A magic dwells in every beginning, full of anticipation for what lies ahead, making time briefly stand still. This moment seems almost infinite, filled with the limitless possibilities for the future and the start of a new era. And now, this moment has dawned for NIGHTWISH…
Today, NIGHTWISH finally break the quietude to announce Yesterwynde. The Symphonic metal legend’s new album will see the light of the day on September 20th, 2024. It marks the band’s tenth studio album, following on from the release of Human. :II: Nature. in 2020.
Tuomas Holopainen stated about the new album: “Yesterwynde is a fantastical voyage through time, memory, and the better angels of human nature. Three years in the making, we`re thrilled beyond words to soon share our tenth album with the world!”
Furthermore, NIGHTWISH announce the release of the album’s first single today. ‘Perfume Of The Timeless’ will mark the beginning of the band’s new era and will be released on May 21st. Presave the single now: https://nightwish.bfan.link/perfumeofthetimeless
Tracklist: 1. Yesterwynde 2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands 3. The Antikythera Mechanism 4. The Day Of… 5. Perfume Of The Timeless 6. Sway 7. The Children Of ‘Ata 8. Something Whispered Follow Me 9. Spider Silk 10. Hiraeth 11. The Weave 12. Lanternlight
About NIGHTWISH Working with NUCLEAR BLAST since the release of their highly lauded 2004 album Once, NIGHTWISH have gained international fame and success selling more than ten million records and receiving more than 60 gold and platinum awards, having released six No #1 albums and thirteen No #1 singles. In October 2018, NIGHTWISH was inducted into the Tähtikatu – Walk of Fame Finland, becoming the honorary gallery’s eleventh member. 2020 saw the release of the band’s last studio record, Human. :II: Nature. that crowned the band’s discography with another No #1 success in Finland and Germany as well several other impressive chart entries worldwide.
Fans around the world recognize EIVØR for her thunderous Nordic drumming and operatic throat singing. But her upcoming twelfth album marks a bold new venture in her two decades-long musical journey.
Today, EIVØR is releasing the latest single off ENN. Hugsi Bert Um Teg / Still Just You is a celestial swoon of dream-pop that’s bound to get stuck in everyone’s head, whether you’re out tearing up the dance floor or tossing and turning in bed.
The video for Hugsi Bert Um Teg / Still Just You was directed by Einar Egils (www.einaregils.com)
Additional video credits DOP – Anton Smári Gunnarsson Producer – Eydís Evensen Executive Producer – Einar Egilsson Prod Co. – Indy Productions AC – Sigfús Heiðar Gaffer – Óttar Andri Óttarsson Grip – Gústaf Evensen Wardrobe – Diana Breckmann Makeup – Sigrún Sig Hair stylist – Ásgeir Hjartarson Set builder – Þorvaldur Betri & Gústaf Evensen Laser operator – Gabríel Brynjar Bjarkason Post – Einar Egilsson Media rental – Kukl Special thanks: Geir Bjarnason, Úlfur Grönvold
EIVØR comes from a village of 400 people, tucked away amidst the heavy winters and bright summers of the Faroe Islands. But over the past two decades, she’s covered a lot of stylistic ground. As a young teen, she played in rock and jazz bands. By the time she turned 17, she had already released her first album of folk songs and nabbed two Icelandic Music Awards.
As revealed by Jarðartrá/Dust To Dust, its gently pulsing first single, ENN delves deeper into EIVØR‘s affinity for dark electronic production. Even she was surprised to discover that her forays into electronic beatmaking were the stems for her new album. But Hugsi Bert Um Teg comes as the album’s biggest, most pleasant surprise.
“I usually spend A LOT of time writing my songs”, EIVØR says. “Months, sometimes even years.” But “HUGSI BERT UM TEG / STILL JUST YOU” is one of those songs that just came rushing out, as if it had been locked away somewhere inside of her, just waiting for the right key. Her new Prophet-5 synthesizer had hardly made it out of the box before she hammered out the songs lighter-than-air melody, which dances like the colors of the milky way. “When it finally arrived, I unwrapped it with all the restraint of a child at Christmas”, she says of her new studio toy.
Hugsi Bert Um Teg / Still Just You is the poppiest and most upbeat track on ENN. The gated drum loops and thumping four-on-the-floor beat would get the blood pumping inside any sweaty club basement. But even the pillowy synths can’t hide that underneath its sweet and simple melody, lies an undeniable tension. After all, it is a love song. When EIVØR reaches into a trembling lower register, you can feel her yearning. Her passion lights up the video like a thousand suns, soaring above the clouds on the wings of her piercing falsetto.
“Regardless of what else is happening around you, even if the world is ending, a love song, dreaming of what once was and remembering love, this is the only thing on your mind”.
Artwork by Leif Podhajsky
Tracklist 1. Ein Klóta (5:44) 2. Jarðartrá (4:47) [WATCH] 3. Hugsi Bert Um Teg (3:25) [WATCH] 4. Purpurhjarta (4:27) 5. ENN (7:11) 6. Lívsandin (4:35) 7. Upp Úr Øskuni (5:01) 8. Gaia (5:10) Total runtime: 40:25
To celebrate the release of her star-turning new album, this fall, EIVØR will shoot across Europe on a headlining tour with label mate SYLVAINE in tow before linking up with HEILUNG in the land down under.Don’t miss the chance to hear her perform Jarðartrá/Dust To Dust, Hugsi Bert Um Teg / Still Just You and other mesmerizing songs off ENN for the first time. Tickets are going fast!
“My band and I can’t wait to start this new chapter with you and perform later this year”, says Eivør. “These tours will bring ENN all over the world – from the United States to Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and Australia”.
In preparation for their tour together, Eivør and Sylvaine put together a playlist of their favorite songs. Get in the mood with some of the choice cuts off Nova and the soundtracks to The Last Kingdom and God of War Ragnarök.
Eivør 2024 European Tour October 2 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle [LOW TICKETS] October 3 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivolivredenburg [LOW TICKETS] October 4 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique October 5 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall October 7 – London, UK @ Electric Ballroom October 9 – Dublin, UK @ Opium [LOW TICKETS] October 10 – Glasgow, UK @ The Garage October 11 – Manchester, UK @ Club Academy [Venue Upgrade] October 12 – Bristol, ENG @ Thekla [SOLD OUT] October 13 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon October 15 – Lyon, FR @ CCO October 16 – Lucerne, CH @ Schuur October 17 – Vienna, AT @ Szene [Venue Upgrade] October 18 – Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert October 19 – Warsaw, DE @ Progresja October 21 – Berlin, DE @ Metropol October 22 – Aarhus, DK @ Train October 23 – Copenhagen, DK @ Store Vega [LOW TICKETS] October 24 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik October 25 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller October 26 – Stockholm, SE @ Kägelbanan [LOW TICKETS]
2024 Australia/ New Zealand Tour Dates Supporting Heilung
October 30 – Perth, AU @ Red Hill Auditorium November 2 – Adelaide, AU @ AEC Theatre November 4 – Melbourne, AU @ Palais Theatre November 8 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre November 13 – Brisbane, AU @ Riverstage November 16 – Auckland, NZ @ Kiri Te Kanawa
Of course, fans can support Eivør by buying merchandise at any stop along her tour. But you don’t have to wait! Her new line of ENN-themed apparel is now available for order online.
Eivør calls her Nordic home in the remote Faroe Islands a landscape of extremes. Sitting in the North Atlantic Ocean just above Scotland and southeast of Iceland, with a total population of about 50,000, the climate is “full of contrasts—very dark, heavy winters and bright summers.” Growing up in a small village there, of about 400 people, it’s those contrasts that have inspired Eivør’s music throughout her career, as well as the Faroe Islands’ intense and still-vibrant connection to its own folk music traditions. “A very strong part of Faroese culture is singing together—anywhere people gather, there will be singing,” Eivør explains. “When you listen to old Faroese traditional music, it’s sung acapella and takes you back to its Renaissance roots. It’s pure, expressive, and untamed.”
Often considered to be one of the most prolific and unique Nordic artists of her generation, Eivør has released 11 studio albums to date, crossing musical genres and always pushing the bounds of the expected. Awarded with the Nordic Council Music Price in 2021, Eivør’s musical journey continues to fascinate.
As a young teenager, Eivør was immersed in the tight-knit local music scene, playing with 20-something musicians in jazz bands as well as rock bands influenced by Portishead, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Sigur Rós and similar acts.
By 16, Eivør released her debut solo collection of Faroese-sung folk-pop. One year later, she left home to study classical singing in Reykjavík, Iceland—soon winning two Icelandic Music Awards for her sophomore album. She spent the ensuing years living in Copenhagen and building a career playing folk festivals, but by 2010, Eivør was ready for a change. Her daring Larva album eschewed the folksiness of her previous work for experimentation and electronics. “I needed to free myself from boxes,” she said. It was the beginning of a new chapter that continues with her richly atmospheric new album, ENN.
The process of ENN built on Eivør’s recent immersion into production and beat-making, but began with a return to classical music. She and her partner, the classical composer Tróndur Bogason, had decamped to a tiny Faroe Islands mountain village of 50 people, called Tjørnuvík with no agenda but to “write freely” for a possible side project. “Slowly I realized: I shouldn’t think about this as a side project,” Eivør said. “This is where I am at right now creatively.” The first track she worked on there became ENN’s melancholic closer, “Gaia,” which Eivør calls “a love hymn for the Earth” that reminded her of the Renaissance music she loved in her youth. On that trip, Eivør also wrote ENN’s opener, “Ein Klóta,” a song about “watching your world from afar” as it changes. “I felt I was making a concept album, in a sense, about the Earth, about our home, our planet. Then it developed into both nature but also human nature—both the outer and the inner landscape, and the struggles of the heart, the struggles between the Earth and humans.”
In recent years, Eivør has composed extensively for film, television and video games(The Last Kingdom, God of War) and the cinematic structures of those scores found their way in alongside the music’s propulsive beats, omnipresent rooting in Faroese folk, and the classical flourishes of her opera training. Some of the songs feel like vistas or panoramas moving unexpectedly. “After writing the first two more spacious tracks, the idea started to grow in my head of almost a space opera,” Eivør said. “I was like, what if this journey starts out in space, and you watch the Earth? And you’re so far away from everything that you ever knew? Where am I going? What is this adventure?” The result was a synthesis of her career to date—her curiosity about beat making and noisy expressiveness, combined with the purity of classical music and cinematic atmospheres—and that sonic biography plays out beautifully on ENN’s second track “Jardartra.” It begins with a lurching beat “almost like a heartbeat,” and Eivør wrote it from the Earth’s point of view, as if “Earth is calling on us in the midst of all our human greed and destruction and beckoning us to find our way back to her blue embrace.”
Most of the lyrics, sung entirely in Faroese, were penned in collaboration with the Faroese poet Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs. Eivør calls the lyrics to the title track especially “hardcore.” The song is about war— “the wars that are going on in the world especially lately, but that have always been going on,” Eivør says, “and how to find a glimpse of light in this overwhelming darkness.” The guttural penultimate track, “Upp Úr Øskuni,” is a thrilling outlier mixing growling beatboxing with visceral throat singing (it’s certainly Eivør’s most metal moment). She considers “Upp Úr Øskuni” a beacon of female empowerment and solidarity. “I wanted to write about sisterhood and women supporting each other, and these raw female elements which are not pretty and not polite, just raw,”
Eivør says. “I wanted it to be wild and untamed. It’s quite witchy. When I wrote the song, I imagined a coven of witches from the past and the present all supporting each other, chanting to each other across the chasm of time.”
After independently releasing her music for many years, ENN marks Eivør’s debut for the metal label Season of Mist—and though her compositions sit outside of any one genre, she is happy to be embraced by the metal community. She identified a shared pagan sensibility in her television scores like The Last Kingdom. “I never felt I really fit into any box,” said Eivør. “I just have to do it my own way.” Recorded with her touring band in the Faroe Islands—where she now lives again, splitting time between her homeland and Denmark—Eivør called ENN “my most pleasurable and also most painful process. I felt that I was stepping into a place where I hadn’t been before, and that’s always scary because you don’t feel that you touch the ground. But it opens up your creativity and takes you to someplace new. It’s woven together all my experiences for the past 10 years, and it’s grounded me.”
Recording line-up Eivør: Vocals, Guitars Mattias Kapnas: Piano, Rhodes and Synths Mikael Blak: Bass & Synths. Guitars on ‘Upp úr øskuni’ Per I Højgaard Petersen: Drums & Soundscaping Strings performed by Lýra: 1st violin: Sigrún Harðardóttir 2nd violin: Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir Viola: Karl James Pestka Cello: Unnur Jónsdóttir Choir on ‘Ein klóta’: Eivør, Tróndur, Hans Mols Mortensen, Greta Svabo Beck and Fred Ruddick
Recording studio Studio Bloch (Faroe Islands), Hljóðritið (Iceland), Jardin Acoustique (France) and in Eivør’s portable studio in various corners of the world.
Production, engineering and recording Produced & arranged by Eivør and Tróndur
Beat production by Eivør and Per I. Højgaard Petersen
Recorded and engineered by Theodor Kapnas at Studio Bloch (Faroe Islands)
Additional recordings and engineering by Fred Ruddick at Jardin Acoustique (France)
Strings recorded by Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson and Gestur Sveinsson at Hljóðriti (Iceland)
Mixing Theodor Kapnas
Mastering Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering
Creative direction Eivør and Leif Podhajsky
Artwork Leif Podhajsky Photography Sigga Ella Additional landscape photography by Alessio Mesiano
London blackened metal outfit VULGARIS is excited to announce their partnership with WormHoleDeath for the digital release of their upcoming album, “Seat Of The Fire”. The record is the band’s second studio album and is set for release on 24 May 2024.
The lead single from the album, “Siege”, is available for listening to on streaming platforms or here:
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Monolith Studios in London, and has cover art created by Leoncio Harmr. The record’s mix of a variety of styles, including black, sludge, thrash, and death metal, draws inspiration from acts such as Gojira, Conjurer, Sylosis, and Regarde Les Hommes Tomber. The album’s concept is inspired by Greek mythology and depicts a tale of the titan Prometheus returning to humanity after his release from eternal torment. Stepping forth into the rising waves, he beholds the destruction Man has wrought onto the world; his gift squandered, his flame this time brings wrath and vengeance. His new mission: conquer and destroy.
With the announcement comes the release of the band’s second single “Swarm”! You can stream the single on Spotify.
Tracklist
Lyomenos
Black Gold Baptism
Swarm
Pyrphoros
Asphyxiation
Prometheus Rise
Pyrkaeus
Siege
Seat Of The Fire
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.
Vulgaris is: George Mitchell – drums Jess O’Toole – guitars Jon Michael – guitars, vocals Matt Cooper – bass, vocals
Lilla Veneda was initiated and founded in 2009 in Wrocław (Poland) by Virian.
Band took the name from one of the most famous Polish romantic tragedies – Lilla Weneda written by Juliusz Slowacki.
Virian said: “We were looking for the name that will be unique but also adequate the musical atmospehere. Lilla Weneda is dark tragedy immersed in the pagan period of time (pre-Polish). It reminds the best tragedies written by William Shakespeare but with the slavic background.“
February 29, 20224, Lower Silesian band released new studio album titled “Primordial Movements“. Once again band used the services of Przemysław Nowak from Impressive-Art Studio (Asgaard, Odraza, Outre). CD is available at Szataniec.pl. Cover artwork by Anna Sobczak.
Virian about lyrics and new album: “The core of the lyrics since the demo, then continue on the debut album is a riddle of existence. It’s a mixed of a science, philosophy and poetry. On the newest LP we try to present the lates discovers from the science and philosophical trends to explain who as humans we are, where the world comes from and where as a civilisation we are going. Probably it’s not hard to understand it but to accept it. Hence we don’t want to lie to ourselves but try to be as curious and rational as possible. Of course the rule of the science is to constantly questioning what we already know to make a progress.
That is in our DNA so be sure that musically and lyrically we always be a little different but it’s a natural evolution instead of revolution but never say never…“
Few days ago, band released brand new video ‘Pytasz co w moim życiu’ which was done by Halerz.
Spanish dark metal entity TODOMAL takes it to a whole other level on their majestic new single “Infero Tristi”. Watch the video HERE.
The song is taken from their sophomore album “A Greater Good”, out nowvia Ardua Music.
Formed by Christopher B. Wildman and Javier Fernández (Asgaroth, Nexus 6, The Heretic, Dejadeath, etc.), TODOMAL bring a new collection of “dark songs” (as they like to define it), which began with the seeds planted in “Ultracrepidarian”, their debut album.
Music has evolved into a complex, dense, and unclassifiable album that takes us on a journey through somber landscapes, existential doubts, tragicomedy, and spiritual and personal unrest.
The band commented: “This song draws inspiration from a medieval prayer/poem penned by Irish scholar-cleric Sedulius Scottus, who fervently implored God for deliverance from the scourge of plague. His entreaty took the form of a poignant poem entitled “Contra plagam,” wherein he poses the question “Infero tristi tibi quis fatetur?” – which roughly translates to “In the depths of sorrow, who will confess to You?” So, basically, if I die, who then will represent You? I’m far too important to be spared, mate…”
“A Greater Good” will no doubt appeal to fans of bands like CANDLEMASS, KRUX, ANATHEMA, PINK FLOYD, AVATARIUM and, we dare to say, old GHOST! Doom on!
American black metal overlords WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM are pleased to reveal that they will be participating in Fortress Festival UK’s inaugural Fortress Forum, an emerging metal conference that offers a unique, in-person opportunity for festival attendees to hear artists talk about their careers and experiences! During WitTR’s appearance at the festival on June 2, they will not only be performing the entirety of ‘Two Hunters’ during an exclusive UK ritual, but founding member/multi-instrumentalist and vocalist CEDAR SERPENT will also now be taking the stage for a live interview with the imitable Jackie Smit of the Into the Necrosphere podcast.
The live talk will take place at 17:40 on June 2 ina300-capacity theatre room at Scarborough Spa and is available only for Fortress Festival ticket holders. The final 100 tickets are available at THIS LOCATION.
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM’s Cedar Serpent joins an elite group of black metal artists and journalists; other forum interview participants include Tom G Warrior (Triptykon, Celtic Frost), Dayal Patterson (Cult Never Dies), Ralph Schmidt (Ultha), The Watcher (Fen, Fellwarden), Der Weg Einer Freiheit and Gaerea. More information on Fortress Festival, including the lineup and Fortress Forum, can be found HERE.
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM will be embarking on The Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge EU/UK headlining tour starting on May 10 at Desertfest Oslo (NO) and will decimate the continent until it’s final stop on June 7 in Berlin (DE). The full itinerary can be found below!
The band is supporting 2023’s EP release, ‘Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge,’ which is available HERE.
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM (w/ Gaerea + Mortiferum): The Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge EU/UK Tour:
05/10: Oslo, NO @ Desertfest Oslo 05/11: Bornstedt, DE @ Dark Troll Fest 05/16: Copenhagen, DK @ A Colossal Weekend 05/17: Leipzig, DE @ Wave Gothic Festival 05/18: Warsaw, PL @ Proxima 05/19: Cracow, PL @ Kamienna12 05/20: Budapest, HU @ Analog 05/21: Vienna, AUST @ Arena 05/22: Munich, DE @ Feierwerk 05/23: Parma, IT @ Campus 05/24: Luzern, CH @ Schuur 05/25: Hollandveen, NL @ Graveland Festival 05/26: Brugge, BE @ Cactus 05/28: Limerick, IRE @ Dolans Warehouse 05/29: Dublin, IRE @ Opium 05/30: Bristol, ENG @ The Fleece 05/31: London, ENG @ Earth 06/01: Glasgow, SCT @ The Garage 06/02: Scarborough, ENG @ Fortress Festival 06/04: Bochum, DE @ Zeche 06/05: Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom 06/06: Hamburg, DE @ Grunspan 06/07: Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater
Photo Credit: Dreaming God
U.S. black metal masters Wolves in the Throne Room create melancholic atmospheres that are an ode to rain storms, wood smoke and the wild energies of the Pacific Northwest. In October 2023, they unleashed ‘CRYPT OF ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE’. This EP contains two epic metal tracks as well as two atmospheric industrial journeys that push the band’s sound into invigorating new directions. The Wolves will be assaulting European shores with support from GAEREA and MORTIFERUM in Spring 2024!
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 ) 