SIRKUIT PREIKER is a new project lead by Samuli Peltola, known as the main force and guitarist from pioneering Finnish alt death band MEDEIA. Sirkuit Preiker’s music combines extreme metal pushed to its boundaries with horror-esque electronic samples. The self-titled debut EP is released April 29th via Playground Music, and the latest take from the album called Surunsyöjä is out now with a haunting music video.
Fresh, heavy and honest – Surunsyöjä is the lead single featuring Ilkka Laitala, frontman of Finnish metal pioneers Nicole. The lyrics describe a fatal mental war within a depressed mind. The songs intense music video was shot at an abandoned psychiatric hospital, which is well-familiar to band leader Samuli Peltola. Surunsyöjä is a powerful anthem for anybody fighting to survive, underlining the EP’s theme that revolves around mental health and death.
Samuli Peltola: “The song is about severe depression, which in my case escalated to the point I had to check in to a psychiatric hospital. The nurse seen in the video actually called me one Friday morning asking me to go skateboarding, to which I replied that I want to die. These are also the same words I told my wife earlier that morning, because I simply couldn’t come up with anything else to say”, describes Samuli Peltola of his battle with depression.
Surunsyöjä is a chant for everyone battling with this cause. Along with its heavy theme, the song presents state-of-the-art Finnish audio- and video production, which lifts the song right up there.
With an incredibly successful back catalogue of ten records under their belt, and a recent signing with powerhouse label AFM Records, Austria’s symphonic metal force EDENBRIDGE has announced the first details about their upcoming, new album. Shangri-La will be released on August 26, 2022 and is featuring nine epic tracks, seeing the band to deliver their most diverse album to date!
Shangri-La takes the dedicated EDENBRIDGE listener on a musical ride into the realms of finest symphonic metal. The band’s eleventh studio album unleashes a sophisticated range of compositions along with an intoxicating and bombastic sound atmosphere. Despite constantly high quality standards and as the new offering proves, EDENBRIDGE continually expands their musical expression from album to album without abandoning their trademarks. This time, the band has created a fine balance between emotionally magical moments, an ever-present mystical atmosphere and heavy, fast-paced riffage.
Today, they are presenting a first track taken of Shangri-La, alongside a lyric video for ‘Somewhere Else But Here’! Says lead vocalist Sabine Edelsbacher: “‘Somewhere Else But Here’ is about our phantasy, that takes us on a journey into a world we would like be different. In some extent, we also use it to write a part of our book of life, which lies at the bottom of the lake and life leafs through it.“
Formed in 1998, EDENBRIDE belongs to one of the most style-defining bands of their genre, spearheading its domain since their pathbreaking debut album “Sunrise in Eden” (2000). Their forthcoming magnum opus, Shangri-La, was recorded at the Farpoint Station Studio, mixed by Karl Groom and was produced by Lanvall himself. “Instead of going on a European tour in spring 2020, it was a matter of flipping on our creative switch and channelling those intense energies into a transformative song writing process for the new album,“ he says.
The cover art was created by United Arab Emirates artist, Muhammad K. Nazia, and features a pictorial representation of Shangri-La embodied as a synonym for paradise. The term was first mentioned in the novel “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton. It is described as a mystical place where people live in peace and harmony. However, the story itself is based on the ancient Far Eastern legend of “Shambala” depicted in long-preserved Buddhist scriptures. The legend depicts a paradise that is to become accessible again only when humankind is ready for it and only when a few have the spiritual maturity to understand and preserve the teachings. Sabine reveals: “For me, ‘Shangri-La’ is a wellspring of wisdom, a deeply secluded spiritual centre and a realm of retreat that casts a magical allure over we humans. And there is a reason why it is so meaningfully said: ‘You do not enter paradise with your feet, but with your heart’.”
Track listing:
At First Light
The Call Of Eden
Hall Of Shame
Savage Land – feat. NDR Radio Orchestra flutist Daniel Tomann-Eickhoff
Somewhere Else But Here
Freedom Is A Roof Made Of Stars
Arcadia (The Great Escape)
The Road To Shangri-La
The Bonding (Part 2) – feat. Erik Martensson (Eclipse, W.E.T.) I. The Bonding Overture II. Alpha and Omega III. The Eleventh Hour IV: Round and Round V. The Timeless Now – Finale
Following the recent announcement of their upcoming three track EP, The Dying Pines, HUNSTMEN have today shared a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Carry On – available exclusively via Bandcamp. Carry On is the first song to be taken from The Dying Pines ahead of its April 22 release via Prosthetic Records and is accompanied with an intimate performance video directed by HUNTSMEN bassist Marc Stranger-Najjar.
Speaking on their cover of Carry On, the band comments: “The theme of surviving, navigating, and attempting to transmute world-destroying change has been a constant in our lyrical content. And, we’ve been transparent about our love of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as a huge influence both growing up and now for us as a band, especially in terms of vocal arrangements.
“Carry On is a song about living across the dividing line between comfortable innocence and a dark night of the soul, and finding redemption on the other side. Even the two halves of the song project this mood. We wanted to show listeners our interpretation, in which the second half of the song doesn’t just emphasize the freedom of moving forward, but also the echoes of pain and loss from what was left behind.”
The hiatus from regular band activity saw HUNTSMEN return to their roots as a band, writing on an acoustic guitar and leaning into the narrative storytelling found on their debut full length, American Scrap. An invitation from Roadburn festival in the Netherlands to perform American Scrap in full at the 2022 edition of the festival gave them cause to revisit the songs that saw the band strike out with an Americana-metal sound that has been woven throughout their body of work.
A collaborative approach to the songwriting has lent itself well to blending the strengths of the individual band members, as well as allowing space for threads of their own personal stories to to make their way into the sonic tapestry of new tracks, The Dying Pines and Let The Buried Lie Forgotten. The rich instrumental layering and warm vocal harmonies are a vessel for conveying bleak themes of loss and existentialist contemplation. Once again, the evocative cover artwork has been created by drummer, Ray Knipe, complementing the organic sound of the EP, which was recorded at Electrical Audio/Hypercube studios by Sanford Parker, and mastered by Collin Jordan (The Boiler Room).
Elements of the post-apocalyptic vibe of Mandala of Fear find their way into this new EP, but The Dying Pines sits outside of the story arc present on the band’s full lengths – a vignette that lets us know the heart of this band still beats strong, and offers a hint of what’s still to come.
Upcoming HUNTSMEN shows:
9 April – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL (The Dying Pines live premiere and European send off)
The Carrion UK and Europe Tour 24 April – Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, NL 29 April – The Crofters Rights – Bristol, UK 30 April – Corporation – Sheffield, UK 1 May – Desertfest – London, UK 3 May – Star and Garter, Manchester, UK 4 May – Attic – Glasgow, UK
Electrifying garage rock outfit ÅSKVÄDER launch their second studio album “Fenix”. Following the release of the Swede’s self titled debut from 2020, Åskväder returns with a set of 12 new tracks. Recorded live in studio, “Fenix” captures the essence of the band’s energetic and direct sound. Combining bluesy guitar licks with groovy rhythms, thundering bass lines, and catchy, melodic hooks, Åskväder’s new album brings straight forward, 90’s inspired Scandinavian garage rock to the modern day and age.
Martin Gut from the band about the new album:
“The name of the album came because we as a band in many ways hit a big bump in the road after the first album was released. Fenix is the sequel and is a symbol for rebirth. Covid struck and unfortunately we had some changes in our line up which put the band in a tough spot. However with new members and the absence of Covid we have preserved our sound and thoughts about music in general and the music itself has evolved with the contribution of the new members. The songs are recorded live this time, something that really puts a nice vibe to them, in the enriched Welfare Sounds which also has helped us reach our musical vision.”
Åskväder’s new album “Fenix” is released on The Sign Records. The album is out on all streaming platforms March 25. The CD and vinyl version is set for release in May and can be pre-ordered now. ”Fenix” was recorded and produced by Åskväder, Kalle Lilja and Per Stålberg. The album was mixed by Kalle Lilja and Per Stålberg at Welfare Sounds Studio, and mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios.
Tracklist:
Blurry Lines
When We Fall
Let You Down
Old Friend
Claptrap
Head Home
Zealot
Nightcap
Preach for Me
Deadlock
Reap What You Sow
Run out of Time
Besides the new album, Åskväder is also announcing new live dates:
25/3 Göteborg – Fyrens Ölkafe 29/3 Malaga – Velvet Club 30/3 Granada – Rocknrolla 31/3 Baeza – Café Teatro Central 1/4 Dalis-Almeria – Pub J&G 2/4 Caravaca De La Cruz – La Capellania Festival Punknroll 6/5 Motala – Bomber Bar 7/5 Stockholm – Harry B James 1/6 Aalborg – 1000Fryd 2/6 Osnabrück – Zur Heimat 3/6 Berlin – Wild At Heart 4/6 Hamburg – Astra Strube 5/6 Asendorf – Break Out
Iconic guitarist ROBIN TROWER has released “The Razor’s Edge,” the second single from his new studio album, ‘No More Worlds To Conquer,’ out April 29th via Provogue. Featuring what Trower calls “some of my favorite guitar work I’ve played on a recording in a long time,” “The Razor’s Edge” finds the guitarist shining a light on the failure of world leaders today. “’The Razor’s Edge’ and ‘Cloud Across The Sun,’” Trower comments, “those are definitely about my dissatisfaction with the politicians of the day – pointing the finger at the ones that don’t keep their promises.”
Few would dispute that the title of Robin Trower’s latest album – ‘No More Worlds To Conquer’ – is a fair summary of the thumbprint he has left on the musical universe. But as he reminds us, it should not be misinterpreted as his mission being accomplished. “I definitely feel like I’m still reaching,” he considers, “with the guitar, and the songs, and everything else.”
For more than six decades, Robin Trower’s career has known no bounds. At the age of 76, the British guitarist can reflect on a journey in which he has planted flags across the musical sphere and played every role imaginable. He’s been the driving force behind Sixties icons Procol Harum. The transatlantic solo star who filled US stadiums with 1974’s Bridge Of Sighs. The collaborator and occasional supergroup member. The elder-statesman songwriter whose late period still crackles with invention.
Featuring vocals and bass from the late Jim Dewar – along with jaw-dropping guitar work from Trower that has influenced everyone from Steve Lukather to Opeth – the US-gold-selling ‘Bridge Of Sighs’ is perhaps his flagship album.
“With every album, it’s the best I can do at that particular time. I think that’s what it’s about. I set myself goals and each song has to live up to them,” he reflects.
“What usually happens is that I’m playing the guitar for fun and an idea will suddenly appear,” he continues. “Then you’re looking for a lyric that grows out of the music and enhances the mood. it’s lovely when you’ve gone right the way through from the beginning of the first little guitar idea that grows into a song and eventually you get a track down and finished – and it’s something like how you heard it in your head.”
Turning once again to his trusty toolkit of Fender Stratocaster and Marshall amp, Trower’s guitar work is ageless, whether that’s the tough chop of “Ball Of Fire,” “Losing You and Cloud Across The Sun,” or the slower-burn wah squalls of the title track and “Deadly Kiss.” “Each track has to work as a sound,” he says, “as well as music and everything else. I’m very particular over guitar tones. I drive people mad, but in the end, it’s worth all the aggravation.”
On “Waiting For The Rain To Fall,” Trower’s playing is crystalline as a dew drop, while the aching finale, “I Will Always Be Your Shelter,” offers a solo whose masterful touch is compelling as anything in his catalogue. “That’s a real high point for the playing,” he nods. “And ‘Waiting For The Rain To Fall,’ I think is influenced by Tamla Motown. It’s a bit left-of-centre for me to do a song like that. But I think it’s potent stuff. I’m hoping this album will surprise people.”
Once again, Trower also handles bass duties, but as a lifelong servant of the song over his own ego, he didn’t hesitate to enlist other musicians. “Livingstone Brown played bass on three tracks, and Chris Taggart is on drums,” he explains. “He’s a wonderful drummer, and he’s done the last three or four albums. And I started to realize, after I’d tried to sing these songs myself, that I wasn’t vocally up to it. Richard Watts has done a great job on vocals. He’s got a fantastic instrument – such a soulful singer – and he’s willing to get it exactly how I’m hearing it in my head. The other great thing about having Richard is that there’s quite a few songs on this album that I wouldn’t be able to play and sing live at the same time.”
“It was difficult, but I’m glad I did it,” he considers. “This album is an evolution. I’m hoping that’s what is always happening with my music. There’s a huge step between Bridge Of Sighs and now. It’s like anything. The more you work on it, in theory, the better you should be at it. And I definitely feel like this album is one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
Cape Fear metal legends WEEDEATER have announced several additional live dates for their upcoming U.S. headliner! The trek will kick off on April 7 in Charleston, SC and will conclude on June 5 in Asheville, NC. The band will be supported by REBELMATIC and ADAM FAUCETT from April 7- April 24 and then will be supported by HTSOB & JD PINKUS from May 17 until June 3. The full run of dates can be found below while tickets are now available at THIS LOCATION. The new dates are below in bold.
WEEDEATER U.S. Tour Dates: 04/07: Charleston, SC @ Trolley Bar 04/08: Gainesville, FL @ Loosey’s [TICKETS] 04/09: Melbourne, FL @ Iron Oak [TICKETS] 04/10: Cape Coral, FL @ Nice Guys [TICKETS] 04/12: New Orleans, LA @ Poor Boys 04/13: Nashville, TN @ Springwater [TICKETS] 04/14: Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing 04/15: Chicago, IL @ Chop Shop [TICKETS] 04/16: Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups [TICKETS] 04/17: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Funhouse 04/18: Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl [TICKETS] 04/19: Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary [TICKETS] 04/20: Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant St [TICKETS] 04/21: Charlottesville, VA @ Champion Brewing [TICKETS] 04/22: Washington, DC @ Hill Country Live [TICKETS] 04/23: Winchester, VA @ Bright Box Theater [TICKETS] 04/24: Raleigh, NC @ Pour House [TICKETS] 05/17: Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor 05/18: Knoxville, TN @ Brickyard [TICKETS] 05/19: Newport, KY @ Southgate House [TICKETS] 05/20: Green Bay, WI @ Lyric Room [TICKETS] 05/21: Davenport, IA @ Racoon Motel [TICKETS] 05/22: Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge [TICKETS] 05/23: Denver, CO @ Hi Dive [TICKETS] 05/25: Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom [TICKETS] 05/26: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS] 05/28: San Francisco, CA @ Heavy Psych Sounds Fest [TICKETS] 05/29: Los Angeles, CA @ Heavy Psych Sounds Fest [TICKETS] 05/30: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar [TICKETS] 05/31: Phoenix, AZ @ Nile Theatre [TICKETS] 06/02: Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street 06/03: Little Rock, AR @ Mutants of the Monster Fest [TICKETS] 06/05: Asheville, NC @ Asheville Music Hall [TICKETS]
All of WEEDEATER‘s albums are now available at fine record stores nationwide and online at the WEEDEATER Bandcamp page.
Chief Shock Video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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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