Friday, May 10, 2013

KILLING JOKE: New Video Single Unveiled

In celebration of their astounding thirty-fifth anniversary, KILLING JOKE today unveils their latest video single in the form of “Corporate Elect.” The tune comes by way of the band’s critically-lauded MMXII full-length released last year via Spinefarm Records and serves as a taster of the band’s three-CD anthology — The Singles Collection 1979-2012.
 
Conceived, filmed and directed by Mikee Goodman, the video is only the fourth official clip sanctioned by the band in the past few years, following “In Excelsis, the animated “European Super State” and the “In Cythera” clips in which the band have barely appeared. Notes Goodman, former frontman of UK outfit SikTh, one half of Primal Rock Rebellion (along with Iron Maiden guitarist, Adrian Smith), and now recording with new project, Outpatients: "This video has been my biggest creative challenge yet. I had never previously met Jaz Coleman, but was blown away by the powerful and passionate performance he delivered. I did not sleep properly for five weeks. Now I have, I have looked at it again with fresh eyes. And smiled. I was honored to be asked to make a music video for KILLING JOKE, and so pleased to hear they liked it."
 
Check out the video at THIS LOCATION.
 
The Singles Collection 1979-2012 captures KILLING JOKE’s ever-evolving legacy with a series of dark, apocalyptic songs that have successfully combined disco, funk and shamanic wisdom with the dark side of punk rock. Called “a timely reminder why KILLING JOKE continue to be held in such high esteem,” by Drowned In Sound, The Singles Collection 1979-2012 delivers thirty-three career-spanning singles over two CDs with an additional third disc of rarities which includes previously unreleased studio tracks. The three-CD version will be limited in number, reverting to two CDs containing the singles tracks. Notes BrooklynVegan, “KILLING JOKE is, like many of the great bands of our time, unique and generally unclassifiable. Punk in both ethos and origin, the UK band has dipped its toe in industrial, metal, funk and dance music in their close-to-35-year career, carving out their own niche and more importantly their own sound.”
 
If you missed it, you can still check out a stream of “Four Stations Of The Sun,” a remix of which appeared on the 1998 LP Wardance – The Remixes and included on disc three of The Singles Collection courtesy of BrookynVegan at THIS LOCATION. You can also hear the band’s “Timewave” demo, brought to you by Decibel Magazine HERE. Previously unreleased, the track was recorded during the Absolute Dissent studio sessions and is included on the third rarities disc.
 
The digital version of The Singles Collection 1979-2012 is out now! The three-disc deluxe and regular two-CD version is set for release via Spinefarm on the new date of June 4, 2013. Pre-order your copy HERE.
 

Monday, May 6, 2013

BOMBUS posts new video for "Apparatus" online

 
 
Gothenburg's metal heavyweights, BOMBUS, are currently on the road supporting the great DANKO JONES! To commemorate this tour, BOMBUS has just released the first single of their upcoming Century Media debut, The Poet and the Parrot. "Apparatus" gives fans a sneak peek into the full-length that is scheduled to drop worldwide in August 2013. To watch the video for "Apparatus," click here.

BOMBUS tour dates feat. DANKO JONES

5.7--NURNBERG Hirsch (DE)

5.8--2013 LINZ Posthof (AT)

5.9--2013 DORNBIRN Conrad Sohm (AT)

5.10--MILANO Factory (Area 3) (IT)

5.11--SAN ALBERTO DI ZERO BRANCO Parco Altroquando - Maximum Festival VI (IT)

5.12--MARSEILLE Le Moulin (FR)

5.14--BARCELONA Music Hall Barcelona (ES)

5.15--MADRID Sala Arena (ES)

5.16--PORTO Hard Club (PT)

5.17--LISBON TMN ao vivo (PT)

5.18--SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA Sala Capitol (ES)

5.19--GIJON Sala Acapulco (ES)

HIRAX Releases More Information on New Album



Legendary Thrash Metal band HIRAX entered the studio to record their new studio album called Immortal Legacy

Singer and mastermind Katon W. De Pena says: "We record the new album with legendary producer Bill Metoyer (Slayer, W.A.S.P., Armored Saint, Cirith Ungol and many others). This is our most epic sounding record to date, sonically powerful and over-the-top. 14 new raging thrash metal songs that will make you bang your head!!!"

The album will be released in Germany on September 20th, in Europe on September 23rd and in the US/Canada on September 24th worldwide through SPV/Steamhammer as CD, gatefold colored LP and download. The album art will be created by Philip Lawvere.

ARTIZAN New Album Ancestral Energy Streaming in Full on GuitarWorld.com


Jacksonville Florida's melodic metal quartet ARTIZAN will release theier sophomore effort Ancestral Energy May 10th via Pure Steel Records.Founded in 2008 by drummer Ty Tammeus, ARTIZAN have established themselves as one of the premier acts in their genre. 

Today the band has teamed up with GuitarWorld.com the online home of Guitar World Magazine for an exclusive full album stream of Ancestral Energy. Check out the album in its entirety HERE.

Although they have created a truly unique sound for themselves, many comparisons to classic Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Fates Warning have been made. Clean, multi-octave vocals, classic riffing, spirited melodies and a touch of progressive elements are woven into the seven tracks on the new album. Matt Barlow (Ex-Iced Earth) is a special guest on the epic 10 minute title track. The album illustration was created by Berlin based artist Eliran Kantor (Testament,Evile,Hatebreed,Atheist,Sigh)

Ancestral Energy will be released on May 10th via Pure Steel Records.
Pre-order in North America here.
European orders are availble here.

VREID: Norwegian Black ‘N’ Roll Legion To Return To North America

Norwegian black ‘n’ roll legion VREID will take their hell hymns to the streets this June on a North American tour alongside headliners Melechesh. Set to commence June 16 in Los Angeles, California, the long-awaited trek includes two weeks of live assaults and will come to a close in New York City on June 30th. .Additional support will come from Lightning Swords Of Death and Reign Of Lies.

VREID will be touring in support of their mammoth Welcome Farewell full-length released in North American via Indie Recordings on March 5, 2013. Commended by Decibel Magazine for “expanding their battleground, refining their attacks, and planting their flag square in the skulls of weaker genre purists,” and appropriately crowned “energetic, infectious, virulently catchy, and furiously, belligerently aggressive,” by No Clean Singing, Welcome Farewell was recorded at bassist Hváll’s own Studio 1184 and is easily the band’s most potent work to date.

Ave Noctum notes, “Welcome Farewell is one more step along a road that will help cast VREID’s legacy in the darkest stone,” Last Rites opines “VREID is more than melodeath, beyond black and roll, and forging a route to greatness. Welcome Farewell is honest and sincere, fun and adventurous, daring and disciplined…,”
Joedaly.net calls Welcome Farewell, “a black metal time bomb packed with fearsome riffage, punishing grooves and masterful fretwork,” adding that the record, “effortlessly claims a spot among the best to date in 2013,” while MeatMeadMetal notes, “VREID have done it again, coming up with a great record that keeps you tied into the storyline and once again refining their style of black metal.”
 

VREID
w/ Melechesh, Lightning Swords Of Death, Reign Of Lies


6/16/2013 The Joint - Los Angeles, CA
6/17/2013 DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
6/18/2013 Hawthorne - Portland, OR
6/19/2013 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
6/20/2013 TBA - Vancouver, BC
6/21/2013 Pawn Shop - Edmonton, AB
6/22/2013 The Exchange - Regina, SK
6/23/2013 TBA - Winnipeg, MB
6/24/2013 Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
6/25/2013 Mojoe’s - Joliet, IL
6/27/2013 Wreck Room - Toronto, ON
6/28/2013 Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
6/29/2013 Railroad Tavern - Keene, NH
6/30/2013 Gramercy Theater - New York, NY

Formed in 2004 following the demise of ‘’Sognametal” legends Windir and described by Metal Hammer UK as a “unique time-travel in metal,” VREID seamlessly merge the prime tenets of ‘70s rock, ‘80s classic metal and Norwegian black metal into a difficult-to-pinpoint, expertly arranged sound implosion. Notorious for their well-researched, historically-inspired lyrics, the band’s third and fourth offerings, I Krig and Milorg, were both concept albums based around the liberation work in Norway during World War II. Liberation was also the keyword on VREID’s last offering, V, but placed in a broader historical/philosophic perspective. The lyrics on Welcome Farewell describe a lifecycle through a series of short stories, seen from an existential point of view and, inspired by Hváll’s own local community with its nature, architecture and historical artists such as Arne Garborg and Otto Valstad, are more personal than ever before.