Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

BEAST IN BLACK: New Single ‘One Night In Tokyo’ Comes with Stunning Music Video

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 1, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Beast In Black. Leave a comment

Dive deep into the exciting energy of an alluring night in Japan’s capital with all it’s flashing nights and dangerous temptations around every corner. Today, metal heroes release their new single “One Night In Tokyo” – the second single of their upcoming album “Dark Connection”, that will see light on October 29th.

Watch the video here:

Listen to “One Night In Tokyo” here: https://bfan.link/one-night-in-tokyo.ema

Guitarist Anton Kabanen states, ”What could be better than spending one night in Tokyo? That’s right, nothing. If this hyper uplifting and max powered heavy metal hybrid of italo disco and eurobeat doesn’t get you electrified and flying through the futuristic dreamscapes of mesmerizing and exciting Tokyo, then you’re just not crazy, mad and insane enough for a journey where only Beast In Black can take you. If you’re with us, you better buckle up for a manic ride on the savage Beast!”

Preorder “Dark Connection” here: https://bfan.link/dark-connection.ema

The track list for “Dark Connection” reads as follows:
1. Blade Runner
2. Bella Donna
3. Highway To Mars
4. Hardcore
5. One Night In Tokyo
6. Moonlight Rendezvous
7. Revengeance Machine
8. Dark New World
9. To The Last Drop Of Blood
10. Broken Survivors
11. My Dystopia
12. Battle Hymn (MANOWAR Cover)
13. They Don’t Care About Us (MICHAEL JACKSON Cover)

“Dark Connection” will be available as digital album, CD, Black Vinyl, Clear/Sky Blue Marbled Vinyl [limited to 300 pieces], Blue Transparent Vinyl [UK exclusive, limited to 300 pieces], Red/Ocean Blue Splattered Vinyl [Bravado Exclusive, limited to 300 pieces], White/Red Inkspot Vinyl [EMP exclusive, limited to 300 pieces] and Purple/Silver Inkspot Vinyl [US exclusive, limited to 300 pieces].

European Tour 2021
w/ MISTER MISERY, NESTRUCTION

22/11    SE           Stockholm                         Fållan
23/11    SE           Gothenburg                       Trädgårn
23/11    DK          Copenhagen                      Amager Bio
26/11    DE          Oberhausen                       Turbinenhalle
27/11    NL          Tilburg                               Tilburg
28/11    DE          Frankfurt                            Batschkapp
29/11    BE          Antwerp                             Trix
01/12    UK          London                               Asembly Hall
02/12    FR          Paris                                    La Cigale
03/12    FR          Lyon                                    CCO
05/12    IT           Milan                                   Alcatraz
06/12    DE          Stuttgart                            LKA Longhorn
07/12    CH          Pratteln                              Z7
08/12    DE          Munich                               Tonhalle
10/12    HU         Budapest                            Barba Negra
11/12    CZ          Zlin                                      Hala Euronics
13/12    AT          Vienna                               Arena
14/12    PL           Krakow                               Studio
15/12    DE          Berlin                                  Huxleys
16/12    DE          Hanover                             Capitol
17/12    DE          Hamburg                            Docks
18/12    DE          Leipzig                                Felsenkeller

CEDARS Back in Studio Working on Next Full-Length Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 1, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: CEDARS. Leave a comment

Photo credit: Courtney Santos-Awkwardeye Photography

Texas’ electronic rockers CEDARS are back in the studio – work is already underway on the next full-length album!

The band has issued the first studio update:
“We got started on new concepts even as we were gearing up to release Cowards back in June.

While Cowards explores a theme of letting go and shedding what’s no longer needed, this new body of work is a deeper look into what comes alongside that purging, and what can be possible in its place. Cowards really feels like a forest fire. Everything was burning down in our actual lives and that, of course, made its way into the stories on that album and the videos we’ve created from it. But some of the most fertile soil is found after fire removes what’s no longer serving the forest. It makes room for new life.

But first we sit and sift through the ashes.

The new album’s title has a lot to do with the pause in-between the burning away and next season. It will explore themes of shadow work and inner patterns, and how the light needs the dark. And as usual, we’re doing it with an expansive and deep soundscape.

We’re excited. We’ve been in the demo phase for a bit and what’s coming together feels really good, like we’re more settled into who we are individually and as a family.”

Stay tuned for more information!

Just recently the band unleashed their video for ‘Formerly Known’ taken from “Cowards” album. In case you missed it, watch it here: https://youtu.be/o7eG1pJgGD0

CEDARS released their latest album “Cowards” on June 11th 2021, via Gruene Records.

The band of the concept of the “Cowards” album:
“Cowards, at its core, is an album about choosing yourself, even in the face of great consequences. So often we find ourselves in situations or systems that ask us to minimize ourselves or our desires or even our needs, but there comes a point where we have to make some really tough choices: do we continue to support the system that is crushing us and building itself on our backs, or do we honour our own still, small voice?
The album is the story of finding ourselves in a season of life where those choices were very pressing, and very loud, with very real consequences. There are times when death is necessary to make room for the new, the better, and sometimes the knife is in our own hands. The album, though full of heavy moments, is also woven with bright strands of hope and light, the kind that can only come after great loss and struggle. How quietly we go to war.”

Track listing for “Cowards”:

Claymore
Lost at Sea
Chasing Vapor
Happy Now
Mockingbirds
Funeral Dress
Formerly Known
Give Up The Ghost
Bearing Swords
Cowards
Liminal

Order here:
https://album.link/cowards
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/cedars/cowards-3

CEDARS is an electronic rock band from central Texas whose music incorporates the DIY ethos of bands like The Pixies and PJ Harvey, the haunting atmospheres of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, and the infectious grooves of MuteMath. CEDARS is more than just a band: it’s is a vision of community, a community driven by the idea that beauty can save the world. Led by longtime friends Sandeigh Kennedy and Drew Heaton, they blend industrial and organic textures, drawing together disparate elements to marry complex sonic landscapes with compelling stories. Gritty synths and wispy vocals; hard hitting beats and delicate textures are the tools they use to tell powerful, authentic stories that explore truth and beauty.

Also watch the earlier videos:
Chasing Vapor – https://youtu.be/lOdGmO6e2kE
Liminal – https://youtu.be/AUTuTIBDXeQ
Lost at Sea – https://youtu.be/PiP1yXRs8YQ
Cowards – https://youtu.be/2x1d9-qYjbg

Photo credit: Courtney Santos-Awkwardeye Photography

More information at
BAND http://www.cedars.band | http://www.facebook.com/cedarstheband
MANAGEMENT: https://www.facebook.com/SplitScreenManagement | http://www.splitscreen-management.com

CYNIC Share Behind the Scenes Artwork Video + Exclusive Interview

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 1, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: CYNIC. Leave a comment

Progressive rock legend CYNIC will be releasing its highly-anticipated new full-length, ‘Ascension Codes,’ on November 26 via Season of Mist! Guitarist and founding member Paul Masvidal is now sharing an intimate one on one conversation with ‘Ascension Codes’ cover artist Martina Hoffman. In addition, Masividal has also done an exclusive interview with Heaviest of Art regarding this powerful collaboration. You can watch the video, see exclusive behind the scenes images of the artwork, and read Masvidal’s interview below.

Cynic’s Ascension Codes is a remarkably far-reaching work, and if nothing else, a clear indication that they have landed in a place of mastery. The album, paradoxically, acts as both swan song and rebirth. The band has recently released the mind-bending first single, “Mythical Serpents,” which can be heard at THIS LOCATION. A video for the song will be coming at a later date… stay tuned!

Track six, “Mythical Serpents,” is imbued with propellant adventure, exciting peaks and valleys that tug at the heart while its mathematical sequences challenge the head in a dizzying push/pull dynamic. It’s that quintessential Cynic approach of kaleidoscopic intensity and mannered discipline. Ascension Codes was mixed and co-produced by Warren Riker, who worked with Aeon Spoke, Cynic in the Traced in Air era and mixed Paul Masvidal’s solo acoustic trilogy.

Pre-orders for ‘Ascension Codes’ are now live at the Season of Mist E-Shop, the CYNIC Bandcamp, and official CYNIC shop.

Masvidal recently shared a touching tribute to late bassist Sean Malone, who died on December 7, 2020. To commemorate Malone’s legacy, CYNIC has released a never-before-heard recorded performance of the song “Integral,” in which Malone performs fretless bass. “Integral” was originally released as a solo guitar and vocal track on Cynic’s ‘Re-Traced’ EP. The emotional tribute can be found at THIS LOCATION.

As an act of support, CYNIC is inviting fans to donate as you wish for the “Integral” song download, which comes with a guitar/bass transcription of the song and an instrumental (no bass mix) to play along with. 50 percent of proceeds will be shared with suicide prevention organizations: To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) and The Trevor Project. The remaining will go towards funding a documentary about the lives and artistry of Sean Malone and Sean Reinert.

To contribute: https://cynic-alliance.bandcamp.com/album/cynic-integral
Cynic links: https://listen.cyniconline.com/bio

TWLOHA is nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery. https://twloha.com/

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

LYBICA – Feat. Killswitch Engage Drummer Justin Foley on Guitar – Sign with Metal Blade Records

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 1, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: LYBICA. Leave a comment

LYBICA are a dynamic and instrumental three-piece force from South Florida that seamlessly blends flavorful guitar melody with powerful metallic crunch. Lybica take you on an epic musical journey of peaks and valleys where the possibilities are endless.

Today, the band has announced its signing to Metal Blade Records and has shared the virtual performance video for the song “Ferment.” Watch it here:

“After recording, we were just hopeful to generate any kind of label interest,” Lybica says. “Having Metal Blade come forward and believe in us was unexpected and, quite honestly, thrilling. We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of such an amazing roster.“

Lybica were first conceived in 2020 when it became clear to Justin Foley (drummer for Killswitch Engage) that he wasn’t going to be spending much time with his normal bandmates for a while. Quarantine days still needed to be time well spent, and he’d been working on some demos that he finally decided to share with a few local friends in South Florida. “I’d written a bunch of stuff that didn’t quite fit into traditional song structures,” Foley says. “And I’ve always been drawn to bands where the instruments provide hooks, rather than relying on a lyric. It seemed like a good time to start something new and see where it could go.“

Foley met fellow musicians Doug French (Gravel Kings) and Joey Johnson (Gravel Kings, Barriers Now Bridges, Days Spent) back in 2016, and they had repeatedly talked about jamming together but never actually got around to it. Foley and French – both drummers by trade – often spoke about trying something different that allowed them each to get out from behind the kit.

“I’ve always wanted to play a stringed instrument,” French shares. “And bass felt natural, since it is the other half of the rhythm section.“

Johnson grew up playing shows all over Florida, heavily influenced by early punk and then both hardcore and metal. “[People at] all the good places to get a beer kept asking me if I had met Justin, since they know I play music,” he recalls. “I heard about him in our town for about a year before we actually met through mutual friends. We hit it off when we started talking [about] instrumental music.“

When French and Johnson eventually received the demos from Foley, they really liked what they heard. For several months, the three of them emailed music back and forth while learning the parts, especially Foley and French on instruments – guitar and bass, respectively – that they weren’t experienced playing. They eventually started playing together with the drum tracks from the demos blasting through the PA speakers. Before too long, they had enough music for a full record and the direction of the band was taking shape.

The trio soon discovered that they had something else in common besides music.

“The three of us are pretty big cat people,” Foley points out. “So it only made sense to call the band Lybica.“

Named after a small wildcat species native to Africa that is widely considered the godfather of the modern house cat, Lybica is the first known feline species to be tamed and domesticated by humans.

Fast forward 10,000 years, and today, Lybica the band are as addictive as catnip.

With plans to release their debut self-titled full-length album early next year, Lybica are poised to make some serious noise in 2021 and beyond – fur-real!

HARDCORE SUPERSTAR Release Hard Hitting New Single ‘Dreams in Red’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 1, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Hardcore Superstar. Leave a comment

Fresh off the heels and success of their recent runaway single “Catch Me if You Can”, Gothenburg’s favourite sons HARDCORE SUPERSTAR have unleashed their hard hitting new single “Dreams In Red” through GAIN/Fifth Island Music!

Slicing through the speakers like a psychotic 80’s slasher movie, “Dreams in Red” takes the listener on a twisted journey through the mind of a mentally unstable killer, haunted and torn by their violent past. Powerfully weaving between melody and aggression, “Dreams in Red” showcases the bands heavier sound, punctuated by their trademark ‘in your face’ production style and presenting a stark contrast between the infectious chorus of “Catch Me if You Can” and some of the heavier songs that comprise their upcoming album “Abrakadabra”, scheduled for release in March 2022.

With countless positive reviews and radio playlisting all over the world; coupled with over 100,000 Spotify plays of “Catch Me If You Can” within the first week of its release, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR are set to invoke some more Nordic Magic with “Dreams in Red” as they head out on the road with some exclusive dates to support its release ahead of their “Abrakadabra” World Tour currently being planned for 2022.

TOUR DATES

October 2021
09 ROMANSHORN, Swiss Rock Cruise

November 2021
06 GOTHENBURG, Pustervik
12 UPPSALA, katalin
13 ÖREBRO, Frimis
19 MOTALA, Harrys
20 BLOMSTERMÅLA, Folkets Hus
26 HELSINGBORG, The Tivoli
27 ESKILSTUNA, Saga Salongen

December 2021
03 VISBY, Donners
04 JÖNKÖPING, Fabriken
10 KARLSTAD, nöjesfabriken
11 MORA, Lilla helfvetet
17 MALMÖ, KB
18 STOCKHOLM, Nalen

March 2022
25 VÄSTERÅS, O’Learys
26 ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Solberg

WOLFTOOTH to Release Third Full-Length Album “Blood & Iron”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 30, 2021

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: WOLFTOOTH. Leave a comment

Richmond, Indiana’s WOLFTOOTH launched onto the scene in 2017, swiftly grabbing the attention of fans, tastemakers and industry alike. Now, building upon the subterranean success of their lauded previous albums (2018’s Wolftooth and 2020’s Valhalla), the band unveils their colossal full-length Napalm Records debut, Blood & Iron, out December 3, 2021.

Offering an immense slab of proto-metal influenced heaviness with a deep dose of doom essence and addictive stoner riffage, Blood & Iron isn’t just epic in sound, but at heart. The album travels through a treasure trove of fantasy-themed lyrical influences – exploring mystical and often treacherous themes of mythology, lore and legend with a focus on sorcery, battle and non-stop adventure. Recorded, mixed and mastered by producer Jeremy Lovins, Blood & Iron is a true nod to classic, feel-good American heavy metal with modernized flair.

Today, listeners can get a first taste of Blood & Iron with victorious first single “The Voyage”, accompanied by a brand new music video filmed in Indianapolis, Indiana by Mike Yonts. Fists will be pumping within the first few notes as the track triumphantly gallops forth with chugging riffs, soaring vocals, piercing basslines and powerful melodies.

WOLFTOOTH says about “The Voyage” and its music video:
“The concept of ‘The Voyage’ was initially about Marco Polo’s voyage on the Silk Road, but we adapted it to our voyage through our musical careers from young children to now. The boys in the video represent us as kids in the beginning of our voyage, daydreaming about where we are now. All in all, the song is based on the idea of what it takes to reach your destination – the sacrifices, pitfalls, and ultimately the rewards that come along when striving for your goals.”

Watch the official music video for “The Voyage” HERE

If you enjoy your metal homegrown, larger-than-life and with a weighty dose of mystical storytelling, WOLFTOOTH’s Blood & Iron is your newest obsession.

Blood & Iron begins ominously with “Ahab” – beckoning the listener to join WOLFTOOTH’s fabled trek with an isolated guitar introduction before bursting into a sticky, metallic blues jam, instantly echoing the likes of Black Sabbath to Pallbearer while maintaining fresh delivery. The track effectively poises the album for greatness before leading into two tales of historic prevalence backed by trudging riffage – Xerces epic “Hellespont”, and mythical ode to triumphant Irish warrior Cú Chulainn, “Blood & Iron”. The tracks ebb and flow amid melodic solos, sludgy rhythms and charging drums, evident on songs like galloping, thrash-injected assault “Broken Sword” and headbang-inducing, lead-laden “A King’s Land”. WOLFTOOTH continue their immense sonic storytelling with soaring saga “The Voyage” and frigid ballad “Winter White” before closing out the nine enormous tunes on Blood & Iron with two of its most standout offerings – cohesive and rhythmically-enticing “Garden Of Hesperides” and driving final epic “The Mare” – depicting stories of 100-headed dragons, witches, dark horses and mind control. What more could a true metalhead ask for?

WOLFTOOTH adds about the album:
“Blood & Iron is the culmination of all the work that we as a band have put into forging our sound over the last four years. Musically, we feel that we’ve honed what works well for us while expanding on what was already there. This album represents a more mature direction, relying on classic heavy metal influence with a strong nod to our proto-metal roots. Lyrically, the album focuses on kings, battle, conquest and myth. These elements together coalesce into a riff-laden slab of heavy metal that we are all proud of.”

Pre-Order Blood & Iron HERE

Blood & Iron track listing:
1. Ahab
2. Hellespont
3. Blood & Iron
4. A King’s Land
5. Broken Sword
6. The Voyage
7. Winter White
8. Garden of Hesperides
9. The Mare

Indiana-local fans, take note! WOLFTOOTH will perform a hometown show on November 6 at E Street Pub in Richmond, Indiana with Rattlesnake Venom Trip and Steel Aggressor. Check local venue listings for more information.

About WOLFTOOTH:
WOLFTOOTH turned heads in 2017 with the release of their debut EP, followed by their 2018 self-titled album, Wolftooth – scoring rave reviews and a “best albums of the year” chart nod via DoomCharts.com. Immediately hitting the road in support of the album, WOLFTOOTH harvested countless new fans, building a reputation as a hard-hitting live act by supporting metal icons like Iced Earth, Sanctuary, Black Label Society, The Atomic Bitchwax, EYEHATEGOD and The Obsessed. In 2019, the band returned to the studio to record their sophomore release, Valhalla. WOLFTOOTH expanded on their already potent sound with cleaner production, hooky choruses and colossal riffs, all while harking back to the golden age of heavy metal. The record hit the underground in mid-2020, debuting on DoomCharts.com at #1. Now, the band will ignite the scene once again with Blood & Iron!