Swedish Black Metal trailblazers MARDUK are about to embark on their upcoming European tour, which will celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary. Originally forming in 1990, the band’s debut studio album, ‘Dark Endless’ was released in the summer of ’92. Led by founding guitarist Morgan Håkansson, the band remains one of the most contentious and revered names in Black Metal and continues touring on the strength of their fourteenth studio LP, ‘Viktoria’.
The upcoming 30th Anniversary tour begins this month on October 28th in Lodz (POL). Special guests on the tour include Valkyrja and Doodswens. A complete list of dates can be found below.
MARDUK TOUR DATES 2021
10/28: Lodz, POL @ Magnetofon 10/29: Poznań, POL @ Poznan U Bazyla 10/30: Gdańsk, POL @ B90 10/31: Bydgoszcz, POL @ Fabrykalloyda 11/2: Berlin, GER @ Orwo House 11/3: Leipzig, GER @ Hellraiser 11/4: Weiner, GER @ Live Music Hall 11/5: Orbe, CH @ Lepuisoir 11/6: Wetzikon/Zurich, CH @ Hall of Fame 11/8: Bilbao, SP @ Stage Live 11/9: Madrid, SP @ Caracol 11/10: Barcelona, SP @ Boveda 11/11: Montpellier, FR @ Secret Place 11/12: Milan, ITA @ Slaughter Club 11/13: Rome, ITA @ Traffic 11/14: San Dona Di Piave, IT @ Revolver 11/16: Tilburg, HOL @ 013 11/17: Njmegen, HOL @ Doornrrosje 11/18: Enschede, HOL @ Metropole 11/19: Essen, GER @ Turock 11/20: Bad Oeynhausen @ Druckerei 11/22: Wien, A @ Viper Room 11/23: Bratislava, SK @ Randall 11/24: Budapest, HUN @ Blue Hell 11/25: Bielsko Biala, POL @ Rude Boy 11/26: Kraków, POL @ Hol 11/27: Warszawa, POL @ Progresja
Today (October 8th), Swedish epic doom band SORCERER have released a new cover single – their tribute version of Black Sabbath‘s “When Death Calls” – through Metal Blade Records! Watch the video for this cover song here:
Last month, Sorcerer also released a tribute cover of Rainbow‘s classic “Gates of Babylon”, which can be viewed at: youtu.be/njPeQpBRmUk
According to Sorcerer guitarist Peter Hallgren, “Black Sabbath is an endless source of inspiration for writing good music in whatever style of hard rock and metal.” Additionally, singer Anders Engberg says: “You can hear it in the early Sorcerer songs, that we are a lot about Black Sabbath. Maybe we tend to mix in the more melodic parts – more like the Dio and Tony Martin era albums – in the music we make today. For me ‘When Death Calls’ is one of the strongest songs I think they have written. A really doomy song, which in my opinion sounds a lot like the music we create in Sorcerer. After having a blast recording ‘Gates of Babylon’, we decided to give covering another spin. ‘When Death Calls’ was unanimously chosen as the track to go for!“
Sorcerer‘s “When Death Calls” is now streaming on all digital platforms: metalblade.com/sorcerer
Co-production, Keyboards: Conny Welén Mixing and Mastering: Ronny Björnström Cover art: Jani Stefanovic
Copenhagen based NYT LIV return on November 19th with their second album ‘Den døde sol’ (‘The dead sun’ in Danish) showing themselves from a more forceful and vigorous side expanding the framework of the indignated, alternative hardcore. Shaped as straight forward Danish poetry without use of sophisticated words and metaphors, the lyrics are about life and social indignation.
Today, NYT LIV release the album’s first single ‘Givet Op’ (‘Given Up’ in Danish) about which lead singer Michael Aagesen has the following to say: “This is definitely one of the most upbeat rock songs on this album with an almost festive chorus. The lyrics are about losing your dreams and getting stuck with the wrong people, but at the same time a strong call to take responsibility for yourself again.”
Listen to NYT LIV’s new single ‘Givet op’ HERE and pre-order physical album HERE
NYT LIV has just announced two Danish release shows in Copenhagen and Aarhus with label mates Anti Ritual. Tickets are now available for the following dates:
26.11.21 – Copenhagen, Underwerket (m. Anti Ritual) – event/tickets
03.12.21 – Aarhus, Headquarters (m. Anti Ritual) – event/tickets
‘Den døde sol’ is recorded with Jacob Bredahl (LLNN, Lifesick) producing and Brad Boatright (Nails, Ceremony, Modern Life Is War) mastering. Lasse Høgh (Nyredolk) has created the artwork based on the guitarist’s Martin Goltermann’s photographs of Copenhagen and Zealand at dusk. The album’s visual side reflects the album’s lyrics both in subject matter as well as very concrete manner, when the images are combined with singer Michael Aagesen’s handwritten lyrics in the booklet for the album’s vinyl edition.
‘Den døde sol’ will be released November 19th 2021 on vinyl, tape and digital formats via Indisciplinarian. The vinyl version is a gatefold with a 12 page booklet unfolding the artwork that is based on Goltermann’s vibrating images. There will be two limited editions with one of 200 black copies and another of 100 transparent orange and black splatter vinyls. The vinyl versions alongside a transparent orange cassette tape version limited to 100 copies are now available for pre-ordering at Indisciplinarian’s webshop HERE.
Artwork by Lasse Høgh
NYT LIV has made a name for themselves in recent years with the self-released 2018 EP “Livet Brænder” and the debut album “Ensomhedens Kolde Kald” (Indisciplinarian) released in May 2019, leading to shows at Roskilde Festival, Copenhell, SPOT Festival and support shows with like-minded artists such as Cancer Bats and Turnstile.
The league of extraordinary proggers, CRYPTEX, have just released their cult single Dance Of The Strange Folk – complete with an intricate, steampunky lyric video, which fits seamlessly with the vaudevillian cabaret aesthetics of their previous video release The Big Easy. The decade-old words to Dance Of The Strange Folk ring eerily clairvoyant in today’s time, and yet they also manage to capture the essence of the powerhouse that is Cryptex:
You see all the mates are adding on our plan cause we’re going to have overt conventions soon And the nasty crowd of pettifogging jerks recognise that young ambition really works
The video single is Cryptex’s way of celebrating the culmination of the efforts on their path of re-releasing their groundbreaking indie debut Good Morning, How Did You Live?. When the album first saw the light of day back in 2011, it was lauded by international critics for its innovative, impossible-to-pigeonhole prog rock sound with a folk heart and a metal edge. Despite the acclaim, no one could have foreseen just how cherished the band’s debut would be even a decade on. Bristling with pent-up creativity and an unbroken drive, Cryptex took to their Bandcamp this spring with a very special idea:
A lavish 10th anniversary re-release of the album as a grassroots labor of love, fully backed by the very people masterminds Simon Moskon and André Jean Henri Mertens work for – the fans. “YOU ARE CRYPTEX!”, the band proclaimed, and their community responded loud and clear. Before summer even began to roll around, they had surpassed their goal of 100 backers, whose names are now immortalized in the artwork. The 10th Anniversary Edition of Good Morning, How Did You Live? will be released on October 8th 2021 on colored 180g vinyl as a double disk with enough breathing room for every last detail of the fully remastered songs plus a secret 8 minute bonus track to shine. Strictly limited to 500 copies worldwide, each numbered and autographed LP comes with a poster and a beautiful lyric sheet in a classic gatefold with the iconic cover painting.
Preorders for this extraordinary work of art will remain open until the release date via Cryptex’s bandcamp or as an EMP exclusive item with 250 units each.
Belgian blackened death metal outfit GOAT TORMENT will be releasing their third full-length, ‘Forked Tongues,’ on October 29 via Season of Mist Underground Activists! The band is now sharing the annihilaiting third single from the offering, “Cursed”. Listen at THIS LOCATION.
“Forked Tongues” is available to pre-save across all streaming platforms HERE.
GOAT TORMENT comments on the track: “The third and last promo track that we’re presenting. Dominant bomb blasts are crushing the weak while the slow mesmerizing resonance drags them deeper into the oblivion. We’ve made them sick, we’ve made them fade, we’ve left them a thousand wars… Cursed!“
Praised by fans and critics alike for their outstanding 2020-EP “The Dawn of Vitriol“, Finland’s MERCURY CIRCLE have unleashed their hotly anticipated debut full-length record, titled “Killing Moons”! With 10 brand new tracks spanning over 63 minutes, the band’s brand new record is a deeply powerful and majestic piece of music – truly representing a genre of its own – and one that will take the listener on an all-absorbing trip into yet unimaginable spheres.
In support of the new album and to celebrate the release in glorious style, MERCURY CIRCLE just shared a new video clip for the track “Like Matches”, with a special guest appearance by none other than Cammie Gilbert of mighty Oceans of Slumber.
Watch the video for “Like Matches” here:
Founded by producer and musician Jaani Peuhu, who paused his activities in SWALLOW THE SUN for the band’s upcoming album cycle in order to fully concentrate on MERCURY CIRCLE, the Finnish five-piece is by far no stranger to the scene and features former and current members of well-known acts such as CHILDREN OF BODOM, TO/DIE/FOR, HANGING GARDEN and SLEEP OF MONSTERS. Thematically inspired by daily life with all its dark facets and challenges, “The original idea for the album concept was to make it some kind of a gateway that opens up a path away from everyday life leading somewhere where we can be free from all the stress, grief, Corona or any other worldly worries” Jaani Peuhu explains.
He continues:”This idea of escapism is very basic and true to music, but it turned out to develop a deeper and more complex meaning for me during the writing process. I had to cope with the difficult reality that my father, a brilliant musician himself, was no longer in this realm anymore because of Alzheimers disease. I often wonder where he is, roaming in his own head. I imagine that he is free to travel in space and time and do whatever he wishes there, like destroying planets or having a good time in a spiritual world… all while this disease is erasing a lifetime of memories. Many of us are looking for ways to flee the state we’re in, others don’t have the choice to stay, and even more so, can’t find the way back to the everyday life because they can’t remember it. This is where the term Killing Moons comes into play. It is derived from Echo & the Bunnymen’s The Killing Moon. It had been sitting in my head for a long time and transformed into one of the album’s most personal songs a bit by accident. When I sang the first demo songs in gibberish English, the words Killing Moons made its way into the lyrics and somehow started to resonate with me: The MOONS as a measure of time and the KILLING as a way of erasing the lived years – or the escape from everyday life, as in killing time by reading a good book. As a band, we also created a strong visual story around Jaska’s interest in space and science, as well as around my way of living with energies, spirits and occults. Our daily lives with losses and broken hearts play an important part in our music and lyrics and those concepts help when thinking about what we want to say with our instruments and arrangements.So, you can think of the album title in terms of my personal story, but honestly, I’d rather you create your own story and world with us.“
“Killing Moons”, the debut album by MERCURY CIRCLE, is out now on Noble Demon and available for purchase at THIS LOCATION
Tracklist:
The Gates Wide Open
Black Mirrors
You Open Up The Earth
Killing Moons
Seven Archangels
Call On The Dark
Avalanche
An Arrow
Like Matches
Death Poem
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 ) 