NYC Post-Punk Veterans BLACKLIST Share New Single ‘Pathfinder’; New Album Out October 28th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 19, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[Photo: Scott Irvine]

After New York post-punk/dark rock veterans BLACKLIST recently unleashed the brand new single “The Final Resistance”, today more details about the band’s upcoming second album have been released. “Afterworld” will be out on October 28th via Profound Lore Records and marks the band’s first album in thirteen long years. Featuring ten brand new tracks packed with the band’s captivating and distinctive sound, “Afterworld” seamlessly picks up where its critically acclaimed predecessor “Midnight of the Century” (2009) left off: Powerful and dark anthems, blending elements of shoegaze and heavy metal with coldwave in a fluid motion. Thematically, the upcoming album explores the possible meanings of love in a time of political and environmental collapse, and with the track “Pathfinder”, the band has given another glimpse of their soon-to-be-released album. 

Joshua Strachan comments:

In the summer of 2021, we met up with no demos, no preconceived notions of what or how we would write. At least nothing beyond the vague question I’d had in the back of my mind, “What if a band like Blacklist did what Iron Maiden did with ‘Somewhere In Time’ and made a guitar synth record?” We got a Meris Enzo pedal, a lot of tequila, and went into Glenn’s basement to see what would happen. 

We ended up writing the basic parts for four songs that weekend, one of which was ‘Pathfinder.’ Musically I feel it has a lot of spiritual similarity to old school Blacklist songs like “Dawn of the Idols” and “Julie Speaks” with Glenn doing a sort of tribal drum thing and Ryan chugging away on a very propulsive bass riff. Lyrically, though, it really reflects what I feel is the most significant break from older Blacklist material. The lyrics are searching, yearning. They communicate vulnerability and uncertainty. 

He continues:

I think it’s really reflective of where we are and who we are now. It’s Blacklist through and through, it’s the sound of charging forward into a fucked up world, it’s about human connection, and that really encapsulates what we’ve always been about. 

Tracklist reads as follows:

  1. Fires Of Black November
  2. The Final Resistance
  3. Nightbound
  4. No Good Answers
  5. Behind The Veil Of The Living World
  6. Pathfinder
  7. Scarlet Horizon
  8. A Stranger In This Century
  9. In Shadow Light
  10. Lovers In Mourning

“Afterworld” was produced by Joshua Strachan at Primal Architecture Studio, Appalachia, VA and mixed by Sanford Parker (Darkthrone, Yob, BLOODYMINDED). The album will be coming out in CD/LP/DIGITAL formats and is now available for pre-order at THIS LOCATION

THE DEFACED Release New Video ‘Monochromatic Void’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 19, 2022
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Swedish groove metal band, THE DEFACED are releasing a brand new video for the song “Monochromatic Void”. It´s taken from the album “Charlatans” that was released earlier this year via ViciSolum Productions.

Watch the video below.

The Defaced was formed in 1999 in Helsingborg, Sweden, when members from Darkane, Soilwork and local acts joined forces. Writing, rehearsing, demoing and gigging eventually led up to landing a record deal.
 
The debut album “Domination Commence” was released in 2001 through Scarlet Records and Nuclear Blast America. The album rounded up feedback putting the band on the map. In 2003 “Karma in Black” was released. The album meant a clear progression to a more
mature sound which was recognized in the stellar reception of the album. A video was shot for the track “Once in Between” which gained air-time on various TV channels. Gigs and festival slots followed the album release.
 
2006 meant line-up changes prior to the release of the band’s third album, “Anomaly”. The album treaded new ground incorporating vibes from alternative genres into the band’s sound. More gigs followed the release of the album. Then silence…
 
Awoken from hibernation in 2018. The fire was back, songs fell into place and off it went. The evolution of the band is clear. The heritage from early days blends in with the ever so prominent vein on exploring progressive territories.

About the album:
Charlatans took its beginning back in 2019 when Mattias Svensson gave Jens Broman a call. Jens Broman hadn’t been working with music to any major extent since 2010 when he left Darkane. Since the release of the album, Anomaly, back in 2006, The Defaced had slowly started to dissolve during 2007-2008 and was finally set on pause indefinitely in late 2008. Mattias explained on the phone that he had written a bunch of songs that he wanted Jens to listen to. The intention was to start up The Defaced again. Jens loved the songs immediately and slowly during 2019 Mattias and Jens started to set up a work process for continuing working on the songs. – It all came very naturally, just like in the old days, says Jens. Klas Ideberg shared the same thoughts and ambitions and after recruiting new drummer Bob Ruben a new start of the band was on the table.
 
All instruments were recorded in Helsingborg at the Mansarda studios, produced by Klas and Mattias.Vocals were recorded and produced by Jens and Björn Strid at Studio Björngrottan, in Tyreså Autumn 2020. Mixing and mastering by Lawrence Mackory, At Obey Mastering, in Uppsala. December 2020.

As with so many artists much of the inspiration for this record, lyrically came from a large extent from the pandemic. Not as such but its creativity came as an involuntary pause from the wound-up stressed world. The songs cover themes such as struggles with relationships, self-doubt and eager frustration and a feeling that everything is already too late to change. Charlatans is an album that encompasses the sound of the earlier albums but given the addition of a more prominent progressive touch. The songs aim to give the listener an even greater sonic adventure than the previous records. Still, most of the heritage from old metal giants is ever so present, blended together with classic songwriting with a twist towards progressive soundscapes.

MØL Release New Video ‘Tvesind’, Tour Starts on August 25th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 19, 2022
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Photo: Cornelius Qvist

After MØL released their second studio album Diorama in November last year, the guys from Denmark are back today with their brand new video for the song ‘Tvesind’.

For the frontman, Diorama is much more than an epitaph to his faith and childhood trauma. It’s a direct letter to those closest to him, communicating the scale of the hurt he feels in ways he couldn’t otherwise articulate. That’s why the album’s closing duology, ‘Tvesind’ and the title track—described as containing the most personal lyrics on there—are in Danish. They’re for Sternkopf’s confidantes, not the metal masses, he explained in an interview for stereoboard. 

Singer Kim comments:
“I got to have some profound conversations with my father that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t get to write this,” he reveals. “Sometimes it’s difficult to talk to people and say, ‘You did something really wrong to me,’ but if you have it on paper, a song or movie or something to speak out from, there’s something we can examine from different angles. That’s where the title ‘Diorama’ comes in. Despite the odds being against us, I believe there’s a lot of hope because I’ve found a way to talk to them.”

Kim continues:
“We have been very fortunate to be working with british director/editor John Bradburn who conjured up some amazing work with excellent videos for both DEAFHEAVEN on “In Blur” and Emma Ruth Rundle on “Blooms of Oblivion”. He has treated the heavy subject matters of the album with the utmost respect and a razor-sharp eye for aesthetics that we believe should accompany all of our music.”

Listen to Diorama here: https://møl.bfan.link/diorama

Next week, the long-awaited EU/UK tour starts for MØL. Together with CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX and IMPURE WILHELMINA you can see the band live in the following citys: 

25.08.22 DE  Hannover – Faust
26.08.22 DE  Hamburg – Bahnhof Pauli
27.08.22 DK  Copenhagen – Hotel Cecil
28.08.22 DE  Berlin – SO36
29.08.22 DE  Leipzig – Täubchenthal
30.08.22 DE  Munich – Backstage
31.08.22 HU  Budapest – A38
01.09.22 AT   Vienna – Chelsea
02.09.22 IT   Bologna – Link
03.09.22 CH  Winterthur – Gaswerk
04.09.22 FR  Paris – Backstage
05.09.22 DE  Cologne – Essigfabrik
06.09.22 NL  Zoetermeer – Boerderij
07.09.22 UK  London – The Dome
08.09.22 UK  Bristol – The Fleece
09.09.22 UK  Manchester – Rebellion
10.09.22 UK  Glasgow – Classic Gran

LYBICA – Feat. Killswitch Engage Drummer Justin Foley on Guitar – Share ‘Oktavist’ Visualizer

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 19, 2022
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PHOTO CREDIT: @whoisjazel @blackcardfilms

LYBICA, a dynamic and instrumental band from South Florida that seamlessly blends flavorful guitar melody with powerful metallic crunch and which features Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley on guitar, will release their self-titled debut on September 16 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-order at: metalblade.com/lybica

The band has dropped the visualizer for “Oktavist.” Watch it here:

“Different versions of ‘Oktavist’ were kicking around in my ‘ideas’ folder seemingly forever, and it was exciting to hash it out with the guys and end up with the most metal song on the record, and our heaviest breakdown,” says Foley. “I love headbanging through the end of it at shows. Also, I can’t wait for you all to hear the full album when it comes out next month – exciting times!“

All upcoming Lybica tour dates are listed below.

LYBICA TRACK LISTING:
01. Ascend
02. Resonance
03. Palatial
04. Oktavist
05. Ferment
06. Manifest
07. Linnaeus
08. Voltaic
09. Charyou

LYBICA LIVE:
9/22 – Albany, NY – Empire Live (Supporting Killswitch Engage)
10/28-10/30 – Gainesville, FL – The Fest

ABOUT LYBICA:
Lybica‘s origin story can be traced back to 2020 when it became clear to Justin Foley that he wasn’t going to be spending much time with his normal bandmates for a while. Quarantine days still needed to be time well spent, and he’d been working on some demos that he finally decided to share with a few local friends in South Florida. “I’d written a bunch of stuff that didn’t quite fit into traditional song structures,” Foley says. “And I’ve always been drawn to bands where the instruments provide hooks, rather than relying on a lyric. It seemed like a good time to start something new and see where it could go.“

Foley met fellow musicians Doug French (Gravel Kings) and Joey Johnson (Gravel Kings, Barriers Now Bridges, Days Spent) back in 2016, and they had repeatedly talked about jamming together but never actually got around to it. Foley and French – both drummers by trade – often spoke about trying something different that allowed them each to get out from behind the kit. “I’ve always wanted to play a stringed instrument,” French shares. “And bass felt natural, since it is the other half of the rhythm section.“

Johnson grew up playing shows all over Florida, heavily influenced by early punk and then both hardcore and metal. “[People at] all the good places to get a beer kept asking me if I had met Justin, since they know I play music,” he recalls. “I heard about him in our town for about a year before we actually met through mutual friends. We hit it off when we started talking [about] instrumental music.“

When French and Johnson eventually received the demos from Foley, they really liked what they heard. For several months, the three of them emailed music back and forth while learning the parts, especially Foley and French on instruments – guitar and bass, respectively – that they weren’t experienced playing. They eventually started playing together with the drum tracks from the demos blasting through the PA speakers. Before too long, they had enough music for a full record and the direction of the band was taking shape.

The band eventually recruited Orlando drummer Chris Lane of A Brilliant Lie to fill its “drummer vacancy.” Lane, who was born and raised in Chicago and is currently based in Orlando, joined the band in December 2021.

The founding trio soon discovered that they had something else in common besides music. “The three of us are pretty big cat people,” Foley points out. “So it only made sense to call the band Lybica.” Named after a small wildcat species native to Africa that is widely considered the godfather of the modern house cat, Lybica is the first known feline species to be tamed and domesticated by humans. Fast forward 10,000 years, and today, Lybica the band are as addictive as catnip. Lybica are poised to make some serious noise in 2022 – fur-real.

AVATARIUM Premiere Epic Music Video for Album Title Track ‘Death, Where Is Your Sting’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 18, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[ photo: Niklas Palmklint ]

October 21, 2022 sees Swedish doom rock masters AVATARIUM release their fifth studio album, entitled Death, Where Is Your Sting, on AFM Records.

The chart-breaking band, who was formed in 2012 by Candlemass mastermind Leif Edling, released 2 EPs, four critically acclaimed full-length records and their epic live DVD, An Evening With Avatarium – Live in Stockholm January 2020, to date. The current, high-class line-up is featuring vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith, Marcus Jidell (Evergrey, Soen), Mats Rydström, Andreas Habo Johansson and Daniel Karlsson. 

Following previously released, first single “God Is Silent”, AVATARIUM have just premiered their album title track Death, Where Is Your Sting! Vocalist Jennie-Ann reveals:

“The song Death, Where Is Your Sting is like a most personal conversation with death, saying “I survived, I might be in your calendar but I’m not going this time!”

Death, Where Is Your Sting was produced by Marcus Jidell, mixed by Mats Valentin and Jidell, and was mastered by Svante Forsbäck. The album will be available on October 21, 2022 as Digipak, Vinyl and ltd. 2-CD Earbook (incl. 5-track bonus CD). The album pre-sale has just started via AFM Records HERE!

Tracklist:

  1. A Love Like Ours
  2. Stockholm
  3. Death, Where Is Your Sting
  4. Psalm For The Living
  5. God Is Silent
  6. Mother Can You Hear Me Now
  7. Nocturne
  8. Transcendent

Bonus CD (ltd. Earbook)

  1. Boneflower (alternative version, live in the studio)
  2. Great Beyond (alternative version, live in the studio)
  3. Rubicon (alternative version, live in the studio)
  4. Lay Me Down (alternative version, live in the studio)
  5. The Fire I long For (alternative version, live in the studio)

AVATARIUM Live:

20.08.22 (DE) Summer Breeze Open Air
23.10.22 (TUR) Istanbul, Doom Over Istanbul

2023 // with SWALLOW THE SUN:

Epic Legends CANDLEMASS Announce New Album “Sweet Evil Sun”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 18, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[photo credit: Linda Akerberg]

Swedish godfathers of epic doom metal, CANDLEMASS, have returned to continue their unmatched legacy. With their new album, Sweet Evil Sun, out November 18, 2022 via Napalm Records, they are ready to prove once again that they reign as one of the heaviest metal bands on earth, bringing epic doom to the world of metal.

Alongside the new album’s pre-order kickoff, CANDLEMASS – purveyors of legendary albums like Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and Nightfall – have released a monumental new single and video, “Scandinavian Gods”, kicking things off with a hammer blow. The single and video stomp in with a dark, Nordic metal chant driven by slow and heavy drums, droning guitars and majestic vocals that convey mysterious tales of Scandinavian mythology to the next generation!

CANDLEMASS’ driving force Leif Edling on “Scandinavian Gods”:         
“’Scandinavian Gods’ is Slayer meets Queen and Judas Priest! It’s about heritage and future and the fact that It is sometimes absolutely necessary to leave or at least doubt your old gods. It’s about the hardship in this, and the irony in the fact that you see yourself being drawn back to them over and over again, into these black circles and the forgetfulness of the past.

Where do we wanna be? What shall we believe in? Do we need them to build a better future?”

After working on this massive piece of art for 18 months in total, with Sweet Evil Sun, CANDLEMASS brings back all the grandness of their early years, exploring themes of ambition and strife, hope and failure. It comes as no surprise that, alongside the band, renowned producer Marcus Jidell captured the band’s massive, smoky guitar tones, powerful drums and larger-than-life vocals, offering a truly unique, high quality sonic experience.

Recorded at NOX studio in Stockholm, Sweden, Sweet Evil Sun impressively showcases that, after almost 40 years in the game, the creativity of these Swedish doom masters sees no bounds. Through the power of wall-shaking riffs, incredible vocal performances and the blood and spirit of classic heavy metal, Sweet Evil Sun shines as a masterpiece of impending legend that truly honors the epic doom metal cult of CANDLEMASS.

The artwork for Sweet Evil Sun was illustrated by the skilled hand of Erik Rovanperä, the architect behind CANDLEMASS’ visual style since Psalms for the Dead (2012)

Leif Edling on the new album:       
“Sweet Evil Sun is about hope, striving, adoration and failure. It’s about all the personal battles that you have, but also the never-ending decay of humanity.

The record took over a year to make and there’s not a bad track on it! We had a fantastic time recording it and are really looking forward to the release. It’s Doom, It’s Metal! It is the essence of CANDLEMASS put into one album!”

Pre-Order your copy of Sweet Evil Sun NOW

Opening track “Wizard Of The Vortex” instantly casts a spell with a riff so powerful, the listener is immediately ensnared. Title track “Sweet Evil Sun” kicks in with warning guitar feedback before sludging a heavy-as-hell riff as Johan Langquist deftly warbles through melancholic, beckoning passages and a hooky chorus. His imposing vocals fit each riff and tone perfectly, emerging as an instrument in itself. Jennie-Ann Smith (Avatarium) lends her beautiful voice to the theatrical, grim “When Death Sighs”, creating a shimmering, intermingled chorus duet eventually backed by rising organs and a marching rhythm. The haunting atmosphere is highlighted by an amazing guitar solo that reads like a story as it bends and descends, marking the sign of death on the listener’s door.

Sweet Evil Sun Tracklist:
1. Wizard Of The Vortex
2. Sweet Evil Sun
3. Angel Battle
4. Black Butterfly
5. When Death Sighs
6. Scandinavian Gods
7. Devil Voodoo
8. Crucified
9. Goddess
10. A Cup Of Coffin (Outro)

Experience CANDLEMASS live in 2022:
19.08.22 DK –  Næstved / Næstved Metalfest
20.08.22 NL –  Eindhoven / Ijssportcentrum
22.10.22 SE –  Sundsvall / Nordfest
30.10.22 BE –  Gent / Desertfest Ghent
19.11.22 DE –  Würzburg, Hammer of Doom