From the menacing shadows of this desolate December, a light in the darkness has arisen and Germany’s metal legends BLIND GUARDIAN are back to “Deliver Us From Evil”. With this new single out today, the fans can finally get a first glimpse of what’s to expect from the band’s upcoming studio album scheduled for September 2022.
Available digitally and as 7inch (with ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ as B-Side) or Digipak CD (with the previously released ‘Violent Shadows’ – WWW Live Performance as extra track), the epic ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ comes with a new music video, filmed by Dirk Behlau:
Singer Hansi Kürsch comments: “Deliver Us From Evil is representative of a thoroughly aggressive album. I don’t want to promise too much by claiming that the upcoming long player, that is due to be released next year, will contain nothing but strong tracks and shall be a highlight of our career, yet I am sure the album will make a lot of people very, very happy.”
BLIND GUARDIAN are one of those unique and special bands that stand for absolute perfection, creativity and passion since they formed in 1984. Delivering a fascinating mixture of opulent bombast, progressive complexity and symphonic beauty. BLIND GUARDIAN established their style a long time ago but have never stagnated – always remaining open-minded and adventurous. This is why BLIND GUARDIAN are always ahead of the times!
Known for traversing borders and experimenting with contradictions and taboos, HANGMAN’S CHAIR recently contributed track ‘Judge Penitent’ to rap legend JOEYSTARR‘s Deezer France exclusive podcast ‘Gang Stories’. Shedding light on the incredible lives of gang chiefs and shady personalities of the criminal underworld, the podcast deals with the dark side of humanity – and HANGMAN’S CHAIR managed to artfully portray this dark atmosphere and put this into music.
The band states about “Judge Penitent”: “We are thrilled to contribute to the Gang Stories Podcast by JoeyStarr. It’s a podcast that tells the journey of people with incredible destinies, such as the Crips’ Stanley “Tookie” Williams, or the gang chief of Rio, William Da Silva Lima, and many more, all narrated by JoeyStarr. For the 5th season, we have written a song, but also the theme music to accompany the exploration of the darker side of the human soul and the discovery of the great outdoors via the history of Maurice “Mom” Boucher of the Quebec Hells Angels. It is a very special song to us, it’s one that sums up all of our different elements, and one that we feel portrays the atmosphere of such a unique tale. If you have already listened to Gang Stories, you know the gist of it: every society has the criminals it deserves. A huge thank you to JoeyStarr and Deezer for their trust and for giving us the chance to play a part in such a project.”
Podcast host JoeyStarr adds: “If you listen to the Gang Stories podcast, you know the gist of it: every society has the criminals it deserves. In the 5th season, I’m taking you on the roads of North America to tell you the story of Maurice “Mom” Boucher and of the Quebec Hells Angels. Bikers’ road trips have always been soundtracked by the drum beats and saturated guitars from the Beat Generation, with a dose of psychedelic rock and heavy metal. To create the music for this season, calling on Hangman’s Chair seemed like an obvious choice. These guys are used to taking us through dark atmospheres, which isn’t that easy in France. There’s no better fit to help us delve into the dark sides of the human soul and explore the great outdoors.”
The band recently announced the release of their new album “A Loner” to be out on February 11th via Nuclear Blast Records. The album is the sixth record of the Parisienne outlet balancing confidently between the wilful sound of intensive new wave influences and modern rock.
HANGMAN’S CHAIR, formed in 2005 in Paris, are one of the most unique sounding Doom Rock bands currently active. Through the years, they have found and fine-tuned their own sonic brand, somewhere at the crossroads between Type O Negative, Life Of Agony and Sisters of Mercy, to name a few, mixed with a certain street credibility connected to the group’s roots in hardcore. Each album takes its strength and essence from the band members’s life experiences, which they portrait with unflinching honesty. Whether it is the loss of band members, drug overdoses or the hardships of living in suburban Paris, all those human emotions resonate within each of their songs asthey embrace the darkness and transform it into something beautiful, heavy and melancholic.
Premiere thrash outfit SYLOSIS have released a video for their brand new single ‘Immovable Stone’. Another prime example of the quartet’s uniquely exhilarating take on modern metal, ‘Immovable Stone’ is the band’s first release since the furious ‘Worship Decay’ last December.
Sylosis founder Josh Middleton comments “Immovable Stone is the second song released from a recording session we did last year which includes Worship Decay (released December 2020) and one other song which will remain unreleased due to it accidentally being wiped from existence on a broken hard drive. Another slightly different sounding song to anything on Cycle of Suffering. A nice way to tie off 2021 and keep things moving forwards ahead of a new Sylosis record in 2022.”
The band’s latest record, ‘Cycle Of Suffering’, was released back in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records, following a three year hiatus, and showcased the band at their most versatile and compelling. The album was heralded by fans and critics alike, and saw the band headline a sold out show at London’s Islington Assembly Hall prior to the ceasing of live events.
One of the new songs on SERIOUS BLACK’s upcoming studio album, Vengeance Is Mine, is called “Album Of Our Life” and hits the nail on the head in several respects. On the one hand, the melodic metal act surrounding bassist and founder Mario Lochert has succeeded in creating what is probably the most powerful and imaginative work of its career so far, with razor-sharp guitar riffs, grooving rhythms and anthemic melodies. On the other hand, the album’s lyrics venture into territories previously uncharted by the band. “This time, I have allowed more insights into my emotions and private life than ever before, in example into how I think, how I feel, how I am, and how difficult it can be to keep a band going when you yourself aren’t well.“ Says Lochert. “The lyrics on ‘Vengeance Is Mine’ reflect the past four or five years. This, of course, has had an impact on the songwriting, which has become even more intense and emotional.”
Vengeance Is Mine is slated for a release on February 25, 2022 through AFM Records, it will also mark the debut of SERIOUS BLACK’s new vocalist Nikola Mijic. With his powerful voice and expressive timbre, guitarist Dominik Sebastian’s rapid riffs and hooks, drummer Ramy Ali’s driving grooves and bassist Mario Lochert’s diverse songwriting, Vengeance Is Mine has turned into a prime example of a deeply melodic yet dynamic metal album!
But give ear, after previously released songs such as “The Story” or the blistering “Rock With Us Tonight”, today SERIOUS BLACK has unleashed a brand new lyric video for their third, enthralling album single, “Senso Della Vita”! Says band mastermind Lochert: “It’s only 3 months left until the release of our new album “Vengeance Is Mine“. On this album we let you look deep inside our private lifes. For us it was a big step which required us courage and overcoming and led to crossing of various principles.
“Senso Della Vita” – the meaning of life – tells of a daily situation that almost everyone has to deal with. EVERYBODY has to be the best – always. On instagram, facebook and other channels you need to present yourself as the biggest, the most beautiful, the pick of the bunch. Who is not fitting to that picture will be stamped. Just the surface is important, not one’s character. Some even hide and disclaim other people, friends, family because of being ashamed for them and they don’t fit into their picture and life.“
Watch the new video for “Senso Della Vita”, now premiering HERE:
Vengenance Is Mine was produced and mixed by Lochert at his SERIOUS BLACK Studio in Kirchseeon. The guitars were recorded by Dominik Sebastian at his own studio and all orchestral arrangements and keyboards were cut by Bob Katsionis in Greece. SERIOUS BLACK enlisted singer Anna Likunic from Belgrade for the anthemnic background vocals. Mika Jussila (Avantasia, Stratovarius, Nightwish) was in charge of the first mastering sessions at the renowned Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, before the recordings were polished by Konst Fischer during a second, innovative mastering process to optimise the sound. Lochert adds: “This time we really pulled out all the stops to get the optimum result. And I think our efforts have really paid off!”
Set to be released on February 25, 2022, the pre-sale of Vengenance Is Mine is now available at THIS LOCATION!
Album Tracklist: 01 – Rock With Us Tonight 02 – Out Of The Ashes 03 – Fallen Hero 04 – Senso Della Vita 05 – Ray Of Light 06 – Soul Divider 07 – Tonight I’m Ready To Fight 08 – Just For You 09 – Soldiers Of Eternal Light 10 – The Story 11 – Queen Of Lies 12 – Album Of Our Life 13 – Alea Iacta Est
Furthermore, SERIOUS BLACK has announced an extensive tour schedule for 2022 with many more shows to follow soon, check out their tour trailer and make sure to catch the band live at the following dates!
26.01.22 ( HU ) BUDAPEST – DÜRER KERT 27.01.22 ( AT ) SALZBURG – ROCKHOUSE * 28.01.22 (DE ) SELB – ROCKCLUB * 29.01.22 ( DE ) STUTTGART – CLUB ZENTRAL * 30.01.22 ( DE ) SAARBRÜCKEN – GARAGE * 31.01.22 ( CH ) PRATTELN – Z 7 * 01.02.22 ( FR ) PARIS – LE CIRQUE ELECTRIQUE* 02.02.22 ( BE ) BILZEN – SOUTH OF HEAVEN * 03.02.22 ( DE ) BREMEN – TIVOLI * 04.02.22 ( NL ) TILBURG – LITTLE DEVIL ** 05.02.22 ( DE ) MONHEIM AM RHEIN – AULA AM BERLINER RING ** 06.02.22 ( DE ) BOCHUM – MATRIX / ROCKPALAST ** 07.02.22 ( DE ) HAMBURG – LOGO** 09.02.22 ( DE ) FRANKFURT – NACHTLEBEN** 10.02.22 ( DE ) BERLIN – PRIVATCLUB ** 11.02.22 ( CZ ) PRAGUE – STORM CLUB ** 12.02.22 ( DE ) LEIPZIG – HELLRAISER ** 13.02.22 ( DE ) MUNICH – BACKSTAGE** 14.07.22 ( AT ) LEOBEN – AREA 53 FESTIVAL 23.09.22 ( CH ) TENNWIL – ROCKNACHT TENNWIL w/ Grey Attack, Skeletoon, Seven Thorns
Yarrr-tide greetings! Following the release of first holiday single “Sulphur Ahoy”, boisterous pack YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS continue to stir up this Christmas with the next single off their upcoming album. The new single from the pirate shanty folk outfit, entitled “Carol of Bellows”, offers another taste of their upcoming Christmas album, A Pirate Stole My Christmas, gliding their shipmates through the dreary winter in trademark pirate fashion!
On “Carol of Bellows”, the notorious bunch show that they are able to sail on tranquil waters, still giving the Christmas classic a scraggly pirate-folk tone, riddled with pirate madness.
YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS on “Carol of Bellows”: “’Carol Of Bellows’ is our take on the epic traditional masterpiece ‘Carol of the Bells’. Through a mix of chorals, bawdy Swedish traditional folk tunes and a Ukrainian nursery rhyme, we tell the tale of Bellows triumphant return from the grave. So, as the resurrected Bellows himself says between his incoherent ramblings – Yule is the time to rejoice, to drink rum and get too drunk, now go and fetch that rum!”
´Tis the jolliest of seasons! Swedish sea dogs YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS have come a’rowing through rough seas and salty winds to steal Christmas in the most swashbuckling of ways. Wrapped in the swag of pirate folk rock, the newly interpreted, grim covers of beloved Christmas classics on A Pirate Stole My Christmas draw the listener into a dark underworld of blood and bones! YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS put their shanty and pirate folk-infused spin on Christmas tunes like “Twelve Days Of Christmas” and the captivating album opener “Ring The Bells”. The well-known classic “Oh Christmas Tree” gets a new coat of paint when YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS re-word it to “O Cannonball” – most definitely making Christmas Eve a special occasion for the most beautiful time of the year.
YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS add: “If given enough time, every artist will eventually lose their last ounce of self-respect, and release a Christmas album. YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS are no strangers to self-loathing commercial stunts, and with our new album, A Pirate Stole My Christmas, we aim to officially join the ranks of Christmas legends such as Maria Carey and Bing Crosby. Our album is compiled of 11 classic carols defiled into an unrecognizable pulp of rum-drenched atonal pirate madness. If you didn’t hate Christmas before, this is certain to change your mind!”
A Pirate Stole My Christmastrack listing: 1. Ring the Bells 2. It Came to Bloody Pass 3. Deck and Hull 4. 12 Days of Christmas 5. Sulphur Ahoy 6. Little Rummer Boy 7. O Cannonball 8. Festival Days 9. Drawn and Quartered 10. Carol of Bellows 11. Away in the Gutter
Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD are delighted to announce their new studio album “Synchro Anarchy”, scheduled for worldwide release on February 11th, 2022 via Century Media Records.
VOIVOD drummer Michel “Away” Langevin checked in with the following comment about the upcoming release: “We are eager to present our latest work, a real collaborative effort. The new album represents countless hours of writing, demoing, recording, mixing and so on. The band and Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio gave their very best to make it happen under unusual circumstances, which led us to call it “Synchro Anarchy”. We feel that the sound and music are 100% Voïvod, and we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we had fun making it. We certainly can’t wait to play it live!”
Closing in on 40 eventful years of existence, VOIVOD now return with their 15th (!) studio album, reaffirming to be one of the most fervently creative bands in the Universe. “Synchro Anarchy” follows 2018’s highly praised and Juno Award winning “The Wake” album as well as 2020’s stellar “Lost Machine – Live” release. The new album was again produced with Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, features cover artwork (to be seen above!) once more created by VOIVOD’s Michel “Away” Langevin and includes the following track-listing:
VOIVOD – “Synchro Anarchy”
Paranormalium
Synchro Anarchy
Planet Eaters
Mind Clock
Sleeves Off
Holographic Thinking
The World Today
Quest For Nothing
Memory Failure
Further details about the album’s release formats, a first single and video as well as the start of the pre-order campaign are coming up on Friday, December 10th, 2021. Mark your calendars.
In the meantime, check out a few clips from VOIVOD’s latest live album “Lost Machine – Live” here:
“Lost Machine – Live” is still available as limited CD with O-Card packaging (in its first European pressing), as Digital Album and as Gatefold 2LP on 180g vinyl (in several variations and limitations), which can be purchased here: https://voivodband.lnk.to/LostMachineLive/
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 