LUCIFER are evidently one of the hardest working bands in rock right now. After turning heads with the release of their iconic album cover artwork last week, the group now has the next ace up their sleeves.
Today we are thrilled to share their brand new single and video for “Bring Me His Head”, the second single of their new studio album “LUCIFER IV”, which will be released on October 29th this year!
You can now check it out on all major streaming platforms HERE.
THE VIDEO PREMIERE is set for today at 6.00pm CET!
For this video, singer Johanna had the idea to pay tribute to Brian De Palmas 1976 horror classic “Carrie”.
She says: “‘Carrie’ is one of my favorite movies. Being an outsider myself my entire life, I’ve always identified with her. We are very excited that this time we got to work with director Amir Chamdin and photographer Crille Forsberg on our videos. Their body of work is quite breathtaking, if you look it up, so it was a real honor. The video to ‘Bring Me His Head’ is only one part of the story but we can’t give anything more away at this point.”
In 2021, the high priests of heavy metal – POWERWOLF – have continued their impressive incomparable story! With their latest successful and critically acclaimed studio album Call Of The Wild, they make history once again. The single “Dancing With The Dead” reached gold status only a few days after release and the studio album is crowned by streams in double figured millions.
Now, due to the current pandemic circumstances POWERWOLF have to postpone their headlining tour through Europe announced for 2021, to 2022. The Wolfsnächte 2022 headline tour will lead through Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, UK, the Netherlands and Belgium in November and December!
To shorten the waiting time, POWERWOLF are now happy to announce the top-class support acts for the upcoming tour: The British power metallers DRAGONFORCE and the heavy metal warriors WARKINGS will make the crowd shake!
POWERWOLF states: “Dear friends, we fought until the last breath and tried ALL possible options to see all of you again, but unfortunately we have to postpone our “Wolfsnächte” tour due to the ongoing pandemic and decisions far beyond our control! Words cannot describe the feeling of not being able to meet you all again, we truly miss to celebrate with you!
But let’s focus on better times: We are excited to announce two great special guests with DRAGONFORCE and WARKINGS to join us next year! Together we will celebrate the holy metal mass wilder than ever! All tickets will remain valid for the dates in 2022! See you there and stay safe, your wolves!”
DRAGFONFORCE’s Herman Li adds: “We love POWERWOLF! Their music is awesome and super fun at the same time, just the way we like it. We can’t wait for the tour!”
The Tribune of the mighty WARKINGS: “When wolves, dragons and kings unite for glorious battles all over Europe no warrior and no shieldmaiden can stay away from the battlefields. Join us on our crusade with our brothers in POWERWOLF and DRAGONFORCE!”
The new tourdates are: 11.11.22 DE – Berlin / Velodrom 12.11.22 DE – Munich / Zenith 13.11.22 CZ – Prague / Tipsport Arena 14.11.22 PL – Katowice / MCK 16.11.22 HU – Budapest / Barba Negra 17.11.22 AT – Vienna / Gasometer 18.11.22 DE – Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle 19.11.22 CH – Zurich / Samsung Hall 21.11.22 ES – Barcelona / Razzmatazz 22.11.22 ES – Madrid / Riviera 24.11.22 IT – Milano / Alcatraz 25.11.22 DE – Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle 26.11.22 DE – Oberhausen / König Pilsener Arena 27.11.22 FR – Paris / Zenith 29.11.22 UK – London / Roundhouse* 01.12.22 NL – Amsterdam / Afas Live 02.12.22 DE – Hamburg / Sporthalle 03.12.22 DE – Saarbrucken / Saarlandhalle 04.12.22 BE – Antwerp / Lotto Arena *without Dragonforce
Watch the success video for “Dancing With The Dead” and the stunning 2019 tour recap video here:
Once again created in cooperation with the honorable producer duo of Jens Bogren and Joost van den Broek, POWERWOLF’s new album Call Of The Wild opened a new chapter in the band’s history on July 16 2021. The eighth studio album serves both old and newly recruited POWERWOLF devotees with well-known and loved classic trademarks, and equally surprise and delight them at every stage of this wild 11-track ride with stylistic developments on an unprecedented scale!
Matthew Greywolf on Call Of The Wild: “With Call Of The Wild, we are opening a new, exciting chapter in the history of POWERWOLF. The album sounds unmistakably like POWERWOLF and is so much more at the same time: Besides new territory like the Celtic instrumentation in “Blood for Blood (Faoladh)” or the ballad-like “Alive or Undead”, we have raised all our trademarks to a new level. Until now, we never sounded so powerful and wild – in the truest sense of the word!”
Call Of The Wild tracklisting: 01. Faster Than the Flame 02. Beast of Gévaudan 03. Dancing with the Dead 04. Varcolac 05. Alive or Undead 06. Blood for Blood (Faoladh) 07. Glaubenskraft 08. Call of the Wild 09. Sermon of Swords 10. Undress to Confess 11. Reverent of Rats
Symphonic metal outfit AD INFINITUM return with their bewitching second offering, Chapter II – Legacy, out October 29, 2021 via Napalm Records! After dropping their debut back in 2020 and with its very first single, “Marching on Versailles”, riding high at more than 1.8M video views to date, the highly talented unit didn’t put the brakes on. Instead, they transformed pandemic fatigue into heavier soundscapes without sacrificing their signature aura.
A first glimpse of what can be expected from the album is delivered by vibrant first single “Unstoppable”, alongside an explosive music video. The song reflects the band’s attitude in the best way and immediately catches the listener with its intriguing chorus.
AD INFINITUM on the new single: “We are very happy to finally unveil the first track from our upcoming album, Chapter II – Legacy. Saying that we’ve been impatient to share our work on this record is an understatement. We hope you will enjoy – as much as we do – the first taste of an album that represents the evolution and growth of the band very well.”
Check out the energetic music video for “Unstoppable” HERE:
Symphonic metal onslaught AD INFINITUM are no stranger to the scene. With their spellbinding debut album, Chapter I – Monarchy(2020), brought to life in the middle of a global pandemic, the foursome reached millions of plays on streaming platforms. Furthermore, frontwoman Melissa Bonny is consistently drawn to exciting musical collaborations, as she recently unveiled the brand new band THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON and their bittersweet reinterpretation of Florence & The Machine‘s Game Of Thrones soundtrack song, “Jenny Of Oldstones”. In addition, Bonny’s exciting feature with FEUERSCHWANZ on the song “Ding” (Seed-cover) has already gained over 2.6 million views on YouTube since its release. Now, she sets her focus back to her main musical force as AD INFINITUM – with Adrian Thessenvitz (guitars), Korbinian Benedict (bass) and Niklas Müller (drums) – will unveil its new opus, Chapter II – Legacy.
Chapter II – Legacy surprises with a melting pot of different influences and a contrast between super heavy riffs, sometimes even djent/metalcore-like touches and catchy hook lines and melodies, giving the band’s sophomore album a modern and equally timeless touch. The lyrics have, just like on their debut album, been inspired by a historical figure: the paradoxical life and afterlife of Vlad The Impaler, also known as Dracula, inspired the themes and questions of this album.
AD INFINITUM add: “Chapter II – Legacy holds a very special place in our heart. It represents months and months of hard work of four bandmates, for a result that we are proud to call “self-produced”. For this record, we decided to work without the influence of an external producer during the songwriting process and to team up with Elias Holmlid for the beautiful and epic orchestrations and of course with Jacob Hansen who recorded [vocals], mixed, mastered and participated to the post production. A younger and heavier sound that defines AD INFINITUM like never before.”
Chapter II – Legacy once again showcases the indispensable creativity of AD INFINITUM – featuring twelve complex, marvelous tracks highlighting their sonic development and undeniable symphonic strength. Such talent can be witnessed with opener “Reinvented”, lurking with lovely piano tunes and erupting in intense riffage in the blink of an eye. Right away, the music reflects the extremely multifaceted voice of Melissa Bonny – ranging from crystal clear vocals to impressively powerful screams and menacing growls. Hailing from hell, hard-hitting “Afterlife” features the vocal power of Nils Molin (Amaranthe, Dynazty), merging in perfect harmony with Melissa’s incredibly haunting delivery. Songs like “Your Enemy” and cinematic grand finale “Lullaby” leave no scope for weakness and unveil the heaviest side of AD INFINITUM to date. This grasping hymn is far from lulling you to sleep, as the eclectically versatile sonic world of AD INFINITUM immediately induces you to listen to Chapter II – Legacy again, right from the beginning!
Tracklist: 1. Reinvented 2. Unstoppable 3. Inferno 4. Your Enemy 5. Afterlife (feat. Nils Molin) 6. Breathe 7. Animals 8. Into the Night 9. Son Of Wallachia 10. My Justice, Your Pain 11. Haunted 12. Lullaby
Legendary guitarist STEVE HACKETT, releases his new studio rock album Surrender of Silence on 10th September 2021, via Inside Out Music. The album features 11 new songs as Steve has been working hard through Lockdown and, for the first time, has completed two studio albums for release within the same year!
Today sees the release of the third single taken from the album, ‘Natalia’. Watch the animated video here:
Steve comments: “The weight of the Russian nation – my music at its most Slavic, inspired by all those stunning Russian classical composers and telling the story of that emergent nation with its struggles for power. Natalia is a Russian Everywoman, constantly thwarted by a series of oppressive regimes.”
Surrender of Silence is released on 10th September 2021 as a Limited Edition CD+Blu-ray Mediabook in hardcover slipcase, Standard CD Jewel case, Gatefold 2LP+CD & LP-Booklet and Digital Album via Inside Out Music. Pre-order now here: https://stevehackett.lnk.to/SurrenderOfSilence
Hot on the heels of his classical-acoustic travelogue Under A Mediterranean Sky, which was released in January and hit Number 2 in the UK Classical Album Chart, Surrender of Silence is a further exploration of Hackett’s love of world music, discovering different sounds, moods and textures to deliver a rock album of extraordinary variety, power and beauty.
As with Under A Mediterranean Sky, Surrender of Silence was also recorded during Lockdown and, again, Hackett has called upon some of his musical friends from across the world to contribute. Hackett’s regular touring band of Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax, clarinet), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals) and Craig Blundell (drums) are supplemented by Phil Ehart and Nick D’Virgilio (drums), the vocal talents of Amanda Lehmann, Durga and Lorelei McBroom, Christine Townsend (violin, viola), Malik Mansurov (tar) and Sodirkhon Ubaidulloev (dutar).
This new album is full-on electric…
“Lockdown cobwebs are blown away in one fell-swoop here!” says Steve Hackett. “With the monster rhythm section of Jonas, Craig, Nick and Phil along with Rob’s soaring sax and bass clarinet, Nad, Amanda and myself on vocals, Roger’s darkly powerful organ and my guitar, we plunge full-pelt into that wild release of energy.”
Our journey takes us from the classical orchestrations of Russia (Natalia) to the plains of Africa (Wingbeats) to mysterious Eastern shores (Shanghai To Samarkand), all via the ocean’s depths (Relaxation Music for Sharks (featuring feeding frenzy)). The Devil’s Cathedral pools the talents of Hackett’s entire touring band and features King’s atmospheric Gothic organ and a powerhouse rhythm display from Blundell and Reingold.
Hackett’s vocals have never been bettered and his duet with Amanda Lehmann adds emotion to Scorched Earth a lament for the environmental horrors facing our planet. Throughout Hackett’s guitars add a rich tapestry of colour with soaring solos and intricate weaving melodies.
“It’s a ‘no holds barred’ album,” adds Hackett, “riding that wave, unleashing those demons, dreams and nightmares, all crashing together over the shore.
“I enjoyed the power of this album allowing my guitar to scream in joy and rage… and once again flying across those oceans to distant lands. It’s terrific to connect creatively with musicians from far flung places, particularly when we’ve all been unable to meet. We all have a voice in our cacophony of sound and we cry out together in the Surrender of Silence!”
Steve Hackett “Surrender of Silence” track listing: 1. The Obliterati (02:17) 2. Natalia (06:17) 3. Relaxation Music For Sharks (Featuring Feeding Frenzy) (04:36) 4. Wingbeats (05:20) 5. The Devil’s Cathedral (06:31) 6. Held In The Shadows (06:20) 7. Shanghai To Samarkand (08:27) 8. Fox’s Tango (04:21) 9. Day Of The Dead (06:25) 10. Scorched Earth (06:03) 11. Esperanza (01:04)
Steve Hackett shares writing credits with both Jo Hackett and Roger King on several tracks. All tracks were recorded by Roger King and produced by Steve Hackett with Roger King at Siren.
On September 17th, CRIMINAL will release their new album, Sacrificio, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of Sacrificio, a lyric video for the new single “Live on Your Knees” can be viewed below.
Anton Reisenegger (vocals/guitars) comments: “‘Live on your Knees’ is the opening track and also the first track Danilo and I wrote for the album. It’s probably one of the fastest and most brutal songs on the record. Its late 90s death metal and hardcore vibes punch you straight in the face and don’t let go. The lyrics are a message of freedom and independence in these times of turmoil and uncertainty. Ben Liepelt did a killer job with the lyric video, and we can’t wait for everyone to see/hear/feel it!”
The video for the previously released single, “Zona De Sacrificio” (directed by Carlos Toro of Abysmo Films, who has previously worked with Kreator, Arch Enemy, Rob Halford, etc.), can also be seen at: metalblade.com/criminal – where Sacrificio can be pre-ordered in various formats.
Sacrificio is Criminal‘s ninth full-length studio album: a twelve-track bludgeoning that harks back to their roots – both literally and metaphorically. Whilst writing for Sacrificio, Criminal‘s home country of Chile saw a social uprising that has impacted the lives of Chileans in immeasurable ways. Protests against corruption, inequality and the poor standard of living saw citizens take to the streets to make themselves heard. This civil action and vehement anger seeped into the creative process of the four members of Criminal – three of them being Chilean. Although there is a deep personal connection to the lyrical content, the events unfold from the perspective of a spectator – albeit one who has also experienced tyrannical leadership and witnessed the divide between ordinary citizens and the social elite.
Chilean culture weaves its way into the album in other ways too; though suitably heavy, there’s a percussive element to the sound of Sacrificio that reveals its Latin American roots. Coupled with an unapologetic nod to the 90s in terms of both composition and production, this album sees Criminal finding their groove in more ways than one. The resulting sound is celebratory, rhythmic, organic, and captures everything that was glorious about the flourishing extreme metal scene in the 1990s.
For a band that originally formed out of the ashes of 80’s death metal legends Pentagram Chile, the album highlights the benefits of embracing the band’s origins; writing and recording took place in Chile for the first time since the 1990s. Criminal continues to prove that South America can create powerful death metal on its own terms. For Sacrificio, much of the material was written in the old-fashioned way – jamming in a sweaty rehearsal room, refining as they went. The old school vibe is further enhanced by the natural sounding production of Seba Puente, which adds to the immediacy and live feel found throughout Sacrificio.
The past 30 years have seen twists and turns in the Criminal tale, but Sacrificio finds them sounding more compelling than ever. The sole original member, vocalist/guitarist Anton Reisenegger (Brujeria, Lock Up, Pentagram Chile), allows plenty of room for the newer and younger members of the band – Danilo Estrella (drums), Danny Biggin (bass), Sergio Klein (guitar) – to add their personal touches to the band’s missives.
Album artwork by: Gary Ronaldson
Read on to see what other artists have to say about Sacrificio!
“Fucking awesome, the best album I’ve heard in a long time. Amazing production, everything sounds natural, not over compressed like most productions nowadays. Amazing guitars, drums, vocal tones – some over the top guitar leads!” – Moyses Kolesne (Krisiun)
“Criminal is back! Be ready for a non-stop, no bullshit, full frontal assault to your senses! As a long-time fan, I can confidently say that this is some of Anton & company’s best work to date!” – David McGraw (Cattle Decapitation)
“Being a long-time fan of the band, I was already stoked to hear the new material, as always, expecting to hear great riffs and aggressive songs – but I was also pleasantly surprised to hear the band expand their sound into new violent territories, without losing the energy and feeling of their earlier albums!!! Tracks like ‘Caged’ and ‘Sistema Criminal’ are perfect examples of how Criminal keeps delivering amazing METAL!!!” – Dan González (Possessed / Gruesome)
Sacrificio track-listing 1. Live on Your Knees 2. Caged 3. The Whale 4. Zona De Sacrificio 5. After Me, The Flood 6. Dark Horse 7. Theocrazy 8. Sistema Criminal 9. Zealots 10. Age of Distrust 11. Hunter and the Prey 12. Ego Killer
Brazilian Death-Metal-Heavyweights KRISIUN release a brand-new video for the title-track of their recent album “Scourge Of The Enthroned”. Also, the band just announced the resigning with Century Media Records after successfully releasing the last 9 albums together and being on the label for over 20 years.
Philipp Schulte, Vice President Century Media comments:
“We are very happy to announce the extension of our cooperation with Krisiun. Century Media Records and Krisiun are working together for more than 20 years. We are grateful for the trust that Max, Alex and Moyses have put in us, and looking forward to many more years as their label home.”
Furthermore KRISIUN confirmed that they are going to join DEICIDE on their 2022 tour throughout Europe and that they are working on a new album with full force for the next year.
The band quotes:
“Hails!!! The time has come, we are honored to announce that we are finally back on the road over Europe and UK as direct support to the mighty Deicide, the tour is also graced with the female force of Crypta. We are now working hard on the new material, it’s coming out as brutal as fast as it’s ever been. The new record should be out right prior to the tour. It has no name yet but the songs are surging in full throttle. Storm is coming.
Check out the dates and grab your fucking ticket. See you on the road. Hail and kill.”
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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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