THERION Release Second Single & Lyric Video ‘Ruler of Tamag’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 18, 2023
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[photo credit: Mina Karadzic]

Genre-defining Swedish symphonic metal icons THERION unleash another masterpiece with their upcoming album, Leviathan III, out December 15, 2023! Today, the legendary unit reveal their second new single, entitled “Ruler of Tamag”, which is a more than worthy continuation of the musical legacy of mastermind Christofer Johnsson, who pioneered symphonic metal back in the 90s.

“Ruler of Tamag” enchants with a gentle acoustic guitar intro and lingering female vocals, opening up to a fairytale-like scenario of old times, that then bursts into a heavy track with gloomy parts that build up to a fascinating score-like symphony. Check out the accompanying lyric video below, and make sure to pre-order your version of Leviathan III!

Christofer Johnsson on “Ruler of Tamag”:
“The song was written by me and Thomas Vikström and it has a lot of Middle Eastern influences in the music. Lyrically it  deals with the ruler of the Underworld in the Turkic mythology called Erlik. Parts of the song is in Turkish language. I collaborated with Soner Canözer from the now defunct Turkish symphonic metal band Almora for the translation/rewriting of the Turkish parts of the lyrics.      
The video is a lyric video and it was done by Carlos Toro from Abysmo Films that did our video clips the past 13 years.”

Pre-order Leviathan III NOW

The album sets off with the powerful “Ninkigal”, catapulting the listener directly into the dramatic universe of THERION with skillfully crafted compositions and operatic female vocals by Lori Lewis, alternating with grim growling and pleasing melodies. This then bursts into a heavy track with gloomy parts, building up to a fascinating score-like symphony. THERION once more draw charm from the courage to mix styles ranging from gothic parts to melodic death metal and neo-classical elements to power metal in a complex and versatile way, thus challenging their listeners as witnessed on “Twilight of the Gods”.  The songs are quickly engaging and skillfully employ catchy melodies, as witnessed on uplifting tracks like “An Unsung Lament” and “Baccanale”. Advancing melodies are combined with rock elements, captivating lyrics and choir parts, while lively “Maleficium” is structured around a duet between Thomas Vikström and Lori Lewis. Stomping “Ayahuasca” is a true musical journey featuring a male choir and psychedelic elements, while speedy “Nummo” offers splendid hard guitar explosions and the finest classic vocals and choirs.

Overall, the compositions lean towards the magnificent and theatrical, offering a high variety of musical styles while deftly blurring the boundaries of metal and classical music. With their newest opus, Leviathan III, mastermind Christofer Johnsson proves his incredible talent once more, and that THERION have perfected their very own combination of versatile styles – resulting in the creation of a symphonic league of their own.

Leviathan III tracklisting:     
1          Ninkigal
2          Ruler Of Tamag
3          An Unsung Lament
4          Maleficium
5          Ayahuasca
6          Baccanale
7          Midsommarblot
8          What Was Lost Shall Be Lost No More
9          Duende
10        Nummo
11        Twilight Of The Gods

THERION are:
Christofer Johnsson – guitars and keyboards
Sami Karppinen – drums
Nalle “Grizzly” Påhlsson – bass
Thomas Vikström – lead vocals
Christian Vidal – guitar
Lori Lewis – vocals

THERION online:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER

STATE OF DECEIT Recount Damaged Relationships in ‘Withered’ Music Video, New Album Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 18, 2023
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Photo Credit: Josh Perkins

British thrash, groove, metal-core band STATE OF DECEIT just dropped their new full-length album Stalked by Daemons via Eclipse Records on October 13 and earlier today, the band dropped a fourth music video from the album for the track ‘Withered’. The album was produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tim Hamill (Anterior) at Sonic One Studio, and the music video was directed by Aiden Thomas.

”This video shoot was great fun, we created the whole scenography in a rehearsal room moving black panels around to make it more realistic and I can’t believe how cool it looks” says bass guitarist Davide Santini. “Having all our mates around (including my brother) made the shooting experience really chill and smooth. We had a plot for the main scenes and having all our friends around gave us the opportunity to explore other ideas which led to an incredible result. We previously worked with Aiden Thomas [At What Cost? video] and we couldn’t resist working with him again because his videos are full of energy and he always manages to get the best result from our songs. The casting was also great: Oli, Tab and Francesco played the roles realistically giving the right vibe we were looking for. I’m stoked and I cannot wait to hear what people think about it!” Vocalist Pete Scammell adds, “The video depicts a girlfriend going to a local bar and trying to seek out another love. The song is a breakup song about an ex partner recalling how damaged their relationship was and how the other person was just looking for other people. The video was great fun to shoot, it stars some of the people who have helped us as a band over the past few years. The lead female, the protagonist, is Tab who took photos of us on tour, the boyfriend looking for his love is played by Oli who played drums for us on the same tour, and the man who has taken the protagonists eye is Francesco, Davide’s brother who filled in on bass for us last year! It was great to give these guys a proper place in our history as a band. Aiden Thomas filmed and directed the video and he absolutely smashed it. It captured the energy of the song with the context of the lyrics, we couldn’t be happier with what he put together for this video!”

Cover Art by Piere-Alain Durand

The new album by State of Deceit is entitled Stalked by Daemons. Stalked by Daemons delivers the best of all metalcore, thrash, and groove, often in stylistic antithesis that is startling and ultimately satisfying. The intricate rhythm tracks are fascinating mosaics, always evolving in shape and color, and the blistering lead guitar solos paint pictures that leave scars, the aesthetic kind, like treasured ink we pattern into the flesh. The growl vocal is vicious just as the traditional, rich harmonies of the chorus-work are heartfelt and bold. State of Deceit are the epitome of metal at its core, at its roots. Metal artists are often social mysteries, but that is finally beside the point. Sometimes, they start social trends for the sake of leading the pack or demonstrating to us our own ironies, but in the end, all of that is just pomp and circumstance. Rock is about making tile. Rock is about the basement and the garage, and the idea that hard practice can make you a superstar. State of Deceit offer us a distinct, instrumental layering technique as the songs on Stalked by Daemons bring us into their process and into their world brick by brick! The riveting full-length release contains ten brutal songs, and it was released on October 13, 2023. The album features artwork by Pierre-Alain D of 3mmi Design.

Download or Listen to Stalked by Daemons at https://ffm.to/sodsbd

State of Deceit live dates (more info)
October 28 – Swansea, Wales (UK) @ Crowley’s Rock Bar (Halloween Bash)

For more information about State of Deceit and their “Withered” music video, please visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, and follow them on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, Tidal, or Deezer!

State of Deceit lineup
Peter Scammell (lead vocals), Jonathan Russell (rhythm guitar), Gareth Jones (lead guitar), Davide Santini (bass & backing vocals), Matthew Toner (drums)

Hard Rock Veterans KING KOBRA Unveil New Lyric Video ‘Turn Up The Music’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 18, 2023
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After an astounding 4+ decades of non-stop rockin, both collectively and individually, you might expect the members of KING KOBRA to settle into a nice, quiet soft rock groove. But with the release of the band’s seventh studio album earlier this year, the triumphant We Are Warriors, King Kobra founder Carmine Appice and longtime members Johnny Rod and Paul Shortino as well as recent inductees, Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo and Dio’s Rowan Robertson, prove that all those years of road-tested, studio-honed musical experience can make for some of the most powerful and potent hard rock heard anywhere.

Indeed We Are Warriors is filled with the kind of face-melting guitar riffs and thunderous drums you’d expect to hear on an album from a much younger band. But these seasoned pros not only rock louder than most, they also rock harder. Just check out the superb second track from Warriors, “Turn Up The Music,” an epic, fist-pumping ode to the glory of ear-splitting volume and a finely crafted metal song. The track might just be the album’s crowning jewel, its thesis statement, which is why the band is releasing a captivating new lyric video for the track as both a celebration of their new album and a commitment to their fans to never keep it down.

We are Warriors is available now on all formats!

TRACK LIST:

  1. Music Is A Piece Of Art
  2. Turn Up The Music
  3. Secrets And Lies
  4. Drownin’
  5. One More Night
  6. Love Hurts
  7. Dance
  8. Darkness
  9. We Are Warriors
  10. Drive Like Lightning
  11. Trouble [CD ONLY]
  12. Side By Side [CD ONLY]

CAILLEACH CALLING Present New Standalone Track ‘Glittering Delusion’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 18, 2023
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A year and a half after their mesmerizing and soul-stirring debut, post-Black Metal band CAILLEACH CALLING unveil a new standalone track. Listen to ‘Glittering Delusion‘ below and via Bandcamp.

The succinct track expands upon the ethereal post-Black Metal found on the band’s 2022 debut album “Dreams of Fragmentation”, placing the mellifluous vocals of Chelsea Murphy atop a trancelike barrage of melodic BM futurism.

Composer Tony Thomas comments:
“The song ‘Glittering Delusion’ was originally created for developer CD Projekt RED as part of a contest to write an original song for the game Cyberpunk 2077. Because of that the composition sounds a bit different from what you could hear on our debut. It will remain an excursus, though. We are currently working on the second CAILLEACH CALLING album and fans can definitely expect a refinement of the sound we created on “Dreams of Fragmentation”.”

The band’s debut is still available on CD and LP (very limited numbers) via the label’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.

CAILLEACH CALLING was inceptionalized in the Spring 2021 by long term music partners Tony Thomas (DAWN OF OUROBOROS, BOTANIST) and Chelsea Murphy (DAWN OF OUROBOROS). They had a desire to create a project that was both rooted into the more traditional style of atmospheric Black Metal, while incorporating the more modern and progressive sensibilities they are known for in their other projects. With Tony handling guitars/synths/bass, and Chelsea on vocals, they then enlisted Yurii Kononov (ex-WHITE WARD) on drums to complete the line-up. With a solid line-up they completed their debut “Dreams Of Fragmentation” by late summer of the same year. The album features furious atmospheric Black Metal, with both traditional and post-black sounds mixed with melodic, ethereal, and highly emotional touches to create something that is dynamic, intense and dripping with passion.

ARMORED DAWN Thrill with Ballad ‘No Regrets’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 18, 2023
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Just recently, Brazilian ARMORED DAWN released their newest single on the main audio platforms. “No Regrets” is a song from the band’s upcoming album, which will be released in the second half of 2023. The band has been innovating in its latest releases, bringing songs with different themes from each other, but always addressing feelings that afflict the human being. “No Regrets” is a beautiful ballad about hope, being able to overcome the most difficult and darkest moments and moving forward, proud of who you are without being ashamed or regretting the past.

Once again, mixing was handled by Chris Lord Alge (Muse, Green Day, Nickelback) and mastering by Ted Jensen (Bring Me The Horizon, Evanescence, Metallica). The ballad surprises those who are not yet familiar with ARMORED DAWN’s music, without losing the essence that characterizes and brings identity to the band’s sound.

The new single also features a beautiful music video, which was recorded in the city of Torres, on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul in the south of Brazil. The production was handled by Plano9 Filmes, directed by Deivis Horbach and co-directed by Rafael Agostino, the band’s keyboardist. In addition to Agostino on keyboards, Armored Dawn’s current lineup includes Eduardo Parras (vocals), Tiago de Moura and Timo Kaarkoski (guitars), Heros Trench (bass) and Chris Oliveira (drums).

Watch below the video for ‘No Regrets’.

Stream and buy the single at https://bfan.link/no-regrets-3

Armored Dawn emerged in 2014 and became relevant in the Brazilian metal scene. After all, they played tours and shows alongside great bands like Saxon, Megadeth, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Europe, Hammerfall, Rhapsody, Fates Warning, Sabaton and Tarja.

The first two albums Power of Warrior (2016) and Barbarians in Black (2018), were produced by great names like Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Jorn), Bruno Agra (We Are Harlot) and Kato Khandwala (The Pretty Reckless, Papa Roach).

The third album, Viking Zombie, was produced, mixed and mastered by Rodrigo Oliveira and Heros Trench, the latter a veteran producer with over 200 bands under his belt and a Latin Grammy.

Featuring a sophisticated and versatile metal, the band collects great works in videos, such as “Sail Away”, which had a cinematic production, as well as “Beware of the Dragon”, shown in all movie theaters in Brazil during the trailers for the movie Aquaman, in 2018. “Ragnarok” and “Animal Uncaged” (recorded at the Rockfest Festival, at Allianz Parque, São Paulo, when they played for around 37,000 people) add up to millions of views on YouTube.

During the pandemic, they released the single “Stronger Together”, which was very well accepted by the public.

Then, already preparing the ground for the forthcoming fourth album, “Brand New Way”, they released the singles “S.O.S.” which featured an amazing music video, and the heavy and melancholy “Tides”. “Brand New Way”, released in August 2023, has also been very well accepted by the public and specialized media.
Recorded at Dharma Studios, mixed by Chris Lord Alge (Muse, Green Day, Nickelback) and mastered by Ted Jensen (Bring Me The Horizon, Evanescence, Metallica), the album will be released later this year.

NICK D’VIRGILIO, NEAL MORSE & ROSS JENNINGS Launch Video for ‘Tiny Little Fires’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 18, 2023
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Three titans of progressive rock, Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, NMB) & Ross Jennings (Haken, Novena) joined forces in 2021 for their ‘Troika’ album, a record that saw them exploring their love of more acoustic-led music and three-part vocal harmonies. Recently the band revealed the follow-up, aptly titled ‘Sophomore’, will be released November 10th, 2023.    

They have released the second track taken from the album, the Ross Jennings-penned ‘Tiny Little Fires’. Watch the video now HERE

‘Sophomore’ will be available on Limited CD Edition (incl. 2 bonus tracks), Ltd Gatefold Transparent Red LP, Ltd Gatefold Transparent Blue LP & as Digital Album.

Pre-order now here!