Norwegian Black Metal veterans KOLDBRANN ended 2023 very much on their own terms, releasing a stand-alone, limited edition, 7″ vinyl single that proved itself to be a swaggering, defiant harbinger for the band’s upcoming fourth full-length album “Ingen Skånsel”, which is set for release on Dark Essence Records on the 23rd August.
It is a release that has been much anticipated by Black Metal fans, who recognize in KOLDBRANN a band that has always sought to create a sound that is uniquely their own – fresh, raw, and completely indifferent to whatever trend happens to be prevalent in the genre at the time.
But, significantly, KOLDBRANN have remained deeply rooted in the traditions of True Norwegian Black Metal, and this respect for their roots can be clearly heard on the track ‘I Unaturens Vold’, which has been released as a single. Even the cold and uninviting cover image, shot at Haukelifjell, Norway, by the talented photographer Vildensky, serves to set the foreboding tone and atmosphere for the song.
Short and concise, with a fierce thread running through it ‘I Unaturens Vold’ stands out from many of today’s trends in Black Metal, and can be downloaded or streamed from a number of services at: https://orcd.co/i-unaturens-vold
The video for ‘I Unaturens Vold’ by Necrolust Productions (WHOREDOM RIFE, 1349, FURZE etc.), was filmed at this year’s Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo, where KOLDBRANN played in front of a capacity crowd at the John Dee venue.
KOLDBRANN themselves had this to say about ‘I Unaturens Vold’:
After the punishing previous single, ‘Den 6. Massedød (Manna fra en annen himmel)’, with the primitive necro & roll B-side, ‘Inhumanitær Inngripen’, comes the energetic and melodic ‘I Unaturens Vold’ – the first single taken from our upcoming new album! Fierce and concise, with clear references to classic Norwegian Black Metal, the song has already become an established highlight of KOLDBRANN’s live set
‘I Unaturens Vold’ (translated to ‘In Unnature’s Grasp’) has clear references to classic Norwegian Black Metal, displaying melodious riffs and associations to nature. “Unnature” is used here as a contrast, to point the finger at the fakeness and insincerity in people. It is one of more new songs that deal with standing tall on the outside, turning one’s back on society and the world.
Replete with Mannevond’s trademark blacker than black raw vocals, and Kvass’ clever Norwegian lyrics, the album itself is confirmation that KOLDBRANN is back with a vengeance – as fearsome, as defiant and as uncompromising as ever.
Even the title “Ingen Skånsel”, which means “No Mercy”, lets everyone know that they are in for 12 tracks of pure aggression from a band that has never shown any mercy or taken any prisoners.
With layout by Salowe Vision, track listing for “Ingen Skånsel” is as follows:
Ingen Skånsel
Et Uomtvistelig Falsum
I Unaturens Vold
Prosesjon Under Blyhimmel
Det Kryper Kaldt
Maskiner av Nihil
Forstanden Seiler Sin Egen Sjø
Fortærer av Minne og Form
Rykk Skaperverket Opp med Roten
Vorde Eders Farkost en Katafalk
Serenade til Dødens Elende
Elevert Hinsides Tilstand (CD only track)
“Ingen Skånsel” will be available in CD, Digital, Cassette and Smoke Marble Vinyl formats and can to pre-ordered now at:
KOLDBRANN’s live appearances have earned the band a well-deserved notoriety and 2024/2025 will see the lineup of Mannevond on Vocals, Kvass and Voidar on Guitars, Leonid Melnikov on Drums, and John Grave on live Bass appearing in the Czech Republic, Poland, UK, Austria and Switzerland, as well as first-time performances in Canada and Romania, with more to come!
Legendary thrash metallers HIRAX have released the first single ‘Drill Into The Brain’, taken from the band’s upcoming new EP “Faster Than Death”, exlusively mixed by Bill Metoyer! The EP is set to be released on August 1st via Doomentia Records.
So you think you’re metal aren’t you? Maybe so. But Katon W. De Pena is METAL incarnated. The man may have turned sixty last September but he’s more than ever ready to break necks and crush bones with the mighty HIRAX. Ahead of their long-awaited new studio full-length album (their first in a decade!), upcoming European summer tour and armed with a young, exuberant and hungry line-up, Pena has teamed up with DOOMENTIA to offer a glimpse of their upcoming thrash inferno with this new four-tracks EP, featuring versions of four songs from said upcoming album exclusively mixed for this release-only by Bill Metoyer, the legendary ARMORED SAINT/SLAYER/D.R.I. producer who’s been collaborating with HIRAX ever since their debut full-length Raging Violence back in 1985.
And whoever would be tempted to think that with age comes peace with mind should get ready to be annihilated by this EP opening salvo alone, ‘Drill Into The Brain’, aka sixty-three seconds of the most intense-as-fuck crossover/thrash you’ll hear this year!
Finnish black metal band CURSE UPON A PRAYER is set to release their fourth studio album The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism later in July 26th 2024. CD version is released by The Cursed Order, Vinyl version comes via Folter Records and MC via Korpituli Productions.
The band released a last single A Heav’n Of Hell and it’s available on Youtube and Bandcamp. Single cover by Ari XIII.
The band comments: “‘A Heav’n Of Hell’ offers a glimpse of the very core of CURSE UPON A PRAYER; The unconquerable will & the beauty of the perfect Hell. True strength & might through true torment & suffering – In Spirit & in Flesh! Hail the True Darkness!”
Listen previous single ‘Black Venus Erotica’ on Youtube and Bandcamp.
The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism Track list:
Ortopraxia
Cunt God
Sulfurserpent
Blood Poetry
A Heav’n Of Hell
I Enthrone You
Black Venus Erotica
He That Eateth My Flesh
The Worship I: Patior
The Worship II: Ignis
Album cover by Ari XIII
The Cursed Order, mostly known in the musical realm as ‘CURSE UPON A PRAYER’, was born in 2010 in Tornio, Northern Finland. Since then the band has gained a stable position in the Finnish Black Metal scene and has gained the reputation as one of the more notorious acts, which has been evident through their flagrant live appearances that have striked fear, hate and love into the hearts of those who have dared to witness.
With the religiously anticipated fourth full-length album – C.U.A.P. now presents the absolute crown jewel of this black crown of Infidelity. For it dives into the heart of the Holy Hell and boldly presents the very foundation and the secrets behind the themes that have inflicted chaos and controversy
throughout the 14-year long history: the unconquerable will, immortal hate and love, and the courage never to submit or yield!
The Spirit is null & void without the Act & the Will – Flesh & Spirit must be one! Ya Shaitan!
Black Tusk came roaring out of the Savannah swamplands nearly twenty years ago, but they aren’t looking back anytime soon. The sludge metal veterans just released their seventh album of heavy, no-frills riffs behind the strength of their new-yet-familiar lineup. Now, they’re blazing ahead with a tour of North America to support The Way Forward.
“This record represents our steadfast resolve to keep making music together as a band and evolve our sound”, says Andrew Fidler, Black Tusk’s longtime guitarist and co-vocalist.
Catch Fidler, Black Tusk’s steadfast drummer James May and the band’s newest members Derek Lynch (bass, vocals) and Chris “Scary” Adams (guitar, vocals) as they tour across the American South, Midwest and West Coast. Along the way, they’ll make a pit stop north of the border to perform “Brushfire”, “Dance on Your Grave” and other songs from The Way Forward for their fans in Canada.
Joining for the ride are Brooklyn sludge metal band Somnuri and West Virginia stoners Horseburner.
Black Tusk The Way Forward 2024 Tour
July 13 – Athens, GA @ The World Famous* [TICKETS] July 14 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy* [TICKETS] August 23 – Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia [TICKETS] August 24 – Nashville, TN @ The End [TICKETS] August 25 – Memphis, TN @ Growlers [TICKETS] August 27 – Austin, TX @ The Lost Well [TICKETS] August 28 – El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse [TICKETS] August 29 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad [TICKETS] August 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge [TICKETS] August 31 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing [TICKETS] September 1 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick [TICKETS] September 3 – Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand [TICKETS] September 4 – Fresno, CA @ Strummer’s [TICKETS] September 5 – San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge [TICKETS] September 6 – Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theater Pub [TICKETS] September 7 – Portland, OR @ The High Water Mark [TICKETS] September 8 – Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt [TICKETS] September 10 – Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club [TICKETS] September 11 – Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper [TICKETS] September 12 – Richland, WA @ Ray’s Golden Lion [TICKETS] September 13 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder [TICKETS] September 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Crucial Fest [TICKETS] September 15 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive [TICKETS] September 16 – Wichita, KS @ Wave [TICKETS] September 17 – Tulsa, OK @ Whittier Bar [TICKETS] September 18 – Dallas, TX @ Double Wide [TICKETS] September 19 – New Orleans, LA @ The Goat [TICKETS] September 20 – Jackson, MS @ Hal’s and Mal’s [TICKETS] September 21 – Pensacola, FL @ The Handlebar [TICKETS] *Black Tusk only
Tracklist 1. Out Of Grasp – 2:47 2. Brushfire – 2:22 [LISTEN] 3. Harness (The Alchemist) – 2:35 4. Lessons Through Deception – 2:14 5. Breath Of Life – 5:12 [WATCH] 6. Dance On Your Grave – 2:54 [WATCH] 7. Against The Undertow – 3:06 8. Lift Yourself – 3:31 9. Ocean Of Obsidian – 2:50 10. Flee From Dawn – 3:38 11. The Way Forward – 4:40 Total runtime: 35:54
“The big theme of this record is putting your life back together.” That’s Black Tusk guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler talking about the band’s new album, The Way Forward. “When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create.”
The Way Forward might be the Savannah swamp metal crew’s seventh album, but it marks many firsts for Black Tusk. It’s their first with their new lineup, which sees guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch joining Fidler and drummer James May. Which also makes it Black Tusk’s first record with a two-guitar lineup. “We were able to add leads and harmonies and all kinds of stuff on the new record that we haven’t done in the past,” Fidler says. “As far as our records go, this one has the most guitar work.”
You can hear it in the squealing solo of “Dance on Your Grave,” the killer harmonies on ripper “Harness (The Alchemist),” and the glorious dual guitar interplay of the powerful title track.
“‘The Way Forward’ is my favorite song on the record,” Fidler says. “It’s based on a personal experience that everyone can probably relate to. I got divorced in 2020, and I kinda felt like my entire world was collapsing when that happened. But I pulled myself out of it. I realized that this one thing ending in my life isn’t the end of everything. I’m gonna find a way forward. I’m gonna figure out how to live my life and create and be happy and make new relationships. Which is what I’ve done.”
In true Black Tusk fashion, the new lineup has expanded their triple-vocal approach to quadruple. “Everyone is doing vocals,” Fidler says. “That’s always been a thing in Black Tusk. Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’ I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”
That’s Lynch on lead single “Brushfire,” a song for which he wrote the main riffs and lyrical concept. “That was my first real contribution to the band,” the bassist says. “Thematically, I wanted the aggressiveness of the lyrics to keep with the idea of pushing forward even when the world is trying to drag you down. The mood of the lyrics needed to match the pulverizing tempo of the song.”
The lyrics for second single “Dance on Your Grave” were written by May, who moved from Savannah to Athens, GA, in the time since Black Tusk’s last album. “It’s about his struggles through Covid and what this lifestyle can do to people,” Fidler says. “It’s about getting past the party lifestyle and continuing to do things that are creative.”
Meanwhile, “Breath of Life” distills Black Tusk’s lyrical philosophy into a righteous five-minute pummeling. “Scary came up with the main riff of this song, and it’s one of my favorite riffs on the record,” Fidler says. “I wrote the lyrics, and it’s just about darkness crushing everything. The world is a fucked-up place that we have to navigate through. That’s what a lot of Black Tusk songs are about.”
Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Adams’ own Hidden Audio studio just outside of Savannah. Adams engineered the album and the whole band produced. “I actually helped him build the studio in the detached garage next to his house,” Fidler explains. “Me and my carpentry company went out there to do it, and Scary helped.”
“We had about 90% of the riffs and song structures going into the studio, while still experimenting with ideas and inspirations,” Adams explains. “Sometimes we completely reworked parts, which made all the difference. For example, early versions of ‘Breath of Life’ and ‘The Way Forward’ are quite different than the record, and I love where they ended up. Though we did use a few effects and synths here and there for texture and space, to me this record still feels raw and powerful. It captures the feeling of being at a Black Tusk show.”
The cover art for The Way Forward was done by Brian Mercer, who also created the sleeve for Black Tusk’s 2018 album, T.C.B.T. “T.C.B.T. had a dark cover because it was a dark time for the band,” Fidler says, referring to the period immediately after the passing of their longtime friend and bassist Jonathan Athon. “This time, it’s full blown, full-color Black Tusk. Brian Mercer and James collaborated on the concept, and Brian really knocked it out of the park.”
“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”
Line-up:
Andrew Fidler: guitar, vocals James May: drums, vocals Derek Lynch: bass, vocals Chris “Scary” Adams: guitar, vocals
Recording Studio Hidden Audio
Producer/sound engineer Chris “Scary” Adams
Mixing studio and engineer Chris “Scary” Adams
Mastering studio and engineer Brad Boatright at Audiosiege
DAMAGED & Co. have released the official music video ‘Carpe Diem’. The track taken from the band’s upcoming album “Life’s Grand Delusion” is due for release on July 19th, 2024 via Wormholedeath.
“Life’s Grand Delusion” is the debut album by the Malta-based alternative/melodic metal outfit DAMAGED & CO. The full-length is composed of eleven tracks (including one instrumental), written in four years, showcasing different influences from metalcore, dark/symphonic, and alternative metal. What makes “Life’s Grand Delusion” so brilliant and unique is the band’s ability to make every song a gem, with a clear identity, and a straight message.
Defying was formed in 2008. Within 15 years of existing they released two records: “Nexus Artificial” (2014, LP) and “The Splinter of Light We Misread” (2016, EP) which include Joy Division “New Dawn Fades” cover. They combine a variety of genres in their music: post- and progressive metal with sludge, black metal and elements or ambient.
Earlier this year, February 23, 2024, Defying released brand new studio album titled “Wadera” which was released by Italian label These Hands Melt (buy CD). Music was self-recorded by Tomasz Semeniuk, and later mixed & mastered by Filip Hałucha at Heinrich House Studio (Azarath, Behemoth, Entropia, Obscure Sphinx). Cover artwork was done by Paweł Siemaszko.
“Wadera” is a concept album inspired by the Polish horror film “The Wolf” (1983) and the short story “Wadera” (1977) by Jerzy Gierałtowski. The album is a musical story about revenge from beyond the grave, told in the spirit of dark romanticism.
After well-received album “Wadera“, Olsztyn post-metal band Defying published a live session where they perform selected songs from the previous-mentioned album.
Tomasz comments: “Just like our music, the form of the recording itself is unusual. Filmed in one continuous take, without cuts or corrections. The authors of the picture are the duo Ćmy i Paprocie: Natalia Semeniuk behind the camera and I, responsible for the lights and post-production of the shots. Szymon Stadniczenko, the band’s guitarist, supervised the sound. The recording may be a foretaste of what the band performs live, and soon you will be able to hear us, among others: at the Summer Dying Loud festival in Aleksandrów Łódzki [PL].“
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 ) 