XAEL (ft. members of Nile, The Reticent, Rapheumets Well) are conjuring the resurrection of “Srai – The Demon of Erring” with their new music video in support of their latest album sci-fi escapade “Bloodtide Rising” released this past February via Pavement Entertainment.
The video is the next visual exploration into the fictional sci-fi world created by band founder and drummer Joshua “Nassaru” Ward and can be viewed via its premiere on Decibel Magazine HERE.
Ward explains the album in further detail:
“In Xael, we are trying to not only create some brutal and primal metal, but cultivate the fusion of storytelling and epic adventures. We are building a multiverse with diverse planets and odd-powerful creatures, taking listeners on a journey. This specific album follows the ‘watchers’ as we are assimilated into the vile and mysterious world of Vuul Athmar. It is a tragic love story turned horror. Musically, we incorporate tribal elements, Asian and traditional folk instruments, and an array of vocals to capture the variety of emotions. Though there was a global pandemic, we worked hard to bring this musical odyssey alive and we are excited to finally share it.”
Hailing from the American Carolinas, XAEL brings forth with them epic symphonic death metal like no other. Their new album entitled “Bloodtide Rising” is a concept record rooted in a science fiction universe that XAEL revolves all their music around. The extreme symphonic release chronicles the journey of a character named Darmak, an immortal who is trying to find purpose in a chaotic and complex multiverse.
XAEL was initially meant to be a personal project by drummer Joshua “Nassaru” Ward, however, when other musicians showed interest it evolved into a full-fledged project with each member contributing equally towards this current full length and the band’s first album “The Last Arbiter” (2018).
Fans of progressive and brutal metal along with sci-fi enthusiasts will take interest in what XAEL is doing. It’s different, and listeners can get lost in the complex multiverse that they have conceived. Epic and extreme, it is recommended for fans of Septicflesh, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Nile.
The album “Bloodtide Rising” is out now on the following platforms: Apple Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal HERE. Spotify
Track Listing: 1. Suun Rai Aru (Passion Begets Ruin) (3:04) 2. As Decreed: The Law of Vuul Athmar (4:25) 3. The Waste of Dreadrift (5:19) 4. Srai – The Demon of Erring (6:24) 5. Dark World Mirrors (4:42) 6. Bloodtide Rising (ft. Mathieu Marcotte of Augury) (3:48) 7. The Red Odyssey (2:07) 8. The Red Odyssey Part 2: The Temple of the Sky Eater (4:57) 9. The Odium and the Contrition (4:12) Album Length: 39:02
Album Band Line Up: Joshua Niemeyer – Vocals Daniel Presnell – Guitar Chris Hathcock – Guitar, Clean vocals Brad Parris – Bass vocals Joshua “Nassaru” Ward – Drums, Keys, Vocals
Over the past months, Norwegian Black Metal icons TAAKE have released a series of 10″ splits with three different bands (WHOREDOM RIFE, DEATHCULT and HELHEIM), on three different labels, and, as always happens in the case of vinyl releases, fans have been asking for a CD version.
And Dark Essence Records are happy, as always, to oblige. So, on the 2nd July, they will be releasing a limited edition Digipak CD, along with a Digital version, of the six TAAKE tracks from the series, which will include a very special acoustic version of “Nattestid ser Porten vid I”, acknowledged by Black Metal fans the world-over as not only a classic TAAKE track, but a classic of the whole genre itself.
The release is titled “Avvik”, which translated means “anomaly” or “deviation”, which makes it a very appropriate title given that the tracks from the splits would never really fit into any of TAAKE’s own releases. You could, of course, also argue that TAAKE mastermind Hoest has always ploughed a very individual furrow with his Helnorsk Svartmetall sound, standing outside the mainstream of Black Metal, and therefore making the choice of title doubly apt.
All the tracks of “Avvik” have been recorded and re-mixed by VULTURE INDUSTRIES’ Bjørnar E. Nilsen, and re-mastered for digital release by Herbrand Larsen at their Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen. Some of the re-mixes have some very surprising guests, who do not appear on the originals and are exclusive to this release. These include Dr Mikannibal of SIGH who did TAAKE the honour of adding her saxophone to a slightly longer version of the Sisters of Mercy cover “Heartland”. Whilst TAAKE’s live guitarist (and banjo legend) Gjermund created the acoustic version “Nattestid ser Porten vid I”.
Track listing for “Avvik” is as follows:
1. Ubeseiret 2. Heartland 3. Nattestid ser Porten vid I 4. Slagmark 5. Ravnajuv 6. Brotne Bein og Mannefall 7. Ein Baat i Foss
“Avvik” is now available to pre-order at the following:
German metal warriors REINFORCER have released a lyric-video for the song ‘Prince of the Tribes’, the titletrack of their upcoming debut album.
This is how the band commented: “Every kid in Westphalia knows the lore of Arminius, the story of the great liberator and prince of the ancient Teutonic tribes. His monument in the Teutoburg Forest symbolizes liberty and pride: a message we felt was an obligation and honor for us to share in a song, to let it shine a light and tell his tale for all the world to hear.”
Reinforcer combines classic heavy metal with an epic power metal approach and takes the listeners on a journey full of dual lead guitars and heroic melodies.
Recorded at Room 89 Media and Kohlekeller Studio (Powerwolf, Aborted), and mixed and mastered by Kai Stahlenberg at Kohlekeller Studio, this first full-length album comes after the successful EP ‘The Wanderer’ (2018) and will make you feel battle ready, no matter where you are. The magnificent artwork by Hendrick Noack depicts the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) between the Romans and the Germanic tribes.
British slide guitarist and singer-songwriter, TROY REDFERN, dubbed by the British press as “the king of slide guitar,” releases his new single Waiting For Your Love. The single is accompanied with an official music video which can be seen HERE.
Waiting For Your Love is the first single taken from his forthcoming album The Fire Cosmic released by RED7 Records on Friday August 6th.
Described by Troy as, “a bombastic, sassy blues rock boogie,”Waiting For Your Love, is available to stream and download HERE. Pre-order the The Fire Cosmicalbum HERE.
“I really wanted to try and capture the visceral vibe, atmosphere and swagger of this song,” says Troy about the music video for Waiting For Your Love. “It’s dark, moody and is chock full of rock ‘n’ roll attitude. When we recorded the track at Rockfield Studios we played it totally live to get that raw energy you can only get when you’re all playing at the same time. When we made the video, I wanted a visual representation three guys in a room sweating it out and hitting it hard.”
Continues Troy, “What you see in the video is a true representation of this band. It’s a no-frills, honest delivery of a ballsy blues boogie. It was also great to feature my ’29 National Triolian resonator guitar used on the actual recording. That beat up old guitar has so much mojo. Darby Todd (Devin Townsend, The Darkness, Paul Gilbert) brought his vintage, acrylic Ludwig Vistalite drum kit along for the shoot. These kits were made famous by the late great John Bonham and sound massive. Darby used this drum kit for the entire album, not only does it sound huge but it looks amazing, we had to have it in the video!”
The new album follows five unprecedented albums that Troy released in 2020. It was recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in North Wales, the same studio where Queen recorded all their early albums including Sheer Heart Attack (1974) followed by A Night At The Opera (1975) – the latter featuring the legendary single Bohemian Rhapsody.
For the recording of the new album, Troy enlisted one of the best rhythm sections in the UK, including the legendary Darby Todd on drums (The Darkness, Martin Barre, Paul Gilbert), virtuoso bass guitarist Dave Marks (Hans Zimmer), and guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns ‘N Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo), in what Troy describes as “the ultimate dream team” what is arguably the British guitarist’s most distinctive and powerful release to date.
Says Troy, “I chose Rockfield Studios because so much of the music I grew up listening to was recorded at this legendary studio (Queen, Black Sabbath, Mott The Hoople). The studio is hallowed ground for every musician, and the rooms there are charged with so much magic and history of all the iconic, classic albums that have been produced there.”
“It was important for me to capture the raw energy of three guys playing live in the same place, at the same time. That’s something that you just can’t get if you’re sending files from different locations, it doesn’t have the same vibe or feel if you do it that way.”
As soon as we arrived at Rockfield, everyone, including Darby and Dave who’ve recorded all over the world, were excited to be there,” continues Troy. “It’s that kind of place. It has that effect on every musician who records there. Even before we started recording, the energy and vibe was there, which definitely set the tone for the entire album.”
Troy cut his teeth and refined his style over the last few years, playing festival main stages and blazing a trail across Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia. He’s also become a well-known draw on the UK Blues Rock festival circuit, playing alongside rock luminaries including Robert Plant.
“Troy is a passionate, intense, free-spirited musician whose ferocious slide guitar style twists and turns timeless themes and ideas to his own ends. He’s a musical visionary unafraid to trample on the boundaries of restricting labels,” said Blues Matters Magazine.
The forthcoming studio album is a culmination everything Troy has learnt so far on his musical journey, and, more importantly, brings into sharp focus a much tighter song-writing and more visceral, muscular production style.
For production duties, Troy enlisted the Brighton- based producer Paul ‘Win’ Winstanley, best known for his epic rock production style, and whom Troy met and had worked with previously on the 2019 RHR album, Hotel Toledo. Troy and Win bonded immediately, and shared the same musical aesthetic, no nonsense work ethic and dry sense of humour.
Rockfield’s vintage mics, mixing desk, and analogue outboard gear gave Win options to capture the dynamic performances on the album. “It was like being a kid in a candy store,” says Win. “It was important for the album to sound massive,” says Troy. “It was a much bigger sound than anything that I’ve released before. As soon as we heard the first takes in the control, we were blown away. We knew that we captured something special. It sounded fantastic.”
“For the session, Darby Todd brought his vintage Ludwig Vistalite acrylic drums of John Bonham fame. The drums are renowned for sounding massive. Hearing them in one of the best drum rooms in the world, they sounded out of this world! Roger Taylor’s drums recorded for Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack album at Rockfield are some of my favourite drum sounds ever.”
Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal states, “It all starts with the drums, if you’ve got a great drummer, great sounding room, great board, it’s going to sound phenomenal, and it does!”
“I met Ron at a festival in Poland that we were both playing at, we immediately hit it off,” recalls Troy. “He let me use his signature double neck guitar to play on Anthony Gomes encore set at the festival, that was an absolute blast. He’s such a cool, generous guy. When I returned to the UK, I emailed him to ask if he’d like to play on my new album. He was totally fired up to do it.”
Troy continues, “The album really is a step up. It’s the best album I’ve made. Hiring Rockfield, getting the best players, the best producer – it was a risk, but it paid off tenfold. I’ve made an album I really couldn’t be happier with.”
“With all the hard work that went into getting this album to sound as great as possible, there was only one option when it came to mastering. I decided to hire Frank Arkwright (Biffy Clyro, Oasis, Iggy Pop, Paul Weller, System of a Down). Frank is the senior mastering engineer at Abbey Road Studios. The mastering at Abbey Road added that final sheen. Frank did an absolutely amazing job in bringing out every nuance of the recording.”
“When it came to the album artwork, I was originally going to get an artist from Brazil to do it for me, however, I started working on some artwork of my own in the silver age Marvel comics style, based on the four guys that were on the album. I posted a few visuals on the socials and was overwhelmed by the response.
It was a huge kick getting responses from Joe Satriani, Richie Kotzen and my slide guitar hero Denny Walley of Frank Zappa fame. As a result, I created my own comic-style illustrations to package the album.”
MUSICIANS
TROY REDFERN – VOCALS, GUITARS RON ‘BUMBLEFOOT’ THAL – GUITARS (TRACK 5) DARBY TODD – DRUMS DAVE MARKS – BASS, PIANO, KEYS, PERCUSSION RECORDED & MIXED AT ROCKFIELD STUDIOS BY PAUL ‘WIN’ WINSTANLEY ASSISTANT ENGINEER – JOE JONES MASTERED BY FRANK ARKWRIGHT AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS
Palladium, Bideford – Friday 4 March 2022 Old Bakery, Truro – Saturday 5 March 2022 Phoenix, Exeter – Sunday 6 March 2022 The Musician, Leicester – Wednesday 9 March 2022 The Flowerpot, Derby – Thursday 10 March 2022 The Bullingdon, Oxford – Friday 11 March 2022 Philharmonic, Liverpool – Saturday 12 March 2022 Continental, Preston – Wednesday 16 March 2022 Bodega, Nottingham – Thursday 17 March 2022 Hug & Pint, Glasgow – Friday 18 March 2022 The Cluny, Newcastle – Saturday 19 March 2022 Elsewhere, Margate – Wednesday 23 March 2022 Junction, Cambridge – Thursday 24 March 2022 The 100 Club, London – Friday 25 March 2022 Thekla, Bristol – Saturday 26 March 2022 Guildhall, Gloucester – Wednesday 30 March 2022 The Greystones, Sheffield – Thursday 31 March 2022 Town Hall, Selby – Friday 1 April 2022 The Tivoli, Buckley – Saturday 2 April 2022 The Star, Guildford – Wednesday 6 April 2022 The Robin, Bilston – Thursday 7 April 2022 Arts Centre, Bridgwater – Friday 8 April 2022 Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon – Saturday 9 April 2022 Nightrain, Bradford – Thursday 21 April 2022 The Tivoli, Wimborne – Friday 22 April 2022 Ropetackle, Brighton – Saturday 23 April 2022
Tech/melodeath unit MOTHER OF ALL are set to release their debut album, ‘Age of Solipsist’ on June 11th via Black Lion Records. Now the band has premiered a two-song audiovisual medley for the song “Curators Of Our Worlds Scope”. Produced, mixed and mastered by Hannes Grossmann, the album ‘Age of the Solipsist’ features Steve Di Giorgio on bass and Frederik Jensen on guitars. Watch + listen to the medley exclusively via Invisible Oranges, here.
Please Note, STEVE DI GIORGIO is available for studio sessions as well as session bassist for tours. For further information, please contact tarja@splitscreenproduction.com.
The fretless guru, STEVE DI GIORGIO doesn’t need any longer introductions, as he is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, being the bassist of TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, STEVE DI GIORGIO is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 20 years of touring the world.
Today, Finnish melodic death metal masters INSOMNIUM released their new single “The Reticent”! The video to the brand-new track, which was again directed by renowned videographer Vesa Ranta, can be watched HERE!
“The past year has been a difficult one. People have lost their loved ones, jobs and livelihoods. Hope has been replaced by fear, anxiety and uncertainty. We have all been forced to live our lives in isolation, detached both physically and mentally. This song is about all those feelings. An inner dialogue of hope and hopelessness. During this time, music has been a source of comfort and solace. Something to rely on and return to. And while we have become withdrawn and reticent, our music tolls now ever stronger.” – Ville Friman
After reaching pole position on official Finnish album charts and hitting German
top 10 with the acclaimed album “Heart Like a Grave” in October 2019, INSOMNIUM were once again supposed to entertain the legions of metal addicts all around the world. And that’s what these gentlemen did for the time being: there was definitely no absence of severe headbanging… well, until mid-March 2020 when the good old world abruptly closed its curtains. As of today, when wintry Northern darkness
seems to be slowly giving a way to blooming flowers, INSOMNIUM return with the brand-new track “The Reticent”.
Due to the current pandemic, guitarist Ville Friman unfortunately wasn’t able to join the video shoot.
Starting today an exclusive “The Reticent” shirt and long sleeve design can be ordered HERE!
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
Ads
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 ) 