A storm is brewing, two people meet in the street. The atmosphere is threatening, but escape is not an option. Yön salamat is like a comic book screen or artwork of a heavy metal album from the depths of the eighties. Cobra 1981 showcases its faster and more fierce side with its second single.
Like their debut single, Vanha kuoma, which received good attention both at home and abroad, Yön salamat was written in the 1980s. The song is part of the debut album to be released this spring, most of the songs from which have been dug from the band’s archives. The album was recorded as a studio live in an old barn, which also serves as the band’s practice space. While selecting and rehearsing songs, the band occasionally returned to listening to original demos and rehearsal tapes. Despite decades passing by, the enthusiasm and ferocity of the musicians hasn’t gone away. The fast tempos remained fast and the vocal melodies remained at their original heights.
Double guitars roar as Cobra 1981 rocks out with their second single!
Black metallers SERVANT have released a new video ‘Empire Of Madness’ from their latest album “Aetas Ascensus”, which was released last year. The video was filmed and produced by Matthias Engst in Berlin before the turn of the year. The band will also be touring Europe with Groza and Ellende in the fall, visiting 12 countries. The tour dates are also attached.
Scherben Tour 2024 | Ellende + Groza + Servant 02.10. Backstage, München, DE 03.10. Turock, Essen, DE 04.10. Kronensaal, Hamburg, DE 05.10. Badehaus, Berlin, DE 06.10. Stengade, Kopenhagen, DK 07.10. Willemeen, Arnhem, NL 08.10. The Black Lab, Wasquehal, FR 09.10. Glazart, Paris, FR 10.10. Musigburg, Aarburg, CH 11.10. Arcanum Fest, Bologna, IT 12.10. Vienna Metal Meeting, Wien, AT 13.10. Orto Bar, Ljubljana, SI 14.10. Mocvara, Zagreb, HR 15.10. Zappa Baza, Belgrad, SR 16.10. A38, Budapest, HU 18.10. Blauer Saal, Dresden, DE 19.10. 2Progi, Poznan, PL 20.10. Kamienna12, Krakow, PL
The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara (TCOMAS) announce their return with the upcoming release of a brand new song, titled “Mysterium Tremendum”. Out 23 February 2024, the new single will also be accompanied by a fully animated music video. Written and recorded between December 2022 and October 2023, the new track merges metal and classical music, and contains section sections with classical piano and a full orchestra performed and put together entirely by the duo — Daphne Ang (vocals, piano, keyboards), Andrea Papi (vocals, guitars, bass). Much like in opera, the song combines music and poetry, where the melodic (aria) and recitative (parlando) vocals by Ang coalesce with dissonant metal vocals by Papi.
Andrea Papi on the new song: “I would describe “Mysterium Tremendum” as being ‘Opera Metal’. It contains musical and lyrical elements that gives the work a perfect combination of ‘heaviness’ that is both melancholic and brutal.”
Daphne Ang, commenting on the orchestral sections of the new song: “The song contains a large section with a full orchestra, which took me a long time to compose and arrange. It took a long time to record all the individual instruments in the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections, and for Andrea to get the orchestral effects right in the mixing stage. It was a real challenge, but it was mostly a rewarding experience, as we made it purely a TCOMAS effort.”
Artwork based on original painting by ELKYMY (Daphne Ang, Andrea Papi)
The song explores the concept of “mysterium tremendum et fascinans” which is the dual nature of the experience of the numinous, a mystery (mysterium) that is at once terrifying (tremendum) and awe-inspiring, before which humanity both trembles and is fascinated (fascinans).
“I came across this concept in Das Heilige (The Idea of the Holy), a book by Rudolf Otto”, Daphne Ang notes. “We named the new track “Mysterium Tremendum” as the meaning of this abstract concept really comes alive in the music and words. It is the raw, enduring, and barbaric pain that pierces deep into the soul, which may then develop into something pure, beautiful and glorious. It is the totality of the highest and lowest points of our existence.”
Accompanying the new single, the pair will release a self-produced animated music video for the track created under their video and visual production arm, TCOMAS Studio. Set in warring Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe, the video combines traditional 2D and 3D animation with AI video technology to recreate the life story and journey of the anti-hero’s experience of the ‘mysterium tremendum’.
The new single and video provides a first glimpse into the pair’s return, arriving after two frenzied years of activity during which the duo dropped two full-length albums.
“After the release of our second album Trust No Leaders in mid-2022, we decided that we needed to take some time to rest, reflect and recharge, and contemplate on the next steps for our music. It was a much needed break as composing, recording, producing, releasing, and marketing two albums, 15 singles and music videos independently in a span of two years was no easy feat,” notes Andrea Papi.
Described to be one of “the most important British-based bands of the decade” (Ever Metal), their pioneering performance of poetry in heavy music has become a form of expression that has become synonymous with TCOMAS. Their debut album, Full Spectrum (released February 26, 2021), captured the imaginations of new listeners with their blend of electronic, rock, metal and poetry performance, most notably “Love in the Time of Pestilence“, which graced several official Spotify playlists (Alternative Metal, Progressive Metal). In their sophomore album, Trust No Leaders (released July 1, 2022), the duo further refined their niche and innovation – “Heavy Metal fused with literature, poetry, and art” (FemMetal).
Dubbed by TUTV! as “architects in sound and vision” for their visual inventiveness. Their music videos have been screened globally at numerous international film festivals, receiving 52 official selections and nominations to date, most notably the Tokyo International Short Film Festival, The Tsiolkovsky International Space Film Festival, Xposure International Photography & Film Festival, and the Wildlife Vaasa International Nature Film Festival.
“Mysterium Tremendum” will be available on Spotify and all major streaming platforms on Feb 23 2024 via Symphonic — visit https://hypeddit.com/afs2mh to pre-save.
German heavy metal/power metal unit HAMMER KING are back with a brand-new bombastic full-length full of true headbanger hits! The new offering, entitled König und Kaiser, continues the storyline of the band paying homage to the mighty Hammer King, and is set for release on March 22, 2024 via Napalm Records. Today, HAMMER KING unleash the first new album single, “Hailed By The Hammer”, together with an official music video!
HAMMER KING, led by ex-Ross The Boss vocalist Titan Fox, was formed in 2015 and has convinced the scene with their previous offerings and live performances at Summer Breeze Open Air and beyond, following their highly acclaimed 2022 release Kingdemonium. On König und Kaiser, the band is flanked by noteworthy guest features from the likes of The Tribune of label mates WARKINGS, with whom HAMMER KING is heading out on a huge European tour in spring 2024. Check out “Hailed By The Hammer” below and make sure to pre-order your copy of König und Kaiser!
HAMMER KING on König und Kaiser: “Welcome to the era of König und Kaiser! 2024 will be a busy year for HAMMER KING as we are blessed to release our new album, König und Kaiser, at the very beginning of our first big tour. We will join the mighty Warkings for 14 shows through central European countries and will make sure we Hail as many new fans as possible with the King’s mighty Hammer! Therefore, here it is, the kick-off single for the next chapter in the legend of the HAMMER KING: ‘Hailed By The Hammer’. Thou all shalt be!
See you on tour, God bless the King.”
Hammering, fast-running double kick drums meet speed riffing on the 10 new metal hymns, crowned by memorable sing-along choruses that are meant to be sung with a fist raised in the air. On König und Kaiser, HAMMER KING continue their collaboration with Charles Greywolf (of genre giants POWERWOLF), who recorded the new album at Studio Greywolf and produced it together with singer Titan Fox. König und Kaiser was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, infamous for his work with bands such as Amaranthe, Arch Enemy and Volbeat, to name a few. The album artwork is once again created by Péter Sallai.
With König und Kaiser, HAMMER KING presents yet another powerful album that is sure to cement the band’s standing in the scene. Join HAMMER KING in worshiping the Hammer King!
[art credit: Péter Sallai]
Pre-Order HAMMER KING’s new album König und KaiserNOW
König und Kaiser Tracklisting: 1 Hailed By The Hammer 2 The Devil Will I Do 3 König und Kaiser (feat. The Tribune) 4 Future King 5 Kingdom of Hammers and Kings 6 War Hammer 7 Divided We Shall Fall 8 Kings of Arabia 9 I Want Chaos 10 Gates of Atlantia
Bonus Tracks: The Last of the 7 Wars (Bonus Track) König und Kaiser – Titan (Bonus Track) König und Kaiser – The Tribune (Bonus Track – feat. The Tribune)
HAMMER KING live: Supporting WARKINGS on “For King and Crown Tour 2024” 21.03.24 DE – Essen / Turock 22.03.24 DE – Hamburg / Knust 23.03.24 DE – Berlin / Lido 04.04.24 DE – Saarbrücken / Garage 05.04.24 FR – Paris / Petit Bain 06.04.24 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colos Saal 12.04.24 CH – Pratteln / Z7 13.04.24 AT – Wörgl / Komma 14.04.24 DE – Nuremberg / Hirsch 18.04.24 DE – Munich / Backstage 19.04.24 DE – Leipzig / Hellraiser 26.04.24 DE – Essen / Turock 27.04.24 NL – Helmond / Cacaofabriek 28.04.24 NL – Haarlem / Patronaat
HAMMER KING are: Titan Fox V – vocals/guitar Gino Wilde – guitar Günt von Schratenau – bass Dolph Aidan Macallan – drums
The members of ALCATRAZZ wish to share that between January 2017 and the split with Graham Bonnet in mid 2020 nearly every song in every live performance was lip-synched to pre-recorded vocal tracks.
The band further states in various replies and comments on their facebook page.
“We are guilty as well, we went along with it, some nights we even encouraged it…it was a drag, we felt trapped, we couldn’t work without the tracks, we couldn’t even get through a gig without the tracks, we are sure this wasn’t fun for Graham either, but his voice is toast and has been for a long long time…3 or 4 songs a night he was fine, but more than that it was impossible, we tried to be supportive and get through it together, then he threw us all under the bus in the end and has continued to needlessly slander us in interviews… the most recent comments regarding the songwriting is the final straw”
Keyboard player and founding member Jimmy Waldo confirms that also as a member of the Graham Bonnet Band he was responsible for recording, pitch correcting and putting into a pro-tools session the tracks for Graham to “mime” to live.
“I did what i needed to do to be a team player, and help Graham however possible work through this”
The comments come in response to Graham and his girlfriend Beth-Ami Heavenstone (in an interview with the Laughing Monkey Podcast) claiming that no one in the current Alcatrazz band ever wrote any music for Alcatrazz, and that any songwriting credit given to these musicians was simply a gesture on Graham’s part.
The band stated in various posts on their FB page (note: they do not speak for current lead vocalist Doogie White whom replaced Graham in late 2020)
“How can this woman claim to be an expert on “whom really wrote what” 40 years ago?By her own admission in the full length interview she “knew nothing about Graham before meeting him” in 2013″
One such example:
Remember a song called “Island In The Sun”?
The main theme of this signature Alcatrazz song (arguably the first successful single the band had via MTV) was written by Jimmy Waldo, the bridge part was written by Yngwie Malmsteen and the lyric and vocal melody was written by Graham Bonnet, this is an example of how you fairly give credit amongst writers.
We will post (in the FB comments below) the song (In demo form) containing Jimmy’s parts (the entire main melody line) when it was called “Take Another Ride” as a New England demo (Jimmy and Gary’s previous pre-Alcatrazz band)
Clearly “Island In The Sun” became a better song due to the COLLABORATION of the writers in Alcatrazz (including Graham Bonnet and Yngwie Malmsteen), but him excluding someone who wrote a main part of a signature song (by way of outright saying “those guys never wrote anything” based on resentment over an ongoing personal/trademark issue) shows the lack of professional class Graham Bonnet has”
“Jimmy has co-written numerous other songs both with Graham as a member of the Graham Bonnet Band, Blackthorne and Alcatrazz, and with the other members of Alcatrazz past and present, what she is saying is complete personal vendetta fueled nonsense”
Jimmy was also a prominent writer during his time with Quiet Riot, New England and many more projects. His resume speaks for itself. Alcatrazz guitarist Joe Stump co-wrote much of the “Born Innocent” album and continues to be a main writer in the band today”
“Beth-Ami also claims that the current Alcatrazz band sounds “Nothing like Alcatrazz” we could reply to that comment that Rainbow’s ‘Down To Earth’ album didn’t sound like the Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio either, but we all liked it and accepted him”
The band also made the following comments on social media in replies to fans:
“The overall sound of Alcatrazz, it can be fairly said, has always been pretty much dictated by the guitarist in the band at the time… not by Graham, this is why the first 3 albums all sound remarkably different from each other, and Jimmy would often write with the guitarist at the time, him getting on well with all three”.
“Joe Stump wrote a considerable amount of the “Born Innocent” album, and last time we checked, he is in the current band as is Jimmy and founding member Gary Shea, we arent claiming to be the band with Yngwie, Steve Vai or Graham, we have two original founding members (one of whom named the band), a great guitarist Joe Stump who has been with us since 2019 and done 3 albums with us, and we are happy performing and recording music for those that want it, we had some great years with Graham but we aren’t going to stop just because he quit suddenly on us – he has given numerous interviews where he says he quit, and that’s what happened putting us in an awful spot with the label, promoters and fans”
“Sadly this is yet another example of Graham trying to take credit for the work of others…only this time via his girlfriend speaking for him – utterly pathetic“.
“Furthermore, over the past 4 years we have read and seen numerous interviews where Graham has discredited his former (Alcatrazz) bandmates, claiming members of this band to be sub-par players, or to quote Graham directly “pretend musicians”. … We had chosen to take the high road, and wanted to continue to do so, but this restraint on our part is now officially over“.
“And strong words from Beth-Ami Heavenstone, whom while being credited as bassist on the two Graham Bonnet Band albums “The Book” and “Meanwhile, Back In The Garage”, did not play a note on them… so talk about giving credit as a gesture! – If you are so good, film yourself playing a bass solo”
“Do your own interviews Graham, stop having your girlfriend speak for you while you sit there knowing the real truth, do your thing with your GBB group and let us do ours, stop running people down who helped you when your girlfriend threw you out for 3 months and you were terrified you were going to end up homeless, and we helped you get sorted out… you were our friend when it suited you when you were desperate, telling us how embarrassed you were about Beth-Ami’s musicianship and her (to quote you exactly) “Hollywood bar band attitude” (we have the text message) stop with this stupid trademark nonsense, and leave your comments about us out of your interviews, or this will only get worse for you, we will not hold back, and there is plenty to tell …and show“
To everyone else, sorry about this, but some things can’t be ignored, we will see you on the upcoming tour dates with Girlschool, Lillian Axe and Kingscrown!
Platinum selling Legendary LA Rockers ANGELES have released a stunning new version of ‘You Want Me To Love You’, Dale George Lytle on vocals, originally released on their first Album “We’re No Angels” (1984), celebrating the album’s 40th anniversary!
Just previously ANGELES released a lyric video for their earlier single ‘Evil And Good’, taken from their updoming new album, entlitled “Evil And Good”, coming out soon. Music and Lyrics by Dale George Lytle.
ANGELES – Current 2024 Line-up Dale George Lytle – Vocals and Guitar Bill Wildman – Bass Guitar Danny Basulto – Drums
ANGELES released their latest full-length album “Running like an Outlaw“ on March 5th 2022, via MVD Entertainment and SONY Music and is available at Walmart, FYE, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all Digital Streaming retailers.
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 ) 