drums
”Should you heed the call of the black river? Is the allure of the deep ever too strong? Ultimately, the choice is yours. Hearken, and decide.”
Go Gently, Swan, Into That Dark Water is the second single from newly formed funeral doom outfit NEVER STOP THE SADNESS. The single featuring no one else than AMORPHIS front man Tomi Joutsen on guest vocals.
NEVER STOP THE SADNESS – a dire harbinger of melodies bereft of joy and optimism. The ensemble delves unflinchingly into the abyss promised by their somber name, shrouding their true personas, letting the music speak for itself. The lament-ridden musicians hail from the shadowed, northern precincts of melancholic metal-rock, their chosen avatars assuming the visage of tatter-clad psychopomp-like wayfarers and guides, shepherding souls to the veil, while the music mirrors this sepulchral pilgrimage.
NEVER STOP THE SADNESS may be most aptly described as death-doom, or perhaps a union of funeral doom intertwined with the melancholic Gothic strains reminiscent of the mournful dirges of TYPE O NEGATIVE. These melancholic odysseys are riddled with unexpected detours, like the spectral echoes of vintage synthesizers woven into the tapestry of sound. Every composition resonates in a mournful abyss of down-tuned melancholy, entwined with themes of demise, the passage beyond, the nether realms, sorrow, longing, and the lamentations that shadow all things grim.
Though the identities of the constant denizens of this unhallowed assemblage may forever shroud themselves in enigma, it is ordained that one might recognize some well-known and loved voices from the darker metal scene.
Over two decades since their grand debut, In Vain triumphantly returns with their fifth masterpiece, Solemn. Undeniably, Solemn epitomizes the zenith of In Vain’s illustrious journey thus far. Seamlessly fusing elements from a diverse array of genres, the band’s innovative and captivating compositions boast an enduring appeal. At the heart of their music lies a steadfast commitment to ingenious songwriting, infused with an unparalleled quality and originality.
Songwriter Johnar comments: “Our new album Solemn is a triumphant manifestation of In Vain’s epic journey spanning over two decades! This powerhouse of a record encapsulates our legendary past, while also venturing down fresh, uncharted paths. Clocking in at one hour, it offers plenty to dig into and we’re beyond stoked with the final outcome! Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio, outdid himself this time and delivered the massive production that the music truly deserves!”
Solemn showcases exceptional musicianship across the board, and is further elevated with a resplendent, organic production—masterfully honed to perfection by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Katatonia, Devin Townsend, Kreator, etc).
Singer Sindre says: “This album has been a long time in the making, and it feels nothing short of amazing to finally be able to share it with the world. With its hauntingly beautiful melodies, seamless blending of styles, fantastic string work and a rhythm section that really shines, I have to say that this is the best In Vain album to date.”
With a rich history of live performances and critically acclaimed albums the band’s reputation as a force in progressive extreme metal scene is firmly established.
Drummer Tobias comments: “Solemn is a monumental chapter of work, both for In Vain and me personally. I can safely say that this recording has demanded everything and more from me, from working out and practicing pedal speed for a year straight to rehearsing and listening to the tracks every waking hour for many months. The drum sound of In Vain has an almost impossible blend of elements that has to be balanced just right. They need to be huge, punchy and clean, but at the same time they need to project clearly during the fast parts as well. It is a very hard thing to achieve, but Jens Bogren has knocked it out of the park as usual. We recorded the drum in Cederberg Studios with the amazing Jaran Gustavso, I am very proud of what we did for this album!”
“Solemn” was released yesterday, April 19th, 2024, promising fans and metal enthusiasts alike an immersive journey into the band’s latest sonic exploration. With its rich history and unwavering commitment to musical innovation, In Vain stands poised to shape the future of progressive metal with “Solemn.”
Tracklist: Shadows Flap Their Black Wings To the Gallows Season of Unrest At the Going Down of the Sun Where the Winds Meet Beyond the Pale Blood Makes the Grass Grow Eternal Waves Watch for Me on the Mountain
In Vain: Johnar Håland – Guitar Kjetil D. Pedersen – Guitar Sindre Nedland – Vocals Andreas Frigstad – Vocals Alexander Bøe – Bass Tobias Øymo Solbakk – Drums
After their last album “Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle)” from 2018, Bavarian death metal veterans COMMANDER are back in 2024 with a real bang! With “Angstridden”, the guys have completed their fourth album, which will be released on June 27th via MDD Records and undoubtedly represents the highlight of their musical work so far!
10 songs between furious blast beats and heavy grooves, recorded and produced in the Sick Of Sound Studio under the direction of Michael Kraxenberger are waiting to be unleashed on mankind. A first look at the front cover created by Kumislizer Artwork is enclosed, a first sample will be available soon! Be prepared!
British four-piece rock band Collateral are pleased to release “On The Long Road” – the second single taken from their highly anticipated sophomore album Should’ve Known Better. The single, accompanied with a official music video, is released Friday 19th April.
“On The Long Road” is available on all streaming platforms HERE. The official music video for “On The Long Road” is available to watch on YouTube HERE.
On May 24th, the album will be released by Big Shot Records on red vinyl, picture disc, CD and digital with worldwide distribution by Cargo Records Direct. The album is available to pre-order from www.collateralofficial.com and Cargo Records Direct.
The new single “On The Long Road” and the forthcoming albumShould’ve Known Better are produced by Dan Weller (Those Damn Crows, Elles Bailey, Enter Shikari, Monster Truck, Kris Barras).
“I’ve never been in a position to write about such a personal painful subject,” says Collateral’s frontman Angelo Tristan about the new single. “During the pandemic, my partner’s mum passed away with no real warning. It was a real dark time, and there was no way of escaping it, so I did the only thing I know how, and that was to try and get those feelings out. It’s about tragedy, but I’m starting to see an underlying hope within the song. After all, it’s a story that sooner or later, we all take part in.”
Since the band released their eponymous debut album (Top 5 UK Rock Album Chart) at the start of 2020 Collateral have spent no time standing still. Covid came only weeks after the debut album was released and forced the band to cancel their highly successful tour with Phil X (Bon Jovi) halfway through. This made the band hungry to keep the momentum. With innovative ways to produce top quality live streams, the band became special guests supporting the likes of Skid Row, H.E.A.T and Reckless Love.
Collateral, the Kent-based rock and roll band are comprised of Angelo Tristan (lead vocals, guitar), Louis Malagodi (guitar), Jack Bentley-Smith (bass) and Ben Atkinson (drums).
On October 21, 2022, Collateral independently released a re-mixed and re-mastered version of their debut album re-titled as Re-Wiredwhich featured Jeff Scott Soto, Phil X, Kee Marcello, Rudy Sarzo, Danny Vaughn, and Joel Hoekstra. The re-release saw the band in the Official UK Rock Charts at #12.
After the gruelling back-to-back tours with Skid Row, H.E.A.T and Reckless Love, the band ignited a spark and strengthened their already loyal fanbase leading them to win the opening slot at 2023s Stonedead Festival, leading the band to perform their biggest show.
Collateral’s hotly tipped sophomore album looks like it will take them to the next level. A lot of people don’t know what to expect from the new album, as the band have been tight-lipped about the new songs. Collateral have created a state-of-the-art rock album that will immerse listeners in their rock music universe, enabling fans to feel the blood, sweat and glory that went into the recording of every song.
“We felt that our debut album was lacking the production,” reflects Collateral’s frontman, Angelo Tristan. “For the sophomore album, I wanted to make sure that this time we left no room for error and so got one of the hottest producers in the music industry, Dan Weller, to help lift these songs into a new dimension. With Dan’s pioneering studio expertise, this album has massive production quality that enables you to get lost in each character-filled track. Dan really brought out the emotions we were trying to portray and has achieved it with his own unique style.”
“We wanted this album to express where we were in our own lives since the release of our first. So much has happened since then, I mean the world shut down for what felt like a lifetime! And it was obvious that people were going to need some sort of optimism. I hope ‘Glass Sky’ is one of those songs that gives people the belief to find themselves again.”
“Whereas, the feel-good ‘Just One Of Those Days’ is trying to find the good side of a bad day. Me being me, couldn’t help but to write a big power ballad, ‘The Long Road’, that I wrote from a very hard and deep place, in hope that it could maybe bring some peace and comfort to people who need it. I think there’s all aspects of life running though this album and what it means to us will remain in our hearts forever.”
“Should’ve Known Better” is an album that goes beyond specific music genres,” says Angelo. “It’s almost like a soundtrack to a beating heart. It’s an album that will remain timeless in years to come.”
ALBUM TRACK LISTING
1. GLASS SKY (3.53) 2. ORIGINAL CRIMINAL (3.58) 3. JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS (3.19) 4. TEENAGE DREAMS (4.34) 5. ELYSIUM (4.02) 6. ON THE LONG ROAD (4.47) 7. NO PLACE FOR LOVE (3.35) 8. GAME CHANGER (3.54) 9. FINAL STAND (3.49)
PRODUCTION CREDITS PRODUCED BY DAN WELLER RECORDED AT MARSHALL STUDIOS, MILTON KEYNES ENGINERED AND MIXED BY DAN WELLER MASTERED BY RYAN SMITH @ STERLING SOUND
ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK
Collateral’s frontman, Angelo Tristan, breaks down the songs on the new album track by track.
GLASS SKY This is the flag ship of the album. Louis came into the rehearsal studio one day with the opening riff and I literally stopped what I was doing. I turned around to him and said, “That’s it… That’s the hit”. The lyrics were like water off a duck’s back. It felt easy to write something empowering. It was crying out for a Shanty style gang vocal that I could imagine a rallying arena scream along to. I felt this song had to bring people together. We’re all searching for that breakthrough, for that love, for that thing that will make us feel complete. This is that song.
ORIGINAL CRIMINAL This song is a nod to the Bonnie and Clyde style lifestyle. A mysterious character that has a dangerously attractive persona doing what he likes when he likes. The best part of this song is that you never know if he’s a good or bad guy. I guess he’s what all men would want to be. An “Original Criminal.”
JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS Showing my country influence, I wanted to create a song with a happy and upbeat vibe that would make people forget about a bad day. We all have them, we all have ‘One of those days’ where nothing quite goes to plan and that was the perfect inspiration for this song. We decided to have a key change chorus to really uplift the optimism, Bryan Adams style, and I think the song as a whole really captures the important things in life and at the same time lets you let go of the stupid everyday stresses, we all go through.”
TEENAGE DREAMS I find myself writing a lot about nostalgia, I find magic in it, “Teenage Dreams” is that nostalgia. Going back to a simpler time. A time where the only worries in life were making sure you didn’t get caught sneaking out with your friends until the early hours of the morning. This song puts you back in your teenage self, a self where you miss school, a self where you slept in past midday, a self when you were invincible. The best time of our lives.
ELYSIUM “Elysium” is what we all crave for at the end of a hard week at work. That need to shake off the rigidness of the office and to be intertwined in the hot and sweaty atmosphere of the nightclub. It’s a song that does what is says on the tin, there’s no hidden meanings or messages. Just a message of letting your hair down and having a good time.
ON THE LONG ROAD There was so much loss during Covid. My partner lost her mum without warning and seeing the heart break was devastating. This was written for her. A song, I hope, people can seek solace in when they need a shoulder to cry on. This is my favourite track on the album, but also the hardest to perform live due to the emotions that run through me.
NO PLACE FOR LOVE A story of two people who, despite being in a world which is designed to kick love into the gutter, give everything to make it work. When there’s no place for love, if they are in each other’s hearts, then nothing can break them. It’s a story of hope but also a story of struggle. Instead of going down the Hollywood happy ending, I wanted to add a more real-life aspect to it, the aspect that love can also hurt.
GAME CHANGER “Game Changer” is all about wanting that person that you can’t have. In this case I wanted to write a song that oozed cheekiness to take it away from the common love song. It’s fast, hard and straight to the point. I wanted people to take this song and make it their own, I want the listener to believe that they are the ‘Game Changer’. Just like the running theme throughout the album it’s the optimism and the light at the end of the tunnel that makes this song so exciting.
FINAL STAND Unlike the other songs, “Final Stand” delivers a darker message of battling your inner demons. Those days where you look at yourself in the mirror and the person looking back at you is telling you to give up. Musically it shows our heavier side and lyrically shows a darker side to us. This song brings the balance on the album.
From the depths of the black metal underground, comes one of its most elite figures with a new band and an even more evil attitude. As frontman of legendary Swedish maniacs Nifelheim, Hellbutcher upheld the bad name of real black metal with an iron fist. Now, with this eponymous new band, the frenzied mission continues: nothing less than total metal mania will do.
Following the end of Nifelheim, who played their final show in late 2022, Hellbutcher himself wasted no time in forging forward. “I realized I needed to create my own band to uphold the true spirit of metal. I was incredibly inspired!” Teaming up with old compadres in evil, guitarists Necrophiliac (also of Mordant) and Iron Beast, bassist Eld, and drummer Devastator (ex-Nifelheim), HELLBUTCHER quickly set about bringing this vision to life.
In a short time, they had amassed enough material to record their raging, hellish, self-titled debut album. 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 and first single, 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 mercilessly by true masters of the form. “It kicks off with an epic intro and then dives into a frenzy of thrashing guitars, followed by a powerful chorus and an obscure yet heavy middle section with shredding guitar solos – everything you’d want in a metal song, in my opinion,” explains Hellbutcher. “The song’s lyrics are somewhat metaphorical, inspired by my decision to continue the path I started decades ago with Nifelheim.“
Watch HELLBUTCHER‘s “The Sword Of Wrath” video.
With an enviable musical pedigree and a killer album to their name, HELLBUTCHER are certain to scorch a mark onto the black metal scene. The man himself believes this could be even more devastating than his previous output. “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
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 ) 