Melbourne’s alternative rockers The Ugly Kings, have created an incredible short film for the track, Last Man Left Alive, from their2021 critically acclaimed studio album Strange, Strange Times.
Winner of 5 awards at Melbourne’s 2024 Red Sands Film Festival for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematographer, Best Score and People’s Choice Award, “Last Man Left Alive” is the brainchild and passion project of director extraordinaire Cameron Zayec who took the song and turned it into this epic 15 minute sci-fi odyssey, delivered with brilliance and precision by lead actor Troy Larkin and the rest of their phenomenal crew.
The four-piece, known for their foreboding alt-rock with blackened blues and gritty punk edge will be playing at the following events in their native Melbourne soon.
Tuesday, Sept 17 PBS Acoustic Live – PBS FM Melbourne
Saturday, Sept 21 The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne supporting Hot Machine’s EP Launch
“Strange, Strange Times is about anxiety,” the band comments. “The world seems to be getting weirder and weirder every year and we are becoming more and more in touch with everything that is happening on earth as it happens. It’s impossible to process and impossible to make sense of. Strange, Strange Times is the low hum that we all carry around with us every day, the itch on our back that we can’t scratch, it’s the first cut in a thousand cuts. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and count to ten.”
On October 4th, the complete discography of Mantic Ritual will be reissued in a beautifully repackaged and expanded 2LP for the band’s debut album’s 15th Anniversary, officially licensed from Nuclear Blast Records. Plus, we’re adding the 2022 ‘Heart Set Stone’ EP and a unreleased bonus track – the band’s take on the Scorpions classic “Blackout” recorded during the ‘Executioner’ sessions. Limited to 300 copies on Clear with Black Splatter vinyl. Includes 4-panel insert with lyrics, credits, extra photos and personal liner notes from the members recalling memories of the time.
MANTIC RITUAL originally formed as Meltdown in Pittsburgh in 2005. Building a buzz with Northeast heavy metal fans over the next two years they moved across the country to Los Angeles in 2007, where performances alongside leaders of the budding Southern California thrash revival such as Warbringer, Fueled By Fire, and Merciless Death earned them attention from discerning metal audiences and a record deal with Nuclear Blast Records. Changing their name to MANTIC RITUAL, the quartet flew to Germany to record with producer Andy Classen, and released their full-length record ‘Executioner’ in March 2009. Cover artwork provided by Colin Marks (Aborted, Exodus, Allegaeon).
The album received critical acclaim at the time of its release, with MetalSucks praising the band’s “ability to display solid songcraft while maintaining a high-level of heaviness,” Blabbermouth taking note of their “passion, chemistry and intensity,” and the Washington Post noting that “MANTIC RITUAL’s old-school sensibilities act like a group hug that brings punks and headbangers together.”
MANTIC RITUAL fell apart after tours with Rotting Christ and Destruction in 2010. But reformed in 2021, with Carlos Cruz (Warbriner, Exmortus, Hexen) on drums, to release the 6-song ‘Heart Set Stone.’ Now both albums, plus their unreleased cover of the Scorpions classic “Blackout” has been compiled in one set for your (re)discovery and enjoyment.
Active rock heavyweights NOTHING MORE will shine a light on National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month this September and have announced a contest with digital contest fundraising platformFandiem to win an exclusive trip to join the band as they perform on theShiprockedcruise setting sail January 19-25, 2025 from Miami, FL to the Caribbean Islands. The “Donate to Win” contest will raise funds and awareness for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The contest is now live and will run through December 11, 2024. Enter to win by donating as little as $10 at http://fandiem.com/nothingmore.The more you donate, the greater the chance to win.
The prize includes:
Round trip travel to Miami, FL for two
Cabin for two on ShipRocked cruise (1/19-1/25, 2024)
Exclusive opportunity to hang with NOTHING MORE on the ship and join them for an offshore TBD activity (ie: mini golf, casino, video arcade)
Grab a photo with NOTHING MORE
Watch NOTHING MORE’s performance from an exclusive VIP location
One (1) NOTHING MORE surprise signed item
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” declares guitarist Mark Vollelunga. “We all need each other, and we are all here in this crazy life, experiencing it together. Know that you are heard, loved and most of all, that you are not alone.”
NOTHING MORE are currently headlining the “Carnal Tour 2024” withsupport from Set It Off, From Ashes To New, and Post Profit. The hard-hitting and thought-provoking 3x Grammy-nominated band will also appear at several of fall’s largest rock festivals (Aftershock, Louder Than Life) before rejoining rock mainstays GODSMACK from October 16 to 26 with whom they toured earlier this summer. See full dates below. Tickets and VIP meet and greet packages are available now athttps://nothingmore.net/.
NOTHING MORE’s latest album CARNALwas released in June via Better Noise Music. Bassist Daniel Oliver describes it as “a beautiful blend of memorable guitar riffs, illustrious chord progressions, and heart-wrenching lyrical performances all to the beat of a drum that palpitates with syncopated obsession.” CARNAL’s track listing includes NOTHING MORE’s second-ever #1 single on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay charts with the emotionally charged “IF IT DOESN’T HURT” and features guest appearances from iconic rock vocalist / singer-songwriter David Draiman of the 5x Platinum certified group Disturbed, I Prevail vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe, and rapper Sinitzer.
“ANGEL SONG (featuring David Draiman of Disturbed)” will follow “IF IT DOESN’T HURT” as the band’s second single. Labeled as “a standout” by Blabbermouth, they describe it saying, “the song’s rhythmic feel is reminiscent of the vibe from ‘Down with the Sickness.’” Its cinematic music video (HERE) has received over 1 million views while the song has been streamed globally over 23 million times.
“The power of the track is undeniable,” says DRAIMAN. He adds: “I’ve been a fan of the band since the very beginning.”
NOTHING MORE frontman Jonny Hawkins comments,“As the song was coming together in the studio, it became immediately clear to us that David Draiman’s voice would take it to another level. We’re so happy with the result.”
NOTHING MORE UPCOMING 2024 TOUR DATES 9/10 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works #
9/12 Ocean Bay City, MD – OC Bikefest 2024 % 9/13 Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues # 9/14 Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues # 9/15 St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live # 9/17 Asheville, NC – Orange Peel # 9/19 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore # 9/20 Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union Live #
9/26 Saint Paul, MN – 93X Family Reunion % 9/27 Milwaukee, WI – 102.9 The Hog’s HOG Havoc % 9/28 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life % 10/13 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival %
10/16 Loveland, CO – Budweiser Events Center ^ 10/17 Colorado Springs, CO – Sunset Amphitheater ^ 10/19 Park City, KS – Hartman Arena ^ 10/20 Saint Charles, MO – The Family Arena ^ 10/22 Pikeville, KY – Appalachian Wireless Arena ^ 10/23 Wheeling, WV – Wesbanco Arena ^ 10/25 Allentown, PA – PPL Center ^ 10/26 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena ^
1/19-25 Miami,FL – ShipRocked 2025 %
^with Godsmack and Flat Black #with Set It Off, From Ashes To New and Post Profit *no Set It Off or From Ashes To New %festival date
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION (AFSP) The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.
ABOUT FANDIEM Fandiem is a digital fundraising platform that harnesses the power of the fan community to do good in the world. With their donation to a selected nonprofit, fans are entered to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences and prizes from their favorite artists, festivals, athletes, and creators. These are the opportunities that were previously available only to a select few but through Fandiem are awarded to the everyday fan at the heart of the community. https://fandiem.com/
True Norwegian black metal horde 1349 will be releasing their eighth full-length, ‘The Wolf and the King,’ on October 4, 2024 via Season of Mist! The Norwegian horde is now unleashing the latest offering from the record, “Inferior Pathways,” which can be heard at THIS LOCATION.
1349 frontman Ravn comments, “With this single, some might say we have saved the best for last. I say that ‘Inferior Pathways’ is the perfection of quintessential 1349 executed in the darkest and most sinister way.”
The forthcoming offering was mastered by Jarrett Pritchard and produced and mixed by Prichard & 1349 frontman Ravn at NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P.
Pre-order for ‘The Wolf and the King’ are now live HERE.
The cover artwork for ‘The Wolf and The King’ was created by Jordan Barlow.
‘The Wolf and the King’ Tracklisting:
01 – The God Devourer [WATCH] 02 – Ash of Ages [LISTEN] 03 – Shadow Point [WATCH] 04 – Inferior Pathways [LISTEN] 05 – Inner Portal 06 – The Vessel and The Storm 07 – Obscura 08 – Fatalist
Cover art by Jordan Barlow
1349 is not like other bands. It’s not a group of friends who decided to make music together. 1349 is a band formed with a unified vision and specific purpose: To maintain the legacy of black metal.
“I didn’t like the direction that black metal took in the mid part of the ’90s,” 1349 vocalist and mastermind Ravn recalls. “It started losing everything that I liked about black metal—the grimness, the eeriness, the primal emotions that captivated me and brought me into that sphere. You had all these synthesizer-based bands dressing up in pirate shirts and looking like goths. It ruined something that I truly hold close to my heart.”
In 1997, Ravn formed 1349 and recruited bassist Seidemann and, now former, guitarist Tjalve to help him pursue the vision of recapturing the original spirit of black metal. The longstanding lineup of Ravn, Seidemann, guitarist Archaon, and drummer Frost (also of Satyricon) has been in place since 2001. “I found people that felt the same way as me,” Ravn says of his bandmates. “We wanted to bring back the trademark of Norwegian black metal, as it was presented in the early 90s. Every time we release an album, that’s the inspiration and the backdrop.”
The Wolf and the King is the latest sortie in that crusade.1349’s eighth album sees the Oslo-based band harnessing the primordial energy of black metal’s decade-defining second wave and channeling it through ancient mysteries and the relentless global chaos of the 2020s.
The album title comes from a classic alchemical allegory: A wolf devours a king. Then the wolf is devoured by flames, and a new king rises from the ashes. “When I first heard about alchemy when I was young, it was people turning metal into gold,” Ravn says. “Further down the road, through various literatures and magical practices, I realized that what you’re turning into gold is metaphorical. It’s about personal development, basically. You want to be the best you can be, and that’s what we try to do as well. We try to top ourselves, to kill our egos in order to grow as persons. If you don’t do that, you will die. You will not rise from the ashes.”
Lead single “Ash of Ages” combines thrash with extreme metal flourishes and a proper doomsday theme. “The song is based on a story I read about a layer of ash that covered the Earth 12,000 years ago,” Ravn explains. “This layer of ash comes from a meteorite that struck the Earth during the Ice Age. It melted a lot of the ice, which is where the Great Flood came from. The Great Flood is in the Bible, but it was written about in every ancient culture. The theory is that it washed away a lot of other ancient cultures that held a higher intelligence level than those that were found after the flood. So, it possibly set human civilization back many thousands of years.”
Released as a one-sided maxi-12” with a flipside etching by Jordan Barlow—who did all the artwork for The Wolf and the King (as well as the band’s 2019 album, The Infernal Pathway)—“Ash of Ages” is also a warning to check your ego. “To think that you’re important, that you’re anything but an ant down there, is futile,” Ravn points out. “In the end, everything will be washed away, and nothing will be left.”
“Shadow Point” comes complete with a video and revisits the sonic domain of The Infernal Pathway with a classic headbanger groove. “This one references the Star of Algol, or ‘the Demon Star,’” Ravn offers. “It’s actually two stars that revolve around each other, and the small one is devouring the big one. Human beings have seen this star from early ages, and it has had many names over the years. It’s a known part of the magical world, so I wanted to include it in a song.”
Shot through with menace and a snaky groove, album opener “The God Devourer” will also have a video. “The lyrics are based on the alchemical principle of devouring all that you feel is in your way of becoming a better human,” Ravn says. “It sets the ominous tone for the whole album.”
Recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo, Norway, and New Constellation R.M.P. in Orlando, Florida, The Wolf and the King was produced and mixed by Ravn and Jarrett Pritchard (Eulogy, Pulchra Morte), the band’s long-standing sonic wizard who also worked on their previous two albums. The lyrics were written by the band’s longtime wordsmith, Svartalv, who has been working with 1349 for twenty years.
Jordan Barlow’s elaborate artwork for The Wolf and the King reflects the album’s chronological position in 1349’s discography. “This is our eighth album, and the artwork and lyrics are filled with references to this number of infinity,” Ravn explains. “You can basically go on a quest finding references to the number in the artwork.”
All told, The Wolf and the King is the exalted output of the joint force that is 1349. “We all work together to make the best black metal possible every time we release an album,” Ravn says. “This is our common goal. We’re a band on a mission.”
Recording Studio: Amper Tone (Oslo, Norway) & NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P. (Orlando, USA)
Production Credits: Produced by Jarrett Pritchard & Ravn Mixed by Jarrett Pritchard & Ravn at NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P. Mastered by Jarrett Pritchard at NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P.
BLUTGOTT release the official video for “Dragonsteel”. The song is taken from the upcoming 3CD Album “Dracul Drakorgoth” (Massacre Records / out 20.09).
A song about the righteous anger of the dragons. The lyrics are about the Red Dragon, the Blood God of Earth, Setekh Drakorgaur, and the Defenders of the Throne of Fire.
This is a special shorter video cut. On the 3CD album the song is longer and there are three different versions with German lyrics, with the Blood God Heavy Metal voice and the Debauchery Monster Voice.
THE BLUTGOTT METAL UNIVERSE
DEBAUCHERY– Monster Metal
BLOOD GOD – Hard Rock & Heavy Metal
BALGEROTH – German Metal
In 20 years, singer and guitarist Thomas Gurrath has created an entire band universe with over 30 CDs spread across more than 17 albums from Debauchery, Blood God and Balgeroth. He has united this Trinity of Blood Gods under the name BLUTGOTT.
Musically, the band moves across genres somewhere between Judas Priest, Slayer, AC/DC, Rammstein and Bolt Thrower. There is pounding death metal, classic heavy metal and groovy hardrock, sometimes with screeching vocals, sometimes with the distinctive monster voice, sometimes clean, and everything in between.
The lyrics – in German and English – deal with the band’s own dark fantasy universe: the World of Blood Gods. Named after the Blood Gods – biomechanical vampire dragons with demonic abilities.
The three most infamous are Bal-Geroth, the Bloodking of Knochenheim, Dracul Drakorgoth, the Debauchery Blood God and Setekh Drakorgaur, the Red Dragon. Together they form the Trinity of Blood Gods.
In the war zones of the past and future, on Earth, Eden, other planets and Hell, they fight brutal battles against elves, humans and dwarves, as well as other demons.The World of Blood Gods has its own miniatures and its own tabletop game, called Kings of Carnage.
Concerts of the various incarnations of the BLUTGOTT Metal Universe have been held throughout Europe, Russia and Asia. They have performed with Doro, Saxon, Dismember, Napalm Death, Destruction and many other well-known bands from the metal scene and played at major festivals such as Wacken, Summer Breeze and Bang Your Head. The albums are regularly in the top50 of the official German album charts.
The new album “Dracul Drakorgoth” will be released on September 20th and contains ten completely new songs each with the Debauchery Monster Voice, once with the German Balgeroth lyrics and also with the Blood God Heavy Metal voice. Available as 3CD Digi Pack, as limited edition box and the Debauchery and Balgeroth versions each as limited edition LP. Recorded by Dennis Ward (Unisonic, Krokus, Helloween).
You can find out more about the BLUTGOTT universe at www.blutgott.com
The new album, T-shirts, miniatures and the tabletop game are available from the band’s own www.bloodstore.de
Italian heavy metal band HELL RIDERS are thrilled to announce the official release of the Cartomancer music video, one of the most intense and meaningful tracks from their latest album Rising Phoenix. Directed by the talented filmmaker Manuel, the video is now available on all platforms.
Cartomancer delves into a theme often surrounded by darkness: the figure of the cartomancer, an enigmatic character capable of communicating with unknown realms through tarot cards and other mysterious tools. However, in Hell Riders’ interpretation, this figure is seen in a more benevolent light, despite their dark appearance, guiding souls towards an understanding of their own future.
The video tells the story of a young man in the midst of an existential crisis, who has lost all hope. After a desperate attempt to end it all, he awakens in a mysterious forest. There, he encounters an ambiguous cartomancer, who leads him on a journey of discovery, guiding him towards his destiny in a symbolic and introspective narrative.
“When we got together to decide which track to create a video for, we narrowed it down to three: Rising Phoenix, Cartomancer, and Tell me the World. But after seeing Manuel’s cinematic and dark style, we realized that Cartomancer was the perfect match to reflect the atmosphere we wanted to convey,” the band explains. “This song holds a special meaning for us, not only because it was the first track written by Francesco, but also because its storyline is deeply connected to our guitarist’s past, to the point where he became the protagonist of the video.”
The Cartomancer music video also marks the debut of Zanco as Hell Riders’ official second guitarist, who joined the band after the release of Rising Phoenix.
With a dark, atmospheric setting paired with powerful and immersive sound, the Cartomancer video represents an important step in Hell Riders’ career, further showcasing their ability to tell deep stories and create a strong connection with their audience.
About Hell Riders Hell Riders is a heavy metal band known for their unique blend of powerful sounds and emotionally charged lyrics. Their latest album Rising Phoenix has been met with widespread acclaim, cementing their position in both the Italian and international metal scene.
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
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 