ART GALLERY - AMON AMARTH, HUMAN IMPROVEMENT PROCESS, EXIVIOUS

Ever have album art melt your face? Every once and awhile a band will create or commission artwork which is undeniably awesome, iconic, or inspiring. Sometimes it compliments the music in the perfect way, leaving a mark on the listener or maybe even music history itself.

Welcome to the Art Gallery. We're gonna take a look at some really impressive art while listening to some great music in the process.

Have you ever seen artwork that was so damn awesome that you still remember the first time you saw it? I was flattened when Amon Amarth's "Twilight of the Thunder God" came out in 2008. Not only by the music but by the insanely detailed scene depicted on the front cover. THIS IS VIKING METAL \m/

 
Links: Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // iTunes 

Human Improvement process is an impressive band emerging Italy on Memorial Records. This year they dropped a great record "Deafening Dissonant Millenium" bolstering some mind bending artwork. Better yet, it compliments the title of the album in an unsettling way. Highly recommended on all counts. We should have a review on this one coming soon!

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Merch // Bandcamp

Exivious needed to be included because of the way that they experiment with their artwork. For both of their albums, they've allowed the fans to create their own poster based on the official album art. The process for their latest album "Liminal" (read our review here) was intricate to say the least. All in all this band has spawned incredible results (take a look here).

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Official Website // iTunes

MNEMIC ANNOUNCE THE DEPARTURE OF GUITARIST / UPDATES

Guitarist Victory Ray Salomonsen is no longer a member of the longstanding Denmark metal band Mnemic. The band released a lengthy statement detailing the departure. They also delve into a band update, talking about the current status of Mnemic and plans for the future. Read below.

As usual, we've also provided some music.

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"Hey folks, without further ado it’s time to shed some light on Mnemic‘s present and future.

Bad news first, we’re sad to announce that guitarist Victor Ray Salomonsen has decided to leave the band to pursue other musical paths and also focusing on being a dad. We want to thank him for two awesome years together, that made “Mnemesis” as well as 3 European tours, 1 Australian tour and many other great shows around the globe.

There is no way we are going to let Victor out without throwing a big-ass “goodbye” party, that’s why we invite you to join us @ BETA in Copenhagen on November 28th 2013 where we’ll have our last show with him, so let’s have one hell of a great time together!

Many of you have probably been wondering, and some have been asking us in regards to why there has not been any activity from our side. The reason we’ve cancelled the latest shows, including our Euroblast appearance, was due to lineup instability as Victor left the band this summer, and bad vibes surrounding the band; and this turmoil was also undermining the writing process of Mnemic‘s next album. And with the next album, great responsibility, clutter and confusion are not compatible with it.

Therefore we decided to take a breather, clear out our minds and start fresh when the stars will align. In this era of fast food approach applied over music we’ll go zen over it and focus on music alone. It is what matters the most and what will be remembered overtime, not the noise surrounding it. That’s why we’ll keep as a 4 piece for the time being.

In the meantime our side projects, Mircea‘s Blood Eagle, Guillaume‘s One Way Mirror, Simone‘s The Modern Age Slavery and Empyrios will keep us busy and help getting back on track with an album to be remembered!

See you in Copenhagen on November 28th for this special occasion and thanks for the support!"

    - Mircea, Guillaume, Simone, Brian

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Links: Facebook // Official Website // iTunes

FREE MUSIC MONDAY - DISTANCE

Self-dubbed as "Sheer crushing Melodic-Prog-Death Metal (or something like that)", Spain's very own Distance certainly bring one helluva sound to the table. And they've been at it since 2007 with no signs of slowing down.

In fact, they just released a new single "Process of Self Destruction" not too long ago. It destroys \m/ Give a listen down below. If you enjoy, name your price for the track on Bandcamp!

 
Links: Facebook // Bandcamp

FREE MUSIC MONDAY - UNTIL DAWN

Grab the free downloads / stream the album through the track listing below!

This melodic metal band is known for intense energy, intoxicating guitar riffs, and their lively stage shows. They unleashed their new album "Horizon" back in August 2013 and it has shown that their location in the remote northern depths of Fort McMurray, Alberta will not slow them down.

Mixing the sound of modern metal and classic rock, brothers Luke and Deke Worrell, with Adam MacLeod and Steve White have created a thirteen track exploder that appeals to both young and old alike to follow up their 2011 self titled debut. Having previous success with their 2011 hit single “Table and The Plastic” getting steady rotation on local Rock 97.9FM. The band was able to successfully tour Western Canada, which included festival performances and sharing the stage with such as acts as rock legends KISS, Korn, Volbeat, Billy Talent, A Day To Remember, Hell Yeah, All Else Fails, Fozzy, Ill Scarlett, 3 Inches of Blood and Striker where they wowed audiences with their own brand of modern metal.

Now with their sophomore album "Horizon", Until Dawn is building on their prior success and setting new plans to bring their music to larger audiences around the world. All in all, Until Dawn is melodic metal at its finest, and this is just the beginning.

-\m/eyer
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Track Listing: Horizon [Album Stream]

1. Roamers And Lurkers [Free Download]
2. Strings Of The Dammed
3. The Red Sun Rises This Day
4. Third Knee
5. This Fallen Fortress [Free Download]
6. A Conjurer Of Cheap Tricks
7. DNR
8. Time Tested Fortune
9. The Trial
10. Polar Parallels
11. Horizon

Bonus Tracks:
12. WM3
13. Richard
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Links: Facebook // Twitter // Official Website // Free Download

DREAMSHADE LIVE REVIEW

Switzerland's melodic death metal surprise of the year, Dreamshade, has been busy promoting their latest amazing album “The Gift Of Life” (released in early 2013 through Spinefarm Records) with several shows across Europe and also in the US.

After a long series of shows they headed to Milan, Italy as well to give an awesome performance on Saturday October 5th with the support of some interesting local acts. Dreamshade's performance started about 20 minutes after midnight. They immediately started off on a heavy scale with the opener “Sandcastles”, showing from the very first moment the perfect execution of an incredibly intense performance. Shortly after they played their main single “Photographs” for one of the most touching moments of the night. The live rendition of the song was simply amazing. Especially the guitar playing on stage was clean and spectacular, bringing an even more extraordinary sound than the studio version (which is really saying something). The rest of the band gave a flawless performance as well. The vocalist's moves and gestures were really entertaining and powerful, giving a stunning live presence and great singing.

They continued their set playing mostly more recent tunes including other singles off of “The Gift Of Life” (“Consumed Future” and “Your Voice”) but also songs taken from their previous album, including “Wild Awake”, which ended their set. After that they came back on stage for a funny, final encore with a cover of Vanessa Carlton's “A Thousand Miles” which got the audience laughing, moving, and yelling hilarious blasphemies.

This is most definitely a band worth checking live. Especially if you'd like to ear some well-performed melodic death metal. If you don't believe me, take a look to the video footage of “Photographs” played that night at the show!

- MATTIA
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Setlist:
Intro
Sandcastles
Miles Away
Photographs
Wants & Needs
Consumed Future
DeGeneration
Late Confessions
Your Voice
Wide Awake
Encore: A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton Cover)
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Links: Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // iTunes

EMERALD "KHARON" ALBUM REVIEW

I actually have some serious respect for these guys. You don't see too many metal bands coming out of Estonia and Emerald is doing a fine job all things considered. They released their first full-length entitled "Kharon" a few months back. But in reality, they've been working hard since 2008 creating modern Melodic Death Metal with some Metalcore elements to boot. I actually discovered them through our champ of a writer MATTIA who first promoted Emerald back in July as a Band To Watch Out For. Not too long after I spoke with the band and now here I am writing a review.

When you first listen to this Emerald, they may strike you as being similar to many modern Metalcore bands... minus the damn near constant breakdown assault. These guys like their heaviness, but they prefer to riff more than they chug. And through this, their Melodeath elements tend to shine. There are also some minor pop sensibilities to bolster their sound. The more you listen to Emerald, the more you'll notice, especially when it comes to the tonality and overall sound of the songs. There's definitely some interesting layering and variety to be found throughout but all in all, they're simple yet effective. And for all these reasons I think a lot of people will really like what they hear while spinning "Kharon".

The music on this album definitely shares a common bond in the overall sound, but several tracks stand strong in their own right. Aural installments such as the opener "Draw The Line" (following the intro "Acheron Pass"), "Deviant", "Northern Sea", and the timeless wind of "Hourglass" are good examples of this. Bits of these songs have a good chance of getting stuck in your head. You've been warned.

I do have a few personal peeves with this record. First off, the singing is essentially good but it doesn't always settle well in the mix. Some segments may move you while others feel forced into the song. Also, they really like their gang chants but they could sound much better. Second, as I mentioned before, this band is simple yet effective. This has it's drawbacks as there are no face melting musical moments, just ones ranging from passable to good. This brings me to my third and last point... There's pretty much nothing original happening here. Yes, the music is good and the music is fun but nothing truly sticks out as being creative.

 
All that aside, Emerald is a band with some decent potential behind them. Mattia wasn't mistaken in dubbing them a Band To Watch Out For. There's no doubt they're musically focused and determined. They simply need to expand their horizons, stick their head a bit further from the box and they may just come upon the greatness they seek. 

All in all this a good record that I believe a lot of people out there will thoroughly enjoy. It's not necessarily my personal cup of tea but "Kharon" still manages to be a passable listen. You can give your ears a sampling through the videos above. If you enjoy the music, be sure to show Emerald some support. It's not everyday you get to hear Estonian metal \m/

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Myspace // iTunes // Bandcamp

HOPE FOR THE DYING "ALETHEIA" ALBUM STREAM

Every once and awhile in my metal endeavors I accidentally stumble across an album that just blows my mind. I forget what I was hunting for when I stumbled on Hope For The Dying, but it was probably because Hope For The Dying was better!

Their latest album "Aletheia" was released back in March through Facedown Records. It makes for over an hour of mystifying musical majesty. Their sound falls somewhere between Progressive Metal and Melodic Death Metal with Metalcore elements and a spark they can call their own. Expect shred and technicality mixed with defying composition and forward thinking. This is truly a solid effort from a solid band. It's definitely recommended you give it a listen.

Links: Facebook // Official Website // iTunes

MYGRAIN “PLANETARY BREATHING” ALBUM PREVIEW

Finnish heavyweights of modern Melodeath, MyGrain, are about to release a new album entitled “Planetary Breathing”. It's going to be released very soon by the giant Finnish metal label Spinefarm Records.

For those of you who haven't heard of them before, be aware that this band has been playing since 2004 and have released 3 full albums already: “Orbit Dance” (2006) “Signs Of Existance” (2008) and “MyGrain” (2010).

“Planetary Breathing” was recorded during August and September of 2012 at Sound Supreme Studios with Janne Saksa, who already worked with the band on their first two albums. The mixing and mastering was taken care of by Sweden's very own Dan Swanö.

To tease the audience the band has released a pretty sick music video for the first single taken from the album, called “Dreamscape”. You can still pre-order the album world wide at here. Judge if it's worth it from the new music video below!

-MATTIA

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Merch

AMON AMARTH HEADLINING A U.S. TOUR IN EARLY 2014!

For those of you that were disappointed with the time constraints surrounding Amon Amarth's performance in this year's Metalfest and for the rest of you that just plain want more of them, worry no more. They will be invading the U.S.A. for a nationwide tour with their tour mates Enslaved and Skeletonwitch in early 2014 for "The Deceiver of the Gods North American Tour."

Special Fan pre-sale tickets are available now here.

-\m/eyer

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // iTunes

CONDUCTING FROM THE GRAVE GUITARIST ABERNASTY RELEASES MORE MUSIC

Do you love Conducting From The Grave? Yes you do. Do you love the mind bending leads, fantastically catchy melodies and ferocious riffing? Yes you do. Do you want to listen to anything and everything the guitarist, John “Abernasty” Abernathy, responsible for all these awesome aspects of Conducting From The Grave? Yes you do. Clearly you are interested in what I have to offer.

The guitarist “Abernasty” has another band that is well worth checking out. This band is called Soma Ras and they have a three song EP out there for you to consume. These guys deliver absolutely destructive blackened death metal. It is brutal as all hell and completely devastating and punishing. These guys are opening for Conducting From The Grave at the latter bands CD release show. So if you are hoping to go to that, make sure you get there for the opener, it’s just more Abernasty after all.

Now for something completely different. Abernasty is the name given to John Abernathy’s rap career. And finally, after 2 years of beat making and rapping, his debut, “Life on Stage,” mixtape is available for listening. And if you like rap, and even if you don’t like me, this is an enjoyable mixtape for two reasons. First, Abernasty still is Abernasty, that hasn’t changed. His musical personality shines through in his style, which feels similar to his extravagant and playful lead guitar style. But the description for “Life on Stage” is the real reason why this matters to you a metal fan: “The general theme of this mixtape is anti music industry and deals with experiences both good and bad that I've had from almost 10 years of touring the nation with my metal band Conducting From the Grave, among other topics. Other independent artists will particularly relate to this disc.” There ya go, listen to it all.

-Trisolino

Links: Facebook // Mixtape // Soma Ras Demo

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY - AUGUST 27TH

More new music today, no surprise. Here’s three to check out.

New Wave of American Heavy Metal (yes that is as annoying to type out as it is to read) band Devildriver returns with their newest album today. The album is titled “Winter Kills” and is the band’s sixth release, the first album since leaving Roadrunner Records. So far, so meh. I haven’t heard all of it, but aside from the clear Gojira influences, it sounds like typical Devildriver, swingy, fun, heavy, but passable.

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Merch

Nekrogoblikon are back with a new release today, titled “Power.” These guys are ready to dish out another slice of goblin themed metal with this release. While the gimmick of goblin metal seems to be something that could prove to be incredibly enjoyable (think pirate metal and Alestorm), Nekrgoblicon still needs to prove their competency as songwriters and musicians before they can rise above the limitations of the gimmick.

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Merch

As the most successful act in, and the torch-bearer for, the modern mainstream metal scene, every single one of Avenged Sevenfold’s releases are pretty important. As a gateway band for young metalheads, based solely on their immense popularity, Avenged Sevenfold has a lot of clout. So their new album’s , “Hail to the King” out today, throwback to and worship of 90s metal may lead some fans in that direction. The tunes are pretty cool so far, definitely worth checking out.

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Official Website // Stream

-Trisolino

BATTLECROSS INTERVIEW

We had the chance to catch up with Don Slater from Battlecross at this years Mayhem Festival in Camden, NJ. Good, talented dude. We talked about all kinds of stuff during the interview from the music to the meaning of life. Watch and learn.

Also included some awesome, thrashy tunes from the latest Battlecross album "War Of Will". Mosh!

 
Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

INTO ETERNITY NEW SINGLE LIVE DEBUT

For those of you, myself included, that have been patiently waiting for new Into Eternity music, I have some news for you. And as a lot of the news I’ve been posting, it’s a double edged sword, good and bad.

After Stu Block joined Iced Earth, it seemed like he was going to try to handle vocal duties for both bands. But Iced Earth has and always has had a ridiculously busy touring schedule. The release of the singles "Sandstorm" and "Fukushima", Stu Block still a part of the band at this point, raised my hope that more Into Eternity would be released. Now here’s where it gets murky for me because I honestly missed all this news. At some point, in order to continue touring, vocalist Amanda Kiernan took over touring duties for Into Eternity in Stu’s absence. In this past June, she was announced as the official lead vocalist of Into Eternity. And now the first live bootleg of the band’s first single written with Amanda Kiernan has surfaced. The song is titled "Frozen Hell" and definitely sounds like Into Eternity. But I’m not sure what I think

I’m iffy on this song for one reason. Female vocals. I’m getting sick of em. A lot of female metal singers sound so similar and just have the same vibe and style. Being female doesn’t excuse you from being original, even in metal. Not to focus all my anger onto Kiernan, she seems very talented and up to the job, I just hope she brings more to the table than the average female vocalist. Honestly, maybe I just really love Stu Block’s vocals, cause I really do love them. He’s so versatile. I might just be bitter that I won’t get to hear Stu’s harsh vocals and growls mixed with his fantastic singing again. But here’s the song, and the original version of "Sandstorm" with Stu. "Sandstorm" also was recorded in another version with lead guitarist and main songwriter Tim Roth, who before Stu also handled lead vocals, handling vocals. Guess he didn’t want to do that again.

-Trisolino

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Merch

THROWBACK THURSDAY - AT THE GATES

Have you ever engaged in or overheard a conversation that went something like this?

Metalhead 1: "Dude! Nice Slayer shirt".

Metalhead 2: "Haha thanks.  SLAYYEERRR!!" (flashes horns).

Metalhead 1: "Hell yeah.  So what else do you like?"

Metalhead 2: "Alot of stuff man, like thrash, death metal, metalcore, and other good shit".

Metalhead 1: "Metalcore? really? All of those bands just rip off At the Gates".

This is a pretty standard remark for whenever somebody brings up the word metalcore in a discussion of heavy metal.  While I tend to disagree with the claim that all metalcore bands rip off At the Gates, the influence of their riffing clearly bleeds through many of the American metal bands of the 21st century.  So let's talk about them.

At the Gates formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1990.  Their first couple of albums were solid death metal releases.  They were dark, very brutal, and even had some elements of black metal in the mix.  With that said, it was also nothing particularly ground breaking. That all changed with the release of "Terminal Spirit Disease" in 1994.  With this album At the Gates really showed their maturity as they began to organize their various ideas into cohesive song-structures.  This was more or less the turning point for the band as it hinted at the greatness that would come next.

"Slaughter of the Soul" (1995) is their album that everybody tends to reference, whether in a discussion about melodic death metal, metalcore, or the band itself.  Maybe this is due to the fact that it helped to shape the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound, or possibly because it sent the message to American bands to start playing metal again.  Or it could also be a result of the fact that shortly after it's release At the Gates broke up, making it their last album.  All of these are plausible explanations for why "Slaughter of the Soul" has become a legendary album in the world of extreme metal. But, regardless of the album's status and legacy,  it's an absolute masterpiece.  They really brought out everything on "Slaughter of the Soul", and as a result it became the heaviest, most aggressive melodic death metal album of its time.  Check out the tracks below and see for yourself.

Links: Facebook // Official Website // iTunes

CONDUCTING FROM THE GRAVE VIDEO PLAY THROUGH

Conducting from the Grave are continuing to build momentum following the band's successful kickstarter campaign leading up to the release of their new self titled album. This time they’ve released a guitar and bass playthrough video for their second single “Into the Rabbit Hole.” And it’s cool.

The video alternates shots between both guitarists and bassist playing the track. It’s always cool to get a good look at how musicians play their songs. In this instance, the little lick where both parts tap and the moving melodic line alternates is what I was most interested in hearing. I also always like checking out the guys technique. It’s fun to me to see how the guys who are behind the killer tunes play. I also like to compare it to my own technique to improve a little, hey that’s progress! Either check out this vid and stay posted for more Conducting from the Grave.

-Trisolino

Links: Facebook // Bandcamp // Merch

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY - JULY 30TH

Another week has rolled on by and I have three more albums for you to check out.

Chimaira is a band that I’m sure all of you know. They came up around the same time and are a kinda similar to Lamb of God in style. Well the band’s history has been pretty tumultuous. Sole remaining member from the band’s classic lineup and singer Mark Hunter has surrounded himself with a new group of guys and they’re releasing an album today. It’s called “Crown of Phantoms” and this is probably the best Chimaira album in a while. I made it all the way through the new video and enjoyed, out of place solo and all. Check this one out.

Links: Facebook // Instragram // iTunes

Another band that has mixed it up stylistically and is releasing an album today is Mercenary. The guys are releasing their newest release titled “Through Our Darkest Days” today. The band has continued to leave the melodic death metal sound behind for a more modern melodic metal style akin to Soilwork or Scar Symmetry with this release. This album won’t break too much new ground, or light up any eyes but this is an album to be enjoyed and not overly analyzed.

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Merch 

Elitist are back with a new EP today titled “Between the Balance.” Based on the first single, it appears that these guys have expanded their range of sounds a decent bit. Unfortunately it seems to be in the metalcore/post-hardcore direction. Time will tell how this stuff stands up to their previous work. Either way, if you’re interested in Elitist, this is definitely worth checking out.

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Merch

- Trisolino

THE BURIAL "IN THE TAKING OF FLESH" ALBUM STREAM

The Burial are officially streaming their new album "In The Taking Of Flesh" through Youtube! The record was released two weeks ago via Facedown Records. Now you can enjoy the whole thing online.

It sounds as if the band has made leaps musically, progressing into a more Death Metal influenced sound than what I remember. This is all while breaking ground on other fronts. Clean vocals and experimental tendencies are also present. It's fast, ruthless, and quite enjoyable. Give a good listen to "In The Taking Of Flesh" below. If you enjoy, be sure to show The Burial some support. Soooo damn metal \m/

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

EMG PICKUPS - PLAY THROUGH BUFFET

Big shout to the guys at EMG pickups for consistently supporting and spreading awesome music on a mass scale. Not to mention for producing sweet gear... Check their official website for more details.

Some of you have probably ran into these videos before but EMG Pickups is renowned for bringing incredible talents into their studio to do what they do best.... Check out amazing performances from Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders), Jeff Loomis, Evan Brewer (The Faceless), Chris Letchford (Scale The Summit), and Alex Laiho (Children of Bodom) down below and check EMG on Youtube for more!

Links: EMG Pickups Facebook // Official Website // Twitter

BANDS TO WATCH OUT FOR - KARYBDIS

Karybdis is new melodic death metal act hailing from London. Formed in 2009, they attained popularity in the UK's underground metal scene. They kept growing and improving til the release of their debut album “From The Depths” in late 2012.

Lyrically marked on ancient mythological themes and musically inspired by the old masters of melodeath, they blend the past with modern metal and even mathcore elements packed in a heavy and ruthless musical solution. They're also not afraid to implement some intelligent melodies in their music, basically built on a refined guitar riffage.

Their album was released via Beasting Records and now they're going to perform some cool gigs in their country during the summer. This included a showing at this years UK Tech-Metal Fest! Give a listen to their stuff below!

- MATTIA

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // Soundcloud

GYZE “FACINATING DEATH” ALBUM RELEASED

Gyze is a melodeath and modern metal trio from Japan! Previously known as Suicide Heaven, the Sapporo-based band was started in 2009. After gaining popularity in the local extreme metal scene they moved to Tokyo and changed their name in Gyze.

In 2012 they got to play at Wacken Open Air Festival and this got the attention of a label. Coroner Records signed them this year to release their long awaited debut album. There have been a lot of big expectations, especially in their home country.

The Album is called “Facinating Death” and was released on June 4th 2013. It was been mixed and mastered by Ettore Rigotti at The Metal House Studio (Disarmonia Mundi, Blood Stain Child, Slowmotion Apocalypse, Destrage). Claudio Ravinale, vocalist of Disarmonia Mundi, also appears as a guest vocalist on some tracks. Most of the songs are really fast and aggressive with an amazing take on melody too. The vocals are also really remarkable with some good high screams. The production quality is high quality too. This might be interesting for those of you that are into modern melodic death metal, especially those loving Swedish sounds! Check 'em out!

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Official Website // Myspace