Following their widely praised interpretation of Phantom Of The Opera, which sports a haunting duet between opera-proven lead singer Başak Ylva and no other than Tommy Johansson (SABATON, MAJESTICA) earlier this month, DREAM OCEAN are back with yet another piece of symphonic excellence. Eterna Espera comes with a twist, though, showing the band branching their music ever so slightly away from its orchestrally playful roots towards a laid-back, earthy groove. Low tones are monumental in this one, laying down a rhythmic foundation that gallivants around the listener who gets swept up in a sinister, almost morbid kind of funeral march across barren lands. There is little here to get in the way of thoughts wandering and images passing, although subtle yet reliable cues of guidance cut through the darkness like god rays: a piano inviting the listener to rest, a soothingly gentle guitar solo brightening the horizon like the crest of a wave before it gets devoured again by black water, an organ swelling into an almost corporal presence like a tree to lean on.
And just like the distant moon that lights our path with its other-worldly shimmer, Başak’s unmistakable, rich voice dawns and ascends over the eerie scene, telling a story that raises the question: Does the real tragedy lie in the grievous pulse of its sadness or in its deadening ubiquity? This affliction is not a biblical one, it is the human condition that spares none who love; there are no martyrs here, only people suffering. DREAM OCEAN just happened to create the perfect song to help you push through – tears of relief included.
Your journey through Eterna Espera begins now, so don’t miss out on the brand new music video and make sure you put it on your heartbreak playlist today!
Support DREAM OCEAN’s crowdfunding campaign by getting your hands on some of the exclusive perk goodness and help the band release their sophomore album The Missing Stone.
Finnish legendary melodic metal band DARK THE SUNS released a new music video ‘Enkelsiipi’. The track is taken from their fourth studio album ‘Suru Raivosi Sydämeni Pimeydessä’ which was released on April 9th 2021 via Inverse Records.
Mikko Ojala commets: “Enkelsiipi is the last song from our latest album Suru Raivosi Sydämeni Pimeydessä. The music video is filmed in the beautiful Finnish nature. It was really athmospheric evening, the Sun was setting down and everywhere was silent.”
SLIPKNOT co-founder and original drummer Joey Jordison has passed away at 46. According to his family, he died “peacefully in his sleep”.
Joey Jordison’s family stated “We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26, 2021. He was 46. Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow. To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music. The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time. The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.”
On September 24th, RIVERS OF NIHIL will release their fourth full-length, The Work, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the album, a video for the new single “Clean” (directed by Mike Truehart) can be viewed at: metalblade.com/riversofnihil – where The Work can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
Reading, Pennsylvania’s Rivers Of Nihil have never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018’s Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work, they have forged further into new territory, delivering an album that is as cerebral as it is visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own. Inarguably a very dense, heavy collection, The Work is far too dynamic to be considered a solely metal record, and there is a genuine warmth that shows through, particularly on “Wait” and the gorgeous “Maybe One Day,” and the band have included far more clean vocals alongside the screaming that tears through many of the heavier tracks. Courtesy of their friend Zach Strouse, saxophone once again adds extra layers of atmosphere to the collection, utilizing baritone, soprano and alto saxes to great affect.
With guitars and synths/keys tracked at Uttley’s home studio, the band then we went back for the third album in a row to Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio to do drums, vocals, bass, sax, and mixing. “We’ve done so many sessions with those guys that they’re basically an extension of our band at this point. They usually know what we like, and we always encourage them to roast us to make stuff better,” says guitarist Brody Uttley. Alongside the band, James Dorton from Black Crown Initiate provided some vocals on “Episode,” Grant McFarland played cello on “The Void From Which No Sound Escapes”, and Uttley’s friend Stephan Lopez helped out with all of the field recordings, an integral part of the sonic textures of the record.
Album artwork by: Dan Seagrave
The Work track-listing 1. The Tower (Theme from “The Work”) 2. Dreaming Black Clockwork 3. Wait 4. Focus 5. Clean 6. The Void from Which No Sound Escapes 7. MORE? 8. Tower 2 9. Episode 10. Maybe One Day 11. Terrestria IV: Work
Before The Work‘s release, Rivers of Nihil will head out on the road with The Black Dahlia Murder, After The Burial, Carnifex, and Undeath for an extensive North American tour. Dates are already selling out (noted below), so be sure to get your ticket now at: nightshiftmerch.com
“Up From The Sewer Tour 2021” w/ The Black Dahlia Murder, After The Burial, Carnifex, Rivers of Nihil, Undeath Sept. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall Sept. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Sept. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Sept. 7 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection Sept. 8 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s Sept. 9 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s Sept. 10 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater Sept. 11 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall *SOLD OUT! Sept. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex Sept. 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon *SOLD OUT! Sept. 15 – Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom *SOLD OUT! Sept. 17 – Berkley, CA @ UC Theater Sept. 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco *SOLD OUT! Sept. 19 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues Sept. 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Sept. 22 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater Sept. 24 – Dallas, TX @ GMBG Sept. 25 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live *SOLD OUT! Sept. 26 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Sept. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage Sept. 29 – Greensboro, NC @ Arizona Pete’s Sept. 30 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage Oct. 1 – Columbus, OH @ King of Clubs Oct. 2 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theater Oct. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Oct. 5 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall Oct. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall Oct. 7 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda Oct. 8 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium Oct. 9 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom Oct. 10 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
To celebrate their latest release and debut album “Bionic Swarm”, CRYPTOSIS played a live stream show on April 24th.
The outstanding performance can now be watched in it’s entirety HERE!
Reborn as forward-thinking explorers of the extreme metal cosmos, CRYPTOSIS is what happens when metal is allowed to evolve, to expand and to breathe. An invigorating shot in the arm for the entire metal scene, it’s guaranteed that their album is to be one of 2021’s most talked-about debuts. Due to be released on Century Media Records, the first chapter in the CRYPTOSIS story will have you gripped from the start.
CRYPTOSIS released their debut album “Bionic Swarm” on March 26th. The album is available in various formats and can be ordered HERE!
Gatefold cover art created by Eliran Kantor, Cryptosis logo by: Christophe Szpajdel
Today, VOLBEAT, the multi-platinum Danish band, share their version of “Don’t Tread On Me” from the forthcoming album, The Metallica Blacklist. The album features an unprecedented 50+ artists contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite cut from Metallica’s self-titled fifth album, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Metallica (aka “The Black Album”). All profits from The Metallica Blacklist will be donated to charity, benefiting Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation and a charity of each contributing artists’ choice. For “Don’t Tread On Me,” Volbeat has chosen the Børne Cancer Fonden in Denmark.
Michael Poulsen says about the song:“We didn’t want to touch any of the big hits on that album, which is quite difficult because they’re all hits, somehow. We were trying to pick a song that you don’t hear as much from that album, and the most important thing was to pick a song where we could transform it into a Volbeat song. “Don’t Tread on Me” definitely had a swing that I could turn into a Volbeat swing, and it turned out really great.” Listen to “Don’t Tread on Me” here. The Metallica Blacklist will be available on digital and streaming on September 10th, and on vinyl and CD October 1st.
Recently Volbeat announced their first headlining shows in nearly two years. Puncutated by festival appearances at Rebel Rock (Orlando, FL: September 23, 2021) and Aftershock Festival (Sacramento, CA: October 8, 2021), the eight date headline run will see the band coming to cities including Atlanta, San Diego, and Los Angeles (full dates below). Special guests The Hu, Twin Temple, and Municipal Waste will be joining them for select dates. Tickets for these dates are on sale here.
The band also shared their new music video for “Wait A Minute My Girl.” The music video was directed by Sean Donnelly, founder of AWESOME+modest, with collages by Mengqing Yuan, and animation by Steve Yeung. The band said of the video: “After seeing the work they did on The Lady and the Dale we knew that Sean and the team at Awesome+modest could do something trippy and creative for “Wait A Minute My Girl.” This video exceeded even our wildest expectations. It’s weird, fun and crazy – we absolutely love it.” Watch the music video for “Wait A Minute My Girl” here.
Along with “Wait A Minute My Girl” Volbeat also recently shared their song “Dagen Før.” The two tracks, the band’s first new music since 2019’s album Rewind, Replay, Rebound, were written and recorded while the world was in lockdown during the pandemic. Michael, Kaspar and Jon recorded their parts with long-time producer Jacob Hansen in Denmark, while Rob worked remotely from New York. Watch the lyric videos for each song here.
“Wait A Minute My Girl” features saxophone player Doug Corcoran and piano player Raynier Jacob Jacildo, who both perform with JD McPherson’s band and previously appeared with Volbeat on 2019’s “Die To Live (feat. Neil Fallon).” Singer Mia Maja, who has worked with the band since Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie, also appears on backing vocals. “Dagen Før” features guest vocals from Danish artist Stine Bramsen, who is known for her solo work as well as being a member of the band Alphabeat. The song, in the tradition of “The Garden’s Tale,” “Maybele I Hofteholder” and “For Evigt,” features both English and Danish lyrics, and marks the first commercially-released song that features Stine singing in her native Danish.
Since forming in 2001, Volbeat has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (and becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of eight record-breaking albums the band has picked up number one songs (including eight #1s on the US Mainstream Rock chart and counting), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades (including a Grammy nomination) all over the planet. Their latest album, Rewind, Replay, Rebound, was released on August 2nd, 2019 and has spawned the hit singles “Last Day Under The Sun,” “Die To Live (feat. Neil Fallon)” and “Leviathan.” A live album featuring songs recorded during the subsequent world tour, Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live in Deutschland, was released digitally on November 27th, 2020. A vinyl-only bonus track compilation, Hokus Bonus, was originally made available on limited-edition vinyl on RSD Black Friday 2020 and will be available in a new, limited European version and a North American standard version this Summer and are available for pre-order at volbeat.dk.
VOLBEAT WAIT A MINUTE… LET’S TOUR DATES Fri 9/24 – Atlanta, GA at Tabernacle* Sun, 9/26 – Oklahoma City, OK at The Criterion* Tue, 9/28 – San Antonio, TX at Sunken Garden Amphitheater^ Wed, 9/29 – Lubbock, TX at Lonestar Amphitheater^ Sat, 10/2 – San Diego, CA at The Observatory North Park # Wed, 10/6 – Los Angeles, CA at Hollywood Palladium % Sat, 10/9 – Paso Robles, CA at Vina Robles Amphitheatre* Sun, 10/10 – Oakland, CA at The Fox Theater*
* Twin Temple ^ The Hu & Twin Temple # Municipal Waste & Twin Temple % Municipal Waste
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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 ) 