 Hanging Garden anno 2022; photo credit: Kalle Pyyhtinen Finnish melodic metallers Hanging Garden hit the studio to record what will become the band's eighth album and first for Agonia Records. The seven-piece just completed recording drums at D-Studio of Klaukkala, Finland, with new-old drummer Antti Ruokola, last seen in Hanging Garden seven years ago. The prolific outfit is going forward full steam with the production of the as yet untitled opus and follow-up to "Skeleton Lake" (2021). The rest of the album will be recorded at various studios around the capital area of Finland, and in the end put together and produced by the band's guitarist Jussi Hämäläinen. Come July, the album will enter post-production in the tender care of Jarno Hänninen at D-Studio. Hanging Garden comment:- "The album will dive deep in to atmospheres both tender and harsh, devilish and serene, embarking upon a journey to mankind's spiritual roots, and contemplation upon the fragility of our technological society. Stay tuned for more news." Agonia Records recent signees Hanging Garden incorporate doom, gothic and death metal with a melodic cut, wrapped in melancholy and a dark aura. The band possesses a versatile, many-layered style of playing, male & female vocals, and draws influence & inspiration from music and art, far and wide. The group may appeal to fans of Swallow the Sun, Ghost Brigade, October Tide or Katatonia. Line-up:
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 Czech symphonic metal discovery After Evolution have signed a licensing deal with Wormholedeath for their album "War Of The Worlds", which is due for release on June 17th, 2022. The band have released this statement, history of the band and video (as below):- "You may ask, "who are they? where did they come from?" and the answer is simple, we came here to the earth from far away, to tell you the story about our world and how we have been born in this one. Each of us have been reborn in different year, different time, under the different star, moon and sun to connect our destinies in one. We are the storytellers, ancestors, wanderers of the universe and time, the artists carrying bond between the melodies of the dark and light, death and life, hope and despair and fire and ice... We are the After Evolution. The way of finding each other was not easy at all. Everything started one day, when Nikolette met Michael. They knew their meeting meant much more but for the whole reveal of the truth they needed to find the remaining two reborn. It was the year of 2013 when Nikolette and Michael started with collecting the shards of memories before the big reborn. Piece by piece and part by part of single memory has been written into melody and poetry connected in one. Nikolette and Michael met a lot of souls astray but neither one was the one of the reborn. So after some time they just went by their own path of life. When the year of 2016 appeared, Michael and Nikolette decided to reveal the part of their threnodies to the world. People loved their melodies accompanied with ancient stories of the other world so they continued with writing more and more of their story. Also by the end of the same year Nikolette with Michael found the third reborn named Adam, so they continued they journey side by side. The melodies of past have been spread really fast so a lot of big and well known collectors of great ancient stories, art and melodies wanted to help to the After Evolution on their path and spread their stories to whole the world. So Nikolette, Michael and Adam with another soul astray agreed and decided to travel to the great Italy to imprint their story connected with dark melodies and ancient power into memory of the world forever. It was the year of 2018, the hot summer days, when After Evolution finished the big reveal of the truth and with last drop of the ink on the paper they finished the last note in the big part of their story and their past. Unfortunately that soul astray was not ready for the journey of the After Evolution, so he left when he saw the path and went his own way. The path got really complicated. But they didn't give up and continued on their way even if it was full of thorns and pain. They followed their destiny. On their journey to imprint their story written in melodies to eternity of the world, they met a brave traveller named Ilya, who helped them to finish the rest of their journey and fight the monsters along the way. At the end of the path, he went his own way and After Evolution went on the expedition to find the last lost reborn. The missing piece of the After Evolution. Later that year of 2018 the fourth lost reborn, Vitek has been found and continued his journey along with the rest of the reborn, After Evolution and their destiny have been fulfilled. They were able to connect all the shards of their memories and finish the story of the ancient world they came from. They found out who they truly are and about their true abilities. With the time going by, there were a lot of thieves of ancient art who wanted to steal some of their magic and treasures they had, but it never really happened, the things got just a little bit complicated during the protection of their secrets. After Evolution finished their whole story and they have collected and connected with their ancient power all shards of memories together. All that creation was so exhausting for them that After Evolution fell into the deep rest and recovery to gain the energy again and summon all the power and inspiration back to them. When the dark times disappeared, After Evolution, with clear mind and full of energy were ready to accept their destiny and share their story with the world and spread the enchanting melodies again. With year of 2022 they shared with the world the story about the big war from the ancient world and the war of the worlds chants floated by the world."
Music inspiration : "My inspiration is in epic orchestral music like movie or game soundtracks for example - Two steps from hell, Audiomachine, Hans Zimmer, Ivan Torrent etc. I was fascinated by Evanescence, Nightwish, Within Temptation and Epica because they connected the orchestras and the metal elements and I really liked that. So I knew I wanted to play symphonic metal but more symphonic, more like epic orchestral metal, so every instrument like guitars, drums and also vocals are composed on the orchestral base not the opposite." Concept : "Everyone was asking us "what does AFTER EVOLUTION means?" and I didn't know why they are asking me that to be honest because I have never saw asking someone Nightwish what their name means. But I told myself „okay, I will give my band the meaning“ and I created a whole story about who we are and what is our music about. I love fantasy stories and most of my time I am in clouds with my head so why not. So I started to creating a storyboard and slowly connecting the story with the music." Development : "I created whole the story in about 2 weeks and then the music work was next on the list, so I have separated the parts of the story to 11 sections to create 11 music parts for the album. I stopped at each section and imagined the feelings of the main character, the environment and what is happening and I tried to feel everything as if I was there to match the music and orchestras with that feeling of the story. When I have created the orchestras I had already in my head the melody of the vocals and some idea how the guitars and drums should sound. When that was ready I came back to the paper sheet where I have written what is this part about and I’ve started with writing the lyrics. It is really my favourite part because I love writing in contrasts if it is possible and some poetic riddles to think about for example : „red roses are falling down on the cold white snow“ means in my style of writing : falling blood on the ground – I really love making that kind of texts if I have a space for that. Some texts are just describing what is happening and the story and some are more poetic, it really depends on the mood of the song. So that is how I am developing and making the music and its concept etc." Line up:
 Motionless In White have shared "Slaughterhouse," a brand new song featuring Knocked Loose's Bryan Garris. "Slaughterhouse" is available today on all streaming platforms and featured on Motionless In White's widely-anticipated new album Scoring The End of the World, due out June 10. The forthcoming album is available to pre-save on all streaming platforms today, with exclusive merch bundles available for pre-order in the band's official store. Building on the anticipation for Scoring The End of the World, "Slaughterhouse" follows the previously released singles "Masterpiece" and "Cyberhex," the official videos for which quickly trended Top 10 on YouTube and have since amassed over 6 million views. Furthermore, "Masterpiece" continues to grow at the Active Rock radio format, jumping into the Top 30 this week and continuing to grow in audience. Scoring The End of the World fully encompasses the expanse of the band's dynamic, deep, and dark vision, and marks the band's first full-length body of work in three years since 2019's Disguise. The latter has quietly made a major impact on rock music and culture. The single "Another Life" stands out as their most-streamed song ever with over 25 million YouTube views on the music video. The record claimed a spot on Loudwire's "50 Best Metal Albums of 2019," plus it ignited the creative renaissance that would set the stage for the statement-making Scoring The End of the World.
Motionless In White harnessed the power of an unholy union between industrial metal dissonance, spellbinding gothic pop bombast, and big screen-worthy iconography to emerge as 21 century rock's most iconoclastic and cinematic force. Climbing out of the shadows of the rustbelt in Scranton, PA, the group has tirelessly earned the undying allegiance of a devout worldwide audience one record at a time. With over half-a-billion cumulative streams and views to date, they have notched three consecutive Top 5 debuts on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and Top Rock Albums Chart with Reincarnate [2014], Graveyard Shift [2017], and Disguise [2019]. The latter spawned the inescapable "Another Life," which tallied over 100 million streams and counting. Not to mention, Jonathan Davis of Korn, Maria Brink of In This Moment, and Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth have welcomed the opportunity to collaborate. After countless sold-out gigs and festivals, they co-headlined the Trinity of Terror Tour, selling out venues coast-to-coast. However, everything set the stage for their 2022 opus, Scoring The End of the World. Right out of the gate, the single "Cyberhex" trended Top 10 on YouTube, while the follow-up "Masterpiece" lit up streaming platforms. With guests as diverse Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose, Caleb Shomo of Beartooth, and video game composer Mick Gordon, the album finds the group's vision magnified wider than ever before with no shortage of teeth, fire, and blood. It's the dawn of their biggest chapter yet.
https://www.facebook.com/motionlessinwhite Motionless In White announce new album "Scoring The End Of The World" + share "Cyberhex" video13/3/2022  Motionless In White have announced their anxiously awaited new full-length album, "Scoring The End Of The World", set for release on June 10, 2022. It is available to pre-save on all streaming platforms today with exclusive merch bundles available for pre-order in the band's official store. To herald its arrival, the Scranton, PA quintet have also shared the first single "Cyberhex," which is available on all streaming platforms and joined by an official music video directed by the band's guitarist Ricky Olson and Logan Beaver — now live on the band's official YouTube channel. Vocalist Chris Motionless elaborated on the ambitious new project stating: "'Cyberhex' is my love letter to you, our fans, for everything you have done for me over the course of some of the most mentally taxing few years I've had to go through. At times where I felt like my world was ending, as well as the world around us, it was always in my mind that I was able to turn to the special relationship we have created together for help, and I cannot thank you enough for that. Outside of my own personal experiences, it has been equally as fulfilling to me to see that in the face of tireless forces that continue to try and perpetuate hatred and negativity towards so many of us coexisting on this planet, we have all stood together to resist and fight back knowing that love and compassion will always prevail. We ARE the resistance. We ARE Cyberhex. I love you. Thank you." On "Cyberhex," an ominous synth melody snaps like the click of a trigger into a pummelling glitchy guitar riff as vocalist Chris Motionless warns, "There's no tomorrow." His apocalyptic verses give way to a robotic sample, "Initiate Cyberhex," before the cataclysmically catchy chorus takes hold. Strings pierce the militaristic bridge, and screams cut through the chaos. In what may be their most cinematic visual yet, the story of the song comes to life on-screen under Olson's deft direction.
"Scoring The End Of The World" fully encompasses the expanse of the band's dynamic, deep, and dark vision, and marks the band's first full-length body of work in three years since 2019's Disguise. The latter has quietly made a major impact on rock music and culture. The single "Another Life" stands out as their most-streamed song ever with over 23 million YouTube views on the music video. The record claimed a spot on Loudwire's "50 Best Metal Albums of 2019," plus it ignited the creative renaissance that would set the stage for the statement-making Scoring The End of the World. Last year, Motionless In White unleashed the standalone single "Timebomb." It has gathered 5.7 million Spotify streams and 1.6 million YouTube views on the music video. https://www.facebook.com/motionlessinwhite Russian goth metallers The End Of Melancholy unveil video for stirring cover of “The Immigrant Song”17/7/2021  Russian alternative / goth metal band The End Of Melancholy has revealed a new video for their take on the Led Zeppelin classic “The Immigrant Song” from their latest album, Nature Unleashed. The band share their thoughts:- “We always loved this great band and in honour of their huge contribution to music, we decided to do a cover. There’s a line in lyrics, ‘We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.’ Our band is from cold Russia, so we know what we’re singing about!” Watch The End Of Melancholy’s video for “The Immigrant Song” now at https://youtu.be/9apZAjuDTd0. Nature Unleashed is available now digitally on Spotify and Bandcamp, and as a limited-edition CD including a jewel box, slipcase and 16-page booklet at https://theendofmelancholy.bandcamp.com/album/nature-unleashed. The End Of Melancholy was founded in 2014 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and was quickly recruited to perform with such bands as Motionless in White, Theatres Des Vampires and Hanzel und Gretyl. Their 2019 album Paradox Intention was supported with two European tours, making stops in Poland, Lithuania, France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Switzerland and Estonia. Later that year, The End Of Melancholy was chosen by Motionless in White to support the American band at their first Russian show. The following year, the band signed on with Massive Music, one of the largest European booking agencies. In addition to Paradox Intention, The End Of Melancholy has released numerous videos, including a cover of Lord of the Lost’s “Black Halo” and the originals “Monster’s Feeling,” “Genesis,” “Peaceful Warrior,” “The Demon” and “Dolphins.”  Japanese post-grunge / gothic metallers Gods Of Decay have signed with Sliptrick Records. Gods Of Decay was formed in Tokyo in 2018 by Japanese guitarist Frost and Georgian vocalist Anna. Their music lies at an intersection of genres and styles such as post-grunge, alternative and gothic metal, the fusion of which gave birth to a dark, “meaty” and yet beautiful sound. The band pride themselves with a strong adherence to melody, intricately interwoven with heavy and angry guitar riffs – a feature that makes them stand out. Anna’s fascination with modern literature has a strong impact on the lyrics she writes. The major themes in her lyrics are introspective, dreams, vanishing boundaries between the real and the imaginary, madness and social criticism. Her musical influences range from the mellow (The Cure) to the brutal (Necrophagist). She enjoys experimenting with styles and aims for “theatricality” in her singing manner. She has received opera vocal training in the past, but enjoys experimenting with extreme vocals. The mastermind behind Gods Of Decay‘s compositions, Frost, names among his favourite artists and major influences such bands as Creed, Pearl Jam and Nirvana. By implementing beautiful melodies into heavy distortion “shell”, his compositions are powerful, yet at the same melodious. “Beauty in strength” can nicely describe the sound that he aims for. Yorke, on bass and programming, has joined the group recently but has immediately brought new colors to the band’s musical palette and yet more layers into compositions by balancing out the aggression of Frost’s guitar with his mellifluous and sensual basslines. His influences include such bands as Nine Inch Nails, Apex Twin and Portis Head. Gods Of Decay are currently preparing to release their first full-length album Collective Psychosis, which is planned to be preceded by the release of a single and a music video titled Suffocate You. Gods Of Decay are:
Band links: Official Website | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | On Sliptrick  Wolfheart & The Ravens are the new chapter of the gothic metal saga started by Ravenland, a band founded by Dewindson Wolfheart back in 1996. As Ravenland the group received international recognition, having their music played on radio stations worldwide including the BBC (UK) and Japan, where they were featured in Osaka’s TransaRock compilation for being one of the most requested bands there. Ravenland’s first video, "End of Light", was featured in several Brazilian networks, like Multishow, Play TV, Record, Rede TV, TV Cultura and MTV Brasil. With Ravenland, Dewindson played hundreds of gigs, either as a headliner or alongside the likes of Moonspell, Tiamat, Nightwish, Theatre of Tragedy, Anneke van Giersbergen, and Danny Cavanagh. In all Ravenland released two albums, five EPs and two singles, besides being featured in compilations and tribute albums. In 2015 Dewindson Wolfheart and Fábio Jhasko (ex-Sarcófago) recorded together "The Ravens", for a tribute to Bathory, which resulted in a project called Wolfheart & The Ravens, which later, after line-up changes from Ravenland, became the band's new name. To start this new chapter, they released the singles "Ravphenix - From Ashes", "Inês - The Dead Queen", and "Midnight", besides appearing in a couple tribute albums and playing several gigs.  Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the quintet released videos, was featured in a My Dying Bride tribute and the soundtrack of director Marcos Debrito's new movie, "Almas Que Dançam na Escuridão" (“Souls that Dance in the Dark”). The new album, will feature special guests such as Tommy Lindal (ex-Theatre of Tragedy), Margriet Mol (Asrai), Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell), Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride) and Skinny Kangur (Deathstars). A sample of what is to come is available through the band's new effort, "Gimme Your Blood" single. A video was shot for it and can be seen HERE. WolfHeart And The Ravens is:
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 Polish gothic metal band Arshenic have announced the release of 4 new singles which will be released every month. The first single is already out and can listen at this location https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG79cA7Aa6U Each track will differ in style and heaviness, which will not be a surprise for those who have heard Final Collision. Arshenic designs it's own music genre creates a variety of compositions, referring to alternative metal, Nordic folk, dark rock metalcore, or nu-metal, which, while maintaining the average tempo of the songs, combining clean vocals with the addition of screams and growls, gives a heavy, dark, but also very melodic sound of the whole. The new releases are characterized by the use of non-standard time signatures that give the songs a progressive sound. The goal was to create something new that would surprise the listener, but would also follow the path set by the greatest of their genre. Last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, Arshenic released a cover of "Where did you sleep last night", along with a music video shot on the cliffs of Polish most cinematic beach. The same year, Ofilia, the band's vocalist, was nominated by an international jury for the Best Clean Vocal 2020 FemMetal - Female Goddesses of Metal award, after which she was awarded first place in this category. The first song to be released on 4/06/2021 is the Bloodsucker. Bloodsucker is an energetic, rock-metal track. The beginning of which is inspired by the atmosphere of old-school metal bands such as Motorhead, Alice Cooper, or AC / DC, combined with the melodiousness of nu-metal and contemporary electronics. At the band's climax, the song turns into a progressive ballad with a post-rock vibe, vocals with a classic and musical feel. As a result, we have a one-of-a-kind piece that not only immediately catches the ear, but also surprises with its form. 2.07.21 - Extraterrestrial - is a heavy, unpredictable piece with non-standard divisions, for connoisseurs of heavy and strange music. Strong guitars combined with whispers give a psychedelic effect, which increases when it enters another riff, based on djent guitars and the screaming question: did you take your drugs? The heaviness is calmed by a pleasant to the ear, melodic chorus, the lyrics of which refers to abductions by UFOs. It's a song for non-obvious combination fans and seekers of fresh, modern solutions. 6.08.21 - Black Goat - a track inspired by progressive metal in the style of Deftones or Katatonia, combined with alternative metal and gutturals in the chorus. For metal fans who like non-standard connections and nostalgic mood. The lyrics of the song tell the story of complicated family relations. 3.09.21 - Lucid - progressive meter, multi-layered vocals referring to Nordic folk in the style of bands such as Wardruna or Eivor and catchy chorus with metalcore guitars. The tribal and apocalyptic sound of the song emphasizes the meaning of the song's lyrics question and statement: They will bring us the end...? Links:  Finland are looking to repeat history as they eye up their second Eurovision Song Contest victory. Their entrant this year is Blind Channel, a band that have been sprinting past milestones and crushing their rival’s records with their enormous anthemic entry ‘Dark Side’. ‘Dark Side’ has become a #1 smash hit on the Finnish singles chart and has remained in the top 10 airplay charts for over 10 weeks, with the song now reaching platinum. Is metal going to bring Finland the gold yet again? Listen to the song here and watch the official lyric video here. It was written as a reaction to the global pandemic that forced the music industry to a grinding halt, synonymously crushing all the band’s 2020 touring plans. Frustration, isolation and depression gave birth to an anthem for the people, and the Eurovision Song Contest has proved to be the perfect vessel to spread their message. Niko Vilheim, one of the band's two vocalists shares his thoughts:- “What we really needed at that low point was an anthem for ourselves, a song that gives the finger to life itself. That’s how ‘Dark Side’ came into life. It really was an instant anthem. ’Dark Side’ is a song that’s meant to be performed together with an audience, as a kind of communal experience. Now we needed to find that audience, and we knew that there were lots of people out there who felt exactly like we did.”  After entering the track into the UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu = New Music Competition), the Finnish qualifying round for the Eurovision Song Contest itself, the sextet came away annihilating all their fellow competitors by achieving the highest score in the competition’s history and becoming the first UMK entry to hit the top of the charts. Now with their sights firmly set on the finish line, the band will be the 14th act to perform at the second semi-final on May 20th, and if successful on the night, will perform again at the finals on May 22nd. The competition finale will also feature performances from past winners of the competition, including Finland’s previous winning act and hard rock heroes Lordi who dominated the 2006 event with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’. Finland has long been known for its love of heavy music, with international superstar acts such as Hanoi Rocks, HIM, Nightwish, Children of Bodum, Apocalyptica and The Rasmus all enjoying major global success. Now the world will be adding Blind Channel to that list. Blind Channel were formed in 2013 in the city of Oulu, way up in the North of Finland, by a group of five talented, determined and ambitious friends – vocalists Joel Hokka and Niko Vilhelm, drummer Tommi Lalli, guitarist Joonas Porko and bass player Olli Matela. This fivesome has stuck together to this day, in the spirit of the 2018 sophomore album Blood Brothers, each of them collectively responsible for the songwriting. Last year saw the addition of a new member, as long time friend Alex Mattson joined to play keyboard, samples and percussion and completes the current line up. Following the release of their 2020 album Violent Pop, ‘Dark Side’ is the band’s first taste of music from an upcoming album due for release early next year, working with renowned UK producer Dan Lancaster (Blink 182, Bring Me The Horizon, Don Broco). CONNECT WITH BLIND CHANNEL WEBSITE / SPOTIFY / YOUTUBE / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER Canadian melodic death / gothic metallers Sanguine Glacialis unveil new music video “Kraken”1/4/2021  Photo Credit – Dani Rod Montreal, QC's Sanguine Glacialis have a new music video for the track “Kraken” in support of their 2018 album “Hadopelagic”. The band experiments with a vast array of musical styles such as jazz, classical, folkloric music, and Latin music while keeping a very strong melodic death metal accent. Today, the band is asking fans to come dance La Valse des condamnés! with the premiere of the video for “Kraken” via Bravewords HERE. Sanguine Glacialis explains the song in their own words: “This is the third and last single from our album “Hadopelagic”. It’s actually the first song that was written when we finished the recording of our first album “Dancing with a Hanged Man”, and because of that, you can clearly hear the influences of the first album and former line-up. It’s a song that we all liked, so we decided to keep it and adapt it to our new line-up. The lyrics talk about a man who goes to sea, knowing well that a monster awaits him, and despite the warnings of the people around him, unfortunately never comes back. The music video is centred on this story, showing a ghost ship wandering the seas, reliving the passengers’ deaths in the hands of the Kraken, forever.” “Hadopelagic” is the second full-length album from Sanguine Glacialis, following 2012’s “Dancing With A Hanged Man” and 2016’s EP “Pitch Black Sight”. The beauty of Sanguine Glacialis is that their influences shine through prominently in their music, and each song has its own atmosphere, taking from a unique slice of the musical spectrum. With this album, the band took a huge step forward and fans have been appreciating its mature sound much more than the previous one. According to the band, everything is better on this release and they are proud of the new direction they have taken. There has been talk of writing another album and getting back to live performances in the not too distant future.
Fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Between the Buried and Me, and Diablo Swing Orchestra will likely be interested in the genre-bending sounds of Sanguine Glacialis. “Hadopelagic” was released on April 6, 2018 and available on the following platforms: Sanguineglacialis.bandcamp.com, Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify. Album Band Line Up:
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