Freiburg’s DRAIN DOWN have signed with Black Sunset/MDD and will release their second album “Toxic Society” on February 29th!
The follow-up to their 2021 debut contains 10 songs in the tradition of hardcore punk-influenced thrash metal, dealing with social issues and the decline of society. The album was produced at Iguana Studios under the direction of Christoph Brandes.
Be prepared, more information and a first sample will be available soon!
Punk rock bombs ELUKAS proudly present their latest lyric video for the track “Laika,” taken from their critically acclaimed EP “Loomad Koos,” reissued via Wormholedeath.
“Laika” narrates the poignant story of the iconic space dog, highlighting her innocent journey from a normal existence to the cosmic unknown as she was propelled into orbit in 1957. The song encapsulates the tragic tale of Laika, reflecting on her unwitting heroism and the inherent cruelty of her role in a scientific experiment devoid of her consent.
Exploring profound themes of innocence, sacrifice, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding the utilization of animals in scientific endeavors, “Laika” provokes introspection into humanity’s moral responsibility towards other creatures. The track contemplates the ethical implications of subjecting living beings to scientific experiments without their comprehension or consent.
In the fall of 2021, Elukas began as a 5-member punk-rock band with a focus on creating their own music. They played their first concert on March 25, 2022. In May, they recorded 3 singles at Sinusoid Studio and held a writing camp at the drummer’s summer house. In late summer, their original bass player left, and singer Karl took on bass duties. In the fall of 2022, they released three singles at monthly intervals. “Ajurünnak” gained recognition on RockFM and Raadio2. Due to an injury, Alan filled in on bass and later joined permanently. In February, the band recorded their debut EP “Loomad Koos”. The single “Vein” (April 7, 2023) made it to the top 5 best new rock songs by RockFM listeners. Most recently, Elukas graced the stage at the Barbar Feast 2023 festival, where they kicked off the event as the opening act. They also rocked the crowd at the Heavy Music Estonia Showcase Day 2023.
Elukas Lineup:
Alan Urva – Bass / Backing Vocals Hans Tort – Drums Karl Kärpuk – Lead Vocals Raido Krutto – Guitar / Backing Vocals Sten Olof Abram – Guitar / Backing Vocals
The trio MY MERRY MACHINE have signed a worldwide deal with El Puerto Records. The upcoming album will be released in summer 2024.
The band is excited: “We are very much looking forward to working with El Puerto Records. A very fine label that works with passion and professionalism and is a perfect fit for us. There we have the opportunity to realize our music and ideas without compromise. Passion for music is the top priority.”
Labelfounder Torsten Ihlenfeld: “We are more than happy to welcome MY MERRY MACHINE at EL PUERTO RECORDS and can’t wait to embark on a fascinating journey around the world together with the band and their impressing musical and artistic visions! Welcome aboard MY MERRY MACHINE! Cast off and full speed ahead!”
Line-up: Kirsten Zahn-Massing – Gesang Markus Visser – Gitarre, Bass Tim Schwarz – Schlagzeug
It’s fitting that PONTE DEL DIAVOLO are named after the “Bridge of the Devil”. The Italian band weld doom and black metal into a towering force that’s as cruel and unforgiving as the infamously steep road that medieval peasants had to cross on the way to their home country.
With the announcement of their very first album, Ponte Del Diavolo cast a delightfully gloomy shadow over the holiday season. Today, they’re letting the bad times roll into the new year by unveiling their second single.
Fire Blades From The Tomb is out February 16, 2024.
“Covenant” swears off the conventional wisdom that sometimes less is more. After all, what’s better than a dark and doomy bass line? How about two dark and doomy bass lines that swarm like a sky full of thunderclouds.
“Covenant is a hymn to nature, a pact with the elements, a reconciliation with death” Ponte Del Diavolo says. “The video is a tribute to Turin, which we believe encapsulates all this in its magical and often decadent romanticism. It’s the song that has more ‘forays’ than the other tracks on the album. Theremin, synthesizers and clarinet (played by Lucynine, Andrea L’Abbate and Vittorio Sabelli respectively) can be heard between dark wave-inspired and typically doom parts. It is the first song born during the composition sessions and its refrain contains the lyrics that gave the album its title.”
Having two bassists is what gives Ponte Del Diavolo such an earthshaking foundation, though the hammering drum fills and sludgy riffs could send even the blackest of hearts to their grave. But “Covenant” adds some more gothic flourishes to their dance with death. Laid to rest by an ominous foghorn of thermin, the song ends with a spooky, spine-chilling whistle of synth.
“Surrender to the tomb”, Erba Del Diavolo beckons with unflappable cool. Resistance is futile. Come join Ponte Del Diavolo on the dark side of the Italian arts.
Cover Art by Laura Nardelli
Track-list 1. Demone (5:00) [WATCH] 2. Covenant (6:56) [WATCH] 3. Red As The Sex Of She Who Lives In Death (6:20) 4. La Razza (8:03) 5. Nocturnal Veil (5:17) 6. Zero (5:26) 7. The Weeping Song (5:33) Total: 42:35
PONTE DEL DIAVOLO bridges the gap between two separate worlds.
The Italian band proposes a Doom / Black metal sound with old-school roots, adding a modern and outside the box background. The female voice – with strong dark wave influences – is the lyric corpus of this strongly esoteric project. The solid presence of two bassists creates the massive foundation for the rhythmic guitar, everything marked by a raw and dynamic drumming.
Mystery of Mystery / Secret Live Session marked the quintet’s debut EP. It was recorded live and without editing at Dracma Studio with the producer L’Ossario in their home base of Turin in March 2020.“I” was released on the web by Iopan Records. It was soon followed by their second single, “The Wickedest Woman In the World”.
At the end of 2021, PONTE DEL DIAVOLO recorded their second EP, Sancta Menstruis at Deepest Sea Studio in Turin with Danilo Battocchio. The first single, “The Unborn”, arrived in February 2022.
The band’s third EP, Ave Scintilla!, was also recorded in Turin. This time around, they reconvened at Dracma Studio with L’Ossario.
Now that they’ve signed with Season of Mist, PONTE DEL DIAVOLO are ready to release their debut album. Fire Blades From the Tomb forges classic, cultish doom metal with modern bents of post-punk. Lead single and opening track “Demone” is whipped along by a boiled black bass line and dark-wave induced vocals.
Guest Musicians Andrea l’Abbate – Synth on ‘Covenant’. Lucynine – Theremin on ‘Covenant’. Vittorio Sabelli – Clarinet on ‘Covenant’, ‘Red as the sex of She who lives in death’ & ‘Nocturnal veil’. Davide Straccione – Vocals on ‘The weeping song’.
Last year, Thy Catafalque once again showed the myriad ways this band has evolved over the past 20 years. The band’s 11th album, Alföld, is named after Tamás Kátai’s childhood home on the Great Hungarian Plain. It harkens back to the old-fashioned, pulverizing black metal that band cut their teeth with, while also pushing their experimental streak even further, leaning into fretless bass and wobbly synths that cast the same eerie glow as The Twilight Zone.
Now, new fans and long-time appreciators can rediscover just how much this band has grown since their humble beginnings as a duo in Makó, Hungary. This year, Season of Mist is re-issuing Thy Catafalque’s first four albums.
Thy Catafalque 2024 Re-issues Sublunar Tragedies (1999) out February 2. Microcosmos (2001) out March 1. Tűnő idő tárlat (2004) out April 5. Róka Hasa Rádió (2009) out May 3.
All four albums are available on special edition vinyl, as well as deluxe CD digipacks, with new artwork. The vinyl gatefolds all come in various colors.
Embark on a journey back to 1999 as Season of Mist breathes new life into the seminal album, Sublunar Tragedies. Originally unveiled in September of ’99, this avant-garde masterpiece serves as the foundation of THY CATAFALQUE‘s legacy.
Picture yourself in a time when the world was introduced to a fresh perspective on metal. THY CATAFALQUE emerged, offering a unique blend that defied conventions at the time. Now, Sublunar Tragedies stands as a relic of Kátai’s continued prolific artistry, ready to captivate audiences once again through its reissue on Season of Mist.
Track-list 1. Erdgeist (5:04) 2. Ashesdance (6:15) 3. Triumph Lightless (8:38) 4. Come Late Autumn Rains (9:28) 5. Via Millennia (9:30) 6. Rota Mundi (6:14) 7. Static Continuance (9:19) Total runtime: 54:28
The journey continues with THY CATAFALQUE‘s sophomore masterpiece, Microcosmos. Originally released in 2001, this album delicately balances the dichotomy between black metal and avant-garde artistry. A sonic expedition inspired by space and the vast cosmos, Microcosmos retains the abrasive black metal elements while exploring structured thematic elements. Season of Mist proudly presents the official reissue of Microcosmos, ensuring that this groundbreaking work is preserved for posterity.
Track-list 1. The Sileni And Sylvans And Fauns (8:33) 2. Mirkwood Sonnet (9:38) 3. These Are The Clouds (7:11) 4. Paths Untrodden (6:02) 5. Deathless Souls Roam (5:58) 6. Fehérlófia (6:10) 7. Micro To Macro (1:17) 8. Panta Rhei (9:40) 9. Októberi Kép (3:25) 10. Desolatio (15:49) Total runtime: 1:13:43
In 2004, THY CATAFALQUE twisted and turned into uncharted territories with Tűnő idő tárlat (An Exhibition of Vanishing Time). The album showcases the band’s evolution into neo-classical folk and industrialized electronica while maintaining the brutal edge of black metal. With this release, THY CATAFALQUE officially joined the avant-garde, solidifying their position as trailblazers in the genre.
In 2009, the band released Róka Hasa Rádió, a concept album revolving around strange transmissions from an out-of-time radio. The album’s child-like curiosity fuses Carpathian mountain melodies with harsh techno, subdued drones, and crushing doom. A finalist for a HangSúly Hungarian Metal Award, Róka Hasa Rádió announced THY CATAFALQUE as a critical darling and showcased Tamás Kátai’s willingness to collaborate.
Canadian label Music In Motion Ent is releasing Diamonds – The Best of the Hard Rock Years 1990 – 1995, a brand new compilation featuring iconic guitarist Rik Emmett‘s hand picked rock tracks from his three Duke Street releases, Absolutely, Ipso Facto and The Spiral Notebook plus two previously unheard songs.
Remastered with the most up to date technology at Iguana Studios in Toronto ON, Diamonds provides Rik Emmett fans with a new listening experience. The Diamonds cover art features the work of renowned photographer Andrew MacNaughtan. International retail date is set for March 1, 2024 through Music In Motion Ent (Canada) and Deko Entertainment (ADA/WMG).
A signed Deluxe Edition of 400 collector sets is NOW AVAILABLE for pre-sale on Rik Emmett’s webstore through RockPaperMerch.com. A limited number of hand signed editions will also be available through the Deko Entertainment webstore.
The Deluxe Edition is designed with an album gatefold that includes both the CD (with bonus tracks) and LP (on 180g heavyweight marble space effect vinyl). Exclusives include: copies of handwritten lyric sheets, a photo set of never-before-seen images, guitar picks from each album, a lenticular holographic poster of the cover art, a gold embossed lithograph of the album cover hand signed by Rik, and a custom felt Diamonds vinyl slipmat.
The Deluxe Edition also touts two new previously unheard Rik Emmett original tracks (from the Absolutely and Ipso Facto demo sessions) that will not appear on the retail versions and will not be available on streaming platforms. The two new tracks will premiere in an exclusive online video stream in late January where Rik will preview the Deluxe Edition and tell stories of his Triumph and solo years from his Lay It On The Line biography. All purchasers of the Deluxe Edition will receive a private link to this stream. In addition, all purchases before January 31, 2023 will be entered into a draw to win Rik’s personal signed test pressing of Diamonds!
TRACK LISTING: LP: DRIVE TIME / STRAIGHT UP / BANG ON / SAVED BY LOVE / WHEN A HEART BREAKS / BIG LIE / RAINBOW MAN / MIDDLE GROUND / THE HARDEST PART
CD BONUS TRACKS: STAND AND DELIVER / THE PENDULUM / TBA (Ipso Facto Demo) / TBA (Absolutely Demo)
E-Commerce Deluxe Edition: Ships early February 2024. RockPaperMerch.com Canada Retail Release: March 01, 2024 through Music In Motion Ent. MusicInMotionEnt.com International Retail Release: March 01, 2024 through Deko Entertainment. DekoEntertainment.com
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 ) 