One and a half weeks before the official release of PESTILENGTH’s third album, “Solar Clorex“, the Basque Country corrosive Death Metal duo presents the full album stream.
Delve into an impeccable sequence of tense, cryptic songs-of-decay where grotesque vocals combust, choke and reignite; barbed riffs – each with a sting in the tail – creep, crawl and shapeshift into electrifying violence; merciless rhythms transition from cavern-dwelling churn to jolting frenzy, skewed grooves to pure brutality:
Composer M. shares insights on “Solar Clorex“:
“It could be considered as the third of a trinity: “Eilatik” was the furthest picture of befouled empires, anomalous creatures, oozing sulfurous fumes, not a welcoming landscape, whereas “Basom Gryphos” introduced one to the biggest entities dwelling in the nether, powerful, from the depths and mixing chemical substances around natural ones, wood, chrome, steel, molten tephra; a dangerous mixture of horrors. The eyes make the mistake of looking at it, and then it’s too late. Finally, the ‘Suhbem Legm’ single introduced another hidden monster that seems silent, but its frequencies resonate even motionless, chaos is its preceding cataclysm: “Solar Clorex“, thus, is the inevitable destruction of everything, just dormant enough to awake at the right time to reset any minuscule particle of life. Sound-wise we worked hard to improve certain thorns in our veins. We worked at El Submarino Records studios and then The Empty Hall Studios mastered it. It was a pretty intense and nonstop week of recording, but thanks to that, the organic and natural sound is top notch!“
Discover all the details about “Solar Clorex” here!
“Solar Clorex” will be released via CD, vinyl and digital formats – alongside merchandising – on February 16th, 2024. Pre-orders are possible via the label’s EU, US (no merch) and Bandcamp shops.
In early 2018 the anonymous duo PESTILENGTH emerged from the Basque Country with a twisted, contemporary-yet-classic style of extremity which they called ‘corrosive Death Metal’.
After a well-received series of demos and singles, in 2020 the band released first full-length, “Eilatik”, described by No Clean Singing webzine as: “…absolutely vicious at all times. It rips and tears in a frenzy, and pounds without mercy or remorse.”
By the end of 2020, the band had received worldwide attention among labels, blogs, and musicians. Additional EP “Apore Flesh” was enthusiastically praised by LEVIATHAN’s Jef Whitehead for reaching “… far beyond the world of copycats of the ‘underground'” in “khaotick shards of thought-provoking metalz of dementia”. A split with Mexican band REVERENCE TO PAROXYSM had followed soon afterwards the same year.
In August 2021, PESTILENGTH’s monstrous sophomore album “Basom Gryphos” was unleashed to widespread critical acclaim. The album contained eight new songs whose cerebral slithering brutality was mirrored in the striking cover art by Namurian Visions.
In 2023 the band inked a deal with Debemur Morti Productions for the release of their upcoming next-level third album.
Legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release his new studio album ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ on Friday, February 16th, 2024, via InsideOut Music. A rite-of-passage concept album with a young character called Travla at the centre of it, ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’s’ 13 tracks have an autobiographical angle for the musician who says about his 30th solo release: “I love this album. It says the things I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time.”
With just a week and a half to go till the albums release, Steve has launched the track ‘Circo Inferno’, and you can now listen to it here:
Steve said of the track: “Circo Inferno is the most frenzied point in this album’s narrative… A plea for rescue within the maelstrom of a Dantesque circus, involving swirling Phrygian runs, insistent sax, full on vocals and blistering guitar…”
The new album is available to pre-order on several different formats, including a Limited CD+Blu-ray mediabook (including 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit high resolution stereo mixes), Standard CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 180g Vinyl LP & as Digital Album. All feature the stunning cover painting by Denise Marsh.
‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ is Steve’s first new music in over two years. Recorded between tours in 2022 and 2023 at Siren studio in the UK – with guest parts beamed in from Sweden, Austria, the US, Azerbaijan and Denmark, the line-up for ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ includes some familiar faces alongside Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drumstool, engineer extraordinaire Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar. Finally, Steve’s brother John Hackett is present once more on flute.
The full track-listing is as follows:
People Of The Smoke
These Passing Clouds
Taking You Down
Found And Lost
Enter The Ring
Get Me Out!
Ghost Moon and Living Love
Circo Inferno
Breakout
All At Sea
Into The Nightwhale
Wherever You Are
White Dove
Summing up ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’, Steve says: “It’s a lovely journey that starts dirty, scratchy and smoky and becomes heavenly and divine. How can you resist it?”
Steve Hackett & band will tour the world extensively in 2024, including a brand new UK tour ‘Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo’, which will see him return to the legendary Royal Albert Hall. He will also return to North America early this year, with European shows booked in for the Summer. For the full list of dates, head to: http://hackettsongs.com/tour.html
CITOVITZ AND THE FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY – the innovative musical project led by Polish/Cairo based guitarist and songwriter Andrzej Citowicz – are thrilled to announce the release of their new instrumental album, “Hive of Weirdness”. The album is available on all major streaming platforms starting today, February 9th, 2024.
“Hive of Weirdness” marks the third and final installment in Citowicz’s instrumental trilogy, following the successful releases of “Misery Loves Company” (2022) and “Never Ending Storms” (2023). The album features 10 tracks of diverse and dynamic guitar-driven music, drawing inspiration from renowned artists such as Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Metallica, Volbeat, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai. Citowicz’s unique blend of genres and influences showcases his creative prowess and versatility as a composer and performer.
The album also features the musical talents of Patryk Szymanski, a fellow Polish musician and longtime collaborator of Citowicz. Szymanski’s bass contributions add depth and richness to the sonic landscape, complementing Citowicz’s guitar work with his own distinctive flair and skill.
While “Hive of Weirdness” represents the culmination of Citowicz’s instrumental journey, it also heralds a new phase in his musical career. Citowicz, a former recording artist for Down Boys Records, plans to revisit the songs from the trilogy and add vocals, collaborating with various singers and incorporating AI technology. His aim is to create a vocal version of the trilogy, offering a fresh perspective on his music and reaching a broader audience.
In addition to his musical endeavors, Citowicz is a prolific writer, having published two books: “Hive of Weirdness” and “The Exit”. The former is a collection of short stories exploring themes of reality, surrealism, and the human heart, while the latter is a prequel that delves into the journey of a neurodivergent young boy grappling with identity and acceptance. Drawing from his own experiences and insights as a neurodivergent adult, Citowicz crafts compelling and relatable characters and narratives.
Citovitz and The Fireflies of February are: Andrzej Citowicz: music, guitars, drums programming, keys /FX Patryk Szymanski: Bass
About Andrzej Citowicz Andrzej Citowicz is a Cairo-based Polish guitarist, songwriter, and author, known for his unique blend of genres and influences. Born in 1976, Citowicz started his musical journey at a young age, drawing inspiration from renowned artists such as Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Joe Satriani, and Van Halen. His musical project, Citovitz and The Fireflies of February, is a testament to his creative prowess and versatility as a composer and performer. Citowicz is also a former recording artist for Down Boys Records, the label owned by Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon from Warrant.
BLACK OAK COUNTY release their brand new hard-rocking single and official video, “Save Your Breath”! Don’t hold your breath just yet, because you’ll be singing along in seconds.
Following the band’s latest releases “Back For Blood” and “It’s On You”, Black Oak County are gearing up for a big 2024, set to take them to even more countries across Europe with a newfound energy, and a new take on their aggressive sound. Get ready for even heavier riffs and catchier melody lines than ever before, as Black Oak County dives into new musical territory with new sonic elements, whilst sticking to their classic and hard rock roots.
““Save Your Breath” is a song that breaches the gap between a dying relationship and frustration”, the band says about the song. “We’ve all been there at some point, where there’s simply nothing left to say in a relationship, whether it’s professional or personal. Sometimes, your mind is just made up and the ship has already sailed – we wanted to channel all that emotion into a kickass song, that stays emotional without being too corny; but rocking!”
Join the premiering below.
Black Oak County’s newest explosive hard rock banger has brought the band into new professional territory as well, with the song being co-written, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Danish rock phenomenon Nicklas Sonne, known for his work with his band Defecto and even his participation in the Danish preliminaries for the Eurovision Song Contest.
“We wanted to try something new, and even though we’ve collaborated and worked with insanely talented people like engineer Jacob Hansen and producer Soren Andersen in the past, we wanted to take it a step further to develop ourselves as a band, both in terms of production and songwriting. We absolutely loved working with Nicklas, and we really feel the great chemistry between us really shows in the song!” says the band, who are currently completing their third studio album, set to release later in 2024.
“Save Your Breath” is out on February 9th on all streaming platforms, and also, on an official video.
Lineup: Niels Beier – guitar, vocals René Kristensen – bass, vocals Jack Svendsen – guitar Mike Svendsen – drums
Have you ever looked into the mirror and asked: “Am I wasting my life on simple pleasures and pointless diversions?”. If you have, then you know what the new EXELERATE song/video is about.
Having the same kind of power/thrash metal with progressive hints approach as their debut album – but to a whole new level – “Headfirst Into The Void” kicks off the Danes’ promotion round for their upcoming tour and concerts.
“It explores the hedonism and wastefulness that lives in us all”, the band says about the song. “The hunt for momentary happiness and the neglect of moral and spiritual responsibilities, is something we all must come to terms with at some point in our life. So, will you wake up and embrace a meaningful existence or will you just go headfirst into the void?”
“Headfirst Into The Void” is out on February 9th on all streaming platforms, and also, on an official video.
Embark on a sonic journey with Symphony Of Sweden‘s latest album, “Haunted“, as the band pushes the boundaries of hard rock music with their electrifying sound and captivating themes. Fresh off the press, the album promises to captivate audiences worldwide with its bold evolution in style and unwavering passion. In an exclusive interview, band members Lee and Evan share insights into the creative process and the compelling narrative behind their newest masterpiece. Dive into the heart of rock with Symphony Of Sweden and experience the haunting melodies that define their signature sound.
-Your brand new album, “Haunted” has just been released. How would you describe the evolution of your sound and themes in this upcoming album compared to your previous works?
Lee: –Giving it more and more. No easy answer, just working, trying to figure out what to do as the song develops.
Evan: –It is a natural evolution from “Saints Of Yesterday”, our second album. Our debut album, “Inner Demons” had obviously some tracks where you could clearly hear that we were trying out some different paths in our sound identity. But with “Saints Of Yesterday” I think we felt safer in our sound ID and more homogeneous over all tracks, so we just kept going and tried to improve from that. Same but better basically.
-The pre-released tracks from “Haunted” – “Lay Them Down,” “Just Let It Bleed,” “Get Out Of My Mind,” “Down And Counting, ”Bad Thoughts,” ”That Night,” and “EXIT” – have already captured attention. How do these songs set the tone for the overall album?
Evan: –Yes, for sure, the tone is of course already there in our previously released tracks as well. But the album includes an additional 5 tracks and a majestic ballad to round out the album – and of course the album title track, “Haunted” to kick it off in the best way possible! In between there will be some surprises as well!
Lee: -Hit upon hit! (laughs) We are really damn proud of this album, every single song is really catchy and powerful, and you want to hear them again and again.
-As we previously discussed “Haunted” follows “Saints Of Yesterday.” How has your creative process evolved between these two albums in the past two years, and what new elements or experiments can listeners anticipate?
Lee: -For me, it’s always the story. I wanna tell in the lyrics and try to find an amazing melody to put it on. So my work is the same as it has been.
Evan: -The biggest change from “Saints Of Yesterday” is that we started to work with a new guitarist, Henrik Bodin-Sköld who turned out to be a great guy in every aspect, socially, technically, and creatively! Other than that, we have worked in a similar way as before, just trying to improve slightly on every little detail in the process. Lyrics, vocals, mixing, composing, you name it!
-Lee, you’ve previously mentioned the pressure of surpassing the success of tracks like “Giants” and “She’s In My Head.” How did this influence the songwriting and production process for “Haunted,” and do you feel you’ve achieved that next level?
Lee: –I mean those songs are big and I’m really proud of them. I always give my best when writing a song and it depends on which way the song takes me when I write it. I think “Haunted” is maybe a bit more “modern” sounding, but I don’t know. Let’s leave it for the listeners!
-How did your latest release, “EXIT” contribute to the overall narrative of “Haunted”?
Evan: –With “EXIT” we felt we may have found the next level production-wise. So, we re-mixed some of the album tracks very late in the album process, and we hopefully raised the bar for the album overall, starting when producing “EXIT”.
Lee: -More passion. More doubt and frustration in life is probably the best explanation I can give.
-With the release of “Haunted”, how do you envision the album fitting into the current landscape of hard rock and metal music?
Lee: -Oh, hard question. I don’t look at other bands when I’m writing, I wanna tell my story and not try to sound like anyone else. But I do think it’s time for more of the world to hear the sound of SOS.
Evan: -I think we have found our own niche in the rather crowded landscape of rock and metal. Lee’s voice is kind of special with his raspy, powerful, and also capable of singing very high notes. That is unique in itself, and when we combine it with a touch of soundtrack/orchestral vibes here and there I believe over time people will recognize and be able to tell that ”this must be Symphony Of Sweden” after listening to one of our songs for just 5-10 seconds.
-The diversity in styles is apparent in your pre-released tracks. Can you elaborate on the creative decisions behind blending different elements, and how does it contribute to the overall atmosphere of “Haunted”?
Evan: -For an album, I really like to think of it as a whole and not just the 12 recently produced tracks released together. After making the first 5-6 songs, we then start to look at what we need to make the album an exciting journey with different interesting and varying episodes along the way. Now, with our third album, we have realized we tend to start every album with an uptempo track and finish with a majestic ballad. With that said, you can imagine that we really hate those shuffle-play features in streaming services! When making an album, we plan the songs to play in a certain order to get the best experience when listening to it, then shuffle-play comes in and ruins that. (laughs)
-Lee, you’ve mentioned that “Madness” from the previous album was a departure from your usual dynamics. Are there similar surprises or experiments in “Haunted”?
Lee: -Hm, yeah, 2 songs on the album really set it apart from my “usual” story I want to tell. There’s more frustration in the world and society of today, fake people, leaders, etc. The biggest FU one of them is “Even if Solo” – I love that one, it is always on my gym list to hype me up. And then “Show Me Love”, that one has more of a hopeful vibe to it, even though the world is what it is. We still want love.
-The album is released on February 7th. In the midst of this excitement, can you share any memorable moments or challenges you faced during the creation of “Haunted”?
Evan: –We had a slow start as Lee lost his voice for a pretty long period of time. Like a year basically. But the funny thing after he recovered he now sings better, stronger, and higher than ever!
Lee: –Good times in the studio with Evan. More of my own thoughts and stories I got to tell. Really awesome!
-Looking ahead, what’s next for Symphony Of Sweden after the release of “Haunted”? Any teasers or insights into your future musical endeavors?
Lee: -I just want to do this full-time. My purpose and life is this. And I hate that I still can’t do it full-time. So we are gonna work and work.
Evan: –We are definitely looking for options to come out and play live. So if any of you, Festival Promoters are reading this, hey! We can come and play and blow your socks off! Other than that, we really look forward to seeing and hearing what our fans think about “Haunted”!
Welcome to the musical world of Symphony Of Sweden!
Coming from the North of Sweden with winter and ice bears all over the place, the music is the other way around. Grand and epic with huge arrangements, the missing link between pop and metal – this is Symphony of Sweden! Add the powerful voice of Linus “Lee” Wester and the creative talent of Pontus “Evan” Hagberg you will have a concept that brings you on a journey from here to eternity.
Symphony Of Sweden is: Pontus „Evan” Hagberg Linus „Lee” Wester
Contributing musicians for “Haunted”:
🎸 Henrik Bodin-Sköld – Guitar Virtuoso & Arrangement Maestro 🤘
Embark on a sonic journey sculpted by the ingenious guitar work and arrangements of Henrik Bodin-Sköld. His fretwork prowess defines the soul-stirring sound of Symphony Of Sweden‘s “Haunted” album, making each track an odyssey into hard rock mastery.
🥁 Niklas “Bullen” Bengtsson – Rhythmic Dynamo 🔥
Fueling the band’s heartbeat on drums, Niklas “Bullen” Bengtsson brings relentless energy and precision. His percussive artistry lays the foundation for the intense sonic landscapes that make “Haunted” an unmissable chapter in the Symphony Of Sweden saga.Evan and Lee lived in the same small town up north in Sweden. Lee had his own little service point, betting shop, tobacco store nearby which also happened to be Evan’s local service point where he went to get his parcels. After saying hello to each other for a couple of years, there was one day Evan had a parcel to get – which obviously was music-related. They fell into conversation with each other, a few days later Evan invited Lee to his studio. Evan: „he had found one of my instrumental tracks on Youtube and sang it with a new melody on top and lyrics for me in the studio, right there when he just arrived! I was blown away, and a week later we had our first ever track produced and completed. As soon he sang his first two words in the studio I wanted to work with him!”
The band released their first album, Inner Demons in January 2021, and their second album, Saints Of Yesterday came out on the 3rd of February, 2022.
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
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