Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

ASKING ALEXANDRIA Release New EP “Dark Void”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 13, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: ASKING ALEXANDRIA. Leave a comment

Gold-certified British rock frontrunners ASKING ALEXANDRIA are kickstarting the new year with a new EP highlighting the debut single, “Dark Void,” from their 2023 critically acclaimed album WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? via Better Noise Music. Available since yesterday, January 12, across digital platforms, the DARK VOID EP features five tracks including the original version of “Dark Void” along with a new radio edit, a stripped-down piano version, and a Sullivan King-remixed version. The emotive and empowering single relates to those battling with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness, while acknowledging the strength it takes to confront one’s inner demons and fight off negative thoughts.

“Blue Monday is coming up this Monday, January 15,” relays ASKING ALEXANDRIA bassist SAM BETTLEY. “Unfortunately, it’s that time of the year again where a lot of us, including myself, are facing depression, anxiety, and loneliness. I can’t stress enough how much music has helped me through these dark times. Our song ‘Dark Void’ gives an insight into how crippling these feelings can be. So put it on, turn it up, and let it be a reminder that you aren’t alone and together we can make it through!”

The DARK VOID EP also includes the fan-favored electronic-tinged album track “Nothing Left” which ASKING ALEXANDRIA have highlighted with a new lyric video aligning with the EP’s release. Watch it streaming via YouTube HERE.

DARK VOID EP Track Listing:

Dark Void (Album Version)
Nothing Left
Dark Void (Radio Edit)
Dark Void (Sullivan King Remix)
Dark Void (Stripped)

ASKING ALEXANDRIA’s critically acclaimed eighth album, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?, features their second-ever #1 Active Rock radio single with album track “Psycho.” Produced and mixed by Matt Good (Hollywood Undead, From First To Last), the album is a culmination of the band’s career, melding their flagship sound with experimental electronics. The latest album from ASKING ALEXANDRIA has accumulated 43 million streams since the start of its campaign. The album’s official music and lyric videos so far have accumulated 5 million YouTube views. Get a copy of WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? on CD, cassette, vinyl, and/or digital download at https://askingalexandria.ffm.to/wdwgfh. ASKING ALEXANDRIA recently added new vinyl and CD bundles comprising exclusive merch designs from WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? to the Better Noise Music EU / UK store. Bundles are available HERE.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA—Ben Bruce (lead guitar), Danny Worsnop (vocals), Cameron Liddell (rhythm guitar), Sam Bettley (bass) and James Cassells (drums)—spent last fall touring across the U.S. on a co-headlining run with labelmates THE HU along with stops at several of the country’s top rock festivals such as Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, Inkcarceration and Rock Fest. The band will continue to bring their high-energy performance to audiences across the globe throughout the year starting with a support slot on the “I Wanna Be Tour” from March 2 -10 across Brazil with Simple Plan, A Day To Remember, The All-American Rejects, All Time Low, The Used and more, and will be seen on festival stages including Knotfest Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) and Slam Dunk Festival (UK). ASKING ALEXANDRIA will return to the U.S. this Spring from April 12 to May 18 on a headlining tour featuring support from Memphis May Fire and The Word Alive. See all dates listed below. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.askingalexandria.com/#tour.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA Tour Dates:
3/2 Sao Paulo, BR – Allianz Parque ^
3/3 Curitiba, BR – Estádio Couto Pereira ^
3/6 Olinda, BR – Area Externa do Centro de Convenções Pernambuco ^
3/9 Rio De Janeiro, BR – Estádio Nilton Santos – Engenhão ^
3/10 Belo Horizonte, BR – Arena da Independência ^
3/21 Melbourne, AU – Knotfest Australia
3/23 Sydney, AU – Knotfest Australia
3/25 Brisbane, AU – Knotfest Australia
4/12 San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater &
4/13 Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston &
4/14 New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans &
4/16 North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues Myrtle Beach &
4/17 Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre &
4/19 Tampa, FL – 98Rock Fest
4/20 Orlando, FL – 101 WJRR Earth Day Birthday 2024
4/21 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution &
4/23 Richmond, VA – The National &
4/25 Norfolk, VA – The Norva &
4/26 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring &
4/27 Worcester, MA – Big Gig
4/28 Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center &
4/30 McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre &
5/1 Columbus, OH – The Bluestone &
5/3 Milwaukee, WI – Hog Fest
5/4 Saint Paul, MN – 93X Twin City Takeover
5/5 Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha &
5/7 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre &
5/8 Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot &
5/10 Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom &
5/11 Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House &
5/12 Seattle, WA – The Showbox &
5/14 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades &
5/15 San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego &
5/17 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Anaheim &
5/18 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre &
5/25 Hatfield, UK – Slam Dunk Festival (South)
5/26 Leeds, UK – Slam Dunk Festival (North)
^“I Wanna Be Tour” (with Simple Plan, A Day To Remember, All-American Rejects, All Time Low, The Used, Mayday Parade, Boys Like Girls, Plain White T’s, Fresno, PITTY and NX Zero)
&headlining tour with Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive & Nerv

1993 Founded Finnish GOTHONY Finally Release Long-Awaited Debut Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 13, 2024

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

Finnish metal band Gothony released their long-awaited self-titled debut album on January 12th 2024 via Inverse Records. The band is founded already back in 1993 so this time there is the truth of the saying ‘Good things come to those who wait’.

LISTEN to Gothony album: https://push.fm/fl/gothony-album

The album contains the following drama metal songs :

HOLOGRAM is slower and maybe even moves somewhat in the pop world, but contains lots of melody. The song starts and ends with the seagulls of Helsinki market square. What is the meaning of seagulls?: is the past also present in the present, i.e. part of causality chains continuum or is this all just an illusion, maybe we live in a hologram…

PATIENT 2442 is a masterpiece of drama metal composed by Mika Uusitalo. When perfect drama and metal combine, the result is this. Beautiful melancholic and melodic riffs that create a soundscape of sorrow supported by drums that push the momentum forward. Vocals reflect the eternal sruggle between the light and the Dark. Guest vocalist Kata Samula‘s beautiful and powerful voice crowns the song. A journey into a mind that has lost its integrity…

ANTS is mainly composed by M. Toivonen, but Mika Uusitalo has also added his vision to it. The song is on the rougher side of Gothony’s production and is full of drama in every aspect. Although individual people – especially warlike dictators – sometimes feel that they are part of a great divine plan, on a cosmic scale we are just ants on top of each other.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON is the latest creation of drama metal. When the three heroes (M.Toivonen, Mika Uusitalo and Väiski Syväoja) put their heads together for the composition, you can hear a return to the atmosphere of the 90s and the rustling of wings from metal classics. The song is crowned by Wuohi’s lyrics about the search for meaning and the disappointment when the search does not yield results… A drama metal classic has been born…

MY PAIN is the first song composed after the reunion. It is composed around the riff of the song Unknown world of my Dreams, which is on the 1995 demo. Mika Uusitalo is mainly responsible for the composition, but there is couple drama riffs from Väiski Syväoja. It was an honor to have Jasmin Anglén (Ratbreed, Möckingbird) as a guest vocalist for the song. She if anyone sheds new light on this riff from the 1995 demo. It’s pointless to look for light in Wuohi lyrics, they tell a tale about the pain that overwhelms a person, leaving behind only agony and anguish.

CRYSTAL DREAM APOPHIS has been re-recorded in its almost original form from the 1997 “Hidden thoughts” demo. This drama metal classic was created by M.Toivonen, both in terms of composition and lyrics, at the age of 17 in 1997. The song was updated to a slightly more modern 2023 version, but its basic structure and riffs are allmost the same.

Quoting Jouko Piho, “I believe that it is about something mentioned in Revelations chapter 8, verses 8-11, about something plunging into the sea, which is as big as a mountain, and about a big star falling from the sky and burning like a torch called Wormwood.”

DISARM THE GODS started with Väiski Syväoja’s bass riff, around which Mika Uusitalo created a chorus and a melancholic frame. In the song, you can even sense Finnish schlager / instrumental rock : that’s why the working name was Sorsakoski.

Wuohi lyrics are not related to the Finnish schlager, but deal with how religion is weaponized to achieve one’s own goals.

RAPACITY Took quite a while until it found its way into a finished drama metal product. M. Toivonen, Mika Uusitalo and Miika Peräkangas are responsible for the composition of the song.The melodic and harsh riffs of the song reflect images of climate change and the destructive chaos caused by greed.

Line-up:
Wuohi: Vocals
Mika Uusitalo: Guitar
Miika Peräkangas: Guitar
Väiski Syväoja: Bass
M.Toivonen: Drums

https://www.gothony.com
https://www.facebook.com/gothonyband
https://www.instagram.com/gothonyband
https://gothony.bandcamp.com

PAUL MASVIDAL Now Endorsed by Kiesel Guitars

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 13, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: CYNIC, Kiesel Guitars, Paul Masvidal. Leave a comment

CYNIC has endured more than its fair share of ups and downs. The progressive metal pioneers have weathered hurricanes, teenage angst, homophobia and the tragic loss of their legendary rhythm section. But through it all, Paul Masvidal has stood as a trailblazer for the electric guitar. Today, he’s being recognized with an endorsement from Kiesel Guitars.

While alien to the scene back when Cynic first started in the early ’90s, the way Masvidal fuses extreme technical thrashing with jazzy, harmonic grooves now holds a heavy influence over the world of metal. His first forays with headless guitars date back to his time in Death. That he’s still finding new ways to break boundaries with these beauties has helped launch today’s headless boom.

Along with Cynic, Masvidal also plays in Æon Spoke, as well as his own solo projects. Wherever he might be, he’ll now be carrying Kiesel’s vast array of headless electric and acoustic-electric guitars.

“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to work with Paul and look forward to a very bright and creative future together”, Vice President Jeff Kiesel says.

“Paul is the best. Without a doubt a true artist to the core”, says Chrys Johnson, Director of Artist Relations at Kiesel Guitars. “An incredible composer and collaborator who channels from the unseen realms. A fully manifested lightworker with a huge heart bent towards the human predicament and a great sense of humor…so yeah ..you could say I’m pretty stoked.”

“I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Kiesel Guitars,” Masvidal says. “The potential for creativity and exploration inspires me greatly. Our goal is to push boundaries and create innovative instruments that will hopefully inspire musicians worldwide to create more art!”

Cynic recently released Uroboric Forms, a compilation that collects the seminal demos from their groundbreaking debut Focus.

Order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Cynic

CYNIC Live 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
Zeke Kaplan – Keyboards

https://www.facebook.com/CynicPaulMasvidal
https://www.instagram.com/cynic_official
https://cyniconline.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/CynicOnline
https://www.youtube.com/user/cynicdocumentary
https://cynic.travelling-merchant.com
https://www.indiemerch.com/cynic/

EXHORDER Thrash into 2024 with New Album “Defectum Omnium”, Out March 8th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 12, 2024

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

NOLA thrash and groove trailblazers EXHORDER have revealed details and plans for the release of their eagerly anticipated 4th full-length record, Defectum Omnium, that’s due out March 8th from Nuclear Blast Records. Featuring 12 crushing tracks and ominous cover artwork by Travis Smith (Katatonia, Opeth), the album follows the band’s critically revered 2019 release Mourn The Southern Skies. Fans can pre-order Defectum Omnium now!

Commenting on the impending album, vocalist/guitarist Kyle Thomas states:

“It’s been quite a journey for Exhorder since the 2019 release of ‘Mourn the Southern Skies’. Lineup changes as well as the 2020-2021 pandemic and lockdown presented hurdles that weren’t easy to overcome. But we persevered, kept our heads down and went to work with intense focus and real goals. One of those goals was to bring our fourth full length album to our fan base. ‘Defectum Omnium’ is a collaborative effort in songwriting, much as it was in the early days of Exhorder. We produced it ourselves, as we felt no need or desire to bring in anyone from the outside based upon our shared vision. It was also important to us not only to continue the natural progression this band has been in since the early 90’s, but to put a foot back into our roots. The influence punk and hardcore had on this band from getting our start in the New Orleans punk rock scene has a strong presence. We’ve also made sure to keep plenty of our thrash roots as well in our songwriting process.

But we have also managed to keep our doom roots alive, which first surfaced on the song ‘(Cadence of) the Dirge’ back in 1992. In fact, on one new song we have guest appearances by Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin from Trouble, and they absolutely killed it!

From the time that we began pre-production until the actual release date, we can promise you that every bit of ‘Defectum Omnium’ was crafted with great care, and we are really excited about it! Our goal was to make an album that WE loved and gives the experience of a journey, or maybe even a rollercoaster ride effect. We can’t wait to share it with the world!”

Without further ado, EXHORDER kicks in the door of 2024 with a savage new track, ‘Year of the Goat,’ that sets the neck-snapping pace for the record to come. Watch the music video directed by Brian “Bone” Thorburn and produced by Threshold Studios at the link below.

Adding on the new song, Thomas says:

“Our debut single ‘Year of the Goat’ is a fast paced, chugging piece in the spirit of the influence that Motörhead had on punk rock bands like Charged GBH and The Exploited. The lyrical approach is a throwback to early Exhorder attitude, and we had a ton of fun filming the video at a free show that we performed in the greater Cincinnati area. 2024 is the year of the goat!!!”

Pre-order/Pre-save Defectum Omnium: https://exhorder.bfan.link/defectum-omnium

Stream ‘Year of the Goat’: https://exhorder.bfan.link/year-of-the-goat

Defectum Omnium Tracklisting:

Wrath of Prophecies
Under the Gaslight
Forever and Beyond Despair
The Tale of Unsound Minds
Divide and Conquer
Year of the Goat
Taken by Flames
Defectum Omnium / Stolen Hope
Three Stages of Truth / Lacing the Well
Sedition
Desensitized
Your Six

Following the release of Defectum Omnium in April, EXHORDER will kick off a US tour with Bay Area thrash legends VIO-LENCE, Virginian extreme metalheads DECEASED and LA death metal band MORTAL WOUND. The brutality starts April 5th in Cambridge, MA and will culminate April 13th in Chicago, IL.

Tickets are on sale now at the links below.

EXHORDER US Tour Dates:

April 5 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East (Tickets)

April 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Monarch (Tickets)

April 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts (Tickets)

April 8 – Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar (Tickets)

April 10 – Cleveland, OH – The Winchester (Tickets)

April 11 – Cincinnati, OH – Legends (Tickets)

April 12 – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary (Tickets)

April 13 – Chicago, IL – Reggies (Tickets)

About EXHORDER:

Formed in 1986, EXHORDER’s journey has proven exciting, yet tumultuous. After a twenty-seven-year absence following their final Roadrunner Records release in 1992, EXHORDER re-entered the game with an album considered by many to be a contender for the “Best Comeback Album” category. The band released Mourn the Southern Skies in October of 2019 through Nuclear Blast Records. Fraught with euphoric peaks and crippling valleys throughout its existence, lineup changes, and the 2020-2021 pandemic, EXHORDER has since clawed back through the muck to prepare yet another album to add to the discography. In the spring of 2024, EXHORDER presents yet again via Nuclear Blast their fourth full-length recording, Defectum Omnium, the Latin phrase for “The Failure of All”. Singer Kyle Thomas wryly explains that the album title is representative of the current state of affairs that the world is in. “The world is a dumpster fire, and we are all complicit.”, he explains. “People have been talking about, ‘…viruses killing us off, blah-blah, blah…’, when in actuality WE are the virus to the Earth. Mother Nature is simply trying to shake off the fleas, and her ‘viruses’ are the antibodies combating US. Earth will survive, and we will join the dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers soon enough in her history.”

Produced by EXHORDER and mixed by Jens Bogren, Defectum Omnium puts a foot back into the roots of the band’s inception. The scales have tipped favorably towards the presence of punk and thrash more so than on Mourn the Southern Skies. Tracks like ‘Wrath of Prophecies’, ‘Forever and Beyond Despair’, and ‘Sedition’ are what EXHORDER comes by most honestly when referring to their beginnings. There is also a strong presence of doom influence, as always. ‘The Tale of Unsound Minds’ and the haunting ‘Defectum Omnium/Stolen Hope’ will raise utter despair from the depths of your soul. The thick New Orleans grooves EXHORDER has been known for beating out since day one are still undeniable, and they stand out in tracks like ‘Year of the Goat’, ‘Under the Gaslight’, and ‘Three Stages of Truth/Lacing the Well’.

One trait about Defectum Omnium that deserves to be pointed out is that it is more of a journey and experience than just a regurgitated selection of songs on autopilot. With peaks and valleys much like a roller coaster ride, one listener described the album as having “…a little something for everyone.”. As EXHORDER has always been hard to classify by one genre, the album is loaded with heaviness, aggression, speed, and venom. It also has an equal presence of mystery, melody, and harmony, and vacillates between darkness and light. Themes that dart back and forth between surviving oppression, despair, revolution, and brittle hope take you through the band’s madness by way of the musical path that they have forged. With touring plans underway in support of Defectum Omnium, EXHORDER finds itself poised to finally achieve the brass ring potential that has always seemed to be just out of their reach.

Follow EXHORDER:
https://www.exhorder.com/
https://www.facebook.com/exhorderofficial
https://www.instagram.com/exhorderofficial/
https://www.youtube.com/@ExhorderOfficial
https://www.tiktok.com/@exhorder_official

NORTH SEA ECHOES – Feat. Ray Alder & Jim Matheos – Release Lyric Video for New Single ‘Open Book’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 12, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: NORTH SEA ECHOES. Leave a comment

Two members of the pioneering progressive metal act Fates Warning, Ray Alder and Jim Matheos continue to brave new waters with NORTH SEA ECHOES. Today, the duo is proud to announce the release of their debut album, ‘Really Good Terrible Things‘, due out February 23, 2024 via Metal Blade. The band is pleased to share the first taste of the upcoming record with their new single, “Open Book“, which is out today!

The first single off the record, “Open Book” kicks things off, and was also the first song written on ‘Really Good Terrible Things‘. Matheos shares, “with Ray’s lyrics about ending and beginnings, it felt like a good mood to start off with.” Alder adds, “The line ‘we’re a cloud behind the moon’ is referring to the fact that we are all basically an impossibility. Yet here we are. And we will go on until we can’t. I’m speaking of inevitability.“

PRE-ORDER HERE

‘Really Good Terrible Things‘ (Tracklist)
01. Open Book
02. Flowers in Decay
03. Unmoved
04. Throwing Stones
05. Empty
06. The Mission
07. Where I’m From
08. We Move Around the Sun
09. Touch the Sky
10. No Maps

Ray Alder and Jim Matheos’ musical legacy is vast and lauded, both as collaborators and individuals. Alder has been the vocalist and main co-writer for prog metal heroes Fates Warning for the past 35 years. With them, he has recorded 10 albums between 1988 (No Exit) and 2020 (Long Day Good Night). Further rounding out his discography are seven albums with Redemption, two solo albums, and the band A-Z with Mark Zonder, which debuted in 2022.

Prolific and pioneering guitarist/producer Matheos is a co-founder of Fates Warning, the lineup debuting with 1984’s Night on Bröcken on Metal Blade. In addition to 13 albums with Fates, Matheos’ myriad other work includes several solo albums, four albums alongside former Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore, under the name OSI, and new band, Kings of Mercia, a lineup that’s been termed “a hybrid; it’s heavy, but not metal.”

“Throughout Really Good Terrible Things, Matheos and Alder serve up the kind of seductive melancholy Fates Warning fans will recognize,” says Jeff Wagner, author of the Fates Warning book Destination Onward. “Yet there’s a thoroughly different approach here: vocals are delivered with a sort of nostalgic sadness, and the guitar work is layered in such a way as to feel dreamlike. These are rich sonic landscapes, visiting places haunting, beautiful, spectral and secret. The Matheos/Alder partnership is taken to some new and wonderful places here,” Wagner concludes.

Really Good Terrible Things shows the breadth and versatility of the acclaimed pair, along with a freshness that belies their long musical partnership. “We both still love making music and we really enjoy working together. There’s a good amount of chemistry there, I think,” Matheos shares. “We both know what to expect from each other.“

North Sea Echoes – lineup
Jim Matheos – guitar
Ray Alder – vocals

North Sea Echoes online
https://northseaechoes.com
https://www.metalblade.com/northseaechoes

What Does Guitarist ALEX SKOLNICK Think about John Bush, David Ellefson, Chuck Billy, Mike Portnoy, Bobby Blitz & Mark Menghi?

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 12, 2024

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Alex Skolnick, The Metal Voice. Leave a comment

Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Metal Allegiance, Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick.

In this fun chat Alex talks about the upcoming Metal Allegiance show on Jan 25, 2024 at the House of Blues in Anaheim. He also talks about the history of Metal Allegiance and discusses the personalities of the core group and the guests who have participated over the years.

On January 25th 2024, the band will re-assemble at The House Of Blues Anaheim for the bands 10th anniversary celebration (which will also coincide with the return of the Winter NAMM show). The night will be sponsored by Dean Guitars, ddrum and Heavys Headphones, with opening acts being Dieth, Held Hostage and QUOR.

Since the band’s inception in 2014, Metal Allegiance is comprised of the core 4 members of (Mark Menghi – bass, songwriter, Alex Skolnick – guitars, David Ellefson – bass, and Mike Portnoy – drums), and has issued two full-lengths (2015’s self-titled debut and 2018’s Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty) and an EP (2016’s Fallen Heroes).

In addition to Menghi, Portnoy, Skolnick, and Ellefson, the show will feature John Bush (Armored Saint), Chuck Billy (Testament), Troy Sanders (Mastodon), Brann Dailor (Mastodon), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Bobby Blitz (Overkill), Gary Holt (Exodus/Slayer), Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves / God Forbid), Hel Pyre (Nervosa) and Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth), among others in addition to their usual unannounced surprise guests.

Members of Metal Allegiance are certainly looking forward to the show.

Subscribe to The Metal Voice on Youtube for all the latest shows.