Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

TROY THE BAND Release New Single ‘The Void’ with Video

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 15, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: TROY THE BAND. Leave a comment

TROY THE BAND have released their second single with video from their upcoming album and premiered via Doomed & Stoned.

“The Void was the second to last song we wrote for Cataclysm. As with most of our songs it began with an initial form written on bass that was then passed on to Sean Burn for their guitar treatment before being given to Craig to write the vocal melody.

The Void is a bit of a shift from some of our other songs, especially with its simplified structure and the straight eighth note feel of the verse. At times you could be forgiven for thinking it’s an upbeat song, until you listen a bit more closely to Craig’s lyrics. As he describes it: “The Void is about wanting to disappear or ceasing to exist instead of dealing with life’s problems.”

There is also an irreverence to the juxtaposition of an almost danceable beat with pretty morose lyrical content that we leaned into when making the music video. We had limited time and no budget so we came up with the idea of having someone just dancing through the whole tune. The oversized face mask, maintaining the same smile throughout and dancing jubilantly as we are told to embrace the end of days was another way of visually capturing that juxtaposition. “

The video recently premiered via Doomed & Stoned and the feature can be found here.

“We are very excited to announce the release of the pre-orders for Troy the Band’s debut album “Cataclysm”. It comes in 2 editions, the Troy the Band edition and the limited Bonebag Records edition. The Bonebag Records Edition can only be bought from https://bonebagrecords.com/ whilst the Troy the Band Edition can be bought from both from https://bonebagrecords.com/ as well as https://troytheband.bandcamp.com/. We really think that Troy the Band is one of the best new bands in the scene. Give it a spin, we hope you like it!”

Connect with Troy the Band:
https://troytheband.com/
https://linktr.ee/TroyTheBand
https://www.instagram.com/troytheband_official
https://www.facebook.com/TroyTheBandOfficial

Listen to Troy the Band:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1L3BygUVapfKxcuGG8Z3v6
https://troytheband.bandcamp.com/album/the-blissful-unknown
https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/troy-the-band/1615585316

MADDER MORTEM Release Second Single ‘The Head That Wears The Crown’ from Forthcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 15, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: MADDER MORTEM. Leave a comment

Five years after the release of “Marrow”, MADDER MORTEM are back with their brand new album “Old Eyes, New Heart” which will be released on January 26 via Dark Essence Records.

Whilst fans wait for its release, Dark Essence Records has today debuted the second single taken from the album.

‘The Head That Wears The Crown’ can be downloaded/streamed HERE.

MADDER MORTEM comment on the track: “‘The Head That Wears The Crown’ is a typical example of how Madder Mortem’s song writing works, combining an intensely melodic, nearly baroque verse with a down-tuned, heavy-handed riff-based refrain very suitable for banging your head. The lyrics deal with how there are some lines that will not be crossed and some things that will not be handed out for free, not even for love.“

The cover artwork, which was created by Jakob Kirkevaag & Costin Chioreanu, and further album details of Old Eyes, New Heart can be found below.

Track-list:

Coming from the Dark
On Guard
Master Tongue
The Head that Wears the Crown [LISTEN]
Cold Hard Rain
Unity
Towers [WATCH VIDEO]
Here and Now
Things I’ll Never Do
Long Road

It has been five years since MADDER MORTEM released their seventh full-length album “Marrow”, and it has been a long, hard journey, beset by turmoil and heartbreaking loss, which culminated in the death of Jakob, father of the band’s vocalist Agnete and guitarist BP.

Jakob had always been a huge supporter of the band, and his backing was fundamental to the launch of MADDER MORTEM‘s career. Being an artist himself, Jakob had worked on two paintings for “Old Eyes, New Heart”, and, thanks to the band’s long-term collaborator artist and video producer Costin Chioreanu, who was able to adapt Jakob’s work and provide additional design, the cover art was completed. Even though Jakob didn’t live to see the finished album, he would have been immensely proud to see his art on the cover, and the album is dedicated to his memory.

“Old Eyes, New Heart” was recorded and produced by BP M. Kirkevaag, and shows MADDER MORTEM‘s lineup of Agnete M. Kirkevaag on vocals, BP M. Kirkevaag on guitar & vocals, Anders Langberg on guitars, Tormod L. Moseng on bass and Mads Solås on drums embracing a multitude of directions, spanning from post-metal heaviness to soft Americana grooves and everything in between.

It is an album full of surprises. Lyrically and musically, “Old Eyes, New Heart” deals with hope, disappointment, and the ambivalence between them. It is music from old hearts and deep roots, with new eyes open to the unlimited possibilities of 12 notes, but always with the desire to write a good, honest song. Which makes it unmistakably MADDER MORTEM.

Line up:
Agnete M. Kirkevaag: Vocals
BP M. Kirkevaag: Guitar, vocals
Anders Langberg: Guitar
Tormod L. Moseng: Bass
Mads Solås: Drums

Recorded at Skytterhuset and Studio Omnivore on and off between May 2021 and February 2022. Engineered and mixed by BP M. Kirkevaag. Produced by BPMK & Madder Mortem. Mastered by Peter In de Betou at Tailor Maid.

http://www.maddermortem.com
http://www.facebook.com/Madder-Mortem-10035071567
http://www.instagram.com/maddermortemofficial
http://www.twitter.com/MadderMOfficial
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLLOBPu8Kr25bWceExl_YXA
http://www.maddermortem.bandcamp.com

Italian Rockers MERGING BEATS Unleash New EP “Non Avere Paura”, Out Today

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 15, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: MERGING BEATS. Leave a comment

After weeks of teasers and two singles gaining significant traction on Spotify, the Italian band MERGING BEATS releases their EP “Non Avere Paura” today. It’s available on Spotify and all online platforms through Volcano Records & Promotion in collaboration with The Orchard/Sony.

The EP consists of five powerful and deep tracks that chart a sonic journey between tradition and modernity. Here, solid Italian alternative rock intersects with classic rock elements, blues echoes, and progressive suggestions. The EP marks the band’s definitive transition from English to Italian, a transformation to be faced, as the title suggests, without fear. The songs delve into the intimacy of these four extraordinarily talented musicians, reflecting on how challenging it is to evolve, change, or simply grow.

Here are Merging Beats’ words about “Non Avere Paura”: “This work can be seen as a representation of all those necessary transition periods that frighten us so much and that we often avoid or postpone. In the title, there’s the phrase that gave us the courage to face the fear of the new, and it’s the phrase we hope can give the same courage to anyone willing to listen”.

The EP was preceded by the single “Come Crepe”, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyzmaHDXiA8

Also check out Merging Beats’ first single ‘Offline (FOMO)’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQDiehGKLI

Further info at
http://www.volcanopromotion.com
http://www.mergingbeats.it

Exclusive Premiere for Finland: VANIR ‘One Man Army’ Single + Lyric Video

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 15, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: VANIR. Leave a comment

Photo by Natascha Dumbledear Allen

After the historical swirl of the first single “Twisting The Knife”, VANIR now releases a new advanced song from their upcoming new studio album, both as digital single and as a lyric video.

“One Man Army” is a song of Honor and Valour”, the band declares. “The song is a tribute to those who fight with vigour for freedom and to defend their own. Throughout history, millions of young and old have fallen on the battlefields of what is now Europe. And for all who still need to fight to defend the freedom of nations, Sword high, headstrong, survive, and be a one-man army!”

For the single and lyric video premiere, VANIR teamed up with Metal Shock Finland, enjoy it below!

Vanir is one of Denmark’s most prominent melodic death metal bands and has, since the band’s inception, released six full-length albums. And now, they’re ready to unleash their seventh beast, titled “Epitome”.

The theme of this new opus is the Danish middle-ages, with two songs branching into the Renaissance (“Wood Iron And Will” and the early middle-age “Blood Eagle”). The core of the album’s theme is the throne and the battles fought to keep it or to cement its power.

The first single of the album, “Twisting The Knife”, was written about The Stockholm Bloodbath, which was a trial that led to a series of executions in Stockholm between 7 and 9 November 1520. The siege of Arkona in 1169, led by the Danish and Pommeranian forces under Valdemar I is the beginning point for “Fall of Arkona”. Finally, a song about strength, valour and courage (“One Man Army”) completes the singles trilogy of the record.

The “Epitome” album cover is a depiction of the Danish queen Sorte Grethe (Black Greta). In her own time, Margaret had a reputation as a competent and enlightened regent. Regent Margaret was faced with the unresolved conflict between the crown and the archbishop. The song “Sorte Grethe”, on the album, is about a bloody battle where 12.000 men were killed to protect her sons’ right to the crown.

Vanir has been around for more than 10 years and has evolved a lot since the band’s beginning. With the last three records, and now with “Epitome”, Vanir shows its hard edge and catchy melodic death metal.

From the Sagas of old to the halls of kings and the bloody battlefields, Vanir’s music has been put together, without compromise, with a fascination with Scandinavian common origins, and the blood spilled throughout history.

“Epitome” will be released on CD, LP (black vinyl, limited to 300) and digital formats via Mighty Music on February 16th, 2024.

Live dates 2024:
17/18.02 – Cernunnos Pagan Fest, Paris (FR)
01.03 – Kulturfabrikken Nykobing (DK)
23.03 – Gimle, Roskilde (DK)
09.05 – Dark Troll Festival (DE)
10.05 – Heathen Gathering (AT)
23.08 – Von Hatten, Randers (DK)
28.09 – Fredagsmangle, Stockholm (SE)

Lineup:
Martin Rubini – vocals
Kirk Backarach – guitar
Michael Lundquist – guitar
Mikael Christensen – bass
Jon Elmquist Schmidt – drums
Stefan Dujardin  – keyboards

Digital single: https://vanir.lnk.to/army

Webshop: https://bit.ly/vanir-target

Web:
https://www.facebook.com/vanirband
https://www.instagram.com/vanirdenmark/
https://vanir.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6DCYYeX3Iqic6GnQTXM3n4
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vanir/427022932

Exclusive Premiere for Finland: ARTILLERY ‘The Challenge’ Lyric Video

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 15, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Artillery. Leave a comment

Photo by John Son

To celebrate ARTILLERY’s upcoming live album “Raw Live (At Copenhell)”, today the band releases, in digital single and lyric video formats, the track “The Challenge”, from the record. “The Challenge” is one of the oldest tracks in Artillery’s live set, having been originally recorded in 1986, in the “Terror Squad” demo. It’s a call to arms to all Artillery fans in the audience, an old-school 80s thrash metal war cry that leaves no Artillery concertgoer indifferent.

ARTILLERY have teamed up with Metal Shock Finland to premiere “The Challenge” lyric video, enjoy it below.

Artillery is not a band of many live albums, In fact, in over four decades, they have put out just one. Until now. So, when it’s bound to happen, it should be special. Enter “Raw Live (At Copenhell)”. Recorded in 2022, just coming out of pandemics lockout, in one of the biggest metal festivals in their home country (and among the biggest metal festivals in Europe!), the live set by the Danes was impeccable. Sadly, it was also one of the last live appearances by drummer Josua Madsen, who was killed the next year in a car accident. It also marks a turning point for the veteran thrashers, who recently said goodbye to vocalist Michael Bastholm Dahl and guitar player Kraen Meier and are looking forward to an exciting new era ahead. But, for now, let’s bow before Josua’s monster performance at Copenhell in 2022 and hear it from Artillery’s guitar player and founder Michael Stützer about the release.

“The year was 2022, we got the offer to play at one of the world’s absolutely coolest metal festivals: Copenhell. Everything had been destroyed by COVID-19 in the years before. So, 2022 was the year we got busy.

Big festivals contacted us, German TV and so on. Rockhard, Sweden Rock, Brutal Assault and Copenhell.

Copenhell was big for us. To share the stage with bands like KISS, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, it hardly gets bigger. We sat down and decided to get the concert recorded, it had to be as raw as possible, authentic as hell and the hope was to be able to use the tracks as bonuses for future releases. Maybe as a live release. When we received the recording, we thought that the recording should be released as a concert, not as bonus tracks. Søren Andersen, our permanent producer, was put on the case. Sound levels had to be fixed a bit, but that was it. Søren said at one point, “Damn, Josh is ON FIRE!”. And he was!

Denmark’s biggest music magazine Gaffa gave the concert 5/6 stars and the headline was “The man is busy”. Josh played better than ever. Josua was killed in a car accident in 2023. Now the album is released, a little late, yes, but it’s a recording, which is as it should be when talking about Artillery. Raw, unpolished, straight in your face. Hence the name of the live record: “Raw Live (At Copenhell)”.

Artillery has been around for more than 40 years. The final chapter has not been written yet; just wait, there is more to Artillery. For example, a Metalized tour with friends from Manticora and new singer Martin Steene, known from Iron Fire and Force of Evil, as well as a larger USA tour. The album is a tribute to Josh, as well as a clenched fist in the air to our fans. Thanks Satan. Thanks to Mighty Music.”

“Live Raw (At Copenhell)” will be released on CD, LP (black vinyl) and digital formats via Mighty Music on February 2nd, 2024.

Recording lineup:
Michael Bastholm Dahl – vocals
Michael Stützer – lead guitars
Peter Thorslund – bass
Kraen Meier – lead guitars
Josua Madsen – drums

Digital single: https://artillery.lnk.to/challenge

Webshop: https://bit.ly/art-tgt

Further links:
https://artillery.dk/
https://www.facebook.com/artillery.dk
https://www.instagram.com/artillerymichaelstutzer/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6N62Sla6F2uuEzNALo6720
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/artillery/61440649
https://tidal.com/browse/artist/3579896

BRAND OF SACRIFICE Sign with Nuclear Blast, Release New Single + Video ‘Purge’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 14, 2023

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Brand Of Sacrifice. Leave a comment

Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/brandofsacrificemetal

Canadian deathcore wrecking crew, BRAND OF SACRIFICE, are ending 2023 with a gargantuan bang as they announce their signing to legendary record label, Nuclear Blast Records.

To celebrate this iconic new partnership, the band have released phenomenally heavy new single, ‘Purge’. The glorious new serving of brutality comes accompanied by a stunning, cinematic music video, the caliber of which has become somewhat for a calling card for the band. Stream ‘Purge’ HERE and watch the music video here:

Speaking on the brand new track, BRAND OF SACRIFICE frontman, Kyle Anderson shares:
“‘Purge,’ powerfully delves into the complexities of addiction, weaving a narrative of struggle, but also resilience. It is an ode to personal transformation, showcasing the journey towards becoming one’s best self amidst life’s challenges.”

Since 2018, Toronto-based deathcore quintet BRAND OF SACRIFICE have been making an undeniably indelible mark on the heavy music scene. Dubbed ‘The Branded Ones,’ the group’s fans joined and marched with them as they tore across the globe in support of their sophomore album Lifeblood, which debuted on 8 separate Billboard charts and earned them a Juno nomination for Metal Album of the Year. Other highlights included slots on highly anticipated tours with artists like SPIRITBOX, THY ART IS MURDER, WE CAME AS ROMANS & more.

BRAND OF SACRIFICE pushed the envelope even further with their next release, EP Between Death and Dreams in 2023. With production even more cinematic, exemplified by massive choral soundscapes, brutal breakdowns, and quite few surprises along the way, the EP was met with huge critical acclaim and showcased an exceptional evolution of their sound.

In December of 2023 BRAND OF SACRIFICE announced signing to world renowned label, Nuclear Blast Records. Having previously seen huge growth via their partnership with sister company, Blood Blast Distribution, signing with Nuclear Blast was the natural progression for the band. BRAND OF SACRIFICE ushered in their exciting new era with the release of single ‘Purge’, another giant leap in their continued sonic evolution.
Across their releases to date, BRAND OF SACRIFICE have hit 60 million streams and 13 million YouTube views. The band draws its name from popular anime series Berserk by Kentaro Miura.

Fans at any BRAND OF SACRIFICE show will be familiar with set-closer ‘Eclipse’ and its ending chant of, “Welcome to the new age.” With Between Death and Dreams, it’s evident the band have ushered in yet another, even fresher era from which there is no turning back.