AVRALIZE Release New Single And Video ‘Upside Down’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 22, 2024
Posted in: News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Leah Wilke

German metalcore quartet Avralize, fronted by vocalist Severin Sailer, along with guitarist Philipp Tenberken, drummer Bastian Gölz, and bassist Valentin Noack, are back with their first new single following the success of their debut album FREAKS. The band, known for their fusion of artistic elegance, heavy deathcore elements, and futuristic soundscapes, have already amassed over 2.5 million streams on Spotify for FREAKS, cementing their status as rising stars in the metal scene.

The new single, titled ‘upside down’, is a powerful continuation of Avralize’s signature style, blending destructive breakdowns with captivating guitar riffs and infectious choruses. The track expands on the otherworldly journey the band initiated with FREAKS, using futuristic sounds and intense grooves that are impossible to resist.

Stream ‘upside down’ here: https://arisingempire.com/upsidedown

FREAKS, recorded, mixed, and mastered by renowned producer Manuel Renner (Our Promise, Senna, and Consvmer), brought Avralize‘s unique sound to the forefront of the heavy music scene. Now, with ‘upside down’, Avralize promise to elevate their artistry even further, turning the world of deathcore on its head once again.

Stream  / purchase FREAKS here: https://arisingempire.com/freaks

“Freaks is a record that’s sure to make people sit up and listen” – Distorted Sound

“they have shown an impressive amount of talent with this debut.” – GBHBL

“Freaks is an impressive debut that proves the talent of all band members.” – FUZE

Having shared the stage with scene heavyweights like Ghostkid, Novelists, Paleface and Of Virtue, the group quickly established a reputation for their energetic live show that turns their crowds into a giant party on a regular basis. Despite their relatively short time as a band since their formation, Avralize have already performed at established festivals like Southside, Hurricane and RockXplosion.

Catch AVRALIZE live on the following dates:
04/10/2024 – headCRASH – DE-Hamburg 
05/10/2024 – BETA – DK-Copenhagen
06/10/2024 – John Dee – NO-Oslo
07/10/2024 – Nalen Klubb – SE-Stockholm 
09/10/2024 – Kuudes Linja – FI-Helsinki
10/10/2024 – Paavli Kultuurivabrik – EE-Tallinn 
11/10/2024 – Melnā Piektdiena – LV-Riga 
13/10/2024 – Hydrozagadka – PL-Warsaw 
15/10/2024 – Dürer Kert – HU-Budapest
16/10/2024 – B72 – AT-Vienna
17/10/2024 – Feierwerk (Kranhalle) – DE-Munich 
18/10/2024 – Legend Club – IT-Millan
19/10/2024 – Klub Komplex – CH-Zurich
20/10/2024 – La Boule Noire – FR-Paris
22/10/2024 – Exchange – GB-Bristol
23/10/2024 – Devil’s Dog – GB-Birmingham 
24/10/2024 – Deaf Institute – GB-Manchester 
25/10/2024 – Key Club – GB-Leeds
26/10/2024 – Downstairs At The Dome – GB-London 
27/10/2024 – Green Door Store – GB-Brighton 
29/10/2024 – Botanique – BE-Brussels
30/10/2024 – Patronaat – NL-Haarlem
31/10/2024 – Cassiopeia – DE-Berlin 
01/11/2024 – Das Bett – DE-Frankfurt

Tickets

Avralize are:
Severin Sailer | Vocals
Philipp Tenberken | Guitar
Valentin Noack | Bass
Bastian Gölz | Drums

Avralize online:
https://www.instagram.com/avralizemusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@avralizemusic
https://www.facebook.com/avralizemusic
https://twitter.com/avralizemusic

GLACIAL TOMB Celebrate New Album Release with Music Video for Title Track ‘Lightless Expanse’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 22, 2024
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Photographer credit: Frank Guerra

GLACIAL TOMB have released their sophomore album, Lightless Expanse, via Prosthetic Records. Accompanying the release, the Denver, CO sludge-corrupted death metal trio has also shared a music video for the title track, directed by Frank Guerra. Lightless Expanse‘s release coincides with GLACIAL TOMB‘s ongoing North American tour dates, with the band set to perform at Piranha Bar in Montreal, QC tonight – full dates and details below.

Stream Lightless Expanse via Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Bandcamp and Spotify.
Order Lightless Expanse here.

Speaking on the title-track, GLACIAL TOMB vocalist / guitarist Ben Hutcherson comments: “The Lightless Expanse is in many ways the counterpart to (previous single) Stygian Abattoir. It is sludgy and suffocating, a meditation on the futility of control and the serenity of nonexistence. I am particularly proud of this guitar solo, as it is the emotional apex of the song as well as the melodic capstone of the album itself. The resolution of the song, wherein we return to the opening motif, parallels the journey in the album’s lyrics. As the stars disappear from the skies above us, will we find peace in the inevitable silence of nothingness,in the knowledge that the otherwise- inescapable curse of suffering has ended? Or is that end an illusion as well? Does it ever truly end?”

Invigorated by new bass player David Small’s presence, the group meticulously crafted Lightless Expanse throughout 2021 and 2022. Founding members Ben Hutcherson and Michael Salazar (drums) embraced the new dynamic and fresh musical perspective Small brought to the band, with Hutcherson and Small’s work together in Khemmis no doubt fueling their creative alchemy.

The resulting album is an unflinching examination of the horrors of existence, captured with authenticity and meticulous attention to detail. The songs were produced and engineered by Hutcherson, with drums recorded at The Band Cave in Denver and everything else tracked at his home studio. In an era of hyper-quantized, soulless extreme music that prioritises perfection above all else, the trio rehearsed relentlessly throughout 2022 before they began tracking in Spring 2023. They enlisted the renowned mixing and mastering skills of Arthur Rizk to realise their collective vision for this record.

The narrative arc that runs through the nine blistering tracks juxtaposes everyday suffering with nigh-ineffable cosmic horror; mental illness, grief, social isolation, and a longing for meaning all take the form of celestial beings and deific machinations. Hutcherson’s lyrics are inspired by writers such as Thomas Ligotti, Philipp Mainländer, Peter Wessel Zapffe, and Alan Watts.

These bleak themes are wrapped up in a bruising package of dissonant death metal intensity, shot through with a flourish of black metal grandiosity. Whilst the aforementioned dedication to arranging things ‘just so’ gives a technical and cerebral edge to their sound, the choruses are laden with soaring melodic hooks, satisfying the most riff-hungry amongst us. GLACIAL TOMB refuses to fit neatly within the parameters of any one genre, and their sound is all the richer for it. Lightless Expanse is a multi-layered exploration of heavy metal in all its complex and cathartic glory.

Lightless Expanse Tracklist:
1. Stygian Abattoir
2. Voidwomb
3. Enshrined in Concrete
4. Abyssal Host
5. Sanctuary
6. Seraphic Mutilation
7. Worldsflesh
8. Wound of Existence
9. The Lightless Expanse

Upcoming GLACIAL TOMB live shows:
September 20 – Piranha Bar – Montreal, QC
September 21 – Palladium – Worcester, MA (New England Metal and Hardcore Fest)
September 22 – The Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY
September 23 – Preserving Underground – Pittsburgh, PA
September 24 – Magoo’s – Bedford Park , IL
September 25 – 1867 Bar – Lincoln, NE

December 7 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO (Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest)

GLACIAL TOMB is:
Ben Hutcherson – Guitar/Vocals
Mike Salazar – Drums
David Small – Bass

THE HYPOTHESIS Release Video for Second Single ‘Here I Stand’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 22, 2024
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Finnish progressive metal outfit THE HYPOTHESIS is gearing up to release their new album “Evolve” on October 18th via Noble Demon. The band has just unleashed the second single “Here I Stand”, along with an official video that can be viewed below.

“‘Here I Stand’ narrates the story of a ruler who, despite warnings, builds an empire only to see it crumble under the weight of his own greed and selfishness,“ the band reveals. “As his kingdom collapses, he is left to face the consequences of his actions, surrounded by destruction and plagued by an unending torment. In the end, he stands alone, confronting the inevitability of his demise and the perpetual suffering it brings.“

Hailing from the darkened realm of Kouvola, Finland, THE HYPOTHESIS was founded in 2009 as a melodic metal entity driven by the desire to break free from genre constraints and evolve with each musical endeavor. With former members now playing in renowned bands such as Opeth and Stratovarius, THE HYPOTHESIS is a powerhouse quartet with a relentless drive for musical excellence.

Emerging on the scene with their debut album “Origin” in 2016, followed by successful single releases in 2018, THE HYPOTHESIS signed with Noble Demon in 2024, marking a significant milestone in their musical journey. With the album “Evolve” just around the corner, fans of bands like Gojira, Textures, and Tesseract can anticipate a captivating sonic experience that pushes the boundaries of progressive metal.

“Evolve” will be coming out on October 18 via Noble Demon and is available for pre-save at THIS LOCATION 

Tracklist:

  1. Wanderer
  2. Here I Stand
  3. Watch the World Burn with Me
  4. Evolve
  5. Where the Dreams Come to Die
  6. From the Ashes
  7. Dead Cold Silence
  8. Thousand Skies
  9. Stray

THE HYPOTHESIS are:
Juuso Turkki – Vocals, Guitar
Asko Sartanen – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Markku Ruuskanen – Bass, Backing vocals
Otso Tiilama – Drums

For more info visit:
https://www.instagram.com/thehypothesisband/
https://www.facebook.com/TheHypothesisband
https://www.youtube.com/@Hypothesisofficial
https://linktr.ee/nobledemon

German NECRONOMICON Present New Album “Construction Of Evil”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 22, 2024
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Total Metal Records presents new release “Construction Of Evil” by NECRONOMICON.

For the first time on vinyl, the fifth full-length studio album by cult German Thrash Metal band.
Necronomicon was perhaps sometimes known as a ‘poor man’s Destruction’, but they had their moments, most notably 1988’s “Escalation”. There are still comparisons to be made to Destruction, especially as Volker’s vocals still persist in their painful pinch a-la Schmier, but the riffs seem to have come into a life of their own. Much of “Construction Of Evil” has a tight, consistent flow to it, a steady violence, fun tracks like “Stormbringer”, “Paralizer”, “Bone Daddy” and “Hard Pain”, loaded with well-meaning guitars, flighty leads and bitter, biting vocals.

The album adheres very strongly to the original mixture of aggressive vocal shouts and melodic riffing observed on their early albums, but with a much cleaner production and a bit of an awareness of the newer German Power Metal acts that came out of the mid to late 1990s such as Paragon and Iron Savior. This is particularly noticeable in the peculiar sound and character of the lead guitar tracks. Naturally, the mix here is far superior to what they’ve done before, from a technical standpoint. The instruments are very well-balanced, the vocals at the forefront without robbing the guitars of their power.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Stormbringer 3:41
2. Hard Pain 3:43
3. From Hell 4:06
4. Alight 2:38
5. Hills of Dead 4:32
6. Paralizer 3:18
Running time: 22:04 min.

Side B
1. Terrorist Attack 5:49
2. Fiction 3:47
3. Fireball 3:28
4. Bone Daddy 3:20
5. Insanity 1:24
6. Possessed Again 4:39

Likewise, the band’s mastery of the gang chorus is almost enough to put Anthrax and Overkill to shame. The lead and gang backup interchanges on the chorus sections of “Fiction” and “Paralizer” succeed in being twice as bombastic as what was heard on “Taking Over” or “Among The Living”, while being just a little too aggressive for much of the German Power Metal scene.

Stylistically, the variation in approach from song to song mostly hearkens back to the mid to late 80s approach, mostly being dominated by speed songs with the occasional slower rocker and token half-ballad. “Alight” and “Hills of Dead” have a lot of German pre-Thrash elements and NWOBHM leanings. “Terrorist Attack” definitely carries some heavy Accept influences, as well as a gloomy piano line which is fairly uncharacteristic for a straight Thrash Metal outfit. “Fireball” has this sombre acoustic line to it that meshes with some standard Power chord riffing to form a middle ground between Anthrax and Bad Religion. It’s certainly the catchiest and vocally melodic of what’s on here, but occasionally kicks in the speed to keep it from being a straight power ballad.

To the prospective shopper of faster Metal with a taste for the old school, this is something that can appeal equally to fans of Old-school Thrash Metal, early US Power Metal and early German Speed Metal. The only thing that the latter two groups of fans should consider is that Freddy Fredrich’s gravely vocal style is more akin to the semi-melodic shouts of Kreator and Destruction than the less dirty melodic vocal approach of Rolf Kasperek or Udo Dirkschneider. But for fans of German Thrash Metal, this is far superior to what most of their scene has been offering in the first decade of the current century.

Release Date:

  • September 20, 2024 – Europe/UK
  • Ocober 04, 2024 – USA/Japan
  • Label: Total Metal Records

Order the album here.

THEIGNS & THRALLS Share Official Lyric Video ‘Now My Life Is Done’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 22, 2024
Posted in: News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Theigns & Thralls, known for their distinctive blend of folk-metal and classic rock, are excited to announce the release of their new official lyric video for “Now My Life Is Done”. This track is part of their latest album called “The Keep & The Spire” which showcases the band’s evolution with a heavier and darker tone, devoid of acoustic tracks.

Theigns & Thralls is the brainchild of Skyclad vocalist and songwriter Kevin Ridley, featuring Cruachan and Waylander band members.

Theigns & Thralls continue to push the boundaries of their sound, cementing their position in the global music scene. The new album not only reflects their artistic growth but also offers fans a deeper and more immersive experience.

The initial inspiration for the song “Now My Life Is Done” came from a ‘gavotte’ (French dance) by J.B. Lulley (from around 1686) as well as a poem called ‘Elegy’ by Chidiock Tichborne (1586). This poem was written by him while he was in prison awaiting execution, his words fits the mood of the music perfectly. The song features Alan Averill (Primordial). For fans of Skyclad, Waylander, Cruachan, Korpiklanni, Alestorm. 

LISTEN: lnk.to/J2RvEnnE

The new album “The Keep And The Spire” is out today 20th September 2024 on Rockshots Records. 

PRE-ORDER VINYL:lnk.to/J2RvEnnE

Track Listing:​

01. Overture
02. A Single Beam
03. Fight And Lay Your Bones
04. The Battle of Maldon 
05. Aftermath
06. Pagan Song                                               
07. The Harrowing
08. The Seeker
09. Now My Life Is Done
10. The Grape And The Grain
11. Interrogativa Cantilena
12. The Mermaid Tavern  

Theigns & Thralls is the brainchild of Skyclad’s vocalist and songwriter Kevin Ridley. Originally, it was intended to be an ‘occasional band’ to perform songs from the writers back catalogue (Skyclad songs, solo album songs, covers etc) working around Skyclad’s touring plans. 

However, due to the pandemic, the project became a collaborative recording project building on a few demo ideas. Friends and players from across Europe were asked to contribute and the response was overwhelmingly positive. In the end, twenty-five musicians from bands such as Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, Cruachan, Waylander, Celtibeerian and Metal De Facto, as well as solo musicians, contributed everything from drums, bass, guitar, violin, whistles, bagpipes to hurdy gurdy and vocals.

The name Theigns & Thralls (which basically means master and servant) was settled on and it was also decided to make an eponymous album, so that Theigns & Thralls was the band’s name, the name of the album and the name of the opening song. This also helped clarify the band’s ’mission’. Theigns & Thralls is where an appreciation of history, literature and humanism come together for fans of Celtic Speed-Punk, Folk-Metal and Classic Rock. 

Finally, as well as putting out the album and videos, a ‘touring band’ was put together, to perform the songs live. The band have, subsequently played gigs and festivals across Europe, often with guest artist appearances.

Theigns & Thralls is:

Kevin Ridley: Vocals, guitar, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, synths
Dave Briggs: Guitar, whistles, backing vocals, bodhran
John Ryan: Violin, cello, backing vocals
Arjon Valk: Bass guitar, backing vocals
Mike Verhof: Drums, percussion, backing vocals

For more info:​
​Theignsandthralls.com​
​Facebook.com/theignsandthralls​
​Instagram.com/theignsandthralls

AVATARIUM Present Music Video for Haunting Album Title Track ‘Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 22, 2024
Posted in: News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[photo: Niklas Palmklint]

January 24, 2025 will see Swedish doom and hard rock maestros Avatarium release their much-awaited new studio offering “Between You, God, the Devil and The Dead” through AFM Records. The band’s sixth album will be available as ltd. LP Vinyl (Black, Orange/White, Silver), a 2-CD Ear Book, CD Jewelcase and Digital formats, you can now pre-order your favorite edition at this location.

Following the previously-released, first single “Long Black Waves” – blending gloomy hard rock with heavy doom metal accents – today, Avatarium present an official music video for their haunting album title track! Guitarist Marcus Jidell comments:

“Sometimes it feels like being a true musician today is being a part of an underground resistance movement, resisting a culture that wants our brains and souls to shut down. Here’s a song that 
wants to turn your gaze towards something different. A song made by humans for humans”. 

Get “Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead” on all digital streaming services here.

More than ten years ago with founding Avatarium, Candlemass icon Leif Edling made the doom metal world a darker and ultimately more interesting place. Over the next years, they released two EPs, four critically acclaimed full-length records, and a live DVD, ‘An Evening With Avatarium – Live in Stockholm’. Edling eventually left Avatarium‘s ranks due to health issues, but the band forged onward, and 2022 found them capping off a prolific decade with their latest album and AFM Records debut, ‘Death, Where Is Your Sting’.

Following the much-acclaimed record release, lauded by fans and music press worldwide and numerous live appearances at prestigious festivals or on tour with acts such as Swallow The Sun, early 2025 will see the Swedish doom maestros even double down on all expections! Their forthcoming studio offering, “Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead” — produced and mixed by Marcus Jidell with a mastering by Svante Forsbäck (Candlemass, Amorphis and many more) — features eight new enthralling tracks, that showcases the band’s exceptional songwriting skills and qualities. Avatarium have evolved since their 2013 self-titled debut, and although they have always introduced new elements along the way, with their epic fusion of a doom-ladden occult sound and dark, heavy yet melancholic, poetic facets, the Swedish collective fronted by extraordinary vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith proves, why they belong to one of the most unique acts the modern heavy music scene has to offer!

Pre-Order “Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead” now at THIS LOCATION!

“Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead” Tracklist:

  1. Long Black Waves
  2. I See You Better In The Dark
  3. My Hair Is On Fire (But I’ll Take Your Hand)
  4. Lovers Give A Kingdom To Each Other
  5. Being With The Dead
  6. Until Forever And Again
  7. Notes From Underground
  8. Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead

AVATARIUM is:
Jennie-Ann Smith (Vocals)
Marcus Jidell (Guitars)
Andreas Habo Johansson (Drums & Percussion)
Mats Rydström (Bass)

For More Info Visit:
https://linktr.ee/avatariumofficial
https://www.facebook.com/avatariumofficial
https://www.instagram.com/avatariumofficial
https://shop.afm-records.de/avatarium