The energetic VELVET INSANE have truly become a band to reckon with on the Swedish and international rock scene. Hard touring, an endless driving force, collaborations with other artists and much more.
Today, 10 years ago, the band was founded when guitarist Jesper Lindgren met singer Jonas Eriksson for the first time and plans for an over the top Glamrock band were put into action.
This 10 year anniversary is celebrated with a new single from the upcoming album High Heeled Monster. The single, “Sweet As It Can Be” is a swinging party song with all the ingredients that an anthem by Velvet Insane has.
“The song is us and everything we are to. 100% both in lyrics and music. This is one of my personal favorites on the album: the lyrics, the powerful sax solo, the hooky chorus, the twangy guitars. It’s a great song to sum up 10 years.” – Jesper Lindgren
The 10 years have included tours that have taken the band around Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia.
Recordings, chart positions and musical meetings with well-known musicians such as Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Dregen & Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters), Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper), Jesper Binzer (D-A-D), Harpo and many more.
“Getting to travel the world, meet the Audience and do your thing is a great privilege. These 10 years have contained both ups and downs, member changes, weird situations, fantastic stories, incredible meetings musical and much, much more.
We truly love what we do and we look forward to many more years to come.”
For more than 20 years, vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine Volbeat, releasing eight full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting Volbeat, however, Poulsen formed death metal band Dominus, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid ’90s. When Poulsen was putting together songs for Volbeat‘s 2021 album, Servant Of The Mind, he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the Volbeat record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for his new death metal band ASINHELL, whose debut album Impii Hora (Latin for Ungodly Hour), is a tribute to Poulsen’s favourite old-school groups. The songs are rooted in crushing riffs yet injected with strong guitar hooks and shout-along refrains.
Impii Hora will be released September 29 via Metal Blade. Pre-order it here: metalblade.com/asinhell
Today, the band has shared the official video for “Fall of the Loyal Warrior,” which was hailed by Consequence as a return to Poulsen’s roots!
“The song is kind of a tribute to bands I love, like Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Autopsy, Grave, and Darkthrone,” Poulsen said previously. “They’re the reason why we can do this in the first place, and we’re proud to wear our influences on our sleeve. The album was inspired by late ’80s and early ’90s old school death metal, and one of our brightest points of inspiration was the mighty Death, fronted by the legendary Chuck Schuldiner. There’s a lot of Death in there. Schuldiner is one of my favorite death metal vocalists, the other being our vocalist Marc [Grewe]. So to me, this song is the combination of two of my favorites. ‘Let the metal flow,’ as Chuck would have said!“
Poulsen has rekindled the death metal fire that fueled his first band Dominus. He began jamming on riffs with longtime friend and neighbor, drummer Morten Toft Hansen (Raunchy). The two started playing in Morten’s tiny garage: no mics, no P.A. – just a drum kit and a combo amp turned all the way up like they used when they were teenagers. Soon, the pair were completing a new song every time they got together. When it came time to add vocals, Poulsen turned to his good friend, who also happened to be one of his all-time favorite death metal growlers: Marc Grewe (Insidious Disease, ex-Morgoth).
“I had known Michael quite a long time and he always mentioned that we should do a death metal project one day, but I never took him too seriously because he was so busy with Volbeat,” Grewe says. “Then he called for real and said, ‘Yeah, I want to do it now. Are you up for it?’ Immediately, I was like, ‘Yes, of course!’“
With Asinhell fully formed, the three convened with Volbeat producer Jacob Hansen to produce, mix, and play bass on their debut album. When it was time to add lead guitar to the album, Michael looked no further than friend and The Arcane Order axeman Flemming C. Lund.
IMPII HORA TRACK LISTING: 01. Fall of the Loyal Warrior 02. Inner Sancticide 03. Island of Dead Men 04. Trophies 05. The Ultimate Sin 06. Wolfpack Laws 07. Desert of Doom 08. Pyromantic Scryer 09. Impii Hora 10. Føj for Helvede
ASINHELL ARE: Michael Poulsen: Guitar Marc Grewe: Vocals Morten Toft Hansen: Drums
The Liverpudlian rock group, ATTIC THEORY, are gearing up for their most exciting and eventful chapter yet with the release of new single ‘Papier-Mâché’, which features Candlebox’s Kevin Martin on guest vocals. The band have premiered a new animated music video which is influenced by the 1975 psychological drama film, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’.
Papier-Mâché was recorded with producer Loïc Gaillard (Revival Black, Ashen Reach) at the Motor Museum recording studio in Liverpool.
Attic Theory’s vocalist Lewis Wright talks about the meaning behind the new single, “The ‘Papier-Mâché’ lyrics are about hiding your true self underneath a thin layered metaphorical mask because you have been convinced, by someone you used to be close to, that you are not behaving how they believe you should and the only remedy is for you to be strongly medicated and to suppress the feelings they don’t agree with. The message I wanted to convey is about being able to gain the strength to remove the mask and not let the past or anyone else define you.”
Lewis continues, “The animated music video (by Studface Productions) was influenced by ‘one flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ and is set in an old rundown insane asylum. This is the archaic perception of mental health and we wanted the video to symbolise that society has thankfully escaped those outdated ways of thinking and the band are rescued by an unlikely hero; Atticus T. Mouse.”
To collaborate with multi-platinum selling rock band Candlebox, a band which has sold over seven million albums worldwide, has proven to be everything Attic Theory wished for. “It’s been such a creative period for the band and we are so proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but this has been a phenomenal opportunity which we are especially grateful for. What a huge honour to have our friend Kevin Martin of Candlebox singing on ‘Papier-Mâché’. I’ve admired his musicianship for years and I am a massive fan of Candlebox so this is definitely a fanboy moment for me that has been ticked off my bucket list”, concludes Wright.
Since their inception just a few years ago, Attic Theory have been turning heads. They were awarded ‘BEST NEW Band’ by Planet Rock Radio for the ‘The Rocks Awards’ 2020 and their previous EP ‘The Sign of an Active Mind’ was voted NWOCR (New Wave Of Classic Rock) ‘EP of the Year’.
As seen on tour with Tantric, Elvana and Dead Man’s Whiskey, Attic Theory has played a number of UK headline shows, supported Terrorvision, Candlebox, Saving Abel, Tragedy, Black Spiders, Kris Barras, and played acclaimed festivals Planet Rockstock, Wildfire Festival, SavFest and Firevolt (Formerly Firestorm MCR).
With an impressive and dynamic sound, Attic Theory continues to build interest with their own take on alternative rock music, and with the announcement of the new single PLUS news that their forthcoming debut album ‘What We Fear The Most’ will be released in January 2024, it’s sure to solidify their position in the UK rock music scene. Ones to watch out for, and go see live!
Papier-Mâché will be available on all major streaming and digital download services on 28/07/2023, released via the bands own label ’ThunderGun Records‘ and distributed by Nova Music Distribution UK.
Attic Theory’s highly anticipated debut album ‘What We Fear The Most’, which features the singles ‘Papier-Mâché’, ‘Narrow Lines’ and ‘Tattooed Heart’, will be released 26/01/2024 and is available to pre-order now. Pre-Order Link – https://attictheory.store/collections/all
Attic Theory is: Lewis Wright – Lead Vocals Peter Donnelly – Guitar Tim Cunningham – Guitar and backing vocals Matt Lawler – Guitar Kenny McArthur – Bass Norm Walker – Drums Featuring Kevin Martin of Candlebox on guest vocals
THY ART IS MURDER, one of Australia’s top-heavy exports, released their seminal second album Hate on October 19, 2012. On January 14th, 2023, the band immortalized their sold-out ‘Decade Of Hate‘ Melbourne performance at The Forum. Fans can now own or stream the digital version of Decade Of Hate (Live In Melbourne),which is out today. The physical versions including a CD jewel and LP, will be available to the masses on November 17th.
Check out the fiery live video for the track ‘Reign of Darkness (Live in Melbourne 2023)‘. The live album was engineered by Lance Prenc, and mixing and mastering was completed by Will Putney (FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY).
THY ART IS MURDER‘s Andy Marsh comments, “When we set out to record our record Hate all those years ago, none of us could anticipate the ride of a lifetime we were about to embark upon. So it seemed fitting that when we announced this recent ‘Decade Of Hate tour’, we were again uncertain about what the shows would hold in store. They turned out to be the biggest of our career.
“Throughout this wild journey, it was only through the undying support of our friends and fans across the world that we were able to traverse these monolithic milestones and for that, we are forever grateful. To have a dream is one thing, but to live it is something truly special and you have given that privilege to us.
“In the last ten years, we attempted to cover as much ground on tour as possible, but this last anniversary tour was rather brief as we began preparations for our new record Godlike. With the help of our incredible crew, we are proud to give you HATE in full, the way we imagined we might one day be able to one day present the songs. For all those who couldn’t make it to a show, and for anyone who just wants to relive the experience it has now been immortalized on wax for all to hear.”
Stream the single ‘Reign Of Darkness (Live in Melbourne 2023)‘ and the full album, here.
Below is the Decade Of Hate (Live In Melbourne 2023) track listing: 1. Reign Of Darkness 2. The Purest Strain Of Hate 3. Vile Creation 4. Shadow Of Eternal Sin 5. Immolation 6. Infinite Forms 7. Dean Sun 8. Gates Of Misery 9. Defective Breed 10. Doomed From Birth 11. Death Squad Anthem 12. Holy War 13. Puppet Master
Decade Of Hate (Live In Melbourne 2023) will be available in the following physical formats on November 17th:
CD Jewelcase
2 LP
Blue W. Black Pink Splatter (North American Exclusive; Limited to 1000)
Purple W. Blue Pink Splatter (European Exclusive; Limited to 900)
Hate was produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Will Putney (EVERY TIME I DIE, KNOCKED LOOSE, END). The artwork was created by Brent Elliot White (CARNIFEX, DEATH ANGEL). The album catapulted the band onto the world stage, seeing them play a mammoth 342 dates around the globe, with more US tours than any other Australian band at the time. Between laps of the world, Hate earned the band an ARIA and a Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award nomination and has been streamed over 55 million times to date.
ANDRZEJ CITOWICZ– the former recording artist for Down Boys Records, which belonged to Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon from the legendary American band Warrant – has released a new special mix for his song “Midnight Thunderstorms (Cairo Mix)” from his guitar instrumental album “Never Ending Storms”. Citowicz, who has been living in Egypt for the past 14 years, is a guitarist and composer known for his unique blend of hard rock, metal, and pop music.
The original version of “Midnight Thunderstorm” on the album consists of two parts, but for the special mix, Citowicz decided to combine the parts into one song and add some oriental elements, while still keeping the hard rock spirit of the original. Patryk Szymanski, who has played bass on many of Citowicz’s recordings, provides the groovy bassline on the track.
The special mix of “Midnight Thunderstorms (Cairo Mix)” is currently available exclusively on YouTube, below.
…while the full album “Never Ending Storms” can be found on all major streaming platforms.
++++++
More about “Never Ending Storms” album:
With “Never Ending Storms”, Citowicz wanted to create an album that tells a story and takes listeners on a journey through his life experiences and emotions. “My music is like a diary of my life,” says Citowicz. “I wanted to express my deepest emotions through the guitar and create something that people can connect with on a personal level.”
The album’s title, “Never Ending Storms”, reflects Citowicz’s belief that life is a journey filled with challenges and obstacles. “Life can be tough, but it’s important to keep pushing forward,” says Citowicz. “The storms may never end, but we can learn to navigate them and find beauty in the chaos.”
Citowicz’s unique blend of hard rock and cinematic soundscapes is inspired by his love of both genres. “I’ve always been drawn to the power and emotion of rock music, but I also love the cinematic quality of soundtracks,” says Citowicz. “With ‘Never Ending Storms’, I wanted to combine those two worlds and create something truly unique.”
The album features the incredible drum work of Citowicz himself, as well as his signature guitar sound, keys, and FX, with Patryk Szymanski on bass.
Left Patryk Szymański – Right Andrzej Citowicz
Full album credits: Music / Guitars / Drums: Andrzej Citowicz Keys & FX: Andrzej Citowicz Bass: Patryk Szymański Mixed & Engineered by Andrzej Citowicz
“Never Ending Storms” is available on all major streaming platforms as from today July 14th, and Citowicz is excited to share his music with the world. “I hope that people will connect with the emotions and stories in my music,” says Citowicz. “I want to inspire people to keep pushing forward and find beauty in the storms of life.”
“Never Ending Storms” tracklist: No Safety Net A Wound That’s Always Bleeding Innocent No More The Long Train Journey Savagely Hungry For Love I’d Die For Her, She Lives For Me Faith In The Chaos Eye Of The Storm Midnight Thunderstorm pt1 Midnight Thunderstorm pt2 Never Ending Storms Forgotten Days Of Radio Electric Heartbeat Symphony Marvelous Misadventures Of Myself Next Stop Destiny Dancing On A Daydream Song For My Father
Right in the middle of their festival season, symphonic metal titans EPICA return with another live single off their upcoming digital EP Live At The AFAS Live. Originally the title track of their second studio album, and one of EPICA’s heaviest tracks, ‘Consign To Oblivion’ has not only become a real classic, but also the ultimate final song of most EPICAshows, always starting with an obligatory wall of death right after the intro.
“Over the years Consign to Oblivion became our favorite track to conclude our shows with”, Mark Jansen comments. “Every time we tried another track it never had the same impact as Consign to Oblivion. I’m happy everyone can now witness the live version that we played in Amsterdam to a fantastic home-country-crowd!”
Tour dates 2023 & 2024 28.07.23 | Kuopiorock | Kuopio, FI 29.07.23 | Q-Stock | Oulu, FI 03.-05.08.23 | Pol’and’Rock Fest 2023 | Czaplinek, PL 06.08.23 | Rockstadt Extreme Fest | Rasnov, RO 16.08.23 | Summer Breeze | Dinkelsbühl, DE 18.08.23 | Motocultor Festival | Carhaix, FR 20.08.23 | Rock The Lakes | Vallamand, CH 26.10.23 | Floyd | Athens, GR 28.10.23 | Kucukciftlik Park | Istanbul, TR 05.11.23 | Rock Circus | Den Bosch, NL 18.11.23 | Metal Hammer Paradise | Weißenhäuser Strand, DE
Latin American Tour 2024 25.01.24 | Polideportivo San José del Carmen | Tegucigalpa, Honduras 27.01.24 | Parque de la Industria | Guatemala City, Guatemala 29.01.- 02.02.24 | 70.000 Tons of Metal 03.02.24 | Pedregal | San Jose, Costa Rica 04.02.24 | Royal Center | Bogota, Colombia
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 