Heavily distorted and down-tuned sounds turn the legendary fields of the German Freak Valley Festival into madness. The undisputed masters of fantastical otherworldly sludgy doom, CONAN, will cast a spell on the listener and propel them straight into the crowd, captured in dust.
Three years after the release of the ferocious caveman battle doom masterpiece Existential Void Guardian, CONAN waves the flag of Pain again and releases Live At Freak Valley on March 12, 2021 via Napalm Records. After their 2013 live album, recorded at Roadburn festival, and the self-released Live At Bannermans, their third live album could not be recorded at a better place than Freak Valley Festival.
“Satsumo” is oppression, massiveness and rage. The first single and video breaks out as a harbinger of the devastation that CONAN brought at their massive show at Freak Valley Festival. With mechanical wizardry heaped upon their pure-hearted compositions, they cement their colossal and brutish live ascendancy! HAIL CONAN!
Tracklist Live At Freak Valley: 1. Gravity Chasm 2. Throne of Fire 3. Thunderhoof 4. Battle in the Swamp 5. Hawk as Weapon 6. Satsumo 7. Foehammer 8. Total Conquest 9. Revengeance
Line up: Jon Davis – vocals, guitar (2006-present) Chris Fielding – bass (2013–present) Johnny King – drums (2017–present)
Ronnie James Dio joined BLACK SABBATH in 1979 which resulted in two back-to-back classic albums: Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules. On those memorable albums, Dio’s soaring tenor and gothic songwriting were the perfect foil for the band’s bone-crushing mix of razor-sharp riffs, intense grooves, and dark imagery.
Rhino salutes the long shadow cast by this short-lived lineup with newly remastered versions of both albums expanded with rare and unreleased music. HEAVEN AND HELL: DELUXE EDITION and MOB RULES: DELUXE EDITION will be released separately on March 5. Each album will be available on 2-CDs ($19.98), or a 2-LPs ($31.98). Due to space constraints, both vinyl editions include a selection of bonus material from the CDs. The music will also be available via digital download and streaming services the same day. A rare live version of “Heaven And Hell” and a previously unreleased live version of “The Mob Rules” are both available today as digital singles. Click HERE to listen now.
Dio joined Black Sabbath for the first time in 1979 and quickly found kindred spirits in guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward. When Heaven And Hell was released in April 1980, the album was met with effusive reviews for the band’s return to form on metal masterpieces like “Neon Knights” and the title track. The album reached #9 in the U.K. and #28 in the U.S., where it was also certified platinum.
HEAVEN AND HELL: DELUXE EDITION adds several bonus tracks that have never been released in North America, including versions of “Children Of The Sea” and “Die Young” recorded live in 1980 in Hartford, CT. The set concludes with live rarities like “E5150” and “Neon Knights” that originally appeared in 2007 on the Rhino Handmade’s limited edition collection, Black Sabbath: Live At Hammersmith Odeon.
To follow-up Heaven And Hell, the group returned to the studio in 1981 to begin recording Mob Rules, with drummer Vinny Appice joining the band for the first time. Released in October 1981 and certified gold, the album was another Sabbath classic, including standouts like “The Sign Of The Southern Cross,” “Turn Up The Night” and the title track.
MOB RULES: DELUXE EDITION boasts an expansive selection of rare and unreleased recordings. Along with additional tracks from Live At Hammersmith Odeon, the collection also includes a newly mixed version of “The Mob Rules.” The cherry on top is an entire concert recorded in 1982 in Portland, OR. Highlights include stellar performances of “Neon Knights” “Heaven And Hell” and “Voodoo.”
The Dio-fronted lineup disbanded in 1982 but reunited a decade later to record Dehumanizer and tour before going on hiatus again. The group came together again in 2006 to record three new songs for Rhino’s era-spanning collection, Black Sabbath: The Dio Years. The collaboration led to a highly anticipated world tour in 2007 where the group was billed as Heaven And Hell. Their final album of new material, 2009’s The Devil You Know, again demonstrated the musical bond between the band members was unparalleled.
HEAVEN AND HELL: DELUXE EDITION 2-CD Track Listing Disc One: Original Album (2021 Remaster)
“Neon Knights”
“Children Of The Sea”
“Lady Evil”
“Heaven And Hell”
“Wishing Well”
“Die Young”
“Walk Away”
“Lonely Is The Word”
Disc Two: Bonus Tracks
“Children Of The Sea” – Live B-Side Of “Neon Knights” *
“Heaven And Hell” – Live B-Side Of “Die Young” *
“Lady Evil” – 7” Mono Edit (unreleased on CD) Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT (August 10, 1980)
“Neon Knights” *
“Children Of The Sea” *
“Heaven And Hell” *
“Die Young” * Hammersmith Odeon, London (Dec 31, 1981- Jan 2, 1982)
“E5150”
“Neon Knights”
“Children Of The Sea”
“Heaven And Hell”
2-LP Track Listing Side One 1. “Neon Knights” 2. “Children Of The Sea” 3. “Lady Evil” 4. “Heaven And Hell”
Side Two 1. “Wishing Well” 2. “Die Young” 3. “Walk Away” 4. “Lonely Is The Word”
Side Thee 1. “Children Of The Sea” – Live B-Side Of “Neon Knights” * 2. “Heaven And Hell” – Live B-Side Of “Die Young” * 3. “Lady Evil” – 7” Mono Edit (unreleased on CD) 4. “Neon Knights” – Live 1980 *
Side Four 1. “Children Of The Sea” – Live 1980 * 2. “Heaven And Hell” – Live 1980 * 3. “Die Young” – Live 1980 *
MOB RULES: DELUXE EDITION 2-CD Track Listing Disc One: Original Album (2021 Remaster) 1. “Turn Up The Night” 2. “Voodoo” 3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross” 4. “E5150” 5. “The Mob Rules” 6. “Country Girl” 7. “Slipping Away” 8. “Falling Off The Edge Of The World” 9. “Over And Over”
Bonus Tracks 10. “The Mob Rules” – Heavy Metal Soundtrack Version 11. “Die Young” – Live B-Side Of “Mob Rules” 7” * 12. “The Mob Rules” – New 2021 Mix ** Live At The Hammersmith Odeon London (31/12/81 – 2/1/82) 13. “Country Girl” 14. “Slipping Away” 15. “The Mob Rules” 16. “Voodoo” Live At Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, April 22, 1982 17. Intro ** 18. “Neon Knights” **
Disc Two: Bonus Tracks Live At Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, April 22, 1982 1. “N.I.B.” ** 2. “Children Of The Sea” ** 3. “Voodoo” ** 4. “Black Sabbath” ** 5. “War Pigs” ** 6. Drum Solo ** 7. “Iron Man” ** 8. “The Mob Rules” ** 9. “Heaven And Hell” ** 10. Guitar Solo ** 11. “Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell” – Reprise ** 12. “Paranoid” ** 13. “Children Of The Grave” **
2-LP Track Listing Side One 1. “Turn Up The Night” 2. “Voodoo” 3. “The Sign Of The Southern Cross” 4. “E5150” 5. “The Mob Rules”
Side Two 1. “Country Girl” 2. “Slipping Away” 3. “Falling Off The Edge Of The World” 4. “Over And Over”
Side Three 1. “The Mob Rules” – Heavy Metal Soundtrack Version 2. “Die Young” – Live B-Side Of “Mob Rules” 7” * 3. “The Mob Rules” – New 2021 Mix ** 4. “Sign Of The Southern Cross/Heaven And Hell” – Reprise **
Side Four Live At The Hammersmith Odeon London (31/12/81 – 2/1/82) 1. “Country Girl” 2. “Slipping Away” 3. “The Mob Rules” 4. “Voodoo”
* previously unreleased in North America ** previously unreleased
Get ready for some raw and mind-blowing Extreme Metal illustrating the ugliness of this world in the upcoming sonic masterpiece! ILLT drop their debut single titled “Scythian King”, and you can listen to it here: https://orcd.co/scythianking
ILLT is the alter ego of Norwegian composer and guitarist Roy Westad. It’s an uncompromising sandbox and a culmination of decades of passion and love for extreme metal as an art form. His debut album features session musicians from Megadeth, Soilwork, Chrome Division and Nile. The album was mixed by Kurt Ballou @ Godcity and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Alan Douches.
ILLT has commented: «Scythian King is about warfare in the dark ages (the previous period, not the one we’re heading into now), and how man’s intolerance, fear, constant all-consuming greed and self-interest has brutally shaped the world over thousands of years. I had great fun writing a song with swords in it without actually having to pose with one.»
On January 11th, Symphonic black metallers WELICORUSS premiered their “Welicoruss – 15 years of Madness” documentary. The documentary is available in Russian, English, German and Czech subtitles.
Watch the documentary here:
The band stated about the documentary: “We have been waiting for this moment, our long-awaiting documentary (or as we used to call it “DVD” in broadcastings, although this medium has lost its relevance) is out now, dedicated to our 15th anniversary and it’s called “15 years of madness” in 4 languages (Russian, English, German and Czech)! Thiss quite voluminous work, including footage taken from the very begining of Welicoruss and first concerts in Russia, opinions of musicians playing in Welicoruss at different times, colleagues of metal scene, business guys, fans, backstage footage and much more! This documentary, we think, is interesting not only for Welicoruss’ fans, but also for heavy music lovers who want to learn more about metal scene in Russia (Siberia), to follow Alexey’s complicated path from distant Siberia to Prague and to know what is behind bands music and conception. We have been waiting for that moment for a long time, we hope you too!”
Just recently, WELICORUSS released a new live video for ‘Frostbounded’, from ‘Enter The Eternal Fire Fest 2020’, in case you missed it, watch it here: https://youtu.be/X30_zAGXunI
Also check out WELICORUSS drummer Ilya Tabachnik’s performance of two cool drum cover videos:
WELICORUSS released their latest album “Siberian Heathen Horde” on March 27th 2020, via El Puerto Records worldwide. Get your copy of “Siberian Heathen Horde” here – https://bit.ly/2UvYVlS
Symphonic Black Metal From The Coldest Depths of Siberia is what WELICORUSS (formed in 2005) have brought with them to us here in Europe. WELICORUSS appeared in Europe 4 years ago and they have already played all the biggest festival across the whole Europe and playing over 320 concerts. You will be absolutely stunned by their stage performance and imagery as they take you away on a journey far away to Depths of Icy Cold Siberia and back.
BE THE WOLF, the original band of songwriter Federico Mondelli (Frozen Crown, Volturian), have released a video for the song ‘Teenage Mutants’, the new single taken from the upcoming new album ‘Torino’.
Watch the video here:
Be The Wolf return three years after the latest ‘Empress’ with the fourth album which, starting from the title, marks a sort of return to the past for them: ‘Torino’.
The trio retraces their entire experience in an album that encompasses the pop frenzy of the debut album, the torrid blues of the enigmatic ‘Rouge’ and the hard rock attitude of the third album, offering their best release ever.
Produced once again by Andrea Fusini (also behind the soundboard for Frozen Crown and Volturian), ‘Torino’ will see the light of the day on January 15, 2021.
Austrian symphonic power metal heroes DRAGONY are about to release their epic new fulllength, Viribus Unitis, this Friday, January 15 via Napalm Records, and today, unveil their third single, “Legends Never Die”. Prepare for “the most Austrian metal album of all time” (Stormbringer.at), as we return to the days when the country was ruled by emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, empress Sisi. But forget everything you’ve heard and read so far! According to DRAGONY and their upcoming opus Viribus Unitis, history took a completely different turn.
After setting the stage with their first offering, “Gods Of War”, featuring special guest songwriter Tommy Johansson (SABATON) and Tomas Svedin (SYMPHONY OF TRAGEDY), followed by glory metal hymn “Golden Dawn”, DRAGONY now unveil their third single, “Legends Never Die”: History is (re-)written in this contemporary-sounding closer! With its catchy chorus, everything is set for the grand finale. Along with rapid riffing and keys on point, the song serves as an epilogue to the story of Viribus Unitis, looking at the way the legends of the Habsburg rulers were created and have been adapted and re-told throughout the years.
Singer Siegfried Samer on “Legends Never Die”: “Legends Never Die” can be regarded as the epilogue to the storyline of Viribus Unitis, that culminates in the final, epic battle in the song “Battle Royale”.
In “Legends Never Die”, we take a step back to look at the story we just told from an outside perspective, and remind ourselves and the listener that eventually, most history can be turned into “just a story”, and that even though all empires fall one day, all men must die, and all times – good and bad – must pass, at the end of the day, the memories of those persons and events that influenced us, regardless of whether it was through politics, through philosophy, through music, literature or through other forms of art, will always stay with us and are thus immortalized; and that the stories that may be told about these legendary persons and events, just like these “legends” themselves, never truly die.”
Watch the official video for “Legends Never Die”HERE:
Founded in 2007 and after releasing three studio records, DRAGONY returns to its rock opera roots on their brand new output. On Viribus Unitis the Austrian-based unit unveils what really happened at the time of the last Habsburg ruler of Austria, emperor Franz Joseph, his wife, empress Sisi, and their son, the troubled Archduke Rudolf. Let’s clear the assumption that Rudolph died after trying to take his life at castle Mayerling in 1889. No way! Instead, after his mother Sisi is assassinated in 1898 in Switzerland, he subsequently gets in contact with dark powers which, driven by his desire to be with her again, make him turn to black magic and demonology. Now history takes its true course. There are not only zombies and cyberpunks lurking – DRAGONY also managed to prove further entanglements of well-known personalities you could never imagine…
For the exciting adventure cemented in their upcoming album, DRAGONY are supported by well-known colleagues like Tommy Johansson (SABATON, MAJESTICA, SYMPHONY OF TRAGEDY), Tomas Svedin (SYMPHONY OF TRAGEDY), Michele Guaitoli (VISIONS OF ATLANTIS) and Georg Neuhauser (SERENITY) – just to name a few. Mixing and mastering on Viribus Unitis was handled by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann of ORDEN OGAN in his Greenman Studios in Germany.
Siegfried Samer on the new album, Viribus Unitis: “Viribus Unitis marks both a return to our musical roots as well as a next step into the future for DRAGONY, as we are returning to a “rock opera concept” album similar to our debut Legends, but at the same time, we have evolved musically and are delivering what we consider our heaviest and most diverse album to date. And even though we are taking a bit of a creative approach with the source material, the concept story of the album is deeply intertwined with the history of Austria and in particular with the end of the Habsburg monarchy, which is often romanticized in Austria and ingrained in our collective consciousness. We are therefore thrilled to be able to release this very special album on an Austrian label, Napalm Records, and hope that both old and new fans of DRAGONY will enjoy the brand new songs!”
Could DRAGONY’s rewriting of history mark a new revelation of hidden truths previously shrouded in fantasy? Only Viribus Unitis tells all!
VAN CANTO’s Inga Scharf about the new album, Viribus Unitis: “With Viribus Unitis, DRAGONY have delivered an album with expressive and melodically rousing songs. Power, melodies and catchy riffs – a history lesson of a very special kind that catches your ears incredibly quickly and stays there. And best of all: every time you listen to it again, you discover your next favorite song.”
SABATON’s Tommy Johansson on his appearance as guest songwriter on “Gods Of War”: “What DRAGONY did to ‘Gods of War’ is far beyond what I could have expected it to turn out when this song was written. How they play and sing this song is just glorious! It’s so powerful and you can sing along to the chorus right away. I’m happy and honored I got to be a part of DRAGONY, and the song suits well to the rest of this epic album!
Viribus Unitis tracklist: 1. On the Blue Danube 2. Gods of War 3. Love You to Death 4. Magic 5. Darkness Within 6. A.E.I.O.U. 7. Viribus Unitis 8. Golden Dawn 9. Made of Metal (Cyberpunk Joseph) 10. Battle Royale 11. Legends Never Die 12. Haben Sie Wien schon bei Nacht geseh’n
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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
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 