World shattering news for fans of alternative symphonic metallers Delaintoday as we learn the powerhouse and incredibly intuitive and creative group are essentially breaking up, at least as we have known them. While the band will continue on as Martijn’s band, the important components of Charlotte, Timo, Otto and relatively new Joey are out. I am reeling from the news as a fan.
At least with Fear Factory while the loss of Burton is fucking intolerable and the most famed rhythm section have been gone forever you know the highly and admirably driven Dino is still surrounded by guys who have been in the band awhile and are passionate about industrial metal. With Martijn taking the reigns completely here and not only the loss of the one of a kind Charlotte but also especially Timo, Delain is in my mind a completely new band and should just change the name rather than pretend otherwise.
Charlotte has a statement HERE and Martijn HERE, in the interest of fairness. Regardless of my personal opinion, we here at MetalRiot wish all the members the best and thank them for the many memories and amazing songs and smiles that the Delain we have loved in this incarnation brought us. Despite the careful language there is clearly frustration and it doesn’t sound fully amicable.
If you didn’t pick up the recent Apocalypse & Chill please do so and let’s show the band we appreciate what they have given us.
Transcending Records is pleased to issue exclusive North American vinyl pressings of Wildhoney and A Deeper Kind Of Slumber from Stockholm, Sweden metal iconsTIAMAT.
Initially released via Century Media Records in 1994, Wildhoney is TIAMAT‘s fourth studio album. Produced by Waldemar Sorychta, the record marked a strong shift in the style from the band’s early death/doom roots incorporating more progressive rock and psychedelic influences and themes centered around the occult, nature, and LSD. All Music Guide praised the album upon its release, referring to it as, “one of the classics of the genre.” Wrote Decibel in a TIAMAT Hall Of Fame piece on the record, “…nobody was prepared for Wildhoney… Leadoff track ‘Whatever That Hurts,’ ‘Gaia,’ ‘The Ar,’ and ‘Visionaire’ were wondrous examples of TIAMAT‘s flexibility, deft musicianship, and no-holds-barred vision. The term ‘atmospheric’ was used to describe TIAMAT before, but on Wildhoney, the subgenre was firmly created. What really shocked longhairs, however, were the unlikely end points in ‘Do You Dream Of Me?’ and ‘A Pocket Size Sun.’ At no point in death metal’s timeline were songs about girlfriends and bucolic drug use (we think) set to echoplexing guitar gymnastics and lullaby-like songwriting the epitome of cool. Suddenly, they were.”
Transcending’s limited vinyl edition of TIAMAT‘s Wildhoney will be released on March 12th, 2021 and comes available in three color variants: orange with yellow/black splatter (200), orange/yellow marble (200), and standard black (100) on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with pull-out poster insert.
TIAMAT‘s fifth full-length, A Deeper Kind Of Slumber, was initially released in 1997 by Century Media Records. Featuring background vocals by Birgit Zacher (Moonspell, Angel Dust, Sentenced) and experimentation with a variety of influences, the album marked the group’s first complete withdrawal from both death metal and conventional heavy metal, following Wildhoney. It was also the first release after their relocation to Germany and was written almost entirely by founder/lead songwriter Johan Edlund. Much of the music contained within reflected on Edlund’s personal relationship with drugs, creative differences within the band as well as an interpersonal relationship. Wrote All Music Guide, “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber moves TIAMAT even farther away from traditional heavy metal, with synthesizers dominating the arrangements and Johan Edlund doing completely away with metal growling in favor of an unearthly croon. Although it’s not very metallic, the music is quite heavy in its own way, creating a numb, sleepy ambience that feels both introverted and resignedly pessimistic…”
Transcending’s limited vinyl edition of A Deeper Kind Of Slumber will be released on March 12th, 2021 and also come available in three color variants: orange with red/black splatter (200), white/red color-in-color (200), and 100 standard black (100) all on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with insert. The record will also be released in cassette format limited to 100 copies.
For A Deeper Kind Of Slumber preorders, go to THIS LOCATION.
Smashing Pumpkins released an album that no one really heard much called Monuments To An Elegy but the new song “Floodgate” from Portland’s finest (and pretty much anywhere’s finest right now) gloomy but fun loving stargazers Soft Kill actually feels like one. The beautiful and dirgy song – love that gnarly bass tone – features the basically iconic post-punk powerhouse Tamaryn alongside the band for a triumphant lament that manages to capture most of the overwhelming sadness of this year and still feel strong.
Be sure to check out the video premiere and interview at Post-Punk .com and a truly earth shatteringly rock solid accompanying mini essay from Tamaryn. I was deeply moved by the part that said ,“Loneliness is universal and therefore doesn’t actually exist.”
Both devastating and reassuring, kinda like this song.
Be sure to grab the already essential Dead Kids, R.I.P. City, the newest Soft Kill album – out Nov. 20, 2020.
Elle Noir‘s “The Day I Died” is a mercurial and melodic ballad that weaves a shadowy yet comforting spell upon the listener’s senses.
“The Day I Died” is the metaphor of emotional death. It tells of a world where nothing has value anymore, which is also an inner world given by mental states like depression.
The gothic singer has cited Nightwish, Smashing Pumpkins Adore era and Marilyn Manson as formative steps in the development of her musical awareness, but this song also leans into an even more somber and diaphanous sort of rippling melancholic musing that, while sung beautifully, feels nonetheless like a personal secret or inner monologue that has somehow spilled into the light of day.
“My inner worlds are always autobiographical, my songs are always lived in the first person. Death, mental illness and emotional states of discomfort are central themes in my writing. When I write a lyric I always have an image in mind and try to describe it. My lyrics are little narrated and very visual.” – Elle Noir
Check out the compelling and floaty clip below as you ponder mortality.
Now this is what I am talking about! Love when a band does their own cool take on a cover, especially something that isn’t such an obvious song pick in the first place. Symphonic metal band RAVENLIGHT have offered up a killer and fresh take on Ghost’s Meliora B-side ‘Zenith’, transmuted into the band’s own Irish symphonic metal aesthetic. The results are pretty glorious, I must say.
Singer Rebecca Feeney had the following to say about the track: “Zenith may seem a not so obvious song for a cover, however, we went with Zenith for many reasons. I really enjoyed singing along to it, it really suited my range. Furthermore, we felt that Zenith is a very underrated Ghost song, due to the fact that it is a bonus track on the Vinyl version of Meliora, so it is not as well known as other tracks, giving us a chance to really put our own spin on it.”
Hey Cardinal or Papa or whoever is in charge of the Ghouls these days, grab this band up with an opening slot the next time touring can happen again!
Enchantya are a progressive, gothic metal group from Portugal who have been growing their fan base and making a mark on the world scene. “Mother Hope”, their latest single, is a rallying cry to remember our common humanity and to not abandon our principles or forget the fragility of our shared ecosystems. In other words, this is just the song for 2020 and great to have come out of a genre that people often just associate with death worship. Enchantya is so much more than that.
It was an honor to communicate with their vocalist Rute about her band’s coping skills during Covid-19, her musical background, the metal scene in Portugal and how she is keeping hope alive with the band and fans during this time.
Portuguese melodic metal band Enchantya now release a new single for “Mother Hope”. This is the first new track after their critically acclaimed second studio album On Light And Wrath, which was released in 2019 by Inverse Records. Fans can expect an uplifting yet somewhat sorrowful song with classic heavy metal flourish and serene vocal highlights.
Singer Rute Fevereiro and Keyboard player Pedro Antunes comments: ” “Mother Hope” was inspired by the situation the World currently lives with everything that Covid-19 brought with it. We live in a time when collective consciousness must prevail, as well as hope for a better world. Planet Earth is our home, as well as home to all the different species. This song speaks of the hope that humans will use these times to think both as a whole and in each individual. It is a theme that speaks of hope and that the outcome of this phenomenon now brings more unity between people regardless of race, gender or sexuality, and a better world for everyone. That option is within each of us, and one person can make all the difference.”
Morning to all you little fun loving imps out there. Lot of news today for metal. Plenty of new stuff and re-issues happening right now.
Before we start, Season Of Mist have a new website. Septicflesh, Gargoyl, Molassess (Farida Lemouchi’s new band) and plenty of other stuff to peruse.
Let’s get to the main content.
Ohio-based melodic death metal three piece, ASTRALBORNE have today released their debut album, Eternity’s End via Prosthetic Records. A video for the title track of the album has also been unveiled today, which can be seen below. Eternity’s End is available to purchase here.
Of the album release, the band comment: “The moment we have been waiting for is finally here! For ASTRALBORNE, that moment is over three years in the making, from conception to execution. This is an important album for us, both cathartic and momentous, as all music should be. We want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone for their continued support, as well as to Prosthetic Records for their belief in us and this record. We absolutely cannot wait to share this album with the world and we hope you have as much fun listening to it as we did making it.”
MOONSPELL‘s The Butterfly Effect , a semi-slept on record in their discography, is getting a reissue. Cool to see some of the band’s more experimental releases getting the love lately so more people see the full scope of all they have done over their long midnight ride. I love the green cassette tape option. The band has simply been killing it on the limited reissues and merch lately! A thrill for fans.
Influenced by industrial elements of the Nineties, this full-length release from the Portuguese pioneers captivates with down-tuned guitars, an electronic veil of ghostly synths and the concept of the scientific chaos theory, proclaiming that even the smallest events in life can lead to tremendous consequences.
Photo credit: Alex Krauss
New York avant-garde metal outfit IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT release their first single and music video “Rotted Futures” today. The track is off their upcoming fourth studio album Alphaville, which will be released on July 31st, 2020. Watch the video for “Rotted Futures” below.
“No one knows what the future shall look like. Well, some might know the shape of things to come. Some will bet on it. Perhaps we’re living it. Perhaps it will be quite different. If we had a special looking glass that could reveal millennia of repeated timelines we might observe big dreams for a bright future, built upon systemic shifts that eventually fall. Behold the future,” states IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT about the release.
Alphaville will be available in the following formats and can be pre-ordered HERE.
Gatefold Empire Black 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (black Vinyl)
Gatefold Atomic Sunrise 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (transp. sun yellow Vinyl)
Gatefold Statue of Verdigris 2LP & LP-Booklet & Poster (mint colored Vinyl)
Ltd. CD Edition
Digital Album
Hey scuzz buckets. I titled this blog entry as ‘Metal VS Punk’ but hopefully y’all know that is some BS for clicks and that here at MR we strongly encourage you to support both. I can’t imagine how much more my life would have sucked without both genres and all the colors in-between.
Today we have one metal and one punk video for you to kickstart Memorial Day Weekend.
Veteran act Paradise Lost always cast a shadowy spell and honor their legacy while refusing to stagnate. So many good releases over the years and Obsidianis going to only add to that (as well as be on many year end lists). “Darker Thoughts” is a gorgeous and epic, brooding video partially shot both before and after Covid-19 hit. Since the 15th of this month it has already gotten over 247,000 views (not too shabby for a band with true extreme roots who never compromise). The record is also charting very well!
Ash Pears from AshTV managed to film bits of the video with Nick before the lockdown but had to piece together the rest of the video using random footage to make things work.
Nick Holmes states: “Musically, this is a song of 2 halves and was originally written as an intro towards the end of the Obsidian writing process. As a result, it’s one of the more spontaneous songs on the album. Lyrically, it’s a song about choosing the wrong path – failing to look before you leap, and dealing with the consequence of dubious decisions.”
For the first time (in a while) we have gone top 40 in the main UK album charts! And Number 1 in the Rock charts! Thanks again to all who supported us by buying and streaming, pour yourselves a large beer on us 😉 pic.twitter.com/c3Bx56RicD
Green Day have covered the Blondie classic “Dreaming” as a gift to all their fans during tough times. The video is fun, the cover is great and faithful to both bands and I am stoked a band that huge is reminding people of the classics. EVERYONE should go read Debbie Harry’s iconic new book Face It about her life. Honestly one of my top five rock books ever up there with Slash and White Line Fever.
Today 4/14/2020 is a huge day in metal for anniversaries. Iron Maiden’s classic debut turns 40 (“Running Free”!) as does the legendary British Steel from Judas Priest (“Metal Gods”, “Breaking The Law” etc.)! Those albums deserve essays all their own but of course I had to shout them out today. I have to take a friend to the dentist shortly amidst the pandemic for emergency surgery, but I have time to at least make this post acknowledging the big milestones today. That said, it is also the anniversary of a more recent and much more tragic event in metal.
Peter Steele fans pretty much mourn the passing of the gloomy, satirical goth metal giant everyday, but today is ten years since he passed away. God, I can’t believe it has been a decade. I have spent so much time with the band’s music over the last 20+ years that it is weird to have someone be absent but still with you in spirit and song.
Billboard has a Johnny Kelly article HERE about the sad anniversary and remembering his friend. Take Steele’s life as an example of the impact you can make charting your own course. Type O Negative’s World Coming Down , arguably their most depressing and melodic album, just got a vinyl re-issue and t-shirt reprint via Roadrunner recently. Order it HERE and crank it on streaming services today, or whichever is your favorite record from the Green Man.
If you want to delve into some richly textural and emotional doom to start your week off with a thrilling metallic plunge, may we suggest Greek masters On Thorns I Lay and their compelling new single “Erynies”? Their newest album Threnos (Pre-order options HERE) is out February 21st from Lifeforce Records. This is an important release from the band and deserves a big push across the world.
Legend and all around great guy Dan Swanö, who was also responsible for the mix and mastering of Threnos, comments: “A part of my wishes it will flop mercilessly, so I can buy all the riffs and release it under my own name…ha, ha!!”
Italian Alt-Metal superstars Lacuna Coil are premiering their new song “Save Me” today with Billboard. Check out the track exclusively HERE. The song is off the band’s forthcoming full-length album Black Anima out October 11th.
“Save Me” is the third and final single to be released off of the upcoming LP, following the previously released tracks and music videos for “Reckless” and “Layers Of Time”. Both music videos were directed by Roberto Saku Cinardi and are part of the same storyline.
Black Anima is the follow up to Lacuna Coil’s Delirium (2016), which debuted on the charts in the US at #16 Current Album Chart and #2 Hard Rock Chart, and on many charts in Europe. The album will be available as Ltd. 2CD Book Edition incl. tarot cards, Standard CD Jewelcase, black LP + CD and digital album (+Bonus Tracks). All formats are available for pre-order HERE.
Posted by longhairedpoet on Friday, May 24, 2019 at 10:45 AM (PST)
Photo Credit: Diana Fernandes
Portuguese metallers Enchantya’s newest album drops today! The album On Light And Wrath is out via Inverse Records.
On Light And Wrath was recorded, mixed and mastered by Fernando Matias (Moonspell, Bizarra Locomotiva, We Are The Damned, Sinistro, etc.). Says singer Rute Fevereiro of the album:
“On Light and Wrath is Enchantya’s musical essay about the two extremes of the human existence and the struggle for balance within and outside the soul. Inspired by the union of opposites Enchantya present this concept in their music, facing darkness in heavy tracks like “Last Moon of March” and “From the Ashes” and diving into the light in moments like “Near Life Experience” and “Downfall to Power”, with the interlude “Alma” making the bridge between two worlds of emotions that are complementary. With the presence of unforgettable guests, a choir and orchestrations, Enchantya promise with “On Light and Wrath” a listening experience that you won’t forget.”
You can check out the music video for “The Beginning” here.
I am listening to the uplifting pop infused vocal of “Mercy Mirror” from my promo copy of the new albumResist from the internationally influential act Within Temptation. It is a great record, another victory for a band with many who have never been shy about aiming for epic bombast where others have their eyes lower to the ground. The follow up to 2014’s excellent Hydra (has it been so long already?!) was worth the interminable wait for fans and is sure to be a major release of the quarter. The album contains guest appearances by singer Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), Anders Fridén (In Flames) and Jasper Steverlinck (Arid), which is chill, but the band don’t need cameos for the whole album to stand strong. Sharon and the gang sound very inspired and ready to add to their legacy.
Get the album as of February 1st! It is still a few hours before release day as I write this.
From the cinematic “Endless War” with a piano-outro to live for to the already popular with fans rallying cry “Raise Your Banner” to the stomping crunch of “Trophy Hunter”, this record will fill a big void for a lot of people wanting to feel lifted up during some very depressing times right now. Some people listen to the most angry stuff in times of trouble but also it is good to remember hope and a sweeping sense of history, which Within Temptation provide in ample doses throughout. They truly just come off as very professional and next level grandiose (but I mean that as a compliment in their case).
The band comment on their new futuristic direction: “We were done with orchestras and classic metal riffs. We’ve done it a thousand times before! This time we’ve expanded our horizon and started listening to powerful artists from other genres that implement bombastic sounds and huge basses into their tracks. All of a sudden we thought: we need these new exciting sounds too – but not the slick artificial feel that so often is connected to it. We started finding ways to roughen up these modern sounds, resulting in a surprisingly new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we’ve ever created before.”
“Supernova”, my favorite song on the record, proves by itself that this was not a risk that was taken in vain. Amazing, huge stuff.
Tour Dates below.
WITHIN TEMPTATION:
2/28: Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
3/1: Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
3/2: New York, NY @ Playstation Theater
3/3: Boston, MA @ House of Blues
3/5: Montreal, QC @ Olympia
3/6: Toronto, ON @ Rebel
3/8: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
3/9: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theater
3/11: Denver, CO @ The Summit
3/12: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
3/14: Portland, OR @ Roseland Ballroom
3/15: Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theater
3/16: Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
3/18: San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
3/19: Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern Theater
Jarboe releases the first single titled, “Karuna” from her spiritually enlightened new album due out on December 14th, “The Cut Of The Warrior”. “Karuna” is streaming now via PopMatters.
The song, a 7+ minute meditation, includes clanging metal percussion, gongs, chanting, and was recorded inside a meditation dome. “Karuna” was then mixed by Kris Force (Amber Asylum).
“The Cut Of The Warrior” is scheduled for release on December 14th via Translation Loss Records. Pre-order is available now.
Jarboe offers a spiritually enlightened work titled “The Cut of the Warrior”. Four gorgeous compositions that pull inspiration from Jarboe’s kinship to buddhism are meticulously crafted and presented. The album is armed with three alternative mixes/collaborations with Byla (featuring members of Gorguts, Dysrhythmia), End Christian and Kris Force (Amber Asylum) while being housed in a stunning layout by Dehn Sora.
“The Cut of the Warrior refers to the practice of Chöd by illustrating repeated attempts to cut through the ego”, explains Jarboe. “The Chöd practitioner seeks to tap the power of fear through activities such as rituals set in graveyards and visualizations of offering their bodies in a tantric feast in order to put their understanding of emptiness to the ultimate test.”
“The Cut of the Warrior” will be released on December 14, 2018.
Track Listing:
1. Wayfaring Stranger In The Bardo
2. GodGoddess
3. Feast
4. Karuna
5. Karuna (Byla mix)
6. Wayfaring Stranger In The Bardo (End Christian mix)
7. GodGoddess reprise (Kris Force mix)
Album credits:
Written, performed, recorded by Jarboe
Mastered by Kris Force
MOVE are a high energy Boston hardcore act who are defying racism while crafting timely and Earth shaking punk anthems for change! Hit up Triple-B Records for the Freedom Dreams 7" HERE or head to Bandcamp and support this electrifying band on our favorite digital platform.
"...We march on to achieve salvation/Say their names we won’t be intimidated/ I fight and I fight and I fight I refuse to rest until I see progress/All to one day see these fucking freedom dreams/ We'll never stop until we find liberation, Black Excellence unstained by degradation/ Where freedom reigns over incarceration/ Where Black joy is only met with celebration."
RIYL Cold World, American Nightmare, Jesus Piece.
