After what must be considered a very successful tour, which has garnered panegyric reviews across the nation, Gåte now mark the end of the year with a new edit of one of their most soulful songs from the Vandrar EP.
The song “Førnesbrunen” is a song with a very special story.
The backdrop of the lyrics is the old Norwegian saga of “Førnesbrunen” which roots back to the 1340s and the years of the Black Death.
Førnesbrunen was a large, strong, and exceptionally wise horse who owner was tasked to transported the dead from their secluded village and through the mountains to consecrated ground. The road was long and rugged, and Førnesbrunen made many trips. Eventually Førnesbrunen´s master, the village´s last survivor, also fell ill and died by the plague.
As such Førnesbrunen embarked on his final journey over the mountains. It was amid the harshest of winters and a terrible storm was raging, but Førnesbrunen stayed true to his cause and managed to find his way.
When the horse met his final destination he was met by two men prepared to collect the deceased. They patted Førnesbrunen on the back signaling him to go back to the village, but Førnesbrunen refused to leave. He knew the village was home for nothing except from death, but the men did not understand and sent him off anyway.
Soon the men heard terrible neighs from the mountains and realized that something was off. They followed the horse tracks and eventually found the once powerful horse wounded surrendering to death under the weight of all the loss and pain he has seen.
However hard they tried Førnesbrunen could not be helped, and soon he followed his master and left this mortal coil.
Finnish masters of melancholy and haunting melodies INSOMNIUM are teaming up with their friends from highspeed melodic death virtuosi OMNIUM GATHERUM, for 25 nights of gloom and sinister anthems in North America.
Both bands have been two prime examples of exceptional melodeath originating from Europe’s freezing North and have gained a massive following over the years through their captivating sound that combines blistering guitar riffs, thunderous drumming, and guttural vocals. For years, the American and Canadian fans have been waiting for the combo of “Insomnium Gatherum” to hit the road together again after the pandemic-related cancellation in 2020 and now, with no more virus in sight, it will finally happen in April and May 2024.
WILDERUN, hailing from Boston, will join as support with their unique mélange of prog and folk metal.
Tickets and VIP options for this melodic-deadly-combo will go on sale on Friday at 10:00 AM from insomnium.net/tour
INSOMNIUM With OMNIUM GATHERUM & WILDERUN Apr-11 Cambridge, MA – The Middle East Apr-12 Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield Apr-13 Ottawa, ON – The Brass Monkey Apr-14 Toronto, ON – The Opera House Apr-15 Detroit, MI – The Magic Stick Apr-16 Chicago, IL – House Of Blues Apr-18 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room Apr-19 Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre Apr-20 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall Apr-22 Calgary, AB – Dickens Apr-23 Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room Apr-25 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre Apr-26 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre Apr-27 Seattle, WA – El Corazon Apr-29 San Francisco, CA – August Hall Apr-30 Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco May-01 Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater May-03 Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live May-04 Dallas, TX – The Factory In Deep Ellum May-06 Winter Park, FL – The Conduit May-07 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade May-08 Charlotte, NC – The Underground May-09 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage May-10 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts May-11 New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
Finnish melancholic metal band GARDEN OF STONE is set to release their debut EP ‘Tides of Decay’ later in 2024 via Inverse Records. The first single Hymn of a Dead Man Pt.1 is released today and you can listen to it on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/gos-hymn
Guitarist Jere Mäntysalo comments: “Garden of Stone’s debut single “Hymn of a Dead Man Pt.1” represents the band’s tendency to compose melancholic clean guitars combined with cleanly sung dark lyrics. On the other hand, the band shows its versatility on the song with a catchy chorus, a catchy solo and heavy riffs, where singer Jesse Salo‘s brutal roars also get a head start. The lyrics paint a portrait where indifference and sparking rage can be seen in the midst of boredom and despair. The whole is completed by Kalle Hänninen‘s bass melodies and Matias Rokio‘s genres-combining drums.”
Composed by Jere Mäntysalo Lyrics by Jesse Salo Artwork by Noora Khouya
Garden of Stone is a melodic metal band that weaves together melancholic rock and heavy metal. From the band you can expect brooding atmospheres, beautiful melodies, and face melting riffs.
The band was formed in 2023 when guitarists Jere Mäntysalo and Ville Penkari recruited Jesse Salo to sing and scream for their project. Soon after, drummer Tapio Haverinen joined to keep the rhythm department in check. The group was completed when bassist Kalle Hänninen joined to govern the lowest frequencies. Guest drummer Matias Rokio arranged and played the drums for the upcoming EP. The band published their first single, Hymn of a Dead Man Pt.1, in December of 2023, with the EP “Tides of Decay” just around the corner.
Line-up: Jere Mäntysalo – Guitar Jesse Salo – Vocals Kalle Hänninen – Bass Ville Penkari – Guitar Matias Rokio – Drums
As one of the more dynamic vocalists of the early ‘90s, NYC native Ray West’s defiant screams and guttural wails defined a generation of headbangers. The leader of Spread Eagle, West aided in the creation of such metal anthems such as “Switchblade Serenade” and “Devil’s Road.” And now, with his collaborator/bassist/producer, Miguel Gonzalez, by his side, West has created his most personal music and songwriting yet. Brimming with heavy urban power grooves, SupaFly represents an evolution for West. SupaFly’s the Vibe is due out on March 8 via Deko Entertainment (ADA/Warner Music Group) and features revisited and remastered versions of tracks previously recorded, as well as new compositions.
“SupaFly’s music is on the heavier side,” explains West. “It’s got an urban groove, emotionally charged lyrics that come from a place of strength–and much vulnerability. And since I’m an open book, that’s cool with me. While Spread Eagle is a quintessential NYC, high-energy, hard rock n’ roll band…SupaFly is old school with new school sensibilities. The singer is confident that longtime Spread Eagle fans will also appreciate SupaFly. In a recent success, SupaFly released a cover of the KC and the Sunshine Band classic “I’m Your Boogie Man” for Halloween, immediately connecting with fans (with the song’s video getting over 30K views upon release).
SupaFly hits again just before the holidays with the extremely personal track “Hypothermia.” West explains the story behind the song, “A talented musician with dreams of stardom gets a record contract only to become disillusioned with the life he’s chosen. He turns to drugs to mask his emotional downfall. And the person who loves him unconditionally is helpless to save him.” “’Hypothermia’ is like driving down a foggy coastal mountain highway – it’s lonely road,” adds Gonzalez.
The Vibe contains ten tracks – featuring both aforementioned singles along with the standout track “Drowning Man,” which will hit on January 26.
Looking forward, West plans to remain busy and introduce his new band to the masses, “Keep writing SupaFly music, spread the vibe worldwide, and play live shows. Because if you’re not playing shows, then what’s the point?”
VIPASSI laid the groundwork for their mind-bending instrumental passages back in 2017, when they debuted Śūnyatā. The Australian quartet built on that solidly progressive foundation last month with the release of “Phainesthai”, the first single and keystone of their new album Lightless.
Today, the band are handing us another key. “Labyrinthine Hex” weaves a maze of intricate melodies and rhythmic complexities into a symphony of emotions.
The accompanying studio playthrough reveals not only the technical virtuosity of each member but also their telepathic chemistry. Watching the way they play off each other, it’s no wonder that Vipassi can spin epic stories without uttering a word.
In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.
With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.
Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).
Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, the band VIPASSI is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.
Lineup Daniel Presland – Drums Ben Boyle – Guitars & Synths Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass Benjamin Baret – Guitar Solos
Recording Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.
Production Sound Engineer – Troy Mccosker Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Mark Lewis
Ground-breaking symphonic death metal band GENUS ORDINIS DEI (Milan, Italy) just revealed another new music video entitled “The Fortress Without Gates”. This is the fourth and final video episode from the band’s new full-length concept album The Beginning which was just released worldwide on December 8, 2023 via Eclipse Records. The album was produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tommaso Monticelli at Sonitus Studio in Crema, Italy. The video series was directed by Genus Ordinis Dei and filmed by Steve Saints.
“The Fortress Without Gates” is the fourth & final episode of The Beginning which shows us unbridled ceremonial cannibalism in a burst of horrific, violent beauty as The Brother is consumed by sensuous, barbarous tribal women, some wearing animal skulls. The magic of the music works to multiple climaxes where amazing hummingbird sixteenths lay down a red carpet for the guitarwork and emotion-filled vocals. Hearts are devoured here, and treasures are fatally ignored. Watch all four episodes of the full metal music video series The Beginning and listen to the full album at https://bio.to/thebeginning
“The video was shot at night along the sandy banks of the Adda River” says guitarist & producer Tommy Monticelli. “Throughout the day, we set up the sandy camp, decorated the ritual circle, and did the makeup. The band looked like a group of seasoned farmers. Certainly, the intense scene of the heart extraction was the most challenging and incredible ever. The props and SFX from our collaborators Beatrice Tell and Valentina Radenti were amazing. There was no room for error, but at the same time, synchronizing the extraction with the camera and the blood while actor Lorenzo (The Shaman) performed was a real feat. There were actually two hearts, one edible (less realistic) and one absolutely inedible. The edible one tasted like terribly sweet raspberry. We spent a fantastic day together with all the fantastic girls, assistants, and actors who collaborated in the shooting. We will never forget it!” Guitarist & vocalist Nick Key adds, “This final episode recounts the epilogue of this story and the genesis of a mysterious black stone that the brother now wears around his neck. The brother’s return to the tribe is welcomed by The Shaman, who, along with his harpies, escorts him towards the dreadful cannibalistic ritual he must undergo. In the midst of this whirlwind of emotions, the brother is placed on the altar, and his mind returns to the last farewell and embrace shared with his sister during their journey.”
(Cover art by Andrea Spoto)
The Beginning is the fourth studio album from symphonic death metal band Genus Ordinis Dei, which redefines the way we listen to music and process cinematic theater. In simpler terms, the final product is an exceptional twelve-track album and a stunning set of representative videos called “Episodes,” that directly address the way we use our senses. Interspliced in a clever foreshadowing technique, are images of blood pouring over a stone, advancing like the crooked fingers of some skeletal miscreant, and when The Brother character starts singing, we are startled into the recognition that this is not merely some standard high-quality film, but the vibrant offspring we get from a brilliant, well-produced metal album. Symbolically, the parallel is clear. We are watching exquisite savages at the dawn of existence, who are shockingly similar to us in terms of their passion, physicality, and natural tendencies toward glorified violence. More thematically, Genus Ordinis Dei shows us quite clearly that brutality is the lifeblood of society, as we still so ironically fool ourselves with carefully crafted social constructs. The Beginning is not just music. It is an experience. A red dawn. An awakening.
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
