Friday, May 20, 2011

NAILS Video To Premiere On MTV2 This Friday

Hardcore henchmen NAILS' crushing "Conform/Scum Will Rise" video has been confirmed to premiere on MTV2 this Friday, May 20 at 7:00pm EST! Filmed as part of Scoin's ongoing bi-annual underground artist series, "Conform/Scum Will Rise" hails from the band's acclaimed 2010 album Unsilent Death. This is a major step for NAILS and their ongoing campaign for world domination. For now you can crush your enemies to the video, which initially premiered on Metal Injection in late March, at this location.


Exactly one week later, Friday, May 27, NAILS will assault the audiences at Maryland Deathfest on the indoor stage alongside Pulling Teeth, Machetazo, Cripple Bastards, Kylesa, Exhumed, Marduk, and the same night as Corrosion of Conformity and Neurosis. NAILS fly directly to Seattle the next day where they're scheduled to rain some hell on Rain Fest alongside 7 Seconds, Cruel Hand, Madball, Trial, Weekend Nachos, labelmates Black Breath and tons more. Regional shows will litter the rest of June and July, and then at the end of July NAILS are back on the road on their co-headlining tour with Ringworm!


NAILS Live Actions:5/27/2011 Sonar - Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest
5/28/2011 Neumo's - Seattle, WA @ Rain Fest [info]

6/01/2011 The Blvd - Boyle Heights, CA w/ Weekend Nachos, The Afternoon Gentlemen, Cyborg, ACxDC, Disapproval

6/03/2011 Cobalt Cafe - Canoga Park, CA w/ Cruel Hand, The Carrier, Former Thieves, The Greenery, Habours, Capsize


Death Comes Ripping Tour:
RINGWORM & NAILS w/ Bitter End, New Lows
7/30/2011 924 Gilman - San Francisco, CA
7/31/2011 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
8/01/2011 Nile Underground - Mesa, AZ
8/02/2011 Trainyard - La Cruces, NM
8/03/2011 Red 7 - Austin, TX
8/04/2011 Trees - Dallas, TX
8/05/2011 Downtown Music - Little Rock, AR
8/06/2011 The Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
8/07/2011 Fubar Music Venue - St Louis, MO
8/08/2011 Subterranean - Chicago, IL
8/09/2011 Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
8/10/2011 Bogies - Albany, NY
8/11/2011 Great Scott - Boston, MA
8/12/2011 *TBD - Philadelphia, PA

The trio are currently writing their follow-up to Unsilent Death for Southern Lord Recordings. Stay tuned for constant updates through the year on all things NAILS.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

THE OCEAN: Video Blog Brought To You By Decibel Magazine

German post-hardcore/progressive metal experimentalists THE OCEAN spent the last bunch of weeks making their way through North America on The Hypersleep Dialogues Trek, with headliners Between The Buried And Me, Job For A Cowboy and Cephalic Carnage (on select dates). Presented by Peter Says Denim, in association with Guitar World & MetalSucks.net, The Hypersleep Dialogues Trek commenced on April 15th and made its final stop on May 14 in North Carolina.

While the tour was a great success, it wasn't without its trials and tribulations. The band thought it wise to document the insanity. Check our the band's 10+ minute video blog, brought to you by Decibel Magazine
HERE.

THE OCEAN was founded in 2001, when guitarist Robin Staps leased the basement of a former aluminum factory from World War II in the heart of Berlin-Kreuzberg. After a few weeks of daily construction work, Oceanland was born – a large underground complex of recording studio and sleeping rooms, where many members of THE OCEAN would spend the bigger part of the upcoming few years of their lives. The band's live show was conceptualized and refined here, and over the years, a collective of musicians from classical as well as rock music backgrounds formed around Staps. Four albums were recorded at Oceanland before the band was evicted in 2008.

More post tour chronicles from the band to follow. Stay tuned...

VASTUM: Full Album Streaming Now At BrooklynVegan

BrooklynVegan is currently streaming VASTUM's entire debut full-length, Carnal Law! The crushing album will stream from now through the official release via 20 Buck Spin on Tuesday, May 31.


Stream Carnal Law HERE!


Continuing to brutalize live audiences with their stripped-down and ultra-pulverizing tonal supremacy, VASTUM have confirmed more live actions throughout the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest over the coming weeks, with more tour plans in the works to be announced shortly.


VASTUM Live Actions:

7/01/2011 The Know - Portland, OR w/ Atriarch, Murderess
7/02/2011 Black Lodge - Seattle, WA w/ Ritual Necromancy, Anhedonist, Countdown to Armageddon
7/03/2011 Saratoga - Portland, OR w/ Knelt Rote, Negative Queen

THE BODY Prepare For June Tour With The Assembly Of Light Choir

Providence, Rhode Island's crushing duo THE BODY are preparing to wage war on the East Coast once again this June, this time bearing opening and collaborative support from their hometown allies in The Assembly Of Light Choir!

Devotees of THE BODY's acclaimed, oppressive 2010-released full-length, All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood, will know the name of The Assembly Of Light Choir, as these several dozen women added some of the utmost creepiest moments to the unique album. This special tour will feature a full set by The Assembly Of Light Choir, followed by a full set by THE BODY, then a collaborative set with both bands. A fully-seated performance is planned for Manhattan and the tour will play a church in Washington DC. Down-tempo rockers Braveyoung, who THE BODY have also toured and collaborated with in the past, will join for several of the shows as well. View the tour poster and more here.

THE BODY June Tour With The Assembly Of Light Choir:

6/17/2011 Pi Lam - Philadelphia, PA
6/18/2011 Garfield Artworks - Pittsburgh, PA
6/19/2011 Talking Head Club - Baltimore, MD
6/20/2011 Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC w/ Braveyoung
6/21/2011 Warehouse 8B - Jacksonville, FL
6/22/2011 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
6/23/2011 Legitimate Business - Greensboro, NC w/ Braveyoung
6/24/2011 St. Stephen's Church [1525 Newton St NW] - Washington DC w/ Braveyoung
6/25/2011 Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY
6/26/2011 AS220 - Providence, RI

The anticipated vinyl repress of All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood is now available. While the initial vinyl pressing was released by THE BODY, via their own Aum War Records, the new repress was handled by At A Loss Recordings, who released the CD version of the album worldwide last July.

Stay tuned, as always, for more ongoing live assaults and album info on THE BODY, to be released in the very near future. Contact Earsplit PR for coverage requests on the upcoming tour right away.

SABATON: PLANS TO PERFORM RE-ENACTMENT SHOW ON NORMANDY BEACH IN 2014

In a recent interview conducted by MetalMatriarch.com during SABATON’s first tour of North America, vocalist Joakim Brodén shared the Swedish war metal band’s plans for places they’d like to play.


MM: Back during the Art of War tour, you performed on the battlefield of Wizna, which is the place that the song “40:1” refers to. If there was any battlefield or location from one of your songs that you could play, what would it be?


JB: It’s funny you mention Wizna. At the Orlando show, there was a guy about 50 years old with his son, and actually they came from Wizna all the way to Orlando to see the show. They were there on that day [we played on the battlefield], which was exactly on the 70th anniversary of the battle. They staged a military re-enactment during the day; all of a sudden, there were explosions on the battlefield and proper World War II tanks on the field. That stuff is huge in Poland.


It was not like a metal concert at all. There were about 10,000 people, and 50% of them were retired people or kids. It was really cool to see. That was on the 7th of September. Then on the 8th of September, once it hit midnight, we started “40:1.” And they went fucking crazy.


The whole setup was on the field, and there was a download slope toward the stage. The crash barriers weren’t really holding. So they had 60 men from the Polish army holding the crash barriers upright. They were there to watch, really, and some were there in the re-enactment, but they had to be called into service, you know.


[He laughs, then pauses.]


As for your question, I already have it in my mind. 6th of June, 2014. I want to do it; I’m going to make sure, I don’t know how, but I’m going to making fucking sure it happens. Pär and I are crazy about that. We’ve even had preliminary negotiations with the mayors. We’re also halfway through getting permission to perform at Auschwitz.


But, back to the 6th of June. Normandy Beach. On the shores of Western Europe, 1944. So the 6th of June, 2014 – 70 years again.


We’ve got a lot of people from the military helping us out already – a lot of people who collect stuff. One guy has two authentic landing crafts that they used during the war. If we pay the diesel for it, we can use it. I don’t know how many they fit, probably 40-50 people, so we could possibly get 100 tickets out there to people where they actually enter a landing craft about a mile or two away, sail to sea and then enter straight in onto the beach as the intro [to our concert] runs. I don’t know how we could get more, but I want more, but at least he promised his two. We already scouted the location on the beach, so we just need permission now.


Read the interview in its entirety here.


View MetalMatriarch.com’s photo gallery of SABATON’s Fort Lauderdale show here. Read their live review of the show here.


SABATON recently completed their maiden tour of the U.S. and Canada and will be returning to North America with Evergrey this September.


View the teaser for the upcoming video for the Coat Of Arms track “Screaming Eagles” here.


View a video here of SABATON bassist Pär Sundström with an American fan from the 101st Airborne Division who drove five hours just to hear “Screaming Eagles” played live.


View the video for the track “Uprising” - "a powerful and emotional tribute to those who lost their lives in the Warsaw uprising in 1944" - at this location. The “Making Of” video with English subtitles can be viewed here. Stills from the video shoot can be viewed here.


SABATON's fifth studio album and Nuclear Blast debut, Coat Of Arms, has been certified gold in Poland for sales in excess of 10,000 copies and debuted at #124 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #87 on the Top Hard Music chart. Worldwide first-week chart entries were as follows: Sweden #4; Poland #9; Finland #17; Germany #19; Switzerland #33 and Austria #71.




Visit the band’s official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/SABATON.

EGYPT CENTRAL Counts Down To May 31 Release Of ‘White Rabbit’ With Daily Exclusive Content For Fans Via Facebook; #19 & Climbing Up Active Rock Charts

May 19, 2011 -- Beginning Thursday, May 19th, Egypt Central will be counting down to the release of their new album, White Rabbit, by premiering sneak peeks into the making of the album on the band’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/egyptcentral).


A new, exclusive, behind the scenes video clip featuring lead singer John Falls and drummer Blake Allison, along with a preview of one of the 12 tracks from the album, will premiere on each of the 12 days leading up to the May 31 release of White Rabbit (Fat Lady Music/ILG/Warner Music Group). Watch the band give you insight into each song, and listen to clips from all 12 tracks from the album before you can buy it.


White Rabbit is the follow up to 2008’s self-titled debut album, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard “Heatseekers” chart. Produced by Skidd Mills (Saving Abel, 12 Stones, etc.) the album features twelve songs of heavy riffs, lyrics from the soul and strong melodic hooks. Threaded throughout this collection of songs is a story of consequences that occur when one accepts or declines the invitation from the “White Rabbit.”


Bassist Joey Chicago is the artist behind the artwork included in the CD booklet, which features the first four cells of a comic strip series based around the story of the “White Rabbit.” The band has partnered with Revolver, who will be exclusively unveiling the first 12 sequential parts of the comic strip—with commentary from Chicago—one per day, leading up to the album’s release date. See the first cell here: http://www.revolvermag.com/news/exclusive-egypt-central-unveil-the-%E2%80%9Cwhite-rabbit%E2%80%9D-comic-strip-panel-1.html


The first single and title track was released to Active Rock radio and iTunes on February 15. It’s currently sitting at #19 on the Active Rock radio chart. A video for “White Rabbit” was recently shot in Nashville with director Mason Dixon (Framing Hanley, Tantric). An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video can be seen on Noisecreep.com here: http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/04/15/egypt-central-white-rabbit-video/


Fans can pre-order the album along with other goodies here: http://egyptcentral.hasawebstore.com/.


EGYPT CENTRAL is John Falls (vocals), Joey Chicago (bass), Blake Allison (drums) and Jeff James (guitar).





12 STONES Set To Release New Album, ‘Only Human,’ August 23 On The Executive Music Group Label

May 19, 2011 -- 12 STONES--Paul McCoy (vocals), Eric Weaver (guitars), Justin Rimer (Guitar), Michael McManus (drums)--will release their fourth album, ONLY HUMAN, August 23 on the Executive Music Group label via Fontana/Universal. The band joined forces once again with producer Skidd Mills (Saving Abel, Skillet, Saliva), who had previously worked with 12 STONES on 2007’s ANTHEM FOR THE UNDERDOG, which was inspired by the effects of Hurricane Katrina on their hometown of New Orleans. The first single and video from ONLY HUMAN—which was mixed by Mike Shipley (Green Day, 30 Seconds To Mars)--will impact radio and be available next month.


As singer Paul McCoy recently explained to Revolvermag.com: “One of the things that I love about this record is that there are so many different things. We’ve got some songs that are really heavy and then some really nice songs that have a full orchestra behind them. There’s a lot of variety on this record. Those 12 Stones fans that like the heavy stuff, we’ve got something for them. And the 12 Stones people who like ‘Lie to Me’ and stuff like that, we’ve got plenty of songs in there for them as well. This album’s our most mature for sure.”


The New Orleans band’s previous albums and singles have sold over two million copies in the U.S., in addition to singer Paul McCoy winning a Grammy® Award for “Best Hard Rock Performance” for his contribution on Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” smash hit single which went on to sell over 14 million albums worldwide. The band has also garnered multiple GMA Dove Nominations for their singles "Broken" and "Lie To Me.”


Stay tuned for further album details and news about the band’s forthcoming summer tour.






Wednesday, May 18, 2011

GIFT OF DESTINY ISSUE LARRY ELYEA - PRODUCED CD, ‘THROTTLE’

Capturing a sound that manages to mix elements of Hard Core, Metal and old school Punk Rock, the four-man band Gift of Destiny should garner a strong following with their just-released CD, Throttle. Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, the group consists of singer Los Hernandez, guitarist/ backing vocalist Mikey H, Drummer Jake, and Bassist B-Low.

The CD is the culmination of songs the band recorded withLarry Elyea at Minds Eye Digital in Peoria, Arizona. Elyea is no stranger to heavy music. Some of the bands he has recorded include Sevendust, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch and Authority Zero. “I’m amazed at how much the band was able to accomplish, explains Elyea. The music is raw and energetic.” Mikey ads, “Our first session was a test to see what we had. We recorded five songs in two days; when we walked out of the studio we knew we had something special.We went back in the studio and recorded the remainder of the record in three days.”
The 11-track CD comes out swinging on the groove-heavy,Raise Some Hell. This song won the band a radio contest onthe #1 active rock station 98 KUPD in Phoenix, Arizona.Raise Some Hell also won a contest the station has called Rock Wars, beating out Avenged Sevenfold and All that Remains for ‘Song of the Year.’ As a result of the win, Gift of Destiny played a station sponsored event with Red Line Chemistry and Rev Theory.

Another highlight on this CD is the SB-1070 Immigration lawprotest song, FU-1070. This song was featured in a blog by The Phoenix New Times and hailed by their music editor, Martin Cizmar.
Far Away is a great track, featuring a catchy chorus; heart felt lyrics, and some great guitar work. “The lyrics are about my wife and me drifting apart and trying to get back what we once had,” explains Hernandez.
Then there is the brutally heavy track The Reason. “Upon first listen one might think the song is about blaming someone for their pain, but it’s actually about looking in the mirror and realizing the problems lie within,” says Hernandez.

My Life is also a great track with some introspective lyrics and a cool mix of punk rock and hard core grooves.
Fah Q has a punk rock vibe and almost sounds like something that could have come from Slayer’s ‘Undisputed Attitude.’
Not to be overlooked is the cover of Bloodstains, which was originally released by punk rock legends, Agent Orange. The Gift of Destiny version of this song is much heavier than the original but retains the vibe that made this song a classic. Throttle is a strong CD from start to finish and never gets dull or boring. Each song has a life of its own and the CD seems to get better the more you listen to it.

Gift of Destiny ‘Throttle’ Track Listing:
1)Raise Some Hell
2)The Reason
3)FU 1070
4)Bloodstains
5)Far Away
6)Waiting
7)You Don’t Know Me
8)My Life
9)Swimming in Gasoline
10)Fah Q
11)Intellectual Intercourse

Downloadable band photo and free mp3 download of Raise Some Hell at http://www.giftofdestiny.com

‘Throttle’ can be purchased through iTunes, Amazon mp3 and http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/GiftofDestiny

For more information, go to http://www.giftofdestiny.com or http://www.facebook.com/giftofdestiny

HAMMERFALL: STRETCHED VERSION OF 'HEARTS ON FIRE' NOW AVAILABLE

How do you top a classic song with an equally classic video? That’s easy: you s-t-r-e-t-c-h it.


“Hearts On Fire” is a track off HAMMERFALL’s fourth album, Crimson Thunder, released in 2002. Later, a video featuring the 2006 Swedish Olympic Curling Team brought the song’s popularity to new heights. Now, the stretched version is currently available for streaming exclusively on MetalSucks.net.

HAMMERFALL guitarist Pontus Norgren turned “Hearts” into a 25-minute epic by stretching (i.e. slowing down) the song 666 times. He invites fans to “[j]ust close your eyes and enjoy this journey! I will contact Aqua Land in Stockholm an see if they want to use the song as a theme for the underwater park.”

Or perhaps the Swedish Embassy is in need of some new elevator music?


HAMMERFALL’s eighth studio album will be released in Europe on May 20th and in North America on June 7th.

View the video for “One More Time” on YouTube.

Download the HAMMERFALL app for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, now available here.

Visit HAMMERFALL online at www.HAMMERFALL.net, on MySpace, on Facebook, on Twitter and at www.HAMMERFALL.tv.


ANAAL NATHRAKH: New Full-Length Streaming In Its Entirety At Gun Shy Assassin

Metal's most unapologetically punishing band returns with their sixth studio album, Passion. Scheduled for North American release tomorrow, May 17, 2011 via Candlelight Records, the duo known as ANAAL NATHRAKH buck all trends in favor of pure sonic debauchery.

With Passion, ANAAL NATHRAKH take their menacing sounds into ulterior dimensions. Said
About.com in a recent review of the record: "The phrase 'insane black metal' was custom-built for a band like Anaal Nathrakh. After five albums, it seemed that there was no way they could get crazier. Passion is here to prove us all wrong." Added popular Canadian metal site Hellbound, “the UK duo has produced a hurricane of sound, with a whole spectrum of throat-wrenching vocal eviscerations, thundering blasts, grinding riffs, and lightning-speed leads.” Bravewords.com gave Passion a 9/10 rating claiming the duo is "...in another league (with Satan) entirely, the group ascending to the heights of infuriated propositions and shattered, disavowed ideals."

In celebration of tomorrow's release, Gun Shy Assassin is currently streaming Passion in its entirety for a limited time. To check it out, point your browser HERE.
Since being founded in 1999, ANAAL NATHRAKH have gained a reputation for embodying the audio essence of pure evil. Collaborations with such legendary figures as Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Shane Embury and Danny Herrera (Napalm Death), Nicolas Barker (Testament, Dimmu Borgir), Joe Horvath (Circle Of Dead Children), Sethlans Teitan (Watain) and others, have placed the band high on media as well metal fans' “must seek out” list. This, alongside headlining a stage at the renowned cult Inferno Festival in Norway (as their debut international live appearance), countless placements among "Best Album Of The Year" polls and "Album Of The Month" awards in the press, ANAAL NATHRAKH's status as one of the leading lights in extreme metal is undeniable. And growing...

For 2011, ANAAL NATHRAKH presents the digested and re-vomited results of an 18-month journey through slings, arrows and outrageous misfortune. Intended in the most scourging sense of the word, Passion is an encoded vision of agony; desolation taken as the inspiration for incalculable rage. Passion includes guest contributions from Rainer Landfermann (Pavor, Bethlehem) and Alan Dubin (Khanate, Gnaw). Glorying in their Pyrrhic epiphanies, the band have developed a deeper understanding of horror and Passion is the focused, distilled and above all bleakly triumphant result.

HELSTAR To Embark On Summer Of Hate Tour In June

Houston's heavy metal kings HELSTAR are set to blaze a trail east next month on their six-date Summer Of Hate U.S. tour, the newest rash of ongoing performances in support of the band's seventh studio full-length, Glory Of Chaos. Released onto North America in February via AFM Records, amidst a flood of critical praise of the album's crushing speed/power metal attack, Glory Of Chaos is a ballsy, blazing, full-length display of pure American heavy metal, which elevates the classic HELSTAR sound to aggressive new measures.


HELSTAR Summer Of Hate U.S. Tour:6/17/2011 The Rail Club - Fort Worth, TX w/ Solitude Aeturnus, Era De Guerra
6/18/2011 Dirty Dog Bar - Austin, TX w/ Ignitor, Dead Earth Politics, Headcrusher
6/22/2011 Manhattan Room - Philadelphia, PA w/ Wastelander, Season of Mourning, Midian, Machine Dog
6/23/2011 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
6/24/2011 Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY
6/25/2011 The Blue Room - Secaucus, NJ w/ Armor Column, Bröhammer

PHARAOH: New EP Confirmed For June Release; Recording Of New Album Underway

American power metal warriors PHARAOH have confirmed the forthcoming release of a new EP this Summer, set to be released on June 7 via Cruz Del Sur -- the Rome-based label having already released PHARAOH's full-length releases After the Fire (2003, The Longest Night (2006), Be Gone (2008) as well as last year's Tribute To Coroner 7" split with Canvas Solaris.

Entitled Ten Years, the upcoming release contains two unreleased songs from the Be Gone recording sessions, two tracks previously released only as a bonus 7'', and two covers; New Model Army's "White Light" and Slayer's "Tormentor." View the cover art at this location.

Ten Years Track Listing:

1. Ten Years
2. When We Fly
3. White Light
4. Reflection and the Inevitable Future
5. Nothing I Can Say
6. Tormentor

In addition to the release of the EP in June, PHARAOH are also currently immersed in the recording process of their fourth full-length album, set for release later this year. More details on the pending album will be released in the coming weeks.

PHARAOH was formed in 1997, quickly gaining an amazing success in virtue of their genuine love for classic heavy metal but also for the outstanding technical ability of their members. Featuring the vocal skills of former vocalist Tim Aymar (Control Denied), drummer Chris Black (Dawnbringer, Superchrist, High Spirits, ex-Nachtmystium), bassist Chris Kerns, and guitarist Matt Johnsen (Fool's Game, Dawnbringer), PHARAOH continue to confirm their status of a well-oiled American heavy metal force!

BOOK OF BLACK EARTH's "The Cold Testament" Streaming Now

BOOK OF BLACK EARTH's new blackened death opus, "The Cold Testament," is streaming now, exclusively at Stereogum's "Haunting The Chapel." Hear the record in its entirety, now. "The Cold Testament," hits streets next Tuesday, May 24th, via Prosthetic Records. The album was tracked by Chris Common (Pelican, The Sword) at the Red Room Studio in Seattle and mixed and mastered by Dan Swano (Bloodbath, Nasum, Opeth) at Unisound in Sweden. The cover was done by renowned artist,Derek Noble. "The Cold Testament" pre-orders are shipping now, but can still be ordered at Prosthetic Records' webstore. Get the CD on its own, or in a bundle with an exclusive T-shirt design. Order now!

"The Cold Testament" track listing is as follows:


Weight of the World
Cross Contamination
Antartica
Irritating Spectre
Termination
Research and Destroy
Road Dogs From Hell
I See Demons


Look for the band, who have previously appeared with the likes of Watain, Cattle Decapitation, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amebix, and many more, to hit the road later this year in support of "The Cold Testament."

ENCOFFINATION To Unleash Second Full-Length Via Selfmadegod Records This Summer

The tombs are closed and the coffins are lowered. The sun bleaches the gravestones and the flowers wither. The sun settles and the darkness rises. The stench of death still lingers and the presence of doom is inimitable. The ritual preparation of the dead is complete. ENCOFFINATION arises from the crypts to worship this ritual of death.


Returning after last year's suffocating debut album Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh, ENCOFFINATION is about to strike back with their new opus to death. O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres is the definition of lurching, oppressive, sickening "funeral doom of death metal." Picking up where they left off with the previous album, O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres will define ENCOFFINATION's signature sound; suffocating doom wrapped in the pure stench of death. The album will include up to ten new songs of abysmal, funeral-bound death metal, recorded in Cooper, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia between January and May 2011.


Guitarist/vocalist Ghoat (Father Befouled, Vomitchapel) says of the new album: "Expect pure darkness. Take everything we have done before and turn it up. More death, more gloom, more decay. Guitars will crush, vocals will possess, and the atmosphere of ENCOFFINATION will strangle you. We are adding more texture in the riffs, more things to take you by the throat and steal your breath."


Based on Ghoat's own experiences of working in the funeral industry, O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres will be a concept... not in the linear sense, but abstract; from the death of the human form to the sacrifice of flesh into the Earth. The album will be released via Poland's Selfmadegod Records later this Summer. More info and an official release date will be announced in the coming weeks.


ENCOFFINATION are:
Ghoat - Vocals, bass, guitar, effects, samples, chants
Elektrokutioner - Drums, percussion, samples, effects

My kind of music. Utter darkness, a bottomless pit of night. Unapologetic underground metal at its best and most captivating” – Tom G. Warrior (Triptykon, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer)




IN THE NURSERY’S BLIND SOUND TO BE RELEASED IN NORTH AMERICA

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Plastic Head Music in cooperation with ITN Corporation today confirms July 12 as the North American release date for In the Nursery’s Blind Sound. The album is the first new studio recording from the Sheffield, England-based group since 2007’s Era. The album’s American release follows the successful European release of the album and recent performance at Sheffield City Hall as part of the Sensoria Film & Music Festival. It further celebrates the band’s 30-year anniversary.


Work began on Blind Sound nearly a year ago at In the Nursery’s studio complex, Beehive Works. The studio is located at the heart of an old cutlery works which, as the band notes, shows “a glimmering memory of Sheffield’s once mighty Steel Industry.” The album is a concentrated effort that features ten signature creations fusing neo-classical instrumentation with unique drum cadences. In succession, the songs infiltrate, uplift, and invade the senses. AllMusic calls Blind Sound, “one of In the Nursery’s strongest and most surprising albums.” Sputnik Music adds, “the darkest album of their career, but also one of their best.”


At the core of In the Nursery’s songwriting is twin brothers Nigel and Klive Humberstone. Their collaborations together employ extensive use of traditional instrumentation (bass, drum, guitar and vocal), along with computers for sound enhancement and arrangement, plus their unique use of marching snare and orchestral percussion (timpani, gran casa). Additional parts are written for, and contributed by, guest musicians (cello, violin, harp, and clarinet among others). Nigel comments, “tracks are constantly fine-tuned and re-arranged until that moment comes when we instinctively know that a track is finished. We are very proud that we have done everything ourselves - from writing, arrangement, performing and engineering to production, mixing and mastering.”


Musical selections from In the Nursery are currently part of HBO’s popular period series, Game of Thrones. Based on author George R.R. Martin’s best selling series A Song of Ice and Fire, the series debuted April 17. Nigel notes, “we’ve been working with a film rep in Los Angeles since the mid-90’s who has helped with many of the theatrical trailer spots we have been involved in.” Game of Thrones has already been picked up by the network for a second season


In The Nursery has released over thirty individual recordings since their formation in 1981. Once part of the highly-regarded Wax Trax! roster, the band has contributed songs to numerous film soundtracks and trailers over their extensive recording history, including Interview With The Vampire, The Sweet Hereafter, Along Came A Spider, The Aviator, Erin Brockovich, and Beowulf. In addition to their major film work, the duo have composed nearly a dozen specially commissioned scores for classic international silent films, including The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1996), Asphalt (1997), Man with a Movie Camera (1999), Hindle Wakes (2001), A Page of Madness (2004), The Passion of Joan of Arc (2008), and music for films from the Mitchell & Kenyon collection.


Commenting on their working relationship Nigel notes, “my brother and I started making music together at the age of 16 when we shared an electric guitar as a birthday present. So it has been a long musical journey for us. The fact that we are still producing music together after all this time is a great testament to our relationship as twin brothers, and is part of what is so special about In The Nursery. In many ways, Blind Sound reflects our relationship with music and each other. For us, sound has no boundaries.”


In the Nursery has confirmed a number of select performances this summer including Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig and Amphi Festival in Koln. Additional performances and ticket details can be found at the band’s official site, www.inthenursery.com


Track listing for Blind Sound is: 1) Artisans of Civilisation*, 2.) Past Glory, 3.) Blind Sound, 4. Crepuscule, 5. Trial By Error, 6., Coloured Silence, 7. Lectern, 8. Crave, 9. Resonate, 10. Overtone.


AMON AMARTH To Return To North America This August

Following up a hugely successful U.S. headlining tour that found the band touring without support and instead performing two separate sets each night, melodic death metal legends AMON AMARTH will return to North America for the second leg of the “An Evening With AMON AMARTH” tour.


Scheduled to kick off in Vancouver on August 4, the trek will ravage its way through 22 cities, including several Canadian venues, and come to a close in Boise on September 3. The first set will again feature the band performing the recently-released, critically-acclaimed Surtur Rising album in its entirety while the second will offer up mixed bag of tunes from their extensive catalog of Norse-inspired awesomeness.


Commented the band in a collective statement: “Yes, it is true! We are coming back to tour North America. The Spring tour turned out to be so successful, and we had such a great time playing the double sets each night, that we decided to bring ‘An evening With AMON AMARTH' to the rest of the continent, including Canada! We will perform the new album in its entirety, and after that we're doing a revised second set with all the classics as well as some ‘wild-cards.’”


An Evening With AMON AMARTH

8/04/2011 Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC

8/06/2011 Macewan Hall – Calgary, AB

8/07/2011 Edmnton Events Centre – Edmonton, AB

8/08/2011 Odeon – Saskatoon, SK

8/09/2011 The Garrick Centre – Winnipeg, MB

8/12/2011 The Phoenix Theatre – Toronto, ON

8/13/2011 Metropolis – Montreal, QC

8/14/2011 Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QC

8/16/2011 Mr. Small’s – Millvale, PA

8/17/2011 St. Andrew’s Hall – Detroit, MI

8/19/2011 Ram’s Head Live – Baltimore, MD

8/20/2011 Starland Ballroom – Sayerville, NJ

8/21/2011 Water Street Music Hall – Rochester, NY

8/23/2011 Expo Five – Louisville, KY

8/24/2011 The Rave – Milwaukee, WI

8/26/2011 House Of Blues – Houston, TX

8/27/2011 House Of Blues – Dallas, TX

8/29/2011 Sunshine Theatre – Albuquerque, NM

8/31/2011 House Of Blues – Anaheim, CA

9/01/2011 House Of Blues – Las Vegas, NV

9/02/2011 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT

9/03/2011 The Knitting Factory - Boise, ID


Tickets go on sale through all local ticket outlets on Thursday, May 19, 2011.


The eighth studio offering from one of Sweden’s finest death metal exports, Surtur Rising was released in North America on March 29, 2011 via Metal Blade Records and continues to reap praise from fans and critics alike. AMON AMARTH nailed a cover spot of the April 2011 issue of Decibel Magazine and earned a 9/10 rating from Outburn who commended the band for delivering “a collection that is brimming with beefy riffs, insidious melodies, and a truly epic sense of scale.” Fearnet.com agreed saying AMON AMARTH is now “at the head of the class,” Metal Review gave it a 9.2/10 score calling it “one of the band's very best releases,” while Metal Army America offered up a grade “A” review noting, “from the Stockholm-bred riff style to frontman Johan Hegg’s Cimmerian-esque performance as growler du jour, AMON AMARTH’s Surtur Rising proves to be an essential and defining listen for band and fans alike.”


In a recap of the band’s live performance, Concertconfessions.com opined: "What is most beautiful about AMON AMARTH's triumph of America is that it’s as pure as the music itself... Friends sharing with friends the magic of the music, that is a true token of success and judging on the reaction from Southern California on Easter Sunday 2011 – AMON AMARTH will have success for a very long time." The Washington Times applauded the band for leaving, “the sold-out crowd awestruck by [their] mastery of melodic death metal," About.com boasted, “I was highly impressed by AMON AMARTH’s stage presentation, which easily rivals that of bands that normally fill arenas," while Skullsnbones.com put it simply: "One band came and conquered Atlanta and their name is AMON AMARTH. Hailz!"

ISIS Live Albums Available for Pre-Order; Video Clip From 2001 Performance

LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2011 -- Pre-orders of the ISIS Live album series are available now via the band's website.
The packages feature bundled downloads of all five releases as well as long-out-of-print merch items including the popular "inaugural" t-shirt and hoodie and the 2006 Clearing The Eye DVD. Full package information and prices are listed below.
ISIS has also posted a video clip of "Celestial" from a 2001 performance at CBGB's on YouTube. The audio from this performance of "Celestial" is included in ISIS Live IV Selections 2001 - 2005.
The digital releases begin with ISIS Live I 9.23.03, a four-song, forty-minute recording from a performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco, which will be available on May 31. Each subsequent recording will be released at two week intervals with dates and album specifics listed below.
The former members of ISIS are busy working on new music with Mike Gallagher scoring films (most recently 22nd of May) and creating music under the MGR moniker, Aaron Turner working with Faith Coloccia on Mamiffer and House of Low Culture, Jeff Caxide creating CRONE with a release forthcoming, Clifford Meyer working on two new projects: Windmills By The Ocean and Taiga as well as continuing with Red Sparowes and Aaron Harris continuing his production career as he currently wraps up work on Lesser Key's upcoming album.
ISIS' final studio album was Wavering Radiant, released by Ipecac Recordings in April 2009.
Upcoming ISIS live releases:
ISIS Live I 9.23.03
Release date: May 31, 2011
Recorded at The Fillmore (San Francisco)
Track list:
1. Carry
2. Weight
3. Hym
4. The Beginning and the End
ISIS Live II 03.19.03
Release date: June 14, 2011
Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden
Track list:
1. From Sinking
2. Glisten
3. Carry
4. Weight
5. The Beginning and the End
6. Celestial (Ext./Alt. Version)
ISIS Live III 12.17.04
Release date: June 28, 2011
Recorded at The Launchpad (Albuquerque)
Track list:
1. So Did We
2. Backlit
3. The Beginning and the End
4. In Fiction
5. Wills Dissolve
6. Grinning Mouths
7. Altered Course
ISIS Live IV Selections 2001 - 2005
Release date: July 12, 2011
Recorded: Various dates (2001, 2002 and 2005) at WMBR (Boston), The Troubadour (Los Angeles), CBGB's (New York), The Rotunda (Philadelphia) and The Middle East (Boston)
Track list:
1. Gentle Time
2. Glisten
3. CFT
4. Celestial
5. Improv 1 (Endless Nameless)
6. False Light
7. The Weight (Feat. Justin Chancellor and Troy Ziegler)
ISIS Live V 07.23.06
Release date: July 26, 2011
Recorded at Koko's (London)
Track list:
1. The Beginning and the End
2. The Other
3. False Light
4. Carry
5. -/Maritime
6. Weight
7. From Sinking
8. Hym

 
Pre-order packages available at Isistheband.com:
$5.99 - Digital download of each individual album
$20 - Digital download of all five albums
$36 - ISIS Inaugural t-shirt and digital download of all five albums
$51 - ISIS Inaugural t-shirt, Clearing The Eye DVD and digital download of all five albums
$56 - ISIS Inaugural hoodie and digital download of all five albums
$71 - ISIS Inaugural hoodie, Clearing The Eye DVD and digital download of all five albums
Redemption codes for each album purchase will be sent to purchaser on the respective album release date

CHECK OUT DOT DOT CURVE'S "I'M STILL HERE" ALBUM TRAILER

Check out the Dot Dot Curve “I’m Still Here” album trailer: here. The new album is out May 24 on Standby Records.

Dot Dot Curve originated out of Greenwood, Indiana in 2008. It all began when DDC brainchild Spanky (then 18 years old) decided to create a solo project with a new genre, all its own. Once tracks went online, Dot Dot Curve’s fan base and play counts took off like wildfire. Within months, DDC was accumulating not only thousands of plays a day, but thousands of downloads a day. Spanky released his songs as free downloads for over a year, before releasing on iTunes. After iTunes sales skyrocketed, his music was picked up by Hot Topic and Dot Dot Curve started to receive attention from AP and other music publications.

Multiple tours both in the US and abroad followed, which leads DDC to the release of the new album "I'm Still Here". As with all of his other releases, Spanky recorded the new material in his garage, with nothing but a laptop and a mic. Once again he has written, mixed, recorded and mastered by everything by himself. The new tunes expand on DDC’s “crunk” sound while incorporating more hip hop into the mix.

Stay updated with Spanky, his upcoming tours, EPs, albums, and other events!!

Follow DDC/Spanky on Twitter!!
@ddcspanky


“I’m Still here” is available in six different bundles which can be pre-ordered here: http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/dot-dot-curve .

LOCK UP: HYPOCRISY and CARCASS Members Guest on New Album!

LOCK UP’s upcoming release, Necropolis Transparent, will feature several guest appearances from HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman (and one time LOCK UP vocalist) Peter Tägtgren along with Jeff Walker (CARCASS, BRUJERIA). Commented bassist Shane Embury:

“I always wanted Peter on the third album since he was on the first record LOCK UP we did. It made sense from a weird trilogy aspect to get him on the record. His tones compliment Tomas perfectly as well. I would have loved to have had Peter sing on more of the songs, but time was short as Peter was heavily involved with his new PAIN record. The songs he did sing on though made them extra special.

As for Jeff, well me and Jeff go so far back it's unreal. We were mixing the album at Andy Sneap's and I wanted an extra vocal texture on a few tracks to spice it up. My voice is more hardcore and I wanted some extra gravel on things. It all seemed to make sense to Jeff once I had bribed him with a 12 pack of his favorite beer (laughs)!”

“It’s great that LOCK UP is back in the saddle again and that I could be apart of it,” commented Peter Tägtgren. “This album will tear you a new asshole!”
Jeff Walker added:
"I think it's pretty fair to say that the current incarnation of LOCK UP have done the late Jesse Pintado more than proud!"

LOCK UP is the death-grind super group featuring Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT), Nicolas Barker (ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, ex-DIMMU BORGIR), Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR) and Anton Reisenegger (CRIMINAL, PENTAGRAM). Their new album Necropolis Transparent will be released on July 1 (Europe) and July 12 (North America) 2011.

Necropolis Transparent track listing:

01. Brethren Of The Pentagram

02. Accelerated Mutation

03. The Embodiment Of Paradox And Chaos (Jeff Walker - Backing Vocals)

04. Necropolis Transparent (Tomas Lindberg & Peter Tägtgren share vocal duties)

05. Parasite Drama (Jeff Walker - Backing Vocals)

06. Anvil Of Flesh

07. Rage Incarnate Reborn

08. Unseen Enemy (Jeff Walker - Backing Vocals)

09. Stygian Reverberations

10. Life Of Devastation

11. Roar Of A Thousand Throats

12. Infiltrate And Destroy

13. Discharge The Fear (Jeff Walker - Backing Vocals)

14. Vomiting Evil

15. Stigmatyr (bonus track)

16. Through The Eyes Of My Shadow Self (Tomas Lindberg & Peter Tägtgren share vocal duties)

17. Tartarus (instrumental)


For more info visit: www.myspace.com/lockup