Legendary Dutch progressive rockers Kayak recently announced they will return with their 18th studio album ‘Out Of This World’ on the 7th May 2021. Following the launch of the album’s first single in February, they are now pleased to reveal the follow-up, titled ‘Waiting’. Watch the video, created by Kristoffer Gildenlöw, here:
Ton Scherpenzeel comments: “Not the kind of song you’d expect from Kayak, I suppose, and all the more reason to do it. We get a little but disturbing peek inside the mind of someone who is overly obsessed by what he thinks is his love for another person.”
The album is now also available for pre-order, arriving as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP + CD, and as Digital Album. An exclusive blood red vinyl edition is available directly from the band. Pre-order now here: https://kayak.lnk.to/OutOfThisWorld
The full track-listing is as follows: 1. Out Of This World 2. Waiting 3. Under A Scar 4. Kaja 5. Mystery 6. Critical Mass 7. As The Crow Flies 8. The Way She Said Goodbye 9. Traitor’s Gate 10. Distance To Your Heart 11. Red Rag To A Bull 12. One By One 13. A Writer’s Tale 14. Cary 15. Ship Of Theseus
‘Out Of This World’, the band’s eighteenth studio album, with 15 new tracks, spanning 70 minutes of energetic and incredibly diverse material- though still very much recognizable as Kayak. It is clear that the new found energy has gained even more momentum since Hans Eijkenaar rejoined the group. Although they were forced to cancel all tours because Ton Scherpenzeel suffered a heart attack at the end of 2019, and immediately after that because of the Covid pandemic, we’re hearing a band that, since the demise of Pim Koopman in 2009, has not sounded more together, balanced and motivated. The current line-up of the band is as follows:
Ton Scherpenzeel – Keyboards, lead and backing vocals Bart Schwertmann – Lead and backing vocals Marcel Singor – Guitar, lead and backing vocals Kristoffer Gildenlöw – Bass, lead and backing vocals Hans Eijkenaar- Drums
WHILE SHE SLEEPS have released the video for “NERVOUS,” the latest single from their forthcoming fifth album SLEEPS SOCIETY. The album arrives April 16 via Spinefarm Records.
The song features Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro on guest vocals. It’s a snapshot of fragility, exploring struggles with mental health, in particular drawing upon guitarist Sean Long‘s own experiences with anxiety. Ultimately, though, it’s a song he hopes that people will draw strength from when they’re struggling. Learn more here.
“The song ‘NERVOUS’ is one the band has been talking about ever since its first demo. It’s completely infected us since the start and we all knew instantly that something really special had happened. I would go so far as to say it’s the single most important song I’ve ever written in my life. It’s born from experiencing the pain and suffering generated by acute anxiety but also finding a way out from that, which whilst in such a dark and terrifying place, felt like the biggest pipe dream imaginable.
“I felt like if I didn’t write this song then someone else would have. It feels like it needed to be manifested into this world ASAP. I truly believe it’s going to resonate with people on an extremely personal, deep and meaningful level because I feel like it came from a place beyond what we may call ourselves and I feel the song is much bigger than our band,” says Long.
“I’d like ‘NERVOUS’ to be viewed as more of a spiritual request rather than just a song to enjoy. I’m talking about a particular emotion in this song but the idea is transferable to any negative or troublesome feeling. It’s about accepting your emotions, fears, pains, anxiety, depression — not only accepting them but owning them and becoming one with them completely. It’s about being proud of all our emotions. The song is literally telling you to BE nervous, be scared and be in pain. By this I mean a lot of our pain comes from the idea that there’s me on the one hand and the pain on the other. So when the pain arrives, this ‘me’ is somehow trying to get away from said pain. When we really think this through with clarity, we inevitably see its a futile endeavor.
“The moment we realize this, we can stop fighting and running away and we can begin the healing process by feeling the emotions as if we wanted them to be there in the first place. Once you stop fighting and pushing the feelings away, you realize that most of, if not all of, the pain was caused by this attempt to split ourselves in two. Most of the pain was caused by the fear of the pain itself and the attempt to get away from it. It can actually be a good thing to feel these emotions fully and experience that journey of acceptance. If we just sit a little longer with the pain, fully go into the dark, feeling it with every cell of our being, there is a chance of something miraculous to occur for the individual. What do you have to lose? This is what ‘NERVOUS’ is about.”
Simon Neil, whose guest vocals add another layer to the track, says. “I’ve been a big fan of what WSS do, and how they do it, for a long time. When Mat and the boys approached me to be a part of their new record it was a no-brainer and ‘Nervous’ is a towering statement of intent for their new era. The way WSS have chosen to promote and release this album, and the new model they are creating, excites me for the future and I am delighted to be a part of it.”
SLEEPS SOCIETY is a true manifestation of While She Sleeps’ extremely close relationship with their fans. Members of the band’s new Sleeps Society subscription service gained access to exclusive perks and received an insight, and even input, into the recording process of the album.
Long explains how some of this process worked, sharing, “We did a collection of livestreams from the studio where members could talk to us whilst we were in the development stages of different sections, giving their input and vibes whilst different sections were coming to life. We also recorded a track completely live where members could watch the process throughout — this will be really cool as when the record is released and those fans hear the song they will have that feeling of ‘I was there when this happened’ and feel intrinsically connected to the piece. On ‘CALL OF THE VOID,’ we had members send in recordings of them singing a section and the song features over 200 Sleeps Society Members singing together. It came out so cool and it feels so special to have involved the people who make this all possible in the music itself and actually include them in a song on the record.”
SLEEPS SOCIETY TRACKLISTING: “ENLIGHTENMENT(?)” “YOU ARE ALL YOU NEED“ “SYSTEMATIC” “NERVOUS” (FEAT. SIMON NEIL) “PYAI” “KNOW YOUR WORTH (SOMEBODY)” “NO DEFEAT FOR THE BRAVE” (FEAT. DERYCK WHIBLEY) “DIVISION STREET” “SLEEPS SOCIETY“ “CALL OF THE VOID” (FEAT. SLEEPS SOCIETY) “DN3 3HT”
The young Finns from ARION have presented one of their heaviest songs to date with their new single/video “I Love To Be Your Enemy”.
Just recently the band around guitarist Iivo Kaipainen had released a terrific power ballad with “In The Name Of Love” – including a superb video.
Now closing in on their 1st decade of existence (which saw the band play a successful European tour as special guest of Battle Beast), the fabulous fivesome of Finns get punchy. Their third outing “Vultures Die Alone” (out April 9th) redefines melodic metal for 2021 and beyond. Beautifully balanced, meticulously honed, and streamlined to modern metal perfection, Arion’s 3rd album “Vultures Die Alone” is an extremely addictive album.
It is like a 10–round bout against a true heavyweight contender… who goes at you with kid gloves.
Sometimes the fiery pleasure comes a little later: This is also the case with the German heavy/power metallers ORDEN OGAN, who just celebrated the release of their new album “Final Days” on March 12th. A few days later, the band now presents their official music video for the single “Let The Fire Rain”. No expense or effort was spared for this: One has seldom seen more pyros in a video clip.
“Let The Fire Rain” quickly emerged as a fan favorite. The fourth single from “Final Days”, following “In The Dawn Of The AI”, “Heart Of The Android” and “Inferno”, is an 80s heavy metal inspired track with an irresistible refrain.
The choir part contained in the middle section was recorded at the last Orden Ogan concert so far, the sold out “Saloon Showdown” event in September 2019 – and the chants come from none others than than the band’s own fans.
Heavy alternative rockers CICADASTONE have released their long-awaited new album Cold Chamber via Golden Robot Records, available on CD, vinyl and digital, with the record launch at Melbourne’s Stay Gold tonight. The past year saw the release of 3 huge singles lifted from Cold Chamber, ‘Box Of Anger’, ‘Dying in Sunshine’ and ‘Out Of Sight’, and earlier this week, the band dropped a fourth single ‘Slave In A Cage’ to whet the appetites of fans ahead of the release today of the official music video for the track, alongside the full album.
Described as somewhat of a tribute to the 80’s sci-fi classic, “They Live”, Matt Robins (guitar/vocals) explains the concept behind the ‘Slave in a Cage’ video clip, “The theme of the song and film were similar, so it was great to merge the two together. The music video shows a story of a girl stuck in her day-to-day life, but by chance, discovers what’s secretly around us all…a society being controlled and manipulated as we live our lives – but there is a twist to the story at the end!”
Cicadastone’sCold Chamber is an album that continues to push the grunge rock boundaries and picks up where the 90’s movement left off. An authentic dark and melodically driven soundscape, powerful in its execution, the songs are complex in design and detail, yet flow with simplicity and ease.
Cold Chamber is a musical landscape of twists and turns, and a journey you don’t see much in modern albums, with its own unique sound while staying truly authentic to the genre – a difficult task in a time when it’s all been done before.
The 2LP black vinyl edition, features 2 additional live acoustic tracks, (not available on the CD or digital version of the album).
COLD CHAMBER – TRACK LISTING Red Eye Raven Slave In A Cage Incandescent Out Of Sight Dying In Sunshine Burden That You Wear Call It What You Will Box Of Anger Cold Chamber Dime A Dozen X-Rays Of Our Minds Slow Motion Down River Second Guessing (live acoustic) *** Headlights On (live acoustic) ***
Portuguese prog metallers SULLEN have unleashed their moving “Acheronta Movebo” studio video. Recorded live at Stone Sound Studio on August 9th, 2020 the track comes off the band’s Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion full-length, released earlier this month.
Comments drummer Marcelo Aires of the track, “‘Acheronta Movebo’ stands out as a piece of severe introspection, drowning in meaning and emotion. This theme evokes the internal battles that each of us, as human beings, face in certain moments of our lives. A hellish maze from which we destroy and rebuild ourselves, no matter the circumstances. In this particular song, progressive rock molds itself and shapeshifts in a somewhat low pace, as the memories of this battle ensue and the flashbacks occur mercilessly, reminding us of the hard path ahead.”
View SULLEN’s “Acheronta Movebo” studio video at THIS LOCATION.
View the band’s previously released videos for “Memento” HERE and “The Prodigal Sun” HERE.
SULLEN is a collective force of multiple personalities driven by a common search for new musical possibilities. Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion establishes a sonic evolution from the band’s 2015 Post-Human debut, while retaining the somber nature that characterizes their music. Layered textures of fierce vocals, guitars, drums, synths, and sound effects are intertwined with meditative passages, all permeated by the turmoil of changing time signatures and elusive chord progressions that make for an enticing listening experience, shaking listeners to their very core and inspiring meditation into the depths of the human soul. Embrace this journey with an open mind and heart and you’ll be taken to higher realms of existence and consciousness.
Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion is available digitally via Nuclear Blast’s digital subsidiary, Blood Blast Distribution, and on limited edition CD independently by the band.
Find digital orders at THIS LOCATION where the record can be streamed in full. For physical orders, visit the SULLEN Bandcamp page HERE.
“Nodus Tollens” is a neologism by John Koenig, creator of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, used to define the feeling of insecurity that some people get when they find that their lives don’t make sense anymore. Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion portrays the apprehension of reality and the need for a paradigm shift; the realization that you’re not following the arc of the story – you must go back and reread the chapters you skimmed to get to the good parts – and that all along you were supposed to choose your own adventure.
“You know you’re in for a journey when the band’s album title says it’s an ‘Act.’ And what a journey this is. Nodus Tollens… reminds me of a Caligula’s Horse record with occasional growls and some Haken moments here and there. This one is moody, rhythmically awkward… a solid prog record.” – Metal Injection“I’ve listened a number of times now, and I still feel like there are little secrets to discover, hidden passageways and hidden artifacts in the songs… these songs are bangers. They move fearlessly with purpose and meaning.” – Metal Asylum
“Progressive metal, melodic death metal, jazz metal and math metal are woven together in a kind of dystopic tapestry with clean production that presentably allows you to hear every overt and subtle nuance of SULLEN’s songwriting. This is an album that’s accessible to more than one audience without compromising any of the band’s originality.” — Asphyxium
“SULLEN finally returns from its 2015 debut with a more refined mixture of ambient electronica, progressive metal, and even some melodic death influences. Layered textures of intricate guitars, delicate synths, and vocals both clean and harsh define this quality progressive metal permeated by a gloomy feel…” – Cave Dweller Music
“…a damn fine display of gloriously melodic prog metal art…” – No Clean Singing
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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 ) 