ARMORED SAINT, leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 1980s, are back with a brilliant rendition of “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison).” The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by People in 1970. Additional covers include The Four Tops (1974), Sanatana (1978), and The Doobie Brothers (1989).
Comments vocalist John Bush, “[Bassist] Joey [Vera] came up with the idea of doing the song. We’ve always been huge fans of old school soul and R&B music so it was a no brainer. It’s got a great groove, perfect for our rhythm section, and Jeff [Duncan]’s and Phil [Sandoval]’s guitars are screaming. Plus, the cool lyrics make it ideal for the ‘SAINT style. Levi Stubbs [The Four Tops] was such a rad singer; I just tried to do him justice. I think this would make him a metal fan!“
Watch ARMORED SAINT‘s video for “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)” by My Good Eye: Music Visuals:
“One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)” was produced by Joey Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston, and mastered by Maor Applebaum.
ARMORED SAINT recently wrapped up a wildly successful North American tour with Queensrÿche and are currently working on music for their upcoming new full-length. Next month, the band will return to European stages for a sixteen-date run of shows, which will include appearances at Headbangers Open Air, Wacken Festival, Fezen Festival, Brutal Assault Festival, and more! See all confirmed dates below.
ARMORED SAINT Live: 7/27/2024 Headbangers Open Air – Brande-Hörnerkirchen, DE 7/28/2024 Rampa Kultura – Goleniów, PL 7/30/2024 Hole 44 – Berlin, DE 8/01/2024 Wacken Festival – Wacken, DE 8/03/2024 Fezen Festival – Szekesfehervar, HU 8/04/2024 Rockstadt Extreme Fest – Transylvania, RO 8/06/2024 Randall Club – Bratislava, SK 8/07/2024 Brutal Assault Festival – Josefov, CZ 8/09/2024 Melkweg OZ – Amsterdam, NL w/ The Bites 8/10/2024 Turock – Essen, DE w/ The Bites 8/11/2024 Alcatraz Festival – Kortrijk, BE 8/13/2024 Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, UK w/ The Bites 8/14/2024 Rebellion – Manchester, UK w/ The Bites 8/16/2024 KK’s Steelmill – Wolverhampton, UK w/ The Bites 8/17/2024 The Dome – London, UK w/ The Bites 8/18/2024 Craufurd Arms – Milton Keynes, UK w/ The Bites
ARMORED SAINT‘s most recent studio offering, Punching The Sky, was released in 2020. The critically lauded full-length hit worldwide record music charts including #4 on Billboard’s Current Hard Music Albums chart, #6 on the Top New Artists chart, #16 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and #17 on the Current Rock Albums chart upon its first week of release. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, the record offers everything the band’s faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward.
SABER is an exciting Los Angeles based heavy metal band rising through ranks and earning a devoted following. They are known for their uniquely sleazy take on the traditional heavy metal sound. Founded in 2018, they quickly got to work and crafted a series of thundering tracks and rocked audiences with every live performance. In 2021 they dropped their incredible debut album “Without Warning”, and are regarded as one of the hottest new metal bands around. Sonically and aesthetically, SABER’s artistic identity is firmly rooted in the 80s. It is heavily influenced by JUDAS PRIEST, QUEENSRYCHE and RIOT, but crafted through their own unique lens. Over time, they have built a distinctly energetic audiovisual experience that resonates with their diverse and growing fanbase.
After two years playing and touring alongside legends like NIGHT DEMON, SACRED REICH, HAUNT and SCREAMER, the band is now ready to unleash their second masterpiece “Lost In Flames”, which sounds fresh, wild and… hungry!
Today, SABER are proud to reveal their signing with RPM and their new founded division RPM ROAR: “We are honored and very excited to be signed with RPM! Saber has its eyes set on our music reaching everyone across the globe, so working alongside a label that is home to some of the most talented artists in the world will make that come to fruition. We can’t wait to unveil what we have in store for everyone! Our music will spread like wildfire, and we will watch as the flames spread world wide!”, comments the band. SABER directly became a part of the NWOTHM scene with young bands, playing traditional heavy metal in a fresh way, just like their labelmates TAILGUNNER or bands like RIOT CITY, WINGS OF STEEL, TRAVELER, VISIGOTH and many more.
“We are heavily inspired by all 80s music, we love the glam era as well, as many can tell, we have that certain look that is unmistakably glam but don’t let it fool you, the songs are heavier than you may expect”, says guitarist Joel Dominguez and adds. “The album is relentlessly infectious! We know our fans will love it and we hope to make a lot of new fans upon release.”
One thing is certain: The future of metal belongs to SABER!
This month, on June 28th 2024, Cleveland death metallers NOXIS unleash their furious new studio offering “Violence Inherent In The System” via Rotted Life (US) and Dawnbreed Records (Europe).
Today, Mystification is hosting the worldwide premiere of the album’s latest single, “Horns Echo over Chorazim“. Stream it HERE.
Tracklist:
01. Skullcrushing Defilement 02. Blasphemous Mausoleum for the Wicked 03. Paths of Visceral Fears 04. Abstemious, Pious Writ of Life 05. Torpid Consumption 06. Excursion 07. Horns Echo over Chorazim 08. Violence Inherent In The System 09. Tense and Forlorn 10. Emanations of the Sick 11. Surfin’ Blood Futile (physical edition bonus track)
By and large, the underground is a constantly thriving realm that is always spitting out new talent on such a scale that is simply magnificent to gaze upon. When one name pops up to gain the attention of the masses, there’s a litany of others that are birthed out of the void that may become of note the future.
For many, the darkness of the underground is all they’ll ever know while some rise above it to become a massive name in their own right. Others, however, are able to gain quite the following but still find themselves absolutely thriving in the darkness of obscurity.
As one of those notorious creations, Ohio’s NOXIS has been wreaking havoc in those very shadows for a few years now, but it’s with the forthcoming album, “Violence Inherent in the System”, nothing short of staggering in every standard.
Convulsing death metal of the most sadistic sort, this is the sort of absurdity that comes for the very light of creation. Nothing is left to chance as the brand of death metal with which NOXIS wields with terrifying efficiency no matter how they go about it as the whole of the eleven tracks that adorn “Violence Inherent in the System” showcases time after time just how far this act has already come in hardly no time at all.
Where in previous works like “Expanse of Hellish Black Mire” we saw NOXIS take confident steps forward, every given moment of this creation is a tedious labor that craves only the flesh of its victims and to peel apart the souls of those caught in its clutches. As infectious as it is intense from beginning to end, this is a creation that fits perfectly within the deep crevices of the underground where only the strong survive, climb, and thrive!
Nothing can keep NOXIS from pursuing its blood-drenched destiny, not even a wild change in tone and approach that we see in the album’s finale. As far as we should be concerned, “Violence Inherent in the System” is the magnificently victorious offensive that sees NOXIS not just coming out on top, but coated in the blood of the weak as a titanic figure rises amongst the carnage.
This is but of the first assaults that NOXIS will unleash upon the masses with “Violence Inherent in the System”, and what a sight it is.
Line-up:
Ray Conde – Vocals Dylan Cruz – Guitars and Vocals David Kirsch – Bass Joe Lowrie – Drums
Just in time for the upcoming festival season, which will take the Austrians of MASTIC SCUM to stages in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia, the tech/groove deathers release “Room 23”, a video clip for a track from their latest album “Icon”. The perfect opportunity to get into the groove or to be reminded that the album is still available on CD or (red) vinyl. You can view the video on the MDD Records YouTube channel! You can find the upcoming festival shows below.
Mastic Scum Festival Dates 2024 22.06.2024 CZ – Apocalyptic Form Of Death bit.ly/3UxuoEg 27.07.2024 CRO – Goathell Metal Fest bit.ly/47q1cmK 31.08.2024 SLO – Breka Fest XV Open Air bit.ly/3uiiTGQ 20.09.2024 RO – Psychosounds Festival bit.ly/3TFXKQN 26.10.2024 CZ – Metalstorm Festival bit.ly/4ccuAj4
Greek heavy/power metal outfit SIRIUS is ready to deliver a sonic hammer blow with their debut album, “A Quest for Life,” due for release via Wormholedeath Records.
“A Quest for Life” is a sonic odyssey that showcases everything Sirius represents. Catchy choruses, soaring vocals courtesy of Dimitris Napas, and the unstoppable riffing of the twin-guitar attack by Napas and Stathopoulos are just the tip of the iceberg. The rhythm section, anchored by the thunderous low-end of Simiakos and Samios, provides the backbone for this metal masterpiece.
The album boasts not one, but two legendary guest appearances. Tim “Ripper” Owens (KK’s Priest, ex-Judas Priest, ex-Iced Earth) and Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion, Whom Gods Destroy, ex-Dream Theater) lend their immense talent to tracks like “Unbound the Scream” and “Land of Swords,” adding an extra layer of power and prestige to the release.
“A Quest for Life” is more than just a collection of killer riffs and powerful vocals. The album delves into the human experience, exploring themes of self-discovery, the choices we make, and the consequences we face. Whether it’s the personal struggles depicted in “Among the Heavens” or the historical redemption tale of “Desdichado” (inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s “Ivanhoe”), each song resonates with a depth and emotional honesty that will stay with you long after the music fades.
01 – Unbound The Scream 02 – Beyond The Sands Of Time 03 – Desdichado 04 – Edge Of The World 05 – Fragment 06 – Lostlight 07 – Land Of Swords 08 – Among The Heavens
Sirius was formed in 2007, by the guitarist/singer Dimitris Napas, in Athens, Greece. After years of searching for the best possible lineup, the band recorded its first songs, and the debut EP “Wings of Fire” was released on the 2nd of December 2017. The same day, a sold-out show was held at the Remedy live club and the band performed the album in its entirety among new songs, which will be included in their upcoming release. In August 2019, they released an acoustic version of the song “The Last Angel” and a video clip, showing the band performing in the studio. A few days later they were an opening act for Luke Appleton of Iced Earth, one of their most notable gigs. Through all this time, they had many successful live performances at festivals such as Under The Quarry, and many more yet to come. At the moment, Sirius is about to release their new masterpiece via WormholeDeath Records under the title “A Quest for Life”. The album includes two legendary guests, Tim ”Ripper” Owens (KK’s Priest, ex-Judas Priest, ex-Iced Earth) and Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion, Whom Gods Destroy, ex-Dream Theater), and the artwork is created by Jon Toussas and Graphic no Jutsu. The album was recorded at Made in Hell studio, with David Prudent handling the recordings, mixing, and mastering.
Sirius is : Dimitris Napas – Vocals / Lead and Acoustic Guitars Dimitris Stathopoulos – Rhythm Guitars Dimitris Simiakos – Bass Nick “Yngve” Samios – Drums
With “A Quest for Life,” Sirius invites listeners to join them on an epic quest through the realms of metal, igniting the flames of passion and leading the way toward a brighter future.“Kindle the fire and lead the way!!!”
Like any good sorcerer, BLACK LAVA cast a wicked array of spells. On their new album, this blackened band of Aussies swirl together howling old-school death metal, eerie melodic dissonance, technical wizardry and sludgy grooves into haunting fantasies. Today, they’re releasing the third single off The Savage Winds to Wisdom, which is bound to stand as another crushing pillar in the band’s growing legend.
Heading into The Savage Winds to Wisdom, Black Lava were hellbent on tapping deeper into the medieval witchcraft that they conjured on their debut album. “Our first time in the studio, we were dealing with all these frustrations that had boiled up during the pandemic”, says Dan Presland, who’s nimble pounding on the drum kit has helped shape Vipassi, A Million Dead Birds Laughing and Ne Obliviscaris. “That anger led to more of a bang-bang, punk rock approach. This time around, we took more time on the songwriting with the hope of conjuring a deeper and darker sense of atmosphere”.
Black Lava got their wish. “Dark Legacy” leaves even the most ghoulish of metal heads shivering in its wake. Presland slithers between hissing cymbals as Hadal Maw guitarist Ben Boyle rips through the long black night with a sustained roar of reverb, like an angry giant that’s been disturbed from its cave. “I have walked / I have seen”, Rob Watkins waxes and wanes, so drunk on witches’ brew that he’s begging for death’s cold embrace.
“There was greater care taken with the compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom, while still staying true to what we set out to do with Black Lava”, Boyle says. “Create catchy, anthemic tunes that are heavy-but-energetic and give a sense of power to the listener”.
While it’s not short on dread-inducing ambience, “Dark Legacy” cuts all the way to the bone. After some stormy feedback, the song opens with a riff that comes cracking down like a bolt of lightning. When Watkins summons his death growl for a dance with the grim reaper, it cuts straight through the iciest of heart.
“We sharpened our tools on this album”, Black Lava says. “The Savage Winds to Wisdom is a step up in all aspects. We went a little more dark and brutal and that’s exactly where we want to take our music”.
Tracklist 1. Colour of Death (6:44) 2. Dark Legacy (4:08) [LISTEN] 3. Wrapped in Filth (4:03) 4. Unsheathing Nightmares (4:45) [WATCH] 5. Summoning Shadows (6:03) 6. Ironclad Sarcophagus (4:08) [WATCH] 7. Pagan Dust (4:46) 8. Sanguis Lupus (5:21) 9. The Savage Winds to Wisdom (7:07) Total runtime: 47:12
Not even the most stifling period in recent history could contain Black Lava. Despite being kept under strict lockdown during the pandemic, these Aussies were just stewing together, waiting to erupt. Now, only two years removed from their smoldering debut, the band are roaring back with even more mythical firepower on The Savage Winds to Wisdom.
“Our second album is a step up from the first in all aspects”, drummer Dan Presland says. “We took more time on the songwriting. The Savage Winds to Wisdom shows exactly where we want to take our music”.
Though possessed by an ancient and mysterious alchemy, Black Lava formed with the ease of a natural spring. Over the past decade, all four members have crossed paths around the various corners of Melbourne’s metal underground. On top of their progressive all-instrumental vision quests in Vipassi, Presland also drums alongside Hadal Maw guitarist Ben Boyle in the grinding, tech-death, underground curiosity A Million Dead Birds Laughing. But when the two got together to blow off steam amidst quarantine at Presland’s newly minted home studio, they were pleasantly surprised by the darkness that swept over these jam sessions.
“Both of us were dealing with a lot of pent-up frustrations”, Presland remembers. A few weeks before, his flight home from America (where he was supposed to track the drums for Ne Obliviscaris’ fourth album Exul) touched down hours before Australia closed its borders. “But that anger, coupled with our need to keep creating, led us in a different direction”.
Progressive metal was still a clear undercurrent, but the songs that came spewing out were unusually heavy. Death and black metal held more sway, though sludgy rock n’ roll also found its way into the mix. Such a peculiar range of influences required a vocalist with a very particular set of pipes. Fortunately, Rob Watkins jumped at the opportunity to reunite with Presland, who was the drummer in their thrash band Metalstorm. With Watkins’ Blackhelm bassist Tim Anderson added to the fold, Black Lava burst onto the scene in 2022 with their smoldering debut.
“Soul Furnace more than lives up to those lofty expectations”, Distorted Sound hailed, “proving to not only be a late contender for album of the year, but also one of the more impressive debut albums of recent years”.
Black Lava wasted no time in keeping the juices flowing. The band was already hard at work on their second album while the first one was hot on the shelves. The Savage Winds to Wisdom stirs from the same cauldron of influences. Lead single “Ironclad Sarcophagus” echoes from the crypt with eerie countermelodies and a rhythm section that’s more bewitching than a spell book.
“I pictured this ancient wizard sending out evil vibes into the world in hopes of tricking someone into opening his coffin”, Watkins says. “When writing lyrics, I try and stay true to the spirit of metal. But really, I’m just channeling how the music makes me feel”.
If Soul Furnace was like stumbling upon the entrance to an ancient cave, then The Savage Winds to Wisdom is a fiery, full-blown descent into the belly of the beast. “Dark Legacy” rings through the long black night with one sustained roar of a guitar roar, like an angry, one-eyed ogre. But while the songs came quickly, with Presland and Boyle carving out monstrous riffs and scaly grooves for Watkins to splatter his medieval fantasies, Black Lava took their time with this album. It’s not until nearly three minutes into the opening number, after “Colour of Death” has boiled to a full headbang, that the first of its many horns-up roars is unleashed.
“There was greater care taken with compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom”, Boyle says. “There’s more depth and layering to the riffs and melodies. Calling on a more broad list of inspirations and tones, the album has a real sense of balance, a certain quality that will lend itself to repeat listens and attention to detail, while still staying true to what Black Lava set out to do; create heavy, yet energetic and catchy anthemic tunes that tell a story and emanate a sense of atmosphere and power for the listener.”
True to its name, The Savage Winds to Wisdom swirls within a deeper and darker sense of atmosphere. Whereas before their bang-bang approach to songwriting resembled something closer to a punk rock band, this time around, Black Lava concentrated more on atmosphere. “Unsheathing Nightmares” reveals its root source of terror in careful layers, mutating from raw black metal and razor-sharp tech-death into a rainy, ambient hellscape. “That’s one of the songs that really excited me”, says Watkins, who calls upon a coven of witches by digging into the slimier depths of his baritone.
The title track is big enough to stand alone as its own self-contained world. Winding over the course of seven eventful minutes, it’s the longest and perhaps most ambitious song in Black Lava’s musical geology. Blast beats pound like hail beneath waves of distortion that crash with the force of a monsoon. “The silents of fate” Watkins reckons, like a sea captain stranded among the wreckage. “The thousand winds swirl the soul”. Swept up by a screeching solo from special guest Ben Baret (Ne Obliviscaris), the song whirls into an unstoppable force, a torrential finale that brings this album to a truly epic conclusion.
“We sharpened our tools with this album”, the band says. “We went a little more brutal and that sets the tone for where we’ll head in the future.
On The Savage Winds to Wisdom, Black Lava conduct a perfect storm.
Recording Lineup Dan Presland – Drums Ben Boyle – Guitar Ben Boyle – Bass Rob Watkins – Vocals
Guest Musician Benjamin Baret (Ne Obliviscaris, Vipassi) plays the guitar solo on “The Savage Winds to Wisdom”.
Live Lineup Dan Preslans – Drums Ben Boyle – Guitar Nick Rackham – Bass Rob Watkins – Vocals
Recording Studio Bushido Studios in Melbourne, Australia
Producer & Sound Engineer Troy Mccosker
Mastering, Mixing & Engineering Studio Fredman and Fredrick Nordstrom
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
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