Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

India’s KRYPTOS Release Brand New Video Single ‘Electrify’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 4, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: KRYPTOS. Leave a comment

July 5, 2024 sees India’s heavy metal powerhouse KRYPTOS strike back with their furious, new studio album Decimator via AFM Records. The album pre-sale is available at https://kryptos.bfan.link/decimator, watch the band’s latest music video for their new single “Electrify” now premiering below!

Decimator continues where the band left of with their critically-acclaimed, 2021-album ‘Force Of Danger’, and sees them combine crushing riffs, barbwire vocals and powerful songwriting that grabs the 80s by the throat and drags it kicking and screaming into the modern age. If you’re a fan of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept and Kreator, this album will snap your neck in half and have you raging into the night like you’ve never raged before! In support of their upcoming record release, KRYPTOS have announced an extensive touring schedule for 2024, including a first-ever headlining tour in Australia. Find all upcoming dates of the band listed below!

About their new single the band suggests: “Feel the power of the 80s surge through your veins with the crackling new Kryptos single ELECTRIFY off the upcoming album DECIMATOR!”

“Electrify” is out now on all digital streaming providers at https://kryptos.bfan.link/electrify

KRYPTOS, who was formed in 1998 in Bangalore, India, have long been considered one of the spearheads of the Indian heavy metal revolution. With six critically acclaimed albums under their belt, they have supported some of metal’s biggest names, like Iron Maiden, Testament, Kreator, Exodus and many more, earning themselves a reputation as a fiery and exciting live act.

The band released their debut album ‘Spiral Ascent’ in 2004 and ‘The Ark of Gemini’ in 2008 before heading out on their first European tour in 2010, making them the first Indian heavy metal band to do so. After signing with AFM Records in 2012, the band unleashed four more frenetically-acclaimed studio albums, are a welcome live act at Wacken Open Air and played their first, extensive European headline tours, including numerous sold-out shows in Scandinavia and central Europe.

With momentum firmly on their side, KRYPTOS are all set to power through 2024 once again with the release of their high-voltage seventh album Decimator. As frontman Nolan Lewis recently revealed, “Decimator is without question our finest hour so far. We’ve sharpened our songwriting to a razor point and the album is absolutely exploding with pure heavy metal power and attitude. Once you’ve popped it into your stereo, you’re going to be raising your fist, air-guitaring to the riffs and humming the solos all year long. It’s as perfect a combination of classic 80s metal and caustic thrash sensibilities as you’re ever going to get!”

Accompanied by a busy tour plan, that will see them storm stages from Sweden to Poland to Germany and everywhere in between, and, for the very first time, a headlining tour of Australia in the fall, one can be sure, KRYPTOS will cement their reputation as a live act to be reckoned with. Be prepared for the heavy metal onslaught coming your way!

Album Tracklist:

Sirens of Steel
Fall to the Spectre’s Gaze
Turn Up the Heat
Electrify
Solaris
Decimator
In the Shadow of the Blade
Pathfinder
We Are the Night

Keep up to date with all tourdates on https://www.bandsintown.com/a/126074-kryptos

KRYPTOS is:
Nolan Lewis (vocals, rhythm guitar)
Rohit Chaturvedi (lead guitar)
Vijit Singh (drums)

For More Info Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/KryptosIndia
https://www.instagram.com/kryptosindia
https://kryptos.bfan.link/decimator

BRUME Release & Stream New Album “Marten”, Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 4, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: BRUME. Leave a comment

Yesterday,

Friday, May 3, Bay Area doom rockers BRUME released their highly anticipated third full-length “Marten” through Magnetic Eye Records! Order your album copy now at: http://lnk.spkr.media/brume-marten

“We each have eclectic personalities and taste when it comes to music”, bass player and singer Jamie McCathie writes. “While we love the heavy music that brought us together, we find metal and its sub-genres sometimes to be quite monotonous. We want to push ourselves, our songs, and our band to create something that feels like a continuation of Brume, but away from the expected ‘Doom band’ theme. Radiohead is one of our biggest influences. They transcend genres and, most importantly, they experiment. We decided to see where that thinking could take us. We pulled in different influences and continuously challenged each other to think differently about our writing process. We had already played with quieter, softer moments in our music and thought, what if that was the majority of this new record?”

“Marten” is now streaming in its entirety here:

BRUME (pronounced ‘Broom’) are living proof that California is not all sunshine and easy living. The San Francisco-based quartet organically blends doom metal, goth, and indie rock into a sometimes monolithic, sometimes delicate blend of heaviness that resides firmly on the darker side.

After a decade of sultry sounds and hair-raising crescendos, BRUME push sonic experimentation and delightful genre-bending even further on their third full-length “Marten”. The expansion into a four-piece with the addition of Jackie Perez Gratz on cello and vocals has opened a cosmos of new possibilities that the Californians determinedly explore. Weaving soaring melodies over melancholic doom pop generates songs that are equally intimate and haunting yet also massive and crushing.

BRUME originally formed as a trio in 2014 when guitarist Jamie McCathie from Bristol, England began making music with bass player and vocalist Susie McMullan from Baton Rouge, Louisiana after discovering a shared passion for both trip-hop and sludge. The addition of Jordan Perkins-Lewis on drums completed the line-up with his rich and experimental style of drumming, and set the stage for the band’s recordings.

The trio quickly gained momentum with their doom metal albums “Rooster” (2017) and “Rabbits” (2019), the former being named ‘Album of the Year’ by The Ripple Effect and the latter earning the top spot on Wonderbox Metal’s ‘Best of 2019’ list. BRUME also left their mark onstage, appearing at Desertfest London in 2017 and Desertfest New York and SXSW in 2019, along with many more shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

On third album “Marten”, BRUME perfectly balance the melancholic power of the cello with forceful vocals and dueling guitar conversations. The complex mood swings that seamlessly move from sensuous and restrained to soaring and explosive found a perfect producer in Sonny DiPerri (EMMA RUTH RUNDLE, LORD HURON, PORTUGAL THE MAN). With the right engineer behind the board, the San Franciscans adopted a songwriting approach that emphasised poetry and lyrics rather than starting with a riff. This way of working uncovered a more vulnerable side of the band.

With “Marten”, BRUME take a bold step toward their musical future by challenging first themselves and now listeners to move from comfortable spaces toward more challenging, less familiar destinations.

Order “Marten” HERE

Tracklist:

Jimmy
New Sadder You
Faux Savior
Otto’s Song
How Rude
Heed Me
Run Your Mouth
The Yearn

Line-up
Susie McMullan – vocals, bass, keys
Jordan Perkins Lewis – drums
Jamie McCathie – guitar, vocals
Jackie Perez Gratz – cello, vocals

Guest musician
Laurie Shanaman – additional vocals on ‘How Rude’ and ‘Heed Me’

For More Info Visit:
http://brumeband.com
http://www.facebook.com/brumeband
http://www.instagram.com/brumeband
http://lnk.spkr.media/brume-marten

SOLENCE Sign to Better Noise Music, Release New Track ‘F**k The Bad Vibes’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 4, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: SOLENCE. Leave a comment

SOLENCE—one of PANDORA’s “Rising Rock Artists To Watch In 2023”–deliver high energy and endless optimism on their new track “F**k The Bad Vibes,” out today, Friday, May 3. The song denotes the Sweden-formed,LA-based band’s signing with BETTER NOISE MUSIC who will release their new album later this fall. Stream/download “F**k The Bad Vibes” now HERE.

“We are excited to welcome Solence to the Better Noise family,” exclaims BETTER NOISE MUSIC President / COO STEVE KLINE. “Their unique and eclectic sound is a perfect compliment to our existing roster and their refreshing blend of pop hooks, electro beats, and metal intensity are poised to have the band make a significant mark on the rock scene. We are eager to help bring Solence’s music to a wider audience.”

“Octane first played Solence back in 2020 and we saw the spark of a new era in rock,” remarks Vincet Usuriello (Senior Director, Music Programming SiriusXM / Octane). “Their sound is a dynamic fusion of rock, metal, and pop elements, with powerful vocals, electrifying guitar riffs, and infectious melodies, creating an immersive sonic experience. Their breakthrough on Octane ignited their journey and they are certainly a band to watch!

“F**ck The Bad Vibes” combines big pop hooks with a dancefloor electro savvy and the heavy-yet-melodic intensity of these metal trailblazers. The result is a distinctive international sound equal parts hypnotic and uplifting. Coinciding with its digital release, SOLENCE have unveiled a witty music video for “F**k The Bad Vibes” that parodies “Ghostbusters,” making sure no “bad vibes” will ever be safe again. Co-directed by Michael Lombardi (Papa Roach, “The Retaliators”) and Myles Erfurth (Dead Sara, Ice Nine Kills), watch it streaming below or directly via YouTube HERE.

“We feel like heavy music nowadays has the same dark message and almost the same sound, which is fine, but we wanted to bring back some fun and a different energy to the scene,” says frontman MARKUS VIDESÄTER. “With ‘F**k The Bad Vibes,’ we tried to make it direct and fun, while still keeping our musical integrity intact. We love this song and are so proud of it. The message comes straight from the heart—it’s not easy going through life but sometimes you just gotta remind yourself that you’re in charge and it’s fully possible to ‘F**k The Bad Vibes.’ This is our reminder to ourselves, and hopefully to you as well.”

With over 300 million cumulative streams and 856,000 monthly Spotify listeners, SOLENCE have engaged global audiences with their authentic positive vibes and energetic audience participatory performances on tours opening for bands including Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and We Came As Romans, in addition to festival appearances at Aftershock, Louder Than Life, Blue Ridge Rock Fest, and more. Their first jaunt in North America was a direct support slot for German group Electric Callboy on their sold-out tour.

Formed in Stockholm by vocalist Videsäter, SOLENCE is rounded out by guitarist David Strääf, keyboardist Johan Swärd, and drummer David “Viking” Vikingsson. The quartet started out releasing heavy renditions of well-known pop hits by Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy, Ed Sheeran, Britney Spears, and Queen before breaking out with their 2019 debut album BROTHERS. It was quickly followed by their sophomore album, DIRECTION, which saw them achieve their first Active Rock radio charting with “Animal In Me” which became SiriusXM Octane’s most-played track in 2020. In 2021 SOLENCE released a third album, Deafening, which showed their range of inspirations from music to anime, gaming, sci-fi, and even philosophy. Their latest album Hope Is A Cult was released in 2023. The band are managed by Mike Mowery and Anna Greenhall of 10th Street Entertainment. Amidst writing new material for SOLENCE, Videsäter and Vikingsson have honed in on their songwriting skills writing for pop acts including Jason Derulo and Bebe Rexha.

SOLENCE will be revealing details about their next album in the coming weeks as they prepare to take the stage at several of Europe’s largest music festivals including Rock For People Festival (CZ), Graspop Metal Meeting (BE), Resurrection Fest (ES), Tuska Festival (FI), and Nova Rock Festival (AT).

SOLENCE European Tour Dates:
June 15 Hradec Kralove, CZ – Rock For People
June 16 Nickelsdorf, AT – Novarock
June 17 Munich, DE – Feierwerk
June 20 Dessel, BE – Graspop
June 21 Haarlem, NL – Patronaat
June 26 Viveiro, Galicia, ES – Resurrection Fest
June 29 Helsinki, FI – Tuska Festival

ROBERT JON & THE WRECK Release Heartfelt Anthem ‘Give Love’ from New Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 4, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: ROBERT JON & THE WRECK. Leave a comment

Robert Jon & The Wreck have just released “Give Love,” the latest single from their eagerly awaited album, Red Moon Rising. In contrast to their previous rock-driven hits, “Give Love” presents an invigorating blend of uplifting piano melodies and soaring vocals, delivering a message of universal love and compassion.

Set to drop on June 28th viaJoe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records, Red Moon Rising demonstrates the band’s dynamic range and commitment to spreading positivity through their music.

“’Give Love’ is a song with a simple message, yet it’s hard to truly understand and practice,” shares frontman Robert Jon. Co-written with acclaimed songwriter Tom Hambridge, the track has been a staple in the band’s creative sessions for years and now comes to life with its compelling lyrics and heartfelt musicality. “This song makes you feel what it means to,” adds Robert Jon. “We could all use a little more love in the world.”

STREAM SINGLE | WATCH VIDEO | PRE-ORDER ALBUM

The release of “Give Love” not only follows the success of their introspective ballad “Worried Mind,” but also continues the steady stream of new music facilitated by Journeyman Records. As Robert Jon & The Wreck embark on their expansive 2024 tour, their evolving sound and dynamic live performances continue to captivate audiences worldwide, from intimate venues to major international festivals. With each release, including the upcoming Red Moon Rising, Journeyman Records reaffirms its commitment to showcasing exceptional talent, ensuring that the power of Robert Jon & The Wreck’s music to connect and inspire remains uninterrupted.

Since their debut in 2011, Robert Jon & The Wreck have captivated audiences worldwide, turning the Southern rock sound on its head and making it distinctly their own. With Robert Jon Burrison’s lead vocals and guitar, Andrew Espantman on drums and vocals, Henry James Schneekluth’s lead guitar and vocals, Warren Murrel on bass, and the recent addition of Jake Abernathie on keyboards, the band’s synergy on stage is undeniable. As they embark on this next phase with Red Moon Rising, they invite both long-time followers and new listeners to join in the celebration of their ongoing evolution and the indomitable spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.

Red Moon Rising by Robert Jon & The Wreck
1. Stone Cold Killer
2. Trouble
3. Ballad Of A Broken Hearted Man
4. Red Moon Rising
5. Dragging Me Down
6. Hold On
7. Down No More
8. Help Yourself
9. Worried Mind
10. Give Love
11. Rager (CD Bonus Track)
12. Hate To See You Go (CD Bonus Track)

VINYL TRACK LISTING:

Side A
1. Stone Cold Killer
2. Trouble
3. Ballad Of A Broken Hearted Man
4. Red Moon Rising
5. Dragging Me Down

Side B
1. Hold On
2. Down No More
3. Help Yourself
4. Worried Mind
5. Give Love

2024 US TOUR
Thursday, May 30th – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ
Friday, May 31st – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
Saturday, June 1sr – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
Friday, June 7th – The Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, CA
Friday, June 14th – WC Handy Blues & Barbecue Fest – Henderson, KY
Tuesday, July 30th – Jergel’s Rhythm Grille – Warrendale, PA
Tuesday, July 31st – Don’t Tell Shirlee Concert at The Pines – Sherman, NY
Saturday, August 3rd – The Iridium – New York, NY
Sunday, August 4th – Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY
Monday, August 5th – Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club – Portsmouth, NH
Wednesday, August 7th – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
Thursday, August 8th – Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI
Friday, August 9th – Smoke & Irons Music Festival – Bartlett, IL
Saturday, August 10th – Old Rock House – St Louis, MO
Sunday, August 11th – Knuckleheads – Kansas City, MO
Tuesday, August 13th – Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NE
Wednesday, August 14th – xBk Live – Des Moines, IA
Thursday, August 15th – 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
Friday, August 16th – Summer Sounds – Cedarburg, WI
Saturday, August 17th – Big Bull Falls Festival – Wausau, WI
Friday, September 8th – Big Bender Blues Festival – Las Vegas, NV
Friday, September 14th – Telluride, CO – Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Saturday, September 15th – Telluride, CO – Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Friday, September 20th – Bourbon & Beyond 2024 – Louisville, KY

2024 EU TOUR
Friday, June 21st – God Save The Kouing Festival – Penmarch, FR
Sunday, June 23rd – Le Sonograf – Le Thor, FR
Monday, June 24th – Chiari Blues Festival – Milan, IT
Wednesday, June 26th – Sala Wolf – Barcelona, ES
Thursday, June 27th – Las Armas – Zaragoza, ES
Friday, June 28th – Sala MON – Madrid, ES
Saturday, June 29th – Sala Fanatic – Sevilla, ES
Sunday, June 30th – La Trinchera – Málaga, ES
Wednesday, July 3rd – Loco Club – Valencia, ES
Thursday, July 4th – Enscenario Santander – Santander, ES
Friday, July 5th – Cognac Blues Folies Festival – Cognac, FR
Saturday, July 6th – Puistoblues Festival – Järvenpää, FI
Monday, July 8th – Spirit of 66 – Verviers, BE
Tuesday, July 9th – Colos-Saal – Aschaffenburg, DE
Wednesday, July 10th – Die Kantine – Köln, DE
Thursday, July 11th – Tolhuistuin – Amsterdam, NL
Friday, July 12th – Bospop – Weert, NL

Wednesday, October 30th – Tivoli – Utrecht, NL
Thursday, October 31st – Roma – Antwerp, BE
Friday, November 1st – Bosul – Weert. NL
Saturday, November 2nd – Ziegelei – Twistringen, DE
Sunday, November 3rd – Harmonie – Bonn, DE
Tuesday, November 5th – Kreuz – Fulda, DE
Wednesday, November 6th – Lido – Berlin, DE
Thursday, November 7th – Burgerweehuis – Deventer, NL
Friday, November 8th – Blues Garage – Isemhagen, DE
Saturday, November 9th – Blues Heaven Festival – Fredrickshavn, DK
Sunday, November 10th – Nochtspeicher – Hamburg, DE
Tuesday, November 12th – Airport Hall – Regensburg, DE
Wednesday, November 13th – Zentrum Altenberg – Oberhausen, DE
Thursday, November 14th – Piano – Dortmund, DE
Friday, November 15th – DasHaus – Ludwigsburg, DE
Saturday, November 16th – Trabendo – Paris, FR
Sunday, November 17th – Bolwerk – Sneek, NL
Wednesday, November 20th – The Appleyard – Sittingbourne, UK
Thursday, November 21st – Komedia – Brighton, UK
Friday, November 22nd – Komedia – Bath, UK
Saturday, November 23rd – The 1865 – Southampton, UK
Monday, November 25th – Boiler Shop – Newcastle, UK
Tuesday, November 26th – St Luke’s – Glasgow, UK
Wednesday, November 27th – Junction – Cambridge, UK
Thursday, November 28th – Islington Assembly Hall – London, UK
Saturday, November 30th – O2 Academy2 Oxford – Oxford, UK
Sunday, December 1st – Rock City – Nottingham, UK

For more details about the band’s tour dates, visit https://robertjonandthewreck.com/tour.

NIGHTRAGE Return with Third Single + Video ‘Persevere Through Adversity’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 4, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Nightrage. Leave a comment

Nightrage is back once again, with their third single “Persevere Through Adversity”, taken from one of their best albums in their 23 years of existence.

Stream ‘Persevere Through Adversity: https://ingrv.es/persevere-through-3f1-4

“Remains Of A Dead World” is the 10th album of the band and this time the band returned to where everything had started, since Nightrage was born in Greece in 2000.

With the great help of their past bandmate and now producer, sound engineer, Fotis Benardo (Rotting Christ, Septicflesh, Sakis Tolis, Nightfall, On Thorns I lay, Suicidal Angels) at his Devasoundz studio in Athens Greece, and with his great producing skills, “Remains Of A Dead World” is a mixture of all the things that makes Nightrage a beast of integrity, they prove to be one of the last remaining true masters of the melodic death metal genre, fully unstoppable riffing, and great hooks with bigger than life guitar melodies with brutal vocals that represents the honesty and pure musical delivery, that comes straight from the heart.

The album has been mastered by a great friend of the band George Nerantzis (Abbath, Dark Funeral, Pain Of Salvation, Sakis Tolis) and his great skills gave the album a huge sound with clarity, power and analog flavor.

Songs like “Euphoria Within Chaos” and the title track “Remains Of A Dead World” showcase and deliver massive riffs and ethereal melodies, the new singer Konstantinos Togas really fits with the new material and proves to be one of the best singers to front Nightrage with his intense performance, combining brutality and melodicism on his amazing vocals.

“A Throne Of Melancholy” and “Persevere Through Adversity” it’s big arena rock type of songs with huge choruses, that gives you great hooks and melodies, feelings that can stay forever in your mind, where “Nocturnal Thorns” and “Dark Light” it’s definitely a journey into more mystical and eerie musical stories, that are interesting and showcase a more progressive and dark side of the band.

Marios Iiopoulos and Magnus Soderman, have once again managed to create such great songs, working together for the fourth time as a sweet songwriting team, their chemistry is unparalleled and this album is proof of great songwriting and team effort.

George Stamoglou and Francisco Escalona bring the low-end section of the band with dynamic precision, and a heavy dose of energy to headbang till whiplash.

The album concept once again talks about the tragedy of our actions against the world and ourselves, now we can clearly see the consequences of our actions, and what’s left is only the remains of a sad and miserable cosmos, a dead world that we’ve blindly created for ourselves.

Are we able to learn from our past mistakes and tragedies? The various songs on the album also touch other subjects thematically. Like we should never stop learning and become better, learning from our life experiences. The fact that we are part of a dystopian world system under a technologically developed world we have seen the birth of a new kind of global ruler. About the inner struggle for personal and spiritual freedom that many people face without even knowing it most of the time. How people are nowadays, fighting their own ego all the time, and doing the worst things possible to each other under the name of fake friendship. Also the fact that no matter how many times we are down, we need always to find the inner power to stand up and face our fears and live our life for what it is, with courage and patience, with no darker corners and no agendas. Fight the loneliness of the soul, find the light at the end of the tunnel!

About the new single they had this to say:

Magnus; “When we write songs for an album, we want to have variation in tempo and dynamics but also in keys so that it is not only songs that go in E, or in our case C that we tune down to. Persevere is in Bb, so we dropped two steps down from C, which means that the song has a slightly different feel to how Nightrage usually sounds. I think it turned out very well. Heavy as hell!”

George;“Persevere Through Adversity’ is one of my favorite songs in the album. It’s a really diverse song with many dark, brutal, aggressive, and at the same time melodic elements. It’s new and fresh, but always with the Nightrage signature sound. This is not one of our typical songs, and I am sure that it will be a great surprise. The song talks about the fact that we never stop learning and becoming better. Learning from our life experiences, fixing mistakes that we have done in the past and have harmed us. This life is a great journey to always improving, and never ever letting down yourself. Being always an eternal student, having your eyes open and listening. Enjoy!”

D I S C O V E R:
Spotify
Facebook
Instagram
Bandcamp
Youtube

Indie-Jazzers SHAKAI Reveal New Track ‘Kanskje’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 4, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: SHAKAI. Leave a comment

When a group of five friends from prestigious musical conservatories decide to get together to form a band, the result you get is SHAKAI, a group of musicians trained in a wide variety of disciplines, differing backgrounds and personal experiences in diverse projects. Together they form a whole that creates a sound that is unique and varied.

Even the band’s name, SHAKAI, derived from the Japanese word for “society”, perfectly defines the quintet of musicians who, whilst firmly grounded in improvisation, would rather not be bound by genre-definitions, instead preferring to allow their music to speak for itself by giving each member the freedom to define their own creativity.

With Is it Jazz? Records set to release the band’s debut album “Fragments” on the 7th June, SHAKAI have today revealed a new single from the album. Titled “Kanskje” you can download or stream it from a variety of sources at: https://fanlink.tv/Shakai-Kanskje

SHAKAI founder and leader Eline Rafteseth had this to say about the “Kanskje” :

“Kanskje” is a song that was actually written back in 2018 but remained on the shelf until it finally found its place on this album. It was a collaborative effort between me and Gabriela Garrubo and two of my bandmates from our college days, Sondre Berg Abrahamsen and Martin Wright Thorsen.

The lyrics and content can be interpreted in various ways. For me, recently, it has become almost like a reflection or contemplation on young love. It reflects on how I used to overthink and overanalyze, yearning to be understood but struggling to articulate my emotions. It’s a sort of gentle “love-gone-sour” song, but from a somewhat naive and hopeful perspective.

The music itself spans a wide range, from playful, understated simplicity to loud, grandiose and dramatic. I didn’t really think much about the song’s structure or its deeper meaning; we just had a lot of fun during rehearsals. But looking back on it now, it actually describes me pretty well as a teenager and into my early twenties: somewhat naive, a bit confused, and experiencing a whirlwind of intense emotions across the spectrum

As you would expect from such a group of musicians, each with their own stories and perspectives, “Fragments” is an album whose music and lyrics touch on a wide variety of subjects, from life’s big questions, to the small, everyday stories. From reckonings with the past, to hopes for the future. The end result is a work that is full of unexpected elements and which is both beautiful and raw, playful and strange.

Recorded at Bergen’s Duper Studio with producers Jørgen Træen and Iver Sandøy, and with artwork by Tom Korsvold, track listing on “Fragments” is as follows:

1. Kanskje
2. Not Yours
3. Oh Well
4. Dandelion Child
5. Ville bare
6. Lullaby
7. Changes

“Fragments” will be released in LP and Digital formats and is now available to pre-order from:

Website: https://isitjazzrecords.no/product/shakai-fragments-black-vinyl/
Bandcamp: https://shakai.bandcamp.com/album/fragments

Formed in 2016 SHAKAI’s lineup is comprised of Eline Rafteseth (NH3, SOFT NOISE ENSEMBLE, HEAVY ASTRO) on bass and vocals, Elisabeth Lid Trøen (BERGEN BIG BAND, TRØEN/ARNESEN KVARTETT) on saxophones, Gabriela Garrubo (GARRUBO, METTESON, AMAILIE HOLT KLEIVE) on vocals, Simen Walle (ATARI, NELLY, MALUM) on guitars and Kenneth Kapstad (SPIDERGAWD, COBRA KRAFT, MONOLITHIC, GOAT THE HEAD, ex-MOTORPSYCHO etc.) on drums.

SHAKAI is an ensemble whose stage presence is one of studied ease, almost, at times, of introspection, but with a complete absence of any form navel gazing. It is a band that vibrantly brings its music to life, drawing the audience in and surprising them with unexpected turns.

Their next live appearance is scheduled to take place on the 6th June at the Bergen Kjøtt where SHAKAI will celebrate the release of the new album.

More information about SHAKAI can be found on the band’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shakaimusic

A video of SHAKAI playing live at Landmark in Bergen can be seen below.