TheCityIsOurs Release Video for New Single ‘In The Dark’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 25, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Oli Duncanson

TheCityIsOurs have released their new single ‘In The Dark’ via Arising Empire. Continuing their exploration of deep and evocative themes, the track follows previous single ‘Shame’, and delves further into the complexities of personal and societal challenges.

Stream ‘In The Dark’ here: https://arisingempire.com/inthedark

This new track builds upon the emotional narrative established in ‘Shame’, offering a compelling blend of powerful melodies and introspective lyrics, highlighting the ongoing journey towards self-discovery and acceptance.

With ‘In the Dark’, TheCityIsOurs reaffirm their commitment to shedding light on the struggles many face in silence, providing a source of comfort and solidarity through their music.

Vocalist Oli Duncanson comments: “[‘In The Dark’ is] About building up a wall to keep yourself safe by creating a fake image of yourself to make your family happy, growing up being told by society that I’d always be a disappointment because of my sexuality, something I can’t control. So I’d try to hide it and do anything to not cause any sort of disappointment in anything that I can control.

“The pressure of upholding that image builds up to a point where it feels you can’t go back and completely shatter your own family’s perception of you. No matter how much I’d planned it out and got to a point where I was going to tell them, nothing would ever come out, I feel guilty because your life is a lie to people who are supposed to love you unconditionally. And no matter how irrational I knew the fear of telling them was and how frustrated with myself I’d get for not being able to tell them, I could never get the words out. 

“Your friends and potentially people who barely know you still know you more than family, which isn’t fair. It feels like you can’t progress as a person as you condition yourself to keep your walls built up, unable to let anyone in.” 

TheCityIsOurs are a four-piece pop metal band from London who have quickly garnered attention and growing support for peers, industry and fans alike, with their high-octane live show and the success of their second album. Coma (2021) smashed into the Top 5 iTunes Metal Charts with several singles appearing in editorial playlists with the likes of Amazon Music, Deezer and Spotify (including two covers on New Core and Metal UK) supporting the band.

TheCityIsOurs have become a upcoming staple on UK and EU festival line-ups, with appearances at Camden Rocks, Macmillan Fest, Burn It Down, Holloween, a fly in appearance at High 5 Festival in Sweden, and a headline set in the Doghouse Tent at the revered Download Festival to a 4000+ audience of festival-goers. After a sold-out album release show at The Underworld in London, 2022 saw TheCityIsOurs break out into the European scene, with a full-length tour across the mainland. Most recently, the band toured across the UK supporting Heart Of A Coward. 

TheCityIsOurs are:
Oli Duncanson | Vocals
Mikey Page | Vocals / Guitar
Jamie Deeks | Bass
David Cardona | Drums

More info:
https://www.instagram.com/thecityisoursuk
https://www.facebook.com/thecityisoursuk
https://www.tiktok.com/@thecityisoursuk
https://twitter.com/thecityisoursuk
https://thecityisours.bigcartel.com/

DANKO JONES Present Previously-Unreleased “Electric Sounds”- Bonus Track ‘Waiting For You’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[photo: Daniel Berbig]

Following their much acclaimed, eleventh studio album, Electric Sounds (released in September 2023 on AFM Records), the undisputed kings of balls-out rock’n’roll DANKO JONES have unleashed a high-voltage, new track entitled “Waiting For you”! This previously-unreleased song is a bonus track taken off the upcoming DANKO JONES Electric Sounds Deluxe Version, that is slated for a Digital release on April 12, 2024. Additionally to the album Electric Sounds, the digital Deluxe Version will include “Waiting For You” and a second bonus track, “Haunting Me”.

Furthermore, DANKO JONES has announced to release a limited, 10” Vinyl edition on April 12, 2024, entitled “4×10”, that consists of both bonus tracks as well as two unreleased live songs!

Frontman Danko comments: “We cooked up this new ditty, Waiting For You, just to add to the colossal rock that is Electric Sounds. Think of it as a little something from us to you.”

Get the party started and listen to “Waiting For You”, now available on all digital services here: https://danko-jones.bfan.link/waiting-for-you

With Electric Sounds, DANKO JONES have stormed international album charts ( Sweden #12, Germany #18, Switzerland #24), with consecutive top radio chart entries like with their hit singles “Good Time”, “Guess Who’s Back” and “Get High?”, ruling the German Rock Radio Charts at a phenomenal #1 position. On their ensuing, European album release tour, DANKO JONES sold out numerous shows, with many more live dates to kick off by the end of this month in Stockholm, Sweden (visit https://www.dankojones.com/tour for all upcoming shows!). Furthermore, the band has just been nominated for a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy Award. Winners will be announced on March 24th!

About the album, Blabbermouth wrote, “Electric Sounds has attitude and guts” and that “it’s a brash, in-your-face collection of hard rock that’s somehow still fun and optimistic”, while Metal Hammer Germany agrees with Danko on lyrics like “’I came here to fuck shit up and have a good time’, you definitely have that with ELECTRIC SOUNDS”. The Rock Pit highly recommends “if you’ve not already let them in, you need Danko Jones in your life!” and also Classic Rock Magazine in Germany confirmed, “this album sounds extremely tight and captivating.”

Without any doubt, Electric Sounds has the instant sound and feel of a classic. When the wheel is spinning freely and propelling you forward, there’s no need to reinvent the damn thing: instead, the Canadian trio is simply honing and refining their craft, and always at full volume. From the chest-out chutzpah of the opening “Guess Who’s Back” and the muscular new wave strut of “Good Time”, the ultimate pothead anthem “Get High?” to the title track’s promise to “smash a thousand guitars tonight!” and “Stiff Competition”’s angular, cock-eyed stomp and juddering bull’s-eye of chorus, Electric Sounds is a deceptively diverse affair. No band has ever sounded more ready to hit the road than the pumped-up threesome showcased on hell-for-leather ragers like “Eye For An Eye”, “What Goes Around” and mad-eyed and murderous closer “Shake Your City”.

Electric Sounds was produced by Eric Ratz, and guest spots from Tyler Stewart (Barenaked Ladies) on “She’s My Baby”, Damian Abraham of Fucked Up on “Get High?” and guitarist Daniel Dekay (from Canadian thrash legends Exciter) on “Electric Sounds” complete the picture with a snotty flourish.

With the upcoming Deluxe Version in addition to Electric Sounds as well as the “4×10” Vinyl edition, DANKO JONES present their fans some highly-collectable highlights featuring previously-unreleased bonus material, showcasing their amplitude of songwriting skills, an irrepressible energy and the reliability always providing a damn good time!

Pre-Save the Digital Electric Sounds Deluxe Version HERE – Pre-Order the Ltd. “4×10” Vinyl Edition HERE

Electric Sounds Digital Deluxe Tracklist:

  1. Guess Who’s Back
  2. Good Time
  3. Electric Sounds
  4. Get High?
  5. Stiff Competition
  6. She’s My Baby
  7. Eye for an Eye
  8. I Like It
  9. Let’s Make Out
  10. What Goes Around
  11. Shake Your City
  12. Waiting for You (Bonus Track)
  13. Haunting Me (Bonus Track)

“4×10” Vinyl Tracklist:

  1. Haunting Me
  2. Lipstick City – Live in Bremen
  3. My Little RNR – Live in Stockholm
  4. Waiting for You

For More Info Visit:
https://www.dankojones.com
https://www.dankojones.com/tour
https://www.facebook.com/dankojones
https://www.instagram.com/danko_jones
https://twitter.com/dankojones
https://www.tiktok.com/@dankojonesofficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/dankotv
https://www.afm-records.de
https://shop.afm-records.de

JOE BONAMASSA Unveils “Live At The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra” Spectacular Live Album & Film

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo credit: Christie Goodwin

In an unparalleled blend of blues, rock, and orchestral majesty, Joe Bonamassa is set to release Live At The Hollywood Bowl on May 17th via J&R Adventures. This monumental CD/DVD, also available in CD/BR, 2 LP Vinyl (180-gram), and digital formats, immortalizes Joe’s first-ever performance at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in August 2023. Accompanied by an impressive ensemble of 40 orchestra members, Bonamassa delivered a performance that will now be forever encapsulated in this eagerly awaited release.

“It was a searing and dynamic performance one will not soon forget. Bonamassa is a musical hero.” – Live Music News

Live At The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra showcases Bonamassa’s virtuosic blend of blues and rock but also elevates fan-favorite tracks with grandiose orchestral arrangements by some of Hollywood’s finest – David Campbell, Trevor Rabin, and Jeff Bova. “Very few gigs represent my journey in music more than the Hollywood Bowl. I moved to Los Angeles in 2003 in search of opportunity and cheaper rent than New York City.  My first gig at The Mint was attended by 5 of my friends and that’s all. We have played The Greek Theatre many times since, but the Bowl has always been a dream. The orchestra and the sheer scale of the event and venue is something I will never forget. I am so grateful that we filmed this special event in my life,” reminisces Bonamassa. 

Photo credit: Jenise Jensen

The project’s lead single is a riveting live rendition of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s classic “Twenty-Four Hour Blues” from Bonamassa’s latest studio album Blues Deluxe Volume 2. Listen to the new live single HERE.
 
“With a master practitioner like Joe Bonamassa on guitar, studio ingredients become magic live,” comments Kevin Shirley, the project’s producer. “Embracing the challenge of surpassing previous concerts, we aimed high for the Hollywood Bowl, incorporating orchestral maestros like David Campbell and Trevor Rabin. The result is a cinematic celebration of Joe’s music, a testament to his unparalleled standing in the blues-rock realm.”

Bonamassa’s Hollywood Bowl performance was a “bucket list” event that further cements his status as a leading figure in modern blues-rock. The collaboration with a full orchestra, under the guidance of renowned Hollywood orchestrators, added an unprecedented depth and scale to Joe’s music, providing fans with an entirely new way to experience his catalog. The project represents yet another pinnacle in Bonamassa’s career, encapsulating the magic of a live performance where every note resonates with the energy of a musician at the peak of his powers.

Following the momentum from his U.S. Spring Tour and recent Blues Music Award nominations, Bonamassa recently announced the “Blues Deluxe Tour” for the summer. Beginning August 2nd in Selbyville, DE, and culminating in an unforgettable two-night performance in Hampton Beach, NH, on August 30th and 31st, the tour celebrates Bonamassa’s seminal albums Blues Deluxe and its chart-topping successor, Blues Deluxe Volume 2. This 21-city tour is set to showcase an electrifying mix of Bonamassa’s classics and deep tracks live for the first time, alongside a band of world-class musicians. The news also follows the announcement of KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE AT SEA X, the 10th voyage of Bonamassa’s annual cruise. For more information, visit www.jbonamassa.com.

Bonamassa’s impact on the blues-rock genre is immeasurable. Guitar World has hailed him as “the world’s biggest blues guitarist,” a testament to his skill, influence, and role in bringing blues-rock to the forefront of the music scene. With a career spanning over three decades, Bonamassa has consistently captivated audiences around the globe with his dynamic live performances and musical ingenuity.

CD Track list:
1 When One Door Opens Overture
2 Curtain Call
3 Self-Inflicted Wounds
4 No Good Place For The Lonely
5 Ball Peen Hammer
6 The Last Matador Of Bayonne
7 Prisoner
8 If Heartaches Were Nickels
9 The Ballad Of John Henry
10 Twenty-Four Hour Blues
11 Sloe Gin

Vinyl Track list:
A1 When One Door Opens Overture
A2 Curtain Call
A3 Self-Inflicted Wounds
B1 No Good Place For The Lonely
B2 Ball Peen Hammer
B3 The Last Matador Of Bayonne
C1 Prisoner
C2 If Heartaches Were Nickels
D1 The Ballad Of John Henry
D2 Twenty-Four Hour Blues
D3 Sloe Gin
DVD track list
1 Notches
2 The Heart That Never Waits
3 Curtain Call
4 Mind’s Eye
5 Questions And Answers
6 The Loyal Kind
7 Known Unknowns
8 Time Clocks
9 Evil Mama
10 Midnight Blues
11 I Didn’t Think She Would Do It
12 Just ‘Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should
13 Mountain Time
Bonus Features
1 Dust Bowl 
2 Band Intros 
3 The Ballad Of John Henry 

Blu-ray tracklist
1 Notches
2 The Heart That Never Waits
3 Curtain Call
4 Mind’s Eye
5 Questions And Answers
6 The Loyal Kind
7 Known Unknowns
8 Time Clocks
9 Evil Mama
10 Midnight Blues
11 I Didn’t Think She Would Do It
12 Just ‘Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should
13 Mountain Time
Bonus Features
1 Dust Bowl 
2 Band Intros 
3 The Ballad Of John Henry 

U.S. SPRING 2024 TOUR
February 19 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
February 21 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
February 23 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center For The Arts
February 24 – Oxon Hill, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
February 25 – Durham, NC – DPAC
February 27 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium
February 29 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Sandler Center
March 1 – Roanoke, VA – Berglund Center
March 2 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
March 4 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
March 5 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium
March 7 – Pensacola, FL – Saenger Theatre
March 8 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage
March 9 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage
March 11 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
March 12 – Greenville, SC – Peace Center
March 14 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium
March 15 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center
March 16 – Clearwater, FL – The Sound
March 18-22 – Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea IX – Miami, FL to Cozumel, Mexico
 
EU SPRING 2024 TOUR
April 4 – London, UK – The Royal Albert Hall
April 5 – London, UK – The Royal Albert Hall
April 7 – Oostende, BE – Kursaal Oostende
April 9 – Koln, DE – Lanxess Arena
April 11 – Paris, FR – Palais Des Sport
April 12 – Amsterdam, NL – AFAS Live
April 13 – Muenster, DE – Messe Und Congress Center
April 15 – Leipzig, DE – Arena Leipzig
April 17 – Katowice, PL – Spodek
April 18 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes Benz Arena
April 19 – Vienna, AT – Stadthalle
 
U.S. SUMMER 2024 – BLUES DELUXE TOUR
July 17 – Selbyville, DE – Freeman Arts Pavilion *
July 18 – Patchogue, NY – Great South Bay Music Festival*
July 19 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater*
August 2 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Resort & Casino
August 4 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 6 – Omaha, NE – Orpheum Theater
August 8 – Topeka, KS – Topeka Performing Arts Center
August 9 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater
August 10 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall
August 12 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall
August 14 – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center
August 16 – Evansville, IN – Old National Events Plaza
August 17 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
August 18 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
August 20 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion
August 21 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre
August 23 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
August 24 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
August 25 – Rochester, NY – West Herr Auditorium Theatre
August 27 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre
August 29 – Hyannis, MA – Cape Cod Melody Tent
August 30 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
August 31 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
 
*Not part of the Blues Deluxe Tour

Tickets available from https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/

More information at Website | Facebook | Spotify | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

Kati Rán Releases New Track ‘Stone Pillars’ Ft. Gaahl

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , . 1 Comment
Photo Credit: Helisir

Dutch artist and Nordic folk pioneer Kati Rán is pleased to reveal the very first offering from her new full-length SÁLA. The album will be released on 24th May, 2024 via Svart Records. 

Special guest on ‘Stone Pillars’ is no other than black metal legend Gaahl (Gaahls Wyrd, Ex-Gorgoroth).

Listen to the track here: https://orcd.co/stonepillars

Kati Rán elaborates: ”Stone Pillars embraces our most vulnerable side, questions our mind, and attempts to resurrect or reposition ourselves through spinning with the Fates. It dips right into the heart of things.”

Kati Rán is known for her collaborative audio work for Netflix’s tv series ‘VIKINGS: VALHALLA‘, films and work for videogames, her stage appearances with Wardruna, Myrkur and Gaahls Wyrd to name a few, and her previous release ‘Blodbylgje’ 

Special vinyl editions in gold, transparent smoke, and black as well as digipack CDs are available for pre-order HERE.

If the most profound treasures are often the most deeply buried, the journey to uncover them is a vital process of discovery. Five years after the 15-minute single ‘Blodbylgje’ signaled the birth of a new, more primordial, and immersive vision after the dissolution of her band L.E.A.F., Nordic dark folk artist Kati Rán has expanded on its oceanic theme for her long-awaited full-length album, SÁLA. Embarking on a far-reaching musical and personal travelogue, it’s a reawakening of both the feminine narratives submerged and fragmented within Norse mythology, and the enduring, healing powers held within.

Named after the Old Norse word for ‘soul’ and ‘sea’, SÁLA is an act of ‘soul retrieval’, the shamanic art of trauma recovery, be it illness, death, heartbreak or loss, and the reintegration of a splintered self. Across its 13, wide-ranging, elegantly unfolding tracks, the album is an embodiment of different feminine voices and perspectives – from the Norse nine daughters of the sea, or ‘billow maidens’, through various historical and fictional figures to the late-night voices we hear in our most liminal states – all with tales to tell, riddles to solve, challenges to be accepted and guidance to offer. It’s a multiplicity that, like the ocean itself, belongs to a vast, restless dynamic: a matrix of mysteries, unfathomable depths and ever-shifting currents, accumulating into an elemental, regenerative source of power.

Recorded in a barn in Húsafell, Iceland – home to glacier ice caves and a rare lava stone marimba rediscovered for the track ‘Stone Pillars’ – as well as Finland, Norway and at home in Kati’s native Netherlands, SÁLA is as much chronicle of Kati’s own perspective-shifting recording process as it as a pilgrimage through different viewpoints and internal states. That itinerant urge is also reflected in the use of different languages, ranging across Norwegian, Old Norse, Icelandic, and, for the first time, English, her combination of ancient texts, historical reimagining’s and unguarded personal reflection backed up by deep research into the most resonant recesses of Nordic lore.

Spun throughout every thread of SÁLA is a sense of communion – with the power of stories to offer moral guidance and the thrill of the unknown; with the element of water, recreated across the album both in field recordings and the agelessly organic nature of the music itself; with the archetypes whose qualities we are called upon to embody at our most critical moments; and with the internal hidden realms forever whispering at us from the far edges of our consciousness.

Appropriately, it’s a collaborative venture too. As well as working closely together with Finnish producer Jaani Peuhu, there are contributions from across the musical spectrum, including extreme metal vocalist extraordinaire Gaahl, the Icelandic female choir Umbra Ensemble, renowned Norwegian jazz musician Karl Seglem, Björk and Brian Eno contrabassist Borgar Magnason, members of pagan folk acts Völuspá, Gealdýr, Heilung and Theodor Bastard and even Napalm Death’s Mitch Harris on vocals.

For all the many sources SÁLA draws from, the result is a singular, intimately transformative rite of passage, and a returning of the heart to the reverent continuity of the sacred. It will take you from the opening title track’s chest-pounding rhythmic pulse emerging from a traditional Norwegian bukkehorn (recorded by Karl Seglem), a galloping horse-rider and Kati’s glacial, velveteen chant, through “Kólga’s” recounting of female persecution through the ages borne on the most gossamer-light yet unbreakable of timbres and “Stone Pillar’s” gently percolating, deep wells of abandonment and incantations to recovery. SÁLA closes with the track ‘Sátta’  – Old Norse for ‘peace’ and ‘reconciliation’ – ending the album as it began with the bukkehorn, as it weaves rich drones and experience-stamped poems and prayers, Kati’s vocals the most sensitively tuned of emotional barometers. An album made in dedication, and in thrall to, its own sense of destiny, SÁLA is, as all quests must ultimately be, a homecoming.

For Fans Of: Heilung, Wardruna, Ianai, Gaahls WYRD, Nytt Land

Lineup:
Kati Rán

Special Guests:
Gaahl (Gaahl, Wyrd, Wardruna)
Mitch Harris (Napalm Death)
Jaani Peuhu (Swallow the Sun, IANAI, Lord of the Lost, Hallatar)
Karl Seglem (Norwegian jazz and folk legend)
Borgar Magnason (Björk, Sígur Rós, Brian Eno)
Gealdýr
Emilie Lorentzen (Heilung)
Nicholas Schipper (Heilung)
Yana Veva (Theodor Basterd)
Umbra (Icelandic female choir)
Sól Geirsdóttir, Varg Saastad (Völuspá band)
Marianne Heikkinen, Salla Marja (Saruru,´bunny girl metal´)
Páll Guðmunsson (Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steindór Anderssen, Sígur Rós)

Production: Jaani Peuhu, Kati Rán, Christopher Juul
Mastering: Jaime Gomez Arrelano

Cover Art: Photographer Arne Beck, Illustrator Halfdan Skrifa, Graphic design Jari Laurén, Charlotte Boer, Deluxe Box Edition with cover painting by Marzena Ablewska-Lech

Bio: Jonathan Selzer

More information at:
http://www.kati-ran.com
http://www.ranarvegr.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/ran.musician
http://www.instagram.com/kati_ran
http://www.tiktok.com/@kati_ran
http://www.youtube.com/@KatiRan
http://www.svartrecords.com

HAND OF KALLIACH Release Music Video for ‘Cirein-Cròin’, New Album Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photographer credit: Matthieu Gill

Melodic death metal and Scottish folk music duo HAND OF KALLIACH has today released their sophomore album, Corryvreckan, via Prosthetic Records. The husband and wife pair has also shared a lyric video for Crirein-cròin, which tells the tale of a mythological sea monster, with portions of the lyrics taking inspiration from Gaelic poetry.

Stream Corryvreckan via Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Bandcamp and Spotify.
Order Corryvreckan here.

Speaking on the album release, HAND OF KALLIACH‘s John (vocals, guitars, drums) comments: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to unleash the full torrent of melodeath and ethereal folk that is Corryvreckan. Named after the enormous whirlpool between some of the western Scottish isles, the album is focussed on the reign of the Cailleach, the Scottish Celtic witch god of winter, and the foul designs of her churning Corryvreckan cauldron.”

Vocalist and bassist, Sophie adds: “We’ve poured even more mythology into this album, and have pushed even further on the contrasting sonic extremities of our previous album, Samhainn. We hope you join us in the midst of the Cailleach’s harsh and haunting winter, and find the Hag God’s salvation submerged in the dark depths of the legendary Corryvreckan.”

Of Cirein- cròin‘s release, John continues: “Cirein-cròin is named after a gargantuan, shapeshifting sea monster from Scottish mythology. It was so large it was said to eat seven whales a day, in fact the chorus that Sophie sings is a Gaelic child’s poem we added a melody to, that translates to:

Seven herrings a salmon’s meal,
Seven salmon a seal’s meal,
Seven seals a whale’s meal,
Seven whales a Cirein-cròin’s meal.”

Sophie shared: “There’s no consensus on what it looked like, so in our lyrics (and you might have noticed it on the album artwork) we opted for a colossal scaled serpent. While it’s true size was impossibly massive, it disguised itself as a small silver herring in order to lure prey, including fishermen, before unfurling and expanding to its true size. The lyrics are focussed on the transformation from innocuous fish into the resulting Lovecraftian nightmare, from the perspective of an unfortunate observer….” 

HAND OF KALLIACH‘s name is borrowed from the legend of the Cailleach, the ancient witch god of winter from Scottish Celtic mythology. The story goes that she lives at the bottom of an enormous whirlpool, Corryvreckan, which lies between some of the western isles of Scotland and lends its name to this album. As the herald of winter, she rises from the depths to wash her plaid (cloak) in the waters of the Corryvreckan. Once washed and restored to a bright white, she casts it across the earth where it lands as snow. This is done at the start of Samhainn (beginning on 31st October, which was the Celtic precursor to Halloween and the name of the band’s debut album). Her reign ends as spring arrives with the festival of Bealltainn in May, and she turns to stone to await the next winter.

The Cailleach is depicted in various, contradictory ways – both as a symbol of death, loss and despair, as well as a source of nurturing and protection. Taking inspiration from all this, the music that HAND OF KALLIACH creates is centred around these dual concepts of benevolence and malevolence, all against the backdrop of the history, mythology and land/seascapes of the Scottish islands.

The threads of Celtic and Gaelic folk music and folklore weave throughout the album, against a backdrop of spectral, melodic death metal. Blending the robust brutality of death metal with the ethereal wisps of folk is an intoxicating brew. Corryvreckan was recorded with Wynter Prior at Sphynx Studios, Brighton, UK. The resulting album is a phantasmagorical journey through ancient tales and truly progressive modern metal, with an unmatched eye for detail that brings every single element of Corryvreckan to life.

Corryvreckan tracklist:
1. Three Seas
2. Fell Reigns
3. Dìoghaltas
4. Cirein-cròin
5. Deathless
6. The Hubris of Prince Bhreacan
7. Unbroken You Remain
8. The Cauldron
9. Of Twilight and the Pyre

APOCALYPTICA Announce New Album “Plays Metallica Vol. 2”, Release First Single + Video for ‘The Four Horsemen’ Ft. Rob Trujillo

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Riki Murto

Finland’s multi-Platinum cello-rockers APOCALYPTICA have issued the following:

Hello our dear cello-metal community,
after having announced our European tour, we have more great news to spread. We are THRILLED to finally be able to tell you: Our new album “Plays Metallica Vol. 2” will be out June 7th!

We’ve been talking about making another Metallica album for around 20 years, as there were and still are so many great songs we want to play! The first single we want to present to you is “The Four Horsemen”. And we couldn’t be more excited to have a great feature guest on it: Rob Trujillo himself, who is probably THE greatest bass player in this whole wide world! We’ve always enjoyed sharing our love for Metallica. Now, this is next level for us as well!

Our next album will come in different vinyl formats, as a CD, in bundles and of course on all streaming plattforms. We thoroughly decided a collection of Metallica songs we gave our very own twist to. Here is the tracklist you can look forward to:

  1. Ride the Lightning
  2. St. Anger
  3. The Unforgiven II
  4. Blackened
  5. The Call of Ktulu (in memory of Cliff Burton)
  6. The Four Horsemen (ft. Rob Trujillo)
  7. Holier Than Thou
  8. To Live Is To Die
  9. One
  10. One (Instrumental)

As you may have seen on social media already, “Plays Metallica Vol. 2” is the last collective achievement we have with our dear drummer Mikko Síren. After 20 years, we have amicably parted ways. We wish him happiness and success in everything he aims for in all his future endeavours!

To us, it feels like everything falls into place right now with the album, tour and stories we will soon share with you about the album creation process! At this point, we will start with showing you the track list (see below). If you are already totally into it like us:

… and just join us on this journey into the past, present and future of Apocalyptica!

2024 is gonna be an EPIC year!!!
Cheers to that
Eicca, Perttu and Paavo

The band will tour Europe fall 2024. Public onsale for tickets will be Friday, February 23. They will offer upgrades to regular tickets for VIP experiences via the band’s website.

Full tour dates:

08 Jun FI Helsinki – Ice Hall (public on sale 26.2.)
13 Sep AE Dubai – TBA
19 Sep TR Istanbul – Zorlu PSM
21 Sep SE Stockholm – Kagelbanan
22 Sep NO Oslo – Rockefeller
23 Sep DK Copenhagen – Amager Bio
24 Sep DK Aarhus – Train
26 Sep DE Hamburg – Große Freiheit 36
27 Sep NL Tilburg – O13
29 Sep UK Manchester – Manchester Albert Hall
30 Sep UK London – Royal Albert Hall
01 Oct IE Dublin – Olympia Theatre
03 Oct UK Glasgow – SWG3
04 Oct UK Nottingham – Rock City
05 Oct UK Cardiff – Great Uni Hall
07 Oct DE Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
08 Oct DE Munich – Tonhalle
09 Oct DE Cologne – E-Werk
10 Oct AT Vienna – Gasometer
11 Oct CZ Prague – 02 Universe
12 Oct DE Dresden – Alter Schlachthof
13 Oct DE Berlin – Columbiahalle
15 Oct PL Krakow – Studio
16 Oct PL Warsaw – Progresja
18 Oct LT Palanga – Concert Hall
19 Oct LT Kaunus – Zalgiris Arena
20 Oct LT Vilnius – Compensa Hall
21 Oct LV Riga – Arena
22 Oct EE Tallinn – Alexella Hall
11 Nov LX Esch Alzette – Rockhal
12 Nov BE Brussels – AB
13 Nov FR Paris – L’Olympia
14 Nov FR Bordeaux – Le Rocher
15 Nov ES Bilbao – Santana 27
17 Nov PT Lisbon – LAV
18 Nov ES Madrid – La Riviera
19 Nov ES Barcelona – Razzmatazz
20 Nov FR Marseille – Espace Julien
21 Nov IT Milan – Alcatraz
22 Nov CH Lausanne – Metropole
23 Nov CH Zurich – Komplex
25 Nov HU Budapest – Barba Negra
26 Nov RO Cluj – Form Space
27 Nov RO Bucharest – Sala Palatului
28 Nov BG Sofia – NDK (National Palace of Culture)
29 Nov MK Skopje – Boris Trajovski Arena
30 Nov RS Belgrade – Hangar

Apocalyptica is:
Eicca Toppinen
Perttu Kivilaakso
Paavo Lötjönen