Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Extreme progressive/power metal group IMMORTAL GUARDIAN have unveiled a music video for “Candlelight”, the latest single from their critically acclaimed concept album “Psychosomatic”. The clip which was produced by Brett Rivera and features former Cirque Du Soleil performer Olga Pikhienko and world-renown dancer Danny Davalos filmed at the location at the Valley of Fire outside Las Vegas – is being released in the wake of the band’s return to the road, which began last week with a concert in their newly adopted hometown and was followed by a show in guitarist/keyboardist Gabriel Guardian’s original hometown of Harlingen, Texas. 

Says Gabriel, “’Candlelight’ is a beautiful song written by (vocalist) Carlos Zema as a tribute to all of our loved ones that passed away during these hard times. 2020 was a very difficult year for all of us, with lockdowns, deaths in the family and having to cancel all of our plans as a band. Making our album ‘Psychosomatic’ helped us cope with the tough times and be able to channel our thoughts and emotions into lyrics and melodies. ‘Candlelight’ was a very tough song for Carlos and I to do with all of the emotional weight it brought, but in the end, we were very happy with how it came out and finalized on the album. This song goes out to all our friends, family and heroes who are no longer with us today.”

IMMORTAL GUARDIAN‘s cross-country journey – which includes a series of shows alongside Atlanta power-thrashers Paladin, as well as a headlining appearance at the Mad With Power Fest in Madison, Wisc. on August 28 – marks the band’s first live performances in support of “Psychosomatic”. The group will be performing every night backed by a visually entrancing laser/light show designed by Guardian himself. A list of the remaining tour dates is below.

“Psychosomatic” has been lauded by Metal Temple for its “melody and power, two things displayed in a smashing way throughout this album,” and it led Metal Rules to call the group “one of the most interesting bands that have emerged in recent years on the international power metal scene.” Video clips for the title track and “Phobia,” the latter of which featured a guest appearance by Angra guitarist Marcelo Barbosa, have captured the ears of heavy metal fans worldwide, while their videos for “Clocks,” “Lockdown” and “Read Between The Lines” have earned praise from the likes of MetalSucks, Metal Injection and Gear Gods. 

After making a splash via their 2018 full-length debut “Age of Revolution” – which featured its own fair share of creative music videos, including the “Armageddon”-meets-telenovela clip for “Stardust” – and through tours with the likes of Marty Friedman, Exmortus and Powerglove, IMMORTAL GUARDIAN gathered in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2020 to record their second album. As the spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent pandemic began to ensue, shutdowns around the world began being enforced, resulting in the band completely scrapping the record that they had been working on and writing and creating a new thematic record about their emotions surrounding current events. The resulting “Psychosomatic” was a truly multi-national record, with guitarist/keyboardist Gabriel Guardian – known for his uncanny ability to play the two instruments simultaneously – remaining in Las Vegas, singer Carlos Zema recording his vocals from his home in Brazil, drummer Justin Piedimonte tracking from Montreal and bassist Joshua Lopez recording from IMMORTAL GUARDIAN‘s native Texas. 

“Psychosomatic” is a product of the extraordinary turmoil of 2020 that affected millions of people around the world, as well as the next step in IMMORTAL GUARDIAN’s exhilarating melding of melodic power metal with progressive/shred tendencies. The group is looking forward to bringing their scintillating sounds and dazzling visuals to the road for fans to experience live. 

A small amount of limited-edition transparent purple haze vinyl copies of “Psychosomatic” remain available, along with CD and digital versions of the album, at www.smarturl.com/immortalguardian.

IMMORTAL GUARDIAN Tour Dates:
8/25 Reverb Lounge – Omaha, NE*
8/26 Bigs Bar – Sioux Falls, SD*
8/27 Lefty’s Live Music – Des Moines, IA*
8/28 High Noon Saloon (Mad With Power Fest) – Madison, WI*
8/29 Social Club – Chicago, IL*
8/31 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI*
9/01 Westside Bowl (Downstairs) – Youngstown, OH*
9/02 Buzzbin Shop – Canton, OH*
9/03 JB LoveDraft’s – Harrisburg, PA*
9/04 Jewel – Manchester, NH*
9/05 Alchemy – Providence, RI*
9/06 Middle East (Upstairs) – Cambridge, MA*
9/07 Trans Pecos – Brooklyn, NY*
9/08 Milkboy – Philadelphia, PA*
9/09 KC’s Music Alley – Fredericksburg, VA
9/10 Odditorium – Asheville, NC*
9/11 Ground Zero – Spartanburg, SC
9/14 89th Street – Oklahoma City, OK
9/15 Vibes Underground  – San Antonio, TX
9/17 Rockhouse – El Paso, TX
9/18 Pubrock Live – Scottsdale, AZ 
9/19 Dive Bar – Las Vegas, NV
*with Paladin