30 Years of Metal: For three decades, Wade Black has triumphed and stayed metal recording and touring internationally in bands such as Crimson Glory, Leatherwolf, Seven Witches, Leash Law, and Chalice of Sin. Neither a stranger to change nor afraid of being a catalyst for it, Wade is announcing both changes and some very enticing teasers of things to come in 2024. Born out of over a decade of writing, recording and touring together: After working closely for over a decade Wade and Rich have developed a song writing style that is out of this world and the reason, they chose the name Astronomica. They believe it’s the best way to describe their sound. Looking to the Future: They are looking forward to bringing music that captures the heart, mind and imagination of their fans, taking them on a journey to far off places and inspiring them to be their best!
“The Awakening” will be released on March 8th, 2024 as Digipack CD, Curacao Transparent Vinyl limited to 300 copies worldwide and digital streaming/download format.
TRACK LIST: 1. Deceiver 2. Protectors of the Realm 3. Destiny 4. Monsters 5. Hellwalker 6. Darkness Falls 7. Fate or Faith 8. Chasing After 9. Letter From Hell 10. Sirens 11. Darkness Falls – edited version CD bonus track
Album Line-Up: Wade Black – Vocals Rich Marks – Lead Guitars, Rhythm Guitars, Basses and Additional Keyboards Patrick Johansson – Drums James Fox – Rhythm Guitars, Additional Guitars and Keyboards Touring Line-Up: Wade Black – Vocals Rich Marks – Lead Guitars Ryan Bales – Rhythm Guitars Kyle Sokol – Bass Luca Caracciolo – Drums
KILL THE THRILL are blessed with an elusive vision. Over the past 30 years, the French duo have been dreaming up an abrasive-but-hypnotic blend of industrial rock, post-punk and dark wave. The videos for the first two singles off their upcoming fifth album, Autophagie, immersed audiences in a cinematic fever dream that would give David Lynch nightmares.
Today, Kill The Thrill are releasing another hypnotic video for their roaring, electro-charged new single.
The video was masterfully crafted by Guillaume Mariotti at Mystère Public.
We open on a train, suspended against a mottled sky. As the song rumbles to life, a series of seemingly disconnected footage fills the screen, overlapping like the inkblotter of a Rorschach test: a flaming wheelbarrow, storms at sea, refugees wandering through the desert, a mirage that slowly fades into ash.
In English, “A la dérive” loosely translates to a vague sense of wandering, of not knowing where to go after being severed from one’s roots.
“They come back from afar / With nothing”, sings Chris Dick. His voice is raw with bitterness, straining each note to a breaking point. “Floating body and soul”.
But “A la dérive” is carried by a wave of crushing momentum. The drums pound out a relentlessly off-kilter beat, tumbling end over end like a tireless machine. Beneath a soar of strings, the sawing riffs give off more shock than an entire electric grid. Even the interlude of lap-steel guitar leaves behind the same shimmer as a fallen star.
Here’s what Dick and bassist Marylin Tognolli have to say about their new single:
“With A La Dérive, Kill The Thrill plunges into the inhumanity of survival and uprooting. The narrative force of the track sticks to our retinas with a sense of urgency.”
Autophagie comes out January 26, 2024 on Season of Mist.
1. Tout va bien se terminer (8:53)2. À la dérive (5:36) [WATCH VIDEO] 3. Le dernier train (10:30) 4. Autophagie (4:21) [WATCH VIDEO] 5. Capitan (9:21) [WATCH VIDEO] 6. Cluster headache (5:38) 7. Les enfants brûlent (4:10) 8. Je suis là (5:40) 9. Ahan (5:47) Total: 59:56
KILL THE THRILL was formed in 1989 and is composed of Nicolas Dick on vocals, guitar and lap-steel, Marylin Tognolli on bass for its founding members. Stemming from the French noisy wave of the early 90’s, their music is often described as dark, abrasive and hypnotic, full of epic moments, with a dense and rich sound mixing elements of industrial rock, post-punk, dark new wave and experimental metal.
Forging an atmosphere as dreamy as chaotic, with multiple layers and atmospheres, sometimes ambient, sometimes more hostile. Kill the Thrill interlaces orchestrated soundscapes, enriched with innumerable layers and arrangements, playing amongst the rifts to create a unique and personal work, so far from everything and so close to everyone.
The group released its first album in 1993 entitled DIG, followed by an EP: PIT (on the labels Noise Product CH and Semetary), and at that time had three musicians, already working with samples and playing with blocks of sound.
In 1996, the trio became a duo with a second album entitled LOW (Noise Product CH), recorded, mixed and produced by Nicolas Dick. The artist ErikM intervened on the interludes with sound tracks which frame each title of the group. The album is hailed by the press as a perfect balance between melody and distortion.
Over the years, tracks have appeared on a large number of compilations: La Famille (Noise Product Belgium), Serial Killer Vol 1 (Roadrunner), Brutale Generation (Semetary / WMD), Ah Quelle Belle journée (Amanita records), A Wild State Of Noise And Disorder (Pandemonium), 5 Years Of Fury (Noise Product CH), Tribute To Godflesh (Nihilistic H. Rec.), Fear Drop 14 : “Coal Fire” The Cure masterpiece Pornography, Dark 80’s (Atropine Records) etc.
Frederic De Benedetti joined the band on guitar and it’s again as a trio that the album 203 BARRIERS was released by Season Of Mist in 2001, the album again entirely recorded and produced by Nicolas Dick. With this new opus Kill the Thrill’s music has evolved towards a daring, disturbing and more extreme sound. With international promotion and distribution, signing with the label Season Of Mist allowed an opportunity of further development for the band.
Kill the Thrillhas shared stages all over Europe with other artists such as Godflesh, Killing Joke, Zeni Geva, Isis, Young Gods, Treponem Pal, Einstürzende Neubauten, La Muerte, Neurosis, Jesu, Jim Rose Circus, Grötus, Dillinger, Escape Plan, Dälek, etc.
The album TELLURIQUE released in 2005 (Season Of Mist, recorded and produced by Nicolas) combines a cold and clinical industrial/metal sound with a new wave sensibility, bathed in a heavily melancholic atmosphere, but leaning more in the direction of noisy, distorted shoegazing mists than the fires of metal. The album is described by the press as an organic journey in which you must immerse yourself to feel its harshness and beauty.
This exacerbated trio asserts itself as a true entity in symbiosis, with an unfiltered and no holds barred take on music and sound.
Anger has no origin, and when the events from which it arises, physical bodies and soundwaves, can no longer contain patience and intelligibility, the sounds become the violence.
But with Kill the Thrill, violence is always suggested more than frontally expressed, it remains hemmed in and contained.
In 2015 the band reissued its first under the title 1989 (Atypeek Records), a digital-only album intended as a nod to KILL THE THRILL’s origins. During a few years of silence put to good use on the personal and musical projects of the members of the group, Kill the Thrill took the time to polish their new album, AUTOPHAGIE.
With ‘Autophagie,’ KILL THE THRILL once again immerses the listener into a realm of abrasive hypnotic artistry. A cacophony of turbulent, noisy soundscapes meander throughout the album, with Nicolas’s mesmerizing vocal lines hauntingly delivered at a frenzied pace. This turbulent journey is anchored by subtle yet resolute rhythmic percussion that serve as a guiding force, allowing the listener to traverse this tumultuous auditory landscape with a sense of purpose, even as the surrounding elements cascade over the senses.
The band has released a limited number of albums in its career so far, but is resistant to all erosion, the secret of its longevity residing in the timelessness of the music.
An atypical band whose music is enough to itself ; a discrete band for imposing music ; a group which reveals next to nothing but pursues its sonic quest, outside of common standards. A living ambiguity: cold and hot, the calm and the storm.
“A long flow of orgasmic lava, a wave of shimmering noises that carries away everything in its path. One immerses oneself entirely in its bewitching atmospheres. We leave for a long descent on a carpet of guitars, their richness is inside, under this heap of notes and noises, under this black and disturbing mass. It’s up to you to understand what you can during a journey that is sublime”.
To Kill the Shiver reaches for the ineffable.
Line-up Nicolas Dick – Lead vocals, guitar, lap steel, sample Marylin Tognolli – Bass Guitar François Rossi – Drums
The Metal Hall of Fame is getting ready to rock Anaheim and Southern California once again with the 7th Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala.
“The Most Important Night In Hard Rock and Heavy Metal!!” will take place January 24, 2024, at the Delta Marriott Garden Grove, Anaheim, CA. Performances just added to the Gala include Kings of Thrash (featuring David Ellefson, Chris Poland, Jeff Young, Chaz Leon, and Fred Aching), along with Held Hostage, Deconstruct, and Hollywood’s favorite band LONDON, among others. Iconic musicians, industry executives, major television and movie producers, and surprise guests will also be in attendance, with All Star Jams taking place throughout the night.
The Gala will be hosted by Legendary Radio/Television Host Eddie Trunk, and Entertainment Personality Cathy Rankin. Top musicians will be performing to honor late Whisky a Go Go and Rainbow Bar & Grill owner Mikeal Maglieri. The Gala will also continue the 40th Anniversary celebration and Induction into the 2024 Metal Hall of Fame for Eddie Trunk, who is celebrating his 40th year in radio.
Blackened, the award winning whiskey from Metallica, will present the 2024 Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala, and will have a special sampling experience included in the price of admission, for all attendees ages 21 and over.
“As an inducted member of the Metal Hall of Fame myself, it’s an honor to perform with Kings Of Thrash this year, as well as waiting to see so many iconic & longtime friends, artists and establishments. Those who have clearly helped define rock ‘n’ roll to be firmly planted into the history books for their outstanding contributions. This is an event you definitely don’t want to miss!,” says David Ellefson of Kings of Thrash.
“We are excited to have the 7th Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala back in Anaheim again in 2024!! Not only are we dedicated to helping the fans celebrate Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, we need to honor those musicians and industry executives who work so hard to bring us the music we love so much,” says Pat Gesualdo, President of the Metal Hall of Fame.
The ANNUAL METAL HALL OF FAME GALA Red Carpet Reception: 5:00PM Awards Ceremony / Performances: 8:00PM
2024 METAL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:
EDDIE TRUNK MICK MARS (Special video induction) SEBASTIAN BACH (Inducted by Wendy Dio) TIM “RIPPER” OWENS (KK’s Priest, Solo Artist) CARLOS CAVAZO (Quiet Riot) PENELOPE SPHEERIS (Producer/Director: Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne’s World) CELOPATRA RECORDS MIKEAL MAGLIERI / WHISKY a Go Go BIOHAZARD
The Metal Hall of Fame is a non profit, volunteer organization dedicated to forever enshrining the iconic musicians and music industry executives responsible for making Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they continue to inspire fans throughout the world, from generation to generation.
100% of proceeds from Metal Hall of Fame events go to preserving Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Music for future generations, and also bring free music programs to help special needs children and wounded veterans in health facilities and community centers.
CEMETERY OF SCREAM is one of the leading pioneers of atmospheric doom metal in Poland. Formed in 1992, this band has so far recorded eight studio releases and played plenty of big and small concerts, all of which have always received favorable responses from audiences and music critics alike – both in Poland and abroad.
Cemetery of Scream in their works deal with issues such as the apocalypse, depression, melancholy or sadness. Their latest album “Oceans” was released November 3, 2023 by Sleaszy Rider Records and its concept musically combines the best elements of gothic and doom metal together. CD you can buy at Bandcamp and webstore as well as directly from the band.
Music was recorded at FPGS Studio in Cracow except drums which was recorded at Studio 67 in Cracow by Dominik Burzym (Mord’a’Stigmata, Horrorscope). All was engineered by Piotr Łabuzek. Mix and mastering was done by Jarosław Baran (Darzamat, Delight, Paradise Lost, Virgin Snatch). Cover artwork by DIA & Michał Zakrzewski.
New album is available at all majors streaming platforms:
1. Oceans 2. In the Blue 3. Along the Coast 4. Sunken Bells on Num-Yabisc 5. Aquarius 6. House of the Fading Sun 7. Time to Let You Go 8. Full of Stars 9. Opening of the Mouth 10. September Folk 11. I Shine 12. Final Experience 13. Everything Rhymes Goodnight
Line-up:
Katarzyna Rutkowska – keyboard Marcin Piwowarczyk – guitar Grzegorz Królik – bass Olaf Różański – vocals Paweł Gólarczyk – guitars Tomasz Rutkowski – drums & guitar
Additional Musicians Marta Mucha – vocals Piotr Łabuzek – synthesiser & sampling
US heavy metal band, SHADOW EMPIRE, featuring Milan Polak on vocals and guitars (Guns N’ Roses, Billy Sheehan, Marty Friedman) have released their debut album ‘SHADOWS‘, which is out now.
SHADOW EMPIRE have recently released a music video for the song ‘Into The Night‘, which can be viewed on YouTube here:
‘Into The Night‘ is the first song and the single off Shadows. It is the kickstarter for the album setting off the tone with a bang. Into The Night is about venturing off the path into the unknown, and going too far, finding yourself in a dark place, or “the night.”
Tracklist:
1. Into The Night 2. Shattered Pieces 3. Demon World 4. Asylum Of The Dead 5. Shadows 6. Level Zero 7. 33 8. Feeding The Ghost 9. Unholy One 10. Transylvania
SHADOW EMPIRE is a newly formed heavy metal band, created by guitarist and songwriter Mikey Rice. Strongly influenced by 90’s and 00’s metal. SHADOW EMPIRE came together to forge a metal album that brings the raw, classic metal energy, with a modern era shine.
SHADOW EMPIRE is:
Milan Polak – Vocals, Guitars, Co-Producer Mikey Rice – Guitars, Co-Producer Fred Kowalo – Bass Brian Rice – Drums
Milan Polak – throughout an impressive career spanning over 2 decades, vocalist, guitarist, & songwriter Milan Polak has played with members of Guns N’ Roses, Alice Cooper, Megadeth, Bumblefoot, Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert, and many more.
Mikey Rice is an upcoming guitarist/songwriter out of Baltimore, MD. With unique creativity and a clear vision, he wrote the music and lyrics on all 10 songs on Shadows.
Fred Kowalo is a world class guitar technician. Fred Kowalo has worked and toured with major bands such as Ozzy, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, Shinedown, Limp Bizkit, Black Label Society, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and many more.
Brian Rice, older brother of Mikey, is an established drummer of over 20 years. With high technical skills and a mature feel for the instrument, Brian exceeds a high standard for playing drums and writing.
Shadows is a ten song heavy metal album, with crushing heavy riffs paired with melodic vocals, SHADOW EMPIRE has a unique blend of modern and classic heavy metal that creates a raw, powerful energy. Expect to hear influences of bands such as Slayer, Pantera, Slipknot, Lamb Of God, Alice In Chains, Iron Maiden and many more – used in an authentic way that creates SHADOW EMPIRE’s original sound.
The album Shadows concept is around mental heath battles, being in a dark place, and living through it. In hopes the album can resonate with people, if it can help someone feel less alone or get them through a hard day, that makes it all worth it for us. We welcome all new fans as apart of our Empire.
Italian blackened deathcore band DROWN IN SULPHUR have released a video for ‘Lotus’, third single taken from the new album ‘Dark Secrets of the Soul’ to be released on January 12th via Scarlet Records.
Perfectly balanced between modern, razor-sharp deathcore brutality & bone-chilling 90s black metal atmospheres, the new Drown In Sulphur album is a collection of violent and melodic dark songs that introduces the listener to an esoteric experience, touching the deepest and most controversial aspects of the human soul.
Sharing the stage with genre’s titans like Whitechapel, Carnifex, Rings Of Saturn, Aversion Crown and I Declare War gave Drown In Sulphur the opportunity to become a well-oiled live unit and further develop their own stylistic approach at the same time.
‘Dark Secrets of the Soul’ is an introspective journey in search of man’s spiritual elevation, taking as reference the image of the “vampire communion”, alternating anger, despair and rebellion and moving on to more fragile moments until the very final redemption.
produced, mixed and mastered by Filippo Rambelli; recorded by Filippo Rambelli and Alex Pedrotti
cover & artwork by Alvaro Valverde/Av Art Ilustracion (Unanimated, Wythersake, Night Crowned)
aesthetically inspired by the 90’s most famous vampire-themed books and movies
for fans of Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Septicflesh, Lorna Shore, Thy Art Is Murder, Type O Negative
DROWN IN SULPHUR: Chris Lombardo “Christ” – vocals, guitar Emanuele Corso “Dimitryux” – guitar Daniele Posillipo “Blacklight” – guitar Domenico Francesco Tamilia “Darth” – drums, backing vocals
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 ) 