Xael undertook an ambitious journey when it came to their debut record. The Last Arbiter is a bold album, filled with smart intersplicing of folk, orchestrations and extreme metal soundscapes in a bid to create a science-fiction concept piece.
https://tobysaunders.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/xael-the-last-arbiter-album-review/
http://www.immusicmag.com/2018/05/album-review-meka-nism-the-war-inside/
In closing, I would just like to say that it is a gross misunderstanding that this band has not been picked up and signed. I could easily see them attached to Century Media or Roadrunner Records. The music world, hell, the metal world needs to be exposed to Meka Nism, and their incredibly talented and soulful lead singer, Ms. Meka. Rating: 8/10.
In wonderful harmony, death metal and power metal meet to create an atmospheric, magical, wondrous and yet face peeling and flesh picking sound that isn’t to be forgotten. Through the seven tracks that are harbored within Into The Dying of Time, Valyria create wondrous atmospheres and soundscapes all while shredding your skin to bone.
https://cadavergarden.com/2018/05/17/valyria-into-the-dying-of-time/
(contact info below)
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – May 17, 2018
For fans of Cryptopsy, Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Death
L-R = Jeff Calder – Guitar, Adam Semler – Guitars & Vocals, Eric Cooper Lefebvre – Drums, Kyle Hnatyshin – Bass, Brandon Mayhew – Vocals
Photo Credit: Gilles Landreville
Ontario’s HATRED REIGNS is getting ready to unveil to the metal world their debut EP “Realm: I – Affliction” on May 25th.
This 3 song EP takes songs from their future full-length concept album that recants the travels of a damned soul to purgatory where their fate will be determined as they face numerous challenges along the way. So far through private listening parties, the EP has been well received by fans across metal sub-genres and the band is very excited to show off the final product.
Guitarist Jeff Calder explains the writing and inspiration for the album:
“Lyrics are written by Brandon Mayhew (guitarist) and me. The concept was inspired by Dante’s Inferno and movie ‘What Dreams May Come’ (the book is not as similar to the film) while giving our own twist and personal interests on the theme.”
“Realm: I – Affliction” will be released on CD as part of the Indiemerch Devastation On The Nation Tour on May 27th in Ottawa w/ Aborted, Psycroptic, Ingested, Disentomb, Arkaik, Venom Prison, Vale of Pnath with the digital release on May 25th. The EP was recorded, mixed and mastered by Dark Moon Productions and drums were engineered by Geoff McNeely & Joe “Moon” Lyko at Raven Street Studios.
To hear the EP’s first single “In Anguish”, please visit the following link: https://youtu.be/q85L7MJC_vI
EP pre-order available at http://hatredreigns.bandcamp.com.
Show Dates:
May 27 – Ottawa, ON – Mavericks – info
w/ Aborted, Pyscroptic, Ingested, Disentomb, Arkaik, Venom Prison, Vale of Pnath, Gland
Track Listing:
1. In Anguish (4:29)
2. Pain Leads To Nothingness (3:57)
3. Planes Divide (4:13)
EP Length: 12:40
Album / Live Band Line Up:
Brandon Mayhew – Vocals
Jeff Calder – Guitars
Adam Semler – Guitars & Vocals
Kyle Hnatyshin – Bass
Eric Cooper Lefebvre – Drums
For more info:
http://www.facebook.com/hatredreigns
http://www.instagram.com/hatredreignsofficial
EPK – https://wp.me/pciNW-c0G
BIO:
Hailing from the Ottawa/Gatineau Capital Region of Ontario, the five members of Hatred Reigns compose original brutal music and have been taking the local scene by storm. Fusing both old school death metal and new school tech elements, each song they create is unique and full of beastly hammered drums, brutal aggressive guitars, sonic booming bass, and demonic vocals appealing to a diverse audience.
Looking to develop a new project with big ambitious goals to create a concept album Hatred Reigns was founded in 2015 by Jeff Calder, (guitarist, and conceptual artist). They performed their inaugural performance in 2017 to a sold out crowd and thus very high standards were established and word spread to promoters in other cities of their performance.
– 30 –
—
Overall – I have nothing but compliments for ‘Pyaneta’. It’s a blissful album, from start to end. Narrating a wonderfully fantastical tale, with all the skills and passion inherent within it. A metallic, mythological storyboard, combining old and new world wonder is the closest summation of this standout album. A definite example of all killer, no filler, with mysterious touches, accentuating the metal.
https://jennytate.wordpress.com/2018/05/17/materdea-pyaneta/
(contact info below)
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – May 17, 2018
For fans of Wintersun, Omnium Gatherum, Dragonforce, Children of Bodom, Blind Guardian, Kalmah, Insomnium
InvisibleOranges Premiere VALYRIA EP Stream “Into The Dying of Time”
L-R – Andrew Traynor – Guitar/Vocals, Mitchell Stykalo – Drums, Jeremy Puffer – Guitar/Vocals, Cam Dakus – Bass/ Lead Vocals
Alberta power-influenced progressive death metal band VALYRIA will be unleashing their new EP “Into The Dying of Time” on May 18th, 2018 and just before it’s officially out, they have teamed up with InvisibleOranges.com for the full stream premiere at the following link: http://www.invisibleoranges.com/realism-in-valyrias-into-the-dying-time/
The band comments:
“We are extremely ecstatic to release “Into The Dying of Time”. We have spent the better part of the year refining and finding our sound and our album is a culmination of our influences that hold such a huge place in our lives. Our album brings stories to life with influences from fantasy and sci-fi novels, film, historical mysticism and the state and future of our world today.”
Influenced by Wintersun, The Faceless, Dragonforce, Blind Guardian and Omnium Gatherum, VALYRIA describes their sound as “dramatic, complex, uplifting, emotional, technical” something their fans will be able to hear on their new EP “Into The Dying of Time”, which features such soon-to-be-classics as “Steel Inquisition”, “Tome of The Shattered Vessels”, “Of Sky and Sea”, “The Crossing” and “Floating World”.
“Into The Dying of Time” will be available for download plus stream on Bandcamp here, iTunes, CD Baby, Spotify and all other major online retailers.
Track Listing:
1. The Final Empire (Intro) (0:52)
2. Steel Inquisition (6:17)
3. Tome of Shattered Vessels (5:58)
4. Of Sky and Sea (6:35)
5. The Crossing (5:38)
6. Floating World (4:26)
7. Into the Dying of Time (Outro) (2:02)
EP Length: 31:51
VALYRIA is:
Jeremy Puffer – Guitar and Vocals
Cam Dakus – Bass and Lead Vocals
Andrew Traynor – Guitar and Vocals
Mitchell Stykalo – Drums
– 30 –
“discovering this band was an extremely pleasant surprise, and I’m looking forward to when Into the Dying of Time is released so I can share it in full far and wide. Fans of progressive metal, melodeath and any genres along that spectrum would be well served by picking up this EP, and I predict bigger things for Valyria in the near future. ” – Pure Grain Audio
“It’s power metal AND death metal! This is the best thing.” – Toilet Ov Hell
“Where these guys really excel is in structure and atmosphere. As I said, this track reminds me of something like Rhapsody of Fire, Ensiferum or Wintersun… it definitely has that epic melodeath style sound and you don’t need me to tell you that.”-The Grim Tower
—
ashermediarelations.com 