Suidakra: Balor – new video

 

 

Celtic metallers from Düsseldorf, SUIDAKRA, have just released new  David Thelen-directed video ‘Balor’, a tune taken from their 2011 AFM Records-released album ‘Book Of Dowth’ (“book of darkness”). The album, which chronicles the mythology of a mysterious race of demonic beings known as the “Fomor”, was recorded at Gernhart Studios with Martin Buchwalter. The album's artwork was created by Belgian artist Kris Verwimp.

“ ‘Book Of Dowth’ is going to be too musical and too melodic for extreme metal purists. At the same time, no one should expect ‘Book Of Dowth’ to sound like an album by CAPERCAILLIE, ALTAN, or any other band that is well known in the Celtic market. No, ‘Book Of Dowth’ is mainly for moshers and headbangers, albeit moshers and headbangers who like their metal on the melodic side and have some appreciation of world music. ‘Book Of Dowth’ demonstrates that SUIDAKRA are still quite capable of excellence after all these years,” [commented the ‘Book Of Dowth’ AllMusic's Alex Henderson – more here]

SUIDAKRA (founding member guitarist and vocalist Arkadius Antonik's first name spelled backwards) formed in 1994 and recorded a couple of demos before self-releasing their debut album ‘Lupine Essence’ in 1997. Their second full-length, 1998's ‘Auld Lang Syne’, was published by German record label Last Episode Productions, as were the consequent albums 1999's ‘Lays From Afar’ and 2000's ‘The Arckanum’. In 2001, SUIDAKRA signed with Century Media and released ‘Emprise To Avalon’ the following year. 2003's release, ‘Signs Of The Fallen’ was followed by the group's seventh album 2005's ‘Command To Charge’ (Armageddon Music):

“Prior to ‘Command To Charge’, SUIDAKRA were German metal's answer to ‘Songs From The Wood’-era Jethro Tull, blending headbanging riffs with gentle, largely acoustic folk tunes. That side of the band isn’t entirely absent from ‘Command To Charge’: the Celtic-influenced ‘A Runic Rhyme’ and the splashy instrumental ‘Dead Man's Reel’ are entirely in keeping with SUIDAKRA's old sound, and there’s even a 30-second interlude played on bagpipes!” [was caught by surprise Stewart Mason, AllMusic – more here]

Those bagpipes were featured even more prominently on SUIDAKRA's next record, 2006's ‘Caledonia’. Feeling inspired, the band introduced a sixteen-member choir, a tin whistle and a banjo next to the traditional bagpipes on 2009's ‘Crógacht’ (SPV Records), the album which re-told the Irish folktale “Aided Óenfhir Aífe”:

“Although ‘Crógacht’s overtly Celtic outlook is something that most of the Nordic folk metal recordings lack, a FINNTROLL or KORPIKLAANI fan should have no problem getting into this excellent 2009 release - and the fact that Scandinavian folk and Celtic folk have a lot of common ground explains why,” [read and learn, courtesy of Alex Henderson, AllMusic] “When Nordic Vikings invaded the British Isles many centuries ago, they left their mark musically; therefore, if one plays traditional folk recordings from Sweden, Norway or Finland alongside traditional folk recordings from Ireland or Scotland, one can hear the similarities. And it stands to reason that if a band is interested in extreme metal and Celtic folk, the results aren’t going to be radically different from the work of Scandinavian bands that are interested in extreme metal and Scandinavian folk,” [find more wisdom here]

SUIDAKRA features: Arkadius Antonik – guitar and vocals, Marcus Riewaldt – bass and Lars Wehner – drums

Sear Bliss: Eternal Recurrence – new album

Accessible Hungarian black metallers (as they are known in some circles), SEAR BLISS, have just released their new, highly accessible yet dramatic and unsettling, dark and painful album, ‘Eternal Recurrence’, today January 23rd, 2012 via Candlelight Records. SEAR BLISS' seventh full-length was recorded by founding members from the classic era of the band with producer Viktor Scheer, and can be bought/accessed through here. Listen to their new track, ‘Ballad Of The Shipwrecked’ below:

“The songs are really outside the norm, no typical schemes are followed. The musical arrangements and song structures are unusual and prove that the Hungarians do not want to repeat themselves and are open to explore new paths while staying true to their roots. ‘Eternal Recurrence’ is a record full of dramatic turns and emotional waves. The album was recorded in an old fashioned way with producer Viktor Scheer which resulted in an extremely powerful and organic sound. This is definitely a new chapter for SEAR BLISS. ‘Eternal Recurrence’ is a unique musical journey to the very depths of the human soul,” [explains the press release]:

SEAR BLISS: Ballad Of The Shipwrecked – courtesy of Candlelight Records

Founded by bassist, vocalist and keyboardist András Nagy in Szombathely, Hungary, in 1993, SEAR BLISS were offered a three–album deal by Mascot/Two Moon Records soon after the band's inception on the strength of their 1995's demo ‘The Pagan Winter’. The debut full-length, featuring their unique brand of black metal which more often than not includes the usage of trombone, trumpet and flute, alongside the usual blastbeats, was released in 1996, followed by the re-issued demo in 1997. The band which seems to be plagued by personnel difficulties throughout its history released their second album, ‘The Haunting’, in 1999. SEAR BLISS's third full-length, ‘Grand Destiny’, came out on Nephillim Records in 2001 and was re-released a year later by American label Red Stream, with whom they signed another three-album deal. 2002 saw the release of the group's fourth album ‘Forsaken Symphony’, followed by ‘Glory And Perdition’ in 2004. SEAR BLISS celebrated their 10th anniversary with the release of live DVD titled ‘A Decade Of Perdition’. The much praised ‘The Arcane Odyssey’ was issued in 2007 on Candlelight Records:

“SEAR BLISS' ‘The Arcane Odyssey’ is a perfect example of a symphonic black metal/folk metal album that could easily appeal to metalheads who appreciate some black metal but haven’t acquired a taste for the more unforgiving bands like GORGOTH and MARDUK. While no one will mistake this Hungarian outfit for easy listening, ‘The Arcane Odyssey’ is a disc that - for all its aggression and intensity - is highly melodic and values nuance, musicality, and craftsmanship. … East European folk is an influence, as are progressive metal and old-school power metal. In symphonic black metal, it isn’t uncommon for bands to favor a rasp vocals/clean vocals contrast; on ‘The Arcane Odyssey’, however, all of András Nagy's vocals are rasp vocals. But Nagy makes a point of being understandable, which is another thing that adds to SEAR BLISS' accessibility and helps them to avoid black metal's limitations,” [wrote abut the record AllMusic's Alex Henderson – more here]

SEAR BLISS features: András Nagy - vocals, bass and keyboards, János Barbarics – guitar, Csaba Csejtei – guitar, Olivér Ziskó - drums and Balázs Bruszel - trumpet

Dodecahedron: Dodecahedron – new album

Listen to the Dutch black metal band's, DODECAHEDRON, debut self-titled full-length in its swirling black chaos entirety over at their website. Ready to conquer all that is above and below, DODECAHEDRON will be streaming the album - which has just been released in Europe today, January 20th, 2012 and will see its North American release come January 24th, 2012 via Season Of Mist – for a week, until January 27th, 2012. ‘Dodecahedron’ comes available as a CD digipack and as double gatefold hand-numbered LP with digital download card (limited to 250 copies).

DODECAHEDRON created a buzz in the black metal scene well in advance of the release of their self-titled debut album. Under their previous moniker (“Order Of The Source Below”) the Dutch band already gave a taste of the brilliant dark things to come. DODECAHEDRON execute their atonal and dissonant monstrosities/ultimate technical challenges with a seeming ease that is simply jaw-dropping. Broken and torn structures born out of razor-like guitar riffs coagulate into melodies and patterns that constantly mutate and shape shift. Pure horror lurks in these Lovecraftian dimensions of inverted angles and escaping perspectives. Moments of bizarre aggression glide seamlessly into passages of cold threatening calm. The avant-garde spheres charted by their album ‘Dodecahedron’ have been opened by label mates MAYHEM with their groundbreaking release ‘Ordo Ad Chao’ (2007) and further explored by brothers in spirit like DEATHSPELL OMEGA. DODECAHEDRON now follow their own path through this cosmic dark musical matter with a stellar artistic brilliance that will be hard to match. Get a bitter taste of the apocalypse and dive into ‘Dodecahedron’,” [endorses Season Of Mist]

DODECAHEDRON features: M. Eikenaar – vocals, M. Nienhuis – guitar, J. Bonis – guitar, Y. Terwisscha van Scheltinga – bass and J. Barendregt - drums

DODECAHEDRON: Dodecahedron Debut Album – courtesy of ddchdrn

Biohazard: Reborn In Defiance – new album

Update: BIOHAZARD's statement:

“We regret to inform you all that due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be able to offer our new record, ‘Reborn In Defiance’, [as a free download] in the U.S. at this time. We love all of you who have continued to support us through the years and can’t wait to share with you a record that we are extremely proud of. Thank you so much for your understanding and patience and a special thanks to our partners Revolver, Repudo and Google for their hard work setting this up. All of our touring plans are still solidified and we are excited to see you all out on the road!”

Legendary New York hardcore veterans BIOHAZARD will release their highly (and a long while) anticipated new album, ‘Reborn In Defiance’, to the wide world tomorrow, January 20th, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records. And while the rest of us get to download their new track, ‘Vengeance Is Mine’, for free here (Nuclear Blast), North Americans will be apparently able to download the entire album free of charge via Revolver Magazine's website and Repudo.com as of tomorrow (the album's North American release date is set for April 16th, 2012). ‘Reborn In Defiance’ was recorded in 2011 by the original BIOHAZARD lineup of Evan Seinfeld on vocals and bass, Billy Graziadei on guitar and vocals, Danny Schuler on drums and Bobby Hambel on guitar, although Brooklyn finest have since parted ways with founding member Seinfeld, who has chosen to concentrate on his adult-films acting career instead. Defiantly, BIOHAZARD recently recruited their former bassist Scott Roberts in his stead. ‘Reborn In Defiance’ can be bought as a CD and either black or white double vinyl here (Nuclear Blast Europe):

“[Explains Danny Schuler:] “Being a huge fan of vinyl records and the amazing sleeve artwork that used to come with them, I really wanted our artwork to be unique. In the spirit of being ‘Reborn In Defiance’, the album cover represents to me an interesting paradox: an embryo, not yet spoiled by the world, but already possessing the heart of a rebel. It all begins in the womb.” [Adds Billy Graziadei:] “The innocence of youth has always been a strong subject for us, with the children playing over a crime scene on the ‘Urban Discipline’ [1992] album cover to the child running with a biological gas mask on the ‘State Of The World Address’ [1994] cover. For ‘Reborn In Defiance’, an unborn child waits to be thrown into a world that will steal the untainted purity of infancy we all start out with.”

Formed in 1987, BIOHAZARD has sold over five million albums worldwide since the release of their internationally successful albums ‘Urban Discipline’ (Roadrunner Records) and ‘State Of The World Address’ (Warner Brothers). Over the years BIOHAZARD came to perfect their fusion of hardcore, heavy metal and hip-hop; after their self-titled debut came out in 1990, BIOHAZARD secured a deal with Roadrunner Records in 1992, the year which saw the release of the original hardcore-metal-rap album ‘Urban Discipline’ (“Loaded with social criticism, [this is] a blue-collar metal record made by rough-shod, tattooed, fighting men,” commented Kieran McCarthy, AllMusic). Hambel left the band after ‘State Of The World Address’ was issued in 1994 and BIOHAZARD released its 1994's companion, ‘Mata Leão’, as a trio. For the ensuing tour the band recruited former HELMET guitarist Rob Echeverria,  with whom they recorded their first live album, 1997's ‘No Holds Barred’. They kept refining their sound and ideas on 1999's ‘New World Disorder’ (Mercury Records) and 2001's ‘Uncivilization’ (Sanctuary Records). Carmine Vincent replaced Leo Curley as BIOHAZARD new guitarist before the release of 2003's ‘Kill Or Be Killed’. The godfathers of hardcore metal engaged the talents of guitarist Scott Roberts and bassists Keith Rooney and Brian Worland on their eight album, 2005's ‘Means To An End’ (SPV/Steamhammer Records), before disbanding soon after its release. BIOHAZARD classic lineup (Seinfeld, Graziadei, Schuler and Hambel) reunited in 2010.

BIOHAZARD: Reborn – courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records

Lacuna Coil: Dark Adrenaline – new album

Listen to the new album ‘Dark Adrenaline’ by Italian six-piece LACUNA COIL before its release (January 23th, 2012 in Europe, January 24th, 2012 in North America and January 27th, 2012 in Australia and New Zealand) via Century Media Records. Produced by the acclaimed Don Gilmore, ‘Dark Adrenaline’ “promises to deliver the melodic, sensual, metallic rush for which the band has come to be known”, so click here (Spin) and give it a spin. (The album is no longer available for free spinning.) The video for the first single from the forthcoming release, ‘Trip The Darkness’ (available below), was directed by Sitcom Soldiers. What is also available below is a whole lot more LACUNA COIL's music, courtesy of the band.

For over a decade, Italy's LACUNA COIL has been blending seductive vocals with a modern, electronica-inspired metal sound. The group has released five full-length albums, two EPs, various singles and a DVD and has to date sold over 800,000 units in the U.S. alone. Besides gracing the covers of countless hard rock and metal publications worldwide for obvious reasons, LACUNA COIL has toured  throughout the world and appeared as featured guests on Ozzfest, as well as on all of the major European festivals. LACUNA COIL's moniker translates to “empty spiral” in English.

LACUNA COIL features: Cristina Scabbia – vocals, Andrea Ferro - vocals, Cristiano Migliore - guitar, Marco Biazzi - guitar, Marco Coti Zelati - bass and Cristiano Mozzati - drums/percussion

LACUNA COIL – courtesy of Lacuna Coil

 

Full Album Stream: Farsot: Insects – new album

Already out in Europe, FARSOT's new album, ‘Insects’, has become available in North America yesterday, January 17th, 2012 via Lupus Lounge, a subdivision of Prophecy Productions. The German cryptic black metal collective's long awaited successor to their acclaimed debut album, ‘IIII’, can be streamed in its entirety here (Prophecy's YouTube channel) as well as below. 

Formed in 1999 in (the Thruingia area of) Germany, FARSOT - influenced by forerunners in the black/atmospheric metal genre such as SATYRICON and KATATONIA - released their debut demo ‘Im Zwielicht’ in 2001, followed by 2004's ‘042103Freitod’. The latter won them a recording contract with Lupus Lounge, though which FARSOT issued their debut full-length ‘III’ in 2007.

“FARSOT choose not to hide behind the obfuscation of corrupted recordings and instead let the skilfulness and subtlety of their work stand for themselves. For example, each trembling note of ‘7’ has its own distinct identity and illumination, like a dust mote in a sunbeam. On ‘Vermillion Trail’, the twisting, coiling nature of the song construction and churning guitars are brought to the forefront, emphasizing the muscular force of the piece while also allowing for the gentler, tremulous instrumental passages to hold their own,” [writes Natalie Zina Walschots for Exclaim!, taking a shot at describing FARSOT's latest effort:]

FARSOT features: 10.XIXt – voices, 3818.w – strings, Pi:1T 5r – strings, v.03/170 – pulse and R 215k – drums

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cipher System: Communicate The Storms – new video

 

 

Gothenburg's melodic death metallers, CIPHER SYSTEM, have released new video for the title-track ‘Communicate The Storms’, taken from their September/October 2011 Nuclear Blast release. The video was directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company. The album was recorded at Studio Fredman and came adorned with hunger-inducing art by Seth Siro Anton (SEPTICFLESH) – see below. Buy the CD here (Nuclear Blast Europe), or here (Nuclear Blast USA).

CIPHER SYSTEM was formed in 1996 in Gothenburg, Sweden and they used to be known as “Eternal Grief” back then. They released a promo demo, ‘Eyecon’, in 2001, followed by split CD with fellow Swedish metallers BY NIGHT. CIPHER SYSTEM's debut studio album entitled ‘Central Tunnel Eight’ was released in 2004 by Lifeforce Records.

CIPHER SYSTEM features: Karl Obbel – vocals, Johan Eskilsson - guitar, Andreas Allenmark – guitar, Henric Carlsson – bass, Emil Frisk – drums and Peter Engström – keyboards

CIPHER SYSTEM: Forget To Forgive – courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records

Full Album Stream: Abigail Williams: Becoming – new album

Well, well… Listen to the always-evolving ABIGAIL WILLIAMS' third studio album ‘Becoming’ in its beautiful entirety here (BandCamp) or below. Clocking in at 55 minutes in length, the next chapter in the ABIGAIL WILLIAMS' history of sonic transformation comes out January 24th, 2012  on Candlelight Records:

“ ‘Becoming’ ushers in a provocative new chapter for the adventurous band. Truly the band's most expressive and complicated, this album is one unexpected ride for already long-time fans of the band but more so for those that are new to their sonic palette. Let no presumption of past dictate - this is simply a record to be heard. ‘Becoming’ features vocalist and guitarist Sorceron [Ken, also the album's producer], guitarist Ian Jekelis, and studio drummer Zach Gibson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER),” [appeals the press release:]

 

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: Becoming

 

The group which is named after the infamous accuser who set the even more infamous Salem Witch Trials into motion, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, formed in 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona. Operating from Los Angeles these days, the band's founder Ken Sorceron remains the only original bandmember. In 2006, when metalcore, hardcore, and screamo dominated the United States, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS recorded their Nordic-influenced EP ‘Legend’ and released it via Candlelight Records in 2007:

“ABIGAIL WILLIAMS sound like a Nordic death metal/black metal band that just happens to like metalcore, hardcore, and screamo, and their variety of influences come together in an appealing way,” [thought Alex Henderson, AllMusic] “And while ‘Legend’ doesn’t quite fall into the melodic death metal and symphonic black metal categories, this is a disc that - for all its ferocity and viciousness - is not without nuance or complexity,” [more here]

According to Sorceron, the group went on a “pre-meditated hiatus” in 2007; he was nevertheless joined by Mike Wilson on guitar, Thomas G. Plaguehammer on bass, Ashley Ellyllon on keyboards, Trym Torson, Sam Paulicelli and Zach Gibson on drums (and I’m sure I forgot to mention a couple of important others) when he recorded the group's debut full-length, 2008's ‘In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns’, with producer James Murphy. The album reached position number 35 on the Billboard's “Top Heatseekers” chart. Slimmed down to three (Sorceron, guitarist Ian Jakelis and drummer Ken Bedene), ABIGAIL WILLIAMS moved further away from the symphonic black metal sound and injected their next release, 2010's album ‘In The Absence Of Light’, with intricate touches of classic and thrash metal:

“Disclaimer: all highly subjective claims accusing ABIGAIL WILLIAMS of being symphonic black metal poseurs will be ignored in the course of this review. Deal with it,” [started off his review of the album my favorite AllMusic reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia] … “Many observers believed this style [referring to the orchestral black metal sound featured on the group's debut full-length] owed way too much to England's widely reviled (and contradictorily wildly successful) CRADLE OF FILTH, whose perceived opportunism (and, yes, frequently crap music) made them black metal's ultimate sellout poster boys, but it’s simply not fair to condemn ABIGAIL WILLIAMS to the very same death sentence so soon - especially in light of the band's much improved second album, 2010's ‘In The Absence Of Light’, which reveals a perfectly competent and oftentimes quite engaging collision of vicious aggression and ambitious songwriting grandeur,” [more here. Listen to the full album here (BandCamp) or below, and buy the thing:]

 

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: In The Absence Of Light

 

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS features: Ken Sorceron – guitar and vocals, Ian Jekelis- guitar and Zach Gibson - drums

Evergrey: A Decade And A Half – greatest hits collection

Progstreaming is streaming the entire greatest hits collection by Swedish dark progressive metallers EVERGREY entitled ‘A Decade And A Half’ here (the stream has since ended). Already out in Europe, EVERGREY's celebration of 15 years of metal comes in form of a two-disc set, which is being released in North America today, January 17th, 2012 via SPV/Steamhammer Records. Watch the band's latest video release, ‘Wrong’, below. The video for the award-winning single which sold over 10,000 copies in Sweden alone and which can be found on EVERGREY's eight album ‘Glorious Collision’ - out since February 2011 - was directed by Patric Ullaeus.

EVERGREY formed in 1995 and released their Andy LaRocque-produced debut album, ‘The Dark Discovery’, in 1998. Cooperation with the producer and guitarist (of KING DIAMOND-fame) continued on the band's 1999 release entitled ‘Soltitude Dominance Tragedy’. An alien abduction-themed album (inspired by Whitley Strieber's book “Communion”), ‘In Search Of Tragedy’, came out in 2001 (“And yes, there is also music. Actually, the music is very strong and powerful progressive metal - think QUEENSRYCHE, IRON MAIDEN, and KING DIAMOND all rolled together,” remarked Gary Hill, AllMusic), with ‘Recreation Day’ following in 2003 (“EVERGREY figure among a rare breed of progressive metal bands capable of balancing their undeniably impressive musicianship and lofty song and lyric-writing ambitions with the commitment to serving a song's best interest, not their own individual instrumental prowess,” commented Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic). Another concept album, this one dealing with the themes of religion, cults and child abuse, ‘The Inner Circle’, and second album to be produced by EVERGREY's vocalist and guitarist Tom S. Englund and then guitarist Henrik Danhage, was issued in 2004, with the band's first live album, ‘A Night To Remember’, following a year later. EVERGREY sixth studio album, ‘Monday Morning Apocalypse’, was released in 2006 and their debut for Steamhammer Records, ‘Torn’, came next in 2008. ‘Torn’ debuted at number 4 on Swedish Albums Chart.

EVERGREY features: Tom S. Englund - vocals & guitar, Marcus Jidell – guitar, Hannes Van Dahl – drums, Rikard Zander – keyboards and Johan Niemann – bass

 

Full EP Stream: This Ending: Systematic Worship – new EP

If I gathered the available facts correctly, Sweden's melodic death metallers THIS ENDING just self-released new, 3-track EP titled ‘Systematic Worship’. Listen and/or download two free tracks off the release, ‘Army Of (N)one’ and ‘No More Silence’,  here (Facebook) or via Soundcloud player available below, as you cheerfully sing along the tune ‘Our Creation’: “Barbed wire mothers milk / Congealing blood for wine / Reality rots away / Cacophony of lamenting souls / Baying the hounds of war / Pestilence for a cure …” ‘Systematic Worship’ was recorded in late 2011 in studio belonging to guitarist Linus Nirbrant:

Systematic Worship EP (2012) – courtesy of THIS ENDING Official

THIS ENDING was formed in 1991 in Stockholm, Sweden by drummer Fredrik Andersson (AMON AMARTH), vocalist Mårten Hansen and guitarist Linus Nirbrant. They called themselves “A Canorous Quintet” back then (once bassist Jesper Löfgren and guitarist Leo Pignon joined in) and as such, the group released an EP entitled ‘As Tears’, in 1994, and two full-lengths, 1996's ‘Silence Of The World Beyond’ and 1998's ‘The Only Pure Hate’. “A Canorous Quintet” disbanded in 1998 as its members began to pursue various other projects. Andresson re-assembled the group in 2005; they recorded a 13-song demo which they sent to Metal Blade Records. Adopting the name THIS ENDING, the band released their full-length, ‘Inside The Machine’, in 2006 through Metal Blade:

Inside The Machine – courtesy of THIS ENDING Official

“Straight-ahead, brutal metal is offered up by the bucketful throughout ‘Dead Harvest’,” is what AllMusic's Greg Prato thought about THIS ENDING's second full-length, released in 2009 (as he managed to label THIS ENDING's brand of music as “brutal he-man metal” as well - read the review here):

Parasites – courtesy of THIS ENDING Official

THIS ENDING features: Mårten Hansen – vocals, Leo Pignon – guitar, Linus Nirbrant – guitar, Jesper Löfgren – bass and Fredrik Andersson - drums