Italian black-thrash metal trailblazers NECRODEATH have today announced their intention to break up after one final album and a farewell tour in 2025.
Throughout the next 18 months the band will celebrate 40 years of existence by releasing a new full-length album via Time To Kill Records and by heading out on a tour that’s purported to be their last one ever.
Frontman Flegias commented: “Following a prolific career and hundreds of concerts, we decided to stop here to make room for new up and coming acts and enjoy a well-deserved rest. We are aware that we are delivering bad news to our most loyal fans, but this should also please those who always said we should have broken up after the first demo tape. We will say goodbye with one last album and a series of concerts that will last from January to December 2025”.
Drummer Peso added: “We don’t last forever! I’m sure that we said everything we had to say, for better or for worse. For 40 years we lived the underground without compromising with anything or anyone, although at times it would perhaps have been appropriate to be more accommodating in order to get more visibility. But this is the story of my Necrodeath, a group of friends who have always played with passion, coherence and dignity. See you around for one last time”.
Watch for more details on the new album release, new tour updates, and more news on other upcoming NECRODEATH activities to be posted shortly.
Biography:
The moment you hear it, you know it’s NECRODEATH. Formed back in 1984, the Italian act is one of the real iconic black-thrash metal bands. With a career of 40 years, the band has helped to shape the Italian metal scene and the international underground as it is today. In 1985 NECRODEATH released a cult-demo tape titled “The Shining Pentagram” and obtained an incredible success in the underground. The demo is still considered a real gem in the thrash and black metal history. Tons of tributes in major magazines, fanzines and other underground outlets highlighted the release of the first two legendary albums “Into The Macabre” (1987) and “Fragments Of Insanity” (1989). New records and international and national tours followed one another non-stop until 2020. Like many other acts, the band was forced to interrupt a workaholic path in the underground metal scene. During that period the band reached out to Time to Kill Records for the release of the last two albums, starting with “Singin’ in the Pain” in 2023. One final record will kick off a farewell tour which will conclude at the end of 2025.
Instrumental heavy psych trio Kanaan have joined forces with neo-folk trio Ævestaden, in a heady collaboration combining two of Norway’s most lauded young groups.
This week Kanaan & Ævestaden have announced their beautiful album project Langt, Langt Vekk, due 11th October via Jansen Records.
In celebration, the new group have also released their new single ‘Fiskaren’.
Courageous, meditative, and progressive, the album is an exciting new jewel in the crowns of these two award-winning bands.
With Langt, Langt Vekk (translated as far, far away) the two bands have created a singular album. Traditional Norwegian folk music and rock has been combined several times before, but nothing sounds like this. Kanaan contributes its members’ jazz/psych background, rooted in improvisation and jamming. Ævestaden’s modern folktronica utilizes several ancient traditional instruments, in addition to the incorporation of traditional Swedish folk music. The result is something truly groundbreaking, in where both bands’ identities shines through.
Langt, Langt Vekk serves up reworked old traditionals and psalms along with grand new compositions. The album is impressively coherent, given the two band’s wildly different musical backgrounds. Fiddles, cow’s horn, kravik lyre, mouth harp, synths, harmonies, heavy guitars and a thundering rhythm section: Musically, it is impressively versatile, as well as consistently tasteful.
It’s the first new material from Kanaan since their 2023 record Diversions Vol. 2: Enter the Astral Plane (Jansen Records) – their eighth studio album since forming in 2018.
The trio came to prominence with psychedelic, jazz-inspired rock, but have gradually moved in a heavier direction, where their latest studio efforts have been labelled stoner rock. The band, consisting of Eskild Myrvoll (bass, synths), Ask Vatn Strøm (guitars) and Ingvald André Vassbø (drums, speed Farfisa), won the Spellemann award (Norwegian Grammy) in the rock category in 2021.
Ævestaden are a neo-traditional folk trio, who combine ancient instruments and folk songs with electronic music in a cutting-edge and idiosyncratic sound. The band consists of Norwegian Eir Vatn Strøm (the sister of Kanaan‘s Ask Vatn Strøm) and Kenneth Lien, along with the Swedish Levina Storåkern. They have received several awards for the albums Jag är sen igjen (a collaboration with Benedikt) and Solen var bättre där.
Tracklisting:
1. Ganglåt bortåt 2. Habbor og Signe 3. Fiskaren 4. Langt, langt vekk 5. Farvel 6. Vallåt efter C.G. Färje 7. Hva har min Jesus gjort for meg 8. Dalebu Jonsson 9. Vardtjenn
Harpyie releases “Atreju”, the new single from the upcoming studio album “Voodoo” which will be released on 25th October on Metalville Records.
Who hasn’t heard of The Neverending Story? Mythical creatures, enchanted worlds of fantasy and an underprivileged boy who has to make every imaginable sacrifice to save them. Why him? Is he a tool? Is he self-determined or femd? In ‘Atreju’, Harpy sing a hymn to all the everyday heroes who sometimes ask themselves these questions and yet carry on and continue to carry the light across the river, even if nobody will probably remember them later…
Harpyie – the continuously up-and-coming folk metal band from East Westphalia has played its way into the hearts of the German metal community with its authenticity and consistently individual approach. Whether at the Wacken Open Air or the Summerbreeze, the five rebels from Bad Oeynhausen have thrilled the young and genre-breaking target group as well as the traditional metal fans. With their last album, they also made it into the top ranks of the German album charts with a fabulous 34th place – and proved it: Folk metal from Germany is just as suitable for the mainstream. With their new album “Voodoo” they are continuing on this path.
Harpyie invite you to a life-affirming and rebellious ritual of the shadows of our time.
SERPENTS is a band playing modern/post-metalcore with a touch of electronic music, formed in 2023 in Szczecin (PL), consisting of five members. The band is distinguished by its professional approach to music, creating a unique sound in which aggressive guitars harmonize with pulsating electronic elements.
Within few last months band published songs “The Void“, “Hourglass“, “Self-Made Suffering“, “Tangled“, “Walking Disaster” and “The Signal“. In their music, the quartet tries to cross artistic boundaries and the music, combined with an extremely expressive voice, shows a rich palette of emotions.
Serpents already published video to the latest single “A.E.S.” with video done by Anna Pomierczyk-Wiechnik from rock-it.tv. Vocal in this single was engineered by Wiktor Pieńkosz at Seeker Studio (Netherless, Drakwald), while track was mixed and mastered by Waldemar Jędruszak at Nailbomb Audio (Konstelacje, The Sixpounder, Scylla). Live band photo by Lesław Kopecki.
Band comments: “This new single & video release, entitled AES, short for An Emotional Suicide, is shedding light on a harsh truth: over 90% of people leave this life without fulfilling their dreams. We often get caught up in the demands and expectations of society, neglecting our passions and aspirations, in favor of conforming to the system is akin to an emotional suicide.“
Finland’s celebrated Von Hertzen Brothers have unveiled ‘Starlings’, the first single from their highly anticipated ninth studio album, In Murmuration, due for release on 25th October.
Vocalist / gutiarist Mikko von Hertzen comments on ‘Starlings’: We had the song title ‘Starlings’ in our heads since, as ardent bird enthusiasts, we just love those birds and their murmuration in the sky. I actually had a simple note on my phone from way back that said: “Song title: Starlings – their movement and intuitive flow.”
“The murmuration of those beautiful little birds is a very poetic and metaphoric phenomenon. At least we think so. The science behind it is absolutely fascinating: How the birds read each other while manoeuvring at great speed, creating these absolutely amazing formations and shapes that continuously change. And they do it not for the beauty of it but for protection from predators. Anyway, to our eyes it looks much like the dance of the northern lights made by birds. So, we decided to write a song about it… In the end, the song turned out to talk more about that natural and beautiful flow versus how clumsy we humans are. Essentially, it’s a song about how there is power and beauty in teamwork and how the individual elbowing and struggle to succeed is unappealing, ugly and tiring. Of course, we tried to write it in a funny, relatable way.”
The band chose to release the single on the 19th of August, which in Finland is Magnusdagen (Magnus’ Name Day).
Mikko continues: “For those who don’t know it yet, all of us brothers were named ‘Magnus’ after our forefathers. There’s no better day than today to release a new VHB tune!”
New album In Murmuration follows the profound and epic journey of their acclaimed, pandemic-era masterpiece Red Alert in the Blue Forest (2022).
In Murmuration will be released on Von Hertzen Brothers’ own label, DoingBeingMusic, on limited-edition crystal-clear vinyl gatefold LP, CD and digital. Merch bundles will be available from the band’s website. Pre-orders are available now.
Tracklist:
1. The Relapse 2. A Good Life 3. Starlings 4. Ascension Day 5. Beneath the Silver Stars 6. Tightrope Walker 7. The Change 8. Separation 9. Snowstorm 10. Wait for Me
Von Hertzen Brothers will play album launch shows in Finland and the UK at the end of 2024 before returning to the UK, Europe and the US, including Cruise to the Edge in spring 2025.
Dates are as follows: Nov 09: Helsink (FI) Tavastia (album release show) Nov 16: Tampere (FI) Olympia (album release show) Nov 28: Troon (UK) Winter Storm Festival Nov 29: Buckley (UK) The Tivoli Nov 30: Trecco (UK) Bay Planet Rockstock Dec 02: London (UK) The Garage
In true Von Hertzen Brothers style, In Murmuration creatively juxtaposes the band’s previous release. Whilst their imaginative, multi-genre hard rock and harmonies remain, the band’s artistic pendulum has swung more towards an air of optimism and renewal. The result is a work filled with big choruses, stadium rock anthems, art-rock with 90s vibes and catchy power-pop.
Whilst the themes within the album may not be as deliberately opinionated as on previous releases Red Alert in the Blue Forest and War is Over, there is a naturally occurring sense of constant change throughout. Precise and intriguing observations on the global political landscape, the tricky human relationships of this age, resilience and personal growth all provide lyrical subject matter. The first half of the album embodies a transformation of mood, bringing forth some positivity and love, and the second half journeys through challenging relationships, a literal call for change, separation, loss, longing and a final resolution.
Vocalist/guitarist Mikko von Hertzen says: “The shapes and the overall tone of the musical content on this album could be a bit surprising to some of our newer followers, but not to those who have been listening to us from the beginning. Musically speaking, we have proudly carried the cloaks of ‘prog-wizards’ for the last two albums, but what has not been so widely discussed lately is our ability to write good pop choruses and great catchy rock anthems with good vibes. We felt like it was now time to bring forth that side of us once again. The lyrical themes still deal with the everyday struggles of being humans in this f*cked up world, it’s a source that keeps on giving, but we wanted to step out of the forest and into the sunlight to mingle, discuss and celebrate. We live in an age of constant change where everyone is trying to find a secure footing in life, sometimes full of joy and sometimes filled with utter disappointment. Amid all that, the trick is to stay alert and lean to one another. Like starlings in murmuration. After the pandemic, and now as the world has once again opened, we have somehow felt lighter in our everyday lives. We acknowledge the contradiction of course, since the world with its horrors hasn’t changed much… It would have been easy to drown in those doomsday moods, but writing these songs we felt the need to tackle these problems from a more forgiving and positive standpoint.”
From the anthemic opener to the reflective closer, In Murmuration ebbs and flows much like the starlings after which it is named.
The instrumentation on this album has also evolved. The three brothers Mikko, Kie and Jonne,with drummer Sami Kuoppamäki, are joined by multi-instrumentalist Markus Pajakkala, who performed with the brothers on their acoustic tour in 2023. Notable for his saxophone solo on 2022’s ‘Peace Patrol’,Markus brings a new dynamic to the album. Guests on the album include a gospel ensemble and the Budapest Art Orchestra.
Now in their 23rd year, Von Hertzen Brothers have consistently delivered music on their own terms and In Murmuration is no exception. This is their third self-produced album, the others being the award-winning Approach (2006) and War is Over (2017).
Von Hertzen Brothers are: Mikko von Hertzen – vocals, guitars Kie von Hertzen – guitars, vocals Jonne von Hertzen – bass, keyboards, vocals Sami Kuoppamäki – drums Markus Pajakkala – keyboards, woodwind
Prepare to be engulfed by a wall of brutal sound.! The UK blackened metal outfit VULGARIS ignites a rebellion with the release of their scorching music video for “Seat Of The Fire,” the title track from their critically acclaimed sophomore album.
“Seat Of The Fire” serves as the epic conclusion to the album’s narrative. The song chronicles the vengeful fury of Prometheus, the mythical titan condemned for gifting humanity with fire. Having endured eternal punishment for his act of defiance, Prometheus unleashes a cataclysmic inferno upon the world, inciting a fiery war fought in his name.
The visually stunning lyric video, created by Drain Hope, perfectly captures the song’s intensity. Blending fire and fury with mythological imagery, the video brings the album’s story to a blazing climax.
Forming in 2017, Vulgaris has been blazing a trail through the London underground metal scene with their fierce fusion of black, sludge, thrash, and other extreme metal styles. With one EP and a debut album, 2021’s Asundre, under their belt, they are poised to unleash sophomore record Seat Of The Fire unto the world, with a release date of 24 May 2024.
Since finalizing their current 4-person line-up in 2019, the band has been refining their sound while sharing stages with the likes of Conjurer, Beyond Grace, and London circuit heavyweights such as Allfather, Tableau Mort, and Imperium. Their 2023, during which they recorded their upcoming second album, culminated in an appearance in the Metal 2 The Masses London Grand Final. After this achievement, Vulgaris is primed to ascend to the next level in 2024.
The band draws upon an array of musical influences, including but by no means restricted to the likes of Enslaved, Gojira, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, Sylosis, Conjurer, and Dragged Into Sunlight.
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
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