EXIST have shared a new music video for Thief Of Joy. Thief Of Joy is taken from the US progressive metal band’s new album, Hijacking the Zeitgeist, which is out now via Prosthetic Records. EXIST’s latest full-length sees the group expand upon their extreme metal technicality and atmospherics with a more concise approach to songwriting, resulting in the most direct and emphatic album of their 14 year career.
Speaking on the music video release, Alex Weber (bass and vocals) comments: “Thief of Joy was one of the first tunes that we started working as a band on during the writing process for Hijacking the Zeitgeist and is still my personal favorite.
“One of the most dynamic tracks on the album, it’s got everything from soft and ethereal atmospheres to heavy and sludgy breakdowns with everything else that has come to shape EXIST‘s sound in between. It also features an amazing solo from our friend and fellow Marylander, Sanjay Kumar (Wormhole, Inferi). He brought an incredible energy and personality and it’s always a pleasure working with him.”
Similarly to 2020’s Egoiista, EXIST took on a keen co-production role for Hijacking the Zeitgeist as recording sessions commenced in early 2022, with the band emphasising a collaborative approach to the songs arrangements. Drum co-production was handled by John Douglass (Mr. Bungle, Entheos and The Contortionist) before vocals were handled by Mike Semesky in the winter.
Hijacking the Zeitgeist’s sonic heft isn’t without its diaphanous counterpoints, as Phelps and new addition Charles Eron (guitar and synths) craft deceptively complex interplay on album high points in Thief of Joy (featuring Sanjay Kumar of Inferi and Wormhole), Blue Light Infinite and soaring closer Window to the All. EXIST’s sonorous sonic landscape is bolstered by immersive rhythmic lock-ins between Alex Weber (bass and vocals) and Brody Smith (drums), that shine in Anup Sastry’s mix and Kris Crummett’s mastering work.
At the core of Hijacking the Zeitgeist lies a multifaceted exploration of algorithmic rabbit holes, conspiratorial paranoia, and the universal traits that lie within humanity – these cautionary tales are tied together in striking detail with album art by Sebastian Jerke. EXIST treats both the allure and perils of both digital mazes and the real world, with equal parts wide eyed awe and horror.
Hijacking the Zeitgeist tracklist: 1. Blue Light Infinite 2. Thief of Joy 3. Hijacking the Zeitgeist 4. Funeral Toll 5. A Path to Nowhere 6. One Degree Removed From Human 7. Window to the All
EXIST is: Max Phelps – Guitars and Vocals Alex Weber – Bass and Vocals Charles Eron – Guitars and Synths Brody Taylor Smith – Drums
NASTYVILLE‘s new single “Livin’ in a Mess” will be released on May 18th. It will be available on all the best music stores in digital format, on Wanikiya Record’s shop in Japan and on the Crashsound Distribution showcase.
“Livin’ in a Mess” – It’s basically about the abuse of power by the powerful, which can range from harassing people in the workplace, all these fucking wars at the expense of the marginalized, and so as a result you’re always living in a total mess.
Nastyville was born in 2012 from an idea of Danny boy (drummer) and Dave ( Guitar) to put a new face on the rock genre. The first record Viva hell-A from 2015 features old-school riffs and the bite of the best street/glam rock, with Lex on vocals Kruska on bass and Manuel on guitar.
After the exit of Lex and Kruska cotinuate their journey with Mark Lee on vocals (still on the force) and Fabian Anderchen, with the release Glam Caramel (2017), distributed and produced by Volcano Records record with more metal sounds, which gave the band the opportunity to open for the Italian tours of Skid Row, Crashdiet, Enuff’z’nuff, Adam Bomb, John Corabi, Simon Wright and many-others.
The latest album Songs of Threesome released in 2022 distributed and produced by Delta Records sees yet another lineup change with Dega on guitar, Paul (formerly THEE S.t.p.) on bass.
In 2023 Danny Boy exits the band to make room for Christian on drums. The band is working on new material, with an all new and modern sound refreshed and regenerated by Chris Tabeat on skins, who brought a more reasoned and genuine sound, and the brand new bassist Carlo Giordano, who recently joined the band, who already notes the arrival of new blood for the band!
German melodic death metal phenomenon IMPACT APPROVED is back with a vengeance, unleashing their powerful new album, Way of the Warrior, on June 14th, 2024 via Wormholedeath Records.
Following the critical acclaim of their 2021 debut, Into the Fray, Impact Approved wasted no time forging a new sonic path. Witnessing the electrifying response to live tracks “The Truth” and “Atelophobia,” the band honed their sound, pushing the boundaries of melodic death metal with djent and deathcore influences.
A Warrior’s Journey: Behind the Scenes of Way of the Warrior
The creative fire burned bright within the band. Guitarist and drummer Uwe spearheaded the initial songwriting, crafting roughly 90% of the music. Bassist Maurice then joined the fray, adding his signature touch with basslines and atmospheric flourishes. Songs like “Isolation” showcase this collaborative spirit, where final touches and structural changes elevate the music to new heights.
The meticulously crafted foundation received its final layer with vocalist Phil’s impassioned delivery. Each track on Way of the Warrior boasts a distinct personality, a testament to the band’s diverse influences and relentless experimentation.
A Legacy Forged in Steel: The Spartan Warrior Returns
True to their artistic vision, Impact Approved maintains a thematic connection to their debut. The iconic Spartan warrior, a symbol of resilience and strength, graces the cover of Way of the Warrior, embodying the album’s spirit.
Tracklist
Way Of The Warrior
Isolation
Liberty
Atelophobia
The Truth feat. Lewis from April in flames
Deficiency
Sword And Shield
Harakiri For Ivory Tower
Ventus Et Ignis
Pigslaughter
Grace Under Pressure
Impact Approved: A Band Forged in Fire
Born in 2019, Impact Approved quickly carved their niche in the melodic death metal scene. Philipp (vocals) and Uwe (guitars, drums) laid the groundwork, joined by Maurice (bass) in 2020 and Armin (guitar) shortly after. After the critically acclaimed release of “Into the Fray” in 2021, the band toured alongside heavyweights like Heaven Shall Burn in 2022. With the departure of Armin, Matthias “Matze” Büsing steps in to complete the live lineup, ready to unleash the fury of Way of the Warrior on audiences worldwide.
For their new digital single and official video, Denmark’s melodic death metal prodigal sons WITHERING SURFACE unveil one of their most catchy and melodic songs ever. “Denial Denial Denial” gets under your skin with its straight-forward verse-bridge-chorus structure, and gets you banging your head and singing before you even hit that “Repeat” button. Vintage, lead-soaked, melodic death metal with a modern twist for a band that seems to have no problem in reinventing itself.
Join the premiering below.
“Exit Plan” is the 6th studio album from Withering Surface following the success of the 2020-comeback album “Meet You Maker”. The process of the “Exit Plan” album was long and challenging with various recording session, line-up changes, producers and on top of that all the obstacles with Covid and post-Covid. The fact that the band’s engagements with Copenhell and various other festivals in 2020 were postponed two years to 2022 could easily have killed Withering Surface that was making a comeback after 15 years in slumber. Instead, all efforts were put into the making of “Exit Plan”. An album where both songwriting and lyrical concept appear stronger than ever for the band. Topping this is the production by Soren Andersen (Medley Studio), mainly known in rock and hard rock circles for his work with artists like Thundermother, Tygers Of Pan Tang and Glenn Hughes. Soren Andersen was not the obvious choice of producer for a melodic death metal band but ended up being the perfect match for Withering Surface anno 2024 delivering a huge over-the-top sound.
Allan Tvedebrink says “Right after we dropped “Meet Your Maker” all our gigs and plans were scrapped because of the pandemic and it obviously created a huge void for us. I’m very proud of that album, but when it was finished, I felt that we could do better and, because of the wide open schedule, I immediately started working on “Exit Plan”. The new material is focused on a much more direct and intense approach and it is by far the strongest compilation of songs we have ever done to represent an album. In the process of creating “Exit Plan” we had lots of set backs. Deciding to let our new drummer go after we recorded the drums, having a new guitarist on board and losing our keyboard player took some extra time, but also made us re-visit the material and get everything right. The challenges and the decisions made in the process definitely made the album way better”.
Soren Andersen: “I was initially hired as the mixing engineer but I have ended up becoming a superfan. This is how I feel about Withering Surface and their forthcoming album “Exit Plan”. They are by far the most extreme band I have ever worked with. Musically I have no other bands to compare them with besides Faith No More and Soilwork. After a few mixes I totally fell in love with the sound of the band, and never before have I challenged myself as much as I have working upon this album. Combining brutal riffs, a powerhouse rhythm section, screaming vocals, melodic solos and imaginative songwriting, this is all I could ever ask for in a metal band”.
Singer Michael Hvolgaard Andersen adds: “Vocal wise I wanted to go back to the roots of Withering Surface. Capturing some of the spirit from the frustrated 19-year old me. Songs on the new album like “Where Dreamers Die” and “You Hurt This Child” show that. I was not sure I still had that throat capacity and aggression in me but proved myself wrong. I always had the desire to make catchy sing-a-long choruses. In the past they were on songs like “Dancing With Faries” and “Joyless Journey”. On “Exit Plan” this desire is brought to life on “Denial Denial Denial”, “Finish What You Started” and “I Finally Lost (All Faith In Humanity)”. Since the formation of Withering Surface, Allan’s songwriting felt natural for me to make vocal lines and melodies on and on “Exit Plan” I truly believe he delivered his strongest material to date which by the end of the day is the reason that made my voice sound strong and have me deliver that little extra”.
The lyrical concept “Exit Plan” is about breaking boundaries and norms that have been set for one. To put a mental period and start over. To get complete clarity about where you are and are going and want to end = “Exit Plan”. Song titles include “Where Dreamers Die”, “Mindreader”, “You Hurt This Child” and “I Finally Lost (All Faith In Humanity)” and are all with a lyrical foundation in the aforementioned outlook on life, sex, shame, religion and a fading view of humanity.
“Exit Plan” is a lyrical extension of its predecessor “Meet Your Maker”, where a religious meeting with the higher powers made the protagonist realise that there is no help to be had from anyone but the person himself. That you stand alone. That the only one who can help you is yourself. Cold cynicism and power do not go hand in hand with charity. Forget the norm and anything that doesn’t work for you. No excuse, no blame. You are not a social experiment. The thanks you get when you’re gone are worthless and remember one of man’s greatest qualities is to repress.
“Exit Plan” will be released on LP (black vinyl), CD and digital formats on June 7th, 2024 via Mighty Music.
Lineup: Allan Tvedebrink – guitars Michael H. Andersen – vocals Jesper Kvist – bass Troels Lund-Sørensen – drums Marco Angioni – guitars
All drums on “Exit Plan” performed by Jakob Gundel
Dutch/Slovakian downtempo/deathcore ensemble, DISTANT like to be busy and kept writing music despite their busy touring schedule and playing 117 shows in 2023 alone. Today they are unleashing “Loveless Suffering”, get ready to be swept away by the brutal intensity of DISTANT’s latest deathcore anthem: https://distantband.lnk.to/LovelessSuffering-Single
The band comments: “With its gripping portrayal of abusive relationships, this track demands attention.”
The band took another step into taking full creative control over their output by singer Alan Grnja directing the video yet again.
Watch below the video that is not for the faint of heart.
As DISTANT gear up for European and UK tours alongside heavyweights like AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE and SUFFOCATION, it’s time to brace yourself for an onslaught of raw emotion and unbridled power.
with AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE and GHOST IRIS: 17.05.24 (DE) Oberhausen – Kulttempel 18.05.24 (DE) Hamburg – Bahnhof Pauli 19.05.24 (DE) Leipzig – Naumanns 20.05.24 (AT) Vienna – Viper Room 21.05.24 (DE) Munich – Backstage Halle 22.05.24 (CH) Aarau – Kiff 23.05.24 (DE) Frankfurt – Nachtlieben 25.05.24 (NL) Eindhoven – Effenaar
with SUFFOCATION: 11.06.24 (UK) Brighton – Chalk 12.06.24 (UK) Cardiff – The Globe 13.06.24 (UK) Derby – The Hairy Dog 14.06.24 (IRE) Limerick – Dolan’s Warehouse 15.06.24 (IRE) Dublin – Opium 16.06.24 (UK) Belfast – The Limelight 2 17.06.24 (UK) Edinburgh – La Belle Angéle 18.06.24 (UK) Newcastle – Tapyard Studios 19.06.24 (UK) Colchester – Colchester Arts Centre
DISTANT live: 11.08.24 (IT) Milan – Slaughter Club (We Are Deathcore Fest Milan) 14.-17.08.24 (DE) Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Festival 22.08.24 (AT) Spital Am Semmering – Kaltenbach Open Air 24.08.24 (DE) Lüdenscheid – Bautz Festival 31.08.24 (NL) Roosendaal – The Loods (Rosendaal Open Air)
More dates will be announced shortly!
DISTANT has become one of the prominent faces of European Deathcore. Melding together brutal death metal, slam, noise and beatdown with a hyper-dissonant orchestra of impending doom, they’ve come eons since their origins as metalcore obsessed friends in Rotterdam and Bratislava.
American death metal purveyors SKELETAL REMAINS will be embarking on an extensive North American tour in support of EXHUMED with additional support from MORBIKON. The “Decayed Decades” tour started yesterday, May 8, in Santa Cruz, CA and will demolish the states for six weeks, including a stop at Milwaukee Metal Festival on May 19, until it concludes on June 16 in Seattle, WA. The full itinerary can be found below while tickets can be found HERE.
SKELETAL REMAINS is touring in support of ‘Fragments of the Ageless,’ which is out NOW via Century Media Records on March 8, 2024! The album is available HERE.
SKELETAL REMAINS (w/ EXHUMED + MORBIKON)
5/8: Santa Cruz, CA @ Blue Lagoon 5/9: Fresno, CA @ Fulton 55 5/10: Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room 5/11: Las Vegas, NV @ Sinwave 5/12: Salt Lake City, UT @ Ace’s High Saloom 5/14: Cheyenne, WY @ Ernie November 5/15: Denver, CO @ HQ 5/16: Lincoln, NE @ Cosmic Eye 5/17: Sioux Falls, SD @ Remedy 5/18: Des Moines, IA @ Lefty’s 5/19: Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Metal Fest 5/21: Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle 5/22: Knoxville, TN @ The Brickyard 5/23: Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern 5/24: Atlanta, GA @ Boggs 5/25: Raleigh, NC @ Kings 5/26: Norfolk, VA @ The Annex 5/28: Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows 5/29: Boston, MA @ Sonia 5/30: Bensalem, PA @ Broken Goblet 5/31: Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit 6/1: Cincinnati, OH @ Legends 6/2: Cleveland, OH 6/6: Dallas, TX @ Red Blood Club 6/7: San Antonio, TX @ The Rock Box 6/8: Houston, TX @ White Oak – Upstairs 6/9: Austin, TX @ Parish 6/11: Albuquerque NM @ The Launchpad 6/12: Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live 6/13: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo 6/14: Oakland, CA @ Eli’s Mile High 6/15: Portland, OR @ Dantes 6/16: Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
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
