BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE Share Video for New Song ‘The Raven’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo credit: Omar Ahmed

Progressive rock trio BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE is now sharing a brand new single, “The Raven,” along with a music video! The song is taken from the band’s forthcoming full-length, ‘Tempus Veritas,’ due on April 14, 2023! The video was created by Alina Gordienco and can be found at THIS LOCATION.

Speaking about the single, vocalist/guitarist Paul Visser says: “‘The Raven’ is a song inspired by our love of Viking folklore and mythology.  After the Danish Vikings began raiding England in the 9th century, many sought long-term settlement – they were farmers who saw an abundance of rich, fertile land in the hands of the Saxons. ‘The Raven’ is written from the point of view of such a settler who, after many years in a foreign land, is struggling with the feeling of losing touch with the old gods of his former home.  The insane video created by our friend and visual collaborator Alina Gordienco is a brilliant modern-day take on the idea of losing your identity and fighting your inner demons.”

Pre-orders are now available HERE. The album can be pre-saved on various digital platforms HERE.

Track-list:

1. Tempus Veritas (1:24)
2. Hydrogen (3:57)
3. The Raven (3:41) [WATCH]
4. Last Ronin (4:27)
5. Scarlet Haze (3:42)
6. Deny The Sun (3:15) [WATCH]
7. Glory To The King (3:37) [LISTEN]
8. Summit (3:07)
9. Weakness (2:49)
10. Vesuvius (3:44)
11. Latimer (3:43)
Total: 37:26

Cover artwork: Black Orchid Empire & Ines Hernandez

BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE create huge, memorable rock music that combines heavy-hitting savagery with intense melodic beauty. Their technical, fearlessly complex grooves and gigantic sing-along choruses have already earned them a widespread fanbase.
 
A ferociously tight live band, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE have toured Europe and the UK extensively, supporting Skunk Anansie, HED p.e, INME and Black Map as well as festival slots at Download, Standon Calling and Planet Rockstock. Black Orchid Empire have sealed the bands reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
 
Having released their debut album ‘Archetype’ (2016) to universal acclaim, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE signed with German label Long Branch Records to release the follow up albums ‘Yugen’ (2018) and ‘Semaphore’ (2020). Both albums received stellar reviews and over 3,000,000+ combined streams.
 
“Tempus Veritas” is a collection of stories that seeks to find compelling imaginary narratives hidden away in what we all think of as history.  Behind every milestone or major event in humanity’s long, complex past lies a treasure trove of possibilities for invention – how did Pope Urban VIII feel when confronted by his friend Galileo about the true nature of the sun?  What really happened during an almost triumphant but ultimately doomed Everest attempt? What was it like to be a Norse settler amongst the Saxons; did the omens of the ancient gods begin to disappear?
 
In approaching “Tempus Veritas”, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE sought collectively to push themselves both musically and thematically. Their pursuit of heaviness, melody, emotional power and rhythmic complexity has pushed them to create something they‘re immensely proud of. “Semaphore” was an album of Sci-Fi, this is an album of Hi-Fi. Tempus Veritas.                 

Recording studio:
The Recording Studio London
 
Producer / sound engineer:
Produced by Black Orchid Empire
Paul Visser (engineer)
Dobromir Vasilev (assistant engineer)
 
Mixing studio and engineer:
The Recording Studio London
Paul Visser (mix engineer)
 
Mastering studio and engineer:
Systematic Productions
Ermin Hamidovic (mastering engineer)

Line-up:
Paul Visser: Vocals | Guitar
Dave Ferguson: Bass | Vocals
Billy Freedom: Drums

TUOMAS ROUNAKARI Launches New Twisted Folk Duo PARKU, Video from Debut Concert Available

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Photos by @skempa65

PARKU is a new folk duo of TUOMAS ROUNAKARI and the accordeon Wizard ANTTI PAALANEN, of two Finnish men who did not find chanterelles in the forest…

PARKU’s debut concert was held on February 10th 2023 at Kulttuurikorjaamo in Kokkola, Finland and boy did the folks laugh!?! Video is edited from the clips that concert goes shared from the event.

Watch the video below.

Videos with the permission of kind concert goers: Anne Ohls, Esa and Paula Rauman and the host Robban Haggnäs!

More to come, stay tuned!

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On April 14th 2022, TUOMAS ROUNAKARI released his solo album “Bear Awakener”, available at https://rounakari.bandcamp.com!

Awakening the Bear is a symbol of succumbing to the greater forces of existence. Awakening a new energy while being more connected to the ancient. And first and foremost – opening to a dialogue with mythical entities and re-creating harmonious and long lasting relationships with our surroundings, including human and non-human beings, seen and unseen worlds.

The songs in this album are formed by Khanty, Mansi, Carelian and Finnish ancestors. They carry a resonance of those before us who were better equipped to collaborate with nature in a sustainable and self-sufficient way. Such songs have always been Tuomas’ best teachers.

“This is music that gods are listening to” said Pekko Käppi after having listened through the freshly finished mastered tracks.

The album coverart was created by Karolina Pärnänen.

“Bear Awakener” tracklisting:

  1. First Morning
  2. In the Land of the Bear
  3. Man with a Bear’s Snout
  4. Second Morning
  5. Song of a Small Goose
  6. Origin of the Bear
  7. Third Morning
  8. Bear Clan Girl
  9. Man-observing-the-world
  10. Roopeska’s Bear Hunt
  11. Last Morning – Departure
    Running Time: 42,10 min.

“Bear Awakener” was recorded, mixed and mastered at the Verde Studio with the gear-wizard Mika Rintala. None of his modular synthesizers were used. All of the equipment used in recording was built by Mika – microphones, pre-amps, EQ and even the mixing console and electrostatic monitors.

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TUOMAS ROUNAKARI is an internationally acclaimed violinist, composer and ethnomusicologist from Finland. He is a one-man-band blending violin, vocals and stomping with ankle-bells. In his performance he enters various trance-states. In this album he will also be playing a traditional Khanty instrument called Ning-juh.

Tuomas is inspired by different forms of dialogue; man and nature, the seen and the unseen world, ancient and future. His first solo album Shamanviolin was a result of ethnomusicological studies of the earliest 20th century wax-cylinder recordings from Siberia. These studies have also led to many collaborations with indigenous artists. He is one of the few artists who have actually returned their art to native communities for evaluation and development.

Tuomas Rounakari solo performance has been selected to: World Cultures Festival in Hong Kong (2019), Arctic Arts Summit (2019), Nordiskt Ljus Festival in Sweden (2022), Festspillene Helgeland in Norway (2021), Nuuk Nordik Festival in Greenland, Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in Finland (2018, 2013, 2012), Helsingin Juhlaviikot and many others. He has also played the solo performance in several theaters such as Finnish National Theater in Helsinki, Merlin Szinhas Teater in Budapest, AlfredVeDvore in Prague, Ashurst Hall in Flagstaff USA among others.

Also watch
-Tuomas’ performance video, a throwback to Tokyo 2017, from the materials of ‘Live in Japan’ documentary by Kimmo Kuusniemi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g718diJlW1s
-‘Farewell of Kamas People’ – https://youtu.be/oV16Qipd0MQ
-‘Langetus’ – https://youtu.be/HVsU7PTqqHY

More information at
TUOMAS ROUNAKARI: http://www.rounakari.com | http://www.facebook.com/shamanviolin |https://rounakari.bandcamp.com | https://rounakari.com/videos
MANAGEMENT: https://www.facebook.com/SplitScreenManagement | http://www.splitscreenproduction.com

CAVERN DEEP Announce New Album “Part II – Breach”, Unleash New Video ‘Primordial Basin’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

CAVERN DEEP is a slow, heavy band, founded 2019, by members from Zonaria and Swedish retro riffsters Gudars Skymning. The band released its first self-titled concept album through Interstellar Smoke Records to critical aclaim topping on #7 on The Doom Charts.

The second album is called “Part II – Breach” and is a continuation on the concept of the first album and features Susie McMullan of Brume, Johannes Behndig of Sarcophagus Now and Thomas V Jäger of Monolord(On the bonus track).

The first single “Primordial Basin” is out now and the full album will release the 14th of July. Pre-orders for the vinyl and the Digipack CD is now available through Bonebag Records and the Cavern Deep Bandcamp.

Primordial Basin also has its own Music Video below.

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

It is made with a home-made AI created by Max, and uses only art that we have the rights to use. There will be a music video for each song on the album and one that stitches the album as a whole.

The tracklist with corresponding synposis is as follows: 1. Breach The archaeologist is no more. Engulfed. As the ungodly withering sentinel feasts on his flesh and mind, something is opening. Picked up by a violent current, the bare essence of the man is plunged through the strange spaces in between worlds. It is reshaped. Traveling in its primal form with the monstrous being as a conduit. Its heart is blank. Mind is void.

2. Primordial Basin She is watching patiently. The engineer. The last of its kind. The theft of this essence from the otherworldy refuge was the final attempt. Embedded in the being below her is the code. Her design. Her revenge. Deep down in the basin, the putrid water stirs as the being breaks free from its membranous nursery. The engineer watches in silent triumph from afar as the being destroys everything in its path in blind newborn rage. Wading through the festering amniotic fluid it is pulled by an inner voice to the east.

3. A World Bereaved No more memories of its earlier existence than glitching, flickering images. Like waking up from distant clouded nightmares. Skin is thin, sore, still growing as it lumbers through desolate landscapes. No signs of life to be seen. The ground is torn by sickly pulsating spirals, shooting up in the thick clouds above. Passing former displays of architectural grandeur; now caved in like hollow skulls. A sense of purpose is shaping inside as it finds its paths through the wasteland.

4. Skeletal Wastes Before it, an ancient war ground. It is vast and dreadful to behold. The last big battle of a dying civilization. The last gasping breath. The being makes its way through labyrinths of giant dead abominations and remnants of war machines since long put to sleep. Picking up pace. Slowly burning from inside with an ever-growing sense of meaning. It is the final solution. The retaliation of many. The faint glow in its veins extends to a cord. The hovering placenta is feeding it in a steady rhythm, preparing the being for its passing.

5. Sea of Rust The Sea. Dead. Acidic. This is ground zero. It knows all. It was here above the greatest of cities they broke through. Drawn by the greed of kings and queens and their ever-growing thirst for the primal energy beyond their realm. It was they who forced the few remaining to take refuge in a distant cold world, destined to wither away in subterranean darkness. Everything is lost. Sunken. All but rust. The engineer gives up a sigh as she from afar witness the being floating above the red watery mass towards the pulsating rift at the horizon. It is starting to shed.

6. The pulse This is it. The release. The soothing of the inner ache. The organic matter is peeled off layer by layer as the being passes the rift. The glowing orb withers away and sinks into the sea. The pulsating passage lays bare. It is liquid. Lethal. Bodiless. It is ready. They are doomed.  

Connect with Cavern Deep:

SHORES OF NULL Stream New Album “The Loss of Beauty”, Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Arianna Savo

“The Loss of Beauty” is SHORES OF NULL’s fourth album and follows the acclaimed “Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)”, unanimously considered by fans and critics as one of the doom metal gems of recent years. Both albums were recorded between 2019 and early 2020, and although “The Loss of Beauty” was initially conceived as the band’s third album, “Beyond The Shores” took its place as it better reflected the doom and gloom sentiment of the “annus horribilis” 2020.

Across 11 tracks (plus two bonus tracks), Shores Of Null once again submerges listeners with tempestuous and turbulent riffs. The band continues to hone its sound and take its melancholic dark metal to new heights by mastering an assorted palette of genres with inbred poignancy. The lyrics celebrate beauty in imperfection and transience and are meant to be an invitation to seek beauty in little things, especially those unexpected and ephemeral.

“The Loss of Beauty” is dark and heavy, tinged with feelings of despair and melancholy. An album not to be missed and highly recommended for all fans of Amorphis, Enslaved, and Paradise Lost.

The album was recorded by Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono at Kick Recording Studio (Hour Of Penance, Inno, Fleshgod Apocalypse). Cover artwork by Sabrina Caramanico.

Listen to the album here:

Shores of Null on “The Loss of Beauty”:

“Stylistically, ‘The Loss Of Beauty’ continues along the path established by ‘Quiescence’ and ‘Black Drapes For Tomorrow’. It’s melancholic dark metal with a wide range of influences, while the lyrics celebrate beauty in imperfection and transience and are meant to be an invitation to seek beauty in little things, especially those unexpected and ephemeral. We look forward to present it on our upcoming tour with Swallow The Sun all over Europe.”  

Catch the band live together with Swallow The Sun, Draconian and Avatarium:

02/04/2023 – Parkteatret – Oslo (NO)
04/04/2023 – Pumpehuset – Copenhagen (DK)
05/04/2023 – HeadCrash – Hamburg (DE)
06/04/2023 – Doornroosje – Nijmegen (NL)
07/04/2023 – Het Entrepot – Brugge (BE)
08/04/2023 – Rebellion – Manchester (UK)
09/04/2023 – Slay – Glasgow (UK)
10/04/2023 – Limelight 2 – Belfast (UK)
11/04/2023 – Whelan’s – Dublin (IRE)
12/04/2023 – The Underworld – London (UK)
13/04/2023 – Essigfabrik – Köln (DE)
14/04/2023 – Matrix – Bochum (DE)
15/04/2023 – Colos-Saal – Aschaffenburg (DE)
16/04/2023 – Im Wizemann – Stuttgart (DE)
17/04/2023 – Le Grillen – Colmar (FR)
18/04/2023 – Backstage – Paris (FR)
19/04/2023 – Le Ferrailleur – Nantes (FR)
20/04/2023 – Le Rex – Toulouse (FR)
21/04/2023 – Story Live – Madrid (ES)
22/04/2023 – Sala Bóveda – Barcelona (ES)
23/04/2023 – Secret Place – Montpellier (FR)
24/04/2023 – CCO Villeurbanne – Lyon (FR)
25/04/2023 – Legend Club – Milan (IT)
26/04/2023 – Orto Bar – Ljubljana (SLO)
27/04/2023 – Schüür – Luzern (CH)
28/04/2023 – Undertown – Meyrin (CH)
29/04/2023 – Caves du Manoir – Martigny (CH)
30/04/2023 – Backstage – Munich (DE)
01/05/2023 – Barba Negra – Budapest (HU)
02/05/2023 – Viper Room – Vienna (AT)
03/05/2023 – Futurum – Prague (CZ)
04/05/2023 – Hole44 – Berlin (DE)
05/05/2023 – Drizzly Grizzly – Gdansk (PL)
06/05/2023 – Klub Łącznik – Wrocław (PL)
07/05/2023 – UT Connewitz – Leipzig (DE)

“The Loss of Beauty” is out now on Spikerot Records and available for purchase HERE

Tracklist:

  1. Transitory
  2. Destination Woe
  3. The Last Flower
  4. Darkness Won’t Take Me
  5. Nothing Left To Burn
  6. Old Scars
  7. The First Son
  8. A Nature In Disguise
  9. My Darkest Years
  10. Fading As One
  11. A New Death Is Born

Bonus Tracks (CD and digital only)

  1. Underwater Oddity
  2. Blazing Sunlight

SHORES OF NULL is:
Davide Straccione – Vocals
Gabriele Giaccari – Guitars
Raffaele Colace – Guitars
Matteo Capozucca – Bass
Emiliano Cantiano – Drums

For more info visit:
https://shoresofnull.com
https://www.facebook.com/shoresofnull
https://www.instagram.com/shoresofnull
https://spikerot.com

THE FORESHADOWING Premiere New Single ‘Such a Shame’, “Forsaken Songs” EP Out in May

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Umberto Migliaccio

After six years of silence, Italian gothic doom metal band THE FORESHADOWING returns with a new EP entitled “Forsaken Songs”. During the pandemic they decided it was time to start again working on new music and restart band activities. The first release of this new chapter is “Forsaken Songs”, which collects new unreleased material and special tracks from the past.

The EP is due out May 26th 2023 via Ardua Music.

THE FORESHADOWING have premiered the new single “Such a Shame”. The band have revisited the Talk Talk classic adding their own trademark and giving a new flavour to it. Stream it at THIS LOCATION.

“Forsaken Songs” tracklist:

1. We The Others
2. Memento
3. The Forsaken Son (Twilight Revival)
4. Paranoid Boyd
5. Such A Shame *
6. The Rains Of Castamere (A Requiem For Wolves) **

Cover painting & artwork by Alfredo “Mojo” Raimondi – Band logo by Fabio Timpanaro

Produced, arranged and performed by The Foreshadowing
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Giuseppe Orlando at the Outer Sound Studios, Rome, Italy
Bass on track 1 performed by Michele Attolino
Bass on track 2, 5 performed by Silvia Pistolesi
Bass on track 3 performed by Francesco Sosto
Bass on track 4, 6 performed by Francesco Giulianelli

*“Such a Shame” originally written and performed by Talk Talk (music & lyrics by Mark Hollis)
**cover version of “The Rains of Castamere” (original music written by Ramin Djawadi and George R. R. Martin)
Track 1 previously unreleased and taken from the upcoming full length album sessions (arranged and recorded during 2019-2022).
Track 2 previously unreleased and originally planned for “Second World” album (newly recorded in 2022).
Track 3 re-arranged version of the song “The Forsaken Son” originally featured in “Second World” album (2012, Cyclone Empire Records).
Track 4 previously released only in digital format (2018).
Track 6 previously released only on Youtube (2014).

Line-up:

Marco I. Benevento – Vocals
Alessandro Pace – Guitars
Francesco Sosto – Keyboards
Giuseppe Orlando – Drums

Founded in 2005, THE FORESHADOWING gained popularity in the international gothic doom scene with four acclaimed albums released between 2007 and 2016: “Days of Nothing (2007), “Oionos” (2010), “Second World” (2012) and “Seven Heads, Ten Horns” (2016). During this time, the band toured all over the world and performed at some of the most important festivals, such as Summer Breeze, Rock Harz, Wave Gotik Treffen, Stoner Hand of Doom, Legacy, Mayday Rock Festival and Summer Darkness – alongside Lacuna Coil, Moonspell, Marduk, Inquisition, Katatonia, Saturnus, October Tide, Fields of the Nephilim, Tiamat, My Dying Bride and many others.

More information at

SALIVA – GoFundMe Set Up for Daughter of Guitarist Wayne Swinny Following His Death

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been organized for guitarist Wayne Swinny‘s daughter after his death last week. The funds will go towards Wayne’s expenses and a trust for his daughter.

Donations can be sent here: https://gofund.me/6fcfcab7

Bobby Amaru states:

The Saliva family is mourning the tragic loss of our brother Wayne Swinny. Wayne left us suddenly from a spontaneous brain hemorrhage on March 22, 2023. Wayne fought hard, but ultimately lost his battle. The one bright light is the fact that Wayne was an organ donor and was able to donate his liver and kidneys which saved 2 lives.

Wayne leaves behind the love of his life; his beautiful 11-year-old daughter Nikki. Also, his sister Linda, his very tightly bonded Saliva family, countless friends, legions of musicians whom he inspired past and present, and millions of fans across the world.

The pain and loss his loved ones are experiencing is incomprehensible. We are setting up a donation link to help cover Wayne’s expenses and to create a trust for his daughter Nikki. Wayne will miss Nikki’s graduations, dances, extracurricular events, marriage, children…milestones, highlights and those times she would have needed her father’s guidance and strength by her side. We hope to be able to provide her with some support as she begins her journey in life without him. Any donation is greatly appreciated.

The Saliva family is overwhelmed by the amount of love we have received. Thank you all for the posts, calls, e-mails, texts, and prayers. They are greatly appreciated and helping everyone cope during this very trying time.

Wayne was my best friend and bandmate for nearly 12 years. His sister Linda and I discussed creating a gofundme so that a trust could be created for his daughter Nikki.

After acquiring front man Bobby Amaru in 2011, Saliva became infused with new blood, energy, and spirit. The same energy launched Saliva’s career in 2001 with the release, Every Six Seconds – a certified Double Platinum-selling album, containing the hits, “Click Click Boom” and 2002 Grammy nominated, “Your Disease.” Saliva’s in-your-face, anthemic writing style continued with a certified Gold-selling album Back in to Your System with hits: “Always,” “Raise Up,” and the Nikki Sixx co-written, “Rest In Pieces.”

Upon adding former Shinedown and Fuel bassist, Brad Stewart, as a permanent member, Saliva solidified their new lineup consisting of: Wayne Swinny, Sammi Jo Bishop and Amaru.