The Moon has given inspiration to poems, stories and songs throughout the ages. The light it reflects is more mysterious than sunlight and the shadows it creates are deeper and darker. The full moon is still a chapter in its own. Its echoes can unsettle the human mind and summon up nocturnal beasts. Cobra 1981‘s latest single Kuun kirkas valo (Bright Light of the Moon) is a traditional werewolf tale. The full moon makes the narrator thirsty to do things he might not want to do. However, as a counterforce, love can calm a restless mind.
Cobra 1981 comes from the Finnish countryside, where the darkness and silence are felt more strongly than in larger cities. The moonlight has a powerful effect on the landscape. So powerful, in fact, that it has inspired the band to write several moon-themed songs. The single has NWOBHM influences and a strong grip on their interpretation. After all, the songs were originally composed in the golden years of British heavy metal in the 1980s.
Kuun kirkas valo is the band’s third single release and continues Cobra 1981’s long journey towards the dream of releasing an album. A dream that was awakened over forty years ago! The debut album “VOL1” will see the light of day on March 22. The singles Vanha kuoma and Yön salamat, which have been released so far, have attracted attention not only in Finland but also around the world, including Australia, Japan and South America.
POLTERGEIST will release their self-titled album on March 21st via Wanikiya Record/Promotion! A truly exciting, rocking, adrenaline-filled record and so much more…. Available on all the best digital platforms, on Wanikiya Record’s shop in Japan and on their showcase on crash Sound Distribution!
Davide Marino “Black” Merlo – Rhythm and lead guitar Born in 1985, he approached classical guitar as a child and continues by militating in several bands in the area, including. Blackened, Walking clouds and Head rush. He prefers heavy metal and is inspired by some great virtuosos of the instrument, such as Steve Vai and Van Halen, as well as bands such as Toto and Dream theater.
Gianluca Masci – Drums Class of 1990, the year of the release of some historical and immortal metal music masterpieces, such as “Vulgar display of power,” by Pantera and “Rust in peace” by Megadeth, of which he is a enthusiast. He began to approach drumming at the age of 15, as a complete self-taught. After a few years of study he begins to playing in several bands in the area, whose repertoire consists by covers. After meeting Fabrizio Brioschi, the other guitarist of Poltergeist, he begins his adventure in the band.
Manuel “Pave” Spozio – Bass Born in 1980, a great lover of music, he began to approach the electric bass guitar at the age of 16. After various experiences in a number of local bands, he lands in Poltergeist, after meeting Fabrizio Brioschi, for the production of tracks unreleased. At the same time, he is also bassist in the cover band “Spoiled Children.”
Fabrizio Brioschi – Rhythm and lead guitar. Class of 1977, great fan of blues and music in general, from a young age became passionate about the guitar and played in a number of local bands, among which the “Head rush” stands out in importance. He then decided to start a band, Poltergest, with the support of bassist Manuel Spozio, with the intention of creating a band different from the usual cover bands and aiming to propose a series of unreleased tracks to be landed in an album, anticipated by the release of a 4-song demo, now close to release.
Angelo Stramaglia – Vocals Class of 1977, a great lover of music, singing and instruments music, began to approach opera singing at the age of six years old. He then landed on piano at the age of eight, which he studied at a music school for ten years. The electrocution for the guitar, first classical, and then electric, comes around age 15, with listening to a historic album, “The Number of the Beast” by the Iron Maiden. An inveterate melomaniac, he ranges across the most disparate, from metal to blues, country to folk, music Celtic to Italian singer-songwriter music and joins the military in the Poltergeist at the suggestion of bassist Manuel Spozio.
Unextinct, the latest full-length album from HIDEOUS DIVINITY, will be made available via Century Media Records on March 22nd. Their newest track “Against the Sovereignty of Mankind” narrates a rebellion against human dominance. A protagonist, unchosen and witnessing decay, seeks liberation! Stream it HERE; the visualizer (produced by Andrea Mantelli Productions) can be watched HERE.
HIDEOUS DIVINITY comments on the new single: “Here’s the second bite of the unextinct one. For those of you who’ve been following us for some time, you’ll recognize HD’s riffing right off the bat. On, and then there’s the ending… we love the ending. Time to weep for our loss of strength, for the lies we’ve been taught at the altar rail, for the men we’ve failed. You’ll find comfort here.“
Unextinct Tracklist: 1. Dust Settles on Humanity 2. The Numinous One 3. Against the Sovereignty of Mankind 4. Atto Quarto: The Horror Paradox 5. Quasi-Sentient 6. Hair, Dirt, Mud 7. More Than Many, Never One 8. Der Verlorene Sohn 9. Mysterium Tremendum 10. Leben Ohne Feuer
Situated in Rome and comprised of members from ABORTED, HIDEOUS DIVINITY sound is firmly grounded in the old school yet possesses technical elements, coupled with a touch of blackened atmosphere.
Remember to catch HIDEOUS DIVINITY on their first shows and festival this year
Operatic black metal rising stars FOLTERKAMMER are now debuting a fun and empowering music video for their cheeky new single, “Leck Mich!” The video is 18th century class against 21st century crass; a bloody journey into the Rococo underground and its lustful ringleader, vocalist and frontwoman Andromeda Anarchia. The clip was once again directed by FOLTERKAMMER drummer Brendan McGowan and produced by Vile Luxe Studios and can be found at THIS LOCATION.
The song is taken from the band’s sophomore full-length, ‘Weibermacht,’ which is due on April 19, 2024 via Century Media Records!
Anarchia explains, “The expression ‘Leck mich!’ has several meanings in German. The literal (Lick me!) and the more abstract, vulgar version, short for ‘Leck mich am (Arsch)!’ (lick my a$$!), which is vulgar for: ‘Leave me alone!’ or ‘Fvck off!’
“The title of our upcoming album is ‘Weibermacht’ and this is the thematic leitmotif that runs through all the songs, including ‘Leck mich!’
“The term ‘Weibermacht’ refers to an art and cultural-historical motif and describes the triumph of women (and their erotic power) and love over men. In poetry, particularly powerful, wise, strong, and beautiful men allow themselves to be seduced by the folly of love and lose their self-control, virtue, dominance or even their lives.
“In the song ‘Leck mich!’ the commanding tone is set; men are once again playfully commanded into the submissive and obedient role. ‘Who sets the tone here?’ there is a clear answer: ‘The goddess, the mistress, the dominatrix.'”
’Weibermacht’ serves as a counterpart to the band’s 2020 debut, ‘Die Lederpredigt.’ The new record is another searing blend of modern black metal and classical music elements, lending to its Avant Garde sound. The music itself is elevated by frontwoman and vocalist Andromeda Anarchia’s dynamic vocal work as she juxtaposes her classical training as an opera singer with her hellfire screams, summoning a maelstrom of ethereal chaos. Pre-orders are now live HERE.
In addition, FOLTERKAMMER has recently announced their first ever U.S. tour! The rising powerhouse will be embarking on an East Coast headliner with support from WITCHING, which kicks off on March 22 in Baltimore and will circle back to the band’s hometown of Brooklyn, NY on March 30. The full itinerary can be found below!
The album artwork for ‘Weibermacht’ was created by Eliran Kantor.
FOLTERKAMMER U.S. TOUR DATES (w/ WITCHING): 03/22: Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery 03/23: Richmond, VA @ Another Round 03/24: Columbus, OH @ The Summit 03/25: Chattanooga, TN @ Dark Roast 03/26: Nashville, TN @ The End 03/27: Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle 03/28: Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge 03/29: Cleveland, OH @ No Class 03/30: Brooklyn, NY @ Kingsland
Album Credits: Producer: Zachary Ezrin Recording: Kevin Antreassian at Backroom Studios in NJ Additional Recording: Laurent David and Antoine Delecroix Mixing: Colin Marston at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves, in NY Mastering: Fred Kevorkian
The concept behind progressive metal’s latest and greatest super group started when guitarist Eric Gillette and keyboard player Diego Tejeida were touring the world with Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress. But TEMIC didn’t unlock the full scope of their powers until they joined forces with the tender, piercing falsetto of Fredrik Klemp (Maraton) and high-flying, hard-hitting drummer Simen Sandnes.
Watch Simen stomp through an unedited playthrough of “Friendly Fire”:
Like a true professional, Simen recorded this playthrough in one take with no samples. It’s no wonder then that The ProgSpace nominated him for drum performance of the year.
“Friendly Fire” is a sizzling instrumental off TEMIC’s debut album. The band are also nominated for best vocals, guitar, keyboard and debut full-length album of the year.
It’s no surprise that Simen Sandnes is so fleet of foot, either. After all, Simen did play soccer semi-professionally up until he was 16 years old. Once he reached high school though, the Norwegian prodigy spent most of his days locked inside his school’s rehearsal space. Now, two decades later, he’s endorsed by Zildjian and Mapex.
When he’s not crushing cymbals or somersaulting through fills, Simen splits his time drumming for blackjazz band SHINING and the prog. metal band Arkentype. He’s also played on an official World Cup song and the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack.
“Friendly Fire” isn’t just another tune”, Simen says. “It’s a testament to our musical journey and the relentless pursuit of pushing boundaries.
“My main goal for the song was to empower the driving melodies that Diego had created while adding my own signatures, such as a 135 bpm Hertas and some superimposed metric modulations—all while ensuring the song’s integrity. As always, I strive to bring genuine performance to the metal scene. This is a one-take recording, free from editing, quantization, fixing or samples. What you see and hear is exactly as I recorded it. The playthrough was recorded in my favorite studio, Top Floor Studios, with my all-time favorite engineer, Jakob Herrmann.”
The song’s drum transcription will be available for download on Simens’ website.
Track list: 1. TMT (2:02) 2. Through the Sands of Time (7:00) [WATCH] 3. Falling Away (4:58) [WATCH] 4. Count Your Losses (6:13) [WATCH] 5. Skeletons (7:00) 6. Acts of Violence (5:52) 7. Friendly Fire (5:57) 8. Paradigm (6:33) 9. Once More (5:45) 10. Mothallah (7:27)[WATCH] Total: 58:54
Diego Tejeida and Eric Gillette’s vision for TEMIC wasn’t exactly simple: synthesize their love for high-energy electronica and flashy riffs into a killer prog-metal hybrid. But after recruiting former soccer prodigy-turned-Zildjian-endorsed drummer Simen Sandnes (SHINING, Arkentype) to go along with the high-powered falsetto of Fredrik Klemp (Maraton), together, the supergroup managed to connect all those puzzle pieces on their very first album.
“Musically, it falls somewhere between Leprous, Sleep Token, Haken, Dream Theater & Pain of Salvation…amazing stuff, insane playing, check it out if you haven’t already!” the one-and-only Mike Portnoy says about Terror Management Theory.
Terror Management Theory is perfect for busting out the air guitar. But now fans can also hit all the album’s high notes by downloading the song stems on Bandcamp. With these stems, budding musicians can learn the guitar, bass, drum and keyboard parts for all 10 songs. They can also be used by producers to remix prog anthems like “Count Your Losses” into thumping club bangers or a stripped-down yet soaring ballad.
Line-up: Fredrik Bergersen (Maraton, 22) – Vocals Eric Gillette (The Neal Morse Band, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress) – Guitars and Backing Vocals Simen Sandnes (Shining, Arkentype) – Drums and Percussion Diego Tejeida (Devin Townsend, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress, ex-Haken) – Keyboards and Sound Design
As longtime guitarist and co-writer for the powerhouse rock hitmaker Billy Idol, Steve Stevens is widely celebrated as a master of composing forceful, electrifying rock melodies that balance their intensity with an undeniable mainstream appeal. It’s that melodic sensibility matched with an impressive technical mastery that has made Stevens one of the most sought after collaborators in music today. Recently, Stevens accepted an invitation to contribute to the new album from The Prog Collective and the result is one of the purest expressions of Stevens’s creativity ever captured.
For the uninitiated, The Prog Collective, founded and helmed by producer/multi-instrumentalist and famed bassist for Yes Billy Sherwood, has united some of the finest musicians of rock, jazz, metal, pop and everything in between since its founding in 2012. The group’s newest studio effort, entitled Dark Encounters, takes a deliberate turn toward a more brooding and melancholic musical path, filled with haunting ambience and eerie melodic passages. All of this makes Stevens the perfect partner for an exploration into the darker side of prog rock. Check out the album’s first single and the album’s leadoff track, “Darkest Hour,” which is released today on all music platforms.
Dark Encounters is set for release on March 29 and includes contributions from a number of notable musicians and creative geniuses from the legendary Steve Morse, violinist David Cross, and guitar wizard Bumblefoot to keyboardist Patrick Moraz, Utopia’s Kasim Sulton, Gong’s Steve Hillage, and more!
Dark Days with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Patrick Moraz & Omar Hakim
Lonely Landscape with Kasim Sulton
The Long Night with Frank Dimino & Marco Minnemann
The Quasi Effect with Billy Sherwood
The 11th Hour with John Etheridge
Between Two Worlds with Steve Hillage & Gregg Bissonette
Distant Thunder with Todd Sucherman
Dark Money with Joe Bouchard
For All To See with Pat Mastelotto
Beyond Reason with Chad Wackerman
BONUS TRACKS [CD ONLY]
I Saw the Light – Todd Rundgren with Rick Wakeman
I’m Not In Love – Nektar with Rick Wakeman
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
