Thursday, July 7, 2016

interview: Acracy

Acracy, a progressive metal band from Chicago, U.S., points out that the term "acracy" means, “in political philosophy, the negation of rule or government. A society with the absence of coercion; one of voluntary order.” In accordance with that principle, they say that "This is the very idea behind the recently formed metal band to hail from the Chicagoland area: one that writes and performs music without boundaries, without the standard rules of order, and without the impetus to follow the stylistic trends of popular music."
The band is:
Juan Cardenas: drums/percussion
Isaac Traylor: bass
Albert Rybka: vocals
Clint Davis: guitar/backing vocals
They are currently working on their debut album, so this is a new band, but these are experienced musicians who have in their résumés prog and heavy/power metal bands like Abolisher, Bavmorda and Katagory V, amongst other groups. This publication will be covering more on this band in the future, but in the meantime let's begin with this introductory interview. In addition, at the end of the interview you will find the link to the teaser video that they have published. This is all that there is for now, but there will be more in the coming months. Actually, they have some exciting shows coming up. Read on and find out!
Greetings! How is the metal life in Chicago for Acracy? You all live in Chicago, correct?
Greetings to you, too! The metal life in our area isn't too bad. I personally consider ourselves lucky be able to live and work as a band in our particular area. One of the advantages to being a performing artist in a larger city with many surrounding suburbs is that there are always plenty of different venues to play shows at. In turn, there are always opportunities to expose your music to newer crowds that may have never of heard of you before. It's also very nice to have so many different metal bands come through town on a regular basis. We were actually fortunate enough to be able to open up for Primal Fear for our very first show. So, yes, the metal life here is pretty good for bands and fans alike. To answer your second question, the members of Acracy all live within the Chicagoland area, but not in the actual city of Chicago. However in the past we have all lived in Chicago, with the exception of our bassist Isaac who is an Ohio native. We all still have family in the city so we'll always consider Chicago our home.
What is the history of your band?
Back in mid 2013 Juan, Albert and I decided to come together and form a new band. At the time I was already working with each of them separately in different projects. Both of which were lacking band members. We all loved what each other was doing as stand alone musicians and the work we each did in our previous bands so it made sense for us to unite as one group. We used the bits and pieces of material that was being created in both projects and got to work on writing a few tunes.
Throughout the remainder of 2013 and early 2014 we put a lot of effort into tightening up our sound and searching for members to complete our lineup. In May of 2014 we made our live debut as one of the opening support acts for Primal Fear for their Chicago stop of that tour. The show went over very well and it seemed that we were on solid ground. Unfortunately, despite our efforts to keep things stable we went through a couple of lineup changes over the following months. We'd made plans to start writing new music for an album right after a show we'd booked in January of 2015. Little did we know that there was another pitfall ahead. Soon after we started rehearsals for that show we found out that we would be losing our bassist that we had at the time.
As luck would have it, we were fortunate enough to have our good friend Patrick Gloeckle (drummer of Moros Nyx) refer us to a bass player that he knew by the name of Isaac Traylor. We invited Isaac out to the final show we played with our old bassist and spoke with him afterwards. A week later he was auditioning for Acracy. He's an amazing player and picked up on our material very quickly in addition to adding his own unique style which gave the tunes new life. He made a great impression on us all and we recruited him into the band a few weeks later. A month or so after that we began writing music for our upcoming debut album Doorways to Destiny which we're currently in the process of recording.
How do you see the music of Acracy?
Acracy at it's heart is a progressive metal band and we try our very best to keep things as versatile and interesting to our listeners as we possibly can. There is always an element of power and force to our songs. Even during some of the softer moments in our music a presence of metal can be heard beneath it all and I think that our listeners are able to sense that.
What can the listener can expect from Acracy?
Our music will most likely capture the attention of fans of progressive, thrash, power and traditional heavy metal and maybe even some fans of classic prog rock, too. I'd like to think that we may even be able to reach other listeners beyond those genres. When we started this band we agreed that we'd always approach the creative side of our music with one rule in mind: We have no rules, no restrictions. At the risk of sounding clichéd, I'd say that listeners should expect the unexpected. We draw our inspiration from many different genres of metal, rock and beyond so we're hopeful there will always be some sort of surprise in each of our songs that will catch our listeners a little off guard, in a positive way that is! (laughs)
What events drove you down the path of being a musician? How were the early days of forming bands?
My main influence has and always will be Led Zeppelin. Watching Jimmy Page in the concert film The Song Remains The Same is what did it for me. Oh, there was also this one episode of the 90's American tv show called The Wonder Years that played a small role, but that's another story for another day. (laughs) I also grew up in a house where my mother listened to a lot of old rock & roll from the 50's and 60's, my father listened to a lot of old blues and I had three older brothers who all listened to different eras of rock and metal, so I there was a ton of musical influence in my soul by the time I picked up the guitar.
It was definitely a challenge when I first began learning guitar to find others who not only played instruments but also liked and listened to heavy metal. It was extremely rare to meet other metal heads in my neighborhood. The big game changer was when I started going to high school. There I met my fair share of fellow metal musicians that played a major role in how I developed as a guitarist. One of those people I am still making music with till this very day which is our drummer Juan.
What can metal people do to support your music? What support do you like to see?
Keep your eyes peeled for the release of our upcoming album Doorways to Destiny. Check out our Facebook page and follow us for the latest updates. Come out to our shows. Let's us know what you think. If you'd like us to play a show in your neck of the woods then please contact us. Most importantly, support the metal community! Without you there is no scene.
Do you plan to tour?
We definitely plan on going out and supporting our album when it's released. We've played a couple of dates in Chicago this year and we're currently scheduled to play two more hometown gigs that we're pretty excited about. The first one being August 20th. We'll be performing on the second day of the 2016 Midwest Metal Anthem festival with a bunch of other awesome bands. Then, on September 2nd we will have the pleasure of opening for the Norwegian progressive metal greats Circus Maximus which will be an amazing experience that I'm really looking forward to.
Can you explain the reasons why you devote yourself to making music? Can new metal bands make money from their music? What is success to you?
I think it is possible to make money by playing metal music. It all depends on how hard a band is willing to work to make it happen. It takes a lot of investment of time and dedication to make a living off of playing music in any genre. But If you're passionate about playing music, money isn't always at the top of your list of priorities anyway. You make what money you can and use it to further finance your art. For me, I simply love music. I love creating music and the whole process of building songs, recording them and performing them live. So for me there's no other option. I couldn't pull myself away from music even if I tried. It's what I do and it's who I am. I couldn't really tell you if I think that we'll make a lot money from music or not. What I can tell you is that my bandmates and I will do the very best that we can to create the best music that we can and deliver it to the masses. I think that staying dedicated to that simple strategy will eventually produce it's own rewards, whatever they may be. And if we can continue to do that effectively, I would consider that to be a success for Acracy. That is the sort of success that creates a solid foundation that a band can continue to build on over the years.
Does living in a big city like Chicago impact your views on your lyrics? Chicago is in the news all the time, sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not.
Most of the lyrics in Acracy's music cover topics that revolve around real life experiences. Self discovery, betrayal, love, sacrifice, death, and occasionally a bit of fiction too. Both Al and I write lyrics in the band and we have totally different writing styles so it complements the variety of our music.
What other Acracy news do you have?
Please stay tuned for the release of our upcoming album Doorways to Destiny which will be available very soon. If you go to our Facebook page you'll be able check out a teaser video that has a couple of audio samples from the album. You can also find the video on YouTube by searching for "Acracy: DTD Teaser Video". We're looking forward to its release and can't wait to share it with you all!
Acracy: DTD Teaser Video
www.facebook.com/acracymusic/
THE END

interview: Maze of Terror

Maze of Terror has a new work called Ready to Kill. They have a couple of EPs that were published before this album, but now it’s ten songs of the intense, fast thrash that they call their mission in life. Built upon tight riffing /drumming and snarling vocals, the album brings together the sound of these Peruvian thrashers. Below is an interview with Maze of Terror.
Greetings! Please introduce the band and yourself, too.
Thanks to you, blood brothers, we are Maze of Terror, we are from the big city of Lima, Peru, our metal scene is small, but we have really good bands, our life is produce and compose more music than possible, my name is Leviathan, bass and voice in the band, we are really grateful for your space, god bless you!
What is the history of your band?
We start in 2011 and launch in 2012 our first Ep Skullcrusher, later we make an tour in Bolivia open for Whiplash, later we make different shows open for Destruction, Exumer, etc, later make and other tour open for Mx and Toxik, and reissue the Ep in split mode, with the Greek band Amken under the Mexican label EBM, in 2016 we launch finally our debut album called, READY TO KILL in CD, vinyl under the Belgian label, EMPIRE RECORDS, now in tape under the label P18 from Hungary. Now we are prepared for the next show, and making some new materials, we keep in secret this for the moment, buddies.
How would you describe your music?
Only we have to say, our inspiration is anger, rage, fury, our style is completely dedicated to the brutality, we play thrash metal, but we use death metal to make our noise more savage, in a serious way, like old cult bands in the South American scene, but in our own way, more brutal is more good for us!
What inspired you in the first place to pick up instruments and to make metal music?
The idea to make our own brutal music, we are people dedicated to metal, in the tradition but innovation, too. We seek the most badass mode to launch songs to make people travel across is rage emotions, and his bravery.
What can people do to support your music?
First, listen, listen all our noise, and finally if you think that is for you, buy our albums, because we are really dedicated to make great music.
Do you plan to tour?
Our next show is here open for the band Decapitated. We have plans in the kitchen, but we keep this in secret because we like announce this things when we are close everything to happen, when this happen I personally write you, war brother.
What is the function of money for your dedication to metal?
I have a job, I don’t need more money to live, but I try to find money to make more music, because is not cheap, but we keep on this because we believe the metal music deserves keep alive, we believe the music is the greatest thing of all, and with money or without it, we believe and we would make the effort to keep the wheel on the way.
What type of lyrics do you think work well with your music?
We wrote about different topics, about hunger, pandemic, but in a realistic and serious way, not funny or similar stuff, for example histories of assassins in the ancient times, war crimes, racism, hunger misery, because we live in a real world and we try to make a serious message to people think about it, music is a serious thing, especially in metal music.
What other news do you have?
We are in recordings, and preparing new shows, we are close to finish both things, but keep in secret for the moment we need to tell to all the guys, listen the newest bands, have so many great bands in the new scene. Thank you to all, and keep brutal, of course listen MAZE OF TERROR we are READY TO KILL.
www.mazeofterror.bandcamp.com
www.soundcloud.com/maze-of-terror
www.youtube.com/user/MAZEOFTERROR
www.facebook.com/mazeofterrorthrash
THE END

NEWS: Killing for Company

NEWS:
Killing for Company
House of Hades
Release date: April 30th, 2016
Label: Via Nocturna
Death metal from Norway is the plan and the purpose of Killing for Company on this 2016 album. The album in its entirety can be heard at the link below.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Killing For Company are a Norwegian death metal band from Trondheim. They formed in 2004 and recorded four songs for their first EP, which remained unreleased. Shortly after, they disbanded due to other commitments. In 2014, the band formed again to finish what they started and now their debut “House of Hades will be released on April 30, 2016 on Via Nocturna. The album is highly recommended for fans of Swedish death metal.
www.killingforcompany.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/killingforco

NEWS: Bloodthirst

NEWS:
Bloodthirst
Glorious Sinners
Release date: April 8th, 2016
Label: Pagan Records
"Hateful Antichristian Thrash" is how these Polish musicians see themselves. The complete recording is available for listening. Find out more below.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: BLOODTHIRST returns with a mini-album. "Glorious Sinners" contains five brand new tracks following the thrash/black path which the Polish act has paved so far. The lyrics and artwork of Glorious Sinners create a concept about the deceitfulness of the Vatican hierarchy. BLOODTHIRST sound is based on the classical thrash pounding but also widely influenced by black and death metal of the 90s. Over the years they have proven themselves in the metal scene to be one of the most respected Polish black/thrash ensembles. Never part of the pathetic “old-school” hype, always spitting in the face of the modern trend, the four emissaries of hellfire and malice, have trodden their own path of Hateful Antichristian Thrash.
Bloodthirst - Polish black/thrash metal act coming from Goat City - Poznań. Formed over a decade ago after couple of demos & split releases have signed to highly acclaimed Pagan Records and released two full length albums: Let Him Die (2007) and Sanctity Denied (2009). Although the music is based on classical thrash pounding, it is widely influenced by black & death metal of the 90's, which resulted a solid background in the scene. The band shared stage with cult names like Destroyer 666, Nunslaughter as well as most recognizable Polish metal groups.
Never a part of the pathetic “old school” hype as seen today, always spitting in the face of the modern trend, the three emissaries of hellfire and spite have ever since trod their own path of Hateful Antichristian Thrash.
Having solidified the current line-up (Szlecker since 2012 is handling the second axe), holding their heads up high and proudly drinking to the diabolical glory, Bloodthirst are about to release their third album in 2013.
www.paganrecords.bandcamp.com/album/glorious-sinners
www.facebook.com/bloodthirstpl/

NEWS: Ragehammer

NEWS:
Ragehammer
The Hammer Doctrine
Release date: April 8th, 2016
Label: Pagan Records
According to Poland's Ragehammer, modern metal music is garbage. They look back to Venom and the early days of extreme metal. Listen to the recording at the link below.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: The highly anticipated debut album from Poland’s RAGEHAMMER. Raw and satanic METAL in its most primitive form forged by the standards set by the Gods in Venom, Sodom, Impaled Nazarene or Bathory. Quoting the band, the album was created “with cold hatred of the modern world and contempt for the values of love and humanity”. This is not another album about beer, pizza and the 80s. This is WAR.
The Hammer Doctrine was recorded during the end of 2015 at No Solace Studio and was mixed and mastered by M. of Mgła fame. The full-length consists of eight original tracks along with a Polish rock cover of Krzysztof Klenczon i Trzy Korony, “Spotkanie z Diabłem” (translates to: “Meeting with the Devil”).
www.paganrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-hammer-doctrine

NEWS: Post-Mortem

NEWS:
Post-Mortem
God with Horns
Release date: February 15th, 2016
Label: Great Dane Records
Post-Mortem is a death metal from France that began in the 1990s. They have a new album in 2016. The entire album is available for listening at the link below.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Long-running French death metal band Post-Mortem have remained relevant since 1995. They've reinvented themselves as very few bands are able to do, and their new material is potent and powerful enough to put the younger ones to shame. With music that bears an undercurrent of thrash while going all-out with chunky death metal pummeling and hooks, Post-Mortem are bound to find appeal in fans of Hour of Penance, Massacre, Vader and Affliction Gate. The music is a mix of old and new, with flashes of innovation littered throughout the hard-hitting album titled 'God with Horns'. Listening to it is an engrossing experience, as you marvel at the contemporary sound that's backed with time-tested songwriting skills and superior riffing. Post-Mortem are here to stay; let the message be known to one and all.
Post-Mortem was founded in Alsace in 1995 by Fabrizio, Sam and Lawrence. Guitarist after several changes, the lineup stabilized in March 1999 with the arrival of Jack on guitar and Manu, ex Behind vocals. Then the practiced style, is a melodic death thrash with various influences (Paradise Lost - Dark Tranquility - Amorphis) and it is in this musical direction comes 1st MCD Group in March 2000 "Mystic Delights" or mingle great rhythmic , melodies, guttural voice, clear voice and violin keys and keyboards. The disc received encouraging reviews but the group already evolving into a more aggressive death. For his many first parts (Yattering - Inhumate - Gojira - Carcariass - Apoplexy - Nostromo ...) the group is reinforced in a more brutal approach. Summer 2001 Post-Mortem returned to the studio to record their 2nd MCD "Mankind Autopsy" in a brutal style US death, more in line has its influences then: Dying Fetus - Cannibal Corpse - Cryptopsy - Six Feet Under as well as hardcore contributions (Nostromo - Pantera) or thrash (Slayer). Critics and chronicles received for the second MCD are very encouraging and Post Mortem makes many concerts in France and abroad seeking to make themselves known and to play to the maximum. In 2004, Manu left the group and sees substitute Sylvain In parallel Jack and Sam join the ranks of Karelia and some time later the group will finally be put to sleep, unable to bear the many activities for everyone ... until early 2012 or inhabited by the lack of metallic fury Manu, Sam, Laurent and Fabrice decided to put the cover, more motivated than ever to the idea of ​​sharing the thick music. Appointment is made on the roads!!
www.post-mortem-official.bandcamp.com/releases
www.facebook.com/postmortem68500/?ref=page_internal

NEWS: Elderblood

NEWS: Elderblood
Messiah
Osmose Productions
Release: 27 May 2016
"Symphonic black death metal" is how this band from Ukraine identifies itself. This is their second album, a professional recording of symphonic extreme metal. Find out more below.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Elderblood is a symphonic black/death metal band from Ukraine, founded in 2011 by frontman and guitarist Astargh. At the same time, drummer Odalv joined the band. In February 2012, Hagalth joined the band as a bass guitarist. On June 25, 2013, Son of the Morning - recorded at Dark Essence recording studio - was released by Paragon Records. In autumn 2013, Topheth joined the band as live guitarist. In December 2013, ELDERBLOOD played at Via Sinistra fest and Oscorei fest. In July 2014, the band presented their debut music video, "My Death," and played at Carpathian Alliance festival. In February 2015, Hagalth was fired and Blodorn joined the band. In June 2015, ELDERBLOOD finished work on the second album, Messiah, and played at Hell Fast Attack festival. The band then inked a deal with OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS. Today, ELDERBLOOD are considered as one of the main important symphonic black metal bands, but completely underrated while their previous album was already a massive attack in the genre.
www.facebook.com/Elderblood218

Benedictum

Benedictum is modern/traditional heavy metal band from the U.S. They have four albums:
Uncreation 2006
Seasons of Tragedy 2008
Dominion 2011
Obey 2013
They are signed to Frontiers Records. Below you will find some official information about the band. In addition, they have lots of songs on YouTube.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: The Beginning
Following in the footsteps of such legendary bands as Warrior, Rough Cutt and Psychotic Waltz, BENEDICTUM, with roots in San Diego, California are truly mighty ambassadors in the world of heavy metal.
Invoking power reminiscent of early Rainbow, the definitive sound of Savatage, and a nod to all the Gods of Heavy Metal; BENEDICTUM unleashes a stylish, epic brand of metal on all fronts. Aggressive riffs, fierce rhythms, strong melodies, shredding leads and delicate textures converge at the crossroads where tradition and 21st century innovation merge. Veronica Freeman's vocal gymnastics are the pit-bull on the pant leg of heavy metal.
Uncreation
BENEDICTUM quickly came to the attention of Dio guitarist Craig Goldy. Impressed with what he heard, he turned the group on to long-time friend and former band mate, Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, DIO, FOREIGNER). Equally blown away by the bands raw talent and untapped potential, Pilson took on the role of producer and recorded BENEDICTUM at his Los Angeles area studio, with ZuZu Recording production partner, former Warlock bassist Tommy Henriksen, sharing mixing duties. The result of this collaboration was the incredible debut CD “UNCREATION” in 2005, and released to enthusiastic, fist-pumping reviews. Guest appearances included Jeff Pilson, Craig Goldy and Jimmy Bain.
'UNCREATION' was an epic TKO in the face of the hard rock scene, with BENEDICTUM being selected one of the top bands to watch in 2006 by Classic Rock magazine and one of Rock Hard Germany's top 50 albums for that year.
Seasons of Tragedy
A second collaboration between Jeff Pilson and BENEDICTUM was their 2008 release, "Seasons of Tragedy", which saw them evolve into a metal force which could not be denied. With Veronica's raw and powerful vocals, songs with memorable melodies and the magical talent of Pete Wells along with new drummer Paul Courtois and the guidance of Jeff Pilson, the CD further solidified the fact that there was something quite special at work here. The album featured guest appearances by Jeff Pilson, Craig Goldy and George Lynch, who added his special flair to the track "Bare Bones" and the cover of ACCEPT's "Balls to the Wall".
Their driving music and energetic shows allowed BENEDICTUM to grace the stage of many festivals, including Wacken Open Air, Gods of Metal and Hard Rock Hell, and landed the band a support tour with DORO.
Dominion
Ready for yet another amazing chapter, Benedictum were off on a new and exciting musical episode as they signed a contract with Frontiers Records. Building upon their great foundation Benedictum recruited Grammy Award winning producer Ryan Greene (Megadeth, F5, NOFX) and fired on all cylinders. With members Chris Shrum on bass, Mike Pannone on drums and Tony Diaz on keyboards, the new music continued to expand the horizon for BENEDICTUM. Veronica's robust, scruff-grabbing vocals punch through the sound barrier, blasting open the musical spectral envelope.
From the onslaught of the opening track "Dominion" to the epic "Epsilon" and the heartfelt acoustic track "Sanctuary", this album has it all. Adding to the already explosive sound of "Dominion" are guest appearances by Jeff Pilson, Craig Goldy and none other than Rudy Sarzo on the fist-pumping track "Bang".
Frontiers Records released BENEDICTUM's third full-length album, entitled "Dominion" on February 18 2011 (Europe) and March 8 2011 (North America) to rave reviews on-air, online, in print and often mentioned on That Metal Show among other as THE metal must have!
The Future
Benedictum is currently in-studio finishing up the new album. A new line-up has solidified the bands drive along with an even more powerful sound. Veronica 'The V' Freeman and Pete Wells have grown by leaps and bounds and have joined forces with Rikard Stjernquist, formerly of JAG PANZER, who has brought a whole new level of drive to the band. “Working with Rikard has been a joy and I am learning a lot” says the V. Aric Avina formerly of Tynator is now manning the Bass Guitar. With all systems a go a new album has been created and set for release on FRONTIERS in November of 2013.
www.facebook.com/Benedictum.Official

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Aenygmist

Aenygmist was a melodic black metal from Quebec, Canada. Their lasting testament is the album "Creation Born of Trauma" from 2010. Even though the band ended in 2012, they left a full-length album that is available for listening in its entirety at the link below. The album track list is listed below.
1.Élixir 08:10
2.Paroxysme 05:27
3.Clandestin 05:25
4.Rest in Peace 06:17
5.Hold in Poisoned Hands 05:45
6.Interférences 06:23
7.Internal Hemorrhage 06:59
total time 44:26
www.aenygmist.bandcamp.com/releases
www.facebook.com/Aenygmist

contact Metal Bulletin Zine

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Metal Bulletin Zine
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Open the Nile

Open the Nile is a modern extreme prog band with both growling and blasting elements, on one hand, and prog passages with melodic singing and some virtuoso guitar moments, on the other. They are obviously aware that their music comes across as confusing to some people, which is why they tell everyone to feel free to put them in whatever subgenre. The band is apparently from New York, New York and the music is meant to be a bit adventurous, although it is not that strange, compared to the weird noise postrock hardcore experimental stuff coming out of New York. Open the Nile sounds like modern/younger metal music from the United States in 2016. Open the Nile might make some people uncomfortable at first, but with more listens it may be that the combination of extreme metal, metalcore and prog metal will make more sense for those that dare to stay. What say you? Are you up for it?
www.openthenile.bandcamp.com/album/the-efflorescence-of-creation
www.openthenile.bandcamp.com/album/visions-of-the-next-dimension
www.openthenile.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/OpenTheNile/

Severed Heaven

Severed Heaven is extreme metal from the U.K. The band easily goes from black metal to death metal to doom metal and back, and they appear hell bent on crossing these genres of extreme metal in their songs. Fortunately, it seems like they prefer to stick to the traditional format of a song: the songs stay between four and six minutes. The result is music for headbanging, as it should be. They began in 2007 and they have a couple of recordings (an EP and an album), judging from the information on Metal Archives, which could be correct or maybe not. They appear to have had a predecessor band called Blood Sundae, which dates back to 2004. At any rate, this summer of 2016 in August they are scheduled to play at the Eradication Open Air festival, according to the information on Facebook.
In terms of history of the band, the following is bit of official information, but it seems like it has not updated for sometime. Regardless, it sheds light on the beginnings of the band: Initially consisting of Lauren 'Satanica' Price (vocals), Leanne Warren (guitars), Vanessa Murray (guitars), Charlotte Bleasdale (bass) and Anna Stewart (drums), Severed Heaven released their debut, self-titled EP. Well received, the release helped to spread the word and the band soon found themselves gigging regularly. An early sign of their increasing notoriety came when they appeared on the BBC show 'Singing With The Enemy', alongside London 'cock rock' band Lethal Fixx.
With the band's gigging schedule getting busier and covering the length and breadth of the country, the next couple of years saw them share stages with the likes of Gallhammer, Gorgoroth, Hecate Enthroned, Sworn Enemy, Hate, Shining and Nemhain, as well as appearing at the Dames Of Darkness festival. Better yet, the band earned a headlining slot on the unsigned stage at Bloodstock Open Air in 2009, and met the occasion with a stellar performance.
In 2010, Severed Heaven's debut full length album, 'Incessant Darkness', was released to excellent critical acclaim, earning a 9/10 review from Queens Of Steel. The album consists of several blistering new tracks, as well as heavier re-recordings of some of the band's earlier material. Following the release of the album, Anna left Severed Heaven's ranks and was replaced by Hayley Morgan (Torture Garden, Daear, Forest Perversions). 2011 was another busy gigging year for the band, and August brought a second lineup change, with Lena Abé (My Dying Bride) replacing Vanessa.
www.reverbnation.com/severedheaven
www.facebook.com/severedheaven?ref=mf

Stane

Stane is death metal from Botswana. Below you will find official information about the band and a link where you can hear the music for yourself.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Stane was born in mid 2005 and staged its first ever show in Nosey Road club, Lobatse in Oct 2005, along Stealth. They then staged with Metal Orizon, Wrust and Vitrified in December the same year. The band started playing as a four (4) piece band (Slayar, T’X, Ace and Stranjar), without E-Force, who was engaged by duties in UK since 2004. But from its formation (around 2003), E-Force has been one of the founding members of the band.
Throughout the years, STANE has played alongside a number of local bands (Metal Orizon, Crackdust, Nosey Road, Wrust, Vitrified, Nodd, Stealth, Skinflint, Overthrust, Dust ‘N Fire, Remuda, Evergreen, etc) and a few exotic bands [Rhutz (now Boargazm), Architecture Of Aggression, Jaggernaught, Far Beyond Driven].
The return of E-Force from the UK in 2008 has boosted the soloing part of the band and has made the band even tighter. In 2009, STANE recorded their first demo album of five (5) tracks, titled Maintainers Of Brutality. In October 2010, STANE recorded a live gig video called ‘Last Breath Madness Metal Festival’. The DVD based on this recording was then released in March 2011, titled ‘STANE – Live at GCC’.
STANE went through a restructuring exercise in mid 2011 and this saw the band remain as a four-piece band, downgrading from five-piece. In 2012 the band focused in writing and composing more material and ultimately started recording their 11 track album, titled ‘Human Error’. In 2012 the band appeared only once, in December.
The hibernation in 2012 gave birth to release of an eleven tracks album titled ‘Human Error’ in 2013, which was officially launched on 30th March 2013 alongside other local bands.
2013 saw STANE actively playing all major annual gigs like Last Breath, Augustus, Rockcember, Woodstock Maun to promote the Human Error album.
2013 also saw the coming of new drummer "Cool" in replacement of "Ace", who has since joined the management team. Cool was officially launched at Augustus gig in Aug 2013. The motherf**er fited like a glove into the Stane family. 2014 started with free gig on 1st Feb at Trekker's (Gabs) to welcome the year. It's now hibernation time for half a year!!! Shshshshshhh!!
www.soundcloud.com/stane-2
www.facebook.com/Stane-115712401813002/

Vyson

Vyson is a death metal from Japan. Due to the lack of information, there is not much to share at the moment. They have a recording called Hominis Dignitary, but other than that, it's not clear what they are up to in 2016. For those interested, below are a couple of places to start finding out more.
www.vysonbrutality.com/discography.html
www.facebook.com/vysonbrutality/
www.vysonbrutality.com/index.html

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

NEWS: Giant of the Mountain

NEWS:
Giant of the Mountain
The Empty Quarter
release date: May 27th, 2016
label: Burning Dogma Records
This recording is available in its entirety for listening at the link below. This work has been out for a little while now, but those interested in up-and-coming and lesser-known bands might be interested in this extreme prog from Texas. A word of caution: This is a real metal band, not a djent nor a core band, just in case you are wondering, given that prog often means hipster/core/djent/postrock bands that do not rock and do not want to rock. The band calls the music "blackened progressive death metal." There are plenty of moments of blasting speeds, with some roomier passages, and the band is concerned with writing good songs.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: GIANT OF THE MOUNTAIN are pleased to announce that they will be releasing their new EP The Empty Quarter on May 27 2016. The band's blend of black and death metal has been widely hailed by the metal press in the past with Decibel Magazine describing the band's sound as "early Mastodon dressed up as Skeletonwitch with occasional forays into sweaty, gusty Americana a la USX or Across Tundras." The new EP takes the sound from their previous albums to the next level with improved production and song writing resulting in the band's best recordings to date. The band commented on the EP ""We have worked harder and longer on our new release, The Empty Quarter, than anything we’ve done so far. It’s without a doubt the most mature, energetic release we’ve conjured."
About Giant of the Mountain: Like the beast of seven heads emerging from the darkest depths of the ocean, Giant of the Mountain has ascended upon mankind with its crushing delivery of Blackened Progressive Death Metal. Giant of the Mountain was created in late 2008 by Cody Daniels and Randi Matejowsky with an idea to form a musical genre unlike any other. Amidst shredding solos and heavy bass lines, Giant of the Mountain’s eclectic influences of blackened, progressive, death, and doom metal come together to create an alluring and enigmatic style. Joining the guitarist/vocalist Cody Daniels and drummer Randi Matejowsky in 2013 is bassist/vocalist Alexander Salazar (DeadTooth, The Earth Dies Screaming). This new addition brought to the altar of the great eye of the night adds a new depth to the vocals, and a foundation of bass GOTM has never seen before. With their newest release, Moon Worship, the band has brought their music to an entirely new level. Giant of the Mountain will only continue to grow from here and bring their unique vision of music with with their new release, The Empty Quarter, on Burning Dogma Records May 27th, 2016.
www.giantofthemountain.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/giantofthemountain/?ref=ts

NEWS: Sheidim

NEWS:
Sheidim
Shrines of the Void
Dark Descent Records
release: 24 June 2016
Traditional black metal band Sheidim has a new album out now. There is not much information available at this point, but the audiences that support raw and cult black metal will be the most interested in this band from Spain.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Spanish black metal scourge Sheidim has entered a blood pact with Dark Descent Records for the release its first full-length album. “Shrines of the Void” follows the band’s 2015 7-inch vinyl EP, “Amidst the Ashes of Consciousness / In the Light of the Dying Stars” with seven brand new deadly hymns. The album was recorded and mixed by J. Félez at Moontower Studios and mastered by D. Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio.
tracklist:
1.First Poison
2.Shrines of the Void
3.Deviant Kingdom
4.Sunken Nigredo
5.Amrita
6.Without Reins
7.Remnants
www.sheidim.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/sheidimband

Monday, July 4, 2016

**NEW** METAL BULLETIN #95

See the link below for the new issue of Metal Bulletin Zine, number 95.
Rock Goddess (NWOBHM)
Exalter (Bangladesh)
Contrarian
Fear Theories (Norway)
Gruesome (U.S.)
Ashen Pyre (Seattle area)
www.fuglymaniacs.com

Ascent

Ascent is death metal from Russia.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Ascent was created in 2014 as a one-man project, founded by guitar player Semen Osipov, in snowy Siberia. but over time the idea of ​​of one man project got rearranged, as he met bass player Eugeny Kositsyn and drummer Andrey Raevsky, who were not only able to perform existing material at high quality, but also wanted to join the project. after several unsuccessful attempts to find a singer, they invited Anna Dizendorf, as a permanent member of the band. With those particular band members the band finished recording their first album at the end of 2015 and is currently in search for label to release.
www.facebook.com/ascentmetalband/
www.new.vk.com/ascent_band

Cremains

Cremains describes itself as "Head bashing thrash/death metal/punk rock crossover band. We play loud and fast, and we take no prisoners."
They say:
This is where we are supposed to put phrases like, "Crushing," "Brutal," and "aggressive," in our biography to grasp the reader's attention. Maybe create a new genre name to make us even look cooler. Maybe we'll list our favorite bands, so you can feel warm and safe when checking us out. But seriously people, will that convince you at all? Most likely not... So...come out to one of our shows and/or check out our music (when we post it) and make up your own mind.
www.cremainsrva.bandcamp.com/releases
www.facebook.com/Cremains

NEWS: Internal Suffering

NEWS:
Internal Suffering
Cyclonic Void Of Power
label: Unique Leader
release: 24 June 2016
The ultratotalitarianist brutalextreme blasting death metal alliance known as Internal Suffering now has a new album. This album has been made exclusively for the most dedicated public into the dizzying, fastest nonstop blasting extreme metal possible today. This is not a core/hardcore/deathcore band nor a djent band. This band's style in line with Suffocation and Origin, not core.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Long-running brutal death metallers, INTERNAL SUFFERING, will unleash their long-awaited fifth full-length this June via extreme metal power station, Unique Leader Records. Titled Cyclonic Void Of Power, the scathing new offering was captured at 16th Cellar Studios in Rome (FleshGod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance, Hideous Divinity, etc.) by Italian death metal mastermind Stefano Morabito (Eyeconoclast, ex-Hour Of Penance) and delivers ten brand new tracks of the band’s traditionally fast yet chaotic and technical brand of brutality. A concept album divided into three separate chapters, Cyclonic Void Of Power follows the mystical, mythological and magic chaotic universe the band has explored on previous outings but now taken to a far more complex (and cosmic) level.
Spawned in 1996, INTERNAL SUFFERING relocated from their home base in Pereira, Columbia to Madrid, Spain. Notorious for their apocalyptic brand of brutal, blasting, technically proficient death metal, the band’s bestial discography includes four full-lengths: 2000’s Supreme Knowledge Domain (Repulse Records), 2002’s Chaotic Matrix (Displeased Records), 2004’s Choronzonic Force Domination (Displeased Records) and 2006’s Awakening of the Rebel (Unique Leader Records), the last two of which featured the production of extreme metal sound-wizard Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal/ex-Morbid Angel). A maniacal work ethic and thirst to spread their audio peril globally has allowed INTERNAL SUFFERING the opportunity to ransack stages throughout the US, Europe and Asia along the iconic likes of Cannibal Corpse, Sodom, Incantation, Exodus and Origin, among many more. The band has also graced the bills of some of the most important extreme metal festivals in the world including the Maryland Deathfest, Ohio Death Fest, Central Illinois Metal Fest, Extreme Fest, Neurotic Death Fest, Barroselas Metal Fest, Tokyo Death Fest, Bangkok Deathfest, Fuck The Commerce Fest, Obscene Extreme Festival, Bands Battle Fest, and Kaltenbach Open Air Fest as well as an appearance at the massive Rock At The Park. One of the most populated open air fests in Latin America, Rock At The Park draws over 100,000 headbangers annually. In addition, the band made an appearance at Convivencia Rock Fest in South America spreading their sonic sickness to over 30,000 metal fanatics.
www.facebook.com/InternalSuffering
www.twitter.com/ISuffering

NEWS: Angarthal

NEWS:
Angarthal
Uranus And Gaia
release date: April 29, 2016
label: Bakerteam Records
Below you will find information about the traditional prog/virtuoso album by Angarthal. The album focuses on the quality of the music and will especially appeal to the audiences that appreciate serious guitar work and prog/intellectual metal music.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Angarthal is the new metal project by guitar virtuoso Steve Angarthal (Fire Trails, Dragon’s Cave). Featuring Luca Saja (Dragon’s Cave) on drums and guests drummer Sergio Pescara (Groovydo), Angelo Perini (early bass player of Fire Trails) on bass and keyboardist Mauri Belluzzo (Alchemy Divine), the band's debut album 'Uranus And Gaia' perfectly mixes epic metal melodies and progressive structures, flamboyant guitar parts and a strong Seventies Hard Rock feeling, with Steve taking on multiple roles as main composer and singer along with guitar duties.
The album takes the listener on an epic journey through Greek mythology ('Sailing At The End Of The World', 'Uranus And Gaia') and Celtic mythology ('Morrigan', 'Holy Grail'), biblical symbolism ('Leviathan Rising' and 'Miles In The Desert'), and fantasy literature ('Wielders Of Magic' and 'The Abyss Of Death' are inspired by the novel 'The Sword Of Shannara'), including a tribute to Ronnie James Dio ('Unbroken'), classic metal tunes ('Punch', 'A Lie' and 'After The Rain') and a beautiful acoustic ballad ('Losing My Direction').
Steve's musical influences come from Rock and Metal but also Classical Music and with this project he can finally combine powerful tunes and an addictive rhythm section with orchestral arrangements.
OFFICIAL BIO: The guitar player and songwriter for italian metal band Fire Trails is on his first solo project since 2010, where he writes music and lyrics, plays the guitar and has also taken the singer role; he is also present as guest musician in Rezophonic’s live shows and recordings. In 2010 indipendent label Asgardh Music has released Dragon’s cave (This is the early name of Steve solo project) first cd called "Elektro motion" and sold it through Cdbaby and all digital stores. This work features a long selection of tracks focused on Steve guitar style ranging from progressive rock instrumentals to ethereal acoustical pieces and amazing rock songs that showcase Steve singing style. His previous experience with Fire Trails, founded with Italian rock icon Pino Scotto, saw Steve releasing two albums "Vanadium tribute" (Underground Symphony Records) and "Third moon" (Valery Records). The touring activity for this band lead him to play all around Italy in the most important events such as "Gods of metal", "Heineken Jammin festival", "Agglutination metal festival" and supporting the shows of artists like Deep Purple, R.J.Dio, Iron Maiden, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner.
His mastery is supported by a long and varied educational path. He started studying classical guitar with M° Marco Biassoni then he qualified, under the guidance of M° Filippo Daccò, in Composition and arrangement for big band ; studied Jazz Rock guitar with Shaun Baxter. He is self taught in classical orchestra writing and arranging and his collaboration with violinist M° Mauro Catalano brought to the foundation of Cordis ensemble, a baroque orchestra featuring Steve on the electric guitar as solo instrument. In 2014 London College of Music of the University of West London awards Steve with the title FLCM (7th level of EQF) in Electric Guitar Performance.
Teaching is another key point in Steve’s activities: from 1997 to 2001 he’s part of teacher’s roster at Milan’s SAE (school of audio engineering) where he shared his previous experiences as sound engineer and programmer. From 2006 he is guitar teacher at "Il borgo della musica" and guitar, musical theory and live music classroom teacher at "Rock tv school." He’s been also present in different studio recordings of italian artists like Rezophonic, Myland, Pino Scotto and MC project. In summer of 2013 he starts two exciting new projects: Nothing easy and Le Tentazioni Di Alice. The former is an acoustical duo with keyboardist Mauri Belluzzo (Alchemy Divine) playing rock songs from 70's and 80's, while the latter is a modern rock trio featuring Hermes Locatelli ( Rad1) on bass and Federico Paulovich (Destrage) on drums. From the summer of 2014 He is busy with the final production stage of his upcoming album due to be released in early 2015.
Steve Angarthal endorses Loud guitars by Molinelli since 2000 and Reference Laboratory cables since 2011. He’s also product specialist for Reference Laboratory products and their associated brands Bricasti, Audix, Source Audio and Morpheus in important events such as Second hand guitars 2011, Frankfurt Musik Messe 2012, Dubai Palme 2012 and L.A. NAMM 2013. In 2015 Steve begins his partnership with italian brnads Mezzabarba Custom Amplification and Masotti Guitar Devices.
www.facebook.com/angarthal/

Sunday, July 3, 2016

NEWS: Castle

NEWS: Castle
Welcome To The Graveyard
Ván Records
release: 15 July 2016
The constant-touring, rocking heavy metal doom road warriors Castle will have a new album out shortly. You'll notice that they have been tagged, labeled and sealed a "doom" band by the press. Be that as it may, but don't confuse this band with the slow-poke-drone-sludge-no-song category of music. This band does rock and they do have songs, and they are not some type of strange-experimental-sound band. Anyway, "doom" means a lot of things to a lot of people in 2016, but this is Castle and it's better to hear for yourself the new track available now below. By the way, they will be here in Seattle soon: 7/22/2016 Funhouse – Seattle, WA. Below is some official information about the band.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Welcome To The Graveyard is the forthcoming new full-length from West Coast doom metallers, CASTLE. Captured by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, Eyehategod, Ommadon et al) at Type Foundry Studios in Portland, Oregon this past Winter, the eight-track offering will see official release July 15th via Ván Records. Welcome To The Graveyard sees CASTLE merge their doom-powered riffing with soaring 1970s rock . The album features a new level of confident songwriting and is a creepy-crawl through the wastelands of the band’s new Los Angeles’ ­­home; a hard-boiled barrage of classic heavy metal riffery tempered with blasts of melodic orchestrated doom. The perfect soundtrack for a Hollywood cult initiation. Elizabeth Blackwell’s haunted vocal style draws a sigil of death and madness — envision the Wilson sisters singing hymns from the stygian void, while lyrically CASTLE adapt the stark and compelling vistas of Aleister Crowley’s Amphora for the song “Traitors Rune” and Eliphas Levi’s Transcendental Magic, whose mystic rumination inspires the lyrical backdrop for the lead-off single “Flash Of The Pentagram.”
CASTLE was forged in San Francisco in 2009 and released their debut full-length, In Witch Order, on Germany’s Ván Records in 2011. The album brought light to the newly-formed band and earned them “Album Of The Year” honors from Metal Hammer Norway, as well as Roadburn Festival’s “Newcomer Of The Year.” Shortly thereafter, the band joined the Prosthetic Records roster in North America and released their critically-adored sophomore album Blacklands. The record led to a Canadian JUNO nomination for “Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year.” Since the release of Under Siege in 2014, CASTLE, which consists of vocalist/bassist Elizabeth Blackwell, guitarist/vocalist Mat Davis and drummer Al McCartney, has maintained a relentless touring schedule with multiple expeditions throughout the US, Europe and Canada including stops at the 2015 edition of Heavy Days In Doomtown Fest in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Acherontic Arts Fest in Oberhausen, Germany.
www.heavycastle.bandcamp.com/track/down-in-the-cauldron-bog
www.facebook.com/CastleSF
www.twitter.com/heavycastle

NEWS: Abominant

NEWS:
Abominant
Napalm Reign
label: Deathgasm
release: 29 July 2016
Abominant is a metal institution since 1993, with an impressive stability of personnel, a massive catalogue of recordings and a consistency/dedication that you can trust. They have a new studio album coming up, of which two songs are now available for listening. The band is primarily known as death metal and they play as fast and heavy as can be, but their music is built upon both classic metal and extreme metal and those traits are relatively easy to hear, once you get used to the blasting speeds, inhuman growling and the total barrage of extreme metal that will come your way. Give the band a bit of your time, and you will notice that they play their music unafraid, even to the point of showing quite a bit of traditional heavy metal churning with the death metal. They also write songs that the listener can understand. They are a death metal band with roots in traditional heavy metal, and as the years have gone by they have become very skilled at playing their style, which they call "goat metal." This new album shows the band as the total Abominant sound: there are no rules in "goat metal," just play the music that you want, a lot of it is blasting extreme metal, but there's classic heavy metal rolled into the sound and at this point they are experts at what they do: headbanging metal. Below you will find the official information about the band and the new album.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: For twenty-three years, ABOMINANT has done their best to write individual songs rather than repeating the same style, in the process simultaneously enticing or alienating much of the metal underground, causing them to maintain a purely cult status. With no interest in trends or genres; they have always carved their own path through the metal underworld, recognizing the appeal of individuality and attempting to separate themselves from getting lost in the sea of brutality. The band’s relentless eleventh album, Napalm Reign was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Scott Briggs and ABOMINANT inside Velocity Studios during the Winter months of 2015/16. Napalm Reign spews forth eleven brand new aural assaults and showcases the band executing their subterranean thrash-tinged blackened death with the passion and vehemence of true scene veterans. ABOMINANT has shared the stage with dozens of national and international acts including Deicide, Aborted, Rotting Christ, Death Angel and Belphegor as well as personal underground favorites like Nunslaughter, Incantation, Deceased, and too many others to list. Expect new tour dates in support of Napalm Reign to be announced in the coming weeks.
ABOMINANT was formed in 1993 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, following the demise of several local death metal acts. Guitarist Tim Ball and bassist Mike May from Sarcoma joined forces with guitarist Buck Wiedeman and drummer Craig Netto from Effigy to start a new project with darker, heavier roots than their previous outfits. In early 1994 they released their Never Truly Dead demo, and soon after, Wiedeman left to join the Air Force. Acquiring Mike Barnes from Louisville’s Cataclysm on vocals, they released another demo in late 1994 which led to a union with Wild Rags Records. Wild Rags released ABOMINANT’s debut, Unspeakable Horrors, in 1996. Wild Rags also opted to issue the Never Truly Dead demo on MCD format. The band released two more full-lengths through Wild Rags — 1997’s In Darkness Embrace and 1999’s The Way After — before the label’s demise. While in between records and labels, Wiedeman returned to the fold, increasing the band to a five-piece and doubling the material needed for a new record. ABOMINANT soon connected with Deathgasm Records for the release of 2000’s Ungodly which garnered the most success and positive reviews for the band yet. After 2002’s Upon Black Horizons, Deathgasm also officially repressed The Way After. Following the band’s 2004 full-length Conquest, ABOMINANT parted ways with its original drummer and brought in Jim Higgins who had been in multiple local bands, including Cataclysm with Mike Barnes, which helped usher in a more black metal influence and also reinvigorated the band. Not long after, they recorded 2006’s Triumph Of The Kill, however upon its release, Wiedeman decided to bow out of the band for a second time. The quartet released 2008’s Warblast and 2010’s Where Demons Dwell with Deathgasm before opting to self-release an MCD with two covers and two new songs for 2012’s Battlescarred. By 2013, the label released the band’s most fully-realized album yet, with Onward To Annihilation. Now, in 2016 ABOMINANT and Deathgasm Records are proud to present the band’s eleventh full-length album, Napalm Reign, celebrating their twenty-third year as a band. Truly fans of metal themselves, and the epitome of a brotherhood, ABOMINANT hopes all fans of death metal will enjoy the new record and possibly dive into their extensive back catalog.
ABOMINANT:
Tim Ball: guitars, strings and tendonitis
Mike Barnes: growls, screams and the belly of aaaargh
Jim Higgins: drums, cymbals, sweat and exhaustion
Mike May: bass, strings and headbanging neck pains
www.deathgasmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/napalm-reign
www.facebook.com/Abominant-152430868173200/

Saturday, July 2, 2016

NEWS: National Suicide

NEWS:
National Suicide
Anotheround
Scarlet Records
release: 22 July 2016
This thrash album is coming up this month. These Italians are passionate about their thrash and it shows. For the moment, the information below will have to do. In particular, people that support thrash will benefit from hearing this music.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: National Suicide is one of the most promising Thrash metal bands on the European soil. Their first album ('The Old Family Is Still Alive') came out in 2009 and attracted immediate attention from fans and media alike, and was followed by an extensive tour that included high profile festival appearances in Italy (Rock Hard Festival, Play It Loud), Germany (Thrash Assault), Spain (Keep It Thrash, Metal Cova) and more. Since their inception the band took the stage with Napalm Death, Assassin, Onslaught, Artillery, Exciter, Jag Panzer, Jaguar, Raven, Whiplash, Fueled By Fire, Satan, Sodom, Tankard, Omen, Savage Grace, Legion Of The Damned, Attacker and many other international acts. National Suicide's new album 'Anotheround' will be released on July 22nd on Scarlet Records. The band's sound is faster and sharper than ever, with deep roots in the American thrash metal scene of the Eighties and some distinctive features that make it instantly recognizable.
www.facebook.com/National-Suicide-Official-281887498501070/

NEWS: Scar of the Sun

NEWS:
Scar of the Sun
In Flood
Scarlet Records
release: 20 May 2016
This album will be of interest to the public seeking melodic modern/groove sounds with singing (not growling), with a melancholic vibe present throughout. The band calls itself "modern" and "mainstream," probably due to the lack of screaming/angry elements in the music. Their concern is melodic/melancholic songs that the listener can remember, and not so much the question of genre definition. Learn more about the group through the information below.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION: Scar of The Sun is a modern metal band formed in 2005 in London, UK. With their first release ‘A Series Of Unfortunate Concurrencies’ Scar Of The Sun has successfully toured Europe three times with the likes of Dark Tranquillity, Moonspell, Pain, Rage, Tyr and are currently about to release their sophomore effort ‘In Flood’. The new album includes guest appearances by Bob Katsionis (Firewind, Serious Black, OutLoud), George Katsanos (solo artist), Nick Syd (Cyanna Mercury), Van Labrakis (Paul Oakenfold, Armin Van Buuren). The band recorded ‘In Flood’ at their own Zero Gravity Studios, where singer Terry Nikas engineered the whole project. For the production the band hired Rhys Fulber (Paradise Lost, Fear Factory, Machine Head) and the mixing and mastering was handled by the up and coming duo Stamos Koliousis and Van Lambrakis of Studios 210 in Berlin (Keep Of Kalessin, Kvelertak, Satan's Wrath). Scar Of The Sun’s sound has matured and has become more focused, modern, heavier and aggressive but also more catchy, reflecting elements of In Flames or Trivium. The first European tour in support of it is currently in the works. More than ever, Scar Of The Sun are ready to head out on the road and play their music for the masses!
OFFICIAL BIO: SCAR OF THE SUN is a new and rapidly upcoming modern/mainstream metal band, that through a string of important live appearances and hard work in the studio, it is trying to leave its mark to the contemporary metal scene. The band was formed in London, UK and the current line up consists of Terry Nikas (vocals), Alexi Charalambous and Greg Eleftheriou (guitars), Panagiotis Gkatsopoulos (bass) and Thanos Pappas (drums). After a very successful promo CD, SOTS entered the studio in order to record their debut album. The band managed to stir the interest of high-profile producer Rhys Fulber (PARADISE LOST, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, etc) who co-produced and mixed the album. Apart from Rhys Fulber, the band also had the honour of collaborating with Greg Reely (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, THE TEA PARTY, COLDPLAY etc.), who took over the mastering process of the album and along with Rhys Fulber created an outstanding result.
The debut album is titled "A Series Of Unfortunate Concurrencies" and contain guest appearances by Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY), Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND), Marios Iliopoulos (NIGHTRAGE), Chris Antoniou (SEPTIC FLESH) and Leah Randi (CONJURE ONE). The sound of the album is multi-dimensional, blending smoothly many elements and influences, but the sound of the band can be described overall as modern atmospheric metal with lots of heaviness and drama, all funnelled through SOTS' unique style of sound.
For the promotion of the album the band shot two videos with famous director/animator/designer Achilleas Gatsopoulos, along with Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND), for the songs "Swansong of Senses" and "Disciple Of The Sun." After a series of very successful one off live appearances both in Greece and in Europe along bands like PAIN OF SALVATION, DARK TRANQUILLITY, PARADISE LOST, FIREWIND, KATATONIA etc and a slot on Greece’s biggest summer festival ‘ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL’ next to SLIPKNOT, MASTODON, DOWN, and many others, SOTS signed a deal with famous Italian record label Scarlet Records, and the debut album was released worldwide in June 2011. The release of the album was supported by two very successful European tours within 2012, the first being Metal Firestorm tour with RAGE, TYR and COMMUNIC, and the second being Into Darkness tour, with PAIN, MOONSPELL, SWALLOW THE SUN and LAKE OF TEARS a few months later. Currently the band is working on their new album, and a release date will be announced soon.
www.facebook.com/scarofthesun
www.twitter.com/scarofthesun

Friday, July 1, 2016

free death metal: Inferos

Inferos
Heirophant
release date: February 14th, 2016
label: independent
This is a free/name-your-price recording. Inferos is a death metal band from California, U.S. The band prefers a raw approach, and the music is not melodic at all and it's not shiny and robotic. It is ugly and real. Below is the information about the EP.
1.Negative Space 05:23
2.Rotten 05:45
3.Capital Punishment (For White Collar Crime) 01:40
4.Heirophant 05:56
total time 18:44
www.inferos.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/INFEROSESPIRITU

Rock Goddess

Rock Goddess is a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band that was active in the 1980s. They are now back together and have been playing shows. In order to present more about the band, you will find below information that has been compiled by various sources, such as Wikipedia, Blabbermouth, Metal Maidens and Metaladies. Some of the information overlaps, so it's not clear which is the original source. At any rate, if you like the NWOBHM and you have never heard Rock Goddess, a great place to start is the self-titled album from 1983.
“The band was formed in Wandsworth, South London in 1977, by sisters Jody Turner (guitar and vocals) and Julie Turner (drums) when they were thirteen and nine years old respectively. They recruited school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar and that completed their first line-up. Later Donnica Colman joined, adding a second guitar, and after her departure, Jackie Apperley replaced her, also on a second guitar. After Apperley left the band rehearsed intensively as a trio, and placed a track on a sampler album, which circulated in the London music underground. Meanwhile, manager John Turner, Jody and Julie's father, who had a music shop and rehearsal rooms, used his musical connections to get the band their first gigs. Finally, after an appearance at the Reading Festival in 1982, the band obtained a recording contract with A&M.
They released their eponymous debut album with producer Vic Maile in 1983, and at that time there were temporary legal problems - Julie Turner was still a minor attending school and she was restricted in the number of live shows she could play. Also in this period, Kat Burbella briefly joined the band as a second guitarist, and Tracey Lamb became disgruntled and quit the band, initially forming the band She with Burbella, but then joining Girlschool in 1987. She was replaced by Dee O'Malley, who played the bass guitar and keyboards on the band's second album, Hell Hath No Fury, produced by Chris Tsangarides that was released in 1984. The band co-headlined with Y&T, supported Iron Maiden and Def Leppard on UK and European tours and embarked on their own headlining tours. O'Malley announced her pregnancy just before Rock Goddess' first US tour and left the band, and Rock Goddess left A&M records with their third album unfinished and unreleased. She was replaced by Julia Longman on bass and Becky Axten on keyboards.
A fourth album was released only in France, with the title Young and Free, however, due to insurmountable problems Rock Goddess disbanded shortly thereafter. In 1988, the Turner sisters reappeared as The Jody Turner Band with two male musicians, but they did not go beyond the local club circuit. Jody Turner fronted a new line-up of Rock Goddess in 1994, but after a name change to Braindance, the group disbanded again in 1995, after playing their last gig at the Thomas O'Becket public house.
The band reformed in 2009 to play the Hard Rock Hell music festival in Prestatyn, Wales, but were forced to split before they had a chance to perform.
In March 2013, it was announced that the original line-up of Jody Turner, Julie Turner, and Tracey Lamb had reformed and would start recording a new album. The three of them are now in the process of recording a new album tentatively titled Unfinished Business.” [Wikipedia]
discography at Metal Archives
Heavy Metal Rock 'n' Roll single 1982
My Angel EP 1983
Rock Goddess full-length 1983
Hell Hath No Fury full-length 1983
I Didn't Know I Loved You single 1984
Metal Fusion split 1984
Love Has Passed Me By single 1986
Young & Free full-length 1987
Anthology compilation 2007
www.facebook.com/Rockgoddessrocks

tonight in Everett, WA

Ashen Pyre announces:
This Friday, darkness falls upon Everett. Witness our emergence below the waning crescent, with support from Serpent's Chalice and Necrosomnium.
Obscurus
2622 Center Rd
Everett WA
7pm
www.facebook.com/ashenpyre
www.ashenpyre.bandcamp.com/album/tract-i-malus-ferox

METAL BULLETIN #94

Venom Inc. comes to WA state!
w/ Inquinok (WA state), Slutvomit (WA), Harmonium, Bestial Invasion (Ukraine), Legati (Mexico), Hellcats (Slovenia), Blood Etchings (WA), Funeral Age (WA state)
plus: Engraved Darkness (U.S.)
www.fuglymaniacs.com/pdf-files/MetalBulletin94.pdf
www.fuglymaniacs.com

METAL BULLETIN #93

Born of Fire (U.S), Zørormr (Poland), Be’lakor (Australia), Abnormality (U.S.), Weaponlord (Seattle; free recording), Immensity (Greece),
plus: Abhomine(U.S.), Rabid Flesh Eaters (U.S.), Spellcaster (U.S.), Whitechapel (U.S)
www.fuglymaniacs.com/pdf-files/MetalBulletin93.pdf