STRIGOI were already plenty unsettling on their debut album. After all, this band includes current and former members of Paradise Lose, Extreme Noise Terror, Satyricon and Carcass. But the UK death-doom band’s follow-up pushed their grinding asphyxiations to such vile extremes, that it produced an abundance of putridity.
‘Bathed In A Black Sun’ includes four unreleased or exclusive songs from the recording sessions for their last album ‘Viscera’, which was mastered by Brad Boatright and mixed by Kurt Ballou. The title track oozes pure, unadorned filth, slimed with sludge riffs and a crusty drum groove, while other songs spew punkish riffs atop leather-spiked d-beats.
“‘Bathed In A Black Sun’ is part bridge, part exorcism”, writes No Clean Singing. “Strigoi will always have that big pit-riff bubbling up just inside them and they have to unleash it somehow”.
Strigoi’s terrifying new EP comes out this Friday, November 3. But seeing as it’s Halloween, they’re treating our blackened sweet tooths with an early taste of all five tracks.
“We’ve been dying to release this EP as a companion to ‘Viscera’,” says the band’s bassist Chris Casket. “Enjoy these extra cuts of raging spite and cold despair.”
Track-list 1. Bathed In A Black Sun (4:19) [WATCH VIDEO] 2. The Grotesque (2:56) 3. Beautiful Stigmata(00:41) 4. A Spear of Perfect Grief (04:14) 5. The Construct of Misery (01:33) Total runtime: 12:63
Recording Studio: Oregon Studios Producer/Sound engineer: Jamie Gomez and Strigoi Additional recording and production: Gregor Mackintosh at Black Planet Studios Mixing studio/engineer: Kurt Ballou – Godcity Studios Mastering studio/engineer: Brad Boatright – Audiosiege
Recording line-up: Greg Mackintosh: Vocals and Guitar Chris Casket: Bass Guido Zima: Drums Ben Ash: Guitar
KING DIAMOND and co. have made a music video for the single “Masquerade of Madness” with David Brodsky and Allison Woest of MyGoodEye Visuals.
Here’s what King has to say about the music video for the band’s latest song “Masquerade of Madness“:
“‘Masquerade of Madness’ was released digitally in 2019 before our North American tour. During rehearsals, we took one full day to film ‘Masquerade of Madness’ with David Brodsky and Allison Woest. We spent all day and all night recording while performing the song with our full tour stage show choreography. After the tour, covid happened.
The video was all but forgotten as the world came to a standstill – we never saw a single frame from all the footage. Years later, as things began to pick up and writing began for both new Mercyful Fate and King Diamond records, we wondered, what happened to that video from four years ago? So we decided to check in with David Brodsky and a couple of weeks later, we had the first cut of the video.
I was speechless! I had nothing to criticize and after just a few notes from Andy LaRocque, the video for ‘Masquerade of Madness’ was finished! There’s so much mood and black and white is used in a perfect way with Jodi’s performances. The visuals fit the music flawlessly and this is now among my favorite King Diamond videos along with ‘Sleepless Nights’ and ‘Welcome Home’ – and not to forget of course, our double live DVD.
This new video and the release of ‘Masquerade of Madness’ on 12″ vinyl is our Halloween gift to the fans. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do! Happy Halloween, it’s not just a dream!“
The 12″ vinyl LP features tracks “Masquerade of Madness“, “Welcome Home (Live at Graspop)“, and “Arrival (Live at Graspop)“- all available for the first time on vinyl. Masquerade of Madness features a collectable paper mask and will be available in four color variants worldwide.
US Variants: Bone Black Ice
EU Variants: 180 g Black Clear Violet Brown Marbled
Vinyl Track Listing: Side 1 Masquerade of Madness
Side 2 Welcome Home (Live at Graspop) Arrival (Live at Graspop)
Pre-orders for the 12″ vinyl are now available at this LOCATION and fans can head to one of the below links for new, exclusive merch offered by the band.
About the band: KING DIAMOND is quite possibly the most recognizable and prolific personality ever in heavy metal. Revered by icons as big as Metallica and Pantera to inspiring new upstarts like Goatwhore; KING DIAMOND, the man and the band, have left an indelible mark on the history, and now again, the future of heavy metal.
In August of 2008, KING DIAMOND joined Metallica on stage at Ozzfest in Dallas to perform the Mercyful Fate medley made famous from the Garage, Inc. album. Additionally, KING DIAMOND was featured alongside Motorhead‘s Lemmy Kilmister as a playable character in Guitar Hero: Metallica in 2009.
By 2012, KING DIAMOND was prepared to return to the stage for a select number of shows. The band’s triumphant return to the stage were the highlights of both the Hellfest and Sweden Rock festivals in France and Sweden. Fans at these festivals were treated to the largest and most involved stage production in the band’s storied history. Horror concepts from multiple albums were used in the décor; fans can rest-assured that this show will only get larger and more impressive at future performances.
KING DIAMOND continued to hit the stage from 2013 to 2018 including performances at Rock Hard Festival (DE), Copenhell (DK), Graspop (BE), Metal Days (SI), Bloodstock Open Air (UK), Loudpark (JP), Wacken Open Air (DE), a 2014 North American tour with Jess and the Ancient Ones, Fun Fun Fun Fest (US), toured as a part of the 2015 Mayhem Festival in the summer (US), a fall 2015 North American tour with Exodus as special guests, Sweden Rock fest (SE), Hellfest (FR),and Psycho Las Vegas (US).
In 2019, after the release of the KING DIAMOND‘S first new single in 12 years “Masquerade of Madness“, the band hit the road with a series of live shows in Europe including stops at Summer Breeze festival (DE), Graspop (BE), Hellfest (FR), Rock Fest (ES), and with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Idle Hands as special guests for 19 dates across North America.
KING DIAMOND‘s 30+ year musical career is one of the most storied in history of heavy metal, but the tale is not yet over. The most recent release, 2007′s Grammy nominated album Give Me Your Soul…Please, stands as one of the most critically-acclaimed albums in an already iconic discography. Future albums will feature entirely new horror stories, concepts, haunting orchestrations, and the band’s signature brand of heavy metal from the mind of KING DIAMOND and the talented group of musicians: Andy LaRocque – Guitar, Mike Wead – Guitar, Pontus Egberg – Bass, Matt Thompson – Drums. Many more albums, tours, and ventures lay ahead.
The enigmatic collective known as GODS OF GAIA unveils their latest masterpiece, the lyric video for “Bow to Me.” This sonic journey is a standout from their recently released album, “As Daylight Dies,” now available through Wormholedeath.
“The world is lost. Slowly but surely, we are perishing. However, it is not the world that will suffer. It has endured worse than humanity. So why wait? We can simply expedite our downfall. Let us bow to our envy, and the lust for power, and hasten the pain. For a better, beautiful world. After us.”
Gods of Gaia is a transcendent collective of musicians and composers from around the world, some well-known for their other projects, while others are hidden gems. What unites them is their belief that the success of their art should be defined by the music itself, not the identity of its creators.
The music on Gods of Gaia’s debut album, “AS DAYLIGHT DIES,” is both intense and direct. It combines fierce riffs, powerful vocals, and orchestral elements. They seamlessly blend classical and orchestral sounds with electric guitars, drums, and bass, creating a unique fusion that captures the emotional range of a symphony orchestra.
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 street metal-loving headbangers. With Spread Eagle, West aided in the creation of iconic anthems such as the tormented “Switchblade Serenade” and “Devil’s Road.” Like many of his era, West rode out a turbulent period, coming out on the other side wiser and more confident than ever. He had renewed vigor and enhanced melodicism. West sought to create his most personal music yet with his longtime friend and partner in musical crime bassist, songwriter, producer, and esteemed session musician Miguel Gonzalez. Both grew up in the Miami rock n roll scene and have deep roots to the area’s culture and vibe, which they are excited to infuse into this project.
The result of the collaboration is SupaFly’s The Vibe, which features revisited and remastered versions of tracks previously recorded, as well as new compositions. Brimming with heavy urban-power grooves, SupaFly represents an evolution for West and is perhaps his most personal songwriting to date. Landing ahead of the album release is a knock-down drag-out version of the KC and the Sunshine Band classic “I’m Your Boogie Man” with a SupaFly twist just in time for Halloween. So why this track? West explains, “Mig and I have always loved the idea of taking a song like ‘Boogie Man’ and putting it through the SupaFly machine. We are paying tribute to a time when music was all about the groove and having a good time, all the time, while putting a modern-day twist on it with Mig’s production ideas. The vibe is on point, and the vocal performance gives a dark edge that makes me feel like the boogie man is gonna come through the walls and dance. I played this song on my friend’s system, and the drop almost took out his woofers!”
Gonzalez continues, “‘Boogie Man’ embodies where old school funk meets the dark side. Being a huge fan of funk, nothing is more appealing than to see it played with a dark edge.” When pressed what else can fans expect from SupaFly, West quipped, “Spread Eagle will always have my heart. That’s my history. But SupaFly is my calling card; it’s autobiographical and leads deep into my soul. That’s why I never let these songs go.”
The full album The Vibe contains ten tracks with the next single due out December 8. Deko president, Bruce Pucciarello, comments, “There has been great teamwork and a sense of urgency to get this wonderful collection of songs prepared for launch. I’m stoked we’re getting the ‘I’m Your Boogie Man’ video out before Halloween. You will all see, this is straight forward, hard driving, passionately constructed rock. The kind most of us love…”
The highly anticipated debut of death metallers ABYSS OF HEL entitled “Into The Abyss” will be released on November 30.
In terms of content, the debut depicts the course of a person’s mental breakdown, his descent into the abyss and his realization of an irrefutable reality. The oppressive theme is carried by the intense, provocative and also melodramatic lyrics.
The 10, mostly brute grooving songs, were mixed by Lars Rettkowitz, while Achim Köhler/Indiscreet Audio is responsible for the mastering. With “Devolution” the band now releases a first taste of the longplayer as video on the MDD YouTube channel and as digital single on all download & streaming platforms. The final tracklist of the album is below! Check it out and be prepared!
Inferno Metal Festival is pleased to now reveal the full lineup for its 2024 edition, which will take place from March 28-31, 2024 across several venues in Oslo (NO).
The iconic festival has revealed a mixture of classic bands as well as some vital and exciting new-comers, including newly added performances from Taake, Orbit Culture, Madder Mortem, Shaving the Werewolf, Blodkvalt and Selvforakt.
The current and final lineup is now as follows:
Dimmu Borgir Taake At the Gates Kampfar Candlemass Borknagar Sólstafir Finntroll Me and That Man Carpathian Forest Cattle Decapitation Cynic Nordjevel Orbit Culture Winterfylleth Keep of Kalessin Vltimas Arthur Brown Misþyrming Saor Mantar Koldbrann Konvent Khold Crypta Signs of the Swarm Bell Witch Extermination Dismemberment Dödsrit Madder Mortem Dwaal Void Ov Voices Jo Quail Orm Phantom Fire Tilintetgjort Umbra Conscientia In Twilight’s Embrace 200 Stab Wounds Automaton Befouled Vorga Zustand Null Shaving the Werewolf Forcefed Horsehead Tusmørke Visegard Imbalance Nakkeknaekker Celestial Scourge Deception, Vomit Forth Horrifier H.P. Doomcraft Inchoation Blodkvalt Selvforakt Terminal Deathbarrel
Single day tickets and passes are now available HERE.
INFERNO FESTIVAL NORWAY has previously announced a silent film concert in which Attila Csihar’s Void ov Voices will create the music for the classic German horror film ‘Nosferatu’ (1922). The silent film concert will take place at the cinema Vega Scene on Saturday, March 30, at daytime during Inferno Metal Festival 2024. Separate tickets will be available for this performance and can be found at THIS LOCATION.
In conjunction with Inferno Metal Festival, the Black Metal Bus Sightseeing Tour with Anders Odden (Cadaver, Celtic Frost, Order) is back with an all new routing! Following the success of this special event’s inception last year, this incredible experience will take Inferno attendees through some of the places that marked the beginnings of Norwegian black metal!
Between 1991 and 1993, many of the most important events during this dark chapter of Norwegian music history took place in Oslo. Therefore, Inferno Metal Festival has put together a field trip to experience these legendary moments in time, including the site of Helvete, the legendary record store once owned by late Mayhem founder Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth.
Anders Odden formed his first black metal band, Slaught, in 1986 after attending a rehearsal with Mayhem at the age of 14. He was one of the pioneers of the Norwegian scene, dealing with tape trading, organizing of concerts and creating extreme music of his own. He formed Cadaver in 1988, releasing what would be the first Norwegian death metal album on Earache Records in 1990. During this period, Odden performed alongside true Norwegian legends such as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Old Funeral and many more iconic bands.
This field trip has exclusive anecdotes and personal memories of the early life of the scene from someone who was there since the beginning. The daily sightseeing schedule is as follows:
BLACK METAL BUS SIGHTSEEING – A FIELD TRIP THROUGH NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL
12:00: Departure The Hub, Inferno Festival hotel. 12:30: Langhus station – Photo op – IYKYK 13:30: Visit to NESEBLOD RECORDS the site of “HELVETE” 1991-1993 15:00: Holmenkollen Kapell, re-done after church-fire that took place on August 23, 1992 16:00: Return to the Hub, Inferno Festival hotel.
Tickets for the tour are now available at the below links!
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
