‘Architecture of an Ego’ takes a step deeper into the imaginative REASONS BEHIND EDM-metal universe: a new musical & visual chapter where trance vibes enhance the heavy rhythms and catchy pop melodies. The album is set to be released on May 26th via Scarlet Records.
The final result is a thrilling journey where fast songs alternate with mid-tempos and heartbreaking ballads; the silky voice of Elisa Bonafè always fits perfectly, dancing between powerful chorus and soft emotional parts.
Reasons Behind masterfully narrate a true dystopian short novel – conceived once again by the band leader, songwriter and guitarist Gabriele Sapori – about human relationships; an entertaining story that will truly come alive on stage through a flashy neon lights show.
mixed and mastered by Giuseppe “Dualized” Bassi (Fear Factory)
featuring Steva (Deathless Legacy) and Grace Darkling (Nocturna) on the song ‘I3’
Since more than 35 years, BONFIRE are the embodiment of “Hard’n’Heavy made in Germany“. September 22, 2023 will see the band reissue their most wanted albums “Point Blank”, “Fireworks” and “Don’t Touch The Light” as MMXXIIIre-recording versions with an entirely new artwork! Available for the very first time as digital format on all streaming providers, as colored limited and none limited vinyl and as CD digipack, you can now pre-save your favorite album via AFM Records at THIS LOCATION!
BONFIRE belong to one of the most iconic German hard rock bands of the past forty years, and their 2020 offering, “Fistful Of Fire”, garnered high positions in the German album charts. Their first three releases “Don’t Touch The Light” (1986), “Fireworks” (1987) and “Point Blank” (1989), which have shaped a whole era, still hold a special position in BONFIRE’s career. As one of the group’s founding members and its main composer, Hans Ziller came up with an ambitious idea: How would the songs from those now slightly dated releases sound if they were re-recorded in contemporary studio conditions? This concept was particularly exciting because the band’s current line-up is one of the strongest of their entire career.
And so his idea began to take shape: The outstanding, current BONFIRE line-up has completely re-recorded all three albums, supported by updated cover artwork and a sound to make your heart beat faster. The result will be released on 22 September 2023 on AFM/Soulfood. As Ziller comments: “What we wanted to do was to record the songs as if Bonfire had been a metal band in the eighties!”
Naturally, you need first-rate musicians for this kind of ambitious, re-recording undertaking, and that’s precisely what BONFIRE mark 2023 have: Greek singer DYAN, one of the greatest European vocal talents of our time, has recently joined the BONFIRE fold. Ziller hadn’t realised that the man from southern Europe has always been a huge BONFIRE fan for whom a lifelong dream came true. In less than two weeks, the 30-year-old had mastered all 35 songs from the three cult albums. Ziller enthuses: “Dyan can simply sing anything, from rock vocals to falsetto. You only have to listen to him to realise that he will excel live.” In addition to DYAN and Ziller, the line-up includes solo guitarist Frank Pané (Valley’s Eve, Sainted Sinners), New York bassist Ronnie Parkes and drummer Fabio Allesandrini (Annihilator). What literally screams metal by name definitely sounds like it: These recent recordings of “Don’t Touch The Light”, “Fireworks” and “Point Blank” see BONFIRE deliver the timeless material from the original albums in a powerful sound that, despite its unbridled power, has lost none of its complexity. Ziller: “Of course, we kept to the original arrangements as much as possible, perhaps slightly changing a riff now and then or updating the sound of a guitar part. But all the essential elements, right down to the lyrics, have remained untouched.”
BONFIRE are: Hans Ziller – Lead Guitar Frank Pane – Lead Guitar Ronnie Parkes – Bass Fabio Alessandrini – Drums DYAN – Lead Vocals
Finnish progressive metallers DAMNATION PLAN have released the first video single ‘Under The Veil Of Sea’ from their upcoming new album ‘The New Horizon’ due out later this year.
The band’s drummer-songwriter / lyricist Jarkko Lunnas comments:
“Under The Veil Of Sea is an 8 minute progressive metal single that takes you on a journey through a wide range of emotions, from the intense metal all the way to the mellow hypnotic mood painting of the song’s midpart. For this album we shifted from our earlier two-vocalist combo to single vocalist, so 99% of the vocals are this time clean by Asim Searah with his wide vocal reportoire presented also in this song.
The lyrics of the song deal with the yet undiscovered parts of our past that continue to re-shape the understanding of ourselves and our past as human species.”
Michigan Hard Rock favorites TAPROOT have released the first single “VIP (V\CT\M \ PLAY)”, from their upcoming 7th studio album SC\SSRS, produced by guitarist/vocalist Stephen Richards at The Loft in Saline, MI. The album, written and recorded by Richards, will be the band’s first studio release since 2012’s The Episodes (Victory), set to hit stores September 29th via THC MUSIC/Amplified Distribution.
The single, currently available for streaming and download on BANDCAMP at taprootofficial.bandcamp.com, will be available on digital outlets on 5/5.
Taproot has also announced a string of upcoming headlining shows, marking the band’s first shows in over six years, and their first tour in over a decade, set to feature special guests September Mourning, Eva Under Fire, Smile Empty Soul, and Heartsick on select dates. The upcoming shows will also showcase the return of original drummer Jarrod Montague, who will join the band for select upcoming shows (with all other shows featuring longtime drummer Dave Coughlin of Sponge), and new full-time guitarist Taylor Roberts (Riding With Killers).
The band has also announce a headlining appearance August 18th at the 2023 NORTHWOODS ROCK RALLY in Glen Flora, WI, as well as their previously announced “reunion” appearance at Blue Ridge Rock Fest in September.
Fri 9/29 – The Machine Shop | Flint, MI – SOLD OUT w/ Heartsick | Lift the Medium
Sat 9/30 – The Machine Shop | Flint, MI – SOLD OUT w/ Eva Under Fire | See This Through | Never the Crash
Sun 10/1 – The Machine Shop | Flint, MI – with Eva Under Fire | Heartsick etix.com/ticket/p/7556754/taproot18-flint-the-machine-shop
Taproot also recently announced the release of Best of Besides, a 17-track collection of remastered demos and rarities, mastered by Richard Easterling (Tantric, Zen From Mars) in stores and digital May 5th, available for pre-order now at taprootmerch.com
Taproot formed in 1997 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and went on to sign to Atlantic Records, releasing their Ulrich Wild (Static-X, Pantera, Mindless Self Indulgence) produced debut album GIFT in 2000, followed by extensive touring including appearances on Ozzfest 2000 and 2001, and tours with Deftones, Incubus, Papa Roach, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Disturbed, and Linkin Park.
The bands sophomore release Welcome, their first pairing with legendary producer Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Metallica, Korn, Primus) which Rolling Stone called, “a self-preserving transition from new metal to art metal”, went on to sell over 500,000 copies and spawn the hit Rock singles “Poem”, which peaked at #5 on the Mainstream Rock charts, and “Mine”, helping propel “Welcome” to over 50 million digital streams. The band would continue heavy touring with Alien Ant Farm, Chevelle, joining Disturbed on the Music As A Weapon Tour, and Linkin Park. Vocalist Stephen Richards would also appear on the track “P5hng Me A*wy” on Linkin Park’s 2002 remix album REANIMATION.
2005 saw the release of Blue-Sky Research, also helmed by Wright, the band’s final release for Atlantic, which spawned the hit radio single “Calling”, co-written with FAR vocalist Jonah Matranga, and saw the band collaborate with Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Nick Hexum (311), and Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), with heavy touring again, with the likes of Chevelle, Staind, P.O.D., and Flyleaf.
Taproot released several more full-length studio albums, including 2008’s Our Long Road Home (Velvet Hammer), 2010’s Plead The Fifth (Victory), with the single “Fractured (Everything I Said was True)” reaching the top 20 on the Active Rock Chart, and 2012’s The Episodes, while continuing to tour consistently through 2013, when the band went on an indefinite hiatus, returning only to play a sporadic handful of local Michigan shows, before reforming officially this year.
Taproot will play BLUE RIDGE ROCK FEST in September, and The Machine Shop in Flint, MI on 9/29.
Following their widely acclaimed debut album “Thrashmageddon” in 2020, Danish thrash band DEMOLIZER has received recognition and praise from audiences and industry insiders alike, cementing their status as a formidable presence in the global thrash scene. Having spent the past year touring extensively, the band has recently taken a hiatus to focus on the creation and recording of their highly anticipated sophomore album.
The record, titled “Post Necrotic Human”, which will be released in July 2023, is a bold step forward for Demolizer in terms of intensity and identity. Even more so when they took the reins to produce it themselves. “Working on this album has been an amazing experience for our band” guitarist and vocalist Ben Radtleff confirms. “We had the opportunity to take complete control of the production process, which allowed us to fully explore our creativity and push ourselves to new heights. Each song was carefully crafted with attention to detail, and we are incredibly proud of the final result“.
“Producing the album ourselves enabled us to stay true to our artistic vision and bring our ideas to life in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. While it required a significant amount of hard work and dedication, the outcome was well worth it. We are thrilled to share this album with our fans and hope that they will enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it“.
“Post Necrotic Human” will be released in July via Mighty Music. The title-track will be released as a digital single on April 12th and can be pre-saved here.
Demolizer, formed in 2018, plays gut-crushing, hard-hitting and unfiltered thrash metal that will have you picking up your teeth with crushed fingers after barely surviving the pit.
Demolizer is the manifestation of a big, angry middle finger pointed towards the Establishment, giving you the hardest, fastest and thrashiest thrash metal you could ever dream of!
Demolizer has in the last two years had two releases under their belt. The “Thrashmageddon” album and the EP “Upgrade” that received good reviews from all over the world. With more than 100 shows behind them they are more than ready to rip out your guts with their razor sharp riffs and stomp on the remains with their breakdowns just to guarantee that the first four rows of the crowd will have their faces torn off.
Lineup: Bjørn Hjortgaard – bass Max Petrén Bach Hansen – drums Aria Mobbarez – guitars Ben Radtleff – guitars, vocals
Canadian death metallers OCULAR TRAUMA have signed with Wormholedeath Records for the release of their EP, The Dissection of Tragedy. The EP is due to be released on 28/04/2023.
The band’s music is rooted in old-school death metal with thrash, doom, and technical aspects. The unique combination of influences and styles each member brings to the band is reflected in their music, making it a reflection of their endless fascination with creating music from the subject of nightmares that plague the realm of sleep as well as real-world horrors.
“We in Ocular Trauma are unbelievably ecstatic to be a part of the Wormholedeath family, working together to bring our passion to life through our new EP! This label is a perfect home for us not only musically, but also in our mutual desire for delivering light into the lives of many through the majestically devastating weight of death metal,” said the band.
“The Dissection of Tragedy” is a 25-minute long piece, crafted by the band to explore the theme of tragedy in ways they haven’t explored in any of their other material. The band’s main inspiration for the album was to let the music and words come to life as naturally as possible and converge as one seamlessly.
“We wanted to leave something in our body of work that is unique from all others. This is something we strive to accomplish as a band, and this endeavor we took on together for this album has helped us to open doors to exploring more styles of writing,” added the band.
Tracklist:
I – A Somber Recollection II – Shattered Remedy III – Rot Before Broken Eyes IV – Embrace the Torment
Check out the Ep teaser here:
Ocular Trauma was founded in 2016 as a solo project by Tim Anger, who later asked longtime friends Chris Popoli (Guitar) and Jacob Gigliotti (Drums) to play on the first album entitled “Night Mara”. In the process, they realized that they were on to something special that they all spiritually connected with and decided to form Ocular Trauma as a band. John Neadow later joined as the perfect fit for the band.
With so many stories to tell and much anguish to expel, Ocular Trauma hopes to reach out to the world with their aural darkness.
Follow the band to stay updated on their latest news:
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