Dawnbreed Records released a compilation of UTYR‘s first two EPs yesterday, November 25th 2023. The effort is available in CD format and can be streamed at THIS LOCATION.
The old school of black metal is something that thousands upon thousands have tried to emulate with few seeming to do it true justice. Unyielding in its cold darkness yet never afraid to bring melody into the mix for a real sense of potency alongside its hateful nature, the original vein of the sound is always open for more to really deliver excellence like what UTYR has accomplished.
Combining their pair of EPs for a tremendous display of darkness that wouldn’t halt for the ending of the earth, what’s put forth in this creation is an assault upon the very notion of life itself as its foolishness is spattered throughout the dominating void of the universe.
Devilish in all the right areas with its voracious bouts of fury that give way to an immense dirge of riffs which summon the power of the north winds themselves, UTYR puts forth a display that many throughout the dense underground can only ever hope to bring forth when they take their first steps out into those wilds.
The realm of black metal is always in search of its next source of ferocity and raw attitude that is put together by real talent, and UTYR has risen from the blackness to answer that call.
Finnish Melodic Thrash/Death Metal band MIDJUNGARDS have released their first single and music video for ‘Last March‘. The song is taken from their second album ‘When Empires Fall‘, which will be out on January 26th, 2024 via Dark Trails Records. The YouTube video can be viewed below.
1. Intro 2. The Last March 3. Chosen By The Gods 4. Stronger Than Hate and Love 5. When Empires Fall 6. Age Is A Number 7. In Dragon’s Blood 8. The Ring 9. Father And Son 10. Written In The Heart
Produced by MIDJUNGARDS. Recorded and mixed by Leevi Kohonen at Finnvox Studios. Mastering by Mika Jussila and Finnvox Studios.
MIDJUNGARDS is:
Toni Cano – vocals, bass and guitars Murilo Messer – lead guitar Timmo Salakka – drums
MIDJUNGARDS was formed in 2006. Toni Cano developed the concept of the band over the years, close to the amazing history of the historical goths. Toni learned the historical goth language and get very deep into their long history to get all the inspiration needed.
With the help of the ex-drummer of “Parking Fox” Paco Muñoz. Toni recorded the debut album ‘From Scandza‘ at Finnvox studios, with the release on March 2023.
The debut album was well received by fans and press. MIDJUNGARDS toured after the release in Finland and Estonia, in Spain and played at the great festival “Rock Imperium” in Cartagena.
MIDJUNGARDS second album ‘When Empires Fall‘ offers a blend of melodic Thrash Death Metal with lyrics inspired in the classic and medieval world or the historical goths.
German metal quintet Half Me have released new single ‘Concrete Ceiling’, the first new music since their highly acclaimed debut album SOMA, out earlier this year via Arising Empire.
Half Me made a striking entry into the heavy music world with their highly acclaimed debut album SOMA, blending metal, hardcore, and experimental styles. Their distinct sound, marked by powerful riffs and reflective lyrics, garnered immediate acclaim and a loyal following. Now they are back and more heated than ever.
New single ‘Concrete Ceiling’ targets inequality on a worldwide scale. No moralising, no bullsh*t, no holding back. It paves the way for a new directive, visceral and raw in words and sound.
Formed in Hamburg in 2018, Half Me – guitarists Chris and Julius, vocalist Chris, drummer Max and bassist Tobias – are one of the latest additions to the Arising Empire roster. Musically, Half Me blend a modern rendition of metal and hardcore with highlights of 90s nu-metal. Pounding riffs and breakdowns are accompanied by brutal, yet sometimes elegant, vocals that all balance together to formulate the band’s own distinctive sound.
In the space of just two years, Half Me have made an impact in the music scene by self-producing their music and videos, displaying their intensive and energetic demeanour. Debuting with four singles initially, it was their their single ‘Exitwound’ (featuring Jack Bergin of Void of Vision) that gave the group a breakthrough and landed the band in the spotlight of Knotfest’s Countdown to Oblivion.
Riding the high of their recent success, Half Me’s highly anticipated debut album SOMA was met with huge critical acclaim. 2024 promises to be a big year or this firey quintet.
Half Me are: Christopher Zühlke | vocals Christopher Hesse | guitar Julius Jansen | guitar Tobias Max Sajons | bass Maximilian Eisersdorff | drums
EYE AM (feat. members of Type O Negative, Crowbar, Down and Silvertomb) have released their new music video for ‘Cryptomnesia’ with Corpse Paint Records.
“It’s my older, wiser self telling off my younger self for screwing up so much crap for so long and screwing up both our lives” –Kenny Hickey’s personal thoughts about Cryptomnesia
With a soft, acoustic intro jolting into heavy-hitting guitar riffs and face-melting vocals, “CRYPTOMNESIA” feels like a total slap in the face in the best possible way. The song centers around the mantra, “And into your arms, I commend my life. And after your death, I take back what’s mine.” It is a perfect embodiment of what makes EYE AM truly spectacular – their ability to combine familiar tones with new, innovative ways to express their love of rock and roll and metal.
Kenny Hickey adds, “I don’t want our music to be one-dimensional. I don’t want it to be just dark and doomy or always heavy I want it to be both light and dark and dynamic and I think Cryptomnesia really captures all of that. I really love the way it moves freely between opposing movements of heavy guitars and sudden melodic key changes and even acoustic segments. It’s a moody song and it goes a lot of places in the 5 minutes or so it takes to play out. It feels more like a trip than a song to me. I don’t get tired of listening to it.”
The music video, a perfect complement to the song, was shot and directed by Mike Holderbeast at OCD Recording and Production.
EYE AM is made up of Crowbar vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein, guitarist/vocalist Kenny Hickey, drummer/vocalist Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative/Silvertomb, and former Crowbar bassist Todd Strange (who also played alongside Kirk in Down). Showcasing a unique combo of low-and-slow metal with bolstering vocals, the group utilizes the unique strengths of its members, along with a heavy emphasis on spontaneity and intuition. The group traveled to New Orleans to celebrate the release of their new single, and gave a special fan, Nina Himes, a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be part of the trip in a giveaway following up to the release.
This was the groups’ second time coming together since their gathering at MoatHouse Studios in Gainesville Florida to record their debut single, “Dreams Always Die With The Sun.”
Lay Bare Recordings are proud to have signed dark ambient act, kariti, for the release of her upcoming, new studio album titled Dheghom! kariti’s second full-length offering will be available as Vinyl on February 2, 2024; the album pre-sale has just started at:https://laybarerecordings.com/release/dheghom-by-kariti-lbr053. A lyric video for the first single, A Mare Called Night, is now premiering below!
“Hearing the voice of ekaterina from kariti made an instant connection with my heart and my skin. It was hard not to engage with her captivating blend of powerful vocals, engaging melodies, and evocative poems. kariti’s mix of intimate, stripped-down mourning folk songs with crisp sounding instruments and eerie harmonies creates a unique and emotional experience.”Lay Bare Recordings owner, Désirée Hanssen, comments.“The impact of kariti’s voice is evident, draws you as a listener into it and makes it easy to connect with the depth of her music and words. kariti’s resonant vocal tone adds a distinctive and profound quality to her music. It’s fascinating how a singer’s voice can shape the emotional experience of a song. Lay Bare Recordings is beyond thrilled to welcome kariti to the label and to collaborate on releasing her upcoming album. Incredibly exciting to walk the path of this rich and diverse musical experience together.”
kariti states: “Dheghom is an attempt to write about some things I can’t necessarily understand or even feel, but have a lot of feelings about, it is as eclectic musically as it is focalized in terms of lyrical themes and the meanings they bare. I had to be patient and wait for a very long time to let it out, my appreciation to Désirée goes beyond words. A few different labels could have become the home of Dheghom, but when Désirée of Lay Bare recordings got back to me, I instantly knew that was it. The way she spoke about it made me feel that she understood exactly what this record meant (to me) and that she would be as keen to work on it as a label can be. I am extremely happy and proud to collaborate with such a forward-thinking label driven by this powerhouse of a woman, who puts all her passion, enthusiasm and energy into helping underground artists to get their music heard and I cannot wait to see where this path takes us.“
Dive deeper into kariti‘s captivating, dark sound and listen to the first single, A Mare Called Night, now streaming here:
kariti (карити) – ‘to mourn the dead’ in church Slavonic – is a Russian-born artist based in Italy. Her debut ‘Covered Mirrors’ was released in September 2020 by Italian cult label Aural Music (Negură Bunget, Imperial Triumphant, Messa). Marco of sludge outfit Grime contributes to some of kariti’s songs with his guitars and often joins her for live performances. kariti’s dark ambient music is recommended to those who enjoy dark explorations accompanied by the smell of burning wood and the moonlight reflecting off snow delivered through profound lyrical content. kariti toured Europe several times and shared the stage with Messa, Grift, Conny Ochs, among others and recently was invited to open the Italian leg of the tour of Brutus. Her intense live shows have been described as liturgy-like and cathartic.
Her sophomore album, Dheghom, sees a notable development in terms of kariti’s sound, songwriting and the use of instrumentation. It features various synthesizers, analogue piano, strings by Jon K (live Cough, Dorthia Cottrell), a song with drums and bass, multiple contributions by Grime’s Marco on guitars/noise, and a haunting duet with Dorthia Cottrell of Windhand.
ALTERIUM, the new Italian power metal quintet led by Nicoletta Rosellini (ex. Kalidia, Walk in Darkness), is premiering a music video for their brand new single “Siren’s Call”, taken off their much-awaited debut album, that is slated for an early 2024 release on AFM Records!
Born in late 2022, ALTERIUM consists of vocalist Nicoletta and former bandmates Paolo Campitelli (guitars) and Dario Gozzi (drums) from Kalidia, soon joined by Alessandro Mammola (guitars, also in Draconicon) and Luca Scalabrin (bass, also in Altair).
After Kalidia parted ways, Nicoletta decided to take a different approach and finally unleashes her whole potential as both a singer and a songwriter. Under the guidance of producer Lars Rettkowitz (Freedom Call), ALTERIUM have finished the recordings of a bombastic debut album. Following previously-released, first singles such as “Drag Me To Hell” or the epic cover version of Sabaton‘s “Bismarck”, get ready for new power metal hope ALTERIUM, when theywill take the metal scene by storm with a triumph of powerful sounds, big riffs, explosive drums, majestic choirs and captivating grooves!
Says Nicoletta: “’Siren’s Call’ reveals another dimension of Alterium, capturing the essence of our melodic taste, as if summoning the enchanting song heard by Odysseus and his sailors during their journey. A well-crafted piece of the finest melodic power metal that I am confident will delight many!”
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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