Carmeria - gothic metal goes acoustic

Carmeria

Trinity: Volume I

14 February 2025

1.Lost in the Snow 3:47

2.Solaris (Acoustic) 3:23

3.A Sailorman's Hymn 4:06

Carmeria did something different. On these three songs, the music is acoustic or mellow, a plethora of gentle melodies that are very ear-friendly. The first song is from 2025. The second one is an acoustic version of one of their previous songs for which they had made a video (see the video at the bottom of this post), a catchy song, for sure. The third track is a cover a Roy Khan-era Kamelot song from the 1999 album The Fourth Legacy. I recommend this recording for fans of good singing and melodies in a relaxed, sing-along EP. The Kamelot cover is simply the band having some fun, and finally addressing something that is a rather obvious: Carmeria is influenced by classic Kamelot, including in the singing, and they finally have the confidence to record it, and see how it holds up to Roy Khan's pleasant, melodic yet strong voice. Overall, of course, this brief recording is not meant to represent Carmeria's main melodic metal, but rather a vacation, if you will, from their established sound. I have enjoyed it a lot.

CARMERIA - Lost in the Snow (Official Video)

Tragédie D'amour by Carmeria

https://www.facebook.com/CarmeriaMusic

CARMERIA - Solaris (Official Video)

Radiant Grave - new local metal in Washington State, U.S.

Radiant Grave

Onward

Bleak Archivists

Feb 21, 2025

1.Age of the Radiant Grave

2. Onward Har Megiddo

3.Annul

Radiant Grave is a local band in the state of Washington, in the city of Bellingham, a college town some 90 miles or 145 kilometers to the north of Seattle. These three songs are a good introduction to the band’s no-nonsense, headbanging sound. Or I should say: They are a good introduction for me, as a new listener. I have been enjoying their direct way of going about the songwriting. You can hear the trio’s guitar, bass, drums and vocals in a clear, heavy way, and with a bit of a raw edge, that tells you that they like their music to be hard-hitting, in a metal-punk style that features some thrashy riffs with semi-growled vocals. On Metal Archives it shows that this is their first recording. Their music doesn’t fit narrowly into a particular subgenre. It’s more important what it’s meant to do for the listener: get in a mosh pit, get up and get moving, get a workout in or just sit back and nod along to the metal, but maybe be careful driving while listening to these songs. They might get you driving faster than the authorities would prefer. Anyway, it is not melodic metal, but it’s easy to remember the songs, as the sound is all Radiant Grave: impact!

This recording is available starting on Feb 21, 2025: digitally on Radiant Grave's Bandcamp page https://radiantgrave.bandcamp.com/album/onward, cassettes from Bleak Archivists Bandcamp page: (link: https://bleakarchivists.bandcamp.com).

Order the cassette here.

Check out the digital release here.

13 MAG - the grooves from Spokane, Washington State, U.S.

13 Mag, according to Metal Archives, was a groove band from Hillyard/Spokane, Washington from 2010-2012. Metal Archives shows an album called Those Left Standing from 2011. Here are couple of YouTube links in case that some readers may want to hear this band. It's possible that fans of prime-time Pantera may enjoy the energy and testosterone of this band, in addition to the overall sound and songwriting.

13 Mag

Those Left Standing

August 12th, 2011

1. Undone 04:16

2. Reborn 03:02

3. Spiteful 04:07

4. Unnamed Hate 04:04

5. Forgotten Road 05:07

6. Rectify 05:29

7. Rain Down on Me 04:06

8. Broken Man 04:54

9. Unfinished Ink 05:33

10. Those Left Standing 04:02

total time 44:40

Jon Vensel - bass

Tommy Scherer - drums

Kevin Blodgett - guitars (lead), vocals

Mike Bonin - guitars (rhythm)

Unnamed Hate

Broken Man

Phrenelith - cavernous death metal savagery for this Friday

Phrenelith

Ashen Womb Dark

Descent Records / Me Saco Un Ojo Records

7 February 2025

One possible way of thinking of these Danish purveyors of ominous, savage sounds is to consider this as an exercise in claustrophobic death metal, with minimal distractions or melodies, just straight-to-the-point ultra-heaviness. This is not melodic, and if you judge the album based on melodies, this is easily a 1 or 2 out of ten. Really, we didn't come here for melodies. We came here for the cavernous. That's pretty much the short and long of it. For example, the vocals are low growling, no singing, screeching, howling, upper-range extreme vocals, none of that, really, pretty much indecipherable, percussive low growling that sounds in some ways like a part of the rhythm, sometimes adjacent to the drumming patterns or rhythm riffs. The drummer puts on a clinic! Those are pretty awesome speeds. The guitar playing is a combination of low-tuned, often blazing, black and death metal riffs. If you listen closely, you will find the music in the barrage, but it is possible that some listeners will never find the music within the noise. If you don’t, that’s ok, that’s the way it goes sometimes. On the other hand, the band started more than ten years ago, and they knew what they were doing from the beginning with this particular subgenre, and they have experience in other brutal bands. It is music for a tiny demographic within an already small audience.

https://www.facebook.com/phrenelith

Alissa White-Gluz covers Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker"

This cover of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" features Alissa White-Gluz, Frank Bello, Alex Skolnick and Doug Aldrich. That song seems to be one that some rockers happen to like a lot, as this cover demonstrates. Just for fun, here is also Pat Benatar's version, in case that you may be interested in hearing the earlier version.

The following information is not written by me. It is just copied from YouTube, for those that may new to the song.

"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer Pat Benatar from her debut studio album In the Heat of the Night (1979). Written and composed by Geoff Gill and Cliff Wade, the song had first been recorded by English singer Jenny Darren on her 1978 album Queen of Fools, and Benatar adjusted the original lyrics, as such references as "A to Zed" and "moonraker" would have likely confused American listeners. "Heartbreaker" was the second single released off In the Heat of the Night after the first, "If You Think You Know How to Love Me", failed to reach the US Billboard Hot 100. A sleeper hit, "Heartbreaker" proved to be Benatar's breakthrough single, reaching number 23 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 while spending four and a half months on the chart, the fourth longest of all of her singles. It was more popular on album-oriented rock stations as it peaked at number 13 on Tunecasters Rock Tracks chart in March 1980. The song peaked at number 16 in Canada and at number 14 in New Zealand, although it only reached number 95 in Australia. The song was named the 72nd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

Ultimate Jam "Heartbreaker" Pat Benatar Cover Alissa White-Gluz Frank Bello Alex Skolnick NAMM

Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker (RESTORED - SUPERSCALED TO 4K)

Tulip covers Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield"

Melodic band Tulip has covered the Pat Benatar song "Love Is A Battlefield," as part of their third album Big Shiny Metal Tunes (2024). Their first EP was in 2018, and ever since then they have been knocking on the door of anyone that will listen to them. They did an album in 2020, another EP in 2021, a second album in 2023 and the 2024 covers album. Sometimes they sound a bit more neosymphonic, sometimes more pop, it all depends. Basically, it is a poppy form of heavy rock. If you like these songs below, you may want to check out their page and hear some more songs and see what you think.

Love Is A Battlefield

TULIP - The Inner Light (Official Music Video)

https://www.facebook.com/wearetulipofficial/

Visions of Atlantis will perform in Seattle in April 2025

Long-running melodic-neosymphonic band Visions of Atlantis have announced a tour for the U.S. and Canada, including a show in Seattle. Check out the band's announcement below.

⚓ Sailors, Buccaneers, Privateers, and Adventurers of North America—Your Queen and Captain summon you! ⚓ A new journey is upon us, and the winds whisper of adventure!

The time draws near — we are preparing to set sail once more towards the United States and Canada, and we need every fearless soul on deck!

🦜 As is tradition, no great journey begins without a proper tale!

Our latest tour-trailer is here, a short cinematic glimpse into the storm that awaits. Let the fire in your heart burn as you witness the rising of the ARMADA!

(This trailer is now available on our YouTube channel too) 23 times shall we drop anchor.

23 treasures shall we seek.

Mark your maps, sharpen your blades, and ready your voices—we are gathering the largest ARMADA North America has ever seen, and we will need you among our ranks!

🎟️ Join the adventure—secure your ticket now at visionsofatlantis.at!

🔥 LIMITED VIP Upgrades available—seize them while you can!

🏴‍☠️ Tour Dates:

🇺🇸 25.04.02 PA - MECHANICSBURG / Lovedrafts

🇺🇸 25.04.03 MD - BALTIMORE / Ottobar

🇺🇸 25.04.04 PA - PITTSBURGH / Preserving Underground

🇺🇸 25.04.05 NY - NEW YORK / Meadows

🇺🇸 25.04.06 MA - CAMBRIDGE / Middle East

🇨🇦 25.04.08 QC - QUEBEC CITY / La Source Martinière

🇨🇦 25.04.09 ON - TORONTO / Lee’s Palace

🇺🇸 25.04.10 MI - DETROIT / The Sanctuary

🇺🇸 25.04.11 IL - JOLIET / The Forge

🇺🇸 25.04.12 MN - ST. PAUL / Turf Club

🇨🇦 25.04.14 AB - EDMONTON / Starlite

🇨🇦 25.04.15 AB - CALGARY / Dickens

🇺🇸 25.04.16 WA - SEATTLE / El Corazon

🇺🇸 25.04.17 OR - PORTLAND / The Bossanova Ballroom

🇺🇸 25.04.18 CA - SAN FRANCISCO / DNA Lounge

🇺🇸 25.04.19 CA - LOS ANGELES / Whisky A Go Go

🇺🇸 25.04.21 CA - SAN DIEGO / Brick By Brick

🇺🇸 25.04.24 NV - LAS VEGAS / The Usual Place

🇺🇸 25.04.25 AZ - PHOENIX / The Rebel Lounge

🇺🇸 25.04.26 UT - SALT LAKE CITY / Soundwell

🇺🇸 25.04.27 CO - DENVER / Oriental Theater

🇺🇸 25.04.28 TX - EL PASO / Rockhouse Bar & Grill

🇺🇸 25.04.29 TX - DALLAS / Granada Theater

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS - Tonight I'm Alive (Official Video) | Napalm Records

https://www.facebook.com/visionsofatlantisofficial

Iced Earth - announces vinyl versions of the first four albums

U.S. metal band Iced Earth has announced vinyl versions of the first albums Iced Earth (1990, Night of the Stormrider (1991), Burnt Offerings (1995) and Dark Saga (1996). I'm sure their page has all their relevant information about to order those albums and all that stuff. Anyway, there are a whole bunch of classic tunes on those albums. Just for fun, in case you have not seen it, below is a video from a YouTunnel channel that has the band's legendary shows in Greece. The Greek fans reaction to the songs itself demonstrates that metal fans in Greece understood the band's sound and songwriting. Those fans in Greece had been following things happening on those early albums!

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialIcedEarth

ICED EARTH Alive in Athens

Limuria - Washington State band has new music in 2025

Washington State, U.S. band Limuria greeted 2025 with some new music. Fans may be interested to know that Stu Block (Into Eternity, Iced Earth, The Midgard Project, Annihilator, Omega Crom, etc.) participated on the vocals for this recording. For the vocals it says that it is Berzan Onen and Stu Block, with Rafael Serrano on drums, and Eduardo Serrano (all guitars, keyboards, bongos, egg shaker). On Bandcamp it says about the new music: "Written in 2017, The Forest Maze went through various arrangements, until i finally settled on the final version of the song a few years ago (2019). The idea was to create a song with African tribal sounds, I did not really succeed in that as the song ended up having more of a middle eastern oriental flavour. I was happy with the end result either way. It features quite alot of layers in certain parts of the song, with melodies overlapping eachother. This was fun to do. I got the idea of having Stu and Berzan in early 2024. The song deals with a man being followed by a monster in a maze. This is more of a metaphor, as the man represents us all. The monster representing our dark side (addictions, bad habits, neurotic patterns etc) which we all have. The only way to stop the monster, is to embrace it as our own, because at the end of the day, you cant run away from yourself."

The Forest Maze by Limuria

https://www.facebook.com/limuriamusic/

Pain Field - local heavy metal band announces two shows in Everett, WA

Local band Pain Field has announced two shows for the Everett area. Both shows will be at Tony V's in March 2025. Pain Field is traditional heavy metal. According to Metal Archives, they have one album called Blackened Skies from 2022. Check out this song from YouTube. If you like the music, check it their Facebook page below.

"It’s a Double Shot Month of Pain! You’re not going to want to miss either! 2 Shows & 2 completely different sets Featuring New Music and Classic Gems."

Blackened Skies

https://www.facebook.com/painfieldrocks/

Beltfed Weapon - Rise From Eternal Darkness (Official Lyric Video)

Beltfed Weapon has a new song with a lyric video to go with it. Fans of thrash and death metal will want to bang their heads to this new one!

rise from eternal darkness featuring

Frank Hetzel - guitar

Stu Block - vocals

Mike LePond - bass

Kragen Lum - lead guitar

Bryan Newbury - drums

mixed and mastered by Juan Urtega

art created by Sidjimbe Art

video created by Andrzej Art

--

Beltfed Weapon BIO

--

Founded in 1999 by guitarist and songwriter Frank Hetzel, Beltfed Weapon has become known for their distinctive blend of thrash, death, and technical metal in the Seattle metal scene. Following several lineup changes, Hetzel took control of the band’s future by collaborating with highly respected musicians in the metal world.

Their 2015 EP, Raining Plague, was well-received by critics. Metal Gods TV rated it 8/10, praising the “fast-paced riffs” and “shredding guitars”, while Ever Metal gave it 9/10, noting its successful blend of aggression and melody. The EP featured contributions from major figures in the metal scene, such as Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, ex-Nevermore) on lead guitar, and Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death) on bass. Loomis’s intricate solos were a key element, establishing a strong working relationship with Hetzel. After the success of Raining Plague, Hetzel continued working with top-tier musicians, including Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel), who lent his powerful growls to tracks on the Darkened Demise EP. Tucker’s performance added intensity and helped shape the band’s heavier sound direction.

In September 2024, Beltfed Weapon released their latest single, “Tortured Within”, featuring Stu Block (Into Eternity, ex-Iced Earth) on vocals, Kragen Lum (Heathen, Exodus) on lead guitar, Mike LePond (Symphony X) on bass, and Bryan Newbury (Into Eternity) on drums. This new track continues the band’s tradition of collaborating with notable musicians, building on the intensity and precision that have become the band’s trademarks.

“Tortured Within” focuses on internal battles, including addiction and the struggle to break free from destructive cycles, according to Hetzel. The single has received praise for its technical musicianship and powerful thematic content, with Hetzel expressing satisfaction with the contributions from Block and LePond, both of whom noted the unique challenge and reward of working with Hetzel’s aggressive riffs.

With each new release, including “Tortured Within”, Frank Hetzel remains dedicated to evolving Beltfed Weapon’s sound. His ongoing collaborations with respected figures in metal have cemented the band’s place as a powerful force in the genre.

Beltfed Weapon Rise From Eternal Darkness Official Lyric VIdeo

https://beltfedweapon.bandcamp.com/music