When the year comes to an end and the months are less packed with interesting releases, I usually like to check out some releases from the summer and autumn of which I haven’t come across (or simply didn’t have the time to review back when they were released). Deadly Circus Fire’s The Hydra’s Tailor is one of those albums and the proof that it sometimes really pays off to listen to what appears in your news feed – many thanks to Rob from Progressive Music Planet for posting Deadly Circus Fire’s music so I and many others could become aware of these talented guys.
Deadly Circus Fire is a UK based progressive rock/metal band with a clear sound and lyrical concept which is distinctive enough to make for a memorable listen you won’t forget about too soon. But at the same time, The Hydra’s Tailor is a diverse record with different influences and styles which make the album and its songs stand out from other young prog bands. Apart from Deadly Circus Fire’s overall progressive rock/metal style, you’ll hear post-grunge and alternative influences, more technical tracks and also slower, but intense songs.
A big part of this album is Adam Grant’s unique, expressive and wide-ranging vocal performance: He shows his completely clean and soft, slightly raspy and also powerful vocals that reach low as well as high notes. He additionally uses his guttural vocals to bring across criticizing and appealing lyrics, which makes for even more variety.
The musicians definitely prove how skilled and talented they are, as they are able to come up with rather short, intense tracks and likewise slightly longer songs which are even more exciting. You can expect loads of energy, tempo changes and different styles and dynamics mixed into one single piece of music.
What I find so mind-blowing is how Deadly Circus Fire simply never cease to fascinate me with any song on this album. The intro “In Darkness We Trust” is calm, yet so intense thanks to those fascinating vocals; “Devil’s Opera” is particularly special to me because of the song’s message against domestic violence and the mid-paced “Where It Lies”, which also contains an extended instrumental part (Audible bass! Yes!), the phenomenal “House Of Plagues” or the final track “Universe” are other well-made and touching tracks, and these are only examples – samples of an album I’ve truly fallen in love with.
Deadly Circus Fire is an innovative band that brings across a certain political and social message. It is definitely one of those bands of which many more people should know about, as they have put out a beautifully written and skillfully executed full-length – It’s simply heart-warming to hear such great talent.
I do believe that this could be the next story of success in progressive music. You should check out this album right now if you have never heard of this absolutely stunning band before, as Deadly Circus Fire are stellar at what they are doing and have created one of the best albums of 2015.
Tracklist:
01. In Darkness We Trust (2:32)
02. Animal (4:25)
03. Where It Lies (6:44)
04. Victim (6:02)
05. Devil’s Opera (3:49)
06. Rise Again (7:31)
07. Martyrs (1:46)
08. House Of Plagues (6:44)
09. Aeden (5:20)
10. The Hydra’s Tailor (3:59)
11. Turning The Tide (6:07)
12. Universe (7:43)
Playing time: 62:42
Release date: 16th June, 2015
Label: Musicarchy Media
Website: www.deadlycircusfire.com
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It’s safe to say that every fan of the Howard Jones-era in Killswitch Engage got really excited when Devil You Know, a new project featuring the aforementioned vocalist, released their first album last year. It would have been a true loss for the metal scene if Howard Jones had quit his career as one of the leading vocalists in the scene forever.
What first appeared as a studio project has quickly become a true band and the second record, They Bleed Red will be in stores on the 6th of November. This means that Mr. Jones is continuing to delight us all with his angry gutturals and unique clean vocals, as well as his bandmates John Sankey on drums, Ryan Wombacher on the bass and guitarist Francesco Artusato are going on writing heavy, strong and groovy songs – this time around, ranging from some of the heaviest stuff the band has ever released to more alternative and slow tracks.
The debut album The Beauty of Destruction has been well received by the media and yes, I did blast it out a lot, too. That album displayed a whole spectrum of different songs and even though this overall approach didn’t change too much for They Bleed Red, the band is now presenting a range of much more distinctive, straight-lined songs that were written and arranged with a rather definite goal. Also, Jones’ vocals have become stronger than on the first record. His shouts, growls and screams sound nearly as natural as ten years ago with Killswitch Engage, while his clean vocals have developed a lot and are now influenced by many different styles while sounding smooth and powerful at the same time – forget regular metalcore clean vocals, THIS is the shit.
“Consume The Damned” is a strong opener that already tells something about the overall sound of the record: The sophomore full-length sounds raw, heavy, but is also filled with groove and melody right where it’s needed. The single “The Way We Die” really proves how great a catchy chorus and an extended guitar solo go together with uncompromising heaviness if you’re doing it like Devil You Know. And, as fate willed, I vividly remember the silly and entertaining video for this song every time I’m listening to it. (Oh, excuse me, you haven’t seen the music video yet? Then go ahead and watch it below …)
They Bleed Red also contains some of the heaviest tracks the band has written so far: “Stay Of Execution” and “How The End Shall Be” are two fast-paced and dark sounding tracks, while “Shattered Silence” contains some melody as well and again sounds very natural despite tempo changes.
And as one would expect from a band like Devil You Know, it even offers one or two smaller and also bigger surprises. “Your Last Breath” is a slower song with great layering; in this song, the band delivers melodic highlights that make the following heavier parts even more intense. “Break The Ties” builds up nicely and actually contains a viking metal riff as well as some additional acoustic guitars – now how great is that? The biggest surprise might be “Let The Pain Take Hold”, a downright ballad with some of the best vocal performances ever delivered by Howard Jones – and probably one of my favorite tracks on the album.
I must say, though, that some songs at the end of the album fail to really impress me like the first ones. “Master Of None” doesn’t really get me. “Searching For The Sun” scores with excellent lyrics, but musically, it displays a slight drop in quality compared to other tracks. Nevertheless, this album contains so many highlights that I’m willing to leave out some weaker tracks …
All in all, They Bleed Red is a powerful second record by a band that has certainly found their style while still presenting a wide range of styles incorporated in their music. This is for all the people out there who enjoy modern melodic death and heavy metal with metalcore and groove metal influences and of course for all the die-hard Howard Jones fans out there. Y’all won’t be disappointed by this album, I promise.
For more information on the new album, check out my interview with guitarist Francesco Artusato here.
Tracklist:
1. Consume The Damned 3:37
2. The Way We Die 3:31
3. Your Last Breath 4:30
4. Stay Of Execution 3:39
5. Break The Ties 4:39
6. Shattered Silence 4:15
7. Let The Pain Take Hold 4:33
8. Master Of None 4:54
9. Searching For The Sun 3:55
10. How The End Shall Be 4:32
11. Broken By The Cold 5:20
Playing time: 47:26
Release date: 6th of November, 2015
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
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Novelists is a young band from France that is releasing its debut album Souvenirs in a week. I happen to have read their name on annisokay’s Facebook page, as Novelists were on tour with them recently, but I had never heard any of their music until I decided to check out their first album.
First of all, I’d like to get two points straight: 1) Although Novelists are labeled as “progressive”, they aren’t a progressive metal band. Putting this label on a band of course depends on how one defines “progressive”, but a band isn’t progressive just because the members can play a sh*tload of notes. My friend and partner in crime Rob outlined this statement in his review recently, so feel free to check it out. As a conclusion, Novelists sound more like a technical metalcore band to me. 2) I’m not afraid to admit that I don’t dislike metalcore per se. Every subgenre has rather unspectacular and even really awful bands; I just feel that many of them play metalcore. Generally, I can only name three or four metalcore bands I really enjoy. However, I believe that truly great music has no genre. If an album sounds great, then let’s just leave it at that and don’t hate on it because it’s metalcore.
It’s true that the band couldn’t really impress me at first. The songs sounded pretty much all the same, just a few parts stood out and I just couldn’t get used to those weird vocals. But it’s also true that Novelists seem to have established a solid fan base that really appreciates what they are doing. So I began to think: Why do all these people love their music? There may be something about this band I haven’t been able to hear in the beginning, which made me figure out exactly that – so here’s what I’ve found out.
My view of the band has changed so much after listening to Souvenirs for several times and concentrating on Novelists’ music. I realized that these guys know how to play their instruments and how to give variety despite playing in a genre that isn’t known for much variety. I wouldn’t state that they are creating something particularly new with this album, unlike other reviewers did. The album is with no doubt nicely structured and decently written, but I’ve already heard most of the riffs, licks and rhythmic patterns on it at some point before, which proves that Novelists actually aren’t a far cry from other young bands in the genre. Even though you can’t expect something completely out of the world, many songs on this record are really well-made. “Antares” with its massive breakdown and “Earth Graver” are two of the best songs on Souvenirs, the latter being a very groovy, slightly darker track. There are two slower tracks on this album as well: “Black Lights” serves more as an interlude, while “5:12 AM”, probably the cheesiest song of the year, still builds up very nicely and contains some sweet female guest vocals (greatest selling point here, hehe).
Speaking of the vocals, I still don’t like them too much. I’m convinced that even deathcore and metalcore bands should have a decent vocalist with strong gutturals (see Eddie Hermida of Suicide Silence) who can handle many different techniques and styles – it just makes everything sound much more balanced, in my opinion. Novelists’ vocalist Matt Gelsomino’s gutturals don’t sound really spectacular most of the time, but he can actually sing pretty decently, even though his cleans sound a little bit whiny at times and he sings out of tune in nearly every song at some point. In “Gravity”, for example, the mundane vocal harmony that can be heard during the bridge does the job of building up tension near the end of the track, but it’s pretty much a third above the main voice. Several notes are out of tune as well. Generally, I feel that the cleans aren’t trained and strong enough to handle lower and higher vocals. “Black Lights” shows exactly that for the lower register, “Gravity” once again for the higher register. On the contrary, there are some very nice and emotion-filled vocal melodies – “Echoes”,for that matter, contains some of the best vocal lines on the whole record – which shows that vocalist Matt will gradually be able to improve his performance on the next records if he keeps working on his voice.
All in all, I’m very looking forward to hear and see how Novelists will develop in the future. If you dig this genre, this is an album you may want to check out. It’s not for every metalhead, as modern metalcore isn’t the ultimate genre for everyone. But generally speaking, Souvenirs is a decent record. You’ll possibly just need some time to figure that out …
Tracklist:
01. Inaminate
02. Earth Graver
03. Gravity
04. Antares
05. Ouroboros
06. Black Lights
07. The Voyager
08. Mouchos Touchey
09. Echoes
10. 5:12 AM
11. The Lichtenberg Figure
12. Souvenirs
Playing time: 49:26
Release date: 6th of November, 2015
Label: Arising Empire
Website: www.facebook.com/NovelistsMusic
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Let’s leave out the fact that Perditus et Dea has been released in February – firstly, there’s no doubt that this album is no light fare, and secondly, it somehow got buried under the monstrous pile of releases we receive every week (the fact that I’m afraid of logging into our submissions e-mail account every weekend says it all). Nonetheless, I really wanted to write a review of Perditus et Dea, as Whispering Woods prove one thing: Even though symphonic metal isn’t significantly changing, there’s no need in copying Nightwish, Within Temptation or Epica in 2015 (or anytime).
First of all, The Romania-based band’s music actually contains many of the typical elements that match the label “symphonic”, classical vocals or the focus on beautiful and touching melodies to name some, we all are familiar with. However, there are some significant twists as well as some little gems on Perditus et Dea that unmistakably separate the band from average or even highly acclaimed symphonic metal acts.
The fact that Whispering Woods work with not only one, but two singers is one of them: Mezzo-soprano Corina Hamat and soprano Alexandra Burcă sound phenomenal together, playing around with different two-part harmonies and presenting their beautiful, strong and expressive classically trained voices (not the Simone Simons-type of “classical” vocals, to get that point straight). Flautist Cătălina Popa (Haggard) is also crucial for the band’s overall sound. All this is mixed with doomy guitar riffs, a dark atmosphere and some additional acoustic parts and Perditus et Dea is complete.
The track “Calusarii”, for example, definitely proves how great this mix can sound. It is the only track on the album with Romanian lyrics and contains everything from excellent vocals, doomy piano and guitar parts and beautiful flute melodies, resulting into a unique, dark atmosphere. “Poetica” has a gothic feel to it and even reminds me a bit of the beginnings of After Forever, while “Circle Complete”, “My Altar” and “Autumnal” present a slightly more energetic version of Whispering Woods.
Although so many things are on point on this album, it’s arguable if some parts are really necessary. A 50 minute record is perfectly fine, whereas it gets hard to stay focused for 65 minutes. I don’t really see any sense in tracks like “Farewell Ladybug”, which don’t sound bad at all but unfortunately fail to impress me. However, I wouldn’t say that they have a very huge impact on the album as a whole – there are enough fantastic moments that enchant the listener.
To sum up, it’s the mix of different subgenres that make Perditus et Dea a solid record with a lot of recall value. I personally haven’t heard such a well-crafted blend of sophisticated classical music, heavy doom and gothic metal and feather-light folk metal. You surely have to love true operatic vocals to like this record – but if you do, then feel free to give my fellow countrymen a listen below and get lost meanwhile …
Tracklist:
01. Perditus (1:58)
02. Original Sin (4:49)
03. Demon Blood (4:51)
04. Calusarii (7:42)
05. Autumnal (5:38)
06. My Altar (5:44)
07. Farewell Ladybug (8:45)
08. Poetica (6:55)
09. If Ever (4:33)
10. Timeless (6:23)
11. Circle Complete (5:49)
12. Dea (2:50)
Playing time: 1:05:57
Release date: 26 February, 2015
Label: Loud Rage Music
Website: www.the-whispering-woods.com
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Everyone can surely name at least one album based on World War II. Or mythology. Or political issues… but albums based on novels? I guess that many will probably think of Kamelot’s “Epica” and “The Black Halo”, which are both inspired by Goethe’s “Faust”, but this album we’re talking about today, ladies and gentlemen, is something quite unique.
Postcards from Arkham is a project by Marek “Frodys” Pytlik based on H. P. Lovecraft’s horror fiction and this project is probably one of the best ideas ever. Yes, I like what the average young adult would call “old, dusty and boring books”, thereof horror and science fiction the most. Oh, you have no clue what I’m talking about and don’t know who Lovecraft was? Provided you don’t entertain the opinion that reading literature from the 1920s seems quite a stretch, please go and check out some of his stories and thank me later.
The second release by Postcards from Arkham called Aeons, for that matter, also incorporates parts of stories by E. A. Poe and H. Murakami. Sadly, a fabulous lyrical concept isn’t enough to make an album as phenomenal as the literature that serves as foundation and that’s pretty much the problem with Aeons … and not only that.
In fact, there’s nothing particularly wrong with this album. The music you do get to hear – loads of piano/keys and guitar melodies with an overall cinematic approach – actually sounds very pleasing. It’s the music you don’t get to hear that makes Aeons so unsatisfactory. I know, that doesn’t sound very logical, so let me explain further.
While listening to this record, I very often got the impression that many great ideas – a killer riff, a beautiful melody, an awesome build-up – don’t really result into anything. Normally, a song is consisting of one or several basic melodies or ideas that serve as foundation for the rest of the song. Do you know what I really miss on this album? Freaking verses. Bridges. CHORUSES. I’m all for twists and turns and unexpected song structures, but even the most unusual song pattern contains these necessary elements.
Secondly, some tracks don’t make any sense at all. I first didn’t believe that “Le Pays Des Merveilles” is basically just the same piano part played over and over again. I mean, why? And even worse, why would someone write a whole song without any vocals, but put some spoken words in French on top that barely anyone will understand? I don’t know about you, but people usually listen to music because of well-crafted music, and not somebody talking or very odd compositions of unmatched ideas.
It’s not easy to write a critical review of an album that actually contains some kick-ass parts that haven’t been finalized and of one with a fascinating concept. And all this is so frustrating, because every time I’m giving Aeons another listen, I vainly try to spot where all the actual music is hidden. A song starts, another part begins, a solo kicks in and everything’s over way too soon. Maybe I don’t get the magic of this record, but I really tried and I failed.
If you like great cinematic progressive music, don’t give this album a listen. There are way better records out there – check out Dreamgrave, The Great Discord, New Keepers Of The Water Towers etc. and forget about Postcards From Arkham.
Tracklist:
01. Imagination Filled Balloon
02. Aeon Echoes
03. Thousand Years For Us
04. Overthrown
05. Elevate
06. Le Pays des Merveilles
07. Woods Of Liberation
08. One World Is Not Enough
Playing time: 34:38
Release date: 30th September, 2015
Label: MetalGate Records
Website: www.postcardsfromarkham.wz.cz
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Congrats on the new album! While listening to it and “The Beauty Of Destruction” last year, I realized that nothing seems impossible for Devil You Know. But in your opinion, what separates “They Bleed Red” from your previous release?
First of all, thanks for your compliments! I think it’s just an overall more aggressive and raw sounding record. Obviously, there are still a lot of different elements in a song, but I feel like all in all, the vibe is just a little more angry and harsh. That was a thing we discussed before we started working on the record. It was everybody’s intention to get a record like that.
Although the fans are used to much diversity on a Devil You Know album, is there a particular song or twist on the new album that will surprise the fans?
A very special song for me and also one of my favorites on the record is track seven, “Let The Pain Take Hold”. I love everything about that song, the way we worked on it and just the way it happened, lyrically and the vocals. It is obviously something different and it’s not easy to write a song like that. It was a big challenge for us. But to me, this shows some different elements and it was really cool to have the freedom to do that kind of stuff.
I was going to mention “Let The Pain Take Hold” – you guys released slower, calmer songs in the past, but this one actually sounds like a real ballad. Can you tell me more about how it came together?
One day, I woke up and was like “I really want to have a song like this!” and I had the structure in my mind. So I started working on it and then, I remember, I had some instrumental demos which I sent to John – he loved the song – then we showed it to Howard. The stuff that’s going on and the structure make it a challenging song for sure, but when we started working on it with the producer, it just kept getting better and better. We were like, “Holy crap, this is awesome!” Seriously, the first time Howard was recording in the studio and when he was singing the vocal melody that comes after the guitars, I was shaking. The feeling after we did all this was just awesome.
Because Devil You Know is a rather young band, you had loads of songwriting freedom for the first album. Did you feel limited to write music in a certain style this time, now that people are familiar with the band’s sound?
It’s interesting: With the first record, it’s true, we had freedom, because it was the first time being in a band and writing a record, but there were so many people trying to tell us what we should do, like “Oh, Howard should sound like this on the record, because it’s his big comeback” etc. and it was kind of frustrating. This time, part of the deal was to not get anybody involved in this, it would be just the band and the producer in the studio and the others would hear the record once it was done and they’d better like it (laughs). This way, we had 100 percent freedom. We actually have an acoustic song among the bonus tracks and I remember telling the label about it and they asked me “Are you sure this is a good idea?” and I told them “Trust me, it’s going to sound awesome” and it does. Honestly, I’m a fan of so much different music and my favorite metal bands are the ones that incorporate all the different styles and genres. To me, it’s so awesome to listen to such a record – you do have the ballad, the slow song, the fast songs – it’s a journey. Especially with this second record, it was a matter of creating that and I think we kind of did (laughs).
I remember that you guys wrote around 40 songs for “The Beauty Of Destruction”. With how much material did you enter the studio this time, and did you use any of the old material?
We thought we were going to use some of the material from the previous record, but we started writing new songs and they were better. So we kept writing and all the material on the new album is written after [the first release], which is actually weird, because we released “The Beauty Of Destruction” in April 2014, but at that time, that record was already done for months and months, so we already had new songs. We probably had half of this new record written before the first came out (laughs). This is why we thought that the actual new material is sounding better and in the end, we didn’t use any of the old material. We didn’t write so many songs this time, though. It was a little more planned, we knew that we wanted a certain song in the middle of the record and we wanted to start it with some heavy songs that have this or that kind of vibe and we did just that, focused on those things and tried to write the best songs we could. There were definitely less songs.
You already mentioned your producer – I guess it was good to work with him in the studio?
Oh yeah. We worked with Josh Wilbur. I’m a huge fan of his work with the bands he worked with, the engineering world and producing. For me, it was great to work with a guy like him and I only had heard good things about him. So we started working with him and he is just amazing, so talented and so good to work with on a personal level. He has become a friend of ours and we ended up hanging out with a friend while working – it was awesome. With some producers, you just don’t get there, so it’s always different, but this was a great experience.
Can you tell me something about the connection between the cover artwork and the main lyrical topics on “They Bleed Red”?
The concept of “They Bleed Red” is that we’re all vulnerable, we’re all the same and although we all can have different lives, jobs, comfort, be in different places, in the end, we all bleed red. The idea for the album cover was to have an image that unifies everybody – the world on the cover symbolizes all of us. And actually, I think that it’s kind of cool that it’s “They Bleed Red” and you see the world, but it’s obviously us. The big picture is the world and it’s bleeding, but then, inside the booklet, there are images that show certain individuals. It’s a very cool concept visually, and we worked with Travis Smith (Opeth, Devin Townsend) again, who is an amazing artist.
Devil You Know also recently released a new video for “The Way We Die”. Ever since I’ve seen it, I’ve been wondering how you guys came up with the location and working with the Burning Angels …
It was a funny thing because obviously, the record’s got a very serious and dark tone, but then we came up with the music video that is just silly and ridiculous. At the same time, we as a band were like “Let’s do something that is silly and different and not do a performance video in a warehouse” – which is 99 percent of metal videos. We’ve done that with other music videos, it’s just that this time, we didn’t want to worry about the performance part and just do something that is fun. The song is serious, but you’re going to finish the video with a smile on your face. It’s good to create some controversy, too, with people hating it and saying “You guys are stupid” or “This is horrible because you’ve got porn stars in your video” and people loving it and being like “Oh, this is my favorite porn star, this is awesome!” It’s fun to see the reactions.
Originally, the band was consisting of three members – you, Howard and John. Ryan [Wombacher, bass/backing vocals] has been touring with you guys and is a regular member of the band now. In your opinion, how did this change affect the band in general, and did he contribute to the songwriting, too?
I just feel like right now, as four, we’re really strong. We’re best friends and touring is fun – there’s a lot of laughing and we just hang out. That cool, mellow vibe translates to the way we write music. It’s weird to say that, because the music is mostly angry, but you’re not angry while you’re writing it or pissed off at home writing a song. With these guys, it’s not stressful and so much fun and the cool thing is also that because we started touring, we also started to spend more and more time together and now, we really know each other. You end up thinking more about the people in the band and writing something that’s going to be really good for them to play it. By now, we’re all more familiar with Howard’s range and we can really think of putting a foundation for a cool melody that you can come up with later. It’s definitely progressing that way.
I’m sure that people keep asking this question – are there any news from All Shall Perish?
Yeah, there are definitely things happening with All Shall Perish, we’re working on music and with a new singer. It’s not that we’re lazy, but there are some, let’s call it complications. It’s frustrating for us because we want to be back and tour and release new music, but that’s just how it is.
I know that many musicians have their very own pre-show rituals. What do you do before going on stage?
I usually just try to relax a little bit and then warm up – I need my 20-30 minutes of warm-up on the guitar. But actually, that’s the time when we all get together and spend some time chatting, making fun of each other and getting into the right mood to go on stage after everybody was walking around and doing their things during the day – nothing crazy. Maybe I’d have a couple of beers, but not too many, I have too many notes to play (laughs).
We’ve come to an end – anything you’d like to tell your (future) fans?
We’re going to be in Europe next month, so if you’re around and we’re playing your town, please come. It’s going to be a great show, we’re playing with two big bands, Five Finger Death Punch and Papa Roach, who obviously know what they’re doing. It’s going to be a good tour and we’re excited to be on a full European tour. And if you like what you hear, buy the CD or buy it beforehand – pre-order it now (laughs)!
Interviewed by Cristina Somcutean
Line-up:
Howard Jones – vocals
Francesco Artusato – guitars
Ryan Wombacher – bass/backing vocals
John Sankey – drums
Website: www.facebook.com/Devilyouknowofficial
DEVIL YOU KNOW – “They Bleed Red” out 6th November, 2015.
Pre-order the album here.
For all official tour dates, click here.
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Alright, I’m willing to admit that I’ve never really been a Children Of Bodom fan. When I discovered them years ago, I was sure that I wouldn’t listen to them again any time soon. Strangely enough, Children Of Bodom is a band I’ve regularly come in contact with since I decided to never listen to them again – my best friend got into them very soon after my decision, so I eventually got bombarded with COB videos and songs from time to time.
So here we are in the year of 2015 and there’s a new Children Of Bodom album to be released next week. I truly wanted to give the band another chance to win me over with their ninth studio album I Worship Chaos, this being my second attempt on acquiring a liking for the Finnish band. Although the press seemed to be sold on their 2013-release Halo Of Blood, this is something I’m not able to relate to. Yes, they put a very fast, black metal influenced, well-made song on that album, but the slow, doomy track did absolutely nothing for me, like a lot of the material in between. I Worship Chaos, on the contrary, is a record I find very enjoyable, though, and that’s quite surprising, isn’t it?
Well, regarding my relationship to COB, it is. But everyone who did listen to I Worship Chaos will agree that the new material sounds very pleasing. The Finns have created an album that pretty surely answers both the loyal and the new fans’ expectations. Containing heavy, yet very catchy and distinctive tracks like “I Hurt” or melodic hymns like “Morrigan” and “My Bodom (I Am The Only One)”, the new record feels very much like (a very enjoyable) COB, while some songs feel out of character at first. According to Alexi (Laiho, lead vocals and guitars) and Janne (Wirman, keyboards), they “just went for it” and I think that those atypical songs turned out great. “Hold Your Tongue” has a hard rock feel to it and the band shines with the 90s gothic rock influenced “Prayer For The Afflicted” as well as with the dark, yet very dynamic “Suicide Bomber”. “All For Nothing” may be the most unusual COB track ever written and regardless of whether I like it exactly because of that or not, it feels very well-placed even though this probably won’t match your first impression of the song.
At this point, it may be helpful to mention that the new COB isn’t a dark rock record – with the thrashy title track “I Worship Chaos” and the old school death/rock’n’roll/thrash metal song “Horns”, the Finns present diversity and great skill while playing that new material with ease.
So if you can’t get excited about I Worship Chaos or about COB in general, I am sure that you’ll still find at least a couple of songs enjoyable. Just look at me: In my opinion, the whole record is very solid and greatly produced, which is above and beyond all expectations.
Check out “I Hurt”, “Horns”, “My Bodom (I Am The Only One)” and “Suicide Bomber” for sure.
Tracklist:
01. I Hurt
02. My Bodom (I Am The Only One)
03. Morrigan
04. Horns
05. Prayer For The Afflicted
06. I Worship Chaos
07. Hold Your Tongue
08. Suicide Bomber
09. All For Nothing
10. Widdershins
Playing time: 44:20
Release date: 2nd October, 2015
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Website: www.cobhc.com
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Reaching beyond the limits of traditional metal has been popular since quite some time and there are a couple of great examples that prove how fresh metal can sound if you dare to try to spice it up. In the last two years, for that matter, a whole bunch of non-metal stuff has been offered – The Agonist put a bluesy hard rock epic at the end of their latest record, Ne Obliviscaris sometimes sound more like jazz rather than metal and I got asked why I’m listening to disco while doing the dishes just to reveal that I was blasting some Amaranthe to wake myself up. And I won’t lie – I truly love this diversity.
Sweden’s The Great Discord is one of those bands that aren’t afraid to experiment. Headed by the gifted vocalist Fia Kempe, the newcomers play a very special and thrilling kind of progressive rock and metal full of emotion and momentum. The debut album Duende feels very much like a journey – it’s cinematic, dynamic, dark and beautiful and the same time.
Only scare four months after the release of their first full-length, The Great Discord are back with a digital EP called Echoes, which contains an acoustic version of the single “The Aging Man”, two new tracks and two radio edits of the songs “The Aging Man” and “Ephemeral” off Duende.
Maybe this EP’s purpose is to bridge the time between major releases or tour announcements, but either way, the new material offered on this record is, as expected, beautiful. “The Aging Man” is such a diverse song and can sound so different when performed acoustic. “Inertiatic ESP” is a kick-ass, powerful and soaring track, while “Cherry Waves” sounds slightly softer and dreamy.
As much as I love the acoustic version of “The Aging Man”, which, slowed down and much softer compared to the original, is a stellar track, and the two new songs “Inertiatic ESP” and “Cherry Waves”, I guess that they could have been released as bonus tracks for Duende, too. Stylewise, the new songs aren’t any different than the material on the debut anyway.
But now, I’ll better stop acting like a wet blanket, because this band really doesn’t deserve that. If you love what The Great Discord put out so far, you are safe with Echoes, too, and you’ll love the new tracks. If you aren’t aware of this band, but like prog, go and listen to their stuff and thank me later.
Tracklist:
01. The Aging Man (Acoustic Version)
02. Inertiatic ESP
03. Cherry Waves
04. The Aging Man (Radio Edit)
05. Ephemeral (Radio Edit)
Playing time: 22:17
Release date: 18 September, 2015
Label: Metal Blade Records
Website: The Great Discord @ Facebook
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SHINING have released the full schedule regarding their European shows in autumn 2015.
The Swedes will be eschewing the usual practice of dragging bands on lengthy tours through several countries in favour of shorter runs on a country-by-country basis.
During this period SHINING will visit a total of nine countries in support of their critically acclaimed ninth full-length album ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’. A special double gatefold edition of the album in black and white marble vinyl strictly limited to 300 copies will be available for sale exclusively on the tour.
Frontman and founder Niklas Kvarforth explains the reason behind his band’s decision not to spend long periods of time on the road: “Basically we want to be able to give our audience the best show possible each time we are on stage. Being stuck on a cramped, uncomfortable nightliner with people you don’t even know and no privacy in which to be able to rest and relax for weeks on the road, is not conducive to any of us and particularly myself to be able to always deliver a top performance. Therefore we will definitely not do this. We have furthermore decided that we do not want to be shunted into the usual venues that every tour seems to hit. We rather play better venues with better facilities – not only for ourselves, but also for the audience, wherever possible.”
For interview requests and guest-list, please contact Season of Mist.
A list of all dates can be viewed below.
25 Sep 15 Hultsfred (SE) Mörkaste Småland
26 Sep 15 Malmö (SE) Moriska Paviljongen
16 Oct 15 Venlo (NL) Grenswerk
17 Oct 15 Hasselt (BE) Muziekodroom
18 Oct 15 Hilversum (NL) Krachtstroom XL
05 Nov 15 Roma (IT) Traffic Live
06 Nov 15 Brescia (IT) Circolo Colony
07 Nov 15 Bologna (IT) Alchemica Music Club
SHINING in Germany +DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT +IMPERIUM DEKADENZ
12 Nov 15 München (DE) Backstage
13 Nov 15 Stuttgart (DE) Keller Klub
14 Nov 15 Essen (DE) Turock
15 Nov 15 Köln (DE) Underground
17 Nov 15 Wiesbaden (DE) Schlachthof
18 Nov 15 Berlin (DE) Magnet
19 Nov 15 Hamburg (DE) Logo
03 Dec 15 Almassera, Valencia (ES) Sala Rock City
04 Dec 15 Murcia (ES) Sala Garaje Beat Club
05 Dec 15 Madrid (ES) Sala Caracol
06 Dec 15 Barcelona (ES) Sala Boveda
07 Dec 15 Bilbao (ES) Stage Live
11 Dec 15 Moscow (RU) Club Volta
12 Dec 15 St. Petersburg (RU) Club Phoenix
SHINING have previously revealed the first video featuring a track taken from their acclaimed new full-length ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’.
The brutal imagery “Vilja & Dröm” is following the Swede’s tradition to hold an artistic mirror up to the face of humankind in order to throw its ugly reflection back onto itself: homo homini lupus est. The clip has been directed by Martin Strandberg and can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/126175257
SHINING are touring in support of their latest full-length ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’. The album is still available in various formats from the Season of Mist shop: http://smarturl.it/ShiningShop and streaming in full at Bandcamp:
https://shiningsom.bandcamp.com/album/ix-everyone-everything-everywhere-ends here
The artwork can be viewed below, along with the tracklist:
1. Den Påtvingade Tvåsamheten
2. Vilja & Dröm
3. Framtidsutsikter
4. Människotankens Vägglösa Rum
5. Inga Broar Kvar Att Bränna
6. Besök Från I(ho)nom
7. Ohne Dich [bonus – Rammstein]
8. Black Industrial Eleven [bonus]
SHINING are more than just a band. In fact each release, every concert and interview becomes a bloody battleground, on which Niklas Kvarforth struggles with his inner demons. The frontman and only remaining original member has never been shy to let the world know about his mental afflictions, which seem to complement or even spark his outstanding talent as a composer and musician. His ninth album, ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’ is another excellent example of Niklas’ genius. Reaching back to their black metal roots, SHINING simultaneously melt eclectic influences from progressive rock, jazz, even pop and more into deeply emotional laments from the dark side of the soul. Niklas’ vocals come in an even greater variety of expressions which few would suspect in a singer coming from the extreme metal scene. Moments of pain and confusion turn into insane outbursts of anger. Despair shifts into melancholy and an eerie sense of timeless beauty permeates all. Lacking any tolerance for false tuning, technical flaws and lack of ambition, Niklas has literally beaten any weakness out of his band, which demonstrates its remarkable prowess far beyond any average on this record. Founded in 1996 by Kvarforth, SHINING self-released ‘Submit to Self-Destruction’ in 1998 and spawned the term “suicidal black metal” with this debut 7″. A couple years after first full-length ‘I – Within Deep Dark Chambers’ (2000) and sophomore album ‘II – Livets Ändhållplats’ (2001) had cut deep marks into the underground scene, Niklas replaced his whole crew and started a continuous cycle of changing his line-up. With MAYHEM drummer Hellhammer on board, ‘III – Angst’ (2003) and ‘IV – The Eerie Cold’ (2005) began to gather major metal press attention. SHINING then focused on bringing their vision and often controversially received live performances to Europe. Yet Kvarforth’s mental health led to cancelled tours, physical and psychological fights within the band, and finally a break-up. Not content to let things rest after the breakdown, the restless singer returned with new members and the massively successful album ‘V – Halmstad’ (2007). SHINING had reached headliner status and toured with big acts such as SATYRICON and MAYHEM. Several line-up changes later, the Swede once again entered studio and recorded two albums in one session. ‘VI – Klagopsalmer’ was released in 2009 and two years later ‘VII – Född Förlorare’ darkened the light of day. The band also received their first gold disc for the single ‘Förtvivlan, Min Arvedel’ in Sweden. After rotating more musicians in and out, SHINING returned with ‘Redefining Darkness’ (2012) and a less aggressive, yet more sinister sound. Before signing to Season of Mist, the band released the project ‘8 ½ – Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd’, which featured six of Kvarforth’s favourite vocalists. In August 2014,SHINING entered Andy LaRocque’s Sonic Train Studios to record their ninth album. ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’ is the sum of Niklas Kvarforth’s musical evolution and experience so far. And while nobody expects the Swede to deliver a record to booze and sing along to, the charged word “art” enters the mind unbidden. This masterpiece should interest lovers of music far beyond the narrow confines of extreme metal. Plug your headphones in and find out for yourself!
Line-up
Niklas Kvarforth – vocals
Peter Huss – guitars
Euge Valovirta – guitars
Christian Larsson – bass
Rainer Tuomikanto – drums
The Finnish masters of melancholic progressive metal, AMORPHIS, will partake in a live Q&A with fans next Thursday, September 3.
Fans can visit the band’s Youtube channel that day at 9 am PDT / Noon EDT / 6 pm CEST to participate in the chat, or submit their questions via the wall of the band’s Facebook page by Wednesday, September 2nd.
AMORPHIS‘ new album »Under The Red Cloud« was produced by the renowned Jens Bogren(OPETH, SOILWORK, AMON AMARTH) and features artwork by the extraordinary Valnoir Mortasonge (LAIBACH, PARADISE LOST, WATAIN, BEHEMOTH). The album also includes special guest appearances from Chrigel Glanzmann (ELUVEITIE), Martin Lopez (ex-OPETH) and Aleah Stanbridge (TREES OF ETERNITY).
»Under The Red Cloud« will be released worldwide on September 4th via Nuclear Blast.
Pre-order AMORPHIS‘ new record here: http://nblast.de/AmorphisRedCloudNB
»Under The Red Cloud« tracklist:
01. Under The Red Cloud
02. The Four Wise Ones
03. Bad Blood
04. The Skull
05. Death Of A King
06. Sacrifice
07. Dark Path
08. Enemy At The Gates
09. Tree Of Ages
10. White Night
Bonus tracks (digipak & 2LP):
11. Come The Spring
12. Winter’s Sleep
More on »Under The Red Cloud«:
‘Death Of A King’ lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ql4Xe6MxQ4
‘Sacrifice’ music video: https://youtu.be/oiOX2axSWvg
Making-of episode #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r943QLN9Xxs
Making-of episode #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvX_o9vyCg
Making-of episode #3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qavdUXi4nno
Making-of episode #4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52YLXUA9Oa0
Making-of episode #5: https://youtu.be/6QBLvbzH6GE
Making-of episode #6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQuTuHPUWCk
More info:
www.amorphis.net
www.facebook.com/amorphis
www.nuclearblast.de/amorphis