EVERGREY Announce New Album “A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 25, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[photo credit: Anders Plassgard]

Gothenburg’s finest export of darkness, EVERGREY, enters an bewildering new chapter in the band’s history with their thirteenth studio album and Napalm Records debut, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), to be released on May 20, 2022 via Napalm Records. This overwhelming journey through progressive heaviness and searing emotionality reaches new heights and is preceded by the arrival of the soaring first single “Save Us”, in which heavy prog and melancholic beauty climax in a soulful chorus that proves EVERGREY to be top songwriters in their genre!

The pounding album opener reflects everything the new full-length stands for, as it kicks in immediately with stunning guitar work and unveils a chorus sure to top the annals of EVERGREY history. Listen carefully and you will hear the voices of hundreds of fans who were invited by EVERGREY to send recordings of their voices to later provide group vocals for the track – making their everlasting mark on EVERGREY history.

For the astonishing music video, the five-piece teamed up with longtime companion Patric Ullaeus to create a bewitching visual experience that exemplifies EVERGREY.

Tom S. Englund on “Save Us”:
“’Save Us’ is about us. It’s about you and I. It’s about how I see our minds becoming hostages in a world where painting optimal portraits of ourselves is more important than being who we really are. It’s about my observation of watching people around me who are feeling that they’re not good enough for the world, or for themselves. I’m afraid we’re lost, and I think we need to help each other to find our way back to what is important, to rediscover a true sense of self. As we, as artists, also contribute to content and social media as a livelihood, it’s about the paradox of being caught in a world which is hard to free yourself from. I can only wish that our music brings some balance to that equation.”

Celebrating over 25 years of metal mastery, EVERGREY, led by founder, singer and guitarist Tom S. Englund, are known for wandering the realms of progressive and heavy melodic metal and painting sonic renderings with their twelve studio records released as of today. A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), the follow-up to the unit’s highly successful 2021 full-length, Escape of the Phoenix (which landed at numerous chart positions worldwide), reveals a 10 track mélange of which every note, every riff and every word seeps pure poetry – creating a ceaseless intensity that mesmerizes from the very first second.

The new album was recorded at Top Floor Studios Gothenburg, engineered by Jakob Herrman and   produced by Tom S. Englund and Jonas Ekdahl, with mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios (Volbeat, Destruction, Epica and many more), whereas the hauntingly beautiful album artwork was conjured by Giannis Nakos at Remedy Art Design. Nakos is known for creating artworks for acts like Oceans Of Slumber, Amaranthe, The Agonist and The Crown as well as merchandise for Morbid Angel, Suffocation or Cryptopsy – just to name a few.

EVERGREY on the new album:
“Here it is! A new album! Yet again! This is what we love about music, it never ends! Our mission is to write music so here you are! 10 new songs! 10 new EVERGREY songs that we hope you will have by your side as your life continues to shift and grow. 10 songs that we wish will be part of the soundtrack when you’re creating new memories and new possibilities in your life. 10 songs that we feel privileged to have you listen to. 10 songs that have risen through the ashes of two years where our creativity has had more time than ever to flourish. 

10 songs we really hope you will enjoy as much as we did writing them. As usual we have given it our best and we can’t wait to hear what you have to say! A new year, a new album, a new record label = new possibilities. All this can only be positive, right? 

Enjoy!
Tom, Jonas, Rikard, Johan & Henrik”

[Artwork by Giannis Nakos, Remedy Art Design]

Get your copy of A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) NOW

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) impresses with flawless, meticulous production that deftly depicts both heartfelt honesty and scorching metallic intensity, while its instrumental force of furious, technically driven riffs, skyrocketing solos and dramatic synths merges with the expert, brooding vocal performance of Englund – one of the most distinctive vocalists in metal. He skillfully balances harsh and heavy tones with an inarguably soulful approach, all topped by melancholic, thought-provoking lyricism that digs deeper with every spin, leaving a long-lasting impact. Songs like “Midwinter Calls”, which also contains fan participation with atmospheric audience recordings from the band’s latest tour through Sweden, and “The Great Unwashed”, draw the listener in with grooving, glistering instrumentation, flowing between boisterous dynamics and a next level vocal performance, while emotive “Wildfires” turns the volume down as a goosebump-worthy ballad that hurts and heals all at once. “Call Out The Dark” begins atmospherically with accented keys, suddenly evolving into an intense opus of symphonic and power metal attributes in the blink of an eye, whereas the record’s longest track, “The Orphean Testament”, impresses by revealing its heaviest facet. A sensitive introduction lures the listener into “Heartless”, and offers one of the album’s most engaging verses, followed by a hauntingly beautiful chorus and variety in pace to create a magnificent listening experience.

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) tracklisting:
1. Save Us
2. Midwinter Calls
3. Ominous
4. Call Out the Dark
5. The Orphean Testament
6. Reawakening
7. The Great Unwashed
8. Heartless
9. Blindfolded
10.Wildfires

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) is a striking testament to the fact that while the Swedish five-piece doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone at this phase, they still impressively showcase that, after over 25 years of existence, their creativity sees no bounds – dropping yet another sensation within their impressive catalog!

EVERGREY live:
Fans can  look forward to seeing EVERGREY live, as in 2022, the powerhouse will go on an extensive tour through Europe!

EVERGREY – European Tour 2022
+ special guest: Fractal Universe
+ Virtual Symmetry

16.09.22 NL – Eindhoven / Dynamo
17.09.22 GB – London / 229 venue
18.09.22 GB – Nottingham / Rescue Rooms
19.09.22 GB – Bristol / Thekla
20.09.22 GB – Manchester / Academy 3
21.09.22 IE – Dublin / Voodoo Lounge
22.09.22 GB – Glasgow / Cathouse
23.09.22 GB – Newcastle / St Dom’s Social Club
24.09.22 GB – Birmingham / The Asylum 2
25.09.22 NL – Leiden / Gebr. De Nobel
27.09.22 DE – Bremen / Tivoli
28.09.22 DE – Stuttgart / Im Wizemann Club
29.09.22 DE – Berlin / Columbia Theater
30.09.22 DE – Hamburg / Bahnhof Pauli
01.10.22 DE – Oberhausen / Resonanzwerk
02.10.22 DE – Lindau / Club Vaudeville
03.10.22 FR – Colmar / Le Grillen
04.10.22 DE – München / Backstage Halle
05.10.22 DE – Hannover / Faust
06.10.22 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colos-Saal
07.10.22 BE – Vosselaar / Biebob
08.10.22 DE – Mannheim / 7er Club
09.10.22 SI – Ljubljana / Orto Bar
11.10.22 HU – Budapest / Barba Negra
12.10.22 AT – Graz / Dom im Berg
13.10.22 PL – Wroclaw / Akademia
14.10.22 AT – Wien / Viper Room
15.10.22 DE – Nürnberg / Hirsch
16.10.22 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof
17.10.22 CH – Luzern / Schüür
18.10.22 FR – Lyon / CCO Villeurbanne
19.10.22 ES – Barcelona / Boveda
20.10.22 ES – Madrid / Shoko
21.10.22 ES – Pamplona / Totem
22.10.22 FR – Toulouse / L’Usine
23.10.22 FR – Paris / Petit Bain

DESTRUCTION Reveal Raging New Single ‘No Faith In Humanity’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 25, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
(Photo Credit: Gyula Havancsák)

German thrash metal icons DESTRUCTION celebrate their 40th anniversary with their hard-hitting new full-length, Diabolical, out April 8, 2022 via Napalm Records! Today, the relentless legends reveal their new single, “No Faith In Humanity”, raging uncompromisingly with non-stop headbanging action! As one of the most legendary existing German thrash metal bands, DESTRUCTION grace the wall of fame with greats like Kreator, Sodom and Tankard – still going strong after four decades of Thrash Metal! Prepare for neck breaking energy!

On their 15th studio record, DESTRUCTION brings out heavy artillery full of honest and uncompromising thrash metal, catapulting you straight into the seventh heaven of metallic bliss and causing a massacre of razor-sharp sound no fan of the genre should miss! 

DESTRUCTIONsinger/bassist SCHMIER about the new video:
“This back-to-the-roots dystopic crusher drops an in-your-face message: only solidarity is the key for the survival of our kind!”

“The sonic performance delivers extreme riffs, pounding drums and a shredding solo-part that shows that DESTRUCTION, more than ever, stands for brutal guitars, vociferous vocals, quick as lightning drums and acoustical mayhem! We hope you enjoy it!”

Take an in-depth look into the Making of Diabolical with DESTRUCTION HERE:

SCHMIER states about the recording: 
“This was the most fun we had working on a record in a very long time and you can hear that. Yes. it was theoretically a difficult album but we did not think this way while we recorded it. We just followed our emotions, jammed and rocked out with a strong gut feeling! This recording was like a therapy to me, we all know how difficult times are at the moment. So I’m super happy how everything turned out!” 

Guitar shredder DAMIR adds:
“It was a real honor for me to record this album. The studio work for Diabolical was very spontaneous and we had a lot of fun creating these dynamic, multifaceted and brutal but diverse songs. I loved every second of working on this record!”

After the charging start of opener “Under The Spell”, DESTRUCTION shows no mercy on title track “Diabolical”, with raging drums, bloodthirsty riffs and hellish vocals that sink deep down into your bones. “No Faith In Humanity” relentlessly rages on with non-stop headbanging action, while DESTRUCTION continues to smash eardrums on “Hope Dies Last” – providing unbeatable brutality with unstoppable speed, destructive verses and screeching voices. “Tormented Soul”, on the other hand, is loaded with proper heavy metal and explosive drums. The grand finale of the 47-minute parade of devastation is provided by cover track “City Baby Attacked By Rats”, originally by GBH, guaranteeing whiplash by combining rough hardcore punk with brute thrash metal.

DESTRUCTION riffkiller FURIA about the new record:
“Diabolical is an album of extremes, everything is more brutal and more technical but at the same time more melodic and to the point. It’s a pure and devastating DESTRUCTION album with no gimmicks, full of power and adrenaline. I’m excited for what the future is bringing and can’t wait to play the new songs live!”

Diabolical will be available in various formats in different territories, including a digital album and CD (bundled with a t-shirt + an exclusive “Mad Butcher”-bust), 1LP gatefold editions in black, crystal clear, marbled yellow/red!

Pre-Order Diabolical HERE

Diabolical track listing:
1. Under The Spell
2. Diabolical
3. No Faith In Humanity
4. Repent Your Sins
5. Hope Dies Last
6. The Last Of A Dying Breed
7. State Of Apathy
8. Tormented Soul
9. Servant Of The Beast
10. The Lonely Wolf
11. Ghost From The Past
12. Whorefication
13. City Baby Attacked By Rats

Ukrainian StarCrystal: “We have a difficult situation In Ukraine. But We Believe In A Peaceful Future!”

Posted by Stargazer on February 24, 2022
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Sussana Radimovskaya from Ukrainian rock band, StarCrystal has shared some new updates with us at MSF from their situation in Ukraine after Russia invaded their country. .

“We are now in Ukraine and we have a difficult situation. but we believe in a peaceful future” She stated while was in a positive mood, even in a situation where the fight is just 20 km away from her. “There are no bombs in our city, but fighting is going on 20 km from the city to the center of the country. all worries. everyone is panicking. we are thinking about our tour in May and we believe that everything will calm down and we will be able to go to our fans.“

She also asked us to share this music video for you with this message: “With this song we want to support our country. We want to thank everyone who is with us mentally.“

MARILLION Steve Hogarth Talks New Album “An Hour Before it’s Dark”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2022
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Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to lead singer Steve Hogarth of legendary prog rockers  Marillion  about the band’s upcoming album ‘An Hour Before it’s Dark’,  Montreal, Canada’s Love affair with the band and his approval with fans as vocalist when the Fish Era ended.

Marillion new album ‘An Hour Before it’s Dark’ will be released March 4, 2022 via earMusic.

When asked about the Love Affair with the band and the city of  Montreal, Canada 
“It comes down to the people of course. There was always a thing and the boys told me about it when I joined the band and we were first touring on ‘Season’s End’, they said oh wait until we get to Montreal cause we will probably do the Spectrum and it will probably be amazing and we did and it was. I can’t put my finger on why that it happened but I can celebrate the fact it does and be grateful. It’s the same in Paris you know I don’t know if it is something to do with a touch of the French spirit and kind of romanticism or passion. It is the same in Quebec City when we play there. There is a kind of heart thing that goes beyond mere excitement, it goes into a commitment and it is beautiful to behold. “

When asked about his quick acceptance into the band when he first joined and replacing Fish
“It was amazing I wasn’t expecting it, I wasn’t expecting it anywhere to be honest. I thought it was going to take a while but that first tour just about everywhere we went people watched the first couple of songs with one eye closed and then you can feel this kind of wave of relief and it has always been great, really.”

When asked about the new album and it’s orchestrations
“We had made the with friends (album) with the orchestra, we then toured with the 6 orchestral players and really enjoyed that. We enjoyed having access to those real tones. We got used to working with these classical elements so we hauled them into the studio. “

When asked about how the Pandemic played a role in the lyrics
“I am sort of the opinion that these Pandemics are a direct consequence of the global crisis, in general. The fact that there are now too many human beings on the planet may not be too many human beings on the planet if we lived in a sustainable way but we are not going to. I like to think we are and I am shouting about it but I am not terribly optimistic. I think that these Pandemics or this Pandemic is a harbinger of more serious shit to come, to be honest, if we don’t change our ways. Unfortunately I don’t see any signs of us changing our ways. I read a statistic even after COP 26 (UN 2021 Climate change conference) there was more Brazilian rain forest cut down in January this year than in January last year, so what are any of these things worth? I think the Pandemic and the climate crisis are very closely interrelated, I think one is the cause and the other is the effect. So that is kind of where I was at making this record and  so even though I didn’t want to reference the Pandemic, it was the reality of the life I was living so I could not really express myself honestly without referring to it.”

When asked if fans are still asking the band to play the Fish Era albums or is that era long gone for Marillion Fans
“When we go out and play, when we get email or anything that comes our way, nobody is remotely concerned about those first four albums.”

NORDJEVEL Unleash New Single ‘Within the Eyes’, Announce Album in 2022

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2022
Posted in: News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Jørn Veberg

Through distinctive vocals set to brutal instrumentals, NORDJEVEL lead the listeners into an empire of infernal rage filled with an obscure, barbaric darkness.

Within the eyes is the first single to be unleashed; “Within the eyes is a taste of the new atmosphere and aggression you can expect on our upcoming album” – Doedsadmiral

Conceptually, Nordjevel further evolves and ventures into even more sinister territories. Driven by war, destruction and hellish esoteric beliefs, they have created an album that is even darker and more brutal than ever before.

Listen to the single here: https://orcd.co/withintheeyes

Nordjevel entered the international black metal scene in 2015 and spread like a plague, capturing audiences at festivals such as Inferno, Kaltenbach Open Air, Wacken, Hellfest, Bloodstock, Maryland Deathfest and In Flammen Open Air.

The band was founded by Doedsadmiral, and consists of established musicians from bands such as Ragnarok, Myrkskog and Dark Funeral.

Nordjevel`s brutal and true take on black metal impressed.
Their atmospheric and committed sound paired with high technical finesse, unique interplay and raw, unfiltered imagery, has the chills go wild on any black metal fan.

With their self-titled debut album in 2016, they entered the black metal scene like a freezing storm and quickly became a force to be reckoned with.

In 2019, Nordjevel released the follow-up album “Necrogenecis”, and in 2021 they released the EP “Fenriir”. Both releases showing the hugeness Nordjevel is capable of, receiving raving reviews and top scores from press and fans all over the world.

All of Nordjevels releases has made it to numerous “best of the year lists”, and they have quickly proved their position in the international black metal scene. A new full-length album is now on the horizon in 2022.

CREDITS

Written by: Nordjevel
Lyrics by: Nordjevel
Recorded by: Fredrik Nordström
Produced by: Fredrik Nordström
Studio: Sudio Fredman
Mixed by: Fredrik Nordström
Mastered by: Fredrik Nordström
Artwork director: Doadsadmiral
Artwork: Khaos Diktator Design

THE NOW Release New Single ‘Holy’ with B-Side ‘Lucky Man’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 24, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

THE NOW’s swaggering new single, ‘Holy‘, is now available on all platforms along with B-side track, a cover of The Verve’s ‘Lucky Man‘, out through Golden Robot Records.

The guitar-fuelled ‘Holy‘, is the first single from, and forms part of the premise, of their forthcoming EP, slated for release in May, revolving around a mysterious individual communicating via ransom notes…

Stream/buy ‘Holy/Lucky Man‘ HERE

The Now are a four-piece band from South Wales who, although they only started playing together in 2018, have already started making an impact on the local scene with their big, highly infectious, guitar heavy tracks.

Consisting of Shane Callaghan on rhythm guitar & lead vocals, Will Scott on drums & vocals, Callum Bromage on guitar & vocals and Jay Evans on bass guitar, the average age of the band is 21 and their cutting edge look and feel falls in line with their sound – cool, current and highly charged! 

The Now’s inspiration comes from an eclectic mix of music and musicians who include Chuck Berry and The Police, right through to Kasabian and Catfishand The Bottlemen, with vocal influences including Kelly Jonesand Ryan ‘’Van’’ McCann.

The band has been together since 2016 after meeting at a local jam night. After taking time to find the right sound, they decided to form ‘The Now’. Their stage presence is something special and full of energy, with their self-written songs delivering a huge punch to the head with superb lyrics that stay in your head for days – all poetically written by enigmatic frontman Shane.

The Now are determined to stand alone with a unique sound. They have music and lyrics that need to be heard and it’s the band’s mission to make sure they’re heard by as many people as possible.