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OBSIDIAN TONGUE Announce West Coast Headlining Tour

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 21, 2025

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: OBSIDIAN TONGUE. Leave a comment

Progressive black metal duo OBSIDIAN TONGUE will be embarking on a West Coast U.S. headliner next month! The trek will kick off in Seattle, WA on September 18 and will dominate 10 cities until the final stop in Spring Valley, CA on September 27. The tour will not only celebrate the release of OBSIDIAN TONGUE‘s latest studio album, ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn.” The full itinerary can be found below!

‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn,’ which is out now via Profound Lore Records and can be ordered HERE.

Comprised of multi-instrumentalist Brendan Hayter (Thrawsunblat/Obsequiae live) and drummer Raymond Capizzo (Falls Of Rauros/Panopticon live), OBSIDIAN TONGUE returned to the all-analog Mystic Valley Studio, where their first two records were made, to print their Covid-era home sessions onto two-inch tape. Mixed and mastered in the analog domain as well by Alex Garcia-Rivera, ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ boasts a unique and unmistakable sonic force amidst the modern digital landscape; created with a total absence of click tracks, quantization, or sound replacement of any kind.

OBSIDIAN TONGUE Tour Dates:

09/18: Seattle, WA @ BYC
09/19: Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s
09/20: Portland, OR @ High Water Mark
09/21: Olympia, WA @ The Crypt
09/22: Medford, OR @ Rockafairy Express
09/23: Nevada City, NV @ The Owl Cave
09/24: Santa Rosa, CA @ The Shop
09/25: Fresno, CA @ Summer Fox Brewing
09/26: Los Angeles, CA @ Five Star Bar
09/27: Spring Valley, CA @ The Bancroft

Tracklisting:
01 – Orphaned Spiritual Warrior
02 – Snakeskin Tunnel Colony
03 – Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn [LISTEN]
04 – To Forgive Oneself [WATCH]
05 – …And Still They Dream…
06 – Theater of Smoke & Wind

Lauded as USBM’s best kept secret, Obsidian Tongue has been on a steadfast artistic journey since their formation in 2009. They’ve never failed to retain the original mission of playing raw and cathartic melodic black metal as they journeyed further into psychedelic and progressive territories with each release following 2012’s self-released debut ‘Subradiant Architecture.’ While their debut won a passionate following for its perfect union of the grimy and the epic sides of black metal, it was 2013’s ‘A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time’ (Hypnotic Dirge Records) and its psychedelic dark metal that established their name more into the scene and showcased their ambitious nature even more.

2015’s 15-minute single ‘The Lakeside Redemption,’ with its progressive, haunting, dreamlike and triumphant elements, set the groundwork for their third full length, which took several years of tireless effort to complete. Released in Jan of 2020, ‘Volume III’ (Bindrune Recordings) was clearly the band’s magnum opus but all plans to support the album on the road became thwarted due to the pandemic. So all there was left to do was write even more music. This gradually led to a creation of not one, but three works: the first being 2024’s much-delayed self-released digital EP ‘The Stone Heart’ and the second being their fourth full-length album ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ to be released via Profound Lore Records on May 30, 2025.

In the summer of 2024, Obsidian Tongue, comprised of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Brendan Hayter (Thrawsunblat/Obsequiae live) and drummer Raymond Capizzo (Falls Of Rauros/Panopticon live) returned to the all-analog Mystic Valley Studio, where their first two records were made, to print their Covid-era home sessions onto two-inch tape. Mixed and mastered in the analog domain as well by Alex Garcia-Rivera, ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ boasts a unique and unmistakable sonic force amidst the modern digital landscape; created with a total absence of click tracks, quantization, or sound replacement of any kind.

The progressive black metal journey that is ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ takes off immediately with the wrathful sounds of “Orphaned Spiritual Warrior” and “Snakeskin Tunnel Colony,” easily the band’s two heaviest tracks to date. These flow directly into the apocalyptic title track, and onto the vulnerable and surreal sounds of “To Forgive Oneself” leading into the acoustic instrumental “…And Still They Dream.” This dream ends with the triumphant “Theater of Smoke & Wind,” a true psychedelic black metal classic that still evokes some of the original feeling found on the band’s ‘Subradiant Architecture’ debut.

Sixteen years into the band’s existence, Obsidian Tongue clearly show no signs of running out of new ways to alter their sound – song by song, album by album.

Lineup:
Brendan Hayter – Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Synth
Raymond Capizzo – Drums

Recorded @ Mystic Valley Studio
Mixed & Mastered by Alex Garcia-Rivera

More info: Instagram – Facebook – Apple Music – Spotify – Bandcamp

STEVE GORDON MIA Shares Stories Behind Recording & Writing His First Two Singles, Incl. ‘We Go To War’, Feat. Ray West on Lead Vocals

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 21, 2025

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: STEVE GORDON MIA. Leave a comment

“We Go To War (feat. Ray West)” introduced STEVE GORDON MIA‘s hard rock firepower. With his latest single “Pharaoh Lives”, Steve Gordon proves that even without words, the guitar alone can lead the charge. Now Steve Gordon shares some stories behind the songs.

First up, Steve Gordon talks about the meaning behind his song “We Go To War (feat. Ray West)”. He clarifies that the song is about relationships and not actual war. He explains that the song is about the feeling of being with a partner so much that you sometimes feel like you’re going crazy and need a minute to yourself. He reiterates that it’s “real life”, not “real war”.

Steve Gordon follows by talking about his instrumental rock track titled “Pharaoh Lives”. He explains that he didn’t name the track until it was completely finished because it didn’t have any lyrics to draw the title from. He decided on the name after listening to the track and feeling that the beginning of the song sounded “a little Egyptian”. He mentions his personal interest in the subject, including watching documentaries on King Tut and lost Egyptian treasures. Since pharaohs no longer exist, he felt that his pharaoh “lives in that song”, leading to the title “Pharaoh Lives”.

YouTube Playlist Sharing the Stories, here.

Listen to:
WE GO TO WAR: https://hypeddit.com/stevegordonmia/wegotowarfeatraywest
PHARAOH LIVES: https://hypeddit.com/stevegordonmia/pharaohlives

Known for his work on more than 50 Gold and Platinum albums alongside legends like Bon Jovi, Prince, Rob Thomas, James Ingram, Rita Marley, Betty Wright, Motley Crüe / 2 Live Crew, Morgan Wallen, Najee, Donell Jones, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Matt Kramer (Saigon Kick), Inner Circle, Brian Howe (Bad Company), Betty Wright, Phyllis Hyman, Regina Belle, Tito Jackson, Steve Gordon’s latest work proves he’s not just a master behind the scenes — he’s a commanding creative force in his own right.

Early Reviews:

“A cinematic instrumental rock and metal journey that speaks volumes without a single lyric.” – We Write About Music (USA)

“A ferocious rock guitar track that resurrects the intensity of classic guitar gods.” – Korli Blog (UK)

“Steve Gordon MIA celebrates his solo debut with an explosive instrumental rock instrumental track.” – Time for Metal (Germany)

“A sweeping, apocalyptic instrumental that showcases both precision and passion.” – Rockear.co (Latin America)

Spread Eagle’s Ray West on working with Steve Gordon, “Collaborating with my talented compadre Steve Gordon is all about the joy of making cool music, while having way too much fun. Steve’s got a high energy personality, and an approach to writing that is infectious, not to mention a maniacal sense of humor that will have you laughing so hard, your face will hurt.

Those who know his studio credits know how good his ears are, but as a musician he’s what I call “A two headed beast guitar player” because he not only writes the coolest solo’s, he’s also gifted with a great sense of rhythm, which for me is the icing on the cake.”

About Steve Gordon

Steve Gordon has contributed guitar work to some of the most iconic recordings & movie soundtracks of the past three decades. A seasoned studio and stage veteran, he’s worked with artists spanning Rob Thomas, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Howard Hewett, Rita Marley, Wu-Tang Clan, and many more. As Steve Gordon MIA, he now channels that legacy into a solo career that fuses old-school power with modern cinematic metal.

More information:
https://stevegordonmia.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576615768613
https://www.instagram.com/stevegordon_mia
https://youtube.com/@stevegordon1562

CULTUS BLACK Announce Debut Headlining Tour “The Autumn Horror Road Show”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 21, 2025

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: CULTUS BLACK. Leave a comment

Cultus Black, the enigmatic masked collective known for their unsettling stage presence, has officially announced their debut headlining tour “The Autumn Horror Road Show”. Kicking off October 3rd, the band will unleash their signature blend of metalcore and nu-metal across the east coast —just in time for the Halloween season.

Over the past few years, Cultus Black has earned a reputation for their chaotic and theatrical live shows while touring alongside heavyweights such as Static-X, Fear Factory, Combichrist, and Vampires Everywhere. Now, they’re stepping into the spotlight with an immersive headline experience of their own.

Joining “The Autumn Horror Road Show” on select dates are industrial-metal pioneers Crossbreed, adding even more intensity to an already unforgettable night.

If you’re craving an intense live show with unsettling visuals and heavy music…then this is the tour for you.

October 3rd- Capital city Music Hall -Harrisburg, Pa
October 4th – The foundry – Cleveland, Oh
October 5th – The Spot – Roanoke, VA
October 8th – The Orpheum – Ybor city, FL
October 9th – Conduit – Winter Park, FL
October 10th – Ground Zero – SC
October 11th – Chapel of Bones – Raleigh, NC

Tickets and full tour dates are available now at www.cultusblack.com

Alex Landenburg’s ROKK Streaming Responds to Spotify’s Price Increase

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 21, 2025

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Alex Landenburg, Peter Moog, ROKK. Leave a comment

While Spotify has announced price increases in several regions, including Germany and other European countries, where prices will rise from €10.99 to €12.99 per month, ROKK is taking a different path.

According to our first performance reports, ROKK pays artists at least 5 to 6 times more per stream – while still keeping the monthly subscription at just €10.99, even as others increase their prices.

Alex Landenburg (Co-Founder, ROKK):
“Streaming doesn’t need to be more expensive and unfair. We want to prove that fans can actually save money while bands earn significantly more. That’s exactly what ROKK is all about. Plus our app sounds a lot better.”

As a summer special, users can enter the code 666 and pay only €6.66 per month for the first three months (after the free trial, available only on https://welcome-to-rokk.com).
ROKK covers the difference — so the artist still gets the full payout, just as if you were paying the regular price.

Photo: Founders Alex Landenburg and Peter Moog

About ROKK:

ROKK is a new music streaming platform dedicated to fairness, transparency, and support for real artists, with a special focus on Rock, Metal, and alternative music. With Direct Artist Support and a growing global library, ROKK is building a future where music stays real and more musicians can make a living from their music again.

ROKK is available now on iOS, Android, and on the web at rokk.app throughout Europe and the UK, with plans to expand to other territories soon.

Learn more about ROKK at https://www.youtube.com/@ROKKSTREAMING

Follow ROKK:
https://www.facebook.com/rokkstreamingapp
https://www.instagram.com/rokkstreaming/

NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER Drop ‘The Executioner’ Video/Single from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 20, 2025

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“The Executioner” is the latest video/single from Australia’s NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER. The scathing new hymn comes by way of the band’s I Watched You Burn full-length set for release on September 12th via Bleeding Art Collective and Blood Blast Distribution (Nuclear Blast Records/Believe).

Offers guitarist Justin Ellis of the track, “‘The Executioner’ is our hardest hitting and most pit inducing song yet from the upcoming album. It has massive grooves, throwdowns and blasts of mayhem; a song that just brings together everything that inspires and identifies NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER. The video captures the violent unravelling of the conceptual character behind I Watched You Burn and picks up from where the end of the last music video [for the album’s title track] left off; it’s confronting and the most intense music video we have done to date. When we filmed the clip, we had actually just finished a national tour the night before, so we look as unhinged as the video itself.”

Watch NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER’s previously released video for “I Watched You Burn” HERE. Stream “Garden Of The Grieving Mother” HERE.

I Watched You Burn was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Suffocation, Cryptopsy, The Agonist, Get The Shot) and will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats.

Find preorders in the US HERE, in Australia/New Zealand/Asia HERE, and in Europe/UK HERE.

NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER is a four-piece metal-driven hardcore act from Ballarat, Victoria. The band’s critically acclaimed 2022-released debut full-length, The Bones That Grew From Pain, led to features in key music media outlets including Decibel Magazine and a front-page feature in HEAVY Mag while also featuring on a number of renowned Spotify Playlists. Wall Of Sound hailed, “a massive slab of chest-beating heaviness, tailor-made for the live stage,” while Angry Metal Guy wrote, “The album is an economical burner with 37 minutes of crushing riffs, blasting drums and screaming vocals. As the name suggests, NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER never relent.” New Noise concurred, “If you’re looking to take a break from fancy, artsy heavy music and need something that’ll strictly tap into your aggression and resolve, The Bones That Grew From Pain is a viable option… relentless.”

This year’s follow-up, I Watched You Burn, continues the trajectory. “If this album was a Nic Cage film, it would be Mandy,” vocalist and lyricist Nick Moriarty notes. “It’s dark, savage, and has a righteous thirst for bloody vengeance; we are pushing our sound to new extremes.

“I Watched You Burn as a whole is a bit of a concept album lyrically,” he further elaborates, “one that continues exploring the themes which were covered in our earlier releases but builds on these concepts in more of a narrative and fantastical story-driven manner. Where [2021’s] Cast You Out EP was an introspective exploration of the self-struggling to overcome adversity in an unforgiving world, The Bones That Grew From Pain was a reflection of how the people around us handle the same burdens and project our misery outwards. I Watched You Burn is the culmination of a world which has unraveled and imploded under the weight of its occupants’ ignorance and malicious past, and a first person perspective into the extermination of all life on Earth. This is the tale of an immortal serial killer on a dying planet, coming to terms with life, death, and what it truly means to be human.”

Adds Ellis, “Working with [engineer] Dylan Volk on this album was a lot of fun. We did so much preproduction on this release and picked apart every track I wrote. We really wanted to make sure we picked the absolute best riffs and built on those ideas. After making sure every track was dialed in, we started tracking and knocked it out in a few weeks. This is our heaviest and most punishing release so far. It feels like the next level for NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER and makes me excited to continue writing more music in the future.”

In early 2025, it was revealed in The Guardian that the actor Nicolas Cage himself is a fan of the band, not only commenting that he thinks the band is terrific, but also quoting some of the band’s lyrics in an interview. With vicious go-for-the-throat sound and an incendiary live performance, NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER have truly earned the reputation of their namesake.

NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER:
Nick Moriarty – vocals
Justin Ellis – guitars
Matt Davenport – drums
Connor McMillan – bass

https://allmylinks.com/nicolascagefighter3350
https://nicolascagefighter.com
https://www.instagram.com/nicolascagefighter/
https://www.facebook.com/NicolasCageFighter
https://x.com/NCF3350
https://nicolascagefighter.bandcamp.com
https://www.bleedingartcollective.com
https://www.instagram.com/bleedingartcollective
https://www.facebook.com/BleedingArtCollective

Autograph Frontman STEVE PLUNKETT Turns Up The Radio for 2025

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 20, 2025

Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: STEVE PLUNKETT. Leave a comment

One of the most memorable genre defining hits of 1985, Autograph’s “Turn Up The Radio,” comes in for a thorough reworking and rerecording, as the title track and first single from founder and frontman Steve Plunkett’s new album – a dramatic sonic overhaul of the band’s gold selling debut LP.

SINGLE: https://orcd.co/steveplunkett_turnuptheradio

Formed in Los Angeles in 1983, where they were discovered by famed producer Andy Johns, Autograph initially came to notice as they toured with Van Halen – in fact, the band only settled on a name on their way to Florida for the first show of the tour!

Their debut album, the epic Sign In Please, followed later in the year – a slow starter to begin with but, once it entered the Billboard chart in June 1985, it sometimes felt as though it would never leave.

“Turn Up The Radio” had a lot to do with that, dominating not only radio and MTV, but also an episode of Miami Vice – one of the key “must watch TV” shows of the day. Wryly, Steve Plunkett later revealed that the band’s label didn’t want the song to even appear on the album, “because they thought it had no commercial value.”

Instead it became a metal classic, making VH-1’s Top 100 Hard Rock Songs, the New York Times’ Top 15 Essential Hair Metal Videos and topping Guitar Player’s Guitar Solo of the Year poll. It is still being played today.

“1985 was a great year for me,” reflects Plunkett today. “Autograph released their first album and it was a hit! We toured constantly and lived the Rock’n’ Roll dream. That album made an impact at rock radio and with the fans.

“Now, for the 40 th anniversary, I wanted to Sign in Again with all new recordings and a 2025 sonic take. Not Autograph – because I could never improve on that record, but a Steve Plunkett ‘solo’ version focused on the songs. I hope these new versions will make you rock again like we did back in the day. Turn it up!”

All ten of the original album’s tracks are here, beginning – of course! – with that unforgettable opening triptych of “Send Her To Me” (the band’s second single, in early 1985), “Turn Up The Radio” and “Nineteen and Non Stop.”

Plunkett has tinkered a little with the running order – “Cloud 10” shifts from the first half of the album to the middle of the second, and “In The Night” replaces “All I’m Gonna Take” as the closing number.

But fresh arrangements and electrifying performances more than compensate for any unfamiliarity, Plunkett’s post-Autograph success scoring movies and TV invoking startling new dimensions and directions to the music.

It’s time to Turn Up The Music again!

CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=steve+plunkett+turn+up+the+radio
DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/steveplunkett_turnuptheradio2025

Track List: