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ALTAR OF OBLIVION Unleash New “Burning Memories” EP, Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 20, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: ALTAR OF OBLIVION. Leave a comment

Fresh after being signed to From The Vaults, epic doom metallers ALTAR OF OBLIVION release today the EP “Burning Memories”. The five tracks were recorded in 2016 just after the completion of the band’s third full-length. Now, seven years later, the EP finally sees the light of day. On it, the band conjures up classic timeless epic doom metal, whilst at the same time exploring untrodden ground under the gloomy auspices of this Nordic collective.

Burning Memories” is out now on MLP (180gr black vinyl, limited to 300) and digital formats via From The Vaults. Buy the EP here.

“Burning Memories” tracklist:

A1. Burning Memories
A2. Through The Night

B1. Cosmic Chaos
B2. Manic Masquerade
B3. Radiation

The origins of Altar of Oblivion can be traced back to 2003, when Martin Sparvath (guitars/vocals) and Allan Larsen (drums) formed a duo called Summoning Sickness. Around three years later, this doubtful project morphed into Altar of Oblivion and the entity went from playing simple black/speed/ heavy-metal to epic doom metal. To complete the lineup, two new members in the shape of former opera-singer Mik Mentor and bassist/caffeine-addict Christian Nørgaard were recruited, and the band has, so far, several demos, EPs, a live album, and three full-lengths under its belt. Now, a new chapter opens up for Altar Of Oblivion, while the band closes the door on a brilliant past before looking forward to a new album in 2024.

“Epic doom is not a subgenre that many bands even attempt, let alone excel at, still less expand upon, so this Aalborg five-piece deserve mad props for bringing new life to this profound outsider sound. With the frosty melancholy of Candlemass, the mystical drama of Solitude Aeturnus and the barbarian brawn of Solstice, AOO mix in new levels of emotional vulnerability via the Robert Smith-ish vocals of Mik Mentor, and never get lost in sluggish gloom, maintaining trad metal fundamentals with a strong, clear vocal line, a sturdy gallop and a spine-tingling melody” Chris Shantler (Metal Hammer UK)

Lineup:
Mik Mentor – vocals
Martin Meyer Sparvath – guitars & guitar-synth
Jeppe Campradt – guitars
C. Nørgaard – bass
Danny Woe – drums
Jannick Nielsen – keyboards

Webshop: https://bit.ly/alt-bur

Web:
Official site
Facebook
Instagram
Spotify
Apple Music

SOLSTEIN Release New Single ‘Intersection’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 20, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: SOLSTEIN. Leave a comment

Fans eagerly awaiting the release of the debut full-length album from SOLSTEIN, the new project that features in its lineup multi-instrumentalist Jacob Holm-Lupo (WHITE WILLOW, THE OPIUM CARTEl), drummer Keith Carlock (STEELY DAN, TOTO), guitarist Stian Larsen (MARTE EBERSON, SMITH KOMMA JOHN), and Brynjar Dambo (WHITE WILLOW) on keyboards, get to hear another track from the album before its 7 July release, courtesy of Is It Jazz? Records who have released a second single from the self-titled album.

Titled “Intersection”, this is what the band had to say about it:

“Intersection” is named for its somewhat busy feel and on it the band is stripped down to its core trio of Larsen on fantastic lead guitar, Carlock on inimitably groovy drums, and Holm-Lupo anchoring on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards. It was one of the first tunes written for the album, and one we feel represents the sound of the band well.

“Intersection” is available to download or stream from a variety of services at
https://link.isitjazzrecords.no/Solstein_Intersection

Drawing their inspiration from jazz-rock, funk, prog rock and chill-out, SOLSTEIN’s musicians are given free rein to do whatever they feel the music needs, as long as it feels right to everyone. By combining jazz harmony with proggy arrangements and soul/funk grooves SOLSTEIN’s sound is elegant, oscillating, as it does, between funky fusion and rock.

The result is a debut album that is both accessible, whilst at the same time, adventurous. Colourful and engaging, it succeeds in mixing the groovier side of fusion with elements of prog and funk, eschewing the usual 2020s fusion sound for an altogether funkier, more melodic range, that brings artists like THE CRUSADERS, IDRIS MUHAMMED, early BOB JAMES and 70s HERBIE HANCOCK to mind.

“Solstein” was mixed and given pristine analogue mastering at Holm-Lupo’s Dude Ranch Studio, and with artwork by Martina Wilek, track listing is as follows:

Intersection
Oriental Folk Song
Southwester
The Night Owl
Siriusly
February 9^th
The Creeper
Hamada

“Solstein” will be available in CD, Digital and LPC formats and can now be pre-ordered from:

Bandcamp: https://solstein.bandcamp.com/album/solstein
Is it Jazz Records: Webshop: https://isitjazzrecords.no/
Karisma Records Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/

For those curious as to where the name SOLSTEIN comes from, the word actually means Sunstone, and it refers to a relatively rare rock containing copper-red crystals, which, when seen from different angles refracts the light in a very beautiful way. The most significant deposits of the rock are found along the southern coast of Norway where Holm-Lupo lives and runs his studio.

More information about SOLSTEIN can be found on the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/solsteinband

MOTORPSYCHO Celebrate Album Release with Brand New Video ‘W.C.A.’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 20, 2023

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Norwegian prog-psych-jazz-rock fusionists Motorpsycho are celebrating the release of their 31st studio album Yay!, that is out now on Stickman Records and in Scandinavia & UK through Motorpsycho‘s own label Det Nordenfjeldske Grammofonselskab.

Keeping things unpredictable and weird since 1989, and after a series of epic, sprawling and headphones-friendly albums, Motorpsycho return with a short, reasonably pop-formatted and intimate album of mainly acoustically based songs. Motorpsycho have always been about the balance between hard and soft, electric and acoustic, big and small, light and shade … and now the time was right for a lighter touch to balance the scales. Yang to the Yin of earlier, more epic works (N.O.X., The Crucible, and Chariot Of The Gods), this is also an album that is relatively easy on the ears, and that actually works really well with a cup of tea at noon.

For once playing the game instead of trying to reinvent it, Yay! is clearly a reaction in some way to too much architecture and too many grand visions, and dials the music down to more comprehensive and digestible sizes than have been the band’s métier lately.

In support of today’s record release, Motorpsycho have shared a music video for the song “W.C.A.”! The clip is now streaming here:

Yay! is a report from the darkest days of Covid (read a full and in-depth statement by the band about the making of Yay! HERE), the album’s melancholy combines Motorpsycho‘s trademarked dense guitar walls with naked lyrics sung with unusually great tenderness by someone who’s been there and understands the words. The fantastic retro-futuristic neo-psychedelic production by Reine Fiske and Lars Fredrik Swahn (Dungen, Melody’s Echo Chamber, The Amazing et al) brings a sweet Swedish psych edge to the album, giving it a lysergic tinge and charging what could easily have been a bit too ‘’backporchy” with an electric vibe that lifts it out of the often staid singer/songwriter genre, but still keeping the intimacy intact.

While as ever clearly drawing on inspiration from late 60s/early 70s heroes, Yay! is as indebted to earlier iterations of Motorpsycho as anything else, and will be recognizable to fans of vintage Motorpsychodelia as well as a breath of fresh air to newer Psychonauts that only ever heard the heavy progressive side of the band. Yay! is out now and available as CD, as well as red and black LP vinyl edition at THIS LOCATION

Yay! track listing:

Cold & Bored
Sentinels
Patterns
Dank State
W.C.A.
Real Again (Norway shrugs and stays at home)
Loch Meaninglessness & the Mull of Dull
Hotel Daedalus
Scaredcrow
The Rapture

For More Info Visit:
http://www.motorpsycho.no
http://www.facebook.com/motorpsycho.official
http://www.instagram.com/motorpsychoband
http://www.stickman-records.com

Inferno Metal Festival Norway Reveals First Wave of Bands for 2024 Edition

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 20, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: INFERNO METAL FESTIVAL. Leave a comment

Inferno Metal Festival is now revealing the first wave of bands for its 2024 edition, taking place from March 28-31, 2024 across several venues in Oslo (NO). So far, the iconic festival is revealing a mixture of classic bands as well as some vital and exciting new-comers! The current lineup is as follows:

Borknagar
Sólstafir
Finntroll
Keep of Kalessin
Misþyrming
Saor
Konvent
Khold
Crypta
Extermination Dismemberment
Orm
Tilintetgjor
Imbalance
Nakkeknaekker
Horrifier

Single day tickets and passes are now available HERE.

Can’t wait to attend next year? Fret not – Inferno Metal Festival will be hosting a very special, free event this Friday, June 16 in Sofia (BG)!

For the first time in Sofia at Club Live&Loud, fans will have the opportunity to meet the core organizing team of Inferno Metal Festival Norway!

Inferno’s co-owner and managing director Jan-Martin Jensen, volunteer department and accreditation coordinator Monica Ferreira Ask, and project coordinator Åsmund Prytz will present an exciting discussion on the history of the festival, booking profile, use of international and national volunteers, and international projects including “greening” festivals and events! This will be followed by a Q&A related to the scene and music industries in Bulgaria and Norway.

After the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to hear one of Bulgaria’s leading metal bands – DIMHOLT. Their performance will be followed by a thematic black metal afterparty with a playlist specially prepared by Gormoth.

More info can be found HERE.

Official festival hotel – Clarion Hotel® The Hub:

In addition, Inferno Metal Festival is now revealing that the Clarion Hotel The Hub is once again the official hotel partner!

The audience, artists, media, and music industry personnel will gather at Clarion The Hub for happenings, partying and a good night sleep.

Moreover, The Inferno Music Conference will take place at the hotel prior to the festival doors opening on Thursday and Friday, for which more info will be revealed soon! Hotel guests will also be treated to an epic and inclusive breakfast buffet that runs until 11:00 A.M. (it’s worth waking up early for!) as well as free access to the swimming pool and sauna.

The Hub boasts Oslo’s best location, right in the city centre, next to Oslo Central Station and the Airport Express Train. It’s also only about a five-minute walk from the iconic rock bars and venues in which Inferno Festival will be hosting bands and special events: Rockefeller & John Dee, Salt, Kniven, Vaterland, Brewgata and Rock In, allowing guest to travel freely without the expense of taxis or transit.

The special Inferno discount price is valid from March 24 to April 1, 2024. Extend your stay and experience Oslo!

These prices will increase starting on February 28, 2024.

For more information can be found via the official Inferno Festival Website or directly via the hotel’s website. The ”Inferno” booking code is enabled to get the discounted prices.

Be sure to stay tuned for more bands, special events and excursions, and more information on the Inferno Music Conference!

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.

More information at: Official Inferno Fest Website – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Tickets

British GODTHRYMM Announce New Album “Distortions” + Share First Single

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 19, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: GODTHRYMM. Leave a comment

Following the band’s critically acclaimed latest album “Reflections”, August 18th will see the release of “Distortions”, the sophomore full-length record by British epic doom metallers GODTHRYMM, which will be coming out on Profound Lore Records.

Featuring members once involved in such luminaries as My Dying Bride, Anathema, Vallenfyre, and Solstice, the band’s upcoming album shows the Halifax-based quartet of Hamish Glencross (guitars/vocals), Catherine Glencross (keyboards/vocals), “Sasquatch” Bob Crolla (bass), and Shaun “Winter” Taylor-Steels (drums) elegantly expanding upon their sound and vision.

“Distortions” is the second part of Glencross’ Visions trilogy and throughout its seven-track, hour-long expanse, Godthrymm’s sophomore effort delves deeper into the despondent march of the band’s post-pandemic singles “Chasm” and “In Perpetuum”, the latter released exclusively on Decibel Magazine’s Decibel Flexi Series in 2022.

“I absolutely wanted to create a much more layered and complex arrangement in the sound,” says Godthrymm’s Hamish Glencross. “Totally amping up the contrasts to the extreme – the light shines brighter, and the darker depths are vast trenches. There is a lot more harmony and melancholy for much of it, but also some slab-heavy riffing, too. We wanted a total progression in the production and more class and clarity in the sound, as opposed to Reflections, which could get quite dense in tone.”

For an album centered lyrically on grief, loss, regret, resolve, love, and determination, it’s hard to imagine something inexplicably heavy yet remarkably beautiful. Producer Andy Hawkins (Hark, Grave Lines) was the perfect man for the job, as Glencross reveals:

“I wanted the production to match the care and attention put into the writing of the music, I think we’ve achieved that with Andy. The guitar tones are more amp driven than pedal-driven. It simultaneously sounds huge, but there’s space in there too. Nothing is fighting for space, which I think happened somewhat with the last album, which got a bit too dense. This album has clarity as well as weight. I was incredibly amazed by everyone’s dedication and hard work in turning in such wonderful performances. I am incredibly lucky to be working with such wonderful people.“

“Distortions” track listing:

As Titans
Devils
Echoes
Obsess and Regress
Unseen, Unheard (feat. Scoot Gladok)
Follow Me (feat. Aaron Stainthorpe)
Pictures Remain

For a band that formed in 2017, Godthrymm are on an impressive run. Not only have they proven to be a formidable live act – invites to Bloodstock Open Air, In Flammen Open Air, and Tomorrow’s Ghost Festival are but the beginning – but the group’s prolific output of three EPs, two singles, and two full-length albums have also repositioned England as the epicenter of high-quality, epic-sounding doom metal.

“I hope we continue to evolve and progress,” Glencross says. “The sound is decidedly more complete [on Distortions] than the previous incarnations, which are quite primitive. I hope people connect with the passion and love we have put in. The themes are universal and eternal. I’m very grateful and touched any time anyone appreciates our work.”

Get the song on all digital platforms HERE

“Distortions” was recorded between The Nave Music Studio, Sasquatch Music Studio, and The Glencross Residence at various points in 2022. Mixed by Andy Hawkins (Hark, Grave Lines). Produced by Andy Hawkins and Hamish Glencross. The album was mastered by Mark Midgley (Doom, Hellkrusher) at Northern Mastering Company. Artwork by Andy Green (My Dying Bride).

“Distortions” will be coming out August 18th on Profound Lore Records and is now available for pre-order at THIS LOCATION

GODTHRYMM are:
Hamish Glencross – Guitars/vocals
Catherine Glencross – Keyboards/vocals
“Sasquatch” Bob Crolla – Bass
Shaun “Winter” Taylor-Steels – Drums
Al Kotwal – Live guitar

For more info visit:

MYSTICAL PORN HEROES Announce Self-Titled Debut EP, Out July 7th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 19, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: MYSTICAL PORN HEROES. Leave a comment

Italy’s very own MYSTICAL PORN HEROES, the new musical project of drummer Max Ear (OJM, Ananda Mida, Go Down Records) and guitarist/songwriter Andrea Ghion (Scontro Frontale, Rocker’s Guitar), have announced their s/t debut EP, which will be released digitally on July 7 via Go Down Records.

‘Mystical Porn Heroes’ is a fictional work inspired by the current obsessive and disturbing cult of appearance, featuring three “musical tales” set in a crazed, dystopian, and obscene world.

Tracklist:

Tura
Carnal
Titana

Their self-titled debut EP was conceived at Altroquando, Zero Branco, Italy, and later arranged and recorded by Tommaso Mantelli at his Lesder Studio. Stay tuned for more news and tunes to follow in the days ahead!