Full Album Stream: Craven Idol: Towards Eschaton – new album

Well, CRAVEN IDOL's debut album is apparently “musically, an assault on those who neglect the potent legacy of the 1980s, while thematically it attacks all proponents of unfounded spiritual dogma” while Decibel's Jonathan Horsley calls it “an extreme metal album of rare power; a bona fide contender for album of the year, a soundtrack for those evenings when your ouija planchette is jiggling all over the board” (more here). Anyhow, ‘Towards Eschaton’ goes splendidly with my (third) morning coffee and should mix just fine with your evening beer/wine. Enjoy the full album below, out since October the 15th, 2013 courtesy Dark Descent Records, and order your copy from Amazon or BandCamp to be safe, because I still haven’t figured out the workings of Dark Descent Records' store. The album's art was created by Italian painter Paolo Girardi:

Formed in 2005 in London, England by guitarist and vocalist Immolator Of Sadistik Wrath (or Vrath, in short) and guitarist and drummer Scourger, CRAVEN IDOL first put forth a demo named ‘Demo # 1’ in 2006, followed by ‘Recrucify’ demo in 2009. Fortified by J.C. Volgard on bass, the band created another ritual offering in the earliest traditions of black and thrash metal in 2010, when they released the ‘Ethereal Altars’ on MCD and vinyl via Vengeful Attakk / Hammer of Hate.

CRAVEN IDOL features: Vrath – vocals and guitar, Scourger – guitar, Suspiral – bass and Volgard - drums

Castevet: Obsian – new album

Luckily for us, Profound Lore Records have issued the “soundtrack to your ultimate mental breakdown, one of the most dense, complex, twisted, and amoral metal albums to be released this year, a sonic madness and dementia personified”, CASTEVET's new album ‘Obsian’, on October the 15th, 2013. If the artwork itself doesn’t depress you into immediately ordering the record from Profound Lore here, then check out two new CASTEVET tunes below, courtesy the label and Stereogum. ‘Obsian’ also features the vocals of EXTRA LIFE drummer Nick Podgurski, as well as a guest horn section courtesy of Amy Mills and Tim Byrnes:

“CASTEVET (now featuring KRALLICE bassist Nicholas McMaster who joins the comradeship alongside vocalist/guitarist Andrew Hock and drummer Ian Jacyszyn) once again will take the listener into a world of pain and personal hell through the six tracks that encompass an album unlike anything else going on in the metal scene today. ‘Obsian’ is a dark, bleak, uneasy, and ominous album crafted through meticulously constructed musical counterpoint via waves of dissonant progressive tones and rhythms laced with melodic shape-shifting song structures,” [says the label and critics, self-proclaimed or otherwise, agree:]

 

CASTEVET, formed in 2006 in New York City, New York by vocalist and guitarist Andrew Hock, drummer Ian Jacyszyn and bassist Joshua Scott, first recording, ‘Stones/Salts’ EP, saw the light of a day in 2009 through Paragon Records. Not your typical black metal band, featuring current and former members of grindcore act DEFEATIST and experimental death/doom crew EHNAHRE, the band had turned to GORGUTS guitarist Colin Marston to produce their debut LP, 2010's ‘Mounds Of Ash’, which was issued on Profound Lore Records and which was hailed as “an astonishing debut” by Phil Freeman, AllMusic:

“[CASTEVET] have created an album that takes the tremolo guitar picking and thundering-hooves drumming of black metal and weds them to complex, interlocking riff structures more akin to progressive thrash. The vocals are a hoarse roar, almost entirely free of theatricality, that owe much to hardcore and grind,” [more here:]

CASTEVET features: Andrew Hock – vocals and guitar, Ian Jacyszyn – drums and Nicholas McMaster - bass

Full Album Stream: Monster Magnet: Last Patrol – new album

I love MONSTER MAGNET. Always have and always will. And I hope they keep on making great music – forever. So, visit Noisey here and listen to their tenth album (“a testament to everything they stand for”) called ‘Last Patrol’, before it comes out October the 15th, 2013 in North America and October 21st, 2013 in Europe through Napalm Records. And while you’re listening, read the in-depth interview Noisey's Jon Wiederhorn conducted with MONSTER MAGNET's mustached frontman Dave Wyndorf (who said, for example: “AMON DUUL II and YES weren’t drug guys. For the most part, they were art-school guys who were classically trained and tried to pull off really, really complex parts that fused all this different kind of stuff together. There’s no time for tripping when you’re doing that shit.” or “Drugs aren’t the answer. They never have been. There’s a huge romantic myth that they’re a fast-track and you’re gonna see through the doors of perception and find the answers. And, yeah, you do see things but it’s because your perception is altered.”) here (Noisey). And finally, order your own copy of ‘Last Patrol’ here (MONSTER MAGNET official store), here (Napalm Records online store) or via iTunes or Amazon:

Formed in 1989 in Red Bank, New Jersey, MONSTER MAGNET spent much of the 1990s “struggling against the prejudices imposed upon image and sound by alternative rock fashion nazis”, as put by AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia (more here). The band, who developed a sludgy, feedback-heavy hard rock sound that helped them stand out from the era's burgeoning retro-rock movement, signed with independent label Caroline Records in 1992 and recorded their first full-length album - uniquely dark psychedelic masterpiece entitled ‘Spine of God’. In 1993, they released ‘Superjudge’ on A&M Records which fared poorly commercially arriving at the height of the post-NIRVANA alternative boom and ‘Tab…25’ which was originally released in Europe in 1991. Under mounting pressure to deliver a more commercial follow-up, MONSTER MAGNET delivered a decidedly sleeker effort in 1995; ‘Dopes To Infinity’ “delivered” top-ten rock single ‘Negasonic Teenage Warhead’ but the album sold only slightly better than its predecessor. Finally, the band's dogged persistence paid off with their fourth album, ‘Powertrip’ (1998), which reached Gold status on the strength of its massive hard rock hit ‘Space Lord’. MONSTER MAGNET went on two years worth of world tours with the likes of AEROSMITH, METALLICA, ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON. Their next effort, 2000/2001's ‘God Says No’, failed to match the commercial success of the band's previous release. As a result, MONSTER MAGNET were dropped by their record label. Following this unforeseen setback, “Wyndorf watched as various band members pursued side projects” but the band reunited in 2003 and was signed by the German SPV record label though which they released ‘Monolithic Baby!’ in 2004. MONSTER MAGNET's seventh studio album, ‘4-Way Diablo’, was came next in 2007, after the band's leader Dave Wyndorf nearly succumbed to a drug overdose in early 2006: “Much to the delight of concerned longtime fans, the album signaled a strong return to form for a band that came very close to being cut short,” breathed a sigh of relief Greg Prato, AllMusic (more here). In 2010, MONSTER MAGNET delivered ‘Mastermind’ LP, an “incredibly compelling [album] in its own fashion and, most importantly, reliably entertaining, which is something that’s increasingly lacking in new millennium rock & roll” (wrote Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here). ‘Mastermind’ entered the UK Indie Charts at number 18, US Indie Charts at number 23, Swedish Albums Charts at number 34, German Albums Chart at number 38, Norwegian Albums Chart at  number 41 and debuted at number 165 on the Billboard Top 200, selling around 3000 copies in its first week of release. Not band for a band whose interests include hypnosis, self delusion and puppetry.

MONSTER MAGNET features: Dave Wyndorf – vocals, Ed Mundell – guitar, Phil Caivano – guitar, Jim Baglino – bass and Bob Pantella – drums

In Flames: Sounds Of A Playground Fading – new video

All they need is to get Patric Ullaeus to film a video for them every once in a while, and they are sure to keep on filling the stadiums with fans. When not busy filling those, they apparently fill comic books with the “musical power of IN FLAMES music”. It also appears, that the band's enigmatic mascot, The Jesterhead, is getting its own illustrated treatment called “The Jester's Curse” which follows The Jesterhead's journey (“exploring the truth behind where he came from and where his destiny will ultimately take him”). The first book, “Lunar Strain: Part 1”, is already out on Heavy Metal Magazine which is owned by Kevin Eastman, the co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. The enigmatic power of IN FLAMES. Anyhow, ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’ (not so much in this group's case), comes off IN FLAMES' tenth studio album of the same name which was released in 2011 through Century Media Records. The band's first album recorded without its founder Jesper Strömblad debuted at number 27 on the U.S. Top 200 albums chart, it conquered German Albums Chart and debuted at number 12 on the Canadian Albums Chart. ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’ still awaits you here (CM Distro), on iTunes and Amazon:

“ ‘Playground Fading’s technical acumen and slick infusion of modern rock dazzles for the most part, especially on stand-out tracks like ‘A New Dawn’, ‘Fear Is The Weakness’, and the soaring title cut, all of which, in true IN FLAMES fashion, aim for the bleachers and end up exploding into the night sky, but for all of the bells and whistles, there’s not a whole lot of variety to be had here,” [commented James Christopher Monger, AllMusic – more here]

Formed in 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden, by musician Jesper Strömblad, IN FLAMES recorded and self-produced their first album, ‘Lunar Strain’, in 1993; besides guitarist, drummer and keyboardist Strömblad, guitarists Glenn Ljungström and Carl Näslund and bassist Johan Larsson, the band's debut full-length featured session vocalist Mikael Stanne whom you by now probably associate with DARK TRANQUILLITY. The first album recorded with singer Anders Fridén and Björn Gelotte as a drummer was 1996's ‘The Jester Race’, preceded by an MCD ‘Subterranean’ and followed by another MCD called ‘Black-Ash Inheritance’. According to IN FLAMES trusted friend and producer Fredrik Nordström, the group's third LP nearly failed to materialise, since the bandmembers preferred drinking beer and playing “Tekken3” to recording the album for which they eventually successfully combined a couple of English words, namely “whore” and “oracle”, to come up with its title, ‘Whoracle’. After 1997's ‘Whoracle’, IN FLAMES classic line-up assembled, with Björn Gelotte switching from drums to guitar, with Peter Iwers on bass and Daniel Svensson on drums. They released ‘Colony’ LP in 1999, followed by ‘Clayman’ in 2000. Considered IN FLAMES' first step toward becoming progressive pop/rock/neo-classical metal innovators - as they are known these days – their sixth studio album, 2002's tellingly named ‘Reroute To Remain’, peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. Climbing up the charts and entering the Billboard Top 200 at number 145, 2004's ‘Soundtrack To Your Escape’ was followed by the band's first DVD, ‘Used & Abused In Live We Trust’, in 2005. In 2006 the clarity finally came for IN FLAMES; conquering the Swedish Albums Chart, ‘Come Clarity’ sold around 25,000 copies in its first week and 50,000 units  in its first month, in the US of A alone - peaking at number 58 on the Billboard Top 200. The album also won the Best Hard Rock Album award at 2007 Grammis  (Swedish Grammy Awards). Their ninth album, 2008's ‘A Sense Of Purpose’, again climbed to the top spot on their home country albums charts (and was certified Gold in Sweden in 2009) and had bettered their previous achievement in the United States, debuting at number 28 on the Billboard Top 200. 

IN FLAMES features: Anders Fridén – vocals, Björn Gelotte – guitar, Daniel Svensson – drums, Peter Iwers – bass and Niclas Engelin (also of ENGEL) – guitar

The Devil Wears Prada: First Sight – new video & 8:18 – full album stream

Looking at their recent photos, it’s nice to see them growing up, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA I mean. It’s also nice to finally watch a video directed by a woman filmmaker, Maria Juranic. ‘First Sight’ comes from TDWP fifth studio album ‘8:18’, produced by the band and Matt Goldman, with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's Adam D. serving as executive producer. ‘8:18’ (from the New Testament, Romans: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”) can be still listened to here (Alternative Press) in its hope-oriented entirety; released on Roadrunner Records is September 2013, the album has sold around 16,000 copies in the USA its first week of sales and has debuted at position number 20 on The Billboard Top 200. Order your own copy here (Roadrunner store), on iTunes or via Amazon:

“Mike Hranica's voice is relentlessly brutal, as he delivers a death wail over the Dayton, Ohio, faith-based, metalcore act's adventurous, technical shredding. … Hard signature changes and manic riffs keep things creative and challenging, while monstrous choruses anchor the songs to make them feel more visceral and accomplished than prior outings. When THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA strays from the typical modern metal formula with progressive ideas, the results are almost always favorable, and ‘8:18’ finds the sextet at their most provocative and heavy,” [wrote Jason Lymangrover, AllMusic – more here:]

“Easily one of the most bizarrely named bands of their time”, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, formed in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio. The group recorded and self-released an EP entitled ‘Patterns Of A Horizon’ that same year, with it impressing Rise Records which signed the band in 2006. The six-piece turned to producer Joey Sturgis to record their debut full-length, 2006's ‘Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord’, a re-recording of the band's 2005 debut EP, plus two new songs, ‘Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over’ and ‘Texas Is South’. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA sophomore outing ‘Plagues’, released in 2007, peaked at number 57 on the American albums chart Billboard Top 200, yet AllMuisc's Eduardo Rivadavia wasn’t too impressed with the band's wit: 

“THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA also subscribes to the irritating post-emo fad of consigning silly and/or utterly unrelated titles to songs whose stream-of-consciousness lyrics meld romantic/existential/religious allusions both recklessly and indiscriminately (e.g. ‘HTML Rulez D00d’, ‘Don’t Dink and Drance’, ‘Nickels Is Money Too’) - as if scripture wasn’t misleading enough as is. Another flagrant example, ‘You Can’t Spell 'Crap' Without 'C'’ actually makes the Sesame Street classic “'C' Is for Cookie” sound remarkably profound, and counts with the ringing intellectual endorsement of CHIODOS [American post-hardcore group'] singer Craig Owens, to boot.” [More here]

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Ferret Music debut, 2009's ‘With Roots Above And Branches Bellow’, again produced by Joey Sturgis, debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200, selling 31,000 copies during the first week of U.S. release, as well as winning over some of this business' toughest critics. Their “fun but brutal” EP ‘Zombie’ (inspired by such clever stuff as Max Brooks' “World War Z” which you, most appreciated visitor, should most definitely read), released in August 2010, debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Top 200:

“DWP usual sugary-to-brutal template is boosted by ‘Zombie’s thick production, which includes computer-glitched thrash riffs, a symphonic action/horror score, and fake radio broadcasts. Everything adds up nicely to make for an entertaining, fear-provoking listen, [wrote Jason Lymangrover, AllMusic – more here:]

 

The band's fourth full-length, ‘Dead Throne’, followed in September 2011 on Ferret Music; co-produced by the band and Adam Dutkiewicz, ‘Dead Throne’ became THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's highest charting release, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling over 32,000 copies in its first week of U.S. release. ‘Dead Throne’ was described as the Christian metalcore six-piece's “most technical and most brutal” (more here). Listen here (SoundCloud). 

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA features: Mike Hranica – vocals, Chris Rubey – guitar, Jeremy DePoyster – guitar and vocals, Daniel Williams – drums, Andy Trick - bassand James Baney – keyboards 

 

The Winery Dogs: Time Machine – new video

 

 

“Celebrating the past while simultaneously kicking open new doors” (James Christopher Monger, AllMusic – more here), THE WINERY DOGS, comprised of vocalist and guitarist Richie Kotzen (POISON and MR. BIG), bassist Billy Sheehan (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, MR. BIG etc) and drummer Mike Portnoy (co-founder of DREAM THEATER, ADRENALINE MOB etc), have released a new video for ‘Time Machine’. The tune comes from the band's debut self-titled album, out since July 2013 on Loud & Proud Records, which was produced and mixed by Jay Ruston. THE WINERY DOGS debut, filled with straightforward rock and roll sound which seamlessly melds the immense talents of the three veteran rockers, sold around 10,200 copies in the USA in its first week of release, and has landed at position number 27 on the Billboard Top 200 chart:

[Back then, the press release had wondered…:] “Maybe ‘The Winery Dogs’ sounds so great because, more than anything, the album is a labor of love written from the heart and revealing unexpected shades of melodic eclecticism and lyrical vulnerability. Kotzen's vocals have never sounded better and his guitar playing is extraordinary. Anchored by Sheehan's expert bass lines, which root the songs and provide a lock-and-step foundation for Portnoy to play around, the band creates music that see-saws between primal simplicity and time-honored virtuosity.”

[…and guitarist Richie Kotzen explained:] “What makes the band so special is that somehow, in our collaboration, none of us lost our identity. We all sound like who we are yet we make music that is fresh and exciting and sounds like a new band. There’s a natural chemistry that came together; it’s one of those things that’s meant to be.” [Added bassist Billy Sheenan:] “I like the fact that everybody comes from a different background, though there are similarities to them. We have is a real special bond that wouldn’t happen if we were all into exactly the same things. We brought disparate elements together and made them into a unified band.” [And drummer Mike Portnoy:] “It’s very exciting for me to be in a solid rock trio. Stylistically, the bulk of my career has been spent playing progressive music, so this was an opportunity for me to do something that wasn’t prog or metal. It’s more classic rock and, at the end of the day that’s what I grew up with and that’s the biggest influence in my life. I’m just at home playing on a small four piece kit doing a simple John Bonham groove as I am playing complex tempos on a giant kit, and that’s been a great breath of fresh air for me.”

‘The Winery Dogs’ can be found on iTunes, Amazon and here (the band's official store).

THE WINERY DOGS features: Richie Kotzen - vocals and guitar, Billy Sheehan - bass and vocals and Mike Portnoy - drums and vocals

 

 

 

 

Deftones: Romantic Dreams – new video

Showcasing skateboarding prowess of Jason Park, DEFTONES' new video was directed by “filmer, skater and hopeful creator” Brett Novak. ‘Romantic Dreams’ comes off the groups seventh studio album ‘Koi No Yokan’, issued in November 2012 through Reprise Records. ‘Koi No Yokan’, once again recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz, debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200 with first week U.S. sales of 65,000 copies; it entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number 13, the German Albums Chart at number 17, and the UK Albums Chart at number 30. One of my favourite albums of 2012, ‘Koi No Yokan’ awaits you here (Warner Bros store), on iTunes and Amazon:

“ ‘Koi No Yokan’ finds the band returning with a warm, dreamy sound that feels more like heavy dream pop or shoegaze than light metal. Always finding new ways to use old tools, the driving sounds on the album feel more like they’re meant to envelop the listener than enrage them, with a sonic gulf - created by Chino Moreno's soaring vocals and Stephen Carpenter's shuddering, extended scale riffs - so large and inviting, it feels like the only option is to dive in and explore its depths,” [commented Gregory Heaney, AllMusic – more here:]

Childhood friends Stephen Carpenter, Chino Moreno and Abe Cunningham formed DEFTONES in 1988 in Sacramento, California. They have recorded a four-track demo with bassist Chi Chang soon after the band's inception, followed by a debut album, ‘Adrenaline’, released in 1995 through Maverick Records: “Unlike many of their contemporaries, DEFTONES are very controlled even in the midst of chaos. The musical attack is precise and well organized without sounding mechanical or soulless.Simply put, this music is the product of a good old-fashioned band, with every element of the music fitting together nicely,” observed Daniel Gioffre, AllMusic (more here). ‘Adrenaline’ was certified gold in 1999 (500,000 copies sold) and has gone platinum in 2008 (1,000,000 units sold). DEFTONES' second album, ‘Around The Fur’, was released in 1997 and was dedicated to Max Cavalera's (SOULFLY) late stepson Dana Wells. The album had sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and had peaked at number 29 on the U.S. albums chart Billboard Top 200. In 2000, the band released their third album, ‘White Pony’, as Frank Delgado (a.k.a. “DJ Speedboat” responsible for turntables, keyboards, sampler) became a full-time band member, adding new elements to DEFTONES' music. The album achieved platinum status in 2002 (1,3 million copies sold in USA alone) and secured the group a Grammy award for the song ‘Elite’:

“The band struggled with leading its direction, trudging through weighed emotion,” [wrote MacKenzie Wilson, AllMusic] “but ‘White Pony’ was the tantalizing outcome. DEFTONES went soft, but in an impressive way, to twist around its signature punk thrash sound. Frontman Chino Moreno is still intense, and his sour vocals throughout the entire record growl and stomp all over mainstream movements. He is bored with it all.” [Read the rest

The group's self-titled 2003 release was followed by 2006's somewhat less successful ‘Saturday Night Wrist’. DEFTONES' sixth album, entitled ‘Diamond Eyes’, was released in 2010 through Reprise Records. It sold 62,000 copies during the first week of its release in the U.S. alone, debuted at number 6 on Billboard Top 200 and had achieved a top 20 charting in many European countries. ‘Diamond Eyes’ introduced new bassist Sergio Vega, substituting Chi Cheng who had suffered severe injuries in a 2008 traffic accident and to which he succombed in April of 2013:

“Given this serious trauma, it’s only logical that ‘Diamond Eyes’ functioned as musical therapy for DEFTONES, but the surprise is that it has little downcast lyrical angst-mining, preferring atmosphere to bloodletting. Naturally, there is quite a bit of roiling darkness here – they’re CURE-loving metalheads, it’s in their blood - but there’s shade and light, control of texture, with the band deepening rather than expanding. Above all, it’s a mature album: DEFTONES skirted the obvious response to their tragedy, realizing that the left turn is a more rewarding journey,” [wrote Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic – read the rest here]

DEFTONES features: Chino Moreno – vocals, Stephen Carpenter – guitar, Frank Delgado – samples and keys, Abe Cunningham – drums and Sergio Vega – bass 

Cancer Bats: R.A.T.S. – new video

 

 

Remember, I usually drive people crazy with my optimism and if I get ‘R.A.T.S.’, due to my recent and ongoing difficulties, this means the world is truly fucked and you will just have to be patient in case you rely on this blog for your daily supply of music. ‘R.A.T.S.’ then is the new Ogi Kostovski-directed CANCER BATS video, off the ranting Canadians' fourth studio album ‘Dead Set On Living’. Released through Hassle Records in Europe, through Distort Entertainment in Canada, and through Metal Blade Records in the U.S. in 2012, the album features guest appearances by DEVILDRIVER's Dez Fafara and AN HORSE's Kate Cooper. ‘Dead Set On Living’ was produced by Eric Ratz and Kenny Luong. Illustrated as “dirty, hairy, smelly, proper hard rock with an unhinged, hardcore edge” by Paul Hagen for Big Cheese (more here), buy ‘Dead Set On Living’ via Hassle Records here if resident of either Europe or Great Britain, here (Metal Blade) if you consider yourself American or via iTunes or Amazon.

 

Founded by  singer Liam Cormier and guitarist Scott Middleton in 2004 in Toronto, Canada, CANCER BATS released their  REFUSED, BLACK FLAG, BLACK SABBATH and DOWN-influenced debut album, ‘Birthing The Giant’, in 2006 and, following intensive touring, they recorded their highly praised second full-length ‘Hail Destroyer’, which they released through Distort Entertainment/Metal Blade Records in 2008:

“So you’re looking for a metal band without all the “sword and sorcery” imagery, and a punk band whose members aren’t mostly interested in how well they put on their mascara, eh? Well, you’re in luck - the Toronto-based quartet CANCER BATS fits both of these descriptions. … ‘Hail Destroyer’ is certainly a hard-hitting release from start to finish,” [complimented Greg Prato, AllMusic – more here]

CANCER BATS' third, angry and aggressive album ‘Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones’, described as “a solid effort from a band with a lot to offer fans of aggressive rock who aren’t too worried about categories” by Phil Freeman, AllMusic (more here), was issued in 2010 via Distort Entertainment and Good Fight Music.

CANCER BATS features: Liam Cormier – vocals, Scott Middleton – guitar, Mike Peters – drums and Jaye R. Schwarzer – bass

 

 

 

 

Full Album Stream: Ulver: Messe I.X – VI.X – new album

I’m not completely sure what is going on here, but apparently it comes down to this: ULVER (Norwegian for “wolves” and Ulverish for “sounding like sorrow” – which does make sense, if you think about it) have been commissioned by Tromsø Kulturhus to compose a piece with the Norwegian Arctic Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra. The result, ‘Messe I.X-VI.X’, first performed with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra in September 2012, is now available internationally as ULVER's tenth album, through Jester Records. Described as “eerie and disturbingly alive, as though haunted by the organic sounds of the body: the rhythm of breath, the throb of the circulatory system, all liquid, pulse and need” as well as “cold, alien record, exploring the sounds of distance and loneliness, inexplicable gulfs and the awful unspoken” by Natalie Zina Walschots (Exclaim! – more here), this lovely piece of work is available for your listening pleasure below and awaits your order here (ULVER webshop), on iTunes, on Amazon MP3 and here (BandCamp):

Doing their own thing since 1993 out of Oslo, Norway, ULVER nevertheless started out as black metal band - although folklore-influenced black metal band. Led by vocalist Garm (apparently also known as “Trickster G”, “God Head” and Kristoffer Rygg), ULVER's first three albums are religiously referred to as “Black Metal Trilogie”; the excellent debut ‘Bergtatt – Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler’ (or “Taken Into The Mountain - A Fairy Tale In 5 Chapters”), issued in 1995, the “bold and successful effort” ‘Kveldssanger’, released in 1996, and their 1997's ‘Nattens Madrigal – Aatte Hymne Til ulven I Manden’ (or “Madrigal Of The Night – Eight Hymns To The Wolf In Man”, which was wildly rumored to be recorded outdoors in a Norwegian forest on an 8-track recorder (not true). Doing a complete 180, ULVER next put forth a double album called ‘Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell’ in 1998, thus officially becoming “a strange mix of metal, electronic, folk, and utter strangeness” kind-of-a-band (Jason Hundey, AllMusic – more here – who recommended the album to “those seeking a musical purging, all others beware”):

Down to Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker, ULVER underwent metamorphosis in 1999 and recorded an EP about it (listen to ‘Metamorphosis’ here on BandCamp), followed by the band's fifth album ‘Perdition City: Music To An Interior Film’, issued in 2000, which “continued in the more modern, electronic-oriented direction of their previous two releases” (William York, AllMusic –more here):

Perpetually creative, ULVER next delivered ‘Silencing The Singing’ EP in 2001 (listen here/BandCamp), followed by ‘Lyckantropen Themes’ in 2002, an original soundtrack ULVER had composed for the Swedish short film “Lyckantropen” (listen here/BandCamp) and another original soundtrack ‘Svidd Neger’, they recorded in 2003. Their sixth album, 2005's ‘Blood Inside’ was described as “eclectic, remarkably inspiring, and never less than a brave step into the depths of the unknown” by Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic (more here):

Prior to co-writing ULVER's next album, 2007's ‘Shadows Of The Sun’, programmer Tore Ylwizaker reportedly spent a year studying classical composers and composition techniques. The end result was depicted as “an enjoyable, at times hypnotic album” by William York, AllMusic (more here):

‘Wars Of The Roses’ followed in 2011. The album had entered the Norwegian Album Charts at number 17, based on first day sales alone; it had also entered the Finnish Album Charts at number 30:

 

For their ninth studio album, ULVER compiled sixteen songs from those who experimented before them, mostly in the '60s, such as tunes from THE BYRDS, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, LES FLEUR DE LYS and Curt Boettcher, and made them their own. The collection of cover songs was called ‘Childhood's End’ and was released in 2012, followed by live recording ‘Live At Roadburn’, which was issued in April 2013 (listen here/BandCamp):

ULVER features: Kristoffer “Garm” Rygg – vocals and programming, Jørn H. Sværen – various, Tore Ylwizaker – programming and keyboards and Daniel O’Sullivan – guitar, bass and keyboards

In Solitude: Sister – new album

According to a legend, a long long time ago, in 2002, under the Uppsala moon, the spirits of ancient evil and old metal were summoned and celebrated by cloaked guitarist Niklas Lindstrom, drummer Uno Bruniusson, bassist Gottfrid Ahman and guitarist and vocalist Henrik Helenius. With vocalist Pelle Åhman up front, IN SOLITUDE in 2013 once more drew inspiration from tones from below and voices from the deep. The ‘Sister’, the band's third full-length, was recorded at Studio Cobra in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Martin “Konie” Ehrencrona, who mixed the album as well. The record, which concludes with an 8-minute near trance-like opus that features guest guitarist WATAIN's Pelle Forsberg, is available digitally, on CD, and as 180 gram black vinyl since 30th of September 2013 in Europe and since October the 1st in North America on Metal Blade Records. Listen to the album in its melancholic entirety below, courtesy of Metal Blade Records, and buy it here (Metal Blade store) or via iTunes:

IN SOLITUDE was formed in 2002 in Uppsala, Sweden by guitarist Niklas Lindstrom, drummer Uno Bruniusson, bassist Gottfrid Ahman and guitarist and vocalist Henrik Helenius. Vocalist Hornper had joined the group a year later. The band went on to release a self-titled demo in 2004, replaced Heleius with Mattias Gustafsson in 2005 and recorded another demo entitled ‘Hidden Dangers’ in 2006, which Sweden's S.M.P. Records re-issued in 2008. The group's debut album was reportedly issued on Pure Steel Records without a proper title. The touring that ensued caused guitarist Mattias Gustafsson to “return to the mist wherein he came” in 2009, and was replaced by grateful vocalist and guitarist Henrik Palm who commented:

“Soon it will be winter and I am very happy to be a part of the snowstorm of broken glass that is IN SOLITUDE. I’ve got a good feeling that we will pierce quite a few hearts. There will be some blood in the snow. My blood. Everyone's blood. Ideas are growing into actions. More blood in the snow. It’s great. Passion. Fire. I love these guys. We are really doing something that will make motion. It’s in the air around us right now. We love each other and we love that fire that moves us. It’s something not of this world and I am one of the instruments that makes this happen, and that’s a beautiful thing.”

Metal Blade Records couldn’t curb their enthusiasm either and would sign IN SOLITUDE in 2010. Later that same year, the horde had entered Nicke Anderson's studio Gutterview Recorders in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Fred Estby to record the band's sophomore record, which was released in 2011. ‘The World.The Flesh.The Devil’ was released to worldwide praise from press and fans alike and had landed the fourth place on Decibel Magazine's “Top 40 Extreme Albums” of 2011. Furthermore, Terrorizer Magazine described the album as “finely crafted, occult-oriented, melodic heavy metal of the highest order”:

IN SOLITUDE features: Pelle Åhman – vocals, Niklas Lindström – guitar, Henrik Palm- guitar, Gottfrid Åhman - bass and Uno Bruniusson - drums