 Photo by Ville Juurikkala Finnish four piece Apocalyptica have dropped their very own Cello-Metal reinterpretation of classical bangers with the new EP Metal Classic, Classic Metal. Release day also sees the band unleash the focus track 'Flight of the Bumblebees' originally by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow. On the EP's focus track, Perttu Kivilaakso states: "'Flight of the Bumblebee' is one of the most well-known virtuosic pieces. I have played it during my classical years many times, always aiming for faster and faster performances. This time I thought it would be the coolest thing to make a rough and heavy 'Bee' for our band, basically creating the slowest and most doomy 'Bumblebee' ever! It's fascinating how musical structures can work out in many various ways! This 'Bee' is heavy and angry, but surely flies out with a smile on her face and a blink in it's eye!" Metal Classic, Classic Metal also includes a new version of Beethoven’s '5th Symphony' as well as a re-do of Maurice Ravel’s 'Bolero'. The full EP is available HERE. 
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 Photo by Ville Juurikkala The Finnish four piece Apocalyptica announce the release of their very own Cello-Metal reinterpretation of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s legendary 5th Symphony. Eicca Toppinen says: “The beginning of the fifth symphony by Beethoven is one of the most iconic classical themes ever written. The process of rewriting and transforming it into a new perspective was a challenging but a really joyful ride. Beethoven was one of the first “metal-heads” in classical music which made it even more enjoyable to work out his theme with more modern sound and approach.” Listen to Apocalyptica’s “Beethoven 5th” and watch the animated visualiser here. The previously released single “Bolero” as well as “Beethoven 5th” are going to be part of Apocalyptica’s upcoming EP named “Metal Classic, Classic Metal”.  Apocalyptica will be touring the US extensively in 2022, as well as playing multiple Summer festivals, among other dates, before hitting Europe with the aptly named “Epic Apocalypse Tour” alongside Epica and Wheel. All dates can be found below. APOCALYPTICA – Tour Dates 2022/2023 Summer Festivals
US Tour /w Leprous and Wheel 06.09.22 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre 07.09.22 – Charlotte, NC – Underground 08.09.22 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel 09.09.22 – Baltimore, MD – Soundstage 10.09.22 – Blue Ridge, VA – Blue Ridge Rock Festival 11.09.22 – Harrisbrug, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center 13.09.22 – Portland, ME – State Theatre 14.09.22 – Long Island, NY – Paramount 15.09.22 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre 16.09.22 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA 17.09.22 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom 18.09.22 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues 19.09.22 – Ft Wayne, IN – Pierres 21.09.22 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection 22.09.22 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival 23.09.22 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl 24.09.22 – Indianapolis, IN – Vogue 25.09.22 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles 26.09.22 – Sauget, IL – Pops 27.09.22 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall 28.09.22 – Denver, CO – Summit 30.09.22 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre 01.10.22 – San Diego, CA – Observatory 02.10.22 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory 04.10.22 – Las Vegas, NV – Bowl 05.10.22 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theatre 06.10.22 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst 07.10.22 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival 08.10.22 – Guadelajara, MX – Coordenada Festival 12.11.22 – Wroclaw (PL) – Hala Stulecia Finnish Tour w/ Wheel 16.11.22 – Tampere (FI) – Pakkahuone 17.11.22 – Oulu (FI) – Tullisali 18.11.22 – Seinajoki (FI) – Rytmikorjaamo 19.11.22 – Kupio (FI) – Musiikkikeskus 20.11.22 – Helsinki (FI) – Ice Hall (*special guests – Leprous) “The Epic Apocalypse Tour” w/ Epica and Wheel 19.01.23 – Vilnius (LT) – Compensa Concert Hall 20.01.23 – Riga (LV) – Arena Riga 21.01.23 – Tallinn (EE) – Saku Arena 23.01.23 – Oslo (NO) – Sentrum Scene 24.01.23 – Stockholm (SE) – Berns 25.01.23 – Copenhagen (DK) – Amager Bio 27.01.23 – Amsterdam (NL) – AFAS 28.01.23 – Hamburg (DE) – Georg Elser Halle 29.01.2 – Brussels (BE) – AB 30.01.23 – Bristol (UK) – O2 Academy 01.02.23 – Nottingham (UK) – Rock City 02.02.23 – Glasgow (UK) – O2 Academy 03.02.23 – Manchester (UK) – Academy 04.02.23 – London (UK) – Roundhouse 06.02.23 – Luxembourg (LU) – Atelier 07.02.23 – Paris (FR) – Zenith 08.02.23 – Toulouse (FR) – Le Bikini 10.02.23 – Barcelona (ES) – Razzmatazz 1 11.02.23 – Murcia (ES) – Murcia Gamma 13.02.23 – Madrid (ES) – La Riviera 14.02.23 – Lisbon (PT) – Coliseum 12.03.23 – Hanover (DE) – Capitol 13.03.23 – Colonge (DE) – Carlswerk Victoria 14.03.23 – Wiesbaden (DE) – Schlachthof 15.03.23 – Ludwigsburg (DE) – MHP Arena 17.03.23 – Zurich (CH) – Komplex 4567 18.03.23 – Lausanne (CH) – Metropole 19.03.23 – Milan (IT) – Fabrique 20.03.23 – Munich (DE) – Tonhalle 22.03.23 – Budapest (HU) – Barba Negra 23.03.23 – Vienna (AT) – Gasometer 24.03.23 – Brno (CZ) – Hala Vodova 25.03.23 – Warsaw (PL) – Progresja 27.03.23 – Gdansk (PL) – B90 28.03.23 – Berlin (DE) – Columbiahalle 29.03.23 – Leipzig (DE) – Haus Auensee Italian alt metallers Violet Blend perform Verdi's "La Donna Mobile" with Maestra Gianna Fratta6/4/2022  Alt-metal band Violet Blend campaign against gender discrimination with Maestra Gianna Fratta by performing Giuseppe Verdi's "La Donna Mobile". Watch the new "La Donna Mobile" music video via YouTube, and stream the song on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer and more. New full-length album Demons is out now! Produced by Alessandro Del Vecchio (Quiet Riot, LA Guns, Nanowar of Steel). Download / Stream at this location Eclipse Records: Italian alternative metal band Violet Blend just dropped their new full-length album Demons and revealed a new music video for the song "La Donna Mobile", taken from Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto opera. In the video, Violet Blend are conducted by world-famous Maestra Gianna Fratta at the historic Teatro Verdi in Firenze, Italy. "La Donna Mobile" is the fourth music video from the band's new full-length album Demons, which was just released worldwide on April 1, 2022 via Eclipse Records. Aside from being a timeless classic originally written by Giuseppe Verdi, the song has been adopted as the theme of "La Donna Mobile - Campaign against gender discrimination and violence”, a non-profit project to promote equality, empowerment, education, and information, focused on the role of women in the world of work. The campaign is promoted by Violet Blend, with the patronage of Municipality of Florence, the Department of Equal Opportunities of Florence, the sponsorship of Teatro Verdi of Florence, Biblioteca Riccardiana of Florence and Viper Theatre of Florence, in support of AIDOS - Italian Association of Women for Development, that since 1981 has worked throughout the Italian territory for the rights, dignity and freedom of choices of women and girls in the world. Learn more about the campaign at this location. "As a classical musicologist, I've always had to study and deal with music written by men, where women were always secondary characters with little to think or say," says lead vocalist & composer Giada Celeste Chelli. "La Donna è Mobile is one of the most famous arias of 19th century Italian opera, but I realized that very few people really knew its meaning. It is misogynist and discriminatory, and even if it was written during the 19th century, I find it terribly current. We wanted to underline the importance and relevance of a reflection on the role of women, focusing on the world of work, where still today there is a dangerous and frightening gender gap. With this project, we wanted to gather and show the public the testimonies of these wonderful women that work and succeed in professions that are socially still linked only to men. We asked women to help us spread a message of gender equality and the women responded!" Demons contains thirteen hard-rocking tracks that personify discontent, passion, beauty, and rage. The lyrical subject matter of the album explores the human soul by investigating its contradictions and ambitions. The album was produced by Alessandro Del Vecchio (Quiet Riot, LA Guns, Nanowar of Steel). Demons will be released worldwide via Eclipse Records on April 1, 2022. Singles from the album include the powerful debut “Rock DJ” which describes the primordial sense of joy and freedom that music transmits. The second single entitled “Among All These Fools”, is about asking the music to guide you through some wicked people that try to surround you and prevent you from reaching your goals. The third single “Need” is about a situation of great uncertainty, where you must decide if you should abandon the old life for a new one. The last single "La Donna Mobile" is part of a prominent social campaign to raise awareness against discrimination and gender-based violence, featuring AIDOS (Italian Association of Women for Development) and the Municipality of Florence, Italy. Altogether, Demons is an exciting record with something for everyone, from the superlative vocal to the rhythm-chops which seem to echo the true pulse of the world. Get ready to rock! For more information about Maestra Gianna Fratta, check out her official website. Violet Blend line-up
For more information on Violet Blend, please visit them on:- Follow them on:- Japanese symphonic metal wizards Heterogeneous Andead drop new lyric video "Fragments Of Memories"24/3/2022  "Fragments Of Memories" is a track taken from Heterogeneous Andead's upcoming album "Chaotic Fragments", which is due for release April 8th via Wormholedeath worldwide. Heterogeneous Andead is a melodic & symphonic electro death / thrash metal band from Tokyo, Japan. The sound is based on thrash metal with progressive metal, added electronic & symphonic sounds, and all of them is sung by a mezzo-soprano & who also uses growling vocals. "We've released one EP & album so far, so this album will be our third release. We don't change the concept and aimed to further improve the level while making it understandable as Heterogeneous Andead music immediately after listening. There are songs with more progressive elements in this album, and we also take on new challenges such as triple time. It also features more guitar harmonies and the synthesizer's sound is more emphasized than before. The performance of each part is also more energetic. This album has only 8 songs, but I think that all the songs are good quality to be the lead track of the album. In this album Yusuke Kiyama worked on mixing / mastering, so all the sounds are our ideals." Heterogeneous Andead are:-
heterogeneousandead.com  Montreal's Growler Choir (Le Choeur Des Growlers in French) was dreamt up by composer Pierre-Luc Senécal in 2016. What may have been a wild fantasy for many metalheads was finally brought to fruition in May 2019 in co-production with Le Vivier et Codes d'Accès when the eighteen member choir took the stage for their first public performance. Comprised solely of metal growlers, the choir blends metal and contemporary music in a way that is groundbreaking. In their debut performance conducted by Senécal, the Growler Choir performed the dramatic words from the poem "The Dayking" by Fortner Anderson backed with a reinforced sound arsenal. The Growler Choir does more than emphasize vocal techniques specific to the genre of extreme metal, they explore the sonic potential of the voice to demonstrate its extraordinary properties, both sensual and monstrous. They thoroughly delighted the audience, many of whom sat on opposite ends of the musical spectrum. The one of a kind performance was recorded so that music lovers everywhere can witness this very unique event. The Growler Choir innovates on several levels. On one hand, it materializes an almost mythical idea of metal music; on the other hand, it renews the archetypes of a genre by approaching them in an experimental spirit. In short, they are making contemporary and metal music more approachable for new audiences. To watch this incredible spectacle, please visit the following link via MetalSucks.net HERE. "The Dayking" featured:
Facebook.com/GrowlerChoir Instagram.com/growlerchoir/ Cello Metal veterans Apocalyptica return with their stunning new single 'Ashes Of The Modern World'4/10/2019  Bristling with an epically baroque life and energy, Finland’s multi-Platinum cello-rockers Apocalyptica have unveiled their brand new single ‘Ashes Of The Modern World.’ The song is taken from Cell-0, their upcoming ninth studio album, released on January 10th via Silver Lining Music. The powerful video was directed by the award-winning Finnish photographer/videographer Ville Juurikkala who has worked with a wide variety of prominent artists from Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith to opera singer Andrea Bocelli. The recording of Cell-0 followed a four-year break between albums that gave the band - Eicca Toppinen, Perttu Kivilaakso, Paavo Lötjönen, and Mikko Sirén, all of whom are classically-trained musicians - a fresh perspective and affected the way they approached the new music. The album sees them return to their roots and is the quartet’s first instrumental album in 17 years, finding Apocalyptica challenging themselves to discover new flavours and colours in their respective instruments. “It is tough to express without lyrics, but in Cell-0, we found particles of our universe previously unknown to us,” they explained. “Millions of notes combine to create music just as millions of cells combine to create life, and when you visualize the whole thing, similar patterns appear.” Produced by Apocalyptica, mixed by Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Metallica and Black Sabbath), and recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Cell-0 sees the band soaring into ethereal space on ‘Ashes Of The Modern World,’ while diving head-first into aggressive thrash cello-riffery during ‘En Route To Mayhem.’ Rather than put strategic attention on aspects like writing singles, the band approached Cell-0 as a fully-formed piece of art, connecting the right details and hues with the energy of being a real cello-metal band. By pushing themselves to find other places and levels in their music, Apocalyptica opened up to some seemingly unorthodox methods and emotions while travelling through that creative process. “These new songs have so many layers and are so complex, and it’s not always easy to point exactly what they are about,” Toppinen expresses. “But I think that’s also the beauty of instrumental music, that the listener always can feel free to experience the same songs in very, very different ways. It’s also one reason why we don’t want to explain the songs before they’re experienced.”  In support of the release of Cell-0, Apocalyptica will Special Guest with Sabaton on a 15-country, 23-date European arenas tour, including an appearance at Wembley Arena on February 8th 2020. All confirmed dates are below. JANUARY 17 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland 18 Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany 19 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany 21 Gasometer, Vienna, Austria 22 Arena, Budapest, Hungary 24 Torwar, Warsaw, Poland 25 Max Schmeling Halle, Berlin, Germany 26 O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic 28 Alcatraz, Milan, Italy 30 Arena Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 31 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany FEBRUARY 1 König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Germany 2 Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium 4 Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain 5 Vistalegre, Madrid, Spain 7 Zenith, Paris, France 8 Wembley Arena, London, UK 9 Afas Live, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 11 Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany 12 Forum Black Box, Copenhagen, Denmark 14 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden 15 Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden 16 Spektrum, Oslo, Norway Cell-0 will be available in a variety of formats, including CD Mediabook, heavy-weight double vinyl and a variety of digital download options. Pre-order at www.apocalyptica.com. USA's Rapheumets Well announce October 26th as the release date for "The Elder’s Anthology"8/9/2018  Blending a sound that is a complex mix of classical orchestrations, cosmic synths, and extreme metal to portray the epics of parallel worlds, Hickory, N.C. based Rapheumets Well (Ra-few-mets) bring forth a voyage enriched with lore, fabricated from scratch to show the depth in which represents them as artists. From the birth of organic matter to great wars that tear the fabric of space/time, the story of Rapheumets Well’s music serves to immerse you into a world of oddities. Inspired by the fictitious universe of the Atai, Rapheumets Well is the name coined to the conscious deity who oversees the anastomosis of the multiverse, the master of portals and inter-dimensional travel. Being personified as a trickster, Rapheumet often creates chaos for unsuspecting voyagers. The word “Well” refers to the gravity wells, which like black holes, are catalyst of change and gateways between the cosmic plains. “We created this name in hopes of personifying a living gateway between dimensions. We love science fiction and a few of us have extended education and degrees in science.” says drummer Joshua Ward. Unleashing three albums over the years, Dimensions (2014), Exile (2016) and Enders Door (2017) that progressively told a larger story portrayed in a complex saga of the Atai (ancient architects) who aid in the propagation of sentient life throughout the multi-verse, the band returns in 2018 with their epic “The Elder’s Anthology”, a trilogy of sorts featuring selective tracks remixed and remastered from those releases due out on October 26th from Test Your Metal Records.
The band comments: "'The Elder's Anthology' is a collection of songs (we felt) are important in re-igniting the lore of the previous albums. With new changes and new members, we felt it was important to transpose their skills into the foundation of the band. The Elder's Anthology is re-mastered with updated guitars, vocals, and baselines and we fell this was appropriate for moving forward with the next full length album!" Their first single "The Betrayer" in support of “The Elder’s Anthology” is now streaming via Youtube channel Black Metal Promotion at https://youtu.be/kPym5DiG700 Rapheumets Well is also offering fans an immediate download of their tracks "Resurrecting The Blood Gate" and "The Betrayer" with album pre-order via the band's Bandcamp here. Members: Shay Hecate – Lead Vocals Taylor Maltba – Clean/Operatic vocals Hunter Ross – Guitar Daniel Presnell – Guitar Alex Rush – Bass/Vocals Joshua “Nassaru” Ward – Drums, Keys, Vocals Special Guest: Aaron Rogers – Keys and Orchestrations http://www.testyourmetalofficial.com https://www.eldersverse.com http://www.facebook.com/rapheumetswell https://twitter.com/rapheumetswell https://instagram.com/rapheumetswell_official  Renowned Danish composer and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Myrkur’s, recent full-length release Mareridt was the recipient of Metal Hammer’s prestigious Album Of The Year Award at last night’s Golden Gods Ceremony, as chosen by the magazine’s editorial staff! A full list of winners is available here. Mareridt is available for purchase via Relapse.com HERE and on all digital retail outlets HERE. A full collection of Myrkur’s music videos and live performances is available AT THIS LOCATION. On Mareridt (translation: Nightmare), Myrkur explores deeper into the mysterious and the feminine with 11 songs that further progress her visionary blend of metal with gorgeous, stirring melodies, dark folk passages, choral arrangements and superb, horrific beauty. The conceptual masterpiece includes lyrics in multiple languages, an unforgettable collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe and an array of special instrumentation including violin, mandola, folk drums, nyckelharpa (an ancient Swedish key harp), and Kulning (an ancient Scandinavian herding call). Like a marriage of King Diamond's 'Them' with Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake', Mareridt is a carefully composed concept freed from genre - a profound manifestation of nightmares that demonstrates Myrkur as one of the truly exceptional artists of our time. The compositions sweep into one another like a soundtrack designed to guide the listener through emotional turmoil. Timeless, triumphant, powerful and hypnotic, Mareridt is a sonic nightmare that you never want to escape. Myrkur is: Amalie Bruun - all instruments and composition. Myrkur Tour Dates: Jun 28 Madrid, ES Download Madrid 2018 Jun 29 Varnial, LT Kilkim Zaibu Festival 2018 Jul 06 Roskilde, DK Roskilde Festival 2018 Jul 07 Roskilde, DK Roskilde Festival 2018 (Folkesange) Jul 22 Brescia IT Colony Open Air Jul 27 Tolmin, SI Metal Days Aug 09 Jaromer, CZ Brutal Assault Aug 18 Berlin, DE Pop-Kultur Myrkur Official Website Myrkur on Facebook Myrkur on Bandcamp Myrkur on Instagram Myrkur on Apple Music Myrkur on Spotify  German band Atrium Noctis are ready with the release of their new album, Aeterni. With a new line-up, formed around ever present member Hydra Gorgonia, the band have moved into a new, advanced artistic direction. Atrium Noctis plays music which has its roots in symphonic dark and black metal. Influences from classical music and elements from Pagan Metal, contribute to a pronounced, unique sound and a special type of sheen to the output. There is great darkness paired with a thick slice of heaviness emphasized within the new songs.
Melancholic, hymnic and sentimental passages are also a part of the music. Additionally, epic and colourful nuances enrich everything as a whole. Atrium Noctis love big sound pictures and have largely unburdened themselves from the genre limits of black metal which have allowed songs like Datura Noir and Die Nacht des Falken to be created. Multiple singers have been involved and guarantee a wide range of vocal diversity throughout the songs and highlighting the German lyrics. Atrium Noctis have also dedicated themselves to a melodic sound and the band members bring their different musical backgrounds to the fore. There are open minded musicians who have played metal their entire lives, a female singer who is classically skilled, two studied musicians who are open for anything, all of which contribute to the deep black soul of the album. With Aeterni, the musicians of Cologne, successfully strive for a true authenticity and a return to the roots of the original formation. Aeterni | Released September 9th, 2017 on Sliptrick Records Atrium Noctis are: Hydra Gorgonia – Keys Hein – Screams Sturm – Guitar Thyratus – Guitar Rhadamanthys – Guitar Nemrod – Drums Band links: Official Website | Facebook | Youtube  L-R: Camille Delage (Keys), Nico Damoulianos (Bass), Olivier Allard (Violin), Alexandre Dagenais (Drums), Kevin Paquet (Guitars) Influenced by bands such as Symphony X, Dream Theater, Haken, Plini, Rush along with classical, jazz and progressive rock, Montreal's instrumental violin prog metal Cydemind offer a refreshing take on progressive music that is sure to attract interest from a wide audience with their new album "Erosion". Teaming up with TheProgReport, the quintet is proud to premiere the full stream of the release, which consists of six compositions including a 27 minute masterpiece of the album's title track. Cydemind comments: "We’re very excited to finally release Erosion. We’ve been working on it for so long; to finally launch it feels like we’ve reached the summit of a mountain that took 5 years to climb. We hope you’ll appreciate the scenery as much as we do. Thanks for supporting us and here’s to many more albums!”
"Erosion" was recorded in Montreal at The Grid with producer Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy, The Agonist, Beyond Creation, Neuraxis) along with additional recording of grand piano done at Studio 270. Album artwork was done by drummer and band co-founder Alexandre Dagenais along with lyrical poems included with the release written by pianist Camille Delage. The poems describe each composition as the album gravitates around the theme of nature and its persistence through time. To hear the full stream of "Erosion", please visit the following link: http://progreport.com/cydemind-stream-their-new-album-erosion/ 'Erosion' is available on iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify and all other major online retailers. In additional news, Cydemind's local CD launch in Montreal will be held June 17th at the Cabaret Lion D'Or with special guest progressive rockers No Ticket. Tickets are available on www.lepointdevente.com. Cydemind is: Olivier Allard (Violins) Alexandre Dagenais (Drums) Camille Delage (Keyboards/Piano) Nico Damoulianos (Bass) Kevin Paquet (Guitars) http://www.cydemind.com |
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