The second album by the Lower Saxon melodic metallers LANKESTER MERRIN, entitled “Dark Mother Rises” will be released on 24 March via Black Sunset/MDD!
The album offers 9 powerful, mature melodic metal hymns, with razor-sharp riffing, great solos and the incisive voice of Cat Rogers making almost every song a catchy one. If you already know the band from their previous album “Upon the Forgotten”, you may be curious, because with “Dark Mother Rises” the band presents a successor, which documents an almost explosive development in all aspects and raises the band to a new qualitative level! Stay tuned – more info soon!
„Bittersweet“ the new album by FORMOSA is like a new beginning for the band. After the Corona break, the guys go full throttle and deliver ten impressively strong numbers. With the songs and the sound of the record, the band reinvents itself without losing itself.
Formosa’s music has evolved, some of the songs have become harder and faster, but overall each one is still melodic and catchy. The production as well as the songwriting are on the highest level, making “Bittersweet” the band’s strongest longplayer so far.
“BITTERSWEET” TRACK LISTING Burning Desire Horns Up Melinda Fight the Fire Bittersweet Living on a Blade Welcome to my Hell Crawling through the Night Wild & Free Iron Boar
LINE-UP Nik Bird – Bass/Vocals Nik Beer- Guitars Paris Jay – Drums
CURRENT TOURDATES with Kissin‘ Dynamite & Dynazty:
03.03. Leipzig, DE – Hellraiser 04.03. Wörgl, AT – Komma 05.03. Milan, IT – Legend Club 07.03. Budapest, HU – Barba Negra Music Club 08.03. Kraków, PL – Kamienna12 10.03. Wien, AT – Szene 11.03. Pratteln, CH – Z7 12.03. Strasbourg, FR – Laiterie 14.03. Paris, FR – Trabendo 15.03. Wasquehal, FR – The Black Lab 17.03. Hengelo, NL – Metropool 18.03. Osnabrück, DE – Hyde Park 19.03. Vosselaar, BE – Biebobclu
BITTERSWEET-TOUR:
14.04. Waldbronn – Soundcheck One 15.04. München – Orange Club 21.04. Köln – MTC 22.04. Hanau – Brückenko 30.04. Berlin – Wild at Heart 05.05. Hamburg – Logo 06.05. Kassel – Goldgrube 24.06. Essen – Formosa Bierfest
Finnish hippie metal superstars EGOKILLS are back – bigger, badder & more dangerous than ever!
The latest Egokills banger is called Life’s a Party and it is a reminder of what life’s about in these dark times. The song comes with a movie quality music video, directed by the bands long-time friend Timo Lepistö. The video portrays the band in its natural habitat, partying around their own camper van. Vocalist Janne Selo plays the main part.
After the video was shot the band got into some real danger.
”We were driving home with bassist Mika Pusa, when the left rear tire of our dear LoveLines Mellowmobile swung loose in a tunnel. Luckily I was able to steer the camper safely to the side and the tire didn’t hit anyone. We took a breather and called the tow truck”, drummer Vilho Rajala recalls.
The release show of Life’s a Party takes place on Feb 3rd at Hönö Live Music Bar in Tampere, Finland. During the three-year gig break the band is born again in the rehearsal place and will play the best show of their career up to now.
When Kim Ljung formed LJUNGBLUT in 2005, his intention was to find a vehicle for songs that didn’t fit in with either SEIGMEN or ZEROMANCER, the bands that he is best known for. Now, with six full-length albums firmly ensconced in the annals of LJUNGBLUT’s history, Ljung finally found the time to work on something he had been wanting to do for years – and it all centres on a tiny cabin owned by his family in Nordstøldalen in Sauda, Norway.
So, accompanied only by an old acoustic guitar, Ljung travelled alone to the cabin last summer, and laid down the foundations of what would become “Sauda” a five-song EP which Karisma Records is set to release on the 3rd of March. “Sauda” is, in fact, the first in a series, inspired by Ljung’s travels.
It is such a personal project, that it is best that Ljung describes it in his own words:
Half of me comes from Sauda. The trips across the mountains have been countless. In all kinds of weather. Several times a year when I was a kid. Always hiking up to the cabin in Nordstøldalen, driving down to the factory where my grandfather worked. Those big cargoships that docked. Going onboard, meeting the captain who served tea from China, getting letters from far-off countries with stamps on. Sauda was an adventure to me. In the old cars, on those endless drives, there were always cassette tapes. Sven-Bertil Taube was the favourite of mine.
I have long wanted to return to this small, red cabin. No electricity. Alone. Too small for more than one person anyway. Only me and the acoustic. This cabin, which was disassembled board by board down in Sauda. Rebuilt up in Nordstøldalen so my great-grandmother, who suffered from asthma would get fresh air. The cabin journals are still there on the shelf. The first one from 1938. All the attempts and records from the ski jumps they built in winter. They jumped almost 40 meters. The beautiful green pond right by. The hiss from the ice-cold river running down from the mountain.
Here I played to a herd of sheep for breakfast. For the twilight and the widest starry sky I have ever seen, at night.
As an acknowledgement to those car trips, filled with music from the cassette player, Karisma Records will only be releasing “Sauda” in A Limited Edition Cassette and in Digital formats.
Recorded at the Frodeløkka Studio in Tønsberg by Terje Johannesen, and mastered by Herbrand Larsen, “Sauda” is performed mostly by Kim Ljung, with some assistance from Terje Johannesen and Dan Heide.
With artwork by Tom Korsvold, tracklisting for “Sauda” is as follows:
01. Fabrikken 02. Åbøbyen 03. Norstøldalen 04. Saudasjøen 05. Sommer
Iranian modern metalcore outfit OUT OF NOWHERE return with ‘Deja Vu’. Their last release ‘Wrong Generation‘ was about iranian women who are fighting in Iran and was premiered on knotfest. This time, the band gets back to its roots. The concept of the track is centered around the destructive influence of technology on human lives.
Frontman Amin Yahyazadeh had this to say about ‘Deja Vu’; ‘In our routine loop of day-to-day life, we all experience moments of familiarity; moments we could have sworn we’ve seen before. Who is to say that those moments haven’t been programmed into our minds before? I think our predestined day-to-day lives are designed to stop us from finding out the true nature of what is actually going on. I would go so far as to say that I think there is a grand plan for not only the course of our lives but also what happens to the universe.’
From a musical standpoint, ‘Deja Vu’ shows that ‘Out of Nowhere’ is a band that’s never afraid to evolve and experiment. By bringing out the ‘Santour’ a traditional Persian instrument and using it alongside their modern-metal style riffing, modern synth layering, and Amin Yahyazadeh’s unique singing style, the band has achieved a duality between the old and the new.
‘Deja Vu’ is a taste of the post-modern philosophical subjects ‘Out of Nowhere’ wants to touch on as well as their signature brand of Modern Metalcore.
‘Deja Vu’ is Out of Nowhere’s latest piece and the first of the yet TBA album which will be revealed soon.
Vancouver’s HUNTING GIANTS are sharing their next video for the track “Vanguard” off their latest album “Mythos” released this past November. “Vanguard” is a classic love song with a fantasy-style twist. This fast-paced track comes from the perspective of a soldier on the front lines of a bloody battle as he thinks about the one he loves and how he wishes he could spend one last night with her. During the battle, he realizes that there will be no returning home for him and, in his final moments, holds onto the feeling of being with her so he can rest with her forever. “Vanguard” features our producer, Kirby Kaye, shredding on guitar and crescendos with a key change accented by the soprano-esque wail of a dying man as he keeps his thoughts on the one he loves. The band explains the song in further detail:
“This non-stop rocking love song starts with an intricate bass line, a crunchy guitar riff, and a busy drum line peppered with ghost snare hits. We follow a soldier on the front lines of a battle as he thinks of his love and what he would sacrifice to be with her once more. An incredibly catchy chorus blends back into the verse where his thoughts of his love are ripped away by the reality of the battlefield in which he is. As the captain screams “Hold The Line!”, we get a ripping solo recorded by our producer Kirby Kaye as we flow by into the chorus. In the outro, we are treated to a key change and the soprano-esque wail of a dying man as he keeps his thoughts on the one he loves.”
Hunting Giants’ “Mythos” is the new crowning achievement from the bandwho have put in many years of musical work, writing, and recording while gigging and enduring quarantine as a band during the Covid pandemic. The album’s goal is to grab listeners and amaze them with intricate woven stories, energetic riffs, and distinctive vocals. The album is meant to be an adventure, with each track having its own flavour and setting; the songs are worlds unto themselves. All of the music on the release contribute to a listening experience that is much more than the sum of its parts. The material is an addictive encounter that will keep you coming back.
Hunting Giants is recommended for those who enjoy 90s grunge, heavy rock, and prog, especially fans of Alice In Chains, I Mother Earth, Soundgarden, Tool, and Audioslave.
“Mythos” is available on CD and digital at the following links:
Previous music videos can be viewed on Hunting Giants‘ YouTube channel HERE.
Track Listing: 1. Mythos – 3:28 2. Ancient Text – 3:18 3. Too Big To Kill – 3:06 4. Rituals – 3:57 5. Among Thieves – 5:28 6. Whispers – 2:16 7. Vanguard – 2:54 8. Mantle – 3:19 9. Kindred – 4:05 10. Epitaph – 1:09 11. Into Stone – 4:55 12. Remnant – 4:00 13. King of Ashes – 2:52 Album Length: 44:49
Hunting Giants is: Corey Wharton – Bass Guitar Stephen Atkey – Vocals Bradley Trivett – Guitar Daniel Beavington – Drums
Chief Shock Video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 