Posts Tagged ‘track stream’

Listen – ‘Under the Lake’ by HEXVESSEL

Posted: 16 July 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Finnish black metal act HEXVESSEL have set their signatures under a multi-album deal with Prophecy Productions.

HEXVESSEL will release their seventh studio full-length via the label and have already been confirmed for this year’s edition of Prophecy Fest.

HEXVESSEL comment: “I am a fiercely independent minded artist and Hexvessel has its own sound, ideology and spiritual path”, vocalist and guitarist Mat ‘Kvohst’ McNerney explains. “I wanted a label that would respect, care for and nurture that wild art spirit. I have known and been friends with Martin Koller, Stefan Belda, and Prophecy for many years. We go back to the origin of Hexvessel and our first live shows abroad and they have always supported my work. I felt we would always be destined to work together in a creative aspect and I am proud to now come under the banner of a label that stands for true beauty in art and creative music.”

Prophecy Productions state: “We are all thrilled to welcome a long-time friend and outstanding artist such as Mat McNerney and Hexvessel to our roster”, the label’s founder Martin Koller writes. “Hexvessel are in many regards the perfect fit for Prophecy Productions as their highly individualistic and ever evolving music is exciting as hard to pin down and limit to only one genre.”

Listen here:

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HEXVESSEL comment on the digital single: “I actually started writing ‘Under The Lake’ as the first song for our return to black metal before the other parts of Polar Veil took shape”, mastermind Mat McNerney reveals. “Although it was always a favourite of mine, ‘Under the Lake’ still remained unfinished. This was partly due to the fact that its theme was neither polar nor set in wintertime, which meant that the song did not sit well with the rest of the album. Instead ‘Under the Lake’ is about summer hikes into the secluded and remote deep fell areas where you will find bottomless clear lakes or ‘saivo’. In Sámi beliefs, saivos (sáiva) were thought to be homes to the deceased as well as various spirits and deities. The Sámi word sáiva was used to refer to a holy lake or fell, and the spirits residing in it. It could also denote a dwelling of the deceased or anything sacred; depending on the context. A saivo, like our own world, was usually believed to exist beyond a hole at the bottom of a lake, with another identical lake upside down. To me, this is a perfect metaphor for looking at the world. There is a deeper meaning out there, if you look hard enough. ‘Under the Lake’… there is another lake. I am glad that this personal favourite of mine finally comes to see the light of day. It happens in the preternatural summer in which we announce our pact with Prophecy!”

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Live

07 AUG 2024 Jaroměř (CZ) Brutal Assault Festival
13 AUG 2024 Manchester (UK) Rebellion
14 AUG 2024 Brighton (UK) Chalk
15 AUG 2024 Sheffield (UK) Corporation
16 AUG 2024 London (UK) Oslo
17 AUG 2024 Bristol (UK) ArcTanGent Festival
24 AUG 2024 Dūburio Sala (LT) Mėnuo Juodaragis
6/7 SEP 2024 Balve (DE) Prophecy Fest
28 SEP 2024 Heidelberg (DE) New Evil Music Festival
23 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Kantine am Berghain
24 OCT 2024 Leipzig (DE) Soltmann
25 OCT 2024 Bruxelles (BE) Atelier210
26 OCT 2024 Paris (FR) Backstage by the Mill
27 OCT 2024 Maastricht (NL) Samhain
28 OCT 2024 Hamburg (DE) Hafenklang
29 OCT 2024 København (DK) Stengade
30 OCT 2024 Göteborg (SE) The Abyss
31 OCT 2024 Oslo (NO) Goldie
01 NOV 2024 Jönköping (SE) The Hush Hush Club
02 NOV 2024 Stockholm (SE) Hus 7

Listen: ‘Gymposter Syndrome’ by King Thief

Posted: 11 July 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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King Thief (consisting of members of Teenage Bottlerocket, This is a Standoff, Choke and ex-The Fullblast) have released their debut single ‘Gymposter Syndrome’ off the upcoming debut album, out this fall on Thousand Islands Records.

King Thief is:

Eric Neilson – Vocals (Change Methodical, Midnight Peg)

Ryan Podlubny – Guitar ( ex-Fullblast)

Shawn Moncrieff – Guitar (Choke)

Nick Kouremenos – Bass (Fire Next Time, This is a Standoff, TheJohnsons)

Darren Chewka – Drums (Teenage Bottle Rocket, Old Wives)

Listen to ‘Gymposter Syndrome’ here:

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Listen: ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ by Clockwork Echo

Posted: 1 July 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Industrial band, CLOCKWORK ECHO has just unleashed their highly-anticipated new single, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’.

Laden with raw emotion and haunting revelations, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ delves deep into the themes of deceit, faith, and the far-reaching consequences of a single lie. The song’s lyrics are poignant and introspective, unravelling a story that intertwines personal guilt with collective delusion.  The song offers a powerful critique of faith, deception, and the human condition. It challenges listeners to question the narratives they have been fed and to seek the truth behind the comforting lies.

In a world where belief often triumphs over evidence, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ critiques the exploration of faith and the ease with which people are swayed by spiritual narratives, often lacking concrete evidence. Phrases such as ‘shadows in their eyes’ evoke a sense of collective blindness, a willingness to be deceived in exchange for spiritual comfort.

‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ serves as a haunting reminder of the fragile line between truth and fiction. As we navigate through the shadows of our own lives, may we find the courage to confront the lies we tell ourselves and others, and seek a path illuminated by truth and understanding.

Listen to this blasting stomper here:

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Listen: ‘Rat King’ by King Zog

Posted: 28 June 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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King Zog is back with a vengeance, announcing the release of their highly anticipated second album, Second Dawn, set to be released on July 31st via Rue Morgue Records. Fans can get an early taste with the new single ‘Rat King,’ a track that encapsulates the band’s signature doom-laden sound.

Listen here:

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The genesis of ‘Rat King’ began during the pandemic when frontman Daniel Durack was inspired by a documentary on Rasputin. The captivating tale sparked a creative fire, leading to a song that stands out as a dark and heavy highlight on the new album.

Following their critically acclaimed 2017 debut, King Zog has solidified their status in the doom metal scene with relentless writing and performing. The current lineup – Daniel Durack (vocals/guitar), Connor Pitts-West (guitar), Martin Gonzalez (bass), and Sean Ryan (drums)—crafted Second Dawn during the pandemic and have been performing tirelessly since lockdowns lifted.

Second Dawn promises to surpass its predecessor with its immense weight and intensity. The album features monumental riffs, seismic bass lines, and thunderous drumming, all crowned by Durack’s powerful vocal hooks. Each track, from the blistering opener ‘Scelestic Dusk’ to the epic closer ‘Second Dawn,’ showcases King Zog’s otherworldly strength and doom metal mastery.

As Perth’s premier doom band, King Zog is gearing up to support Second Dawn with extensive touring, including headlining sold-out shows and tearing up heavy music festivals across Australia.

Prepare for the onslaught of Second Dawn. King Zog is ready to unleash their might once more.

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Listen: ‘AM/PM’ by Belong

Posted: 27 June 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Today, the hazy and hypnotic duo Belong share the closing track from their upcoming album, Realistic IX.

‘AM/PM’ is a driving track full of static which rounds off the album on an uptempo and propulsive note.

Realistic IX, the third full-length by the duo of Michael Jones and Turk Dietrich, aka Belong, is both an expansion and excavation of their signature acid-washed songcraft. Bleached guitars, metronomic drums, and buried voices rev, swirl, and seethe across shifting gradients of haze and hypnosis, alternately driving and diffuse. Melodies surge closer to the surface, flexing their form before resubmerging into quickening currents of feedback. Elsewhere the elements dissipate into a dusk of murk and microtonalities, electricity liberated back into infinite night.

Although it’s been 13 years since Belong’s prior Kranky offering, Common Era, none of the duo’s rare synergy has decayed in the interim. Jones and Dietrich’s commitment to oblique states of motorik drone and liminal emotion continues to evolve and unfold, increasingly tactile and unreal, an alluring glow glimpsed through fogged windows at witching hours.

Listen to ‘AM/PM’ here:

Realistic IX will be released via kranky on 9th August.

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Listen: ‘This Is Not A Prayer’ by Uniform

Posted: 26 June 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Uniform announce their fifth solo album, American Standard, today, to be released on 23rd August via Sacred Bones. The first single ‘This Is Not A Prayer’ is a driving force of a song, propelled by the dual drums of Michael Sharp and Michael Blume.

The album is surely Uniform’s most cohesive and intimate work to date, tackling themes of self-destruction and with a particular focus on vocalist Michael Berdan’s bulimia nervosa – reader discretion is advised when looking at the biography below. About the album and the first single ‘This Is Not A Prayer’, Berdan comments; “Although our new record is best experienced as one cohesive piece, it isn’t exactly Dopesmoker. The songs on American Standard feed into an overarching narrative with the goal of retaining their own individual identities.

“Existing in the netherworld between Public Image Ltd. and Butthole Surfers, “This Is Not A Prayer” best exemplifies the bludgeoning percussive interplay between dual drummers Michael Sharp and Michael Blume. Similar to bands like Swans or even Meshuggah, the guitar, bass, and vocals on this track act in complete service to what’s happening on the kits. The song is as purely rhythmic as we’ve ever dared to attempt, and we hope that these beats will take you where you need to go. Drums should serve as lead instruments in extreme music more often, but I digress…

“Thematically, ‘This Is Not A Prayer’ touches on the internal paradox that I’ve experienced while in the throes of an eating disorder. It’s about how the best I’ve ever felt about my physical appearance came when the people I love have told me that I look sick. Rather than taking their concerns to heart, I internalized these sentiments as proof that I was on the right track. I was not.”

Buckle in and brace yourselves for that brutal double-drum barrage and listen to ‘This Is Not A Prayer’ here:

Uniform new

Press Photo By Joshua Zucker-Pluda & Sean Stout
Pictured: Founding Members Ben Greenberg (Guitar), Michael Berdan (Vocals)
Not Pictured: Mike Sharp (Drums), Brad Truax (Bass), Michael Blume (Drums)

Listen: ‘NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER’ by WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN

Posted: 19 June 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN (WAWBARC) is the new quartet of Mat Ball (BIG|BRAVE), Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion), and Jonathan Downs and Patch One (both Ada). On NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER they present six modal lullabies drenched in seared distortion, slathered across striding electronic pulses.

Ball and Menuck began creating music in and for the bleakest moments of Montréal winters: “We’re honoring that idea of winter, when you come inside and your house is warm, a place that only exists because of how cold it is outside,” says Menuck. They later recruited Downs and Patch to flesh out their initial ideas—Menuck met first them in 2015 when recording Ada’s final self-titled album at Montréal’s Hotel2Tango, the same studio where WAWBARC convened to make this record.

The album is out September 13th on Constellation. Meanwhile, you can hear the title track here:

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Listen: ‘Naakt’ by Vuur & Zijde

Posted: 14 June 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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VUUR & ZIJDE (‘Fire & Silk’) reveal the closing track ‘Naakt’ (‘Naked’) as the final advance single taken from the Dutch blackened post-punk outfit’s debut full-length Boezem (Bosom), which has been set for release on July 12, 2024.

VUUR & ZIJDE comment on ‘Naakt’: "In finality, the sorrow is laid bare, and its nakedness is shrouded in cosmic fragility", vocalist Famke writes in psychological riddles. "Steadily waltzing into a conflagration, dissonance creeps in and opens the gateway towards the light – sharing your burden of grief."

Listen to ‘Naakt’ here:

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Love and heavy metal have always had a somewhat strained relationship as the former is at least nominally topic number 1 in pop music. It becomes even more complicated when black metal is involved, a genre in which hate is a major ingredient as much as blues musicians must have felt utter sadness.

This observation makes Boezem, the debut full-length of Dutch quintet VUUR & ZIJDE ("Fire & Silk") the more remarkable as the album revolves around themes of conditional and unconditional love – and the difference between those, the liberation of intimacy, and motherhood. This album politely abstains from going through the motions of tedious heavy metal clichés.

It might help that although the Dutch have deep roots in black metal and the five have been or still are members in such established bands as LASTER, NUSQUAMA, SILVER KNIFE, GREY AURA, WITTE WIEVEN, and TERZIJ DE HORDE, they have stylistically shifted from their 2020 split-album with IMPAVIDA in the meantime. Having grown from a trio to a 5-piece formation has brought a wider range of influences and ideas to the table. The changes are subtle but enough to locate a part of their sound in the evolving and exciting realms of post-black metal.

The black side of the music is mainly expressed through whirling drum attacks and buzzing guitar riffs. Yet there is a second strong pillar on which Boezem rests, as bands that started out as post-punk acts and developed into more dreamy, meditative sounds such as COCTEAU TWINS and even DEAD CAN DANCE are also named as a source of inspiration. And for the record, at least KILLING JOKE made the topic acceptable in the post-punk scene with their classic ‘Love Like Blood’. Synthesizer sounds and the beautiful voice of singer Famke naturally contribute to that side of VUUR & ZIJDE.

The vocalist is also responsible for various lyrics penned in Frysk (Frisian). The Frisian name and language go back to a North Sea Germanic tribe and survived through the middle ages. Today, the Frisian is still spoken in a few Dutch and German areas along the coast up to the Danish border. The other lyrics are written in Dutch.

With Boezem, VUUR & ZIJDE achieve a perfect balance between their contradictory poles. The aggressive side with elements of black metal that have been transformed into post-black metal contrasts with the light side of shoegaze, post-punk, and wave. Both are entwined in an endless dance that creates fascinating new music, which is at the same beautiful and yet full of thorns – just like a black rose.

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Listen: ‘The Wrath of Storms’ by Limbonic Art

Posted: 6 June 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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LIMBONIC ART release the third and final advance single ‘The Wrath of Storms’ taken from the forthcoming album Opus Daemoniacal. The new full-length of the Norwegian black metal legends is chalked up for release on June 28, 2024.

Check it here:

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LIMBONIC ART comment: "The track ‘The Wrath of Storms’ unleashes a relentless metal onslaught of dark negative energies", mastermind Vidar "Daemon" Jensen explains. "As nature’s destructive fury rages across the planet and lays the domains of feeble entities and deities to waste, this track relates a profound tale of horror through the eyes of the beholder."

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EXCLUSIVE AUDIO STREAM: ‘Haswell’ by Vorare & Earthflesh

Posted: 20 May 2024 in Previews and Editorial, Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Finish purveyors of extreme noise, Vorare, has paired up with Earthflesh to create the abrasive blast of an album which is Rope Tower. We’re on the edge of our seats for the album, and are beyond thrilled to present an exclusive premier of the second track from the album to be unveiled after ‘Seepage’.

On the face of it, a mining disaster in the North of England which occurred way back in 1844 may seem like an unusual choice of subject matter for two artists based in mainland Europe: it’s a pretty niche piece of local history. But it’s also a harrowing historical event that warns of the risk to life the industrial age brought. County Durham had a long mining heritage, and Haswell was one of the county’s largest collieries, employing over 300 men and boys. This single incident – an explosion – caused the deaths of almost a third of the workforce, with the blast itself killing 14, and a further 81 dying by suffocation.

For a moment, just imagine the scene, and the sensation. ‘Haswell’ makes for a fitting soundtrack, with a reflection on not only the how of their deaths, but the why…

Lyrics:

We find ourselves in the mines day in and day out, breaking our bones, shoveling our route to the alluring ore necessary for someone else to thrive off of. The caged canary leads the way deeper and deeper into the uncharted maw of Earth left gaping by bombs built by weak little men far from here. The clangs of pickaxes haunt our dreams while the fetters on our ankles might as well be extensions of our limbs alongside the instruments designed to violate the soil below our homes. As the morning seeps in lightless, we continue our work. Descending to the black hole stretching for miles on end, the explosions seem particularly strong today. We can’t see, but we can hear and feel. The chirp of the canary abates and soon runs out. Is this the smell of profit?

An account of the Haswell Colliery Explosion can be found here.

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