Today (September 17th), CRIMINAL have released their new album, Sacrificio, via Metal Blade Records. To celebrate the album release, the band has launched a video for their latest single, “Sistema Criminal”. Directed by Carlos Toro of Abysmo Films (Kreator, Arch Enemy, Rob Halford), the video can be viewed below.
The videos for the previously released singles, “Zona De Sacrificio” and “Live on Your Knees”, can also be seen at: metalblade.com/criminal – where Sacrificio can be 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.
Album artwork by: Gary Ronaldson
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.
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)
Norway’s avant-garde Black Metal innovators BORKNAGAR are pleased to announce a very special 25th Anniversary re-issue of their pioneering self-titled debut album “Borknagar”, out for the first time ever worldwide via the band’s longtime label partner Century Media Records on November 12th, 2021.
BORKNAGAR founder and mastermind Øystein G. Brun comments on this special re-release as follows: “Throughout the years I have received countless requests for a re-release of this album…but because this album represents such a personal and treacherous part of my life, I wanted it to be done with dignity. And here we are: This is the definitive re-release of the debut album of BORKNAGAR. This release contains a genuine re-master of the debut album, based on the original mix tapes. This has been done with the uttermost care and love by yours sincerely to maintain the original sound and flavour of the album, and solely to improve the listening experience. Working on this re-release has been an emotional ride. While always maintaining a good feeling about the project it has been times of frustration and technical obstacles. Hours has been spent finding and compiling old pictures, dealing with tapes and equipment that has not been played or used in over 25 years. But now it is done, and I hope you all enjoy and appreciate this release as much as I do.”
Initially released in 1996, “Borknagar” saw Øystein G. Brun recruiting a phenomenal cast of like-minded musicians such as Garm (Ulver, ex Arcturus) doing the vocals, drummer Grim (ex-Immortal, Gorgoroth and Ancient), Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) on keyboards and bassist Infernus (who played in Gorgoroth) to enter the notorious halls of Grieghallen Studios with the goal of rupturing the peripheries of what was then deemed “traditional” Black Metal.
The upcoming deluxe edition of the album now entitled “Borknagar (25th Anniversary Re-issue 2021)” marks the definitive version of this pioneering Norwegian Metal classic, as it includes a careful remaster of the 10 album songs courtesy of Øystein G. Brun himself, a makeover for the original artwork, profound liner notes, exclusive photos and a bonus disc full of previously unheard material from the band vaults. Here are the tracklistings of the Anniversary release:
In other news, BORKNAGAR continue to promote their latest, 11th studio album “True North” and have now also been confirmed to be part of the “Ultima Ratio Fest 2022” across Europe in September/October 2022 together with Moonspell, My Dying Bride, Wolfheart and Hinayana. Here is a list of all dates for this run:
Moonspell, My Dying Bride, BORKNAGAR, Wolfheart & Hinayana “Ultima Ratio Fest 2022”
29.09.2022 Frankfurt (Germany) – Batschkapp 30.09.2022 Leipzig (Germany) – Hellraiser 01.10.2022 Antwerp (Belgium) – Trix 02.10.2022 Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – Den Atelier 03.10.2022 Paris (France) – Elysee Montmatre 04.10.2022 Lyon (France) – Transbordeur 05.10.2022 Pratteln (Switzerland) – Z7 06.10.2022 Stuttgart (Germany) – LKA 07.10.2022 Geiselwind (Germany) – Music Hall 08.10.2022 Munich (Germany) – Backstage Werk 09.10.2022 Brno (Czech Republic) – Sono 10.10.2022 Budapest (Hungary) – Barba Negra 11.10.2022 Vienna (Austria) – Arena 12.10.2022 Wroclaw (Poland) – A2 13.10.2022 Berlin (Germany) – Kesselhaus 14.10.2022 Hamburg (Germany) – Markthalle 15.10.2022 Oberhausen (Germany) – Turbinenhalle 2 16.10.2022 Utrecht (The Netherlands) – Ronda
Previously, BORKNAGAR are scheduled for a headlining run all over Europe for November-December 2021 with support by SAOR and Cân Bardd. Here are the dates again:
BORKNAGAR, SAOR & Cân Bardd “True North” European Tour 2021
20.11.2021 Warsaw (Poland) – Hydrozagadka 21.11.2021 Krakow (Poland) – Kwadrat 22.11.2021 Prague (Czech Republic) – Futurum 23.11.2021 Leipzig (Germany) – UT Connewitz 24.11.2021 Hamburg (Germany) – Logo 25.11.2021 Essen (Germany) – Turock 26.11.2021 Antwerpen (Belgium) – Kavka 27.11.2021 London (UK) – The Garage 28.11.2021 Glasgow (UK) – Slay 29.11.2021 Manchester (UK) – Rebellion 30.11.2021 Paris (France) – Petit Bain 01.12.2021 Toulouse (France) – Le Rex 02.12.2021 Madrid (Spain) – Caracol 03.12.2021 Barcelona (Spain) – Bóveda 04.12.2021 Lyon (France) – CCO Vileurbanne 05.12.2021 Parma (Italy) – Campus Industry Music 06.12.2021 Monthey (Switzerland) – Pont Rouge 07.12.2021 Stuttgart (Germany) – Im Wizemann 08.12.2021 Munich (Germany) – Backstage 09.12.2021 Vienna (Austria) – Viper Room 10.12.2021 Weinheim (Germany) – Café Central 11.12.2021 Eindhoven (The Netherlands) – Eindhoven Metal Meeting
And other BORKNAGAR live-dates are as follows:
BORKNAGAR live 2021/2022:
30.10.2021 Kopervik (Norway) – Karmøygeddon Arctic 27.05.2021 Hollandscheveld (The Netherlands) – Graveland Open Air 28.05.2022 Whittlebury Park / Towchester (UK) – ManorFest 19.06.2022 Clisson (France) – Hellfest
And many more shows to be announced soon…
Feel free to check out the singles for BORKNAGAR’s latest “True North” album here:
“True North” received raving reviews in the media and was elected “Album of the month” by publications like Metal Hammer (Germany), Legacy (Germany) or also Scream (Norway). The album scored several international sales chart rankings upon release as follows: Germany: #31, Switzerland: #34, Finland: #42, Austria: #56, Sweden (Physical Albums): #46, USA (Billboard Heatseekers): #12, USA (Billboard Hard Rock): #22 as well as ITunes Charts: Canada: #70, Italy: #77, Germany: #86 and Finland: #94.
Recently, Swedish metal titans SABATON announced their new collaboration with World of Tanks and premiered an unrivalled music video for ‘Steel Commanders’. Pioneeringsome hyperrealistic visuals of the band and their Grammy Award-nominated special guest, Tina Guo, in epic war scenes, the video clip was viewed over 3.6 million times within the first three weeks of its release.
After offering fans and gamers the chance to see them as crew members on the new Strv K tank, the first-ever Tier IX premium vehicle in World of Tanks, SABATON have now answered the calls from fans asking for the song to be made available via all music streaming platforms!
Hop into your tank and download or stream ‘Steel Commanders‘ HERE now.
Today, the Swedish metal force also unveils a lyric video, inspired by the sketches that were used for the production of the official music video for the song:
Just recently, the band not only announced their new studio album “The War To End All Wars” but also their “Tour To End All Tours”: In Spring 2022, SABATON will be visiting 26 cities in 17 countries, bringing their ground-breaking modern metal to the people and delivering breathtaking live shows in a setting that will once again set new bars for concerts of this kind. SABATON will be supported by Mongolian rock band THE HU and Finnish heavy metal veterans LORDI. Get your tickets here: https://www.sabaton.net/tour/
Finnish extreme metallers BLOODY FALLS have released their new single ‘Insurrection’! It is the third track to be released from their second and definitive new album titled “Burn The Witch”, which is due to be unleashed on October 29th via Art Gates Records. Check out the video:
BLOODY FALLS is:
Antero Hakala – Vocals Stavros Mathios – Guitar Marko Mäkinen – Guitar Mika Lehtinen – Bass Rami Vartiainen – Drums
THE PRETTY RECKLESS have shared the video for the acoustic version of their latest hit single “Only Love Can Save Me Now.“
“It’s always tricky to do an acoustic version of songs that rely heavily on guitar riffs,” says singer Taylor Momsen. “With ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now,’ we were pleasantly surprised by how it translated. Someday, I’d like to make a whole acoustic record of our songs.”
TPR previously teamed up with Rolling Stone to premiere the official video for “Only Love Can Save Me Now“ (Feat. Matt Cameron + Kim Thayil). The visual features the Soundgarden legends, as well. Watch it here. The song is currently perched at No. 2 on the rock radio charts.
The track appears on the band’s acclaimed new album Death By Rock And Roll,out now via Century Media Records.Upon release, the record topped multiple sales charts — including Billboard’s Top Albums, Rock, Hard Music, and Digital Charts. The record also yielded two back-to-back No. 1 singles — “Death By Rock And Roll” and “And So It Went” (Feat. Tom Morello) topped the charts this year. The band has tallied six No. 1 singles at the rock format throughout its career.
BEHEMOTH set the world on fire when the Polish masters of black metal took an abandoned church in rural Poland to perform a worldwide stream event in the heart of the pandemic lockdown. After over a year since the show’s premiere, ‘In Absentia Dei’ returns on to a range of deluxe formats for fans to relive the danger and drama that took place on that fateful night in 2020. The live release will hit the shelves on December 17th.
Nergal states, “In Absentia Dei was a massive challenge and a huge risk, but it was a great artistic and commercial success. The response was absolutely brilliant – we made a statement with this performance and set the bar high. I hope that we can continue to raise the bar with the projects to come!”
“In Absentia Dei” will be available as digital album, digibook and 3LP Vinyl in various colours. All Nuclear Blast triple LPs come with a premium 20-page booklet AND a cut-out, build at home model of the actual church that BEHEMOTH performed in.
The event was said to set a new standard for streaming events in the future and this was something BEHEMOTH set out to achieve from the start. Produced by Grupa 13, “In Absentia Dei” was presented as a show of four parts, woven with high-production theatrics and even a hellish flames emanating from all parts of the sacred building.
BEHEMOTH released their latest full-length, “I Loved You At Your Darkest”, in 2018 to vast critical acclaim. “I Loved You At Your Darkest” marked a milestone in the history of the band, being not only their most successful album, but also an audiovisual masterpiece: from its detailed, blasphemous artwork, to the highly vicious, yet deeply emotional tracks, BEHEMOTH once again played with fire – and ignited a wildfire burning the narrow minded bigotry of Christianity down to the ground.
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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 ) 