Finnish classic rock band THE GRAMMERS traveled to Rockfield Studios in Wales to record their eighth album in the footsteps of mammoths. Now the album, named after the studio made famous by Queen, Rush and Black Sabbath to name a few, gets more previews in the form of the second single ‘Devil in the Eyes of Men’. The song was recorded live in the studio, including the vocals.
The entire upcoming album was mainly recorded live and on analog in Monmouth, Wales and eventually involved numerous top international mixers and professionals. ‘Devil in the Eyes of Men’ is the second single from the album called ‘Rockfield’, which will be released later in 2024. As a fast rocker it represents the heavier side of the album. The song was mixed in Sweden at Fascination Street by Jens Bogren and Ricardo Borges (Amorphis, Kreator, Dimmu Borgir, Sepultura) and mastered by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound.
The Grammers – Devil in the Eyes of Men Music & lyrics by Hannu Vainionpää, Ville Vesalainen, Hannu Huitu, Saku Kujala, Jussi Vuola, Tuomo Pfaler, Timo Toikka Recorded by Joe Jones, Rockfield Studios, The Quadrangle Mixed by Ricardo Borges & Jens Bogren, Fascination Street Mastered by Justin Shturtz, Sterling Sound Cover art by Rami Mursula Disrtibuted by Playground Music Scandinavia.
Released in March, the first single produced by Tim Palmer, Live It Up has received good airplay on radios and playlists.
The Grammers, founded in Säkylä, Finland in 1999, are the northern torchbearers of classic rock. The band is known as an extremely strict and uncompromising live act. The band’s strengths are based on the interpretation of Hannu Vainionpää – one of the most talented heavy rock vocalists in Finland, the highly refined and catchy composition work, and the virtuoso mastery of vintage instruments by its members.
Hannu commented on the recording process of the album as follows: “Rockfield had a pretty magical atmosphere (even if it sounds cliché); a quiet enclosed yard, nice local people, the right kind of atmosphere that helped to focus on what was essential, i.e. making the record. It was nice to stay and watch the horses and cows in the pasture and play a little bit of billiards and table tennis on session breaks. All in all, the atmosphere was very homely. When I found out that I was going to sing to the same microphone that Ronnie James Dio sang – of course, it sent chills down my spine for a moment. That we are now part of a certain kind of great continuum. And I think you can hear it both on this first single and also on the whole album. It was a great time, a great session, good memories. And it really couldn’t have gone any better!”
Also participating in the sessions was cinematographer-director Petri Vilén, who is responsible for the videos and photos. A documentary about the band’s journey is also being prepared.
Following in the body-strewn footsteps of last year’s Bazookiller EP, Spain’s HOLYCIDE are back with their third full length album – Towards Idiocracy! While Bazookiller was undoubtedly a hard hitting release in its own right, Towards Idiocracy sees Holycide reaching new war torn peaks of intensity with this full force thrash metal nuclear attack. If you thought you knew what Holycide were capable of then think again – the bar has just been raised to unprecedented heights. It’s time to march on Towards Idiocracy…
Since their blistering Toxic Mutation EP back in 2015, Holycide have held the banner high for uncompromising, undiluted thrash metal – in the words of the mighty Exodus, “100% all out nothing less, aggressive relentless and mean”. Like no other band in the modern age, Holycide’s dedication to thrash is absolute and with their third full length album, Towards Idiocracy, they have created a genuine thrash masterpiece. From the opening attack of “A.I. Supremacy” to the last defiant chord of final track “Flamethrower ‘Em All“, via a flawless cover of the Atrophy classic “Chemical Dependency“, Towards Idiocracy is a nirvana of monstrous riffs, relentless drums and a snarling vocal presence that will have the unbelievers running for the hills. A caustic attack on humanity’s pathetic addiction to a shallow, selfish existence, Towards Idiocracy is every bit as vehement in its unforgiving lyrical exhortations as in its rapid fire, twin guitar assault. Holycide are setting the standards for thrash in 2024!
Still bonded by blood with Xtreem Music, Holycide will unleash the fistful of metal that is Towards Idiocracy (CD/LP/MC) on June 6th, 2024 – the international day of Slayer. What more fitting release date could there be for an album which is Holycide’s very own Reign In Blood? Their most intense, unyielding, inexorable album to date!
Music for new album was recorded:
guitars, bass & drums at Black Night Studios (Palma de Mallorca),
vocals at Sanctuary Studios (Madrid).
Produced and arranged by Vicente J. Payá at Black Night Studios. All was mixed by Javier Fernández Milla at Montseny Studios (Angelus Apatrida, Avulsed) and mastered by Davide Billia at MK2 Recording Studio (Antropofagus, Beheaded). Vividly violent artwork was done by Daemorph Art (The Black Dahlia Murder, Vulvodynia, Bodyfarm). Band photo by Lucretia Morti.
Prepare for detonation!
Band comments new single: “While our previous first single was talking about the threat from AI technology, this one talks about the most poweful weapon that politicians have: “ideologies”. With this they secure the segregation of population to have a better “remote control”. Thanks to this, people don’t need to think, just obey to their tweets, manipulated news and hoax. It’s a very reflexive thing, cos we’re all victims of this control…“.
01. A.I. Supremacy 02. Towards Idiocracy 03. Remote Control 04. Lie is the New Truth 05. Power Corrupts 06. Technophobia 07. Angry For Nothing 08. Chemical Dependency (Atrophy cover) 09. Pleased to Be Deceived 10. Flamethrower ’em All
Line-up:
Dave Rotten – vocals (Avulsed, Christ Denied, Putrevore) Salva Esteban – lead guitar (Charontid) Ankor Ramírez – lead guitar Vicenta J. Payá – bass (Unbounded Terror, Golgotha) Santi Arroyo “GoG” – drums (Avulsed, Buriality)
WHITE STONES, the band led by OPETH bassist Martín Mendéz, will release their third studio album entitled “Memoria Viva” through Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM) by the end of next month. To shorten the waiting time until June 28 a bit more, the progressive masters have now launched a second appetizer of the Spanish dominated offering: ‘D-Generación’ starts with high string tones transforming into a rhythmically complex but irresistibly groovy track to only culminate in a charmingly lively chorus. With Mendéz‘ prominent bass playing building a strong foundation throughout the eclectic song, the intersection highlights WHITE STONES‘ undeniable death metal influences before returning into musically more confident fields and reducing to the initial string sound.
Pre-order the album in the physical format of your choice [CD-digipak; marbled vinyl LP], pre-save it on your favourite DSP or pre-order it digitally to receive ‘D-Generación’ and ‘La Ira’ instantly now, here: https://whitestones.rpm.link/memoriavivaPR
Much like its predecessors, “Memoria Viva” melts together disparate genres into a unique sonic experience. The instrumental frenzy migrates with delicate intricacies creating a mesmerizing atmosphere captivating the musical connoisseur. To up the antics, the energetic Spanish language was chosen to round up this multi-faceted endeavor. A treat for anyone who enjoys devouring multi-experimental musicianship!
Elements of aggression, that can be seen rearing their head in instrumental frenzies, manage to co-exist along softer vibes, generating a distinct dynamic among the songs, with interludes allowing listeners to take a breath and appreciate what they’re hearing.
WHITE STONES‘ “Memoria Viva” was recorded at Farm Of Sounds Studios (Barcelona, Spain), and mixed & mastered by Gerard Porqueres at Heartwork Recording Studios.
Martín adds, “Making an album in Spanish is something that I wanted to do for a long time. We tried it out with our second record “Dancing Into Oblivion,” but at the time we couldn’t convince ourselves that it worked on that album. This time we did and I feel very proud of the result.”
“One of the most notable aspects of this new album, apart from not setting any creative limits musically, has been the challenge of having proposed to sing in the Spanish language. It has been a very exciting experience and we believe we have found a new way to continue giving something new to the WHITE STONES sound, and make this musical proposal something more unique!” comments vocalist Eloi Boucherie.
The line-up has been enhanced with the participation of the multi-faceted Joan Carles Marí Tur on drums. The guitar solos were the job of João Sassetti. Additional guests José Ignacio Lagos (flute) and Joakim Svalberg (keyboards) accentuated the album further with their sound facets.
WHITE STONES live: 27./28.09.2024 ES Barcelona – Be Prog! My Friend
Don’t forget to subscribe to Reigning Phoenix Music on YouTube to stay updated & to listen to ‘D-Generación’ as well as other new tracks in the “RPM New Releases” playlist on Spotify: https://rpm.link/spotifynewreleasesPR
Putting your creative process into words is difficult, especially if you’re as forward-thinking as CYNIC. But after 30+ years, weathering hurricanes, teenage angst, homophobia and the tragic loss of their legendary rhythm section has given Paul Masvidal sage-like insight into the band’s celestial voyage.
Paul recently touched down at Audiotree Studiosto talk about his journey. He and his interstellar bandmates also performed songs from Cynic’s groundbreaking discography, including “Adam’s Murmur” off the newly re-issued Traced in Air.
Audiotree is a Chicago-based music discovery platform producing high quality studio sessions and live performance recordings from artists all around the world. Discover your next favorite band at audiotree.tv.
Traced in Air changed the game for Cynic, much like their landmark album Focus did years before. The band’s precedent-setting fusion of progressive music and mind-bending spiritual lyrics took the listener on an entirely new journey, solidifying their place as boundary-pushing pioneers.
Traced in Air is now being reissued on vinyl by Season of Mist.
Praise for Traced in Air
“On the basis of Traced in Air, more so than its 1993 predecessor Focus, Cynic should be understood not so much alongside any metal bands but along with the radical harmonic progressives in the last 45 years of pop and jazz: composers like Milton Nascimento, the Beach Boys or Pat Metheny.” – The New York Times
“Where would we be without Cynic? Where would Cynic be without Traced In Air? I don’t want to imagine that world. 2008’s LP by the crown princes of progressive metal set the high watermark for progressive metal in the new millennium, one that has arguably still not been surpassed.” – Everything is Noise
“The album is sonicaly heavier than Focus, but no less overt in its prominent jazz influence, with tracks like “Evolutionary Sleeper” showing they could defy time and be the band from the past and a band from the future at the same time.” – Treble Zine, who listed Traced in Air among the 10 Essential Sci-Fi Metal Albums.
“As liberally and recklessly as the term “progressive” is regularly applied to any sort of rock music that breaks with conventional genre templates, there are certain bands and albums for which it still feels not only necessary, for lack of better definitions, but actually appropriate. Cynic and their 1993 watershed, Focus, are a perfect case in point. … In short, those expecting a mere sequel to Focus will be mildly disappointed (but should have known better), and those worried about Traced in Air’s altogether brief, 35-minute length should rest assured that it is easily offset by the sheer density of strange and beautiful musical nuances layered within, and the time required to absorb them all. And ultimately, the album does Cynic’s legacy justice precisely because it challenges the listener to comprehend, by opening more doors than it closes and posing more questions than obvious answers — and what could be more “progressive” than that?” – All Music
Get excited for Traced in Air all over again with this teaser video that the band filmed back in 2008, plus a live video from the 2010 Traced in Air tour.
Cynic’s continual state of development has met its share of challenges over the years, hurdles that threatened to dismantle the entity’s forward surge. Yet through hurricanes, breakups, and assorted acrimony both personal and existential, it remains inspired to create.
Their name is synonymous with what it means to be truly progressive in music. Cynic’s top-tier performance acumen and cerebral/spiritual/yogic themes finds them inhabiting a corner of the musical spectrum all their own. Their Venn diagram shows intersections with death metal, prog rock, thrash metal, experimental, new age, jazz fusion, and a myriad of other sonic expressions.
Debut album, Focus (1993), is a certified classic. Although that era ended with transformation into the short-lived Portal, and then a further splinter toward Aeon Spoke, Cynic’s reunion-era has found them embraced in a way that proves how ahead of the times they were in the ‘90s. Through monuments such as the Traced in Air (2008) and Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014) albums, the Carbon-Based Anatomy and Re-Traced EPs, and a surprising rebirth with the “Humanoid” single of 2018, the Cynic legacy remains untarnished. Yet early in the creation cycle for their fourth full-length album, they experienced horrible events that tested the entity’s resolve.
The year 2020 will go down in history as a tremendously difficult time for the global human population. For the Cynic family, the struggle was not restricted to a pandemic. It was two utterly senseless losses that threw the band’s immediate concerns into the background: the premature deaths of drummer Sean Reinert in January, at age 48, and bassist Sean Malone in December, at age 50, were shocking and unthinkable.
Reinert and Malone heard elements of what ended up on Cynic’s fourth and latest album. Slowly, methodically, and with much careful deliberation, Masvidal completed an album titled Ascension Codes, to honor the memory of his fallen band mates. And while the album honors the lives and contributions of Reinert and Malone, it also pushes Cynic forward for its own sake and through its own will to live. The album, paradoxically, acts as both swan song and rebirth. It is, throughout its 49 minutes, a vivid and highly cosmic journey into the very core of every impulse this band has ever explored.
Audiotree Lineup: Paul Masvidal – Vocals and Guitars Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) – Guitars and Vocals Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage) – Bass Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut) – Drums & Percussion
Invocation is the title of the highly anticipated new 11-track album from slide guitar virtuoso Troy Redfern. The album, released by RED7 Records on Friday 17th May 2024, is available in limited edition coloured vinyl, black vinyl, plus two different CD cover artwork designs. Pre-order the album from www.troyredfern.com.
The fifth single taken from the new album is “Van Helsing.” It’s released Friday 10th May and is available to stream on Spotify HERE. The IRSC code for the single is UKHDU1600069.
This is one of my favourite tracks from the new album Invocation,” says Troy. “It’s dark and heavy from the outset, musically reflecting themes of these times of uncertainty. The dystopian verse narrative is juxtaposed by an uplifting chorus that comments on the fact that were all looking for our own ray of light in this life to get us through. No matter how bad things can seem, there’s always something worth fighting or living for.”
Troy is prolific. He’s released albums at an unprecedented pace, but judging by the strength of “Van Helsing” and the four previous singles “Getaway,” “The Fever,” “The Strange,” and “TheCalling,” Invocation, promises to be his most compelling album to date.
Over the course of last two albums The Fire Cosmic (2021) and Wings of Salvation (2022) Troy found his true voice stylistically in terms of writing and playing, but with Invocation he created a collection of outstanding new songs that carves out his own identity as to who he really is an artist.
Troy head to the west Wales coast with his trusty 1929 National Triolian resonator guitar for a week of solitude in a remote Sheppard’s hut to sketch the initial song ideas for the new album.
“It was important for me to clear my mind of all distractions so I could really focus on what I wanted to write on this album and the direction I wanted to take it in,” says Troy.
With Invocation Troy explores fresh musical territory, from the heavy, bone crushing slide riffs and big sing along choruses on “Van Helsing” and “Getaway” to the evocative, wind-swept western landscapes of “The Native” and “Blind Me.” After three albums in three years Troy continues to expand his musical horizons and keep his creative fire burning.
INVOCATION – TRACK LISTING
1 – The Strange (3.36) 2 – Getaway (3.25) 3 – Van Helsing (2.55) 4 – The Calling (4.47) 5 – Native (4.43) 6 – The Fever (3.33) 7 – All Night Long (3.34) 8 – Blind Me (4.16) 9 – Voodoo Priestess (3.25) 10 – Take Me High (3.42) 11 – The Last Stand (3.46)
Presented by Dusty Pop, Shock City, Surprise You’re Dead, NX Live and Friends by Arrangement with On Point Touring
TROY REDFERN “INVOCATION” JUNE 2024 HEADLINE UK TOUR
Monday 17 June – The Treehouse, Frome Tuesday 18 June – Retro, Manchester Wednesday 19 June – Classic Grand, Glasgow Thursday 20 June, Bannerman’s Edinburgh Friday 21 June, The Live Rooms, Chester Saturday 22 June – Asylum 2, Birmingham Sunday 23 June – Boiler Room, Guildford Monday 24 June – The Junction, Cambridge Sunday 25 June, The Joiners, Southampton Monday 26 June – New Cross Inn, London Tuesday 27 June – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
The Gig Cartel presents
PHILIP SAYCE NOVEMBER 2024 UK TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST TROY REDFERN
Thursday 21 November – Brudenell, Leeds Friday 22 November – Glasshouse ICM, Gateshead Saturday 23 November – Oran Mor, Glasgow Monday 25 November – Band on the Wall, Manchester Tuesday 26 November – Metronome, Nottingham Thursday 28 November – The Fleece, Bristol Saturday 30 November – The 1865, Southampton Tuesday 3 December – Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester Wednesday 4 December – Islington Assembly Hall, London
Coming out on May 29, on all the best online music platforms, in digital format, on Wanikiya Record’s store in Japan and on their showcase on Crash Sound Distribution, is the new single from the Music From The Dark project “Blood Dress.” A new chapter, a new adventure for the guys, after the huge tour that the previous “My Secret Suicide” had, in the world, among radios, webzines etc. The project does not stop, right after the release of the previous single, they immediately rekindled their engines, returned to the studio, open mind, pen in hand and on with the works! “Blood Dress!” Here is the result! An extraordinary result to say the least!
From the Band: “For the cover, we thought of the single as if it were a new release of a real record… a new challenge where we dare something different every time that arouses interest…”
Despair leads to isolation, isolation discourages, everything decays.!!! From this dark point in life the project Music From The Dark +++ gains strength. A deep black soul duo that draws from bands like the cure, paradise lost, katatonia, joy division to unite in a deep sound of sad and decadent torment. ” DEPRESSIVE DARK ” this is the genre proposed by MUSIC FROM THE DARK +++
Line up: MARCO MAGNONI (VOCALS/GUITARS). Historical voice/guitarist of BLACKAGE with an active record “New world order” released 1998 x Collapse Records. At that time BLACKAGE will back up Cradle of Filth and left for a tour in which they participated in many festivals including Beach bum in Jesolo with headliner Marilyn Manson. There will be participations in other Goth/Dark projects but the idea of reuniting with his old friend and historical drummer “MAX” to found “Music from the dark ” will happen only in 2020 during the black time of covid.. In that forced period of isolation and total darkness came the band’s most decadent and despair-filled pieces.
MAX TOSI (DRUMS) He was born as a drummer in the very first era of Modenese heavy metal. Of clear Classic Metal mold , shares the very first youthful experiences with “MARCO” establishing a friendship that has always been maintained over the years despite different were projects and musical directions. Always belonging to the underground fabric participates in several projects ranging from Classic Metal , Stooner and finally Horror Rock with local bands preferring projects aimed at the creation of original music. From him the idea to start again from a historical friendship, absolutely trusted with which to concretize musical models and approaches now lost in time.
SPECIAL GUEST “Blood Dress” Betty Tagliati (FEMALE VOCAL) DanicannaDani (KEYBOARDS)
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 ) 