Boston Progressive Metal band WILDERUNhave just announced their U.S. headline tour. The band will hit the road starting June 2nd in Atlanta and ending on June 10th in Boston. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit WILDERUN’s websiteHERE.
WILDERUN will be on tour in support of their newest release, Epigone, released this past January via Century Media. The full-length album is available to purchase and stream, HERE.
Swedish progressive metal / rock pioneers and innovators Pain of Salvationare getting closer to beginning their North American next month. The band will be supported by French art rock band Klone. The tour kicks off with an appearance on Cruise to the Edge and concludes with a stop at the ProgPower USA festival event.
Astronoid, the Boston band whose music has been described as an “awesome intersection of black metal pummel and shoegaze luster” (Pitchfork) and whose 2019 self-titled album was dubbed “the sweetest, softest heavy metal of the year” by NPR, release their eagerly-awaited third album, Radiant Bloom, on June 3 via 3DOT Recordings.
“It’s a balance of aggression and emotion,” explains vocalist, guitar player and songwriter Brett Boland about the band’s first new album in three years. “This is our next evolution. It’s a reflection of everything over the past few years, and it’s the most personal album we’ve made so far. Radiant Bloom is about the state of being human and all the trials and tribulations that come along with that. It’s about mundanity and boredom and about everything moving so fast that you feel like you can’t do it all. It’s about the flood of feelings that goes along with everyday experiences and trying to cope with the swirling vortex of life humming around you.”
A preview of the nine-song collection arrives today with the release of “Eyes” (https://lnk.to/astronoid-eyes), a track Boland describes as “not feeling completely sure of who you are or what you’re doing.”
The self-produced album is also the band’s debut on 3DOT Recordings, a label created and guided by Periphery. “We’re thrilled to announce the signing of Astronoid to 3DOT Recordings,” explains Periphery guitar player Mark Holcomb. “Astronoid have been on our radar since 2017 when we toured the U.S. together, and we’ve wanted to sign them since we launched the label in 2018. Not only have they become friends of ours over the years, but we’re big fans of their music. We believe Radiant Bloom is their strongest album to date. 3DOT has always been a label that prioritizes creativity no matter the genre or style, and Astronoid fits firmly in its vision.”
Radiant Bloom pre-orders are available now (https://store.astronoidband.com), with the release offered on several limited-edition vinyl variants, CD, cassette and digitally.
Iran’s Heterochrome has a new album From the Ashes coming out this spring and the second single to entice listeners is the heavy “Badbadak (The Flight)”. Somber and driving in both topic and music, the single revisits the 2020 tragedy of flight 752. The band explains further:
“January of 2020 marked the tragedy of the Iranian Government shooting down the Ukrainian passenger airplane killing many of our loved ones including one of Mida’s old schoolmates. In the grief following that loss, Mida drew from an old school song called Badbadak (The Kite) and wrote this song. The music video represents the same suffering.”
The visually striking video was created by Mani Zonoozi who made it in a small aquarium with underwater equipment in the USA. It also features shots from Mida and Arash recorded in Canada and Finland.
This is not the only song on the album to deal with dark subject matters, as a whole, it is a much deeper dive into the personal experiences of the band members than their debut. They hope that the fans appreciate the new path they are taking, and connect with the songs on the same personal level as them. Written as a concept album, each track forms a small part of a bigger picture, and while each serving is a unique story on its own the album has been tailored to be enjoyed as a whole.
Heterochrome started out with a melodic and emotional progressive sound, however over time they started to experiment with the alternative, electronic, and nu-metal genres as well, trying to find a balance to perfectly capture the essence of their sound between those styles and traditional Persian music. They are recommended listening for fans of Porcupine Tree, Gojira, and Draconian.
Taking a break from wondering why Skid Row is putting out something called “The Gang’s All Here” when that is clearly not the case to pivot to telling you about some cool prog metal from China. Progressive metal quartet OU (pronunciation: “O”) have announced that their debut album ‘one’ will be out on May 6th, 2022 on InsideOutMusic. Today, the band are pleased to share the album’s first single titled “Travel.” It leaps from the speakers to spin a world of colorful soundscape visions through the imagination. The band have a tremendous capacity for morphing melody, rhythms and space around them.
Hailing from Beijing, China, the group combine a variety of elements and influences (Devin Townsend, The Gathering, Radiohead to name a few), to create their extremely unique sound. Formed by drummer and songwriter Anthony Vanacore, the idea behind OU came from each member having a long history of playing in local house bands and seeking new challenges in their growth as musicians. Vanacore would go on to recruit talented guitarist and fellow house band veteran Jing Zhang, as well as highly sought-after bassist Chris Cui, with the three of them laying the initial groundwork for the song structure and creative approach. OU recruited highly talented singer Lynn Wu to front the project, who brings with her ethereal vocals that contrast with the dynamic and engaging music, delivering a powerful and soaring sound. On their debut, OU set out with only one clear goal in mind, and that was to make certain that every song had its own unique identity.
Progressive rockers Haken are excited to announce the return of the band’s original keyboard player, Pete Jones, to the fold. He will make his debut on the band’s upcoming live dates in support of their most recent album ‘Virus’, released in 2020 to much acclaim.
The band comments: “We are truly thrilled to welcome Pete back into Haken. Pete is a phenomenally gifted musician and, in the short time since his return, he has breathed new life into the band, inspiring us to explore fresh and exciting musical territory. This is a new era for Haken and we cannot wait to share it with all of you!”
Pete adds: “I’m thrilled to rejoin the fellowship, after following the band closely over the years and watching them grow. It was great to reconnect with Rich on the Nova Collective record, and then to work more closely with the guys over the past couple of Haken albums. I can’t wait for the next chapter, and am pumped to be a part of it!”
The band recently announced the postponement of their European tour dates, with new dates soon to be announced. Their North American tour alongside Symphony X is set to go ahead starting May 10th, 2022 in New York City, running through the month and ending June 12th, in New Jersey. Find the full list of dates here: https://hakenmusic.com/tour/
Paul Masdival’sCYNIC releases Ascension Codes on November 26th and the progressive rock community is awaiting it eagerly (seriously, the vinyl looks like it is going to be lovely). The band is now sharing a preview and video teaser for the track “Diamond Light Body,” featuring artwork by visionary artists, Martina Hoffmann and Robert Venosa. Design and animations by Randy Gaul and Jonatan Martinez (the latter worked with Masvidal on the Mythical Human Vessel trilogy). The full track is available on their Bandcamp to hear, incidentally.
“Diamond Light Body is a song that emerges from the ashes like a phoenix” says Paul Masvidal, Cynic founder.
Also, ICYMI: Masvidal recently shared a touching tribute to late bassist Sean Malone, who died on December 7, 2020. To commemorate Malone’s legacy, CYNIC has released a never-before-heard recorded performance of the song “Integral,” in which Malone performs fretless bass. “Integral” was originally released as a solo guitar and vocal track on Cynic’s Re-Traced EP. The emotional tribute can be found at THIS LOCATION.
As an act of support, CYNIC is inviting fans to donate as you wish for the “Integral” song download, which comes with a guitar/bass transcription of the song and an instrumental (no bass mix) to play along with. 50 percent of proceeds will be shared with suicide prevention organizations: To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) and The Trevor Project. The remaining will go towards funding a documentary about the lives and artistry of Sean Malone and Sean Reinert.
The current “it” darlings of tech, ARCHSPIRE return with Bleed The Future! This band has not lost their edge like many others caught in a dragon chase for commercial appeal, instead absolutely destroying it on their latest release. Only Obsolete and Ophidian I even come close recently to pulling off shit this crazy and Archspire’s “Drone Corpse Aviator” by far led the pack for the fastest chops freak out of 2021, while still containing some very dynamic calm between the storm, majestic guitar parts as well. I am honestly just thrilled for these dudes that they have pulled off such a bad ass follow-up to the hard to top Relentless Mutation (2017). This moment was worth the wait and the future will take your pound of flesh one way or the other. Get on board and hold fast!
It has been a heavy few days for rock and metal fans with alumni of ZZ Top, Metal Church and Slipknot crossing over, but today we have a little bit of good news. Let’s celebrate life and ambition today with a progressive rock album announcement about possibility.
Dream Theater, giants of prog metal, have announced their 15th record. A View From The Top Of The World is the name of the newest from this esteemed act of tireless creators, due via InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on October 22.
“We just love to play our instruments,” says guitarist John Petrucci to Louder Sound. “That never goes away. I love to be creative, write, and exercise that part of my mind. We’ve been able to do this for a long time, and we don’t take it for granted. Whenever we get together, we know we can’t disappoint ourselves or our fans, so we manage to try even harder.”
“We approach every album like it’s our first,” adds frontman James LaBrie. “It’s been such a great ride, but we’re not going to stop.”
1) The Alien (9:32)
2) Answering The Call (7:35)
3) Invisible Monster (6:31)
4) Sleeping Giant (10:05)
5) Transcending Time (6:25)
6) Awaken The Master (9:47)
7) A View From The Top Of The World (20:24)
“We’ve been able to do this for a long time, and we don’t take it for granted” – @JPetrucci
“We approach every album like it’s our first. It’s been such a great ride, but we’re not going to stop.” – @jameslabrie
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the vital underground label,NEFARIOUS INDUSTRIES has released a massive 74 song label sampler celebrating everything they have put out! Acts like Blight House, A Fucking Elephant, Maid Myriad, Cinema Cinema, Hiraki, Gridfailure, Nequient, Globelamp, BedtimeMagic, Lavisher, Trillionaire, Those Darn Gnomes, Megalophobe, El Drugstore, East Of The Wall, my project Walking Bombs, Ghost Simpson, Psychosomatic, Dying Whale, Bangladeafy and many more are present and accounted for!
Originally founded as an outlet for El Drugstore and A Fucking Elephant, two of the most obnoxious bands to come out of the great state of New Jersey in recent memory, Nefarious Industries has grown into a label that showcases the most adventurous and least commercially viable artists it can manage to locate.
Between The Buried And Me have premiered new track, “Revolution In Limbo,” the second song off their forthcoming album, Colors II, which is slated for an August 20 release through Sumerian Records.
Check out the sophisticated statement below (we expect nothing less from these masters):
Ross Jennings of Haken fame has released an official visualizer for a beautiful shimmering progressive ballad that will appeal to fans of artists like Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and even perhaps solo Chris Cornell. The song is the second moving solo single from Jenning’s forthcoming debut solo album A Shadow of my Future Self , set to be released on November 19th, 2021, with Pre-sales going live this Friday, the 23rd. Give this one a listen and let the feeling wash over you and carry you away.
“I was aiming for something along the lines of ‘Nothing Compares 2U’ meets ’Shine on you crazy diamond’ so that was intentional, but I feel like I was able to put my own stamp on it too.”
The single once again features Ross on Guitar and Vocals, Simen Sandnes (Drums), Nathan Navarro (Bass) and Vikram Shankar (Keys) who also arranged Ross’s orchestral ideas into a full score.
Meanwhile, tickets for RJ’s one-off Global Livestream event ‘Acoustic Shadows’ which airs on July 23rd via Munin.live are still available. This is a unique opportunity to hear stripped down versions of his new material plus tracks from Haken & Novena. Buy your standard or VIP ticket here: https://munin.live/x-event/acoustic-shadows/
Ross adds about the event: “I miss performing live so much and with both of my bands taking a break to write, I decided to seize the opportunity to dust off my guitar and put on an intimate acoustic performance. I’m really excited to introduce some of my solo material and there will be a couple of recognisable RJ related tracks in the mix too! ”
“The string arrangement on this track is stunning and I have Vikram to thank for unpicking the themes I had in my brain and making them work in practice”
The single is accompanied by a visualizer created by Daniel Levy, who has recently worked on visuals for Transatlantic’s ‘The Absolute Universe’. Ross has the following to say of the video’s concept:
“Grounded is a song about mindfulness, healing, and mental wellbeing. I wrote this song about a skeptic having a spiritual experience and opening up to the possibilities of a higher power or a higher purpose, but also someone who is simply reconnecting with nature and learning to find stillness in a chaotic life. This is a topic I’ve become fascinated with on my own spiritual journey and in my own meditative practices.”
As someone almost solely operating this site on a budget of nothing and out of a labor of love, I don’t always get around to covering things on an industry timetable. It is corny af to me that it is frowned upon to review an album that is only a few months old instead of, like, only release week. Or the worst…having to ghoulishly rush publish when someone famous dies without having a chance to absorb the very human loss. What about processing music and living with it awhile?
This is, for obvious reasons, a terrible example but I couldn’t enjoy any Harry Potter movies when they were super hyped until the roar died down and I could take it in and experience it for myself (and now, with all apologies to my faves Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange, it is hard not to sometimes regret that decision despite loving those stories when the author is campaigning against my community on the regular to a horrific fucking degree. Also, the irony of her having a Nonbinary actor Ezra Miller being the repressed obscurus is HUGE).
File Empire Of Love under Gaze rights? Albums with fantastic cover art that will enrage shitty people yet that Sense8 fans will cherish? In actuality it is nigh impossible to classify the new Violet Coldas anything other than great and much needed. I usually lie around in a diabetic, demiflux depression stupor most of the day and listen to black metal then go to my overnight vampire shift job at a 24 hour gym that forces members to overdose on Ava Max and Dua Lipa, so it is really compelling to hear the shameless pop vocal elements that would normally be cranked way too high in any dance mix buried here amidst radiant blackened technical opuses as if they were told to sit in the corner and have vocals be subservient to some guitars ala some Steve Albini olden days vocal mix until they learn how to play texturally with others. And to clarify, Ava and Dua both have talent and appeal, I am mostly talking about the vocal production in that kind of chart centered pop and how creative decisions get structurally imposed onto the zeitgeist in the name of commerce and centering familiarity.
Music doesn’t have to be only some commercial dominant morass of nutrition free cynicism and seeing what sticks to the wall, yet all styles can still be repurposed and have new meanings (like when Jennifer Herrema used auto tune in RTX and it absolutely slayed and likewise cracked the skye. Pitchfork, y’all needed to fuckin’ give that album a higher score).
Note- I am also not throwing shade on some trap or disco artists who are genuinely trying to produce weird, trippy textures and use auto tune as an instrument more than a crutch and other modern pop elements, as long as the content isn’t shite.
In other words, I thought this entire album was a mish mash of my subconscious cracking open wide into a multiverse. Pretty refreshing when many black metal types are still wallowing in the mire debating if it was “ok” for Mayhem to make the stylistic shifts on Grand Declaration of War. Fucking yawn.
The “can vegetarians wear severed pig heads and throw skulls at their fans and still cover Rudimentary Peni” debate is much more interesting, but I digress.
Anyway, “Be Like Magic” literally stopped me in my tracks and made me ask aloud wtf is going on (and of course has a brilliantly subversive title). Some of the results here are breathtaking and shocking (speaking of “allowed/aloud”), like Moby’s “God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters” grew up to have a progressive metal half brother. I mean, maybe don’t underestimate someone who probably singlehandedly gave Deafheaven their entire new direction. Violet Cold is already three steps into further pastures while (no shade to them, but…) a band like The Lion’s Daughter, for example, is only just discovering recently that they don’t need to care what others think and can make some of their best ever art by coloring outside the lines and USING KEYBOARDS, lol. Extreme Black metal is supposedly so transgressive and the “cutting edge” Max Martin school of pop was supposed to be ‘transformative’ as well in a much more socially palatable way than sniffing bags of dead crows before singing, but both became parodies and subsumed by narrow dogma…a Golden Dawn or Golden Ratio, hahaha (I’m dying).
Violet Cold again throws cold water in the face of multiple genres and cultural limitations in the name of exhilarating, soulful freedom. I’m convinced “Life Dimensions” is the widdly waves of music Steve Vai would dream after absorbing post-gaze into his musical hive mind like the Phalanx in X-men. Liturgy and Frantic Bleep, Candiria or Anneke van Giersbergen’s work with Devin Townsend are some of the only artists I have ever heard be this crazy and make it work so fluidly. This is a highly addictive record to inhabit awhile and a revolutionary work of art for individuality, collective love and solidarity outside the exploited, barren wasteland of capitalism’s binary Matrix. Dark Funeral once promised humorously to Teach Children To Worship Satan but in this genuine, Earth in crisis moment where we need an actual Aquarian shift, Violet Cold will teach your kid to worship possibility, learn to be themselves and above all…that it is ok to hope, despair, rage, celebrate and be complicated. And still be loved. And to the edgelord brigade stuck in the past who can’t adapt to new horizons, (not to be ageist) but as Anal C*nt once said…”You’re Old (Fuck You)”. Better an empire (Empyre?) of love in 2021 than Bard from Emperor stabbing marginalized people in Lillehammer in the 90’s.
(Reading, Pennsylvania – July 12, 2021) – Progressive death metal bandBLACK CROWN INITIATE have just announced the Doom Escape Tour 2021. The band’s U.S. headlining tour, which features support slots from Inferi and Arkaik, starts on September 30th in Reading, PA and wraps on October 17th in Manchester, NH, making stops in massive markets along the way, such as Brooklyn, Nashville, and Atlanta. Tickets are available to purchase now, HERE.
“It’s obviously been a long time coming for us all, and we couldn’t be more stoked to play the songs from “Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape” live. To be able to do that with our brothers in Inferi and Arkaik is the icing on the cake. See you all on the Doomed Escape Tour,” states BLACK CROWN INITIATE guitarist Andy Thomas.
BLACK CROWN INITIATE will be touring in support of their 2020 release, Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape (Century Media Records), which was recorded at Think Loud Studios by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland (Rivers Of Nihil, August Burns Red, Lorna Shore). The album is available to purchase and stream,HERE.
Having released two critically hailed, fan-worshipped works of progressive death metal, 2014’s Wreckage of Stars and its 2016 follow-up Selves We Cannot Forgive, BLACK CROWN INITIATE have found a new label home with Century Media. Formed in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2012, BLACK CROWN INITIATE have created a stir that’s stretched far beyond the underground with a sound that is at once sweeping, chaotic and epic in scope and ambition. The release of Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape, which was featured on numerous “Best Albums Of 2020” lists,was no exception to the band’s impressive pedigree.
BLACK CROWN INITIATE is James Dorton (vocals), Andy Thomas (guitars), Nick Shaw (bass), and Ethan McKenna (guitars).
DOOMED ESCAPE TOUR DATES:
w/Inferi and Arkaik
September 30 – Reading, PA – Reverb
October 1 – Pittsburg, PA – Preserving Underground
October 2 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class
October 3 – Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theater
October 5 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere’s (Stan’s Room)
October 6 – Chicago, IL – WC Social Club
October 7 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
October 8 – Dallas, TX – Reno’s
October 9 – Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live
October 10 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
October 12 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Purgatory)
On June 25th,Fractal Universe will release their new album, The Impassable Horizon, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the record, a video for the new single, “A Clockwork Expectation” (directed by Vincent Tournaud), can be viewed at: metalblade.com/fractaluniverse – where The Impassable Horizon can be pre-ordered on CD, vinyl, as well as digitally. Fans can also visit Fractal Universe‘s official store for additional vinyl and more: https://shop.fractaluniverseband.com/categorie-produit/the-impassable-horizon/
RIYL Cynic. Gojira, Atheist, Archspire.
Shot at Gouffre de Poudrey – France’s largest equipped cave – Fractal Universe had this to say about the video for “A Clockwork Expectation”: “We wanted this music video to be shot in a grandiose natural environment. It was a unique and unreal experience to spend two days all alone in the extreme conditions – seventy meters underground, 7°C – of this otherworldly beautiful location. In the middle section, we used UV light and customized the instruments accordingly, to give that part a particular dark vibe! The body-painting parts contributing to that atmosphere were designed by Kazim 2C.”
There are some bands more adept at riding the chaos than others in the storied history of underground music. From noise and hardcore pioneers like Steel Pole Bathtub to Man Is The Bastard to synth/indie/post-core bands like Six Finger Satellite to numerous grindcore bands like Fuck The Facts, etc.- some groups just embody the concept of "fuck it/let's really go for it" more than others. NY's Black Mesa sits proudly in that same spirit of frenzy and ferocious inventiveness, as evidenced by their recent compilation of insanely manic live performances. Whatever sub genre they throw in the emotional blender, you are bound to enjoy a deliciously nutritious smoothie of muddy sonic punk purée.
