Archive for November, 2013

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BlackShore – Terror

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 30th November 2013 by izaforestspirit

BlackShore
Terror
Released 15th November 2013
Black Metal
Released via BlackSkull Records

photo BlackShore-Terror-Artwork_zps48310085.jpg

‘Terror’ is the third album from the German black metal band Blackshore. It is the follow-up to their 2011 album ‘Legion’. The band has gained recognition within the scene thanks to successful tours with Taake and Horna.

After the dictatorial voice in a movie sample intro, the title track reveals its true colours as a fine example of fast and reasonably raw-sounding black metal akin to the likes of Ragnarok. The vocals are the of standard harsh variety that you can expect from the genre, the only major difference being that these guys also do the occassional song in German, like Panzervergnügen for example.

Then, just when you think that you’ve got it all figured out, they unleash a surprise that you never saw coming – Troublemakers Black Metal; a catchy, blackened thrash metal track with some punk undertones present in both the “rocking” Mötörhead guitar style and the tongue’n’cheek lyrical themes. There’s also some Marduk-esque guitar pummeling and fast drumming on tracks such as Prayer To The Bombs and in parts of Benthams Panoptikon. Dimension Ärger positions itself firmly in the blackened thrash metal/black-thrash genre creating a steady balance between the catchy, rocking guitar riffage and the somewhat abrasive vocals. The punk influences resurface towards the latter half of the track mimicking a style similar to that of Driller Killer.

Yet the band saved the biggest surprise for the big finale with a ballad called U–Bootomagie featuring weird mixture of dark ambient, complete with u-boat sonar noises, and the somewhat cheesy sounding yet ultra catchy blackthrash assault of “U-Boat Terror” in the second half of the song. So, the lyrics are a little bit ridiculous but it’s all in the bame of good fun.

Overall this has been an interesting journey into the wonderfully diverse world of German black metal. I expected a German equivalent of Marduk, what I got was a bizarre hybrid of them plus Ragnarok along with Driller Killer and Mötorhead added to the mix.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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First bands announced for Valkyrian Festival 2014

Posted in Featured, News with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 30th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

The fourth edition of Valkyrian Festival has been confirmed for Friday 21st November through to Sunday 23rd November. Tickets are currently available for pre-order from this location and are priced at £20 (excluding P&P). Valk-Fest 2014 will be in aid of Rape Crisis.

Scottish blackened folk royalty Cnoc An Tursa have been confirmed to headline the opening night of Valkyrian Festival 2014 on Friday 21st November. Hailing from the historic settlement of Falkirk, Cnoc An Tursa have become one of the most respected and well known bands from north of the wall and without a doubt will bring something new to the masses at Valkyrian Festival 2014. Joining Cnoc An Tursa on Friday 21st November will be Yorkist metallers Pantheon who have been confirmed as main support.

Confirmed as the headlining act for Saturday 22nd November are Belgian gothic metallers Azylya, who made their UK debut at a sold out Dames of Darkness Festival earlier this year, where they supported Dutch symphonic rockers Delain. Since then, Azylya have played a few more times in the UK and were featured at Belgium’s Metal Female Voices Festival earlier this year in October. Azylya frontwoman Jamie-Lee comments:

It is an honour to be headlining Valkyrian Festival, especially in aid of such a worthy charity. We’re looking forward to playing to our UK fans again. We hope to see you all there.

Solo artist Sakara will be main support on Saturday 22nd November. The alternative pagan solo artist, who spent a brief stint as frontwoman for Apparition earlier this year, released her debut album Blood & Stone via Ravenheart Music in 2011 and since then has received positive reviews. The follow-up album will be released in 2014 via Ravenheart Music. Sakara also comments:

I am over the moon to have such a great opportunity to play Valk-Fest 2014. I look forward to seeing you all there. I’m also looking forward to sharing the stage again with Azylya!

Also added to the Saturday line-up are West Midlandic symphonic metallers Divided We Fall and Yorkshire metal mobsters Hamerex.

Valkyrian Festival 2014 is sponsored by Black Phoenix Rising Metal Forums and custom Gothic jewellers The Crypt of Curiosities. Weekend tickets are available from this location for £20. The event is in aid of Rape Crisis.

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New video by The Safety Fire

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 30th November 2013 by Pieni

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London-based The Safety Fire have recently released a new video for the title-track of their second album “Mouth Of Swords”. The video features “life on the road” footage filmed during their latest US tour with Between The Buried And Me, The Faceless and The Contortionist. Check it out:

And speaking of tours, The Safety Fire has already a new one planned for early next year, with Protest The Hero, TesseracT and Intervals. Dates are as follows:

06.01.14 Germany Karlsruhe @ Substage
07.01.14 Germany Nürnberg @ Hirsch
08.01.14 Germany Berlin @ Magnet
09.01.14 Germany Hamburg @ Logo
10.01.14 Sweden Stockholm @ Klubben
11.01.14 Sweden Gothenburg @ Fängelset
12.01.14 Norway Oslo @ John Dee
14.01.14 Denmark Copenhagen @ Vega
16.01.14 Belgium Aarschot @ De Klinker
17.01.14 France Paris @ Divan du Monde
18.01.14 France Toulouse @ Le Saint Des Seins
19.01.14 Spain Madrid @ Copernico
20.01.14 Spain Barcelona @ Sala Boveda
22.01.14 Switzerland Aarau @ Kiff
23.01.14 Italy Milan @ Zoe Club
24.01.14 Austria Salzburg @ Rockhouse
25.01.14 Austria Wien @ Szene
26.01.14 Hungary Budapest @ Dürer Kert
28.01.14 Germany München @ Backstage
29.01.14 Germany Leipzig @ Conne Island
30.01.14 Luxemburg Esch-sur-Alzette @ Rockhal
31.01.14 Germany Köln @ Essigfabrik
01.02.14 UK Brighton @ Concorde 2
02.02.14 UK Birmingham @ O2 Academy2
04.02.14 UK Sheffield @ Corporation
05.02.14 UK Glasgow @ Classic Grand
06.02.14 UK Manchester @ Academy2
07.02.14 UK London @ The Electric Ballroom
08.02.14 Holland Dordrecht @ Bibelot

Also, between the 18th and the 22nd of February, the band will be on board of the US Progressive Nation at Sea Cruise 2014.

The Safety Fire online:
www.facebook.com/thesafetyfire
www.myspace.com/thesafetyfire
www.twitter.com/thesafetyfire
www.youtube.com/thesafetyfire

InsideOutMusic online:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/insideouteu
www.myspace.com/insideoutlabel

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R.A.M.P. @ Hard Club, Porto (PT)

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , on 29th November 2013 by Pieni

R.A.M.P.
Hard Club, Porto (Portugal)
23rd November 2013

photo _DSC0585_zps5c4a8ef3.jpg

Since I’ve joined the Valkyrian Music team that I’ve been showing you how much more there is to the Portuguese metal scene than Moonspell. Today I give you another icon of our metal history: R.A.M.P., who have been touring across our country in celebration of their 25th anniversary.

Yes, unlike W.A.S.P., there is a reason for those dots – R.A.M.P. is the combination of the original members’ initials, Ricardo, António, Miguel and Paulo. A few line-up changes have occurred ever since, the latest being new bass player Sales, who brought a new life to the live performances, with his good spirits and talent with the four strings.

The venue wasn’t exactly full, but thankfully they didn’t change the event to the smaller room, so R.A.M.P. had the stage, sound and lights that they deserve. Also the crowd was totally responsive, but just like any other singer, Rui wasn’t satisfied with the first screams he got from us. What was new to me was the way he made us scream louder: not the usual “is that all you’ve got?” or “yesterday we played in City X and they did a lot better”; he said “if we were a German or a Swedish band, this is where we’d say ‘you’re the best crowd in the fucking world!’. But we know that here in Porto you can get louder than that!”. And of course we did.

Among hit songs such as “How”, “Alone”, “Behind The Wall” or “Black Tie”, he told us about how he and his brother were called of junkies by their neighbors just because they wore long hair and black clothes. And then some guy down the street died of AIDS. Another of hepatitis. A third one of overdose. All of them with “good looks”. Almost everybody in that venue could relate to that story.

Except maybe for the really young ones. “Thoughts” was released 21 years ago, and Rui wanted to know if there was anyone just as old or younger than that in the room. A girl raised her hand slowly and Rui told her not to be shy, because everyone else in that room was thinking “I’m jealous”. And then, to those others, he said they should be rejoicing the fact that she was there instead of with all those depressed kids who listen to One Direction. Now this one made me laugh hard.

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Another “urban legend” regarding metalheads was that they couldn’t speak, just grunt, and none of them would go past the 4th grade. Rui mentioned how in 1985 Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider proved them wrong in a Senate hearing defending heavy metal eloquently against the PMRC. The ticket for that night’s show was the buying receipt of the band’s ‘best of’ album, so everybody knew that this story was the introduction to Twisted Sister’s cover “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, that R.A.M.P. recorded for that album. “Fuck You” – a song with a “very deep and philosophical message”… – followed suit and the band left the stage for a while. And “For A While” was precisely the first song of the encore, where all members (except drummer Paulinho, of course) came forward and sat on the edge of the stage to play that ballad. Also most of the audience sat on the floor, creating a pretty magical moment.

The Bangles’ “Walk Like An Egyptian” sped up the rhythm again and the show ended with a very suitable song for the current hard times we’re all going through, one way or another: “Try Again”.

25 years have passed. May another 25 pass with the same passion and devotion. After all, Rui said that one of the first shows he’d ever attended (AC/DC) had a singer older than his dad, so I guess I’m not asking too much. (5/5)

http://rampmetal.com/

Full gallery in our Facebook page here.

Text & photos by Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Nightwish keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen unveils details of first solo album

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 28th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Tuomas Holopainen, who is best known for his work as keyboardist and main songwriter of Nightwish, has spent most of the year writing and producing his first solo album. The album is based on a graphic novel titled The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck which was written by Don Rosa. Tuomas comments:

This is my longtime dream come true, 14 years in the making. And a homage to one of the best storytellers of our time. Thank you for sharing this celebration of Life & Adventure!

This 12 chapter book tells the life story of a certain Scrooge, from his early years in the 19th century Scotland to his adventures all around the world till the 1950’s. The story contains such immense depth, detail, wit and emotional power, that after Tuomas read it 20 years ago, it instantly became a story of profound personal interest and love for him. The initial spark of ‘colouring’ this story with music, i.e. to create a soundtrack to the book, came to him in 1999, and has haunted the back of his mind ever since.

The album was written and produced by Tuomas Holopainen and will contain 10 songs, with total duration of approximately 60 minutes. The music will be of soundtrack, classical and folk genres in the vein of Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman, James Newton Howard and Enya.

Mr. Pip Williams has done the orchestral arrangements, continuing his collaboration with Tuomas after the Nightwish records Once, Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum.

There will be a number of guest musicians, including the London Orchestra, The Metro Voices (a choir from London) and four lead vocalists: Alan Reid, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Iivanainen and Tony Kakko. Other guest appearances include Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, bodhran), Mikko Iivanainen (guitars and banjo), Teho Majamäki (Didgeridoo), Jon Burr (Harmonica) and Dermot Crehan in the solo violin.

The recordings took place during August – October 2013, first at Angel Studios, London, then in various locations around Scotland and Finland.
The author of the book, Don Rosa, has done the artwork for the album. There will also be a single release, for the track A Lifetime Of Adventure, accompanied by a music video in early 2014. The album The Life And Times Of Scrooge is scheduled for release in April 2014.

Tuomas Holopainen online:

http://tuomas-holopainen.com

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Grand Magus main man JB talks about new album

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 28th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Sweden’s premier riff lords Grand Magus have unveiled the first album trailer for their upcoming album Triumph and Power. Watch below as the band’s main man JB discuss details about the new album.

The tracklist of Triumph And Power reads as follows:

1. On Hooves Of Gold
2. Steel Versus Steel
3. Fight
4. Triumph And Power
5. Dominator
6. Arv
7. Holmgång
8. The Naked And The Dead
9. Ymer
10. The Hammer Will Bite

Bonus:

11. Blackmoon

The band commented about the album:

Triumph And Power has been completed. It’s a metal triumph of Viking power!!! Once again we worked with Nico Elgstrand as producer, a tradition that started with Hammer Of The North back in 2010. This is our strongest album yet, it has the northern feel, it has the power and the melody that has become our mark of excellence. Fans of true metal will take this album to their hearts. To top everything off, we have the striking and epic artwork of Anthony Roberts. The album cover perfectly captures the work on this album and Grand Magus as a band. Stay true!

Triumph and Power is set for release vis Nuclear Blast on 3rd February 2014.

Grand Magus online:

http://grandmagus.com/
http://facebook.com/grandmagusofficial
https://twitter.com/GrandMagus
https://youtube.com/GrandMagusBand
http://myspace.com/grandmagusrocks

 

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Three more bands confirmed for Bloodstock

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on 28th November 2013 by Hannah

Lacuna Coil, Carcass and Primordial have been announced as the latest acts on an increasingly epic bill for Bloodstock Open Air 2014!

Italian metallers Lacuna Coil will be bringing their sonic wall of Gothic-tinged sound to Catton Hall for the second time, performing the Ronnie James Dio stage on the Saturday. Frontwoman Cristina Scabbia reflected on their return with a sneak peek of what fans can expect from their set:

“It will be LACUNA COIL’s second time there and I’m curious to see how the festival has grown.  We will have songs from the new album and some LC classics, so see ya all in the summer!”

The legendary Carcass will be acting as Saturday’s Special Guests , and after their triumphant debut release with Nuclear Blast, Surgical Steel, gained wide acclaim and rave reviews, they have promised to be ‘firing on all cylinders’ with their set. Also announced are Irish gaelic metal outfit Primordial, returning after a victorious set in 2011. This may be one of your only opportunities to catch them next year, so don’t miss it. All three bands join an exceptional roster including Emperor, Down, Megadeth, Saxon and Amon Amarth, and with Early Bird tickets selling fast, it might be time to secure your place at what is promising to be the metal event of the year.

As Jeff Walker commands, “Let there be rot!”

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Primordial confirmed for Bloodstock 2014

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 28th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Gaelic metal warriors Primordial have announced that they’ll be playing Bloodstock Open Air Festival in 2014, with bands such as Carcass, Lacuna Coil, Emperor, Megadeth and more, as well as label mates Amon Amarth.

Bloodstock will be held at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 7th-10th August 2014. Keep up to date with the very latest info on Bloodstock’s official sites at this location (Official Facebook) and this location (Official Website).

Primordial online:

http://primordialweb.com
http://facebook.com/primordialofficial

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Flotsam & Jetsam to hit Europe in February 2014

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 28th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

American thrash titans Flotsam & Jetsam will be hitting Europe in February as touring support to Sepultura and Legion Of The Damned. They will also be joined by Mortillery. Tour dates are as follow:

07/02/14 DE – Bochum, Matrix
08/02/14 DE – München, Backstage
09/02/14 DE – Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal
10/02/14 DE – Hamburg, Markthalle
11/02/14 DK – Esbjerg, Tobakken
12/02/14 DE – Osnabrück, Rosenhof
13/02/14 DE – Berlin, C-Club
14/02/14 PL – Katowice, Megaclub
15/02/14 DE – Glauchau, Alte Spinnerei
16/02/14 CZ – Zlin, Masters of Rock Club
18/02/14 SK – Zilina, Smerr Club
19/02/14 AT – Wien, Arena
20/02/14 AT – Salzburg, Rockhouse
21/02/14 DE – Stuttgart, LKA Longhorn
22/02/14 CH – Pratteln, Z 7
23/02/14 DE – Saarbrücken, Garage
24/02/14 FR – Lyon, CCO Villeurbonne
25/02/14 FR – Toulouse, Bikini
26/02/14 ES – Barcelona, Salamandra 1
27/02/14 ES – Madrid, Arena
28/02/14 PT – Lissabon, Paradise Garage
01/03/14 ES – Pamplona, Totem
03/03/14 FR – Caen, Cargo
04/03/14 FR – Rennes, L´Antipode
05/03/14 FR – Paris, Trabendo
06/03/14 NL – Den Haag, Paard
07/03/14 NL – Enschede, Atak
08/03/14 BE – Antwerp, Trix
09/03/14 NL – Eindhoven, Effenaar

Flotsam & Jetsam online:

http://www.flotsam-and-jetsam.com
http://www.facebook.com/flotsamandjetsam.official
http://twitter.com/flotztildeath

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Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta discusses returning to Bloodstock Open Air

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on 28th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Hatebreed were recently announced to play Bloodstock 2014 and since the band were recently in the UK for the Vans Warped Tour, Nuclear Blast’s UK team decided to quiz frontman Jamey Jasta about his favourite memories from the band’s 2012 appearance at the renowned festival. The video interview can be viewed down below.

Bloodstock will be held at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 7th-10th August 2014. Tickets for 2014’s event are still on sale at special EARLY BIRD prices – a total snip at £115 for a 4-day weekend ticket with camping. There is only a limited number of early bird tickets left. When they’re gone, they’re gone, and tickets revert to full price! Get your tickets at this location.

With the three 2014 headliners already announced, the event is shaping up to be the strongest yet. Friday night’s bill toppers are New Orleans sludgemeisters, Down. Joining them to head up Saturday night are black metal overlords, Emperor and closing out proceedings on Sunday are the mighty thrash legends, Megadeth. Also announced so far are Carcass, Hatebreed, Children Of Bodom, Decapitated, Lacuna Coil, Primordial, Amon Amarth, Obituary, Crowbar, Saxon, Prong, Flotsam & Jetsam and Evil Scarecrow. 

 

Hatebreed online:

http://hatebreed.com
http://facebook.com/hatebreed

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LostProphets tour manager makes statement about recent Ian Watkins trial

Posted in News with tags , , , , on 27th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

George Davidson, tour manager for Welsh alt. rockers LostProphets made a statement regarding the recent Ian Watkins child sex trial via his Facebook page. The statement is as follows:

YOU THINK YOU KNOW SOMEONE BUT YOU REALLY DON’T. From 2001 – 2012 you trust in a person amongst a group of great people and the day comes when you are shown the true nature of a person. Its easy to just to brush away and try to forget the last 12 years of knowing Ian. That’s not going to happen to me or for the others that thought we knew him. We lived and breathed the same space together intensely for a long time and I would have NEVER predicted that this would have happened. We rode the wave of success together, all of us coming from humble backgrounds to flying around the world together. All experiencing the rush of seeing exotic places for the first time, meeting your rock n roll heroes, relentless touring, marriages, births & deaths together. Its a bond that for some is a fleeting, transient experience. Jumping from one band to another. For me it wasn’t like that, at least with Lostprophets it was never like that for me. I will never forget my times with this band. The Good, the Bad and now this the Ugly. The Ugly truth that Ian let us all down, his family, band mates, friends and fans across the world. I feel right now so angry, astonished and pissed off with him for what he did. I feel so sorry for his victims, the children he abused. I only hope those children can grow up without the taint of what he did to them clouding their futures. I would never attempt to excuse anything he did as I firmly believe he made his choices and now he will pay for them. Do I feel sorry for the accused woman and Ian? Right now, I don’t feel sorry for them at all. They were all complicit in allowing these horrific acts to happen. I don’t care how many drugs you have taken there is no excuse or reason for even contemplating, let alone carrying out what they did to those children. These people are sick and need help. I believe in the idea of forgiveness, and the goodness in people. It’s impossible to see any good in this situation except for fact that they where caught and therefore won’t abuse those children anymore. It’s hard to forgive them for this. Wether you knew him personally or just reading about this for the first time. How can you forgive someone for these crimes against the very innocent. My thoughts also keep going to his family and band mates. The future for all of them will be forever tarred with the memory of this betrayal. The fans will move on, taking down their posters, throwing out their LP albums and looking for the next rock saviour to admire. For his family and band it will be with them forever. My heart goes out to them all and their families. Lest we forget all those people come from a tight knit, proud and loving place. For them the shame will be something they will have to live with until they die. I however refuse to forget the great people, the great times and experiences I had with Lostprophets. The way they and their families welcomed me into their lives to help facilitate their dreams of becoming rock stars. Something they achieved where so many others had failed. Its something that can never be taken away from them. True the band is done, finished. Life goes on though. Everyone involved in Ian will move on, but today with a very heavy heart. I will never forget these events until the day I die. Its been an emotional day for me. Who would have ever thought it would have ended up like this!!!!!!F**K!!!!

 

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Mourning Beloveth unveil their first ever music video

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 27th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Ahead of their upcoming show in Dublin this weekend on Saturday (30th November), Mourning Beloveth have released their first ever music video to accompany their track Theories of Old Bones. The video can be viewed below.

The video – which lasts fifteen minutes – is a black and white cinematic opus, directed and filmed by Lukasz Jaszak in Poland. Vocalist Darren Moore, talks through the video concepts:

It wasn’t going to be an easy task to shoot a video for one of our songs, in the main due to their length. The story was already there in the lyrics of the song it was a matter of putting visuals to it. The lyrics ask questions on our existence, are we just here to pass time or to use it, is it a mere heavy existence we go through each day counting the days to our death or is there a purpose to all this…or do we have a choice? I read somewhere about Christians in the old days who carried a pouch made of newborn lambskin around their necks to carry the nails for their coffin upon their death and it struck a chord of how fatalistic some people are.

The video itself is perhaps a journey through a half dream, a moment in the pit of existence where life has drifted away to some far off point inside leaving the body to automatic ruin. It is about time slowly gnawing at the entrails and the shadow of a silent death forever lurking through the ether.

The track, Theories of Old Bones, is taken from Mourning Beloveth’s latest piece of musicianship Formless. The album – which clocks in at one hour and twenty five minutes – was recorded in October 2012 at Foel Studio, Wales and was released in February 2013, via Grau Records, to high critical acclaim. The album is available to purchase, along with other Mourning Beloveth merchandise here.

This coming Saturday, 30th November, Mourning Beloveth will play their last gig of the year, in Dublin. Support bands for the show are Dread Sovereign and Nomadic Rituals. Bassist Brendan Roche comments:

Having spent the 10 months since the release of Formless dragging its heart and soul, blood and guts around the stages of Europe, we are delighted that we shall put 2013 to rest with the first Dublin show we have played in nearly 2 years. It’s a headline show, so expect 90+ minutes of the least worst of MB, something from every era, but with a heavy Formless influence. Just like us…

Mourning Beloveth online:

http://mourningbeloveth.com/
http://facebook.com/MourningBelovethBand

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Vulture Industries stream behind the scene documentary and confirm first US appearance

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , on 27th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Turning Golem which is the theatrical product of the collaboration between Norwegian post-avant-garde metallers Vulture Industries and the Happy Gorilla Dance Company has proven to be a crowd pleaser, to the point where the band have been booked to play various venues and festivals this year and next. Interest in the show, which is part rooted in the heavier segment of experimental/progressive metal which features Vulture Industries performing music from their latest release The Tower, and part theatre performance which features the Happy Gorilla Dance Company, has grown, and as a result journalist Andrea Chirulescu has produced a “behind the scenes” documentary which explores the ideas and concepts behind Turning Golem.

Featuring interviews with Vulture Industries frontman Bjornar E. Nilsen, who explains how the whole idea came about and how it developed, as well as with the other members of the band – guitarists Oyvind Madsen and Eyvind Huse, bassist Kyrre Teigen and drummer Tor Helge Gjengedal, who talk about the difference between performing as a band as opposed to being part of a performance ensemble, whilst members of the Happy Gorilla Dance Company explain their part in the project.  The documentary, which is in English, was filmed in Bergen when Turning Golem was recently performed at the Garage, and is currently streaming on the YouTube Channel of the Norwegian webzine Eternal Terror. The documentary can be viewed down below.

2013 has proven to be a busy year for Vulture Industries who released their third album The Tower via Season of Mist in September, this year. As well as collaborating with the Happy Gorilla Dance Company, the band also worked closely with Romanian multi-media artist Costin Chioreanu, whose video Lost Among Liars, a track from The Tower, recently featured at this year’s Kort and Kortkino Film Festival in Sandnes, Norway. The video can be viewed below:

Next year will also mark the first appearance of Vulture Industries in North America, with the band set to play at the prestigious Music, Film and Interactive Festival, South by Southwest, better known as the SXSW Festival, in Austin, Texas in March.  Other confirmed appearances by Vulture Industries in 2014 include The Headway Festival in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on the 11th January, Prog Power Europe, in Baarlo, Netherlands on the 4th October, and performances of Turning Golem at the Boule Noire in Paris, France, on the 21st February and at Metal Days in Tolmin, Slovenia, in July.

Vulture Industries online:

http://vulture-industries.net
http://facebook.com/vultureindustries
http://soundcloud.com/vulture-industries
http://vultureindustries.bigcartel.com/
http://myspace.com/vultureindustries
http://reverbnation.com/vultureindustries

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Icelandic psychedelic rockers The Vintage Caravan release video for Midnight Meditation

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , on 27th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Icelandic psychedelic rockers The Vintage caravan recently unveiled the video for their new single Midnight Meditation, which is taken from their forthcoming album Voyage. The trippy video offers an insight into the band’s sound. The new album, Voyage, is set for release on 13th January via Nuclear Blast. The video can be viewed below.

The Vintage Caravan online:

http://facebook.com/vintagecaravan

 

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Soilwork announce UK 2014 tour

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 27th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

After their sold-out show at The Camden Underworld in London, which was their first UK date in four years, Swedish metal tyrants Soilwork have announced a four-date UK tour for March in 2014.

The band’s current studio album, which is also their first double set, The Living Infinite was the first Soilwork release to chart in the UK national album charts. Gathering excellent reviews, it was praised by Metro as “a slab of heroic, chest-beating Scandi-metal“. Metal Hammer championed their output, “The Swedes have somehow risen to their own mighty-challenge and produced a consistent, cohesive and remarkably dynamic banquet of blistering modern metal that amounts to a wholesale broadening and sharpening of their sound“. They were also granted a much sought after KKKK Kerrang! review that stated “sixteen years in and it’s clear Soilwork still have fertile imaginations“. UK dates are as follow:

March 11th – Bristol, The Fleece
March 12th – Manchester, Sound Control
March 13th – London, Islington Academy (special guests to Overkill)
March 15th – Birmingham, Library

Their support for these dates will be Darkane and System Divide.

Soilwork have also been confirmed for Hammerfest 2014 with the likes of Grand Magus, Overkill and Kreator.

Soilwork online:

http://soilwork.org
http://facebook.com/soilwork

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Epica unveil live clip of Martyr of the Free World; taken from new live DVD Retrospect

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 27th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

23rd March this year saw Dutch symphonic titans Epica celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band with a special concert known as Retrospect. Accompanying the band on stage for the 3 hour show was the seventy piece Extended Reményi Ede Chamber Orchestra and the Miskolc National Theatre Choir. The event was filmed for the band’s new live DVD, also known as Retrospect. The band have posted the live clip of Martyr of the Free World (Taken from their Design Your Universe album) from the DVD online. Watch the clip below:

Epica online:

http://epica.nl
http://facebook.com/epica

 

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12 more bands announced for Download 2014

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 25th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Download Festival have announced 12 more bands for the 2014 edition of the festival. The bands announced are The Offspring, the legendary rock group Status Quo, Steel Panther, Trivium, Swedish melo-death outfit In Flames, While She Sleeps, LetLive, The Black Dahlia Murder, Miss May I, CrossFaith, Blessthefall and of course Dying Fetus. All 12 bands will join Link Park, Avenged Sevenfold and Aerosmith as well as Rob Zombie, Fall Out Boy and Alter Bridge at the UK’s biggest rock festival.

Download Festival 2014 will take place at Donnington Park from 13th June – 15th June. Tickets are available from this location. Stay tuned for more announcements!

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Foscor complete new album and prepare for new era in band’s history

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 25th November 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

When dark metal outfit Foscor celebrated the tenth anniversary in 2012, they not only celebrated a decade of music but drew a line under an era in their history leading them to prepare for when they embark on the next ambitious one. With work on Foscor’s fourth full-length album now completed, and a complete visual overhaul of their online presence and logo, the groundwork for the new phase in the band’s career is well and truly established.

Formed in 1997 in Barcelona, in the Catalan region of Spain, Foscor took the traditional ‘90s Black Metal and mixed it with other classical and modern extreme styles to create a sound that has seen them through the release of 3 full-length albums, a live DVD commemorating their 10th Anniversary, 2 split releases and contributions on official Katatonia and Enslaved tribute albums, all of which have garnered them respect and a solid, and ever-growing, following.  Now, with their forthcoming album, which will be titled Those Horrors Wither, Foscor have honed their considerable musical skills and decided to take the first gigantic step away from the confines of Black Metal, towards an expansive multidimensional sound that encompasses shades of Doom and Dark Rock, Ambient interludes and a healthy flirtation with Prog.  It is a step that most clearly defines the band’s personal approach to their work, both musically and aesthetically, to date.

Commenting on the new sound and the new image of Foscor, founder and guitarist Falke and frontman Fiar had this to say:

It’s really not that strange that we would be moving in a different direction from the one we started out on because it’s a natural progression that comes from experience.  We’re not saying that our long-time fans will wake up one morning and not recognise FOSCOR any more, not at all, because we have a particular style that is recognisable as FOSCOR – but we’ve taken that style and made it into something better.  You could say that the new FOSCOR is evolution, not revolution, and, that being said, it actually needs new colours to define how we interpret Darkness, and Ideophony, who has previously worked with us on design, is the perfect partner to work with us now in physically visualising our new direction.

Foscor are currently looking for a label to release Those Horrors Wither, which includes some notable guest artists, who, somewhat unusually, rather than contributing the usual vocals or solos, have written and performed connecting passages between the tracks.  More information about Foscor can be found on the band’s website, which has been newly designed, at this location.

Foscor online:

http://www.foscor.com
http://www.facebook.com/foscor.official
http://soundcloud.com/foscor
http://twitter.com/FOSCOR_Official
http://www.youtube.com/user/FOSCORbcn
http://foscor.bigcartel.com
http://www.myspace.com/foscor
http://www.reverbnation.com/foscor

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As We Collapse post teaser of upcoming single

Posted in News with tags , , , , on 23rd November 2013 by Pieni

photo awc_zpsc99bf010.jpg

A new hardcore project is taking shape in Sweden under the name As We Collapse. This weekend they have recorded the demo version of what should be their first single, “Golden Heart”, and revealed 26 seconds of it in the following teaser:

Like their page on Facebook to keep track of further updates:
https://www.facebook.com/AsWeCollapse/

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New Kampfar album out in 2014

Posted in News, Studio Report with tags , on 23rd November 2013 by izaforestspirit

Norwegian pagan black metallers Kampfar have announced that their new album will be entitled DJEVELMAKT. The long-awaited follow-up to ‘Mare’ will be released on January 27th 2014 via Indie Recordings.

Check out the track list and cover-art here:

1. Mylder
2. Kujon
3. Blod, Eder og Galle
4. Swarm Norvegicus
5. Fortapelse
6. De Dødes Fane
7. Svarte Sjelers Salme
8. Our Hounds, Our Legion
photo Kampfaralbumcover_zpse3105026.jpg

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/KAMPFAR…

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