Lower Hollow is back, fiercer and more determined than ever. After the departure of three founding members following their debut album Bloom & Expire, the band has emerged from adversity with a renewed strength and unyielding resolve. Their latest offering, Threnody: Songs of Fortitude,out today via Mongrel Records, is a testament to resilience and an exploration of the darkest corners of human experience.
Threnody: Songs of Fortitude is more than just an album; it is a visceral journey through the depths of human emotion, a cathartic experience that leaves an indelible mark on the listener. Lower Hollow invites fans to embrace the darkness, confront their demons, and emerge stronger on the other side. Prepare to be moved, shattered, and ultimately, transformed.
The band draws from intense emotions such as hurt, pain, loss, and anger, coupled with an urgent need for self-discovery. “It’s by no means an easy place to be, but a lot of good artistic value can come from being in a dark place,” they explain. By channeling these emotions into their music, they create a powerful and honest portrayal of the human experience.
They describe the album as a narrative about surviving trauma and loss, processing heavy emotions, and emerging stronger. They hope the album resonates with listeners who have faced their own challenges, offering a sense of solidarity and hope.
Lower Hollow underwent a meticulous writing process with their new lineup, locking themselves away to demo ideas and deconstructing elements that didn’t fit their vision. “We demoed all our ideas and basically deconstructed aspects that didn’t fit the vision until we had all moving parts functional and in play,” the band explains. This rigorous process allowed them to hone their sound and ensure every element of the album was perfectly aligned with their artistic vision.
The recording for the album began in February at their home studio. Lower Hollow adopted a hybrid approach, combining traditional drum tracking and guitar cab recording with DI tracking for post-processing. “We find value in traditional recording methods to give a more classic feel, but also as a point of recognizing the real sense of what our band sounds like live,” the band elaborates. This blend of techniques resulted in an album that captures the raw energy of Lower Hollow’s live performances while maintaining a polished and authentic sound.
Lower Hollow’s “Threnody: Songs of Fortitude” will be followed by a nationwide tour, promising an explosive live experience for fans across South Africa.
Tour Dates Friday 2nd August | Bailey’s – Bedfordview Saturday 3rd August | Railways Cafe – Pretoria Friday 9th August | Robson’s Brewery – Durban Saturday 10th August | The Vern – Howick Saturday 17th August | Old Schute – Bloemfontein Friday 23rd August | The Armchair Theatre – Cape Town Saturday 24th August | Ellington’s – Belville
Finnish metal band Rifftera is set to release their new EP Coda on October 11th 2024 via Inverse Records. The first single ‘No Turning Back’ is out today with visualizer video. This is the first release since their critically acclaimed second studio album Across the Acheron released back in 2019 also by Inverse Records.
The band comments single: “No Turning Back is a bit slower song in our scale, but that just adds into the heaviness. The song starts with keyboards intro that reminds me of Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin anime & 80’s sci-fi. Then follows for example multiple killer riffs, a really catchy chorus and three solos. Because what kind of a song wouldn’t have three solos? Dark atmosphere, crushing riffs and some honey on top; that’s what No Turning Back is made from.”
Track list:
Carved in Skin
Quicksand
No Turning Back
Moonchild (Iron Maiden Cover)
EP cover by Leon / fiverr.com/leon86 – Cover art
Rifftera was formed in 2010 in Vaasa, Finland by Janne Hietala. The band was basically started as a studio project; to be a channel for releasing riffs and song ideas that kept on coming. Janne had been playing in some bands and projects during the years but besides of a couple of demos in the early 2000’s none of this material had ever been heard outside rehearsals. So from the beginning the idea of Rifftera was basically just to get music released – in a form that it deserves.
Antti Pöntinen and Jupe Karhu shared a musical past with Janne, and after being asked, they decided to join this new band. First years of the band involved a lot of learning and skill honing in both song writing and recording areas.
In 2012 Mikko Kuoppamaa joined the band and eventually it lead to a situation where Mikko started to take care of band’s clean singing and Janne dealt with the screaming parts. Before Rifftera Mikko had been just singing some backup vocals and Janne had basically never been in front of the microphone so the only reason to share vocal duties this way was the fact that there weren’t nobody else around to do it. Luckily promising results started to show up and after a couple of demos band finally released its debut album, Pitch Black, on August 2015.
The band had no drummer before the year 2016, when Ville Härkönen joined the lineup (Thomas Tunkkari, an old friend and the drummer of Dark Sarah, played the drums on Pitch Black as a session drummer and the demo-era was dealt with programmed drums). With Ville Rifftera started to work with the second album, Across the Acheron, that eventually ended up to be released on January 2019.
After some silent years, a four song EP named Coda was set up for release in 2024.
Line-up: Janne Hietala – Guitar, harsh vocals & clean vocals Mikko Kuoppamaa – Guitar & clean vocals Antti Pöntinen – Keyboards Jupe Karhu – Bass Ville Härkönen – Drums
Australia’s traditional, Power Metal band TEMTRIS, are bringing their highly energetic show back to Europe in September!
A show not to be missed with soaring vocals from Genevieve Rodda, a twin guitar attack from Anthony Fox and Nadi Narouzian, and a powerhouse rhythm section driven by Nicholas Bolin and Vane Danov!
While touring across Europe Temtris will be promoting their latest album release, Rewinding Time!
A massive 14-track album, with songs picked by the fans themselves, from Temtris’ 7 studio album releases.
6th Sept,The Little Church- Almelo, Netherlands 7th Sept, Ragnarok- Belgium, Metal Babes Festival 11th Sept, Flat Cap- Oxhallen, Sweden 13th Sept, B52 Club- Bruges, Belgium 14th Sept, The Little Devil Bar- Tilburg, Netherlands 20th Sept, BlackHaze Rockbar- Hessen, Germany 21st Sept, PMK- Innsbruck, Austria 26th Sept, Hospoda Brouk- Prague 27th Sept, S8 Underground Club- Budapest, Hungary 28th Sept, Dvorana Gustaf- Maribor, Slovenia
CRIMSON VEIL continue to captivate the music community with their unique take on alternative metal, releasing their new music video ‘Shift’ today. This single is likely the catchiest tune from “Hex,” the debut album of the UK-based band, set to take the world by storm on September 20, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). ‘Shift’ is a dark and catchy song that will appeal to any rock or metal fan. The music builds gradually incorporating Eastern scales into a bass groove, drawing listeners deeper into Mishkin‘s spell. The lyrics serve as a chilling warning to those who might cross her path, with lines like, “I’ll be the secret that talks…I’ll be the hammer that falls.” The song culminates in a MESHUGGAH-esque riff in 15/8, which, despite its complexity, is surprisingly easy to headbang to. The final chorus and end riff deliver powerfully, making the track both intense and enjoyable.
“‘Shift’ is a favourite to play live because it’s so damn catchy, it sucks you in like an evil spell and has you singing the chorus mantra before you know it,” adds vocalist Mishkin Fitzgerald.
Pre-order “Hex” in your preferred format [jewel-case CD or red opaque vinyl in gatefold], pre-save it on your favourite digital service provider (DSP), or pre-order the album digitally to receive ‘Shift,’‘Illuminate’ and ‘Flinch’ instantly now, here: https://crimsonveil.rpm.link/hexPR
Don’t forget to subscribe to Reigning Phoenix Music on YouTube to stay updated and listen to ‘Shift’ along with other new tracks in the “RPM New Releases” playlist on Spotify. Subscribe here: https://rpm.link/spotifynewreleasesPR
About CRIMSON VEIL
Creating unique, sinister soundscapes, the UK based outfit ingeniously combines elements of rock, metal and cinematic music while lyrically covering esoteric topics, accompanied by dark visual aesthetics. The four talented multi-instrumentalists originally come from different band projects and bring an impressive touring history across the UK, the US and Mexico. They have worked with music industry greats such as Paul Reeve (MUSE etc.) and John Fryer (DEPECHE MODE, NINE INCH NAILS) in the past.
CRIMSON VEIL are: Mishkin Fitzgerald | vocals Garry Mitchell | guitars Hana Piranha | electric cello Anna Mylee | drums
Reading, Pennsylvania-based progressive death metallers RIVERS OF NIHIL are pleased to release the instrumental edition of their acclaimed full-length, The Work, out today on Metal Blade Records.
Stream / purchase RIVERS OF NIHIL’s The Work (Instrumentals) HERE
RIVERS OF NIHIL has never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018’s Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work, they forged further into new territory, delivering an album that was as cerebral as it was visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own.
With the first track penned in the fall of 2018, while the band were touring on …Owls…, the writing process for The Work was long, lasting well into 2020. Even before the music industry shutdown that happened concurrently with the Covid pandemic, the band intended to take most of 2020 off to focus on writing, meaning that their schedule was not disrupted. Guitarist Brody Uttley describes the final product as a “Sound World,” a term coined by a friend. “It’s an album that almost sounds like a place rather than a thing. It puts you in this world where you’re not exactly sure what is going on at certain points, but eventually, it all comes together. It’s harsh and cold, but also warm and inviting,” he adds.
Watch a visualizer for “Terrestria IV: Work” at THIS LOCATION.
RIVERS OF NIHIL‘s The Work (Instrumentals) is out today digitally. Stream/purchase the record at: metalblade.com/riversofnihil
The Work (Instrumentals) Track Listing: 01. The Tower (Theme from “The Work”) [Instrumental] 02. Dreaming Black Clockwork (Instrumental) 03. Wait (Instrumental) 04. Focus (Instrumental) 05. Clean (Instrumental) 06. The Void from Which No Sound Escapes (Instrumental) 07. MORE? (Instrumental) 08. Tower 2 (Instrumental) 09. Episode (Instrumental) 10. Maybe One Day (Instrumental) 11. Terrestria IV: Work (Instrumental)
RIVERS OF NIHIL Live: 9/19/2024 Empire Underground – Albany, NY 9/20/2024 New England Metal And Hardcore Fest Pre-Party @ The Palladium Upstairs – Worcester, MA 9/21/2024 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY 9/22/2024 Metal Injection Fest – Brooklyn, NY
RIVERS OF NIHIL Instrumental Lineup: Brody Uttley – guitar Jon Topore- guitar Adam Biggs – bass/vocals Jared Klein – drums Zach Strouse – Saxophone Grant McFarland – Cello on “The Void from Which No Sound Escapes”
Photo of Joe Bonamassa by Eleanor Jane – Photo of Train by Jasper Graham
Blues-rock virtuoso Joe Bonamassa and GRAMMY Award-winning band Train are excited to announce the release of their new single, a powerful cover of 38 Special’s classic hit “Hold On Loosely.” This electrifying collaboration is the result of a shared passion for music and mutual admiration between the two artists. Train frontman Pat Monahan’s distinctive vocals harmonize perfectly with Joe’s masterful guitar riffs, breathing new life into the iconic song.
The collaboration came about organically, as both Joe and Pat were eager to work together. Joe’s exceptional guitar skills and Pat’s renowned vocal talent blend seamlessly in this track, delivering a fresh yet faithful rendition of “Hold On Loosely.”
Reflecting on the project, Pat Monahan shared, “I’ve been a fan of Joe’s for a long time. He’s an incredible guitar player, and from my little bit of time with him, I can say he’s a great human. That, along with my love for 38 Special, this was a great project to be a part of. Thanks for thinking of me, Joe. Hope I did it justice.”
This collaboration also highlights the artists’ connection through their successful music festival cruises with Sixthman—Pat’s “Sail Across the Sun” and Joe’s “Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea”—further solidifying their bond and mutual respect in the music industry.
The release follows Joe Bonamassa’s latest project, Live at the Hollywood Bowl with Orchestra, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, marking the 28th time in his career that he’s achieved this milestone and breaking his own record for the most #1 debuts on the chart. Later this summer, Bonamassa will embark on his highly anticipated “Blues Deluxe Tour,” celebrating his seminal albums Blues Deluxe and its chart-topping successor, Blues Deluxe Vol. 2. This 21-city tour will feature an electrifying mix of Bonamassa’s classics and deep tracks performed live for the first time, accompanied by a band of world-class musicians. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.jbonamassa.com.
JOE BONAMASSA – U.S. SUMMER – BLUES DELUXE TOUR July 19 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater * August 2 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Resort & Casino August 4 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre August 6 – Omaha, NE – Orpheum Theater August 8 – Topeka, KS – Topeka Performing Arts Center August 9 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater August 10 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall August 12 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall August 14 – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center August 16 – Evansville, IN – Old National Events Plaza August 17 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre August 18 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium August 20 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion August 21 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre August 23 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre August 24 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre August 25 – Rochester, NY – West Herr Auditorium Theatre August 27 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre August 29 – Hyannis, MA – Cape Cod Melody Tent August 30 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom August 31 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom September 15 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Blues & Brew Festival *
*Not part of the Blues Deluxe Tour
JOE BONAMASSA – U.S. FALL TOUR October 28 – Santa Barbara, CA – The Granada Theatre October 26 – Henderson, NV – Lee’s Family Forum October 30 – Rancho Mirage, CA – The Show at Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage November 1 – Tucson, AZ – The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall November 2 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre November 3 – Long Beach, CA – Terrace Theater November 5 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Civic Theatre November 7 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic November 8 – Sacramento, CA – SAFE Credit Union Convention Center November 9 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre November 12 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium November 13 – Boise, ID – Morrison Center November 16 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater November 17 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Civic Center November 19 – Park City, KS – Park City Arena November 20 – Springfield, MO – Juanita K. Hammons Hall November 22 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre November 23 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre November 26 – Springfield, IL – UIS Performing Arts Center November 27 – Appleton, WI – Fox Cities Performing Arts Center November 29 – Davenport, IA – Adler Theatre November 30 – Des Moines, IA – Des Moines Civic Center
TRAIN SUMMER ROAD TRIP 2024 TOUR July 19 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark ^ July 20 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage July 21 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre July 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC July 24 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts July 26 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion July 27 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater July 28 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion ^ July 30 – Burlington, VT – The Green at Shelburne Museum ^ July 31 – Syracuse, NY – Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview August 1 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center August 3 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre August 4 – Mansfield, MA – The Xfinity Center August 6 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live August 7 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater August 9 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park August 10 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion August 11 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion ^ August 16 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre ^ August 17 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre August 18 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater August 20 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre August 21 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre August 22 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place ^ August 23 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater August 25 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 26 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion August 28 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre* August 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Amphitheatre August 31 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre September 1 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater September 4 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater September 6 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre September 7 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre September 8 – Inglewood, CA – The Kia Forum September 10 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre September 11 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^ No REO Speedwagon * Not a Live Nation Date
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 ) 