The award-winning artist and songwriter ERLEND ROPSTAD is finally back with new music, kicking off the summer with the song “Alt som var bra” (“Everything That Was Good”). Big riffs and catchy rock meet poetry, and the song’s rhythm and feel are tailor-made for the expansive plains when festival season arrives.
Erlend Ropstad shares: “I wanted to release this song before summer because it’s such an obvious festival banger in my ears. The goal is, of course, for everyone to sing along.”
With a total of eight Norgian Grammy nominations and numerous awards such as the Prøysen Award, and the Gammleng-Award, Erlend Ropstad has built a reputation as one of the foremost and most credible voices in Norwegian rock. The new single also features delightful collaborations, and with an impressive saxophone solo, the song truly gives us everything that’s great.
Ropstad says, “The wonderful thing about the song is the big guitar chords, and I managed to get Lars Horntveth to channel his inner Clarence Clemons with a proper sax solo, and Mathias Eick joins in on trumpet during the riffing towards the end. Awesome track.”
Contributors: Erlend Ropstad: Piano, vocals, and guitar Gunnar Sæter: Drums Øystein Frantzvåg: Bass Julie Falkevik: Keyboard Lars Horntveth: Saxophone Mathias Eick: Trumpet
Canadian Roots, Rock, and Soul band Bywater Call release the super-charged “As If”, their third single of 2024, and the fifth song released from their upcoming studio album Shepherd. Stream the single HERE.
Driven by Mike Meusel on bass and Bruce McCarthy on drums, “As If” is a dynamic funk, rock n’ soul inspired number featuring soaring, emotion-filled vocals and ripping guitar, all expertly coloured in with an undeniable groove from the keys and horns. The bursting energy in “As If” has made it an immediate hit with audiences from the moment it was first played in a live setting in mid-2023. Watch the music video for “As If” HERE.
“This song embodies the awareness, anger, acceptance and breaking free from toxic energy in one’s life” says lead singer Meghan Parnell, who drew inspiration from former relationships.
“As If” was partially filmed and recorded at friend, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Howley’s beautiful barn studio in the country of Ontario, Canada where he acted as engineer. Bass (Mike Meusel), drums (Bruce McCarthy), horns (Julian Nalli, sax and Stephen Dyte, trumpet) and keys (John Kervin) were captured live-off-the-floor. Additional recording, including lead vocals (Meghan Parnell) and Guitars (Dave Barnes), was captured by Bywater drummer Bruce McCarthy (The BeatFarm in Toronto), who also acted as mixing engineer.
“As If” follows the April release of “Roll” and the March release of “Holler” – which saw extensive A-list radio play on UK’s Planet Rock Radio. It also follows the 2023 releases of singles “Sweet Maria” and “For All We Know”, which received rave reviews from UK, Europe, and North America. All four tunes will be included on the new album.
Set to come out August 9th, 2024, Shepherd features a captivating mix of 10 original songs, showcasing the bands continual exploration, experimentation, and reach beyond the boundaries of their genre, further developing their own unique voice. The new music shows their growth, while still paying tribute to their historical and contemporary influences.
“Bywater Call cross and blend multiple genres into a sound that is distinctly their own. they are talented both individually and as a group, they have a chemistry that is palpable, and they play a blend of music and musical styles that is impossible to not connect with.” – Rick Witt, Denver Entertainment Hub
Often transcending genres, Bywater Call is known for their dynamic, emotional live shows, featuring powerful vocals and exciting interplay between all band members.
The band was UK Blues Award nominated for the 2024 International Blues Artist of the Year. They have toured extensively in Europe where shows have been praised by Dutch, German and UK media, with references to Meghan as one of the best female voices in blues and roots today.
Bywater has been busy. In 2023 alone, they played a total of 96 showsin10 countries, 89 cities, 19 US states and 3 Canadian provinces, including Joe Bonamassa’s third Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean Cruise.
In October 2024, they headline their second UK tour. Dates & details at www.bywatercall.com.
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SPRING/ SUMMER USA/CANADA/ROMANIA TOUR 2024
6-June – Denver, CO, Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox
7-June – Montrose, CO, Montrose Summer Music Series 13-June – Syracuse, NY, New York State Blues Festival 14-June – Somers Point, NJ, Somer’s Point Beach Concerts 16-June – Franklin, PA, Franklin Blues & BBQ 18-June – Lima, NY, Fanatics 19-June – Sellersville, PA, Sellersville Theatre 20-June – Tuckerton, NJ, Lizzie Rose Music Room 21-June – Hagerstown, MD, HubCity Vinyl 22-June – Hughesville, PA, Billtown Blues Festival
5-July – Ottawa, Ontario, Ottawa Blues Fest 12-July – Omaha, NB, Playing with Fire 13-July – Kansas City, MO, Knuckleheads 19-July – Brezoi, Romania, Brezoi Open Air Festival 23-July – Syracuse, NY, Club 443 24-July – Syracuse, NY, Club 443 25-July – Athens, NY, Summer Music Series 28-July – Norwood, MA, Fallout Shelter
2-August – Pomeroy, OH, Big Bend Blues Bash 3-August – Nashville, TN, City Winery 4-August – Knoxville, TN, Tennessee Riverboat 9-August – Nanaimo, BC, Nanaimo Blues Festival 11-August – Wheeling, WV, Heritage Music Blues Fest 16-August – Norwich, NY, Chenango Blues Fest 17-August – Thornton, NH, White Mountain Boogie N’ Blues Fest 24-August – Ontonagon, MI, Porcupine Mountains Music Festival 29-August – Pelham, ON, Fonhtill Bandshell Concerts
6-September – Port Credit, ON, Southside Shuffle 7-September – Drumheller, AB, Canada Badlands Roots, Blues and BBQ
EUROPE FALL TOUR 2024
2-October Verviers, Belgium Spirit of 66 3-October Heilbronn, Germany Waldhaus 4-October Zaandam, Netherlands De Flux 5-October Enschede, Netherlands Mystiek Theatre 6-October Weert, Netherlands De Bosuil 8-October Fulda, Germany Kulturkeller 9-October Utrecht, Netherlands Tivoli (Cloud 9) 10-October Herent, Belgium GC De Wildeman 11-October Isernhagen, Germany Blues Garage 12-October Assen, Netherlands New Blues Festival 13-October Bonn, Germany Harmonie
ABOUT BYWATER CALL Bywater Call, is a powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock band from Toronto, Canada. The band is completed by Meghan Parnell (vocals), Dave Barnes (guitar), Bruce McCarthy on drums, Mike Meusel on Bass, newest member, John Kervin on Keys, Stephen Dyte on trumpet and Julian Nalli on tenor sax.
Bywater is currently UK Blues Award nominated for International Blues Artist of the year. They have toured extensively in Europe where shows have been praised by Dutch, German and UK media, with references to Meghan as one of the best female voices in blues and roots today.
In August 2023, the band participated in Joe Bonamassa’s third Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean Cruise alongside headliners Blackberry Smoke and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and were invited to perform at the All-Star Jam on the mainstage with Bonamassa himself. Guitarist Dave Barnes was also asked to join legendary blues artist Jimmy Vivino (Conan O’Brien’s Basic Cable Band) on stage.
Bywater Call have commanded festival stages in Canada and around the world, often referred to as the “find of the fest”. In May of 2023, they opened for Canadian award-winning band Whitehorse at the inaugural Smokestack Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. In July, Meghan joined renowned pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph on stage at his request, at the Briggs Farm Festival in Nescopeck, PA.
On October 24, 2023, Bywater performed a live stream performance for the famed German TV show and festival Rockpalast.
In 2023 alone, the band played a total of 96 shows in 10 countries, 89 Cities, 19 US States and three Canadian provinces. This is not including a month-long duo tour in Europe and the UK where Meghan and Dave opened for Southern California rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck, who have recently partnered with Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records.
The band’s music is an exploration of life’s highs and lows. From intimate ballads that lay bare the complexities of human emotion to electrifying anthems that demand to be played at full volume, their catalogue is a journey through the human experience, incorporating influences from the likes of The Band, The Wood Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Otis Redding, Little Feat, Sly and the Family Stone, among others.
Blackened speed metal entity WORMWITCH will unleash their eponymous fourth studio album on July 26, 2024 via Profound Lore Records! The Canadian horde sets out to combine a melodic blackened death assault with the ferocity and attitude of crust punk and classic rock and roll, jettisoning the burdens of ceremony and pomp that dominate the genre today. To celebrate this revelation, WORMWITCH is now unveiling the first single from the offering, “The Helm And The Bow,” which features guest vocals from KVELERTAK’s Erlend Hjelvik. The track is now available at THIS LOCATION.
WORMWITCH comments, “We’ve been looking forward to today… we finally get to start stringing out these new tracks. This one is one of my favourite’s from the album, and I’m not just saying that. I won’t tell you what it’s about because real ones will know. We got some vocal contributions from our buddy Erlend who absolutely nailed it, can’t thank him enough for lending us his voice.”
The album can be pre-ordered in various formats HERE.
The cover artwork for Wormwitch’s eponymous record was created by Abomination Hammer and can be found below along with the tracklist.
Tracklisting: 01: Fugitive Serpent 02: Envenomed 03: The Helm And The Bow [WATCH] 04: Inner War 05: Godmaegen 06: Salamander 07: Wormsblood Necromancy 08: Bright And Poisonous 09: Draconick Sorcerous Canadian Witchknights
Like black wings from an obsidian sky, WORMWITCH descended from the darkness in 2015, somewhere upon the rain-soaked woodlands of coastal British Columbia. Animated from the bones of several local punk and metal bands, the new entity set out to combine a melodic blackened death assault with the ferocity and attitude of crust punk and classic rock and roll, jettisoning the burdens of ceremony and pomp that dominate the genre today.
WORMWITCH released their first demo, ‘The Long Defeat’ in 2015, and shortly after signed to Prosthetic Records, under whom they released ‘Strike Mortal Soil’ (2017), ‘Heaven that Dwells Within’ (2019), and ‘Wolf Hex’ (2021). During that time the band toured with the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Suffocation, Midnight, Necrot, Uada, Bewitcher, and many others, earning themselves a dedicated cult following and international critical praise. In 2022, WORMWITCH struck out to independently release a string of singles and embark upon several tours of North America. After a busy festival season, 2024 saw the release of a six-song split with Atlanta black-thrashers Sadistic Ritual.
Now, with blades meticulously honed and tempered under the light of a feral Canadian moon, WORMWITCH emerges once more to offer their fourth full length record. Simply self-titled, “Wormwitch” is a statement of a band coming into it’s own – a revelrous celebration of devilish speed, searing melody and diabolical intensity.
Wormwitch Lineup: Robin Harris: Bass, Vocals Colby Hink: Guitars Israel Langlais: Drums
Recording & Mixing: Michael Kraushaar at Little Red Sounds at New Westminster, BC Mastering: Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Guest vocals: Erlend Hjelvik (Kvelertak) on “The Helm And The Bow”
From death metal to prog but also folk: with its wide rage of influences, OCTOPLOID‘s forthcoming debut album “Beyond The Aeons” (due out on July 5, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music) takes the listener to its very own world. In anticipation of the offering, the band led by bassist Olli-Pekka “Oppu” Laine‘s (AMORPHIS, BARREN EARTH, MANNHAI) present a second digital single off the record today. Continuing the list of prestigious guests, Mikko Kotamäki (SWALLOW THE SUN etc.) lends his distinctive vocals to ‘The Dawns In Nothingness,’ the album opening track which opens the gate to “Beyond The Aeons” in the form of fateful peal of bells, cawing craws and acoustic guitar tunes. The eventful song straightly raises the bar with its driving yet dark character, intermitted by a handful of wonderfully psychedelic guitar/keyboard solo parts, for what may be one of the most expected death-prog albums of the year.
Band leader Laine explains, “This track is an unlikely marriage between black and death metal, rock and medieval monk chants, rounded up by SWALLOW THE SUN vocalist Mikko Kotamäki. Even though the texts are very personal, the gloomy lyricism is not always to be taken literally. That’s just a part of the classic doom metal ethos in its finest!”
Pre-order the album in the physical format of your choice (CD-digi, eco-friendly / recycled “dusk of vex” marbled vinyl), pre-save it on your favourite DSP or pre-order it digitally to receive ‘The Dawns In Nothingness [feat. Mikko Kotamäki]’ and ‘Human Amoral [feat. Tomi Joutsen]’ instantly now, here: https://octoploid.rpm.link/beyondtheaeonsPR
Don’t forget to subscribe to Reigning Phoenix Music on YouTube to stay updated & to listen to ‘The Dawns In Nothingness [feat. Mikko Kotamäki]’ as well as other new tracks in the “RPM New Releases” playlist on Spotify: https://rpm.link/spotifynewreleasesPR
About OCTOPLOID
OCTOPLOID is the solo band of Olli-Pekka Laine (bass, keyboards, backing vocals; AMORPHIS, BARREN EARTH, MANNHAI), and was formed in 2022 what has led to “Beyond The Aeons,” the act’s debut album which is due to be released on July 5, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). Combining elements from 90s death/black metal, 70s prog rock and 90s psychedelic rock, their music has its own place on the map. In one phrase, OCTOPLOID‘s sound has been described as “classic death prog.”
Built around Laine, the core band includes four additional musicians: Well seasoned and diverse drummer Mikko Pietinen brings experience from stoner rock (MANNHAI) to Finnish mainstream pop rock (KASMIR etc.), while lead/rhythm guitarist Peter Salonen (THE KINKY THING; a band performing Finnish psych rock legends KINGSTON WALL covers) is a quite new face in the scene. The five-piece is completed by keyboardist Kim Rantala (GIANT ROBOT, ex-AMORPHIS) and vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (SWALLOW THE SUN etc.; live).
OCTOPLOID are: Mikko Kotamäki | vocals (live) Peter Salonen | guitars Kim Rantala | keyboards Olli-Pekka Laine | bass, keyboards, backing vocals Mikko Pietinen | drums, percussion
Triumphant return of the highly esteemed Indian metallers AGAINST EVIL, announcing their new album “Give ‘Em Hell”, set to be released on July 12th. Furthermore the band has revealed a video for ‘Give ‘Em Hell’.
The band says about the new title track: “‘Give ‘Em Hell‘ is a pretty straightforward meat & potatoes kinda Heavy Metal song, packed with rapid-fire riffs, explosive bass & drums, high octane vocals, and a blistering solo. It was an instant no-brainer to release this track as the first single as it perfectly represents the overall vibe and sonic intensity of the entire album. It’s got the band firing on all cylinders and is guaranteed to get your fists pumping and turn adrenaline levels up to eleven!”
🎥 🎬 ⚙️ Against Evil
TRACKS: 01. Lock’n Load (00:45) 📺 02. Give ‘Em Hell (03:09) 03. Full Speed Ahead (04:07) 04. Warriors (04:30) 05. Stay Dead! (03:32) 06. Lights Out (04:26) 07. Hellfire (04:27) 08. Creature Of The Night (03:27) 09. Killing Machine (03:42)
Guitarist Shasank has a lot to say about the new full-length release: “Songwriting for the album began sometime in June 2023 when we got back from our second successful European tour. We only had one song idea to start with and had to write the rest from scratch, but since we were all pumped up thanks to the kick-ass response we received during the tour, the remaining songs came together pretty quickly and we completed the writing process by December.
In terms of songwriting, the approach was the same as always and we didn’t consciously do anything different or try to reinvent the wheel! Our approach has always been to keep ti simple and write songs that give us the same feel and excitement we get when listening to our favorite Heavy Metal bands such as Judas Priest or Accept to name a few. We are extremely happy with the end result and we hope you like ti as much as we do.” [ learn more here ]
LINE-UP: Siri Sri • Vocals, Bass M Sravan Chakravarthi • Guitars, Vocals Shasank Venkat • Lead Guitars Noble John • Drums
Alias Noone is a melodic death metal band from Helsinki, Finland. They mix styles of metal to create their own brand of metal music. Band’s music is full of Finnish melancholy and heaviness that will make your spine tingle. Their first single “Shadowkeep” from the upcoming debut album is a song about the darkness that lives in some of us and the price for our actions. We’re not sure if the narrative is happening inside the mind of the murderer. In this case you don’t know who wins or loses this twisted fight.
The debut album “Weight of the World” was recorded during 2023-24 at the D-Studios in multiple sessions. The album contains 8 songs that are powerful and melodic without losing the Alias Noone signature heavyness and groove. All the songs contain so much more hooks than before. Every song tells you something about the weight of the world and the things that are pushing us down in modern society.
The production is top notch and the sound is bigger than in Alias Noone’s previous releases.
Listen to the single on music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal etc.): https://push.fm/fl/aliasnoone-shadowkeep – Coposition and lyrics by: Teemu Ratamaa, Juha-Pekka Tiainen, Janne Öysti, Antti Valkama, Matti Fagerström
“We wanted to push the sound as big as possible without losing the things that make us sound the way we do” tells the band. the synths and programming is done by Jarno Hänninen from the band Dead End Finland. Jarno is the producer and engineer as well. “We wanted to bring some more melody to the songs and Jarno was the right man for the job. We also brought in Saara Nurmela to do some vocals in few of the songs. She has such a great range so we got so much more textures in the lead and backing vocals” Saara is featured in the songs Shadowkeep, Left Behind and Final Salute.
When asked about who will love the album, the band tells that the sound is a mixture of Dark Tranquillity,Insomnium, In Flames, Amorphis, Sentenced and more without sounding exactly any of them. “We think our sound is ours, but if you want to put a label on it then the more melodic side of melodic death metal is the closest. There are so much different things in our songs but metal fans will love the album.”
Alias Noone’s guitarist Janne Öysti passed away unexpectedly after the album was finished, so the band dedicates the upcoming release to his memory and loved ones.
“Rest in peace brother.” – Alias Noone
Line-up Teemu Ratamaa – Vocals Janne Öysti – Guitars Juha-Pekka Tiainen – Guitars Antti Valkama – Bass Matti Fagerström – Drums
All keyboards, programming and production – Jarno Hänninen Vocals on tracks Final Salute, Shadowkeep, Left Behind – Saara Nurmela
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 ) 