On 6 April, the Austrian melodic death metallers DYSTERSOL will release their new album “Anaemic”. On it, the band tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional serial killer and focuses in the narrative on how a person, negatively influenced and too often disappointed by his environment and society, becomes a psychopath.
With “Fail Better”, a visualiser for the album opener is now available as a first taster on the MDD YouTube channel, watch below. “Anaemic” can already be pre-ordered at several retailers and mailorders.
Dark folk singer-songwriter THE DEVIL’S TRADE has teamed up with industrial noise artist JOHN CXNNOR for the recording of a brand new live album, ‘John Cxnnor X The Devil’s Trade – Live at Roadburn.’ Record at the 2022 edition of Roadburn, the album will be released on April 21, 2023 via Season of Mist (digital) and Pelagic Records (physical). In celebration, the pair is now sharing the first single, “The Call of the Doom Mons,” which can be heard at THIS LOCATION.
Pre-orders are now available via Season of Mist HERE and via Pelagic Records HERE.
For over two decades, Roadburn Festival has been a driving force in the international music scene. The organization, led by artistic director Walter Hoejimakers, commissions special pieces and collaborations under the motto of “Redefining Heaviness” in order to stimulate innovation and creativity in the underground music scene. The convergence of Danish electro-industrial duo John Cxnnor with Hungarian doom-folk artist The Devil’s Trade is one prime example of how powerful these collaborations can be, and those who were present at this already legendary show in Tilburg can attest to that.
THE DEVIL’S TRADE is following up its 2020 release, ‘The Call of the Iron Peak,’ which can be streamed, downloaded, and ordered HERE.
CRAVING, the German epic extreme metal band, is thrilled to announce the release of their fourth album, “Call Of The Sirens”, due out on May 19, 2023. The record will be available as vinyl, CD, and digital formats through Massacre Records, pre-order HERE!
Building upon the staggering success of their previous album, “By the Storm”, Craving continues to awe audiences with their unique fusion of melodic black metal, melodic death metal, and traditional heavy metal epicness on stages of all sizes. This time, the album contains eight catchy to-the-point core songs and two bonus cover songs on the CD version: “Shum” by the Ukranian electro-folk band Go_A and “El Diablo” by Greek singer Elena Tsagrinou. The lyrics on “Call Of The Sirens” will feature four different languages: German, English, Russian and Ukrainian. Along several high class guest musicians, the album will also feature Cradle Of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda in a solo on the track “Gods Don’t Negotiate”.
But give ear, as today, Craving has unleashed a video for their first single, the album title track (Get the song on all digital platforms HERE)! Furious melodic black metal meets death metal, thunderous blast beats and an epic chorus – the definite trademarks of Craving. Featuring Michelle Bouma and Esther Sarai Deviers on guest vocals, watch the new clip right here:
Events in the band’s lives, the world, and in our society, which is more and more striving towards psychopathy, have inspired the band to write this album. “Call Of The Sirens” is metaphorically following the irresistible voices of the sirens, the mythical creatures mentioned in Greek and many other mythologies, which lured people in by seductive behavior and ultimately killed them.
The album’s title song is about a modern-day siren – a narcissist. “Our music may not make explicit reference to pagan or Celtic legends, but it is deeply rooted in the complexities of real-life events and social issues.“ The band comments.
“While “Call Of The Sirens” tells a clear story of not following distractions and toxic personalities, in the video it becomes clear that the protagonists are not up for the challenge, and will meet their doom in the lake of death!Join us as we take a journey through the darker aspects of human nature – apathy, mental manipulation, and despair.
Like Odysseus would follow the Sirens – you will follow her call! The Call of the Sirens!“
Led by Ivan Chertov, Craving is forged by Jonas Papmeier, a highly talented guitarist from Hamburg, as well as the best metal drummer from Germany, holding the unofficial world record in playing blast beats at 250 bpm for over 20 minutes straight, Wanja “Nechtan” Gröger.
The album was produced by Craving and once again mixed by Christoph Brandes at the Iguana Studios (Necrophagist, Finsterforst, The Spirit, Imperium Dekadenz etc.). As always, the cover artwork was created by the band’s long-term friend and designer Andrej Bartulović / All Things Rotten.
Tracklist:
Mich packt die Wut
Call Of The Sirens
Death March
Maiden Of The Sun (Дева Солнца II)
Blood Ov Franconia
Gods Don’t Negotiate
Prayer For The Rain
Star By Star
El Diablo (Elena Tsagrinou Cover)
Shum (Go_A Cover)
Album Line-Up: Ivan Chertov – Vocals, Guitars, Orchestrations Jonas Papmeier – Guitars Leonid Rubinstein – Session Bass Wanja Gröger – Drums
Guest Musicians: Michelle Bouma: Vocals on “Call Of The Sirens” Esther Sarai Devries: Vocals on “Call Of The Sirens” Theresa Winterhalter: Vocals on “Death March” Anita Janukiewicz: Vocals on “Shum” Marek “Ashok” Šmerda (Cradle Of Filth): Guitar solo on “Gods Don’t Negotiate” Fabian Mofid: Orchestrations on “Prayer For The Rain”
The apocalypse is nigh and Finnish grindcore entity ROTTEN SOUND has crafted the perfect soundtrack to accompany humanity’s impending extinction. Aptly titled ‘Apocalypse,’ the band’s eighth studio album is dropping into 2023 with the same blistering speed and chaotic impetus as an asteroid searing through atmosphere and crushing everything upon impact.
Each song delivering abrupt yet violent aftershocks, delivering an auditory assault with its unstoppable, seismic force. The band is now sharing the vicious second single, “Renewables,” along with a performance clip, which can be found at THIS LOCATION.
ROTTEN SOUND frontman Keijo Niinimaa comments on the track: “Renewable energy is obviously good for the future, but the way we mine for batteries quite excessively is creating another problem, because that’s very far from being carbon neutral and is polluting the environment too. The future will show how well we are able to shift e.g. to liquid hydrogen, which could theoretically replace all fossil fuels in some decades and would be CO2-free if created with sun, wind and other natural sources of energy. I suppose the main point is in one of the verses though: we didn’t learn to consume less but end up green washing, quite often without even knowing it. Music was written by Sami, fast and furious and Matti’s lines are bringing again some more depth into the vocals.“
‘Apocalypse’ is due on March 31, 2023!
Pre-orders for ‘Apocalypse’ can be found HERE. The album can be pre-saved across streaming services HERE.
On May 26, Swedish death/thrash metallers CARRY THE TORCH will release their brand new album “Delusion”, which will see the light of day via Black Lion Records.
In support of the upcoming album, the band has released the first single “Clear View of the End”. The track is accompanied by a brand new music video, which you can watch below.
CARRY THE TORCH on the new single:
“Clear View of the End has been with us for quite a while. It’s our heaviest song so far. Just slow and dirty, we brought it into the live-set early and got Great reactions of it. So here it is, our first single of the new album!“
Tracklist:
Children of the Purge
Delusion
Clear View of the End
Lazarus
Carry The Torch
The Fathomless Deep
Where Dead Saints March
Filtered
El Niño
As We Drown
Until the Light Takes Us
“Delusion” will be coming out on May 26th and is available for pre-order/pre-save at THIS LOCATION
Carry the Torch are: Dennis Johansson – Vocals Philip Nilsson – Guitar Victor Wahlstedt – Guitar Björn Lindgren – Drums
As DEVILDRIVER enter their third decade with nine full-length albums, countless international tours and worldwide renown, they prove more resilient than ever. As the world was upended in 2020, iconic groove metal leaders DEVILDRIVER didn’t pause, releasing the highly-acclaimed first installment of their two-part Dealing With Demons saga, Dealing With Demons I. Now, as society emerges more hardened and determined than before, so does DEVILDRIVER’s 10th full-length, Dealing With Demons Vol. II.
Once again produced and engineered by Steve Evetts with additional engineering from guitarist Mike Spreitzer, Dealing With Demons Vol. II is inarguably heavier and relentlessly harsher than its predecessor. The new album represents not only the most vicious of the two records, but also the darkest recesses of celebrated frontman Dez Fafara’s psyche and the final purging of his demons that have long haunted the band’s music.
The first example of this new onslaught can be experienced today via the band’s unrelenting first single from Dealing With Demons Vol. II, entitled “Through the Depths”. The undeniably grim burnerfeatures black metal-esque passages, deft guitar work and menacing lyricism – proving the evolution of DEVILDRIVER in this new decade. The track is accompanied by a “demonic” new official music video sure to get your head banging!
DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara says about “Through the Depths”: “‘Through the Depths’ is a conversation between a higher power and humans regarding the power of thinking ideas into existence, but being very careful of being arrogant behind those wants and needs.
The first lines give this away: “Attention attention, you’re seeking, you’ve asked for, it’s given” (the higher power says)
Then the lines of the chorus are that same higher power speaking to humans, saying: ‘through the depths to the ascension, nothing you wouldn’t do for my attention, held to the fire it’s not my crime, you’ve pinned it on me for the last time.’ Meaning – don’t blame the Gods (pin it on them) for your fuck ups. Meaning – put it out there and take steps to attain goals and take accountability.
This track is the essence of Dealing With Demons Vol. II, and the conversations within the record get way deeper than even this.
Enjoy.”
International media mainstays like Revolver, Metal Hammer, Kerrang and Consequence lauded Dealing With Demons I, which debuted at #4 on the US Current Hard Music Albums Chart. Blabbermouth stated, “If the second half of this mammoth endeavor matches the first, this will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the DEVILDRIVER story.” Rest assured, Dealing With Demons Vol. II doubles down on the brutality – and then some!
Track one, “I Have no Pity”, instantly keeps fans guessing with its contrasting, marching rhythmic groove and Dez Fafara’s icy, earworm warnings. The album’s standout production immediately shines, with the track’s thick riffs, haunting leads, room-filling drums and Fafara’s vocal prowess leading the way. Eerie, insistent “Mantra” drops a wave of melodic aggression on the listener, instantly inducing headbanging with its breakneck pace and occult lyricism. Dynamic tracks like “Nothing Lasts Forever” and “Summoning” cascade with alternating passages of sinister riffage and memorable chants. “Bloodbath” is as brutal as its name suggests, ominously bending and pummeling with immediate aggression, as “It’s a Hard Truth” continues the onslaught, cautioning against delusion amid balanced melodic leads. Closer anthems “If Blood is Life” and “This Relationship, Broken” are the blood-soaked cherries atop Dealing With Demons Vol. II, bringing together all of the elements that make DEVILDRIVER the best at their craft.
If there is any question as to whether DEVILDRIVER is slowing down any time soon, Dealing With Demons Vol. II proves that 20 years into their career, even with their demons in tow – they move forward at the forefront of metal.
Dez Fafara adds: “Dealing With Demons Vol. II is – simply put – a conversation in its entirety about Dealing With “Inner” Demons. It’s a conversation in song form between ‘self and a power apart from one’s self, and trying to bury old entities.'”
Dealing With Demons Vol. IItrack listing: 1. I Have no Pity 2. Mantra 3. Nothing Lasts Forever 4. Summoning 5. Through the Depths 6. Bloodbath 7. It’s a Hard Truth 8. If Blood is Life 9. This Relationship, Broken
DEVILDRIVER will embark on the first leg of their “Double Trouble Live” USA co-headlining tour with labelmates CRADLE OF FILTH today! Support acts on the tour are Black Satellite and Oni – see below for a complete list of dates.
CRADLE OF FILTH & DEVILDRIVER “Double Trouble Live” 2023 USA Co-Headline Tour Dates w/ Black Satellite & Oni March 8 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre March 9 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park March 11 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory – SOLD OUT March 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades March 14 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox March 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot March 18 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Sunshine Studios March 19 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall March 21 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live March 22 – Dallas, TX @ Amplified Live March 23 – Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live March 25 – El Paso, TX @ The Rockhouse March 26 – Albuquerque, NM @ Revel
Respected standard bearers for 21st century metal, DEVILDRIVER, have spent the last two decades pursuing a course of uncompromising artistry and nonsense-free dedication to the road. Led by the prolific Dez Fafara, the Californian crew have earned their reputation as one of the hardest working bands on the planet, while issuing a steady succession of brutal but distinctive albums along the way. Their focus has remained laser-sharp, and never more so than on the monumental double album, Dealing With Demons.
DEVILDRIVER is: Dez Fafara – Vocals Mike Spreitzer – Guitar Jon Miller – Bass Alex Lee – Guitar Davier Pérez – Drums
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 ) 