Called “One of the best bands in American heavy metal” by Decibel magazine, New York’s SANHEDRIN are premiering “Correction,” the first single from their upcoming Metal Blade Records album, Lights On, set for worldwide release on March 4th.
Listen to “Correction” now at: metalblade.com/sanhedrin – where Lights On can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
The Brooklyn power trio do metal the old school way, channeling the greats that preceded them to create something that is instantly familiar yet with a new, modern energy to it. On this particular track, vocalist/bassist Erica Stoltz explains, “The pandemic put the unbridled excess of humanity on hold. The reference was a play on the term ‘correction’ as used in economics. The comparison is between the slow roll of global death by virus and other man-made instantaneous destructors like atomic bombs.“
Rounded out by Jeremy Sosville on guitars and drummer Nathan Honor, the band state, “In a time where the world around you feels like it’s aflame, when our heavy metal heroes are beginning to disappear to failing health or changing social norms, we, SANHEDRIN, stand here as a shining light through the dark. We are prepared to fly the flag of heavy metal in these trying and uncertain times and have only begun to show the world what we are capable of.“
SANHEDRIN is slated for festival appearances across Europe and the US this year, with full-fledged tours in the works on both sides of the Atlantic.
Lights On Track Listing: 01. Correction 02. Lights On 03. Lost at Sea 04. Change Takes Forever 05. Code Blue 06. Scythian Women 07. Hero’s End 08. Death Is a Door
SILENT SKIES, the cinematic ambient project of Evergrey’s Tom S. Englund and classically trained pianist and composer Vikram Shankar (Redemption), have just released another new single, “Leaving”, cut from their luminescent upcoming second studio album and label debut, Nectar, out February 4, 2022 via Napalm Records.
This infinite, heartfelt full-length enchants with sounds like pure poetry lifting off the page and wrapping around its listener with a gentle glow as it combines the reminiscence of the likes of producers and composers such as Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Ludovico Einaudi, and bands ranging from Sigur Rós to Anathema. The balance between haunting instrumentals and vocal intensity that complement each other in perfect harmony walks a delicate line where listeners are treated to the best of both worlds.
The intense second single “Leaving” combines gloomy ambient and infectious pop influences, all topped by Englund’s outstanding vocal interpretation, that embodies fragility and strength at the same time and creates a setting where the meaning of time and space does not matter any longer. Blended with the sensitive atmosphere of renowned pianist Vikram Shankar, the composition creates a sonic universe in which one only wants to dive deep into and get lost forever.
SILENT SKIES on “Leaving”: “And now for something rather different: we present our second single from Nectar, the dark and brooding ‘Leaving’. Our most intense and powerful song to date is paired with a stunning video by the ever-talented Patric Ullaeus, who helped set our most fiery track yet to an appropriate visual. ‘Leaving’ is a song about closure, moving on and finding a new peace – we hope that you find this song as satisfying to listen to as we felt making it.”
In 2017, the paths of Swedish progressive band EVERGREY’s vocalist Tom S. Englund and multi-instrumentalist Vikram Shankar crossed fatefully. Both artists set themselves free from limitations to captivate their listener with Nectar– a soulful ten-track offering, produced by Englund and Shankar themselves and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios.
SILENT SKIES on the new album: “We are tremendously proud to announce our second record, Nectar, will be released on February 4, 2022. Nectar represents an expansion and an elevation of all things that make us who we are; simultaneously grander and more intimate, more futuristic yet more organic and thoughtful. This record represents who we are, and it means so much to both of us, that we cannot wait for you to experience it.”
With Gothenburg’s EVERGREY known as one of the most prolific bands in progressive metal, Englund is by far no stranger to the scene. After partnering with North Carolina, USA-based pianist Vikram Shankar –who had already worked with greats like Redemption and Anneke van Giersbergen – this fateful encounter, now known as SILENT SKIES, set its first milestone with the release of their spine-tingling debut Satellites back in 2020. Two years later, this fruitful collaboration returns withNectar, marking the sequel of something that’s far more than just a side project of Englund’s. Rather, it’s the brainchild of two highly talented individual artists with deep knowledge and many years of experience, whose creativity and spirit culminates in an exceptional form of musical expression. Shankar’s sensitive yet intense piano tunes merge with the poignant vocal interpretation of Tom S. Englund to take the listener on a touching, melancholic ride that wanders through the darkest facets of life, while always leaving a spark of hope to hold on to. This otherworldly sonic collaboration is graced by the outstanding contributions of Leprous‘ cello player Raphael Weinroth-Browne, who appears on nearly every track of the album to spice up the stirring sound even more.
SILENT SKIES’ sophomore full-length sets off with the soulful, ethereal “Fallen From Heart”, immediately creating a tapestry of sound to get lost in. Tracks like delicate “Taper” and shimmering “Neverending” are dominated by the yearning vocals of Englund, but never fail to give Shankar’s instrumental virtuosity the well-deserved space to shine bright like the first sunray welcoming the day. Beautifully honest “Let It Hurt” addicts with its remarkable chorus hitting on point, blending cinematic strings and piano with hooky modern vocals. Darker realms lure with dramatically accented, heart-beating “Cold”, with its lingering electronic elements that build a tangible, gripping maelstrom of emotions. Instrumental title track “Nectar” closes this new chapter of SILENT SKIES but leaves its audience with a long-lasting impact and the key to a door that’s worth entering over and over again.
Nectar tracklist: 1. Fallen From Heart 2. Taper 3. Neverending 4. Let It Hurt 5. The One 6. Leaving 7. Cold 8. Better Days 9. Closer 10. Nectar
PERSEFONE are known for technical precision at its highest levels, and with their newest single “Katabasis” – out today alongside an astounding new music video created with the support of SDADV – draw dramatic, cinematic soundscapes mixed with electronic influences. The soft, clear vocals of Marc Martins alternate with sharp growls and bleak yet dynamic riffs. This ride ties in with the well-received first single “Merkabah” and leaves you anxiously awaiting PERSEFONE’s upcoming album, metanoia!
PERSEFONE on “Katabasis”: “”Katabasis” stands as the opening track of the new album and marks an important event when it comes to the concept of ‘metanoia’, as it led us to the depths of the being. This song displays many of the elements that can be heard throughout the album, and we hope that it welcomes the listener to the journey we want to offer with all this new music.”
Outstanding progressive/melodic death metal outfit PERSEFONE is known for their band of rich soundscapes and technically precise work that sets new standards in modern extreme progressive metal. Founded in 2001, PERSEFONE has released five studio albums, each one showcasing the band’s myriad of musical principles: high technicality, distinct melodies, plenty of head-turning riffs and musical acrobatics. The band has toured worldwide with notable acts like Obituary and Leprous, has hit stages at important festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Metal Days, Brutal Assault, ProgPower and 70,000 Tons of Metal, and is now set to release their new album, metanoia!
metanoia sets off with opulent opener “Katabasis”, before continuing to balance soft passages with intense walls of sound on tracks like “Aware of Being Watched” – in which clean vocals and jazzy sections alternate with intense riffing carried by dense drumming – while solid, rich sound takes on orchestral dimensions on songs such as “Leap of Faith”. Vivid and dynamic instrumentation, tempo and rhythm make up the intense ride “Merkabah”, showcasing the band’s hardest yet most vulnerable sides as screams and blast beats are followed by soft instrumentation – spanning the song’s intensity to its maximum. Featuring collaborations with standout artists like Steffen Kummerer (Obscura, Thulcandra), Einar Solberg (Leprous), Angel Vivaldi and Merethe Soltvedt (Two Steps From Hell), metanoia exploits the full potential of contrasts in every song, with each track representing a story evolving from beginning to end and constantly growing in strength – redefining typical musical boundaries. Mixed by David Castillo (Leprous, Soen, Opeth) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Enslaved, Ihsahn, Sepultura), the new full-length stretches over 10 songs, each appearing to glide seamlessly from one to the next.
A special surprise is the 11-minute masterpiece “Consciousness Part III”, which continues a series of songs from the band’s fourth album SpiritualMigration (2013). The album closes with another opulent set of songs, “Anabasis Part I”, “Anabasis Part II” and “Anabasis Part III”. “Anabasis Part I” starts off with calm, dreamy piano sounds, drifting over to the intense “Anabasis Part II” and leading seamlessly into “Anabasis Part III”, gently closing the album with a cinematic outro.
PERSEFONE about the new album: “metanoia is the next step in our personal pursuit for existential growth through music. This album is a call for a deep change, a call for an inner journey through fear and pain, a call for a leap into a meaningful and rooted place. Making this album has forced us to face many musical and personal hurdles and fears, and the result of that confrontation lives within all the notes and words captured on this new chapter in our journey. May you will find meaning in all this musical chaos.”
1. Metanoia ft. Einar Solberg 2. Katabasis 3. Architecture of the I 4. Leap of Faith 5. Aware of Being Watched 6. Merkabah 7. Consciousness Part III 8. Anabasis Part I 9. Anabasis Part II ft. Steffen Kummerer, Angel Vivaldi und Merethe Soltvedt 10. Anabasis Part III
Blackened heavy metal outfit NITE will be releasing their sophomore full-length, ‘Voices of the Kronian Moon,’ on March 25, 2022 via Season of Mist, making it the band’s debut to the label! The band has partnered up with Metal Injection to premiere their brand new song, “Acheron,” which can be heard at THIS LOCATION.
NITE mainman Van Labrakis comments: “’Acheron’ opens our upcoming album and introduces us to the world of Kronian Moon. It’s our take on the myth of the ancient river, where Charon led the souls of the dead past the gates of the underworld. In this case the Acheron river is a journey through space and time. A transformation and the beginning of a journey in an ancient alien world.”
‘Voices of the Kronian Moon’ is available to pre-order HERE. The album and singles can also be pre-saved across streaming services HERE.
The album art was created by street artist DEIH.
Tracklist: 01: Acheron (04:44) [LISTEN] 02: Kronian Moon (03:59) [WATCH] 03: Last Scorpion (04:40) 04: Liber ex Doctrina (04:44) 05: Heliopolis (04:32) 06: Edge of the Night (05:04) 07: Thorns (04:56) 08: The Trident (04:23) Total running time: 00:37:02
STEVE VAI and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group have presented an official visualizer for “Zeus In Chains.” The composition is featured on Vai’s upcoming studio album titled Inviolate which will be released digitally and on CD January 28, 2022. The LP will follow on March 18.
Steve Vai shares, “The title for this track ‘Zeus In Chains’ was told to me by the track when I was listening back and asked it… ‘What’s your name’? This happened during the heavy guitar breakdown with the dissonant high note that happens right before the solo. It sounded like Zeus in Chains. Hey, it’s art. You can make up anything you want and it’s legitimate.”
Just prior to the new year, Vai and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group presented an official music video for “Little Pretty,” which captured the artist performing in his inner sanctum also known as “Harmony Hut” which can be screened here: https://youtu.be/bkrmzVMWlLo.
Over the course of a more than 40-year career, Steve Vai has routinely transformed what would appear to be outrageously impossible into something very, very possible… and still also pretty outrageous. From his days as Frank Zappa’s “stunt guitar” player to his more recent expansive and exploratory solo work, Vai has continually challenged notions of traditional guitar playing and composition – and on more than one occasion even reimagined the very instrument itself.
Vai’s newest and 13th solo album, Inviolate, is a nine-song opus that pushes the boundaries of instrumental guitar music. The body of work presents his most focused, streamlined and perhaps invigorating music in years. “It’s very ‘Vai,’ whatever that means,” he says, and then laughs. “Someone else might be better than me at explaining what that is. But it’s just very honest music. Because a lot of my records, they’re long and there’s a lot of concepts and playing around with stories. This one has none of that. This is nine pretty dense all-instrumental compositions that I wanted to capture and record so I could get out there and play them live for people.”
“An inviolate inspiration is one that comes to you completely pure,” Vai explains. “It appears almost in its completeness, and there’s a recognition of it as being right for you – perfectly right for you. There’s no excuses in it. There’s no fantasy in it, just enthusiasm. There’s a recognition of ‘yes.’ And then you capture that in a way that’s authentic to your unique creativity, and I feel as though that’s what I’ve done with this record.”
Track list Teeth Of The Hydra Zeus In Chains Little Pretty Candlepower Apollo In Color Avalancha Greenish Blues Knappsack Sandman Cloud Mist
Sweden’s prolific post-metal band CULT OF LUNA have revealed their expansive new single “Into the Night” off their forthcoming album, The Long Road North, out February 11th. The record is one of their most beautiful and dynamic works to date which is palpably heard on the latest single. Guitarist and vocalist Fredrik Kihlberg explains, “‘Into the Night’ is about the search for something or someone that’s been lost. It’s about being in the state between conscious and unconscious, awake and dreaming. Seeing, hearing and experiencing things and not knowing if it’s real or imagination.“
For over two decades Cult of Luna have forged a sound incomparable to others – ambitious, epic, visceral, and drenched in emotion. The Long Road North marks as a follow-up to last year’s The Raging River EP. As is the case with every album from the band in recent years, there is a lot of shifting of dynamics and sonic density, and perhaps more so than usual on The Long Road North. “It’s a big and cinematic sounding album. I think one of the reasons why we have been able to be so productive the last couple of years is that we have been consistently writing from the heart. We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it’s getting clearer where we are heading,” reveals vocalist/guitarist Johannes Persson, who has been one of the primary driving forces behind the band since their inception.
Persson continues, “The long road north is a long road home. A direction dictated by a call that penetrates rock and echoes through the forest. It flows over every lake, accelerated by the wind. When it reaches you, you know it’s time. Time to move forward. You don’t know where it will lead but you put the trust in it. With eyes raised towards the midnight sun it pulls you closer. The road is long and the end is uncertain.“
The Long Road North is out February 11 via Metal Blade Records and features guest appearances from composer Colin Stetson, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz of French indie band Phoenix, and Mariam Wallentin (Wildbirds And Peacedrums).
Recognized for their apocalyptic live performances that unrestrainedly explore the audience’s imagination, Cult of Luna will bring their stunning live show to fans just in time as The Long Road North hits shelves worldwide. Currently they are confirmed to tour UK and EU next Spring with Alcest, Caspian and Holy Fawn – North American dates to follow. For a full list of dates, see below and to purchase tickets, go here. Follow Cult of Luna on Instagram for further updates to come.
The Long Road North Track Listing: 01. Cold Burn 02. The Silver Arc 03. Beyond I 04. An Offering to the Wild 05. Into the Night 06. Full Moon 07. The Long Road North 08. Blood Upon Stone 09. Beyond II
Cult of Luna – 2022 Live Dates: with Alcest & Svalbard 24/02/22 DK – Copenhagen – Vega 25/02/22 DE – Berlin – Huxley’s 26/02/22 PL – Krakow – Klub Studio 27/02/22 PL – Warsaw – Progresja 28/02/22 CZ – Prague – Roxy 01/03/22 AT – Vienna – Arena 02/03/22 SI – Ljubljana – Kino Siska 04/03/22 CH – Lausanne – Les Docks 05/03/22 DE – Stuttgart – Wizemann 06/03/22 DE – München – Muffathalle 07/03/22 DE – Wiesbaden – Schlachthof 08/03/22 DE – Münster – Skaters Palace 09/03/22 NL – Utrecht – Tivoli Vredenburg Ronda 10/03/22 BE – Kortrijk – Depart 11/03/22 FR – Paris – L’Olympia 12/03/22 UK – London – The Forum / Beyond The Redshift Festival
with Caspian & Holy Fawn 02/10 – LU Esch, Rockhal 03/10 – DE Cologne, Live Music Hall 04/10 – CH Geneva, Alhambra 05/10 – FR Toulouse, Le Metronum 06/10 – FR Biarritz, Atabal 07/10 – ES Barcelona, AMFest 08/10 – ES Madrid, But 09/10 – ES Porto, Amplifest 11/10 – FR Nantes, Stereolux 12/10 – FR Lille, Aeronef 13/10 – FR Strasbourg, La Laiterie 14/10 – NL Zwolle, Hedon 15/10 – DE Leipzig, Felsenkeller 16/10 – PL Wroclaw, A2 17/10 – HU Budapest, Durer Kert 19/10 – GR Athens, Fuzz Club
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