Metal Music News

Sweden's masters of melancholic metal Katatonia sign worldwide record deal with Napalm Records

26/6/2022

[Photo Credit: Ester Segarra]

Napalm Records is beyond proud to announce the worldwide signing of legendary Swedish masters of melancholy Katatonia. The band has inked a worldwide record deal with the leading Austrian rock and metal label.

Piercing through the core in 1991 when Katatonia was brought to life by the inimitable Jonas Renkse (now vocalist) and renowned guitarist Anders Nyström, the unit has taken a fascinating journey from their heavy atmospheric extreme metal beginnings in the early 90s underground metal scene to their current status as a unique, free-spirited progressive rock amalgamation that stretches beyond the boundaries of standard music. Each stunning work of Katatonia is tantamount to a cathartic experience – from their seminal debut, the legendary Dance Of December Souls (1993), to their most recent haunting masterpiece, the critically acclaimed City Burials (2020) – the latter marking their most successful release to date (debuting at #6 GER, #5 FI, etc).

The five-piece has never failed in evolving its sound and unique identity into something that is known as one of Sweden's top-notch musical forces today. Stay tuned for more exciting news coming soon!

Kataonia on the signing:

"As Katatonia is just about to enter a brand new chapter in its own book of history, we’re passionate the band's journey will continue onward and upward together with our new label
Napalm Records.”

Thomas Caser (Napalm Records) about the signing:

"Katatonia has been one of the most impactful metal acts, always progressing throughout their career. Teaming up with such an iconic act is a dream of every music fan. We are beyond excited to work with the band and their team!”

Katatonia are:

Jonas Renske – Vocals
Anders Nyström – Guitars
Roger Öjersson – Guitars
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums

Soilwork announces new album "Övergivenheten"; out 19th August

15/5/2022

Sweden's melodic death metal veterans Soilwork are back with big news! After their EP release back in December of 2021, it is time for the first studio album in three years. Proudly Soilwork announce their twelfth and latest masterpiece Övergivenheten which will be released on August 19th via Nuclear Blast Records.

Musically and lyrically evolved, Soilwork release their most complex and elaborate album to date which marks a new phase of their career. Not only due to the tremendous effort and time they put in but also the results on the album reflect years of development and experience as a band, which is ultimately provided on Övergivenheten for the fans to enjoy.

Pre-order the album here: https://bfan.link/overgivenheten

Soilwork's Björn Strid comments on their new album:

"The title track of this album just might be the pinnacle of this band’s musical journey - it sums up everything that we’ve ever been about and the sometimes risky musical venture that this band embarked on some 20 years ago. To me this song is as close to the heart as it gets."

The announcement of Övergivenheten comes with the band's first single, which is the title track 'Övergivenheten' and delivers a great introduction to Soilwork's first studio album in three years!

Stream the new single 'Övergivenheten' here: https://bfan.link/overgivenheten
Check out the new video here: https://youtu.be/8lnviIWjliE

Övergivenheten will be released in the following formats:

CD Jewelcase
CD Digipack + 24 Page Booklet
2LP Vinyl Gatefold + 20 Page Booklet CLEAR (Retail)
2LP Vinyl Gatefold + 20 Page Booklet SPLIT SILVER/BLUE (Mailorder + Wholesale)
2LP Vinyl Gatefold + 20 Page Booklet SPLATTER CURAÇAO w/ WHITE & BLUE & SPLATTER CURAÇAO w/ BLACK & YELLOW (Mailorder)

2LP Vinyl Gatefold + 20 Page Booklet INK SPOT YELLOW/BLUE (Band)

www.facebook.com/soilwork

Korn shares video for "Worst Is On Its Way" and global tour dates

23/4/2022

Photo credit: Tim Saccenti

Following the release of their highly anticipated studio album Requiem via Loma Vista Recordings in February, Korn shares a new video for the next single "Worst Is on Its Way". The Craig Bernard and Culley Bunker-directed visual shows the band's high energy performance of the song in greyscale as individual members of the band are decomposed into animated particles with a series of visual effects. The 9-track album features the hit single "Start the Healing," which peaked at #1 on the Active Rock chart, in addition to the previously released tracks "Forgotten," which Rolling Stone described as "explosive" and "Lost In The Grandeur," which dropped as a final taste of Requiem just a few days before the record's release.

Recently described by GQ as "bold and iconoclastic" and released to high acclaim including recent features on the covers of Revolver and King Kong magazines, Requiem is produced by Korn and Chris Collier. Energized by a new creative process free of time constraints, the band was able to do things with Requiem that the past two decades haven't always afforded them, such as taking additional time to experiment together or diligently recording to analogue tape - processes which unearthed newfound sonic dimension and texture in their music.

Additionally, Korn is slated to take their live show across a worldwide run of headline festival and amphitheater tour dates kicking off this summer and running into the fall. The extensive tour begins with a headline performance at Daytona Beach's Welcome To Rockville festival before kicking off EU/UK dates in Amsterdam on May 25th. The tour will see stops in Berlin, London, Stockholm, Budapest and more before returning stateside for dates in Denver, Charlotte, Dallas, Boise and others. Tickets are currently available for purchase HERE.

Watch "Worst Is On Its Way" and listen to Requiem above, see full tour routing, album details and information on the band below and stay tuned for more Korn coming soon.

Upcoming Live Dates

EU/UK

5/25 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
5/27 - Prague, Czechia @ Tipsport Arena
5/28 - Bratislava, Slovakia @ Aegon Arena
5/31 - Warszawa, Poland @ Arena Cos Torwar
6/1 - Berlin, Germany @ Verti Music Hall

6/3 - 5 - Nürnberg, Germany @ Rock IM Park 2022
6/3 - 5 - Nürnberg, Germany @ Rock AM Ring 2022
6/7 - Milano, Italy @ Ippodromo Del Galoppo Di San Siro
6/9 - Interlaken, Switzerland @ Greenfield festival 2022
6/10 - Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock 2022

6/12 - Derby, United kingdom @ Download Festival 2022
6/13 - London, United Kingdom @ An Evening With Korn
6/15 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Grona Lund
6/16 - København, Denmark @ Copenhell 2022
6/18 - Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting 2022

6/19 - Clisson, France @ Hellfest 2022
6/21 - Budapest, Hungary @ Budapest Arena
6/24 - Oslo, Norway @ Tons Of Rock 2022
6/26 - Goteborg, Sweden @ Gothenburg Studios
6/27 - Aarhus, Denmark @ Aarhus Congress Center

6/30 - Seinajoki, Finland @ Provinssi Festival 2022
7/1 - Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska Festival 2022
7/3 - Viveiro, Spain @ Resurrection Fest 2022

United States

5/20 - 22 - Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome To Rockville 2022
7/15 - 17 - Mansfield, OH @ Inkcarceration Festival 2022
8/16 - Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
8/18 - Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
8/20 - Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

8/21 - Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
8/23 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
8/24 - Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
8/26 - Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
8/27 - Camden, NJ @ Waterfront Music Pavilion

8/28 - Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
8/31 - Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
9/1 - Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
9/4 - The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
9/6 - Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion

9/9 - West Valley City, UT @ Usana Amphitheatre
9/10 - Boise, ID @ Ford Idaho Amphitheatre
9/13 - Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
9/15 - Auburn, WA @ White River
9/16 - Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

Connect with Korn:

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Website

Norwegian melodic death crew Haunted By Silhouettes question reality in new "Selkie" music video & single ft. Björn Strid

29/3/2022

Norwegian melodic death metal band Haunted By Silhouettes have just dropped another music video, this time for their latest single "Selkie" which features Björn Strid on guest vocals. "Selkie" is the second single from the band's new EP which is set to drop worldwide on May 6, 2022. The music video was directed by Stian Hoel Fossen and Mathias Jamtli Rye.

The No Man Isle EP was planned to become a short concept story written by Mathias. Inspired by poet John Donne, it focuses on themes such as solitary survival, family, independence, and societal humanity. Lead vocalist Mathias explains:-

"No Man Isle centres around a middle-aged divorced man that decides to cut all ties with the world, and to live on his family’s deserted island for the rest of his life. He travels to the island and a lot of mysterious things happen that seem to be connected to his uncle's disappearance from the island 40 years earlier."

The musical vision behind the EP saw the band turn to a slightly more melodic direction, while taking the song arrangements to the next level, while aspiring to become larger than life. Mathias states:-

"The songs are perhaps more melodic and to the point this time around with more distilled, focused details added to each song. There’s also a maritime retro vibe going on with the added synth arrangements that make the songs pop out more and sound a bit bigger, epic and unique."

No Man Isle was also a great opportunity for Haunted By Silhouettes to take their unique death metal sound - down a heavier path. Their method of writing, demoing, and finally recording the album was an experience to remember. Stian recalls:-

"We wanted to tune down from drop-C to drop-A to make the sound heavier. Per Kristian and I wrote a bunch of riffs and then the whole band took a trip to a cabin in the mountains of Norway to write 7 demo tracks for the EP. From those seven, five songs ended up on the EP."

"The meaning of Selkie is inspired by a short-story I wrote to boost my creativity in the writing process of the EP," says lead vocalist Mathias Rye. "The lyrics describes a man that sees something extraordinary that makes him question reality, causing him to doubt his newly-found life-choice (living the rest of his life alone on an island). The overall meaning boils down to how we encounter sudden pangs of self-doubt in life and how we deal with it."

Drummer Håvard adds "It’s easy to pick a favourite song while writing an album, and then change your choice later, but “Selkie” has tickled me in all the right places from the start, and when we got Strid on it’s just crème de la crème all the way. Story-wise, it’s an important song for the EP, and the musicality of it sets it apart from the relentless heaviness of our first single, Flock."

Pre-order / Pre-save No Man Isle at https://ffm.to/nomanisle

Haunted By Silhouettes lineup

Mathias Jamtli Rye (vocals)
Stian Hoel Fossen (guitar)
Per Kristian Grimsland (guitar)
Ola Kjøren Nilsen (bass)
Håvard Bustad (drums)

For more information on Haunted By Silhouettes please visit them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Follow the band on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal, Amazon Music, and Deezer now!

Swedish symphonic black metallers Katharos to release 'Of Lineages Long Forgotten' via Willowtip in May

6/3/2022

Band photo by Matthias Hammar

Symphonic black metallers Katharos will release new album Of Lineages Long Forgotten May 13 on CD, vinyl, and digital formats via Willowtip Records. Katharos exalts the Scandinavian black/death-sound with killer riffs, epic symphonic arrangements and crushing drums in the vein of Emperor and Dimmu Borgir.

The album's first single, "The World Serpent's Marrow," is streaming at: youtu.be/_GYl2ULd4tw

Katharos' sophomore album Of Lineages Long Forgotten offers a fresh take on the symphonic black metal genre with complex yet unrelenting arrangements recorded in the legendary Necromorbus Studio (Mayhem, Watain et al.). The album rewards multiple listens without compromising energy or flow (in the vein of Emperor). It is an album that easily flows from epic majestic pieces to blasting infernos. It will draw the listener in with harmony and then deep dive into intriguing dissonance.

The band sums it up most succinctly in stating that "we are very proud of the album, and this recording sets the music in its right aural space.”

Pre-order - katharosswe.bandcamp.com/album/of-lineages-long-forgotten

Artwork by Eliran Kantor

1. Those Hornclad
2. Feigned Retreat
3. Of Lineages Long Forgotten
4. The World Serpent's Marrow
5. Lay Yersinian Siege
6. I Waged War
7. Most Dread Portent

Mixed and mastered in Necromorbus Studio, Söderfors, by Tore Stjerna.
Engineered at Necromorbus Studio, Stockholm, by Simon Wizén and Tore Stjerna.
All music and lyrics by Katharos
Backing vocals by Robin “Rob the slob” Westlund from Repuked.

Guitar and vocals: Richard Annerhall
Guitar and bass: Max Müssbichler
Keyboards: Christofer Sköld
Drums: Tatu Kerttula

Alternative metallers Lillasyster aim to represent Sweden at Eurovision by entering Melodifestivalen 2022

24/2/2022

Lillasyster is once more in the competition to represent Sweden in Eurovision.

In 2021 Lillasyster entered the Swedish take outs for Eurovision and since then their contribution "Pretender" has risen on the charts, peaking on the "Swedish Top 50" chart for over a month and soon streamed Platinum in Sweden. The bands contribution this year is the new "Till Our Days Are Over" and is written by Palle Hammarlund and Jimmy Jansson which have had several previous successes in the competition.

"The song has a higher tempo than Pretender and is more straight on, and more Arena"
says singer Martin Westerstrand.

Global Metal Apocalypse (GMA) Awards 2021 - Metal Release Of The Year (by country / territory)

8/1/2022

So we now know who the winners of the GMA Awards 2021 were, but to wrap up the event in it's entirety and bid farewell to 2021 and usher in 2022, we must turn to the last bunch of awards - 'Metal Release By Country / Area'.

Usually these would include the flag of the band's nation, but given the events in Afghanistan this year among other political turmoil, I felt it would be prudent to forgo any flags and just list the winners.... so without further ado here are the....

'METAL RELEASE OF THE YEAR'
BY COUNTRY / AREA

AFGHANISTAN

Almach
"Dream Elegy"

ALBANIA

Bloody Skies
"2021 Demo"

ALGERIA

Jugulator
"Under The Verdict"

ANDORRA

Dilaghran
"The Search For
The Dark Star"

ANGOLA

Dor Fantasma
"Ovimbundu"

ARGENTINA

Cernunnos
"Capricornvs"

ARMENIA

Ildaruni
"Beyond Unseen Gateways"

AUSTRALIA

ENDVS
"Cessation"

AUSTRIA

Nemoreus
"Arnea"

AZERBAIJAN

Hoar Demigod
"Drѐma"

BANGLADESH

Kaal Akuma
"In The Mouth Of Madness"

BELARUS

Massen
"Contraesthetic"

BELGIUM

Kerbeross
"Servants"

BELIZE

Black Serpent Ritual
"Bestial Incantations"

BOLIVIA

Indignacion
"Amuyta Lakharu"

BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA

Necrophilisma
"Underground Celebration"

BRAZIL

Cerberus Attack
"Abyss Of Lost Souls"

BULGARIA

Metalwings
"A Whole New Land"

CHINA

Twilight Blooming
"暮色绽放 Twilight Blooming"

CROATIA

Act Of Denial
"Negative"

CZECHIA

Cycles Of Revocation
"Predestination"

ECUADOR

Genoxida
"Capítulo 1: Repugnante Negocio Del Terror"

ENGLAND

Ghosts Of Atlantis
"3/6/2/4"

FALKLAND ISLANDS

Bloodrust
"A Legacy Of Vengeance"

GEORGIA

Warsarius
"Lullabies Of Mountain Beasts"

GREECE

Silent Winter
"Empire Of Sins"

HONDURAS

Abaddon
"Regnum"

ICELAND

Mannveira
"Vítahringur"

IRAN

Thy Dispraise
"Lost Era"

ISLE OF MAN

Aeons
"Consequences"

JAPAN

Serenity In Murder
"Reborn"

KYRGYZSTAN

Icewind
"Midnight Bloody Dances"

LIECHTENSTEIN

Flashtrack
"Deluson"

MADAGASCAR

Ortho'doxs
"Te Ho Ngeza"

MALDIVES

Fini
"Cold In Our Hearts"

MOLDOVA

Cerebral Attack
"Sub Cultura Urii"

MOROCCO

All
"Mørk Voix"

NEW ZEALAND

Scorn Of Creation
"Annihilation Cult"

NORTH MACEDONIA

Drioma
"Plethora"

PAKISTAN

Blackhour
"Woh Jahan"

PERU

Indoraza
"Todas Las Sangres"

PORTUGAL

Inhuman Architects
"Paradoxus"

RUSSIA

In Vision
"In Vision"

SERBIA

Claymorean
"Eulogy For The Gods"

SLOVENIA

Dethrone The Corrupted
"The Amygdaloid Decay"

SPAIN

Violblast
"Lazarus Abandoned"

SWEDEN

Orecus
"The Obliterationist"

TAIWAN

Dharma
"Bhaisajyaguru"

TUNISIA

Nawather
"Kenz Illusion"

UGANDA

Mehul Kanani
"Legacy"

UNITED STATES

Seraph In Travail
"A Black Death Incense"

CANADA

Concrete Funeral
"Covered in Concrete"

COLOMBIA

Snowblind
"Breakin' Out"

CUBA

From The Abyss
"Chaos Supremacy"

DENMARK

Nothing Noble
"Modern Dismay"

EGYPT

Crescent
"Carving The Fires Of Akhet"

ESTONIA

Kõdu
"Unusta Kõik"

FINLAND

Korpiklaani
"Jylhä"

GERMANY

Daily Insanity
"Chronicles Of War"

GUATEMALA

Deipnosophist
"The Utopian"

HONG KONG

CharmCharmChu (慘慘豬)
"Last Breath"

INDIA

Bloodkill
"Throne Of Control"

IRAQ

Rabeen
"Ereshkigal"

ISRAEL

Her Last Sight
"Mirrors"

JORDAN

Bouq
"Monument Of Reclamation"

LATVIA

Varang Nord
"Pārķiuņa Uomurs"

LITHUANIA

Magyla
"Tebūnie Tamsa"

MALAWI

Blessings Chisama
"Universe"

MALTA

Carnivorous Horde
"Slaughtered Uprising"

MONGOLIA

Karmantic
"Lethality"

NETHERLANDS

Epica
"Omega"

NICARAGUA

Vomitosis
"Necrosadismo"

NORWAY

Nordjevel
"Fenriir"

PANAMA

Myria
"Mankind / Obsolete"

PHILIPPINES

Cerebral Depravity
"Decades Of Suffering"

PUERTO RICO

Kranio
"Revolutionary Sacrifices"

SAN MARINO

Hybrid Practice
"Realignment"

SINGAPORE

Krusnix
"The Constitutional Sacrifice"

SOUTH AFRICA

The Iridium Experiment
"Hero.Villain.Victim"

SRI LANKA

Luciferianometh
"The Order Of Satan's Rage"

SWITZERLAND

Excoriated
"Violent Reality"

TAJIKISTAN

Deep Inside Us
"Untitled 2021 Demo"

TURKEY

Sabhankra
"Death To Traitors"

UKRAINE

Brilliant Coldness
"The Ultimate Dream. Plan B: Disposal Of Humanity"

URUGUAY

Kreeper
"Belong To Hell"

CHILE

In Asymmetry
"Ashes Of Dead Worlds"

COSTA RICA

Coveted
"Annihilation Of Mankind"

CYPRUS

Dragonbreath
"The Awakening"

DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC

Batu
"Vol. 4: Toxicolandia"

EL SALVADOR

Apes Of God
"En El Recinto De La Tempestad"

ETHIOPIA

Nishaiar
"Nahaxar"

FRANCE

Sol Draconi Septem
"Hyperion"

GIBRALTAR

Angelwings
"Primordium"

GUERNSEY

From Darkness
"From Darkness"

HUNGARY

Beneath The Void
"...into Oblivion"

INDONESIA

Orbital Element
"Celestials Damage"

IRELAND

Hashmaker
"Attack Of The 50ft Lobsters"

ITALY

Winterage
"The Inheritance Of Beauty"

KAZAKHSTAN

Nuclear Angels
"Gurus Of Destruction"

LEBANON

Turbulence
"Frontal"

LUXEMBOURG

Scarred
"Scarred"

MALAYSIA

Thrashit
"Chaos Of Fear"

MEXICO

Becoming The Entity
"Beyond Cygnus"

MONTENEGRO

Violent Drunks
"Alkobot"

NEW CALEDONIA

Pascal Allaigre
"On Fire"

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ravenlight
"Intermission"

ORKNEY ISLANDS

Electric Mother
"II"

PARAGUAY

Lucifer's Children
"Signs Of Saturn"

POLAND

Moanaa
"Embers"

ROMANIA

Flaming Skies
"Empire Of Glass"

SCOTLAND

Robot Death Monkey
"Druid Odyssey"

SLOVAKIA

Machina Baphometa
"Shame Of The Proud Angel"

SOUTH KOREA

Epicsode
"A Common Theories"

SURINAME

Brutal Black
"Prelude To The Apocalypse"

SYRIA

Maysaloon
"A Lip To Earth, A Lip To Heaven & A Tongue To The Stars"

THAILAND

Black 'Ciety
"Punishment In The World To Come"

TURKMENISTAN

Duvel
"..."

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Tabernacle
"Terror in Thrace"

UZBEKISTAN

The Only Survivor
"The Birth Of Anger"

VENEZUELA

Living Decomposition
"Internal Defragmentation"

WALES

Kong Lives
"Thy Kingdom Kong"

VIETNAM

God Father
"Lột Xác"

ZIMBABWE

Nuclear Winter
"Greystone"

Swedish death metal legends Unleashed announce 14th studio album, “No Sign of Life”

18/9/2021

[photo credit: Jens Rydén]

Three years after the release of The Hunt for White Christ (2018), iconic Swedish death metal legends Unleashed return with their new studio album, No Sign of Life, out November 12, 2021 via Napalm Records – once again setting the ultimate standard of death metal!

The Swedish crew is led by founding frontman Johnny Hedlund, and features drummer Anders Schultz and two guitarists Tomas Måsgard and Fredrik Folkare – delivering and defining supreme death metal for over 32 years. On No Sign of Life, the band formed of Viking descendants transports the listener straight into an outraging battle with 11 forceful tracks that revive the essentials of death metal, facing the sheer brutality of war. Unleashed are back to defend their throne, forging another uncompromising musical weapon that continues the marvellous legacy of Vikings.

To satisfy the bloodthirst, Unleashed just released their staggering brand new track from No Sign of Life, entitled “The King Lost His Crown”, alongside a sharp lyric music video. The track dives right in without mercy, dominated by destructive guitars, blasting drums and the well-known chunky and brutal screams of genre-carving vocalist Johnny Hedlund.

Johnny on the first single:

“In the aftermath of the battle of Jorsala, where the Midgard Warriors stood victorious, White Christ is now being hunted from the once so holy city. The enemy flees towards the desert, and his armies are about to lose faith in their leader. It seems that the king lost his crown”.

Watch the new lyric video for "The King Lost His Crown” HERE:

1. The King Lost His Crown
2. The Shepherd Has Left the Flock
3. Where Can You Flee?
4. You Are the Warrior!
5. No Sign of Life
6. The Highest Ideal
7. Midgard Warriors for Life
8. Did You Struggle with God?
9. Tyr Wields the Sword
10. It is Finished
11. Here at the End of the World

The silence gets crushed right within the first notes of the album opener “The King Lost His Crown” and invents a paving rage that leaves no time to catch your breath during its entire playing time. The album unfolds with “Where Can You Flee” as an unstoppable war battalion and builds upon Unleashed’s well established trademark sound and strong lyrics. Bare boned screams are accompanied by epic shouts praising Odin and heavy guitar riffs as the journey of clashes continues in “The Highest Ideal”, until the album reaches its glorious peak with “Here at the End of the World” as a fading hymn for the victorious march that leaves the battlefield behind in ashes.

The chief Vikings of Swedish death metal leave no doubt that they are still true to their roots after 32 years of existence. Unleashed proves that they indeed are and will stay the unchallenged leaders of Sweden’s death metal forefathers!

Pre-order your copy of No Sign of Life NOW!

UNLEASHED on the album:

“It is our hope that our warriors all over the world will enjoy the new album just like they have our previous ones. We have, as always, tried to stick to our roots while testing our steel to develop the genre of Viking Death Metal even further. Hail Odin!"

No Sign of Life will be available in the following formats:

- LTD Wooden Box Edition
- Digipack
- 1LP DieHard Gatefold GOLD
- 1LP Gatefold MARBLED RED WHITE
- 1LP Gatefold CLEAR GREEN
- 1LP Gatefold BLACK
- Digital Full Length Album

UNLEASHED are:

Johnny Hedlund – bass, vocals
Anders Schultz – drums
Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitar
Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar

UNLEASHED online:

Swedish epic doom crew Sorcerer release cover single & music video for Rainbow's classic "Gates Of B"

10/9/2021

Artwork by: Jani Stefanovic

     Swedish epic doom metallers Sorcerer have released a new single - their tribute version of Rainbow's 1978 classic "Gates Of Babylon" - through Metal Blade Records! Watch the video for this cover song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njPeQpBRmUk

     Since Sorcerer's latest release, Lamenting Of The Innocent (2020), the pandemic restrictions have impacted the whole music scene and interfered with promotional aspirations and touring. While Sorcerer's main focus lies on creating new material for a fourth record with Metal Blade and moving forward, the vacuum of the pandemic offered the band some spare time for a fun side project.

     Sorcerer had been playing with the idea to do a tribute cover for quite some time. But finding time to make an arrangement, record and even choosing a song always seemed challenging; many epic tracks appealing to the members had also already been covered. To bridge the period to their new album and also to shine some light in these dark days, Sorcerer felt the time was now to put that idea into action. Once they committed to it, the song choice was actually a no-brainer. Rainbow had always been a huge inspiration for all and influenced Sorcerer since the beginning, so it felt like an obvious choice to go for their anthem "Gates Of Babylon" - a track that hasn't lost its magic decades after its release.

Regarding this cover project, Sorcerer guitarist Kristian Niemann says:

     "When trying to come up with a way to arrange 'Gates Of Babylon' and give it a different spin, I tried to imagine what it would've sounded like if Tony Iommi wrote it instead of Ritchie Blackmore. It probably would've been slower and heavier, possibly down-tuned a bit. We skipped the keyboard intro because it would be impossible to capture the magic of the original. We had a great time recording this single at SolnaSound Studios, and overall we are very happy with how it turned out. We hope our fans will dig it too."

Sorcerer's "Gates Of Babylon" is now streaming on all digital platforms: www.metalblade.com/sorcerer

Sorcerer line-up:

Anders Engberg - vocals
Kristian Niemann - guitars
Peter Hallgren - guitars
Justin Biggs – bass
Richard Evensand - drums

Sorcerer online:

Swedish alternative metallers Smash Into Pieces announce brand new album 'A New Horizon'

17/6/2021

    Rapidly rising Scandinavian alt-rock / metal band Smash Into Pieces have announced their brand new album A New Horizon, out August 27th. Their sixth full length album, it explores, expands and concludes the immersive journey they began on previous album ARCADIA both aurally and visually. Pre-order the album here.

     A New Horizon continues to detail the band's Arcadia World narrative, delving deeper into their story. A futuristic world riddled with political corruption and driven by fear and misinformation, their story follows Apoc, their protagonist, as he vows to put an end to the dark times and encourage society to seek the truth and live freely. Together with the weaving electronic textures, biting guitars, pounding drums and anthemic vocals, it leaves a lasting impression as a powerful, gripping and thought-provoking album.

     Arcadia is a mirror image of reality; the setting may be futuristic and different, but the issues that are buried within the album couldn’t be more real. As the roles of social media and technology grow, we become numb to life beyond our screens, and Smash Into Pieces are encouraging you to look up and see the world around you. We are faced with obstacles, challenges and difficult choices every day, but with positivity and a clear mind we can overcome them and find happiness.

PRE-ORDER HERE

Rise Up
Real One
My Wildest Dream
Bangarang
Broken Parts
Cut You Off
Glow In The Dark
Running Away From Home
My Shadow
A New Horizon
Outrun

     The announcement of A New Horizon follows the release of four adrenaline-fuelled instalments, ‘Rise Up’, ‘Real One’, double single ‘VR’ and the recent thunderous anthem ‘Broken Parts’, each of which is accompanied by a lavish music video that further enhances the Arcadia World narrative.

     With a massive track record consisting of five albums, 23 singles, and over 375 million streams and views across platforms, Smash Into Pieces have evolved into one of the fastest rising Scandinavian alternative rock bands to date.

     Formed in 2009 and comprised of vocalist Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye, guitarist Benjamin Jennebo, guitarist Per Bergquist and drummer / DJ The Apocalypse DJ, they released their fifth studio album last year which, together with the lyrics accompanying music videos, began to tell the story of a digital world – ARCADIA.

     In 2021 that story continues; the story of the resistance and the artificial. This is A New Horizon. Stay tuned for more exciting news and announcements in the near future.

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