2021 is once again completely under the spell of the wolves: With the announcement of their new studio full-length Call Of The Wild, the high priests of heavy metal – POWERWOLF – have not only stirred up the international scene, but their first single, “Beast of Gévaudan“, has also cemented their incomparable success.
The second single from the upcoming album is entitled “Dancing With The Dead“, and once again underlines POWERWOLF‘s indispensable skill for pure, bloody heavy metal and hooks that will stay in your head forever. The hit-filled four-minute track just screams for big stages and will not only captivate loyal followers but also new fans immediately.
Featuring Attila’s gripping vocals and irresistible riffs, the accompanying cinematic music video takes its recipient back to the past and once again also showcases POWERWOLF‘s visual strength! The video comes as a cinematic short film and stages a wild dance with the dead.
Watch the new video for “Dancing With The Dead”HERE!
Once again created in cooperation with the honorable producer duo of Jens Bogren and Joost van den Broek, the masterpiece will open a new chapter in the band’s history on July 16, 2021. The eighth studio album will serve both old and newly recruited POWERWOLF devotees with well-known classic trademarks, and equally surprise and delight them at every stage of this wild 11-track ride!
Matthew Greywolf on Call Of The Wild: “With Call Of The Wild, we are opening a new, exciting chapter in the history of POWERWOLF. The album sounds unmistakably like POWERWOLF and is so much more at the same time: Besides new territory like the Celtic instrumentation in “Blood for Blood (Faoladh)” or the ballad-like “Alive or Undead”, we have raised all our trademarks to a new level. Until now, we never sounded so powerful and wild – in the truest sense of the word. We can’t wait to finally share this beast of an album with you all!”
The first music video from the new album for “Beast Of Gévaudan” has already gained more than 1.3 million views on YouTube. Watch the outstanding video again here:
POWERWOLF Live 2021:
2021 marks not only the return of the wolves, but also the return of the heavy metal community to the legendary fields of Wacken. What could be a better setting to celebrate the first holy metal mass under the sign of Call Of The Wild than a headline show at the Bullhead City Festival in Wacken!
POWERWOLF Headline Show 16.09. – 18.09.21 DE – Wacken / Bullhead City
On their upcoming tour, fans can not only expect brand new heavy metal anthems to be played and chanted along by thousands, but also the biggest and most epic production POWERWOLF has brought to the stage thus far, once again cementing their status as one of the most intense live bands.
Wolfsnächte 2021 01.10.21 DE – Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle 02.10.21 CH – Zurich / Samsung Hall 04.10.21 ES – Barcelona / Razzmatazz 05.10.21 ES – Madrid / Riviera 07.10.21 FR – Paris / Zenith 08.10.21 UK – London / Roundhouse 09.10.21 BE – Antwerp / Lotto Arena 10.10.21 NL – Amsterdam / Afas Live 12.10.21 IT – Milan / Alcatraz 13.10.21 DE – Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle 15.10.21 DE – Munich / Zenith 16.10.21 DE – Oberhausen / König Pilsener Arena 17.10.21 CZ – Prague / Tipsport Arena 18.10.21 PL – Katowice / MCK 20.10.21 HU – Budapest / Arena 21.10.21 AT – Vienna / Gasometer 22.10.21 DE – Berlin / UFO im Velodrom 23.10.21 DE – Saarbrücken / Saarlandhalle
Melbourne progressive instrumental trio THE OMNIFIC – featuring the unique line-up of two bass players and a drummer – have streamed their exhilarating new single ‘Antecedent’, featuring Clay Gober, bassist of Polyphia.
Bassist Matthew Fackrell comments: “True to the definition of ‘Antecedent’, we looked to create a vintage style of music video, taking inspiration from the story of Sherlock Holmes. With the addition of paintings and artist utensils, coupled with the easel used, it allowed for Clay to be featured in a unique and appropriate manner. To the eagle-eyed viewer, an Easter egg is hidden within the music video too.”
Clay Gober says: “I had such a wicked good time working on this. It’s the first guest part I’ve ever done so I had to run it through about 100 refinement steps, just out of the desire to make it kick as much ass as possible. But on the other hand, some of the more key parts of it came pretty quick (which to me is the mark of a good song). Grateful to have been given such a fun project during quarantine, and by such a talented group of guys.”
After releasing three stunning EPs the band have attracted interest and fans from all corners of the globe clocking in over 5 million Spotify streams and 2 million views on their Youtube channel. The Omnific’s accessible style is for all music lovers; from those seeking to be challenged to those who wish to be blanketed by atmosphere, creating an identifiable sound and diverse international fan base. With swirling textures, syncopation, euphoric highs and melancholic lows;, The Omnific are truly captivating.
The band have established working relationships with reputable companies Darkglass Electronics, Neural DSP and Dingwall Guitars, seeing them represent the brands with performances at the Melbourne Guitar Show, bringing attention amongst the ‘Gear-Nerd’ community. Coupled with their online play-through, gear demo and music videos, the band’s reach is beyond what many would expect from this impressive Melbourne trio so early in their career.
They are also no stranger to the live circuit with a stack of domestic and international touring under their belt, having toured with Between the Buried and Me (Australian Tour) Cog (Sold Out Australian Tour), Intervals & Sithu Aye (European Tour), several of their own headline Australian tours as well as supporting Ne Obliviscaris, Galactic Empire, Circles and others.
Icelandic Tech Death battalion OPHIDIAN I will be releasing their new album, ‘Desolate,’ on July 16, making it their debut to Season of Mist! The band is now releasing the latest single, “Storm Aglow” along with a performance music video that showcases the band’s technical prowess! The song and video are available at THIS LOCATION.
The band comments on the new album and track: “‘Storm Aglow’ was the last song we wrote for the album. It is one of the tougher songs on the album to play due to the journey of the melodic structure. One that was very much influenced by Bach Preludes and classical works that employ similar concepts. This song was one of the most rewarding ones to nail during the writing and rehearsing period of the album. When we got it right we played it over and over again just because of how good and fun it felt to play – a very cathartic track to crack. We’re super proud of this one.“
The artwork for ‘Desolate’ was created by Eliran Kantor.
Track-list 1. Diamonds (4:35) (WATCH) 2. Spiral To Oblivion (3:31) (WATCH) 3. Storm Aglow (4:12) (WATCH) 4. Unfurling The Crescent Moon (2:53) 5. Sequential Descent (4:31) 6. Captive Infinity (3:43) 7. Enslaved In A Desolate Swarm (4:05) 8. Dominion Eyes (3:13) 9. Jupiter (4:01) 10. Wither On The Vine (4:07) Total: 38:51
After nine years, Iceland’s Ophidian I have returned to strike again. Formed in Reykjavík by Símon Þórólfsson (guitars) and Þórður Hermannsson (bass) in 2010, the snake-named outfit arrived at debut, Solvet Saeclum, in 2012. Almost immediately after that, Ophidian I splintered to focus on other projects and hone their musical chops. However, while Þórólfsson landed in black metal loners/labelmates Helfró and Hermannsson found solace in heavy rock act Lightspeed Legend, the duo never wholly forgot about Ophidian I. Fast forward six years later. Reborn, renewed, and reinvigorated, the group enlisted Daníel Máni Konráðsson (guitars), John Olgeirsson (vocals), and Ragnar Sverrisson (drums). Officially a five-piece, Ophidian I’s mandate was to shed the past and shred the future. To wit, stunning new album, Desolate, wasn’t just a new chapter but a completely different saga.
“We took to writing a very different style of music,” Konráðsson says. “We spent a couple of years developing the sound and interplay—the technical front. We wanted to make very technically oriented music that still focused on songwriting. Essentially, catchy tunes, arranged in a somewhat traditional manner that’s generally not prevalent in death metal. As a result, we spent most of our time working on the music itself, with the technical aspect serving as a way forward to that goal. We consider the sound we came up with fresh and accessible.”
One spin through Desolate, and it’s immediately apparent that Ophidian I operate at the near-insanity end of the musical and compositional spectrums. Tracks like lead single “Diamonds,” “Spiral to Oblivion,” “Unfurling the Crescent Moon,” “Enslaved in a Desolate Swarm,” and “Jupiter” reveal a professorial yet savage mien. Indeed, death metal has its technical sub-genre, and Ophidian I confidently reside alongside their fellow specialists, but Desolate offers something the others don’t. Songs. Pieces that are designed to earworm surreptitiously and indelibly. That Konráðsson describes the music as “principally technical death metal” says everything.
“We mainly just wanted the songs on Desolate to sound very catchy and mature,” says Konráðsson. “Faster, crazier, and more melodic also came into play. As we were deeper in our process and more and more comfortable with ourselves and the direction, we wanted to push the boundaries of our songwriting and its relation to the technical aspect. Being more melodic came naturally as when writing more traditional music, the melody and harmony are always crucial and often the critical factor. We were very ambitious in making good, memorable songs that’d leave something behind and hopefully stand the test of time.”
The name Ophidian I originated ages ago, but the lyrical tie-in on Desolate is with the incredible Eliran Kantor (Gaerea, Hate Eternal) cover. Tracks like “Storm Aglow,” “Captive Infinity,” and “Dominion Eyes” explore matters personal and environmental—11 percent of Iceland is covered in glaciers, for example—through metaphor. So while it’s not easy to read between Ophidian I’s lines, careful consideration of the colors, themes, and landscapes Kantor used to express Desolate depict a harsh, barren, yet wondrous reality.
“The lyrics of the album are mostly personal,” Konráðsson says. “Matters of the heart are often conveyed through allegories, set in the less habitable places of Iceland. They are tough and treacherous. The Kantor cover is effectively a portrait of that world. Tied into those lyrical themes and allegories are some cosmic elements. Hence the inclusion of the planet in the background.”
Ophidian I recorded Desolate in Sundlaugin Studios (Sólstafir, Auðn) in Mosfellsbær, a small town outside of Reykjavík. With Konráðsson at the helm, Stephen Lockhart, and the rest of the band as sound engineers, the team nailed down Desolate’s 10 songs in two months. The mixing and mastering were then handed off to Cryptopsy guitarist Chris Donaldson to configure at his studio, The GRID in Montréal, Canada. Donaldson took two weeks to complete the job. Overall, the studio sessions for Desolate were smooth, professional, and since Sundlaugin Studios is most famous for its association with Iceland’s biggest post-rock export Sigur Rós, inspiring.
“Sundlaugin is an amazing studio,” says Konráðsson. “The studio used to be a swimming pool (hence the name Sundlaugin—Icelandic for ‘the swimming pool’) that Sigur Rós converted into a studio for themselves and later started renting to others. We are lucky to have had the privilege to work in. The atmosphere is very cozy and comfortable. It’s intentionally designed in such a way, and it works perfectly. The large room has incredible acoustics, which lends itself exceptionally well to drum recordings. That was initially the reason we wanted to go there. We started our days early and went home late. It was summer, so the sun shines at all hours of the day (as it does in Iceland during this season), and working long hours becomes joyous and often surreal as if looking at the world through a filter.”
Ophidian I will take their technically impressive Desolate first to digital platforms. The Guilherme Henriques (Sólstafir, Crippled Black Phoenix) directed video for “Diamonds” is already dropping jaws. The Reykjavíkians have plans for more long-form videos, as well as multi-instrument play-throughs (wait for the “Sequential Descent” solo or the “Unfurling the Crescent Moon” mid-section), as a way to engage with and expand upon their interaction with fans across the globe. Then, as the world opens up, Ophidian I also expect to tour, bringing Desolate‘s high-intensity, incredibly adept death metal to audiences unknowingly ready to have their respective minds blown.
“After releasing the album, we hope to be able to bring our music out in all manners possible—physical and digital,” Konráðsson says. “For now, we will focus on creating materials that will hopefully serve to bring intrigue and attention to the band, which we will then be able to morph into demand for our physical appearances as soon as they are possible.”
Sound engineer: Stephen Lockhart (drums) Daníel Máni Konráðsson & Ophidian I (guitars, bass, vocals)
Produced by: Daníel Máni Konráðsson Mixing studio and engineer: The Grid, Christian Donaldson Mastering studio and engineer: The Grid, Christian Donaldson
Guest musicians: Julian Parry – vocals on ‘Dominion Eyes’
“IRRELIGIOUS is one of those albums that tell a story from beginning to end. It is THE album for me, that combined two of my favorite genres, metal and goth rock, into something groundbreaking and immortal. Irreligious is Moonspell‘s ‘s „Master of Puppets“. To me, they are one of the bravest and most important bands in the world.“ – Mille Petrozza, Kreator
Portugal’s undisputed kings of gothic and dark metal, MOONSPELL, have revealed some brand new details about the upcoming reissue of their pathbreaking, 1996- album Irreligious!
MOONSPELL‘s second album, containing timeless classics such as Opium, Raven Claws, Herr Spiegelmann, Mephisto or the ultimate MOONSPELL anthem, Fullmoon Madness, has not only helped the band to redefine their manifold style, but it will take you back to the late Nineties, when gothic was more dark and beautiful than in any other year or age. Irreligious stands out as the archetype of Gothic Metal, at one time modern and classic, and an album that influenced dark music generations since decades.
“Irreligious is the the crossroad where Metal meets Gothic and lead the way to a different style and fusion between the darkened elegance of Goth and the powerful depths of Heavy Metal.” Frontman Fernando Ribeiro states.
To celebrate 25 years of Irreligious in style, MOONSPELL’s own label imprint, Alma Mater Records, by the courtesy of Century Media, will re-release the band’s groundbreaking record on October 29, 2021! This must- have reissue will be coming out as an ambitious Deluxe Box (a true treasure chest limited to 250 hand numbered, certified copies, only available via the band’s official store), LP Gatefold and a Tape as a token of the great year of 1996 when Irreligious took the world under its very own gothic spell. The reissue formats will be available as follows:
Deluxe Box Set
LP12” (Beer) – Standard Edition
Cassette (Orange)
Full Moon Madness LP10”, with 2 songs: Full Moon Madness (Original Version) + Full Moon Madness (Live at Porto, 2020)
After the enormous success of the previous “Long Road”, with many guests such as: Mistheria (Vivaldi Metal Project – Bruce Dickinson), Freddy Delirio (Death SS – Freddy Delirio and the Phantom), Tomas Valentini (Skanners), Raffaele Raffo Albanese ( From The Depth), Steve Volta (Perpetual Fire – Pino Scotto), Alexander Layer and many others, today Wanikiya Record announces “Destiny and Hope”, the new MR. JACK solo album!
Work begins on the new album “Destiny and Hope”, where surely there will be surprises and extraordinary guests!
Mr. Jack announces: “It will be a project full of surprises, done together with many friends and colleagues from the music scene, it will take a lot of work, but I think you will like the result!”
“So, we look forward to this new musical chapter of the artist who does not reveal the release date yet, but assures us that there is already a lot of work done and the guests are giving their best for this “Destiny and Hope” that already has. want to enter your music collections!” , adds the label.
London based metallers JASON PAYNE & THE BLACK LEATHER RIDERS will release their debut EP ‘The Abyss‘ on July 16th. Today the band reveals the EP artwork and a teaser video for their new single ‘The Purge‘, coming out July 2nd.
Jason Payne on ‘The Abyss’ EP and coverart, see below: “Writing this EP was a sensational experience for me. Lyrics are very personal and me and the guys put our hearts and soul in making this. It’s the most powerful, boldest and heaviest work we’ve ever done so far. I believe this sets new standards for our future works and I couldn’t be prouder of what we achieved by creating such a unique work of art. We named it the Abyss due to the dark period of time we’ve been going through, due to the pandemic. However, by diving into an abyss, for us, it doesn’t necessarily mean to hit the ground and die, but to be reborn. If we learn something from life is that every time we have to face a hard path, we have to find a way of overcoming those obstacles. These tracks are full of rage, insanity and introspective moods. Fall into the glooms of darkness with us. Launch date: 16th July 2021.”
Watch a teaser video for the new single ‘The Purge’, here:
Earlier Jason revealed on ‘The Purge’: “Very proud and excited to release our upcoming single “The Purge”. It’s a song that talks about feeling stuck in your own prison and then you fight your own demons and you set yourself free from the pain. It was inspired by a personal chapter in my life and with the ideology of cleansing yourself from the sins and mistakes you did in the past. It’s about forgiving yourself and move on. Song is out on July 2nd.”
Earlier Jason revealed of their upcoming 6-tracks EP “The Abyss”: “The Dark is a song that sums up the theme of this EP, “The Abyss”. It’s about death, obscurity and the “nothing”. It talks of things like trying to reach to the void, feeling confused and betrayed, and about a person that’s losing his essence. Without a consciousness, and with no purpose in our lives, we’re just a bunch of roamers taking a road to the abyss, and that leads us to the dark and lashes us to insignificant beings floating in “the nothing”. When I was writing this EP, I got affected by the outside world. It’s a dark period that we’re living. I caught the essence and the feelings that this time put me through and made a whole EP about existentialism and nihilism. This period made me question who am I, what’s my purpose, what have I done with my life and what if this all ends now? Would it matter? Do we matter? Does life matters? Of course, it does! In my opinion, there’s no point of doing anything or living if this doesn’t matter. However, when I wrote this EP, I don’t give you the bright side of the story. That’s for the fans to find out. My whole point with this work is to make people question their lives and feel these emotions. This record means so much to me, since it’s about everything I felt and still feel. I’m a person who never stops asking questions. I always want to know more. Specially, when it comes to existentialism, I’m always in internal conflict, since I question everything. This is my message, this is my music and it’s about how I feel, and hopefully, people will relate to it.”
Stay tuned for more details.
May 20th, the band performed live their new single ‘The Dark’ at Under The Bridge (Chelsea Football Stadium). The band has posted the official live video on their YouTube channel, in case you missed it, watch it here: https://youtu.be/MFeUOF3uCTE
With a history boasting over 300,000 streams, 50 live shows and a modest lifetime of musical creation with past acts, London based metal artist Jason Payne has taken 2020 to embark on a new journey; JASON PAYNE & THE BLACK LEATHER RIDERS. A culmination and reincarnation of his strongest rock compositions, with numerous releases ready and waiting taking influence from the likes of Slash, Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, Korn, and many other legendary over the years. Think big riffs, impactful grit-laden vocals, and an energy just screaming to be invited to the live stage.
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 ) 