Recently, MAJESTICA released an extended version of their latest album “A Christmas Carol”, finally completing the story surrounding the grumpy old Ebenezer Scrooge with two new songs. It’s pure symphonic power metal in the true MAJESTICA spirit along with elements inspired by the likes of TWILIGHT FORCE, RHAPSODY, ALAN SILVESTRI, DANNY ELFMAN and JOHN WILLIAMS. MAJESTICA had planned to present the album live this December on their “The Christmas Carol” Tour, but due to the ongoing pandemic situation, it had to be moved to 2022. Today, they announce the new tour dates, that you can find below.
The band comment: “It was with great sadness we had to announce the bad news about postponing our Christmas tour for next year. But it’s with great joy we now present to you the new dates for ‘The Christmas Carol Tour – 2022’. We had a blast performing the entire ”Christmas Carol” album live in Stockholm in November and we can’t wait to finally bring this show on the road and spread the Glory of Christmas through Europe. Support will be announced later. See you next year, dear friends! And Merry Christmas!!”
On January 28th, French avantgarde black metallers CELESTE will unleash their new longplayer “Assassine(s)”, produced by Chris Edrich (GOJIRA, TESSERACT, THE OCEAN, LEPROUS).
With their unique mix of black metal, sludge and post hardcore, and over 500 shows played since their inception in 2005, CELESTE have cemented their status as one of France’s most important underground acts and now unveil a new single off their upcoming album soon to be released via their new label Nuclear Blast.
Through punishing palm mute riffing, CELESTE explores modern metal sonorities. Mixing raw brutality with a unique sense of melancholia, the French cross new boundaries on ‘De Tes Yeux Bleus Perlés’.
More metal and filthier, the quartet surprises with an immense downtuned breakdown that sucks you right down into their abyss. Watch the haunting new music video, directed by Grégory Hoeppfner, here:
Catch CELESTE together with their new label mates CONJURER on the upcoming European tour:
02/03/ FR Clermont Ferrand – La Coopérative De Mai 03/03/ FR Toulouse – Le Rex 04/03/ ES Barcelona – Sala Bóveda 05/03/ ES Madrid – Independance Club 06/03/ FR Nantes – Le Ferrailleur 07/03/ BE Brussels – Le Botanique 08/03/ FR Tourcoing – Le Grand Mix 09/03/ FR Paris – Trabendo 10/03/ UK London – The Dome 11/03/ NL Rotterdam – Baroeg 12/03/ LU Esch-Sur-Alzette – Kulturfabrik 13/03/ DE Cologne – Gebäude 9 14/03/ DE Hamburg – Hafenklang 15/03/ DE Berlin – Lido 16/03/ DE Leipzig – UT Connewitz 17/03/ CZ Prague – Nová Chmelnice 18/03/ PL Krakow – Hol 19/03/ SK Kosice – Collosseum 20/03/ HU Budapest – Dürer Kent 21/03/ RO Cluj-Napoca – Form Space 22/03/ RO Bucarest – Quantic 23/03/ BU Sofia – Live And Loud 24/03/ CR Zagreb – Mixtape 5 25/03/ SK Bratislava – Randal Club 26/03/ AT Vienna – Viper Room 28/03/ DE Wiesbaden – Schlachthof 29/03/ BE Antwerp – Trix 30/03/ FR Strasbourg – La Laiterie 31/03/ CH Düdingen – Bad Bonn 01/04/ IT Milan – Tunnel Club 02/04/ FR Lyon – Ninkasi
Having played more than 500 shows around the world, including appearances at several prestigious extreme music festivals, theaters and venues (Hellfest, Roskilde, Copenhell, SummerBreeze, Brutal Assault, Roadburn, Psycho Las Vegas…), with one EP and five albums under their belt, CELESTE has succeeded in creating their own musical atmosphere and are today considered to be one of the most important bands of the “French Avant-Garde Black-Metal” scene.
ICED EARTH’s merchandise web store which was offline for about a year, now is back online, which is cheering up their die hard fans! The band’s official page on Instagram is also seems to be active again, however the official website remained outdated!
While whole of the media, including main stream, independents and even metal music websites focusing on the political aspect around the band and Jon Schaffer, we at Metal Shock Finland decided to remain on the music side only! So here are some facts about ICED EARTH and Jon Schaffer:
ICED EARTH’s discography has twelve studio albums in the list, the first one was the self titled one, which was released in 1990 in cassette, CD and LP formats. The last album, ‘Incorruptible’ was released in 2017 and it was the band’s most successful album in their homeland, USA!
ICED EARTH released two live and three compilation albums, four EPs and five singles!
The band has also a covers album in their arsenal, including cover songs from bands like IRON MAIDEN, KISS, JUDAS PRIEST, AC/DC, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, ALICE COOPER and BLACK SABBATH!
The band’s most successful studio album in Finland was ‘The Glorious Burden’ which hit the chart point at number 30!
ICED EARTH was formed in 1985 but with a different name; Purgatory which was changed in the next year to what it is now!
Jon Schaffer and ICED EARTH have never been one of those rich bands which could spend lots of money at promos especially in the music videos!
In 1984, the year before forming the band, while in Tampa, Schaffer slept in his car until he nearly lost his life in a car accident!
Along side with ICED EARTH, Jon has also been a member of a few other bands and projects like Demons & Wizards, Sons of Liberty, Jon Schaffer’s Purgatory and Schaffer/Barlow Project!
With full force or full throttle you can translate “Volle Kraft”, the title of the new single by German group DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER who defy pigeonholing with their mix of metal, folkloristic and symphonic elements, and an impressive feel for writing catchy, sing-a-long melodies. “Volle Kraft” is the first glimpse at the successor to 2017’s top 10 charting “Der Rote Reiter”!
Recorded entirely on their own and mixed and mastered by Eike Freese (Chameleon Studios, Hamburg, who worked for bands like HELLOWEEN, DEEP PURPLE, ALICE COOPER), DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER celebrate a stunning return after their ‘Jam Session’ record “The Divine Horsemen” (2021) and promote “Volle Kraft” with a powerful video created with Dariusz Szermanowicz (Grupa13).
Formed back in 1995, Germany’s DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER (= The Apocalyptic Riders) have grown from savage grindcore to a phenomenal act whose style transcends genres. In the artistic realm of the Weimar based quartet there are no rules, anarchy, a free flow of ideas and visions reign supreme!
In celebration of their 25th anniversary this year, Germany’s DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER have released a truly special album with “The Divine Horsemen” – a unique musical experiment: A session that has been recorded without any rehearsals or preparations during two days in autumn 2020.
After recently delivering the official anthem for the Swedish team at the international e-sports world championship. AMARANTHE now follow up with level two and unveil a music video for their latest single “PvP”. Directed by none less than Poland’s Grupa13, who previously worked with the band on ‘Archangel’ or ‘BOOM!1’, the video is a colourful and uplifting way to end another blunt year of the pandemic.
Check out the clip for the modern metal dancefloor filler here, and make sure to keep your eyes open for further surprises from the Swedes in the upcoming weeks.
AMARANTHE were recently forced to postpone their upcoming co-headline tour with BEYOND THE BLACK and you can now catch both bands on one of the following events next year:
06.10.2022 | AT – Vienna, Arena 07.10.2022 | DE – Leipzig, Haus Auensee 08.10.2022 | DE – Ludwigsburg, MHP Arena 09.10.2022 | BE – Antwerp, Trix 11.10.2022 | UK – Manchester, O2 Ritz 12.10.2022 | UK – London, Forum Kentish Town 14.10.2022 | FR – Lyon, Ninkasi Kao 15.10.2022 | ES – Barcelona, Salamandra 16.10.2022 | ES – Madrid, Mon Live 18.10.2022 | FR – Bordeaux, Rock School Barbey 19.10.2022 | FR – Paris, Elysée Montmartre 21.10.2022 | DE – Berlin, Columbiahalle 22.10.2022 | DE – Offenbach, Stadthalle 23.10.2022 | CH – Zürich, X-Tra* 25.10.2022 | IT – Milan, Live Club 26.10.2022 | CH – Lausanne, Metropole 28.10.2022 | DE – Geiselwind, Event Hall 29.10.2022 | CZ – Zlin, MOR Cafe 30.10.2022 | HU – Budapest, Barba Negra 31.10.2022 | DE – Munich, Zenith 02.11.2022 | PL – Warsaw, Progresja 04.11.2022 | DE – Oberhausen, Turbinenhalle 05.11.2022 | DE – Hamburg, Zeltphilharmonie 06.11.2022 | NL – Utrecht, Tivoli Ronda 08.11.2022 | DK – Copenhagen, Amager Bio 09.11.2022 | NO – Oslo, Sentrum Scene 11.11.2022 | SE – Gothenburg, Pustervik 12.11.2022 | SE – Stockholm, Klubben Fryshuset
Nuclear Blast is proud to anounce a new studio album by legendary Swedish high energy rock and roll band THE HELLACOPTERS called “Eyes Of Oblivion,” which is set to be released on April 1st, 2022. It will be the first album since the release of their temporary farewell record “Head Off” in 2008! And boy, y’all are in for a treat!
NICKE ANDERSSON (vocals & guitars) reveals: “The album has 10 songs and although it’s obviously not easy to be objective at all, I think musically it sums up everything we’ve touched upon from the start in 1994 up until now. Some of the songs date back as far as 10 years or more, and some were written more recently. It’s rock and roll played with high energy, so for lack of a better term I say High Energy Rock And Roll. You could say it sounds like The Beatles meets Judas Priest or Lynyrd Skynyrd meets the Ramones but the best way to describe this album is that it sounds like The Hellacopters today.”
To celebrate the kickoff of this new chapter of THE HELLACOPTERS, the Swedes are sharing with you a BRAND NEW SINGLE, the anthemic album opener, “Reap A Hurricane”! The song presents itself as a potential future fan-favourite with all of the juicy riffs and in-your-face swagger you could’ve possibly hoped for, topped off with a captivating chorus that won’t leave your head any time soon. In short – it sounds as if the band had never been away!
“Reap A Hurricane” continues the good old HELLACOPTERS tradition of releasing physical 7inch singles in each album cycle. The 7inch vinyl of “Reap A Hurricane” will be released on February 4th, 2022, and it features an exclusive song called “Done Fighting” on its B-side. The 7inch is available in two different colour variants, red and green, which applies to both the vinyl and the respective cover.
THE HELLACOPTERS were formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson (vocals and guitar), Dregen (guitar), Kenny Håkansson (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). At that time Andersson was renowned in the metal scene for his work in well-known Swedish death metal band ENTOMBED and Dregen had built a reputation as co-founder and guitarist of his main band BACKYARD BABIES.
Next to THE HIVES and THE BACKYARD BABIES, THE HELLACOPTERS are considered one of the most important and influential Swedish rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s – they achieved two Gold certifications, won the Swedish Grammy and a Kerrang! award, have amassed 100 million streams to date and have supported and toured with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Kiss, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top or the Foo Fighters. They have released seven albums, ranging fuzzed-out & supercharged garage punk on “Supershitty To The Max!” (1996) & “Payin’ The Dues” (1997) to perfectly crafted & soulful high-energy rock’n’roll with a strong vintage vibe on the following albums, “Grande Rock” (1999), “High Visibility” (2000), “By The Grace Of God” (2002) and “Rock & Roll Is Dead” (2005). A compilation of cover songs called “Head Off” was released in 2008 and marked the band’s last album before ultimately dissolving. In addition THE HELLACOPTERS have released almost four dozen singles, splits and EPs until this day, most of which got the limited 7inch or 10inch vinyl treament, making them a vinyl collector’s dream … or worst nightmare.
THE HELLACOPTERS reunited in 2016 to play a few shows for the 20th anniversary of their debut album, and have proven an unstoppable force ever since, performing at Sweden Rock Festival, Psycho Las Vegas, Download, Hellfest, Roskilde, Ilosaarirock, among others. In October 2021 they announced that they had signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records and a new album would be in the works for Spring 2022.
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
Ads
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