US alternative rockers HOPE DARLING have released their music video for ‘Lotus’, taken from the album “Ensō”, due for re-release on March 15, 2024, via Epictronic.
This album is a culmination of 3 years of songwriting, recording, arranging, and lots of patience. It is a collection of 9 songs that Hope Darling handpicked from their library of music to form what they call the ENSŌ album. Many meanings come from the word ENSŌ, but for the band and their music, the definition that they pull from means “to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create”.
Hope Darling Line Up:
Gabriel Sanchez – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar Francis Dancey – Backing Vocals, Rhythm Guitar Jay Donadio – Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar Richard Gomez – Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar Jeff Durso – Drums
GRYMHEART have released a lyric-video for “Hellbent Horde”, fourth single taken from the debut album “Hellish Hunt”, released in September 2023 by Scarlet Records.
Engineered, produced and mastered by Gábor Kovács;
Recorded and mixed at Blacksmith Studio;
Majestically illustrated by Gyula Havancsák (Accept, Stratovarius, Burning Witches);
video by Ygor
“Hellish Hunt” has been released in the following formats: digipack CD and digital
Grymheart live 2024: 26-30.06 Lowland Festival – Hódmezővásárhely (HU) 28-29.12 No Sleep After X-mas Festival – Runkel (DE)
Grymheart is a new heavy metal band founded in 2022 by Gabriel Blacksmith (Gábor Kovács), former leader and main songwriter of the acclaimed Hungarian power metal band Wisdom.
Grymheart combines the energy of power metal, the harmonies of folk metal, the epicness of symphonic metal and the screaming vocals of death metal.
The most important elements of their sound are the catchy melodies: every track contains memorable parts which get stuck in your head; the songs are mostly fast and uplifting with lots of double kick drums, but there are some slow parts with a darker mood too.
The overall concept and image of Grymheart come from iconic monsters & demons hunter characters like The Witcher, Solomon Kane, Van Helsing etc.; each song tells about mystical creatures such as ghosts, Succubus, the living dead, Ignis Fatuus, or harpies. The hunt is open!
NECROPHOBIC have unleashed their latest single, ‘Grace of the Past,’ serving as the final musical offering before the eagerly awaited release of their upcoming album, ‘In the Twilight Grey,’ scheduled for March 15th.
In a statement, the band reflects on the essence of the song, declaring: “There is no grace in the past. The song celebrates the fire that makes room for something new. Will you dare to go with us into the unknown?”
The cryptic invitation hints at a transformative journey embedded in the musical tapestry of ‘Grace of the Past,’ setting the stage for the imminent release of ‘In the Twilight Grey.’ Fans are eagerly anticipating the band’s exploration of uncharted territories and the unveiling of their latest sonic chapter.
The hard rock heavens just opened to reveal that Vocalist Corey Glover (Living Colour) has teamed up with guitarist Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob) to form SONIC UNIVERSE. Bassist Booker King and drummer Taykwuan Jackson complete the line up. The band are releasing their first single ‘I Am’, of their upcoming studio album “It Is What It Is” (May 10th) today. The 10-song album ‘It Is What It Is’ was produced, engineered, and mixed by Mike Orlando at Sonic Stomp Studios.
The debut video from the album “I Am” premieres today. The video was directed by Tom Flynn (whose credits include videos for Lamb of God and Buckcherry) and shot in Toms River, NJ.
Already one of British metal’s biggest names, WHILE SHE SLEEPS are set to take things to the next sonic level with the March 29th release of their new album ‘SELF HELL’. As showcased with visceral intent on the recent singles, the title track and ‘DOWN’ (featuring Alex Taylor of Malevolence), the band’s ambitious approach is simple – make everything bigger and more unpredictable than ever before.
“TO THE FLOWERS” continues the maximalist ethos of their recent singles. Opening with spoken words from the philosopher and spiritual leader Jiddu Krishnamurti, “TO THE FLOWERS” finds cohesion in chaos. Drawing upon an ever-expanding maelstrom of influences, their renowned mix of screaming with melodic textures, punk energy, synths, and metallic breakdowns. The result again heightens expectations for the boundary-breaking scope of the ‘SELF HELL’ album. Pre-Order / Pre-Save HERE
Guitarist Sean Long says,
“This song means a lot to us. As much as we love a good breakdown and heavy riff, a lot of our passion lies within emotive musical pieces. This song has nearly brought us all to tears multiple times simply because it touches something in us that we hold very dear. A pain we all know and have felt down to our deepest core. The essence of our personal pain expressed in music is what the band is all about. Talking about the things we know are difficult but necessary. The working title was called ‘radiohead’ and that should help to understand the feeling it gave us when writing it. This contains the ‘double whammy’ that I stumbled across just before the song was finished. It went insanely viral when I posted it online so I just had to get it in the song. People have been saying it’s one of the greatest lead guitar parts of all time, I’ll take it.”
The accompanying short film for “TO THE FLOWERS” – created and then shot by the band – more than matches the intensity of the song, playing out with kitchen-sink realism and the cinematic atmospherics of an indie film.
Vocalist Loz Taylor adds,
“‘TO THE FLOWERS’ is emotional, tragic, and real life. We intended to make a short film that encompasses the real emotions of relationships, grief, love, death, and pain. Shot by the members of WHILE SHE SLEEPS, ‘TO THE FLOWERS’ ebbs and flows through an entendre of tragedy. This was a huge project to undertake, and we have poured our creative energy into directing this piece. We had a wicked time working on the film. This will hit home.”
Even in a career of bold, empowering moves ‘SELF HELL’ casts the band’s net even wider, taking in symphonic music, hardcore, synth-rock, and metal alike. Yet, through all those styles, it never loses sight of the band’s ability to make confident, stadium-prepared anthems. It also continues the band’s DIY ethos with sessions at their own Six Audio in Sheffield as well as Metropolis Studios in London and Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, with production from Sean Long and long-term collaborator Carl Bown.
‘SELF HELL’ is available to pre-order HERE with neo-orange vinyl and black/white swirl vinyl being the pick of its physical formats. All vinyl copies and bundles purchased from their official store will include a signed photo.
WHILE SHE SLEEPS are once again lining up a hectic schedule of touring for 2024. Their upcoming shows include the Download Festival as well as further festivals in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, and Norway; a North American tour as special guests to Architects; and select headline shows in France and Poland.
Please see HERE for a full list of dates and expect more to be added soon.
Southern California’s DAYSEEKER — Rory Rodriguez [vocals], Gino Sgambelluri [guitar], Ramone Valerio [bass], and Zac Mayfield [drums] — are pleased to announce their forthcoming acoustic album Replica, which arrives digitally on April 19 and physically on June 14. Pre-save it here.
The stripped down, intimate renditions of familiar fan favorites highlight the band’s songcraft and allow the listener to experience Dayseeker in an entirely new way. The collection also includes an Evanescence cover and appearances from Holding Absence’s Lucas Woodland and indie artist Amber DeLaRosa.
To accompany the news, the band has shared the visualizer for “Burial Plot” (Feat. Caleb Shomo of Beartooth). Listen and watch here.
This gorgeous version’s heft comes from the restraint, refined instrumentation and the high impact vocal interplay.
“‘Burial Plot (Acoustic)’ is our third rendition that’s officially been released so we knew we had to make it special and interesting for our fans,” says Rodriguez. “Caleb Shomo absolutely helped transform this song and it’s one of our favorites.”
Commenting on the album itself, Rodriguez says, “Replica is one of our favorite releases to date. It completely shows a new side to our band and the kind of music we’re capable of creating.”
Replica is the somewhat unexpected (yet welcomed) result of a specific gig in 2022, when the band’s gear overheated at Blue Ridge Rock Festival. Thinking on his feet, Rodriguez grabbed an acoustic guitar from the van, plugged in, and performed “Without Me.” Soon, he had pulled together a five-song set on the fly as thousands of fans flocked to the stage.
““I felt like we let people down, but I had so many friends say, ‘Everyone will remember the day your equipment stopped working and you still played the set as a really special moment’,'” he recalls. “It felt natural for our songs. We usually will do extra tracks for a Deluxe version or re-release, but we decided to commit to an entire acoustic album this time.”
Dayseeker will also embark on a headline tour this spring. The tour kicks off April 19 in Tampa and runs through May 25 in San Diego. All dates are below, including spring festival appearances, such as Rockfest, Earthday Birthday, and more. Polaris, Rain City Drive, Avoid, and Ayron Jones are set to appear at select dates on the bill, as well.
DAYSEEKER ON TOUR: WITH POLARIS, RAIN CITY DRIVE, AVOID, + AYRON JONES:
4/19 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena (98 ROCKFEST) % 4/20 — Orlando, FL — Central Florida Fairgrounds (Earthday Birthday) % 4/22 — Columbia, SC — The Senate &@ 4/23 — Norfolk, VA — The NorVa &@ 4/25 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center (WDHA’s Rock The Rock Fest) % 4/26 — Baltimore, MD — CFG Bank Arena (98 Rock Spring Thing) % 4/27 — Las Vegas, NV — Sick New World % 4/29 — Buffalo, NY — Buffalo Riverworks *+@ 4/30 — Ft. Wayne, IN — Piere’s Entertainment Center *+@ 5/1 — Grand Rapids, MI — The Intersection *+@ 5/3 — Milwaukee, WI — Fiserv Forum (Hog Fest) % 5/4 — Saint Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center (93X Twin City Takeover) % 5/5 — Des Moines, IA — Val Air Ballroom *+@ 5/7 — Sauget, IL — Pop’s *+@ 5/8 — Chattanooga, TN — The Signal *+@ 5/10 — New Orleans, LA — House of Blues @ 5/11 — Birmingham, AL — Iron City *+@ 5/12 — Little Rock, AR — Little Rock Music Hall *+@ 5/14 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater *+@ 5/15 — Oklahoma City, OK — Town Theatre *+@ 5/16 — Omaha, NE — The Admiral *@ 5/18 — Louisville, KY — Mercury Ballroom +@ 5/19 — Bloomington, IL — Castle Theater *+@ 5/22 — Albuquerque, NM — Sunshine Theater *+@ 5/23 — Tucson, AZ — Rialto Theatre *+@ 5/24 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl *+@ 5/25 — San Diego, CA — Soma *+@
%Dayseeker only *Polaris +Rain City Drive &Ayron Jones @Avoid
Chief Shock Video
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 ) 