Serbian Black Metal squad KOLAC released their new, self-titled full-length album in conspiracy with Pest Records.
KOLAC‘s new studio album is a special one: a self-titled loose concept record featuring 9 new tracks plus intro revolving around the usage of stakes (“kolac” in Serbian language) as punishment methods in the Middle Ages and beyond.
Primarily a traditional Black Metal band, KOLAC allows plenty of Thrash Metal touches to enrich their compositions, and the result is a combination of primal fury and energy, with darkened melodies and rhythmic diversity.
Rome-based hard rock unit SONS OF THUNDER are starting 2024 with a bang as they announce their signing to Time To Kill Records for the release of their debut album. SONS OF THUNDER were born in Rome in 2017 and debuted as a live band, starting to perform in most Italian clubs, making space within the local underground. Thanks to their overwhelming live energy and a first successful demo, they guarantee the growing interest of the public and professionals.
In 2021 they entered the Kick Recording Studio, under the expert guidance of Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance, Nanowar Of Steel, Shores Of Null) and Matteo Gabbianelli (Kutso, Payback), to record their first single and completed at Bloom Recording Studio their debut album: a true Hard Rock manifesto of 11 songs.
Proudly derivative but never banal, inspired by the sounds of classic bands such as AC/DC and Motörhead, SONS OF THUNDER will certainly also be appreciated by fans of contemporary hard rock (Airbourne, Thundermother, The Darkness, Volbeat, Turbonegro), thanks also an audio production that winks at the Northern European musical panorama.
Mr. Jon Zazula (leader of Megaforce Records, responsible for the success of bands like Metallica, Anthrax and Mercyful Fate) describes SONS OF THUNDER as “AC/DC on steroids”, underlining how the band manages to maintain a strong identity while making clear their musical influences.
In 2021 the band released the official video for the debut single “Turn It Up”, produced by the Sanda Movies team (Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade, Spinefarm Records), receiving excellent feedback (150+ Youtube comments and over 7,000 unique viewers in first hours of publication). The song was included in the Heavy Rotation of Radio Rock FM 106.600, a historic broadcaster in central Italy with over 140,000 daily listeners, remaining in the ranking of the most voted singles for over a month. The same fate awaits the second single, “Thunderhood”, accompanied by a memorable lyric video. The relationship with the historic Roman broadcaster is consolidated with interviews and live sets on the radio also during the fundraising for AIL Roma.
In 2022, with the regular resumption of live shows, SONS OF THUNDER perform for the Radio Rock 106.6 fm party, opening for the legendary punk band Klaxon, at the Frantic Festival (along with Doyle from Misfits, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, Benediction, Godflesh and many others) as well as direct support for the Tygers Of Pan Tang Italian tour.
In 2023 SONS OF THUNDER released an hard rock cover of Tom Jones and Mousse T.’s song “Sex Bomb”.
Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming music!
Line-up:
Joe Thunder – Guitar, Vocals Chris Peck – Lead Guitar Thunder Gek – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals Thunder Bunny – Bass, Backing Vocals Thunder D – Drums
Just a few months ago, 60,000 square feet of rainforest along the Costa Rican coastline was going to get chopped down. Fortunately, the angry metalheads behind Savage Lands had other ideas.
Using royalties from their first-ever single, Dirk Verbeuren(Megadeth) and musician-turned-activist Sylvain Demercastel purchased an ecological easement that covers more than 90% of that endangered area. While Savage Lands doesn’t own the property, not a single tree can be cut down thanks to their purchase.
Savage Lands is a 501 (c)3 non-profit that’s co-operated by Dirk and Sylvain. Using donations, fundraising efforts and their own song royalties, they partner with other non-profits, scientists, engineers and metalheads to build nature sanctuaries, establish green zones and other land preservation projects.
Music fans can support Savage Lands just by listening to their music. 100% of all royalties go to supporting their reforestation efforts.
Watch the video for “The Last Howl”, which features Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) and John Tardy (Obituary).
Heavy metal tends to obsess over death and destruction. But thanks to Savage Lands, the genre’s heaviest hitters are banging their heads together to protect the Costa Rican rain forest.
Named after their joint passion for savage heavy metal and wildlife preservation, Savage Lands was founded in 2022 by Dirk and Sylvain Demercastel, who’s a Costa Rica resident.
“Hearing the chainsaw on a daily basis, because of a recent real estate fever destroying Costa Rica’s ecosystem, we thought it was time to start a new type of action”, says Sylvain. “We are reaching out to this great active community of metalheads.”
Plenty of big names have signed on to join the army of trees that Savage Lands is growing across Costa Rica. Along with Obituary and Sepultura, members of Heilung, Gojira, Testament and Lord of the Lost have all pledged their support.
Season of Mist recently announced their partnership with Savage Lands. This marks the first time that a record label has partnered and released music with a non-profit organization.
Fittingly, “The Last Howl” is a howling tribute to the howler monkey, an endangered species in Costa Rica. Verbeuren hammers out thunderous fills and pinging cymbals, while Sylvain rains down heavy pangs of distortion.
“The Last Howl” packs added fury thanks to some special guests. Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser rips off not one, but two acrobatic solos, and swamp king John Tardy (Obituary) unleashes his inner primate with some ferocious, spit-flinging growls.
“When Dirk first received the instrumental demo, he immediately had John Tardy in his mind for some vocals”, Sylvain says. “He made the link between the howler monkey’s scream and the more melodic chorus of the song.
“Less than 24 hours after reaching out to John through a common friend, we received aYES from Tardy, and knew it was going to be the start of a great adventure.”
Track 1. “The Last Howl” (5:48)
Artists occasionally support causes through donations to organizations. With SAVAGE LANDS, Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren teamed up with his guitar-wielding friend Sylvain Demercastel to create their own US 501(c)3 non-profit.
Savage Lands raises money for reforestation & the creation of sanctuaries free of human destruction. Using their own royalties, donations and other fundraising efforts, the organization builds nature sanctuaries, establishes green zones and other land preservation projects. They partner with other non-profits, scientists and forest engineers, as well as Decibel Magazine and Season of Mist.
“If you want to make a difference, take action! Our greatest hope with Savage Lands is that it will inspire you to join us, and if you can, to start your own initiative to help preserve animals, forests, and our planet”, says Dirk.
LORD OF THE LOST have unveiled an official music video for their song, “The Future Of A Past Life” featuring Marcus Bischoff from German metalcore legends Heaven Shall Burn! The video features Bischoff performing alongside LORD OF THE LOST, and closes the highly successful and eventful Blood & Glitter era with a bang. The contrast between the Heaven Shall Burn singer’s growls and Chris Harms’ clean vocals runs through the song and is impressively staged in the high-quality performance video.
Last weekend, LORD OF THE LOST performed on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in the US, and this autumn, they will return to the US and Canada for their first tour there in over a decade. Until then, the band will keep busy with a packed summer of festivals and their fast-selling “15 Years of LORD OF THE LOST” European tour, starting in Nuremberg next month.
The release of Blood & Glitter marked the start of the most successful year in the history of LORD OF THE LOST to date. Entering the Official German Album Charts at #1, winning the German ESC preliminary round through live audience voting on national TV, performing in front of 200 million viewers at the big Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool, their second tour as special guests of Iron Maiden, big festival shows such as the “Deadliner” slot on the Wacken Mainstage and an almost completely sold-out headline tour were just some of the highlights.
Over the course of the year, the band made good on their resolution and released a music video for every single song, some of which could not be more different stylistically – and thus represent a band that has never shied away from crossing and expanding boundaries. With the grand finale and music video with Heaven Shall Burn’s Marcus Bischoff, the Blood & Glitter chapter is closed.
Get your copy of the #1 Album, Blood & Glitter, HERE
15 Years Of LORD OF THE LOST: 22.03.24 DE – Nuremberg 23.03.24 DE – Munich – SOLD OUT! 24.03.24 IT – Trezzo sull’Adda 26.03.24 CH – Pratteln 27.03.24 FR – Grenoble 29.03.24 ES – Barcelona 30.03.24 ES – Madrid 02.04.24 FR – Paris 03.04.24 LU – Luxembourg 04.04.24 DE – Frankfurt 05.04.24 DE – Cologne – SOLD OUT! 06.04.24 NL – Amsterdam – SOLD OUT! 17.04.24 CZ – Prague 18.04.24 HU – Budapest 19.04.24 AT – Vienna 20.04.24 DE – Stuttgart – SOLD OUT! 23.04.24 NL – Eindhoven 24.04.24 DE – Berlin 25.04.24 PL – Warszawa 26.04.24 PL – Kraków 27.04.24 DE – Leipzig
U.S. + CANADA 2024: 13.09.24 US – Baltimore, MD 14.09.24 US – New York, NY 15.09.24 US – Boston, MA 17.09.24 CA – Montreal, QC 18.09.24 CA – Toronto, ON 20.09.24 US – Cleveland, OH 22.09.24 US – Minneapolis, MN 24.09.24 US – Denver, CO 26.09.24 US – Phoenix, AZ 27.09.24 US – Los Angeles, CA 28.09.24 US – San Francisco, CA
BACK TO EUROVISION: 10.05.24 SE – Malmö Special show one day before the ESC Grand Final
FESTIVALS: 06-08.06.24 PL – Gdańsk / Mystic Festival 14-16.06.24 UK – Donington Park / Download Festival 28-30.06.24 FI – Helsinki / Tuska Festival 09-11.08.24 BE – Kortrijk / Alcatraz Festival 10-11.08.24 DE – Hildesheim / M‘era Luna 14-17.08 24 DE – Dinkelsbühl / Summer Breeze 24.08.24 DE – Wuppertal / Feuertal Festival 06-08.09.24 DE – Selb / Festival Mediaval (Exclusive Acoustic Show) 29-30.11.24 DE – Weissenhäuser Strand / Plage Noire
LORD OF THE LOST are: Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar Pi Stoffers – Guitar Class Grenayde – Bass Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar Niklas Kahl – Drums
THE PROGRESSIVE SOULS COLLECTIVE present their new singe “I Am Here”. The song is taken from the forthcoming studio album “Sonic Rebirth” which will be released on March 15th 2024 on Metalville Records.
“I Am Here” is the second part of the 8-part concept album. As on the first TPSC album “Sonic Birth” (2020), the first words sung by Vladimir Lalic are “I am here”. This is a direct thematic and musical continuation of the debut album. However, this time the harder and, above all, groovier style is used.
Finally! Now it’s time for the follow-up album to the debut “Sonic Birth” (2020) which received praise by both fans and critics, this time with a modified line-up.
TPSC are back with full force! The new release can once again be characterized as progressive metal with a range of elements of the entire progressive genre, this time with even more prog, more catchy melodies, but also more metal and heaviness.
“Sonic Rebirth” marks the logical continuation of its predecessor “Sonic Birth”, and can be understood as the second part of a musical, lyrical and overall sonic concept. With this record to already be the second concept album released by TPSC listeners can find elements they might recognize from the first album such as quotes, references, motifs and melodies besides a lot of new elements. Thematically, both “Sonic Birth” and “Sonic Rebirth” touch on the topic of human development and technology, visually characterized by the robot embryo as a major part of the artwork on both album covers.
The new studio album will once again feature some incredible musicians such as Vladimir Lalic (lead vocals), Megan Burtt (Gingerbomb), Jamie Powell & Simen Daniel Lindstad Børven (Leprous) on bass, Gerald Peter (known for his solo project & his work with Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess on his Rockestra project & Cirque du Soleil providing keyboard leads & piano, TPSC live drummer Tim Korycki (Tomorrow’s Eve) plus appearances by Adam Marko (drums) & Zsolt Kaltenecker (keys) from SPECIAL PROVIDENCE, Luis Conte (Eric Clapton, Phil Collins) on percussions, Damiano Della Torre (Luciano Pavarotti, Terence Trent D’Arby, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker) on accordion, and many more!
“Sonic Rebirth” was mastered by Reuben Cohen from Lurssen Mastering who have won multiple Grammy Awards, and who is also known for his work with legends such as Metallica and many other greats.
Mastermind and guitarist Florian Zepf once more was in charge of all compositions and the production.
Conceptionally „Sonic Rebirth“ consists of a total of eight parts. The tracks blend into each other so that the listener can get immersed into futuristic soundscapes and has an uninterrupted and progressive listening experience. “Sonic Rebirth“ is an organic prog-metal album and the logical continuation of the debut with a new generation of top musicians from the prog genre. TPSC are back!
TRACK LISTING Part I: About To Leave Part II: I Am Here Part III: Of My Senses Part IV: Destroy Chemistry Part V: Talk To Me Part VI: Copies Don’t Exist Part VII: The Core Part VIII: Goodbye To Love
WARKINGS have revealed a new lyric video for their track “The Rite”, from their top 10 charting latest album, Morgana (2022). Having previously toured with the likes of POWERWOLF and FEUERSCHWANZ, as well as performing at many important rock and metal festivals like this year’s 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in the US, the warriors are currently gearing up for their very first European headline tour. The fast-selling For King and Crown Tour 2024 kicks off in Vienna next month, and label mates HAMMER KING, VICTORIUS and DRAGONY, as well as WINTERSTORM, will provide support. This potent line-up will wage battle across Austria, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Check out the lyric video for “The Rite” below and make sure to get your tickets for the upcoming tour before it’s too late – the first dates are already selling out!
WARKINGS state: “The last single from Morgana… join us for ‘The Rite’”
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 