Psychedelic doom act WEIRD TALES have unleashed blistering new track and video “Damned Lovers of the Swampire”.
This is a love song (albeit a wicked one). It started from the riff, viscous like an ooze that rolls to a sludgy heavy-hitter. We called it “Swampire” as a workname, because it also sounds like a vampire lurking like a shadow behind your back, lusting for blood. From there, we came up with a whole story, about this vicious and mysterious persona…
Credits: Lyrics by Dima Music by Weird Tales Mixed by Smoku Produced by WEIRD TALES Recorded and Mastered by Nebula Studio Video by TRR Production Artwork by Alicja Koślaga
Lyrics: Let’s kill all the days You’ll love my ways Let’s kill all the days I’ll show you my ways Let’s kill all the days like I always do… …but this time with you!
Let’s kill! Let’s kill! Let’s kill!
Warsaw doom trio WEIRD TALES are back with the brand new album “Second Coming, Second Crucifixion” out on 01.09.2023 via Interstellar Smoke Records. New WEIRD TALES will bring you brain damage! Started as a stoner doom band they incorporated proto punk, psychedelic and noise to their music and amplified it with narcotic psychosis. Now they put it to you straight from hell!
Finnish blackened death metal band PROGENY OF SUN is set to release their long-awaited debut album ‘Throne of Desolation’ by the end of 2023. The first single ‘Damsel’ from the upcoming album is released today along with music video which can be seen below.
The band comments: “We accidentally managed to compress the entire album’s setting into this song. Damsel consists of blasts, speed and aggression, all the while also containing melody, sensitivity and surprise. This is a miniature model of the album, the themes of which can be heard more extensively in the remaining 11 tracks. Joni doesn’t remember exactly how the song came about, but most likely the end result was created semi-accidentally. Two different parts happened to function together and ended up creating a strange cohesion.”
In the beginning Progeny of Sun was a two-man band formed by Jaakko Hautamäki and Niko Aromaa. Jaakko was responsible for instrumentals, mixing and mastering, and Niko handled vocals, lyrics, media etc.
The songs Jaakko introduced were very versatile. Some had speed, some were slow, some painted a picture with their atmosphere, and some were more straightforward bangers. Despite the diversity in style everything worked exceptionally well in tandem and from this premise the band started to develop and pave its own way forward.
To start with, Progeny of Sun created a 6 song self-titled “EP” and discovered the music they do is met with great reception. They also found a very good publisher for the EP from Inverse Records. The EP itself was a mix of all kinds of subject matters the band likes to talk about. The duo behind the band did all the mixing, mastering, videos and artwork themselves. The project as a whole was very fun and rewarding to work with.
After the EP release Jaakko and Niko began to think that something more was still needed. They still had the burning desire to go and spread their music around the world but with 2 people it would’ve been impossible.
Subsequently Jaakko found 2 guys who were local musicians around the Seinäjoki area: Joni Kiviniemi (guitar) and Juha Peura (drums). Joni and Juha were at first taken on board just to offer vision and play their assigned instrument for new material. Soon however it began to feel like they are a part of the family, and so it was decided that they will be full-fledged members in the squad and become a part of the band’s story. Not long after Tuomo Tolkki (bass) was also welcomed to join in, so in a matter of few months the full line up was formed.
The first release with the full line up, a 3 track EP ‘Dark Wanderer’, was released in 2021. Next in line were single releases ‘Worthless’ and ‘Anguish’ which were released in 2022. Thanks to the aforementioned experimental phase, Progeny of Sun has gained self-confidence and started to understand its own identity. The band has been working hard on the debut album ‘Throne of Desolation’, which will be released by the end of 2023. The title is a reference to someone or something that terrorizes the existence of life in multiple forms when given authority.
Line-Up: Niko Aromaa – Vocals Jaakko Hautamäki – Guitar Joni Kiviniemi – Guitar Tuomo Tolkki – Bass Juha Peura – Drums
Hard rock band ARTIFAS have released the official music video for single “The Dark.” The single is from their full length record Reflections.
Watch the video below.
Just recently, The band announced that they will be hitting the road with Silvertung this Summer on ‘The Summer Meltdown Tour’! The tour kicks off on July 7th in Huntsville, AL at Shagnasty’s.
An event page with all currently available information for each show can be found on the band’s Facebook page. Find your city, RSVP to the appropriate event page(s), share the flyer with your friends, and let’s get ready to have your faces melted off!!!
7/7 @ Shagnasty’s, Huntsville, AL *Artifas ONLY 7/8 @The Gym, Sevierville, TN 7/9 @The Red Bird, Leitchfield, KY 7/11 @Vivo, Overland Park, KS 7/12 @Maloney’s, Council Bluffs, IA 7/14 @Rockfest, Cadott, WI 7/16@Rockstar Saloon, West Allis, WI 7/17 @Crucible, Madison, WI 7/18 @Otis’ Tailgators, Cedar Rapids, IA 7/20 @ Piere’s (Stan’s Room), Ft. Wayne, IN 7/21 @ The King of Clubs, Columbus, OH
American Hard Rock band Artifas was formed in 2011 in Jackson, TN by lead guitarist Cody Criswell and lead vocalist Scottie Somerville. In the months following, the two founders of the group would immediately recruit an assortment of hometown musicians and begin looking to record their debut EP. After having a long and ugly encounter that resulted in the theft of all the bands funds and receiving no album in return, the original incarnation of the group would spend 2012-2013 doing several independent tours and writing music. After debuting with their EP Enemy Inside in 2013 and doing numerous regional/national tours in support of it, the band replaced former members with guitarist Mikey Miller, bassist Anthony Mattox, and drummer Stephen Hatmaker.
With almost two years of touring with the new lineup under their belts, Artifas inked themselves a record deal and hit the studio to make their first full length album. The 2015 release of the title track, “Inhuman,” would bring the band some commercial success, reaching # 32 on Billboard’s Active Rock chart and sending the band on the road in support of their new album. The band landed tours with established artists like Theory of a Deadman, Shamans Harvest, Pop Evil, Saint Asonia, Aranda, and others. The follow up single from that record, “Blood 4 Blood”, would later get picked up by the World Series of Fighting and subsequently land a feature in the UFC movie “Fight Valley”. The band parted ways with their record label in 2016, and remained on tour throughout the US for most of the following year, also traveling internationally for the first time with the likes of Papa Roach, Hoobastank, P.O.D., Trapt, and Sick Puppies to play for our American Troops.
Multiple tour cycles later, Artifas found themselves back in the studio making new music. The band worked with multiple writers and producers throughout the entirety of 2018, but would ultimately only find themselves frustrated with the recordings that resulted. After a soul search within the group, Artifas elected to embrace their own vision and write/produce their next album independently, free from the creative overreach of outside influence.
After two years of writing, recording, and mixing, Artifas completed the new album, and unleashed it upon the world. With catchy guitar riffs, dizzying drums, and soaring melodies, Reflections will send you on an emotional journey, exploring the band’s semi-prog, radio rock sound while diving deeper into the human complex with lyrics centered around self awareness and the bands own struggles with mental health. The goal for the creation of this album was to make a record that met the band’s expectations and you can rest assured they held nothing back. Mixed and Mastered by Forrester Savell (Twelve Foot Ninja, Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus), Reflections promises to wow you with musical prowess, all the while delivering Artifas’ important message on unity, inspiration, and the sempiternal battle between dark and light.
More Music by Artifas:
ARTIFAS – Safe (Official Music Video):
ARTIFAS – Cut Me Out (Official Music Video):
ARTIFAS – Leave Me For Dead (Official Music Video):
UK prog-death metal group BEYOND GRACE are excited to unveil their stunning cover of the Peter Gabriel classic ‘Here Comes The Flood’, a brilliantly original take on a prog classic. Watch the video below.
The band comment: “2022 was, without a doubt, the darkest and most difficult time we’ve ever faced as a band.
“Though we came into the year on a major high, having just released our second album, we soon found ourselves struggling with a seemingly endless series of setbacks and misfortunes, with every bit of bad luck and every broken promise conspiring to kill whatever momentum we’d managed to build.
“Along the way we lost friends. We lost family. We dealt with periods of sickness and ill-health that all took their toll on us and our loved ones.
“To say we came close to calling it a day wouldn’t be an exaggeration, and it took us a long time to regain our strength, and regain our confidence.
“But one of the things that kept us going was the fact that we had already recorded and filmed ‘Here Comes The Flood’ – which was originally intended for release to celebrate the one year anniversary of Our Kingdom Undone – and we couldn’t bear the thought of it never seeing the light of day.
“It’s a song that features a lot of firsts for us – it’s our first cover (which we worked very hard on to ensure that it sounds like us, first and foremost, while still paying tribute to the original) and the first song of ours to incorporate clean vocals (with Tim [Yearsley – guitars/backing vox] taking the lead, and Andy [Walmsley – vocals]providing backing harmonies) – and the video is quite probably the best one we’ve done yet, and we need to thank both Tankspace and our long-time videographer Eric (ERD Visual Media) for helping bring it to life in such a vivid, vibrant way.
“At the same time, it also serves as the closing chapter of one stage of our career – featuring, as it does, the last appearance by our now ex-bassist, with whom we still share a close and unbreakable bond – and the beginning of a whole new era for Beyond Grace.
“And you won’t have to wait much longer to learn just what the future holds for us. We promise you that.”
In July of 2017 Beyond Grace released their full-length debut, Seekers, a DIY-blend of progressive technicality and deathly intensity with a number of visually-arresting videos – including the eye-catching ‘Oracle’ (premiered by Decibel) and the brilliantly weird ‘Apoptosis’ – and led to the band being dubbed “one of British Metal’s best-kept secrets”.
Over the next few years, in between bouts of writing and recording, the group would go on to tour with and perform alongside the likes of Hour of Penance, Blood Red Throne, Cryptopsy, Mithras, The Monolith Deathcult, and more, whose influence would go on to inform their darker, heavier, and more artistically-ambitious second album, Our Kingdom Undone.
Released in September 2021 on Prosthetic Records, and once again accompanied by a series of stunning music videos for the likes of ‘Fearmonger’ (released with support from Distorted Sound Magazine) and ‘Hive Mind’ (which was debuted by Metal Injection), Kingdom quickly garnered multiple accolades from the likes of Metal Hammer, Metal Sucks, and Blabbermouth (with the latter describing it as “world-class”) and allowed the band to once again hit the road, now as a headline-worthy act in their own right.
After parting ways with Prosthetic in late 2022, and bidding goodbye to their long-time bass-player soon after, the group – now consolidated as a quartet – have taken some time to rest and re-evaluate their next steps, deciding on a fresh approach for album three.
Los Angeles heavy rockers STITCHED UP HEART are charging toward the release of their new album To The Wolves, and amping it up each step of the way. Today, the band has revealed not only the details of their latest opus, due out September 1st via Century Media Records, but a driving new single “Possess Me.” Tinged with progressive elements, intricate and otherworldly electronics, and vocalist Mixi’s signature emotional scream, the track is both energetic and inspiring. Listeners will find themselves belting out each word right along with Mixi.
“Possess me is the most intimate song we have written so far,” Mixi shares. “We went back to our roots with familiar elements from our single “Monster” but with a heavier and modern twist.”
“Possess Me” is out now with a striking new video. You can stream it HERE.
Heavier is indeed the name of the game on To The Wolves. As the band explores darker territories than ever before, STITCHED UP HEART has crafted something that is anthemic, soulful, and unapologetic. Arriving September 1st, pre-orders for To The Wolves are available HERE.
To The Wolves Track List:
To The Wolves
Thunder
The Hunting
Possess Me
Immortal
Taste For Blood
Conquer and Divide
Dead Inside
The Architect
Part of Me
The End
Late this summer & early fall, STITCHED UP HEART will be hitting the road! The band will supporting ESCAPE THE FATE along with D.R.U.G.S., POINT NORTH, AND GARZI. The mammoth trek kicks off Aug. 31 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and includes a stop at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest before wrapping up on Oct. 5th in Portland, Oregon. You can see all the cities, venues and dates listed below. Tickets are available HERE.
STITCHED UP HEART Summer/Fall Tour Dates:
Aug. 31 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot Sept. 1 – Denver, Colo. @ Summit Music Hall Sept. 2 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Bourbon Theater Sept. 3 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave Sept. 5 – Chicago, Ill. @ Concord Sept. 7 – Alton, Va. @ Blue Ridge Rock Fest Sept. 8 – New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall Sept. 9 – Providence, R.I. @ The Strand Sept. 10 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Brooklyn Bowl Sept. 12 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Jergels Sept. 13 – Columbus, Ohio @ King of Clubs Sept. 15 – Pontiac, Mich. @ Crofoot Sept. 16 – Covington, N.Y. @ Madison Theater Sept. 17 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Brooklyn Bowl Sept. 19 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Masquerade Heaven Sept. 20 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Iron City Birmingham Sept. 22 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live – Ballroom Sept. 23 – Dallas, Texas @ The Factory Sept. 24 – San Antonio, Texas @ Vibes Event Center Sept. 26 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Marquee Sept. 27 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Belasco Sept. 29 – Riverside, Calif. @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium Sept. 30 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Brooklyn Bowl Oct. 1 – San Francisco, Calif. @ DNA Lounge Oct. 3 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox at the Market Oct. 5 – Portland, Ore. @ Bossanova Ballroom
More about STITCHED UP HEART:
STITCHED UP HEART is an American rock band known for their powerful and emotionally charged music. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 2010, the band has captivated audiences around the world with their unique blend of hard rock, alternative metal, and industrial influences. Led by the talented and charismatic vocalist Alecia “Mixi” Demner, STITCHED UP HEART has gained recognition for their intense live performances and deeply personal songwriting.
Mixi began assembling a lineup of musicians who shared her passion, dedication, and vision. Solidifying the core members James Decker on drums, Merritt Goodwin on guitar, and Randy Mathias on bass in 2016 upon signing with Century Media Records. They released their album titled Never Alone, which debuted in the Top 10 of both the Billboard Heatseeker and Hard Rock charts. With their single “Finally Free” organically gaining hyper rotation on active rock radio the band paved the way to success for the next two singles “Monster” and “Catch Me When I Fall”.
With a growing fan base and relentless determination, STITCHED UP HEART has toured extensively, touring with renowned acts like GODSMACK, HALESTORM, and IN THIS MOMENT. Their live performances are known for their high energy, infectious hooks, and Mixi’s captivating stage presence, leaving audiences mesmerized and craving more.
In 2020, STITCHED UP HEART released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Darkness. Produced by Matt Good. The album delves further into the band’s introspective songwriting and showcases their growth as musicians. Tracks like “Lost” featuring Sully Erna of GODSMACK and “My Demon” highlight the band’s ability to blend heavy guitar riffs with anthemic choruses, making a lasting impact on the rock genre.
STITCHED UP HEART sealed the deal with their 3rd full length record with the Century Media Family and released their first song “To The Wolves” featuring Craig Mabbitt and produced by Kevin Thrasher from ESCAPE THE FATE in May 2023. The forthcoming record produced by Mitchell Marlow unapologetically showcases their heavier and more passionate side.
STITCHED UP HEART continues to push boundaries and evolve their sound, refusing to be confined to a single label or genre. With their unwavering passion for music and their ability to connect with audiences on a profound level, STITCHED UP HEART is a force to be reckoned with in the rock music landscape.
“That drive to create a bond with everyone watching would wind up making STITCHED UP HEART all the more entertaining.” -The Music Enthusiast
“Passionate and energetic, there was a fresh feel to what the band was doing in comparison to much of the hard rock/alternative metal spectrum.” -Dead Rhetoric
“STITCHED UP HEART new album is their most passionate and focused record to date.” -Mike Gitter
STITCHED UP HEART is:
Alecia ‘Mixi’ Demner – lead vocals, rhythm guitar James Decker – drums, backing vocals Merritt Goodwin – lead guitar Randy Mathias – bass, backing vocals
Ukrainian rock grunge artist, VM, is thrilled to announce the release of his latest single and lyric video, “Incomplete.” The track is now available on all major streaming platforms and is accompanied by a captivating lyric video on YouTube.
VM, hailing from Zhytomyr, Ukraine, has always been drawn to the grunge genre. His passion for both listening to and performing grunge music led him to dedicate himself to its creation. VM’s commitment to uniqueness and experimentation in his music sets him apart, making his compositions truly distinctive.
In 2021, VM made his debut with the EP “2Push2Relax,” which garnered critical acclaim and introduced audiences to his signature sound. Now, in collaboration with Epictronic, VM is excited to release “Incomplete,” a track that exemplifies his raw talent and creative vision. The single showcases his skills as a multi-talented artist. It’s been produced (recorded, mixed, and mastered) at the “Hostel Studio” in his home town Zhytomyr, Ukraine
VM’s artistic journey is one of constant exploration and evolution, with no limit to what he may create in the future. However, one thing remains certain—his unwavering commitment to the grunge aesthetic. Fans can expect VM to consistently deliver the authentic grunge experience they crave.
Connect with VM and stay up to date with his latest releases:
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 ) 