A vast exploration of sonic textures present themselves on HELGA‘s premier album Wrapped in Mist, as chugging riffs, spectral strings and imposing drums converge into one.
The third single, “Alive Again” presents the pains of struggling with mental health in a haunting and introspective piece. Subtle guitar riffs and austere percussive patterns eloquently make way for Helga Gabriel’s chilling vocals to shine through.
“I’ve had my fair share of battles with mental health over the years,” says vocalist Helga Gabriel. “It’s in those moments that I need music the most.”
For Helga, ‘Alive Again’ is a product of such a dark moment in her life, and it gives her the space to express the emotions felt through such a difficult period.
A beautifully animated music video created by Yevheniia Vynokurova (@magistrmagii) accompanies the track, illustrating the poignant message in its lyricism.
Tracklist 1. Skogen mumlar (4:23) [WATCH] 2. Burden (4:57) [WATCH] 3. Water (3:55) 4. If Death Comes Now (3:58) 5. Farväl (4:34) 6. Alive Again (3:35) [WATCH] 7. Vast and Wild (4:04) 8. Som en trumma (4:26) 9. Mountain Song (5:34) 10. Wrapped in Mist (6:41)
Total runtime: 44:07
Lineup Helga Gabriel – Vocals Cai Sumption – Guitar Cameron Gledhill – Guitar Ryan Fairclough – Bass Sami Javed – Drums
Recording Guitars and vocals recorded by Tom Peters at Trapdoor Studios Drums recorded by Bob Cooper at Chairworks Studios
Production Produced and mixed by Luiz Felipe Netto Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege
Additional musicians Damian Bolotin – Violin on “Skogen mumlar”, “Vast and Wild” and “Wrapped in Mist”. Antonio Guerra – Grand piano on “Mountain Song” and “Vast and Wild”. Mafram do Maracanã – Percussion on “Skogen mumlar” and “Wrapped in Mist” Bruno Migliari – Double bass on “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar” and “Wrapped in Mist” Luiz Felipe Netto – Acoustic guitar on “If Death Comes Now” & “Wrapped in Mist”, as well as additional electric guitars, keyboards and string arrangements. Ayran Nicodemo – Violin on “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar”, “Vast and Wild” and “Wrapped in Mist” Bruno Serroni – Cello on “Farväl” and “Vast and Wild” Joe Zeitlin – Cello on “Farväl”, “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar”, “Vast and Wild” & “Wrapped in Mist”
Italian power metal merchants TRICK OR TREAT have released a video for ‘Tears Against Your Smile’ featuring Chiara Tricarico (Moonlight Haze), first single taken from the live album ‘A Creepy Night Live’ to be released on December 8th via Scarlet Records.
Trick Or Treat celebrate more than twenty years of an established and successful heavy metal career with their first official live record.
Recorded during the tour in support of the latest studio-album ‘Creepy Symphonies’, ‘A Creepy Night Live’ retraces the stages of the Italian band’s history: from the very first Helloweenish steps up to the current, brilliant and personal interpretation of the “happy metal” plot, passing through the most memorable and fun songs scattered throughout all their works.
But there’s more… As a special gift to their fans, Trick Or Treat have composed a magnificent Christmas single: ‘When the Lights Fade Out (Santa’s in Trouble)’ – featuring Sabaton & Majestica’s Tommy Johansson – is the perfect tune to spend a nice and entertaining power metal Xmas!
mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio
featuring the special guests Michele Luppi (Whitesnake) and Chiara Tricarico (Moonlight Haze)
including the very special Christmas single/video ‘When the Lights Fade Out (Santa’s in Trouble)’ featuring Tommy Johansson (Sabaton, Majestica)
artwork by Alessandro “Alle” Conti (Trick or Treat & Twilight Force singer; former Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody singer)
for fans of Helloween, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, Rhapsody of Fire, Sabaton
TRICK OR TREAT: Alle Conti – vocals Guido Benedetti – guitar Luca Venturelli – guitar Leone Villani Conti – bass Luca Setti – drums
ROBBY KRIEGER AND THE SOUL SAVAGES will release their debut studio album via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group on January 19, 2024. Today, they present the lead reveal with the visualizer for “A Day in L.A.” To View, Click here. The pre-order is now live here: https://lnk.to/RobbyKrieger.
Robby Krieger knows that when you assemble the right bunch of musicians, and trust in the creative process, magic happens. As a founding member of The Doors, the guitarist intuitively understands the beauty of free-flowing collaboration and telepathic group interplay. This is evident on Robby’s self-titled debut release from his new band, Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages, out January 19 on The Players Club.
Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages was recorded old school style with a bunch of friends jamming and recording in a relaxed studio setting. Tracked at Robby’s own Love Street Studios in Glendale, California, it finds Robby stretching out over cinematic groove music inspired by classic soul, 1960s jazz, blues, rock, psychedelic rock, and beyond.
“I’ve had this studio for the last six or seven years, and it’s really made me branch out as a musician,” Robby says. “We wrote together, and soul music became a big part of this album. These guys are world-class players—they’ve worked with Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, Lenny Kravitz—they have that great groove pedigree.”
Robby is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and he is listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He wrote or co-wrote many of The Doors’ most enduring compositions, including “Light My Fire,” “Love Me Two Times,” “Touch Me,” and “Love Her Madly.” Since the 1970s, Robby has emerged a successful jazz-fusion guitarist with a well-received catalog of solo albums, including the Grammy-nominated record, Singularity. Robby has also stayed active jamming with artists such as Gov’t Mule and Alice In Chains. Recently, he released the revealing memoir, Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar With the Doors.
Fans of the guitarist’s singular style will rejoice that his latest album is filled with Robby-isms. Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages brims with his celebrated fingerstyle fretwork, including Robby’s adventurous jazzy and microtonal slide guitar playing; his slinky, funk-inspired rhythm work; and his silky Wes Montgomery-style octave playing. The 10-song album explores the soul-jazz, dirty blues, and noir-ish roots of The Doors while also furthering Robby’s career as a jazz-fusion guitarist.
“This band inspired a style of playing I hadn’t done in a while, and it also inspired me to do new things. For example, in the past, I reserved my slide playing for more of the bluesy stuff, but I stretched out on the album playing slide over jazz, funk, and soul grooves. I want to keep evolving, and these guys really inspire me.”
Joining Robby on this all-instrumental odyssey of psych-rock soul are top-shelf composers, instrumentalists, and bandmates. Bassist-songwriter Kevin “Brandino” Brandon co-wrote and recorded with Robby on the Singularity album, and he has won over half a dozen Grammy awards as well as three Emmy awards. His extensive resume includes credits with James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce. Keyboardist-songwriter Ed Roth is a Grammy-nominee known for his work in jazz, rock, and pop, and a robust resume that includes working with Ringo Starr, Brothers Johnson, Coolio, Shuggie Otis, and Annie Lennox. And drummer-songwriter Franklin Vanderbilt brings savage to the band’s soul with his fatback groove and jazzy nimbleness. Among others, his credits include drumming for legendary Chaka Khan, recording with fusion jazz pioneer Stanley Clarke, and touring worldwide with Lenny Kravitz.
Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages opens with “Shark Skin Suit,” a bracing dose of lysergic-laced funk that recalls P-Funk, Jimmy Smith, and The Doors. Here, Robby’s slide guitar parts are wildly melodic, touching upon blues, jazz, Indian sitar music, and 1960s acid rock with technical precision and imagination. The keys here recall Bernie Worrell’s color-swirling P-Funk work, as Ed keeps things infectiously funky and technicolor-ly textured. The rhythm section lays down meaty and uncluttered grooves to support the fertile improvisations.
Robby reveals that the quartet found their stride on the cinematically funky “Day In L.A,” and it definitely feels like a flag-planting moment. “Ricochet Rabbit” finds Robby in fleet-fingered jazzer mode, playing beautiful octave jazz lines inspired by the late Wes Montgomery over some modern jazz-funk stylings. The groovy but odd-metered “Math Problem” is aptly named with its playfully shifting time signatures. Robby effortlessly plays bluesy licks and serpentine jazz-influenced lines over the challenging time changes.
Look for Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages on vinyl and onstage in the near future. “Once people hear this music, they get really into it,” Robby says. “When the record comes out the connection with the audience will be even stronger.”
Track List Shark Skin Suit Samosas & Kingfishers A Day In L.A. Killzoni Contrary Motion Never Say Never Bouncy Betty Ricochet Rabbit Blue Brandino Math Problem
Death Metal one-man force Angel Rising delivers a relentless sonic assault by releasing the electrifying lyric video for “Hell Bent on Rampage,” a track taken from “Afterlife” album out via Wormholedeath.
The video is a creation brought to life through the cutting-edge Kaiber AI neural network.
“Afterlife” – A Cosmic Chronicle
“Afterlife” is a concept album that plunges listeners into the cosmic saga of an interdimensional entity, a being that regards all life in our universe as a dire menace to existence itself. The story unfolds as it sets its sights on the transformed human species, forever altered by the cataclysmic events detailed in Angel Rising’s earlier masterpieces. The album cover, featuring the valiant hero Asai battling hordes of the undead, hints at the even greater peril awaiting him.
Angel Rising, a solo endeavor that arose from the crucible of Marseille in 2020, draws inspiration from the old-school thrash and death scene, channeling influences like Sepultura, Metallica, and Death. These classic influences are seamlessly interwoven with modern and progressive elements, resulting in a mesmerizing, technically virtuoso soundscape.
The lineup for Angel Rising consists of: Angel Rising: Guitars, Bass, Drums, Vocals Guest Singer: M.Fox (clean vocals on “Worn Out Blood” and “Dominion”)
Italian death-thrashers INFECTION CODE return today with a blistering single, “The Colour Out Of Space“, from their ninth full-length album “Sulphur”, due out November 17th 2023 via Time To Kill Records. Watch the video at THIS LOCATION.
“’The Color Out Of Space’ is the fourth song we wrote for the album. It took us a long time to complete it. We threw away many versions before coming up with the final one, as we thought we would use the main riff in the chorus so as to have the typical verse-bridge-chorus song structure. Which is not common for our way of composing. It is a very powerful song, straightforward and with many references to classic melodic death metal. The lyrics are a tribute to the famous short story by the master H.P. Lovecraft. We were inspired by this story and eventually ended up writing a personal reflection on the current state of our society which seems to be infected by an invisible entity from a distant world, here to destroy all sorts of individualism and make people completely dazed. The video was conceived with the help of director Paolo Gambaudo”.
The band is back after one year from their previous effort,“Alea Iacta Est”, with a new sound and a new sonic landscape to explore. “Sulphur” is the first album with the new line-up and the first written by new guitarist Chris, who joined the band in 2021.
Today, INFECTION CODE focuses on manifesting crushing riffs laced with visceral grooves that echo somber melodies. Eschewing all trends, the album takes every disparate element that INFECTION CODE previously employed, such as industrial tones, more prominent death and thrash metal influences, and amplifies them, while juxtaposing each next to each other, with genuinely unpredictable and exciting consequences. The tracklist also includes a cover version of AT THE GATES’ masterpiece, “Blinded By Fear”.
Lyrically, the album is based on some sci-fi and horror novels, and stories used as allegories to introduce personal reflections on the decline of human civilization. The authors are Howard P. Lovecraft, Philip K. Dick, Ben Bova, Ray Bradbury, Dan Simmons and Valerio Evangelisti.
“Sulphur” was recorded, mixed and mastered at The Cat’s Cage Recording Studio by Francesco Salvadeo.
The artwork and the cover have been created by Simone Strige of STRX Art.
Tracklist: 01. Maze Of Death 02. The Colour Out Of Space 03. Evil Side Of Mercy 04. Deleted Error 05. Old Viral Order 06. Protoplasm Hope 07. Something Wicked This Way Comes 08. Blinded By Fear 09. Lurking Creepy Love
Formed in 2011 as Gyze, Samurai Metal band RYUJIN deftly deliver heavy metal and blazing guitar wizardry from Japan with their recently announced upcoming self-titled album, RYUJIN, out January 12, 2024 via Napalm Records! Blending both Japanese and English lyricism and featuring production and several guest features by Matthew Kiichi Heafy (Trivium), the band’s high speed riffs and breakneck guitar descents pair with traditional Japanese elements, delivering a sound influenced by everything from ancient orchestral Gagaku to even modern anime themes.
Following up on the release of the album’s previously released first single,“Raijin & Fujin”, the band has just released another new single, entitled “The Rainbow Song”. Like their first single, the melodic power metal track features an essential contribution from aforementioned album guest Matthew Kiichi Heafy. Check out the new track alongside a brand new music video below.
RYUJIN mastermind Ryoji Shinomoto says about the new single: “We are very proud of this song. The song is a fusion of Japanese 90s anime songs and power metal. We all absolutely love it! The video features nature footage of my hometown, Hokkaido, and Ainu tribal costumes, as I am very proud of the beautiful nature we have here. Matt arranged the lyrics, which were originally written about trout, and he also sings the chorus with me! Also, it’s the first song without growls and you can also hear my first high tone shout before my solo!“
Featured guest Matthew Kiichi Heafy adds: “RYUJIN is a band who will take over the world. ‘The Rainbow Song’ is a track that I believe will bridge the gap, taking a whole new slew of fans to become RYUJIN-devotees. You’ll find yourself singing along by the first listen.”
After releasing four highly acclaimed albums and appearing at major festivals worldwide, RYUJIN have developed their own identity, expressed with accents of tasteful traditional Japanese instrumentation (i.e. Shamisen, Dragon Flute, Erhu, Taiko), and lead guitar god Ryoji Shinomoto’s incredible shredding technique and ripping vocals!
RYUJIN features production by Matthew Kiichi Heafy and mixing/mastering by Mark Lewis, with guest appearances by Heafy (vocals and conducting on various tracks) and Mukai Wataru of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra (cello). Blending both Japanese and English lyricism, RYUJIN’s tracks feature titles based on the words of the Ainu people of Hokkaido (RYUJIN’s home region), as well as famous Japanese paintings and idioms.
Opening instrumental track “Hajimari” sets an ominous stage for blistering burner “Gekokujo” – a tastefully thrash-ified death metal riff-fest colliding with expressive folk-inspired passages and head-spinning technique. Ryoji’s blazing leads are met instantly with the peerless skills of drummer Shuji Shinomoto and bassist Aruta Watanabe. First single “Raijin & Fujin” is an epic power metal storm featuring guest vocal contributions from Matthew Kiichi Heafy, shifting into a swirling tornado of rattling double bass and catapulting solos, while “The Rainbow Song” also features soaring clean vocals by Heafy blended between modern melodic heavy metal and power metal innovation. Tracks like “Dragon, Fly Free” and “Kunnecup” invite the listener to sing-along with RYUJIN as they paint musical canvases of adventure and positivity. “Scream of the Dragon” returns to extreme influences amid uplifting choruses and a story blending English and Japanese lyrics, before “Gekirin” ventures into darker death metal influences – cascading into nautically-inspired melodies (as “Ryujin” is a dragon god of the sea in Japanese mythology, these oceanic musical themes weave seamlessly throughout the album).
The album nears the end with three heart-gripping, primarily Japanese-language opuses – the rock-opera-like ballad “Saigo No Hoshi”, the powerfully victorious and traditionally-inspired “Ryujin” and a cover of Linked Horizon’s“Guren No Yumiya” – widely known as an opening theme of popular anime series Attack On Titan. The album finishes with a bonus English-language version of “Saigo No Hoshi”, with vocals once again performed by Matthew Kiichi Heafy.
RYUJIN illustrates an exotic sonic experience that will transport music lovers to a world of fantastic adventure and technical extravagance!
RYUJIN track listing: 1. Hajimari 2. Gekokujo 3. Dragon, Fly Free 4. Raijin & Fujin 5. The Rainbow Song 6. Kunnecup 7. Scream of the Dragon 8. Gekirin 9. Saigo No Hoshi 10. Ryujin 11. Guren No Yumiya 12. Saigo No Hoshi (feat. Matthew K. Heafy) (Single Edit)
Catch RYUJIN on tour with PAIN in Europe now! See below for all remaining tour dates:
PAIN w/ RYUJIN in Europe: 31.10.2023: Sofia, BG – Hristo Botev Hall 01.11.2023: Budapest, HU – Dürer Kert 02.11.2023: Krakow, PL – Kamienna12 03.11.2023: Vienna, AT – Simm City 04.11.2023: Munich, DE – Backstage 05.11.2023: Zlin, CZ – Masters of Rock Cafe 07.11.2023: Nuremberg, DE – Hirsch 08.11.2023: Frankfurt, DE – Batschkapp 09.11.2023: Leipzig, DE – Hellraiser 10.11.2023: Hamburg, DE – Gruenspan 11.11.2023: Berlin, DE – Columbia Theater 12.11.2023: Stuttgart, DE – Im Wizemann
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 