Raise your goddamn horns for the vikings of Death Metal Amon Amarth, they will be headlining next to Arch Enemy and Overkill on the second day of Into The Grave. They will add another layer of heaviness to the festival as well as (hopefully) bring a viking ship with them and ofcourse some beer!
Mist Of Misery is for sure one of the most unique Black Metal bands I have ever come across, they combine the best elements from some of the most beautiful aspects from Black Metal together and make it their own. While listening you will almost get overwhelmed by their diversity, you will hear some clear influences of depressive, atmospheric, symphonic and melodic black metal. It is crazy how these guys do it but it sounds insanely good. I have fallen in love with them right after the release of their 2016 album ‘Absence’. It moves you into this mood that you can’t explain in words, it is magical. You for sure need to check it out, I have linked it down below and you can also click on the album name right above.
Ember Falls is a Finnish metalcore band that I bet you haven’t heard about yet, if you have then you know what we are in for. They released their first ever single ”Shut Down With Me” on the 20th of August 2015 without a record label. As soon as people found out about the song they went crazy, the songwriting is exceptional and their sound is unique. Duo to this huge succes the record label Spinefarm / Universal Music Group got in touch with them and gave them a spot on their label. After this crazy start they decided to release their debut album ‘Welcome To Ember Falls’ and I got to tell you, I do feel very welcome. It got out on the 20th of February this year and it for sure got them higher into the game. (Listen to it on spotify HERE). I have never heard anything similar, really looking forward on hearing them at Into The Grave this August!
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is North Carolina!
Today we are going to be talking about the death metal band Daedalvs from yet again North Carolina. They are a 4 piece band that consists of vocalist Pancho Mortem, drummer Aaron Charlton with assistance on the guitars from Spencer Starnes and Christian Chadwick. Daedalvs has been one of the most unique sounding upcoming bands I have ever seen. There is a lot of competition in the death metal scene but these guys push the boundries like no other band does, in no time they will be on the top! So far they have released 1 EP named ‘Apotheosis’, this masterpiece has been around since the 24th of February via the biggest death metal label SLAM WORLDWIDE. Just 4 days before this release they released their single ”God Machine” which is from that very same album, this song really got death metal fans talking about the band. For everyone that hasn’t heard of SLAM WORLDWIDE before I will introduce you to them real quick. As quoted by the owner the page is about ”ONE MAN PROMOTING MACHINE BRINGING YOU ONLY THE HEAVIEST UNDERGROUND MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD SINCE 2014.”. So any underground heavy band is welcome on this brutal page, luckily for us Daedalvs has claimed their spot and we can only hope for more awesome music!
Miss May I is a band everyone has heard of one way or another, they are almost impossible to miss out on. This soul touching metalcore band formed in 2007 and are from Ohio, America. They are mostly known for their powerful release ‘Vows For A Massacre’, this is an EP that features the song ”Apologies Are For The Weak” which got the band a spot on Rise Records. This song has also been included in the famous video game Saints Row: The Third! ‘Monument’ from the year 2010 is their debut album, this album peaked at 10 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart. Besides that they have released 4 albums including their newest one ‘Shadows Inside’ which will get released tomorrow via SharpTone Records! The 2th of June to be exact. Albums like ‘At Heart’, ‘Rise Of The Lion’ and ‘Deathless’ debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hard Music chart. There is no band out there that has had such a great start into the genre as them, they have always delivered and they always will.
DragonForce, yes the one and only fast riffing powermetal band from London, England released their new forceful album called ‘Reaching Into Infinity’, released by Metal Blade Records, and it’s all their older album combined with better production! They again made an album that is as fast as the speed of sound with vocals that are out of this world. For those of you that don’t know the band, which I really doubt, they formed in 1999 and were known as ‘DragonHeart’ till the year 2002. From 2003 till the present they are known as ‘DragonForce’. Their best album might be their debut ‘Valley Of The Damned’, it reached insane amount of views and has been very populair since. Album ‘Sonic Rampage” proved to be even more succesful, it featured their new bassist Adrian lambert and drummer Dave Mackintosh in the widely known song ”Fury Of The Storm”. This album was really the biggest game changer for the band because this brought double bass rhythms and blast beats to the band. With song ‘Through The Fire And Flames” from the album ‘Inhuman Rampage’ the band went oficially mainstream. This song has reached far over 85.000.000 viewsand over 360.000 likes! Not on a pop song but a freaking metal one! DragonForce has toured with Slipknot and Disturbed right before they were releasing their album ‘Ultra Beatdown’, if you get to tour with the big guys you know you made it! Next to these insane releases they made 3 albums. ‘Twilight Dementia’, ‘The Power Within’ and my favorite ‘Maximum Overload’. You would think that the band didn’t make any more music for a while after so much intense and speedy albums but no, they created a best of album named ‘Killer Elite’ which ofcourse featured the song ”Through The Fire And Flames”. Fans have been asking about full live performances on DVDs for a while now but finally DragonForce heard our calls and made ‘In The Line Of Fire…Larger Than Live’ that was recorded on the 2014’s Load Park Festival. For sure one album you need for your collection!
Katatonia
Last Thursday night I found myself doing something I absolutely despise, taking the horrid DC metro rail, to do something I dearly love, enjoying live music. Katatonia, was opening the North American tour in support of their album ‘The Fall of Hearts’ at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. A small venue with a prominent stage with excellent lighting and sound system, many consider 9:30 Club to be the heart and soul of the music scene in Washington D.C. And I have never been to this iconic venue in our nations capital, despite having lived in the area for multiple years. This, combined with the excitement of seeing Katatonia live for the first time, my excitement was palpable. Still, I had little idea how good a night this was going to be. Katatonia is one of the finest heavy metal bands to have emerged from Sweden, and their ten studio albums bear testimony to that. The last album ‘The Fall of Hearts’ was released mid last year, which garnered excellent reviews from fans and critics alike. On this North American leg, they are supported by Caspian and Uncured. Continue reading
Cold Summer are an energetic post-hardcore 4-piece from Wakefield / Leeds. They have referenced their sound as experimental melodic rock with a twist. But the definition of an experiment is “a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery.” Cold Summer is no longer experimenting, they have proven their sound and are moving forward with their unique style. Fans are discovering the band by the dozens and building up a huge fan base. The band formed in 2011 and for the most part have flown under the radar in the metal world. 2012 saw the release of two EP’s by the band. ‘Transitions’ and ‘Wake’ and their ‘Self Titled’ album dropped in July 2013. Cold Summer brings the best parts of their punk and hardcore influences to the table. The band has a strong DIY approach to both their music and touring. The bands relentless show and recording output, also shows their fierce work ethic. These contributing factors has resulted in a large and growing fan base across the North Of England,as a result of playing shows alongside well respected yet diverse bands such as: Funeral For A Friend, Polar, He Is Legend, Self Defense Family, Lemuria, Milk Teeth, Brawlers, Grieved, and Employed To Serve. Cold Summer have released their follow up EP ‘Fight To Survive’ with producer Mike Bennett (Empires Fade, The Eyes Of A Traitor, The Ocean Between Us). The EP hit shelves on April 1st, 2016. Continue reading
Nightrage have released “The Venomous,” the first single from the melodic death metal force. The song will be on the band’s upcoming album of the same name ‘The Venomous. The album is due to hit shelves on March 31, 2017, released via Despotz Records. The album was recorded at Zero Gravity Studios in Athens with producer Terry Nikas (Scar Of The Sun). “The Venomous” tells a tale of extinction: dealing with the failure of mankind and how we as human beings are racing towards our own demise. Nightrage has also introduced two new members to the fold, Magnus Söderman (guitars) and drummer, Lawrence Dinamarca who join Marios Iliopoulos (guitars), Ronnie Nyman (vocals) and Anders Hammer (bass). This release is a follow up to the album ‘The Puritan’ which released in 2015.
“The Venomous” can be purchased here.
Follow Nightrage Online:
www.nightrage.com
www.facebook.com/nightrage
www.youtube.com/nightragetv
www.instagram.com/nightrageofficial
www.twitter.com/nightrage
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the state of the month*
This month’s state is Illinois!
It’s time to clean the shit out of your ears, because we are about to introduce you to a new band from the windy city of Chicago. Cariosus released their debut EP in February and it’s titled “Crime & Punishment.” When an album starts with an intro of Richard Ramirez quotes you just know you have stumbled onto something great. As if the Nightstalker intro wasn’t enough the album art work is equally amazing. The band has a major brutality that entombs you on every song. Then on a few songs particularly “Contra Mores” you get to see the melodic side of the band. Slowed down guitar picking leads you into growls and gutturals at first, then midway through the song there is more delicate picking and just a touch of clean singing. The clean singing helps break up the constant screaming so it doesn’t become repetitive. When it’s done in a minimalistic fashion like this I’m a huge fan of it. The singing doesn’t take anything away from the band, and actually keeps the heaviness intact by breaking the mold of what we are used to. Frontman Alex Pfister is a talented singer on both ends of the spectrum. Every instrument seems to play an integral part in the sound. The guitar parts at times seem to be battling each other back and forth. “Misanthrope” is a stand out song on the album, the lyrical content keeps you interested. “I hate everyone, I hate the things you say” I’m sure everyone can relate to this. And, for you morbid fucks it gets a little gory for you too. The album is 6 tracks that unleash this pure heaviness and great instrumentation. (If you buy the hardcopy cd you get an extra track) At times it will remind you of Carnifex, but their own twists that put them in a region all their own. “Voluptuary Eradication” is one of the best tracks on the album. The sound is all over the place and constantly changed pace. If you are in the Chicago area I suggest you get out and see these guys play. September 4th they will be playing with our good friends in Krisiun (Who I may add have a kick ass new album out) and several other bands on the Devastation of the Nation Tour. They have some kick ass shirt designs so make sure to pick up a shirt and a copy of the cd. Chicago won’t be able to contain this band forever and I fully expect them to garner a huge fan base as time progresses. Continue reading
