Hope Hotel is the debut EP from Southend-On-Sea’s fast growing indie band GEORGE SANDERS AND THE PARALLELS. With lyrics drawing on the excitement of exploring new relationships and the pain of knowing when they’re over, the 5 track EP features punchy drumbeats, winding basslines and weapons-grade guitar solos, with catchy vocals lines you can’t help but sing along to.
The band comprises lead singer and guitarist George Sanders, Dylan Stubbings on drums, Matt Latter on bass, and Tom Carey on guitar. Their anthemic, raspy vocals backed by heavy guitars are here to make a mark on the modern rock scene.
Drawing inspiration from every decade while forging a fresh and recognizable sound, George Sanders And The Parallels received recognition early when they made it to BBC Introducing’s ‘Top Picks of 2022’, earning praise as “Arena Ready.” Additionally, they have graced the airwaves of “Shakey’s Sessions on CCR”, “Phoenix FM”, and “Radio Essex”.
George Sanders and the Parallels have embarked on an inspiring initiative to address environmental concerns. Teaming up with Ecologi, for each follow they receive on Spotify, the band commits to planting tree saplings in areas affected by deforestation caused by various factors, including global temperature rises and rising sea levels. The primary goal of this initiative is to offset the amount of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere. Check out Ecologi here: https://ecologi.com/
By partnering with Ecologi, individuals and companies can track the progress of their contributions. So far, George Sanders and the Parallels have successfully offset a quarter of a ton of CO2 and aim to significantly increase this number as they gain popularity as a band. Their dedication to both music and environmental sustainability sets a positive example for others in the industry.
George Sanders – Vocals, Guitar Tom Carey – Guitar Matt Latter – Backing Vocals, Bass guitar Dylan Stubbings – Drums
Prepare yourself for the next sonic assault from DEATH SHROUD as they unveil their latest masterpiece, “Parhelion.” The US Black Metal powerhouse is set to release their highly anticipated album on September 8th, 2023, via Wormholedeath. “Parhelion” promises to be their most mature and musically adventurous offering to date, further solidifying their position within the realm of extreme metal.
For a glimpse into the sonic abyss that awaits, check out the official video for “Parhelion” below.
Tracklist
The Isolationist
Duality
The Threefold Law of Return
The Four Agreements
The Five Hindrances
Parhelion
Bloodsex
Carried on Ancient Winds
“Parhelion” is a testament to Death Shroud’s unwavering commitment to their craft, and fans of Black Metal and extreme music alike will find themselves drawn to its otherworldly allure.
Founded in December 2007 in Blacksburg, Virginia, Death Shroud has been relentless in their pursuit of musical excellence.
With five powerful albums, including the acclaimed “Pavor Nocturnus,” they have established themselves as a prominent force within the US Black Metal scene.
In 2022, their fourth album “Death, Slavery and the pursuit ov Sadness” was re-released worldwide through Wormholedeath, increasing their international presence.
Revered Finnish progressive post-metal band BESRA has announced the impending release of their highly-anticipated second studio album, “Transitions,” will take place on September 29th with Suicide Records. Today, the band has revealed the record’s first single, “Sentinels,” and video which can be viewed below.
“Sentinels” represents BESRA’s more aggresive and intense sound, while still maintaining the band’s signature style of infusing emotional twists and dramatic changes into their music. The track is accompanied by a video direct by Atte Heinonen.
BESRA’S drummer, Ville Kaisla, sheds light on the creation of the music video: “The song is on the heavier side of the album, so we absolutely wanted to make a powerful playing video for it. On the other hand, the lyrical side of ”Sentinels” also conveys a strong sense of frustration, making it feel very natural to add a visual narrative to it. The song itself is a story about the deterioration of human behavior and its negative effects on our environment. This has led to us losing both the connection and appreciation for nature and ourselves. We wanted to contribute our thoughts to maintain this important discussion.”
About BESRA: Change is often painful. Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut Anhedonia, Finnish progressive post-metal band Besra has been looking for ways to shed their skin. Born from the vision of guitarist Johannes Nygård(ex-Callisto), the group’s music has always defied easy categorization. Now, after a long writing and recording process, they’re ready to unleash their bold second album ”Transitions” via Suicide Records.
The band’s drummer, Ville Kaisla, opens up about the theme of the album:
”‘Transitions’revolves around confronting the complexities of human behavior and the tumultuous landscapes we create – both in our social behavior and to the world around us. Only change is constant, and often painful – whether it’s about the world situation, human relationships, your daily state of mind, or even our band’s musical development. The oldest song on the album is over five years old, and the freshest one was completed just a few weeks before recording sessions started. In this sense, the album became an interesting cross-section of the transformation we have gone through ourselves.”
The album was recoded at Rødhouse Studio and mixed and mastered by Cult Of Luna’s Magnus Lindbergwho, upon hearing the material, was convinced he was dealing with something special.
Vocalist, Hannes Hietarinta, continues: “At the beginning, the band struggled with the diversity of the songs, but unified long recording sessions and carefully considered song order ultimately created a cohesive yet versatile album. Magnus also did an excellent job with the mixing, adding depth, warmth, and tightness to our sound!”
Besra guides the listener through a spectrum of emotions. Growling vocals meet melancholy melodies; the experimental metal aesthetics of Cave In, The Oceanand Mastodon blend together with unexpected echoes of Russian Circlesand Mogwai.
Having emerged from their transitional period, Besra is ready to both fascinate and challenge a wide number of metal and alternative music fans. This is the perfect moment to join in on the journey.
Ville Kaisla – Drums Ville Kujansuu – Guitars Mika Mäkilaakso – Guitars, keyboards, vocals Johannes Nygård – Guitars Pekko Seppälä – Bass
The long-awaited new album by Pagan/Black/Death Metallers HELGRINDUR prepares to cross the gates of Hel and see the light of day! On October 20, the self-titled sophomore album will be released via MDD.
There will be 10 songs on it, which are about fairy tales, myths, legends and also own stories. Embedded in a gripping atmosphere with a great sense for melodies, the Solingen-based band will leave nothing to be desired for fans of the genre.
A first look at the cover artwork, which symbolically shows the gatekeeper who guides the damned souls through the realm of Hel and keeps the creature of darkness in check, can be found enclosed. First tunes soon!
Finnish Oulu-based rocking power trio RAT BOOGIE released a new single Away From The Fire. The track is taken from the upcoming EP Ignoring The Cost which is set to be released on October 6th 2023 via Finnish record label Secret Entertainment.
Singer-guitarist Mika Palosaari comments: “‘Ignoring the cost’ is the new four-song EP by Rat Boogie. Maintaining the familiar feel for subtle melodies and sour commentary, it also ventures out on new rhythmic paths, with the pulsating reggae of ‘Running in circles’ and the counter-rhythm joys of ‘One star vacation’. Loaded with clear and dynamic production, ‘Country Boy’ opened the game as the first single, which will soon be accompanied by another single ‘Away from the fire’. As you clearly appreciate original rock music that does its thing without clinging to cliches, this is definitely for you! Check it out, ignore the cost!”
RAT BOOGIE: Hailing from Oulu, northern Finland, Rat Boogie is a trio that melts different influences into a tightly rocking, original package. In the core there is always the organic live playing that gives the flowing melodies a solid backbone. With an amply aggressive but breathing sound, Rat Boogie adventures inside the rock’n roll nucleus, celebrating all the good things that can be achieved with guitars, bass and drums.
With long musical experience in Finnish bands such as EBPSATRFM, The Blaster Master and Laid Back Townies, Rat Boogie makes memorable melodies, while rocking tightly in the trio format. The songs are firmly connected to the reality around us, but not without imagination and humour.
Line-up: Mika Palosaari – Vocals, guitar Mika Säkkinen – Bass, vocals Pasi Aikio – Drums
ALKALOID are mad scientists. With each album, the extreme metal concocters have poked and prodded at mysterious phenomena both of this world and far beyond. The band are now proudly presenting the title track of their upcoming album “Numen”. The new offering is now streaming via the official Season of Mist YouTube channel HERE.
‘Numen’ will be released on September 15, 2023 by Season of Mist. The album can be pre-saved HERE. Pre-orders are available HERE.
Here’s what Alkaloid have to say about their new single: ” We proudly present the title track of our new album, and the first of three new chapters in the ongoing Dyson Saga up the Kardashev Scale. Through mindbogglingly complex manipulation of mass, electromagnetism and the structure of spacetime itself over countless aeons, “Numen” transforms into an acceleration hub for sentinel worldlets sent toward other galaxies.
“Musically, we mangled materials inspired by Rainbow and Pink Floyd, as well as Meshuggah into a polyrhythmic context, while still staying true to the sound of our Dyson world. The subtle but continuous disturbance of the main 12/16 groove by a stubborn 7/16 layer is a hint at the massive forces at play in the story”.
Artwork: Christian Martin Weiss
After five years, ALKALOID are back with their third full-length and it’s got some of their most intricate, thought-provoking and batshit insane ideas yet. “Numen” is a 70-minute monolith of an album that doesn’t just colonize interstellar space with sentient fungi and cephalopods. No; it grabs the fabric of the universe and ties it into knots to break time and space themselves. The Bavarian band plays around with all kinds of genre experiments, effortlessly flipping death metal on its horned head with seductive flurries of jazz, flamenco, rock and gospel choirs.
Tracklist: Disc 1 1. Qliphosis (07:48) 2. The Cambrian Explosion (03:58) [WATCH HERE] 3. Clusterfuck (06:00) [WATCH HERE] 4. Shades of Shub-Niggurath (06:11) 5. A Fool’s Desire (08:10) 6. The Fungi From Yuggoth (06:06)
Disc 2 1. The Black Siren (Instrumental) (1:39) 2. Numen (Dyson VII) (7:03) [WATCH HERE] 3. Recursion (Dyson VIII) (3:29) 4. The Folding (Dyson IX) (6:54) 5. Alpha Aur (13:23) Total run time: 1:10:15
Progressive extreme metallers Alkaloid prepare to unfurl their new many-tentacled full-length, ‘Numen’ via Season of Mist. Featuring members of Triptykon, Obscura, Dark Fortress, and Obsidious, the Germany-based quartet of Morean (vocals, guitars, concepts), Hannes Grossmann (drums), Christian Münzner (guitars), and Linus Klausenitzer (bass) construct upon, expand away from, and journey between previous full-lengths The Malkuth Grimoire (2015) and Liquid Anatomy (2018) on Numen. In every respect, Alkaloid recommence the purposeful warp of various metallic genres they dimensionally blur. Tracks like the video single for “Clusterfuck,” “The Cambrian Explosion,” and “Numen” posit heavy cosmological/Lovecraftian theoretic themes on top of musically-adept songs that are accessible yet undeniably intricate.
“We’ve all been around the block a few times by now as metal musicians,” says songsmith Morean. “The feeling that we’ve outgrown the narrow niche of pure extreme metal was a main motivator to start this band in the first place, ten years ago. The ‘prog’ tag is handy for us because, per definition, it already encompasses a wider range of possible styles and influences we can get away with than any one specific metal genre. This means we could ensure from the beginning that we’ll always be able to write whatever we want, no matter how crazy our ideas become. The heart of this band is always the songwriting, and we all like complex and virtuosic music in all its diverse manifestations. However, we do share a love for death metal as the smallest common denominator in the band, and we wanted to make sure no one thinks that just because we include melodies, clean guitars, and influences from other genres, we’d automatically sacrifice the brutality and relentless esthetic of extreme metal.”
‘Numen’ was written during the pandemic, but it was planned long before the scourge of disease wracked humanity. As a result, the songwriting sessions were predictably not “in the room” but over the Internet after the band members had isolated and worked on their constituent parts. Demos flew back and forth. Then, Tunker left amicably for personal reasons. Alkaloid could’ve folded, but the close-knit group soldiered on. They intensely relied on the professionalism and dependability of the collective to drive ‘Numen’ to completion. The complications of the two years it took to sonically inscribe the album into aeonic vastness didn’t fragment the end result. Instead, the process accelerated Alkaloid’s lambent, eldritch explorations. “Clusterfuck,” “The Cambrian Explosion,” “Numen,” and “A Fool’s Desire” expertly bridge the past to the future, where Alkaloid’s originative, daedal storytelling captures (and holds hostage) the imagination.
The title, ‘Numen’, got its start at the dawning of Alkaloid. It’s a word that Morean fell in love with immediately, and he knew it had a place in his creative endeavors. Whereas The Malkuth Grimoire talked about combining existing elements into new structures, and Liquid Anatomy dealt with the creation of new elements, ‘Numen’ tries to look at the universe from a kind of meta-perspective from an imaginary god, as if the space that everything happens in was given a voice and a role as observer and shaper of everything that happens. In it, sentient panspermic mycelia are swathed in Lovecraftian nastiness—like Shub-Niggurath and the Fungi from Yuggoth—while the new Dyson chapters interpret the aspiration to reach divinity rather literally, reshaping the entire galaxy by manipulating spacetime itself. Desperate to escape their doom, the Cephalopods from previous songs have returned, too. ‘Numen’ is dense but not impenetrable. In fact, from the first moments of opener, “Qliphosis,” to the final contemplation of closer “Alpha Aur,” Alkaloid prove to be more charismatic than ever.
Line-up Morean – guitars, vocals Christian Münzner – guitars Linus Klausenitzer – bass Hannes Grossmann – drums
Recording Studio: Mordor Sounds, Nürnberg, Germany. Producer: Hannes Grossmann & Alkaloid Recording & mixing: Hannes Grossmann Mastering: Alan Douches at West West Side Music studio in Hudson Valley, NY.
Guest musicians Adam Wallis, Cydney McQuillan-Grace, John Schaffer, Lauren Gill, Sara Robalo, Shannon Bedford Additional choir tracks on “The Cambrian Explosion” and “Shades of Shub-Niggurath” Former Alkaloid guitarist Danny Tunker contributed to “The Cambrian Explosion”
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 ) 