Earlier this year, Napalm Records presented the next chapter in psychedelic rock icons MONSTER MAGNET’s rabbit hole deep dive, A Better Dystopia (out now) – a delightfully (and psychotically) curated collection of 60’s and 70’s proto-metal and late-era psych obscurities covered by the heavy New Jersey legends themselves. A Better Dystopia sees the band pay homage to some of their favorite songs of all time, while reflecting on the paranoia, dystopia and revolution of both now – and then.
Today, MONSTER MAGNET releases the lyric video for their version of The Scientists’ “Solid Gold Hell”.
Frontman Dave Wyndorf says: I’m a huge fan of The Scientists and I just love the hell out of this song. It’s hypnotic, dark and sexual with a unique and amazing groove. In a cooler world we’d hear stuff like this blasting out of everyone’s speakers. I’d love to hear Billie Eilish take a crack at this one…”
Regarding the video, he continues: “Joe Tait’s art is so damned interesting… Where else can one find Hieronymus Bosch, Pam Grier, Cold War Soviet monuments, the Dr. Strangelove war room, astronauts, dinosaurs AND rockers all in the same video?”
Swedish death metal veterans AEON today unleash a new video for God Ends Here. The track comes by way of the band’s impending new full-length of the same name — their first new record in nearly a decade! — set to drop October 15th via Metal Blade Records. Watch the video here:
A lyric video for the first single, “Church of Horror”, can be viewed at: metalblade.com/aeon – where God Ends Here can be pre-ordered in various formats.
With 2012’s Aeons Black standing as one of the defining death metal albums of the twenty-first century, it has been a long wait for the follow up. In 2021, Sweden’s Aeon finally return with its successor, God Ends Here, and in doing so only up the ante with a record that is bigger, harder and stronger in every way. A darker, even more epic collection, it is everything an Aeon fan could want with a few surprises in store, pushing the genre in new directions, and once again asserting that they are one of the most important bands in extreme metal.
The main reason for the gap between records lies in finding the right drummer, having had a few pass through their ranks in the interim, Dark Funeral/Imperium drummer Janne Jaloma now manning the kit. Making his recording debut with the band is also bassist Tony Östman, who joined in 2013, during the touring cycle for Aeons Black. Guitarist Daniel Dlimi, who departed the Aeon fold in 2013, also returned to the band’s ranks in 2019, which inspired guitarist Zeb Nilsson to write, having really missed collaborating with him.
Drums were recorded in Jaloma’s own Studio Starköl, guitars and bass in the band’s own Rise to Dominate Studio, and the vocals were recorded at Metallfabriken Studio, where some guitar re-amping was also done. Producer Ronnie Björnström, who presided over Aeons Black, once again oversaw proceedings, making sure everything sounded as big as possible. Expanding the sonic palette are strings and choirs, the orchestral elements primarily programmed by Nilsson with Dlimi handling those on “Mephistopheles”, while Nilsson wrote the choir parts. With dramatic artwork by Italian artist Paolo Girardi the final piece of the puzzle, the finished package extends Aeon‘s legacy and gives the genre the push that was intended from the outset. They may have been gone a long time but make no mistake: Aeon are back, and God Ends Here will lay waste to all.
God Ends Here track-listing 1. The Nihilist 2. Liar’s Den 3. Let It Burn 4. Orpheus Indu Inferis 5. Church of Horror 6. Deny Them Eternity 7. Forsaker 8. Into the Void 9. God Ends Here 10. Severed 11. Just One Kill 12. Mephistopheles 13. Let the Torturing Begin 14. Despise the Cross 15. Overture: Magnum Reginae 16. Queen of Lies
Atlanta, GA based, Alternative Rockers SPURGE have released the official music video for “57,” off of their newest EP, Crown. Produced and directed by Daniel Medina, “57” was inspired by the internationally experienced isolation during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and features stylized imagery of the individual band members’ lives as they continue through an uncertain “new normal.”
“’57’ is a song about whether or not we have any control over our fate. Inspired by COVID keeping the band stuck in their homes for about a year, it comes from a feeling of slowly losing our grips and becoming somewhat numb. For about 6 months prior to writing the song, our bassist (Jen Hodges) kept seeing the number 57 everywhere. Initially, freaked out by the repetition, she thought it was an omen of bad things to come; ultimately, she decided to write a song about it in order to work out her apparent superstitions and flip her mind into viewing it as a good omen.” – SPURGE
The band’s most recent EP, Crown, was mixed by Dom Gryzbon and includes solos by Phil Vasta, Nick Landt, Charles Von Kanel and Greg Hendler. An album release party is being organized for a Fall 2021 date in Atlanta, GA.
After coming to our attention in 2020, GHOSTS OF SUNSET are really establishing themselves as a major player in the hard rock scene. The band have clocked up several hundred thousand streams and and today have dropped their new single ‘If You’re Not Coming Back’ via Golden Robot Records.
‘If You’re Not Coming Back’ sticks true to their hair metal / Hollywood rock stylings, with a ballad-esque vibe. The single demonstrates that it’s hard to really know what ‘gone’ means until you come to grips with what ‘forever’ means. A slow fadeaway allows time for preparation, but a quick flash and burn leaves you with more questions than answers. Asking your only true love what to do if they’re not coming back.
February 2021 saw the release of their debut EP Headed West, to strong fan and critical acclaim, and followed this up with the release of charity single ‘All I Wanna Do Is Rock’, with proceeds going to Save Our Stages. In June, they released their latest single – the Sunset-Strip soaked ‘No Saints In The City’. GHOSTS OF SUNSET are keeping alive one of the brightest scenes in musical history.
Composer, arranger and current guitarist for German heavy metal monsters U.D.O. and Dirkschneider, Andrey Smirnoff has released his first instrumental solo album, Electric Gravity (out 10th September, 2021).
He stated
“My new album is OUT NOW! Electric Gravity is a very honest and personal album. It’s me and my guitar. All these years I’ve been writing songs, imagining singer’s voice. But this time I let the song choose it’s own path. I exposed my feelings through my guitar, my happiness and frustration, tranquillity and anxiety, love and hate…I guess this album is 50 shades of me”.
Electric Gravity was created as a quintessence of all the best guitar oriented music genres. Andrey easily moves from classic heavy guitar riffing to jazz and twist, from modern metal aggression to soft and melodic ballads.
Brazil’s fast-rising metalcore band APRIL 21ST have just revealed a new music video for the song “Stand Up and Scream“. The video was produced by Lucas Akira. “Stand Up and Scream” is the third video from the band’s new EP entitled Courage Is Born from Fear which was just released this past Friday via Eclipse Records. Watch it right now on YouTube at this location.
“Stand Up and Scream is a song that talks about depression and sadness” guitarist Herbert. “The video shows a guy trying to write a letter for himself about everything he has been through. He is struggling to find the words, the terms, and the correct approach to convince himself to do it. He told many lies during his life, and he thought that this behavior was hurting others, but deep inside he knows that all of this was hurting no one other than himself. He recognized his mistakes but still it is too hard to believe in salvation. In the chorus, there is this inner voice saying that there is no need to be afraid anymore, and with this own encouragement hopefully one day he will be able to finish the letter and read it and this will mean that he overcomes everything.”
The band’s new EP album Courage Is Born from Fear consists of five intense and honest songs. The EP was produced by Bruno Barros at the renowned Sonasterio studios in the beautiful mountains of Minas Gerais, Brazil, mixed by Arthur Damasio, and mastered by Joseph McQueen at Sparrow Sound (As I Lay Dying, Bad Wolves, Light the Torch). The cover art for the album was designed by Lucas Akira. The first single “Healing my Wounds” contains a harmony element that redefines what a verse riff might be, while the second single “Decision”, spotlights the fastest and tightest bass drum hummingbird 16ths in a blast beat that we ever might have the pleasure of hearing (and feeling right down to the marrow). “Struggling to Break This Cycle” explodes through our headphones with enough drive and funk to satisfy the most serious of metal freaks, and “Stand up and Scream” features a platform guitar solo that is the epitome of melody and speed in a glorious hybrid.
April 21st is also featured as the spine of darkness in the mind of a vicious killer… Horror author Michael Aronovitz’s new novel The Sculptor includes the band, who are an integral part of the plot, and they well represent the story’s intricate, thematic darkness. The novel is currently set for release this Fall on Night Shade Books via Skyhorse Publishing. Pre-order it at this location.
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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
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 