Right in the middle of their festival season, symphonic metal titans EPICA return with another live single off their upcoming digital EP Live At The AFAS Live. Originally the title track of their second studio album, and one of EPICA’s heaviest tracks, ‘Consign To Oblivion’ has not only become a real classic, but also the ultimate final song of most EPICAshows, always starting with an obligatory wall of death right after the intro.
“Over the years Consign to Oblivion became our favorite track to conclude our shows with”, Mark Jansen comments. “Every time we tried another track it never had the same impact as Consign to Oblivion. I’m happy everyone can now witness the live version that we played in Amsterdam to a fantastic home-country-crowd!”
Tour dates 2023 & 2024 28.07.23 | Kuopiorock | Kuopio, FI 29.07.23 | Q-Stock | Oulu, FI 03.-05.08.23 | Pol’and’Rock Fest 2023 | Czaplinek, PL 06.08.23 | Rockstadt Extreme Fest | Rasnov, RO 16.08.23 | Summer Breeze | Dinkelsbühl, DE 18.08.23 | Motocultor Festival | Carhaix, FR 20.08.23 | Rock The Lakes | Vallamand, CH 26.10.23 | Floyd | Athens, GR 28.10.23 | Kucukciftlik Park | Istanbul, TR 05.11.23 | Rock Circus | Den Bosch, NL 18.11.23 | Metal Hammer Paradise | Weißenhäuser Strand, DE
Latin American Tour 2024 25.01.24 | Polideportivo San José del Carmen | Tegucigalpa, Honduras 27.01.24 | Parque de la Industria | Guatemala City, Guatemala 29.01.- 02.02.24 | 70.000 Tons of Metal 03.02.24 | Pedregal | San Jose, Costa Rica 04.02.24 | Royal Center | Bogota, Colombia
Following their February 2023 UK tour supporting Robert Jon & The Wreck, rising Canadian southern soul, roots rock band BYWATER CALL release their highly anticipated new single “Sweet Maria” on Wednesday July 26th. The single is available on all streaming platformsHERE.
The single is accompanied by an official music video that can be viewed on YouTube HERE.
“Sweet Maria” dovetails Bywater Call’s upcoming September and October UK and European tour dates. The band tour the UK from October 8-13th. Tickets for all concerts are available from www.bywatercall.com (tour dates listed below).
“Sweet Maria” is a joyous New Orleans blues and southern soul anthem, celebrating the adage “if you love something set it free.” It’s also a call-out to embrace and accept people for who they are. A woman who feels compelled to wander as the seasons change, always returns to the man who patiently waits, with the porch light on, and arms open.
“Sweet Maria” features the signature refined, yet raw and powerful vocals of lead singer Meghan Parnell, singing slide guitar of Dave Barnes, gritty, driving keys of John Kervin and a full choir sure to get even the grumpiest person in the room smiling, clapping, and singing along.
Kervin brought the bones of this tune to the band in early 2023. After a few collective workshopping sessions, they knew they had something special.
“Sweet Maria” was filmed and recorded at friend, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Howley’s beautiful barn studio in the country of Ontario, Canada where he acted as engineer. Bass (Mike Meusel), drums (Bruce McCarthy), horns (Julian Nalli, sax and Stephen Dyte, trumpet) and keys were captured live-off-the-floor. Overdubs including background vocals from Claire Davis and Joanna Mohammed (Aphrose) were captured at drummer Bruce McCarthy’s home studio, where he also acted as mixing engineer.
Video team Lightning House Media out of Hamilton, Ontario joined the band for the recording session, capturing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at a unique recording process, followed by a live performance as the sun was setting. The warm and vibrant tone they captured, perfectly reflects the sentiment of “Sweet Maria” as does the rustic, remote, one-with-nature setting.
“Sweet Maria” is Bywater Call’s first brand-new single following their highly anticipated sophomore album “Remain” released in September 2022, which is available now on all streaming platforms and for purchase in CD and vinyl formats. It is also the first self-produced, house-mixed, and independently released song from the band.
Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes are the driving force behind Bywater Call, a powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock band from Toronto, Canada
Formed in 2017, the band has received multiple Independent Blues and Maple Blues Award nominations including Entertainer of the Year and Best Female Vocalist for the 2023 Awards Season. They have toured extensively in Europe over the last few years, including in May and June of 2022, featuring a mainstage appearance at the Netherlands’ premiere blues festival Moulin Blues. Their shows were praised in Dutch and German media, with references to Meghan as one of the best female voices in blues and roots today.
In August 2023, the band will participate in Joe Bonamassa’s third Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean Cruise alongside headliners Blackberry Smoke, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Bonamassa himself.
Bywater Call have commanded festival stages from Belgium to Germany in Europe, Florida to Kentucky and Tennessee in the USA, and Toronto to Quebec City in Canada. In May of 2023, they opened for the Canadian Award-winning band White Horse at the inaugural edition of the Smokestack Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario.
Bywater Call continues to tour across the US. throughout the remainder of 2023 and will return to tour Europe, including their first headline tour of the UK from October 3-13th.
Fans of Bywater Call can look forward to their first single of 2023 “Sweet Maria” available on all platforms from July 26th. To stay updated and be a part of Bywater Call’s rapidly growing fanbase visit www.bywatercall.com for more details.
BYWATER CALL OCTOBER 2023 UK TOUR TICKETS: WWW.BYWATERCALL.COM
AUG 3 | Evergreen, CO, USA | Cactus Jack’s Saloon AUG 4 | Montrose, CO, USA | Montrose Summer Music Series AUG 5 | Denver, CO, USA | Soiled Dove AUG 9 | Kansas City, MO, USA | Knucklehead’s AUG10 | Sioux City, IA, USA | Vangarde Arts AUG 11 | Sioux Falls, SD, USA | Levitt at the Falls Music Series | Omaha, NE, USA | Playing with Fire AUG 17-22 | Athens, Greece | Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean AUG 27 | Buffalo, NY, USA | Sportsmen’s SEP 2 | Peterborough, ON, CAN| Jam in the Backyard SEP 3 | Saranac Lake, NY, USA | Northern Current Festival SEP 15 | Fredericton, NB, CAN | Harvest Music Festival SEP 22 | Chambèry, France | Brin de Zinc SEP 23 | Baden Baden, Germany | Blues Club SEP 25 | Verviers, Belgium | Spirit of 66 SEP 26 | Höxter / Albaxen, Germany | Tonenburg SEP 27 | Den Haag, Netherlands | Musicon SEP 28 | Bremen, Germany | Meisenfrei SEP 29 | Isernhagen, Germany | Blues Garage SEP 30 | Lauchhammer, Germany | Real Music Club OCT 1 | Grolloo, Netherlands | Hofsteenge OCT 3 | Coulsdon, UK | Tuesday Night Music Club OCT 5 | Sittingbourne, UK | The Bourne Music Club OCT 6 | Newcastle, UK | The Cluny OCT 7 | Edinburgh, UK | Voodoo Rooms OCT 8 | Hartlepool, UK | Steelies OCT 9 | London, UK | The Grace OCT 12 | Blackpool, UK | Waterloo Music Bar OCT 13 | Sheffield, UK | Corporation OCT 15 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Muziek Op Rhoon OCT 17 | Aschaffenburg, Germany | Colos-Saal OCT 18 | Enschede, Netherlands | Mystiek Theater OCT 19 | Eppstein, Germany | Wunderbar Weite Welt OCT 20 | Weert, Netherlands | Bosuil OCT 21 | Heist op den Berg, Belgium | Hnita Jazz Club OCT 22 | Krefeld, Germany | Kulturrampe OCT 24 | Bonn, Germany | Harmonie DEC 1 | Portsmouth, NH, USA | Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues
Inferno Metal Festival is now revealing that At the Gates will be among the headliners for the 2024 edition, which takes place from March 28-31, 2024 across several venues in Oslo (NO). The Swedish band has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of melodic death metal. This will be the first performance for At the Gates at Inferno Metal Festival.
So far, the iconic festival is revealing a mixture of classic bands as well as some vital and exciting new-comers! More will be announced soon!
The current lineup is now as follows:
At The Gates Borknagar Sólstafir Finntroll Carpathian Forest Cattle Decapitation Keep of Kalessin Misþyrming Saor Konvent Khold Crypta Signs of the Swarm Extermination Dismemberment Orm Umbra Conscientia 200 Stab Wounds Tilintetgjor Imbalance Nakkeknaekker Vomit Forth Horrifier
Single day tickets and passes are now available HERE.
Official festival hotel – Clarion Hotel® The Hub:
In addition, Inferno Metal Festival is now revealing that the Clarion Hotel The Hub is once again the official hotel partner!
For more information can be found via the official Inferno Festival Website or directly via the hotel’s website. The ”Inferno” booking code is enabled to get the discounted prices.
The iconic Inferno Metal Festival started in 2001 and is the longest running metal festival in Norway and one of the most important extreme metal festivals in the world. We are very proud of this position and we will continue fronting Norwegian metal and bringing bands from all over the world to Norway. Inferno Metal Festival is being held four days at Rockefeller Music Halls’ two stages Rockefeller and John Dee as well as many smaller clubs around Oslo. The festival takes place during Easter in Norway when not a lot of other stuff is happening in Oslo. The festival are usually sold out and more than fifty percent of the audience are from outside of Norway. The ticket sales are from all over the world including China, Australia, Chile, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, USA, Columbia, Argentina and many more.
The gods have favoured us today! Atmospheric death doom metalband ON THORNS I LAY are announcing the first details of their debut album “On THorns I Lay”!
The album will be released on October 13, 2023 via Season of Mist and a first track ‘Newborn Skies’ is now available in the form of a lyric video HERE.
Pre-orders are now available HERE. Pre-save the album HERE.
ON THORNS I LAY comment on the new track: “Newborn skies” is talking about this critical moment in life when you need to reconsider, reanimate and restart in order to keep going and follow your dreams . No matter how dark the ride has been, no matter how difficult and obscure, you have to take the final decision you still have your fate in your hands.”
ON THORNS I LAY are furthermore releasing the album details of “On Thorns I Lay” such as the track-list and artwork. All info can be found below.
Track list: 1. Fallen From Grace (8:07) 2. Newborn Skies (4:44) [WATCH VIDEO] 3. Crestfallen (8:08) 4. Among The Wolves (7:38) 5. Raise Empires (7:18) 6. Thorns Of Fire (7:23) Total: 58:54
Cover artwork by Dimitris Tzortzis
ON THORNS I LAY started as a death metal band together with other cult bands in Greece in the early 90’s such as Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Necromantia, Nightfall and started to spread their name in the local and global underground scene.
ON THORNS I LAY have released 9 albums so far such as Orama, Crystal Tears, Aegean Sorrow and Threnos gaining great reviews in (Scream Norway, album of the month, Inferno Finland 5/5, Metal Storm Top 5 albums of 2020 and many others…). The have shared the stage with great bands such as Dream Theater, In Flames, Anathema, Amorphis, Katatonia, Rotting Christ, Tiamat, The Gathering, Satyricon, Septic Flesh and many more…
Their music style is pure atmospheric melodic doom death metal!
ON THORNS I LAY’s last album “Threnos” followed the path of atmospheric, yet emotional Doom Death Metal – paying tribute to the roots and representing the trademark sound of the band once again. ON THORNS I LAY continue to tell dense stories of loss and despair.
After their mini tour at the Baltic states with Rotting Christ they signed a deal with the world famous record label Season Of Mist and they have finished the recordings of their 10th album entitled ‘On Thorns I Lay to be released in 2023.
Recording studio Devasoundz Studios Producer / sound engineer Fotis Benardo
Mixing and mastering studio and engineer Fotis Benardo
InsideOutMusic are pleased to announce the signing of TREVOR RABIN, the South African guitarist, singer, multi-musician, writer and producer. They will release ‘Rio’, his first solo album of vocal material in 34 years on October 6th, 2023 worldwide.
Of the signing and the forthcoming album, Trevor comments: “Signing to InsideOutMusic was the most natural and happy signing. Thomas and I have been friends for a while, and we’ve wanted to work together for a while. As I got close to completing the project, I called Thomas. It was that simple. I am extremely happy to be working with the InsideOutMusic team and being part of the Sony family.”
InsideOutMusic label-head Thomas Waber adds: “Working with Trevor is a big bucket list moment for me and the label. I became a fan of his signature writing style at the beginning of the 80s and have been following him ever since. He is one of the true greats in Rock Music. ‘Rio’ is everything we could have hoped for and more!”
Although he has carved a lengthy and diverse career, Johannesburg-born Rabin is best known for membership of the band Yes over a 12-year, four-album spell that began in 1983, his smash hit song ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’ of the same year topping America’s Billboard chart and inspiring the iconic prog-rock band to cross over into a far larger audience. Rabin was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the band in 2017 and more recently teamed up with former Yes members Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman in the trio ARW.
Given that his previous vocal-led solo album, ‘Can’t Look Away’, was released in 1989 (2012’s ‘Jacaranda’ was all-instrumental), Rabin has kept us waiting for more than three decades for a follow-up. Trevor admits that there was pressure from all sides, including his own family, to have speeded up the process. However, the delay is excusable. Since leaving Yes following the ‘Talk’ album in 1994 and largely as a prequel to touring as part of ARW in 2016, the guitarist entered the time-consuming world of movie soundtracks. Trevor’s name appears as composer for such blockbusters as Con Air, Armageddon, Remember the Titans, Enemy Of The State, Deep Blue Sea, Glory Road, and Gone In 60 Seconds and both National Treasure movies, amongst many others. “Over the past ten years I was having ideas, concepts that I couldn’t implement due to my busy schedule,” he explains, adding: “To be honest, those years flew by in a flurry. I knew that this was the time, and once I found my momentum I worked on the album 24/7.”
‘Rio’, named after Rabin’s grand-daughter, features a painting by Trevor himself and will be available to pre-order from August 4th on several different formats. More information will be available soon.
Trevor’s social media presence has been newly relaunched, and you can find all the key places to find out more information below. You can also see a video of Trevor checking in here:
Italy’s NWOTHM band TARCHON FIST proudly announce their new drummer Mattia “Matt” Vescovi.
Matt comments: “I’m really excited! I can’t wait to share my energy with these crazy metalheads!”.
Matt started to play drums when he was just 8 years old. After playing in several bands, at 20 he joined Raya, a crossover band with Spanish lyrics, playing with them for more than a decade. From 2017 to 2022, he was part of Soulline, a well-known metal band active throughout Europe since 2001.
About Soulline, Loud and Proud states:
“We were immediately struck by the choice of setting the drums on the side of the stage […] It’s the drummer of the Swiss band who immediately impresses us. Matt is a real war machine”.
In April TARCHON FIST released their fifth studio album, “The Flame Still Burns”, via Underground Symphony.
“The Flame Still Burns” is available as CD Digipak and digital.
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 ) 