CATHALEPSY have released their new official video for second single “Hammer Heart”, feat. Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween), Thobbe Englund (ex-Sabaton)! Video created by Insane Lab (Insane Angel Works). Music & Lyrics by Luigi Ansaldi.
The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album “Blood And Steel” that will be released on July 14, 2023 2023 as Digipack CD, black vinyl limited to 200 copies world-wide and digital streaming / download format!
Digital single of “Hammer Heart” is now available across all digital and streaming platforms! Pre-save the album, here: https://bfan.link/blood-and-steel
Cathalepsy: Luigi Ansaldi Fabian valdes Diego Alexander Insane Angel
Newcastle, UK quartet CREAK has today shared their new single and music video, A Head Full of Rain. A Head Full of Rain is the second track to be taken from the metalcore/nu-metal group’s forthcoming debut album, Depth Perception, which is set for release on August 18 via Prosthetic Records. CREAK‘s latest music video sees their volatile meshing of genres pull influence from nineties aesthetics, with the clip directed by Joe Guppy.
Speaking on A Head Full of Rain‘s creative process, CREAK guitarist Reece ‘Moose’ Boakes comments: “Originally this song was written as the last track in the recording sessions as an end to the album without any intentions of it being a single. However, once we got further into the track, and because of it being at the end of that recording cycle, it felt like a time-stamp of where the band was at after going through the learning process of making a full album and where we’ll be heading next with the project.”
Vocalist Jack Dunn adds: “Lyrically and tonally throughout the album I’d talked a lot about my mothers battle with cancer, and some of my own struggles watching her fight it. On the majority of Depth Perception‘s songs we tried to approach it through a art-house horror filter that we’ve referenced a lot in our material to date and through the use of imagery that matched those feelings.
“With this song being written as the end of the album I wanted it to be blunt and directly get across what I was trying to say with this is album, that I’m terrified of losing my mother. I felt like I had to get those feelings out, and I didn’t want to try and cover it in anything even though it made this song uncomfortable.”
The four piece from Newcastle set out initially to craft a new EP to follow on from 2020’s rapturously-received Bitter Picture vignette, but once writing was underway, the ideas kept on coming. Channeling the same furious vitriol found on their earlier singles and the EP, CREAK managed to push their boundaries further still – finding room for experimentation within their chaotic vision. Citing influences such as Yüth Forever and Sworn In, their background in hardcore is rarely far from view, but eerie Lynchian interludes, clean vocals and metallic sensibilities contribute additional layers that elevate their sound.
Of the Lynchian elements, CREAK comments on the Restless Dreams music video: “We worked with Zak Pinchin again, as we’d built a really good relationship with him on our previous videos, and he was into nearly all of the media we were taking influence from. We watched a lot of old ‘arthouse’ horror films like Blood of a Poet or anything from David Lynch and we were really inspired by how desperate the tone of those works felt.
“With the band, we never wanted the horror element to be for the sake of having it for shock value. What we liked about those films was how they got across those feelings of anxiety or dread just by how they looked, and we wanted to try and capture some of that.”
Lyrically and thematically the tracks are saturated with pure emotion, fuelled by – amongst other things – the anguish that accompanied Dunn’s mother’s journey with cancer. Using CREAK as an outlet for processing his feelings during that time, he adds: “I was feeling guilty about my own emotions, and going over things in a circle in my own head trying to get to a point where I could try to become comfortable with them.” Finding it easier to work through his feelings through his lyrics than to verbalise in ‘real life’, Depth Perception is something of an anthology of dread, pain, mortality – and hope.
The album took shape over several months between 2021 and 2022, with Connor Sweeney (formerly of Loathe) reprising the role he took on for Bitter Picture, producing, mixing and mastering the twelve blistering tracks. The live recording achieves the near-impossible task of capturing the frenetic, unbridled vigor of their live show; their angular metalcore punctuating an eerie soundscape permeated with anxious energy. With high hopes and boundless enthusiasm, CREAK are gathering pace as an unstoppable force.
Depth Perception tracklist: 1. Crossroads 2. Hare in the Woods 3. An Endless Black 4. Doomed 5. Restless Dreams 6. Harrow 7. Left to Heaven 8. Depth Perception 9. The Early Hours Know My Secrets 10. Cold Shoulder 11. I’m Not Alone in the Dark 12. A Head Full of Rain
Pioneering a nostalgic powerhouse classic rock feel with a modern edge, EYE AM are back in the studio working on a new album. The group has been camped out at OCD Recording and Production in New Orleans working on their next record.
As Kirk describes, the group was “thrown to the lions, so to speak” in their writing process of the album. While band members have always been on each other’s radars, this is the first time they have all gathered to create something together. Drummer Johnny Kelly explains how this experience has allowed them to get “to know each other even though we’ve known each other for a long time—We’re getting to know each other as players.”
Brought together by mutual friend and record label owner Andrew Spaulding of Corpse Paint Records, the band use their own respective experiences in the industry to create a hit power rock ballad “Dreams Always Die With The Sun” which was released on June 2nd, and has gained over 62,000 streams in only a month. With influences like Black Sabbath and The Beatles, the album promises to deliver guitar-driven rock with a melodic ballad at its core, bringing audiences back for more.
“Everything Kenny writes is pretty. His melodic stylings add their own layer to the music.” -Kirk Windstein
As described by lead vocalist Kenny Hickey, one of the best parts about Eye Am is “pulling things out of the void,” During their studio session, they recognized that there’s a certain power that comes from spontaneity, and the band focused on this element as one of the strongest attributes of their unique sound. This shows in “Dreams Always Die With The Sun,” as the song sounds incredibly composed while still leaving room for interpretation from its players.
Guitarist and vocalist Kirk states: “That’s what I love about writing. Not quickly or hurrying on the spot—because you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Because when you woke up, this thing didn’t exist. And then, at the end of the day, you have a recording of it. It’s like it’s there forever.”
“We all have our writing styles, and the band is really finding our own kind of sound that works for us with this recording session,” he continues. “It’s original, and it’s cool. Of course, it’s difficult not to show your style and your influences, but this doesn’t sound like our other bands; it sounds like us four dudes. This time we’re learning to feed off each other and bounce ideas off one another, and that’s when you truly collaborate.”
And each member brings something unique to the team. As Kirk puts it, “Everything Kenny writes is pretty. His melodic stylings add their own layer to the music.”
As drummer Johnny describes, with bands in the past, he often noticed a lot of overthinking, and with Eye Am, he has seen an incredible amount of spontaneity replacing this. He appreciates all the input he gets from his band members. “They’re not short on ideas. So we’ll be working on something, and then somebody will come across something else in a sidebar, and say, ‘Hey, try this.’ And then it works.”
This is the true talent of this group – by tuning into their intuition and own spontaneity they create a truly authentic and powerful sound, and their new project promises to bring equivalent power in their songs to come.
“Dreams Always Die With The Sun” was released on June 2nd and the band has since entered the studio at the end of June to finish off the project.
Now the team is preparing for another single to follow up in October/November with an EP/ album release by Spring/Summer of 2024.
See Eye Am’s deep dive studio conversation covering the new album here. Stay tuned for more solid details about the new record coming soon.
About EYE AM:
EYE AM is a metal/rock band formed in 2023 featuring Crowbar vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein, Type O Negative guitarist/vocalist Kenny Hickey, and drummer/vocalist Johnny Kelly, as well as former Crowbar bassist Todd Strange. Eye Am’s music is a mix of doom, heavy and sludge metal, with powerhouse vocals and ear-melting guitar riffs. The band’s sound is characterized by slow, crushing drums, distorted vocals and composed yet spontaneous sound. Eye Am’s lyrics often deal with dark themes such as death, despair, and addiction. Their debut single was released this year in June titled “Dreams Always Die With The Sun,” which is the first song off of their long awaited album that has yet to be titled.
Belgian death metal stalwarts CARNATION will be releasing their third studio album, ‘Cursed Mortality,’ on November 3, 2023 via Season of Mist! The band is now revealing the pummeling second single from the offering along with a new music video, which can be found at THIS LOCATION.
The track dives deep into the horrors of Japanese Unit 731, also known as the Manshu Detachment 731. The covert biological and chemical warfare unit routinely conducted tests on people who were dehumanized and internally referred to as “logs” (or “Maruta,” in Japanese).
Frontman Simon Duson comments: “We are back with the second single for our upcoming third album ‘Cursed Mortality.’ To accentuate the diversity of the album, ‘Maruta’ feels like the perfect single to follow-up the title track. This track is loaded with thrashy hooks, groovy beats, and punishing death metal riffs. Those who desire brutality, look no further. ‘Maruta’ is here to crush your skull!”
Moreover, Carnation recently brought their demolishing live set to Graspop (BE). The full performance can be found HERE.
‘Cursed Mortality’ follows up ‘Where Death Lies,’ which was named among one of the best records of 2020 by Loudwire (Best Songs of 2020), The Pit, Chicago Music Guide, Pandemonium Metal, and more! Carnation was also named among one of the 50 Greatest Death Metal Bands Right Now by Kerrang! (#14).
The album can be pre-saved across all streaming services HERE while pre-sales will be revealed at a later date.
In addition, Carnation has announced a run of live performances in Europe, which are as follows: 08/26: Jena (DE) @ Rock am Wehr 09/23: St. Pölten (AU) @ STP Metal Weekend 11/03: Heist-op-den-Berg (BE) @ Cultuurcentrum Zwaneberg 12/16: Izegem (BE) @ Death Row
The artwork for ‘Cursed Mortality’ immortalizes late artist Mariusz Lewandowski as the dark and surreal image is one of his final works before his passing last year. The artwork can be found below along with the tracklisting and additional album details.
Tracklist: 1.Herald of Demise (feat. Andy LaRocque) (04:03) 2.Maruta (04:07) [WATCH] 3.Metropolis (03:24) 4.Replicant (03:49) 5.Dutroux (03:48) 6.Submerged in Deafening Silence (04:26) 7.Cycle of Suffering (04:05) 8.Cursed Mortality (07:30) [WATCH]
For the last decade, Carnation has been at the forefront of reviving old school death metal. There’s something to be said about the artfulness of taking something so primitive and walking that fine line between keeping its classic authenticity without sounding tired or dated. Carnation has always teetered this line, injecting a fresh and contemporary approach without losing the genre’s time-honored traditions. However, the band’s third endeavor sees Carnation erasing those boundaries entirely and abandoning any and all conventions as they traverse into daring new territory. ‘Cursed Mortality’ pulls the Belgian death dealers deeper into experimental new waters, taking risks as the band steps out of the shadows of its predecessors and comes into its own identity. ‘Cursed Mortality’s’ statement is clear: This is no longer simply a revival; this is Carnation’s rebirth.
“We still play death metal and we still identify as such” explains frontman Simon Duson. “But we know that this is also our second decade performing it. And while it is very important for us to stay true to the old-school style, we know we had to open things up a bit and reach out to those who might be interested in extreme metal, but aren’t that much into the old aspect of it. It also feels fresher to us because we’ve decided to change our visual approach, with a new logo, a new look on stage and so on. In a way, it really feels like the beginning of a new chapter for Carnation.”
Album number three is much more than just a new chapter, but rather feels like a sequel to an already storied career, punctuated by press accolades, an impressive history of live performances, and a lauded discography consisting of several EPs, splits, and two critically acclaimed full-length albums.
Carnation was formed in 2013 by vocalist Simon Duson, bassist Yarne Heylen, guitarist Bert Vervoort, and brothers Jonathan Verstrepen (guitars) and Vincent Verstrepen (drums). While many bands endure lineup changes over the years, Carnation stands as it did 10 years ago, growing tighter and stronger along the way. They are a brotherhood, both literally and figuratively, as they celebrate their silver anniversary. As familial ties can sometimes create challenges, it only empowers the Verstrepen duo. “My brother and I grew up together listening to the same music. I think we even have a 95% match on the music we listen to,” explains Jonahan about his relationship with his sibling. “Back when we were kids we already used to make ‘music’ together and we kind of understand each other when making music. When I write a song, I always send it to my brother first and he then records some drum ideas for it. Most of the time it’s exactly what I had in mind for the song!”
Vincent adds, “My brother has been a huge influence for me since a very young age. He taught me about so many bands and such. We started listening to metal from a very young age. It all happened when we found some vinyls from our uncle who was moving out and left some Iron Maiden LP’s that made us very curious. There certainly is a connection and sense of feeling between us which I do not have with anyone else. A good example from the past was writing the song ‘Sepulcher of Alteration.’ This song came together when my brother and I were jamming, as we do since we were kids.”
With the debut of its first EP in 2015, Carnation quickly garnered the attention of fans, media, and most notably of all, record label Season of Mist, who quickly noticed the band’s potential and picked them up without hesitation. Upon forming this union, the band dropped its first full-length, ‘Chapel of Abhorrance,’ in 2018. Angry Metal Guy astutely noted that the Belgians’ debut album was “one of the best death metal debuts of the year, and Carnation have earned their place as one of the most promising new bands in the genre” while Distorted Sound Magazine echoed these remarks, calling ‘Chapel of Abborhance’ “one of most brutalizing, well executed and, above all, fun, death metal releases of 2018” in its 9/10 review of the album.
Carnation’s momentum only seemed to pick up from there. The band kept busy on the road, performing a variety of tours with their death metal brethren in Deserted Fear, Schirenc Plays, Pungent Stench, and Pestilence, while headlining stages in Japan and Brazil. Upon conquering the live circuit and laying waste to audiences across three different continents, the band unleashed its 2020 opus, ‘Where Death Lies,’ which broke them out from the underground with the kind of seismic force that most bands can only dream of. If the critics liked ‘Chapel of Abhorrance,’ ‘Where Death Lies’ was the moment they fell in love, enamored by Carnation’s relentless brutality and crushing precision.
While touring had been halted that year, Carnation never stagnated nor waivered. The band’s tenacity paid off with their sophomore effort being named among one of the best records of the year by The Pit, Chicago Music Guide, Pandemonium Metal, and many more, while the single “Iron Discipline” was singled out by Loudwire as one of the best songs of 2020. Legacy outlet Kerrang! also took notice, ranking the band among the “50 Greatest Death Metal Bands Right Now,” cracking the top 20 picks.
While others succumbed to the unprecedented circumstances of 2020-2021, Carnation took the wheel. Rather than wait for the world to give them the signal of when they could return to the stage, the band recorded a furious live session at Galaxy Studios in their home country and broadcasted their fierce, uncompromising, and annihilating live set to households across the world, making fans even hungrier for the real thing. Such was evident when Carnation took the stage at the end of 2022 during the return of the legendary Eindhoven Metal Meeting festival in The Netherlands. The room was already nearly packed to its capacity of 1200, with Carnation holding the audience from the first note to the last – another testament to the Belgians’ growing legacy.
The release of ‘Cursed Mortality’ is adding kindling to this growing fire, from which Carnation is re-emerging like a phoenix. Written almost entirely by guitarist Jonathan “Johnny” Verstrepen, the album is not necessarily what fans might expect. “Johnny has always been like an old-school magnet, but he made it clear that he didn’t want to get stuck in that corner and he wanted to challenge himself to come up with more modern material,” says Yarne Heylen. “Half of the album is performed with a Drop A tuning, in order to add some extra heaviness, whereas we originally used to play in B standard tuning. On a sonic level, everything has been upgraded too. We had a very natural sound but now it’s all pumped on steroids and in your face. Overall, I think we’ve reached a point where we want to mature and transcend the boundaries.”
“This album is a lot more open-minded than the previous ones,” adds Jonathan Verstrepen. “We included other styles of music and went into a different direction of songwriting. Of course, we did not want to lose the old Carnation sound too much, so the old fans can also still find more ‘classic’ Carnation songs on the album as well. But in our opinion, this album is more mature than what we ever did before!”
Even lyrically, Carnation strays away from themes of torture, cults, and rituals, and instead, Duson takes a more relatable approach. “Some of the lyrics have a more personal touch on this album. For example, Duson had a really rough time with his previous job that sucked a lot of energy out of him. Thinking about that time of his life has also been an influence for him while writing lyrics,” says Verstrepen. Even songs such as “Metropolis” might seem fantastical on the surface, as it’s actually inspired by the 1927 Fritz Lang classic movie of the same name, but rather, it actually deals with “what’s hidden behind the glamorous and all too-perfect society we live in and how it has been eating people.”
“The title track mainly focuses on reflecting back on decisions that were made during one’s life,” Duson adds about his writing approach. “It’s about how a person will view himself after all the achievements and failures that they had to go through. It’s about realizing who you have become, and accepting or regretting the things that lead to becoming this person. This line from the song sums up the meaning perfectly: ‘And when death takes me, will I accept the end I am to receive? Will I feel fulfilled? Or bear resentment for the choices I have made?’ It’s definitely a lot more personal and humane compared to other lyrics that I’ve written. The inspiration stems from my own thoughts and feelings about myself and about other people in my life.
“Even though several songs on the new album were inspired by fictional stories, I did try to connect them to our reality and to make them topical as much as possible. To give an example, ‘Replicant’ was inspired by a character from the movie ‘Blade Runner,’ and it felt like the perfect way to portray the intended theme for this song, which is about the finiteness of our existence.”
While the Belgian slayers still stay true to their roots, they step outside of their comfort zone with more groove, melody, and progression, showcasing their versatility as musicians and clearly defining their own unique sound. ‘Cursed Mortality’ sounds darker, with passages of melancholic melodies that compliment the heaviness. In addition to adding clean vocals, Carnation also beefed up the guitar sound. “The one thing I surely wanted to add to our sound were more lead guitars,” Verstrepen continues. “One of my all time favorite Iron Maiden albums, ‘Somewhere In Time,’ was the main influence for that. I even went so far that I bought the hard to find guitar amp that was used on that album, to include it to our lead sound on the new album!”
While Iron Maiden might have had an indirect influence on ‘Cursed Mortality’s’ structure, another legacy artist had a much more direct impact, as King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque lent his talents to the opening track, ‘‘Herald of Demise.” LaRocque’s presence is not just one hell of a way to open up a record, but also a clever reminder of another legendary death metal band who dared to abandon its original sound and reinvented an entire genre in the process – Death. “Death definitely inspired us a lot,” says Verstrepen. “I think they inspired almost every death metal band on the globe. For me, Andy LaRocque is one of my all-time favorite guitar players. I remember buying my first real vinyl record, ‘Abigail,’ by King Diamond at the flea market, and I was blown away by the compositions of those songs. I think that’s the reason why I wanted Andy on one of our songs!”
Carnation honors another death metal legend de facto with ‘Cursed Mortality’s’ cover art, which was created by the late Mariusz Lewandowski (Obituary, Lorna Shore, Abigail Williams, etc.) “We already were aware of some of his artworks and his style fitted perfectly with our new album. Luckily, he already had a couple of artworks ready, and one of them directly caught our attention. If we had asked him to paint a new one, we would maybe never have had an original Lewandowski…” laments Verstrepen.
Most bands might feel anxious about making such dramatic changes, especially to incorporate clean vocals within such extreme music, Carnation embraces the unknown and does not fall victim to fear or monotony. “As artists, it’s something natural,” explains Verstrepen about why the band has shifted direction. “Doing the same thing over and over again doesn’t inspire us. We love to create and we love to explore new paths. We knew some people wouldn’t like clean vocals in death metal, but we don’t want to think of that too much. We stand 100% behind our music and we really like what we did here. Some people will drop out, but there will definitely be others joining! As Lemmy would say, ‘You win some, you lose some.’”
Indeed, a personal metamorphosis is always a risk, but one that historically has paid off. The first records of bands like Black Sabbath, Carcass, Death, or even Bathory sound nothing like the mid-late era offerings of those very same artists, and yet, those records that strayed off the beaten path are regarded as some of the most seminal albums in the history of metal. Playing it safe sounds easy, but it isn’t always a part of a legend’s origin story. And Carnation isn’t here to play by the rules; the band is ready to take a leap of faith and redefine an era.
Line-up: Simon Duson: Vocals Jonathan Verstrepen: Lead Guitar Bert Vervoort: Rhythm Guitar Yarne Heylen: Bass Guitar Vincent Verstrepen: Drums
Brazilian/Finnish death metal unit 3rd WAR COLLAPSE have announced the upcoming release of their sophomore album, “Catastrophic Epicenter”, on August 24th, 2023 via Lethal Scissor Records.
Today, Toilet Ov Hell is premiering the album’s title track: get obliterated at THIS LOCATION.
“Catastrophic Epicenter” tracklist:
01 – Catastrophic Epicenter 02 – Legion Of The Infested 03 – Coffin Shortage 04 – Terror Diffusion 05 – Fomites 06 – Asphyxiating Tyranny 07 – Lacerate The Rival 08 – Heresy Behind The Lies 09 – Killing Each Other 10 – The Last Hecatomb
3rd WAR COLLAPSE is a Brazilian / Finnish violent hate-filled brutal death-grind project featuring veteran musicians of the underground scene as Cristiano Martinez (ex-Vomepotro) and Kalle Lindfors (Inferia).
The band, which also features new bassist/vocalist Juan Azevedo, have steered their music through different shades of death metal and grindcore, from the technical to the plain, groovy and ignorant. Their most blisteringly furious, ambitious, and eclectic record to date, “Catastrophic Epicenter” is a much-needed hammer to the face, a riff-driven assault which delivers ten tracks of brutal death metal mixed with elements of grindcore, thrash and old school heaviness.
The suffocating atmosphere carries through to the lyrics that detail the myriad ways that human beings waste, destroy or devalue what’s in front of them. This is a multi-layered, metallic offer proving 3rd WAR COLLAPSE’s standing in the scene!
For fans of: Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Skinless, Criminal Element
Line-up:
Cris Martinez – Guitar & Vocals Juan Azevedo – Bass & Vocals Kalle Lindfors – Drums
LIGHTLORN, Swedish atmospheric black metallers, have announced their new album ”At One With the Night Sky”, coming out September 29th, 2023 via Black Lion Records. Today the band has released their first single “Amongst Stellar Remnants, out now on all platforms.
Stream the single via Black Metal Promotion ” HERE
Unique musical stylings, unlike anything we released before, soundscapes to carry us in our small part of the greater universe, holding us up, reminding us of our relationship to the stars, that we are not entirely separated, but intertwined as a part of the whole, our shared milky-way and universe.
Tracklist 1 Amongst Stellar Remnants 2 A Tragedy in Starlight 3 Dimensionless Blackness 4 Ghostly Soliloquies 5 Of Longing Spirit and Infinite Solitude 6 Spiral Arms Like Swirling Rivers 7 Earthbound
Lightlorn are Renwar – All instruments and vocals Riaan – Drums and programming
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 ) 