As bassist of prog legends OPETH, Martin Mendez has gained world-wide popularity and now he returns with another virtuous death metal crusher that captures the fear, loss of control and despair of lockdown in eight new tracks. For ‘Dancing Into Oblivion’, his project WHITE STONES goes further down the path of progressive extreme metal with haunting growls, jazz induced intermezzi and an incredible level of technical perfection. Today, ‘Dancing Into Oblivion’ is released worldwide through Nuclear Blast Tonträger Produktions- und Vertriebs GmbH.
To celebrate the album release day, WHITE STONES release their third single “To Lie Or To Die” along with a visualizer clip. Watch it here:
“Dancing Into Oblivion’ is an instrumental frenzy cohabiting with soft and delicate complexities. Martin Mendez delivers an album of incredible technical perfection!” MYROCK (F)
“White Stones’ Dancing Into Oblivion is the return to progressive death metal of historic Opeth bassist Martin Mendez. A safe haven for all Ghost Reveries orphans.” ROCK HARD (IT), Matteo di Leo
After recently unveiling the first single of their upcoming sophomore studio album, blackgaze masters MØL have started the pre-order for “DIORAMA”, the Danes’ first longplayer on their new label Nuclear Blast Records.
With their unique mixture of raw extreme metal and hissing vocals mixed with dreamy soundscapes and shoegaze moments, MØL (whose band name translates to ‘moth’ in English) have grown to be a truly bright new star on the blackgaze sky and will deliver an otherworldly follow-up to their debut album “Jord” on November 5th, 2021.
To get you another sneak peek of “DIORAMA”, the Danish combo has unveiled a new single accompanied by music video with art-direction by Kim Song Sternkopf and Ken Lund Klejs, filmed and edited by Tobias Scavenius. The band explains the title and unusual video format: “Serf refers to the position of servitude and submission to a master, taken from the feudal age. The title of the track comes from being accustomed to thrall to the underlying pattern of understanding. Our upbringing plays a huge part in the way we tend to act as grownups. The protagonist of the lyrics feels the invasion of doubt corrupting his or her coding. Even though the desire for authentic change and transformation is signified through rites and other external signifiers – we are serfs to our need to fit in. Changing your appearance is simply an exchange of collars from one system of servitude and submission to another. The video is intentionally shot in portrait-mode to emphasize the importance of consumed formats and leading the audience on by visual spectacle. Our era of mass-information demands a lot of multi-contextual knowledge. We are rigged to search for meaning, to find a reason behind the changing of color, costume, and light. The band is dressed up in white elegance, the performance accompanied by images of heavy symbolism, with visual hints and references to our other works. This is a way taunting our imagination – We poke fun at our human desire to pursue hidden meanings and messages in repetition which simply are empty rites serving no real meaning or purpose but the spectacle in itself.”
“Diorama” was produced and mixed by Tue Madsen (Gojira, Meshuggah) and is graced by a cover artwork from Jon Gotlev. With 8 new tracks of a total playing time of over 46 minutes, the band’s new offering will be available in the following formats: Limited digipak LP Black in gatefold LP Crystal clear in gatefold (MO+wholesale, lim. to 400 units) LP Red in gatefold (US exclusive, lim. to 500 units) LP Pink+black swirl in gatefold (NB mailorder, lim. to 200 units) LP Red transparent + black swirl in gatefold (Band exclusive, limited to 500 units) LP Silver in gatefold (Evil Greed exclusive, lim. to 300 units) Digital
On January 24th 2020, more than a decade after its predecessor “The Darkness”, Finnish death and gothic doom metal icon Tuomas Saukkonen returned with “Waves”, his sophomore solo-album under the flag of DAWN OF SOLACE. Grey, heavy and dark, but still sorrow carrying certain beauty and strength – the long-awaited record turned out to be an honest picture of the current times for its writer and delivered exactly that kind of atmosphere everyone had hoped for.
Already while recording the album it was clear that DAWN OF SOLACE was brought back to life and this time without the passing of another 14 years! To be released on November 12th via Noble Demon, “Flames of Perdition” picks up where DAWN OF SOLACE left off with “Waves”, creating a world full of electrifying melancholy that evokes profound sadness. Like life itself, the darkness of DAWN OF SOLACE has evolved and made a few steps towards the void. This time with an extra amount of solitude that we all have gotten to know during the past 1,5 years.
Watch the music video for “White Noise”, featuring Mikko Heikkilä of Kaunis Kuolematon on vocals, right here:
“‘White Noise’ was the first song that I wrote for ‘Flames Of Perdition’ and it was like floodgates were opened and rest of the album just followed like a dark stream. ‘White Noise’ carries and reflects the mood of the entire album and gives a meaning to terms melancholic, sombre and heavy and the lyrical concept of solitude and loneliness has been given a stronger meaning during the past 1,5 years.” Tuomas Saukkonen states.
“In the Hollow of a Wave”, the third full-length album from MONSTEREO promises to be the heaviest work that the Norwegian rockers, known for their energy-filled rock songs, have released to date.
Having had over a decade in which to refine their sound, the band’s latest release is richer, and broader, than its two predecessors, with its judicious use of more keyboards, synths, and a variety of guitars, producing a sound that is full of heavy riffs interspersed with exploratory instrumental sections.
Karisma Records have previously assuaged our curiosity with a taste of what expect from “In the Hollow of a Wave” with two singles and videos, and today they have released a third single from the album. Titled “Witness”, the track can be downloaded or streamed from a variety of services at this location.
It is a single about which MONSTEREO had this to say:
“Witness” is an attempt, both musically and lyrically, to depict the various frustrations and hardships many have recently suffered. The tune is based on one of the most aggressive riffs on the album, complemented by verses and a chorus that serve to paint the picture of despair and disdain. The songs core is a classic instrumental Monstereo-build up, where airy subtleness and instrumentation evolve into a climax.
Describing their new opus as being filled with “teeth-grinding riffs, big choruses and rock-solid grooves”, MONSTEREO’s lineup of Ola Utaaker Segadal on lead vocals and electric guitars, Øyvind Aase Fluge on electric guitars, Jørgen Stangeland Bach on Bass guitar, and Jon Bolstad on Drums, are masters at producing catchy melodies that contain a few surprises along the way.
Set for release on the 17th September in CD, Vinyl and Digital formats, “In the Hollow of a Wave” is now available to pre-ordered from:
Originally released on August 27, 2001 and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, MOONSPELL’s fifth album, Darkness and Hope, caught the band in a strange crossroad upon its debut. Their first four records saw them skyrocketing from Portugal into Gothic Metal stardom, yet their almost violent musical swings left a lot of their fans confused and unaware of what to expect next. Nonetheless, Darkness and Hope was the ticket for many followers of the band to continue their monumental journey with the Portuguese wolves.
Out of print and sold out for many years, Darkness and Hope will finally be re-released on December 3, 2021 via Napalm Records, and available in several exclusive vinyl LP colors and sleevepack, re-designed to portray the obscure elegance of the original album. Amazing melancholic anthems such as ‘Nocturna’, ‘How We Became Fire’ and ‘Than The Serpents In My Arms’ – not to mention the inclusion of tracks delivering MOONSPELL‘s very own brand of infectious gothic metal like classics ‘Firewalking’ or ‘Devilred’ – once again prove in this day and age that MOONSPELL are still the hopeful kings of the dark!
This must-have reissue will also contain some very special, personalized cover versions of Ozzy’s ‘Mr. Crowley’, Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, and a beautiful tribute to Portuguese wool music masters MadreDeus with cover songs of ‘Os Senhores da Guerra’ (The Warlords) in Portuguese language.
“Darkness and Hope is such a representative title for that period in our personal lives and also as musicians, as a band,“Fernando Ribeiro reveals. “We were astray and this album made us find our way again into our songs, our darkness, our will to play music together for many years to come. We had a hard time, after an album so experimental like The Butterfly Effect, to make our peace with Darkness and Hope. We were depressed and extremely sad when we went to Finland to do this album and by making it, we raised our heads again and since then never gave up the fight for our fans’ hearts and souls. Moonspell might be darkness but for sure we are hope too.”
Slated for a re-release on December 3, 2021, Darkness And Hope will be available in the following formats:
Texas coldest upcoming Death Metal force FROZEN SOUL announce the reissue of their 2020 Demo EP “Encased in Ice” that will be officially released on Oct. 29th . Besides the original Demo tracks this record also includes two cover songs, a rare bonus tracks as well as the demo version of “Crypt of Ice”. You can already check out “Mandatory Suicide” originally written and performed by Thrash-Metal legends Slayer on all streaming platforms.
The band comments:
“With this reissue we wanted to give everyone a fresh look at how it started and how it led up to Crypt of Ice! Encased in ice was a journey for us to get to where we are now and we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support!”
The reissue will be released as a 180-gram black LP incl. an A2 poster as well as on all digital platforms. The preorder has already started – listen to the single or get your copy of “Encased in Ice” EP Here: https://frozensoul.lnk.to/MandatorySuicide-Single
ENCASED IN ICE-TRACKLIST
SIDE A Encased in Ice 00:04:28 Hand of Vengeance 00:03:51 Witches Coven 00:03:12 Merciless 00:03:37
SIDE B Tormented by Time 00:02:31 Mandatory Suicide 00:04:22 Morbid Devourment 00:05:08 Crypt of Ice 00:03:41
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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 ) 