“Dark Mother Rises”, the new album by the female fronted melodic/power metallers LANKESTER MERRIN from Lower Saxony, will be released on 24 March. A first taster of the album, “We Ride The Storm”, is now available! The song, which is also the album’s opener, will be released as a single on all digital platforms, as well as a lyric video on Youtube.
The single and the album are recommended to all fans of melodic metal who, despite the attribute “female fronted”, do not expect symphonic metal, but simply powerful, modern metal of the highest order. The final tracklist of the album, which is already available in many shops as a pre-order, can be found below!
Following their worldwide signing with Hamburg-based powerhouse label AFM Records, Swedish modern melodic metal outfit dEMOTIONAL has unleashed a brand new music video for “Bärsärk”, taken of the band’s latest masterpiece Scandinavian Aftermath!
The quintet from Gothenburg, that already became an anchor in the Swedish metal scene, has caused a stir with the release of their much-acclaimed debut album, STATE: IN DENIAL, in 2013. And they have not been slowing down since. Their second album TARASSIS got them a spot as main support on DEAD BY APRIL’s European tour and also their own headline shows around the world.
With four albums under their belt, they are currently gearing up to release new music via AFM Records soon – but a first move will be to empower and present their self-released 2021-offering, Scandinavian Aftermath, with the tools of a label to a global audience. With over 15 million streams on Spotify alone and a constant listener base of 100k, various live shows, tours and radio airplays, dEMOTIONAL have aready proved to be one of the most exciting, up-and-coming bands of their genre, now they are ready more than ever to conquer the world!
About the re-release of “Bärsärk”, vocalist Nils-Petter Nilsson comments: “We are very excited to get this song the spread that it deserves! We feel that it is raw and honest at its core and to be frank, the best damn work-out song we´ve made in a longe time. (laughs)
We are extremely happy to be working with AFM Records and have prepared lots of surprises in store that we can´t wait to share with all our lovely listeners, new and old.”
Void metal outfit OMEGA INFINITY, the project of Xenoyr (NE OBLIVISCARIS) and Tentakel P. (TODTGELICHTER), is now inviting fans to enter the void and submerge themselves into the fathomless depths of its new album, ‘The Anticurrent! The record is released today, February 24, and can be streamed in its entirety at THIS LOCATION.
OMEGA INFINITY comments: “The time is here – ‘The Anticurrent’ is upon you all! Listen to it in its full glory, from the beginning to the end. Enjoy in darkness, with a good wine (or whatever your poison is) and embrace The Void that was channeled through us. This chapter is closed for us and now to be presented to you, dear disciple of The Void. But Omega Infinity will be back!”
ICYMI: The band previously revealed a mind-boggling 360° VR music video for the first single, “Iron Age,” which can be found HERE.
Track List: 1. The Alpha (07:40) 2. Creation (05:11) 3. Iron Age (07:11) feat. Adrienne Cowan [WATCH HERE] 4. Banish Us From Eden (04:42) 5. To The Stars (05:16) [LISTEN HERE] 6. Death Rays (06:18) feat. Lindsay Schoolcraft [LISTEN HERE] 7. Voices From The End Of Time (12:19) feat. András Nagy Bonus 8. Night Journey (Sear Bliss cover) (Bonus) feat. András Nagy 9. Ye Entrancemperium (Emperor cover) (Bonus) feat. MJ Braun
Adrienne Cowan (SEVEN SPIRES) – Clean vocals and screams on „Iron Age“ Lindsay Schoolcraft (ANTIQVA, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH a.m.m.)– speech and screams on „Death Rays“ András Nagy (SEAR BLISS) – screams on „Voices From The End Of Time“ and „Night Journey“ Marta J. Braun (TODTGELICHTER, VYRE) – clean vocals and screams on „Ye Entranceemperium“
Recording studio: Deep Void Studio
Producer / Mixing engineer: Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio) Vocal Engineering For Xen By Xenoyr And Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio) Vocal Recordings By Adrienne Cowan herself Adrienne Cowan Appears Courtesy Of Frontiers Music Vocal Recordings For Lindsay Schoolcraft By Tyler Williams (Monolithic Prod.) Vocal Recordings For András Nagy By Viktor Scheer (Intercellar Studio) Vocal Recordings For Marta J. Braun By Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio) All Other Recordings, Engineering And Mix By Tentakel P. (Deep Void Studio)
Mastering studio and engineer: Markus Stock At Klangschmiede Studio E. Mellrichstadt
Finnish goth rockers LAMORI have been forging their own path for over a decade now, creating their own neon-lit flavor of the genre.
DARK MESSIAH, the latest single from the upcoming album NEON BLOOD FIRE, is a strong and evocative track. It fuses elements of gothic rock and metal, with electronics and dark wave, producing a sound that is both heavy and ethereal. The song delves into the complex themes of desire and longing, and the yearning for something greater than oneself. It conveys the idea of an unquenched thirst for something powerful, intense, grand, and regal. It tells of a blind willingness to embrace danger and darkness. To face one’s own mortality as a final, desperate effort to restore what has been lost.
LAMORI is hailing from the Aland Islands of Finland. Formed in 2009, the lineup has remained unchanged. However, their sound continues to evolve with each release.
NEON BLOOD FIRE, the band’s fourth album to be released by Wormholedeath, will refine the soundscapes heard on the 2020 released NEO NOIR, but also introduce completely new elements to the mix. This album will have some of the heaviest LAMORI songs ever heard!
BAND LINEUP Matias Juselius, vocals Marcus Pellas, guitar Mikael Westerlund, bass Jens Wickholm, keys Emanuel Sanchez, drums
Finnish traditional heavy metal band WISHING WELL have released another single from their upcoming “Sin And Shame” album. “Space Invaders” features a flamboyant intro and eerie Moog-riff plus some melodic instrumental parts. Surprisingly the song does not include Hammond organ, their trademark, at all. Lyrics of the song got inspiration from legendary 80s arcade shooting game, Space Invaders. The song was written by guitar player Anssi Korkiakoski and band’s ex-bass player Rick Becker. The single is out with a promo video, filmed and edited by Jussi Koskinen.
This song is a bit different in many ways but of course it’s the synthesizers that make the difference. I admit that I wasn’t too keen on the idea of leaving Hammond out. However, when I found that cool Moog sound and arranged synth parts I realized that they are perfect for this particular song. They say that variety is the spice of life but whatever the case, I’ll stick to Hammond organ until the day I day, I’m too old to learn too many new tricks”, says Arto Teppo, the nestor of the band. “Plastic toys are not my thing, I’ll leave all those files and menus for younger players. I trust old school hardware and hardwood more than programmed and downloaded sounds. In this matter I have very traditional values”, he continues.
“This song is as old as the hills but with the synths and proper arrangement this became a modern song, at least in our standards. Space Invaders was a great game back in the day and that gave us a cool sci-fi theme that always fits with metal, tongue-in-cheek, of course. The instrumental melody part was written by Rick Becker years ago and I’m happy that we were able to utilize that in this song”, says Anssi Korkiakoski, the guitar player of the band. “There are some new sounds on the new album and in my opinion they upgrade and refresh our overall sound pretty nicely”, he finishes.
”Sin And Shame” album is out on 17 March. The band will play album release gig at On The Rocks Club in Helsinki in 31 March, supporting Finnish hard rock legends Peer Günt.
Wishing Well are: Pepe Tamminen –vocals Arto Teppo – synthesizers Matti Kotkavuori – bass Juha Kivikanto – drums Anssi Korkiakoski – guitars
Pushing progressive death metal in ever more imaginative directions, ENTHEOS continue to stand apart from the pack. Incorporating elements drawn from myriad genres – including death metal, groove, grunge, electronica, slam, gothic rock, jazz, prog and more – they have evolved with every release, and now they return with the follow up to 2017’s landmark Dark Future, the diverse and exhilarating Time Will Take Us All. It arrives March 3 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-order it here: metalblade.com/entheos
Today, the band has shared the video for “Darkest Day.” Watch it here:
“We are excited to release a live video for our latest single ‘Darkest Day,’” the band says. “The video was shot in Knoxville, Tennessee, in December. This was one of the most fun and energetic sets we’ve ever played and the crowd set the perfect tone for the fast-paced ripper that ‘Darkest Day’ is. Our friends Marshall Wieczorek and Michelle Nisbet were able to capture that energy perfectly and we’re so proud of the video we were able to create together.“
TIME WILL TAKE US ALL TRACK LISTING: 01. Absolute Zero 02. In Purgatory 03. The Interior Wilderness 04. Oblivion 05. I Am the Void 06. Darkest Day 07. Clarity in Waves 08. The Sinking Sun 09. Time Will Take Us All
Cover art: Eliran Kantor
Entheos are also touring this spring. All dates are below.
ENTHEOS ON TOUR: WITH WHITECHAPEL: 04/14 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA 04/15 – The Orpheum – Tampa, FL 04/16 – Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL 04/18 – The Underground – Charlotte, NC 04/19 – The Canal Club – Richmond, VA 04/20 – Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore, MD 04/21 – Warsaw – New York, NY 04/22 – The Palladium – Worcester, MA 04/24 – St. Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI 04/25 – The House Of Blues – Chicago, IL 04/27 – Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS 04/28 – Gothic Theater – Denver, CO 04/29 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 05/01 – Showbox Market – Seattle, WA 05/02 – Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR 05/04 – Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA 05/05 – The Regent – Los Angeles, CA 05/06 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA 05/07 – The Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ 05/09 – Mohawk – Austin, TX 05/10 – Amplified Live – Dallas, TX 05/12 – Red Flag – St. Louis, MO 05/13 – Basement East – Nashville, TN
We knew when we started writing that we really wanted to make something darker and heavier that was still uniquely Entheos, and we knew that we wanted to make a record that really came from our hearts and captured where we want to take this band,” explains vocalist Chaney Crabb.
“The new album also has a strong ‘trippy’ vibe, not in a generic sense but meaning when you are done listening to it you feel like you’ve gone on a journey,” adds multi-instrumentalist Navene Koperweis. “I’ve always loved albums that gave me that feeling. I can’t say we set out to have the experience, it just sort of happened and that’s something I’m proud of.“
Having stripped down to a two-piece in 2020, this has helped to streamline the band and allow the core members to make the music they want to with no compromise, which is clearly to their betterment. Koperweis – who takes the role of drummer in the band’s live lineup – has long written most of the guitar parts, so it was not a radically different writing process, but allowed him the freedom of complete control. “I tell people this album is more of everything that we do, except this time it’s deeper in all directions,” says Koperweis. “We’re no longer dipping our toe in the pool on certain aspects, when we decide to go somewhere, we fucking go there.“
Relying less on synths and electronic production than on previous releases, a lot of the more atmospheric elements are contributed by guitar, and there is even an acoustic guitar for the first time on an Entheos record. Crabb has also pushed herself harder than ever before, interested in consistently practicing to find new pitches and timbres in her voice, and she has most certainly extended the range of her screaming. Using pitched screaming to add melodic lines in many places, this is also the first Entheos record on which she has sung.
When it came to penning the lyrics, Crabb knew that she was going to write about her own “experience as a human” and approach the album based on the lingering awareness many people have, that there is so much world out there and there are so many different experiences to have – but there is so little time. However, this idea really hit home in August 2021 when she got into an accident on her electric scooter on the day she started tracking vocals.
“I do not remember how I fell, but when I woke up I was really badly hurt. Gravel was embedded in my lower lip and had severed the inside of my chin from my face, my upper lip was completely split open to the point that my teeth were visible, my nasal septum bone was split in two and my nose was completely bent to one side – I ended up with 100 stitches in my face and was unable to do vocals for three months. I lost all abilities to move my nose and lips for those months, and to this day I still haven’t regained complete control.“
Because of this accident she found herself in a strange place mentally, juggling between feeling truly happy and grateful for every second that she was alive and got to spend with the people who she loved, but also feeling completely depressed, because of all of the uncertainty surrounding her injuries. She shares, “The album took form as a journey from the depths of depression into gratitude, but ultimately as an examination of our time and how precious it is.“
With Koperweis handling production duties and Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder) mixing the record, all of the drums were tracked by Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate, and Koperweis tracked guitars and vocals. They also recruited former member Evan Brewer to supply the bass. Though committed to their status as a two-piece, the band does have a live lineup with Brian James (ex-Fallujah) and Robert Brown (ex-Slaughter to Prevail) providing guitar, maintaining their reputation for being a killer live band. Having delivered the best record of their career they are also in a very good place mentally, but they do not get ahead of themselves.
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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