Review: Unleash The Archers – ‘APEX’ [Offical Videos]

Photo By: Shimon Photo

Unleash The Archers are a Canadian heavy metal group with a classic feel from Victoria, B.C.  Starting in 2007 by vocalist Brittney Slayes and drummer Scott Buchanan with guitarist Brayden Dyczkowski, and soon to be joined by Mike Selman (Guitar), Zahk Hedstrom (Bass) to round out the group. They released two albums with this lineup ‘Behold the Devastation’ (2009) & ‘Demons of the Astrowaste’ (2011), both of which were released independently. ‘Demons’ marked the departure of Mike Selman and introduced Grant Truesdell into the fold, who had previously recorded two solos for ‘Demons’ prior to joining the band. In 2012, they released a three song EP, solely on 7” vinyl, titled ‘Defy The Skies’. This release also marked the departure of original bassist Zahk Hedstrom. In 2015, Unleash The Archers was signed to Napalm Records and released ‘Time Stands Still’.  This was the first album without guitarist/songwriter Brayden Dyczkowski, who left in 2013, and is said to have altered the band’s sound into a more traditional heavy metal direction with the addition of new guitarist Andrew Kingsley. In 2016 they began work on their 2nd effort under Napalm Records with their current lineup of Brittney, Scott, Grant, Andrew and introducing new bassist Nikko Whitworth. Their new album is called ‘Apex’ and will be released on June 2nd via Napalm. Continue reading

Review: ALESTORM – ‘No Grave But The Sea’ [Official Videos]

Alestorm is a folk/powermetalband but I would rather call it pirate metal because that sounds way better and it fits their style like no other genre can. They have been around since 2004 and made 6 albums till this date including their best and latest album ‘No Grave But The Sea’ that will get released on the 25th of May. All their album have been about pirates and everything about them but they only get better with every album, lyrically they have improved a lot and now they have acquired catchy melodies and vocals that will remind you of how good life can be. ‘Captain Morgan’s Revenge’, ‘Black Sails At Midnight’, ‘Back Through Time’, ‘Life At The End Of The World’ and my personal favorite ‘Sunset On The Golden Age’ are all the albums that Alestorm have made so far and they show to be just like red wine. Alestorm has been known to experiment with genres, going from thrashy albums like ‘Black Sails At Midnight’  to albums like ‘Sunset On The Golden Age’ which featured some death growls. They are a pirate metal metal band with pleasing melodies and lyrics that will make you believe you were born a pirate. Who takes care of something this catchy and amusing you might ask. Well it’s vocalist Christopher Bowes who also plays the keyboard and the keytar, now you might be asking yourself what is a keytar? It’s basically the funniest looking electronic keyboard there is. The keytar is not an instrument everyone knows of let alone knows how to play so finding someone that is skilled with it is really unique. He is assisted by guitar player Máté Bodor, drummer Peter Vernon, basisst and back up vocalist Gareth Murdock and insane keyboardist and also back up vocalist Elliot Vernon. These people knows how to take care of a good party. ‘No Grave But The Sea’ has just like every other album they have created been released by the record label Napalm Records and the moment a band hasn’t changed their record label since their first album you know you stumbled upon a good band.

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CAVALERA CONSPIRACY Working On New Album Set For A Fall Release

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY was formed eleven years back in 2006, when Igor Cavalera surprise called Max after a decade, during which they both remained without each other’s reach for a painstakingly long decade, after they both left their brainchild, Sepultura. What followed was Max’s invitation to Igor to come and play for a Soulfly gig, after which Max proposed to begin a new project with his brother to which Igor accepted. Yes, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY is back in the studio and is undergoing the recording process of their fourth new studio album, reportedly in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Review: LIFE OF AGONY – ‘A Place Where There’s No More Pain’ [Official Videos]

Life Of Agony has been around for over 20 years but they still surprise to this date . They managed to keep their routs intact while changing things up big time, They are from New York and best known for their debut album ‘River Runs Red’ from 1993. This and their album ‘Ugly’ (1995) built their staircase into the hardcore scene. They toured all over the place with many great and influential bands like Metallica, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. And I have to tell you, you don’t get that spot for sitting around a table playing poker. After this incredible start they released another album in 1997 ‘Soul Searching Sun’, 2 years later the band decided to split up and all walk their own directions. After this devastating news the band managed to surprise everyone by coming back together in 2003. They finally found their love for the band again and decided to make an album, ‘Broken Valley’. This album got them right on track and showcased their intense love for the band.  After long waiting we finally got it, a new album from Life Of Agony. It’s called ‘A Place Where There’s No More Pain’ and wow what a great album it is people. They produced it themselves with a helping hand of Mat Brown. The bands label is one of the best around Napalm Records and Ted Jensen mastered it. He is well known for his work for Alice In Chains, Machine Head and Deftones so we are in for a good one.

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Review: WARBRINGER – ‘Woe to the Vanquished’ [Song Stream]

This week in metal, highly praised thrash band Warbringer released their fifth full length album, ‘Woe to the Vanquished’. This was the quintet’s first release not on Century Media Records, instead they partnered with Napalm Records. This record debuts two new members (Jessie Sanchez on bass and Chase Becker on guitar) and it is the first Warbringer album without founding member John Laux. The 8 tracks leave no room for filler and kick your ass throughout the duration. You can buy ‘Woe to the Vanquished’ here. Continue reading

JINJER Releases A Special Live Session Video of Their Track “Pisces”!

Photographer Mariika Mint

JINJER is by far one of the most beautifully fierce bands I have heard in some time. They have these beautiful melodic vocals, followed up by deep and thundering screams via lead vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk. JINJER has easily become my favorite female fronted band. Tatiana has two incredibly different styles that are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. She first welcomes you in with her beautiful clean singing voice and then blows your mind with her deep screaming tone. It’s just an amazing thing to witness when she bellows those harsh screams. The Ukrainian band was formed in 2009, but wasn’t truly complete until Tatiana joined the band in 2010. JINJER released their debut ‘Inhale. Don’t Breathe’ in 2013, and followed that up in 2014 with ‘Cloud’. They also took home the the Best Ukrainian Metal Band of 2013 award. The band’s most recent release is ‘King Of Everything’ which released July 29th, 2016 and is their Napalm Records debut. The band is considered one of Ukraine’s best kept extreme metal secrets, the technically sophisticated four-piece JINJER represent an incredibly catchy mix of metalcore, djent, hardcore, and groove metal. Don’t even begin to compare them to any other female fronted band you’ve ever heard, they are their own breed of band. The band has now released a live intimate video of “Pisces” from their recent album. The song gives you a musical tour of everything the band is truly capable of. The band will be touring again starting end of March – check out all dates here.

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Review: EX DEO – ‘The Immortal Wars’

After what has seemed like forever, Canadian death metal band Ex Deo has returned to bless us with their third full length release, ‘The Immortal Wars’. After releasing ‘Caligvla’ in 2012 with a bit of touring, the band decided it was time for a break in 2014. It was soon being reported that the return of the band was unlikely. Lead singer Maurizio Iacono, Jean-Francois Dagenais, Oli Beaudoin, and Stéphane Barbe went back to their main project in Kataklysm. Also featured in the band is Jonathan Leduc on the keyboards and François Mongrain on the bass guitar. Only a year later in 2015, the band announced that they were to begin work on their follow up. In January of 2016, it was revealed that the band’s next release would be titled ‘The Immortal Wars’. It has been a long road since then, but the time has finally come. On February 24th, 2017, Ex Deo will be releasing the album on Napalm Records. It was produced and mixed by Jens Bogren in Sweden. The Roman themed heavy metal band is prepared to unleash hell. You can preorder the new album here. Continue reading

EX DEO Releases New Music Video For “The Roman”

Canadian death metal band Ex Deo has just released their second song from their upcoming album, ‘The Immortal Wars’, set to release on February 24th on Napalm Records. ‘The Immortal Wars’ will be the band’s third release, following up ‘Caligvla’ (2012). The band then went on a hiatus starting in 2014, making another release unlikely, but they returned in late 2015 to announce they were working on new material. The band has received high praise for their stories of Roman History throughout their discography. Ex Deo had this to say about “The Roman”: Continue reading

Review: GRAVE DIGGER – ‘Healed By Metal’

Artwork by Gyula Havancsák

After 36 years of touring and writing new music, Grave Digger is still at it putting out fantastic power metal anthems. Their new album, ‘Healed By Metal’ dropped on January 13th, 2017 on Napalm Records. It is their fourth release with the label and their 18th album overall. ‘Healed By Metal’ lives up to the big expectations following their previous, stellar release, ‘Return of the Reaper’ (2014). This record also features the debut of new keyboardist, Marcus Kniep. The rest of the band remains the same from the last album including Chris “Reaper” Boltendahl on the vocals, Stefan Arnold on drums, Jens Becker on bass, and Axel “Ironfinger” Ritt on the guitars. The German power metal band continues to put out strong material consistently almost every 2 years. You can buy ‘Healed By Metal’ on Amazon  or you can get it on iTunes. Continue reading

WALLS OF JERICHO Premiere Music Video For “Forever Militant”!

Eight years after ‘The American Dream’, WALLS OF JERICHO have found new allies in Napalm Records and released their latest and highly anticipated record No One Can Save You From Yourself in 2016. The band centered around power fronter Candace Kucsulain  is famous for maddening riffing, downbeats and HUGE breakdowns. Fans worldwide count on the unmatched aggression and integrity that the band brings in both a live setting and on their records. Just in time for the European EMP Persistence tour together with Suicidal Tendencies and Agnostic Front to name just a few from this killer line-up, the band released a brand new music video for the track “Forever Militant”! Continue reading