Finnish CHAMELION’s Debut Album “Legends & Lores” Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 11, 2023
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Photo by Sami Kettunen

Creating epic symphonic fantasy power metal combined with classical music, including choir, renaissance, and baroque elements, Finland’s CHAMELION‘s debut album “Legends & Lores” is now available as of December 8th from Rockshots Records.

Over the years they have released a few demos with various lineups. They now have a solid quintet of musicians that features founder keyboardist Marco Sneck, Tomi Viiltola (Vocals), Marco Sneck (Keyboards), Jari Satta (Guitars), Jukka Jokikokko (Bass) and Janne Kusmin (Drums).

“Legends & Lores” was recorded in various studios and mixed by a legendary Tampere-based power metal mixer Jussi Kulomaa. Fans can hit the play button, and close their eyes to dive into a fantasy world where might and magic rule. Featuring 10 songs, including its soundtrack intro “The Conquest”, from fast to slow tracks and the epic 10-minute album closer “Glorious Dawn”, fans are encouraged to delve into a musical story that begins right from the start until its end. All are flavored with a combination of nice melodies and song structures. Keyboardist and founder Marco Sneck adds.

“It’s is pure Fantasy Metal. The album is meant to be heard from beginning to end, as all the tracks are lyrically entwined into a chronologically advancing story. There are heroes, elves, magical quests, and other fantasy elements to get listeners all inspired! It is 55 minutes of adventurous heavy metal.”

Recommended for fans of Rhapsody, Twilight Force, Symphony X, Dragonland, and Gloryhammer, CHAMELION‘s “Legends & Lores” is available from Rockshots Records at https://bit.ly/ChamelionCD.

Spotify – https://sptfy.com/PxxB​
Music Video – “Hero’s Tale” – https://youtu.be/NT8WuFJDOMI

Track Listing​
I. THE CONQUEST – 2:11
II. HERO’S TALE – 5:14
III. THE SHADOWLEADER – 5:23
IV. FAITH AND STEEL – 6:15
V. THE QUEST – 6:01
VI. THE DEMONIC CREATURES OF THE NIGHT – 5:10
VII. THE HAMMER OF THE GODS´ MIGHT – 6:19
VIII. THE KEEPER OF THE HEART – 3:52
IX. THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS – 3:50
X. GLORIOUS DAWN – 10:02
Album Length: 54:23

Chamelion is:
Tomi Viiltola – Vocals
Marco Sneck – Keyboards
Jari Satta – Guitars
Jukka Jokikokko – Bass
Janne Kusmin – Drums

Album Credits:​
Production, music, lyrics & arrangements by Marco Sneck
Mixed by Jussi Kulomaa
Mastered by Joni Borodavkin
Recorded by Chamelion, Mika Pohjola & Soundmix, Jari Tuomainen & Studio Sound
Choir & backing vocals by Riitu & Jake Ronkainen, recorded by Jake Ronkainen
Additional bass on track 3 played & recorded by Riku Kyllönen
Narration on track 10 by Marco Sneck
Additional choir & backing vocals by Niina & Marco Sneck
Band logo by Nicolás Oliveros
Band photos by Sami Kettunen / kuvauksellistavaloa.fi
Booklet artwork by Nicolás Oliveros

More information at  Rockshots.eu | Chamelion.fi | Facebook.com/ChamelionOfficial | Instagram.com/chamelionofficial | Tiktok.com/@chamelion.official | Twitter.com/Chamelionband

LILLA VENEDA Release Second Song ‘Biomechanic Algorithm’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 11, 2023
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Lilla Veneda was initiated and founded in 2009 in Wrocław (Poland) by Virian. Band took the name from one of the most famous Polish romantic tragedies – Lilla Weneda written by Juliusz Slowacki.

Virian said: “We were looking for the name that will be unique but also adequate the musical atmospehere. Lilla Weneda is dark tragedy immersed in the pagan period of time (pre-Polish). It reminds the best tragedies written by William Shakespeare but with the slavic background.“

Lower Silesian band already unleashed brand new song titled “Colossi” from upcoming studio album titled “Primordial Movements“. Once again band used the services of Przemysław Nowak from Impressive-Art Studio (Asgaard, Odraza, Outre). The album’s premiere is scheduled on February 29, 2024. Pre-order will be available soon at Szataniec.pl. Cover artwork by Anna Sobczak.

Virian about lyrics and new album: “The core of the lyrics since the demo, then continue on the debut album is a riddle of existence. It’s a mixed of a science, philosophy and poetry. On the newest LP we try to present the lates discovers from the science and philosophical trends to explain who as humans we are, where the world comes from and where as a civilisation we are going. Probably it’s not hard to understand it but to accept it. Hence we don’t want to lie to ourselves but try to be as curious and rational as possible. Of course the rule of the science is to constantly questioning what we already know to make a progress. 

That is in our DNA so be sure that musically and lyrically we always be a little different but it’s a natural evolution instead of revolution but never say never…“

Stream the New song “Biomechanic Algorithm” on popular streaming platforms https://li.sten.to/g7v2pgj0

Also check out the Lyric video for “Colossi“ ➡ https://youtu.be/_0yPpV5lP-s – Song is also available at all major streaming services

Tracklist:

  1. Fury Dimension
  2. Sleeping Knight’s Sky
  3. Biomechanic Algorithm
  4. Iron-Black Pestilence
  5. Scratched Crown
  6. Colossi
  7. Immortal Vision of Chaos
  8. Primordial Movements
  9. Pytasz co w Moim Życiu

More information at Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Metal Archives

VESTINDIEN Reveal First Single ‘Forbi Stillheten’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 11, 2023
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As work on VESTINDIEN’s sophomore full-length album “Verdande” nears completion, Dark Essence Records has managed to give fans of the band an early Christmas present by releasing one of the finished tracks as a single. 
 
Almost three years on from the release of VESTINDIEN’s 2020 debut full-length “Null”, the new single, titled “Forbi Stillheten”, bridges the gap from where the band were then, to where they are today. 
 
“Null” served to introduce fans to VESTINDIEN’s unique approach to a dark, harsh and sinister old-school metal sound, and whilst “Forbi Stillheten”  is still very much rooted in metal, this time it also references 60s psych and 70s prog.
 
Described by the band as  “A hymn to the people who see the world as something they belong to, rather than something that belongs to them”,  “Forbi Stillheten” can be streamed or downloaded from a variety of services at THIS LOCATION.

Formed in 2009 and named after the last known brothel (now a museum) in Bergen, VESTINDIEN  had a reputation as an up-and-coming hardcore band with a heavy metal twist, and a solid following eager to witness VESTINDIEN’s frenetic live shows.  But one year after the release of their 2011 EP “We are the Lords of Hellfire”, the band inexplicably called it a day.

Several years later VESTINDIEN re-emerged with a more introverted, and less hardcore and aggressive, approach to their music.  Hints of the band’s hardcore roots were still discernible, but VESTINDIEN’s sound had manifested itself into a dark shroud that conjured up the essence of black metal, punk and old school rock’n’roll. As a result “Null”  was filled with songs that were dark, desperate and desolate, but also packed hard punches of energy and groove.

Details of the new album itself are still being kept under wraps, but we can reveal that “Verdande” was written in a basement in Bergen, as well as  on a secluded island in the Barents Sea.  The latter’s location out in the open sea, has literally, and figuratively, given VESTINDIEN more air and space do develop their music, without sacrificing any of those claustrophobic and chaotic roots from the underground.

VESTINDIEN’s lineup is comprised of Slettsnok on vocals,  guitars and synth, Fader War and Henrik Paulsen on guitars, Karl Johan Johannessen on drums, Petter Beyer on synth and Pål Eirik Veseth on bass, and more information about the band can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Vestindien/

THE SCREAM Release New Single + Lyric Video ‘Go Out…Go Mad’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 11, 2023
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Go Out… Go Mad, the new single from punk hardcore group The SCREAM, was written during the lockdown period due to COVID-19, when the band were confined to their homes, and the only reasons to go out were for work or groceries. It felt like being in a cage. No more fun nights out, no more hanging out with friends, no more live concerts and no more bars for an indefinite amount of time.

In Go Out… Go Mad, The SCREAM wanted to escape, at least in their thoughts, from that oppressive situation that seemed to be getting worse day by day, rather than improving. They wanted to express their desire to go out, party, stay out late at night, as we were used to doing before the entire world was put on hold indefinitely. They knew that all the measures were taken for the greater good, but the pandemic made things difficult from this perspective. Fortunately, it’s now just a bad memory. Now The SCREAM can do as the song’s title says: “Go OUT…Go MAD!”

Available now at: Apple Music | Spotify | & other major stores

The SCREAM are:
Edoardo Ferri – Bass Guitar/Principal Vocal | Francesco Carrabba – Drums/Backing Vocal | Simone Bardella – Guitar/Backing Vocal

More information at Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | On Sliptrick

SKELETAL REMAINS Unleash New Single + Music Video ‘Relentless Appetite’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 11, 2023
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Photo by Allen Falcon

American death metal purveyors SKELETAL REMAINS are now unveiling “Relentless Appetite,” the second explosive single from their upcoming new full-length, ‘Fragments of the Ageless,’ which is due via Century Media Records on March 8, 2024! The single is now available along with a pummeling and blood-soaked video, which was directed by Steven Grise of 197 Media, at THIS LOCATION.

“We feel it’s more brutal than the last one,” says Chris Monroy (guitars/vocals) about the new record. “We were pushing ourselves to be more extreme—vibing on that as much as possible.” Today doesn’t only mark official start of the preorder of the album, but also the release of ‘Relentless Appetite.'”

Pre-orders and additional album details for ‘Fragments of the Ageless’ are now live HERE.

The artwork for ‘Fragments of the Ageless’ was created by Dan Seagrave and can be found along with the tracklisting below!

‘Fragments of the Ageless’ Tracklist:

  1. Relentless Appetite [WATCH]
  2. Cybernetic Harvest
  3. To Conquer the Devout
  4. Forever in Sufferance
  5. Verminous Embodiment
  6. Ceremony of Impiety
  7. Void of Despair [WATCH]
  8. Unmerciful
  9. …Evocation (The Rebirth)

Lyrically, SKELETAL REMAINS took the left-hand path. Rather than topics and themes inspiring the cover art, Dan Seagrave’s (Suffocation, Entombed, et al.) famously atramentous detail conversely informed the lyrics and album title. Monroy says they had working titles that they conveyed to Seagrave, but the final painting sparked the title, “Fragments of the Ageless”. Of course, the usual influx of sci-fi, historical, personal struggles, and fantastical also played a part.

“Seagrave completed the cover art before we had a title,” Monroy says. “That was kind of different, but it worked in our favor. The cover art directly inspired a few of the lyrics and musical themes, tying multiple pieces together, which is a first for us. We did show him different pieces of art—10 in all, I think—that we liked, so there was direction. We wanted a mixture of things, with the final idea being a creature being taken apart and its DNA extracted. Seagrave’s crazy brain made it all come to life.”

SKELETAL REMAINS recorded “Fragments of the Ageless” at various home and professional studios. Most of the guitars, bass, and solos were tracked DIY. The band wanted the drums to sound as imposing as possible, so they booked Trench Studios (Intronaut, Hirax) with John Haddad, while the vocals were cut at Birdcage Studios with Allen Falcon (Pestilent Death). Once the album’s core had been recorded, Monroy and the team sent their sick slab to Swedish studio ace Dan Swanö (Asphyx, Incantation) for mixing and mastering.

While SKELETAL REMAINS have had four full-lengths since forming in 2011, “Fragments of the Ageless” is the band in their highest grotesque gear yet.

Line-up:
Chris Monroy – guitars/vocals
Mike De La O – guitars
Pierce Williams – drums
Brian Rush – bass

Follow: OFFICIAL WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – STREAM // DOWNLOAD

TAURUS INFERNO’s Self-Titled Album Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 11, 2023
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Photo by Ilaria Innocenti

TAURUS INFERNO‘s self-titled album “TAURUS INFERNO” was released yesterday, December 10th via Wanikiya Record, on all the best music stores worldwide, on label’s showcase in Japan and on Crashsound Distribution! A truly amazing album, where experience and desire to give it their all, by the band, pays off big time! An album that we recommend to all lovers of good old metal! So, maximum support to the band and listen to bombastic “Taurus Inferno”.

Taurus Inferno was born in 2016 from the collaboration of Camillo Venturi on guitar and vocals along with Stefano “Zven” Doretti on drums.

Later, Antonio Ghisu was added on bass, closing the lineup into a classic trio in “old school heavy metal” style.

Indeed, this is the style that the Tuscan trio tries to pursue. Pieces that hark back to classic English and European heavy bands of the 1980s such as Black Sabbath, Venom, Mercyful Fate, just to name three.

Even the way of playing and recording the pieces have well-defined lines that avoid the use of modern instrumentation and current sounds, preferring live recordings and minimal use of effects for both guitar and bass. Lots of amplifier “gain” and a hint of chorus when needed, everything else is superfluous to ensure a direct and deliberately “dirty” sound to refer precisely to sounds of yesteryear.

English lyrics and rather obscure riffs create an atmosphere that at times harks back to early Celtic Frost, at other times to early Venom, always, however, with a fairly defined melodic line because in any case the songs must always be “catchy” .

The production of the first album containing eight tracks was rather quick, taking into account that the songs were all written and recorded in 2021, in fact although the lineup has been around since 2016, the three had suffered a four-year setback due to extra music commitments.

The debut album “Taurus Inferno” was recorded at the Orange Studio of Stefano Doretti in the province of Pistoia, the band’s drummer and sound engineer.

More information at https://www.facebook.com/taurusinfernoband