Finally, the waiting comes to an end: Today, on June 4th, the Polish tech death metal virtuosos DECAPITATED release their early demos in a carefully handpicked collection called “The First Damned”.
Vogg states: “Here we go! ‘The First Damned’ – our first steps that we did as teenagers. I’m proud of this release in all this formats and amazing layouts together with the best metal label these days, Nuclear Blast Records. Check it out: No re-mastering, no-remixes, no bullshit. Raw and deadly as it was back then. Enjoy.”
Evoking the spirits of wild times, the band releases a video for the song “Cemeteral Gardens” featuring some old video content from the early days of DECAPITATED.
Watch the video here:
“The First Damned” is physically available as digipak, black LP, white/black splatter LP [band exclusive], cassette [band exclusive] and white/black marbled LP [mailorder + wholesale exclusive].
While the pandemic paralyzed the entire world and prevented bands from touring, Latin America’s biggest metal export SEPULTURA refused to sit back and act like an animal trapped in a cage. Like the flowers growing out of the deceased bird’s body depicted on the stunning colourful cover artwork by Eduardo Recife, the thrash metal pioneers from Belo Horizonte made good use of their unexpected free time to start a project that kept them busy throughout the entirety of 2020: Their new live album “SepulQuarta” will see the light of day on August 13th and the pre-order for this one-of-a-kind release featuring renowned guest musicians from all over the world is starting today.
„‘SepulQuarta’ was born at the very beginning of the pandemic when everything was halted”, guitarist Andreas Kisser remembers. “We had a new album out, but we couldn’t tour for it. Therefore, we created this recurring event where we could talk with our fans around the world, play our music and exchange ideas, it was a blast! »SepulQuarta« kept us alive and strong throughout one of the most difficult times in human history.”
Obviously, the Brazilian pioneers were not the only musicians feeling this way, so they started to connect with friends and colleagues worldwide and asked them to not only be part of their weekly podcast, but also join them in playing one of SEPULTURA’s classics tracks. From the safety of their homes, international stars like Devin Townsend, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Danko Jones, Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM), and many more recorded a SEPULTURA track together with the band, which have now been mixed and mastered by Conrado Ruther for release on jewelcase CD, recycled 2LP vinyl in black and marbled (Nuclear Blast + bandshop exclusive) and all streaming platforms.
Today, the band unveils a spectacular performance of ‘Mask’ that they recorded together with prog master Devin Townsend. Watch the video here:
This is the full tracklist featuring all international guest musicians:
01. Territory (feat. David Ellefson) 02. Cut-Throat (feat. Scott Ian) 03. Sepulnation (feat. Danko Jones) 04. Inner Self (feat. Phil Rind) 05. Hatred Aside (feat. Angélica Burns, Mayara Puertas & Fernanda Lira) 06. Mask (feat. Devin Townsend) 07. Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering (feat. Emmily Barreto) 08. Vandals Nest (feat. Alex Skolnick) 09. Slave New World (feat. Matthew K. Heafy) 10. Ratamahatta (feat. Joao Barone & Charles Gavin) 11. Apes Of God (feat. Rob Cavestany) 12. Phantom Self (feat. Mark Holcomb) 13. Slaves Of Pain (feat. Fred Leclercq & Marcello Pompeu) 14. Kaiowas (feat. Rafael Bittencourt) 15. Orgasmatron (feat. Phil Campbell)
Get ready for all hell to break loose on June 7th as the GYPSY PISTOLEROS unleash their debut single for Heavy Rocka Recordings!! Just when you thought it was safe to go out, these swashbuckling renegade flamenco rock rumba punk ’n’ roll pioneers release the title track from the forthcoming album ‘The Mescalto Vampires’.
Described as the album they always promised to make, the forthcoming release sees Gypsy Pistoleros fully embracing their fiery flamenco/rumba passion & crossover punk rock ’n’ roll leanings! This album also unveils a reinvented, rewritten, one-of-a-kind version of the Eagles classic song ‘Hotel California’. This entire release holds the story of a seductive vampiric countess in a rip roaring romp that oozes marachi punk gunslinger vibes on a wild & crazed ride – viva la revolution!
The Mescalito Vampires Track List: Lost in a Town called Nowhere Viva la Revolution, Viva Zapata Mescalito Vampires (Welcome to the Hotel de la Muerta) Soho Daze, just another Friday Night Roses, Gallows and the Wild Preachers Daughter The Forsaken The name’s Django Cisco Kid Gonna die with a Gun in my Hand Alone again or
GYPSY PISTOLEROS LINE UP: Gypsy Lee Pistolero – Vox, bad rumba guitar Mark Westwood (Shadowland, Clive Nolan, GLP) – Great Guitars Gaz Le Bass – Double Bass (The Delray Rockets) Jan Vincent Vellazco (Pendragon, Ghost, PIG) – Drums Kris Jones – Trumpet
‘The Mescalito Vampires’ was recorded in Black Tree Recording Studios, Tardebigge, Worcestershire with guitarist Mark Westwood engineering & producing (The Beat, Dogs D’Amour, Chumbawamba, Arena, Hazel O’Connor, Dreadzone, etc)
August 14th Full album ‘The Mescalito Vampires’ released on Moon coloured Vinyl & gatefold sleeve (Vinyl/CD/Digital & fan bundles) ‘The Mescalito Vampires’ on Off Yer Rocka Recordings (Heavy Rocka)
Swedish black metal five-piece BURNING DARKNESS will release their sophomore full-length album, “Dödens Makt”, on July 2nd 2021 via Non Serviam Records.
Today the band unveils the second single “She Who Dwells Beyond The Branches”.
“In Swedish folklore the skogsrå is a malevolent female being who exists deep within the forest. Her enchanting allure is said to be unmatched by mortal women. She twists the minds of men who dare to venture too far into the woods. They are taken by her, never to be seen again. ‘She Who Dwells Beyond The Branches’ uses its ominous melody to paint an audial tale of her cruel nature and legendary beauty“, comment BURNING DARKNESS.
STREAM/PURCHASE THE SONG HERE: smarturl.it/69d1zj
Last month the band unleashes their first single “Chiropteran Demon”. Its primitive intro evolves into a progressive verse that mutates into an aggressive chorus making it a fair representation of the new album.
“Dödens Makt” (The Power of Death) is a more varied and atmospheric recording than the raw and intense debut. The band mixes both fast tempos and very heavy parts along with classic melodic tremolos and progressive elements. The lyrical themes of death and anti-Christianity are kept from the previous album, but new ones such as horror and Norse folklore are now present as well. The cover artwork depicting a demonic bat-like gargoyle was created by Lukasz Jaszak.
“Fans of 90’s black metal will love it. We at Burning Darkness don’t concern ourselves with current trends. We play the type of music we love. Still not rigidly stuck in one spot, we musically take inspiration from other genres of metal and beyond. The new album has more variation than our debut. While it goes mostly quite fast, we’ve added slower and heavy as led parts as well. Rawness is balanced with atmosphere”, explains the frontman Per Kolderup Finstad.
The track listing reads as follows:
Muspelhems Vrede
Sulphurous Wrath
Chiropteran Demon
She Who Dwells Beyond The Branches
Neonaticide
Draugr
In The Shadow Of Webbed Wings
Dödens Makt Är Stor
The album will be available as digipak CD and digital. Pre-orders are available HERE:
Melancholic black metal symbiosis SOJOURNER paves the way for another undeniably impressive next chapter with their outstanding new offering, the special LP, Perennial, to be released digitally and as a strictly limited ivory vinyl edition today!
With two songs in total, it features new vocalist Lucia Amelia Emmanueli for the first time. Like no other, SOJOURNER captivates the listener by combining harsh black metal influences and instrumental folk interludes with atmospheric soundscapes, while painting a picture of unexplored nature alongside an endless journey towards the horizon.
Songwriter and musician Mike Lamb says: “When I approached the songwriting for this mini EP I wanted to do something special that encompassed both where we began and where we are today, because while we’ve grown and changed over the last 6 years we still have the same passion and vision for the band that brought us together initially. I approached both the songwriting and recording for this EP in the same way that I did on Empires of Ash and The Shadowed Road, even down to recording all of the instruments back in New Zealand again for the first time since we began, in the same room where I wrote ‘Heritage of the Natural Realm’ in 2015.
It also seemed like a fitting time to do something that sat somewhere between a reinterpretation of ‘Heritage…’ and a sequel of sorts for the second EP track, ‘Relics of the Natural Realm’, bringing our 2015 beginnings full circle back to where we are now and the band that we’ve evolved into in 2021. This is reflected in the cover art, again by our good friend Jordan Grimmer who did the original Empires of Ash cover, showing the meeting of SOJOURNER both past and present. We couldn’t be happier with our incredibly talented new members, both of who turned in absolutely beautiful vocal performances, and we’re so excited about the bright future ahead for the band.”
Get caught by this unique sonic beauty and order PerennialHERE
Perennial comes along with the stunning hymn “Relics of the Natural Realm”, a sequel to the band’s very first song, “Heritage of the Natural Realm”, capturing the identity of wilderness transferred into beautiful melodies and enchanting vocals.
Throughout their meaningful lyricism, erupting with Emilio Crespo’s intense growls while being carried on via the ethereal vocals of new vocalist Lucia Amelia Emmanueli, SOJOURNER reaches the innermost soul, leaving a long-lasting impact. With the color of their own and unique musical identity, and every note of this exceptional progression created by songwriting genius Mike Lamb, the six-piece is ready to write another chapter in their marvelous book of atmospheric black metal tales.
Emilio Crespo states: “‘Relics of the Natural Realm’ is symbolic as a sort of epilogue to ‘Heritage of the Natural Realm’. With the latter being our first song ever and the beginning for us, this new sequel marks a new beginning for the band. One that we are super excited for!”
Perennial tracklist: 1. Perennial 2. Relics of the Natural Realm
Today Italian symphonic power metal masters RHAPSODY OF FIRE are celebrating the release of their brand new EP, “I’ll Be Your Hero“, which is out now on AFM Records!
The band’s latest album, “The Eighth Mountain” (2019), was the first part of an enthralling trilogy, which will be continued with the release of “I’ll Be Your Hero” and as a precursor of a new album to follow during 2021. “I’ll Be Your Hero” is a musical experience of highest excellence, a journey through the realms of symphonic metal and a lesson in how to combine catchy hooks, sophisticated orchestration and a splendid, powerful and outstanding voice in order to create a true metal masterpiece. Fans of the band and genre, or if you are into fantasy tales and fantasy games, this is a MUST- HAVE soundtrack!
Beside the epic title song, RHAPSODY OF FIRE’s new EP includes 7 more songs: the Japan Bonus track “Where Dragons Fly”, 2 live tracks ( “Rain Of Fury” and “The Courage To Forgive”, recorded on “The Eighth Mountain” Tour in 2019 ), and all four versions of the ballad “The Wind, The Rain And The Moon”, which includes the previously released English version and previously- unreleased versions in Italian, Spanish and French. To celebrate “I’ll Be Your Hero” in glorious style, today the symphonic power metal kings have unleashed a brand new video for the EP title track!
Watch the new clip for “I’ll Be Your Hero” right here:
RHAPSODY OF FIRE is one of the most popular metal acts in Europe, who have raised the bar for their genre. They are the founders of epic symphonic metal, combining Hollywood-like sound landscapes and heavy power metal. The numbers are telling its own tale – with a huge fanbase of over 500.000 fans on facebook, 40.000 Instagram followers, 56.000 subscribers on YouTube and 2 million sold records – while “The Eighth Mountain” entered the German album charts at a phenomenal #22 – RHAPSODY OF FIRE belongs to the first league of metal. 2021 will see the band to release a brand new album through AFM Records, with more details to follow in the not so distant future….
But to shorten your wait, the “I’ll Be Your Hero” EP is out now, available as CD and Digital, purchase your copy at THIS LOCATION!
EP Tracklisting: 01. I’ll Be Your Hero 02. Where Dragons Fly 03. Rain Of Fury (Live) 04. The Courage To Forgive (Live) 05. The Wind, The Rain And The Moon 06. Sin Un Adios 07. Senza Un Addio 08. La Force De Me Battre
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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
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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 ) 