Norwegian OBERST‘s music seamlessly blends influences from hardcore, post-metal, black- and progressive metal. Their unique sound is characterized by atmospheric riffs and intense and gritty vocals, and they have garnered critical acclaim from media around the world.
Oberst is now ready to release new tracks, and the first single from their upcoming album is titled “Mules on a Mountain”.
The song features Maciek Ofstad from Kvelertak on vocals, and about the track the band shares;“This song is about the long slow grind to reach some elusive summit, not knowing if it’s even there. Our big brains only asking small questions as we’re forever stuck on the hillsides.”
With “Mules on a Mountain” as a first taste, Oberst sets the stage for their upcoming album, “Toil,” set to release in 2024. The album is a culmination of three years of dedicated effort, and it promises to deliver a fresh and exciting sound that transcends the boundaries of traditional rock and metal.
OBERST: Tarjei Kristoffersen – Vocals/Guitar Dennis Estensen – Guitar Joakim Karlsen – Bass Johan Fredrik Bolli – Drums
About Oberst: Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Oberst emerges as a compelling force in the metal scene. The dynamic quartet was bound by a shared passion for music rather than a specific genre, and their sound evolved finding common ground with bands like Mastodon, Baroness, Converge, and Cult of Luna. However, the band’s unique imprint extends beyond these influences, drawing from individual members’ diverse musical backgrounds, spanning classic rock and jazz to modern pop.
The release of their self-titled debut EP in 2015 was met with critical acclaim and praised as «some of the best metal produced in Norway for a long time» -HISSIG. The singles from the 4-track EP got played and recommended on national radio and featured on the acclaimed Norwegian TV series «Unge Lovende».
After the release of their EP, Oberst signed with Indie Recordings, and released the debut album “Paradise” in 2020.
Finnish melodic death metal band SWANSONG have released their debut full-length record “Awakening” today via Noble Demon. Already garnering critical acclaim, this album seamlessly blends the best of 80’s and 90’s metal with versatile extreme vocals, creating a unique and captivating sound.
Combining the beautiful with the brutal since 2020, Swansong have never shied away from breaking boundaries. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Dark Tranquillity, 90s melodeath, death and black metal, as well as Shadow Of Intent’s modern sound, the band’s vocals are a force to be reckoned with. The composition of the album is heavily influenced by iconic bands such as Iron Maiden, Children Of Bodom, and the neo-classical metal of the 80s. These ingredients, combined with kick-ass riffs, will transport you back to the vibes of the golden era of metal, while the Finnish four-piece adds its very own new twist to these elements with low female death growls and high pitched screams.
To celebrate the album release properly, Swansong have unleashed a brand new and captivating music video for the track “Become”. Watch the video here:
“Awakening” is out NOW on Noble Demon and available as colored marbled vinyl, CD digipak or digital release. Furthermore, an exclusive album shirt is also available for the release. Both, the album and the shirt, are available at THIS LOCATION.
“Awakening” track listing:
Burning Flames
Become
Furiosa
Shot In The Heart
Frost Of Winter
Maiden Of Death
One With The Waves
Awakening
Blood Widow
Fight Or Die
Fury Of The Witch
On “Awakening” Swansong are: Vocals: Jemiina Guitar: Topi Pitkänen Guitar: Finn Widdow Bass: Lauri Huovinen / Topi Pitkänen Drums: Jimi Myöhänen Drums for ‘Awakening’ & ‘Burning Flames’: Markus Tikkanen
INFERNO FESTIVAL NORWAY 2024 is now revealing another unique experience! “The Footsteps of Edvard Munch’ is a unique walking tour of Oslo that chronicles the life and death of the infamous artist of intense paintings such as “The Scream,” “Madonna,” Vampire,” etc. Oslo is the city where Edvard Munch grew up and started out as an artist. This is also the place where he spent the last decades of his life. Today, Oslo houses the largest part of Munch’s artistic production, including his best known masterpieces. Join our Munch tours and get to know one of the greatest artists of modern times!
The tour will take place in Oslo during Inferno Fest from March 29 – March 31, 2024. The info is as follows:
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF EDVARD MUNCH IN OSLO FRIDAY 29, SATURDAY 30 AND SUNDAY 31. MARCH 2024
Friday, March 29: The tour starts at The Hub at 11.00 A.M.. After a brief introduction to Edvard Munch and his art, we will take a short walk to the Munch Museum. The guided tour will take you through the exhibitions Edvard Munch Infinite and Edvard Munch Monumental: these collection exhibitions invite you to explore the world of Edvard Munch, to experience famous motifs such as The Scream, Madonna, Vampire, The Sun, as well as other major works. The guided tour will end at 13.00, at the roof terrace on the 12th floor, with a unique view of the city. If you want to spend some more time at the Munch Museum, you have access to all the other exhibitions until closing time. NOK 350 per person + ticket fee including entrance to the Munch Museum .Pre-booking via Ticketmaster, for maximum 8 people. GET TICKETS HERE.
Saturday, March 31: The tour starts at The Hub at 11.00 A.M., with a short introduction to Edvard Munch’s life and art. We will take the tram to the Ekeberg Sculpture Park on the hillside of Oslo, to the vantage point where Munch got the inspiration to paint The Scream. After a walk through the Sculpture Park, we will have a short brake at Karlsborg Inn for some refreshment, enjoying the view on central Oslo and the Munch Museum. We will take the tram back to the city centre and walk over to the Munch Museum. The guided tour will take you through the exhibitions Edvard Munch Infinite and Edvard Munch Monumental: these collection exhibitions invite you to explore the world of Edvard Munch. The guided tour will end at 15.00, at the roof terrace on the 12th floor, with a unique view of the city. If you want to spend some more time at the Munch Museum, you have access to all the other exhibitions until closing time. NOK 450 per person + ticket fee. The price includes entrance to the Munch Museum and tram tickets. Pre-booking via Ticketmaster, for maximum 8 people. GET TICKETS HERE.
Sunday, March 31: The tour starts at The Hub at 11.00 A.M., with a short introduction to Edvard Munch’s life and art. We will walk for ½ hour through the city centre to Munch-places such as the Grand Café on the parade street Karl Johan, to Pilestredet 30, where Munch spent seven years of his childhood, to the University of Oslo’s downtown campus and the Aula, with the huge decorations The Sun, The History and Alma Mater, to the National Museum. Before the guided tour starts in the iconic Munch-room we will have a short break in the cafeteria for some refreshments. The tour will end at 15.00 in the National Museum, but you have access to all the other exhibitions until closing time. NOK 450 per person + ticket fee.. The price includes entrance to the National Museum. Pre-booking via Ticketmaster, for maximum 8 people. GET TICKETS HERE.
Inferno Metal Festival recently revealed the full lineup for its 2024 edition, which will take place from March 28-31, 2024 across several venues in Oslo (NO).
The iconic festival has revealed a mixture of classic bands as well as some vital and exciting new-comers, including newly added performances from Taake, Orbit Culture, Madder Mortem, Shaving the Werewolf, Blodkvalt and Selvforakt.
Single day tickets and passes are now available HERE.
INFERNO FESTIVAL NORWAY has previously announced a silent film concert in which Attila Csihar’s Void ov Voices will create the music for the classic German horror film ‘Nosferatu’ (1922). The silent film concert will take place at the cinema Vega Scene on Saturday, March 30, at daytime during Inferno Metal Festival 2024. Separate tickets will be available for this performance and can be found at THIS LOCATION.
Void ov Voices is the solo project of Attila Csihar, known as the vocalist of Mayhem and Tormentor, in which he uses only his own voice to create a dark and atmospheric soundscape. Csihar initiated this project in 2007 and has since performed numerous concerts with this concept. Void ov Voices has previously held a silent film concert in Oslo when they provided the music for ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ during Oslo Fright Fest in 2012. We look forward to another silent film concert with Void ov Voices in Oslo, this time accompanying ‘Nosferatu!’
NOSFERATU
The German silent film ‘Nosferatu’ was released in 1922 and was one of the first movies based on Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula.’ Because they lacked the rights to the story, they changed names and locations, so Count Dracula became Count Orlok. However, this did not help, and the judiciary ruled that all the film reels of ‘Nosferatu’ should be destroyed. Fortunately, several reels survived, and F. W. Murnau’s great masterpiece endured. Now, over a hundred years later, the film still stands as one of the great classics in film history. We are excited to see and hear when Void ov Voices soundtracks the film during Inferno Metal Festival 2024.
Please note that Vega Scene has a limited number of seats, so be sure to act quickly to get tickets for the film concert!
In conjunction with Inferno Metal Festival, the Black Metal Bus Sightseeing Tour with Anders Odden (Cadaver, Celtic Frost, Order) is back with an all new routing! Following the success of this special event’s inception last year, this incredible experience will take Inferno attendees through some of the places that marked the beginnings of Norwegian black metal!
Between 1991 and 1993, many of the most important events during this dark chapter of Norwegian music history took place in Oslo. Therefore, Inferno Metal Festival has put together a field trip to experience these legendary moments in time, including the site of Helvete, the legendary record store once owned by late Mayhem founder Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth.
Anders Odden formed his first black metal band, Slaught, in 1986 after attending a rehearsal with Mayhem at the age of 14. He was one of the pioneers of the Norwegian scene, dealing with tape trading, organizing of concerts and creating extreme music of his own. He formed Cadaver in 1988, releasing what would be the first Norwegian death metal album on Earache Records in 1990. During this period, Odden performed alongside true Norwegian legends such as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Old Funeral and many more iconic bands.
This field trip has exclusive anecdotes and personal memories of the early life of the scene from someone who was there since the beginning. The daily sightseeing schedule is as follows:
BLACK METAL BUS SIGHTSEEING – A FIELD TRIP THROUGH NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL
12:00: Departure The Hub, Inferno Festival hotel. 12:30: Langhus station – Photo op – IYKYK 13:30: Visit to NESEBLOD RECORDS the site of “HELVETE” 1991-1993 15:00: Holmenkollen Kapell, re-done after church-fire that took place on August 23, 1992 16:00: Return to the Hub, Inferno Festival hotel.
The iconic Inferno Metal Festival started in 2001 and is the longest running metal festival in
Norway and one of the most important extreme metal festivals in the world. We are very proud
of this position and we will continue fronting Norwegian metal and bringing bands from all over
the world to Norway. Inferno Metal Festival is being held four days at Rockefeller Music Halls’
two stages Rockefeller and John Dee as well as many smaller clubs around Oslo. The festival takes place during Easter in Norway when not a lot of other stuff is happening in Oslo. The festival are usually sold out and more than fifty percent of the audience are from outside of Norway. The ticket sales are from all over the world including China, Australia, Chile, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, USA, Columbia, Argentina and many more.
Legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release his new studio album ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ on February 16th, 2024, via InsideOut Music. A rite-of-passage concept album with a young character called Travla at the centre of it, ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’s’ 13 tracks have an autobiographical angle for the musician who says about his 30th solo release: “I love this album. It says the things I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time.”
Today he is pleased to reveal the first single, and the albums opening track, ‘People of the Smoke’, and you can watch the video now here:
Steve says of the track: “People of the Smoke spins us all back in time to 1950, when bustling post-war London was stifled with smog from trains, chimneys, industry and smokers. I was born into that world! This song kicks off an album following my life’s journey both literally and metaphorically…”
The new album is available to pre-order on several different formats, including a Limited CD+Blu-ray media book (including 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit high resolution stereo mixes), Standard CD Jewel case, Gatefold 180g Vinyl LP & as Digital Album. All feature the stunning cover painting by Denise Marsh. Pre-order now here: https://stevehackett.lnk.to/TheCircusAndTheNightwhale
‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ is Steve’s first new music in over two years. Recorded between tours in 2022 and 2023 at Siren studio in the UK – with guest parts beamed in from Sweden, Austria, the US, Azerbaijan and Denmark, the line-up for ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ includes some familiar faces alongside Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drum stool, engineer extraordinaire Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar. Finally, Steve’s brother John Hackett is present once more on flute.
The full track listing is as follows: 1. People Of The Smoke 2. These Passing Clouds 3. Taking You Down 4. Found And Lost 5. Enter The Ring 6. Get Me Out! 7. Ghost Moon and Living Love 8. Circo Inferno 9. Breakout 10. All At Sea 11. Into The Nightwhale 12. Wherever You Are 13. White Dove
Summing up ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’, Steve says: “It’s a lovely journey that starts dirty, scratchy and smoky and becomes heavenly and divine. How can you resist it?”
Steve recently completed his North America Tour where he continued his ‘Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights’ run. Next year he will tour the world extensively, including a brand newUK tour ‘Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo’, which will see him return to the legendary Royal Albert Hall. For the full list of dates, head to: http://hackettsongs.com/tour.html
ViciSolum Productions and the awesome American project THY SHINING CURSE, has signed a worldwide record deal. The debut album “Theurgia” will be released on February 16 and a taste is offered in the form of the first single “Aesahaettr” that was released yesterday (December 1) via all digital platforms.
Theurgia is a collection of seven musical rites, revolving around a common thematic axis; transgressing the physical world. Theurgia stands for “divine work” in Greek and was developed as a term by the Neoplatonists. It describes a series of magical acts that aim to connect the human soul to a hierarchy of superior beings, leading up to the supreme being or so-called, The One.
About Thy Shining Curse Thy Shining Curse is the solo musical project of a death metal initiate, Leonidas, with a primary focus on the practice of hierurgical artistry through symphonic methexis and hermetic imagery. Founded in 2021 in Pittsburgh, US, the band is dedicated to the vision of its founder, aiming to create an immersive mystical experience by invoking the archetypical instincts of man via powerful symbolism, following the principles of the Pythagorean tradition, the Eleusinian mysteries, Neoplatonism and Western Esotericism. The depiction of its members is purposefully avoided. Instead, two mysterious figures act as the band’s visual representatives, Celeus and Celeucis. Their purpose is to complement the auditory experience with a subliminal initiation to the visual language of symbols, acting as modern-day hierophants.
Line Up: Leonidas – Keyboards, Orchestration Gabe Pietrzak – Lead/Rhythm Guitars Cezar Moreira – Vocals
Following their recent signing announcement with AFM Records and a first single, “Root Of All Evil”, released on Halloween taken off their upcoming studio album, MISTER MISERY are premiering a new track titled “Boogeyman Boogie”!
The band reveals:“We always enjoy making songs that are purely drawn from our love for Halloween and horror movies, and ‘Boogeyman Boogie’ is just that adrenaline fueled anthem we wanted to include on the album!”
MISTER MISERY is an innovative, modern and ground-breaking metal band from Sweden. Blending clean and gritty vocals along with high-voltage riffs and anthemic choruses, they have developed a unique sound and style, and one that captures the essence of all the sub-genres in modern heavy music.
Since forming back in 2018, MISTER MISERY have released two critically acclaimed studio albums (Unalive and A Brighter Side Of Death) and several highly praised and top-playlisted singles to date. Paired with an obscene and theatrical appearance, they create an experience that speaks to all senses. MISTER MISERY has become a force that crushes stages on the biggest festival the scene has to offer, such as Wacken Open Air, Master of Rock, Full Metal Cruise, Hills Of Rock to name just a few. MISTER MISERY has played as support of some of the most prestigious bands in metal, such as Nightwish and Dream Theater in front of over 15.000 people. One thing is for certain: They will leave NO survivors!
The band is currently gearing up for an exciting, new chapter of their career, and has joined forces with renowned label AFM Records, who will proudly release their forthcoming album in 2024!
MISTER MISERY is: Harley Vendetta – Vocals/Guitar Alex Nine – Lead Guitar/Backup Vocals Rizzy – Drums/Backup Vocals Alex Alister – Bass/Backup 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 ) 