Prog – Six cool new prog tracks you need to hear this week
w/ SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE – •• Tentacles Industries •• – Season of Mist and more!
Go vote for your fave track now!
https://www.loudersound.com/features/six-cool-new-prog-track-you-need-to-hear-this-week
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 16, 2023
Rockshots Records Signs Canada’s WALK WITH TITANS For Debut Album “Olympian Dystopia” (Greek Myths Meet Power Metal); Unveil Video “Seven Against Thebes”
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Photo Credit – Dani Rod – Above the Sky Studios
Rockshots Records is proud to announce their signing of Walk With Titans for the release of their debut album “Olympian Dystopia” on May 26th, 2023. Based in Montreal, Canada, the band’s goal is to bring all the epic elements you’d expect from a power metal band with a twist of Greek Mythology. On “Olympian Dystopia” the quintet showcases their writing and technical skills.
Efficient, epic, well executed, heavy, and mythical, this is what power metal fans will discover during 50 minutes of “Olympian Dystopia” brought forth by Nikko Cyr (drums), Nick Maugy (rhythm guitar), Louis Jacques (lead guitar) (ex-Blackguard), Lydz Grondin (bass), and Jonathan Vézina (vocals & orchestrations).
”We wanted to make a straightforward power metal album without compromising the epic side. I think listeners will realize that and enjoy it. We made this album during the pandemic and it kept us sane, we hope fans will find the same joy in listening to it as we had to make it! We bring some ancient Greek Myths to the forefront like Eurydice and Herakles, while others are more subtle like ‘Edge of Time’, which is Khronos representing time eating us all. Other tracks on the record we made as an analogy for societal issues.” adds guitarist Louis Jacques.
Today, the band presents their first story and single accompanied by a music video. Entitled “Seven Against Thebes”, the track tells the tale of the seven champions in Greek mythology who made war on Thebes, Adrastus, Amphiaraus, Capaneus, Hippomedon, Polynices, Tydeus, and Parthenopaeus. They were chosen by Adrastus, the king of Argos, to be the captains of an Argive army whose purpose was to restore Oedipus’ son Polynices to the Theban throne.
”This song is very ”in your face”. We wanted to make a fast song with a very epic catchy chorus, I think we succeeded here. This song is about the myth of the two Oedipus’ sons who fought to the death over the city of Thebes. The bridge solo section is very fast and intense, as a battle could be. We unleash everything on the stage when we play this one.” says guitarist Louis Jacques
Watch and listen to “Seven Against Thebes” at https://youtu.be/B8RxVmKbLKY
Digital – https://bfan.link/seven-against-thebes
Walk With Titans is recommended for fans of Angra, Stratovarius, and Rhapsody of Fire.
Album pre-order – https://bit.ly/WalkWithTitansCD
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Track Listing:
1. Herakles (4:08)
2. Edge of Time (4:34)
3. Gods of the Pantheon (5:53)
4. As Titans Fall (4:36)
5. Lost Ways (4:28)
6. Final Dawn (5:31)
7. Gift of Fire feat. Renato Osório (5:38) – Guest guitar solo by Renato Osório (Atomic Elephant, ex-Hibria)
8. Lost Paradise (5:17)
9. Seven Against Thebes (4:16)
10. Eurydice (5:46)
Album Length: 50:22
Walk With Titans is:
Drums : Nikko Cyr
Rythm Guitar : Nick Maugy
Lead Guitar : Louis Jacques
Bass Guitar : Lydz Grondin
Vocals & Orchestrations : Jonathan Vézina
Album Credits:
Album Artwork: Jean-Michel Lima
Logo and album cover layout: Jivago Raymond
Booklet Layout: Simon Bertrand
Recordings: Nick Maugy and Louis Jacques, and vocals were at Silverwings Studio by Jonathan Lefrançois
Mix and Mastering: Francis Gagné from Progressive Acoustics
Drums on the Album: Martin Plante (session drummer)
Music by Walk With Titans
Guest solo on ”Gift of Fire” by Renato Osório (ex-Hibria)
Lyrics: Jonathan Vézina, Louis Jacques, and David Zinay (lost paradise, final dawn)
For more info: Rockshots.eu | Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064909415917 | Instagram.com/walk_with_titans
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MetalFest, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Toledo DeathFest)
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 17, 2023
Surrender To Waves Of Progressive Metal With Israel’s NEOLIA’s Music Video For “Carried Away”
Self-Titled Album Out May 2023
Album Mastered by Howie Weinberg (Metallica, Pantera, Nirvana)
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L-R: Neolia Current Line Up – Tomer Mash (Bass), Yair Ben Shalom (Drums), Ben Reiss (Vocals), Guy Greenberg (Guitar), Inbar Davish (Guitar)
Photo Credit – Avi Veldman
Photo Edit by: Rana Sneider
Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of dynamic soundscapes and intricate musicianship as Israeli progressive metal band Neolia drops their anticipated debut self-titled album. Brace yourself for a genre-bending journey that will leave you begging for more. In advance of this release, they have a new music video out for the track “Carried Away”, which gives an up-close look at the band playing live and continues the story of the fictional character Alex who the album is about. They share the story conveyed in the single:
“This is a bitter, sweet memory, a sharp twist to a childhood memory from age 7. Being barely woken up, after fainting out repeatedly and passing out from rat poison fumes that were sprayed throughout the house, Alex was experiencing hallucinations while being unconscious and imagining being at the same location where he found his mother dead while nature around him came to life in the form of a nightmare. But even within this horror show, while feeling scared, cold, and alone he managed to take control and put up a fight.”
The music starts gently and gradually. A fragile moment yet intense drops with a drum groove on the ride symbols paired with a dark and busy bass line that is balanced by a tender choir section and guitars that contrast each other. Gradually the music intensifies and gets even darker reflecting an emotional spiral that reaches a certain climax after the second verse. After the last chorus, the song ends with vigorous unison of guitar and synth layers.
The video is a taste of what seeing Neolia live is like. They play shows and festivals regularly all over Israel and their virtuosic, eclectic, and artistic shows take the audience on a journey. They are recommended for fans of Sikth, Mudvayne, and TOOL.
Watch “Carried Away” at https://youtu.be/DtZugudoLAc
Spotify – https://spoti.fi/3llfbYs
The self-titled album was mastered by Howie Weinberg (Metallica, Pantera, Nirvana) and is due out on May 5th, 2023.
Album pre-order is available at https://neolia.bandcamp.com/album/neolia
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Track Listing:
1. The Shed – 3:44
2. The Shed outro – 0:52
3. Your prophecy – 7:44
4. Dance of violence – 7:10
5. Carried away – 5:49
6. Carried away outro – 1:24
7. Karma – 4:09
8. Karma outro – 0:44
9. Day in day out – 11:06
10. Anchors – 7:14
11. Rise and fall – 5:06
12. Blow the leaves – 7:02
13. A better version of you – 4:53
14. Refahim – 8:00
Album Length: 74:57
For more info: Neoliaband.com | Facebook.com/neoliaband | Instagram.com/neoliaband
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“It’s as if Ben’s screams had come straight out of hell tearing the skies in all directions” – Metalist Magazine
“Filled with different time signatures, that incorporate beautiful melodic parts and screams that hit you directly in the center of the stomach” – Radio Ze Rock Magazin
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 16, 2023
Austrian Funky Prog Metal HOG MEETS FROG Posts Trippy Playthrough Video For “Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping”
New EP “humANIMALization” Out Now!
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Bottom L-R: : | ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi (guitar) | Ivo Matuš (drums)
Top: | Peter ’PETZ’ Schwabl (bass, storytelling)
Photo Credit Vicky vanSane
Austrian funk prog metallers Hog Meets Frog recently released their third EP on February 24th. The record is a non-conceptual concept EP under the motto of the title: “humANIMALization”.Its purpose is to be witty and entertaining as it flirts with obscurity and is meant to be entirely thought-provoking for listeners.
Frontman Peter ’PETZ’ Schwabl explains:
“When the animal in the human awakens, then, for example, one turns into a bigot monkey and the other becomes an insecure piggy, one becomes a peeping control bear and the other becomes a greedy stock market bull. Just this behavior – sometimes silly, monkey or also clumsy, bearish – is told in the lyrics, as well as through the wide range of sound worlds and riffs.”
Today, in support of the EP, the band is sharing a trippy and fun playthrough for the track “Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping”.
“Here you see us get into some slap-around funk groove with my guitarist Ariyan, we get many comments that’s it like a Les Claypool / Primus track, it’s funky, weird and just good times making silly music with a message.” says bassist/vocalist – Peter ’PETZ’ Schwabl.
“Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping” was written by Schwabl to tell a story where the peeping bear symbolizes the intelligence services and control freaks of this world, starting with the NSA scandal up to the possibilities of digitally utilized psychometric tools used for influencing elections by corporations or rich power-hungry people and warmongers.
“This and much more we have packed into the in the sleeve of the sympathetic voyeur bear, who on top of that smilingly believes that he is spying, spying and eavesdropping on everyone with good reason and only with the best of intentions,” adds Schwabl.
Watch and listen to the playthrough for “Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping” at https://youtu.be/5CNDLMrWTuY
With influences ranging all over the musical spectrum from progressive and death metal to jazz, to world music and funk, there is something for everyone in the riffs and chords that Hog Meets Frog presents on this avant-garde record.
The band finds that the best approach to serious topics is with fun and that is emphasized with “humANIMALization”. Most people will first notice the cheerful, funny, sick side of Hog Meets Frog, but a few will remove the mask and then let themselves fall into the deepest depths of the music and lyrics and see what thoughts lie dormant there: Stories that life writes.
Adventurous listeners are invited to go through the looking glass and find the deeper meaning in each of the tracks on the EP, or simply frolic in the bright colours on the surface. “humANIMALization” is recommended for fans of System of a Down, Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, TOOL, and Frank Zappa.
“humANIMALization” was released on February 24, 2023 and is available on Hogmeetsfrog.bandcamp.com, Spotify.
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Track Listing:
1. Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough (4:32)
2. Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping (5:10)
3. Apes Don’t Smoke Cigars – Just Pipes (4:47)
4. Stuff(ed), Cage(d) & Enslave(d) (3:25)
5. ZIGGY The Unpigcorn (3:46)
EP Length: 21:42
EP Band Lineup:
Ivo Matuš – Drums (peeping-bear’s exegesis of not peeping || apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes)
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums (of snakes ‘n’ moles ‘n’ bulls ‘n’ dough || stuff(ed), cage(d) & enslave(d) || ZIGGY the unpigcorn)
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ’PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling
Live Band Lineup:
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ‘PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling
For more info: Hogmeetsfrog.com | Facebook.com/hogmeetsfrog | Twitter.com/hogmeetsfrog | Instagram.com/hogmeetsfrog | Tiktok.com/@hogmeetsfrog
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“If you are a fan of the jerky, spiky, awkward sounds of Primus you’ll love this. I daresay if you enjoy a bit of early Red Hot Chili Peppers you may also dig this – certain parts of the record do have a sneak peek toward Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention and The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – not too obviously, but those sly, sideways little looks are there.” – Ever- Metal UK
“There’s an element of uniqueness to how each of these songs are written, although you can’t deny the clear influence of say the Primus bass lines or Zappa-esc experimentation, yet it is within the niche, thematic storytelling that gives Hog Meets Frog a real musical identity. The way they can tell a story with humour yet allow you to consider the real and often times scary true circumstances behind where these stories originate is what gives this band their staple. Certainly one to look out for in the future, long live Sqeekquackmusic!” – Metal Epidemic
“If the song titles like Apes don’t smoke cigars, just pipes are very funny, the musical aspects are of very high quality and definitely not “suitable for a headband”. Sure, funk isn’t a run-of-the-mill genre to sing along to, but sophisticated music at the highest level. So to speak, jazz music of the metal species. One can clearly register the inspiration of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Primus and Co. on this record, whereby the songs transport positive energy.” – Rock Magazine
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Le FestEvil)
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 14, 2023
DEADWOLFF Announces USA Tour Dates To Support Debut Album “Heavy Rock N’ Roll” (Golden Robot Records) Out March 31st
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L-R: Tommy Wolffe (Bass. Vocals), Bobby Deuce (Guitar), Angus Pike (Drums)
Photo Credit: Megan Kay
A blend of hard rock, punk, and metal, Deadwolff set themselves apart from other bands with their take on the New Wave of Heavy Rock and Roll. Recommended for fans of Judas Priest, Motorhead, and W.A.S.P, Deadwolff‘s is a revival of foot-tapping, beer-drinking, headbanging tunes, and more. They are touring across the United States and Canada this May and June in support of their forthcoming debut full-length “Heavy Rock N’ Roll” due out on March 31st via Golden Robot Records.
Music Video – Heavy Rock n’ Roll – https://youtu.be/kAiNlEmDkZk
Music Video – Homeward Bound – https://youtu.be/iPC0z5J3Xnc
Album-pre-save – https://linktr.ee/deadwolff
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May
8 – Outer Limits Lounge – Hamtramck, MI
9 – Liars Club – Chicago, IL
11 – Whittier – Tulsa, OK
12 – Double Wide – Dallas, TX
13 – Black Magic Social Club – Houston, TX
14 – Valhalla Tavern – Austin. TX
15 – Faust Tavern – San Antonio, TX
17 – The Edge – Tuscon, AZ
18 – The Blooze Bar – Pheonix, AZ
19 – Tower Bar – San Diego, CA
20 – Red Dwarf – Las Vegas, NV
23 – Destructive Warehouse – Fresno, CA
24 – The Knockout – San Francisco, CA
25 – On the y- Sacramento, CA
26 – Shea’s Tavern – Reno, NV
27 – Knucklehead – Los Angeles, CA
30 – High Water Mark – Portland, OR
31 – The Cherry Pit – Seattle, WA
June
1 – Sunny Chibas – Squamish, BC
2 – The Cambie – Vancouver, BC
3 – Kami Inn – Kamloops, BC
4 – Canmore Hotel – Canmore, AB
6 – The Palamind – Calgary, AB
7 – Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB
9 – Bulldog – Winnipeg, MB
10 – Atmos – Thunder Bay, ON
For more info: Facebook.com/officialdeadwolff | Instagram.com/deadwolff.official
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 15, 2023
Canada’s MAUDIIR Unleashes Riff Driven Blackened Thrash Single “Toxic Cloud”
New EP “Soliloque” Out April 2023
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Maudiir is a one-man project that started from a need to be independent and produce music at a pace that F. alone decides. Over the years, that freedom has come to be quite fulfilling for him, he moves forward in the direction he wants and follows his creative desires to produce his signature blend of blackened thrash metal. Thus far, Maudiir has released two EPs and a third “Soliloque” is on the horizon. The riff-driven EP has already been introduced with the single “L’Éloge du Cuivre” and the momentum is continued with the single “Toxic Cloud”.
“Toxic Cloud” starts off with a classic metal/almost hard rock feel, then goes into a black metal frenzy with a very epic ending. Generally, Maudiir is inspired by what is going on in the world; politics, religion, consumer society, and environment, true to those themes, the single is about the Bhopal disaster in India. Maudiir shares his thoughts on the upcoming EP:
“It is a riff-driven EP with big bass grooves and corrosive vocals raging on environmental issues, mixing thrash metal, black metal, and progressive elements, giving it a unique sound and feel. Honestly, when I’m working on an EP, I pretty much let the songs come as they are without trying to force a style or recipe. Nothing is really planned. I think the vocals are the glue to what I do; it’s the sound of my voice that makes MAUDIIIR, like it or not.”
Everything in Maudiir is done by F. Every song on “Soliloque” started on guitar, then drums were added, followed by bass and vocals. One song is worked on at a time, from start to finish before a second one is started. Also, in order to be more fluid and closer to a one-take feel, this EP was rehearsed a lot more before tracking than previous EPs, and same with the vocals. These small changes keep things interesting for Maudiir.
With inspiration such as the first Emperor album, a lot of Mayhem records, and pretty much everything Satyricon has done, Maudiir is recommended for fans of Ihsahn, Carcass, and Darkthrone.
Listen to “Toxic Cloud” via ThisIsBlackMetal YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/-AWWtV7fPpE
“Soliloque” is due out on April 7th and is available for pre-order at https://maudiir.bandcamp.com.
Previous Single – L’Éloge du Cuivre – https://youtu.be/S7XLDuUngN8
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Track Listing:
1. Toxic Cloud (5 :24)
2. L’Éloge du Cuivre (5 :02)
3. Residue (4 :30)
4. Regarde au Ciel (4:41)
5. CH4 (5:44)
EP Length: 25:24
For more info: Facebook.com/people/Maudiir/100063607593649 | Twitter.com/maudiir1 | Instagram.com/maudiirofficial
About: Maudiir, coming from the underbelly of Montreal, Quebec, Canada is an outlet for observations on obedience and industrialization riddled with man-made waste. With 80s heavy metal influences alongside black metal and punk, Maudiir is unique in sound; hauntingly dark while being corrosive and galloping.
Maudiir is a one-man black/prog/thrash metal project that formed to be musically independent. Starting with guitar, F. works his way through each sullen track, adding drums, recording all the colorations and textures of the guitars, adding bass, and finally writing the words, very often at the same time they are being recorded.
The pessimistic aura of the music combines with lyrics about consumer society, religion, science going awry, addiction to technology, and environmental decay.
Maudiir released the debut EP “Le Temps Peste” in February 2020 and a year later unleashed the follow-up “La Part du Diable” in 2021.
Now in 2023, two years after the sophomore record, Maudiir returns with the third offering “Soliloque”, an intense and aggressive five-track record built on thrash metal foundations, flirting with prog and melodic tendencies.
“It’s not a linear EP; certainly not the same song repeated again and again. Open-minded people, step in. Those who have heard my past EPs will notice ‘Soliloque’ is different than ‘La Part du Diable’, which was also different than ‘Le Temps Peste’. I like to think that the overall production is getting better with every release. I don’t want to repeat myself or focus on some kind of recipe. The overall sound of ‘Soliloque’ is very different from ‘La Part du Diable’; different guitar, bass, and drum sounds. I also used less effect on the vocals, a more in-your-face approach. One song was recorded with a 7-string guitar, I dabbled with some slide guitar on another… Trying new stuff. I particularly like the bass sound that cuts through really well. Being primarily a guitar player, I‘ve really come to enjoy giving a lot of space to the bass guitar in my music. It’s the instrument that I have the most pleasure recording.” adds Maudiir.
“Soliloque” is due out April 7, 2023.
F. (ex-Deeply Confused, Tears for the Dead Gods) is also currently leading prog/thrash metal outfit Trinity Blast.
Maudiir is F.
Discography:
2023 – Soliloque (EP)
2021 – La Part du Diable (EP)
2020 – Le Temps Peste (EP)
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“The song (L’Éloge du Cuivre) is well-calculated to get the listener’s pulse jumping right away. The drums infectiously pop. The riff (tuned to a mangling tone) comes in bursts, and so does the growling bass. Having accomplished that feat, things get more vicious as the guitar feverishly jitters and writhes, the words come in a torrent of rabid screams, and the drums hammer with a will. Although the riffing continues to change, becoming more searing and deranged, and also more frantically jolting, the song’s mad rhythmic pulse remains vivid, continuing to punch and drive even when a head-spinning guitar solo seizes attention. Both the drumming and the mercurial bass maneuvers (which are pleasingly prominent) ensure that listeners’ limbs and heads will keep bobbing and pumping straight through the song’s furious finale.” – No Clean Singing
“Maudiir are a blackened thrash metal band from Montreal, Québec. They’re putting out a new album on April 7 called Soliloque, and the first single, “L’Éloge du Cuivre,” is available on their Bandcamp right now. Break out your French knowledge for this one. It’s a pummeling metal track but one not without its share of punk influence an the chords pound in a fiery fury. That guitar definitely has one foot in punk and one in metal, while the drummer keeps up a fairly simple nu metal beat. It’s got a great edge to it without just getting lost in how hard and heavy it is.” – New Noise Magazine
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, ToledoDeathFest)
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 15, 2023
Tentacles Industries – France’s SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE Get Philosophical With Proggy “Out Of Plato’s Cave” Off New Album “Diama” Out May 2023
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Photo Credit – Elusive Daeva
Founded by professional musicians in 2019 and hailing from Marseille, France, Sunbeam Overdrive is mixing progressive metal and 90s alternative rock. They are eagerly anticipating the release of their debut album “Diama” in the Spring of this year and leading up to it, have dropped a single “Out Of Plato’s Cave” complete with a music video. The band shares the idea behind the track:
“It’s a very energetic piece with djent and progressive accents to compliment Plato’s allegory of the Cave, describing how difficult it is to look away from the illusions that easily feed our minds, to stand your ground when everyone around you thinks you’re a fool, to look for the light, for elevation, for the truth, and have the strength to keep your eyes and soul open when it hits you.”
The single is an excellent introduction to the album, as it showcases how the band expertly blends several different styles together. They believe this could surprise a lot of people, and please fans of multiple genres ranging from 90s grunge to modern djent.
This upcoming record is about elevation, travel, adventure, and energy. It’s meant to lift you up yet make you endure the storm both inside and outside of yourself. Although not designed as a concept album, “Diama” nevertheless turns out to be crossed implicitly by a coherent line, which appeared to them once the album was finished. This line is that of the crests of the summits, more precisely a notion of ascent, elevation, exterior as interior. It translates into the quasi-cinematic succession of pieces forming an initiatory journey throughout the 10 songs. It is recommended for fans of Alice In Chains, Meshuggah, and Tool.
Lyric Video – Out of Plato’s Cave – https://youtu.be/3MAJwOWFTj4
“Diama” will be released on May 12, 2023 by Tentacles Industries with distribution from Season of Mist.
“Diama” was engineered and mixed by Tom Abrigan and mastered by Brett Caldas-Lima (Devin Townsend Project, Megadeth, Cynic, Pain of Salvation) at Tower Studio, France.
Album pre-order is available at the following links:
Limited Digipak / Bundles – https://tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com/artist/sunbeam-overdrive
Digital pre-save – https://bfan.link/diama
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Track Listing:
1. Ascending (1:47)
2. Diama (6:14)
3. Slave To The Void (5:14)
4. Crimson Stains (4:49)
5. Diamond Shape (7:10)
6. Junction: Buhl’s Eye (1:20)
7. Deaf And Blind (4:47)
8. Shen (5:45)
9. Out Of Plato’s Cave (5:05)
10. Hard Sun (5:49)
11. Fainted Core (Bonus Track – Live Acoustic) (6:08)
Album Length: 54:08
Album and Live Band Line Up:
Tom Abrigan – Guitars & Vocals
Karim Arnaout – Vocals
Laurent Duclouet – Drums
Bruno Morgana – Bass
For more info: Sunbeamoverdrive.bandzoogle.com | Facebook.com/Sunbeamoverdrive | Instagram.com/sunbeamoverdrive
Tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com | Facebook.com/tentaclesindustries | Instagram.com/tentaclesindustries
Twitter.com/tentaclesindus | Youtube.com/@tentaclesindustries | Tentaclesindustries.bandcamp.com
About: Founded around professional musicians in 2019 and hailing from Marseille, southern France, SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE is mixing progressive metal and ’90s alternative rock. Hard at work since day one, the band quickly released its first 3-track EP and performed their very first show at the famous German Euroblast Festival in October 2019. Sunbeam Overdrive was about to hit the stages when the Covid-19 pandemic started… In turn, and after a few line-up movements, they started producing their first full-length album “Diama”, to be released worldwide in 2023.
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia
(Rockshots Records, Extreme Metal Music, Armstrong MF, Loud As Hell, Metalocalypstick, Decimate MF, Electric Highway Fest, Wacken Metal Battle Canada/USA, Hyperspace MF, Toledo DeathFest)
EPK – Sunbeam Overdrive – Diama (2023) (Tentacles Industries / Season of Mist)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“An adventure, solitary, a life journey, its trials and tribulations translated in the form of a wide sound surrounding the listener to try to confront them with themselves, their own experiences, their own emotions …. make them start their own journey.
This record is about elevation, travel, adventure, and energy. It’s meant to lift you up yet make you endure the storm both inside and outside of yourself. Although not designed as a concept album, Diama nevertheless turns out to be crossed implicitly by a coherent line, which appeared to us once the album was finished. This line is that of the crests of the summits, more precisely a notion of ascent, elevation, exterior as interior. It translates into the quasi-cinematic succession of pieces forming an initiatory journey throughout its 10 songs.” – Sunbeam Overdrive
For fans of Periphery, Architects, The Human Abstract, Born of Osiris, Cynic
Band Name: Sunbeam Overdrive
Album / Single Title: Diama
Release Date: May 12, 2023
Label: Tentacles Industries
Distribution: Season of Mist
Sunbeamoverdrive.bandzoogle.com/home | Facebook.com/Sunbeamoverdrive | Youtube | Instagram.com/sunbeamoverdrive
Sunbeamoverdrive.bandcamp.com | Spotify
Tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com | Facebook.com/tentaclesindustries | Instagram.com/tentaclesindustries
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“Out Of Plato’s Cave – One of Six cool new prog tracks you need to hear this week (March 16, 2023)” – Prog Mag
“Bang this album into your vehicle’s sound system or blast it through your headphones, as you rock out to ‘Diama’ by Sunbeam Overdrive. It is THE soundtrack for your journey of solitary existence!” – Metal-Rules
“SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE gives us a very high-end album, talented musicians, in the service of an intelligent music which does not forget to arouse emotions, the perfect balance in my opinion, too often I find the proguous eager for technicality getting lost and forgetting to play with his heart, these guys have not taken this wrong. I should have gone to the Zenith.” – Profil Prog
“As a first work, Diama has been a great success and shows Sunbeam Overdrive as a playful and highly energetic newcomer who can definitely set accents in the scene. 9/10” – Sound Magnet Magazin
“DIAMA impressed me on first listen and continued to impress me with each subsequent listen; there’s something genuine and infectious and even somewhat joyous about it. Maybe it’s because hard rock doesn’t grip me much these days, but Sunbeam Overdrive have managed to. This is a surprisingly self-assured debut and a very satisfying listen from a young group with a bright future ahead of them. Recommended tracks: Slave to the Void, Diamond Shape, Shen” – The Progressive Subway
“This one is interesting, a bit prog, some groove metal, thrash stuff. clean and harsh vox. Cool!” – The Mosh Pit – WORT 89.9FM (Madison, WI)
“Whether you want to call it prog or not, Sunbeam Overdrive does their best to let Diama speak with riffs. At their catchiest Sunbeam Overdrive carves punchy numbers from djent-ish groove and Alice in Chains vocal harmonies that could have been easy targets to record from radio to flip phone ringtone (“Slave to the Void,” “Shen”). Taking cues from fellow Frenchmen Klone whose moody tunes similarly rest in a land of slippery assignment, a tilted sense of melancholy pervades other flowing numbers that feature slithering hooks and arena-sized refrains (“Diama,” “Diamond Shapes”). But in the face of the mild solemnity that accompanies that element of Diama, Sunbeam Overdrive make sure to pop in a bit of fun with mid-album shaker “Crimson Stains” featuring the bounce (but not the rap) of KROQ Weenie Roast2 artifact 311—tastefully nu if not dangerously inventive.” – Angry Metal Guy
“As far as the songs go, I love the whole album, but ‘Diama’ was amazing. ‘Slave To The Void’, ‘Crimson Stains’, ‘Deaf And Blind’, and ‘Out Of Plato’s Cave’ were all great. There’s a cover of ‘Hard Sun’ from Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Peterson as well. They’re doing a version closer to the Pearl Jam version, but either way they do a great job with it. Overall, I have to give this one a 9 out of 10 “Flaming Fists” due to its creativity, musicianship, production and overall song-writing. It’s one of the most diverse and heavy albums I’ve heard lately, it deserves a much bigger audience.” – Rock You Radio
“SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE is nevertheless the unexpected little discovery of the moment.” – Score A/V
“Following a promising EP released in 2019, this first album by Sunbeam Overdrive immediately shows the full potential of an inventive group, without giving into gratuitous one-upmanship. Admittedly, their progressive metal is technically well above average and most of the titles damn convoluted, some sometimes flirting with djent, but the Marseille quartet masters their subject perfectly and knows how to write real songs, even allowing themselves to slip in a few discreet nods to Alice In Chains/Soundgarden grunge. A rich and dense first album for thrill seekers.” – Guitar Part.fr
“Soon, on •• Tentacles Industries •• , the release of the new album by French quartet Sunbeam Overdrive. It’s called Diama and Crimson Stains is the new single to entice you for the rest of the album soon to come. Scream, djent, progressive, alternative metal and all sorts of core elements come at you from all sides. Circling around you like a riff tornado, this single is but one of the many tracks that hurl you through space and time, and the storm both inside and out of you. It fits perfectly with the concept that seems to be surrounding the album…” – Stoner Hive
“Standing out from the progressive metal pack with their interesting touches of 90’s alt-rock, Sunbeam Overdrive tickle the senses with their wandering intro of Ascending and the choppy, raw, and animated title track. Before they really lean into the 90’s alt-rock soundscape with Slave to the Void. Where sections of heavy groove come crashing down on the head. Followed then by the anthemic and manic energy of Crimson Stains, one of the album’s more intense moments as Sunbeam Overdrive go quite hard and heavy here…. Though if you’re after something with a more serrated edge, Out of Plato’s Cave will cause some damage. Sunbeam sounding both furiously heavy and grandiose in equal measures. Another highlight of the record simply because of the hectic pacing.” – Games, Brrraaains & Head-Banging Life
“Welcoming us in an oriental atmosphere (which can also evoke the last Hypno5e for once), Diama really starts with the title track, pulsed and muscular, it takes us without hesitation into the rich universe of the Marseilles managing to stall us unstoppable Devin Townsend- inspired vocal melodies .” – Eklektik-Rock
“A production to seek out by those who enjoy vibrant and melodic heavy metal explored with a little bit of a progressive metal attitude and spirit.” – Progressor
“Sunbeam Overdrive nous délivre un premier album vraiment convaincant. Du grant art !” – United Rock Nations
“There are plenty of tracks that I love on this album but it is perhaps ‘Shen’ which is my favorite. The big sound is put in parentheses, favoring the alternative form to metal, the guitars play subtlety with beautiful djent figures and the vocals are almost an accompaniment to the rhythm section. D I A M A is a very nice discovery.” – NeoProg
““Diama” is a very good moment of powerful and racy metal, combining softness and emotion on this disc as icy as it is burning. Some will regret the obvious or smooth and unsurprising appearance, but it doesn’t matter because the intoxication is there. To discover urgently, because even if it is not a dazzling diamond, its qualities make it a precious stone which will reveal its shimmering colors over multiple listenings. 4/5” – Music Waves
““Diama” est un très bon moment de metal puissant et racé, alliant douceur et émotion sur ce disque aussi glacé que brûlant. Certains regretteront l’aspect évident ou lisse et sans surprise, mais peu importe car l’ivresse est au rendez-vous. A découvrir d’urgence, car même s’il n’est pas un diamant éblouissant, ses qualités en font une pierre précieuse qui révélera ses couleurs chatoyantes au fil de multiples écoutes. 4/5” – Music Waves
Band Name: Sunbeam Overdrive
Album / Single Title: Diama
Release Date: May 12, 2023
Label: Tentacles Industries
Distribution: Season of Mist
Track Listing:
1. Ascending (1:47)
2. Diama (6:14)
3. Slave To The Void (5:14)
4. Crimson Stains (4:49)
5. Diamond Shape (7:10)
6. Junction : Buhl’s Eye (1:20)
7. Deaf And Blind (4:47)
8. Shen (5:45)
9. Out Of Plato’s Cave (5:05)
10. Hard Sun (5:49)
11. Fainted Core (Bonus Track – Live Acoustic) (6:08)
Album Length: 54:08
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Sunbeam Overdrive
• All songs written by: Tom Abrigan (except lyrics for Diama, Slave To The Void, Crimson Stains and Out Of Plato’s Cave by Karim Arnaout, and Hard Sun by Indio’s Gordon Peterson, covered by Eddie Vedder)
• Produced by: Tom Abrigan
• Mixed by: Tom Abrigan
• Mastered by: Brett Caldas-Lima (Tower Studio: Devin Townsend, Cynic, Pain of Salvatio)
• Album Artwork by: Christophe Dessaigne (Midnight Digital)
Album and Live Band Line Up:
Tom Abrigan – Guitars & Vocals
Karim Arnaout – Vocals
Laurent Duclouet – Drums
Bruno Morgana – Bass
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The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
This record is about elevation, travel, adventure, and energy. It’s meant to lift you up yet make you endure the storm both inside and outside of yourself. Although not designed as a concept album, Diama nevertheless turns out to be crossed implicitly by a coherent line, which appeared to us once the album was finished. This line is that of the crests of the summits, more precisely a notion of ascent, elevation, exterior as interior. It translates into the quasi-cinematic succession of pieces forming an initiatory journey throughout the 10 songs:
“The Ascent… (1. Ascending) of an immense mountain, a power monster: You… Me… Us, the Nanga Parbat.
Doing it via a glacier that no one has yet crossed… (2. Diama)
Doing it without being a slave to anyone or anything, facing the void in front of you just like within yourself (3. Slave To The Void)
Ignoring having been treated like a puppet from whom you could take whatever you wanted then leave it in a corner. (4. Crimson Stains)
Seeing that diamond shape again, over there, through the mist. (5. Diamond Shape)
Reaching the junction, seeing the eye of the Bull. (6. Junction: Buhl’s Eye)
And continuing, even deaf and blind… (7. Deaf And Blind)
Invoking what is most ancestral in us. Without ever going astray. (8. Shen)
Coming out of our own Plato’s cave. (9. Out Of Plato’s Cave)
And reaching for the sun… The hard, high sun. (10. Hard Sun)
There, then… We’ll know a little bit who we are…” – SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE –
Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
1. Ascending: An instrumental intro that places the listener at the beginning of their ascent of a Himalayan Mountain (Nanga Parbat). It’s airy, bewitching, and foreshadows significant events…
2. Diama: The first real track on the record, powerful, aggressive, and catchy but also airy and progressive. Lyrics were inspired by an extremely intense, burning, sudden, ephemeral, and ultimately volcanic adventure. Volcanism is the metaphor spun throughout the text, because it evokes fusion, lava flows, eruption, and therefore, in the background, carnal, erotic union; heat that burns, but that fertilizes afterward (there’s nothing like a volcanic rock for a fertile soil). And in the context of the whole album Diama, which turns out to be an initiatory journey in the form of the ascent of a mountain, with all that this represents in terms of trials, doubts, determination, dizziness, and vertigo, the figure of the volcano is inscribed in the field of heights, of mountains.
3. Slave To The Void: The band’s desire to lay the foundations for a more alternative, urban, and raw sound. It ends with a pronounced airy side that is redundant but pays homage to more alternative influences such as grunge or 90s metal. The lyrics evoke the paralyzing power of the void, whether an actual void like a precipice or an abyss, or inside ourselves, and the strength it takes to lift yourself from the entropy and apathy that life can bury you in. It’s an invitation to keep your head up and become the sign you are vainly waiting for to start living.
4. Crimson Stains: The band starts with a faster song, with a more punk spirit, reminiscent of early Soundgarden or Pearl Jam albums, but with more metal/progressive riffing. The lyrics are about the mental load and burden, and sometimes physical aggressions that women are faced with; based on the testimonies of many and only just trying to imagine how it feels like to live with such a disadvantage in a patriarchal world…
5. Diamond Shape: An autobiographical track, slow, and airy but heavy and sad. Reminiscent of Black Sabbath, Tool, and a sad period in the life of one of the musicians who take stock of what his life has been like in the form of various images, especially memories of a mountain in the Alps, which looks like a gigantic diamond from a distance, and how it feels when everything you have built for years collapses.
6. Junction: Buhl’s Eye: To talk about ascents again, and in particular that of Nanga Parbat (Diama being a glacier adjoining the mountain), the junction of 2 routes on one of the sides of this mountain owes its name to Hermann Buhl. This piece is an aerial instrumental featuring a guitar solo to define a milestone that is being crossed. Altitude, lack of oxygen, a brain on the verge of asphyxiation, mirages…
7. Deaf And Blind: This piece is intended to be heavy, dramatic, and catchy to translate the anger of a people against the elites, the system in which they are trapped, and the questioning of their existences.
8. Shen: A very ethereal piece whose text confronts today’s China with its spiritual ancestral past.
9. Out Of Plato’s Cave: A very energetic piece with djent and progressive accents to mention Plato’s allegory of the Cave, describing how difficult it is to look away from the illusions that easily feed our minds, to stand your ground when everyone around you thinks you’re a fool, to look for the light, for elevation, for the truth, and have the strength to keep your eyes and soul open when it hits you.
10. Hard Sun: Into The Wild was a milestone in our lives, and we felt that Eddie Vedder’s interpretation along with all the images, emotions, and impressions the film triggers, deserved a cover with the Sunbeam Overdrive sound. It goes well with the entire record topic, and makes for an amazing solar ending, after ascending, looking into the abyss, sadness, oppression, and memories, after finding the courage to escape from Plato’s cave: it’s a big hard sun that frees us all.
11. Fainted Core (bonus track): We wanted to pay tribute to the 90s MTV unplugged concerts, so we actually did half a dozen takes of that song recording sound and image, and picked the best version for a very simple yet aesthetically pleasant video already available on YouTube.
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Hailing from Marseille, southern France, SUNBEAM OVERDRIVE is mixing progressive metal and ’90s alternative rock founded in 2019.
Hard at work since day one, the band quickly released its first 3-track EP and performed their very first show at famous German Euroblast Festival in October 2019.
Sunbeam Overdrive was about to hit the stages when the Covid-19 pandemic started… In turn, and after a few line-up movements, they started producing their first full length album “Diama”, to be released worldwide in 2023.
Sunbeam Overdrive:
Tom Abrigan – Guitars & Vocals
Karim Arnaout – Vocals
Laurent Duclouet – Drums
Bruno Morgana – Bass
Discography:
2023 – Diama – LP (Tentacles Industries / Season of Mist)
2019 – Sunbeam Overdrive – EP
Shared Stage with: Psykup, Ten56, Ze Gran Zeft, Kvark
Tours and Festivals:
2019 – Euroblast – Köln, DE
Sponsors / Artist Endorsements: Vola Guitar, SP Custom, Skull Strings, Hyraw, RocknFreeLife, Carl Thompson
EPK – Whythre – Impregnate My Hate (2022)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“Whether it’s writing with wailing solos, slithering with sinuous synth lines, or awash with waves of riptide riffs, Whythre’s latest is without remorse. They came to lay waste and write solid album titles — and they’re all out of album titles. Consequently, Impregnate My Hate opens with the single Scorchbreath, an onslaught of solos, slamming breakdowns, subtle orchestration, and a sing-along chorus that embodies Whythre’s deft formulation of melodic death metal singed with a blackened edge. Having been fixtures in the Seattle metal scene since 2016, band members Shon Petrey, Adam Chambers, Eric Close, and Steve Fournier know their way around both riff craft and laying down a tight performance. But Whythre’s latest expulsion of fury seethes like a band that’s only getting started, from the first violent lick to the final double-bass kick. Follow along to standout tracks like Immanence, which thunders along with the certainty of slow death and offers little in the way of forgiveness, or to Scorpions of Sinai, which has a groove guaranteed to move any circle pit. The fury of Whythre’s writing is real, but fury is rarely this much fun: expect to get your ass kicked, and to enjoy it.” – Whythre
For fans Hypocrisy, Children of Bodom, Havok, The Black Dahlia Murder
Album Title: Impregnate My Hate
Release Date: May 26, 2023
Label: High Point Records
Distribution: CD Baby
Whythre.com | Facebook.com/Whythre | Instagram.com/whythreofficial | YouTube
Whythre.bandcamp.com | Spotify
Linktree – https://linktr.ee/whythreofficial
“for this new song (Scorpions of Sinai) itself, it is indeed a speed demon. Driven hard by piston-pumping drums and hurtling bass lines, it includes fretwork that pulsates and darts even more maniacally and screams of unchained derangement. But it doesn’t take long for synths to soar and sweep, creating an overlay of supernatural fear. There are elements of magical seduction in the song as well, thanks to the spice of frantically swirling melodies, but the music also inflicts a bone-hammering beating, and the riffs will give a headbanger plenty of opportunities to get neck trauma. The album as a whole is a hell of a twisting and turning trip, which might appeal especially to fans of Hypocrisy and Children of Bodom. You’ll get another taste of the album in its first single, “Scorchbreath“, which features backing vocals by Gabe Tachell (Whythre‘s first vocalist) and Carolina Chambers, and it also arrived with an excellent video.” – No Clean Singing
““Scorchbreath” wastes no time getting the album going. With some growing key support, that deathy lick pushes so hard on your prostate that it vaporizes. And the vocals on this song—and the album as a whole—fit the tone and aggression of the music far better than the debut. “Scorpions of Sinai” is another beast of a track with heavy lows that make the chorus villainous. This song also shows the true musicianship of the band as the guitars and keys tear through blisteringly-fast passages that would make Alexi Laiho smile.” – Angry Metal Guy
“Impregnate My Hate is a surprisingly good album… there are surprises around every corner… I might not have been a fan of the band before, but Impregnate My Hate has convinced me otherwise.” – Angry Metal Guy
All in all, “Impregnate My Hate” is still a huge leap, making WHYTHRE a melodic death newcomer to watch out for in the future… And if you miss the classic COB sound after Alexi Laiho passed away much too early, you should definitely lend an ear to the Americans now.” – PowerMetal.de
“Heavier thrash, but with a proggy technical thing going on in parts too. Cool stuff!” – The Moshpit – WORT 89.9 FM (Madison, WI)
“a sharp, smart melodic death metal ripper with some unhinged almost Van Halen-style soloing” – Best underground metal releases of May 2023 – Consequence of Sound – Heavy
“There is no mistaking that with this new album Whythe sound rejuvenated, the new rhythm section as precise and destructive as a laser guided missile. As a listener, opening cut “Scorchbreath” is exactly what you want. Punchy and aggressive, crossing sub-genre territories with death defying leaps with an onslaught of Thrash infused riffage, short and violent bursts of Black Metal inspired blast beats, gang chant moments in the chorus and the odd ethereal touch a real demonstration of prowess. That’s before we’ve mentioned the twin axe attack of the extended solo which will melt your face off… before the kick in the guts that is the title track “Impregnate My Hate“.” – Metal Noise
“The drums snap and boom; the nimble, pulsing bass work amplifies the song’s surging, head-moving rhythms; the guitarists deliver jabs and jolts, fiery soloing, and fluid melody; and Tachell’s vocals [previous vocalist] are scalding in their intensity. You put all that together, and you get music that sends the blood rushing and proves to be highly addictive as well” – NO CLEAN SINGING ‘Savage’single review
“The songs on this EP turn out to be damned addictive. It’s very easy, at the end, to just go back to the beginning and ride this lightning again… and again” StillBorn World EP Review – NO CLEAN SINGING
Album Title: Impregnate My Hate
Release Date: May 26, 2023
Label: High Point Records
Distribution: CD Baby
Track Listing:
1. Scorchbreath (3:54)
2. Impregnate My Hate (3:11)
3. Can’t Escape This (4:55)
4. Scorpions of Sinai (3:29)
5. C Section S1urpee (2:48)
6. Death Frontier (3:09)
7. Tantric Aspects of the Cross (2:32)
8. Immanence (4:02)
9. Run it Red (3:50)
Album Length: 31:54
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Adam, Shon, Steve, Eric
• All songs written by: Adam, Shon, Steve, Eric
• Produced by: Shon Petrey
Drum engineer: Don Gunn
Vocals engineer: Adam Chambers
Backing vocals on Scorchbreath by Gabe Tachell & Carolina Chambers
Backing vocals on Impregnate My Hate & Run It Red by Carolina Chambers
• Mixed by: Shon Petrey
• Mastered by: Levi Seitz , Black Belt Recordings
• Album Artwork by: Andrzej Masianis
• Album Band Line Up:
Adam Chambers – Vox, Guitar, Synths
Shon Petrey – Guitar, Synths
Eric Close- Bass
Steve Fournier- Drums
Live Band Line Up:
Adam Chambers – Vox, Guitar,
Shon Petrey – Guitar
Eric Close – Bass
Steve Fournier – Drums, Backtracks Synths
=====================================================================
The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
[Adam] – ‘Impregnate My Hate’, as a phrase really sums it up….Modern times… Most folks are jumping down each other’s throats, willing vessels to the online projection of what modern entertainment and communication should be. Society is fragmenting into niche groups & how each individual deals with this is literally making or breaking their existence.
Shon and I talk at great lengths about exploring the shattered and celebrating the depravity used to nurture ourselves at the moment. It all comes with consequences…Personally, it’s fun to creatively dive into how this all plays out for each individual on an extended timeline.
[Shon] – Musically we wanted to explore writing ranging from aggressive mindlessness to slow and somber moments…with some catchy hooks!
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
SCORCHBREATH
[Adam] – Lyrically I wrote this in an airport terminal after a trip to Bogota (Colombia) and Chicago. It’s about having a rad time…but specifically, it’s referencing when Carolina (my wife), Shon and I went to Movement and hit up some afterparties…Just wall-to-wall sweat, people tripping balls, a codeword at the bar to order alcohol past 2 am…it was everything we hoped it would be. We went with friends we made that very day at Movement…a beautiful experience with lovely people and I’m smiling right now just thinking about it.
[Shon] – Musically this song has some punchy/ thrashy verses with a big carnival vibe of a chorus. All while incorporating some fun shred moments. This song is our single because it kinda displays all the elements of the album in a very condensed way. This is the song that kicked off the inspiration to start this album. We felt like we found something here that was worth exploring.
IMPREGNATE MY HATE
[Adam] – Lyrically – Modern times! Most folks are jumping down each other’s throats, willing vessels to the online projection of what modern entertainment and communication should be. My friends showed me an old TV series called ‘V’ that deals with subtle mind control and mass hypnosis…while I watched the series after writing the lyrics, I was like ‘yeah! This is it! This is what I’ve been trying to say’
[Shon] – This is our most thrashy song…it’s not really the most melodic tune at all. When writing the song an old-school vibe kinda just appeared here and we ran with it.
CAN’T ESCAPE THIS
[Adam] – Lyrically – It’s about the choices people make at ill hours of the night while celebrating after months of hard work. Then those celebrations happen after weeks of work…then days of work…then after no work at all. Fuck.
[Adam] – Musically, Shon’s ending solo on this song is my favorite on the album. It’s ALL feel dude. And he almost went with something more shreddy! The outro on this song serves two purposes…It’s a moment of mellow reflection and also makes a great contrast for ‘Scorpions of Sinai’ to hit that much harder.
[Shon] – This is a mid-tempo, slow, very melodic piece. It’s a bit of a different approach to songwriting, with a two-part song structure. There’s no revolving arrangement…it just keeps building.
SCORPIONS OF SINAI
[Adam] – Lyrics – Go read Roald Dahl’s ‘My Uncle Oswald’ and then read the lyrics to Scorpions. I can’t say much more without spoiling that experience. It’s a quick read, just go do it.
[Shon & Adam] This is our fastest song by far and always leaves Steve sweatin’! There’s a lot of underlying repetition in this song, which was a first for us. Each instrument here has its own texture, there are lots of synths…honestly, the track is heavily inspired by underground techno vibes.
C SECTION S1URPEE
[Adam] – Lyrics – Always wanted a tongue-in-cheek metal song title a la Metalocapyse. Here it is. “A Mindless libation from you I now tear!” Cherry slushies for all!
[Shon] Definitely a death metal element to this one here. That middle section drum/riff thing is probably the heaviest part of the album.
DEATH FRONTIER
[Adam] – Lyrics – This tune was originally called ‘Annihilate the Proper.’ It’s about being yourself and celebrating the filth you live in even if it means being alone.
[Shon] – The triplet song! Has a waltzy feel with black metal elements and time signature surprises in the middle. You know a time signature change is gonna be fun when it just flows and doesn’t call too much attention to itself.
TANTRIC ASPECTS OF THE CROSS
[Adam] – Lyrics – Originally called ‘Malicious Compliance’- parts of this were written while I worked 12-hour shifts 7 days a week at a shipyard. Paying off student loans is no fun. I fucking hated that job.
[Adam & Shon] – Another thrashy song with an old-school vibe. We built out the middle section of this song the weekend after we opened for Hypocrisy & Fleshgod Apocalypse.
[Adam] Technically, the transitional soundscape at the end of this tune was really fun to design. It was made on an outboard synth with 3 oscillators and a couple of morphing LFO’s/filter sweeps…the intention was to create a sound that changed from TAOTC ending pitch to the starting pitch of Immanence. Besides the pitch shift, we also had to imply a tempo change. The soundscape was recorded in real-time with some knob turning / dialed in LFO’s that come in at the end to imply the new tempo and sync up with the intro to Immanence.
Immanence is a bit of a slower, psychedelic-influenced tune and we wanted to differentiate the lead-in with something a little different compared to the rest of the album.
IMMANENCE
[Adam] – Lyrics – This sums up the collective experience of a group of friends that went to a music event called unter x second nature. This one is for all the friends and interactions that happened that night. There are references for you all. Thank you. I love you.
[Shon & Adam] This is the oldest song on the album, by far! It was originally called ‘Black Forest Rain Dance’ and was re-written a couple times and nearly left for dead. We wrote maybe 4-5 choruses for this song and they all sucked…then when we wrapped up all the other tunes we gave it one last go.
[Shon] There’s a lot of Hans Zimmer influence on this one. It took time to explore this vibe and I’m more proud of this song than any other on the album.
[Adam] Shon and I really dove into designing the sounds on this one. This is where I started feeling confident playing around with outboard synths.
RUN IT RED
[Adam] – Lyrics – More underground techno shoutouts here. This was from going to a Kremfest after-hours in 2019. Woke up at 8 am and met a bunch of friends on the dancefloor. After that ended, went to Shon’s spot and recorded guitars for C Section S1urpee. Spent the afternoon trying to nail the rhythm guitar sixteenth notes while my entire body was like ‘yeah, nope’. Thank God Shon has a sense of humor and we just joked about what a terrible player I am the entire session. Eventually, it got tight
My favorite memory of that afternoon was taking naps every 20 minutes and playing Sasha’s track ‘Xpander’ while I dosed off. Shon was like ‘what song is that?’ And when I replied all he heard was “Sausage Expander”. We still bump some Sausage Expander every now and then…I think that’s now the name of the USB stick we use to pass ideas back and forth.
[Shon] It’s a minimal/ dance/ industrial influenced tune that was written/ demo’d in one night. Very straightforward song, but is a different sonic arena for us to explore. It makes for a fun end to the album. There’s more focus on vibe than instrumental prowess.
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. Eric (bass) and Steve (drums) are veterans of the Seattle metal scene, having played together in a number of bands including In Memorium, Aggression Core, and Castdown, and have known each other for over 20 years.
[Adam] It’s insane working with these two. They ‘just know’ what each other are doing and have an insane drum/bass vibe. I can’t begin to explain how much this dynamic elevates the songs. 20 years of playing music together and they just keep evolving. Unreal.
2. How Adam & Shon met
[Adam] I moved to Seattle in 2014 and knew I wanted to dive into the music scene. Seattle is the kind of city where you just have to meet people in the moment or through a social circle. There’s a bit of a freeze and just going to shows isn’t necessarily a social experience for those new in town.
I busked on a corner in Capitol Hill outside of Neumos for a few months. I figured I’d do that until I met the right people/music situation. I met a lot of musicians but nothing really clicked.
For a few months, I was playing with a bucket drummer named Joe Buckets. We weren’t just tipped in cash…Sometimes little plastic baggies with unmarked pills and capsules ended up in my guitar case. Someone once tipped us a Crown Royal satchel full of weed.
While busking during Pride 2015, Joe was taking a break and I started playing metal riffs…While playing ‘Bodom Beach Terror’ there was a guy and girl that posted up within earshot. It was Shon and a friend. He introduced himself, and we all shared a smoke and traded contact info. Shon had just released a full-length (Hel’s Hallows) with his project called Whythre. I remember getting home that night and making myself some mac n cheese at 4 am and listening to the album. I sent Shon a message that I would join the project right then.
3. Adam’s foray into vocals
[Adam] When Gabe [previous singer] and his wife started a family, he said he could record with us but could not commit to playing live. Shon and I decided it would be best to have the singer on the album also be the one playing live…
I’m not a singer by trade, but out of desperation, I tracked a few vocal demos of Whythre songs. It was rough…really not very good. Despite this, I felt that learning how to sing would be less painful than dealing with recruiting a new singer. The pandemic had just hit, so I knew I had some time to learn.
While tracking Steve’s drums in the studio, I asked Don [engineer] and Steve if they had any recommendations for vocal coaches. They set me up with Susan Carr. She’s worked with Alice In Chains, Mastodon, Macklemore, Drowning Pool, and a long list of others.
Over the past two years, I’ve been attending vocal/opera lessons with Sue and she’s 100% responsible for my vocals not sucking as much as they used to.
4. [Shon] – [We had a studio engineer record the drum tracks. Shon mixed all tracks/the entire album. Here are Shon’s comments on mixing the album]
I’ve always had a vision of how I wanted a song to sound. At the roots, I would deconstruct my favorite tunes (probably a Metallica tune). I’d learn all the instruments, and observe how they fit in as a whole.
After a couple of attempts using other mixing engineers to dial up a tune, I was never happy with it. I’d just be left there wondering why the engineer didn’t try “this” or “that”, and wishing I had the power to control “this” or “That”. Two knobs and chords later, here I wander the vast world of the audiophile.
To sum it up, if I knew how long it would take me to achieve the sounds and balance I am getting now, I would have probably stopped. It was a combination of being stoked at making sounds and being ignorant of how badly it sounded that kept me motivated to dig deeper into the eternal rabbit hole.
5. Despite being an excellent cook, Shon can (and will) live entirely off gas station burritos and 7-11 fare. C-Section S1urpee is equal parts a dig & celebration of this talent. He’s going to outlive us all.
6. [Adam] I met the graphic designer that incorporated the album name/ band logo in the album cover at an underground rave that DVS1 played in Seattle. Ryan was dancing on a speaker stack and while walking by I shouted ‘fuck yeah!’… We ran into each other months later and laughed about that. Eventually, I found out about Ryan’s graphic design page https://www.ryanricketts.com/ and asked if he could help with the cover design. He’s literally the best.
L-R – Steve Fournier – Drums, Adam Chambers – Vocals, Guitars, Synths, Eric Close – Bass, Shon Petrey – Guitars, Synths
(Photographer Credit – Carolina Chambers)
Whythre is a melodic death metal band from Seattle, blending hints of black metal and thrash into their hook-driven songwriting. The band was started in 2015 with the release of their debut full-length ‘Hel’s Hollows’ followed by their 2019 EP ‘Stillborn World’. The lineup has undergone numerous changes and now consists of Shon Petrey (Guitars, Synths), Adam Chambers (Vocals, Guitars, Synths), Eric Close (Bass), and Steve Fournier (Drums).
The new album “Impregnate My Hate”, due out in 2023, is a move toward a wide variety of moods on each track. It is packed with heavy grooves, blistering riffs, and huge symphonic waves.
Their live shows have spanned the northwest including two appearances at Washington Deathfest and opening for acts like Obscura, Pain, Archspire, Orphaned Land, Beyond Creation, Ghost Bath, Astronoid, and the upcoming Hypocrisy/Fleshgod tour. On stage, they put on a raw thrashy show with face-melting leads and fist-pumping riffs. Whythre is a growing force with a distinctive sound that is not to be missed!
Discography:
2023 – Impregnate My Hate (LP)
2019 – Stillborn World (EP)
2015 – Hel’s Hallows (LP)
Shared Stage With:
Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hypocrisy, Pain, Orphaned Land, Archspire, Obscura, Inferi, Beyond Creation, Exist, Ghost Bath, Astronoid, Wastewalker, Aenimus, Embryonic Devourment, The Convalescence, Otep
Tours and Festivals:
2018 – Washington Death Fest III – Kelso, WA
2017 – Washington Death Fest II – Bremerton, WA
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 14, 2023
ALL ELSE FAILS Announces Mexico Tour + No Mames MetalFest and New Video “Flesh/Excess/Wealth”
New EP “The Incident at Black Lake” Out Now!
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L-R – Coco Lee (Bass/Vocals ) | John Saturley (Guitar) | Barrett Klesko (Vocals/Guitar) | Nelson Collins – Lee (Drums)
Photo Credit – Barrett Klesko – FadeBack Studios United
Canada’s All Else Fails will be leaving the frozen lands of Canadian winter for the heat and the beaches of Mexico for a one-week-long tour this coming March, which includes a performance at the No Mames MetalFest in Cozumel, MX (dates listed below). The tour is in support of their latest EP “The Incident at Black Lake” released this past September.
Vocalist/guitarist Barrett Klesko comments:
“It’s official, All Else Fails will be headed to the Riviera Maya in a couple of weeks to perform some select shows. We’re really excited to perform for our Mexican fans who have supported us over the years.”
In addition to their tour announcement, the band is sharing their latest music video for “Flesh/Excess/Wealth” via its premiere on Summa Inferno HERE.
All Else Fails‘ latest offering “The Incident at Black Lake” is the band’s tenth studio recording. A deep dive into emotional turmoil, violent riffs, and technical mastery, this EP is an evolution of the band in every aspect of their musicality, its songs are heavier, more complex, and deeper than ever. Employing elements of other genres like industrial, noise, moody electronics, or ambient sampling has always been a hallmark of the band, but take a new approach on this album.
The three original songs and a cover of Death’s “Crystal Mountain” explore themes of devastating mental illness, dystopian mass existential nihilism, and ideological fascism. According to the band, It took over 2 full years to write and produce this EP, they took their time with every part, every note, and every modulated warble. Every musical element has a place and purpose. They are telling a horrifically personal, furiously aggressive, and unnervingly beautiful musical story of mental terror and surviving despair. They continue to explain:
“It’s been really interesting this time around. We started writing this in the early days of the pandemic, so we didn’t really know if or when we would get to play live again. That led to us really taking our time to write each part exactly how we wanted. After we had finished writing and tracking the main instruments (drums, guitars, bass, vocals), then we spent over a year working on the programming, samples, keyboards, and production elements. We basically wrote a second album over top of the first one, it was kind of like writing a score to our own album. In two years, we are happy to say that we made no sacrifices anywhere on this release.”
Guitarist/vocalist Barrett Klesko shares that this EP is specifically about his spiral into mental illness. Falling into a pit of addiction and depression he was abusing his mind and body, and allowing others to do the same. Struggling with derealization and dissociation, he became almost totally withdrawn in his mind. The day they finished their last track on the EP, Klesko checked himself into a recovery center. This EP offers an honest glimpse into that dark, internal turmoil.
Reaching a new level of technical metal prowess and adding a dramatically more dynamic vocal style, it is with a dark heart that All Else Fails presents “The Incident at Black Lake”.
Recommended for fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Chimaira, and Killswitch Engage, the EP is available at Allelsefails.bandcamp.com, Spotify, Apple Music.
Music Video – I, Defiler – https://youtu.be/RwNjIFc6aPY
Music Video – Devour the Sun ft. Seedy Mitchell – https://youtu.be/2npL3dWJifo
Music Video Crystal Mountain (Death Cover) – https://youtu.be/Fx5mMMgOZy0
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Tour Dates:
March 16 – Route 666 – Cancun, MX
March 17 – Taqueria Coapenitos (AEF taco hangout with fans)
March 18 – No Mames MetalFest – Tony B’s – Cozumel, MX
March 19 – Private Event – Cozumel, MX
March 20 – Diego’s Cozumel, MX (AEF taco hangout with fans)
March 21 – El Pezcozon (AEF taco hangout with fans)
March 22 – Sereno Rooftop (AEF taco hangout with fans)
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Track Listing:
1. I, Defiler (5:48)
2. Devour the Sun (8:24) ft. Seedy Mitchell
3. Flesh/Excess /Wealth (5:36)
4. Crystal Mountain (5:19)
EP Length: 25:09
All Else Fails is:
Barrett Klesko – Vocals, Guitar
John Saturley – Guitar
Coco Lee – Bass, Vocals
Nelson Collins-Lee – Drums
For more info: Facebook.com/AllElseFailsCanada | Instagram.com/allelsefailscanada
About:
Over the last 15 years, Edmonton, Alberta based award-winning metal band All Else Fails has become a cornerstone of the melodic heavy metal community in Canada. Combining intense riffs, intricate rhythm sections, brutal guttural screams, and melodic yet unusual vocal lines paired with relevant and relatable lyrics, All Else Fails’ message resonates with us all.
Formed in 2006 with the release of their self-titled EP, All Else Fails has gone on to release 9 studio albums, many of which have garnered awards and nominations from across the Canadian music industry and have propelled the band into live performances all over the world, including their massively successful tour of India in 2017.
For the past two years, the band has been hard at work writing their new EP “The Incident at Black Lake.” A deeply personal, brutally honest, and staggeringly complex take on the reality-bending mental struggles of vocalist and founder, Barrett Klesko (The Misfires, The Order of Chaos). The band is filled out by guitarist John Saturley (The Order of Chaos, Skepsis), bassist and vocalist Coco Lee (Eternal Prophecy), and drummer Nelson Collins-Lee (The 21st Agenda, Skepsis). The EP is produced by Bevin Booth of In the Booth Recordings and engineered at The Electric Treehouse in Edmonton, Alberta.
In 2022, the band is returning to their DIY roots by mindfully abandoning their social media and redirecting their energy to contributing to their local metal scene by building a direct personal connection to their fans and followers, living in line with a humanist philosophy and encouraging a culture of support between artists. All Else Fails’ new single “Flesh /Excess /Wealth” drops in early September with the full EP “The Incident at Black Lake” releasing September 30th. Fans can experience their explosive new live show this fall in Western Canada.
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“The Incident at Black Lake might be “just” a four-track EP by All Else Fails, but its 25 minutes of music are absolutely intense and electrifying, proving why they’re undoubtedly one of the most important names of the Canadian Metalcore scene.” – The Headbanging Moose
“The third theme is my favorite without a doubt. “Flesh/Excess/Wealth” has one of the most vibrant riffs starting at minute 2`40« and they make up for it with a percussion chorus that had previously been heard on the vocals. Finally, when I couldn’t like it more, ALL ELSE FAILS decides to end with a tribute to my beloved DEATH. The cover that they do with “Crystal Mountain”, uniting the trail that Chuck Schuldiner left us while leaving his personal mark, to take off his hat. I love these Canadians and look forward to their next album.” – 9.5/10 – Necromance Magazine
“The EP itself is a cyclone of melodic metalcore fire, death metal toxicity and progressive imagination revealing ALL ELSE FAILS at their most open, intense and thrilling.” – The Ringmaster Review
“Being dark in nature, it tells the suffering that Klesko was facing and what he was seeing in his head. While very dark at times, it’s mind-bendingly beautiful to see it from this perspective. And I can’t wait to hear what else the band has to offer.” 4/5 – Metal Epidemic
““Flesh/Excess/Wealth” is a close second for my favorite song, however. Klesko says he wrote it about losing his sense of humanity. It’s a really aggressive song, but also contains some really beautiful clean singing and a wicked guitar solo. The final song on the EP is a cover of “Crystal Mountain” by the band DEATH, a song much loved by the band. Lyrically, the song fits the dark tone the band set for the previous songs on the EP. I think the band did a good job with the cover and putting their own sound to it. Overall, I thought this was a great EP where I could really feel the emotions that went into writing it.” – Metal-Temple
“”The Incident At Black Lake” is a solid EP” – Powermetal.de
“Canadian band All Else Fails are out with the EP “The Incident at Black Lake”, and this is a production that probably will be of interest to some fans of progressive metal. While a variety of a core based style of metal is at the heart of the proceedings here, the different vocal tones, the changes and alterations over to atmospheric laden and melodic metal, what might be described as thrash metal as well as some quirky instrument movements and expressive arrangement choices does add what I’d describe as a progressive spirit to the proceedings here… If metalcore with an expressive orientation and progressive aspirations sounds interesting to you, this is an EP you might consider becoming a bit more familiar with.” – Progressor
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