DAWN OF OUROBOROS Share New Single + Music Video ‘Velvet Moon’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 13, 2023
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Photographer credit: Wyman Choy

Blackened progressive metal quintet DAWN OF OUROBOROS have today shared their new single, Velvet Moon, and an accompanying music video. Velvet Moon is the second track to be taken from the Oakland, CA based band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Velvet Incandescence, due out via Prosthetic Records on April 21.

Stream Velvet Moon via Apple Music | TIDAL | Deezer | Bandcamp and Spotify
Pre-order Velvet Incandescence here.

Speaking on the single and music video, DAWN OF OUROBOROS‘ Tony Thomas (guitar / synths) comments: “Velvet Moon is the final track on our upcoming album. We felt it was best to end Velvet Incandescence with it as it has a strong sense of nostalgia associated with it. We also felt it is the most cinematic of the tracks on the album, as it steadily builds up in intensity, reaches a climax, and then concludes with a strong sense of finality.”

Formed in 2018 by Tony Thomas (Botanist, Cailleach Calling) and vocalist Chelsea Murphy (Cailleach Calling, Tegmentum), DAWN OF OUROBOROS’ formative years saw the band solidify their core lineup to a five-piece before releasing their debut album, The Art of Morphology, in 2020. The Art of Morphology showcased the young band’s penchant for hybridising the extreme and canorous qualities of progressive, atmospheric black and death metal, ushering in a warm reception from both fans and critics.

Invigorated by the response to their debut album DAWN OF OUROBOROS came together in November 2021 to commence recording of Velvet Incandescence, once again opting to team up with Nick Loiacono at Fang Studios in San Mateo, CA for recording and mixing, before being mastered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Oathbreaker, Bosse De Nage) at The Atomic Garden Studio. Placing an emphasis on melody and feel above technical virtuosity, Velvet Incandescence’s eight tracks revel in sanguine triumph both musically and lyrically.

Album highlights Rise from Disillusion and Iron Whispers both rise and fall with a beguilingly ethereal quality, thanks to additional vocals provided in the form of a choir. Elsewhere, precise and calculated bursts of tremolo picking and resplendent lead guitar from both Thomas and Ian Baker (Red Rot) coalesce in dizzying fashion on Testudines. Rhythmically bolstered by the talents of David Scanlon (Deliria) on bass and Ron Bertrand (Botanist, Red Rot) on drums, album closer Velvet Moon musically encompasses Velvet Incandescence’s dual nature of serenity and volatility.

Both lyrically and vocally, DAWN OF OUROBOROS’ Chelsea Murphy interfuses a deeply personal approach with the cosmic and universally human need for healing and a feeling of home across the album’s 46 minute runtime, with tactful hope and heart at the forefront of all things over solemnity and resignation. The thematic melding of the universal and personal is conveyed in arresting fashion by album cover artist Jilly Colbert at Manfish Inc.

Velvet Incandescence tracklist:
1. Healing Grounds
2. Testudines
3. Iron Whispers
4. Levitating Pacifics
5. Rise from Disillusion
6. Castigation
7. Cephalopodic Void
8. Velvet Moon

Three years on from their debut statement, DAWN OF OUROBOROS’ latest offering refines and redefines their sound. Velvet Incandescence will no doubt serve as a luminous spark for the quintet’s increasingly bright future.

DAWN OF OUROBOROS Velvet Incandescence album release tour 
w/ Ashbringer
21 April – Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
22 April – Supply and Demand – Los Angeles, CA
23 April – Til Two Club – San Diego, CA
24 April – Yucca – Phoenix, AZ
25 April – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
26 April – The Shredder – Boise, ID
27 April – The Plaid Pig – Tacoma, WA
28 April – Substation – Seattle, WA
29 April – Mano Oculta – Portland, OR

Israeli Punks USELESS ID Catch Lightning in a Bottle on ‘Live in Tel Aviv’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 13, 2023
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Photo credit: Stephen Jackson

If live performance remains as the great leveler in the world of rock and roll, then USELESS ID floats above the rest with their forthcoming set, Live in Tel Aviv (release date: April 21, 2023 via Double Helix Records).

“Live In Tel Aviv is a recording from our 25th anniversary tour in our hometown of Israel, where we normally celebrate the milestones of the band with a special show,” explains vocalist/bassist and central songwriter Yotam Ben Horin. “Though we had no idea it would be at the time, it was our last show in Israel before lockdown. We were at the top of our game, so I really felt we caught some lightning in a bottle with the recording.”

He’s not just blowing smoke. Boasting ‘no edits,’ the set serves as all the documentation anyone could ever possibly need of the quartet’s melodic-but-sinewy punk chops. Live in Tel Aviv captures the raw energy of the band’s stage show, spread over a staggering 28 songs and shot through with an addictive dose of musical rocket fuel. From the urgent opening notes of “Land Of Idiocracy” to the poignant politicism of album closer, “State Of Fear,” the torrential onslaught refuses to let up. 

“The band always works towards a tight live show,” adds guitarist Ishay Berger, commenting on the raging fire that Live in Tel Aviv so effectively documents. “We take the studio experience and try to recreate the passion and energy of the albums when we hit the stage, and on that night we were kind of at our best.”

“I first met [the folks from] Double Helix when we were talking about my solo album Young Forever, which was released in May of 2022,” Yotam says, reflecting on merging forces with the Arizona based label. “I kept thinking back to this live show—which I had a rough mix of—thinking that one day it should be released. I’d had such a wonderful experience working with them that I asked if by any chance they would be into releasing a Useless ID live album, and I sent them all 28 songs. They quickly replied, ‘We’ll make it a double LP!’ What could be better than a Double LP on Double Helix? So we have 28 songs for our 28th year as a band,” he adds, laughing about the double dose of duplicates.

“We play the songs a bit faster here and there, and some of them have morphed into different versions over the years, which can be felt in the live recordings,” Yotam continues. “Most of all, Jason Livermore,  (Descendents,  Propaghandi, NOFX, Hot Water Music) mixed the recording in a way that makes you really feel you’re at a Useless ID show when listening.”

Songs may change over time, but the band’s core remains committed to the quintessential punk ideal: radical freedom of expression. From dealing with getting dumped to avoiding interpersonal catastrophes to socio-political calls to arms, Useless ID showcases all of their various inspirations on their first official live album. It’s a reminder of the breadth of quality material they’ve released (spanning eight full-length albums, myriad EPs, splits, singles, and compilations) and that they’ve never shied away from speaking their collective minds. 

“‘Stopwatch’ to me feels more relevant than ever these days since it’s about how Israel is becoming more and more of a right-wing state as time goes by,” Yotam points out. “The fanatic religious members of the population have this master plan to take over and force their beliefs on others. If, through our music, we can play any part in helping someone follow their own path and not fall into certain norms and patterns that they were born into, then we’ve done plenty.”

When Useless ID took the stage at Tel Aviv’s The Barby in August of 2019, they were already poised to bring a little something extra for their hometown show, coming at the end of a 25th Anniversary tour. Now fans can experience the magnetic feel of the gig ‘on demand,’ and they won’t want to stop: Live in Tel Aviv sounds and feels like we’re right there, in the room, a sweaty enthusiastic mob seeing some old pros show everyone how it’s done.  

Useless ID is: Yotam Ben Horin, Ishay Berger, Guy Carmel, and Corey Ben Yehuda. Live In Tel Aviv was mixed by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room.  It will be released April 21, 2023 via Double Helix Records across DSPs and on a trio of 2LP vinyl variants, the lacquers for which were cut by Wes Garland at Nashville Record Productions in Nashville, Tennessee. The vinyl was then hand-pressed by Burlington Record Plant in Burlington, Vermont.

Pre-order Link

Live in Tel Aviv – Tracklisting

Side A

  1. Land Of Idiocracy
  2. Stopwatch
  3. Deny It
  4. Borrowed Time
  5. Mouse In A Maze
  6. Turn Up The Stereo
  7. Unhappy Hour

Side B

  1. How To Dismantle An Atom Bomb
  2. Genetic
  3. Before It Kills
  4. Pink Stars And Magazines
  5. Punx On The Other Side
  6. Local Expert
  7. Too Bad You Don’t Get It
  8. Tour Song #2
  9. Night Shift
  10. At The Stadium
  11. Before I Go

Side C

  1. Dying Love
  2. At Least I Tried
  3. Always The Same
  4. Bring Me Down
  5. Blood Pressure

Side D

  1. It’s Alright
  2. Kiss Me Kill Me
  3. Night Stalker
  4. Isolate Me
  5. State Of Fear

Sweden’s OMNICIDAL Unveil New Single + Visualizer ‘WWD’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 13, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Jonas Wångström

Swedish death metal newcomers OMNICIDAL have unveiled the new single ‘WWD’, taken from their debut album “The Omnicidalist” which will be released on April 7th 2023 via Non Serviam Records.

PURCHASE/STREM THE SIONG HERE: https://song.link/wwd

“This song is a war machine which has an intense drive and go. An energetic bomb which bursts and captures the listener with its fast straight forwardness. It is about the fact that we are closer to a world war than most think. History repeats, only in other shapes and forms but the shit inside is still the same,” comments the band.

“The Omnicidalist” will be available on digipack CD and digital.
Pre-order your copy now:
CD: https://www.non-serviam-records.com/products/omnicidal-the-omnicidalist-digipak
Digital: https://non-serviam-records.bandcamp.com/album/the-omnicidalist

The track listening reads as follows:
1. By Knife
2. WWD
3. The Passenger
4. Cemetary Scream
5. Infernum
6. The Neverborn
7. The Reaping
8. Narcissistic Abuse
9. Ten Shots
10. Slow Decay

Born in 2019 OMNICIDAL – Sebastian “Hravn” Svedlund (ex-Rimfrost), Fredrik Jordanius (ex- Egonaut/Lake Of Tears), Andreas Strandh (ex-Sister Sin) and Jansson “Jansson” Jansson (ex-Devilicious) – intend to manifest the ultimate mix of the old, putrid Swedish chainsaw sound with the slightly more melodic sound of the Gothenburg area.
 
More about “The Omnicidalist”:
“By Knife” Visualizer Video: https://youtu.be/uS1kBWFq4Dg
STREAM/PURCHASE THE SONG HERE: https://song.link/byknife
 
OMNICIDAL recorded all the backing tracks live at Soundport while vocals and solos were recorded by the band themselves at Jordaniusounds studio in Borås. Mikael MRG Andersson took care of mixing and mastering at Soundport studio.

OMNICIDAL are:
Sebastian Svedlund  – Vocals, guitars
Fredrik Jordanius – Guitars
Andreas Strandh – Bass
Stefan Jansson – Drums

AVALAND Release New Video ‘Kingslayer’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 13, 2023
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Fantasy symphonic power metal band France’s AVALAND have shared their next music video “Kingslayer” in support of their upcoming sophomore full-length “The Legend of the Storyteller” due out on March 31st, 2023 via Rockshots Records to follow their 2021 debut “Theater of Sorcery”.

The band comments:

“This one was directly felt as a potential single by the band. Lucas made incredible work on the guitars on this song. The riffs are groovy and the chorus is a real hook. And no, it’s not a song about Jamie Lannister haha! But the question, here, is: Where is the good? Where is the evil?”

In addition to the album’s upcoming unveiling, the band will be supporting Rhapsody of Fire in the Netherlands and Belgium tour dates on March 10th and 11th (dates listed below).

Compared to Avaland‘s debut album, the band’s next full-length “The Legend Of The Storyteller” is heavier and is a much more epic power metal record full of anthems upon anthems for fans to chant to as they are taken on a journey over twelve theatric tracks. The record also hears double vocal duties from Adrien G. Gzagg and Jeff Kanji along with album guests that include Zak Stevens (ex-Savatage/TSO), Madie (ex-Nightmare/Faith In Agony), Pierre “Cara” Carabalona (Eltharia), Ivan Castelli (Lionsoul), Angèle Macabiès, Jens Ludwig (Edguy) and Bruno Ramos (Sortilège/ex-Manigance).

Lead by Adrien G. Gzagg (Autor/Composer/Lead Singer/Synths and Orchestrations), the album’s storyline is a prequel to the band’s first album “Theater of Sorcery” as he explains further:

“This album, as the first one, is a journey, a trip out of our world, into the universe of Avaland. We enjoy seeing Avaland as a great saga, as a movie, or series. We feel like listening to Avaland is like watching Game Of Thrones, The Lord Of The Rings, or reading comics, it’s an escape from everyday life. For this album, we took a lot of inspiration from Game Of Thrones and Arthurian Myths. We love fantasy and mythologies and we also find ourselves having a great fascination for alchemy and esoterism. Time is also a great subject, it’s mystical… in fact, time will be at the center of this saga. This new opus is showing a heavier and darker atmosphere of Avaland’s theatrical universe. Are you ready to be part of “The Legend Of The Storyteller”?”

Album pre-order – https://bit.ly/StorytellerCD​
​Album Pre Save – https://bfan.link/the-legend-of-the-storyteller
​
Previous single:

Track Listing:
1. The Vision – 2:03
2. Crimson Tyranny – 6:45
3. Insurrection – 4:42
4. To Be The King – 4:34
5. Secret Night – 3:24
6. Kingslayer – 4:10
7. The Gift – 4:48
8. Out Of The Fog – 5:11
9. Betrayers – 5:23
10. Madness Of The Wise – 5:27
11. You’ll Be The Legend – 5:17
12. Lies – 10:29
(Bonus Track – La Folie Du Sage)
Album Length: 1:02:19

Avaland is:
Adrien G. Gzagg (Autor/Composer/Lead Singer/Synths and Orchestrations)
Jeff Kanji (Lead Singer/Additional Voices and Guitars)
Lucas Martinez (Guitars)
Camille Souffron (Bass)
Leo Mouchonay (Drums)

Rhasody of Fire – Tour Dates w/ Avaland, Symphonity​
APR 1 – Backstage Halle – Munich, Germany
APR 2 – Hirsch – Nurnberg, Germany
APR 4 – Kubana – Siegburg, Germany
APR 5 – Bastard Club – Osnabrück, Germany
APR 6 – Hellraiser-Leipzig – Leipzig/engelsdorf, Germany
APR 7 – Het Podium – Hoogeveen, Netherlands
APR 8 – Café Central – Weinheim, Germany
APR 9 – Musicon – Den Haag, Netherlands
APR 15 – Gimle – Roskilde, Denmark
APR 16 – Logo Musik & Bier GmbH Veranstaltungsservice – Hamburg, Germany
APR 19 – Proxima – Warsaw, Poland
APR 20 – Viper Room – Vienna, Austria
APR 21 – Masters of Rock Cafe – Zlín, Czech Republic
APR 22 – Discoteca Revolver – San Donà Di Piave, Italy
APR 23 – Legend Club – Milano, Italy

LU SILVER Releases Music Video for ‘Your Loneliness’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 13, 2023
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Luca Donini, aka Lu Silver, the musician and songwriter from Rimini, Italy, has released a brand new music video for “Your Loneliness”. The track comes from Lu Silver‘s latest acoustic solo album and the video can be seen below.

The title of Lu Silver‘s latest album is a personal interpretation of the word “loneliness”. The idea came by artist and singer-songwriter Conny Ochs, Lu’s close friend and designer of the cover art. The songs were written in winter 2020, when the pandemic lockdown forced Lu Silver to loneliness inside a room. The same one he’s already been living in for two years, but things can change. Out of the blue, he found himself on his own for days at a time and that was too much even if he’s always loved to carve out his own space and enjoy his solitude. Winter became a journey between present and past, between lights and shadows. He instinctively needed to unleash intimate emotions, being not afraid to dig deep. This melancholy side of him has always been there since he was a child. All this turned into a catharsis that brought new energy and joy. Maybe this also happens to some of you… Each song is a little scrap of a life soundtrack.

“Luneliness” is out now on Go Down Records and available for purchase HERE

DEATH GOALS Share New Single + Visualizer ‘P.A.N.S.Y’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 13, 2023
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photographer credit: Gobinder Jhitta

UK queercore duo DEATH GOALS have today shared a new single, titled P.A.N.S.Y, from their forthcoming second album, A Garden of Dead Flowers. DEATH GOALS have also released an accompanying visualizer for the track – which you can watch in full below. The pair also recently announced May UK tour dates in support of their sophomore album, with further info on all shows below.

A Garden of Dead Flowers is due out on May 5 via Prosthetic Records.

Stream P.A.N.S.Y via Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Bandcamp and Spotify

Speaking on the single release, DEATH GOALS comment: “P.A.N.S.Y is a song about being queer when you’re young, and having to hide this part of you away from people. We wanted to write a song that really captured not only the dismays of not being able to be true to yourself, but also the fun and magic of finding yourself even in light of this. This track is going to be a really fun one live, and we can’t wait to get out there and start playing it!”

Whilst bands are often prone to describing their latest opus as a progression, in the case of DEATH GOALS it very much is – and there were signposts towards their burgeoning intentions on 2021 full-length The Horrible and the Miserable’s closing track. Nothing Left To Give was the only song to feature clean vocals and paved the way towards what is now just around the corner with A Garden of Dead Flowers. This album also sees the pairing of Harry Bailey and George Milner embrace being defined as a queer hardcore band; their experiences – both good and bad – with that label and its accoutrements are documented throughout.

From album the album opener – the wonderfully titled Genderless Clones of Gameshow Hosts – through to the joyously provocative closer, Faux Macho, Harry and George guide listeners through secret woodland hookups, fighting against queer erasure, nightmarish middle of the night fears, addiction and rehab, dysphoria, and – potentially most importantly – euphoric community acceptance.

Sonically, the pair have expanded their palette – arguably a happy by-product of feeling more comfortable in their own skins and within the band’s identity. With more time and focus dedicated to shaping and re-working the songs in pre-production, the 11 tracks on A Garden of Dead Flowers are more cohesive and well-rounded than ever before. Recording took place over just five days in April 2022 with Tom Hill at Bookhouse Recording studio in London, UK. Whilst they stay true to their chaotic hardcore nucleus, there are flourishes of noise, sludge, and even black metal speckled throughout.

The flowers of the album name are motifs of members of the queer community; trampled, crushed and oppressed by policies, politics and society itself. The title track revisits the content of the song Exit Wounds on their debut – detailing an experience in rehab – but this time through the lens of increased queer self-acceptance and ownership. Whilst there are undoubtedly dark moments on A Garden of Dead Flowers, DEATH GOALS are gleefully antagonistic and have created an engaging anthology of reflections on lived experiences, offering up hope, support and community to those around them.

A Garden of Dead Flowers tracklist:
1. Genderless Clones of Game Show Hosts
2. A Garden of Dead Flowers
3. Ultraviolence
4. Loveless
5. P.A.N.S.Y.
6. Death Goals In Cursive
7. I Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead (Taking A Bullet For You)
8. If I’m the Enemy Then Who’s the Protagonist?
9. Last Night I Had A Dream About Death
10. Year of the Guillotine
11. Faux Macho

DEATH GOALS A Garden of Dead Flowers UK release tour dates
May 9 – Crofters Rights – Bristol, UK
May 10 – The Moon – Cardiff, UK
May 11 – The Victoria – Birmingham, UK
May 12 – Outpost – Liverpool, UK
May 13 – TBA – Leeds, UK
May 14 – Little Buildings – Newcastle, UK
May 15 – 13th Note – Glasgow, UK
May 16 – Chameleon – Nottingham, UK
May 17 – Cowley Club – Brighton, UK

w/ support from Vicarage