“Armageddon Again”, the new single from MICHAEL CATTON, expresses that “Oh no, here we go again” feeling we get every time a new power-hungry madman gets too close to the nuke codes. Sometimes it seems like half the world’s leaders are intent on blowing the planet to bits in an effort to win the world’s highest-stakes pissing contest.
It can’t all be doom and gloom though, so it’s all wrapped in fun, upbeat heavy metal riffs reminiscent of Ozzy and Dio and topped off with the maximum allowed number of notes in a guitar solo.
MICHAEL CATTON has teamed up with Metal Shock Finland to premiere “Armageddon Again” official video for Finland, enjoy it here:
The doomsday clock stands at 90 seconds to midnight. It begs the question: when will the clock strike twelve?
Lineup: Michael Catton – vocals Soren Andersen – guitar Chris Catton – keyboards, backing vocals Michael Gersdorff – bass Allan Tschicaja – drums
Birthed at the juncture where hardcore and punk meet metal, DEATH RAY VISION have announced their forthcoming third album, No Mercy From Electric Eyes, due out June 30 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-order it here.
Today, the band has shared the video for “From the Rafters.” Watch it here.
“When society breaks down and justice is no longer upheld, the kids will take to the streets in revolt,” says bassist Mike D. “This is a song about injustice and rebellion – it does not pull any punches.”
NO MERCY FROM ELECTRIC EYES TRACK LISTING: 01. Behead the King 02. In Unholy Water 03. From the Rafters 04. Reaper 05. Premature Evisceration 06. Praise the War Machine 07. Broken Hands of God 08. An Iron Age 09. Armageddon Is the Answer 10. O Great Destroyer 11. Crawl Forth the Cowards 12. End Me
DEATH RAY VISION ON TOUR: 06/09 – Hampton Beach, NH – Casino Ballroom (w/ Killswitch Engage) 06/23 – Holyoke, MA – GatewayCity Arts (w/ Tree) 06/24 – Brooklyn, NY – Kingsland (w/ Tree) 06/25 – Providence, RI – Alchemy (w/ Tree) 06/30 – Cambridge, MA – Sonia (Record Release Show w/ Burning Wind, Apollyon, Grotesqueries and Klaxon)
DEATH RAY VISION ARE: Keith Bennett – Vocals Chris Rosati – Guitar/vocals Pete Cortese – Guitar Mike D’Antonio – Bass Colin Conway – Drums
ABOUT DEATH RAY VISION: Commencing writing in late 2018 following a tour with Killswitch Engage – who share bassist Mike D’Antonio with DRV – the band had a lot of creative momentum still burning following that year’s Negative Mental Attitude and kept it rolling. The results will demonstrate that they are playing at the top of their game. “We’re a lot more cohesive as a band after playing together for so many years, and we’ve gotten better at songwriting and collaborating to bring out the best in everyone’s ideas,” says guitarist Pete Cortese.
A further new dimension affecting the sound is the addition of vocalis Bennett to the band’s ranks, who the existing members knew would be the perfect fit from his time with notable acts Wrecking Crew, Panzerbastard (both of whom shared the stage with Cortese and D’Antonio’s other band Overcast), and Ramallah. “Keith brings a whole lot of piss and vinegar, with a side of street cred. He brought a new sense of enthusiasm and excitement and got us even more fired up to make a great record,” says Cortese. Guitarist Chris Rosati adds, “Creatively speaking, Keith is a force of nature. His ability to get inside a new song and quickly come up with vocals and lyrics is really something to witness.”
Lyrically, No Mercy From Electric Eyes is a more politically charged record than their previous releases – “it’s more pissed off, and anyone paying attention to the state of the world can understand why,” says Cortese – but it’s also deeply personal for Bennett. “Every word I’m singing is from the heart,” says the vocalist. “I should have been dead a few years ago, I’m here for a reason. These lyrics are a direct line to how I feel, how I live, what I see.”
When it came to tracking, drummer Colin Conway laid down his parts at Mad Oak studio with long time associate Benny Grotto, while everything else was recorded, engineered and produced by Rosati at his home studio, Mass Metal Studios.
The record is wrapped up with a title drawn from the lyrics of one of the tracks – Cortese pointing out that it makes perfect sense given their band name – and vivid artwork courtesy of D’Antonio, which according to the bassist stems from the idea “of ‘being under the thumb of an ethereal overlord’. The fear of knowing the ‘master’ is watching your every move, from a short distance away. In this world, only obedience is accepted and absolutely no mercy is given to those who fail.” Having poured so much of their hearts and souls into No Mercy From Electric Eyes, the band hope to play the songs live as much as possible, and have aspirations of touring outside of the US for the first time, but at the end of the day they are proud of what they have achieved and believe they are worth giving a damn about, because they give a damn about everything they do. “We made a great record that doesn’t sound like many contemporary metal bands,” says Cortese. “It’s heavy as fuck without having to rely on drop Z tuning, and it’s a great balance of aggressive and melodic without sounding contrived.“
The guys of SYMPHONY OF SWEDEN aren’t really familiar with the concept of rest: their latest EP was released in March, and the title track “Get Out Of My Mind” reached 100.000 streams on Spotify as fast as never. The success and the positive feedback gave the band strength, as they immediately set to finish a new song called “Bad Thoughts“.
“We felt that ‘Get Out Of My Mind’ was really strong as a single, and it was also nice to release a new track ‘Down and Counting’ with Henrik Bodin-Sköld contributing with guitars. So it was great to see that people seem to like it!” – Evan added.
Lee’s statement about “Bad Thoughts“: “Evan had made a musical background that was very popish, but I got a feeling for the chorus part and wrote it almost immediately when I heard the music. I had seen a commercial about a woman who dressed very classy, she was like from the 60s, very high-end style. She was walking on the streets of New York and everybody stopped and turned around just to look at her. The power of a woman with great taste – and she also had people thinking ‘bad thoughts’.”
Evan’s statement: “‘Bad Thoughts’ started life in October 2022, when I sent an instrumental track to Lee and he immediately liked the vibe but it took a couple of months before we were ready to record the vocals which we did in April along with new live drums played by Niklas ”Bullen” Bengtsson. After that, I re-arranged the pieces a bit, and for a change, we kickstart the song with the chorus-hook!”
The band has also fulfilled an old request from fans: Symphony Of Sweden recently launched their first merchandise. Evan said that at the moment they are taking just small steps. “There will be a challenge to find the perfect spot regarding different sizes, colors, and styles. For now, we will stick with not too many choices as I think fast delivery times are very important nowadays so we need to have everything in stock, that’s why we should keep the store simple and easy.“
Midsummer is just around the corner, but the fans shouldn’t worry about the band’s future: Evan and Lee will work hard during the summer heat as well. “We will definitely work hard on new tracks for the album. I feel we are a little behind the schedule, so, for me, it will be The Summer Of Work!” – Evan added. “But sure, there will some days off as well. I will visit Budapestfor a few days, and also in the late summer, we will have a couple of days of wine tasting in Italy. But other than that I hope I will get huge electricity bills due to heavy studio use!“
Lee ain’t rest either! “I’m working hard on my body, and of course on new music and my voice. We know where we want to go and we are not slowing down until we get there! But okay, I may take a beer with Evan or some beautiful woman, who knows…”
Welcome to the musical world of Symphony Of Sweden!
Coming from the North of Sweden with winter and ice bears all over the place, the music is the other way around. Grand and epic with huge arrangements, the missing link between pop and metal – this is Symphony of Sweden! Add the powerful voice of Linus “Lee” Wester and the creative talent of Pontus “Evan” Hagberg you will have a concept that brings you on a journey from here to eternity.
Symphony Of Sweden is: Pontus „Evan” Hagberg Linus „Lee” Wester
Evan and Lee lived in the same small town up north in Sweden. Lee had his own little service point, betting shop, tobacco store nearby which also happened to be Evan’s local service point where he went to get his parcels. After saying hello to each other for a couple of years, there was one day Evan had a parcel to get – which obviously was music-related. They fell into conversation with each other, a few days later Evan invited Lee to his studio. Evan: „he had found one of my instrumental tracks on Youtube and sang it with a new melody on top and lyrics for me in the studio, right there when he just arrived! I was blown away, and a week later we had our first ever track produced and completed. As soon he sang his first two words in the studio I wanted to work with him!”
The band released their first album, Inner Demons in January 2021, and their second album, Saints Of Yesterday came out on the 3rd of February, 2022.
With exceptional vocal performances, heavy guitar riffs, electronic elements and an incredibly catchy chorus; FIXATION release their brand new single “Flat Earth”. This captivating track showcases a more pop-oriented sound compared to their previous releases, while it remains true to their signature hard-hitting and atmospheric essence.
“Flat Earth”s massive, intense chorus is set to be a summer festival anthem, inviting audiences to jump and dance along.
Fixation states: Flat Earth is a track that delves into the minds of people who persuade themselves into believing conspiracy theories. People that are so centered around their own perception of the truth that they refuse to see it any other way. The lyrics sums it up: «Even if they see it, they probably won’t believe it.
ABOUT Fixation’s unique blend of electronic elements, stadium rock, and post-metal, combined with their emotionally charged and thought-provoking lyrics creates a rollercoaster of melancholic aggression that leaves audiences wanting more. They made their first appearance in 2020, and has since then positioned themselves as one of the most promising new international acts. Garnering high praise from notable media outlets like Kerrang Magazine and BBC Radio 1 they have earned a reputation for their raw talent, and impactful music.
Fixation’s Fixation will be releasing their highly anticipated debut album “More Subtle Than Death” September 8th, as well as appearing at festivals such as QStock (FI), Download (UK) Raumarock (NO) and Rock Imperium (ES). In addition to festival apperances, Fixation joined forces with acclaimed musician Devin Townsend on his European tour earlier in 2023. In October, Fixation is set to join Annisokay on tour, on what will be their second European tour in 2023.
“It`s a huge sound from a band that’s going to be absolutely massive” Kerrang! Radio
Fixation is: Jonas Hansen – Vocal Martin Selen – Guitar Tobias Østerdal – Guitar Martin Gravdal – Bass Ola Dønnem – Drums
Newcastle, UK band CREAK has today announced their signing to Prosthetic Records, with plans to release their debut album Depth Perception on August 18. Alongside the signing and album announcement, CREAK has shared the lead single Restless Dreams with an accompanying music video directed by Zak Pinchin. On their first full-length CREAK present a volatile mix of nu-metal, hardcore and metalcore, and Depth Perception is sure to propel CREAK towards the upper echelons of the UK underground.
Speaking on the signing, CREAK vocalist Jack Dunn comments: “Releasing our debut album on Prosthetic is something that all of us are really excited about. It means a lot to us that we can have a release on a label alongside bands that we’re not only fans of but that we’ve also been influenced by. We really feel we’ve found a home for the band with Prosthetic.”
Of the album announcement, Patrick Morton (guitar) continues: “We had the album name Depth Perception before we actually started the album officially. After looking at the EP in hindsight and a lot of the stuff lyrically we dealt with on the album, we gained a lot of new perspectives and where all really into that as a name for whatever the next project was going to be.”
Dunn continues: “The album overall focuses on dealing with family illness and trauma, and for me personally my internal struggle in a lot of those situations. Feeling guilty about my own emotions, and going over things in a circle in my own head, trying to get to a point where I can try to become comfortable with them. The album was a way for me to get a lot of that negativity out.”
The four piece from Newcastle set out initially to craft a new EP to follow on from 2020’s rapturously-received Bitter Picture vignette, but once writing was underway, the ideas kept on coming. Channeling the same furious vitriol found on their earlier singles and the EP, CREAK managed to push their boundaries further still – finding room for experimentation within their chaotic vision. Citing influences such as Yüth Forever and Sworn In, their background in hardcore is rarely far from view, but eerie Lynchian interludes, clean vocals and metallic sensibilities contribute additional layers that elevate their sound.
Of the Lynchian elements, CREAK comments on the Restless Dreams music video: “We worked with Zak Pinchin again, as we’d built a really good relationship with him on our previous videos, and he was into nearly all of the media we were taking influence from. We watched a lot of old ‘arthouse’ horror films like Blood of a Poet or anything from David Lynch and we were really inspired by how desperate the tone of those works felt.
“With the band, we never wanted the horror element to be for the sake of having it for shock value. What we liked about those films was how they got across those feelings of anxiety or dread just by how they looked, and we wanted to try and capture some of that.”
Lyrically and thematically the tracks are saturated with pure emotion, fuelled by – amongst other things – the anguish that accompanied Dunn’s mother’s journey with cancer. Using CREAK as an outlet for processing his feelings during that time, he adds: “I was feeling guilty about my own emotions, and going over things in a circle in my own head trying to get to a point where I could try to become comfortable with them.” Finding it easier to work through his feelings through his lyrics than to verbalise in ‘real life’, Depth Perception is something of an anthology of dread, pain, mortality – and hope.
The album took shape over several months between 2021 and 2022, with Connor Sweeney (formerly of Loathe) reprising the role he took on for Bitter Picture, producing, mixing and mastering the twelve blistering tracks. The live recording achieves the near-impossible task of capturing the frenetic, unbridled vigor of their live show; their angular metalcore punctuating an eerie soundscape permeated with anxious energy. With high hopes and boundless enthusiasm, CREAK are gathering pace as an unstoppable force.
Depth Perception tracklist: 1. Crossroads 2. Hare in the Woods 3. An Endless Black 4. Doomed 5. Restless Dreams 6. Harrow 7. Left to Heaven 8. Depth Perception 9. The Early Hours Know My Secrets 10. Cold Shoulder 11. I’m Not Alone in the Dark 12. A Head Full of Rain
Finnish progressive metallers DAMNATION PLAN have released a music video for the title track from their upcoming new album ‘The New Horizon’, due out on August 18th.
The band’s drummer-songwriter / lyricist Jarkko Lunnas, who also directed the video, comments on the song and the music video:
“Already before the covid restrictions there was the idea to go and shoot the video at Faroe Islands, an out-of-this-world place surrounded by the water with only the remaining mountain highs and cliff peaks remaining – symbolizing the post-apocalyptic event-ridden world where it’s already too late to do anything about it – the water has risen. The lyrics tell a story through the eyes of the post-apocalyptic survivors, and about humanity’s collective tendency to want to find someone to blame as the simplified solution. When the society’s basic rights structures fail, what is left is the survival game of the fittest.”
Watch the music video shot at Faroe Islands and Iceland here:
Tracklisting 01 The New Horizon (07:50) 02 Dreamdead (04:37) 03 To The Sun (06:36) 04 Under The Veil Of Sea (07:59) 05 Emotional Trials (05:47) Running time: 32m 52s
Mixed & mastered by Miiro Varjus / Wavescape Productions Cover art by Jarkko Lunnas Release date: August 18th 2023 (Inverse Records)
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 ) 