Mexican death grind band BRUJERIA put the world of cartels and ritualistic murder on wax with a brutal power equivalent to when Compton arrived in pop culture via NWA. Today, the band unleashes their fifth full-length album Esto Es Brujeria onto the world via Nuclear Blast Records.
‘El Patrón Del Reventón‘ is the latest offering from the record. The music video was produced by Ceasar “Chorro” Padilla & Juan Brujo.
Esto Es Brujeria was recorded worldwide at the following studios: Dog Run Studio in Riverside, CA; Total Annihilation Studios in East Los Angeles, CA; Robanna’sin Birmingham, UK; and Audiocustom in Santiago, Chile. Production of the record was handled by the band while engineering was a joint effort between Eddie Casillas, Eddie Rivas, and Miguel Seco. The mixing and mastering of the album was completed by Seba Puente who was also a part of the engineering team. The album artwork was created by Gary Ronaldson. Esto Es Brujeria saw the return of their metal mascot Coco Loco who is emblazoned on the ferocious cover.
Esto Es Brujeria – Tracklisting: 01. Esto Es Brujeria 02. El Patrón Del Reventón 03. Estado Profundo 04. Bruja Encabronada 05. G-A-K 06. Tu Vida Loca 07. Mexorcista 08. Bestia De La Muerte 09. Políticamente Correctos 10. Mochado 11. Perdido En El Espacio 12. Odio Que Amo 13. Testamento 3.0 14. Covid-666 15. Lord Nazi Ruso 16. Cocaína
On November 2nd, BRUJERIA will kick off their ‘Esto Es Tour 2023‘ in Yuma, Arizona. The 29-date trek will make stops in Dallas, Boston, and Seattle before ending in Pomona on December 10th. Joining them on the run are PIÑATA PROTEST and NO/MÁS.
Confirmed dates for BRUJERIA‘s ‘Esto Es tour 2023‘ with PIÑATA PROTEST and NO/MÁS are: 11.02. US Yuma, AZ – Red Moon Ale House 11.03. US Tucson, AZ – The Rock 11.04. US Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad 11.06. US Dallas, TX – Granada Theater 11.07. US Lubbock, TX – Jakes Sports Cafe 11.08. US Oklahoma City, OK – 89th Street Collective 11.09. US Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live 11.10. US Houston, TX – Houston Vert Ramp 11.11. US Brownsville, TX – Outdoors at The Kraken Lounge 11.14. US Orlando, FL – Conduit 11.15. US Atlanta, GA – The Loft at Center Stage 11.16. US Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall 11.17. US Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27 11.18. US Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedrafts 11.19. US Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall 11.21. US Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus 11.22. US Pittsburgh, PA – Preserving Underground 11.24. US Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop 11.25. US Chicago, IL – Reggie’s 11.28. US Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater 11.29. US Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall 12.01. US Seattle, WA – Substation 12.02. US Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom 12.05. US San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall 12.06. US Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post 12.07. US San Jose, CA – The Ritz 12.08. US Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom 12.09. US Las Vegas, NV – The Usual Place 12.10. US Pomona, CA – The Glass House Concert Hall
Today BLACKBRIAR release their brand new single ‘Forever and a Day’. The new album A Dark Euphony will be released on September 29th via Nuclear Blast Records. A Dark Euphony features 11 brand new tracks.
Zora Cock comments: “Forever and a Day is a tragically romantic song, inspired by 19th-century mourning traditions. While listening, I imagine a Victorian lady, dressed in a heavy black mourning gown. She lost her love a long time ago, and can’t move on. One day, she replaces her black gown into a day dress to spend the day with someone, to see if there could be another future for her, only to realize she can’t give her heart to another. It’s the final single of our forthcoming full-length album.”
A Dark Euphony – Tracklisting: 1. An Unwelcome Guest 2. Far Distant Land 3. Spirit of Forgetfulness 4. Bloody Footprints in the Snow 5. The Evergreen and The Weeping Tree 6. Cicada 7. My Soul´s Demise 8. We Make Mist 9. Thumbelina 10. Forever and a Day 11. Crimson Faces
BLACKBRIAR also announced their ‘The Euphonic Downfall Tour 2023’ together with AD INFINITUM. They will be supported by the band PHANTOM ELITE. ‘The Euphonic Downfall Tour 2023’ includes 10 dates around Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland.
Tourdates: The Euphonic Downfall Tour 2023 support: PHANTOM ELITE
26.09 DE – Saarbrucken, Garage 27.09 DE – Munich, Backstage 28.09 NL – Utrecht, Tivoli 29.09 NL – Heerlen, Nieuwe Nor 30.09 DE – Oberhausen, Resonanzwerk (+) 02.10 DE – Hamburg, Logo 03.10 DE – Leipzig, Hellraiser 05.10 DE – Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal 06.10 CH – Solothurn, Kofmehl (*) 07.10 CH – Schaffhausen, Kammgarn (*) (+) festival (*) plus opener – INFINITAS
“Some say that there is beauty in darkness – terrifying visitors, worlds far gone, gothic romances, bone-chilling legends, sin-eaters, burning hearts frozen in time, songs with a misleading voice, and a truthful whisper. This and so much more for you to discover on A Dark Euphony.” Such are the words of vocalist Zora Cock about the band’s upcoming sophomore album, set to release in fall 2023 on Nuclear Blast Records. A telling sign coming from a band who has reveled in gothic beauty and metallic darkness since their onset, spanning three EPs and a full-length album, along with long-time collaborator Joost van den Broek.
Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, they crafted their first single in 2014 with ‘Ready to Kill,’ but it was 2015’s second single ‘Until Eternity‘ that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the act with over 20 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding the band, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP layed down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal and breathtaking sound and brought about new opportunities for the act, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where the band played alongside EPICA, HALESTORM, IN THIS MOMENT, DELAIN and MaYan.
To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, We’d Rather Burn, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek to arrange and produce the effort, and this fruitful collaboration allowed BLACKBRIAR’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for ‘I’d Rather Burn,’ this EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. In the time following, keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) took a larger role within the band and began playing shows, after being involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.
A busy 2019 followed, the band released a haunting single in May entitled ‘Snow White and Rose Red.’ A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairytale featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairytale realms, BLACKBRIAR closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever-sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breathtaking musicianship, the EP brought about new live exposures for the act as well. Small, sold out tours with EPICA in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold out opening for DELAIN’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with more future plans then being put on hold due to COVID-19.
Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, BLACKBRIAR reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fanbase for assistance to make their full-length album a reality in 2020. Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours and ending with a total of € 70,000 and achieving all five stretch goals. An impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which also showcases a strong internet presence with over 230,000 YouTube subscribers and 56.5 million channel views as well as 37.9 million Spotify streams and 275,000 monthly streamers on the platform.
Entering 2021, the band relinquished a bit of control in signing exclusively with Doomstar Bookings to help properly support their highly anticipated first full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, which released in April. Once again recorded with renowned producer Joost van den Broek (EPICA, AYREON, POWERWOLF) at Sandlane Recording Facilities, this release showcased the band’s continued evolution into masterfully dark gothic storytelling and theatrical aesthetics that entice you into a deadly yet spellbinding musical paradise. On the live front, launching into success with six sold out Dutch club shows, they later extended into more European territories such as Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and the Czech Republic as the band moved into 2022.
Despite a very successful 2021, the band still hungered for more, unleashing their latest single, ‘Fairy of the Bog‘ in December. A song about ‘het meisje van Yde’ (Yde girl), it’s a mixture of folklore, myth, and ancient local history wrapped into a more mystical and magical package that showcases what BLACKBRIAR does best. Due to winning ‘Drents Talent Award Culture 2021’ from ‘Stichting Kunst & Cultuur,’ BLACKBRIAR performed ‘I’d Rather Burn’ live on television together with the Dutch ‘Noordpool Orchestra in early 2022. In April, the band parted ways with founding member and bassist Frank Akkerman. Not a band to slow down, they welcomed Siebe Sol Sijpkens from The Netherlands as their new bassist. A happy and energetic performer with a lifetime of global performances, he is a welcome addition to the act as they continue to strive forward.
With their vision looking firmly into the future, with a major label behind them, they set their sights on 2023 to conjure their most deadly siren song yet. The band previously released the song ‘Crimson Faces‘ to celebrate their partnership with Nuclear Blast Records, and now the world eagerly awaits the release of A Dark Euphony this fall. Set to contain 10 new original songs as well as a bonus track, they recently released their first single from it with ‘My Soul’s Demise.’ According to Zora, “We’ve had the pleasure of working with producer and musical genius Joost van den Broek, and we gave it our all to write this record and feel that this is our most complete, personal, and mature album to date.” With this in mind, the band launched a preorder campaign in April for the release, full of unique perks, which has been quite successful already. They have also been preparing on the road, with festival shows Wave Gotik Treffen, SummerBreeze, and Rock the Lakes in 2023, as well as being a special guest on CHARLOTTE WESSELS’s Club Tour.
With accolades behind them, such as being nominated three times for ‘Best Artist’ in EuroSonic/Noorderslag‘s Popgala Noord (2018, 2020, 2022), and continued fan support with current monthly streaming totals on YouTube and Spotify near 1.5 million streams, the world is primed and ready for a spectacular journey into darkness and beauty.
BLACKBRIAR is: Zora Cock – VOCALS René Boxem – DRUMS Bart Winters – GUITARS Robin Koezen – GUITARS Siebe Sol Sijpkens – BASS Ruben Wijga – KEYS
British melodic rock band ATLAS are pleased to announce the release of their third single Just Like Thattaken from their highly anticipated third studio album Built To Last. The new single is released Friday 15 September and is available from Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer HERE.
The new album, released by Metalapolis Records on Friday 20th October,is available to pre-order HERE.
“Just Like That is heavily inspired by our love for 80s music,” says James Thorley, the founding member and keyboard player of ATLAS. “It’s a traditional AOR song in terms of the theme, but we placed a spin on the perspective as it deals with the outcome of a failed relationship and facing those consequences head on.”
“Musically it’s driven by the guitar and synth and features a hook which is reminiscent of the style that fans will expect from ATLAS. The chorus is huge and layered with Toto-esque harmonies and it’s all topped off with an indulgence of melody from Howie Little’s guitar solo.”
ATLAS is comprised of five musicians, Craig Wells (lead vocals), James Thorley (keyboards), Howie Little (lead guitars), Chris Redfearn (bass guitar), and Ryan Briggs (drums).
Keyboard player James Thorley founded the band in 2017 with the intention to create signature music that focused its roots around the 80s AOR, Prog, and melodic rock genre, whilst delving into other areas of modern hard rock, and metal.
To date, ATLAS have released two studio albums through the European label AOR Heaven. Their second album, Parallel Love, charted in Japan at #36 and debuted in the Top 10 Amazon Classic Rock Albums Chart on release week. They have toured the UK sharing the stage with The Quireboys, Eric Martin (Mr Big), FM, Vega, Big Country, and Praying Mantis.
Distributed by SPV, Built To Last is a continued evolution of the band’s unique Progressive AOR sound that builds on themes of survival, hope and overcoming hardships. It is the result of several years of refined songcraft, featuring polished arrangements, shredding guitar hooks, massive choruses, and soaring vocals.
ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK
All Or Nothing All or Nothing was written with an “album opener” in mind. We wanted to write a track that had a lot of energy, heavy but still having melodic elements, and with a huge hooky chorus. We wanted to represent elements of the whole album in one song, which was a challenge, but we always love to rise to a challenge!
You’re Not Alone This was one of the first songs written for the album. It’s about coming out of lockdown and overcoming difficulties, depression and the general unknown that most of us felt during that time. It’s got a radio friendly approach, but we didn’t hold back with the big anthemic chorus.
One More Night This song is built around a real proggy syncopated guitar riff with a classic AOR theme for the lyrics and chorus.
Another Heartbreak “High energy” was a feeling we wanted to tap into with this album, and this track certainly has that! It’s about not being able to shake the memory of a previous love no matter how hard you might try, backed up with stacks of harmonies!
Tears Tears is dynamic, bombastic, melodic, and powerful. It’s about always being there for someone no matter what, even when you know they don’t feel the same way anymore.
Unfamiliar Love A very Def Leppard inspired riff and chorus helped build the foundation to this song. Who says you can’t have a drum, keyboard, and guitar solo trade off?
Just Like That We wore our love for 80s AOR on our sleeves for this song. Huge catchy guitar/synth hook interplayed with a staccato chorus stacked full of harmonies, with an air guitar instrumental to top it all off!
Chasing Portraits I: Lonely Hearts We’ve flirted with progressive rock on our previous two albums, but for this album we set out from the beginning to write a longer progressive piece, that could be split into three sections. Lonely Hearts starts with the devastation of loss and confrontation of loneliness, finishing off with a Kansas inspired guitar/Hammond trade off.
Chasing Portraits II: Closer to the Picture Closer to the Picture deals with recovery and reflection and is one of the rarer synth driven tracks on the album.
Chasing Portraits III: Painted Memories An epic finale to that Suite. The song itself is about the memories of past relationships being somewhat clouded by the negatives that caused that bond to end. We basically create our own narrative of our past and move on with our lives, sometimes forgetting the good that may have come from our experiences.
Bury A Lie The heaviest track we’ve written to date. The song was built around a 7-string guitar riff and features an awesome proggy instrumental section.
Best is Yet to Come We wanted to end the album with a banger rather than an epic or a ballad! So, we saved the best until last, a Journey inspired melodic rock anthem with a huge sing-along ending.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
All music recorded by ATLAS Recorded at InMotion Studios James Thorley – Producer, Engineer, Mixer Thomas Johansson – Mastering
BAND LINE-UP Craig Wells – Vocals Howie Little – Guitar James Thorley – Keys Chris Redfearn – Bass Ryan Briggs – Drums
ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS Sam Millar – Additional Backing Vocals
Following the incredible feedback from their joint, recent US tour announcement, Swedish metal virtuosos AMARANTHE and UK extreme power metal outfit DRAGONFORCE have decided to take things further and extend their touring partnership: Spring 2024 will see both bands extensively touring mainland Europe and the UK on their Co-Headline European tour.
AMARANTHE’s Olof Mörck states: “We are *dangerously* thrilled and enthusiastic to finally unveil our co-headline tour in Europe with our good friends in DRAGONFORCE, supported by the Moldovan powerhouse Infected Rain – and, the very first tour in support for our upcoming album, “The Catalyst”! Expect this double-headline bill to explode with excitement and ponderous fury once we play a city near you! AMARANTHE will hit the European Continent with a brand new show, setlist and album, so do NOT miss out on this experience, and see you in early 2024!”
DRAGONFORCE adds: “We are absolutely thrilled to embark on this co-headlining European tour with our friends in AMARANTHE once again! From the time of their demo, I’ve always admired the work AMARANTHE has been doing. As both of our bands prepare to unleash our biggest albums to date, this upcoming tour promises to deliver an unforgettable experience for our fans. Get ready for an epic musical journey!”
You can catch the package here: 21.02. DE Hamburg – Große Freiheit 36 22.02. DE Berlin – Huxleys Neue Welt 23.02. DE Leipzig – Haus Auensee 24.02. DE Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle 25.02. NL Tilburg – 013 Poppodium 27.02. DK Copenhagen (DK) – Amager Bio 28.02. NO Oslo – Sentrum Scene 29.02. SE Gothenburg – Trädgår’n 03.03. LV Riga – Melna Piektdiena 04.03. PL Warsaw – Progresja 06.03. CZ Brno – Sono Centrum 07.03. AT Vienna – Gasometer 08.03. HU Budapest – Barba Negra Red Stage 09.03. DE Munich – TonHalle 10.03. IT Milan – Live Club 12.03. ES Madrid – Sala La Riviera 13.03. ES Barcelona – Sala Apolo I 15.03. DE Wiesbaden – Schlachthof 16.03. CH Zurich – Komplex 457 17.03. BE Brussels – AB Box 19.03. DE Stuttgart – LKA Longhorn 20.03. FR Paris – Bataclan 22.03. UK Bristol – O2 Academy 23.03. UK Manchester – Manchester Academy 24.03. UK London – The Roundhouse
Tickets and limited VIP Ugrades will be on sale from Monday, September 18th, on and are available on Dragonforce.com and Amaranthe.se
AMARANTHE’s forthcoming album The Catalyst will see the light of the day on February 23rd, 2024, via Nuclear BlastRecords. The album will be available digitally and in different physical formats including CD, Vinyl, a 2CD Special Edition and a Bravado exclusive Vinyl + signed poster.
The Catalyst is the most conceptually coherent piece of work in AMARANTHE‘s storied history. Dedicated to notions of transformation and revelation, it delves deeper than any previous album, as Olof Mörck explains.
“We’ve done these things before, but we’ve never been as theatrical as we have this time,”Mörck grins. “In fact, we all questioned whether we went too far this time, but I also figured that this band was always this way. Literally the first seconds of our first video was a big explosion! But yes, The Catalyst is more theatrical than ever. We’ve never really been symphonic or orchestral before, but this time we just thought why not? Because we can! The key to this album is that we let go of the boundaries and decided to do something even more adventurous.”
The Catalyst represents the culmination of 15 years of hard work and the breathless pursuit of a wholly original musical vision. Change is inevitable. Victory is assured.
Formed in 2008, AMARANTHE walked their own unique path from the start. With a sound that combined the sharpest, cutting edges of melodic metal, electronic rock and razor-sharp pop, their impact was immediate and undeniable. Kicking off with their self-titled debut in 2011, the Swedes blazed a trail through the European metal scene and beyond, swiftly establishing themselves as a dazzling one-off, not least due to the unprecedented triple vocal attack that paired clean tones with exquisite melodic sensibilities and feral growls. Over the next few years, the sextet steadily grew in stature, releasing a series of praised studio records that jabbed persistently at the boundaries of modern metal.
AMARANTHE is: Elize Ryd | vocals Mikael Sehlin I growls Nils Molin | vocals Olof Mörck | guitars, keyboards Johan Andreassen | bass Morten Løwe Sørensen | drums Nils Molin | vocals
Swedish alternative metal act AVIANA have released their brand new single / video for their single ‘As Above, So Below’, ahead of their extensive US tour with Invent Animate, Void of Vision and Thrown. See below for dates.
This is the first new music heard since their impactful album Corporation, released in September 2022 via Arising Empire.
Led solely by vocalist Joel Holmqvist as a consequence of past members leaving the band, Holmqvist has exceed all expectations and taken the band further down the path for greatness.
Corporation is available now on CD, limited coloured vinyl together with exclusive merch options at the Arising Empire Shop and band store.
AVIANA are: Joel Holmqvist – vocals Death – guitar Fear – guitar Dark – drums
Finnish groovy trad rockers, JACKIE’S LAND, are releasing their new born debut album later this year. First single from the upcoming debut album is the energetic title song ‘Kicks n’ Thrills’ released today.
Music by Jouni Möysä Lyrics by Ilmiö Oksanen Recorded & produced by Jussi Vuola, V.R. Studio Mixed by Jori Saloranta, V.R. Studio Mastered by Jaakko Viitalähde, Virtalähde Mastering Distributed by Playground Music Scandinavia
Jackie’s Land has been brewing their art of traditional rock ’n roll patiently. Finally, they are ready to open the taps and fill the needs of music lovers all around. Known for their electrifying live performances the band is now ready to take the next step with their upcoming debut album filled with high energy songs and loud guitars. Just like music is supposed to be made.
First single from the upcoming debut album is the energetic title song Kicks ’n Thrills. With one foot steadily in traditional rock ’n roll the song grooves onward without looking back. This three-minute track works as an appetizer for what’s coming from the band in the future.
I usually don’t want to go into details about the stories behind the songs so everyone can make their own interpretation of them. With its catchy guitar riff and a shout-it-out-loud chorus line this song represents the upcoming album and is a great first single in our opinion. And we hope the audience loves it too. -Ilmiö, lead vox
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 